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April 10, 1910: The Voice Behind the Curtain
Band singer and movie dubber Margherita Maria Francesca LaCentra—"Peg"— was born in Boston April 10, 1910. LaCentra had only a minor role in the jazz and nightlife story, but it was certainly a notable one nonetheless.
Peg LaCentra studied piano at the New England Conservatory of Music and acting at the long-defunct Fenway Academy of Dramatic Art, and worked as a staff singer and radio actor at WNAC in Boston just as the Depression was taking hold. In 1931, she moved to New York and a series of jobs in network radio. In 1934, she recorded for the first time, a song titled "The Fortune Teller," with the Johnny Green Orchestra.
LaCentra kept at it in the New York studios, and in 1936 was a singer on "The Mell-O-Roll Ice Cream Show." The band was that of guitarist Dick McDonough. One of the sidemen in McDonough's group was Artie Shaw, who was about to start his own orchestra, and he wanted LaCentra to sing with it. She joined Shaw's orchestra in summer 1936. The band wasn't successful and Shaw disbanded, but LaCentra recorded 13 sides with Shaw in her time there.
Next came singing Benny Goodman, for all of two weeks. LaCentra didn't like him. She quit and returned to Shaw, who was organizing his 1937 band in Boston. She stayed with Shaw for about two months and recorded four more sides, and then returned to radio work in New York. In 1938 she recorded six sides under her own name on Bluebird, backed by the studio orchestra of Jerry Sears, and in 1939 NBC gave her her own "Peg LaCentra Show," but it is unclear how long it ran.
LaCentra was married to actor Paul Stewart, and during the war she joined him in California. Although she herself acted in movies and then on television until 1960, she found greater success in the late 1940s dubbing vocals in movies. She was not in the ranks of the most in-demand dubbers (Martha Mears, Jo Ann Greer, or the most celebrated, Marni Nixon), but she sang for Susan Hayward in Smash Up, and for Ida Lupino in The Man I Love and Escape Me Never.
Here is Peg, first singing as herself with Shaw in 1936, on "There's a Frost on the Moon." Then we hear Peg sing as Ida Lupino, on "The Man I Love." Lupino does better with being dubbed than most I've seen.
I ran into Peg recently on a CD Artie Shaw collection . i dont think anyone could beat her n a hummed intro. like the one on There's Something In The Air . So very evocative of that period.
thanks for the details on her life.


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Erroneous "Push Failed" (RhodeCode / Mercurial) Follow
We run a Mercurial server with RhodeCode. I created a new project in PyCharm 2.7.2 in Windows, created a local repository. I can commit to the local repository, and push my changes to the remote repository. The changes show up in that repository, but every push, PyCharm gives me a "Push Failed" error. Whilst not as frustrating as a push that appears to succeed but doesn't, I'd like to resolve the issue so things act more ... cleanly.
How can I go about debugging this?
How can I go about debugging this?
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Do you have any push-hooks defined on the server?
Which version of Mercurial do you use?
Which version of Mercurial do you use?
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subset: commoncrawl


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Service tribute to gallant men at St Christopher's Chapel
SEVENTY-ONE years have passed since 21-year-old David Dake of Oshkosh, Wisconsin was recorded holding the standing long jump record on the sports oval at Rockhampton's camp Nerimbera.
His name with eight others was later transferred from the sports oval board to the inside walls of St Christopher's Chapel for preservation.
Now David, at age 92, is the sole surviving member of the chapel boys and lives in a retirement home in Greenbay, Wisconsin, USA.
Yeppoon's Brian Morris released a booklet in 2011 on the 10 US Soldiers' stories whose names were inscribed on the wall titled, The Chapel Boys.
Brian and his wife Ruth spent two years of countless hours and tireless nights finding out what happened to the soldiers.
The Morning Bulletin printed the story of Elgin Fay, who was one of the two serving soldiers including David.
Brian said Elgin sadly passed away in August last year.
A fitting tribute will be paid to the men who survived, together with those who sacrificed their lives in the defence of this country, at the annual remembrance service in St Christopher's Chapel tomorrow at 2pm.
Brian said as part of the 127th, 32nd Division (Red Arrows), David had been sent back to recuperate after action against the Japanese in the Buna campaign New Guinea.
"They were the first American ground troops, poorly trained and equipped, to confront a well-dug-in, better equipped, experienced and determined enemy, with disastrous results," he said.
"General MacArthur commented after the action 'No more bloody Buna's'."
David went on to further action at the battles for Leyte and Luzon in the Philippines.
His daughter Debra keeps Brian updated on David's wellbeing and recently wrote to him.
"Dad is fine. He's not as strong as he was in his 20's, but still walks on his own two feet to get where he is going, he just doesn't go very far," Debra told Brian.
"He naps throughout the day and his favourite thing to do is admire the beautiful trees that thrive outside his window."


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Miami Light Project Presents
Here & Now: 2019
May 2-4, 2019
Thursday – Saturday at 8:00PM
The Light Box at Goldman Warehouse | 404 NW 26th Street | Wynwood
Miami Light Project's signature commission program for Miami-based artists, Here & Now returns! Here & Now: 2019 will feature newly commissioned work from Miami's freshest and most exciting emerging artists, who are working across disciplines to define contemporary performance in Miami.
2018-2019 Commissioned Artists:
- Ivonne Batanero & Adler Guerrier
- Kayla Castellon
- Randy De La Cruz
- Liony Garcia
- Juraj Kojs
- Michelle Murray
- Samantha Pazos
"Miami Light Project's annual Here & Now Festival consistently offers intriguing new efforts from some of Miami's best and boldest young artists, with the occasional discovery of exceptional talent (i.e. Teo Castellanos, Rosie Herrera, Natasha Tsakos.)"
Miami Herald
Miami Light Project Launched Here & Now in 1999, as the first program of its kind in South Florida dedicated to commissioning and presenting South Florida-based performance and multi-media artists. Since its inception, we have commissioned work from more than 75 South Florida-based artists, laying the foundation for Miami's reputation as a cultural center of international importance. Over 30 of those artists have gone on to perform that work in 14 states and 15 countries for an estimated audience of over 20,000 people worldwide.


text: In this advanced web accessibility training course learn how to keep more sophisticated sites and content accessible. Discover how to build accessible web forms, incorporate CSS and JavaScript for accessibility, and to create accessible PDF files. Learn how to test your site for accessibility. This class teaches additional ways to make sites accessible. Our introductory web accessibility class is a prerequisite for this course. If you have questions about this web accessibility class, or are interested in a private or customized training session, call to speak with a training consultant: 781-376-6044.


text:
A senior fellow with the Transatlantic Program of the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) said Iran's strategy of resistance against Washington has worked as "the US cannot credibly claim that UN sanctions are still in place".Read More ...
Muslims able to counter 9/11-related Islamophobia: Kevin Barrett
September 16, 2020 - 12:20 PM
Kevin Barrett, author, activist and journalist, says if Muslims support the movements which seek the truth behind September eleven attacks, they will manage to enforce correction of the historical record filed by Islamophobic role-players.Read More ...
Interview: Bin Salman in weak position, can't end Yemen war now - Iranian expert
August 4, 2020 - 8:35 AM
Over the past few days, the Yemeni crisis resurfaced to focus as Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) said it left the pro-independence ambitions and is returning to the negotiating table with the resigned Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi within the framework of the Riyadh agreement.Read More ...
Velayati: Meeting with Iraqi PM one of Imam Khamenei's most exceptional meetings
July 29, 2020 - 9:03 AM
In referring to his experience in participating in the Supreme Leader's meetings with foreign officials, Imam Khamenei's advisor in international affairs, Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati, described the recent meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister as one of the most exceptional meetings that His Eminence has ever held.Read More ...
Full text;
Untold facts on Israel-Hezbollah war in an interview with Major General Soleimani
October 2, 2019 - 4:22 PM
After 20 years, for the first time since being appointed as the Chief Commander of Quds brigade, General Soleimani was interviewed by Khamenei.ir.Read More ...
Interview with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (Part Five)
How did we defeat U.S. in its ISIS project?
September 29, 2019 - 5:05 PM
In an extensive interview with Masseer Especial Journal--which belongs to Khamenei.ir-- Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah pointed out formerly undisclosed facts regarding relations between Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as Imam Khamenei's command of international issues.Read More ...
Interview with Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah (Part Four)
What hastens collapse of Saudi regime is it's officials' actions
September 25, 2019 - 6:02 PM
In an extensive interview with Masseer Especial Journal--which belongs to Khamenei.ir-- Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah pointed out formerly undisclosed facts regarding relations between Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as Imam Khamenei's command of international issues.Read More ...
Interview with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (Part Three):
Imam Khamenei's secret letter delivered to Hezbollah by General Soleimani
September 25, 2019 - 5:57 PM
In an extensive interview with Masseer Especial Journal--which belongs to Khamenei.ir-- Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah pointed out formerly undisclosed facts regarding relations between Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as Imam Khamenei's command of international issues. The first and second part of the interview have been published over the past few days. In the third part of the interview, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah makes reference to a letter by Imam Khamenei which was deliver to him through General Ghasem Soleimani before the war with the Zionist Regime began.Read More ...
Part Two:
Sayyed Nasrallah: Imam Khamenei's prediction of Oslo Accord and Netanyahu's error
September 24, 2019 - 3:02 PM
In an extensive interview with an Especial Journal belonging to Khamenei.ir, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah elaborated on formerly unrevealed issues regarding the relations between Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The first part of the interview was published yesterday. In the second part of the interview, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah points out Imam Khamenei's prediction regarding the Oslo Accord as well as Netanyahu's error concerning the accord.Read More ...
Part One:
Interview with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah
September 23, 2019 - 4:50 PM
Masseer Especial Journal, which belongs to Khamenei.ir, has conducted an interview with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Lebanon's Hezbollah, which is published for the first time.Read More ...
Former American rapper converts to Islam
July 10, 2018 - 2:44 PM
Kristin, a former American rapper has converted to Islam saying that there are many beautiful things in this religion, the most significant of which being prayer.Read More ...
British expert reveals UK-US roles in backing Saudi-UAE assault on Yemen's Hodeidah port
June 26, 2018 - 12:33 PM
Marcus Papadopoulos, a political expert and editor-in-chief of London-based Politics First Magazine, said in an exclusive interview with that the Saudi and United Arab Emirates' interference in Yemen are similar to plots being implemented by Israel and Turkey against Syria.Read More ...
Trump's advisers 'war-loving psychopaths' - American Analyst
June 24, 2018 - 10:14 AM
An American political commentator deplored the US government's propaganda campaigns against Iran and North Korea as "xenophobic" and said President Donald Trump's advisers are "all war-loving psychopaths".Read More ...
Bahraini scholar: Normalization of relations with Israel betrayal of Islam
June 17, 2018 - 2:15 PM
Sheikh Mohammad Khojasteh described this actions of the Bahraini and Saudi rulers in normalizing relations with Israel as a clear betrayal of Islam.Read More ...
Representative of Imam Khamenei in Iraq:
Strengthening Qom-Najaf seminaries' relations will neutralize enemies' conspiracies
May 14, 2018 - 11:57 AM
Sayyed Al Hoseyni added that there must be stronger relations between the Islamic Seminaries of Qom and Najaf and said, "In this case, the plans of the enemies, who want to create dissension between Qom and Najaf, will be thwarted."Read More ...
Dutch lady: 'Imam Hussain' a model of sacrifice for entire world without discrimination
April 28, 2018 - 11:55 AM
I am so happy to visit the city of Karbala and the Holy shrine of Imam al- Hussein (pbuh). When I read about this great personality, I find him a model of sacrifice for all human beings without discrimination. This is the view of (Ann Sackat), a Dutch lady living in the UK.Read More ...
Shia Muslims and Islam in West
April 28, 2018 - 11:49 AM
In order to know more about the Islamic centers in Dearborn, Michigan, home to the largest Shia Arab population in the USA, Hussein Revivalism interviewed Sayyed Hassan al-Qazwini, a well-known religious scholar and ex-imam of the largest and oldest Shia Islamic Center in America.Read More ...
Opposition figure: Gunfire in Saudi capital prelude to princes' moves against Bin Salman
April 24, 2018 - 12:59 PM
A prominent opposition figure in Saudi Arabia highlighted the widespread discontent among the Al Saud ruling family over Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's policies and said a recent gunfire near the King Salman's palace signals the beginning of princes' moves against him.Read More ...
Top Sunni cleric: Nigeria fractured, factionalized / Buhari incompetent president, he must leave for someone with capacity
April 23, 2018 - 10:01 AM
The Kaduna-based top Sunni cleric and Islamic scholar, Sheik Abubakar Ahmad Gumi, in interview with BABA NEGEDU, explains why Nigeria needs new President...Read More ...
Intifadah, killing Palestinians & crisis in Quds 'Not important' for Bahrain al-Khalifa regime
April 23, 2018 - 8:56 AM
The senior member of the Assembly of Bahraini Scholars stated that the issue of Palestine is not important to Al Khalifah regime and said that the revolution of the Bahraini people will continue until the people's demands are completely met.Read More ...
Sheikh Khojasteh: Bahraini people will be on battlefield with stronger presence
February 14, 2018 - 10:01 AM
Hawzah News hosted a meeting on the legal review of the recent executions in Bahrain which was attended by Iranian and Bahraini clerics and civil and political rights experts.Read More ...
UK Professor: Danger of Salafi and far-right extremism in Europe
February 8, 2018 - 11:03 AM
During the International conference of "Islam in Europe: Prospects and Challenges" that was held on Wednesday in Qom there is an interview with professor Robert Gleave, Director of the Centre for the Study of Islam at University of Exeter in the UK.Read More ...
Russian Analyst : Wahhabi Ideology behind Saudi Crimes against Shiite Muslims
February 4, 2018 - 10:23 AM
A prominent political analyst based in Russia described Saudi Arabia's continued crackdown on the Shiite population in the Arab country as being ideologically motivated and said, "the Wahhabi ideology of sectarian supremacism" is behind the Saudi crimes against its own people.Read More ...
US Analyst: Saudi Regime Intends No Meaningful Social Reforms
January 31, 2018 - 11:21 AM
A senior political analyst from the US State of Illinois lashed out at the Saudi regime for its "horrendous human rights abuses" and said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's social reforms are nothing but an illusion of positive change.Read More ...
Biggest danger is renewed Saudi policy to relocate ISIS-mercenaries from Syria & Iraq to Yemen - Swedish activist
January 30, 2018 - 9:20 AM
"The biggest potential danger now is a renewed Saudi policy to relocate hardened ISIS-mercenaries from Syria and Iraq to Yemen," Ulf Sandmark said in an interview.Read More ...
American professor: Trump pursuing 'Israel first' foreign policy, not 'America first'
January 28, 2018 - 8:46 AM
US President Donald Trump is in pursuit of an "Israel first" policy which can be seen in his recent actions against Iran, says James Fetzer, an American scholar and a retired academic in Madison, Wisconsin.Read More ...
Politician activist: Saudi, UAE, Bahrain serving US interests in Mideast
January 17, 2018 - 2:03 PM
Syen Mohsin Abbas believes it is very clear that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt are working to ensure the interests of the United States, and that their policies are dictated to them by Washington.Read More ...
Full Speech;
Sayyed Nasrallah: Israel weaker than ISIS, Hezbollah fully prepared for great war with Zionist regime
January 4, 2018 - 12:51 PM
Sayyed Nasrallah viewed that "The Iranian Al-Quds Force is essential in preparing for the great war." On another level, the Resistance Leader said. "Despite the fact that fighting Daesh "ISIS" is tougher than fighting "Israel", it would have been possible to end up Daesh earlier wasn't it for the American assistance."Read More ...
Activist Warns: Nigerian regime plotting to murder Sheikh Zakzaky / US-Israel-Saudi behind the conspiracy
January 2, 2018 - 9:56 AM
"The fact is that there is a clear conspiracy hatched by the Nigerian government, which is seeking to gradually kill Sheikh Zakzaky," Yousef Hamza said in an interview.Read More ...
Nigerian activist: US, Israeli, Saudi regimes preventing freedom of Sheikh Zakzaky
December 31, 2017 - 1:33 PM
"Despite a ruling issued by the Federal High Court of Nigeria to release of Sheikh Zakzaky, the head of the Nigerian government has not done so yet," Abdullah Danladi said.Read More ...


text:
SN 6 | EP 22 | Great X-Pectations
Terrell (Patrick Y. Malone) is caught with a handgun in the classroom; Spencer (Michael Ralph) proposes to Kim.
Available: Amazon Prime, Amazon, Amazon.com
Denise Huxtable is in "a different world" -- predominantly black Hillman College -- in this popular "Cosby Show" spinoff. A sophomore, Denise shares her quarters with divorced freshman Jaleesa and naive Maggie, one of Hillman's few white students. Other Hillman students include Whitley, a Southern belle full of attitude; Dwayne, a math major, and his best friend, Ron; and Col. Taylor, aka "Dr. War."
Lisa Bonet,
Denise Huxtable
Kadeem Hardison,
Dwayne Cleophus Wayne
Jasmine Guy,
Whitley Marion Gilbert Wayne


text:
Guest Column: A reasonable balance in criminal justice
Posted: Monday, August 26, 2013 9:35 am
By JOSH MARQUIS
For The Daily Astorian
I find it ironic that after almost five years in office U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has finally figured out that there are unfair and draconian federal sentencing laws.
The Daily Astorian's Aug. 19 editorial ("We cannot afford these prison beds") ignores the fact that federal sentencing takes up less than 5 percent of all prison beds in America.
The other 95 percent are state and local.
Congress passed draconian federal drug sentencing laws in the late 1980s, largely at the request of members of the Black Caucus which represented cities that were being decimated by the violence of crack cocaine trafficking. Still, it takes a lot to become a "federal case," whether it involves cocaine, marijuana or money.
In Oregon a marijuana grow of less than 1,000 plants is generally too small to warrant federal prosecution. In the mid-1990s, I was told that an attempted theft from the U.S. Forest Service of about $750,000 was so small-time that it would be ignored unless I tried the case as a special federal prosecutor. I did, and convicted the man.
Oregon sentencing law allows for a maximum of 30 days in jail for almost all drug felons except those with very violent records. A person whose only crime is their addiction will not benefit from prison. Each of Clatsop County's three circuit court judges operate "speciality courts" designed to keep felons out of prison or jail. Judge Nelson's Drug Court even offers low-level heroin dealers the opportunity to keep a felony off their record if they will stay clean for six months and follow through on treatment.
Oregonians urgently need in-patient drug facilities and treatment plans, both in and out of correctional facilities. At the Meth Summit held here a few years ago, I was struck by the number of recovering addicts who personally thanked Sheriff Tom Bergin and me for locking them up, giving them a chance to get clean and stay clean long enough to realize they were on the wrong path.
When you look at incarceration numbers, you need to remember that there is a distinction between prison and jails. Prisons are reserved for people convicted of felonies. They are paid for either by the state or by the federal government. Jails hold a wide variety of criminals, generally for short stays, and are financed locally.
Prisons take up less than 6 percent of Oregon's budget and much less of the federal budget. The cost of doing what Oregon did in the 1960s and 1970s – almost wishing its way out of crime – resulted in the highest crime rates in modern history. Oregon has since reached a balance of incarceration and probation.
Oregon's U.S. attorney (like Colorado's top federal prosecutor) said very recently that the problems Holder has recently described aren't happening in their districts. As Willamette Week reported in a story reprinted recently in The Daily Astorian, Oregon's system imprisons only the most dangerous and persistent felons.
The latest editorial also claims "we currently imprison more than 700 (people) per 100,000." Where? Not in Clatsop County. Not in Oregon. Even the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics placed the total incarceration rate, including federal and state jails and prisons, closer to 540 per 100,000. And according to 2012 figures from the Oregon Department of Corrections, the rate of felons going to prison from Clatsop County was 180 per 100,000. The statewide average for that year was 143 per 100,000.
In Oregon, 75 percent of felons never go to prison, and more than 65 percent of today's 14,200 inmates (one-third of 1 percent of the population) are in prison for violent crimes – felony sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery or homicide.
Calling the prison system a "crippling system" is a false cry for economy. An effective and balanced system, with treatment centers and adequate probation officers to work with the majority of offenders who are not incarcerated, will cost a significant amount more than we're spending now. But the result will be a safer, freer and less fearful society.
An effective criminal justice system lies between hysterical calls to lock everyone up and throw away the key, and accusations of exorbitant costs to keep hundreds of thousands of people in prison simply because of a minor misjudgment.
To see how justice works in Clatsop County, I invite you again to come and watch the various drug and treatment courts in action. Or come to court any day at 1:15 when the people considered most dangerous are brought before the court for the first time to determine whether they should even stay in jail.


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I credit the two individuals that put this together, as the production quality really isn't bad at all. Their voices aren't terrible, and the lyrics aren't the worst either. But does that make it good? Look for yourself. It's not quite "Empire State of Mind", but rather it's a "Titletown State of Mind". Thanks to Honey for finding this.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
This Might Make Your Ears Bleed
3:31 AM Honey, YouTube No comments


text:
European shares closed broadly lower Tuesday, as gains in oil majors BP and Shell were offset by weaker mining stocks and banks after Deutsche Bank reported further writedowns.
The banking sector was among the strongest negative weights on the index with Deutsche Bank down 0.4 percent after posting further writedowns and HBOS down 1.8 percent after the British bank made a 4 billion pound ($7.9 billion) cash call.
Deutsche Bank suffered its first quarterly loss in five years as the global financial turmoil heaped more than $4 billion in writedowns on the bank.
"The size of the writedowns weighs," said Christian Stocker, equity strategist at UniCredit Global Research.
Deutsche Bank also retreated from giving further guidance for the currently year, saying uncertain markets made a forecast impossible.
"It shows that Deutsche Bank is also uncertain about business developments this year and the market doesn't like this," Stocker said.
HBOS, Britain's biggest mortgage lender, is the second major UK bank in days to turn to investors with a deeply discounted rights issue, after Royal Bank of Scotland last week.
"The rumor was already in the market yesterday, but today's confirmation now weighs on the sector," Stocker said.
"It may be negative in the short term, but in the long term it could certainly be positive, because the bank is strengthening its capital base in order to be able to outperform again in the future."
Mining shares added to the weaker trend with BHP Billiton down 3.1 percent, Rio Tinto down 3.4 percent and Anglo American down 2.8 percent.
On the upside, BP and Royal Dutch Shell rose nearly 6 percent each after both oil giants posted forecast beating first-quarter results.
"Oil and gas stocks are very, very positive after good earnings from BP and Shell, also driven higher by the high oil price," Stocker said.
Oil prices fell below $116, after Monday's record high at $119.93 a barrel.
Automotive Stocks in Focus
Among major decliners, shares in Michelin dropped 9.2 percent after the French tire group cut its forecast for 2008 operating income, which also weighed on German auto parts maker Continental, falling 0.6 percent.
But Continental stuck to its forecast as it posted a 29 percent rise in first-quarter underlying operating profit.
Elsewhere in the sector, Daimler's first-quarter earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) fell a worse-than-expected 40 percent to 1.98 billion euros as one-off charges weighed.
Daimler shares were down 1.4 percent.


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Silver Mounted Lemonade JugSubstantial silver mounted lemonade jug with star cut to the base. Complete with its removable central flask that was designed to be filled with crushed ice so as to keep the contents of the jug cool without diluting it. Made to a registered design with makers marks for John Grinsell and Sons, retailers mark for Mappin and Webb and hallmarked Birmingham 1891.Enquire
Dimensions: 29 cm/11½ inches (height) x 16.5 cm/6½ inches (base diameter)
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text:
LOP BURI, Thailand — Where else in the world can a tourist be a soldier for a day or two, shoot off an M-16, jump from a parachute tower, climb rocks, ford streams and hike through the jungle?
|The military museum at Lop Buri displays equipment used in the region's wars.
These are but a few of the martial activities that tourists can participate in at Thai military bases all over the country.
Our two days of very basic training began at the base in Lop Buri, 154 km north of Bangkok, which is the second biggest in Thailand. Thirty-five temporary recruits (men, women and teenagers) from all over Asia and the West, wearing khaki vests and black baseball caps emblazoned with the winged logo of the Royal Thai Army Airborne, gathered in a clearing for a demonstration on how to catch poisonous snakes.
Hair rose and women gasped as a Thai officer showed us how to trap a writhing cobra by putting his boot down on the serpent's head. Then he picked it up by the tail. The snake-handling lecture was in Thai, but a sergeant was on hand to provide the Westerners with a running translation in English.
As we hiked down a dirt road nearby, surrounded by palm trees, we saw a 10-meter-high jumble of rocks off to our left. Suddenly, a mortar shell exploded and soldiers started yelling. Were we under attack?
Everyone looked up to see two Thai soldiers standing on the peak. Yelling and grunting, a rope tied around his waist, one of them abseiled down the rock face in leaps and bounds.
|"Boot camp" courses at Thai military bases such as Lop Buri let visitors fire assault rifles and practice jumps from the parachute training tower (below).
It was a demonstration. Another soldier showed us how to rope ourselves up, attaching the rope to the clip on our belts. Wearing gloves and motorcycle helmets, we then practiced walking backward, our ropes tied around the trunks of trees. After that, some of us were ready to take the blind plunge into thin air.
If becoming a soldier means learning to conquer your fears and trust the men in your unit completely, this was a great way to learn. Rock climbing is a potentially dangerous thrill-sport, but the Thai military took good care of us, and nobody suffered anything worse than a few scraped knees, some heart palpitations and an excessive dose of adrenaline. If you don't feel like participating in any of the activities, however, there are no nasty sergeants with machine-gun tongues forcing you to do them.
After a 10-minute ride across a nearby lake in a big rubber dinghy, we hiked through the jungle to a shooting range. There, one of the soldiers, wearing a red beret and black shades, showed us how to load, aim and fire an M-16. Each of us was then given five bullets and a pair of earplugs. While we loaded our guns, the soldiers knelt down beside us to give shooting tips and to ensure that no latent psychopaths were allowed to go ballistic.
Shooting an M-16 is a powerful kick. As one young Australian said, "It feels a bit like playing God. You can see what Chairman Mao meant when he said, 'Power comes from the barrel of a gun.' " At the same time, it was a bit frightening to realize how gunning someone down on the battlefield could be so easy and so impersonal.
Nonetheless, I don't think the Green Berets will be recruiting me any time soon; all of my shots went wide of the target. In marked contrast, the young Thai woman beside me, who smiled each time she squeezed the trigger, could probably freelance as a hit-woman. Each of her bullets pierced the paper heart of the enemy soldier.
As the night cloaked the sky in a deep indigo and the jungle in shadowy black, the weekend soldiers sat on chairs in a clearing, watching another sergeant from the Airborne show us what kind of leaves are edible and which vines contain water.
While they grilled feral pigs and rice packed in a piece of bamboo on a makeshift barbecue, the soldiers demonstrated how to broil fish when you're nowhere near a microwave. Inside a square metal tin, they stood the fish upright in a circle. Another soldier then put the top on it and burlap bags around the whole tin, before setting the sacks on fire. Ten minutes later, when the sacks were blackened rags, he removed the lid like a magician and — presto! — the fish was perfectly broiled.
For our open-air feast that night, we sat cross-legged on mats, in the usual Thai style, and ate a huge communal meal of barbecued pork, broiled fish, rice and tom yam goong (a chili-laden soup with shrimp and lemon grass). There were slices of sweet mangoes and guavas for dessert.
After bedding us down for the night in two-person tents, the soldiers woke us up the next morning at the military hour of 6 a.m.
The highlight of Day Two was a three-hour trek through some lush jungle in a wildlife sanctuary. We marched along the trunk of a huge uprooted tree, crossed streams on slippery stepping stones, waded through knee-deep water in a cave, climbed up ropes beside gushing waterfalls and soldiered on to a well-earned break beside a lagoon of aquamarine water so clean the Thai military men drank from it with cupped palms.
Considering the fact that some of these paratroopers are decorated veterans who fought alongside the Australians and Americans in Vietnam, it was surprising that they were so boyish and friendly. One of the older guys, for instance, kept swinging past us on vines, laughing and shouting, "I am Tarzan."
In a way, though, this friendliness is very much in the tradition of the Thai military. During World War I, Thailand sent several thousand troops to Europe to bolster the Allied forces. Although their bravery on the battlefield was legendary, so was their compassion. After too Germany was defeated, the Thai troops were sent to help round up soldiers who hadn't surrendered yet. Soon, the German renegades said they would only give themselves up to the Thais because they were so humane.
On the second night, a local professor, who teaches the soldiers about astronomy and meteorology, set up a telescope in the clearing beside our tents. It was a perfect night for stargazing, the forest and clearing tinted silver by a mother-of-pearl moon.
The scariest part of the weekend was the jump from an 11-meter-high parachute tower. Even the high-flying members of the Thai Airborne go to pray at a nearby shrine to Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of the Hindu faith, before they do a jump.
After paying our respects to the deity, we listened to a lecture and watched some demonstrations on how to put on the parachute and on how to jump, keeping your elbows by your hips and your forearms straight out in front of you.
I had some second, third and even seventh and eighth thoughts about the jump — most of them revolving around death, pain and wheelchairs — but I wasn't going to let a 13-year-old Singaporean girl make me look like a total wimp, now was I?
I scaled the wooden tower, the straps of the 'chute harness molesting my groin, and waited for my turn. Five of the lines were operational, which meant that five rookie parachutists could jump at a time, one after the other. A Thai soldier connected the cable to my vest.
After an excruciating wait, I was first in line. Someone tapped me on the back and yelled, "Go!" With my stomach doing somersaults, I leapt, keeping my eyes on the distant trees. After free-falling for what seemed like an eternity, the cable snapped tight and I flew down the line, grinning at the distant mountains.
That afternoon we visited the Military Museum. Then, in a special ceremony, a high-ranking officer pinned the insignia of the Royal Thai Airborne to our shirts.
For 2,500 baht (about 7,000 yen), which includes meals and accommodation, it's a thrilling and inexpensive way to "get your wings" — and you don't even have to clean any latrines.


text: Pandora Australia Sale has announced it will cease distribution of its products in a number of Australian retail stores in favour of its increased concept store sector.Pandora Charms Australia managing director Mikael Kruse Jensen announced in June it would "close a number of wholesale accounts to continue with [its] strategy."Jeweller contacted Jensen regarding the exact number of closures, but received no response. It is believed to be as many as 100, which would be in line with previous rounds of accounts closures in 2011 and another 100 accounts closed in 2012.In an email to stores Jensen stated, "We appreciate that this decision may be difficult to understand for some of you, however we have made this decision to strengthen the experience we provide consumers."Jeweller is also aware that many of the accounts affected by Pandora's decision have subsequently been dumping stock and, as one industry person explained, "flogging it off now to rake in the dollars. All stock is being liquidated."Another retailer whose account was closed said the most disappointing thing is that all back orders, including specific customer orders, were immediately cancelled which meant the store's customers who had been waiting for Pandora to supply would now not receive their Pandora Rings On Sale product, some of which were ordered as gifts. Jensen's email said the company was looking to introduce more concept stores to the region, with the belief its 'flagship' stores provided customer service more in line with the company than retailers stocking multiple brands."Concept stores are an important part of our journey towards branded retail excellence. With concept stores, we are able to deliver personalised service by trained Pandora staff members, showcase our full jewellery universe, while also giving us the ability to implement commercial decisions faster," he said.The shift comes after the company announced in May that it would be taking over distribution of its product in Ireland, buying back its Pandora concept stores (franchisees). That announcement followed the company's decision last year to take control of 23 franchises in England.During 2016, Pandora Jewelry Australia closed 450 US and 130 Canadian accounts. At the same time, it had been expanding its international retail network of company owned and operated concept stores.Pandora's international sales have been in decline with Bloomberg reporting in May, "The Danish jewellery maker, which became a favourite target of hedge funds last year, sank 16 per cent after revealing weaker numbers than investors and analysts were expecting. Pandora's dramatic slowdown in sales to China, spelled out in its first-quarter results on Tuesday, was a particular disappointment."It is widely believed that the recent international decisions are part of an ongoing move towards eventually closing all independent accounts with the aim of Pandora operating as a vertical-integration business model.The news has impacted other areas of the industry, though not negatively. Ken Abbott, managing director of supplier Timesupply said he first became aware of Pandora's decision when he suddenly started receiving calls about his branded jewellery range, Nomination."We have received a substantial increase in enquiries from retailers about Nomination's composable Cheap Pandora Bracelets Sale and links which coincided with Pandora's recent announcement."


text: In a fascinating CARR Insights Blog last year, Cynthia Miller-Idriss and Daisy Gebbia-Richards argued that 'love drives extremism' because the close communities provided by extremist organisations meet activists' need 'for human connection, togetherness, belonging and love'. This was certainly true for fascists in interwar Romania, which is my area of expertise. Despite some periods of… Continue reading "Love in a Romanian Fascist Movement"


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Below is a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding our nation and tribe and exactly who we are.
Question 1. Are you claiming that you are the Timucua tribe that is "extinct"? We are not an exact resurrection of the Timucua Nation of North Florida. That said however the Timucua were dispersed from their lands and many of their people joined other tribes or assimiliated into the invading culture in order to survive the European Invasion. In addition there are people in Cuba who claim to be descendants of the Timucua who left and went there in the 1760's when Spain lost Florida to Great Britain. Many of our current citizens claim an oral heritage back to the Timucua. In many of these families the story was passed down of belonging to the Timucua Nation but to not reveal that to anyone for fear of racist persecution or loss of family fortunes and land. Therefore although we are not an exact resurrection of the Timucua Nation, we honor the traditions that have been passed down orally to us through our citizen's families' oral traditions. In addition we honor the original Timucua by seeking to preserve their archeological and cultural remnants in our Traditional Lands.
Question 2. Do you seek to forcefully gain independence from the U.S. or Florida or Georgia where you claim lands?
Look at our documents, we time and again refuse to take violent action to press any claims to independence. We stake our claims to our sovereignty through the
9th and 10th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, through the recognition given to native peoples through treaties written throughout the history of the United States as well as before it came into existance, also through the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and through the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights as well as the Montevideo Convention on the Composition of Legal International States. IF VIOLENCE WAS TO HAVE WORKED THE ORIGINAL TIMUCUA WOULD HAVE MAINTAINED THEIR INDEPENDENCE.
Question 3. Do you still consider yourselves U.S. Citizens? Some of our people are U.S. Citizens and hold Timucua Citizenship as well.. As such they are dual citizens exhibiting the best of personal freedom. Choosing to hold a citizenship that they feel best identifies them as well as holding the citizenship of their birth. That said some of our people may not be U.S. Citizens but citizens of Timucua and other countries as well.
Question 4. Are you breaking any U.S. laws through your actions? Through the 9th and 10th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution we lay claim to our rights and sovereignty and there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution limiting our actions. We seek in no way to oppose the U.S. in its territory and seek in no way to overthrow either the U.S. or the states of Florida or Georgia. Our only hope is to establish an Independent Native American Nation and Country on our own land that lives peacefully as neighbors with the imposed powers much as the Choctaw, Iroquois, Seminoles, and other Native American tribes live as recognized independent countries.
Question 5. Can the documents you issue be used to gain U.S. Citizenship? We in no way represent our documents to be valid for the U.S. They are valid only for the Native American Tribal Republic of Timucua. Should the U.S. , the State of Florida, State of Georgia, or any other State choose to accept our documents that would be their decision as a government to do so. Our documents are most likely to be viewed by the U.S. as a membership card much like a school ID card or employment or civic organization card is viewed. WE DO NOT SELL THESE WITH ANY INTENT OR DEMAND THAT THEY BE ACCEPTED FOR U.S., STATE OF FLORIDA, STATE OF GEORGIA, OR ANY OTHER STATE'S CITIZENSHIP PURPOSES.
Question 6. Can one of your citizens gain entry for residence or visiting into the U.S. using your documents? Please read the above statement in Question 5. We represent our documents only as valid for the Native American Tribal Republic of Timucua. Should the U.S., the State of Florida, or State of Georgia or any other state within the federation of the United States accept our documents, they would do so within their own perogative and not through any demand that we make. Much of our traditional land is under the direct de facto control of the United States, the States of Florida and Georgia and as such they determine immigration laws for that territory. That said as long as one of our citizens wished to live on lands that we have direct control over we would not forbid them from doing so provided they gain permission from the owner of the property that we have direct control over. This in no way negates U.S. immigration law.
Question 7. Are the passport booklets you may process in the future valid as international travel documents? Please read again our above statements. The passport booklets we may process in the future are valid only as documents identifying one of our citizens as a member of our tribal nation. We do not present them as fully valid travel documents for international travel purposes. Should a government other that the Native American Tribal Republic of Timucua choose to recognize them that would be within their perogative and not through any demand that we make upon them. That said our documents are valid to identify persons, to whom they are issued to, as citizens of the Native American Tribal Republic of Timucua and our ID cards have served to help our citizens in some interesting situations. One citizen of ours recently travelling in Bolivia is reported to have been held at gunpoint by armed revolutionaries taking over a tourist hotel. Upon questioning him if he was an American, he replied "No, yo soy ciudadano de la Americano Nativo Tribales Republica de Timucua." At this point he reportedly showed his Tribal Citizen ID Card and instead of being detained and shot full of lead by rifles and Kalishnikovs was treated as a fellow Native American and filled with good food and beer and allowed to continue the next day safely on his way.
Question 8. What exactly do you claim the Native American Tribal Republic of Timucua to be? We claim to be an unrecognized tribe of Native Americans and a Native American cultural heritage group that is organized as a micronation. We are composed of some citizens who claim an oral tradition to the original Timucua of North Florida. We are also composed of others who claim Native American heritage through DNA evidence or oral tradition. We also are composed of citizens who have no Native American heritage whatsoever but they are sympathetic to the issues facing Native American people and as such espouse the values our micronation represents.
If you should find that your question is not sufficiently answered by our Frequently Asked Questions here feel free to contact our governmental offices through our e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com. We look forward to answering your questions.


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I received my Pi3 this morning and have conducted some initial Emulation Testing
MAME4ALLPi - Arcade
All Titles tested run at a constant 100%
REICAST - Dreamcast
Much improved performance over the Pi2, ALL games are now totally playable although some Titles suffer sound and/or reduced FPS (Frameskip). Think improved Pi1 PlayStation emulation levels of performance.
I will be conducting further Testing and will post the results on the Emulation Thread but its looking good for the new Hardware!


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I know I know, pretty much anyone living in Philly already knows about this, but just in case your apartment is in a hole, make sure you get out and try Center City Sips.
Sips is a summer-long event at multiple restaurants which feature various cocktails, wine, and beer and 1/2 price appetizers on Wednesdays from 5-7pm. Like restaurant week, this would be a cost-efficient and non-intimidating way to try out a new place, and maybe rediscover an old favorite.
I would personally suggest checking out Square Peg; you all know we've been there a couple of times already, and they are the new kids on the block so show them some love! Their ruben quesadilla sounds pretty great, too.
Here is a full list of the participating restaurants
Follow @CCDSips for updates.
Now get out and get your drank on!


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Buy Low, Sell High! Learn How Investment Managers use Mikogo to Their AdvantagePosted by Nicky on September 19, 2012 to Benefits, online meeting
Navigating the financial sphere can be tough. There is much to consider both within the context of investment management itself, but also when deciding what tools can best increase productivity and effectiveness. These days, many users who work as investment managers and similarly paced professions are adding Mikogo to their own utility belts and finding out just what a difference online meetings can make. We had an opportunity to speak with a couple of seasoned Investment Managers who know all about the benefits of financial mapping, mobile meetings, and always being available for your clients.


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Montie Gear EMP Resistant Box / Faraday Cage
In this day and age, it's important to be prepared for any possible catastrophic event. With this in mind, North Carolina-based manufacturer Montie Gear has introduced its EMP Resistant Box / Faraday Cage.
Made from a 3/16″ aluminum plate welded together, this box lets you prepare for an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) or CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) by storing your most valuable belongings in an EMP resistant box. The lid and box are connected using three types of industry standard gaskets to form a Faraday cage. The end user can quickly enter and then reseal the box with six stainless steel clamps.
Montie Gear conducted a test on June 13 of this year, the results of which show that you can expect a minimum of 50 dBm of shielding effectiveness from 100 kHz to 1 gHz, with a shielding effectiveness greater than 76 dB at 300 mHz and 66 dBm at 1 gHz.
MSRP is $4495.00. See below for additional details.
* A large, sealed container to resist against EMPs and CMEs
* Three sealing points allow for greater resistance
* Optional MuMetal lining protects from the magnetic effects of an EMP
* Large enough to fit most of your important electronics in one container (laptop, tablet, hard drives, etc.)
* Custom sizes available
* Quick access stainless steel latches
* Easy maneuverability
* Product is locally made in North Carolina from North Carolina and US made components.
* 3/16″ aluminum plate
* MuMetal interior lining available
* Three-way gasketing forms a robust Faraday cage
* Six (6) stainless steel clamps
* Stainless steel handles
* Casters for easy maneuverability
* Built-in ground lugs
* Rugged powder coat finish
* Made in USA – Troublesome Gap tough
Weight & Dimensions
* 40 lbs
* Inside: 15.5″ x 17.5″ x 13.25″ (L x W x H)
For more information about the EMP Resistant Box / Faraday Cage, and the full range of products currently offered by Montie Gear, please visit https://www.montiegear.com
PUMA IP Jagdnicker Olive/Coco Knife Now Available in North America
New knife with German craftsmanship, Mediterranean style comes to North America.
by Real World Survivor Editor / Nov 14, 2014


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By Daisy Ni (PO '21)
Earlier this October, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 54 and effectively turned California into a "sanctuary state." A reaction to President Trump's hardline immigration rhetoric and policies, the bill limits state and local law enforcement communication with federal immigration authorities and would prevent officers from questioning and holding people on immigration violations.
Sanctuary jurisdiction has been narrowly defined by the Trump administration to refer to "jurisdictions that willfully refuse to comply with 8 U.S.C. 1373," a statute that prohibits restricting state and local government agencies from exchanging information on an individual's immigration status to federal immigration agents. Issuing a direct challenge to the authority of the federal government, California joins the thriving debate regarding the legality of such sanctuary cities and states power.
Though the federal government has the ability to lay down the "law of the land," state and local governments have a right under the U.S. Constitution to refuse to help enforce federal laws. Most notably, the Supreme Court in New York v. United States (1992) and Printz v. United States (1997) established that the federal government cannot conscript, or "commandeer," state or local officials to carry out federal law. To ensure enforcement, the federal government must use federal personnel. Thus, sanctuary jurisdictions such as California are under no constitutional obligation to abide by the president's executive commands.
The anti-commandeering principle, however, does not apply to mere information-sharing legislation like Section 1373. In Reno v. Condon (2000), the Supreme Court held up the Driver's Privacy Protection Act, which required states under certain circumstances to disclose personal details about license holders. The Court concluded that DPPA "did not require [states] to enact any laws or regulation, as did the statute at issue in New York, and it does not require state officials to assist in the enforcement of federal statutes regulating private individuals." The action of sharing information is not equivalent to forcing states to enforce federal law. Under this precedent, the Trump administration could possibly make sanctuary cities disclose information to facilitate deportation, even if it cannot make states help apprehend migrants.
The Trump administration has attacked the creation of such sanctuary cities and states: the President himself signed an executive order in January stating that sanctuary jurisdictions will not be "eligible to receive Federal grants." However, placing aside the legality of sanctuary cities, Trump's method to counter them has been criticized as unconstitutional. As per the Constitution, the president does not have jurisdiction over the distribution of federal funds—that power is granted to Congress. If the Trump administration wanted to proceed with this kind of legislation, its effects will be far from immediate. The Supreme Court has historically ruled that conditions in federal grants are not enforceable unless they are unambiguous; the Trump administration cannot cut off any federal grants to sanctuary cities without showing that those grants were clearly conditioned on cooperation with federal deportation policies. However, few current federal grants contain conditions specific to this exact purpose, and are thus not liable to be cut. As a result, in order to truly ensure compliance with Section 1373, Congress will have to enact new conditions and legislations that apply only to future grants. Even then, however, Congress will have to tread cautiously regarding the extent of the deprivation of funds. Under NFIB v. Sebelius (2012), the Supreme Court prohibited funding conditions so coercive they amount to a "gun to the head." Trump's threat to withhold all federal funding from sanctuary cities and states like California may fall into this category and thus be labeled unconstitutional.
Other than standing as a constitutional ambiguity, California's new legislation raises questions regarding the logistics of the specific bill itself. For example, cost estimates ran up to $400 billion a year, which is twice the current state budget. Many of these expenses will fall upon California's taxpayers with middle and low-income families getting hit the hardest, families which include many migrant workers themselves. Thus, the bill as it currently stands induces a paradoxical effect on the people it means to help. It is also important to consider the one exception the bill includes: it allows state and local law enforcement agents to work with and communicate with federal authorities regarding illegal immigrants already in jail. While the relationship between sanctuary cities and crime has never been conclusively determined, the Trump administration has used the risk to order as the justification for its policies and many citizens remain concerned. Problems such as these, outside of the sphere of legality, continue to worry the Californian populace.
Standing as a modern-day Nullification Crisis, Senate Bill 54 prompts the age-old division of federalism and elicits a series of ping-pong debates across the state and country. It is still unclear how far the President is willing to push his deportation agenda, but the growing trend of sanctuary states—in conjunction to bill 54—stands as a threat to his authority and power.


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Dolores Park Works Summer Celebration, a fundraising party to support the stewards of Dolores Park will take place on Saturday, June 21 from 3 to 6pm at 18 Reasons, 3674 18th Street. Money raised will help our Dolores volunteer clean ups, the "Respect the Park" campaign and advocacy for a Safe, Clean and Fun Dolores Park.
Special guests Supervisor Scott Wiener and Rec and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg. Wine, beer and bites generously donated by Bi-Rite, Delfina, Dolores Park Cafe, Namu Gaji, and Cervecería de MateVeza.
$35 Friend of Dolores and $100 VIP tickets are on sale now. We hope you can make it!
Or contact us to
VOLUNTEER We need help with ticket sales and day of the event door and raffle sales, bartenders, servers and cleanup.


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5C Laundry picks up laundry at four locations on campus two days per week. take a look at the map and schedule below.
Most students sign up for a laundry plan, but you can also pay-as-you-go or purchase dry cleaning credit.
Our Laundry Plans
Dry Cleaning
|Pants $4
|Pants $4
|Laundered Shirts $4
|Blouses $4
|Shirts $4
|Lined or Silk Blouse $5
|Sweaters $5+
|Dresses $8+
|Suit $10
|Suits w/ Skirt $10
|Sport Coat $6
|Skirts $6
Unable to catch us at a normal pick up time? Let us know and can setup an alternative delivery schedule!