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January 31st 2014
Story originally written and experienced: January 21st 2014
There's something about clam chowder you probably didn't know.
And the story goes like this:
"Hey. I bought us 2 tickets to unlimited clam chowder and beer. It's next Tuesday and you're coming with me. Bring. it. on." Charlie relayed to me via e-mail on the Thursday night before.
"Always assume I will say yes to these things." Replied Olive.
"I always do."
The event was this:
And when this curious Tuesday finally came about, the temperatures had consequently
To a chill 9 degrees
Inviting a treacherous windshield, a brutal breeze and a slippery tundra to accompany the commute.
Ensuring that only the survival of the fittest would be eligible and deserving of the steaming bowls of soup that were awaiting just a mere avalanche away.
The winds were relentless. But we were as well. And 8 frozen tears, 2 broken umbrellas and 7 episodes of my life flashing before my eyes later.
We had arrived.
We had finally.
We were the very first in line – defrosting and far from defeated. Eagerly waiting to eat a classy portion of this highly acclaimed snack.
We ate 8 bowls.
Between the 2 of us.
Only stopping when the modern day soup nazis suggested we…slow the fuck down…and stop…and enough is very much…enough…and just in general:
So we made a hard switch to booze.
And contemplated where to go next.
"So like…where do you want to go next, Olive?"
"I don't know…maybe somewhere new? We're drunk on a Tuesday and I'm feeling adventurous…"
"Yeah same here."
"Well there's the Whiskey Brooklyn down the street but…we've already been there."
"Totally totally. Definitely not there."
"Definitely not."
"Wanna just go to the Whiskey Brooklyn?"
"No doubt."
And alas we meandered >>> into the Whiskey Brooklyn just down the way few blocks away.
And in our 2nd arctic commute.
I started to feel different.
I started to feel really…different.
Something about that clam chowder…
Made me feel…invincible.
And I would soon find out how.
We approached >>> the bouncer 2 feet into the entrance way.
"IDs please."
We handed him our IDs as I asked him "So are there a lot of people in the bar?"
"Just 6."
To which we were like
And fRoLiCkEd down the
passed the sketchy claw machine and eventually caused an absolute scene as we approached the bar.
"TWO BOTTLES OF YOUR FINEST CHAMPAGNE PLEASE" said Charlie as her voice
Off the walls of the vacant establishment.
Alerting the other 6 attendees that we were indeed celebrating something grand. "Olive got a new job," she continued "And we'd like to have a toast. Potentially post-gamed by the claw machine. Everyone's welcome!"
A round of applause ensued.
Mostly pioneered by a barely conscious man named Frank in the corner who eerily resembled Ceelo Green
I drunkenly blushed and gave a bar-wide thank you, also announcing Charlie's recent promotion that was needed to be celebrated as well.
The bartender had heard quite enough.
"Ladies, this evening is entirely too epic to not whip out my finest bottle of champagne. Just for you."
He rummaged through his cabinets and alas emerged with this:
The champagne was divine. And also non-existent approximately 10 seconds post the offer. And happy off of chowder, booze and bubbly, Charlie and I suddenly noticed two gentlemen
To our right
John and Patrick.
Been there since 7.
Drinking straight Jameson.
We struck up a relatively friendly conversation.
And eventually ended up challenging them to complete array of vacant games s p r i n k l e d throughout the bar. And the games were as follows:
1. Shuffle board
2. Ski Ball
3. Hoops Fever Basketball
And thus the triathlon of bar games
Shuffle board was sheer domination.
Charlie and I were fueled off of clam chowder and ready to take on the whole world. Ceelo Green impersonator included.
John and Patrick relayed their sincere congratulations. Told us we did a great job and that they were genuinely impressed with our skills.
To which we were like:
The next event was ski ball.
John and Olive up first. Charlie and Patrick up second. Both races were extremely close.
But not for long.
Eventually the 6th bowl of clam chowder was making its power play and suddenly we were not only (theoretically) man-handling John and Patrick's balls in friendly competition…but also making mini bowling balls fly with incredible force down the champion's ramp.
…and 8 well-spent dollars later.
We had won. We had . We had really, really won.
John and Patrick once again gave us their sweetest regards and kudos. To which we said
And carried on our way to the 3rd event "Hoop Fever"
The generous bartender brought us a round of complimentary Jameson shots as fuel.
Charlie and Patrick went first. Charlie lost by mere 2 points. Potentially wavering our perfect score.
It was all up to me now.
In a purple onesie.
Fresh out of a relationship with Jameson.
And channeling the magic of clam chowder as my unexpected weapon of choice.
I threw each replenishing basketball with extreme and violent force.
The backboard nearly broke.
I couldn't see anything.
I couldn't hear anything.
Except Frank.
And 33 seconds later the buzzer sounded. I came back to reality and asked "Did I win?" as I turned around and faced the gang.
All 3 fell silent.
And finally Charlie said"….Olive…you…just tripled the high score of the entire game…"
Cue in the glory music.
And the support from my friends.
I did one single victory lap around the bar.
A casual drum roll against the claw machine.
And was finally wrangled and leashed by Charlie
To get the fuck out of there. We braved the arctic tundra once more. Jumped on the subway home. Drunkenly brainstormed between the similarities between cat food and tacos #notmany. And finally came home to our bite-sized, New York apartment with a workday that was a cruel….4 hours away.
And that night I dreamt about clam chowder . And I dreamt about the super-natural talents I attained from such a spontaneous Tuesday night plan. That I hadn't just spent 24.5 years of my life underrating a week night out.
But a bowl of soup as well.
And how taking random chances and drinking a little champagne.
Could prove to be quite the unexpected phenomenon.
Like this story and want to tell me a weird one too? That's some good shit. Shoot me an e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com and let me know what you'd like to see me write about next, or if you just want to say hey!


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There is something very seriously wrong with our television media. Our private channels barring an odd one or two, appear to be oblivious of editorial sagacity in context of what to air and what not to say. This statement has nothing to do with freedom of journalism for I am a very ardent supporter of this notion. My comment is pinpointing the lack of wisdom in understanding the extent of damage that words, images and opinion can do in terms of national image and the prevailing security environment.
Talk shows are popular with viewers and fetch ratings, but our hosts lack the ability to satisfactorily conclude threads through tough follow up questions. This leaves the subject in limbo, providing the guests with an easy way out from issues. This state of limbo (read frustration) is exacerbated, when hosts fail to sum up the thread comprehensively.
Our news broadcasts have their failings. The news anchor gets a beeper from a reporter and then begins a series of questions that is to say the least, lacking finesse. It appears as if the news studio has a time slot that needs to be filled at all costs, even it involves repetitive and what is often irrelevant questioning. The newscasters often mispronounce words and the tickers running at the bottom of the screen are not checked for errors, which shows lack of research and background information related to both scripting and broadcasting news content.
Another trend that has erupted during the past few years is shows that feature reconstructions of crimes and violence. The effects of such shows (which continue with no letting up because they must be fetching good ratings) on young minds is a point that can best be commented upon by psychologists. My verdict on such programs is that they are liable to generate more negative than positive effects on the national psyche.
Some experts say that a nation's mood is reflected through media trends – even in the entertainment category. Perhaps that is the reason why a vast majority of serialized plays on our television channels are tear jerkers, full of social intrigues and even morbid. There is however a counter expert view, one that has my support. This is that when nations are faced with serious problems directly effecting national morale, then it is critically necessary to raise that morale through carefully designed software (a media term for content) to infuse courage, renew energy and create the ability to laugh at adversity. Perhaps it is time that media channel owners begin administering this medicine to the people of Pakistan. I must however laud the contribution of radio, particularly the FM Radio industry, whose upbeat sound and rhythm does what television should be doing.
We have in the last couple of years witnessed the rise of social media platforms as very potent force multipliers and perception makers. The reasons for this is simple – these platforms are readily accessible on mobile phones and used extensively by the dynamic social age group between fourteen to forty years. Proliferation of information on this network is unbelievably rapid as is the response. It is therefore being used extensively to create pressure groups and for lobbying purposes. The flip side of this form of media is its misuse, dictating the need for incorporating ethical use of social media platforms in school curriculums.
The bottom line of this week's piece is that media in Pakistan needs to learn from how this important 'pillar of state' is functioning in successful states, to further national interest and lay the foundations of an ethical society. Media owners need to understand that the powerful tool in their hands is not only about generating revenue, but has a more critical and important function to perform, which is nation-building. For the stronger we are as a nation, the harder it will be to destroy or damage us.
The writer is a freelance columnist.

subset: commoncrawl


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Dan Flynn
Food Safety News
Jan 10, 2010
With as much as 30,000 tons of American poultry in the pipeline to Russia, the government in Moscow imposed a ban on future U.S. poultry imports on New Year's Day.
[efoods]Russia joins the European Union in prohibiting the use of chlorine as an anti-microbial treatment in poultry production, which is commonly used in the United States.
As for birds in the pipeline, USA Poultry and Egg Export Council President Jim Summers said he thinks based on earlier assurances from the Russian Veterinary Service that poultry in transit will be allowed to enter.
USDA spokeswoman Katie Gorscak responded to the action: "Since chlorine has been used as an anti-microbial treatment for more than 25 years, this resolution effectively blocks U.S. exports of poultry to Russia, has a devastating impact on the U.S. poultry industry and trade, and raised the costs of poultry products for Russia's consumers," she said.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


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Baby & Kids
birthday boy/girl decor
$5.00 by Maggie in Humble, 1 days ago
Great for birthday parties to display a few of your child's pictures or pictures of your themed decor.
Posted in: Baby & Kids. 5 people are following this item.
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Are Models the Original Influencers? Women Management Modeling Agency and InfluencerDB Think So
The 2 companies are teaming up to help boost their profile
Before there were bloggers, Instagrammers, YouTubers or social media stars, there were models. And Women Management and InfluencerDB are betting the "original influencers" are still just as relevant today.
In October, the two organizations—a legendary agency that counts models like Behati Prinsloo and Winnie Harlow among its roster, and a 2-year-old influencer marketing startup that tracks and analyzes influencers—announced a partnership to help parlay Women's models into social media influencers. With the partnership, InfluencerDB will onboard the models to its platform and track their social media presence, including engagement, what content performs well and with which audiences. The aim is that through this monitoring and assistance, Women's models will be able to grow an authentic following in hopes that will lead to more brand deals.
"Our goal is to be defined as thought leaders in the industry," Tania Debono, strategy director at Women Management, said. "We want to show that our models are not just the faces of these brands, but the influence behind the brand as well."
InfluencerDB's technology helps catch fraud, bots and fake followers, all of which are becoming a greater concern for brands, said Jonathan Chanti, svp of global sales for the platform. Chanti also said InfluencerDB will also help the models "sell their talent more strategically." This includes pairing brands and models in partnerships that make sense for both sides—for example, a model with a strong following in France paired with a brand that wants to increase awareness with a French audience—and working with brands to create innovative, authentic partnerships.
Increasingly, a strong social media following has become if not a requirement for models, then a highly desirable quality. Some of the biggest social media personalities not just in fashion, but in the world, are models—think Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Kaia Gerber and the entire lineup of Victoria's Secret Angels. A decade or so ago, after the era of the supermodel but before the rise of Instagram, few models reached that super status (the obvious exceptions being people like Gisele Bundchen and Adriana Lima). But now, social media fame (particularly if it came before modeling) can hasten a model's rise to the top.
Julie Singer, Women Management's director of brand partnerships, argues that models were influencers before the word even existed. Though the term is now typically associated with people who became famous solely because of their work online via blogs, YouTube or Instagram, models have a special advantage over them: connections with the world's top photographers, hair stylists, fashion designers and makeup artists.
"When you think about the history of and who the most impactful influential people are, they are our talent, the models," Singer said. "InfluencerDB is helping us reinforce that message in the social sphere and beyond. Models are the original influencers."
Chanti added, "These models—they're truly global. Their audiences are global, and their relationships are global. So when you apply that global visibility, brand affinity and association to social, you see a translation to following."
Of course, the original influencers had less of a chance to, well, influence. They may have dominated billboards, runways and print ads, but they didn't have social media to help them land their own brand deals.
Working with InfluencerDB is, in large part, a response to the evolving demands of what a model should be. Print images in advertising campaigns and magazine editorials that once made up the bulk of a model's portfolio are waning in importance.
"[Social media is] essentially a business card for them and for us as well," Singer said. "It's so powerful in today's world."
And in a world where consumers are demanding more from brands than ever—particularly to take stands and align themselves with causes—models who act as the public faces of these brands have a chance to be a part of that.
"Our women have so much more to offer than just being an image," Debono said.


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Depending on how you look at it, there is another historic Capitol Hill-area building lined up for sad destruction — or to be part of much needed redevelopment.
The Knights of Columbus, Seattle Council 676 will meet next week to hear Grand Knight Tom Joyce discuss one of the biggest decisions in the group's 116 years as "a fraternal order of men dedicated in our Catholic faith" — the multi-million dollar decision to sell the Knights' 106-year-old masonry building at the corner of Harvard and Union.
"As you are aware, the Knights of Columbus Club of Seattle (which is the Council's funding source and owner of the building and adjacent property) has made the difficult decision to sell its property after a lengthy review process," Grand Knight Joyce writes in the most recent club newsletter.
The club will vote on a resolution approving the sale at a meeting next week:
UPDATE: A representative for the club tells CHS that their Grand Knight can't comment on the sale plan at this time.
As part of the sale process, the Knights have already decided what to do with the proceeds of the three-story building and its 15,000-square-foot surface parking lot on Harvard in the area connecting Capitol Hill to First Hill. In April, the council vote unanimously "to contribute substantially all of the property sale proceeds and any other Club assets to a new and separate 501(c)(3) charitable organization" intended to "manage the contributed funds and the earnings to use them to financially assist other charitable or religious organizations which pursue worthy causes."
"This will allow the Knights to not only continue our primary mission of charity, but to greatly expand our ability to make a significant difference in helping important causes," Joyce writes.
While in the early half of the 20th century, the Knights were known for their beliefs in fraternity and equality, the modern incarnations of the clubs have taken on less tolerant positions:
In 2008, the Knights was the single-largest funder of Proposition 8, which eliminated recognition of same-sex marriages in California and has been struck down by two federal courts as violating the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians. In 2012, the Knights and its local councils contributed nearly $1 million to unsuccessfully oppose same-sex relationships in state ballot measures in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington.
We will check in with the 676 Knights to ask more about their future charity and giving efforts.
Today, there are no development plans lined up for the soon to be listed property, according to City of Seattle permits. Whatever its future, the property likely faces a landmarks review. Here is how the property's history is described in the City of Seattle's survey of historical site:
The Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Church's largest lay organization, is a fraternal order founded in 1882 to support church programs and serve charitable causes. The Seattle council was chartered in 1902 and constructed this building in 1913 as the local headquarters. It has played major role both among Catholic and in the larger community, as the site of notable lunches, dances and other events. The gym and swimming pool in the basement were used by servicemen during World War II. The building looks much as it originally did, except for the replacement of some windows on the main façade. The main entry originally had an elegant metal and glass canopy that has been replaced by a fabric awning.
"This is a substantial three-story building, clad with clinker brick," the survey entry reads. "There is a deep dentillated cornice of cast stone at the top of the building, with another cornice below the third-floor windows." According to the city, the 1912-built brick and stone building has not been reinforced to modern seismic standards.
According to tax records, the building property has a taxable land value of nearly $2.5 million while the parking lot on Harvard weighs in with a hefty $3.9 million total. The E Union parking lot the group also owns is worth around $750,000. We'll check in on which of the parking lots — or both — are slated to be part of the sale. UPDATE: We're told the plan would be to include all of the parking lot parcels in the sale — a potential $6 million in land alone.
Over the years, the building has hosted the club as well as athletic activities and countless weddings, celebrations, and, yes, wakes.
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Lokotrack mobile plants help Portuguese Secil-Britas thrive in a challenging market
Tightening economic and ecological restrictions are affecting quarries worldwide. To meet the demands and secure operational flexibility and cost-effectiveness, one of the leading Portuguese quarry and cement companies, Secil-Britas, has invested in a full-scale mobile Lokotrack crushing and screening fleet from Metso.
"With the Lokotracks, we are able to achieve three main targets: produce all end products that our customers request, move the equipment flexibly between our quarries, and effectively exploit even smaller quarry areas," says Franclim Venda, Director of Secil-Britas for the southern market in the Algarve.
When demand for aggregates is low, we can smoothly circulate one team of operators and equipment between our four quarries, resulting in a cost-effective operation. In a tourist area like the Algarve, at the Matos da Picota, in Loulé, which contains more than 30 hectares of exploitation area, landscaping has already been carried out, with a number of trees being planted on the old benches."
"Since we have to operate the quarry in a much smaller area, we could now dismantle the old plant, and effectively utilize the rock deposit under the plant with Lokotrack mobile equipment."
Metso cooperation for more than 30 years
Started as a family company in the early 1970s, one of Portugal's leading cement companies, Secil, bought Ecob in 1988. The cooperation with Metso started in 1980, and today, about 90 percent of Secil Britas' four southern quarries are operated using Metso's crushing and screening equipment.
"Good personal and business relations are the key to our long-standing cooperation. Metso has always supported us with a professional approach, and has also provided us with all the necessary technical support we need," Venda says.
"Based on good experiences right from the start, Metso's quarry equipment serves as an example for competitor quarries, when choosing their equipment and services. Remarkable synergies in spare and wear parts can be achieved, for example, while using the NP1415 impact crusher both at our mobile and stationary facilities," he states.
From coarse gravel to fine powder
Secil-Britas bought their first mobile equipment, LT1415S, a track-mounted, mobile impact crushing plant with a screen module, in 2008. It was followed by an ST620 mobile screen and, a year later, in 2010, another mobile screen, the Lokotrack ST3.8, was added.
With its three-stage mobile fleet, Secil-Britas is able to provide its customers with a full range of aggregates, from coarse gravel for road base to various types of aggregate for concrete and asphalt, to fine powder for pavements. All of the above products are made using mobile equipment and extracted from high-quality limestone deposits.
Stationary sand making and washing
Besides the dry products, Secil-Britas runs at their Escarpão-Albufeira quarry a complete, sand manufacturing and washing plant, delivered by Metso in 2002.
For this high-quality limestone quarry, washing was necessary due to the clay contents. The sand that is produced is used in the company's own concrete production.
Because of the importance of tourism in the Algarve area, it is today prohibited to dig and use any natural sand in this southern region of Portugal. Therefore, the manufacture of sand from rock has become the only choice for local quarries to serve the need for concrete making.
If natural sand is required, it must be transported by train or trucks from distances of more than 250 kilometers.
Due to the transportation costs, manufactured sand is today the most economical choice in the Algarve area. The sales price of natural sand is almost double compared to manufactured sand.
M. Picota-Loulé quarry
End products
- 7–14 mm and 14–22 mm for concrete production
- 0–40 mm (long aggregates) for road construction
- 0–4 mm for various concrete grades and laying pavements
Metso equipment on site: LT1415S mobile impact crushing plant, css 60–120 mm, ST620 mobile screen, ST3.8 mobile screen
Escarpão quarry
End products
- 0–1.5 mm and 1.5–3.5 mm washed, manufactured sands
- 7–14 mm, washed aggregates
- 0–4 mm, 4–7 mm, 7–14 mm, 14–22 mm and 22–40 mm dry aggregates
- 0–40 mm long aggregates for road construction
Metso equipment on site: Nordberg NP1415 impact crusher, HP100 cone crusher, CVB2060 screen, TS403 screen (2), Logwasher SW1165 sand trap (2)


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Meek Mill responded to the "girl's tour" line from "Back To Back".
Meek Mill was fairly quiet after taking what most have deemed an L from Drake, but over the last few days he's started speaking out once again, referencing What A Time To Be Alive on Instagram, getting involved in an Instagram beef with Wale, and -- as of last night -- dissing Drake on stage.
Of the all the lines aimed at Meek on "Back To Back," "Is that a world tour or your girl's tour?" may have been the one that stuck the most (though "twitter fingers" is up there), though more for its catchiness than it's sting.
During his performance at Powerhouse Philly, Meek addressed that line in particular, pointing out that dating the hottest chick in the game isn't exactly a clownable offense -- a fair point. Later on, he went in on Drake's "Hotline Bling" dancing, which seems a weird place to hit the rapper, considering he was pretty much poking fun of himself with the Gif-ready moves.
Check out some clips below. Is this beef back on?


text: Kanye West & Kim Kardashian Cover Vogue Magazine Dan Troisi | March 21, 2014 18,623,880 0 Like Tweet Kimye covers the April issue of Vogue. Peep some behind-the-scenes footage from their photo shoot after the jump. Category: Covers, Gossip, Hollywood Tag: Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Vogue Previous Post: Video: Nardwuar vs. YG Next Post: New Music: Jay Z & Jay Electronica — "We Made It (Freestyle)"


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Nuvee - Version:10-21-2011
This is a relatively new input plugin, developed by Shalma.
It supports USB mice and lightguns. The package attached has both the
PS1 and PS2 plugins, their sources and a special PCSX2 build with some
USB modifications (which we hope will be soon integrated in our SVN
repository after review).
To use it with PCSX2, just copy the nuvee_ps2_pad.dll or
nuvee_ps2_usb.dll, found in the bin folders, in your plugins directory
and follow the instructions in the readmes.


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'I've found them in the fridge' - Norfolk village suffers plague of flies
Villagers have endured their third summer of being plagued with flies from a nearby recycling centre.
People living in West Dereham, near Downham Market, say their homes are infested with the insects. They have taken to social media to post graphic pictures.
The Environment Agency says it has received more than 50 complaints from people living near Glazewing's plant, on Station Road.
In a letter to residents, it says: "Glazewing stopped processing one type of waste (known as pre-incineration scrap) at the end of August to carry out routine maintenance of the plant.
"The work is taking longer than originally expected. This means that the waste that is normally processed through the plant has been stored for longer than usual on site, and some of the waste has been
attracting flies."
The EA said it had visited Glazewing, which was spraying insecticide and removing waste.
It added: "We feel that the fly situation on Glazewing's site is now under control. We would expect any impacts on the local area to reduce as a consequence.
"We visited site on Friday, October 5 and saw reduced numbers of flies compared to the previous week. We will continue to monitor the situation and Glazewing's progress with the actions detailed within their action plan.
"We will continue to investigate sources away from the site where the flies may be breeding."
But people living around the site say their homes are still infested. Around 200 have signed a petition calling for action to be taken.
Glazewing said it had no comment beyond what was said in the EA's newsletter to residents.
Jenny Simpson, who lives near the plant, said: "There's a huge amount of flies. Last night on our Facebook group people were putting up pictures, it's disgusting.
"There were flies on the side of their plates as they were eating. The EA seem to think it's under control and things have been resolved but far from it."
Neighbour Dawn Lock posted on the village facebook group: "So hacked off with flies, morning, noon and night. Went to put rubbish in bin at 2.30am opened door got a mouthful of flies.
"House gets smothered with flies they're especially prone to my food and drinks. The times I've taken a drink only to get a mouthful of flies doing breast stroke.
Choking and gagging same with food if you don't check you find half eaten flies all through the plate.
"I've found them in the fridge inside food and even frozen in the freezer. How many more years do we have to put up with this?"
Fellow villager Susan Barnett Pepper added: "We have only been in West Dereham for three summers and this year is by far the worse, having been a chef in my own hotel and being obsessive about kitchen hygiene I am at my wits end and yet judging by some of your photos many of you are suffering far more than I. Why is this allowed to continue?"
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Deputy President William Ruto and a section of Mount Kenya politicians have now backed the referendum calls but vowed to vote against it if the planned changes are meant to create a prime minister's position for ODM leaders Raila Odinga.
The leaders said they are not scared of a referendum.
Speaking Saturday at Kibugua in Chuka/Igambang'ombe Constituency, Tharaka-Nithi County during a Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) fundraiser to buy a bus, Mr Ruto said he will not accept any constitutional change that will burden the citizens.
He said he will not waste time engaging in referendum campaigns but challenged Mr Odinga to accept the outcome if the vote is done.
"We are not scared of a referendum and we are waiting for those crusading for it to explain to Kenyans on the changes they want," said Mr Ruto.
The DP said Mr Odinga cannot purport to unite Kenyans by using divisive means and claiming that referendum was among the issues discussed during the handshake deal with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"The handshake was meant to unite Kenyans and not anything to do with a referendum," he said.
Tharaka-Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki said the Building Bridges committee has changed from uniting Kenyans to pushing for constitutional changes.
Mr Njuki claimed that Mr Odinga is using the handshake to push for his individual interests but maintained that they are ready to shoot down the referendum if it is meant to create more positions and overburden Kenyans.
"What we are getting from the Building Bridges Initiative is contrary to what we thought it was meant for," said Mr Njuki.
The governor also said that in 2022, the region will rally behind Mr Ruto for the presidency.
Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah said in 2010, Mr Ruto was against the current constitution while Mr Odinga supported it and it is surprising to see the latter faulting it and calling for changes.
The lawmaker said President Kenyatta recently said he had no time to engage in politics as he is busy working for Kenyans.
Mr Ichung'wah said the ODM leader cannot dictate to Kenyans by insisting that there must be a referendum, adding that the planned changes are targeting the deputy president because of his 2022 political ambitions.
"With or without a referendum, Mr Ruto will be the President in 2022," said Mr Ichung'wah
Chuka/Igambang'ombe MP Patrick Munene asked Kenyans to oppose the referendum push, noting that it is targeting counties and also intended to create a prime minister's office.
Mr Munene said the President had asked Jubilee politicians to respect the handshake but opposition leaders have taken the advantage of their calmness to insult Mr Ruto.
MPs Kareke Mbiuki (Maara) and Gitonga Murugara (Tharaka) also maintained that Jubilee leaders are not scared of the referendum but will not allow Mr Odinga to use the Building Bridges committee to spearhead the changes because it was not meant for that.
Mr Mbiuki noted that Jubilee politicians will follow the deputy president's advice on the referendum.
Tigania East MP Gichunge Kabeabea, nominated MP Halima Mucheke and East Africa Legislative Assembly MP Mpuru Aburi asked residents of the region to support Mr Ruto in 2022 and to follow his advice on the proposed constitutional changes.
On development, Mr Ruto said in line with the Big Four Agenda, the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with Tharaka-Nithi County government to build 3,000 houses in order to reduce slums in the main towns.
He noted that 8,000 youths will be contracted to build the houses and called upon the young people in the county to join the government's technical institutes in order to gain the necessary skills.
Mr Ruto also said the county will benefit from 25 milk coolers worth Sh200 million from the national government in order to improve dairy farming.
Mr Ruto contributed Sh2 million for the purchase of a bus that will be used by the teachers' union in its activities such as annual delegates conferences, according to Knut Tharaka-Nithi Branch Secretary Njeru Mutani.
By Daily Nation


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Are you a Slave or a Son of God?
By Rhoda Collins
What is the difference between a slave and a Son?
Slavery breeds a poverty spirit of fear and lack of identity. Sonship breeds faith, identity, resources and responsibility.
The Israelites in the wilderness had a slavery mindset. They were given freedom and responsibility, but they showed no loyalty to God or to Moses because they still had a mindset of slavery (Exodus 15-17, 32, Numbers 21).
A Son of God knows who they are in Christ, born of God, sitting on the throne of authority, declaring the promises of God, holy without blame before Father.
They know they are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ and they don't live under condemnation:
"For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]." 2 Corinthians 5:21
When someone knows who they are, God can use them to release their own creativity into His creation. Let's not empower people who don't know who they are nor restrict those who do. We need to put things in place which will help Sons come into the fullness of Sonship and to deal with any slavery mentality they may have.
THE SPIRIT OF SLAVERY vs THE SPIRIT OF SONSHIP
The issues are found in our hearts not our heads because things in our lives gets loaded from our hearts into our conscious thinking. Then we act out of it as a result.
There are circumstances in our lives and our behaviour that will help us indentify to what extend we act out of spirit of slavery vs a spirit of Sonship.
A spirit of slavery is often the product of poor nurturing, unhealed wounds and brokenness in our own lives, but it can also be generational, which is, particular ways of thinking handed down to us from previous generations.
Below is a list that shows the Heart of Slave vs the Heart of a Son:
Sees God as a master… insecure/lacks peace.
Independent/self reliant… strives for praise, acceptance and approval of man.
Live by love of law… a need for personal achievements as they seek to impress God and others, or no motivation to serve at all.
Motive for purity… must be holy to have God's favour, thus increasing sense of shame and guilt
Self image for an orphan heart… self rejection from comparing yourself to others.
Comfort… seeks comfort in counterfeit actions… addictions, compulsions, escapism, hyper religious activity.
Peer Relationship… competition, rivalry and jealousy towards others success and position.
Handling other's faults… accusation and exposure in order to make yourself look good by making others look bad.
View of authority… sees authority as a source of pain.
View of admonition… difficulty receiving admonition. A slave must be right.
Expression of love… guarded and conditional based upon others performance as they seek to get their own needs met.
Sense of God's presence… conditional and distant.
Position… feels like a slave and servant.
Vision… spiritual ambition; the ernest desire for some spiritual achievement and the willingness to strive for it; desire to be seen and accounted among the mature.
Response to pain… runs from pain.
Perspective on work… obeys orders.
The uses of resources… sees costs, wants to receive from those who have.
The nature of relationship… talks about self, expects from others, rather than from self.
View of Future… looks for immediate microwave results.
Exercise of power… is disloyal when experiences success, seeks supernatural for self.
- Sees God as a loving Father
- Has rest and peace
- Totally accepted in God's love and accepted by grace
- Service; motivated by deep gratitude for being unconditionally loved by God
- Motive behind Christian discipleship: pleasure and delight
- Wants to be holy… doesn't allow anything to hinder a relationship with God.
- Their self image is positive and affirmed… you know you have a value to God.
- Seeks time of quietness and solitude of rest in Father's presence and love.
- Humility and unity as they value others in their success.
- Handles others faults… love covers, as they seek to restore others in spirit of love and gentleness
- View of admonition… sees it as a blessing so that people faults are put to death and weaknesses turned into strength
- Open and expression of love as they lay their agenda down to meet other's people's needs
- Sense of God's presence very intimate… operates in the spirit
Go though the list and see what fits you better. Work with God to make corrections.
Get rid of the slave mentality. Adopt a Son mentality and become a giant for God.
When we recognise that our mindset is not right, we:
- Forgive and release those whose words and deeds have resulted in us being the way we are. We don't rationalise it away. We see that it happened and it had an effect on us, and forgive and release them.
- Own your way of thinking or your behaviour. We don't make excuses for it, it is sin to think like a slave when God has said you are a Son, and if you don't treat it as sin you will most likely carry on and be comfortable with thinking that way. Confess it, renounce it, and repent of it (turn from it and turn to the truth). Take it to the courts, if you know how to do that, and get divorce papers which enforce separation from that way of thinking and behaviour.
- Meditate on the truth of God's love for us and His acceptance of us. Meditate on the destiny He has for us. Get these things into our spirit by experience and encounter so that they become the basis of how we live. This is not an instant fix – it takes time.
- Attack the familiar spirits. Don't let them lie to us and whisper into our minds. Take captive every thought. Deal with the thoughts that come, don't entertain them and allow them to take root. Challenge them! We must be very careful about what is coming out of our mouth, not saying negative things that line up with the spirit of slavery. Speak out the truth.
- Get help if we need to. If we cannot deal with familiar spirits ourselves, we enlist the help of someone else who can minister deliverance to us. We may need healing from a wounded heart, and someone to minister that healing if we are not receiving it on our own.
Then we can be restored, and come back into a place of peace and rest, knowing who we are as children of God, knowing God's love.
He really wants us to know our identity as His Sons, and to renounce our slavery and orphan mentalities. He wants us to receive our security and acceptance from Him. Then we will be manifested as Sons on the earth, to bring the whole of creation back into alignment with God's eternal intentions before Satan fell.
"For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God". Romans 8:19


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A Home For The Elders
In many cultures and communities around the world, there is a lot of resistance to the idea of an elders home. This is especially true of traditional Asian and African cultures where respect for the elderly and elders is a dominant building block of society and anyone who cannot take care of their parents is seen as a failure. However, society is changing rapidly and such homes are becoming more and more common. Here are some of the reasons why this may not be such a bad idea.
The Time of Day
As society gets busier and busier, time is of increasing value. When most people dont even have time to themselves, it is just that much harder to find time for aged care. They come home at 10 or 11pm (or not at all) and then have to rush back to work next morning. In such circumstances, a specialized home with people who are dedicated to looking after the elderly is a good thing.
Leg Room
Our houses used to be much bigger a few decades ago and there were at least 3 bedrooms: one for the parents, one for the grandparents and one for kids. Today, few of us are lucky enough to have big houses; most live in apartments and they just do not have space for their aging parents. While most old folk do not move about much, cramped living quarters are still a bad idea for their health. They need plenty of ventilation and some peace as well a view of building upon building wont help.
Special Needs
As humans get older they are increasingly at risk of getting non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, cirrhosis, and Alzheimers. In each case, they need specialized diets and procedures that will help them with their daily routine. Dementia care is actually a significant reason why many people choose to allow their parents to live in a home for the elderly. There are nurses who are trained and know all the danger signs of these diseases and can keep an eye on them much better than we can.
Community and Companionship
More than anything else, old people need companionship. If its like-minded people, then all the better but they will still be stimulated by young people too. Back in the day, every generation would live together in a big old house and cross-interactions would occur frequently. Today however, families live separately, only seeing each other at mealtimes and old people are frequently left to their own devices. In a home, they would have contemporaries to talk to and plenty of activities to keep themselves busy and engaged in life.
Thus, a home for elders is not as bad as it seems as it allows them to make friends, have time to spend with them, be taken care of especially and have plenty of space.


text: New indicators for charities, community and voluntary organisations uploaded!by Global Value ExchangeFeb 22, 2019 *|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* This month we've added a set of 66 outcomes and 78 indicators to the Global Value Exchange. These indicators and outcomes were identified by Social Value UK as part of a piece of research commissioned by the The National Lottery Community Fund. This research aimed to collate a range of outcome frameworks and standalone measures of relevance to charities, community and voluntary organisations. A standalone measure is an indicator which "...provides information on how much of an outcome has happened or is expected to happen. These can be based on information provided by those experiencing the outcome (for example, using questionnaires or scales) or from other sources (for example, employment statistics). Standalone measures are those which have been published independently of an outcome framework. Standalone measures can be objective or subjective". The standalone measures cover the following outcome groups: • Income and financial inclusion • Physical health • Conservation of the natural environment • Employment, training and education • Housing and local facilities • Mental health and well-being • Arts, heritage, sports and faith • Income and financial inclusion • Family, friends and relationships • Citizenship and community The standalone measures can be viewed by clicking here, and the outcomes by clicking here. This email was sent to *|EMAIL|* why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences *|LIST:ADDRESSLINE|* *|REWARDS|*


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Alex Lowes puts Aragon frustrations behind him and looks to Assen
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki's Alex Lowes overcame the weekend's electronics issues to take 14th position in the second race at Motorland Aragon in Spain today.
Alex laid his race one problems to rest with a great start in the second outing. However, an early engine brake control issue saw him run off at turn eight on the first lap and re-join at back of the pack.
Head down, the British racer fought his way through nine riders to position his Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the points by lap 11. Exhibiting the speed and control that could have seen him fighting for sixth, Lowes battled bravely, coming home in 14th with two championship points and an understanding of the potential to come.
The morning's race was fraught with tension after a launch control error at the lights threatened to end Alex's race before it had begun. The weekend's continuing electronics development returned both Lowes and teammate de Puniet to the pits after five laps – while Alex re-joined for the remainder of the race and continued to circulate, evaluating the system and collecting valuable data, but de Puniet was forced to retire after seven laps on track.
A dramatic last lap battle saw Kawasaki's Jonathan Rea clinch victory in race one by just 0.05 from Ducati's Chaz Davies, the Welshman responding to the earlier battle by safely securing the race two victory with a three-second margin.
Development of the GSX-R's new Magneti Marelli system continues in earnest for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki as the team heads directly from Spain to the Netherlands for the fourth round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship taking place at Assen's 'Cathedral of Speed' on Sunday April 19th.
Alex Lowes:
"There is no getting away from how difficult it has been this weekend, I did my best today and I really don't feel I could have done a lot more. There's no point explaining the problems we've had with the new system but I'm frustrated, both for me and the whole team, as the guys have shown so much commitment to moving this project forward but it just wasn't to be this weekend. I'm still convinced that we will have a more competitive bike when it's all dialled-in and when we're challenging for podiums again; whenever that may be, it will make the work we've done this weekend feel even more worthwhile."
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
"We had hoped to make good progress over the course of the weekend with the new Magneti Marelli system but unfortunately in terms of outright potential that wasn't the case. We have definitely learnt a lot and we will have a much better base for Assen in a week's time but after Assen we are going to need a significant amount of detailed development to get back to where we were, and then to progress and exploit the full potential of the new system.
Alex honestly made the bike look better than it was and did an incredible job under the circumstances. His pace for the last 10 laps of race two was faster than the sixth place finisher – which given the problems he was encountering on track reaffirms the potential of the package and gives us confidence that we will be able to recover well when things are right.
I would like to also thank Suzuki and Title Sponsors Voltcom for their supportive attitude during this process. We will improve and we look forward to putting the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki back into the fight with the front group as soon as possible."
Source: Suzuki Racing


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Escape the hectic city life and retreat to NewStar Homestay, Johor. Equipped with a barbecue area and badminton facilities, you can chill out with your friends and family while cooking up a storm and spend some leisurely time playing badminton. NewStar Homestay is also conveniently located a 2-minute drive away from Aeon and Tesco.
Featured in these collectionsTravel to Johor


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- Apr 2, 2016
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Jesus christ there has got to be some astroturfing going on from Sony at this point. These posts downplaying power and inflating specifically Sony's SSD are coming out every 20 damn minutes for the last week. It is like after Microsoft shit the bed for their Xbox One launch and then we spent the next month getting constant clarifications to everything that came out. Suddenly Sony are having every developer under their umbrella come out and defend them while literally every other developer seems to say it is awesome that SSD's are now in consoles but it doesn't do anything beyond loading games and assets faster.


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jetAudio basic music player is already available on PC and for iOS devices and now they have launched jetAudio basic version for android. There are number of music players available on android platform but not all players got all the features.
jetAudio is a music player with BBE/BBE ViVA/Wide/Reverb/X-Bass and 10 band EQ. jetAudio for Windows is a highest rated and most downloaded media player on CNET.COM and, now you can listen to same high-quality sound on your Android phone using jetAudio.
It plays just about any type of digital music files you've got (.wav, .mp3, .ogg, .flac, .m4a, .mpc, .tta, .wv, .ape, .mod, .spx and more) and, it provides a very high quality sound with assorted effects and enhancements for example BBE, BBE ViVA, Wide, Reverb, X-Bass.It comes with 32 equalizer presets which will give you a wide array of listening experience.
For those who want to customize their own sound experience, it also allows 10 bands graphic equalizer and other advanced playback functions including playback speed control, crossfading, AGC and much more.
jetAudio Basic Features :
- 10-bands graphic equalizer with 32 presets
- Wide, Reverb, X-Bass sound effects
- AGC (automatic gain control) to avoid volume fluctuations between tracks
- Speed control from 0.5x to 2.0x (pitch adjusted)
- Crossfading, Gap-less playback
- Fade-in/Fade-out
- Browser and play music by artits, albums, songs, playlists and folders
- Balance/Volume control
- Sleep timer up to 24 hours
- Flick up to post what you're listening to on Facebook/Twitter
- Flick down to show Now Playing
- Flick left/right to play next/previous
jetAudio Basic version provides same features with jetAudio Plus version except BBE/BBE ViVA and advertisements. If you want to enjoy full, unlimited sound effects, you can purchase Plus version. But jetAudio Plus is still not available for the download. Developers going to make it available soon. Till then you can enjoy jetAudio basic apk for free.
jetAudio music player supports formats including MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, M4A, MPC, TTA, WV, APE, MOD (module formats S3M, IT), SPX, AIFF and so on.


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A focus on futures
Founded in 2007 by principal consultant Tom Graves, Tetradian is a specialist consultancy in all aspects of enterprise-architecture and business-integration. We deliver services and training in England, Europe, Australia and Latin America.
We work with the architecture of the enterprise as a whole – viewing each organisation as a dynamic 'living organisation'. Our focus is enabling systems transformation for thriving and sustainable futures, while our aim is to create for – and within – our clients' organisations, a unified and productive clarity.
Our people are 'makers' of purpose-built tools, techniques and processes to support systemic transformation within organisations.
Our practice provides integrated clarity on business structure, business process and business relationships for cohesive systemic change for thriving futures. We use participatory, knowledge based methodologies and processes to assist you in identifying key questions about your business environment, enabling you and your organisation to generate your own integral, authentic answers and strategic responses to the challenges you face.
Our tools arise from a close observation of the dynamic 'living organisation' of our natural world. They provide integrated structures and frameworks for visioning, business intelligence and foresight processes to effectively and efficiently manage your organisation by mimicking the natural world at every level.
Our training programs aid individual staff members and the entire organisation to reach their full potential and work more effectively as a team.


text: Lois Lee joined CO Architects in 2016. As a designer, she enjoys crafting project narratives, including the details that influence all levels of a project. Lois is particularly interested in the intersection between architecture and journalism, and uses her experience in business development and graphic design to help curate the firm's social media presence. She holds a Master of Arts in Specialized Journalism and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Southern California.


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Shakespeare-in-Hospitals Cuts Through Clinical Milieu, Pushes Boundaries on What Professional Theatre Looks Like
CategoriesTheatre Reviews
Toronto, Ontario
Signy Lynch observes the work of Spur-Of-The-Moment Shakespeare Collective, who perform Shakespearean scenes in hospitals and medical facilities across Toronto as part of their Shakespeare-in-Hospitals project. Their annual fundraiser, Shakesbeers Showdown, the proceeds of which go to funding their hospital project, is set for 27 April, 2018 at the Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media, and Education.
This review is part of an ongoing experiment in theatre criticism and consists in three parts: an outsider's analysis of the production, and interviews with two members of the artistic team. All parts are equally important.
Signy Lynch, Reviewer
Signy is a graduate student in Theatre and Performance Studies at York University.
"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?" Romeo proclaims as he stares up at a balcony where his beloved has appeared. The scene is familiar, but the location is not—I'm watching it in a hospital room. The Spur-Of-The-Moment Shakespeare Collective (Shakespur) has been producing theatre since 2010. Founded by Victoria Urquhart, Sean Horbatiuk, and Brian Daniel Hansen, the company performs Shakespeare in modern spaces in order to "[break] down barriers surrounding Shakespearean text," beginning with a Shakespeare-on-the-Subway project. The latest production in their most recent program, Shakespeare-in-Hospitals, weaves selected scenes and monologues from Shakespeare into a complete show that explores the theme of identity. There are continuous 30- and 45- minute versions, and a third version in which individual scenes are presented in private hospital rooms.
When I was first asked to write a review for the show, I was, admittedly, a bit confused. As a program that is performed exclusively in hospitals and mental health facilities for non-paying spectators, Shakespeare-in-Hospitals doesn't fit the template of what most would consider a professional theatre show, certainly not one that would typically be reviewed. Nevertheless, it seemed an intriguing challenge to add to my ongoing experiments with theatre criticism. The review format I've been working with places the voices of individuals involved with a production alongside my own, both to decentre my perspective and to give the reader a sense of deeper engagement with the work. Ultimately, I only ended up seeing some of the scenes performed on demand in individual hospital rooms. As a consequence, what follows is not so much a review as a critical reflection on my experiences of the show.
I meet the company members in early December at a well-known Toronto hospital. The artistic director, Victoria Urquhart, comes down to fetch me and let me into the ward. When I arrive the cast of five (three female-identified, two male-identified, all professional actors) is on break, having just finished a round of performances. They are casually dressed, their only costumes white t-shirts featuring Shakespeare's image and phrases such as, "Have you seen this man?" and "Will Power" (pun intended). Already this is quite different from my previous experiences reviewing theatre. More typically, I expect to watch a show, write my piece, and occasionally interview company members several days later. In this case, I squeezed in a couple interviews between short scenes as I followed the cast through the ward hallways and chatted with them.
Here's how a typical interaction happens. A group of actors enter a hospital room. They introduce themselves and ask if patients would like to see some Shakespeare. If accepted (which doesn't always happen) the patient(s) are then given choices; for example, between a lighthearted or dramatic piece, a monologue or a scene. Occasionally there may be special requests made for a particular play or scene, and the company does what it can to accommodate. The balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet is not a part of this year's larger show, but is learned by all actors for their ward visits due to popular demand. The scenes and monologues are lifted out of Shakespeare's plays with varying degrees of adaption, often for accessibility or continuity (in one scene the King of England becomes the Prince of Toronto, for example).
As we go, I notice interesting and sometimes awkward tensions emerge between performers and audience. In one room when faced with a choice an elderly man brushes aside the offered options for comedic and/or dramatic scenes and asks for something gory instead. The company tries to avoid potentially disturbing content for its general audiences of inpatients, and he is disappointed to learn that Titus Andronicus isn't on offer. (He settles for a scene from Taming of the Shrew, and seems to enjoy it.) Some of the awkwardness I observe seems a result of the actors' continual displacement from room to room through unfamiliar wards and spaces – a dramatic change from a fixed theatre space. This awkwardness also stems, more broadly, from certain societal approaches to both sickness and old age. I am not criticizing the company: on the contrary – these feelings of awkwardness seem to me to be natural, almost unavoidable, and make for an exciting change of relations when audiences typically have so little contact with performers. By performing in the ward, the company not only enters the personal and private spaces of the inpatients, they also come up against Western cultural norms that marginalize the sick and elderly and seek to reduce them to objects of sympathy or pity. Accordingly, in these encounters a potentially patronizing and generalizing relationship between performers and inpatients is constantly being negotiated, and, if anything, it makes the pieces themselves seem more grounded and human.
The scenes I see are at their best when they are interactive (perhaps influenced by the clown training that was part of the group's rehearsal process). For example, in a proposal scene written using passages from several different plays, Katherine (played by Melanie Leon), after being asked for her hand in marriage, turns to the lone female audience member as though asking for confirmation before giving her affirmative reply. This dynamic seems to delight the spectator and for me proves instructive of the potentialities of using Shakespearean scenes as the basis for this project. Shakespeare's text invites this type of interaction, but it's a dynamic that's seen more frequently in movies about Shakespeare and the theatre of his time than it is explored in contemporary productions. In this case, the close, collegial performer-audience relations are engaging, and unlock playfulness in the scenes in which it is employed. In another scene I watch, Romeo (played by Laura Vincent) appeals to the audience, inviting them to share in his longing for his newfound love Juliet and later in his excitement upon her appearance at the balcony above. In a way, it is almost as if the spectators become partners in the scene. It seems to me that through these encounters lies the potential to destabilize patronizing societal attitudes towards the sick and elderly. The scene's collaborative nature cuts through the clinical setting to show what is ultimately a meeting between agentic subjects. In watching this scene I not only see individuals acting together, but collectively confronting and even rewriting societal norms.
Cultural recognition of Shakespeare is another effect of the group's choice of source material. Regardless of their individual exposure to the Bard, most people have a general understanding of his works and characters. This seems to lead to a familiarity, a common ground between actors and audience members that encourages the latter to be engaged in the performance and the scene selection process. My original skepticism about Shakespeare as the best choice for the project—due to my concerns about the inaccessibility of the language—was overturned by this factor of cultural accessibility. Though a past (and present) Shakespeare lover myself, I have seen Shakespeare's text deployed in increasingly inaccessible, unjustified, and (frankly) uninteresting ways, all in the name of tradition, high art, and, perhaps most disappointingly of all, sheer force of habit. Here, however, the text is not only justified, but flourishes.
Over the couple of hours that I spend with them at the hospital, a common theme pops up in my casual conversations with cast and crew: the surprise and delight they regularly encounter from hospital staff and patients about the group's professionalism and the high quality of the work they produce. These statements reveal a common underlying assumption (one I confess that I, at first, shared): that a hospital is not the place for professional theatre. Despite the fact that the performances take place outside a regular theatrical venue and are for private unpaying audiences, they feature a professional cast, crew, and creative team with a clear creative mission. Both thematically—in their exploration of identity—and methodologically—in their approach to the text in performance—there is no doubt to me that Shakespur is engaging in serious artistic inquiry.
In these ways they are quite clearly professional. So what, then, really is the difference between their work and the other professional shows that I would expect to review?
In addition to its pursuit of artistic excellence, most theatre that is reviewed seems to be linked by a goal of commercial gain. Economically, the theatre review serves to tell the discerning consumer (often a member of the social elite) where they should spend their money, emerging out of a new print media culture to judge between productions in a time of growing theatrical competition. Secondly, the artistic excellence inferred by a good review is cultivated by the social elite as a form of cultural capital. What I ultimately realized is that in my surprise at being asked to review the show, I was really expressing surprise that someone would be making "good theatre" for audiences that can't give anything (economically, culturally) in return. I want to conclude by suggesting that operating outside the drives of traditional capital should not invalidate or push an artistic work to the side. Theatre criticism should not just be about promoting works that meet our norms and expectations, but about celebrating artistic work wherever it is found. We need more criticism of non-traditional shows and projects such as the Shakespeare-in-Hospitals project, thus acknowledging the important artistic contributions that are being made under unconventional circumstances.
Laura Vincent, Cast Member
Laura is an actor and an artist originally from London, England.
Q from Signy: How did you get involved in this project?
I saw an ad—I just saw a thing for it on, you know, we get these audition notices online. So I saw that and it just seemed so interesting because acting is a very selfish pursuit… You're trying to get the job at the expense of other people getting the job, right? That's the whole game, so you're always out for yourself, selling yourself. So I think you lose sometimes the idea of giving back a little bit. And this way you get to kind of do both: you get to act, you get to do some great Shakespeare, but you also get to come away with the impression at the end of the day that you've actually done something to help someone—maybe brightened their day a little bit. Obviously we're not changing lives but a little entertainment in an otherwise relatively dull day, if you're an inpatient in a hospital, is a good thing, I hope.
Q: Do think this project impacts people in a different way than the theatre work you typically do?
Yeah, absolutely, because people that come to see theatre, they pay a ticket, and they come to theatre—they're theatregoing people. They have a prior interest in it, they expect to be entertained, and they can be critical of it all, they can like it—whatever they want, because they've paid for the privilege of it. But these are people who are stuck in a hospital ward for whatever reason, and we are coming to them and offering them—and they're not necessarily Shakespeare experts; they may never have seen a Shakespeare play ever, but the idea that we're making them feel a bit special, right, they're not just one of a huge number of an audience who's paid for a ticket. We're sitting down in front of them and doing it especially for them. I think it becomes a little more meaningful than being just one of an audience in a regular theatre.
Q: Do you approach a scene differently—the scenes you do in the hospital—than you would in a 'typical' production?
Yes, taken out of the context of a whole play they obviously are a little harder to deal with—I mean, to make them scenes in and unto themselves is a little bit challenging. Like, how do you end this scene if in the original play it's just a scene that segues into something else? Ideally what do you do here? And also just trying to make it very clear to people, because people don't necessarily have the knowledge of Shakespeare, maybe they have hearing problems, maybe there's a language barrier, so you have to try and make it very specific. We can't be as cerebral with it as we might be doing it for a crowd of Shakespeare nuts.
Q: Is there anything else you want to say?
It's been a really great experience, and I get to do my favourite thing, which is Shakespeare. And I get to give back a little bit. It's hard to express. We've had some nice experiences. A lot of people say "no"—they don't want their room to be invaded, they're feeling a bit tired—but when people say "yes" sometimes they'll be moved by it, even though they're not necessarily Shakespeare fans. And that speaks to the quality of the works that he wrote.
Victoria Urquhart, Artistic Director
Victoria is an actor and producer, and one of Spur-of-the-Moment's founding members.
Q from Signy: How does your company approach its work?
There's still a lot to be found, especially in our approaches to Shakespeare right now. There are a lot of things that I think we can get away from in our storytelling, particularly just the way that a lot of us approach performing the text. Just getting away from a traditional Shakespeare play…It's important to bring all these traditional practices into a present context and that we allow the next generation to inspire our work just as much as the previous one, blending new practices with Shakespearean text. I think there's a lot of play that can be had there that we're just scratching the surface on.
Q: How do you find working in hospitals compared to working in more traditional spaces? Do you think you approach the audiences differently?
I think it's about the fact that we've got to work with distractions; we've got to work with very unique spaces. And interesting stuff happens to Shakespeare when you perform that text in an intimate space as opposed to a really public space. You've got to acknowledge that that's there and let that happen. But also, there are some things that we can re-sleuth or remake through engaging in other practices. Each year directors bring in some other practice that we experiment with and blend with the text… For example, the clown work that we've got going on this year has really primed our actors for working in those private rooms and allowing those distractions to happen. And being able to acknowledge them instead of pretending that they're not there and they don't happen. Much of Shakespeare's text requires that in the first place, but because we bring [the clown work] in, the artists and audiences have multiple ways of interpreting the text. The whole Shakespeare-in-Hospitals project—back in the day, when we were in our first year—we drew from a lot of clown work so that we could do that; so that we could work with a lot of vulnerability, too. Because, I mean, you look at the basis of clown doctoring and that is giving the patient a sense of control when they have so little, right? And when you're doing clown work you're getting vulnerable so that they don't have to, in some cases. Not necessarily in all cases, I don't want to make that a stereotype or a generalization. We all see theatre for so many different reasons—especially when it comes to your bedside.
Q: I saw a lot of the smaller scenes in individual hospital rooms, but could you tell me a bit about the larger show?
The great thing is that you can take these scenes apart and put them in the private rooms, but they're all a part of a larger story. So for this year we're exploring the question, "Is identity fixed?" It's been an exploration where, especially in this story, I don't think we have a solid "yes" or "no" answer. For me, there are no solid "yes" or "no" answers. A lot of people go out of their way to try and [prove], "Here's my thesis, and I'm going to solve it now," and good theatre doesn't do that in my mind… In the end I think that what we come to is the idea that while identity is not necessarily fixed, the only person who can really determine that is yourself.
Q: Why Shakespeare?
For me, especially in hospitals, it perks people up in a different way than what everything else does. It's very human and we're dealing with the human condition… I think, too, there's a musicality to it, to the poetry. Iambic pentameter is a heartbeat. There's a rhythm to it that a lot of people get drawn to in the same kind of way they get drawn to music. And that's really characteristic for a lot of people. Shakespeare's text is made up of a combination of sounds that really get people vulnerable when they speak it, and I think especially in hospitals a lot of people connect with that even when they don't realize that that's what they're connecting with. In mental health units especially I've seen patients respond to it in so many unique ways… I have seen audience members come to extreme clarity, I've seen audience members turn on a dime. I've seen audience members suddenly become really joyous and it's not until afterwards that the facilitator turns to you and goes, "This person has not smiled in months, this the first time that I've seen them engaged in something." It's like, wow. You don't realize that that's something that a simple performance can do, just because you give them a distraction from constantly being here, or you gave them a moment to reflect, or you gave them just a moment to laugh at something really human.


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Into vs. In To
Q: Can you explain when to use "into" versus when you should use "in to"? —Char
Using "into" and "in to" interchangeably is a very common grammar faux pas—heck, my sister commits this grandiose error in e-mails at least twice a day and, despite my attempts to sic the grammar police on her, she continues to write recklessly. But if you understand their individual definitions, it's easy to pick the right word to convey your true meaning and avoid the grammar police altogether.
The word "into" is a preposition that expresses movement of something toward or into something else. I made it into work a few minutes early today. The tooth fairy tucked the tooth into her pocket before placing a $1 bill under my daughter's pillow.
"In to," on the other hand, is the adverb "in" followed by the preposition "to." They aren't really related and only happen to fall next to each other based on sentence construction. My boss sat in to audit the meeting. The tooth fairy came in to collect my daughter's tooth.
One trick to help you decipher which word (or word pairing) is correct is to think of it this way: "Into" usually answers the question "where?" while "in to" is generally short for "in order to." So look at your sentence and replace "into" or "in to" with "where?" If the second half of your sentence answers it, use "into." If it doesn't, replace "where" with "in order to." If that works, use "in to." Here is this method put into practice:
The tooth fairy put my daughter's tooth where? Ah—into her pocket.
The tooth fairy came in where? To collect my daughter's tooth? Hmm … that doesn't work. The tooth fairy came in order to collect my daughter's tooth.
Grammar police, rest easy—we've got this one under control.
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Problem of the Day #8: A House with a View March 27, 2011Posted by Saketh in : potd , trackback
A (very small) house is to be constructed at the center of a circular plot of land with radius $20$ meters. The developer plans to place trees around the house in a rather peculiar manner. Taking the house to be the origin, a sapling will be planted at every lattice point within the circle. The unit distance is to be $1$ meter.
Due to recent developments in genetic engineering, the trees can be modified to stop growing at any desired girth. To reduce construction costs, however, all of the trees will be identical.
The inhabitants of the house wish to be able to see outside of the plot. That is, there must exist some ray we can draw from the origin to the perimeter of the circle which does not intersect any of the trees. Determine the greatest $R$ such that for any tree radius $r < R$, the view is not blocked.
Assume for the purposes of this problem that the house is a single point at the origin.
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The Sony Alpha DSLR Camera / 15" Laptop Backpack is designed to hold a DSLR camera, lenses, a notebook up to 15.0", and accessories. Tailor the bag to your needs using the adjustable interior dividers to custom fit your gear. The bag's padding protects against bumps and falls while its padded shoulder straps and waist band allow it to be worn for long periods of time with minimal fatigue. If you get stuck in inclement weather, simply unroll the integrated rain cover to protect the backpack and its contents. Additionally, the bag features front, side, and rear pockets for keeping accessories close at hand while a side strap keeps a small tripod or monopod within easy reach.
|Type of Closure
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| a35 DSLR Camera and Lens
a55 DSLR Camera Body
a58 Camera and 18-55mm Lens
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a65 DSLR Camera Body
a77 DSLR Camera and Lens
a77 DSLR Camera Body
a77 Camera and 18-135mm Lens
a99 Full-Frame DSLR Camera Bundle
a99 Full-Frame DSLR Camera Body
a390 DSLR Camera and Lens
a900 DSLR Camera Body
a850 DSLR Camera Body
a500 DSLR Camera and Lens
a500 DSLR Camera Body
a550L DSLR Camera and Lens
Alpha NEX-3N with 16-50mm Lens
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|13.0 x 19.0 x 9.88" (33.02 x 48.26 x 25.08 cm)
|3.44 lb (1.55 kg)
|Packaging Info
|Package Weight
|3.9 lb
|Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
|21.0 x 11.5 x 9.4"


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This is where you can leverage your Medical Cost Sharing Member Advisor. Your Membership gives you direct access to assistance in researching self-pay friendly providers and facilities who charge fair prices.
In addition to this, KNEW Health is dedicated to health care transparency and ideal costs. For example, we offer Members access to low-cost supplements and have secured the lowest lab costs available - and pass that savings directly to our Members.


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MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines said on Saturday that President-elect Donald J. Trump had endorsed his brutal antidrug campaign, telling Mr. Duterte that the Philippines was conducting it "the right way."
Mr. Duterte, who spoke with Mr. Trump by telephone on Friday, said Mr. Trump was "quite sensitive" to "our worry about drugs."
"He wishes me well, too, in my campaign, and he said that, well, we are doing it as a sovereign nation, the right way," Mr. Duterte said.
There was no immediate response from Mr. Trump to Mr. Duterte's description of the phone call, and his transition team could not be reached for comment.
Since his election last month, Mr. Trump has held a series of unscripted calls with foreign leaders, several of which have broken radically from past American policies and diplomatic practice. A call on Friday with the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, appeared to be out of sync with four decades of United States policy toward China and prompted a Chinese call to the White House.
Mr. Duterte has led a campaign against drug abuse in which he has encouraged the police and others to kill people they suspect of using or selling drugs. Since he took office in June, more than 2,000 people have been killed by the police in what officers describe as drug raids, and the police say several hundred more have been killed by vigilantes.
The program has been condemned by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and others for what rights organizations have characterized as extrajudicial killings. In rejecting such criticism from the United States this fall, Mr. Duterte called Mr. Obama a "son of a whore."
In a summary of the phone call with Mr. Trump released by Mr. Duterte's office on Saturday morning, Mr. Duterte said the two had spoken for just a few minutes but covered many topics, including the antidrug campaign.
"I could sense a good rapport, an animated President-elect Trump," Mr. Duterte said. "And he was wishing me success in my campaign against the drug problem."
Mr. Duterte added: "He understood the way we are handling it, and I said that there's nothing wrong in protecting a country. It was a bit very encouraging in the sense that I supposed that what he really wanted to say was that we would be the last to interfere in the affairs of your own country."
Mr. Duterte, who has said he was seeking "a separation" from the United States, a longtime ally, and has threatened to bar American troops from his country, also said, "We assured him of our ties with America." He did not elaborate on that comment.
Mr. Duterte also said that Mr. Trump had invited him to visit New York and Washington, and that Mr. Trump said he wanted to attend the summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations next year in the Philippines.
Mr. Duterte has often been compared to Mr. Trump for his blunt speech and populist positions.
"I appreciate the response that I got from President-elect Trump, and I would like to wish him success," Mr. Duterte said. "He will be a good president for the United States of America."


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Approximately 4 miles south of Plainview on Wabasha County Road 4, the Carley State Park includes a one-mile self-guided trail and a five-mile trail that crisscross the north branch of the Whitewater River numerous times.
Beauty and quiet, that is the essence of Carley State Park. In the spring, delicate bluebells (Mertensia virginica), and other wildflowers carpet the valley with a profusion of color. Hike along the trail that follows the Whitewater River and take in the grand old white pines. Listen for the sweet song of orioles, song sparrows, house wrens, and indigo buntings. Enjoy the picnic area, play on the swings or practice softball. Try your hand at horseshoes or sit back and see a red-tailed hawk ride thermals in the sky. The north branch of the Whitewater River is a designated trout stream and provides habitat for brown trout. Rustic campsites are located near the picnic area.


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How do you win the research game? Hide the results you don't like!
Posted by Simon Lilley in School of Business Blog on January 22, 2015
Head of School, Professor Simon Lilley and Director of Research, Professor Martin Parker, discuss the problems of comparing apples, pears and potatoes, in the ranking of business and management research. We live in a world of rankings nowadays. There are league tables for schools, washing machines and doctor's surgeries. In a complicated world, it's not […]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Accountability, Accounting, Auditing, Competition, Competitiveness, Higher Education, Management Education, Management Pedagogy, PR, Public Debate, Public Sector, Publishing, Rankings, Research, Research Ethics, Research Excellence Framework, Research Methodology, Spin | 7 Responses
Critical Management Studies is Coming Home
Posted by Jo B in School of Business Blog on December 10, 2014
Deputy Head of School Professor Jo Brewis briefly outlines details of the thematic streams awaiting delegates of next summer's 9th Critical Management Studies (CMS) Conference Martin Parker has already explained why Leicester's management academics have regularly had the cheek to criticize the pervasiveness of managerialism. Managerialism, he argued, should not be seen as the natural […]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 4th Wave Feminism, 9th CMS Conference, Accounting, Alternative Organisation, Alternatives, Artistic Production, Borders, Branding, Catastrophe, Civil Society, Cooperatives, Critical Friendship, Critical Management Studies, Cultural Animation, Cultural Governance, Culture, David Erdal, Eastern Europe, Ecological Accounting, Economic Education, Elites, Employment Relations, Entrepreneurs, Environmental Accounting, Environmentalism, Feminism, Finance, Financialization, Health Management, Heterodox, Industrial Relations, International Development, Jo Brewis, Management Education, Managerialism, Managers, Marketing, Martin Parker, Migration, Mobility, Neoliberalism, Not for Profit, Oliver James, Organisation Studies, Place Branding, Place Marketing, Political Economy, Principles of Responsible Management Education, Professions, Regional Governance, Social Studies of Finance (SSF), Stakeholder Theory, Stakeholders, The Arts, Unemployment, Vandana Shiva, VIDA, Voluntary Sector | Leave a response
Fighting Corporate Abuse
Posted by Martin Parker in School of Business Blog on September 10, 2014
Martin Parker, Regular Blog Contributor and Professor of Organisation and Culture at the School, explains why management academics like him have an important role to play in the mitigation of corporate excesses Corporations have a very bad reputation. Most ordinary people tend to assume they are gigantic profit making machines that trample on anyone standing […]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Accounting, Amazon, Anti-Capitalism, Anti-Corporate, Apple, Austin Mitchell MP, British Law, Capitalism, Corporate Charter, Corporate Ethics, Corporate Governance, Corporate Reform Collective, Critical Management Studies, Environmentalism, Executive Pay, Labour Party, Legal Theory, Limited Liability, Marks & Spencer, Martin Parker, McDonalds, Reputation, Shareholder Theory, Stakeholder Theory, Stakeholders, Starbucks, Sustainability, Tax, Tax Avoid, Tax Avoidance, Tax Break, Vodafone | Leave a response
The Rise of Sustainability Reporting
Posted by Michelle Spiteri-Bailey in School of Business Blog on February 12, 2014
Michelle Spiteri-Bailey, PhD Student and recent award winning essayist at the School, insists that the rise in Business Ethics and Stakeholder Theory will make accountancy more interesting but also more challenging. Traditionally, the 'stakeholders' of a corporation included investors, employees, customers, and suppliers. Nowadays, however, the term 'stakeholders' embraces a much wider circle of interested […]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Accounting, Business Ethics, Commerzbank, Dell, Global reporting Initiative (GRI), Stakeholder Theory, Stakeholders, Sustainability, Sustainability Reporting, Triple Bottom Line (TBL) | Leave a response
Management Education as a Defence against the Dark (Commercial) Arts
Posted by Nigel Iyer in School of Business Blog on December 10, 2013
Nigel Krishna Iyer, Independent Fraud and Corruption Investigator and Teaching Fellow at the School, discusses the rationale underpinning the new CPD course Defence against Fraud and Corruption. As a fraud and corruption investigator I've travelled the world, delving into murky financial corners, interviewing informants and whistle blowers, confronting criminals, and even sifting through offices and trash […]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Accounting, Business School, Enron, Finance, Fraud and Corruption, James Bond, Management, Management Education, Masters Level Option, Matthew Higgins, MBA, National Fraud Authority, Nigel Krishna Iyer, Peter Jackson, Risk Management, Simon Lilley, UK Bribery Act, UK Home Office | Leave a response
What are Social Studies of Finance (SSF)?
Posted by Yuval Millo in School of Business Blog on November 8, 2013
Yuval Millo joined the School of Management in September 2012 as Professor of Social Studies of Finance and Accounting. He is a leading figure in the emergent field of Social Studies of Finance, a field which Juan Felipe Espinosa Cristia, a PhD Researcher at the School, interviewed him about very recently. Within this series of four […]
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Accounting, Actor Network Theory, Algorithmic Trading, Bruno Latour, Economic Crisis, Finance, Financial Crisis, High Frequency Trading, Market Devices, Michel Callon, Performativity, Risk, Social Network Analysis, Social Studies of Finance (SSF), Trading, Working Group on Responsible Innovation in Finance, Yuval Millo | Leave a response


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Ammar Kherraz
Visiting Lecturer
Email: email@example.com
Ammar Kherraz is a Visiting Lecturer, specialising in quantitative and computational finance and risk management.
Ammar has extensively worked in the quantitative and risk management field in the industry internationally – in investment banking and asset management.
The technical/quantitative end of his research interests has spanned multi-dimensional boundary crossing problems; efficient methods for capturing complex dependency/correlation structures; and investigating the performance of fully implicit vs. semi-implicit finite-difference schemes, depending on the profile of the instrument being priced / risk-managed. He has also worked on the development and testing of tools for counterparty risk solutions; different volatility modelling regimes to suit different derivatives types; and the theoretical and empirical analysis of various pricing and risk management models/methods for correlation dependent products.
Ammar's lecturing to MSc, MBA, PhD and executive education programmes - at several institutions - has spanned computational finance (with particular focus on the theory and application of various Monte Carlo and grid techniques), C++/VBA/MATLAB for finance, algorithmic trading, quantitative actuarial practice, stochastic calculus etc. He has also given talks on e.g. credit default swaps (CDS) and their use as hedging and speculative instruments; the currency options in relation to Scottish independence; a comparative analysis of the regulatory capital frameworks for banks and insurance companies; and the major anomalies and shortcomings of the mathematical models in finance, as highlighted by the financial crisis.
Outside of work, his interests include handball, the English countryside, and molecular genetics.


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Black Felted Wool With Floral Ponyskin Effect
Really unusual black felted wool with a twining floral pattern in a ponyskin effect, beautiful and different, it would make a stylish coat, cape or jacket on its own or as a fashion highlight
£50.00 per m
7 m in stock
Delivery & Returns
Prices shown include VAT @ 20% for Countries within the European Community.
For Shipping to Countries outside the EC Fiscal Area the VAT will be deducted at checkout. For the UAE the 5% tax is applied at checkout and paid in advance.
The condition in which your purchase is delivered to you is of utmost importance to us. All items are personally inspected by a member of our team before being packaged and sent to you, and are within the commercial tolerance demanded by our customers.
All fabrics are cut to your individual specification and are therefore non refundable.
Please note: Due to the many variations in monitors and browsers, colour samples may appear different on different monitors.


text: Conceptually similarView AllPeople wears masks on Lygon St, Carlton. 15 July 2020. The Age News. Photo: Eddie Jim.Source:EDDIE JIM15 July, 2020THE AGE (Melbourne)Keywords:coronavirus-COVID-19-face mask-infectionUnique identifier:FXB897693Size:3643px × 5156px30.8 cm × 43.6 cm (300dpi)Categories:HealthRelated Collections:COVID-19 Second Wave, VictoriaSelect usageHow would you like to use the image? Add to lightbox Add to cartDownloadPrintShare


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How I got started in video production, and the importance of personal work.
on February 29, 2016 with No Comments
My background: I've had several freelance jobs and 2 full time jobs so far in the video production industry. It's hard to believe that next year marks 10 years of working with video. I went to college for digital media and … Read More


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Thank you for participating in our Preschool Kit Coverpage Contest!
Congratulations to Simone Isobel Khoh Jing Yi (submitted by: Shiela Matias).
She has won a photography package from Photography by Yew Kwang worth $168 and will be featured in The New Age Parents Enrichment and Preschool Resource Guide 2016/2017.
The guide will be available online and offline from April 2016. Keep a lookout for it!
*Winner will be notified by phone and email.
Terms and Conditions Apply.
Our e-magazine coverpage contest is ongoing, take part via https://thenewageparents.com/coverpage-contest


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While I'm on a quest for the best sushi in Charlotte, I'm also searching for the best Mexican as well. Lucky for me, my friends are also big fans of guacamole, enchiladas and margaritas. When we're in the mood to eat out but can't decide where to go, Mexican food becomes our default because there's something for everyone (and it's always hard to turn down a delicious margarita).
Paco's is a take on tacos and Tex Mex– their signature taco is made with 6 hour slow roasted chili rubbed beef brisket and they serve some damn good stuffed jalapenos (makes sense, because Paco's is owned by Frank Scibelli, of Midwood Smokehouse fame, which has damn good bacon wrapped jalapenos).
My friends are big fans of Paco's (especially because it's close to home), so I've been there quite a bit since moving to Charlotte. We usually try to hit it up on Mondays, when they have half priced margaritas, and half price margs make everything better. Since I've been to Paco's a few times, I've been able to try a bunch of things on the menu: tacos, salads, enchiladas. The few times I've been to Paco's, I have found the food to be underwhelming (it's not the best Tex Mex I've ever had, but it's not the worst, and it usually leaves me full and bringing home leftovers). I've had a wide variety of meals at Paco's, and it has always been the company and the margaritas that keeps me coming back, not really the food. The first time I went to Paco's, I got a taco platter, and while they were good, they weren't stand out or spectacular. I've also tried the enchiladas, but my issue with those is I'm more of an authentic kind of gal, and enchies (a very technical and affectionate term for enchiladas) made with sour cream chicken, or topped with chili gravy don't really wow me (plus they were drowning in sauce, which after bite three made them soggy). My friend D can't say enough nice things about Paco's salads (she loves the chopped salad and the Paco's salad), but the one time I went the salad route the veggies didn't seem fresh and the honey cilantro lime dressing was overpowering, and I was disappointed yet again. Yet, I could never write Paco's off (my friends loyally go and say I will find something I like), so I keep giving them more chances. A few weeks ago I was happy I didn't give up on Paco's.
By far the star of the show at Paco's is the fajitas. As I was browsing the menu to try something new yet again (my fallback was going to be to branch out at get some tacos I'd never tried) I stumbled upon the fajita platters tucked in the first page of their new menu. My discovery got me excited; steak fajitas are straightforward and hard to mess up, plus there would be plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. The menu marketed the fajitas as traditional grilled steak with all the fixings, and our waitress told me I made a good choice. I eagerly waited in anticipation after placing my order, and got giddy when my steaming hot plate, piled high with steak, reached our table.
Paco's delivered on steak fajitas, and I was thrilled. The steak was seared to my liking and super tender. It looked beautiful; there were ample grill marks and it was simple and straightforward, which allowed its smoky flavor to shine. An abundance of vegetables accompanied the steak on the sizzling platter, and the peppers and onions melted in my mouth and burst with flavor on each bite. I tucked my precious steak and veggies into piping hot, soft flour tortillas, and topped them with traditional fixings (beans, cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream) before gorging myself.
The toppings tasted fresh which was marvelous, and not like they had been sitting in a fridge for weeks on end. I stuffed my face full of two fajitas, bursting at the seams with ingredients, and asked the waitress for a to go box with a satisfied smile.
I'm happy I didn't write Paco's off too early; I guess third (or fourth, or fifth) times a charm. I would recommend first time diners try one of their signature tacos (because you're bound to find a good one and I haven't tried all of them on the menu; I'd like to go back and give the tacos a second effort). I would skip the enchiladas; there are far better places in Charlotte to find a delicious enchilada. But I wholeheartedly recommend the fajitas; they were flavorful and tender, and definitely hit the spot.
map & more
score: 5.5
spending: $$
neighborhood: south park
cuisine: mexican
official website
[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Paco's+Tacos+and+Tequila,+Morrison+Boulevard,+Charlotte,+NC&aq=0&oq=pacos+taco&sll=35.213954,-80.826736&sspn=0.009958,0.017188&ie=UTF8&hq=Paco's+Tacos+and+Tequila,+Morrison+Boulevard,+Charlotte,+NC&t=m&ll=35.156267,-80.830793&spn=0.008772,0.010686&z=15&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=250&h=250]