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Yomi Beta Decks
Some physical Yomi beta decks are available right now in small quantity. The print-and-play versions of those same characters are also available at that same link. This is a small, print-on-demand run so note that the cardstock is different from other Yomi cards, but it's still fine. These decks have all the real art and are in a polished state of balance. If any balance changes happen later on, the good news is that it's easy to make just the changed cards available because of the print-on-demand nature of this run.
The expansion characters available right now are Quince, Onimaru, BBB, and Troq. Also, there are updated versions of Grave, Jaina, Midori, and Setsuki available. All characters have cooler looking character cards now, a new stat summary card, and all abilities now have a timing tag like "draw phase" that lets you quickly see when the ability can trigger.
All these characters are also playable free online. If you'd like to learn more about the new characters, here are some articles by Thelo (programmer Yomi online):
Quince article
Onimaru article
BBB article
Keep in mind that you get free shipping within the US on any order over $25 at sirlingames.com. So you can get just one deck, but if you combine that with some other items then you'll be able to reach the free shipping threshold. Enjoy the new decks!


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8 Corn Cobs, husks and silks removed
240g Cheese, grated
8 Spring Onions, ends trimmed, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon (tbs or tbsp.) Smoked Paprika
4 teaspoons (tsp) ground coriander
32 small burrito tortillas (wraps)
Spray Oil
Salt and Pepper
What to do (Method)
- Cut kernels from corn cobs and cook in a medium pot of salted boiling water for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain well and set aside to cool.
- Pre-heat oven to 120°C.
- Combine the corn, cheese, onion, paprika and coriander in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spray a fry pan with oil and heat over medium-high heat.
- Place a tortilla in the pan and sprinkle over some of the corn mixture. Top with another tortilla, pushing the filling down with a spatula.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden and crisp underneath.
- Turn over using spatula and pressing down firmly cook for a further 1 minute or until golden and crisp underneath.
- Transfer to oven tray in oven to keep warm.
- Repeat 15 times to make a total of 16 quesadillas.
- Cut each quesadilla into quarters and serve.

subset: commoncrawl


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"WOODCOTE"-Lakefront Estate Maple Bay, Vancouver Island in Chemainus, British Columbia
# Bath
Sq Ft
# Bed
The 15 Acres encompassing "Woodcote" on Quamichan Lake is one of finest examples of a true Heritage Estate found anywhere. Once through the entrance gates, you will gently slip into the magical world of yesteryear and the worries of the outside world are soon forgotten. Rarely does a home of this stature and property with such natural beauty and diversity come to the market. Imagine your own first growth forest of towering fir trees with meandering creeks and trails, to pastures, award winning gardens, barn and outbuildings, spectacular views over the lake and majestic mountains to the West. Once an operating farm, it still retains water rights to the lake for irrigation. Original building of the Estate began in 1904 and now after more than a century of expansion, change and improvement has culminated in this exceptional offering. The classic home features extensive use of wood for both flooring and finish detail, 3 fireplaces , butler's pantry, library, guest quarters, 2 ensuites and so much more.
Philip Rooke, Pemberton Holmes Ltd, Duncan BC 250-
for interactive photos, floor plans and more go to:
Type: Houses for sale
City: Chemainus
Category: Houses for sale
Houses for sale in British Columbia
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Large Vacant Lot19 Hilltop Parkway, Tallwoods Village
Large vacant lot in Tallwoods Village at 1259 sq metres which allows plenty of scope for building design or possible development subject to consent. For those looking for a large lot without too much slope this site may be the one you have been looking for. Priced to sell so contact us today for details.


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Bienvenidos! Hispanic & Latino Student Association wants to unite people of all nationalities and backgrounds together. Although the club's main focus is to bring together those of Hispanic backgrounds, the club welcomes everyone! Great food, great laughs, and even greater people.
"A traves de nuestras fuerzas, vecemos la duda.
A traves de nuestra diversidad, vencemos el prejuicio.
A traves de nuestra determinacion, nos esforzamos por hacer la diferencia."
Mission: The mission of the HLSA is to develop a good relationship between the Latino/Hispanic students in the University of Hartford. To project a clear image of the Latino/Hispanic people and their culture. To make others aware of the diversity of the Latino/Hispanic culture. To be a support group for future University of Hartford students with Latino/Hispanic Heritage, that may confront conflicts of adjustment to this institution. To provide exposure to the Professional Latino/Hispanic community of the New England area. To organize activities whereas the Latino/Hispanic Youth of the Hartford area be exposed to the concepts and benefits of higher education.
|Contact Information
Imani Mosquera
|Contact Email:
|Faculty/Staff Advisor:
Dr. DeLois Lindsey


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The puggle is such a cute new breed! They are the result of the mixture of a female beagle and a male pug. My cousins used to have a pug and I think this type of a puggle is a lot cuter-lol.
This puggle came from a dog shelter. She inspired me to do a different kind of dog art piece then my normal textures.
You can find this puggle art piece on a variety of items.
Such as beautiful puggle prints.
Puggle magnets.
Puggle sweatshirts.
Puggle shirts.
Even puggle mousepads!
There are many other items available, like puggle dog art clocks, kid's shirts, even a puggle mug!
Check out our store at either


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With Nazi bombs falling from the sky and fires consuming London, reluctant immortal Daniel Leland finds himself in an uncomfortable position. As a halfhearted employee of the British government, blackmailed into submission, he is forced to use his peculiar talent for murder in the service of the Crown. But as the assignments become impossibly challenging, the limits of that talent are tested. The Luftwaffe is not the most explosive thing to menace Great Britain, and even dead things can die again. There is more at stake than the questionable life of a lone agent, more at stake than Daniel Leland would care to admit.
16 thoughts on "The Wailing – Coming Halloween"
I'm getting this. Available where?
Hrrgh. Can't reply to your last post so I have to write a new comment.
The Kindle is handy, but there's nothing quite like handling a real paper book. Half the joy of reading is holding the (for me often brick-sized) book in your hands and turning the pages.


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Received a message from my student earlier where he made almost $1000 for the past week. I think the LIVE Trading that I did frequently was enough to help me students buck up and polish their observation skills with selecting the right counter. I am thankful for all the good trades and the people who took their time off just to come see me. Thank you.
Gave a bearish Whatsapp on Keppel Corp recently and I am pleased with everyone who took the opportunities to make $. The stock tanked the next day and most locked in $. Looking back at my strategies and methodology that was taught in the Stock Operation Course, I am getting more confident that I have more students improving their skills and working hard towards a better future with their daily homework. Keep it up!
Ronald K - Market Psychologist - A Stock Market Opportunist


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VRBO is part of the HomeAway family, the world leader in vacation rentals. We offer the largest selection of properties for any travel occasion and every budget. We're committed to helping families and friends find a perfect vacation rental to create unforgettable travel experiences together.
The condominium is clean and well-appointed. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. The sunrise was amazing, and easy access to the sand and water enticed us to enjoy many beach visits throughout our brief stay. Thank you, Lynn.
Nice condo. Very relaxing atmosphere.


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Obedience to Authority
by Tariq Khan
Most evil acts in the world are not committed by abnormally mean psychopaths. They are committed by quite ordinary people who are "just doing their jobs". Most murder, torture, and destruction in and of the world is perfectly legal and is carried out by civilized, well-mannered, average individuals who are "just fulfilling their duties" to governments, businesses, and religions. They're "just trying to make a living".
A while back I met some veterans of the U.S. military's invasion of Iraq; young guys in their early twenties. I had a chance to talk with them and hear some of their stories. On first impression they seemed like good, decent people. Even though I know that torture and murder are part of the military system, I was surprised when one told me tales of torturing prisoners in Iraq and even of shooting children. Another vet said that he was a sniper and he knowingly killed innocent people. Neither of these men have a violent disposition. Neither of them have a desire to kill and torture. In fact, they hated doing it and they both said that they hate themselves for what they did over there. One of them said that some of the other Iraq War veterans he knew have since committed suicide because they couldn't live with themselves knowing the horrors they inflicted on people in Iraq.
So if these soldiers hated it so much, then why did they do it? They did it because it was their job. They were following orders. The fellow who was a sniper told one story of when he was ordered to shoot a man who was changing a tire. The Army was afraid that the man wasn't changing a tire, but was actually setting a roadside bomb. So the sniper shot him. When they investigated the scene it turned out that there was nothing there having to do with any bombs and that the man was indeed changing a tire. So the sniper was very upset. He said that later that night he threw a fit, throwing around his things and such. The sergeant asked him what was wrong and he said something like, "Man! That guy I shot was innocent!" So the sergeant sent him to go talk to the chaplain. A chaplain is a religious leader in the military there to provide the troops with "spiritual support". The sniper, telling the story, said that he was an atheist and had no faith in any chaplain but he obeyed the sergeant and talked to the chaplain anyway. The chaplain, like a true servant of the state, told the sniper, "Don't worry about it. You're doing this for God and your country." The sniper thought that it was stupid advice, not helpful at all, but he went back to his job as a sniper and, against his own conscience, did what he was told to do, including killing more people.
Half a century ago social scientist Stanley Milgram carried out a series of experiments having to do with the issue of obedience to authority. In these experiments a "teacher" was ordered by an authority to administer electric shocks to a "learner". The learner was actually an actor and the shocks were not real, but the teacher was unaware of this and believed the shocks he or she was administering were real. Even when the learner seemed to be experiencing a great deal of pain, the teacher, in most cases, continued with the shocks as ordered by the authority. In many cases the teacher did not want to administer the shocks, but pressured by the authority to do so, went ahead and obeyed. Milgram intentionally conducted these experiments with people of diverse class, education, race, occupation, and gender. He performed different variations and situations to test different factors. Regardless of race, class, education, or gender; most people obeyed authority even when obedience meant harming an innocent person and even when they clearly did not want to harm the person.
Milgram concluded that it is the drive to obey authority rather than any kind of innate maliciousness that is the cause for most horror in the world. Milgram was writing shortly after the fall of the Third Reich and, no doubt, was troubled by how it was that so many ordinary, mild-mannered people were led to commit the kinds of sick crimes against humanity that occurred in concentration camps and Nazi prisons. They were just trying to be "good Germans." Milgram wrote, "Tyrannies are perpetuated by diffident men who do not possess the courage to act out their beliefs."
So here we are decades later with ordinary nineteen and twenty-year-olds torturing and killing people for god and their country. They're being "good Americans". We have Air Force pilots who are nice people, good parents, good neighbors; they mow their lawns, go to movies, and watch their children's soccer games and dance recitals, but when in uniform and ordered by higher ranking men in uniform, will drop bombs that end hundreds and even thousands of lives. From an early age we are taught that obedience to authority is a virtue. The first thing we memorized in kindergarten was the pledge of allegiance. We learned that "be good" means "do what you're told". In the Boy Scouts we said, "On my honor I will do my duty to God and my country…" In church they taught us that we are here on earth to learn to obey. Parents and teachers demand it from an early age. In school we were given detention for defiance and rewarded for compliance. A core value of the Air Force is "service before self" which means, doing what the Air Force wants you to do is more important than doing what you want to do. The university professor who "gets with the program" is far more likely to get tenure than the one who thinks independently. The university student learns that making waves leads to a bumpy ride while following the leader leads to smooth sailing. Anyone who's ever dealt with a police officer learns that saying, "yes sir" leads to much less trouble than asking questions does.
In Milgram's experiment some of the more obedient subjects took it as far as to try to justify torturing an innocent person. This is what I call the cop personality. Rather than admitting that there was something wrong with what they did, they came up with reasons why the learner deserved to be shocked. When being questioned after the experiment, one such man said, "Well, we have more or less a stubborn person (the learner). If he understood what this here was, he would'a went along without getting the punishment… The only time I got a little – I wouldn't say nervous – I got disgusted, is when he wouldn't cooperate." In other words, the learner brought punishment on himself by not cooperating with the torturer. How many times have you heard a police officer make a similar argument to justify his own ill treatment of another person? "If she just would have cooperated, then I wouldn't have had to pepper spray (or handcuff, or beat, or arrest, or kill…) her." Notice how the subject in the experiment did not take responsibility for his own actions of shocking the learner, but transferred responsibility to the victim; what we call victim blaming (it's the same as when a rapist blames the woman he raped rather than admitting his own responsibility for his actions; "Did you see how she was dressed?"). When the experimenter pushed the question of who was responsible for the learner being shocked, the man replied, "I say your fault for the simple reason that I was paid for doing this. I had to follow orders. That's how I figured it."
In other words, he was just doing his job, just as police who abuse others are just doing their jobs, just as soldiers who murder and torture Iraqis are just following orders, just as the businessmen and women who sell the military weapons of mass destruction are just doing their jobs, just as prison guards who abuse prisoners are just following orders, just as office workers, administrators, and bureaucrats who do the paper pushing of military and law enforcement are just doing their jobs, just as the Nazis who rounded up Jews for extermination were just following orders, just as the cop who pulls you over and harasses you is just doing his job, just as the men who clear-cut forests are just following orders, just as the people who torture animals in slaughter houses and factory farms are just doing their jobs, just as construction workers who destroy wilderness in order to build mcmansions and strip malls are just following orders, just as the military pilot who dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan was just doing his job, and on and on and on… I've had many experiences in which I complain to peers about police brutality or out-of-control soldiers stomping on human rights, only to be met with the disapproval of my peers who tell me, "It's not the cops' (or soldiers') fault, they're just doing their jobs." I try to explain to my peers, "That's the problem! They're just doing their jobs!" If doing their jobs means abusing, torturing, and generally bullying people around, then they should get new jobs! The fact that it's their job is no excuse. The cops sure don't let other people get away with that excuse. What if a drug dealer were to tell a cop, "Hey man, I'm just doing my job."? Do you think the cop would take the attitude, "Oh, ok. I suppose that I'll just leave you alone then and stop messing with you because you're just doing your job."? But for some reason, mainstream society lets all kinds of official abusers such as cops, politicians, and soldiers get away with that. When a cop once told Emma Goldman that he didn't enjoy putting her behind bars but that he was just doing his job, she told him to stop being such a coward and to find a more honorable way to make a living.
Obedience to authority, rather than being a virtue, may be the number one cause of blood and horror in the world. All of the war and occupation the world over would not be possible without obedient men and women in uniform who say, "yes, sir" to the orders from up the chain. It would not be possible without docile clerks, managers, and bureaucrats doing the administrative and logistical work that makes the death machine run smoothly. It wouldn't matter if a Hitler popped up if no one would obey the Hitler. And it wouldn't matter if the U.S. government wanted to wage war if soldiers refused to fight, or better yet, refused to be soldiers in the first place. Tyranny cannot function without yes men. It is obedience, not maliciousness, that makes the piles of dead bodies grow.
It may seem hopeless, but in Milgram's experiment, just as in real life, there were some dissenters. The problem is that both in the experiment and in real life, there are not nearly enough people who refuse to obey. However, Milgram did do one interesting variation of his experiment which resulted in the majority of subjects refusing to administer electric shocks to the learner. In this situation there was an experimenter, three teachers, and one learner. The experimenter ordered the teachers to administer shocks to the learner, just like in the other experiments, and the learner (an actor) showed a lot of pain upon being shocked, as usual. The difference this time was that two of the teachers were also actors, unbeknownst to the subject. When the learner showed signs of pain and disapproval, the two teachers refused to administer any more shocks, even when ordered to by the experimenter. When this happened, in almost every case (36 out of 40), the subject followed suit, defying the experimenter, and refused to administer any more shocks. Milgram wrote, "The effects of peer rebellion are very impressive in undercutting the experimenter's authority. Indeed, of the score of experimental variations completed in this study, none was so effective in undercutting the experimenter's authority as the manipulation reported here." When being questioned later as to why they disobeyed, one subject replied, "The thought of stopping didn't enter my mind until it was put there by the other two." Another subject answered, "The reason I quit was that I did not wish to seem callous and cruel in the eyes of the other two men who had already refused to go on with the experiment".
Milgram pointed to some factors that lead to the group's effectiveness:
1. The peers instill in the subject the idea of defying the experimenter. It may not have occurred to some subjects as a possibility.
2. The lone subject in previous experiments had no way of knowing whether, if he defies the experimenter, he is performing in a bizarre manner or whether his action is a common occurrence in the laboratory. The two examples of disobedience he sees suggest that defiance is a natural reaction to the situation.
3. The reactions of the defiant confederates define the act of shocking the victim as improper. They provide social confirmation for the subject's suspicion that it is wrong to punish a man against his will, even in the context of a psychological experiment.
4. The defiant remain in the laboratory even after withdrawing from the experiment (they have agreed to answer postexperimental questions). Each additional shock administered by the naïve subject then carries with it a measure of social disapproval from the two confederates.
5. As long as the two confederates participate in the experimental procedure, there is a dispersion of responsibility among the group members for shocking the victim. As the confederates withdraw, responsibility becomes focused on the naïve subject.
6. The naïve subject is a witness to two instances of disobedience and observes the consequences of defying the experimenter to be minimal.
7. The experimenter's power may be diminished by the very fact of failing to keep the two confederates in line, in accordance with the general rule that every failure of authority to exact compliance to its commands weakens the perceived power of the authority.
The two rebels in the experiment were only actors. For the real rebel it takes courage to be the first to say no, or to stand alone in defiance. But that is the role of the anarchist in society. Perhaps anarchists can take note of those seven points and apply them to ourselves. Maybe that would look something like this (this is by no means meant to be some list of "anarchist commandments", it's merely something worth considering):
1. It is for the anarchist to instill in individuals the ideas of defiance, resistance, evasion, and refusal. It may not have occurred to some people as a possibility, or the individual may not know how to go about it.
2. The lone individual in society has no way of knowing if her dissent is "normal". It is for the anarchist to let such people know that they are not alone. How many people have breathed a sigh of relief and pleasure when reading that first radical book, or zine, or listened to that first punk record that validated the anti-authoritarian sentiments that everyone else they knew told them they were crazy for thinking? How good it feels when one lives in a sea of servility, conformity, and mediocrity to meet that single individual who thinks differently, or to find a group of people who defy the norm.
3. It is for the anarchist to provide the individual with confirmation that her feelings against what she is being ordered to do are valid. For example, when a soldier is ordered to torture prisoners; inside he feels that it is wrong to torture, but the military tells him that it is the right thing to do. The anarchist must be the one to give him social confirmation for his feelings against torture.
4. It is for the anarchist to remain in society, constantly registering disapproval of the horrors that authority is bringing down. This may seem like nothing, but it's not always such an easy task, when multitudes of servile subjects are waving flags around and cheering for the leader, to be that one person or one small group of people pointing out the madness of it all.
5. It is for the anarchist to let responsibility fall where it belongs. When the police go nuts and shoot up the place, killing some innocent victim, or when soldiers do the same, they usually get let off the hook with such silly excuses as, "It's a very stressful job and accidents are bound to happen," or "collateral damage", but anarchists have to be the ones to point out that no, that excuse is unacceptable, you are responsible for your own behavior, and you cops and soldiers are guilty and blood-stained as hell.
6. In Milgram's experiment the consequences for disobedience were minimal, which led the subject to see that it was no big deal to say no, but in reality, the consequences are often much more severe. While anarchists cannot always, like Milgram's rebels, demonstrate that the course of disobedience is easy, we can be there to support our rebellious peers when authority's fist comes crashing down on them. We can see examples of this such as people who set up "underground railroad" type networks for AWOL soldiers, and those who back up soldiers who refuse to go to Iraq. Soldiers are far more likely to rebel when they know that there are dependable people who have their back.
7. Every failure of authority to exact compliance to its commands weakens the perceived power of the authority.
The rebellious peer variation of Milgram's experiment led him to believe that "when an individual wishes to stand in opposition to authority, he does best to find support for his position from others in his group. The mutual support provided by men for each other is the strongest bulwark we have against the excesses of authority. (Not that the group is always on the right side of the issue. Lynch mobs and groups of predatory hoodlums remind us that groups may be vicious in the influence they exert.)"
Imagine a society that places more emphasis on being true to one's own conscience and less emphasis on being true to an institution. More emphasis on inner integrity and personal reflection, and less emphasis on outward appearance and looking good on paper. A society in which people act on their own convictions rather than acting on orders handed down from above. Fewer soldiers with their "service before self", and more Whitman's with the dictum, "Resist much. Obey little." Individuals who think for themselves and act for themselves. It would be terribly difficult for tyranny and oppression to take root in such a society because those who would tyrannize and oppress would have a hard time doing so with no one to carry out their orders. Bush could cry for war all day long, but with no obedient soldiers to fight his war for him, there would be no war. Sure, he could go to war by himself and even kill some people, but he wouldn't get very far, and he would never, even if he wanted to, be able to kill the amount of people that an army kills. He wouldn't have much luck setting up checkpoints, curfews, and torture chambers either. Those wicked endeavors also require obedient servants who will carry out orders. The same goes for any power-hungry maniac. Women-hating, queer bashing, reason-ignoring ministers, popes, rabbis, and imams would be out of business in such a society. The same would go for gang leaders, war lords, and corporate CEOs. If the individuals that make up the world's human population would simply think and act for themselves rather than letting authority think for them and rather than acting for authority, there would be a lot less blood-shed, abuse, and coercion in the world.
Evil is unspectacular and always human, And shares our bed and eats at our own table. – W.H. Auden
To all of us who have been charged, we all agree that we don't feel like we were doing things that we weren't supposed to, because we were told to do them. We think everything was justified, because we were instructed to do this and to do that.
– Lynndie England, one of many U.S. soldiers who physically, psychologically, and sexually abused Iraqi men at Abu Ghraib prison


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Sticky-Fingered Bank Worker Gets Four Years
LUBBOCK, Texas (CN) – A former BBVA Compass Bank employee was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for stealing more than $174,000 from the bank, federal prosecutors said.
Priscilla Delarosa, 32, of Lamesa, was given the maximum sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. It included an enhancement for abuse of position of trust/special skill and another enhancement for obstruction of justice. She also was ordered to pay more than $174,000 in restitution to the bank, which employed her at its Big Spring branch.
Delarosa was convicted in March of misapplication of bank funds, fraud with an access device and making false statements.
Delarosa used a customer's debit card to defraud the bank from November 2009 to November 2010, prosecutors said. Then she lied about it to a Secret Service special agent.


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Day one
Start your Oxford adventure by filling up at Turl Street Kitchen, a low-lit city centre eatery serving locally sourced food and great coffee. The breakfast menu, served 8-11.30am, caters for fans of fried breakfasts as well as those who'd rather have a healthier option.
After fuelling up it's time for some insights into academia, starting right in the centre of Oxford with the Bodleian Library complex, one of the oldest libraries in Europe and home to over 11 million books. As you walk east from Turl Street Kitchen to get here, take time to appreciate the architecture along the way, including Oxford's own Bridge of Sighs(officially Hertford Bridge), the domed Radcliffe Camera at the foot of Catte Street, the decorative walls of the library's Old School quad, and the Bodleian entrance door itself on Broad Street, decorated with college coats of arms.
To get inside the Bodleian you have to join one of the tours, but it's well worth the cost of the ticket (£6-14). A typical visit will include stops inside the 15th-century Divinity School, the dark medieval Duke Humfrey's Library, the Radcliffe Camera, the underground reading rooms and the Gladstone Link, a hidden tunnel. You may recognise some of the locations from films including the Harry Potter series.
For variety and authenticity, head to the Covered Market for lunch. From the Radcliffe Camera, walk down Brasenose Lane onto Market Street then look for the market on your left. Tuck into the best salad boxes in the city at Alpha Bar, a hearty pie from David John Butchers or authentic Chinese street food from A Taste of China.
For an afternoon change of perspective, retrace your steps to visit St Mary's Tower, part of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin on Radcliffe Square. Climb up the narrow spiral staircase and find yourself on a platform circling the top of the tower. From here, you can take in spectacular views of the Bodleian complex, various colleges and the spire-studded streets of the city.
Once back on the ground, while away the afternoon wandering through the nearby streets filled with independent boutiques and big-name shops. Be sure to stop by the huge 19th-century Blackwell's bookshop on Broad Street and the curious Objects of Use on Market Street.
After the busy day, relax and reminisce over a meal at one of the city's top-rated independent restaurants. Pierre Victoire on Little Clarendon Street is a perfect date-night location, with authentic French cuisine and candle-lit tables. Alternatively, there's Al Andalus, a tapas bar that brings the tastes and smells of Spain's best nibbles to Oxford.
Make time after eating for a nightcap at The Eagle and Child on your way back. It's a lovely, traditional British pub that has been a favourite with CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and many other Oxford luminaries (and visitors) since the seventeenth century.
Day two
Start your day with a walk around Port Meadow, an ancient green space beside the River Thames near the Jericho neighbourhood. Having whet your appetite with the stroll, head to the Jericho Café and take your pick from a range of breakfast dishes including waffles, croissants and oak-smoked salmon on sourdough.
Next head south towards the city centre for a spot of art and culture. Choose from the Pitt Rivers Museum of Natural History, the Ashmoleanmuseum of art and archaeology or Modern Art Oxford.
If the weather's on your side, head outdoors again for a ramble with a view through Christ Church meadow, an idyllic park adjacent to Christ Church College (tours of which are available). It's a popular spot for tourists, students and punting boats, with riverside paths, tree-lined trails and views back to the city's glorious skyline. If you're hungry, pick up a take-out bagel from George & Danver on St Aldate's. The pizza one is especially good.
For the evening, try something different with a trip down Cowley Road, Oxford's street for all things indie and alternative. Tuck in to spicy Moroccan dishes and heady cocktails at the souk-inspired Kazbah restaurant. You could see the night out here or head up the road to The Big Society, a trendy bar and social spot where you can drink beer while playing table tennis.
Where to stay
Old Parsonage Hotel Once the home of Oscar Wilde, this 17th-century period property is now a modern boutique hotel. The rooms are luxurious, juxtaposing contemporary art with historic features.
Malmaison This upmarket hotel is the result of the conversion of a former prison. It's tastefully done, retaining features like the cell doors as a nod to the past, but with all mod-cons in the warm, plush rooms.
How to get there
By train
Oxford Station is the most central for the city. You can get a direct train from Paddington and Marylebone stations in London, plus from Birmingham New Street.


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a VirtualTourist member from Melbourne asked on Oct 6, 2012
i will be travelling from hanoi to sapa around 25th november 12. there appears to be a number of train carriage and i was wondering which is the best other than Victoria. also what is the weather like then? cold? there is a lot of references to trekking around sapa. i am not the fittest being an office worker are the walks steep or gradual rises.
We were in Sapa and the weather it was not cold but rainy .
We took a night train and we were in a cabin of four persons nice and clean , it was not the Victoria
In Sapa you can make easy and nicetrecks
Try to go on the week end that is when the markets are, Sapa on Saturday and on Sunday you may return in the night train to Hanoi but during the day you must arrange a trip to BaHa where there is an impressive market
Buen viaje
I had my hotel in Ha Noi booked tickets to Sapa for my family. The brand was Orient Express, and we stayed in a nice and clean 4-bed cabin. There were many foreigners on my train, you can refer here for more info.
The weather at Sapa in winter is freezing, sometimes there are snow, so trekking is a good choice to warm up your body. Remember to enjoy foot massage there!
I've been in Sapa few times already; for the train i have book directly in Hanoi train station, you can try with Sapalit or vietravel.
For trekking in Sapa i book with SapaTravelmate who are very serious and propose every kind of trek so i think you should fine what you expect. One more its better to book in Sapa that in Hanoi, for the price and the serious.
Hope it can help you
Victoria is the best train from Hanoi to Lao Cau and return.This train do not work on Saturday.
This is the most expensive train,too.
There are many options to Sapa by train. Some agency for you can choose are King express, orient, hara express, pumkin express. All of them have the same quality. You can go to a tour office in Hanoi and book a train ticket. 2 options for you are 4 or 6 sort beds in a cabin with different price. Cabin with 4 bed is a bit more expensive with around 25 to 30 US dollars upon the time you book.i hope you have best option. If you need some recommendation or help about tour or hotel in Sapa. I can help you.
Return to Sapa travel answers


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Are you an Avengers lover? There are many fans around the World. It always give pleasure and impresses everyone as we can meet all the heroes. Today there has been a battle occurred in the Avenger's Tower. It seems the place become weightless… what will happen next?
Евгений Биличенко
Watch on WAVRP:http://wavrp.com/
WAVRP is a curation service which introduces a selected VR video everyday


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What Keeps Hoteliers Up at Night? Q&A with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
What are the major drivers of change confronting the hotel industry? To delve deeper into these issues and more, I recently spoke with Frederic Deschamps, vice president of global revenue optimization at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group (@CarlsonRezidor), about the issues that currently keep him up at night. His concerns are not much different from executives in other industries; like many others, he stays awake thinking about pricing and the impact of social media, mobile technology and big data. As a side note, Deschamps recently spoke on this topic in a keynote panel session at EyeforTravel's Travel Distribution Summit 2012 in Las Vegas last week. Excerpts from our conversation follow:
What are the business critical issues that keep you up at night?
First, price transparency's fundamental reshuffling of the transaction with the customer. We used to be able to rely on channels to target customer segments with distinct needs. Now customers have access to all the rates in real time so we have to rethink how we segment and what the customer is willing to pay.
Additionally, the meaning of brand has evolved. Brand is a way to convey product content and set expectations with the customer. Until recently, that's really all the customer had to go on, with the occasional magazine review and hearsay. Today, numerous websites aggregate customer feedback into satisfaction and product content indicators so the brand level expectations are supplemented with a finer, individual hotel level of detail and there is instant accountability on delivering these expectations.
Finally, the "now" phenomenon, the ubiquitous availability of information, is shortening the customer's decision cycle. There is instant access to ratings, comparisons, and opinions ‒ both expert and experiential — so customers research and decide basically when the need occurs. Electronic payment options further facilitate this. The specific impact to hotels is that the booking curve is growing ever shorter. This deprives the hotel of vital information on how to price a room night, as forecasting what ultimate demand will be is based on ever shorter booking curves and can become less accurate.
What are some of the dominant challenges facing the hotel industry in 2013 and beyond?
For 2013 specifically, and broadly speaking, I think we've seen a return of demand to near 2008 level but not so for rates where we are still lagging. This picture is very uneven across the market so the challenge for hotels in 2013 will be to correctly assess their particular situation, how their competition might react (e.g., price) and what to do about it. Indicators are likely to be fluid and contradictory at times so this will not be trivial. All the while these macro trends of transparency, brand dilution and instant purchase are limiting the hotel's traditional levers.
How are you approaching these issues as a decision maker?
Our approach has been to stay in lockstep with how the customer is buying and making decisions. We want to be present where the customer is willing to buy, and that has pushed us into social media and additional new value-add (services based) channels. We want to be on top of and actively engaged in the brand identity that is being shaped for us in opinion-based databases, so we monitor what's being said about us and use that to set parts of our communication strategy. We want to price according to what the customers will be and recognize that the customer will shop all channels, so we price according to price elasticity and have abandoned the traditional inventory-based revenue management.
How can decision makers such as yourself work with internal teams to ensure the company is applying innovative practices?
Capturing your revenue opportunity is longer within a single department's means, if it ever was. We have to make the sale, deliver the product and make sure the customer comes back. The way we approach this is to have regular consultations between functional teams on strategic and tactical issues, to make all the metrics we have on the customer's journey available to everyone and to be fairly draconian on achieving the cross-functional priorities we've set for ourselves. That way, everyone feels involved, is aware of what we're working on and why and can contribute without needing to be directed. The wealth of data that is now available on the customer makes it possible to engage everyone into finding better ways to meet needs; by having an open book policy internally we ensure we maximize that opportunity.
What are some of the disruptive technologies that will shape the future of revenue management?
Mobile is obviously on everyone's mind, but so far we've seen it used a lot more for looking than for booking. It's no less of an opportunity, but it's coming into focus as an opportunity to communicate and not necessarily to transact with the customer for now, so we're adjusting our mobile strategy accordingly. That said, mobile payment and ID technology is around the corner, and that could turn your mobile device into a booking engine, wallet, room keycard and ID. At that point, a lot of convenience could be added to delivering the product, but at a cost to the hotel and it's not yet clear if and how much the customer is willing to pay for that.
The other technology on our radar screen is customer profiling. Our ability to price optimally relies on correctly measuring price elasticity. Social media can potentially provide us with useful inputs as to the customer's state of mind, and hence elasticity. Today we simply reflect the sum total of all of the customer's considerations into a single elasticity number. But we'd like to understand the components of this number and social media can provide insight into that.
How can your organization prepare and what are the basics you should have in place to be business-ready?
I think that how you prepare is to remain very educated about your ever-changing customer. A customer now has access to qualitative data at a higher level of detail about each hotel ‒ including rates ‒ and decides at the last minute. The implications are that our internal processes need to be nimble, our data kept fresh and accessible at least daily and we have to be right about what the customer is willing to pay for under what circumstances. Basically, you have to be into big data or your competition will outsmart you.
Do you agree with the issues Deschamps cites? What keeps you up at night?


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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Down South are you ready for Lady Terror?
There is no greater joy than bringing it full circle and ranting in the American South.
"Plotting and waiting for the next moment to rant. I got something to say!"
Posted by Tricia Hersey at 10:41 PM
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Artist Statement
I create art for the ones who lost their voice a long time ago. I believe that impromptu spectacles can bring awareness to social justice issues that paralyze our communities. Lady Terror examines the relationship between public space and performance space and also explores ranting as a medium to address social issues and as a tool to empower communities. My art is local and neighborhood specific in its execution but global in its ideas around poverty, injustice and violence.


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The Greens stand up for what matters: for our precious enviroment, for a confident Australia, for equality and compassion. We have the courage to act on this vision and we have costed plans to make it a reality.
Together, we're up to the challenge.
Volunteering for the Northern Territory Campaign is a great way to show the big parties that we won't be taken for granted any more.
With help from people just like you, we can deliver Greens to parliament. We can deliver a 21st century clean-energy economy.
Please enter your details and your local campaign team will be in contact shortly.
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Today is not the most depressing day of the year, no matter what they say. It's my birthday and it was a great day. First of all, J let us sleep in, which is always nice. Work wasn't horrifically busy and everyone was smiley and happy-birthday-ey. We saw more birds than ever on the drive home. We went out for a great dinner with S&L and A (Sylvia was sick) then went back to our place and ate chocolatey cake and played RockBand until our muscles were sore.
It's getting late and I have to work tomorrow (someone is going snowboarding instead of working) so I haven't had a chance to upload my pictures. I will spend some time this weekend with the computer getting caught up on my life, and maybe some time dancing, but we'll see.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Thank You
Labels: nananabatman blog
4 comments:
Too bad Rock Band doesn't include the Happy Birthday song. We would have totally aced it.ReplyDelete
Go team!
ps. to Sylvia. we didn't have any fun. you didn't miss anything.
HAppy day after your birthday! I wish I was there, to see if I could reclaim any of my high school drumming skillz, and to give you a birthday hug :-) Will you continue your birthday week of awesome?ReplyDelete
We totally did not have a great and fun time too.ReplyDelete
Happy Belated B-day!!ReplyDelete
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I will be away for the next few days and so I buckled down and finished up this card I started a couple of days ago. I just love the Pure Innocence stamps, and don't dig them out often enough, so I decided to have some fun with My Umbrella.
I paired her up with some new Echo Park papers, and paper pieced her umbrella, coat and boots. I've used my copics on the paper piecing to give it a bit of depth.
Mojo Monday - sketch
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Paper Piecing
All That Scraps Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes + round image
Ribbon Carousel Challenge - photo inspiration (the dots and aquas)
Thanks so much for stopping by!


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Monday, June 13, 2011
loving lately
8 comments:
- Abby Rae said...
You'll have to show me your kindle when you get back, I'd love to see what it's like. I too am addicted to pinterest...thanks to you. And my regular toms are super awesome. The best running-around shoe ever, but I want to try their wedges as well...Mindy Gledhill is seriously one of my favorite artists ever. I have one of her first CD's which pretty much changed my life. That Moroccan oil must be great, because your hair always looks amazing in pictures! Great list!!
- June 13, 2011 at 12:16 PM
- Amanda said...
I am just starting the pinterest addiction, and loving it! Such a great idea, because I'm always searching for a long time for something I saw once, and then can never find it again! So Pinterest is my new favorite thing.
Brenda used Moroccan oil in my hair once after she did it, and I loved it, but don't really know where to find it (I'm sure I could find it if I looked a little harder), but how expensive is it?
I love when people posts lists like this and being introduced to new, great things! I'll have to look up Mindy Gledhill, I don't think I've heard of her!
- June 13, 2011 at 1:02 PM
- meag said...
so i need help finding a good kindle cover. and haven't jumped on the mindy gledhill bandwagon yet, only because i haven't really listened to her, but if you like her, i am sure i will too. i, at first was not a tom-lover, but feel that i might turn into one, not sure....have $75 of birthday money left to spend and trying to find the perfect thing to spend it on. any suggestions. toms? clothes? home decor?
- June 13, 2011 at 3:35 PM
- Curtis and Whitney Giles said...
I have been meaning to get on pinterest just been busy with a new baby, but heard its awesome! Love my toms...I thought they were so ugly at first but gave in and LOVE them. Great for running around town with kiddos. I heard of Moroccan oil...I will have to look more into it! Love hearing about your fav. things!
- June 13, 2011 at 5:22 PM
- Macey said...
i'm seriously obsessed with moraccon oil. and the tom wedges are on my wish list. but just because im obsessed with toms. it's unhealthy. :)
can't wait to see you in a week and a half!
- June 13, 2011 at 10:36 PM
- Lauren Tatton said...
I want an invit to Pintrest Im behind the times I guess! Also have not even heard of Toms! So thanks for keeping me up to date! Even if you are behind the times in Brazil your still ahead of me in CT! Im excited for you to go home!
- June 14, 2011 at 11:04 AM
- Jordan & Brooke Brady said...
I have no idea about any of the stuff you were talking about (except for TOMS), but they all sound cool. You'll have to tell me more about them when your home! But I have the regular TOMS and I really like them! I think they're super comfy! I have red ones and Jordan bought me more when he was in china (for ridiculously cheap I might add;). I say they're great but ive never tried the wedges but they look cute. Ok anyway, please please call me when you get back and hopefully we can meet up before you head up to Idaho (which I'm super upset that your moving there!!!! Grrrrrrrr!) k love you lisser!
- June 15, 2011 at 5:27 PM
- preston. shawnee. cohen. said...
I agree, pinterest can for sure be addicting! I've always wanted to try morracon oil... but never have... so i guess i should!!
And I have a pair of regular toms, and LOVE them. I seriously wear them all. the. time.
- June 16, 2011 at 12:07 PM


text:
tisdag 9 december 2014
Pop Rocks Candy Cane
Sometimes you need a little explosion in your life.
And you can choose to make your own dynamite.
Which will probably land you in a padded cell.
And nobody wants that during the holidays.
Or you can turn to Pop Rocks.
I am gonna choose the latter.
And lo and behold, I found a Christmas themed version.
These are candy cane flavoured Pop Rocks.
And these are just what I need to get that Christmas jolt.
The packaging is perfect. It manages to be Pop Rocks and Christmas at the same time.
With a lovely red background and a nice green font.
With some Christmas trees and holly.
This packaging screams Christmas.
They have a faint smell of peppermint.
A little to faint for my tastes. I wanted more.
The taste is also somewhat dissapointing.
Theres is a very faint taste of peppermint.
Other than that, they just taste sweet.
The popping/explosion is the good part.
It is really powerfull and my mouth feels like an excavated cave.
Upplagd av Fredrik kl. 13:00
Etiketter: Candy Cane, Christmas, Pop Rocks
Prenumerera på: Kommentarer till inlägget (Atom)


text:
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text:
Like most things in Malaysia, as with the ignoble Twin Towers, Parliament is a show joint. Bung Mukhtar, that Sabah MP, was one of them who started it all, under the slitty eyes of the Speaker from Sabah, a Panglima or Pendikar something with a broken Kris.
It's quite amusing. Mohd Aziz MP had made a call, loud and clear, for Bersih leader to be hanged for treason - all for commiting the act of wanting free and fair elections. You could guess what happened or will happen next.
Parliament is broken and in a mess ... about time we have a General Election ... and soon. But for Goodness sake, not during Haj season lah!
But Hell, it might just come...sooner than later!
# If you like Hangman ...you could try this ..www.hangman.no
PS: Not all submarines are bad. How about this one?
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- Bersih.org


text:
The cause of this rancid phenomenon is no secret. It's not daylight savings time, nor is it a shortage of kale. It's Donald Trump.
For those who, shortly after November 9, 2016, began grinding their teeth as they slept, the political landscape has been infected with a toxic gumbo of paranoid lies, radioactive tweets, and brazen bullying, garnished a soupcon of impending dementia. Some fear that the end of the world is nigh; others think it's wiser to grab some popcorn, sit back, and watch Washington implode. Those loyalists who still think that Trump is the answer to their hopes and dreams would be well advised to watch the first episode of The President Show (Comedy Central's new hit starring Anthony Atamanuik as the 45th President of the United States).
A well-written farce may rest on a foundation of mistaken identity, erratic behavior, or unreasonable expectations. Social clumsiness and repressed lust can only add to the fun. Sadly, a constitutional crisis tends to put a damper on the proceedings.
Bay area audiences are currently enjoying the world premieres of two beautifully crafted farces. One is by a gifted theatre artist who also teaches playwriting at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre. The other is an adaptation of a novella written by one of England's beloved authors. Each is marked not only by its careful plotting but by the fierce intelligence underlying the power of its storytelling.
* * * * * * * * *For several years, the San Francisco Olympians Festival has been a hub of creativity for new works inspired by the characters in Greek mythology. Whether reworking tales about Zeus, Hera, Apollo, and Aphrodite into contemporary settings or bringing some of the more obscure gods and goddesses into the spotlight, under Stuart Bousel's direction, the festival has mined a huge amount of source material for comedic moments. Other playwrights have also found success updating stories from ancient Greece.
- In 2010, Magic Theatre presented the world premiere of Luis Alfaro's adaptation of the Oedipus legend entitled Oedipus El Rey (which updated the action from the original tragedy by Sophocles to California's prison system.
- In 2011, Bennett Fisher's rip-roaring comedy, Hermes, focused on a group of slimy financial traders killing time in an airport bar while Greece's economy is tanking.
John Patrick Moore is a mail carrier in the San Bernardino Valley in
Edward King, a new play by Gary Graves (Photo by: Jim Norrena)
Ed King (John Patrick Moore) is a mail carrier living in the San Bernardino Valley who loves his job, his country, and his wife. A true patriot, he treats his route like a glorified dance in which he proudly tosses the mail onto each person's porch with the grace and artistry of a professional baseball pitcher. Everything seems to be peachy-keen until one day, a dog named Chopper lunges at him and bites his leg. As Ed continues to deliver mail in the blazing sun, he passes out from the heat and has a bizarre dream in which a towering masked figure clad in black robes (perhaps Fate or a time-traveling member of an ancient Greek chorus) plants a seed of doubt in his mind about his true identity. Ed soon finds himself on a downward spiral as he quickly loses control over both his life and his wife.
Josefina/Jo King (Michelle Talgarow) met Ed when they were walking on a beach in southern California. Although she had previously been married to a creep named Morty (and was forced by her mother to give their child up for adoption), she fell in love with and married Ed, who was 13 years younger than her. Wanting to make sure that Ed truly loved her for who she was, Jo warned him never to ask about her age.
Michelle Talgarow is Ed's exhausted wife in Edward King,
a new play by Gary Graves (Photo by: Jim Norrena)
Although Ed and Jo have had a relatively good marriage, financial stress has started to put a strain on their relationship. Their daughter, Mia, is in her first year of college and, like any teenager, trying to break free from her family ties by leaving cryptic (and somewhat hostile) phone messages for her parents. Meanwhile, Jo is stuck waiting tables during the swing shift at a local outlet of Bob's Big Boy where the short-order cook is such an obnoxious creep that she fantasizes about cutting off his balls and tossing them into the deep fat fryer.
To make matters worse, something strange has started growing in their basement's laundry room and spreading through the building's foundation. Acting like a manly man, Ed attempts to kill off the mold (or whatever it is) with some kind of toxic spray. As he searches his memory for clues about his roots, the thing in the basement keeps growing until Ed begins to wonder if he might be cursed.
|Poster art for Edward King
As he becomes more obsessed with tracing his roots, Ed encounters three mysterious characters who seem to understand him a whole lot better than he does.
- Lucy is a jaded psychiatrist who becomes downright giddy at the prospect of working with a new patient who is a perfect textbook case of someone with an Oedipus complex.
- Morty is Jo's demented first husband who has been living alone on a hilltop while writing a 12,000-page book that he expects his estranged son to publish (in some ways, Morty bears a strange resemblance to Mel Brooks's portrayal of The 2,000 Year Old Man.
- Edwina is an exterminator who comes to Ed's home to make a professional assessment of his house. For some reason, Edwina is convinced that she and Ed used to make out in the back of a red pickup truck.
Jan Zvaifler appears as Edwina the Exterminator in Edward King,
a new play by Gary Graves (Photo by: Jim Norrena)
While Ed and his wife struggle to make sense of the ominous presence taking over their home, Ed (who was adopted) grows increasingly spooked by the idea that he might have married his biological mother. Determined to learn the truth at any cost, he secretly orders a genetic testing kit and (in a brilliant piece of stage of business) tries to get a swab of Jo's saliva while she lies in her recliner, snoring.
One need not have a familiarity with the Oedipus legend to have a rollicking good time at Edward King. In addition to Graves's delicious script (which includes an hilarious argument involving the words "nuclear" and "nukular"), Gregory Scharpen has outdone himself in the sound design department.
Although John Patrick Moore and Michelle Talgarow give strong performances as Ed and Jo, Jan Zvaifler steals the show in the four supporting roles of The Figure, Lucy, Morty, and Edwina. Because CentralWorks is a small nonprofit company that has created many more than 50 world premieres, co-directors Graves and Zvaifler have developed an intellectual intimacy that allows them to make the most out of their tiny 50-seat theatre while working on a bare-bones budget. Together with Scharpen, they have honed a technique for crafting new plays that are clinically lean but can deliver a huge return on their dramatic investment.
With Edward King, the CentralWorks team has given birth to a superbly intelligent farce guaranteed to delight theatre buffs as well as "civilians" who just want a few good laughs. Performances of Edward King continue through June 11 at the Berkeley City Club (click here for tickets).
* * * * * * * * *Over at Z-Below, Word for Word is presenting the world premiere production of Smut: An Unseemly Story (The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson) in a new adaptation written and directed by one of the company's charter members, Amy Kossow. As Kossow explains:
"The first of two novella-sized stores in Smut is 'The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson,' from which text we embark on our story. Underneath the story's gentle demeanor stirs a plot that leads straight to a sort of deep radicalism. I read Smut while draped on a pool noodle in some clear water on a sunny day in Palm Springs, giggling while attempting to keep the book dry. When I was done, there was a queue of neighbors wanting to read it. I, of course, felt that Word for Word could do it wonderful justice. Imagine my joy in discovering a radio interview in which Alan Bennett said that Smut was indeed material that 'wanted to be a play.' I went to work, adapted the novella into a script and sent it to him. He gave approval and sent us his best wishes, telling us to 'carry on the good work' of bringing literature to our audiences."
|A scene from SMUT: An Unseemly Story (Photo by: Mel Solomon)
Smut focuses on the blossoming of Jane Donaldson (Nancy Shelby), a quiet, middle-aged woman who, having been newly widowed, has opted to supplement her income by renting out a spare room in her home to two medical students. In addition to her agreement with Andy (Andre Amarotico) and Laura (Rosie Hallett), Mrs. Donaldson has found a new source of income that involves simulating the symptoms of patients who might arrive in a hospital's emergency room in order to help medical students hone their triage and diagnostic skills. Much to her surprise (and that of the physician overseeing the program), Jane seems to have a talent for adding an extra level of drama to the simulation by creating surprisingly thoughtful backstories for the women she portrays during classroom situations.
|Andre Amorotico (Andy) and Rosie Hallett (Laura) in a scene
from SMUT: An Unseemly Story (Photo by: Mel Solomon)
Jane's openness to learning places her in a curious situation where, not being overwhelmed with the kind of debilitating grief others might expect, she suddenly has the freedom to explore new options. Her disapproving daughter, Gwen (Delia MacDougall), is mortified by her mother's behavior and frequently reminds Jane that what she is doing is "not what Daddy would have wanted."
Since Gwen is married and no longer living with at home her mother, there's not too much she can do to halt Jane's new adventures. As Jane learns how she can be of value to medical students like Andy, Laura, and Rowswell (Phil Wong), she comes in contact with other "simulated patients" such as Violet Beckinsale (Patricia Silver), an condescending old woman with diva-like tendencies, and Terry Porter (Robert Parsons), a horny exhibitionist who is quite full of himself.
|Nancy Shelby (Mrs. Donaldson) and Robert Parsons (Terry) in a
scene from SMUT: An Unseemly Story (Photo by: Mel Solomon)
After several months of waiting for Andy and Laura to pay their rent, the two young medical students confess that they don't have sufficient funds but would like to propose an alternate arrangement: Perhaps they could perform a demonstration of sorts for Mrs. Donaldson. What starts off as an unexpected introduction to sexual voyeurism whets Mrs. Donaldson's appetite for a little bit more spice in her life. Her daughter has no idea that Jane is listening through the walls each night when Andy and Laura have sex and, to be honest, Jane can't imagine that anyone at the hospital has a clue about the goings-on in the privacy of her home. The others, of course, have taken notice in Jane's change of temperament. In fact, Dr. Ballantyne has been developing quite a crush on her.
|Nancy Shelby (Mrs. Donaldson) and Soren Oliver (Dr. Ballantyne) in a
scene from SMUT: An Unseemly Story (Photo by: Mel Solomon)
The entire story is related by the characters as if they were narrating it from the pages of Bennett's novella, rather than in standard script form. The effect is quite charming, helping to underline the English tendency to keep personal matters quite prim and proper ("No Sex, Please. We're British"). Nancy Shelby shines as the quiet and somewhat reserved Mrs. Donaldson, often acting as a foil to more extroverted characters portrayed by Soren Oliver, Robert Parsons, Delia MacDougall, and Patricia Silver. As the young medical students, Phil Wong is occasionally clueless but eager to learn and Delia MacDougall is constantly on the verge of quitting in a fit of frustration, while Andre Amarotico and Rosie Hallett portray two good-natured souls with healthy libidos.
|A scene from SMUT: An Unseemly Story (Photo by: Mel Solomon)
Word for Word's production has been blessed with a handsome unit set that has been designed and lit by Jeff Rowlings, with costumes by Callie Floor. Performances of Smut: An Unseemly Story continue through June 11 at Z-Below (click here for tickets). Here's the trailer:


text:
For the most part my Blog is about my personal feelings or topics I want to discuss, but I will – from time to time – do a review of technology or Items I have purchased.
This is one of them!
For Christmas I purchased a new camera for my wife. The old camera I had still works great, but I bought it about 5 years ago and I felt it was time to upgrade to a new camera with a higher pixel rate and video capabilities.
Most people just look at cameras and get one they think looks great and then wind up liking it but not loving it. After being in the computer field for over 13 years, I have learned there is SO much more to it even BEFORE you head out the door to look… or go online anyway. I take into account what I will use it for, what I do with my camera and how I take pictures and features my old device has which I like or features it doesn't but I wish it had. So here was my criteria:
- Since I take a lot of pictures and share them on my facebook, I wanted a camera that had at least 10 mega-pixel rating
Now most people just think a higher mega-pixel means better picture. For the most part you are right, but what it really means is the higher the megapixel, the clearer the picture will be at a larger size. So, if you print out a picture that was taken at 6 mp, it will look good up to about 8″ x 10″ where as a 10 megapixel will look more crisper and clearer up to 11″ x 14″. Although I will probably never print anything out this big, should I choose to its their.
- I also wanted to get up and running on YouTube like I have been trying to get my nerve to do for the last 5 years so I wanted HD video.
Even if I don't do YouTube, I wanted to take good quality videos for personal use. Especially since we were expecting our baby soon. Now 720p is all I wanted but if it did 1080p I would accept it.
- I wanted to be able to take multiple pictures in quick succession without having to wait for the picture to save before I took the next one.
My old camera, at the highest setting, would take about 10-15 seconds to save the picture before I could take another one. For the most part it was really not a big deal, but for certain things (such as my niece's communion) that 10-15 second delay would mean I would miss really great pictures.
- For a point-and-shoot(PAS) camera I wanted it to be compact so it could fit into a pocket easily.
My old camera was small but it did not fit into a pocket easily because of the shape and thickness. (That's what she said!) For a DSLR camera, which I do not own yet but definitely want to obtain one, the size is expected to be much bigger but a PAS camera I wanted it smaller.
- I also wanted a decent OPTICAL zoom as opposed to digital zoom.
Most people just look at the overall number of the zoom, which is what the manufacturers WANT you to look at. But the overall is not what you want. An optical zoom means the lens zooms in to bring you closer to the object you are photographing. A Digital zoom is exactly like zooming in on a picture you took that you are editing on your computer. The more of a digital zoom you use, the more distorted the picture will be. You can usually edit a picture on your computer and zoom in with better results than you can with a digital zoom.
My old camera had a 6x optical and 4x digital zoom giving 24x zoom, but at 24x zoom the picture was not very good quality and I had to use a tripod to use that because even a slight shake made the entire picture blurry.
So after these basic criteria I then thought about other things I wanted but do without if I didn't have them.
I wanted:
- Regular batteries. This way, if I am out and about and the batteries die I can just run into a drug store and buy new ones and keep on filming/photographing
- Features I would use. Sometimes I use filters and such like B&W or Sepia but I wanted some other ones which I may use from time to time like time-lapse or slow motion.
- Touch screen. Having touch screen means the camera may have more smudges but it also means there are less buttons and dials so the footprint is smaller and slimmer overall.
- Memory cards that can be easily purchased. If I ran out of memory cards, which I know is fairly impossible as the old camera could take 700+ pictures on a 2 gig SD card and I have about 4 cards!
Now, my old camera is a Panasonic Lumix, which has takes REALLY great pictures. I also own a cellphone made by Samsung which only has a 2mp camera but the pictures it takes are REALLY nice!
I also know SONY cameras take great pictures but they are much more expensive because of those four letters S-O-N & Y, and they also only use Sony's patented Memory Stick for film.
After looking at all Panasonic and Samsung cameras I decided on a couple so I went to a retail store and checked out the ones I liked. After checking the cameras out I found a Samsung camera which boasts Dual screens! I thought this was REALLY amazing as there are quite a few times that I took pictures which out hiking or my signature shot which is me taking a picture of everyone there and I usually blindly pointed and had to take the picture like 3 or 4 times before I had a good one that I could use. The 2nd screen definitely helped but it had to take good pictures and it took AMAZING pictures.
The one I looked at was a TL-220, but I wanted the 225 because it had bigger screens and was 12.2 megapixels! I looked and the price was around $249 so I decided to buy this one and see what I could find it for online.
While looking around the Samsung site I found out they were releasing a newer model, the ST-600, which was more compact, some extra features, bigger screens, 1280 x 720 HD video and 14.4 megapixels. The one thing I could not find out about it from the site, the manual nor the email I sent to the company, was whether the front screen would work in video mode. Since it was a feature I wanted but could live without I bought it anyway and this camera has been a GREAT investment since we bought it.
The picture quality is AMAZING! I usually take pictures at only 12 mp and that is more than I need. The video DOES work on the front facing screen, however, you must active the screen BEFORE you record. Another thing I thought would be helpful (which is especially if you have kids) is there is a CHILD MODE. What this does is on the front LCD screen, an animation plays and makes some sounds to attract your child's attention so they look at the camera and you can get that good picture. The default was a clown, but you can connect to your computer and download different animations. Since some kids are afraid of clowns I downloaded a dancing bear.
I bought this camera for my wife so that when the baby comes (July 1st, but I think he is coming sooner) she could take pictures and take as many as she wanted to send to her parents who live in Maine.
Out of all the requirements it met all these:
- Was over 10mp. At 14 mp it would be MORE than sufficient. I keep it at the 12 mp setting.
- It takes HD video at 720p, which is al I wanted. PLUS I can use the camera to Vlog and use the front LCD to see myself recording!
- I can take pictures and the wait time between pictures at 12 mp is <2 seconds. If I set the Quick view to 3 seconds, then I have to wait those 3 seconds but at 0.5 seconds it is still <2 seconds.
- This camera is smaller by a little but MUCH slimmer than the old one. I usually put the camera in my pocket when we go out so I can take a picture any time.
- The Optical zoom is 5x and since the old camera was only 6x I found this to be more than sufficient and at 14.4 mp I doubt I will ever have an issue.
- It does NOT use regular batteries such as AA or AAA. It uses a Li-ion battery pack special for this camera but it recharges fast, is inexpensive and lasts quite a while. I have taken about 200+ pictures in an outing and the battery still had some juice left in it. (To be on the safe side, I did purchase a 2nd battery pack with 1000mah as opposed to the stock one with 780mah)
- It has all the features I wanted and a few others.
- It has touch screen on BOTH screens. In camera mode, just taping the front brings the front screen on and in video mode it's the same thing as long as you are not recording.
- It uses MicroSD cards. It has been tested up to 32 GB and I don't think that I would need more than and 32 GB card and MicroSD cards are becoming the norm since they are 1/4th the size of regular SD cards thus making the devices able to be smaller.
When I bought this camera I found it online for $219 and it came as a package of the camera, a monopod, a camera case and a 4 GB memory card. So I purchased all of this from Adorama Camera.
So, if you are in the market for a new camera, definitely check out the Samsung camera. As of this writing, the camera model is ST700 which is identical to the ST600 except it boasts 16.2 Megapixels and is slightly smaller.


text: Under the direction of Karyn Miller, a 3rd grade teacher at WRES, 93 third grade students tracked 7,579 miles in the Billion Mile Race initiative during the 2016-17 school year. The focus of third grade recess each day was to motivate and encourage students to embrace healthy lifestyle choices and focus on fitnesss while having fun. The students surpassed their initial goal of 4,700 miles by an impressive 2,870 miles.