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Museums of Eastern Funen, the Municipality of Nyborg and other interested groups wish to develop Nyborg Castle and town into a worthy candidate for UNESCO's World Heritage List.
You can, as a volunteer, help in many ways.
Frederik I was invited to Denmark by the royal council and was offered Nyborg as his capital. However, it was Christian III that carried out these plans,
This is a network for all food producers and restaurants in the former Nyborg Fief.
Visit Nyborg: Nyborg Castle and the historic centre of Nyborg city is one of the most important cultural heritage monuments from the Middle Ages in Denmark.
Nyborg Castle has changed its appearance several times since it was built in 1200 AD. New archaeological finds show that it was painted red at one time.
A significant part of the big castle project in Nyborg is a thorough restoration of the Royal Palace and of the remains of the central watch tower. A pilot project has just begun.
A 22 m. (72') high watch tower will again rise above Nyborg Castle. From the watch tower, visitors will be able to see the Great Belt, and the brick walls will glow after dark!On Tuesday, November 7, 2017, the approved project description for restoring andexpanding Nyborg Castle was presented in the Great Hall of the castle.
At the end of the 2017 season, Nyborg Castle will close for extensive renovations and expansion. In 2020, the castle will open again as a recreated 4-sided castle, with new exhibition possibilities.
Preparations for this year's Danehof in Nyborg have been in full swing for quite a while. (The Danehof Parliament met here in the Middle Ages; now the marking of annual meeting is reason enough for festivities in the whole town.)
The excavation of the castle grounds has now moved inside the castle, and archaeologists have found traces of something that looks like a medieval sanitary installation or appliance.
Two months ago, Mette Bock was appointed as the new Minister for Culture, thereby becoming the head of the ministry that has the overall responsibility for the castle project in Nyborg.
In the newly excavated foundation under Nyborg Castle's original corner tower to the southeast, archaeologists have found a rare signet ring.
An excavation of the palace ground shows that a fire at the castle in the 1300's did more damage than earlier thought.
Role-playing, historic bicycle tours, music, exhibitions, lectures. The Museums of Eastern Funen will cast light on the Reformation in Nyborg.
When Erik Klipping and other medieval kings held Danehof parliament sessions at Nyborg Castle, the castle and its other buildings were larger than previously thought.
Nyborg's business community sees possibilities in seeing Nyborg's heritage as a parameter of growth.
Lots of things are going on at Nyborg Castle - you can stop by on Wednesdays to hear about them.
Her Royal Highness Queen Margrethe II is now the patroness of "Nyborg Castle - the Medieval Christiansborg".
The Department of Business and Development has allotted 575,000 Danish kroner to establish a playground in the form of a big ship. It will be a ship that has its roots in Nyborg's exciting history.
The Museums of Eastern Funen have received a donation of 150,000 Danish kroner from Funen Energy's General Fund to prepare and publish a book describing the history of the Great Belt ferry, M/F Broen. The book will describe the ferry's connection to the town of Nyborg and more generally ferry traffic's great significance for Funen as a region and for Denmark as a nation.
The foundation of a toll house from the 1500's is found at the Country Gate.
The Museums of Eastern Funen will move the two big cannons from the palace square at Nyborg Castle to the Star Redoubt near the beach, so it will once again be clear to passersby, what a high priority was once given to the surveillance of the Great Belt.
It will be Cubo Architects who will design the new Nyborg Castle. The task of restoring, expanding and reinterpreting Nyborg Castle for more than a quarter of a billion kroner is the largest project of its kind in recent years.
The 1100 year old "Christ from Aunslev" will be exhibited at Vikingemuseet Ladby through easter 2016.
The Old Royal Town buzzed with life and Christmas spirit during the weekend of the Christmas Market
The remains of a road and the foundation of a toll house from the 1500's was found during an excavation at the Country Gate in Nyborg. The gate is the only one still standing from the original town walls.
Bertel Haarder, Minister of Culture, will participate in the opening ceremony of the Danehof in Nyborg in 2016. The occasion to be celebrated is an anniversary: it was 100 years ago that the ambition to turn Nyborg Castle into a national heritage site was launched.
On Thursday, June 2, the voluminous competition program for the big project competition "Nyborg Castle, Living Heritage" was released and sent to the six pre-qualified teams of architects that have been chosen to take part in the competition.
The ferry M/F Broen (which means "the bridge"), once sailed across the Great Belt between Nyborg and Korsør. It will be docked in Nyborg for the next two years, while the Museums of Eastern Funen explore the possibilities for allowing the ferry to be permanently placed in Nyborg harbour. It can be part of the story of "Nyborg - in the heart of the kingdom". In addition to Nyborg Castle and the many other heritage sites in Nyborg, the M/F Broen can become an important piece of the puzzle to demonstrate Nyborg's importance as a crossroads.
The Church of Our Lady in Nyborg was founded in 1389 to commemorate the victory the made it possible to integrate the Swedish realm into the Union of Kalmar consisting of the three Nordic countries Denmark, Norway and Sweden that was founded in 1396 and lasted until 1525 as the geographically speaking largest realm in Europe.
The Nyborg Town Council, at its March 24 meeting, voted in favour of earmarking a construction grant of 35,300,000 kroner to the international project competition involving new buildings on Slotsholmen (the castle grounds), the restoration of Nyborg Castle and the town square. Its purpose is to create a new, cohesive heritage area, with strengthened connections between the castle and the town, along with new possibilities for informative exhibitions.
The level of activity and the number of visitors have increased by leaps and bounds at the Mayor's Yard. In 2016, the many guests will be able to experience the historic rooms under a brand new roof. The municipality of Nyborg brought this piece of good news to the museum at the beginning of 2015.
The unique historic preservation zone around Nyborg Castle and the Town Hall Square will be restored and revitalized. Most of the funds needed for the project are now in place.The project's vision is to recreate the historic whole and, at the same time, bring new life to the area. The project's creators are: the Agency for Palaces and Cultural Properties, the Municipality of Nyborg, the Realdania Foundation, the A.P. Møller Fund and the Museums of Eastern Funen.
Before Nyborg, there was Gammelborg. But where was Gammelborg? New finds and analyses place Gammelborg near the village of Vindinge not far from Nyborg, and date it from the early Germanic Iron Age (about 500 AD) with continued use throughout the Viking period. Even though Nyborg Castle is over 800 years old, it was once new. As we know, this "new castle" gave its name to the whole town, namely Nyborg. The location of the "old castle" was uncertain until recently, and was surrounded with a certain mystery.
NORD is one of Nyborgs largest industrial enterprises working to
ensure a cleaner environment in the whole world. NORD is
specializing in the disposal and detoxification og chemicals and
other hazardous substances in a sustainable and environmentally
friendly way.
July 5.- 6. Nyborg once again relived the splendour of Danehof,
the Danish medieval parliament, and the medieval court when Queen
Margrethe 1. visited her castle bringing along her 7-year old son
Oluf - just like in 1377. Knights, soldiers, craftsmen and
merchants gathered around the old castle, and the tournament square
in front of the city hall once again witnessed the knights in
a melée and a joust with solid lances.
September 13. - 14. Nyborg houses several events. Knights of the
Northern Kingdom: Around the castle warrior-reenactors set up their
camps. When nobles and kings met in the past they had a following
of men and warriors with them. They trained and entertained with
their weapon's art and war games which helped prepare them for the
ferocious medieval battles.
Nyborg Voldspil - the oldest outdoor theatre in Denmark -
celebrated its 75-year anniversary this summer playing the
classic "My fair Lady" (
for almost 20.000 audiences.
Slipshavn Harbour is an important part of the story of Nyborg,
from its start as a medieval port until its role as a vital gunboat
harbour during the English Wars in the 1800's, then a military base
for seaplanes and submarines and now the base for the Marine Home
When Danehof Days 2014 begin on July 5 and 6 in Nyborg, there
will be a great procession through the town. Escorted by knights,
soldiers, musicians and other good citizens, Queen Margrethe I and
her son, 7 year old Oluf, will majestically enter her town, just as
she did in 1377. Back then, a large number of bishops, knights,
squires and their followers accompanied her to the Danehof
gathering at Nyborg Castle, where the assumption of power after the
election of Oluf as king the previous year was to be affirmed by
the Danehof Parliament. This was the first step towards creating
the Kalmar Union, which from 1396-97 combined the three Nordic
countries under one regent.
On October 2, the author's newest novel will
be published, Helgi
Daner, which tells the story of the childhood and youth of
Holger Danske. Since this publication will mark Ottesen's 30th
anniversary as an author, she has decided to take advantage of the
occasion to explore new ways of spreading her message. She will
focus not only on the book itself, but especially on its readers,
who will be able to get involved with the book's plot in the form
of fan-fiction, roleplaying, family reading and music. During the
fall break, (October 11-19), the book will be presented at several
libraries on Fyn (Funen).
Spring is upon us, and this means there will once again be a dig
on the castle grounds. The excavation, which began on April 30 and
is expected to be completed by the end of May, is part of the
archaeological investigation that has been going on at Nyborg
Castle for the last five years. This year's excavation will
hopefully give some answers to interesting questions that arose
during earlier digs. Among other things, archaeologists are
searching for the eastern end of a stone building from the 1200's
that was found in 2012.
Since 2009, archaeologists have been
excavating the castle yard in Nyborg. The results of these
archaeological investigations will be used as knowledge and
background for the architectural competition which will be launched
this fall. It is a very important step on the way to renovating and
expanding Nyborg Castle as a major research and teaching centre.
This is an even more important step on the way to admission to the
UNESCO World Heritage List.
On Friday March 28, the Municipality of Nyborg
acknowledged the major contribution made on several levels by the
volunteers in Nyborg Castle's Costume Guild, when they awarded the
guild this year's Active Prize.
The Museums of Eastern Funen engage in excavations at Nyborg
Castle and at the town square of Nyborg. We invite everyone who's
interested to hear more about the background and the results of
these digs. Research excavations give us new knowledge in
connection with revealing the possibilities for carrying out the
major building and restoration project at Nyborg Castle.
A big new project will regenerate the concept
of Nyborg, both the castle and the town, as the medieval capital of
Denmark. The unique heritage of Nyborg will be brought back to
life, enchanting local residents and visitors alike. The A.P.
Møller and Mrs. Chastine McKinney Møller Foundation for General
Purposes supports the implementation of the project.
Denmark has in relation to its size, a very long coastline. It
has always been natural for Danes to travel by the sea. It is
estimated that King Hans was the founder of the Danish fleet
in the 1510th. The Danish navy has played an important role in
Denmark's history ever since.
You could actually meet the king in Nyborg this weekend.
Christian 2 was alive and walked around the city streets with his
beloved Dyveke at his side, while the entire city celebrated in his
honor. People from near and far came to see the tournaments, knight
jousting, the shows, jugglers, to buy or sell - or simply just to
soak up the atmosphere of the life that the king's court always
brought with them. And there were many visitors - approximately
Barely has the dust settled from the summer's Danehof tournament
before the king's warriors once again is in Nyborg for the Days of
Battle - 14 - 15th September 2013. Under the banner
Knights of the Northern Kingdom, re-enactors from all over
Denmark and elsewhere in Northern Europe gather at Nyborg Castle to
stage a medieval pitched battle. The idea is to create a workshop
for re-enactors for research and educatinal purposes. However, the
great medieval battle and encampment is a unique oppotunity for the
museum to bring an important aspect of the history of the city
back to life, and that is why we have invited the public in.
On Tuesday, April 16, the second dinner was held in connection
with the food network, the King's Pantry. The 120 tickets that were
sold for the event went in 10 minutes, which, to the delight of the
organizers and the network members, shows a continuing great
interest for the project. The good ingredients were, as at the last
dinner, prepared by chef Rasmus Kirk Henriksen from Restaurant
Teglværksskoven, and the beverages came from Ørbæk Brewery.
Dinner January 29, 2013
The first dinner from the King's Food Cupboard
at Nyborg Castle was a big success. The dinner was quickly sold
out, and the lucky people who had secured tickets had an
unforgettable evening. Below, you can read the menu inspired by the
Middle Ages, prepared by local ingredients - according to the
principles of the King's Food Cupboard - to tell about history
within the framework of the present time, with food from suppliers
in eastern Funen.


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Rectus Femoris Exercises With Resistance Bands
The rectus femoris muscle forms one of four heads of your quadriceps, or front thigh muscle. While one end of the muscle attaches to your knee, the other end attaches to your pelvis. This muscle controls both knee and hip flexion. Every time you straighten your knee or bring your knee up to your chest, the rectus femoris muscle is responsible for the movement. Because most free-weight exercises can be done with resistance bands, you can perform a variety of exercises, such as squats, lunges and leg extensions, to strengthen your front thigh muscles.
Compound Exercises
Squats and lunges are compound exercises that will blast your rectus femoris muscles and can be performed with resistance bands. For example, to do a squat, begin by stepping on to the middle of the resistance band with feet shoulder width apart. Hold one end of the band in each hand. Your forearms should point toward the ceiling with palms facing front. Keep your elbows bent and pointing to the sides. The band's ends should rest against the outside of your upper arms. Flex your knees and squat until your thighs reach a 70-degree angle of flexion. Brace your abs and keep your back flat. Hold the squat for a second before rising back up. Perform three sets of 20 reps each.
Isolation Exercises
Leg extensions are an isolation exercise in which you repetitively extend your knee to strengthen the rectus femoris muscle. To perform a one-leg press, sit on the ground with your legs in front of you and knees flexed. Holding the ends of the band, loop the band around your right foot with your right knee flexed at 90 degrees. While pulling on the band, straighten your right leg without locking the knee. Slowly return to starting position. Perform 20 reps for three sets, repeating the exercise with your left leg. You can also do this exercise seated on a chair. Tie the band around the leg of a sturdy chair. Put your foot inside the loop and extend your leg.
Pilates Exercise
You can do a Pilates exercise that involves a knee extension with a resistance band. Created by Joseph Pilates during World War I, Pilates is a full-body movement system that emphasizes the mind-body connection and the precise alignment of your body in exercises, according to Peter Fiasca's book "Discovering Pure Classical Pilates." Stand with a resistance band looped around your ankles. Put your hands on your hips and focus on drawing your navel in toward your spine. Shifting your body weight to your left leg, flex your right knee and touch the ball of your right foot to the ground. Exhale and straighten your right leg, leading the extension with your toes. Inhale and bend your knee, returning to your starting position. Repeat this sequence for 30 seconds.
Knee Lifts
When you do knee lifts, focus on conditioning the rectus femoris muscle while flexing your hips. Lie supine with knees bent. Flex your hips until your knees align directly over your pelvis at a 90-degree angle. Put the resistance band across your thighs and above your knees. Holding the ends of the band in each hand, pull your hands out to your sides to stretch the band and boost resistance. Gently lift your head off the floor. Draw your knees toward your chest, working against the band's resistance. Slowly lower your knees back to starting position.
- The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief; Clair Davies et al.
- The 7 Step Diabetes Fitness Plan: Living Well and Being Fit with Diabetes…; Sheri Colberg-Ochs
- FitnessUncovered: Rectus Femoris of the Quadriceps
- Pilates for Every Body: Strengthen, Lengthen, and Tone - With This Complete 3-Week Body Makeover; Denise Austin
- Action Plan for Menopause; Barbara Bushman and Janice Clark Young
- Energy Every Day; Ron Woods and Chris Jordan
- Runner's World: Band Aid
- Discovering the Pure Classical Pilates; Peter Fiasca
- Stronger Legs and Lower Body; Tim Bishop
- Resistance Band Workout: A Simple Way to Tone and Strengthen Your Muscles; James Milligan
Photo Credits
- Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images

subset: commoncrawl


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Tuesday, 29 November 2016
WSS Project for 2017 & Some Flags
6 comments:
I look forward to following the development of your project. I have an interest in WSS too but with so many projects already, I must be content to watch yours from a safe distance.ReplyDelete
I'm trying to finish off as many of my other things as I can at the moment so that I don't have to much getting in the way for this project.ReplyDelete
Hi, I too have recently started a WSS project, bought Front Rank troops and my lead mountain has enlarged considerably! I REALLYReplyDelete
really like your painting method, I'm going to give it a shot on my next French unit,hopefully I can come close to your standard.... After looking at those lovely flags you designed I'd really love a copy of them if that's not too cheeky �� Keep up the good work!Replies
Hi Mike, here's a dropbox link that I hope will allow you to access the flags. The folder says "Watermarked Jpegs" but only one sheet is watermarked (this was an experiment for the possibility of selling them but I decided to give them away).Delete
If this link doesn't work send me a direct email at iankhemm(at)gmail.com
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
Hi Ian,Thank you,very considerate!ReplyDelete


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Pam and I just spent two long, hard days of driving from Pray, Montana to our doorstep in South Texas. We were invited to participate in the Buffalo Bill Museum Art Auction, and spent the last 10 days in beautiful Cody, participating in the Auction & Sale, before traveling to spend a few days with good friends in Montana. On the trip home I was reminiscing about some of the adventures and experiences that have come our way during the 16 years of this art journey.
Sixteen-hour days of driving gives one lots of time to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly of one's career….hence the name of this blog. Let's begin with the "Good".
|Artist John Potter
After the Artist Preview event at the Buffalo Bill Show last Thursday evening, Pam and I were invited to attend dinner with a couple of artists and their wives, and the Director of the Art Show. At dinner, I met, for the first time, a fantastic Native American artist named John Potter. I felt an instant connection to John; we were both Illustrators at one point in our early careers. In fact, the other artist in attendance and my good friend, Mikel Donahue, also has an Illustration background.
Along with our wives and hosts, we had some great round table discussions about the Economy, Art, and our careers. But the most moving part of the night was John's prayer before we began dinner. I believe John is member of the Sioux tribe, and his words (though I could not understand them) were moving and heartfelt. This wickedly funny, and creatively sarcastic man momentarily transformed us as a group. Reverence is the best word to describe the spirit of the moment. Heated and passionate discussions about Politics, the Economy, and Art followed, but that Native American prayer set the mood for the evening. It transformed us and bound us together. It definitely represents the "Good" in my reflections.
|"Rosebud Repose" by John Potter
As I continued to drive and Pam dozed, I happened to pass a sign for Highway 40 to Vegas. I was instantly transported to my early Art Career days with a fellow artist named Red. Red was the first friend I met in my first year of participating at Cowboy Christmas during the National Finals Rodeo. We were the first group of artists to participate in the tent at Cashman Field the year the show outgrew the main facility. A 100-yard long tent was set up in the parking lot to accommodate the extra artists added to the show. And Red and I were the first wave of new exhibitors to show in the parking lot in the tent. (This is before the show grew so large that it is now housed in the Las Vegas Convention Center).
Anyhow, Red and I hit it off and we set out to conquer Vegas. Actually, he set out to do Vegas. I was mostly in charge of logistics. I was the guy behind Red, telling him such and such wasn't a good idea---rarely with any success. Our first year ended spectacularly. The last night of the show we decided we would skip the teardown crowd and the madness and chaos of 500 booths trying to load out all at once. We would be smart and get an early dinner and break our booths down the following morning, when it would be much easier. (I must interject that this wasn't solely our idea---our artistic mentor Buck Taylor advised us to take this route.)
|Cowboy Christmas at NFR in Vegas
So we hit Binion's, in downtown Vegas, for a rare Rib-eye and short night of Black Jack. I lost my self-designated $30 limit early, and headed for the hotel. I knew Red would gamble to the wee hours of the morning. I was up at 6 sharp, grabbed a quick breakfast and headed for the show tent to start my teardown. When I topped the hill, I was shocked to see that the entire 100-yard tent was gone! Totally and completely gone!
The only things in the entire parking lot were our two booths, with paintings still hanging. So there is my booth with 20 original watercolors (that I had spent months painting); they are hanging exposed to the elements, theft and wayward birds. I phone Red and verbally illustrate our predicament. The F---ing tent is gone!
Six minutes later, Red flies over the hilltop at breakneck speed in an old 1982 Isuzu Trooper. We quickly tear down our booths, dodging construction workers who are loading the stacked poles of the tent. This experience would start a long friendship that was based on clearing this hurdle with little more than a heavy layer of dew on our paintings. This was definitely an example of the "Bad" I've incurred.
I then asked Pam about the ugliest moments in our career. We agreed that all in all, we've been blessed with a fantastic adventure, but there has to be an "Ugly" to finish out this blog, right? Try this one on for size.
We had just finished the Phippen Museum Western Art Show & Sale in Prescott, AZ and were headed for home. We've made this run so many times that we know where the cleanest bathrooms are, the best gas stations, the friendliest Subways, and the safest motels. This is a run we own.
We know when it's the best time to hit traffic in El Paso or Tucson and we know the back roads around Phoenix; we know this run. One thing we didn't know was the best place to blow a tire with no spare.
Iraan, Texas is in the middle of nowhere; right between Fort Stockton and Ozona, on the desert floor. I have to qualify our location---we weren't actually in Iraan. We blew our tire at the Iraan exit sign. I heard it pop and when I looked in the side mirror, the entire fender of my little Wells Cargo trailer was blown skyward by the separating belts of the tire. The twisted mess of metal that was my fender flew about 30 feet in the air, directly at the windshield of a Lincoln Town Car behind me. The fender missed the top of the car by what seemed inches. The Boss Hogg driving the Lincoln never knew how close he was to eating his cigar for good.
I backed out of my pedal and eased off the 80mph speed that was customary on I-10. The silence at Exit 325 was deafening. I unhooked the trailer and left Pam on the side of the road to guard it (adequately armed, I assure you) while I drove to Sheffield, Texas and the only tire shop open on Sunday.
I had visions of purchasing a $187 used LT205/75R15 more commonly known as a P.O.S. trailer tire. But the tire man was looking for a Sunday friend, and let me off for $65. We changed out the tire, hooked up, threw our dead fender in the truck bed, and headed for home. It was definitely "Ugly".
So there you have it. And I wouldn't change a thing about any of it. The Good Lord has definitely taught me some lessons along the way, and I am grateful for all these experiences. And a simple moving prayer to the Great Creator sets the tone for all Life's offerings.


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Dad in Hospital
I was in KL a few days ago when dad gave me a missed call at 5:50am. He was admitted to the General Hospital for pain and they suspected it was dengue. They took his blood and it came out negative. Then the doctors did a series of further tests and today he is supposed to go for a heart scan since he has 3 calsified clogged arteries in the heart. I decided to order a flower basket online and deliver on the same day. After searching, I found Bloom This but the payment cannot go through which is a miss opportunity for them. After further search, I found Flower Chimp and the range of flower arrangement looks pretty attractive drawing my attention. Since it is based in KL, I chose Penang option for fast delivery there, as they could have a branch or florist in Penang. Before 12:00 noon, it was paid online for $190 and delivered at 4:00pm the same day on Saturday, a weekend.
Above is the fruit basket with flowers of 10 roses and 10 daisies, etc that has a dragon fruit, some pears, oranges, apples, grapes, kiwi fruits, etc.
About 7-8 doctors attended to dad and 2 specialists who are church friends also came to see dad. He qualified for first class, but chose 3rd class instead so that he can talk and mingle with other patients and chat about their children, etc. My dad is a very sociable person and does not like to be alone. Just hope he will be discharged soon. He is already 80 this year.


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WOW!!! Where has the time gone? I can't believe that this is my last post for 2 Creative Chicks. It has been a lot of fun and the time has just flown by.
We are having a tea party today using a tea set that my son and his wife gave me when they came to the US to be married, 2 months later they were also married in Miki's hometown in Japan.
I started with a tray I picked up from Create and Craft TV, it was only a couple of dollars. I put a couple of coats of paint on the tray, used Mod Podge to adhere the paper with a couple more coats on top of the paper to protect it then I added the pearls.
The paper is also from the kids, Japanese papers are beautiful.
Please come and join us at 2 Creative Chicks where the challenges are always, "Anything Goes."
Starts June 1, 2016
Ends June 30, 2016
Click HERE to link up!


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There's been no official word from Samsung or Google, but the Nexus S with GSM 850/1900 radio bands has shown up for sale at Negri Electronics' online store. It's carrying a model number of i9020T, and is available in black or white for $598.50. What we don't know is if this is the Nexus S with an AT&T specific radio, or an unlocked import of the Nexus S from abroad. I'm sure as people order these and get them in-hand, we'll know a bit more.
In either case, it's a Nexus S that will work with AT&T's 3G, and more than a few of you guys have been waiting for one of these. [Negri Electronics via Android Central forums] Thanks, Abraham, for the tip!


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Happy 2010, readers dear.
As you've surely figured out by now, I love NYE. I love the clean-slate feeling every year, but especially this year, 2010 seems ripe with promise.
Some favorite links, that anyone can use for whatever it is that you're up to:
- "How to Improve your blog when you have no internet access" from ProBlogger
- "The benefits of pissing people off" from Tim Ferriss
- "39 ways to live and not merely exist" from Dumb Little Man
- "10 awesome tools to get more out of Wikipedia" also from Dumb Little Man
- "7 productivity tips for people who hate GTD" from Zen Habits
- "7 habits of amazing writers" from Write to Done
- "Are these 3 words ruining your life?" from Zen Habits
- "All the advice on happiness you'll ever need in one post" from Zen Habits
- "10 Facebook settings every user should know" from All Facebook
- "10 ways to give yourself a procrastination inoculation" from Zen Habits


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Mid-Century Gold Sofa
$325.00 Sold Out
Measures 86" wide x 34" deep x 30" tall x 18.5" seat height
Condition: This piece is in good condition with very little wear. Please call 402 474 5407 with any questions or to request additional photos!
We are happy to hold items for local pick-up and offer delivery to Lincoln, NE for a $20 fee.
We deliver to Omaha, NE for $30! If you are in Omaha, please call us at 402 474 5407 to arrange delivery.
Out of state customers: We can ship smaller non-breakables to you. The price at check-out does not include shipping. Please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com if you'd like to arrange shipping. We ship via USPS priority mail and charge only actual shipping costs. For furniture and larger items, we can hold items for up to two week for pick-up.
If you have any questions, please email us at email@example.com or call us at 402-474-5407


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I know, I know!
I've been missing a bit this past month. With the Retreat, both the kids birthdays and just life being way too busy for me in August!! My goodness!
But I'm back and I've been scrapping for myself and for Scrap Therapy.
This past month the theme has been all about Handmade. Everything handmade.
So I show you how to make several flowers in my challenges.
This layout shows the flower I've done a tutorial for. If you want to know how pop on over to the Scrap Therapy blog...........
This layout was done using the sketch for the Scrap Therapy Cybercrop Sketch Challenge.
This is for the current Kraft It Up challenge for August.
And these last two pages are using the Monthly Sketch at Scrap Therapy and the Monthly Theme of Handmade.
If you want to have a go, you have until this Thursday midnight to get your entry in.....................
That's it for now.
See you again soon and have a great week!!


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Tribal Jewellery of Gujarat - Kutch
The main tribal people of gujarat are rabari,ahir and charan .
Maldhari / Bharwad / Rabari people are a mystery of Kutch. Their lifestyle is completely different from any other tribe. North-west India has many castes of the Rabaris which are simply divided in three tribes in Kutch: Desi Rabaris, Dhebariya Rabaris and Vagadiya Rabaris. Desi Rabari live in the central and western sides of Kutch, Dhebariya Rabaris mainly live near Anjar Taluka and Vagadiya Rabaris live in the village named Vagad situated in the eastern side of Kutch. The story of their origin is likely related with Lord Shiva doing self mortification in Himalayas. The Rabaris move from one village to another by throwing away their house hold materials and small kids on a reverse bedstead kept on camels' backs.
Charan tribe of Gujarat is also known as Gadhvi. The name Charan is derived from the word Charana, meaning 'grazing.' Their chief occupation is animal grazing and they also engage themselves out on daily wage labor. Charans practice Hinduism and are mostly vegetarians.
The Ahir or Abhir (from Sanskrit Abhira "fearless") is a historical militant/warrior tribe of India. The Ahir are descendants of Lord Krishna. They lived as shepherds at Gokul Mathura about a thousand years ago. After leaving Gokul Mathura they spread throughout northern and northwestern India. Ahir is a subgroup of the Yadav caste of India. The people of the Ahir tribe are traditionally cow herders and shepherds.


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President Bush says there should be free and fair elections in Zimbabwe next month. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports from Dar es Salaam, Mr. Bush discussed the issue Sunday with the new head of the African Union, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.
During their talks at Dar es Salaam's State House, President Bush and President Kikwete discussed next month's elections in Zimbabwe, where long-time President Robert Mugabe is facing a divided opposition.
In remarks before this trip to Africa, Mr. Bush denounced Mr. Mugabe as a discredited dictator who has brought nightmarish misery to his people by mismanaging the economy and repressing political dissent.
In a joint press conference with the Tanzanian leader Sunday, the president said Zimbabweans deserve better.
"There is no doubt the people of Zimbabwe deserve a government that serves their interest and recognizes their basic human rights and holds free and fair elections," said Bush. "That is in the interest of the people of Zimbabwe. It happens to be in the interest of the world as well."
Zimbabwe's official inflation rate, already the world's highest, has risen to more than 66,000 percent. Price controls introduced last June have had little effect in a country with chronic food and fuel shortages and an unemployment rate of about 80 percent.
Zimbabwe was a big issue during the president's first trip to Africa five years ago. At the time, Mr. Bush embraced South African President Thabo Mbeki as an honest broker in the political stand-off between President Mugabe and opponents in Zimbabwe's pro-democracy movement.
President Bush now says he is disappointed that South Africa has not been more pro-active in resolving the political and economic crisis in its northern neighbor.
Zimbabwe's main opposition leader says the South African president should show some courage and abandon his policy of quiet support for President Mugabe.
South Africa's Deputy Foreign Minister says the fact that Zimbabweans are preparing for elections next months is proof that President Mbeki's mediation efforts have been productive.
President Mugabe is looking to extend his 28 years in power. The opposition has failed to come together in a unified campaign. Mr. Mugabe's most serious challenger, Simba Makoni, is a former member of his own party.
Critics blame President Mugabe for economic mismanagement and the poorly handled seizure of white-owned commercial farms. Mr. Mugabe blames sabotage by Western governments led by Britain.


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We had 3 open farm days here so far,they were great.ReplyDelete
Our last brought over 600 people most have not seen farm animals up close before.
glad you had fun!
Kim, that is how memories are built. We have introduced about 20 (or more) kids and adults to our "farm", all with lots of laughs and giggles. No lambs, just horses, chickens and turkeys.Way to go!ReplyDelete
We have our 4H group and church groups out to do something similar, with a hayride and weiner roast as well.ReplyDelete
It is fun!
i wouldn't be able to give the lamb back!!! the mothers are not protective of the little ones being held? i think its wonderful you open your farm up to others to enjoy what you enjoy everyday....God Bless YaReplyDelete
Aren't animals great? They bring people together. And your lambs are so adorable.ReplyDelete
So fun Kim! I bet your guests were so blessed by your hospitality!ReplyDelete
How great that you shared your animals with others! I'm sure some great memories were made that day.ReplyDelete
How fun!! Looks like you had gorgeous weather too!ReplyDelete
Oh, gosh darn it... I wish I could have come to cuddle a lamb! Maybe next year... at your 2nd annual open barn!ReplyDelete
we had an open farm day this past fall and it was amazing and we didn't have any adorable spring lambs to show off, but it's certainly something we;ll do again as well. You got some great shots and the smiling guests look like they had a great time! And a few guests look a bit smitten to the point were a soft and cuddly critter might just make it's way home with them soon! lolReplyDelete
Looks like all humans and critters has a wonderful day. Great pictures.ReplyDelete
I always love it when farms open their doors and allow you to see what's going on there. I know its a day you give up doing what has to be done, but I always see it on everyone's face how much fun they are having. How nice of you to do this for your community.ReplyDelete
Isn't it great to be able to share like that. Our friends and family always think it is an imposition to us to visit the animals. They don't understand the joy it gives us to have something so special to share.ReplyDelete
What a fun thing to do. I would have loved to hold those little lambs.ReplyDelete
Well thats really cool. Who wouldnt want to come to an open barn day & play with cute lil farm animals... I need to do this when my baby goats are born this May, thanks for the idea.ReplyDelete
Oh Kim how sweet the lambs are! What a wonderful thing to do...I'm sure everyone who came by took home some wonderful memories of your farm and animals. Bet that little girl dreamed of horses when she went to sleep that night. Thanks for stopping by...I hope your day is a good one.ReplyDelete
Maura :)
Such a nice gesture to open your farm to others. Those lambs are beautiful! I am sure that the people all enjoyed your farm.ReplyDelete


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Below, a recap of stories posted today to the Search
Engine Watch Blog, along with other items we've spotted but not blogged
From The SEW Blog…
Microsoft Consolidates Platform, Portfolio In 'Digital Advertising Solutions'
Microsoft announced the launch of "Digital Advertising Solutions" and a
related media campaign to promote it. What is "Digital Advertising Solitions?"
It's an effort to bring together, in one convenient buying environment,
Microsoft's extensive portfolio of consumer properties in gaming, mobile and
online. According to the press release, "Microsoft Digital Advertising
Solutions offers advertisers the ability to reach more than 465 million
consumers each month across the MSN network and millions more through Windows
Live, Xbox Live and Office Online. Microsoft's advertising portfolio extends
its reach across some of Microsoft's latest releases such as Live Search and
Live Local Search,…
- Google
Leads in Dead and Old Pages
In Google Has the Largest Number of Dead and Old Pages, Ionut Alex. Chitu of
the Google Operating System Blog points to a video, and some research from
Google's Ziv Bar-Yossef, which discusses how to grab a random sample of pages
from major search engines, and extrapolate from those pages information about
the search engines. This can be used in a number of ways……
- Organic
& Paid Search Conversion Metrics Similar
ClickZ reports on a WebSideStory study that shows that organic search traffic
realized a conversion rate of 3.13 percent while paid search traffic realized
a conversion rate of 3.4 percent. The study covered 57 million search engine
visits from "20 business-to-consumer e-commerce sites during the first eight
months of 2006." ClickZ notes that organic search traffic does tend to have a
higher click rate (1.5 times higher than paid search volume)….
- Google
Displaying Really Long Site Descriptions?
Philipp Lenssen spotted a screen capture of Google displaying a really long
and extended description within the search results page for a search on [blogspot.com
autoregistration]. I personally do not see the nine or so line description but
Philipp posted a screen capture. Matt Cutts of Google commented saying he was
also not able to "recreate those snippets," so maybe a temporary Google bug,
spyware, or a fake?…
- Real
Estate Search Engine Trulia Adds New Depth, Features
As the housing market cools, the real estate vertical is heating up. Today,
real estate search engine Trulia launched several new features, a week after
Zillow introduced new functionality and about three weeks after Yahoo! Real
Estate announced a range of new tools and a site redesign….
- Pluggd
Promises Podcast Concept Searching, But We Still Need Better Basic Keyword
Pluggd to make podcasts chunkier, searchable at TechCrunch covers how podcast
search service Pluggd plans to make it possible to search podcasts by concept,
rather than keyword. That sounds cool, but there's still some ways to go
before I'm full of excitement….
- Fortune
Looks At Chaotic Google & Whether It Can Have A "Second Act"
Chaos by design is a Fortune cover story on Google, covering the company's
fast-paced, seemingly disorganized approach to products and exploring if it
can come up with a "second act" to please investors:…
- Google's
Marissa Mayer Makes Newsweek Cover
Via Valleywag, news that Google's Marissa Mayer, vice president of search
products & user experience, makes the cover of Newsweek and is named one of
the most powerful women of her generation. Good luck trying to find the
article on the horrible MSNBC-hosted Newsweek site itself. I finally gave us
and did a regular Google search for marissa mayer newsweek sept. 25 to find it
here: Leading the Way. Marissa comes up on page 5. Her home town paper gives
her a write-up here: Wausau girl hits big-time, along with a larger version of
the Newsweek cover….
- Goodbye
Froogle; Hello Google Product Results In Web Search
Froogle, Google's shopping search engine that launched with big hopes back in
2002, is to be deemphasized in place of product listings integrated into
regular Google search results….
- Google
Changes Mind, Posts Belgian Ruling
Google has now posted the text of a Belgian ruling finding it violated
copyright on the Google Belgium home page. The ruling has also been posted to
the home pages of Google Images Belgium, Google News Belgium but not Google
Groups Belgium….
Headlines & News From Elsewhere
Need a Simple, Easy to Use Geocoder for U.S. Locations? Try This One,
- Podcast: Google
Belgium Posts Legal Ruling On Home Page; The End Of Froogle?; Does Google Have
A Second Act?, Daily SearchCast
Web's ad revenue up 37 pct in first half 2006: study, Reuters
NBC CEO Zucker: We've Got a Better Business Model than Google, Google
Microsoft's Ozzie named the top man in tech, Silicon
Making sense of a query, Search Science
- What is Google
IndexBench?, Search Engine Journal
Signs You Need to Switch SEO Providers, Marketing Pilgrim
User-Centered Design and SEO, ClickZ
What's Going on With Internet Ad Inventory?, ClickZ
- Syncing
Outlook, OS X, Google with Ease, Chris Pirillo
Look For Movies Filmed in Your Area, ResearchBuzz
Seo – Sometimes You Have To Be Evil To Be Good, Shoemoney
Farecast expands airfare predictions; just know when to use them,
- Hiding Google AdSense
in iFrames, Search Engine Journal
Over 30 Domain Names Transferred to Google Inc., ResourceShelf
New Survey Released: The Future of the Internet II, ResourceShelf
Contextual Search Arbitrage – Pure Click Insanity, SEOmoz
Secrets to Beating the Sandbox 2.0 REVEALED: The Ultimate Guide, Link
Building Blog
AdSense for Audio is the official name for Google's latest addition to AdSense,
New line of code in AdSense javascript reveals channel name in plain text,
Google Has the Largest Number of Dead and Old Pages, Google Operating
Yahoo pulls a Scrooge with forced unpaid holiday vacation, Valleywag
You Know You're Working Too Hard…, ClickZ
- Ten
Ways to Earn an .edu Link, SEOmoz
- 3 Reasons Why Delicious
Bookmarks Beat Digg Traffic Hands Down, Performancing
Related reading
What will the SERP of tomorrow look like? Four changes to prepare for today
Four predictions on the SERP of tomorrow from the VP of Industry Insights at Yext. What we can expect, and what to do today to prepare.
3 lead generation tips for ecommerce businesses
For 3 out of 5 marketers, generating traffic and leads is the toughest challenge. Here are our top three tips for lead generation for ecommerce businesses.
How did the 2018 SERP changes impact organic search?
How did the 2018 SERP changes impact organic listings? More importantly, how should you react? The year of updates in review, and tips to respond to each.
Data: Local search trends from 2017-2018
Key local search trends and tips based on data from more than 300,000 customer business locations active from Jan 1, 2017 to Dec 31, 2018.


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As a growing adult, I found it quite difficult to mingle with boys of my age. The simple reason being that they all centered on "bollywood" or "cricket". There were hardly any other things discussed and even if I initiated such a discussion, it was either considered too big or something to be joked about. I am sure everywhere you will come across such people who do not associate themselves with the mainstream interests of men. The "minority men" or "minority women" as I would like to call them, actually are not too different. Even they have the need for excitement and entertainment. But they seek it outside these two main indulgences and thus become minorities.
And as a market segment, they surely have a different psychographic profile if not a demographic one. Marketers are increasingly beginning to cater to such segments everywhere. Cinemas like "Peepli Live" & "Taare Zameen Par", Channels like "World Movies" are some popular examples catering to such minority communities. It is not necessary to be a minority yourself to understand this community. The World Movies channel is from the same stable which has launched "UTV Bindaas" aimed at the massive youth of India. The size of this minority community is also growing, emphasizing a need to cater to them with specialized products and services.
Is this niche marketing? This is not necessarily the same as "niche marketing". Niche markets may still cater to smaller markets comprising of mass audience. Media offers immense opportunities in this area. Recently a popular FM radio station, created a slot for the Indian classical music on their station. The program captures the potential of this minority community, especially in those slots, where a mainstream program may not fetch the desired rating for the programs. Even Sony Pix is now beginning to air some rare movies of the world on late night slots.
Going further there will be more specialized services for the minorities.


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I found this old postcard on the weekend. It's a souvenir from the camp I used to attend each summer, Mint Brook Camp. This was an Anglican Church camp in central Newfoundland, and I looked forward every year to my week-long stay. We had 10 cabins, housing 10 girls each. The counsellors slept in their own, much larger cabin across the field. At age 16 I graduated to that special place and was given responsibility for a cabin full of girls of my own.
I was so proud! Each of us had a cabin to look after, plus an activity that we led each day. My specialty was boating, and I taught girls to row in two sessions each morning. In the afternoon I led canoeing and taught the finer points of paddling on the river. As I've said before, I love being on the water! Mint Brook Camp provided me with awesome experiences, friendships, and memories. From age 11-17, I really grew up there.
This picture is from my time as a camper. There was a clearing back in the woods we would often visit, and in it was a perfectly round patch of some kind of low-lying evergreen. There were many legends and ghost stories centred on our camp, of course, and this was the basis of one of them. We were told this was a Fairy Ring, and the fairies who lived in there could sometimes be seen dancing around it on a clear, moonlit night. Pretty cool, hey? Little girls eat this stuff up! Well, this picture I took one year was hailed as clear evidence of the existence of the fairies. Those two little flashes of white on the left? Fairies, right?! Ha! There wasn't anything there on the ground when I snapped it, so it's probably a weird reflection or something that happened during developing. But it was pretty important evidence of the existence of fairies for a bunch of tween girls!
Do your kids attend summer camp? The Teen did for quite a few years, and Little Boo I think will be ready next summer. I can't wait for him to experience the camaraderie and outdoor fun of sleep-away camp!
A really popular and well-established camp in Ontario is Muskoka Woods. They've been welcoming kids to summer camp since 1979, and currently run over 50 programs and activities serving over 5000 campers aged 7-17 each year. With 1100 acres of camp and 2800 feet of lakefront, there's lots of space for all these activities. They have the canoeing I loved so much, but also sailing. There are 12 tennis courts, climbing walls, beach volleyball, horseback riding, archery, digital photography, dance, golf, and so much more.
Campers stay in fully-enclosed cabins, with bunkbeds. Each cabin sleeps 12, however, unlike in my experience, counsellors sleep in the cabins with their kids. Great for safety and discipline. For the 7-12 year-olds, each cabin has 10 campers and 2 counsellors, while the 13-17 year-olds are 11:1. And the meals are served buffet-style, so there are lots of options for pickier eaters. I remember at some camp meals I ate only bread and butter because I didn't like that day's single menu item. (I was a crazily picky eater as a kid.) So, I'm a supporter of this arrangement. There are always vegetarian options available and special dietary requirements can be accommodated.
Muskoka Woods has put together this short video highlighting the experiences of some campers and alumni. This gives a good idea of what you can expect to find with them. Summer Camp Is Awesome.
Summer Camp is Awesome from Muskoka Woods on Vimeo.
Registration for Summer 2013 is available now. Head on over to find out more about the specific options available for your child's age group, and sign them up for their own awesome camp experience!
Disclosure – I am participating in the Muskoka Woods Blogger Campaign by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.


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What Did We Do Without Computers?
This is a progress report on changeover from my old computer to the new computer, in case you care. But mostly I typing it all as a method of organizing my brain to see how I stand with it all.
We successfully loaded most of the stuff I deal with on the new computer. There are a few more things I will have to deal with, but nothing life threatening if I don't have it.
I figured how to flip photos and let them stay that way. I was having problems flipping photos and coming back a minute later and they unfllipped themselves. You might ask why would I want to flip them at all? Because in some cases every other one was upside down, that's why. Going through the Olympian high school yearbooks scanning pictures I had to turn everyother one upside to scan it, or the weight of the book wouold make the book slide off the scanner. And up until the new computer, it was no problem to flip it and save it. The new picture system I cannot find a selection to save the picture. So, I flipped it and look at it a second later and it was back like it was. However, I found by experimenting that if I flip the picture when it is the thumbnail status, it stays that way.
Trial and error. Sometimes that is the only way you can move forward. Just so surgeons do not have that positon, it works with me.
Up until this morning I could receive email and not send it out. I had to go through the internet provider. My son, by remote from his office, took over my computer and corrected the outgoing mail problem. It is fixed now.
My old genealogy program Legacy 5.0 that I had several years would not work on my new Windows7. I downloaded the latest version Legacy 7.4 and it seems to be working great. For several hours I was concerned that the 35 years of my life was wasted, because if the data was unretreiveable...my skin crawled. But now, all is up today with my latest genealogy findings.
I forgot to mention on Father's Day when we downloaded files it also downloaded over 2800 incoming emails. When an email comes in, I sort most of them. Apparently Bellsouth didn't care if it was sorted or not. If it was incoming it pulled the emails from their files with them kicking and screaming and threw them in the box car headed for my computer. Then, when he got back into my computer this morning, it resent all those again, for a while today I had 5600 emails in my incomg box. I deleted all about the last few weeks. I made copies of them ton my externa harddrive last week anyway.
I could find my MAGIX CLEANER program which copied the music from LP records and converted it into MP3 music, so I am in the market for a cheap version of something like that.
The video movie editor that came with the MS programs looks promising. I think it will be better than I had with the old computer.
Also my MAD collection of the first 300 issues of MAD could not be loaded. So, I looked around on the net and found the latest version if the first 500 issues for about $50, which this time it is on one DVD. The earier version with 300 issues was on 5 CDs and it cost $45. It has only increased $5 in the past ten years, but you get a lot more.
Wouldn't be nice to live in a hut to get in it when it rained hard and just pick berries, fish, and hunt and pick fleas off your companion and not worry about all this computer stuff?
Labels: Computer, Wallace Wood


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Chapter 15
The band had found a comfortable rhythm alternating between gigs and the studio, taking the inspiration from one place to the other evolving their stuff reinforcing their small parcel of music that they had established deep inside the undiscovered wilderness of sound. Where they had a clearing at first they had now established their little outpost. No matter how wild they got there was always a point of reference keeping it tight and harmonious.
It had taken their de facto manager Ogden an enormous amount of time filled with sweet words of encouragement to finally get a live album out of them. Sam who was still the most reserved about recordings in general was the one who was the most comfortable with going ahead with the recording. For her their sound on stage was mature. She was confident that every time they played on a stage the result would be good. She still did not like the idea that someone would take the magic of a gig, put it through a process of mummification so that others might listen to the strange desiccated result but in the end it was up to the individual how they liked to consume their music.
Bryce had also gone many extra miles working on the recordings to make them as true to the real thing as possible. Even Sam had to admit that the preserves Bryce had produced were so close to the original that one could almost feel the real magic still hanging in the air. Sam had listened to so many of his recordings always intensely involved to make sure that it lost as little of its original character as possible that in the end it was her the was the most engrossed with the end results. She did admit that she had developed a morbid fascination with them.
The studio album though. That one did refuse to come alive. It was not for a lack of pieces to play. With and without lyrics they now had a large repertoire of standards. Enough to fill several CDs with tracks. All of them good at the very least. Everything that less than that was either put out of its misery or came onto the 'List of the Damned' where they put all the things that did not quite work. Once a week they convened in a room that they only ever used for this reason, they called it 'The Theatre of Salvation' where they would do their best to save their patients.
So far though they refused to go full studio on any of them. Their style, their constant improvisation, the evolution of their music that seemingly never ended even for their most complete compositions had so far killed every attempt to fill a disk with songs.
* * *
"Right now," Cray said before stuffing fried noodles in his mouth "I can't feel it. You know what I mean? I hear the music, but I can feel the album." he was sitting with Darius and Bryce in the Chinese place where the band went to eat in between sessions. The others called them the Wires as they usually talked about tech when they got together. Today Ogden was joining them who despite a lack of deeper knowledge seemed to enjoy their conversations very once in a while. He may ask some typical rookie questions every once in a while but when he tagged along he always paid for food and drinks.#
"I can understand that." Ogden said to the great surprise of three pairs of eyebrows which jumped up from their resting place high up their brows to have a better look at sudden disturbance of normality. "No really. I've been working for a lot of bands over the years and I am proud to say that I may have saved a few of them from clueless producers."
They eyebrows remained aloft.
"No, really. There was a band I recruited about six, seven months ago right out of the clutches of one these idiot 'agents' you see around here so often. They were still finding their sound, working on the right conditions to get their sound just right, while the suit was putting on the pressure. Told them that he could not tell the difference in sound and that the record company wanted their shit right then and there and not in some nebulous future.
Well I walked right in there, told them that I knew that they would deliver and would give them what they needed."
"How did that turn out?" asked Darius.
"Pretty good. They needed to get back into a more comfortable groove so I put them in a studio inside an old mansion up in the hills. There they could establish a home base, somewhere when they could eat, sleep and make their music. Which was exactly what those guys needed."
"And the record?"
"Done two months later. Started OK but so far it keeps on selling."
"That still does not help us with our problem though…" said Cray.
"You just have to relax, this is part of my ob too. The reason why I spend so much time with you, with the band is so that I can understand them and their music, so when something like this happens I'm here, tuned into the general situation so that I can help you to overcome the obstacles that you are facing."
"It certainly isn't the technical side." Darius said. "The studio is great and Bryce here is one crazy kid, always working his ass off to tweak every note into perfection."
Bryce blushed slightly trying to wave away the compliment. "I just give you guys a clean, dynamic sound. Every competent sound guy would do the same."
"Yeah but competent sound technicians are a dying breed." said Cray.
"Well," said Bryce, "that is a different problem all together." now grinning broadly.
"Still though." Darius said poking his beer can with his index finger. "We've been doing a lot of great work but with no results so far. This is a problem."
"What is stopping you guys?" asked Ogden.
"Not sure." replied Darius. "No one can really put a finger on it. The music is good, the sound is great. But somehow there is noting yet that screams Album. The band started with improv and live gigs. Hard to rebuild that kind of spirit inside a studio… I guess."
"It is hard to explain, isn't it?" agreed Cray. "As I said. The feeling of the songs. It's just not right. The short ones just die or they live and turn into long ones."
"You know what." said Darius now looking determined. "You can back-up your words about giving your bands what they need by doing some investigating and then come back with some hints or some advice to see what we are missing."
"This is a slightly different situation." Ogden protested.
"How so?" asked Cray "We are working perfectly fine, but we don't get any work done. So there's our problem. Go and solve it!"
"I will see what I can do." Ogden agreed "I'll talk t the others. Listen to the recordings you made so far and maybe I can find something that might help you out. But no promises OK?"
* * *
Later that night Ogden returned to the Studio, wandering through the dimly lit corridors following the pulses of a deep resonant drum that seemed to move the building. He still was impressed by the strange effect that Sam's drumming had on everything around her. Once she started beating the skins the world around her began to move in her rhythm. Once Kim followed that up with her bass in creeped into the soul of everyone in earshot. This was part of the magic that made the bad so special. For him this was the reason why it was so important to make a real album. This was music that had to be carried around the world. It did make him wonder about Carlton though, who remained mysteriously untouched by it.
He found Kim in a medium sized rehearsing room that she had turned into her personal beat laboratory. It was packed almost completely with all manner of percussive instruments which dominated the room so much that people and other lesser objects were well hidden from casual glances.
Ogden saw Kim immediately she was thoughtfully pounding on several smaller drums in a strange broken rhythm that followed a basic rule which was broken as soon as Ogden thought he had found the pattern. It was hard to concentrate listening to it, as soon as it began to sink into a subconscious level it changed, kicking it back into his conscious thoughts. He had no idea how long he was standing there watching Kim working on her drums, glistening as the rooms light broke on the tiny droplets of sweat covering her forehead and bare arms. It took him even longer to spot Sam who was sitting in a corner slowly swaying to the beat while she was gently stroking the strings of her bass. Turner was sitting almost next to her, his hands folded under his chin his face wrinkled by the force of his concentration.
The spell was broken when D.C. came in, he tried to cross the room to get to Kim and Turner when he was caught of guard by an off beat which made him stumble. He fell crashing through a curtain of bells, their dissonant ringing breaking the spell of the rhythm.
"Sorry!" D.C. Croaked from the heap he had just created, only one foot sticking out up into the open.
"It's OK, I needed a break anyway." said Kim. "But you have to clean up the mess you created. Oh and if you broke anything, you will have to pay."
"Hey Ogden." said Kim who had not noticed his presence. "What brings you here at this ungodly hour? Have you been kicked out of your house?"
"No. Everything is fine I just thought I check in on you and maybe bring a couple of six packs of beer." he said pulling up the bag he was holding in his right hand so that every one could see that he came with tribute.
"I'd love a beer right now." said Kim brushing the sweat away from her brow with her arm.
"So… about the Album." Ogden started after he had given out his bountiful gift of beer. "I'm hearing you have trouble bringing it together in the right way?"
"In a strange way." Adrian said. "We've got the ideas. We've got the music composed. We even have lyrics. Thanks to Tiger loads of it. But nailing it down in a way that makes it suitable to be cut into a disk is… hard."
"How so?"
"Because" Kim said, "whenever we try to put one piece together it keeps shifting. It is never quite the same. The fuckers refuse to be finished."
"Can't you find a point when the song is good enough?" Ogden realised that he had said something bad when suddenly everyone was drilling holes into him with their stares.
"Good enough?" D.C. asked "Good enough does not come into play here. You can put together some sounds until they sound nice. You can take shortcuts. But you can not simply stop in the middle of something and call it quits because you don't want to do it anymore. That's like a chef deciding that he can't be bothered anymore and simply stops preparing a meal, serving that half cooked mess to the people in the restaurant. That is not good enough that is a disaster."
"I think I understand." Ogden did understand the kitchen example but he did not see how that was connected to the music troubles they were having. "But, your songs, they work. They flow. They go from start to finish, they have completed lyrics. How is… the cooking? not done in this case?"
"Because when you start recording," D.C. had one of his very rare chatty moments and he was even sober, "the song is not supposed to change. To grow. To twist in your hands."
"But you had not problems with your live recording…" Ogden tried.
"That, is a completely different beast." Sam said. "That is a snapshot in time. You are right those are not ready, but they are like a photo. You know? Like a frozen moment in time. You get a picture of how it was at that point. You can here it still growing. You even hear the context. But that does not work with studio tracks."
"Right." he still did not get it, but this strategy was getting him nowhere. "Maybe it's because you have to many freedoms?" Ogden regretted his choice of words the moment they had passed his lips. The icy stares that were now drilling deeper into his soul trying to kill him intensified.
"Fuck you." said Kim, "You were the one who wanted to drag us into a studio. We fucking told you that we were hapy where we were. We were moving forward without a hassle. Then you appear out of thin air all of a sudden and tell us how many 'fans in high places' we have and drag us in this fancy studio. Did we ask for this? We, are doing you, a fucking favour here. If you want to go and turn into a nuisance, fine but I will not be a part of this bullshit…"
"Kim's right Ogden." Turner said, "We were doing well and it was your idea to work in the studio to start with. We should be touring the country first, make a name for us. You were the one who talked us into doing things backwards."
Ogden made pacifying gestures with his hands. "No. No no no no no… you misunderstand. I… my choice of words was unfortunate."
"You fucking bet it was." said Kim
"I did not mean to restrict your privileges in any way," Ogden continued to work himself out of the hole he had dug for himself. "I meant setting up artificial limits for the songs. To stake out a claim and work that part. It focuses the ind and it is harder to get sidetracked."
"Yeah? Like what?" asked Kim eyes still slowly skewering Ogden.
"For example… a time limit. Try to get a song done in three minutes."
"Are you fucking crazy?" Kim asked, "When was the last time you heard us play a song that lasted only 3 minutes."
"Never! And that is the point. That'd be a challenge. You would have a very definite and hard to reach goal. Pack all your signature stuff into one three minute morsel."
"Hard to reach?"
"You just said yourself that you have never done anything as short as that."
"Hmph…" said Kim.
Ogden knew that he had found a way in. He convinced them to work on the three minute song and into working. Even better they agreed of calling in a band meeting the next day and work on some challenges that they'd try to tackle to put it into the album.
The next evening they had a list with the ten great labours that they wanted to accomplish. The band was filled with fresh dose of enthusiasm, while Ogden had something that he could show Carlton that would hopefully prevent him from descending further into hysteria.
* * *
The challenge gave the band direction. Providing little seeds of discomfort around which their songs crystallised. Radio Hit quickly became their Great Adversary. Ogden had insisted to be the first of the great labours but as they tried to overcome this task it moved further down the list. When ever they tried to give it form and fix it onto a disk it eluded them. Instead the usually found a solution for one of their other challenges.
So after it had become their fifth labour they decided that they would have to try cunning instead of brute force. Charing headlong into it would not work so they decided to tackle The Specter first. This was supposed to become a song that would weave together as many different stylistic threads as possible. What made this a challenge was to put together the threads in a way that sounded perfectly natural. Who ever listened to it should be tapping his or her foot first and ask questions later.
It took them a week. Spent almost exclusively in the studio. They did not leave for the hotel anymore. They stopped going to the Chinese place. Instead Darius was the one doing the feeding runs. At first they asked him to do it but as the week grew old the roadie had to start to take their orders by force.
Day after day their humanity broke off of them piece by piece leaving behind the higher force driving them towards their music. Around the half way point they seemed the most savage, nerves getting exposed and fraying. Tempers flaring, personalities clashing. This did not last though. Complications in the way of their true basic driving force. It was in the way so they let go of it.
On the sixth day as Darius was entering the studio packed like a dim-sum Santa Clause he found the band huddled around a table the had improvised in a corner of the room. Before them were various sheets of paper filled with maps of the their new song. Some where in normal musical notation, there were sheets with tabs and even a few maps showing the 'terrain' on their piece scribbled in blue ballpoint pen on blotched paper. They were talking in low determined voices about how to overcome their last few obstacles. Sam was beating a part of the map with a chopstick, in part explaining why it was still a problem in part demonstrating the beat she knew would solve everything.
Darius silently arranged the food on top of a pair of low stacks carefully preventing making more noise than necessary. When he had arrived he was about to do his usual drill sergeant routine to get his musicians to eat and drink, but this was not the time. Nature had to wait.
When he returned the net morning to see how thing were going. Apart from one soup the food and drink remained untouched. His little musicians were all soundly if uncomfortably sleeping where they had lost their fight with biology. Turner being the one who apparently had held out the longest for he was sleeping sitting on an office chair. Legs stretched out, arms and head hanging over the edges. He had an empty soup container carefully placed over his eyes to shield them from the shining lights overhead.
The war was over.
What had looked like a bouquet of dead ends and failure turned out to be the foundations of other songs that had not found their real form yet. With what they had just achieved the other labours were easy. There was still a good amount of hair pulling, screaming and drama involved. This time though it was far less complicated. Complications resolved themselves into complexity.
With what felt almost like an anti-climax the Album was done.
"That was almost too easy." Turner said. Everyone else laughed. The laughter carried an edge of desperation with it, but it was not hiding it, it was flushing it out.
"Finally." D.C. sighed letting a smile grow gently from the corners of his mouth until it reached from ear to ear.
"So what's next then?" asked Sam. She was not quite ready to let her guard down.
"I'll tell you what's next." Darius said his voice gently shaking the walls of the room, "we all go out and get drunk for a week or two. Celebrating our success."
Sam thought about that. She found that idea most pleasing.
"Actually…" Ogden said. He waited for a moment. To let the implication sink in. Ten seconds later all the eyes in the room were on him. "… that is not quite what is going to happen."
"You are kidding." Kim said, "You are kidding, right?"
"No, not at all."
"Tell me that you are kidding so that I don't have to kill you." Kim insisted.
"I am not joking and please don't kill me. At least not until you've heard what I had in mind."
Kim shrugged while pulling out a spare bass string. "Go ahead. Everyone is entitled to some last words." she said as she started to wind one end of the string around one hand.
"Now, it's time for your world tour."


text:
Image of Marion Woodman from the documentary Dancing in the Flames, copyright 2009.
I've been writing about ritual for several days, and part of me feels completely inadequate for the task. I feel like I've been spinning my words around and around, without really getting anywhere. Why is this so important to me? What am I trying to tell you?
I'm searching for meaning in my own life – have been for more than 30 years. I've read hundreds of books and articles about self-development and self-improvement, Eastern philosophy, psychology, and so on. Sometimes different authors contradict each other. Some say analysis is the key. Others say meditate and surrender. Others say positive thinking is what's really necessary for a meaningful, fulfilled life. Sometimes there seems to be a common thread running through most spiritual works… but like a slippery fish pulled fresh from the river, I can't hang onto it long enough to cook it and eat it.
The more I search, though, the more I keep coming back to Jungian or depth psychology as a useful tool for realizing wholeness. Reading or listening to the work of Marion Woodman and Clarissa Pinkola Estés leaves me feeling really nourished. And Woodman, especially, talks about how vital it is to re-integrate conscious ritual into our lives. When ritual is left discarded and unconscious, it comes in the back door through addiction, because we can't understand the symbolism. We mistakenly think that we want to make our longing real – concrete – and so we cling to alcohol and drugs and sex and food and work. Meanwhile our soul withers, because what it really wanted was spirit and the natural rhythms of rest, death and rebirth, and creation.
I've been wanting to watch a documentary called Dancing in the Flames, based on the work of Woodman, since I first saw the trailer (below). I couldn't believe it when I discovered it streaming here a couple of weeks ago. I highly recommend it, especially because in it Woodman explains – much better than I can – why ritual is so important.


text:
On June 30, 2015, the Governor signed into law Senate Bill No. 277, which takes effect on July 1, 2016. [Senate Bill No. B 277: "An act to amend Sections 120325, 120335, 120370, and 120375 of, to add Section 120338 to, and to repeal Section 120365 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health."]
SB 277 removes the "personal beliefs" exemption as a basis for parents to opt-out of state mandated "immunization" requirements for schoolchildren. Plaintiffs oppose this tyrannical bill because it wrongfully places the interests of the national vaccine market above the interests of California children; and sadly, this is a symptom of a larger sickness that debilitates the nation. America stands alone; we are the only nation on Earth in which healthcare is dispensed first and foremost to create shareholder value, and only secondarily for health-related reasons, and even then, with little or no regard for patients' rights as individuals.
SB 277 provides that students will be admitted to school only upon proof of "immunization" against a minimum of ten (10) different childhood diseases. The State hopes to reach a goal of "total immunization," (is such goal possible?), by injecting into children's bodies whichever chemicals or ingredients the State, in its sole discretion, and ineffable wisdom, deems necessary and appropriate.
In furtherance of this stated goal -- "total immunization" -- the State openly and notoriously declares it will take the extreme and outrageous step of denying California children their fundamental right to go to school -- regardless of parents' "personal beliefs," including their sincerely held philosophic, conscientious, and religious objections to State-mandated immunization. Plaintiffs seek to strike down SB 277 and restore the "personal beliefs" exemption to all State-mandated vaccine programs for California schoolchildren. Plaintiffs seek a preliminary and permanent injunction forever halting SB 277.
If SB 277 takes effect, California will be left with a decidedly "segregated" school system -- vaxxed and unvaxxed -- where many children will suffer invidious discrimination based on "medical status" (a protected class under California law). Under a Brown vs. Board of Education analysis, such a bifurcated school system -- vaxxed and unvaxxed -- reeks of "separate-but-equal," and thus, cannot be allowed to stand. Under California law, segregation based on "medical status" is every bit as odious as segregation based on "race," "creed" or "color." [See Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, (1954) 347 U.S. 483]
Plaintiffs sue to enforce their children's constitutional right to an education regardless of "immunization status" (i.e., "medical status"), and also to enforce a parent's rights to exercise "personal beliefs" in opposition to State-mandated immunization requirements by asserting their own various philosophic objections, ("Herd immunity is fraud!"), conscientious objections, ("My family is Vegan!"), and religious objections, ("Aborted fetal cells?--No way!").
SB 277 violates the children's fundamental right to attend school, (Calif. Const. Art. 9, Sec. 5), and it also violates the parents' fundamental right to freely exercise their "personal beliefs" (Free Exercise Clause, First Amendment).
Plaintiffs cannot understate the historical significance and sheer weight of the First Amendment; the right to "freely exercise religion" forms the very cornerstone of democracy. Plaintiffs believe The Founders placed "freedom of religion" in the First Amendment because it is the most fundamental of all rights, quite literally, the number one most cherished right of free-thinking people.
The Free Exercise Clause protects the individual in his or her free expression of "personal beliefs" -- especially those beliefs that run contrary to the State. The First Amendment allows individuals to freely exercise "personal beliefs" and freely make their own joyful noise without leave or hindrance from the State. This lawsuit recognizes no public health crisis; rather, this lawsuit champions civil liberties, personal freedoms, and restores the rights of the individual.
Plaintiffs steadfastly refuse to surrender their constitutional right to exercise "personal beliefs" -- i.e., their sincerely held philosophic, conscientious, and religious objections to State-mandated immunization; furthermore, Plaintiffs refuse to surrender their children's constitutional right to go to school.
Plaintiffs should not be required to surrender one constitutional right to get to another. Plaintiffs should not be placed in the untenable position of having to choose between the right to educate their children, (Calif. Const. Art. 9, Sec. 5), and the right to freely exercise their "personal beliefs" in opposition to State-mandated immunization, (Free Exercise Clause, First Amendment).
Plaintiffs seek a court order striking down SB 277 as unconstitutional. Plaintiffs seek preliminary and permanent injunctive relief in order to preserve the status quo and to halt enforcement of SB 277. [California Health & Safety Code §§120325 - 20380].
Most significantly, SB 277 implicates "fundamental rights," chiefly, the children's fundamental right to go to school, (Calif. Constitution), and the parents' fundamental right to freely exercise their "personal beliefs," (First Amendment). The "right to go to school" and the "right to freely exercise personal beliefs" are constitutional rights, and thus, "fundamental" rights.
Where, as here, "fundamental rights" are at stake, courts must employ a heightened level of judicial review, "strict scrutiny." Under a "strict scrutiny" analysis, this Court must strike down SB 277 because, when all's said, the State's interest in educating children is necessarily more compelling than its interest in vaccinating them.
Here, because Plaintiffs allege violations of fundamental rights, the burden of proof "shifts" to the State to demonstrate a "compelling governmental interest" in SB 277, and further, the State has the burden to demonstrate that Sacramento lawmakers "narrowly tailored" SB 277 to achieve only that specific governmental interest, with no "less-restrictive means" available.
The stated goal of SB 277 is the "total immunization" of all California schoolchildren. [See Calif. H&S Code §120325(a)] However, this Orwellian goal of "total immunization," is factually impossible to achieve, and thus, the State, as a matter of law, can never meet its legal burden, and Plaintiffs thus prevail.
Why is the goal of "total immunization" impossible? As a threshold matter, and this is most significant, vaccine makers do not guarantee any "immunization." And, because vaccine makers do not guarantee any "immunization," it is factually impossible for vaccinated children to guarantee "immunization" to the State, and, ipso facto, it's impossible to achieve the stated goal of "total immunization."
Assuming vaccine makers file motions to intervene in the instant litigation, Plaintiffs are confident that vaccine makers will corroborate the fact that their vaccines come with absolutely, positively zero guarantees, warranties, or promises, express or implied, of any kind whatsoever. None!
Bending to the will of the national vaccine market, the State-mandated "immunization" program is built on a faulty premise; the State, (wittingly or unwittingly?), labors under the false premise that vaccination always results in "immunization," but Plaintiffs reemphasize -- this is flatly false.
Plaintiffs argue there can be no "compelling governmental interest" in the stated goal of "total immunization" simply because such goal is impossible; and the impossibility factor lay in the irrefutable premise that vaccines come with no guarantee of "immunization."
Forgetting for a moment what may be dubious motives underlying this goal of "total immunization," Plaintiffs point out the availability of "less-restrictive means" of achieving such a goal (if indeed it be a worthwhile goal); for example, where parents are concerned about "immunization," such parents are always free to "immunize," if they so choose, or where parents are concerned about disease prevention generally, they are free to seek advice or treatment consistent with their own "personal beliefs" (philosophic, conscientious, and religious).
And, where the State has legitimate concern about disease prevention, (unrelated to concerns for the national vaccine market), the State may undertake disease-prevention awareness; but ultimately, all decisions regarding whether to "immunize" must be made by the parents, not the State.
It is worth noting that SB 277 is conspicuously silent as to the words "vaccine" or "vaccination." Remarkable as it sounds, neither the words "vaccine" nor "vaccination" ever appear at SB 277; and Plaintiffs were surprised when they learned this! Most notably, SB 277 uses only the term "immunization," (but never the term "vaccination"). And this is quite significant because, of course, there is a world of difference between "vaccination" and "immunization."
The term "immunization" is a conclusion that a disease-fighting shield is in effect; whereas, by contrast, the term "vaccination" refers to a one-time medical event that (ostensibly) leads to "immunization." The language of Sacramento lawmakers is clear and unambiguous -- no vaccines required! SB 277 requires only "immunization," and Plaintiffs' children are already naturally "immunized."
The State's interest in achieving "total immunization" must necessarily take a backseat to the California Constitution, which guarantees the fundamental right to free, public education. [Calif. Const., Art. 9, Sec. 5] The California Supreme Court stands firmly on this fundamental right, stating: "[S]ociety has a compelling interest in affording children an opportunity to attend school." [Serrano v. Priest, (1971) 5 Cal. 3d 584, 606, 487 P.2d 1241, 1257].
The U.S. Supreme Court recognizes the right to refuse unwanted medical interventions. [Cruzan v. Director Missouri Dept. Health, (1990) 497 U.S. 261, 278] And, when it comes to the children's best interests, it is the parents, not the State, who shall have the right to make healthcare decisions. A child is not a "mere creature of the State." [Parham v. J.R., (1979) 422 U.S. 584] Plaintiffs contend that SB 277 wrongfully removes the parents as decision-makers and wrongfully delegates decision-making to the State.
The U.S. Supreme Court also recognizes the fundamental interest of parents, in contrast with that of the State, to guide the religious education of their children. Western history and culture "reflect a strong tradition of parental concern for the nurture and upbringing of their children which the State should not ignore." [Wisconsin vs. Yoder,(1972) 406 U.S. 205, 92 S. Ct. 1526, 32 L. Ed. 2d 15]
Plaintiffs believes the Court may take judicial notice of the fact that vaccines maim and kill children. The horror of this reality is mind-numbing. And, in too many instances, vaccines turn out to be more injurious and more deadly than the predicate diseases for which the vaccines were administered in the first place. For example, over the past ten years, the number of schoolchildren who have died from the MMR vaccine far outpaces the number of measle deaths (if any). In fact, the MMR vaccine has a disastrous "success" rate of killing approximately one American child, every month, for the last ten years; sadly, when it comes to measles "immunization," it's hard to tell the poison from the cure.
Back in 1986, seeking to stabilize the national vaccine market, Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, [42 U.S.C. §§ 300aa-1 to 300aa-34; ("The Act")], and since its creation, the national Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, ("VICP"), has paid-out more than three billion dollars (taxpayer money) on vaccine injury and wrongful death claims.
The Act protects the national vaccine market by forbidding would-be plaintiffs from suing vaccine makers at the county courthouse; the Act instead funnels plaintiffs into an arbitration quagmire -- which has no legal mechanism to subpoena industry documents that might tend to prove things like vaccine design defects or manufacturing defects. The Act further protects vaccine makers by relieving them of having to pay monetary compensation to vaccine victims; the Act instead saddles taxpayers with the burden of funding injury compensation. The purpose of the Act is to stabilize the national vaccine market by allowing vaccine makers to dodge jury trials and class action lawsuits.
The Act bestows upon the national vaccine market what amounts to almost total immunity from liability -- and Congress generously heaped this special dispensation on vaccine makers because vaccines are "unavoidably unsafe." Even if properly designed and manufactured in strict accordance with FDA rules, vaccines nevertheless remain "unavoidably unsafe." [Bruesewitz v. Wyeth LLC, (2011) 562 U.S. 223, 131 S. Ct. 1068, 1089, 179 L. Ed. 2d 1]
"But for" the Act, jury trials and class action lawsuits would destabilize the national vaccine market -- then overwhelm and capsize it -- because vaccines are "unavoidably unsafe." Without the Act's protection, vaccine makers would lose every lawsuit and be driven out-of-business by personal injury lawyers.
Tragically, instead of removing "unavoidably unsafe" products from the marketplace, Congress instead removed the specter of liability, and this in turn removed all incentive for vaccine safety. So now, when vaccines kill or maim, vaccine makers pay no monetary damages to the victims -- because Congress foisted that duty upon the American taxpayer -- who must "bail out" vaccine makers for their negligent design and manufacturing defects.
Again, even if a vaccine is free of design defect and manufacturing defect, it nevertheless remains "unavoidably unsafe" as a matter of law. When rendering final judgement, Plaintiffs pray the court will acknowledge this irrefutable premise, i.e., that all vaccines are "unavoidably unsafe."
The popular media pretends that vaccines are "safe and effective," but this is a blatant falsehood; as a matter of law, all vaccines are "unavoidably unsafe," and for this reason alone, parents are wise to opt-out of mandatory immunization because sometimes, indeed, all too often, vaccines go wrong.
Perhaps most disturbing of all, when vaccines go wrong, vaccine makers are utterly incapable of explaining "why." But this comes as no surprise because vaccine makers are just as incapable of explaining "how" their vaccines (supposedly) bring about immunization.
Plaintiffs view all vaccine makers with mistrust and suspicion because: (i) vaccine makers do not guarantee "immunization;" (ii) persons injured by vaccines cannot sue vaccine makers at the county courthouse; (iii) taxpayers must subsidize the vaccine maker's design defects, manufacturing defects, personal injury claims and wrongful death claims; and (iv) all vaccines are deemed "unavoidably unsafe" due to the ever-present risk of death or great bodily injury; and (v) vaccine makers cannot explain how their products work, nor why they fail.
The United States Court of Appeals recognizes that medical science is a "field bereft of complete and direct proof of how vaccines affect the human body." [Althen v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., 418 F.3d 1274 (Fed. Cir. 2005)]
Science cannot explain "why" vaccines kill, nor can science predict "who" will next suffer vaccine injuries or "when." Under a simple cost-benefit analysis, the "costs" associated with vaccines clearly outweigh any "benefit" -- because vaccines come with no immunization guarantee and instead carry the very palpable risk of death.
SB 277 violates the constitutional rights of Plaintiffs and their children. Plaintiffs request preliminary and permanent injunctive relief that declares SB 277 unconstitutional, and further, restrains The State of California from enforcing SB 277 and its "immunization" mandates.
Epilogue: Freedom means nothing if you can't keep the government out of your body.
Dated: April 22, 2016 Law Offices of T. Matthew Phillips
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Note that there are ethical considerations for any attorney using funds raised from third parties. Such a firm's fiduciary duty must only run to the client(s), if any, that it would represent to challenge SB277 and such representation cannot be influenced by third parties. Hence, if sufficient funds are raised and hence not refunded, they shall be an irrevocable gift that does not entitle the gifter to any rights, legal representation, or influence, in any manner whatsoever, related in the representation of any client(s) of any firm using these funds. The only client to whom such firm will owe a fiduciary duty, whose direction it will follow, and whose interests it is fiduciary bound to protect will be the actual plaintiffs on whose behalf the firm may seek to challenge SB277. Such are the ethical restrictions that any such law firm must abide.
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text:
In the process, I list things like drivers who enter the freeway below the speed of traffic or dog owners who refuse to pick up their puppy's poop while walking around the neighborhood. I also explain that I'm not a huge fan of standing in lines... especially when it's long and I'm the last in line.
But today's post covers a situation where last isn't too bad. In fact it's great.
2014 Triple Threads Unity Relics #UJR-BL (#'d 36/36)
Back in April, I revealed my latest project that involves collecting special serial numbered cards that contain either the first card in the print run, the player's jersey number, or the final card in the print run.
2012 Certified Red Materials #225 (#'d 199/199)
Well... my buddy Woody generously donated three "Last In Line" serial numbered cards, which quadruples my previous total.
2011 Contenders Draft Class Gold #14 (#'d 100/100)
If you're not familiar with Woody, he's pretty much the jaybarkerfan of the Cardboard Connection Forums. In other words, he's one of the most generous collectors out there.
We have exchanged plenty of packages in the past where he'll send me his extra Bay Area stuff and I'll send him my extra New England area stuff.
In addition to helping me with my Special Serial Number PC, he also sent me some other PC items:
Thank you Woody for the very generous package. I had been distracted with other things, but you inspired me to go out and track down some new additions for this PC, along with a few new items for your PC as well.
Happy Sunday and sayonara!