text:
After splitting up with her cheating ex-husband, Ruby Brown is ready for a change. She's single again for the first time in years, and she's going to dive into this brave new world with a smile on her face and a spring in her step. The last thing she's looking for is another serious relationship. Mason Soames represents everything Ruby wants right now: he's charming, handsome, and perfect for some no-strings-attached fun, and yet Ruby can't help feel that something is missing.
Lily and Laurence had it all: the money, the car, a beautiful home in the Buckinghamshire countryside. Then Laurence loses his job, and everything disappears. With nowhere to turn, Lily and Laurence are forced to take their two young children and move to a flea-ridden council house on a notoriously rough estate. As they try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, Lily constantly dreams of returning to her old luxurious life. Will her dream come true, or will she learn that money doesn't always buy happiness?
Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses is Top 5 Sunday Times best-selling Carole Matthews at her outstanding best. A heart-warming and poignant novel of romance, family and second chances.
Christie Chapman is a single mum who spends her days commuting to her secretarial job in London and looking after her teenage son, Finn. It's not an easy life but Christie finds comfort in her love of crafting, and spends her spare time working on her beautiful creations. From intricately designed cards to personalised gifts, Christie's flair for the handmade knows no bounds and it's not long before opportunity comes knocking.
Christie can see a future full of hope and possibility for her and Finn - and if the handsome Max is to be believed, one full of love too. It's all there for the taking. And then, all of sudden, her world is turned upside down.
Christie knows that something has to give, but can she really give up her dreams and the chance of real love? Will Christie find her happy ending in...Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses.
Long Story for a predictable end.
The narrator sounded a lot like Carole Matthews herself, however the American accent was a little off.
As a Carole Matthews fan I have to say this is not one of her better books as the story seemed to drag on a little.
overall a heartwarming story and good easy book to listen to in the background.
What did you like best about Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses? What did you like least?
I liked the storyline of building a business. Sadly not enough of it.
I liked least the ridiculous romance elements - totally fake and unrealistic.
Most interesting - trying to build a business and winning a competition.
Least interesting - romance and other relationships. OTT.
What does Julia Barrie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Probably the same as all audio books.
Did Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses inspire you to do anything?
Maybe stop reading this type of book. I wish the authors would read the comments and have more business set up and less romance.
I would give this book 3.5 cos it's well written. Our heroine is way too wet and wimpy though.
An easy listen that had me identifying with the characters, weeping, laughing and the perfect ending.
Loved this book even though it had its sad bits it was also uplifting, and being a crafter liked that part of the storyline as well.
This book was great from start to finish, a smashing story line that has its sad moments but the ending was just great, makes me beam with happiness that the star of the book got just what she had been waiting for and so much more .
I loved this story. Great narrator. I couldn't put it down. My favourite part was when Fynn came through his operation, must admit to a few tears.
Couldn't put it down and go the end-of-a-good-book-blues when it finished. As a crafter and a chick lit fan I was in my element but even a non-crafter could enjoy the book. I do want to know what happens and there is definitely enough going on to merit a sequel. I loved the style of writing and the narration was perfect. Will be waiting for the sequel with fingers crossed!!!
Story was overall ok, a bit predictable.
But the Narrator let the main character down, voice inflections were wrong, ended up with Christy being a bit bland and Mumsy, she was very childish with her son, it was hard to realise he was 15.

lowercased:
after splitting up with her cheating ex-husband, ruby brown is ready for a change. she's single again for the first time in years, and she's going to dive into this brave new world with a smile on her face and a spring in her step. the last thing she's looking for is another serious relationship. mason soames represents everything ruby wants right now: he's charming, handsome, and perfect for some no-strings-attached fun, and yet ruby can't help feel that something is missing.
lily and laurence had it all: the money, the car, a beautiful home in the buckinghamshire countryside. then laurence loses his job, and everything disappears. with nowhere to turn, lily and laurence are forced to take their two young children and move to a flea-ridden council house on a notoriously rough estate. as they try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, lily constantly dreams of returning to her old luxurious life. will her dream come true, or will she learn that money doesn't always buy happiness?
paper hearts and summer kisses is top 5 sunday times best-selling carole matthews at her outstanding best. a heart-warming and poignant novel of romance, family and second chances.
christie chapman is a single mum who spends her days commuting to her secretarial job in london and looking after her teenage son, finn. it's not an easy life but christie finds comfort in her love of crafting, and spends her spare time working on her beautiful creations. from intricately designed cards to personalised gifts, christie's flair for the handmade knows no bounds and it's not long before opportunity comes knocking.
christie can see a future full of hope and possibility for her and finn - and if the handsome max is to be believed, one full of love too. it's all there for the taking. and then, all of sudden, her world is turned upside down.
christie knows that something has to give, but can she really give up her dreams and the chance of real love? will christie find her happy ending in...paper hearts and summer kisses.
long story for a predictable end.
the narrator sounded a lot like carole matthews herself, however the american accent was a little off.
as a carole matthews fan i have to say this is not one of her better books as the story seemed to drag on a little.
overall a heartwarming story and good easy book to listen to in the background.
what did you like best about paper hearts and summer kisses? what did you like least?
i liked the storyline of building a business. sadly not enough of it.
i liked least the ridiculous romance elements - totally fake and unrealistic.
most interesting - trying to build a business and winning a competition.
least interesting - romance and other relationships. ott.
what does julia barrie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
probably the same as all audio books.
did paper hearts and summer kisses inspire you to do anything?
maybe stop reading this type of book. i wish the authors would read the comments and have more business set up and less romance.
i would give this book 3.5 cos it's well written. our heroine is way too wet and wimpy though.
an easy listen that had me identifying with the characters, weeping, laughing and the perfect ending.
loved this book even though it had its sad bits it was also uplifting, and being a crafter liked that part of the storyline as well.
this book was great from start to finish, a smashing story line that has its sad moments but the ending was just great, makes me beam with happiness that the star of the book got just what she had been waiting for and so much more .
i loved this story. great narrator. i couldn't put it down. my favourite part was when fynn came through his operation, must admit to a few tears.
couldn't put it down and go the end-of-a-good-book-blues when it finished. as a crafter and a chick lit fan i was in my element but even a non-crafter could enjoy the book. i do want to know what happens and there is definitely enough going on to merit a sequel. i loved the style of writing and the narration was perfect. will be waiting for the sequel with fingers crossed!!!
story was overall ok, a bit predictable.
but the narrator let the main character down, voice inflections were wrong, ended up with christy being a bit bland and mumsy, she was very childish with her son, it was hard to realise he was 15.


text:
Casablanca Antique Venetian Glass Mirrored Wardrobe.
Featuring a hanging section with 4 drawers below.
The measurements are; w94.5 x d60 x h190cm.

lowercased:
casablanca antique venetian glass mirrored wardrobe.
featuring a hanging section with 4 drawers below.
the measurements are; w94.5 x d60 x h190cm.


text:
This year nine films have been given the honour of being nominated for Best Picture. I managed to catch most of them pretty early thanks to Cineworld having so many Unlimited preview screenings which certainly was a bonus! Not forgetting to mention that my number one film from 2016 is amongst the nominees as well!
It is time to have another look at each of the films that have been nominated and I will let you know what I want to win, what I think will win and what I think has an outside chance of taking home the Oscar!
This film was one of them that was released rather early in comparison to the rest of the nominees. It is a very powerful and thought-provoking film in the Sci-Fi genre which dares to be a little different and raise questions which we haven’t really seen on-screen before. With a very good performance from Amy Adams, I know a lot of people are confused that she did not get an Oscar nomination for her efforts. I will admit I am not her biggest fan but I was very impressed with her in this film.
An adaptation of the very successful play and reuniting a lot of the cast from the award-winning Broadway run from 2010. Fences is a very powerful film as a man struggles to decide how is best to raise his family and stay true to himself at the same time. Always looking back on how he missed out rather than how it can be changed for the sake of his son. Dialogue heavy being based on a play and I think my love for Theatre growing over the years as really helped me buy into films just like this one.
Based on the true story of a man who made a huge difference in war without ever firing a weapon. Taking it upon himself to save as many of the men as he physically could never giving up and wanting to put a little bit of good in the world. I felt that the film was like two merged together which did not really feel like the same one from the first part of a love story to the brutal nature of the war. The war scenes are brutal at times and that is certainly an important aspect of showing what it really is like to be battling.
This was my favourite film from 2016, I saw it at a preview screening and thought it was just fantastic. Everything about it was just slick and the build up of it was perfect. A modern western with some interesting messages to go along with it as well. As two brothers battle the system whilst chased by an almost retired cop. Oscars love Jeff Bridges and I do too! But I was equally as impressed with Foster and Pine who worked really well together in this impressive film.
I was very impressed with this film and its true story on how black women made a huge impact at NASA. Working as computers due to their incredible maths skills and having to do all of the hard numbers work as the US attempted to put men in space. I am guessing it was not a very widely known story which I thought made it even better to watch. I actually thought it should have received more nominations for Taraji P. Henson and Kevin Costner as they were both brilliant as well.
What more can I honestly saw about La La Land? As you will already know it has taken up quite a few blog posts as I have continued to gush over it again and again. I do love it and I totally get the hype around it. As a huge musicals fan this was always going to be a film I wanted to see, I will admit that I was slightly nervous heading to see it for the first time as I was scared that I could have ended up disappointed. Luckily that did not happen and I will be very happy if it does an incredible Oscars sweep in all honesty. The musical numbers just work so well and the performances from Stone and Gosling are brilliant to watch.
An inspiring true story about a young Indian boy who ends up lost hundred of miles away from his home and in a true twist of fate gets adopted by a couple in Australia. As he grows up he becomes haunted by his young life and really wants to find his birth mother and siblings. We closely follow both journeys and cannot help but wait to see a happy ending in a truly horrendous situation. With fantastic performances to keep you engaged, even when the second half takes the slower turn and the huge use of Google world.
A powerful drama which relies heavily on the performances from Affleck and Hedges, which are impressive but not outstanding in my opinion. I don’t think they are much different to what we usually get for awards, but it does take a look at how low your life can really go and ways in which you can then deal with this, or struggle to deal with the events which unfold.
You will probably already know that I am not a fan of anything about this film. I thought it was very poor and confused to why it has even been nominated. It’s in three parts as the character shows changes from the different stages of his life, which I will admit could have been really interesting. But I felt the changes were too drastic and the fact it all ends up about one tiny event and coming back round to that took even more away from it. I think with this one you seem to either hate it or you love it and are blown away by it.
I think you’re right, it should be a big night for La La Land and I’m fine with that. Arrival was my favorite of 2016 but it doesn’t have a chance. I’m also with you on Moonlight. Baffled at how it’s treated like a modern masterpiece. I liked the first segment but the drop off from their is dramatic. The rest felt extremely light.
Yeah I think the toughest thing for a lot of the films was seeing them after the nominations as that certainly does place added pressure on to what you expect from the film.
I loved Lion so much – what a tearjerker. I am among the people who love Moonlight, and I hope that wins Best Picture. To each their own!
I felt the same way about Birdman. I appreciate it but I am not a fan. But I kept persevering and continue my intense film watching haha.
Haha, oh I loved Birdman. I think its great we have opposing opinions on these films fantastic for conversations!
Seeing Fences and Hidden Figures, but probably wont make it to see Moonlight. I wouldn’t have nominated LaLa Land but would be happy with tge others winning. A strong category.
Wow not even a nomination?!?! I think you’re going to be very angry with the Oscars come Monday!
I saw La La Land before all the hype and at the time I thought it was a very enjoyable film. I must admit the first time I saw the trailer I knew it was going to be a shoo-in for the Oscars. It feels like Hollywood congratulating itself and in these days of blockbusters, sequels and comic book films this came as a breath of fresh air. I wouldn’t have nominated it, particularly when you compare it to the great Moulin Rouge!
but everything is pointing to La La Land.
I love La La Land as you know, going to see it again tomorrow afternoon!
I wasn’t overly impressed with Silence as I found it boring at times. Thought Garfield was great though!
La La Land again – you devil!!
I wanted to last month, but by the time everything else was out it was off. Cineworld have all Oscar films on over next few days.

lowercased:
this year nine films have been given the honour of being nominated for best picture. i managed to catch most of them pretty early thanks to cineworld having so many unlimited preview screenings which certainly was a bonus! not forgetting to mention that my number one film from 2016 is amongst the nominees as well!
it is time to have another look at each of the films that have been nominated and i will let you know what i want to win, what i think will win and what i think has an outside chance of taking home the oscar!
this film was one of them that was released rather early in comparison to the rest of the nominees. it is a very powerful and thought-provoking film in the sci-fi genre which dares to be a little different and raise questions which we haven’t really seen on-screen before. with a very good performance from amy adams, i know a lot of people are confused that she did not get an oscar nomination for her efforts. i will admit i am not her biggest fan but i was very impressed with her in this film.
an adaptation of the very successful play and reuniting a lot of the cast from the award-winning broadway run from 2010. fences is a very powerful film as a man struggles to decide how is best to raise his family and stay true to himself at the same time. always looking back on how he missed out rather than how it can be changed for the sake of his son. dialogue heavy being based on a play and i think my love for theatre growing over the years as really helped me buy into films just like this one.
based on the true story of a man who made a huge difference in war without ever firing a weapon. taking it upon himself to save as many of the men as he physically could never giving up and wanting to put a little bit of good in the world. i felt that the film was like two merged together which did not really feel like the same one from the first part of a love story to the brutal nature of the war. the war scenes are brutal at times and that is certainly an important aspect of showing what it really is like to be battling.
this was my favourite film from 2016, i saw it at a preview screening and thought it was just fantastic. everything about it was just slick and the build up of it was perfect. a modern western with some interesting messages to go along with it as well. as two brothers battle the system whilst chased by an almost retired cop. oscars love jeff bridges and i do too! but i was equally as impressed with foster and pine who worked really well together in this impressive film.
i was very impressed with this film and its true story on how black women made a huge impact at nasa. working as computers due to their incredible maths skills and having to do all of the hard numbers work as the us attempted to put men in space. i am guessing it was not a very widely known story which i thought made it even better to watch. i actually thought it should have received more nominations for taraji p. henson and kevin costner as they were both brilliant as well.
what more can i honestly saw about la la land? as you will already know it has taken up quite a few blog posts as i have continued to gush over it again and again. i do love it and i totally get the hype around it. as a huge musicals fan this was always going to be a film i wanted to see, i will admit that i was slightly nervous heading to see it for the first time as i was scared that i could have ended up disappointed. luckily that did not happen and i will be very happy if it does an incredible oscars sweep in all honesty. the musical numbers just work so well and the performances from stone and gosling are brilliant to watch.
an inspiring true story about a young indian boy who ends up lost hundred of miles away from his home and in a true twist of fate gets adopted by a couple in australia. as he grows up he becomes haunted by his young life and really wants to find his birth mother and siblings. we closely follow both journeys and cannot help but wait to see a happy ending in a truly horrendous situation. with fantastic performances to keep you engaged, even when the second half takes the slower turn and the huge use of google world.
a powerful drama which relies heavily on the performances from affleck and hedges, which are impressive but not outstanding in my opinion. i don’t think they are much different to what we usually get for awards, but it does take a look at how low your life can really go and ways in which you can then deal with this, or struggle to deal with the events which unfold.
you will probably already know that i am not a fan of anything about this film. i thought it was very poor and confused to why it has even been nominated. it’s in three parts as the character shows changes from the different stages of his life, which i will admit could have been really interesting. but i felt the changes were too drastic and the fact it all ends up about one tiny event and coming back round to that took even more away from it. i think with this one you seem to either hate it or you love it and are blown away by it.
i think you’re right, it should be a big night for la la land and i’m fine with that. arrival was my favorite of 2016 but it doesn’t have a chance. i’m also with you on moonlight. baffled at how it’s treated like a modern masterpiece. i liked the first segment but the drop off from their is dramatic. the rest felt extremely light.
yeah i think the toughest thing for a lot of the films was seeing them after the nominations as that certainly does place added pressure on to what you expect from the film.
i loved lion so much – what a tearjerker. i am among the people who love moonlight, and i hope that wins best picture. to each their own!
i felt the same way about birdman. i appreciate it but i am not a fan. but i kept persevering and continue my intense film watching haha.
haha, oh i loved birdman. i think its great we have opposing opinions on these films fantastic for conversations!
seeing fences and hidden figures, but probably wont make it to see moonlight. i wouldn’t have nominated lala land but would be happy with tge others winning. a strong category.
wow not even a nomination?!?! i think you’re going to be very angry with the oscars come monday!
i saw la la land before all the hype and at the time i thought it was a very enjoyable film. i must admit the first time i saw the trailer i knew it was going to be a shoo-in for the oscars. it feels like hollywood congratulating itself and in these days of blockbusters, sequels and comic book films this came as a breath of fresh air. i wouldn’t have nominated it, particularly when you compare it to the great moulin rouge!
but everything is pointing to la la land.
i love la la land as you know, going to see it again tomorrow afternoon!
i wasn’t overly impressed with silence as i found it boring at times. thought garfield was great though!
la la land again – you devil!!
i wanted to last month, but by the time everything else was out it was off. cineworld have all oscar films on over next few days.


text:
HOLLYWOOD–September 26 marked the official opening of the Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School’s state of the art gymnasium and library. It was a significant day in the school’s 35-year history as it represented the culmination of years of tireless work and dedication. Inspired by the biblical story of Noah’s ark–the library finds itself in "floating" form as it hovers above the gymnasium roof. School Principal Viken Yacoubian expressed that the library symbolizes transition and the immigran’s’ voyage–yet it is anchored firmly with huge columns representing Armenia’s heritage and culture.
Many community members and supporters were on hand–as student council president Ara Tomassian–the afternoon’s emcee–welcomed them. After Reverend Vassilian offered his blessings and congratulations–Board of Regents of Prelacy Schools member Roubina Peroomian spoke enthusiastically about the worthwhile project and its journey to completion.
Inspirational words by US Congresswoman Diane Watson–representing California’s 33rd Congressional district–encouraged the preservation of ethnicity and culture and praised the school’s integral role in educating young Armenian American students. She said the 33rd district–with its mix of Armenia’s–Greeks–Hispanics–among other ethnicities–is a true reflection of what America is about. The Congresswoman’spoke of parallels between the Armenian and African American communities–remarking–"We share a common heritage of having been transported through the diaspora to a new home in America." Watson noted the resilience of the Armenia’s–despite its history of suffering–and the unique contributions the Armenian American community has made to society. Pledging her continued commitment to representing Armenia’s in her district–Watson said that through such endeavors–"Your children and children’s children will never forget who they are."
On behalf of the school’s finance committee–Marie Demirjian extended gratitude to all who helped endlessly in the actualization of the project. Angela Sassounian–a member of the educational committee–said that the library will not only serve the needs of the students–but also the school’s teachers and parents–as well as the larger Pilibos family.
As the afternoon came to a close–Principal Viken Yacoubian acknowledged not only those who dedicated themselves to the project in the present time–but specifically extended appreciation to "those who came before us. It is the force of their vision–love–and commitment that has made the project possible." He remarked that the school will continue on its path–as the vision of becoming an integral part of the larger society–while being "anchored" by our Armenian heritage is realized.
StudioWorks Architects’ principals Robert Mangurian and Mary-Ann Ray–who designed the stunning building–were also present during the ceremony. They found harmony in the contradictory building types by fusing "exercise of the body" and "education of the mind." The pomegranate-red library can be entered through an existing four-story classroom building by elevator or via outdoor stairs with metal treads and jaunty nautical railings. Inside–the library is one big–long room housing 9,000 Armenian and English-language books–a reading room–a children’s storytelling nook–an online research area–and a librarian’s office. The 14,000-square-foot gym includes regulation high school basketball and volleyball facilities–bleacher seating for 275 people–a student store–an exercise room–locker rooms–restrooms–coaches’ offices–a maintenance shop–and equipment storage.

lowercased:
hollywood–september 26 marked the official opening of the rose & alex pilibos armenian school’s state of the art gymnasium and library. it was a significant day in the school’s 35-year history as it represented the culmination of years of tireless work and dedication. inspired by the biblical story of noah’s ark–the library finds itself in "floating" form as it hovers above the gymnasium roof. school principal viken yacoubian expressed that the library symbolizes transition and the immigran’s’ voyage–yet it is anchored firmly with huge columns representing armenia’s heritage and culture.
many community members and supporters were on hand–as student council president ara tomassian–the afternoon’s emcee–welcomed them. after reverend vassilian offered his blessings and congratulations–board of regents of prelacy schools member roubina peroomian spoke enthusiastically about the worthwhile project and its journey to completion.
inspirational words by us congresswoman diane watson–representing california’s 33rd congressional district–encouraged the preservation of ethnicity and culture and praised the school’s integral role in educating young armenian american students. she said the 33rd district–with its mix of armenia’s–greeks–hispanics–among other ethnicities–is a true reflection of what america is about. the congresswoman’spoke of parallels between the armenian and african american communities–remarking–"we share a common heritage of having been transported through the diaspora to a new home in america." watson noted the resilience of the armenia’s–despite its history of suffering–and the unique contributions the armenian american community has made to society. pledging her continued commitment to representing armenia’s in her district–watson said that through such endeavors–"your children and children’s children will never forget who they are."
on behalf of the school’s finance committee–marie demirjian extended gratitude to all who helped endlessly in the actualization of the project. angela sassounian–a member of the educational committee–said that the library will not only serve the needs of the students–but also the school’s teachers and parents–as well as the larger pilibos family.
as the afternoon came to a close–principal viken yacoubian acknowledged not only those who dedicated themselves to the project in the present time–but specifically extended appreciation to "those who came before us. it is the force of their vision–love–and commitment that has made the project possible." he remarked that the school will continue on its path–as the vision of becoming an integral part of the larger society–while being "anchored" by our armenian heritage is realized.
studioworks architects’ principals robert mangurian and mary-ann ray–who designed the stunning building–were also present during the ceremony. they found harmony in the contradictory building types by fusing "exercise of the body" and "education of the mind." the pomegranate-red library can be entered through an existing four-story classroom building by elevator or via outdoor stairs with metal treads and jaunty nautical railings. inside–the library is one big–long room housing 9,000 armenian and english-language books–a reading room–a children’s storytelling nook–an online research area–and a librarian’s office. the 14,000-square-foot gym includes regulation high school basketball and volleyball facilities–bleacher seating for 275 people–a student store–an exercise room–locker rooms–restrooms–coaches’ offices–a maintenance shop–and equipment storage.


text: Blank baseball jerseys in plain adult and youth team styles. Design custom baseball jerseys from over 100 blank full button, two button and v-neck styles. Customize baseball jerseys with screen printing, sublimation or sewn tackle twill. Add custom logos, numbers and names. Team discounts apply to orders of 11 or more baseball jerseys. Our custom sales and artwork teams can design team jerseys sure to be the talk of your adult or youth baseball league.

lowercased: blank baseball jerseys in plain adult and youth team styles. design custom baseball jerseys from over 100 blank full button, two button and v-neck styles. customize baseball jerseys with screen printing, sublimation or sewn tackle twill. add custom logos, numbers and names. team discounts apply to orders of 11 or more baseball jerseys. our custom sales and artwork teams can design team jerseys sure to be the talk of your adult or youth baseball league.


text:
The result [of increasing student loans] is over $800 billion in outstanding student debt, over 30 percent of it securitized, and the federal government directly or indirectly on the hook for almost all of it.
Yowch. Of particular interest, if you happen to be or know someone with student debts or probable future student debts, is Harris’s overview of how higher ed has shifted to a corporate-ized model over the last forty years or so. Tuition costs have exploded, which means students take on more debt–but there’s less and less assurance that when they graduate they’ll have a job at all, much less a job allowing them to pay off $50,000 while also establishing a household and a life. At the same time, high-cost university courses are more likely than ever to be taught by adjuncts or graduate students, who are paid little and have no job security.
And while the proportion of tenure-track teaching faculty has dwindled, the number of managers has skyrocketed in both relative and absolute terms. If current trends continue, the Department of Education estimates that by 2014 there will be more administrators than instructors at American four-year nonprofit colleges. A bigger administration also consumes a larger portion of available funds, so it’s unsurprising that budget shares for instruction and student services have dipped over the past fifteen years.
In today’s Oregonian (our newspaper around these parts) was a piece about a bipartisan state bill (HB 2732) that was just passed, requiring high school students to apply to university, the military, or an apprenticeship program before they can receive their high school diploma. There’s no requirement that people actually follow through (although an application to enlist in the military seems potentially binding to me) but the bill is on its way to the Senate. No word on whether the state will put any more money into actually funding degrees for those students who are accepted.
Wow…Miller Library at McPherson College has really raised the bar for interesting, lighthearted, student-friendly collateral. Their Library of the Living Dead comic is irreverent and snappy and well-drawn, thanks to creators Matt Upson and Mike Hall.
There’s a great interview with them by Lizz Zitron over at The Outreach Librarian.
I’m tagging this one “infographics,” just for the heck of it.

lowercased:
the result [of increasing student loans] is over $800 billion in outstanding student debt, over 30 percent of it securitized, and the federal government directly or indirectly on the hook for almost all of it.
yowch. of particular interest, if you happen to be or know someone with student debts or probable future student debts, is harris’s overview of how higher ed has shifted to a corporate-ized model over the last forty years or so. tuition costs have exploded, which means students take on more debt–but there’s less and less assurance that when they graduate they’ll have a job at all, much less a job allowing them to pay off $50,000 while also establishing a household and a life. at the same time, high-cost university courses are more likely than ever to be taught by adjuncts or graduate students, who are paid little and have no job security.
and while the proportion of tenure-track teaching faculty has dwindled, the number of managers has skyrocketed in both relative and absolute terms. if current trends continue, the department of education estimates that by 2014 there will be more administrators than instructors at american four-year nonprofit colleges. a bigger administration also consumes a larger portion of available funds, so it’s unsurprising that budget shares for instruction and student services have dipped over the past fifteen years.
in today’s oregonian (our newspaper around these parts) was a piece about a bipartisan state bill (hb 2732) that was just passed, requiring high school students to apply to university, the military, or an apprenticeship program before they can receive their high school diploma. there’s no requirement that people actually follow through (although an application to enlist in the military seems potentially binding to me) but the bill is on its way to the senate. no word on whether the state will put any more money into actually funding degrees for those students who are accepted.
wow…miller library at mcpherson college has really raised the bar for interesting, lighthearted, student-friendly collateral. their library of the living dead comic is irreverent and snappy and well-drawn, thanks to creators matt upson and mike hall.
there’s a great interview with them by lizz zitron over at the outreach librarian.
i’m tagging this one “infographics,” just for the heck of it.


text:
I signed up for Monzo due to what I have seen on colleagues IOS App. Now I question whether that was wise even during a Beta period.
I don’t understand how any developer for a mobile OS can develop a financial application without ANY security features.
Implementing a simple Pin or Password, Fingerprint Sign on or even JUST the requirement of re-entering the CVV number when depositing - cannot be rocket science.
If it is for your developers, then an app like that should not be released.
You require users to sign up with a debit card, some of which itself don’t have any advanced fraud protection, deposit £100 yet any further deposit can be done without any further security.
If I would accidentally leave my wallet and unlocked phone laying around, someone can instantly load up the card with whatever I got available on my current account and go shopping before I even realise what happened and potentially lose it all as Debit cards don’t have the same fraud protection as credit cards.
Now why ironic ? Because you require a 10-Character password for a community account, where the worst that could happen is someone ‘stealing’ my email address and potential real name.
[Q&A] Ask us about Pulse!
But if you lost your wallet and phone they could go shopping with all of your cards anyway (if they are contactless). I’m not sure why they would bother transferring money from one of your debit cards in the wallet to your Monzo card rather than just using your debit cards directly?
I’m not sure why further security is needed for a deposit as that can only result in you gaining money? For a withdrawal and for general privacy pin/fingerprint access could be useful.
People should have their phone locked down though given it is probably the one item that could give someone almost complete access to your life.
If a criminal had your wallet and unlocked phone wouldn’t they just go on a spree with your current account card rather than topping up the monzo card from your current account to go on a spree?
There is no reason why i need loads of passwords to look at my account, that is just the status quo and monzo are legends for seeing that.
I have legacy accounts with layers and layers of security to view the account online, and someone managed to take a picture of my cards and rinse it out online. By the time i found out they had maxed everything with dozens of transactions. If i had monzo at the time i would have got a ding and frozen it straight away. You cant get any more secure than that. If you love unneccessary layers of security i highly recommend First Direct!
Just on a slightly different aspect of what you were saying. When topping up from my current account to my Monzo card I have to go through Verified by Visa to do so.
Theoretically , Maybe if you had your wallet stolen and had the monzo card and another non contactless card, you could use the non contactless to top up the monzo and then go spending on the contactless.
Ah you’re still here! Good. Enjoying Monzo?
looks on the images shown so for me that’s a huge plus. It’s still a little to bright for my tastes but it’s growing on me.
yet. I guess I don’t see Monzo as it’s now really doing anything fresh.
I have not used but would no doubt be really useful to those who use it.
including talking to the Monzo team if need be.
think then everything will come together.
The ease of use in “freezing” the card is an excellent security measure.
I notice that the iOS app can also utilise TouchID - I hope the Android app will also soon hook into the fingerprint sensors.
As someone who uses both Android and iOS, I’d say that if anything, the fingerprint sensor on my Nexus 6P is even faster than Apple’s sensors.
As long as your phone is secured with a fingerprint sensor, PIN/password/etc I really don’t think there’s anything to worry about. People who steal phones are usually looking to wipe them as soon as possible these days due to location tracking features. Not go poking around in apps and potentially revealing details.
I must say I was slightly surprised there was no security checks when topping up via debit card, although admittedly it makes it more convenient.
I pressed the top up button expecting it to ask for a security code or at least a confirmation dialogue.
The potential for someone to pick up your phone and deposit £1000s in your Monzo acc (e.g. child, hilarious friend) is slightly worrying.
I wouldn’t be overly worried about fraud in this case, more how I would transfer the money back, and what my current account provider will charge in fees!
Good point actually - I am not sure you can transfer money out of the card back into a bank account ?
Depending on the amount, that could take a while, given the daily limits at ATMs. Either way, to fix it, you pay fees, ATM, PayPal, whatever.
Not sure why it is such a bad idea to have at least the option of additional security.
There is the argument of protecting your phone with pin whatever. I don’t need to. Phone is insured, my mobile plan is unlimited and protected against miss-use and emails are received in a Sandbox (Samsung Knox) and any other financial app requires fingerprint to open.
Now I got two options with Monzo on Android.
Either way, I am happy to still use it, but I don’t see why having an option is such a bad idea.
I find that interesting that you don’t bother securing your phone - I take it that you don’t have any sort of passwords auto saved in your browser or anything?
I personally don’t secure my phone either. I use last pass to store all my passwords (with a very secure master password), I’m on prepay so no risk of anyone running up a huge bill, and all banking apps have multi-factor authentication (except monzo).
I think it’s great that I can view Monzo without typing in multiple passwords but I do think a 4 digit pin code on debit card top ups is sensible.
I am using KeyPass for passwords, which is cross platform and I don’t store anything in the browser either. Even if I do accidentally, I am logged into chrome and cleaning history works across platforms also.
So if I notice I lost my phone, I can simply wipe my history from any device.
You can also remotely wipe the device using google device manager.
As someone with a huge interest in mobile security, it’s always fascinating the different ways users choose to secure their devices.
Without any kind of device protection on Android though, anybody can grab your device and use it, set up ADB, extract any data they want, run practically any code they want, lock you out of any ADM actions and begin breaking in to accounts using recovery methods including SMS and phone calls using your number.
Then you should be one who would support additional security on financial applications, rather than saying you need to secure your phone instead.
So i now rely on Monzo on android to top up.
Hopefully a pin to open the app / topup is the next feature on ios/andorid.

lowercased:
i signed up for monzo due to what i have seen on colleagues ios app. now i question whether that was wise even during a beta period.
i don’t understand how any developer for a mobile os can develop a financial application without any security features.
implementing a simple pin or password, fingerprint sign on or even just the requirement of re-entering the cvv number when depositing - cannot be rocket science.
if it is for your developers, then an app like that should not be released.
you require users to sign up with a debit card, some of which itself don’t have any advanced fraud protection, deposit £100 yet any further deposit can be done without any further security.
if i would accidentally leave my wallet and unlocked phone laying around, someone can instantly load up the card with whatever i got available on my current account and go shopping before i even realise what happened and potentially lose it all as debit cards don’t have the same fraud protection as credit cards.
now why ironic ? because you require a 10-character password for a community account, where the worst that could happen is someone ‘stealing’ my email address and potential real name.
[q&a] ask us about pulse!
but if you lost your wallet and phone they could go shopping with all of your cards anyway (if they are contactless). i’m not sure why they would bother transferring money from one of your debit cards in the wallet to your monzo card rather than just using your debit cards directly?
i’m not sure why further security is needed for a deposit as that can only result in you gaining money? for a withdrawal and for general privacy pin/fingerprint access could be useful.
people should have their phone locked down though given it is probably the one item that could give someone almost complete access to your life.
if a criminal had your wallet and unlocked phone wouldn’t they just go on a spree with your current account card rather than topping up the monzo card from your current account to go on a spree?
there is no reason why i need loads of passwords to look at my account, that is just the status quo and monzo are legends for seeing that.
i have legacy accounts with layers and layers of security to view the account online, and someone managed to take a picture of my cards and rinse it out online. by the time i found out they had maxed everything with dozens of transactions. if i had monzo at the time i would have got a ding and frozen it straight away. you cant get any more secure than that. if you love unneccessary layers of security i highly recommend first direct!
just on a slightly different aspect of what you were saying. when topping up from my current account to my monzo card i have to go through verified by visa to do so.
theoretically , maybe if you had your wallet stolen and had the monzo card and another non contactless card, you could use the non contactless to top up the monzo and then go spending on the contactless.
ah you’re still here! good. enjoying monzo?
looks on the images shown so for me that’s a huge plus. it’s still a little to bright for my tastes but it’s growing on me.
yet. i guess i don’t see monzo as it’s now really doing anything fresh.
i have not used but would no doubt be really useful to those who use it.
including talking to the monzo team if need be.
think then everything will come together.
the ease of use in “freezing” the card is an excellent security measure.
i notice that the ios app can also utilise touchid - i hope the android app will also soon hook into the fingerprint sensors.
as someone who uses both android and ios, i’d say that if anything, the fingerprint sensor on my nexus 6p is even faster than apple’s sensors.
as long as your phone is secured with a fingerprint sensor, pin/password/etc i really don’t think there’s anything to worry about. people who steal phones are usually looking to wipe them as soon as possible these days due to location tracking features. not go poking around in apps and potentially revealing details.
i must say i was slightly surprised there was no security checks when topping up via debit card, although admittedly it makes it more convenient.
i pressed the top up button expecting it to ask for a security code or at least a confirmation dialogue.
the potential for someone to pick up your phone and deposit £1000s in your monzo acc (e.g. child, hilarious friend) is slightly worrying.
i wouldn’t be overly worried about fraud in this case, more how i would transfer the money back, and what my current account provider will charge in fees!
good point actually - i am not sure you can transfer money out of the card back into a bank account ?
depending on the amount, that could take a while, given the daily limits at atms. either way, to fix it, you pay fees, atm, paypal, whatever.
not sure why it is such a bad idea to have at least the option of additional security.
there is the argument of protecting your phone with pin whatever. i don’t need to. phone is insured, my mobile plan is unlimited and protected against miss-use and emails are received in a sandbox (samsung knox) and any other financial app requires fingerprint to open.
now i got two options with monzo on android.
either way, i am happy to still use it, but i don’t see why having an option is such a bad idea.
i find that interesting that you don’t bother securing your phone - i take it that you don’t have any sort of passwords auto saved in your browser or anything?
i personally don’t secure my phone either. i use last pass to store all my passwords (with a very secure master password), i’m on prepay so no risk of anyone running up a huge bill, and all banking apps have multi-factor authentication (except monzo).
i think it’s great that i can view monzo without typing in multiple passwords but i do think a 4 digit pin code on debit card top ups is sensible.
i am using keypass for passwords, which is cross platform and i don’t store anything in the browser either. even if i do accidentally, i am logged into chrome and cleaning history works across platforms also.
so if i notice i lost my phone, i can simply wipe my history from any device.
you can also remotely wipe the device using google device manager.
as someone with a huge interest in mobile security, it’s always fascinating the different ways users choose to secure their devices.
without any kind of device protection on android though, anybody can grab your device and use it, set up adb, extract any data they want, run practically any code they want, lock you out of any adm actions and begin breaking in to accounts using recovery methods including sms and phone calls using your number.
then you should be one who would support additional security on financial applications, rather than saying you need to secure your phone instead.
so i now rely on monzo on android to top up.
hopefully a pin to open the app / topup is the next feature on ios/andorid.


text:
Just want you to know that I let the Cat Sitter touch me this morning.
Just the fact that she'd use the word *relationship* indicates to me that she needs to do a better job of managing her expectations.
I better sharpen my claws get ready for our next encounter.
It's been 14 days since Glogirly left me.
2 whole weeks already? Will she ever return? I'd probably be ok with the deal if the cat sitter has access to good aged cheddar.
pee ess...if she does, let me know so I can teleport over.
Hey isn't that a SOS sign on the steps! Do you need me to come over and run that sitter off? Hang in there Katie! and Waffles too.
We can't believe Glogirly has been gone for two weeks. Just hang on, Katie. It feels like it'll go on forever, but it won't.
Poor, sweet, Katie girl! You must have forgotten what Glogirly looks like by now. When you close your eyes, does the catsitter's head float into view? If so, it's too late. You really do LIKE her!
Maybe she has run off Katie. Maybe she is living with ANOTHER PET!!!!
Hmmmm, who is that strange woman in the goat pen?
I let my pet sitter touch me... but she DOES understand that it is a great gift that I give her.
You could use those handcoughs to attach the cat sitter on that railing Katie! We're running out of ideas to help you! You poor little thing!
She touched you?? Did she not remember the rules that you will have laid down the minute she walked into YOUR house??
LOL Katie your claws look pretty sharp from over here. You stand your ground. Have a terrific Thursday.
Oh Katie ... 2 weeks?!? Are they really going to return?!? It may be wise to grace your sitter with the privilege of touching you, especially with Orange Stuff constantly sucking up!!! Stay strong Katie!
We see the SOS sign on the steps, Katie! Isn't anyone listening? Hurry home, Glogirly.
ew...i hope you took a good long baff after that, Miss K. what is with all those grabby-hands? they really can't control themselves, can they? well, we can all see how much this trauma is wearing you down, Dear Katie, so I hope you keep good notes of all your miseries and mental distresses, so you can adequately present Negligent Owner wif teh bill.
x p.s. sorry for the deleted comment above!
It's been 14 DAYS??!!! OMC OMC!! What was Glogirly thinking when she left so long??????!!!!
oh Katie, what ever were you thinking??
We hope Glogirly and Gloman aren't going "Around the World in 80 Days"!!!
We're getting worried about you Miss Katie, we fear you may be dropping from disdain to tolerance!
We are convinced Glogirly is never coming back. And as for that little Waffles, well, you can send him along to us and the Four Housecats of the Apocalypse will show him a little humility.
Katie darling...come over here and bring Waffles (yes, I said that).
I warn you, Katie, she's NOT COMING BACK! She's moved in with Spitty and Savannah and their humans. Oh the pain! Woe is the cat! But you're starting to get over her already.
Poor Katie, I sure hope she gets home soon!
Gee....are we sure Glogirly isn't stuck in a P-T-U somewhere????
Allie: Oh girlfriend! You should do what *I* did...smile really wide and swish your tail like mad. They think you're going to murder them in their sleep. It worked for me - she was terrified by the time Mother returned!
Oh Katie , I do hope your Glogirly comes home real soon !

lowercased:
just want you to know that i let the cat sitter touch me this morning.
just the fact that she'd use the word *relationship* indicates to me that she needs to do a better job of managing her expectations.
i better sharpen my claws get ready for our next encounter.
it's been 14 days since glogirly left me.
2 whole weeks already? will she ever return? i'd probably be ok with the deal if the cat sitter has access to good aged cheddar.
pee ess...if she does, let me know so i can teleport over.
hey isn't that a sos sign on the steps! do you need me to come over and run that sitter off? hang in there katie! and waffles too.
we can't believe glogirly has been gone for two weeks. just hang on, katie. it feels like it'll go on forever, but it won't.
poor, sweet, katie girl! you must have forgotten what glogirly looks like by now. when you close your eyes, does the catsitter's head float into view? if so, it's too late. you really do like her!
maybe she has run off katie. maybe she is living with another pet!!!!
hmmmm, who is that strange woman in the goat pen?
i let my pet sitter touch me... but she does understand that it is a great gift that i give her.
you could use those handcoughs to attach the cat sitter on that railing katie! we're running out of ideas to help you! you poor little thing!
she touched you?? did she not remember the rules that you will have laid down the minute she walked into your house??
lol katie your claws look pretty sharp from over here. you stand your ground. have a terrific thursday.
oh katie ... 2 weeks?!? are they really going to return?!? it may be wise to grace your sitter with the privilege of touching you, especially with orange stuff constantly sucking up!!! stay strong katie!
we see the sos sign on the steps, katie! isn't anyone listening? hurry home, glogirly.
ew...i hope you took a good long baff after that, miss k. what is with all those grabby-hands? they really can't control themselves, can they? well, we can all see how much this trauma is wearing you down, dear katie, so i hope you keep good notes of all your miseries and mental distresses, so you can adequately present negligent owner wif teh bill.
x p.s. sorry for the deleted comment above!
it's been 14 days??!!! omc omc!! what was glogirly thinking when she left so long??????!!!!
oh katie, what ever were you thinking??
we hope glogirly and gloman aren't going "around the world in 80 days"!!!
we're getting worried about you miss katie, we fear you may be dropping from disdain to tolerance!
we are convinced glogirly is never coming back. and as for that little waffles, well, you can send him along to us and the four housecats of the apocalypse will show him a little humility.
katie darling...come over here and bring waffles (yes, i said that).
i warn you, katie, she's not coming back! she's moved in with spitty and savannah and their humans. oh the pain! woe is the cat! but you're starting to get over her already.
poor katie, i sure hope she gets home soon!
gee....are we sure glogirly isn't stuck in a p-t-u somewhere????
allie: oh girlfriend! you should do what *i* did...smile really wide and swish your tail like mad. they think you're going to murder them in their sleep. it worked for me - she was terrified by the time mother returned!
oh katie , i do hope your glogirly comes home real soon !


text:
Find out how you could be facing fear to create the foundation for true spiritual awakening.
Maria described herself, during our first therapy session, as a "prisoner of fear." Her slight frame was tense, and her dark eyes had an apprehensive look. From the outside, she said, her life appeared to be going very well. As a social worker, she was a strong advocate for her clients. She had good friends, and she had been living with her partner, Jeff, for three years. Yet her incessant worrying about how things might go wrong clouded every experience.
When stuck in morning traffic, Maria was gripped with fear about being late for work. She was perpetually anxious about disappointing her clients or saying the wrong thing at staff lunches. Any hint of making a mistake spiraled into a fear of being fired. At home, if Jeff spoke in a sharp tone, Maria's heart pounded and her stomach knotted up. "This morning he complained that I'd left the gas tank near empty, and I thought, 'He's going to walk out and never come back,'" she said. Maria could never shake the feeling that just around the corner, things were going to fall apart.
Maria was living in what I call the trance of fear. When you are in this trance, fearful thoughts and emotions take over and obscure the larger truths of life. You forget the love between you and your dear ones; you forget the beauty of the natural world; you forget your essential goodness and wholeness. You expect trouble and are unable to live in the present moment.
Brain chemistry and genetics may predispose a person to excessive fearfulness, and it can be fueled by societal circumstances, such as the perception of a terrorist threat. Traumatic childhood experiences may also give rise to the trance of fear.
For Maria, the fear took hold in elementary school, when her mother was holding down two jobs and going to night school, leaving Maria to care for her two younger siblings. Her father worked erratically, drank too much, and had an unpredictable temper. "He would barge in at dinnertime, red-faced and angry, yell at me, and then disappear into his room," she told me. "I had no idea what I'd done wrong." When Maria was 13, her father vanished without a word, and she always felt that she had driven him away.
It is understandable that Maria's fear of her father's anger became linked with a belief that her "badness" made him leave. But even if your personal history is not so distressing, you might spend a part of your life worrying about the ways in which you aren't good enough.
Fear itself is a natural and necessary part of being alive. All living beings experience themselves as separate, with a sense of "me in here" and "the world out there." And that sense of separateness leads you to recognize that you can be injured by others, and that, eventually, the "me in here" will die. At the same time, you are genetically programmed to keep yourself alive and free from harm, and it is fear that signals you to respond when threats arise. It lets you know to hit the brakes when the car in front of you suddenly stops, or to call 911 if you are having chest pain.
The problem is that fear often works overtime. Mark Twain said it well when he quipped: "I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." Think for just a minute about all of the time you've spent fearful and worrying. Looking back, you might see that much of what you fearfully anticipated turned out fine. Precious moments in life—moments that could have been full of love, creativity, and presence—were taken over by habitual fear.
Here's the good news: When you bring what I call unconditional presence to the trance of fear, you create the foundation for true spiritual awakening. In other words, as you learn to face your fears with courage and kindness, you discover the loving awareness that is your true nature. This awakening is the essence of all healing, and its fruition is the freedom to live and love fully.
While the basic experience of fear is that "something is wrong," many people turn that feeling into "there must be something wrong with me." This is especially true in Western culture, where one's sense of belonging to family, community, and the natural world is often weak and the pressure to achieve is so strong. You may feel as though you must live up to certain standards in order to be loved, so you constantly monitor yourself, trying to see if you're falling short.
When you live in this trance of fear, you instinctively develop strategies to protect yourself. I call these attempts to find safety and relief "false refuges," since they work, at best, only for the time being.
One such strategy is physical contraction. When you stay trapped in fear, you begin to feel tight and guarded, even when there is no immediate threat. Your shoulders may become permanently knotted and raised, your head thrust forward, your back hunched, your belly tense. Chronic fear can generate a permanent suit of armor. In such a state, we become, as the Tibetan teacher Chögyam Trungpa taught, a bundle of tense muscles defending our very existence.
The trance of fear traps the mind in rigid patterns, too. The mind obsesses and produces endless stories, reminding you of the bad things that might happen and creating strategies to avoid them.
In addition to physical armoring and mental obsession, there are many well-worn behavioral strategies for reducing or avoiding fear. You might run from fear by staying busy, trying to accomplish a lot, or judging others critically to boost your ego. Or maybe you take the popular approach of numbing yourself by indulging in too much food, drugs, or alcohol. Yet no amount of doing or numbing can erase the undercurrents of feeling fearful and unworthy. In fact, the efforts you make to avoid fear and prove yourself worthy only reinforce the deep sense of being separate and inadequate. When you run from fear and take false refuge, you miss being in the very place where genuine healing and peace are possible.
Bringing compassion and mindfulness directly to the experience of fear will help dissolve the trance, taking you inside to the real refuge of unconditional presence. Compassion is the spacious quality of heart that allows and holds with tenderness whatever you are experiencing. It seeks to answer the question, Can I meet this moment, this experience, with kindness?Mindfulness is the clear recognition of your moment-to-moment experience. Here the inquiry to use is, What is happening inside me right now? Being mindfully attentive means that you are aware of the stories you are telling yourself and the feelings and sensations in your body. You can initially emphasize either compassion or mindfulness in meditation; both are essential when facing fear.
One evening, Maria arrived at my office distraught and unnerved. A co-worker was sick and Maria's boss had asked her to step in as supervisor for their team of social workers. Sitting rigidly with her eyes downcast, she said bleakly, "Tara, I am really scared."
I invited her to pause—to breathe and simply be aware of the two of us sitting together. "I'm here with you right now," I said. "Would it be all right if we paid attention to the fear together?" Looking up at me, she nodded. "Good," I said, and went on. "You might begin by asking yourself, 'What am I believing right now?'" Maria responded without hesitation. "I'm going to let everyone down," she said. "They'll see that it was a mistake to ever hire me. They'll want to get rid of me."
When you are emotionally stuck, becoming mindful of what you believe at that moment can be a powerful part of awakening from trance. By bringing your stories and limiting beliefs to light, they gradually have less hold on your psyche. I encouraged Maria to simply acknowledge the thoughts as a story she was telling herself, and then to sense the feelings of vulnerability in her body. I assured her that if the process felt like more than she could handle, we could shift our attention—it's not helpful to feel overwhelmed or possessed by fear. After a few moments, she reported in a shaky voice, "The fear is big. My stomach is clenched, and my heart is banging. Mostly there is a gripping, aching, empty feeling in my heart."
I invited her to check in with the fear, to ask it what it wanted from her. Maria sat quietly for a few moments and then began speaking slowly: "It wants to know that it's OK that it's here...that I accept it. And..." At this point she became quiet for some long moments. "And that I pay attention, keep it company." Then, in a barely audible voice she whispered, "I will try. I want to keep you company." This was one of Maria's first moments of being truly compassionate with herself. Instead of pushing away her feelings, she was able to gently acknowledge and accept them.
What Maria and all of us need is to feel that we are loved and understood. This is the essence of unconditional presence, the true refuge that can heal the trance of fear. As the Buddha taught, our fear is great, but greater yet is the truth of our essential connectedness.
If you've been wounded in a relationship, the love and understanding of friends are essential components in bringing a healing presence to your fears. You need the gift of this caring presence from others, and through meditations that cultivate compassion and mindfulness, you can learn to offer it to yourself.
And if you've been traumatized, I think it's important to seek the help of a therapist as well as an experienced meditation teacher as you begin deepening your presence with fear. Otherwise, when you allow yourself to reexperience the fear, you may find it to be traumatic rather than healing.
In Maria's case, we spent several weeks working with meditative practices that develop unconditional presence. I acted as her guide, and when she became aware of fear, I encouraged her first to pause, because pausing creates a space for you to arrive in the present moment. Then she would begin mindfully naming out loud what she was noticing: the thoughts she was believing, the shakiness and tightness in her belly, the squeeze in her heart.
With whatever was arising, Maria's practice was to notice it, breathe with it, and with gentle, nonjudging attention, allow it to unfold naturally. If it felt overwhelming, she would open her eyes and reconnect to the sense of being with me, to the songs of the birds, to the trees and sky outside my office window.
The challenge in facing fear is to overcome the initial reflex to dissociate from the body and take false refuge in racing thoughts. To combat this tendency to pull away from fear, you awaken mindfulness by intentionally leaning in. This means shifting your attention away from the stories—the planning, judging, worrying—and fully connecting with your feelings and the sensations in your body. By gently leaning in instead of pulling away, you discover the compassionate presence that releases you from the grip of fear.
My meditation student Phil got an opportunity to lean in to fear the first night his 16-year-old son borrowed the car. Josh had promised to return home by midnight. But midnight came and went. As the minutes passed, Phil became increasingly agitated. Had Josh been drinking? Had he had an accident? By 12:30 Phil was furious, trying his son's cell phone every few minutes.
Then he remembered the instructions on mindfulness from the weekly meditation class he attended. He sat down, desperate to ease his agitation. "OK, I'm pausing," he began. "Now, what's going on inside me?" Immediately he felt the rising pressure in his chest. Noting "anger, anger," he experienced the sensations filling his body. Then, under the anger, Phil felt the painful clutch of fear. His mind was imagining the police calling with the news that is a parent's worst nightmare. He leaned in, breathing with the fear, feeling its crushing weight at his chest. The story kept arising, and each time, Phil returned to his body, bringing his breath and attention directly to the place of churning, pressing fear.
As he leaned in to the fear, he found buried within it the hollow ache of grief. Then, drawing on a traditional Buddhist compassion practice, Phil began gently offering himself the message "I care about this suffering," repeating the phrase over and over as his eyes filled with tears. Phil was holding his grief with compassion, and as he did so, he could feel how much he cherished his son. While the fear remained, leaning in had connected him with unconditional presence.
A short while later, he heard the car rolling into the driveway. Josh barged into the living room and launched into his defense: He had lost track of time. The cell phone had run out of juice. Instead of reacting, Phil listened quietly. Then with his eyes glistening, he told his son, "This last hour was one of the worst I've gone through. I love you and..." He was silent for some moments and then continued softly, "I was afraid something terrible had happened. Please, Josh, don't do this again." The boy's armor instantly melted, and apologizing, he sank onto the couch next to his dad.
If Phil had not met his fears with unconditional presence, they would have possessed him and fueled angry reactivity. Instead, he opened to the full truth of his experience and was able to meet his son from a place of honesty and wholeness, rather than blame.
Several months after we had started therapy, Maria arrived for our session with her own story of healing. Two nights before, she and Jeff had been arguing about an upcoming visit from his parents. Tired from a difficult day at work, he suggested they figure things out the next evening. Without their usual goodnight kiss, he just rolled over and fell asleep.
Filled with agitation, Maria got up, went into her office, and sat down on her meditation cushion. As she had done so often with me, she became still, pausing to check in and find out what was going on. There was a familiar swirl of thoughts: "He's ashamed of me. He doesn't really want to be with me." Then she had an image of her father, drunk and angry, walking out the front door, and she heard a familiar inner voice saying, "No matter how hard I try, he's going to leave me." She felt as if icy claws were gripping her heart. Her whole body was shaking.
Taking a few deep breaths, Maria began whispering a prayer: "Please, may I feel held in love." She called to mind her spirit allies—her grandmother, a close friend, and me—and visualized us circling around her, a presence that could help keep her company as she experienced the quaking in her heart. Placing her hand gently on her heart, she sensed compassion pouring through her hand directly into the core of her vulnerability.
She decided to let go of any resistance to the fear and to let it be as big as it was. Breathing with it, she felt something shift: "The fear was storming through me, but it felt like a violent current moving through a sea of love." She heard a gentle whisper arise from her heart: "When I trust I'm the ocean, I'm not afraid of the waves." This homecoming to the fullness of our being is the gift of fear, and it frees us to be genuinely intimate with our world. The next evening when Maria and Jeff met to talk, she felt at peace. "For the first time ever," she told me, "I could let in the truth that he loved me."
As long as you are alive, you will feel fear. It is an intrinsic part of your world, as natural as a bitter cold winter day or the winds that rip branches off trees. If you resist it or push it aside, you miss a powerful opportunity for healing and freedom. When you face your fears with mindfulness and compassion, you begin to realize the loving and luminous awareness that, like the ocean, can hold the moving waves. This boundless presence is your true refuge—you are coming home to the vastness of your own awakened heart.

lowercased:
find out how you could be facing fear to create the foundation for true spiritual awakening.
maria described herself, during our first therapy session, as a "prisoner of fear." her slight frame was tense, and her dark eyes had an apprehensive look. from the outside, she said, her life appeared to be going very well. as a social worker, she was a strong advocate for her clients. she had good friends, and she had been living with her partner, jeff, for three years. yet her incessant worrying about how things might go wrong clouded every experience.
when stuck in morning traffic, maria was gripped with fear about being late for work. she was perpetually anxious about disappointing her clients or saying the wrong thing at staff lunches. any hint of making a mistake spiraled into a fear of being fired. at home, if jeff spoke in a sharp tone, maria's heart pounded and her stomach knotted up. "this morning he complained that i'd left the gas tank near empty, and i thought, 'he's going to walk out and never come back,'" she said. maria could never shake the feeling that just around the corner, things were going to fall apart.
maria was living in what i call the trance of fear. when you are in this trance, fearful thoughts and emotions take over and obscure the larger truths of life. you forget the love between you and your dear ones; you forget the beauty of the natural world; you forget your essential goodness and wholeness. you expect trouble and are unable to live in the present moment.
brain chemistry and genetics may predispose a person to excessive fearfulness, and it can be fueled by societal circumstances, such as the perception of a terrorist threat. traumatic childhood experiences may also give rise to the trance of fear.
for maria, the fear took hold in elementary school, when her mother was holding down two jobs and going to night school, leaving maria to care for her two younger siblings. her father worked erratically, drank too much, and had an unpredictable temper. "he would barge in at dinnertime, red-faced and angry, yell at me, and then disappear into his room," she told me. "i had no idea what i'd done wrong." when maria was 13, her father vanished without a word, and she always felt that she had driven him away.
it is understandable that maria's fear of her father's anger became linked with a belief that her "badness" made him leave. but even if your personal history is not so distressing, you might spend a part of your life worrying about the ways in which you aren't good enough.
fear itself is a natural and necessary part of being alive. all living beings experience themselves as separate, with a sense of "me in here" and "the world out there." and that sense of separateness leads you to recognize that you can be injured by others, and that, eventually, the "me in here" will die. at the same time, you are genetically programmed to keep yourself alive and free from harm, and it is fear that signals you to respond when threats arise. it lets you know to hit the brakes when the car in front of you suddenly stops, or to call 911 if you are having chest pain.
the problem is that fear often works overtime. mark twain said it well when he quipped: "i have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." think for just a minute about all of the time you've spent fearful and worrying. looking back, you might see that much of what you fearfully anticipated turned out fine. precious moments in life—moments that could have been full of love, creativity, and presence—were taken over by habitual fear.
here's the good news: when you bring what i call unconditional presence to the trance of fear, you create the foundation for true spiritual awakening. in other words, as you learn to face your fears with courage and kindness, you discover the loving awareness that is your true nature. this awakening is the essence of all healing, and its fruition is the freedom to live and love fully.
while the basic experience of fear is that "something is wrong," many people turn that feeling into "there must be something wrong with me." this is especially true in western culture, where one's sense of belonging to family, community, and the natural world is often weak and the pressure to achieve is so strong. you may feel as though you must live up to certain standards in order to be loved, so you constantly monitor yourself, trying to see if you're falling short.
when you live in this trance of fear, you instinctively develop strategies to protect yourself. i call these attempts to find safety and relief "false refuges," since they work, at best, only for the time being.
one such strategy is physical contraction. when you stay trapped in fear, you begin to feel tight and guarded, even when there is no immediate threat. your shoulders may become permanently knotted and raised, your head thrust forward, your back hunched, your belly tense. chronic fear can generate a permanent suit of armor. in such a state, we become, as the tibetan teacher chögyam trungpa taught, a bundle of tense muscles defending our very existence.
the trance of fear traps the mind in rigid patterns, too. the mind obsesses and produces endless stories, reminding you of the bad things that might happen and creating strategies to avoid them.
in addition to physical armoring and mental obsession, there are many well-worn behavioral strategies for reducing or avoiding fear. you might run from fear by staying busy, trying to accomplish a lot, or judging others critically to boost your ego. or maybe you take the popular approach of numbing yourself by indulging in too much food, drugs, or alcohol. yet no amount of doing or numbing can erase the undercurrents of feeling fearful and unworthy. in fact, the efforts you make to avoid fear and prove yourself worthy only reinforce the deep sense of being separate and inadequate. when you run from fear and take false refuge, you miss being in the very place where genuine healing and peace are possible.
bringing compassion and mindfulness directly to the experience of fear will help dissolve the trance, taking you inside to the real refuge of unconditional presence. compassion is the spacious quality of heart that allows and holds with tenderness whatever you are experiencing. it seeks to answer the question, can i meet this moment, this experience, with kindness?mindfulness is the clear recognition of your moment-to-moment experience. here the inquiry to use is, what is happening inside me right now? being mindfully attentive means that you are aware of the stories you are telling yourself and the feelings and sensations in your body. you can initially emphasize either compassion or mindfulness in meditation; both are essential when facing fear.
one evening, maria arrived at my office distraught and unnerved. a co-worker was sick and maria's boss had asked her to step in as supervisor for their team of social workers. sitting rigidly with her eyes downcast, she said bleakly, "tara, i am really scared."
i invited her to pause—to breathe and simply be aware of the two of us sitting together. "i'm here with you right now," i said. "would it be all right if we paid attention to the fear together?" looking up at me, she nodded. "good," i said, and went on. "you might begin by asking yourself, 'what am i believing right now?'" maria responded without hesitation. "i'm going to let everyone down," she said. "they'll see that it was a mistake to ever hire me. they'll want to get rid of me."
when you are emotionally stuck, becoming mindful of what you believe at that moment can be a powerful part of awakening from trance. by bringing your stories and limiting beliefs to light, they gradually have less hold on your psyche. i encouraged maria to simply acknowledge the thoughts as a story she was telling herself, and then to sense the feelings of vulnerability in her body. i assured her that if the process felt like more than she could handle, we could shift our attention—it's not helpful to feel overwhelmed or possessed by fear. after a few moments, she reported in a shaky voice, "the fear is big. my stomach is clenched, and my heart is banging. mostly there is a gripping, aching, empty feeling in my heart."
i invited her to check in with the fear, to ask it what it wanted from her. maria sat quietly for a few moments and then began speaking slowly: "it wants to know that it's ok that it's here...that i accept it. and..." at this point she became quiet for some long moments. "and that i pay attention, keep it company." then, in a barely audible voice she whispered, "i will try. i want to keep you company." this was one of maria's first moments of being truly compassionate with herself. instead of pushing away her feelings, she was able to gently acknowledge and accept them.
what maria and all of us need is to feel that we are loved and understood. this is the essence of unconditional presence, the true refuge that can heal the trance of fear. as the buddha taught, our fear is great, but greater yet is the truth of our essential connectedness.
if you've been wounded in a relationship, the love and understanding of friends are essential components in bringing a healing presence to your fears. you need the gift of this caring presence from others, and through meditations that cultivate compassion and mindfulness, you can learn to offer it to yourself.
and if you've been traumatized, i think it's important to seek the help of a therapist as well as an experienced meditation teacher as you begin deepening your presence with fear. otherwise, when you allow yourself to reexperience the fear, you may find it to be traumatic rather than healing.
in maria's case, we spent several weeks working with meditative practices that develop unconditional presence. i acted as her guide, and when she became aware of fear, i encouraged her first to pause, because pausing creates a space for you to arrive in the present moment. then she would begin mindfully naming out loud what she was noticing: the thoughts she was believing, the shakiness and tightness in her belly, the squeeze in her heart.
with whatever was arising, maria's practice was to notice it, breathe with it, and with gentle, nonjudging attention, allow it to unfold naturally. if it felt overwhelming, she would open her eyes and reconnect to the sense of being with me, to the songs of the birds, to the trees and sky outside my office window.
the challenge in facing fear is to overcome the initial reflex to dissociate from the body and take false refuge in racing thoughts. to combat this tendency to pull away from fear, you awaken mindfulness by intentionally leaning in. this means shifting your attention away from the stories—the planning, judging, worrying—and fully connecting with your feelings and the sensations in your body. by gently leaning in instead of pulling away, you discover the compassionate presence that releases you from the grip of fear.
my meditation student phil got an opportunity to lean in to fear the first night his 16-year-old son borrowed the car. josh had promised to return home by midnight. but midnight came and went. as the minutes passed, phil became increasingly agitated. had josh been drinking? had he had an accident? by 12:30 phil was furious, trying his son's cell phone every few minutes.
then he remembered the instructions on mindfulness from the weekly meditation class he attended. he sat down, desperate to ease his agitation. "ok, i'm pausing," he began. "now, what's going on inside me?" immediately he felt the rising pressure in his chest. noting "anger, anger," he experienced the sensations filling his body. then, under the anger, phil felt the painful clutch of fear. his mind was imagining the police calling with the news that is a parent's worst nightmare. he leaned in, breathing with the fear, feeling its crushing weight at his chest. the story kept arising, and each time, phil returned to his body, bringing his breath and attention directly to the place of churning, pressing fear.
as he leaned in to the fear, he found buried within it the hollow ache of grief. then, drawing on a traditional buddhist compassion practice, phil began gently offering himself the message "i care about this suffering," repeating the phrase over and over as his eyes filled with tears. phil was holding his grief with compassion, and as he did so, he could feel how much he cherished his son. while the fear remained, leaning in had connected him with unconditional presence.
a short while later, he heard the car rolling into the driveway. josh barged into the living room and launched into his defense: he had lost track of time. the cell phone had run out of juice. instead of reacting, phil listened quietly. then with his eyes glistening, he told his son, "this last hour was one of the worst i've gone through. i love you and..." he was silent for some moments and then continued softly, "i was afraid something terrible had happened. please, josh, don't do this again." the boy's armor instantly melted, and apologizing, he sank onto the couch next to his dad.
if phil had not met his fears with unconditional presence, they would have possessed him and fueled angry reactivity. instead, he opened to the full truth of his experience and was able to meet his son from a place of honesty and wholeness, rather than blame.
several months after we had started therapy, maria arrived for our session with her own story of healing. two nights before, she and jeff had been arguing about an upcoming visit from his parents. tired from a difficult day at work, he suggested they figure things out the next evening. without their usual goodnight kiss, he just rolled over and fell asleep.
filled with agitation, maria got up, went into her office, and sat down on her meditation cushion. as she had done so often with me, she became still, pausing to check in and find out what was going on. there was a familiar swirl of thoughts: "he's ashamed of me. he doesn't really want to be with me." then she had an image of her father, drunk and angry, walking out the front door, and she heard a familiar inner voice saying, "no matter how hard i try, he's going to leave me." she felt as if icy claws were gripping her heart. her whole body was shaking.
taking a few deep breaths, maria began whispering a prayer: "please, may i feel held in love." she called to mind her spirit allies—her grandmother, a close friend, and me—and visualized us circling around her, a presence that could help keep her company as she experienced the quaking in her heart. placing her hand gently on her heart, she sensed compassion pouring through her hand directly into the core of her vulnerability.
she decided to let go of any resistance to the fear and to let it be as big as it was. breathing with it, she felt something shift: "the fear was storming through me, but it felt like a violent current moving through a sea of love." she heard a gentle whisper arise from her heart: "when i trust i'm the ocean, i'm not afraid of the waves." this homecoming to the fullness of our being is the gift of fear, and it frees us to be genuinely intimate with our world. the next evening when maria and jeff met to talk, she felt at peace. "for the first time ever," she told me, "i could let in the truth that he loved me."
as long as you are alive, you will feel fear. it is an intrinsic part of your world, as natural as a bitter cold winter day or the winds that rip branches off trees. if you resist it or push it aside, you miss a powerful opportunity for healing and freedom. when you face your fears with mindfulness and compassion, you begin to realize the loving and luminous awareness that, like the ocean, can hold the moving waves. this boundless presence is your true refuge—you are coming home to the vastness of your own awakened heart.


text: M. Flynn’s Men’s Rope Band adds some nautical flair to the classic men’s band. Made to order, this piece is available in Platinum or 14K gold. Please allow 4-6 weeks for custom pieces.

lowercased: m. flynn’s men’s rope band adds some nautical flair to the classic men’s band. made to order, this piece is available in platinum or 14k gold. please allow 4-6 weeks for custom pieces.


text:
Ephesians 6:5 in USB5—double clicked ὀφθαλμοδουλίαν to open Multiple Resource window (BDAG, M-M, LSJ, L-N, T:NT, LTW—Only BDAG & L-N have a listing for this word).
Almost immediately, Logos was replaced by the Apple Crash dialog. This action has worked well with other words from the same resource during this session.

lowercased:
ephesians 6:5 in usb5—double clicked ὀφθαλμοδουλίαν to open multiple resource window (bdag, m-m, lsj, l-n, t:nt, ltw—only bdag & l-n have a listing for this word).
almost immediately, logos was replaced by the apple crash dialog. this action has worked well with other words from the same resource during this session.


text:
Brian Nisbet and Tobias Knecht opened the meeting and the Working Group agreed to the draft agenda. The minutes for the RIPE 73 meeting were approved.
Brian gave a brief overview of what happened since the RIPE 73 meeting in Madrid and encouraged people to continue the good work.
Brian mentioned that unfortunately some mailing list participants made a number of inappropriate personal comments and that after talking to this person, the persistence of this behaviour led to the decision to remove this person from the list.
Brian stressed this was not and by no means an attempt to censor the discussion and this was only done because of the inappropriate ad-hominem attacks that violated the code-of-conduct.
Brian also pointed out a recent post on a survey regarding hijacking and encouraged the community to participate.
He further explained that there were relevant discussions going on in the Database WG regarding abuse-c. He clarified that the co-chairs decided to keep the discussion in the Database WG and encouraged to community to participate there.
David Hilario (RIPE Database Working Group Co-Chair) introduced the discussion regarding abuse-c currently taking place in their group.
He briefly explained there were some concerns in the way abuse-c was currently implemented, especially when people required multiple abuse-c entries. He pointed out that the Database WG had a proposed solution and asked the anti-abuse community to comment on the proposal.
Filiz Yilmaz (Akamai) asked if there would be an Impact Analysis, raising concerns about potential impact on the RIPE NCC.
Brian answered that the current proposal was limited to the technical implementation of the current policy.
Maksym Tuliev (Netassist) asked what is the criteria are for RIPE NCC to disclose information.
Richard answered most information is public, for non-public it has to be through a Dutch court.
Brian asked if he could clarify how requests for non-public data are handled.
Athina Fragkouli (RIPE NCC) said they explained the procedure as it is documented and advise them to contact the Dutch authorities.
Brian thanked Richard and said he appreciated the openness on this subject.
Cyrus Hall (Twitch), pointing to the fact citizens cannot influence the parametres, asked if that wasn’t anti-democratic.
Nathalie answered that while V&J went for critical, each sectoral department had their own responsibility to choose their own classification.
Malcolm Hutty (LINX) asked whether there was a separation in the requirements for being identified as an Essential Service Provider or if this would just apply to everyone.
Nathalie answered that both criteria applied, meaning that as a service provider you need to be mentioned in annex 2 of the Directive and that you are above the threshold in terms of scale.
Malcom further asked a clarification regarding point 5.2 and asked what service was referred to when they consider impact.
Nathalie answered she didn’t know, but legal implementation of “service” would be any service you offer.
Mohsen Souisi (AFNIC) asked how gTLD operators would be determined to be in scope and if there would be multiple notification requirements if they would all apply simultaneously.
Nathalie said the Directive spoke off “service offered in the member state” and that could therefor also apply to operators outside of the member state.
Regarding the multiple notifications to different bodies, she mentioned that there are arrangements being worked on how to organise the process when multiple authorities are involved, including a one-stop-shop model, but that CSIRT should not be part of that.
Brian closed the meeting and reminded people to submit topics for the RIPE 75 agenda.

lowercased:
brian nisbet and tobias knecht opened the meeting and the working group agreed to the draft agenda. the minutes for the ripe 73 meeting were approved.
brian gave a brief overview of what happened since the ripe 73 meeting in madrid and encouraged people to continue the good work.
brian mentioned that unfortunately some mailing list participants made a number of inappropriate personal comments and that after talking to this person, the persistence of this behaviour led to the decision to remove this person from the list.
brian stressed this was not and by no means an attempt to censor the discussion and this was only done because of the inappropriate ad-hominem attacks that violated the code-of-conduct.
brian also pointed out a recent post on a survey regarding hijacking and encouraged the community to participate.
he further explained that there were relevant discussions going on in the database wg regarding abuse-c. he clarified that the co-chairs decided to keep the discussion in the database wg and encouraged to community to participate there.
david hilario (ripe database working group co-chair) introduced the discussion regarding abuse-c currently taking place in their group.
he briefly explained there were some concerns in the way abuse-c was currently implemented, especially when people required multiple abuse-c entries. he pointed out that the database wg had a proposed solution and asked the anti-abuse community to comment on the proposal.
filiz yilmaz (akamai) asked if there would be an impact analysis, raising concerns about potential impact on the ripe ncc.
brian answered that the current proposal was limited to the technical implementation of the current policy.
maksym tuliev (netassist) asked what is the criteria are for ripe ncc to disclose information.
richard answered most information is public, for non-public it has to be through a dutch court.
brian asked if he could clarify how requests for non-public data are handled.
athina fragkouli (ripe ncc) said they explained the procedure as it is documented and advise them to contact the dutch authorities.
brian thanked richard and said he appreciated the openness on this subject.
cyrus hall (twitch), pointing to the fact citizens cannot influence the parametres, asked if that wasn’t anti-democratic.
nathalie answered that while v&j went for critical, each sectoral department had their own responsibility to choose their own classification.
malcolm hutty (linx) asked whether there was a separation in the requirements for being identified as an essential service provider or if this would just apply to everyone.
nathalie answered that both criteria applied, meaning that as a service provider you need to be mentioned in annex 2 of the directive and that you are above the threshold in terms of scale.
malcom further asked a clarification regarding point 5.2 and asked what service was referred to when they consider impact.
nathalie answered she didn’t know, but legal implementation of “service” would be any service you offer.
mohsen souisi (afnic) asked how gtld operators would be determined to be in scope and if there would be multiple notification requirements if they would all apply simultaneously.
nathalie said the directive spoke off “service offered in the member state” and that could therefor also apply to operators outside of the member state.
regarding the multiple notifications to different bodies, she mentioned that there are arrangements being worked on how to organise the process when multiple authorities are involved, including a one-stop-shop model, but that csirt should not be part of that.
brian closed the meeting and reminded people to submit topics for the ripe 75 agenda.


text:
The chicken channel on TV in Canada allows viewers to watch succulent, whole and speared chicken, spin on a rotisserie 24 hours a day.
The cable channel is the brainchild of Swiss Chalet and some videos even feature promotional codes allowing mesmerized chicken lovers to dial for reduced discount chicken after getting too hungry watching it spin - round and round and round, ...and....dial for chicken!
Watching a chicken spin, constantly, makes for strange viewing but it would be interesting to see how many sales the channel has generated and if this type of hyped up marketing actually works.
It's all a bit strange but no different to the bacon cam we brought you from Dennys in America - a fast food chain which prides itself on loving bacon. That's at least two channels we've seen that show the constant cooking of a certain food - let's hope single channels dedicated to endless loops of food, food that will never actually cook, don't start to take over TV.

lowercased:
the chicken channel on tv in canada allows viewers to watch succulent, whole and speared chicken, spin on a rotisserie 24 hours a day.
the cable channel is the brainchild of swiss chalet and some videos even feature promotional codes allowing mesmerized chicken lovers to dial for reduced discount chicken after getting too hungry watching it spin - round and round and round, ...and....dial for chicken!
watching a chicken spin, constantly, makes for strange viewing but it would be interesting to see how many sales the channel has generated and if this type of hyped up marketing actually works.
it's all a bit strange but no different to the bacon cam we brought you from dennys in america - a fast food chain which prides itself on loving bacon. that's at least two channels we've seen that show the constant cooking of a certain food - let's hope single channels dedicated to endless loops of food, food that will never actually cook, don't start to take over tv.