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TGIF Excerpt: Scotty is dying. Time for Martin to cross the bridge into the 21st Century.
My husband, Martin, isn't one of those men who must have the latest/greatest in technology. Nor must he demonstrate his manliness with boy toys that are always the biggest, and therefore presumed the best (phallically speaking).
Which brings me to the death of Scotty–an appropriate topic, now that the latest Star Trek Movie ("Into Darkness") is in movie theaters.
No, I don't mean Scotty, the good ship Enterprise's engineer (thank goodness, because I really really love love love Simon Pegg in the role).
I mean Martin's cell phone, a relic he calls "Scotty," as a quaint reference to the phasers carried by the Star Trek crew. You see, his phone is that tiny.
And it ispossibly as old as the original TV show itself.
Okay, certainly it's not THAT old. Besides, back then there were no cell phones, not to mention the first ones were attached to suitcases, so that would defeat his purpose of carrying the tiniest phone he could find.
In fact, his current cell is so tiny that texting on it (yes, at least it allows him to text, but only predictively) is a tribulation, despite his opposable-thumb dexterity. (He's right up there with the apes and chimps, so my mother was wrong about him.)
And the darn thing certainly ain't "smart." He can't get The Internets, and the pictures it takes look like they were pulled out of an elephant's ass.
Bottom line: Scotty is dying.
It's showing its wonkiness by asking to "Please Insert Sim Card" when it already has one. Or sometimes the screen goes white (yes, at least, originally it was in color). Other times, the message shows appears upside down.
"Honey, Scotty is dying," I tell him in a soothing tone.
"But I hate the new phones! They're too big," he whines "Much too bulky for a man to carry in his pocket."
"Too bad," I respond. "It's dying. That's okay. It lived long and prospered. But if you're waiting for another cell the size of a Star Trek phaser gun, youve got another thing coming. If you need something to carry it in, I'll lend you one of my purses."
Needless to say, this is not the answer he's looking for.
If he could, he'd wait it out, until cells got small again. Until then, he's still got to reach out and touch someone with something that receives messages that aren't smoke signals, so down to the Verizon store we go.
Speaking of dying, I've got a great excerpt for you today. It comes from Book 2 of The Housewife Assassin series, Guide to Gracious Killing. In it, my heroine, Donna Stone, is charged with protecting the Russian president from assassins while he's the guest of an American billionaire. Of course, both an assassin and the billionaire make their appearance at exactly the wrong time: while Donna is trying to take a shower.
Enjoy it. And if you do, feel free to buy it.
In fact, if you haven't yet read Book 1, The Housewife Assassin's Handbook you can get it free right now, either by itself, or along with Book 2, in The Housewife Assassin's Killer 2-Book Set.
I've just clicked on the dryer again, when
there's another knock on the door. I crack it open to find a maid standing
there, with an armful of towels. "Shall I take them into the bathroom, Madame?"
Her accent is slightly British, which is par for the course around here.
"No, that's okay. I'll take them."
She smiles and hands them to me.
That's when I see it—a small tattoo of a wolf on
her left arm.
Her eyes follow mine. She senses I know who she
Her arm comes up toward my face. I block it with
my forearm, then kick her in the gut. She falls back, slamming into the
dresser. This stuns her, but just for a second. She reaches behind her and
yanks the dryer from the electrical socket. In no time at all, she's got the
cord wrapped around both her wrists and arms.
"You won't stop me from killing him." Her vow is
soft, but deadly. "With what he's done to others like me? That pig does not
deserve to live!"
"Trust me I get it. But it's not happening here,
or now."
We both know I can't talk her out of her mission
anymore than she can talk me out of mine: to save Asimov's sorry ass.
We circle each other warily, assessing each
other's weaknesses: She's got more bulk than me, but she's also slower. I'm
taller, too. Best yet, I'm now up against the dresser. Obviously, she considers
this a weakness because she charges me.
Even with the cord wrapped around my neck, all
it takes is one squirt of my spray cologne in her eyes to blind her.
She stumbles into the bathroom, dragging me with
her into the shower, where she turns on the water, full force. She's hoping to
wash the sting out of her eyes.
What she doesn't count on is my ability to kick
her into the shower.
She bangs her head against the marble wall.
Before she comes to her senses, I untangle myself from the cord, plug the dryer
into an electrical socket, and throw it into the tub.
Wolverine's death mask stare and the smell of
her frying skin sends me gagging from the room followed by a shower of sparks
as the electrical system shorts out.
I shut the bathroom door, then lay down on the
bed to catch my breath.
This time when there's a tap on the door, I
throw it open, to let Jack in.
But no. It's Jonah Breck.
I pull my robe tightly around me. "My husband is
out right now."
He smirks. "I know, dear. That's why I'm here.
Don't worry, we've got all the time in the world. He's with the Japanese
defense minister, who is somewhat long-winded." From behind him, he pulls a
bottle of Tattinger's and two champagne glasses. "I presume you're finding your
accommodations to your liking."
"In all honesty, there's a short in the
bathroom's electrical system—"
Before I can say another word, he has backed me
onto the bed. When my robe falls open, he whips the sash out from around me.
Before I know it, he's flipped me onto my stomach.
"I could use that drink right now," I gasp, as
he binds my wrists with the sash.
"We'll celebrate afterward." I hear him fumbling
with his zipper. "You will, anyway. Trust me, I'll have you begging for more."
Promises, promises.
I struggle and try to sweet talk him some sense
into him, but no use. He's got me pinned. I've just about given up any hope of
the Calvary coming when there is a sharp knock on the door.
"Mrs. Stone?" Both Breck and I recognize
Edwina's voice. "Mrs. Stone, your daughter requests you come immediately."
"Answer her." Breck's hot breath sears my ear.
I shout, "I'll—I'll be right there."
"I'll have to escort you. The girls are eating
in the south wing media room tonight, and with security as tight as it is… Well,
you can just imagine."
Breck mutters a curse as he rolls off me. Even
as he unties me with one hand, the other gently follows the curve of my ass—
When he smacks it hard, I swallow the urge to
cry out.
"A love tap. There's more where that came from.
You'll love the tour of my dungeon."
He's got a dungeon? His corporate bio doesn't
mention a sadistic streak, but yeah, okay, makes sense.
I leap up and grab my dress, which is hanging
over the chair.
Breck smiles as I struggle into it. "Allow me to
zip you up."
I suppress a shudder at the thought of his hands
anywhere on me. Instead, I nod.
He presses the zipper into my skin as he inches
it up, ever so slowly. When he's done, I feel his lips grazing my neck. They
linger there as he breathes in the scent of my skin, sweat, and disgust.
How I long to smash that champagne bottle over
my host's head, but seriously, what kind of guest would that make me?
And besides, I can't deal with the disposal of
two dead bodies tonight.
Before I leave, I flip off Elvis Costello.
I can just imagine Ryan and Arnie's shock and
awe at seeing Breck slithering out of the room.
I don't even want to think about Jack's
reaction.
Let alone what he'll say about the fried maid in
the shower. I guess I have a lot of explaining to do.
c) 2012 Josie Brown. All rights reserved. This excerpt may not be resold or redistributed without prior written permission from Josie Brown or Signal Press Books (info@signaleditorial.com).
May 17, 2013 by Josie Brown Categories: Best. Beach. Ever, Blatant Self Promotion, Book Excerpt, Books, Chick Lit, espionage novels, Free, Free Kindle Books, Free on Amazon, Housewife Assassin's Handbook, Mom Lit, Red Hot Reads!, Romantic Suspense, thriller books, Tome of the MommyTags: Amazon, beach read, book, eBook, fiction, free ebook, free on Kindle, funny mystery, Janet Evanovich, Josie Brown, Kindle book, mystery, novel, red hot reads, romantic suspense, spy novels, The Housewife Assassin's Guide to Gracious Killing, The Housewife Assassin's Handbook, The Housewife Assassin's Killer 2-Book Set, women sleuths	Leave a comment
Thursday Couple's Kiss: "Catch and Release"
Hump Day Haiku: "Beach Umbrella"


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What's Current: UK police officers disciplined for fining victim who was murdered by her stalker
What's Current is Feminist Current's daily news roundup.
April 10, 2019 by Natasha Chart
Two UK police officers face disciplinary action after Shana Grice was fined for wasting police time before she was murdered by her stalker, who was reported to the police by 13 other women.
On Monday, May 20th, Meghan Murphy will speak in London, UK, with Julie Bindel and Prof. Selina Todd, at the event, "A Woman's Place Is Back In Town," moderated by Ruth Serwotka.
Forty-three per cent of women surveyed in Vietnamese garment factories face sexual harassment and assault on production lines while making clothing for western brands.
US women die from heart disease more often than men, and doctors are (finally) raising awareness and researching women's specific risk factors and symptoms.
A trans-identified male activist, Stephanie Hayden, won a court battle ordering UK parenting site, Mumsnet, to reveal the identity of a user who allegedly "abused" him. Hayden was previously unsuccessful in suing Irish comedy writer, Graham Linehan, for alleged "transphobic harassment."
Tags: What's Current
What's Current: South Korean woman commits suicide after doctor secretly films her in changing room
What's Current: Normality over liberation? Why a lesbian might oppose gay marriage
What's Current: Janice Dickinson wins defamation case against Bill Cosby

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Skip Navigation LinksListings > Top Attractions > Space Center Houston
Space Center Houston
Houston, Texas is Space City, USA and Space Center Houston is America's gateway to the universe!
As the Official Visitor Center for NASA's Johnson Space Center, Space Center Houston is the only place on Earth that gives guests an out-of-this-world journey through human adventures in space.
Since 1992, this $75 million, 180,000 square foot, "edu-tainment" complex has entertained and informed more than11 million star-struck guests from every corner of the globe.
Space Center Houston features a multitude of permanent exhibits, attractions and theatres. In addition, the venue presents an amazing array of traveling exhibits and astounding events created exclusively by Space Center Houston's own creative exhibit team. Space Center Houston always has a new exhibit or attraction to enjoy. For more information call our Visitor Center at 281-474-9700.
To learn more about all of the activities and exhibits available at the Space Center Houston, click here.
Address: 1600 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058
Website: www.spacecenter.org/
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Discoveries/Notes from the Road
Green Book Global Is The Go-To Guide For African American Travelers
By Everett Potter The start of Black History Month is a good occasion to reflect on The Negro Motorist Green Book, which aided African Americans as they traveled travel through Jim Crow America. It was conceived and first published in 1936 by an African-American New York City mailman named Victor Hugo
everett / February 6, 2022 / 0
Green Travel/Notes from the Road
What's Your Sustainable Travel IQ?
OTPYM QUIZ what's your sustainable travel IQ from Michaela Guzy and OhThePeopleYouMeet.com on Vimeo.
Letter to My Daughter Whom I Left Behind
by Effin Older I couldn't leave without hugging you. It was the only time we broke the six-feet rule since COVID tore our lives apart. We clung to each other, not knowing when we'd touch again, but we promised, promised, promised we would. Hours later, your father and I boarded
everett / September 6, 2020 / 4
Adventure/Life During the Coronavirus/Notes from the Road/On the Road
RVShare Offers An Affordable Way To Hit The Road In An RV
By Everett Potter If you've been daydreaming about a road trip in a RV this summer, you're not alone. I recently tackled the subject in an article for Forbes article called Will 2020 Be The Year of RV Travel? The conclusion, I believe, is a resounding "yes." RV's offer a self-contained
Travel in the Time of Coronavirus
By Michael Kiefer To go or not to go, that was the question. We had pooled our frequent flyer miles and scheduled a trip to Barcelona for our March break. "Aquí todo el mundo hace vida normal," a friend who lives there texted. "Everyone here is living a normal life."
Kelly Hayes in Rome with Race2Walk2016
Kelly Hayes, a spotter on NBC's Sunday Night Football, is attempting to to complete "The Running Decathlon" which consists of the ten most widely-run track events. His goal is to run each race "half as fast," or in twice the time, of the current world record in each event. And
The Hotel Detective File: Berlin
Berlin. Perfect high-summer June evening–even at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The light has sculpted the 2,711 concrete slabs, each meant to symbolize a coffin, into a pleasingly abstract play of gray and black. It's contrary to the intent, of course. Even so, the behavior of this
Culture/Notes from the Road
A Dublin Literary Pub Crawl
By Richard West "He hinted of pubs where life can drink its fill." (Patrick Kavanagh) I propose a change in exercise routines, from jumping to conclusions, skipping bail, and prematurely crossing bridges. Instead a literary pub crawl that combines aerobics, limbering up the intellect, and weight lifting glassware. And where
An Early Summer Drive Along the Maine Coast
By Everett Potter We sailed at sunset on the Guildive, a motor yacht built in 1934 for a Wall Streeter to commute via the East River to a city emerging from the Depression. But we weren't commuters and we were hundreds of miles north of Manhattan, in the dark waters
everett / April 12, 2016 / 9
A Short Vacation from Your Comfort Zone
by Everett Potter If you ask me to define adventure travel, I will likely skip a description of a Moab single track trail, Class IV rapids on the Colorado River or a Via Ferrata in the Dolomites. Instead, I'll cut to the chase and say that after three decades of writing about


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Record turnout on first day of early voting in Clark County
Posted: 4:57 PM, Oct 20, 2018
By: Jordan Gartner
The first day of early voting in Clark County saw a record turnout, according to county officials. As early voting for the general election kicked off at many locations throughout the county on Saturday.
As of 3 p.m., turnout was almost 22,000, according to county spokesperson Dan Kulin. Already making it the highest first-day turnout ever for a midterm election.
Kulin later updated the turnout figure to more than 27,000 as of 5 p.m.
Early voting continues until Nov. 2 at more than 90 polling places, according to the county.
Meadows, Boulevard and the Galleria at Sunset mall are included in those early sites, as well as Downtown Summerlin and Centennial Center.
RELATED: Early voting starts Saturday in Clark County
Voters may cast their ballot at any early voting location during the 14 days of early voting, or they may vote on Election Day, Nov. 6, at a vote center.
Election Day vote centers are similar to early voting polling places as any Clark County registered voter may cast their ballot at any vote center.
The centers are expected to make voting more convenient this year for voters, as there are no more assigned polling places, and voters may choose to go to a vote center of their choice, according to Clark County.
A complete list and schedule of early voting sites are available here .


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US History, Amendments of the Constitution of the United States of America, Things Conservatives Love,
Things God didn't write
The Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States gives the right to keep and bear arms. The amendment was adopted on December 15th, 1791, along with the first ten amendments which make up the Bill of Rights.
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
The issue of guns is a highly controversial one in America, as some people argue that guns are a God-given right by the Constitution.
In response to the claim "Guns kill," a conservative may place a gun on a table and say, "Go ahead gun, kill. Go on." When the gun fails to kill by itself, the conservative will respond "See? Guns don't kill people; people kill people." There are many responses that can be made; one that will almost certainly end the conversation quickly is saying, "Alright, that's a fair point, but guns are the instrument used to kill. While it may not be the only object capable of killing people, it is one that's pretty damn easy to kill with, and its purpose is to inflict harm to people. According to your reasoning, everyone should have access to nuclear arms because they don't kill people without a person using them".
The Founding Fathers of the United States lived in a time of muzzle-loading single-shot rifles that were rarely accurate beyond a range of 50 yards, and took between 30 seconds and a minute between firing a single round, depending upon the competence of the shooter. Many Liberals and Conservatives would argue that the Founding Fathers did indeed live in a time of muzzle loading weapons but would point out that although many of the older weapons were muskets, and inaccurate at long range, rifles were very common. Rifles of the period were quite accurate. Most firearms of the period used larger caliber projectiles than are common today, and in fact, because of lack of modern medical treatment, some firearm injuries were far more likely to be lethal than similar injuries are today. Nonetheless, the Founding Fathers were unaware of modern 'assault' weapons, which are designed from inception with the sole intent of KILLING human beings as quickly and efficiently as possible. Such weapons are not made for self-defense or whatever other crap the National Rifle Association (NRA) tries to spout; there's a reason it's called an assault rifle and not a defense rifle. Had firearms been as advanced as they are today in 1787, the Founders of this country may well have viewed gun legislation differently.
As the Founding Fathers of the United States understood the 2nd amendment, each adult citizen would be expected to be trained with and armed with regulation arms and equipment, and at all times be ready and willing to aid in the defense of their neighbors, their State and their Nation under the command of their elected officers. Although the government could not deny the right of individual citizens to keep and bear arms or to use those arms in self-defense, the government could require that citizens were properly trained and supplied with regulation arms and that the citizens' militia was under control of its officers. Many Liberals would point out, that the regulation military small arms (assault weapons with large-capacity magazines) are exactly the weapons that the 2nd amendment meant to be used by the people. Liberals do believe, however, that every right carries with it a corresponding responsibility, and Government does have the power, and perhaps even an implied duty, to require people to be properly trained and properly regulated in the use of their arms. Arms with large magazines should be used only by disciplined militia after background checks on the members.
As a result of widespread proliferation of guns, America is plagued semi-regularly by violent shootings and massacres, the most notorious of which were the Columbine Massacre in 1999 and the Shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007. In fact, shootings occur regularly enough in America that if the death toll does not reach double-digits, the national media will be unlikely to pay lasting attention. Death tolls in both shootings were in double-digits (Columbine had 15 and Virginia Tech had 32), and both were perpetrated by suspects armed with semi-automatic weapons. In both cases, the victims were primarily teenagers and young adults. Had either situation involved fully-automatic firearms, the results would have likely been even more catastrophic. These events serve as a grim reminder of the high cost of the availability of guns in this country. See also: School Shooting
Most Liberals and Conservatives agree that America is plagued semi-regularly by violent assaults and massacres.
Different Interpretations
Some Conservatives tend to argue that the Second Amendment has no limitations and that all guns should be made available. However, most people agree that being allowed to bear arms doesn't mean that they are allowed to bear any and all arms that they wish.
Retrieved from "https://liberapedia.wikia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment?oldid=117148"
Amendments of the Constitution of the United States of America
1 Gordon Ramsay


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3D drone
Flythrough Animation
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Seletar Park Residence is an exclusive five-storey residential development with 276 luxurious 1 to 4 Bedroom units and penthouses. Designed by award-winning SCDA Architects, the 99 year leasehold residential development is located within the established Seletar Hills private estates, close to the upcoming Seletar Aerospace park. It enjoys easy access to the rest of Singapore via the Central Expressway and Tampines Expressway, and is near the Yio Chu Kang MRT station and Fernvale LRT stations.
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2019 European Election Preview: Towards a New Balance of Power
By Mathilde Defarges and Etienne Soula
In May 2019, Europeans will vote on who will represent them in the European Parliament until 2024. The experience of Brexit, the perceived U.S. administration's deprioritizing of Transatlantic relations, and the rise of extremism and nationalism has brought a period of significant soul-searching across the EU. In this context, the 2019 EU elections will serve as a bellwether for the bloc's political direction in the coming decade. The new EU Parliament's make-up will be a key factor defining the general direction of the EU and may have a decisive impact on the conditions surrounding the exit of one of the bloc's largest economies, the UK.
The only certainty of the 2019 elections is that the two main political groups that have guided much of the EU Parliament's operations over the past 20 years—the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the conservative European People's Party group (EPP)—will no longer have enough seats to reach a majority and will thus require new allies. While the most talked-about newcomers are seen as being in the extremist and nationalist camps, it is unlikely that these movements will be a driving political force in the new European legislature, primarily due to their disparate agendas and uncompromising stances on matters of public policy. Other parties, such as the Center group (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) and the Greens group (The Greens European Free Alliance) are likely to create shifting coalitions that will have to take into account an unprecedented amount of interests and sensitivities.
In this context, it is important to recognize that the EU Parliament's powers have been noticeably strengthened as a legislative body in recent years. The 2009 Treaty of Lisbon resulted in the EU Parliament being able to choose the head of the European Commission, which has become a subject of heated debate. In addition, any international agreement entered into by the EU, including the eventual Brexit deal, must be ratified by Members of the EU Parliament (MEPs). These strengthened roles may have a significant impact in the coming years, including as they relate to Brexit and other major policy issues.
Traditional parties weakened
Currently, among the 28 EU Member States (27 post Brexit), the more populous European countries occupy a much larger share of the 751 seats in the EU Parliament (705 post Brexit). For example, Germany alone has only 12 fewer seats than all four Visegrád countries combined (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia). This means that many observers will focus on the elections in countries such as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The departure of the UK, the bloc's third most populous country, will have a significant impact on the composition of the EU Parliament. Of the 73 British MEPs heading home, 20 were Labour party members sitting with the S&D group in the EU Parliament, a heavy loss to one of the Parliament's most established political parties.
Overall, the S&D group is projected to lose around 50 seats out of its current 187 seats, more than a quarter of its ranks. With Socialist party candidates decimated in France and Italy and taking heavy losses in Germany, and with the UK contingent heading home, the incoming S&D group will be comprised of about as many Spanish and Romanian MEPs as Germans or Italians. Building a coalition and attaining a critical mass within the group will thus require reaching out to more representative nationalities than is currently the case.
On the other side of the political spectrum, the European People's Party (EPP) seems set to suffer more limited losses and retain more members in the upcoming legislature. However, the EPP faces an internal debate between the traditional Christian democrats and the so-called forces of "illiberal democracy" championed by the likes of Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Moreover, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent setbacks in local elections are sure to weaken the EPP's current center of gravity. Should this result in a move in the direction of Central Europe's so-called illiberal trend, there is a risk that some of the more moderate EPP MEPs will head for the exits. If that happens, according to the latest polls, the EPP could lose 58 out of 161 seats.
A rise of far right and nationalist trends
Not only are the two main EU political groups expected to lose dozens of seats, there is significant concern surrounding the rise of far-right movements in Europe, where Lega Nord in Italy and AfD in Germany are each expected to gain seats. As significant as this far-right turn may be, a recent report by the Jacques Delors Institute points to several obstacles standing in the way of Europe's disunited nationalist forces. For example, Poland's Law and Justice and Belgium's New Flemish Alliance advocate reform, not abolition, of the EU. In addition, Western far-right parties have strong pro-Russian leanings, a red line for Central European and Baltic parties. Moreover, the Italian Lega Nord and the anti-migration coalition government in Austria saw their planned cooperation marred by disagreements on immigration policy. These diverging national interests and priorities of populist parties are reflected in their inability to join together in the same political group inside the European Parliament.
That being said, American Stephen Bannon, having been boot out from his White House perch by President Trump, is hard at work in Europe to form such a coalition. Initially lukewarm, several European far-right leaders have recently demonstrated enthusiasm at the prospect of collaborating with Trump's ex-adviser. On December 8, Bannon joined France's Rassemblement National ("National Rally") party head Marine Le Pen and Belgium's Vlaams Belang ("Flemish Interest") head Tom Van Grieken in Brussels to advocate against the UN Global Compact for Migration, making all but explicit their intention to work together in the European elections. Still, it remains to be seen whether other far-right parties such as Germany's AfD— which has kept its distance from Bannon who is seen as toxic by the German population—or those in Finland and Austria will join Bannon's movement.
In the European Parliament, the anticipated far-right swell in certain EU Member States is expected to be somewhat offset by the departure of the sizeable Eurosceptic and right-wing populist UK Independent Party (UKIP) contingent. All in all, at that stage, the Jacques Delors Institute anticipates that a patchwork of populist groupings will occupy between 20- 25% of the EU Parliament's 705 seats (today 19.6% of the 751 seats) and that their inability to coalesce into a united force will limit them to playing solely the role of "spoiler."
The indispensable center
The political actor most eager to position himself against the purported far-right swell is none other than French President Emmanuel Macron. For the past few months, President Macron has been traveling across the European continent trying to gather allies for the May 2019 EU elections. His legitimacy as the European leader able to tackle populism has been recently damaged by the so-called "Yellow Vests" protests in France. It is important to recognize that these recent protests are not the product of organized unions or political parties. Their structure-less and leaderless nature makes them potent, volatile, and difficult for the government to handle. According to observers, they are seen as the next stage in a broader populist challenge to Western democracies, bringing together a disparate, leaderless, and grassroots coalition calling for economic and social protections. Just yesterday, President Macron declared in an official address in response to the Yellow Vests movement that France is in an "economic and social state of urgency" and announced concrete measures in response, such as the rising of the minimum wage.
Before the Yellow Vests protests, President Macron's En Marche movement was anticipated to gain 15 to 20 seats, far from the amount required to shape the European Parliament's decisions. At the ALDE Congress in Madrid, Spain on November 9, 2018, En Marche formally announced that it will be working to build a new coalition with Liberals, as the ADLE group was hoping for. This grouping would hold around 10% of all available seats (today ALDE represents 9.1%), enough to build a majority coalition with the EPP and S&D.
Rise of the Greens' influence
The Greens are another group looking to capitalize in the EU Parliament on their recent electoral successes in Germany and Belgium. Their projected gains in Germany would potentially make them the country's second political force, ahead of both the AfD and the Socialists. This would mean that Germans would make up about half of the European "ecologist" group. And while Europe-wide projections anticipate that the Greens will only snatch around 6% of the European Parliament's seats, their willingness to work with other pro-European forces means that they are more likely to be included in a governing coalition than the more uncompromising parties.
Major changes and challenges ahead
Whatever coalition emerges from the 2019 EU election promises to be the Parliament's most diverse in years, with a record number of political sensitivities carried by a plurality of nationalities. This diversity could lead to changing alliances depending on the legislative agenda. Parties that are allies on immigration might turn to other forces on labor rights issues and so on and so forth on a host of other policy issues.
Furthermore, change is not confined only to the EU's legislative body. While extremist and nationalist parties will likely wield limited influence in the EU Parliament, they will be more than capable of obstructing the European Council, where unanimity among all 27 Member States is required on such sensitive topics as foreign policy, taxation, and health coverage. A first sign of this rising influence may be found in the recent withdrawals of several European Member States from the UN Global Compact on Migration under pressure from the far-right.
All in all, the projected seat losses by the European Parliament's two main parties signal the end of an era. These actors that have guided the institution's debates for the last 20 years will need new allies to reach a majority. This fact could reinforce the need for the European Council and Commission to negotiate with the European Parliament, reinforcing the latter's role.
At a time when the EU is dealing with the consequences of Brexit and pondering its place in a world increasingly shaped by a more inward-looking United States, a resurgent Russia, and an expansionist China, the European Union needs a new direction. If nothing else, the new balance of powers likely to emerge in the European Parliament after the 2019 promises to offer just that.
Blue Star Strategies has an unbeatable track record in combining the very best of strategic planning with positive results. As far as I'm concerned, Karen Tramontano and her team walk on water.
Kathy Bonk, President of the Communications Consortium


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Embassy Contacts
Money and Taxes
Transport and Driving
Moving to Indonesia
Purchase the complete Expat Arrivals Indonesia Guide (PDF)
Expats moving to Indonesia will find themselves in a colourful and exotic country, consisting of a vast archipelago stretching over more than 17,000 islands with an ethnically and culturally diverse population of over 260 million people.
Rich in natural resources, the country acquires most of its wealth from gas, oil and other mining activities, and most expats moving to Indonesia do so in order to work in these sectors. The telecommunications industry and teaching English are other attractions for expats seeking work in Indonesia.
Most expats find themselves living in the popular tourist hub of Bali and the sprawling metropolis of Jakarta, the country's capital and economic, cultural and financial centre. The more remote mining areas in the Papua region also attract a fair share of expats.
Obtaining a visa or work permit for Indonesia can be a frustrating process and one riddled with bureaucracy. Even more frustrating for expats planning a move to or already living in Indonesia is the fact that the requirements and processes for obtaining a visa change constantly.
The cost of living in Indonesia can be inexpensive compared to life in many Western countries. After accommodation, education will likely be an expat parent's biggest expense. There are numerous schooling options, with a number of international schools operating in Indonesia, most of which are in Jakarta.
Indonesia's healthcare sector is considered quite poor and certainly not up to Western standards, particularly outside of Jakarta. Any serious medical conditions will likely see expats having to seek medical attention outside of the country, typically in Singapore. Increasing air pollution in Indonesian cities is a further health hazard.
Expats living in Indonesia, particularly Westerners, may take time to adjust to the conservative culture of the region. Local culture is largely influenced by Islam, which is the dominant religion in the country. Female expats, especially, will find themselves having to make adjustments. Men are generally viewed in higher regard than women, dress is conservative and the concept of personal space differs greatly from what expats may expect.
Indonesia is an exciting expat destination, but it's certainly a country that is not without its challenges. The most prominent safety issue is the ongoing threat of terrorism. Attacks have taken place in the past and these have specifically targeted Westerners. Nevertheless, Indonesian authorities have made a concerted effort to address the problem, and there have been no significant recent incidents.
Indonesian cities have grand modern offices and tower blocks marking their skylines, in contrast to overpopulated shanty and slum areas representing the poverty that the vast majority of Indonesians continue to live in. Outside of city limits, the country has landscapes of volcanic mountains, tropical beaches and jungles, which can offer expats a relaxed and outdoor lifestyle, and many attractions for a weekend break from working life. However, with a hot and tropical climate, it may take a while for expats coming from cooler climates to get used to the humidity, which is present all year round.
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"The best thing about Jakarta is definitely the people. Both locals and expats are so friendly that it actually makes it hard to leave this city." Read more about Spanish expat Lidia's expat life in Jakarta.
"Vibrancy, chaos, culture. I don't really know how to put it in exact words; Jakarta is like a mixed salad, there's a mix of everything and when you put all together, it actually tastes pretty good." Learn more about what Singaporean expat Cassandra has to say about living in Jakarta.
Are you an expat living in Indonesia?
Expat Arrivals is looking for locals to contribute to this guide, and answer forum questions from others planning their move to Indonesia. Please contact us if you'd like to contribute.


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Let's Go to The Grand!
100 Years of Entertainment at London's Grand Theatre
Sheila M.F. Johnston
"A fascinating history of a wonderful old theatre."
- Hume Cronyn
In September of 1901 London's New Grand Opera House flung open its doors. Boasting a beautiful interior design, and with the most modern stage equipment available, the theatre was large enough to accommodate over 1,700 patrons and the largest touring shows of the time. With impresario Ambrose J. Small at the helm, a new era in theatrical entertainment began.
Throughout the next hundred years, the Grand Theatre hosted everything from stock companies to minstrel shows, from vaudeville to star-studded productions. The celebrated amateur theatre company, London Little Theatre, made The Grand its home for decades. As Canadian theatre came into its own in the 1970s, The Grand embraced professional theatre status. Throughout all these changes The Grand has remained London's "Grand Old Lady of Richmond Street." Legendary performers from the past, including the Marks Brothers, Anna Pavlova and John Gielgud have graced its vast stage, as have such contemporary stage stars as Hume Cronyn, William Hutt and Martha Henry.
This extensively researched book, lavishly illustrated, lovingly documents the life of The Grand. Theatre stories from every decade of The Grand's colourful life abound throughout. To read this book is to come to know London's Grand Theatre in all its architectural splendour and its legacy in Canadian theatre history.
Dundurn Press Limited
More Books by Sheila M.F. Johnston
Dundurn Performing Arts Library Bundle — Theatre
Buckskin and Broadcloth


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Split What to see in Split
DIOCLETIAN'S PALACE
The Roman Emperor Diocletian spent his declining years in an enormous palace that he had built near his birthplace, Aspalthos, in Dalmatia. With the passing centuries the original architecture of the palace has been altered, but the people of the city, later called Spalato, and then Split, were able to use the structure of the palace, damaging it as little as possible, under Byzantine, Venetian and Austro-Hungarian rule. Thus, a harmonious city came into being within the Roman walls. The beauty of the peristyle of the palace, Diocletian's mausoleum, Jupiter's temple, the colonnades along the streets, early Croatian churches, Romanesque houses, the Gates of Andrija Buvina and architectural works by Juraj Dalmatinac can all still be seen today.
Diocletian's Palace is one of the best preserved monuments of Roman architecture in the world. The emperor's palace was built as a luxurious villa with various facilities. The summer residence was built on the lines of a Roman military camp (castrum) and divided by two main streets into four parts. The southern part of the palace was set aside for the emperor, his apartments and government and religious ceremonial areas. The northern part, on the other hand, was given over to the emperor's guard, the army, servants, storage, etc.
The palace is a rectangular building (about 215 x 180 m) with four large towers on its corners. There are four gates on each side and four smaller towers along the walls. There are no openings on the lower parts of the walls, while on the upper parts there is a monumental porch on the southern side, and arcades on the other three sides. Over the centuries, the palace's inhabitants and the citizens of Split adapted these spaces, tailoring them to their needs. As a result, both the inside and external walls with their towers, have greatly changed their appearance.
Sources: www.split.hr; www.camping.hr
Museum of the City of Split
The founding of the museum is connected with the City Library, which was established in 1911. In 1925, two of the library's rooms were given over to the Museum of the City of Split. In 1945, the Museum became independent, and the following year, in the six rooms of the Bernardi Palace, was opened to the public. In 1948, it was named the Museum of the City of Split. The Museum, with part of its permanent collection, was opened to the public in the Papalić Palace in 1952. The renovated museum opened in 1992, and for the first time displayed its entire permanent collection, which showed the urban, cultural, historical, artistic and economic development of the city through the centuries. Besides obtaining, preserving and protecting items, the Museum carries out publishing and printing activities, organises travelling exhibitions, lectures, courses, and seminars and also conducts research activities.
Founder: City of Split
Year founded: 1946.
Address: Papalićeva 1, tel: 021/360-171, 360-172, tel/fax: 021/341-240
http://www.mgst.net/
www.mdc.hr/splitgr/hr/index.html, e-mail: muzej-grada-st@st.tel.hr
Museum of Croatian Archaeological Heritage
This is the only museum in Croatia established with the purpose of researching, collecting, presenting and studying the remains of the material and spiritual culture of the Croats during the Middle Ages (from the 7th to 15th century), especially during the period of the early medieval Croatian state from the 9th to the 12th century. Under the name the First Museum of Croatian Heritage, it was founded in Knin in 1893. During World War II, it was transferred first to Sinj, then to Klis and finally Split. Since 1976, the archaeological collection has been housed in an impressive building. It has a fund of about 20,000 items. Its collection of early medieval braided and figurative sculpture, and large amount of stonework with early Croatian inscriptions in Latin is one of the largest such collections in Europe. Stonework from the 9th to 12 century on which the names of Croatian rulers are inscribed together with those of secular and ecclesiastical figures represents the oldest Croatian archive, an "archive in stone".
Founder: Republic of Croatia
Address: Meštrovićevo šetalište 18,
tel: 021/358-411, 358-420, tel/fax: 021/358-444, 358-455
www.mhas-split.hr/, e-mail: mhas@st.tel.hr
Ethnographical Museum
The museum has a wide range of ethnographic items from Dalmatia, and also other cultural areas. Besides original pieces, the Museum also shows modern aplications of traditional culture. It also presents aspects of modern popular culture that have been influenced by the past. It looks after and promotes the values of folk heritage, restores and exhibits items, and promotes ethnography and ethnology.
Iza Vesitibula 4 (office); Severova 1 (exhibition space) tel: 021/344-164, 343-108, tel/fax: 021/343-108
e-mail: etnografski-muzej-st@st.tel.hr
Open: 07:00-15:00
Croatian Maritime Museum
This permanent exhibition is intended to give a complete presentation of the military and merchant naval past of the inhabitants of the Eastern Adriatic. The exhibition follows a chronological order from the arrival of the Slavs to the end of the 20th century. Today, the exhibition presents the period from 1918 to 1945 with the use of the courtyard area to show heavy weapons and ships. The Museum also possesses a collection of naval equipment, weapons and navigation instruments, pictures, model ships, uniforms, works of art and other items from archive and library materials.
Glagoljaška 18 - Tvrđava Gripe,
tel: 021/347-346, 347-788, tel/fax: 021/347-346
e-mail: hpms@hpms.hr
Sources: http://kulturniturizam.croatia.hr/ and http://www.split.hr/
WHERE TO MOOR IN SPLIT
ACI Split
GUIDE TO SPLIT
What to see in Split
History of Split
SPLIT FESTIVALS
COOL PLACES IN SPLIT
Bačvice
ACI Milna/island Brač
Lučice/island of Brač
Vrulje/Kornati National Park
Prapratna


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Overview Songs Albums Videos Blog Biography
Ever BeEver Be
No One HigherMorning Rises
CornerstoneLove Made a Way
CornerstoneMorning Rises
Ever BeLove Made a Way
Death Was ArrestedLove Made a Way
ResurrectingLove Made a Way
My Savior My GodLove Made a Way
Lead On (King Eternal)Love Made a Way
You RedeemLove Made a Way
Love Made a Way2017
Ever Be2016
Doxology2015
Unto Us2014
Morning Rises2013
You Redeem
Resurrecting
MultiTracks Now Available from Love Made a Way by Aaron Shust
Ten years after being named both New Artist and Songwriter of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards, Aaron Shust has released a new live worship album titled Love Made a Way. This latest includes new arrangements of five of Aaron's most popular songs including "My Hope Is In You" and the song that won him another Dove Award in 2007 for Song of the Year, "My Savior My God." In addition, along with engaging new originals such as "You Redeem" which declares God's power to turn trials into blessings and "Lead On (King Eternal)" which professes bold trust in His guidance, Aaron gives his own unique take on such worship favorites as Bethel Music's "Ever Be" and Elevation Worship's "Resurrecting."
This album truly reflects Aaron's heart for worship. He explains, "When I invited people to be a part of this recording, I wanted to make sure they wanted to worship. I didn't want them to be just spectators. I wanted them to be worshippers. I wanted them to be desirous of entering into the presence of God, raising their hands and closing their eyes if they wanted to, and that's how the night was. It was a genuine experience of worship." Download your copy of this Love Made a Way today on iTunes and pick up the Original Master MultiTracks as you introduce these new arrangements to your congregation
Hardships generally produce sorrow and heartache, but sometimes there's unexpected joy in life's trials for those who are willing to look. Just ask Aaron Shust. The past few years have been an emotional rollercoaster for the father of three young sons, yet amongst the challenges there have been miracles with each trial and tribulation. Each crisis led the Centricity Music recording artist to lean more firmly into his faith and the result is Aaron's new album, Morning Rises, a potent collection of songs that are worshipful, life-affirming, and absolutely celebratory.
Lauren Daigle, Downhere, Jason Gray


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How To Cope When You Know Your Girl Is In A Toxic Relationship, But She Refuses To Get Help
Posted on October 11, 2019	 - By Keyaira Kelly/ @KeyairaKelly
Source: NickyLloyd / Getty
Our good girlfriends literally become a part of us. We celebrate their wins like they are our own and carry their emotional pain and trauma in our own hearts. The sisterhood between Black women is a very special union, but it can also be very draining. We've all been bystanders to a relational car crash–watching your girl continually engage in a toxic relationship or entertain another man who is a walking billboard of red flags can feel like a burden on your own spirit. You can easily become depleted as you try to suggest ways for them to get help and all of your advice is ignored or dismissed.
MN spoke to Kathleen Isaac, Ph.D about how to cope when you have a friend who refuses to seek professional help for their inner and relational turmoil. Unfortunately, Black women have been resistant to therapy for decades, and a lot of their resistance is historically justifiable.
"There is a lot of stigma around mental health." Isaac told MN.
"In a lot of communities, but I think particularly in the African American community, there's this notion that we have to be strong and we should be able to deal with things on our end. We are a very resilient people. While that strength has really helped us survive through a lot of things, it has also been a barrier to seeking help, because seeking help or talking about your problems makes it look like you're weak."
Continuing, "There's also the very strong influence of religion, which also tells us that we can just pray and our problems will go away that way. It makes it really challenging for people to admit that they need help. Another important factor is that there is a lot of distrust around medicine given that people have been abused or taken advantage of in the medical field through experimentation, and all of these things that create medical distrust in general, so feeling comfortable and safe enough to work with providers, especially when predominately a lot of these providers do not look like you, is also a barrier."
Even if our reasons for not going are understandable, the consequences of unhealed and unaddressed trauma in our communities is evident. Keep in mind, there is nothing wrong with suggesting your friend get professional help, but also manage your expectations so that you aren't devastated when they don't heed your advice.
"When someone is in an abusive situation, they can be really defensive when you try to approach them and tell them 'This is a problem and you need to deal with it,' Isaac explained.
"In some ways, they already know that. Or sometimes they can be in denial. I think you have to be careful as a friend to not be too forceful in saying, 'Hey you need to go get help.' It's most important to just try to be as supportive as you can, and listen and let them know that you're concerned about them. You can gently suggest that they talk to someone else about it, but ultimately, it's on the person to realize for themselves eventually that they will benefit from seeking help and talking about it in therapy."
As a friend, it's important that you take a surrendered approach to your friend's decisions, even if sometimes it's painful to watch.
"Sometimes it can be when the situation gets bad enough, or they might talk to someone who has had a positive experience in therapy, and that might make them more willing to try it. So it's really difficult. I don't think there is one kind of thing you can say. But I do think trying to scale back, and refraining from continually bringing it up, or making the person feel ambushed in anyway is really important. The more that you push forward, sometimes that makes people push back and that can create more resistance. Sometimes it's best to just give someone the space. Let them know you're concerned, and try to be there as much as you can."
A lot of women carry guilt when they aren't constantly telling their girl "how it is." There is this community belief that if "you don't give her the real, it's on you if things go wrong." Let that idea go. Your friend, and your friend alone, is responsible for her life and her actions. And if being adjacent to the trauma is too much on you, it's also okay to create healthy boundaries to protect yourself.
"I think in a friendship it's important to be honest, and let someone know and speak with love that you are there and you want to be supportive to them, but convey, 'Sometimes it's hard for me to hear these things. As your friend, there might be days when I need a minute,'" Isaac recommends.
"Or say 'I've had a really rough day, and I don't think I have the emotional bandwidth to take this on."
However you approach it, make it clear that they aren't a burden, but you just have your own limits.
"Part of your self care is to know those limits and to speak them and keep them for your friends. And that is actually helpful to do because it can help the other person recognize that that's something they're not used to doing for themselves," Isaac advises.
Some friends may be put off by your new established boundaries, but remember, that you have to secure your own safety mask before assisting others.
"I think a lot of times we think practicing self care and setting boundaries means that we are selfish, or that we are leaving people hanging, but you can't care for others if you don't care for yourself," Isaac explains.
If the friend continually keeps bombarding you with their drama with no respect for your feelings, it's also okay to take a break from the friendship.
"If you feel like you've completely reached your limits, sometimes you do have to disengage. It doesn't have to be done in a mean way or abruptly, you can just fall back, respond when you're ready, or send a message, 'Look I hear what you're saying, but I can't talk right now.' " Isaac recommends.
"It's important to check in with yourself and be honest with yourself about where you're at and how much resources you feel like you have available to deal with that other person's problems. Try to communicate the best that you can that, 'I'm trying to do my best to support you, but I really think that having access to a therapist who can be there consistently is going to be really beneficial for you.'"
Kathleen Isaac, Ph.D has her own private practice in Harlem. You can find out more information about her services here.
Categories: Love & Relationships


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San Diego News Now
San Diego's high cost of living
December 16, 2022 at 5:00 AM PST
Good Morning, I'm Debbie Cruz….it's Friday, December 16th.
San Diego County's high cost of living is pushing some people out of the region. More on that next. But first... let's do the headlines….
The largest water supplier in the nation has declared a drought emergency for southern California… including here in San Diego county.
The Metropolitan Water District says its member agencies need to cut their use of imported water… or face steep fees.
The San Diego County Water Authority says 12-to-13-percent of our water comes from the M-W-D… and it has developed other sources, like desalinated sea water and recycled water.
To keep San Diego "drought-proof," the water authority recommends taking shorter showers, running only full loads of dishes or laundry and turning irrigation systems off for the winter.
Narcan vending machines won't be coming to the county by the end of the year as previously announced
County officials say they are waiting on the supplier and the vending machines should be rolled out early next year..
Narcan or Naloxone is a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses by restoring normal breathing.
According to preliminary data, in 20-21 nearly 900 people died from accidental opioid overdoses in the county.
The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is happening Sunday.
About 80 boats will be decked out with Christmas lights and decorations for the 52nd annual event.
The boats will start in Shelter island at 5-30 p-m, and sail their way to the Ferry Landing in Coronado.
It's expected to end at 7-30.
You can watch the boats parade by from anywhere along the bay.
From KPBS, you're listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
As the year winds down, some San Diegans are packing up and heading out … not for a holiday trip … but for a change of residence.
KPBS reporter Jacob Aere looks at how some people are getting priced out … and pushed out … of the region.
It's no secret San Diego County is an expensive place to live. But life has gotten extra pricey over the past couple of years … and evictions are stressing out many renters. George Rowles Former Hillcrest Resident "We figured when the property was sold at some point we were going to get a notice to vacate." And that's exactly what happened to George Rowles. He got that notice just after San Diego's no-fault eviction moratorium was lifted in September. He was told to be out of his Hillcrest home two weeks before Christmas. And now, his living situation has gotten a lot more expensive. George Rowles Former Hillcrest Resident "And then trying to find something in this market … coming from where we have been, at a reasonable rent for 15 years and finding something now…. my rent is literally being quadrupled." Situations like that are making many contemplate their future in the region, especially those with lower incomes. Lila Miller Chula Vista Resident "So I'm moving back home to Arkansas, I'm going to be staying with family for a while. I already have a job there. I already got hired at a Starbucks down there." We talked to Lila Miller when she was packing up her belongings in Chula Vista. She'd fallen behind on rent and got an eviction notice. The cost of living priced her out of renting elsewhere in San Diego. Lila Miller Chula Vista Resident "Everything else was too expensive or too far away from where I was working … A lot of them were like 2200, 2400 all the way up to 3000 an apartment, for like a two bedroom just like this." University of San Diego economics professor Alan Gin says in a housing market that is both expensive and in short supply: Alan Gin USD Professor of Economics "The expiration of eviction protections is going to make the problem worse. So people at the low end had some protection but no they could be susceptible to evictions. If that's the case many of them will have to leave the region." Jeff Tucker is an economist with Zillow. He says San Diego County got roughly 33 percent more expensive during the pandemic. It's now the fourth highest-priced metro area in the U.S. Tucker says that's why San Diegans are moving to other counties at a higher rate than in the past.Jeff Tucker Zillow Economist "Riverside, San Bernardino counties, LA and the OC – all these places have seen a pretty substantial increase in the number of home seekers – both buyers and renters – coming from the San Diego area." The U.S. Census Bureau says last year San Diego County lost population for the first time in a decade. Tucker says remote work is giving people more flexibility. Jeff Tucker Zillow Economist "This really is a story of people looking to find a place where they can make ends meet – where they can sort of reach their American Dream of a place of their own, maybe homeownership, and a house that fits their family. And that is increasingly infeasible in San Diego for the middle and working classes." And those who don't leave San Diego – like George Rowles – are finding other ways to cut back. George Rowles Former Hillcrest Resident "We had a decent amount of disposable income, but now most of our money is going to have to go to actually, physically living." Miller says if she didn't move back to Arkansas, she'd likely end up homeless. Lila Miller Chula Vista Resident "I do hope to come back to California. I really do love it here. It's just too expensive. I'm working so hard – I work 12 to 16 hours a day sometimes and I still can't afford to live here, even with a roommate in a two-bedroom apartment." Gin sees one clear answer for the long-term solution. Alan Gin USD Professor of Economics "And what's really needed is what some people call workforce housing – that's housing for people who are kind of in the middle. These are going to be your teachers, your police officers, your normal working people who want to live in San Diego but can't afford it at this point." For the short term, renters are hoping for stronger tenant protections. The San Diego city council will consider an updated tenant protection ordinance early next year. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
COVID CASES ARE SURGING AGAIN…
KPBS REPORTER KITTY ALVARADO SAYS A LOT OF PEOPLE STILL NEED THEIR VACCINES.
Flu and COVID are rampant again in San Diego county … Dr Cameron Kaiser, the county's deputy public health officer says this week the county will be reporting more than 4800 COVID cases and 1600 flu cases. But that isn't the whole story … that this number is almost certainly a low estimate due to the amount of home testing that doesn't get reported … Only 18 percent of people in San Diego County have received the new COVID booster. Kaiser says that is a concern. Yes the vast majority of us are going to come out okay but why roll the dice He says people with previous COVID infections can get the vaccine too without waiting and he is urging people get it now. The vaccine takes about a week or two for it to become effective So if you get that shot now… that's just in time for the Christmas holiday. Kitty Alvarado KPBS News.
California regulators approved the most significant overhaul of the state's solar rules since first subsidizing rooftop solar in 19-96.
KPBS Environment reporter Erik Anderson has details.
The California Public Utility Commission voted five to zero to approve proposed changes that were revealed in the fall. The new plan cuts the value of solar generated electricity sold back to the grid by 75 percent. That reduces the financial benefit of installing solar arrays. The CPUC downplayed that part of the deal. Cliff Rechtschaffen, CPUC commissioner "It ignores the fact that a much larger portion of the customer savings from rooftop solar saving actually comes from customer's powering their electricity needs at home….meeting their needs with solar energy." Solar advocates called the plan too extreme for California. They argued the state needs to make solar more affordable, not less affordable. The state's investor owned utilities have been notably quiet about the changes, only speaking in regulatory filings or hearings. Erik Anderson KPBS News.
Coming up.... A new "safe haven" for those experiencing homelessness. We'll have that story and more, next, just after the break.
San Diego's City Councilmembers were sworn in this week - bringing a new face to the council.
Kent Lee will represent the city's 6th district.
The district includes Mira Mesa, Kearny Mesa, most of University City, Sorrento Valley and portions of Scripps Ranch.
Councilmember Lee spoke with KPBS Midday Edition Host Jade Hindmon.
That was Councilmember Kent Lee, speaking with KPBS's Jade Hindmon.
Some people who are experiencing homeless need more help than others to get their lives back in order.
KPBS reporter Jacob Aere says a new "safe haven" will house nearly two dozen homeless San Diegans who need that extra help.
The new "Safe Haven" is at the Veterans Village of San Diego campus in the Midway District. It'll help residents living with mental illness and chronic substance use conditions. Elizabeth Fitzsimons (fit-SIY-mins) is the CEO of Episcopal Community Services, which will operate the new 24/7 transitional housing facility. "It's really meant to be like a home to these people. And it is smaller because they're going to be spending more time here together. And we don't have a time limit on how long they can be with us; some of our clients stay with us as long as two years." Fitzsimons says the 11-unit, 22-bed Safe Haven space will open by early January … with the goal of keeping people permanently rehoused. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
That's it for the podcast today. This podcast is produced by KPBS Senior Producer Brooke Ruth and Producer Emilyn Mohebbi. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I'm Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.
By KPBS PUBLIC MEDIA
Some San Diegans are packing up and heading out for a change of residence, as the cost of living becomes higher. In other news, California regulators approved the most significant overhaul of the state's solar rules since first subsidizing rooftop solar in 1996. Plus, a new safe haven will house nearly two dozen homeless San Diegans who need the extra help.


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Apple Health
Mac shipments fell in 2019 despite overall PC industry growth, IDC and Gartner say
Chance Miller
- Jan. 13th 2020 3:01 pm PT
@ChanceHMiller
International Data Corporation (IDC) is out with its Q4 2019 data today, breaking down the PC industry during the holiday shopping season. According to the data, PC shipments grew by 4.8% during the quarter, hitting 71.8 million units. This marks the "highest single quarter shipment volume in four years," IDC says, but Apple wasn't able to benefit from that industry-wide growth.
For Q4 2019, the No. 1 company was Lenovo, which saw growth of 6.5% year-over-year to 17.8 million shipments. HP came in at No. 2, followed by Dell at No. 3, with 17.17 million and 12.46 million shipments respectively.
Apple rounded out the top four, with IDC estimating Q4 2019 shipments of 4.7 million units, down 5.3% year-over-year. According to the IDC data, Apple holds a 6.6% share of the PC market, down from 7.3% compared to Q4 2018.
Apple's Mac volumes saw a decline in 4Q19 with 4.7 million units shipped, down 5.3% year over year. Apple's continued momentum in the iPad and iPhone space have more than offset its challenges with Mac volumes, however.
For the entire year, PC shipments were up 2.7%, according to the IDC data on a worldwide basis. That makes 2019 the "first full year of PC growth" since 2011. Apple itself saw a 2.2% decline for 2019 as a whole, with yearly estimated shipments of 17.68 million.
Meanwhile, PC industry data from Gartner tells a similar story. Gartner data suggests that worldwide PC shipments grew 2.3% for Q4 2019 and 0.6% for the entire year. The firm estimates worldwide shipments of 70.6 million. For Apple specifically, Gartner's data indicates shipments of 5.26 million units, which is down 3% year-over-year, and a marketshare of 7.5%.
For 2019 as a whole, Gartner estimates Apple shipments of 18.35 million units, which is slightly more optimistic than IDC.
If you narrow things down to just the United States, Gartner's data indicates that Apple shipped 2.13 million units for Q4 2019, which is actually up 0.8% year-over-year and worthy of a 13.6% share of the PC industry. That makes it the fourth-largest company behind Lenovo, HP, and Dell.
Ultimately, the consensus between both Gartner and IDC seems to be that the entire PC industry saw growth throughout 2019 and in Q4 alone, but Apple wasn't able to capitalize on that. Nonetheless, the data from both outlets is based on estimates and supply chain data, and should be treated with some skepticism. Apple no longer reports Mac unit sales, which makes it nearly impossible to verify the accuracy of the data from Gartner and IDC.
Click charts for larger view
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200 days and 100 locations - Aamir Khan goes the long mile for Laal Singh Chaddha!
200 days and 100 locations – Aamir Khan goes the long mile for Laal Singh Chaddha!
Actor Aamir Khan is getting ready to wow viewers once more with his cinematic magic in 'Laal Singh Chaddha."Laal Singh Chaddha,' a passion project that required a tremendous degree of devotion and planning from the actor and producer, was filmed for approximately 200 days, making it the longest amount of days Aamir Khan has shot for a film since 'Lagaan.'
The film, which was shot in over 100 sites around India, takes spectators through events in Indian history as seen through the eyes of Laal Singh Chaddha, a man with a keen awareness of emotions.
The long schedule was bound to take a toll on the superstar's future commitment but nonetheless worth the wait. According to a report by News18, a source says, "Laal Singh Chaddha has been shot extensively across the country. While Aamir is known to go all out for his characters and disconnect from the rest, this commitment was truly significant as it required 200 days of his time, not to mention traveling across 100 locations. The superstar has never compromised on the quality and output of his content and films and went the extra mile for Laal Singh Chaddha."
Aamir Khan Productions has given Indian audiences immensely memorable films over the years. After films like Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, and the most recent, Dangal among others, comes the highly anticipated project Laal Singh Chaddha directed by Advait Chandan from a screenplay written by Eric Roth and Atul Kulkarni.
Starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and a talented ensemble cast, the film is nothing less than a labour of love. Laal Singh Chaddha is produced by Aamir Khan Productions, Viacom18 Studios, and Paramount Pictures and will release Baisakhi 2022.
Over the years, Aamir Khan Productions has offered Indian moviegoers a slew of unforgettable films. Following the success of films such as 'Lagaan,' 'Taare Zameen Par,' and the most recent, 'Dangal,' comes the highly awaited movie 'Laal Singh Chaddha,' directed by Advait Chandan from a script written by Eric Roth and Atul Kulkarni.
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Главная » Dream interpretation » Dream interpretation, what dream of lightning: ball, without thunder, lightning in the sky in a dream
Dream interpretation, what dream of lightning: ball, without thunder, lightning in the sky in a dream
Natural phenomena, accompanied by vivid manifestations of powerful elements, make a strong impression on people, and are often an inherent entourage of dreams. Usually, the main feeling is rather alarming, but when you try to find out what the lightning dream about, you can read both warning and soothing interpretations.
Dream Miller treats lightning as a short period of happiness, followed by recession and grief. The outbreak in the black sky warns that parents need to pay heightened attention to their descendants, to entrepreneurs — to control their business more carefully, and everybody, without exception, needs to be careful.
Dream Vanga considers lightning a harbinger of misfortunes and misfortunes. They will come suddenly, and sleep serves as a warning.
If a fire from a lightning was dreamed of, a house or a tree caught fire, the cruelty of heaven would fall upon the wicked and sinners. The dreamer will become a witness to this, and may suffer if he does not repent beforehand.
Family Dream reports: when a dream of lightning in the sky, unexpected news will come. A blow to the sleeper personifies the slander and gossip of others, defaming the honest name.
According to the universal dream book, if lightning struck the ground, the message would bring confusion. There will be an urgent need to adjust life priorities.
Dream Grishin tells what the plot means in which lightning strikes the water. Nayava sleeping will shed empty tears.
According to the Muslim dream book lightning strike in itself is interpreted depending on the environment. If the sky was in the clouds, it is well-being and good news.
A flurry in a cloudless sky warns that deserved retribution will follow for all transgressions.
Gypsy dream book treats lightning as joy and fun when she shines away. However, the outbreaks nearby are a bad sign, which means that you can be in a "state house", dirty rumors behind your back, and even expulsion from your native places.
If lightning struck the house or the sleeper, it is a very sad prophecy. The plot warns of a serious danger, often — deadly.
The sleeper will open in himself hidden talents and inclinations towards the extraordinary, this is what dream about lightning and fire esoteric dream book. To master the gift, it will take time, and at first it will deliver trouble.
Modern source suggests that fear of lightning — to the unwillingness to face the truth and attempts to ignore problems. The plot warns that it is time to deal with difficulties, because by themselves they will not disappear.
If you had a chance to hide from lightning in a dream in a completely unfamiliar place — to drastic changes in real life. It may happen to leave the previous place of work, and get a new one, or even drastically change the type of activity. But do not worry — it will benefit.
Photographing the rampant of the elements — a reflection of the propensity to take risks and adventures.
Dream interpretation of Sigmund Freud treats lightning, as always, from the standpoint of the unconscious. In his opinion, the flash symbolizes a bright passion. The dream suggests that a chance encounter with a pleasant person will happen soon.
Relationships will develop rapidly, and very soon it will be possible to enter into close contact.
Lightning a woman treated with regard to marital status. Lonely is a sign that informs that a passion will soon appear in life.
A married dream indicates that attention should be paid to household members.
When dream of lightning pregnant, this is the personification of the woman's experiences. Bright emotions are fully justified, but there is no special reason to worry.
Lightning a girl foreshadows that she will soon get an offer to marry. A flash in the sky for lovers means a happy development of relationships.
Lightning a guy may symbolize that his courtship will be reciprocated. The dreamer skillfully seduces his pretty person.
Lightning a man spell serious changes. Their nature will be negative if she hit himself or his property.
In this case, the reality will have to conflict.
Ball Lightning warns that the course of a measured life will be strongly influenced by an event from the side. Because of this, the usual way will change a lot.
Zipped lightning in the house, causing severe destruction, is interpreted as fruitless attempts to establish family relationships. It's just that at the moment there is no time to negotiate — emotions are overwhelmed.
The fireball is quietly flying around the apartment — to the great surprise of reality.
Lightning no thunder means that because of the information received, you will have to significantly change your plans. At the same time, it is worthwhile to act not impulsively, but thinking about the consequences of the steps.
Strong lightning represents the shocking truth. It will most likely touch someone from the inner circle.
Sleeping too careless, that's what dreams of lightning, beating into the ground. Such a vision warns that negligence and lightheadedness can lead to trouble.
Bright lightning in a dream means the momentary happiness. Behind the period of happy prosperity come the gray days.
To the unexpected in all areas of dreams beautiful lightning. There will be no time to be bored!
When dreaming lightning, most often it is accompanied by other natural phenomena. Depending on this interpretation gets clarification.
Thunder and lightning symbolize sudden and highly resonant events. Changes will affect not only the dreamer, but many other people.
If it makes noise thunderstorm with lightning away, This is a sign that while you can safely enjoy the equipped life. Special joy will happen to experience in the circle of relatives and friends. With fear to watch the rampant elements out of the window — in reality become an eyewitness to a major conflict.
It would not be desirable, it is better not to interfere.
A call for caution is considered to be dreamed at the same time. rain and lightning with thunderstorms. However, if the dreamer strolls with pleasure in bad weather, in reality he knows how to perfectly adapt to any situation.
Thunderclouds and lightning in a dream means events that will push for decisive action to change their own destiny. But if the flash cuts through a completely clear sky, on which there is not a cloud, the surprises will simply stun and unbalance for a while.
The riot of the elements does not apply to rare scenes of dreams, and often do not even need to figure out what dream of lightning. Sleep can be caused by impressions of what he saw in reality, and yet it is desirable, as most sources recommend, to increase vigilance, and to act more cautiously.
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Pat and Stu July 26, 2017
Experts reveal three ways in which money buys happiness. But it's how you spend it.
Minerva Studio / Getty images
Science says money does indeed buy you happiness and the key takeaway has everything to do with how you spend it. Experts Michael Norton, a Harvard Business professor, and Ashley Whillans, assistant professor at Harvard Business School, revealed three essential factors that increase happiness. Paying for services that save you time (like mowing the lawn or valeting your car), spending money on others, and buying experiences instead of stuff are all proven ways to make you happier.
The study was published in the journal of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America and stated:
"Despite rising incomes, people around the world are feeling increasingly pressed for time, undermining well-being. We show that the time famine of modern life can be reduced by using the money to buy time. Surveys of large, diverse samples from four countries reveal that spending money on time-saving services is linked to greater life satisfaction."
Wednesday on "Pat & Stu," the guys discussed why they mostly agree with what the new study suggests and shared personal anecdotes of how one of the three listed suggestions from experts applied to their lives.
"When I was young — I want to swear – I hated mowing the lawn. I despised it with so much intensity. It was like one of the first luxuries I ever bought," said host Stu Burguiere.
To see more from Pat & Stu, visit their channel on TheBlaze and listen live to "Pat & Stu" with Pat Gray, Stu Burguiere, and Jeffy Fisher weekdays 5–7 p.m. ET, only on TheBlaze Radio Network.
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The Free Library > Literature > Leo Tolstoy > War and Peace > Book Eight: 1811-12 - Chapter XVIII
Book Eight: 1811-12 - Chapter XVIII
Marya Dmitrievna, having found Sonya weeping in the corridor, made her confess everything, and intercepting the note to Natasha she read it and went into Natasha's room with it in her hand.
"You shameless good-for-nothing!" said she. "I won't hear a word."
Pushing back Natasha who looked at her with astonished but tearless eyes, she locked her in; and having given orders to the yard porter to admit the persons who would be coming that evening, but not to let them out again, and having told the footman to bring them up to her, she seated herself in the drawing room to await the abductors.
When Gabriel came to inform her that the men who had come had run away again, she rose frowning, and clasping her hands behind her paced through the rooms a long time considering what she should do. Toward midnight she went to Natasha's room fingering the key in her pocket. Sonya was sitting sobbing in the corridor. "Marya Dmitrievna, for God's sake let me in to her!" she pleaded, but Marya Dmitrievna unlocked the door and went in without giving her an answer.... "Disgusting, abominable... In my house... horrid girl, hussy! I'm only sorry for her father!" thought she, trying to restrain her wrath. "Hard as it may be, I'll tell them all to hold their tongues and will hide it from the count." She entered the room with resolute steps. Natasha lying on the sofa, her head hidden in her hands, and she did not stir. She was in just the same position in which Marya Dmitrievna had left her.
"A nice girl! Very nice!" said Marya Dmitrievna. "Arranging meetings with lovers in my house! It's no use pretending: you listen when I speak to you!" And Marya Dmitrievna touched her arm. "Listen when when I speak! You've disgraced yourself like the lowest of hussies. I'd treat you differently, but I'm sorry for your father, so I will conceal it."
Natasha did not change her position, but her whole body heaved with noiseless, convulsive sobs which choked her. Marya Dmitrievna glanced round at Sonya and seated herself on the sofa beside Natasha.
"It's lucky for him that he escaped me; but I'll find him!" she said in her rough voice. "Do you hear what I am saying or not?" she added.
She put her large hand under Natasha's face and turned it toward her. Both Marya Dmitrievna and Sonya were amazed when they saw how Natasha looked. Her eyes were dry and glistening, her lips compressed, her cheeks sunken.
"Let me be!... What is it to me?... I shall die!" she muttered, wrenching herself from Marya Dmitrievna's hands with a vicious effort and sinking down again into her former position.
"Natalie!" said Marya Dmitrievna. "I wish for your good. Lie still, stay like that then, I won't touch you. But listen. I won't tell you how guilty you are. You know that yourself. But when your father comes back tomorrow what am I to tell him? Eh?"
Again Natasha's body shook with sobs.
"Suppose he finds out, and your brother, and your betrothed?"
"I have no betrothed: I have refused him!" cried Natasha.
"That's all the same," continued Dmitrievna. "If they hear of this, will they let it pass? He, your father, I know him... if he challenges him to a duel will that be all right? Eh?"
"Oh, let me be! Why have you interfered at all? Why? Why? Who asked you to?" shouted Natasha, raising herself on the sofa and looking malignantly at Marya Dmitrievna.
"But what did you want?" cried Marya Dmitrievna, growing angry again. "Were you kept under lock and key? Who hindered his coming to the house? Why carry you off as if you were some gypsy singing girl?... Well, if he had carried you off... do you think they wouldn't have found him? Your father, or brother, or your betrothed? And he's a scoundrel, a wretch- that's a fact!"
"He is better than any of you!" exclaimed Natasha getting up. "If you hadn't interfered... Oh, my God! What is it all? What is it? Sonya, why?... Go away!"
And she burst into sobs with the despairing vehemence with which people bewail disasters they feel they have themselves occasioned. Marya Dmitrievna was to speak again but Natasha cried out:
"Go away! Go away! You all hate and despise me!" and she threw herself back on the sofa.
Marya Dmitrievna went on admonishing her for some time, enjoining on her that it must all be kept from her father and assuring her that nobody would know anything about it if only Natasha herself would undertake to forget it all and not let anyone see that something had happened. Natasha did not reply, nor did she sob any longer, but she grew cold and had a shivering fit. Marya Dmitrievna put a pillow under her head, covered her with two quilts, and herself brought her some lime-flower water, but Natasha did not respond to her.
"Well, let her sleep," said Marya Dmitrievna as she went of the room supposing Natasha to be asleep.
But Natasha was not asleep; with pale face and fixed wide-open eyes she looked straight before her. All that night she did not sleep or weep and did not speak to Sonya who got up and went to her several times.
Next day Count Rostov returned from his estate near Moscow in time for lunch as he had promised. He was in very good spirits; the affair with the purchaser was going on satisfactorily, and there was nothing to keep him any longer in Moscow, away from the countess whom he missed. Marya Dmitrievna met him and told him that Natasha had been very unwell the day before and that they had sent for the doctor, but that she was better now. Natasha had not left her room that morning. With compressed and parched lips and dry fixed eyes, she sat at the window, uneasily watching the people who drove past and hurriedly glancing round at anyone who entered the room. She was evidently expecting news of him and that he would come or would write to her.
When the count came to see her she turned anxiously round at the sound of a man's footstep, and then her face resumed its cold and malevolent expression. She did not even get up to greet him. "What is the matter with you, my angel? Are you ill?" asked the count.
After a moment's silence Natasha answered: "Yes, ill."
In reply to the count's anxious inquiries as to why she was so dejected and whether anything had happened to her betrothed, she assured him that nothing had happened and asked him not to worry. Marya Dmitrievna confirmed Natasha's assurances that nothing had happened. From the pretense of illness, from his daughter's distress, and by the embarrassed faces of Sonya and Marya Dmitrievna, the count saw clearly that something had gone wrong during his absence, but it was so terrible for him to think that anything disgraceful had happened to his beloved daughter, and he so prized his own cheerful tranquillity, that he avoided inquiries and tried to assure himself that nothing particularly had happened; and he was only dissatisfied that her indisposition delayed their return to the country.


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Agile with Scrum
Agile for Teams
Agile for Executives
Scaling Agile (SAFe®)
Technical Staffing
Elon Musk's Keys to Great Teamwork
By tkamens@guidance-technology.com
In Teamwork
What makes great teams great?
In my drive to learn more about how great teams become great teams, I stumbled upon Ashlee Vance's book, Elon Musk. Vance had his work cut out for him, as Musk didn't agree to cooperate on the book until well into his writing. In reading about Musk and his approach to business and technology, it was enlightening to learn that when Musk started Tesla and SpaceX, he brought with him many of the methods and concepts learned from his years in the software field.
A main principle of Agile is to have self-organized, cross-functional teams of people capable of getting the work done. It sounds so simple, and yet it is a big challenge to many companies working on their transformation to Agile today.
Imagine a team like this?
Imagine building a new feature for your product, and putting together a team made up of business people, developers, analysts, testers, etc., and then asking them, "What will it take to get this feature built?" Not, can you have this feature done by May 15th. You ask the team, "What can you do?"
You would be putting the commitment into the teams hands and, by having everyone together, you would ensure that the work was completed as defined by the team. Such a simple concept – let people who are asking for, building, testing and accepting the final result, work together from start to finish to ensure they build what the customer wanted!
Self-Organizing, Cross-Functional
Musk took note of how Agile teams worked and the self-organizing and cross-functional team concept, and brought it right to the manufacturing floor of SpaceX. As noted by Vance,
"Desks were interspersed around the factory so that Ivy League computer scientists and engineers designing the machines could sit with the welders and machinists building the hardware. This approach stood as SpeceX's first major break with traditional aerospace companies that prefer to cordon different engineering groups off from each other and typically separate engineers and machinists by thousands of miles by placing their factories in locations where real estate and labor run cheap."
Musk leveraged his greatest resource, his people, to work together to do the unthinkable. Starting from scratch in 2002, SpaceX became the only private company ever to return a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit, which it first accomplished in December of 2010 – just 8 years. Again, in May of 2012 they made history when they delivered cargo to the International Space Station. Most recently, in December of 2015, SpaceX delivered satellites into orbit and the first stage of their rocket safely returned and landed on earth – the first-ever orbital class rocket landing.
As further noted by Vance when looking into how Musk changed an industry,
"He's managed to keep the safety factor up while cutting costs. He's just taken the best things from the tech industry like the open-floor office plans and having everyone talking and all this human interaction. It's a very different way to most of the aerospace industry, which is designed to produce requirements documents and project reviews."
It is clear, not only from Musk's demonstrable proof, that people who make commitments to their own work and then work together, are capable of accomplishing amazing results. By building self-organizing, cross-functional teams, today's organizations can leverage the power of self-motivation, commitment and teamwork like never imagined before. That is, if they can let go of old habits.
Musk took note of how Agile teams worked and the self-organizing and cross-functional team concept, and brought it right to the manufacturing floor of SpaceX.
Could NBA Coach Steve Kerr be a Scrum Master?
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Agile Training | Staffing | Contact


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Professor David Adey's Gallery Exhibit On Guns Encourages Viewers To Lament
The charged national debate over guns, the debate over the accessibility of "3D printed" versions of them, and recent shootings of horrific proportions have all been catalysts for PLNU professor David Adey's new work, which will be shown for the first time in a solo exhibition titled "There Be Dragons" at Quint Gallery.
Adey's exhibition includes a grouping of 15 cedar posts or columns in which he has embedded colorful components of the AR-15 in plastic, to create sculptures that are formally enticing and symbolically disquieting.
In another series, featuring 15 wall mounted relief compositions, he has taken the same digital 3D model of the AR-15 lower receiver, and, using software, he has reconfigured its three-dimensional elements as flattened forms. He has used these laser-cut shapes as elements in a series of elegant geometric abstractions, fashioned from veiled versions of the weapon layered with elements of a flattened 3D scan of his own body. This group of works, in his view, beg the question: "How many steps away from the original can the work be and still be legal?" The series of 15 compositions, together, contain all the data for one AR-15 lower receiver.
The exhibition will also include a preview of a forthcoming documentary by filmmakers Andrew Norbeck and Jared Callahan. This short film chronicles Adey's creative inquiry into the world of guns, and the process of creating his sculpture titled 2,127 Rounds.
Hear Adey give an interview about the exhibit below:
Photo and press release used courtesy of artsy.net. View their entire story here.


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Come join OFALA, the Council of Filipino American Association (CFAA), and Filipino American National Historic Society (FANHS) in celebrating the Filipino American Journey!
The special performance by OFALA will take place at 12:45 to 2:15. OFALA will be reenacting the historic United State Supreme Court case, Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio.
Justice Denied:: Wards Cove Packing Co.. v.. Atonio is a reenactment of the Filipino and Alaskan salmon cannery workers'' workplace discrimination class action case that was argued before the U..SS.. Supreme Court in 1989 and led to amendments in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Taken from transcripts of the proceedings, the dramatization will be performed by attorneys, law students, and other community leaders.
Distinguished members of the judiciary will also star, including: Hon.. Janelle Factora Wipper, Chief Civil Judge of the Washington County Circuit Court and the first Filipino/a American judge in Oregon; and Hon.. Steven R.. Powers, Judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals and the first and only Filipino/a American appellate judge in Oregon.
Also in attendance will be Nemesio Domingo, Jr., the brother of Silme Domingo, a plaintiff in one of the class action cases. Mr. Domingo will give remarks after the re-enactment..
OFALA Launch Event
Official launch of Oregon's newest minority bar association!


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Italian/Polish Music
DORS Discovery
ONLINE LISTENING
Gallery of Sound - Independent Record Store PA
GALLERY OF SOUND
186 Mundy St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
Fashion Mall (across from Viewmont Mall) Dickson City, PA 18519
D.D. Verni is best known as songwriter/founding member and bassist for heavy metal pioneers OVERKILL, a legendary band that has sold millions of records worldwide and has released 19 studio albums from the present dating back to their debut album in 1985. While Verni is a heavy metal legend in his own right, he had always dreamed of creating a big band as his love for the big band sound dates back many years. This was a passion project that he had always looked forward to creating one day. Verni began by writing a fantastic collection of soon-to-be big band classics. Next he recruited longtime Brian Setzer Orchestra upright bassist, John "Spazz" Hatton, to do horn arrangements and play upright bass. Then DD brought in the LA based horn section from Phat Cat Swinger to play the horns, and added Brian Setzer Orchestra drummer and current Doobie Brothers member, Tony Pia. Add jazz pianist Dave Moscoe and Hot Rod guitarist Damian Bacci, and you have a star-studded line-up of big band greatness that made this album shake and swing.
https://galleryofsound.com 760137605027
Label: MVD AUDIO
Let's Rattle
Artist: D.D. Verni & The Cadillac Band
New: in stock $13.99
1. Cadillac Man
2. Shake It, Swing It
3. Give Me Your Number
4. Olivia...That's Who!
5. Powerhouse
6. Cold Hearted Woman
7. School Of Rock n' Roll
8. L-O-V-E
9. Just Say U Love Me
10. Manhattan Baby
11. Close Your Eyes And Dream
12. Ain't That A Kick In The Head
13. The One Who Loves U
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