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BY Chris - Jul 29, 2013 0
The Importance of Being Israel – Why We Even Care.
I recall promising a breakdown of Israel's geopolitical situation but, as I was looking over some past notes and refreshing my memory, I realised that the geopolitics of anywhere is a crashingly boring subject. Unless you're the sort of person who polishes the undersides of furniture and goes out on weekends to look at interesting rocks. Or an infantryman. I figure that the first kind of person doesn't really need me to entertain them, and the second kind already knows all about it.
So, rather than a full-blown geopolitical analysis, what I'm going to give here is a quick and dirty summary of Israel in relation to her neighbours, and then attempt to answer the question that doesn't get asked often enough: Why do we even give a crap what happens over there? Apart from 'Family of Humanity" type considerations, I believe that our reasons for having a firm position on the Israeli conflict cannot possibly be clear without an understanding of the second and third order consequences of its existence/dissolution. And knowing these reasons makes it difficult to go along with the hysterical prejudice that so often afflicts the issue – which can only be a good thing.
Now, as I'm in a slightly Socratic mood, I shall now proceed to ask myself some questions and then answer them.
Israel is surrounded by more populous and hostile neighbours. Why has it not already been wiped off the map?
There are two main reasons for this. The first is geographic – Israel is surrounded by some formidable natural boundaries. To the East is the river Jordan – by no means an insuperable obstacle, but one which might as well be given the numbers and equipment status of any potential enemy to the East. To the South is the Sinai, a lawless tract of desert, which presents obvious problems for an invader, and equally obvious advantages for a defender. To the North is what might be considered open territory, but as vital trade passes through this region, we may consider this as an area that any regional aggressor would be seriously loth to disrupt. And to the West, of course, is the Med.
The other reason is the nature and ambitions of their immediate neighbours. Even if Egypt and Syria were not currently imploding shitfights, they are generally hampered by disunity and by the natural direction (in the case of Egypt) for any expansionism. Egypt's wider interests generally lie in the opposite direction to Israel, and they have little interest in definitively taking the Sinai region. For Egypt to expand northwards, it would need to be purely motivated by the annihilation of Israel. Syria, on the other hand, has a strong requirement for access to the sea, and punching through or cutting off a part of Israel to do this would make perfect sense. It is this very need, however, that hampers Syria – its truncated form is such that it cannot viably act unilaterally as it would almost immediately face problems of supply and, you guessed it, access to the sea. For allies its prospects are Egypt, uninterested in advancing in that direction, Lebanon, incapable of expanding in any direction at all, and Jordan, uninterested in pretty well anything outside its own borders.
So, as far as regional threats are concerned, Israel is actually very well covered. This is partly what we mean when we talk about a strong strategic position.
What about the Palestinians?
If you run your eye over the last post on Israel and have a look at the major players, it becomes apparent that there is not a Palestinian state or non-state actor that is capable of representing an existential threat. This is partially due to their own disunity, poverty and, in some cases, insanity, but mainly to a decades-long policy on Israel's part of ruthlessly clamping down on these movements. Their infrastructure, materiel, support bases and leadership have been systematically and consistently destroyed over a long period of time. Internal, non-Jewish dissension, in reality, represents no more than an irritant to the state of Israel.
Why are the Yanks always glad-handing them, no matter what they do?
Now here, I think, we get to the nub, and this is really the meat of this whole issue.
We have seen that the region that we know as Israel is actually quite well placed, strategically, so why, for more than two millenia, has Israel been the pawn of empires? It is, in fact, this strategic placement that has made it so. Both the ancient and modern states of Israel have been exceptionally well placed to fend off regional threats. This, naturally, makes it a logical location for any Empire wishing to control the wider region. Couple this with the fact that Israel sits on a nexus of access to the East from the West and vice versa, and we can see that the territory is, in fact, irresistably attractive to global powers.
Israel is small and always has been. It is, and has always been, incapable of fending off threats from what we now term 'superpowers'. Their highly attractive strategic placement makes them a necessary conquest for any state actor attempting to achieve hegemony in the Middle East – a necessary step to the achievement of global hegemony.
In the past, this has meant that Israel spent the major part of its history as a conquered or vassal nation. Since independence in the modern era, a clever and finely balanced 'long game' has been played out in its foreign policy, in order to assure its continued freedom from conquest. In short, Israel's position is such that its best guarantee of remaining a free state actor is to seek alliance with and sponsorship from a power that is interested in regional and global hegemony. Initially, this was the USSR and then, more recently, the USA. Israel's friendliness provides a high degree of East/West mobility for a global power, as well as a safe corridor for the transhipment of supplies and, in the event of war, materiel. At the time of writing, the dominant global power in the region is, in fact, the USA, and it is through facilitation of their regional goals and the provision of free access through their territory that Israel is able to wring co-operation, toleration and security guarantees from any and every US government. Throw out your tired old conspiracy theories – this is the very real reason why anybody in the West gives the slightest crap about Israel and its security – control and/or influence in Israel equals the capability to assert regional and therefore global hegemony. While this doesn't look as good on a cardboard sign as 'Blood for Oil' or 'Zionist Conspiracy', it happens to be the truth.
So, that's the very quick and dirty wrap-up of the Israel problem. My hope is that readers will come away from this with the idea that this conflict does not simply boil down to race, religion and unreasoning hatred. That it is a complex power game that is played for very tangible stakes and that it can, therefore be solved. It is all too easy to just say "everyone in that region is completely insane", throw one's hands up and deny the possibility of resolution. I sincerely hope that I have gone some way to showing that this is a cop out.
I am Angry Face
"I think he just got carried away and did the wrong thing."
Juror B37
I have nothing to say about the rights and wrongs of the Trayvon Martin case. If the yanks are happy with a big, fat, wannabe cop randomly shooting inappropriately dressed people in the street, that's their business, though I strongly suspect many of them are not.
I do, however, have a great deal to say about the juror B37. I won't inflict all of it on you, just the executive summary.
Executive Summary of my Opinion of Juror B37:
She's a fucking moron.
Unfortunately, she is also a fair sample of juries all over the Western world. People who are clever enough to understand the law are often also clever enough to get out of jury duty. There is a small number of intelligent, high-minded people who relish the prospect of doing their civic duty but, statistically, they are what can be described as a negligible quantity. The majority of jurors are of average intellect or below. As a person who is involved in adult education, I know what this really means. It's horrifying.
An ex-girlfriend of mine once served on a jury in Britain. She talked to me about the experience, saying that she had argued very hard in favour of finding the defendant guilty. This had been in spite of the fact that the evidence in the police case was not so much inconclusive as lacking entirely. So what had convinced her that the man in question had been guilty of this particular crime? Well, the Police Prosecutor had accidentally on purpose let slip the fact that this young man had stolen cars in the past. The jurors had been told to disregard this but, apparently, the concept that the man was only on trial for the offence in question proved far too subtle for this particular middle class professional female.
The comedian James O'Loughlin once delivered this quite sound advice to me, in his guise as a Legal Aid lawyer, when I was contemplating a Not Guilty plea for a youthful indiscretion:
"Juries are generally full of people who like Pauline Hanson because she 'talks straight and tells it like it is'. I doubt that a jury trial would be your best bet."
Now, we may not care whether criminals deserve better than to be judged by a committee of subhuman idiots, but we should care about justice. Justice deserves better. In fact, justice cannot possibly be served by halfwits, illiterates and the unemployed, applying their prejudices and glacial, A Current Affair trained logical processes to evidence, half of which they did not understand and the rest of which they slept through.
We live in a society that has very rightly abrogated direct participation in government to elected representatives. And why is this? Because government is a complex and highly involved business. Look at any local council and you'll see that amateurs attempting to use their 'common sense' in the application of government are not exactly the last word in effectiveness and intelligent action. Most people are incapable of costing multi-billion dollar projects, conceptualising and drafting legislation, forming and enacting policy or balancing the competing interests of powerfully backed and boderline extremist interest groups. What we are all perfectly capable of, however, is complaining endlessly about the process of government and casting an ill-considered vote every few years. Happily, the system reflects this.
But what about the legal system? How many of us understand the rules of evidence, their application in the pursuit of justice, the deep principles of legal theory, opinion and assumption? How many of us are able to weigh and sift evidence, reach logical conclusions or separate emotion from the opinions and impressions that we form? I'm not exaggerating when I say that many of my students, far from being able to do all these things, actually struggle to divide round numbers by ten. And yet, these people – these solid citizens of average intelligence – are an ideal jury pool. Prosecutors love them because they will probably do whatever the judge tells them, Defence Counsels love them because they believe pretty much everything they're told by a man in a suit (or a wig, as the case may be) – the only people who really have cause to fear them are the defendants, whose futures hang on the tortuous mental processes of twelve people they have never met, and who already think of them as 'The Accused'.
Unlike our political system, the legal system does not reflect the capability or suitability of the average citizen for direct participation. As a result, trial by jury – which I understand is a central pillar of democratic justice – is a hollow mockery of itself.
I had suspected this well before B37 gave her interview. After she had opened her stupid fucking mouth, however, it was confirmed.
BY Tim - Jul 11, 2013 0
It's not easy being grey
Ladies, gentlemen, Google internet bots – I need tell you something. For some of you, it will come as a bit of a shock. For others, it's just confirmation of a long-held and possibly subconscious suspicion.
That's right, everyone. I'm grey.
Yes, you heard that right. Grey. As grey as a wet week. Greyer than Liberace in that greyscale photo I once saw. Pure, unadulterated, 100% bet your life on it, grey.
Being grey is, I'm sure you can appreciate, a huge part of who I am. I wear grey clothes, I have a lot of grey friends, I go to grey clubs, I listen to grey music (Rene Greyer and Green Grey are my favourites), and I live in what I believe to be a pretty grey-friendly city. My partner is also grey (obviously), and, like most loving couples, we have a lot of socks. Sure, our grey socks might look a little different to your black & white socks, and maybe the thought of us having grey socks grosses you out a bit, but when it comes down to it, my socks and your socks are both about the same thing (keeping our feet warm, obviously).
For most of our history, the world was a very black and white place, and it wasn't that long ago that an announcement like this would have been unthinkable, or, at the very least, extremely inadvisable. Sure, friends have often asked me if I'm grey. And yes, people still wonder if this or that celebrity or sportsman is grey, and it still makes the news if one of them actually is. There are even some people out there, in 2013, who would love to take our grey socks away from us, or in some cases bleach them white! But it doesn't bring with it the social (and sometimes literal) death it once did.
So give it a try. Try and see people as they are, not how you think they should be. Beware of absolutes. Try and live a little outside your own narrow experience, and accept that, while we are all heading to the same place, there are 7 billion ways to get there. And your way isn't necessarily better than anyone else's.
But most of all, recognise that diversity is a gift, and the richness of our shared experiences is enhanced by the differences in the people around us.
Life's better with a little grey.
BY Chris - Jul 9, 2013 0
The Enemy of my Enemy: A (very) Rough Guide to Who's Who in the Israel/Palestine Zoo
Let's start this one with a disclaimer. The author is not responsible for the failure to subdivide into its million splinters each and every faction involved in this giant clusterfuck we know as the Israel/Palestine conflict. Furthermore, the author is not responsible for failing to mention every single two dozen strong group of crazies who may or may not have made the news at some point or other.
Actually, the author is responsible, but has made the decision to stick to the big players in the highly justified belief that nobody in their right minds is going to read a thirty thousand word blog post full of foreign words. So, in the best tradition of blogging, I am not going to give you a closely argued, citation riddled essay on the fights and factions in the region. Instead, I am going to outline what I see as the major interest groups and what I understand to be their beliefs, agenda and priorities.
So, we begin, appropriately enough, with…
The Zionists
The term Zionist comes from the Hebrew word for Jerusalem (Zion). It's meant to hark back to the time, nearly three thousand years ago, when the ancient Jews were expelled from their homelands by the Babylonian Empire. Compare this with our rooted inability to remember anything that happened more than one hundred years ago, and then think twice before making comparisons between people and cultures. Anyway, Zionism is a controversial doctrine, having been declared twice by the UN to be racist and divisive. Most Zionists will claim that all they are doing is promoting the freedom and rights to nationhood of the Jewish people. Practically everyone else says that their ideas are racist, colonialist and downright frightening. I'll leave that one up to you.
Zionism as a movement is roughly one hundred and fifty years old. It arose in the late 19th century, and came to a violent head in the latter days of the British Mandate. All Zionists believe that the Jews have a right to a nation state in an area somewhat larger than Israel's current borders. They call this "Eretz Israel", meaning "The Land of Israel" and referring to Israel as described and defined in the Torah. Zionists oppose the assimilation of Jews into non-Jewish populations and, in its most extreme iterations, would seem to oppose the existence of non-Jewish populations. There are, of course, several different kinds of Zionists, including Nationalist, Cultural and Religious Zionists. These are largely variations on a theme and, in their moderate (and majority) forms, can be compared, I suppose, with a particularly enthusiastic political lobby group. Zionists and Zionist thinking are strongly present in almost every political party in Israel.
The Haredi
Haredi comes from a word or phrase in Hebrew meaning "trembles before the voice of the lord", or something like that. Basically, translated literally, "The Haredi" means "The Frightened". Of course, in the real world, they act like anything but. The Haredi are not a religious sect within Judaism. Both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews are numbered amongst the Haredi. They are not overtly political – in fact, politics appears to be against their religion.
The Haredi are devout. Every hour of every day, every garment they wear, every milestone in life and every decision, however minor, is decided based on interpretations of the Torah. They are educated in separate schools and are largely exempted from National Service. They believe that man's business on Earth is to do the will of god – politics, magazines, television – none of these are of god, and therefore none are the business of man. This has not, however, stopped them from forming a small political party, which seems mainly concerned with preserving Haredi privileges and exemptions.
They currently represent about ten percent of the Jewish population and are an important counterbalance to the Zionists as, whilst few are called, many sympathise. Their general response to Zionists (even to religious Zionists) is: This is not the business of god, and therefore it is none of mine. They are a real force in popular Israeli thought, mainly because there will always be those who find purism appealing.
HizbAllah
Hizballah literally means "The Party of God". They are a Lebanese separatist group fighting for the liberation of Israeli controlled territories around the officially sanctioned border between Israel and Lebanon. Hizballah are well funded, resourced and manned, largely because they are funded, resourced and manned by a nation state we like to call Iran. It is a matter of common knowledge that Hizballah is Iran's idea of foreign power projection, being a deniable shadow army used to put pressure on key Arab and non-Arab states that are important to them.
Iran, pretty much since the fall of the Shah, has wanted to re-establish local Hegemony, which is difficult, they being about as popular in the Arab world as Israel. It is for this reason that Al Quds (Iranian dirty jobs brigade [SF]) pours so much money, materiel and manpower into this fringe army fighting what many believe to be a completely lost cause.
Hizballah is hampered by a few things. First and foremost, their relationship with Iran makes it virtually impossible that Israel will ever enter into any meaningful dialogue with them. Secondly, they are Shia, which largely cuts them off from the significant upsurge in availability of jihadi funding, logistical support and manpower. Thirdly, they are so used to being puppets that it is often difficult to discern, from their actions alone, anything amounting to a coherent battle plan aimed at liberating certain Israeli held territories.
What they are, though, is a constant and expert threat – violent, skilled and fanatically committed, Hizballah is not to be sneezed at. Just ask the Syrian rebels.
Hamas is a clever acronym. It stands for Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah, which means "Islamic Resistance Movement", whilst the acronym roughly means "enthusiasm". Hamas was part of the second Intifada (Palestinian revolt) and is regarded as being an offshoot or related to the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine. It's paramilitary wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is the one responsible for the rocket attacks and kidnappings, etc, that we hear so much about (in slow news weeks). Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades is, however,a bit of a mouthful, and any clever acronym would sound a bit like "Izdatanass", so everyone just calls it all Hamas.
Hamas is a highly motivated, well organised and well armed Sunni religious group. You may remember them from such conflicts as the Gaza war, and that couple of weeks when Hamas basically rolled up the US backed military wing of Fatah. Being so good has cost them, however, and most of their military and support infrastructure has been significantly eroded by constant Israeli strikes and raids.
Hamas is officially designated a terrorist organisation by many nations, including our own. This is a little bit awkward, considering that they are also the democratically elected government of what can loosely be called Palestine (Gaza). It's not just their paramilitary success that wins them hearts and minds, however. Hamas is strongly entrenched in the local communities of their territory and, in the darkest days of the conflict, were often the only organisation providing services (education, roads, health care, policing). They have a numerous and committed following, which is a shame, as their core mission statement is to replace the current state of Israel with an Islamic state of Palestine. They have eased off from this hardline position in recent years, but I personally believe that this is in order to secure a general ceasefire and time to regroup and re-arm.
Hamas is refreshingly non-sectarian, and is noteworthy for having built a solid relationship with the Shi'ite HizbAllah.
Fatah is another clever acronym. It stands for… actually, who gives a crap. Basically, Fatah is an acronym of an acronym, and the word, in Arabic, connotes the period of mediaeval Islamic expansion.
Fatah was founded by Yassir Arafat, absorbed by the PLO, and has always been a major player in the conflict. The West prefers Fatah to Hamas because Fatah is largely secularist. Their main goals are nationalist, rather than Islamist, and this gives all of us a warm fuzzy when we're trawling through group analyses. This might explain why, despite maintaining several paramilitary wings with menacing names, Fatah has ceased to be considered a terrorist organisation.
The Fatah/PLO government was the first elected government in the Palestinian Authority (I finally remembered the proper name for it!), and it was during this period that the cracks in their organisation really began to show. The problem is, Fatah is massive, ruled by a committee of rotating members, and seriously fragmented in its aims, ideology, demography and modi. This might explain why Hamas so easily rolled them up and had them declaring, within days of conflict start, that "Hamas and Fatah have no political differences".
Fatah have consistently proven themselves to be the most reasonable to deal with, but have just as consistently proved that they have nil control of large portions of the populous and of the numerous paramilitary organisations operating in the area – theirs and others. I distinctly remember a two-state accord being reached between Israel and Fatah, world-wide celebration and the declaration of a cease fire. This was followed immediately by five days of uninterrupted rocket and small arms attacks by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. My personal opinion is that, in seeking a peacefully negotiated two-state solution, Fatah is a broken reed upon which to lean, and the only reason we keep talking to them is that they can be relied upon to show up to the summits.
That, as promised, was very rough. There are, I know, a vast array of factions, parties, groups and movements that I have not even mentioned, but the goal was a rough guide, so hopefully there aren't any expert analysts who have wasted their time reading this.
The third and final instalment, for those of you who have not become completely bored of Israel and its shenanigans, will be a geopolitical overview and a quick general sitrep followed by my own conclusions, which are likely to be just as vague as everyone else's.
Forget it, Jake – It's Jerusalem
Tim asked me if I might perhaps do a little infotainment on the subject of Israel. The reason he stated for his interest was: "I have no idea why things are how they are [over there]".
You , me and the rest of the world, Tim.
It can never hurt, however, to have some of the facts, so:
This is the first in a series of blogs on Israel – a very rough guide covering history, a basic anatomy of the conflict and a very light skimming of the relevant geopolitics. In this post, we will deal with the history in a horribly incomplete fashion. Hopefully, however, we'll be able to hit the highlights – those aspects which are directly relevant to us today.
In the beginning, there was nothing. Literally. The idea of Israel that we have today – of a small, embattled state surrounded on all sides by hostile frontiers, is a strictly modern phenomenon. Israel first appears in some very ancient (Circa 1200 BCE) texts as a reference to what was most likely a politico-ethnic group, rather than a fully formed city state or other state entity.
About five hundred years later, we have references to the kingdoms of Judah and Israel – a split between what was presumably a previously unified kingdom. Both of these kingdoms are recorded in biblical texts as having been in a constant state of warfare with their neighbours – par for the ancient course, really. This picture of the ancient Israelites is corroborated in Babylonian and Egyptian records, as well as by archaeology. It is interesting to note just how tiny these kingdoms were. The capital of Philistine, neighbour and deadly rival, was a little place we know today as Gaza.
Around the 8th century BCE we have the kingdom of Israel destroyed by the Assyrians.
From this point until the withdrawal of the British from their mandate in the early twentieth century, Israel has been non-existent as an independent entity. It has been ruled by Babylonians, Persians, Hellenics, Romans, Arab clients of Romans, the same Ummayad who ruled Syria and Egyptian Mamelukes. It formed part of Rome's largest and richest province, was the keystone of the wonderfully incongruous and intriguing Crusader state Outremer, and ranked, along with Damascus, as one of the most significant possessions of the Ottoman Empire. At no point over roughly two thousand eight hundred years could "Israel" have been said to be an independent, or even a real, state entity. Palestinian Arabs, Jews, assorted Moslems – all their claims to rightful, historical ownership of "The State of Israel" should be taken with this rather large grain of salt.
Jerusalem as a holy city was built by a triumvirate of faiths. I would suggest that the man hours, resources and emotional investment/religious significance poured into Jerusalem is roughly equal between Jew, Moslem and Christian. Whilst the Jews were definitely in first, the temple as we know it was built by pagan Arab clients of Rome, the various Islamic empires that owned it over the centuries built massive swathes of the modern city and the Christian Crusaders shed and spilt oceans of blood to guard their attempt at an earthly Kingdom of Heaven. People might violently disagree with this assessment, but I cannot help but feel that each of these groups and faiths has both history and sincerity equally on their sides when they talk about Jerusalem being their spiritual home. Therein lies, in my opinion, a significant part of the problem.
With the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the conclusion of WWI, the territories we're concerned with were doled out between the British and the French. The British ruled what we now call Israel from 1920 to 1948. During this period, there were several waves of Jewish immigration to the British protectorate known as Palestine. These were driven by persecution variously committed by Russians, various Arab states and, of course, Germany. These waves of immigration were known as "Aliyah", and, along with other factors, were the cause of serious Arab resentment of the Jews in the region. It was also during this period that Palestinian Nationalism first emerged as a real political movement, developing roughly simultaneously with Zionism. We'll deal with what they are in a later post.
Significantly, when the British attempted to create consultative groups to engage in dialogue and collaborate in leadership of the region, only the Jewish organisations approached actually responded. The Arab led groups refused to participate. This has left a heavy legacy of pain for the Arab populations within modern day Israel.
I don't know about you, but the story that I was told when I was in school was that the 'world' decided to give the Jews a homeland after the atrocities committed against them by the Third Reich, which I always thought was very kind of 'the world'. Unsurprisingly, the truth is neither that simple nor that heartwarming.
Aliyah Bet, the practice of Jews illegally entering Palestine after fleeing from trouble spots or the sites of atrocities, pogroms, etc., had led to a significant upsurge in the Jewish population of Palestine. The Zionists, for reasons of their own, decided to use violence in a bid to gain independence from the British, and a bitter, four year insurgency was fought with tried and true insurgency tactics – terrorism, suicide bombing and assassination. The public, however, seems to love any terrorist that is neither Marxist nor Arab, and public support for the Zionists was so strong that global political and financial pressure was put on the British to resolve the situation and give up Palestine. In true British style, they handed the problem over to the UN who created a partition plan . Significantly, Arab groups boycotted these discussions as well. Like all good partition plans, this one resulted almost immediately in a long and bitter civil war – in this case, various Arab groups fighting various Jewish groups for control and ascendancy within the newly independent state of Israel.
Such is the sweet and heartwarming story of the birth of Israel as we know it.
Next instalment, we will cover Zionism, Pan-Arabism, Islamism and the Haredi in an attempt to explain the various positions of participants in the conflict, as a nice change from the mass media practice of simply dismissing them all as random lunatics.
Told you so on Anti-equality argument 3 – The Slippery Slope
Tim on Yet another open letter to Margaret Court
Stathei on Yet another open letter to Margaret Court
Yet another open letter to Margaret Court - The Good. The Bad. The Asinine. on Court 1: The Margaret Court Centre for Kids Who Can't Write Letters Good and Want to Do Other Stuff Good Too Like Play Tennis
Gregory on The best reason for moving Australia Day
Tim on The Kurds Have No Friends But The Mountains
Strato on Why Some Christians Won't Suffer The Little Greta
C on An open letter to Alan Jones
Tim on Why I am an atheist – The third bit
Robert on Why I am an atheist – The third bit


You can and should use the `uncrustify` tool to check and/or adjust code style of your files. It is run as part of git's pre-commit hook, as part of test suite invoked by CTest or by building *RUN_TESTS* target in Visual Studio. You can also run it manually by building *uncrustifyRun* target, but in that mode your files will be overwritten so make sure you commit your work beforehand to easily see the style changes automatically made by `uncrustify`.


I've found that one of my favorite garden crops to grow is shell , or eating, beans. For one, they're easy. There's no rush to get them picked before they get old and woody like regular beans. Just plant, wait a few months, and harvest. Even here in Iowa this month, where we're in the middle of the second wettest summer on record (statewide average of 23 inches of rain from June through now), we were able to let the beans dry completely in their pods on the plant and then just popped them out. It's a great country-bumpkin feeling, sitting on your porch shelling beans into a bowl.
There's a great element of surprise with shell beans, too. Something akin to the fun I had with harvesting some early potatoes this year, too. You never quite know what's going to be waiting underground, or in the crusty, withered pod.
Most of all, though, I just think shell beans are beautiful. These are called Tiger's Eye, and I got the seeds from nearby Seed Savers Exchange. There are many wonderful kinds of shell beans to choose from, and they all have such great names: Jacob's Cattle, Calypso, Dutch Bullet, Lina Sisco's Bird Egg. We only did the one kind this year, but I'm looking forward to trying some more next summer, maybe a row of Snow Caps right along side rows of Good Mother and Yellow Indian Woman.


He received his medical education at Edinburgh University between 1784-87, when he came under the influence of the Scottish Enlightenment. Professor James Gregory lectured the medical students on what their education should mean beyond the conferment of a degree. 'Men whose minds have been enlarged by knowledge', Gregory declared; 'who have been accustomed to think and to reason upon all subjects with a generous freedom are not apt to become bigots to any particular sect or system. They can be steady to their own principles, without thinking ill of those who differ from them; but they are impatient of the authority and control of men who would lord it over their consciences and dictate to them what they are to believe' Maxwell adopted this belief, which was shared by Burns and Syme.
Dr Maxwell practised in Dumfries until shortly after his death, when he retired to Edinburgh and was re-admitted to the Roman Catholic Church.
Most of Dr Maxwell's private papers were destroyed by an unknown hand after his death. Currie's biographer, Professor R. D. Thornton has written a study of Maxwell, under the title William Maxwell to Robert Burns.


Try the loose kerchief style. Fold your scarf in half, knot in back, triangle in front. A square knot around your neck can also be a great idea for those who wish to achieve a cute look. For this you need to tie your scarf closely around your neck, put the knot to the side. How about putting on a small neck scarf, allowing it to peek out of the collar of a button-down shirt? This way it can add color and style to almost any attire. Paris knot can also be great. Fold your scarf with the diagonal line to form a slip knot and then adjust with the top end covering the knot. Spanish knot, butterfly knot, triple knot and more, there are endless choice to explore in these elegant accessories.


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STRENGTH in attack and defence - at very different times - provided Danesfort with the power to make the promised land of senior hurling.
The 'Fort showed both qualities in equal measure as they overturned the Rower-Inistioge to end an 80-year wait for the intermediate hurling championship spoils.
Labelled as strong in attack, Danesfort really showed their firepower when they rattled off two goals in as many minutes to take a big lead.
They also had to show good work at the back when forced to play the final quarter with 14 men. Despite the additional pressure exerted by the Rower, Danesfort's steel at the back saw them hold firm.
While county finals are often tense at the start, it was Danesfort's blistering early attack which saw them gain a foothold (which they would never relinquish) in Nowlan Park on Sunday.
Started on their way by a Richie Hogan 65, Hogan's next move helped his team into pole position. Picking off Tony Woodcock's sixth minute crossfield ball, the Danesfort captain left his marker for dead as he sped towards the O'Loughlin End posts, pausing only to rattle a low shot across Liam Tierney and inside the keeper's left post.
A point from brother Paddy, a booming score from inside his own 65m line, pushed the advantage out to four points within a matter of seconds.
Then, in the seventh minute, they had the green flag flying high again.
Their second major strike was a scrappier affair, but the 'Fort didn't care about that. Working well to fight for a loose ball, Robbie Walsh emerged from a cluster of players with possession, then dashed in to fire home a low drive.
Seven points down after as many minutes, it wouldn't have been a big shock had Rower heads been left spinning by that swift salvo. They did stage a comeback, with three Paul Sheehan frees in succession bringing them a little closer to the leaders, but a Richie Hogan 65 left five between the sides at the end of the opening quarter (2-3 to 0-4).
The Rower needed a big score to really force their way back into the reckoning, but found it to be just beyond their reach. They had a great chance when, on 16 minutes, full-forward Conor Joyce drew his marker Ciaran Treacy out and created space in front of the target.
Paul Sheehan saw the gap and delivered a cross which was inch-perfect for Sean Grace, but his batted attempt scorched past the outside of the left post when a goal seemed certain.
A relieved Danesfort went back on the offensive after that, pushing further ahead thanks to two lengthy Paddy Hogan frees - both were converted from well inside his own 65m line - before a like score from closer range by captain Richie made it a seven-point game with normal time running out.
Again the Rower battled back, but that early two-goal blitz would prove costly. Although Sean Grace grabbed a point from play - an inspirational score, picked off while off-balance - even with the big target of Conor Joyce at full-forward the Rower they found Danesfort tough to break down.
Despite the best efforts of midfielder Kieran Joyce they got just one more score before the interval. Paul Sheehan sniped his fifth free of the half, just enough to leave his side chasing a five-point gap (2-6 to 0-7).
Although backed by the breeze it took the Rower some time to find their scoring form in the second half.
Admittedly, they tried to use the towering presence of Conor Joyce to their effect, but with his new marker Paul Murphy - resited after original full-back Ciaran Treacy was replaced after picking up a yellow card in the first half - shackling him well scoring chances proved hard to come by.
While the Rower did shave a point off the deficit (a Paul Sheehan free), they couldn't close the gap even further as their forwards struggled to make an impact against the likes of Tony Woodcock and Oisin Daly, both of whom toiled hard for the leaders.
There were still five points between the teams when Danesfort were reduced to 14 men after Paddy Hogan saw red for an off the ball altercation with Paul Sheehan.
The dismissal centred on a stormy period for the 'Fort, who looked like they were losing their momentum. An injury to Richie Hogan didn't help, but even though they now had the extra man the Rower failed to make their numerical advantage count.
They were almost knocked out of the running when goalkeeper Liam Tierney conceded a penalty after upending Oisin Daly in the square with seven minutes left on the clock, but the netminder redeemed himself when he stepped out and pushed Hogan's stinging drive over bar.
That score proved to be the breaking point as far as the Rower were concerned. Two late Robbie Walsh minor scores tipped a fired-up Danesfort towards the Hanrahan Cup and senior status for 2012.
SCORERS: Danesfort - Richie Hogan (1-5, 0-2 frees, 0-2 65s, 0-1 pen); Robbie Walsh (1-2); Paddy Hogan (0-3, 0-2 frees); Oisin Daly (0-1). Rower-Inistioge - Paul Sheehan (8, frees); Sean Grace (0-2); Conor Joyce (0-1).
Danesfort - F. Manogue, P. Walsh, Ciaran Treacy, M. Cunningham, T. Woodcock, P. Hogan, P. Murphy, G. O'Keeffe, B. O'Connor, D. Forristal, S. Duncan, O. Daly, Cillian Treacy, R. Hogan, R. Walsh. Subs: M. McMahon for Ciaran Treacy, 31 mins; P. Forristal for Cillian Treacy, 50 mins.
Rower-Inistioge - L. Tierney, E. Doyle, S. Cummins, J. Doyle, T. Leahy, J. Lyng, D. Lyng, M. Moore, K. Joyce, S. Grace, J. Cashin, R. Galavan, M. Grace, C. Joyce, P. Sheehan. Subs: P. Grace for Galavan, 49 mins; P. Tierney for Moore, 56 mins.


Part A: Substance and Alcohol Misuse Management, Test Mediums and Their Applications; Part B: Signs and Symptoms of Substance and Alcohol Misuse. The Afternoon session is Designated Employee Representative (DER) training including, Chain of Custody, Sample Collection across Test Mediums, Interpreting and Managing The Policy, Interpreting Toxicology Reporting. Questioning techniques pre, during and post collection; Requirements of Data Protection.


Vigrex Tablets ifice, which had been repaired and Vigrex Tablets beautified by her grandmother. Indeed, hers was a nature to love every thing good and beautiful. Her rooms were full of pictures, statues, and rare objects collected in her travels. The gardens and broad pleasure grounds around her mansion glowed with flowers, which clustered thickest and brightest beneath the Vigrex Tablets windows of her private apartments. Sorrow had neither rendered her austere nor indifferent. She loved the grand old forest Vigrex Tablets trees which waved in groups upon the lawn, and every tiny blossom that gemmed the turf at their roots. Vigrex Tablets The pretty birds that flashed from thicket to tree bough found a welcome in her heart, Vigrex Tablets heavy as it was at t.imes. She strove, with Christian fortitude, to replace Vigrex Tablets the husband and son lost to her, by the gentle beauties of nature and, desolated as she was, life had its sunny side even for her. One morning this noble woman the more noble that she was so womanly sat alone in a little breakfast room which overlooked a vista of the park, and nearer yet a flower garden radiant with June roses and such sister flowers as link spring to summer.


text:
Kindle apps add support for children's books, comics
Amazon's Kindle for iOS, Kindle Cloud Reader, and Kindle for Android all now support graphic novels, as well.
Don Reisinger
Amazon has updated its Kindle for iOS app. Amazon
Amazon's Kindle applications now support more titles, the company announced today.
Users of Amazon's Kindle for iOS, Kindle Cloud Reader, and Kindle for Android apps will find that they now support children's books, comics, and graphic novels.
According to Amazon, the children's books feature fixed layouts and Kindle Text Pop-Up in supported titles, making it easier for readers to magnify text. In supported comics and graphic novels, readers will have access to a feature called Kindle Panel View that lets users view "in a panel by panel experience."
More than 1,000 children's books and comic book titles in full color are available now. The full-color experiences are limited to the Amazon Kindle Fire and the aforementioned applications. The company's Kindle e-reader, of course, lacks color, so it's not included in the offering.
Mobile Software Internet Amazon
Discuss: Kindle apps add support for children's books, comics

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Gates' tell-all rattles White House, Congress
CNN Political Unit
Updated 12:05 p.m. ET, 1/8/2014
(CNN) - Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates set off shock waves in Washington with accounts from his upcoming memoir, in which he unleashes blistering criticism of Congress and his former colleagues in the Obama administration.
He also claims the President lost faith in his own Afghanistan policy.
[twitter-follow screen_name='politicalticker']
Gates' comments come in his memoir "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War," which was obtained by CNN but set to be released next week.
In the book, Gates writes, "[Obama] eventually lost faith in the troop increase he ordered in Afghanistan, his doubts fed by top White House civilian advisers opposed to the strategy, who continually brought him negative news reports suggesting it was failing."
A Republican appointee of President George W. Bush who stayed on into Obama's administration, Gates also writes of a pivotal 2011 meeting in which Obama questions the abilities of Gen. David H. Petraeus.
"As I sat there, I thought: The president doesn't trust his commander, can't stand Karzai, doesn't believe in his own strategy and doesn't consider the war to be his...For him, it's all about getting out," Gates writes.
A source familiar with White House thinking on how to respond to Gates' memoir told CNN that White House officials have been in meetings on the issue and were reaching out to allies to defend the President against the claims.
The source said they are being careful not to attack Gates directly, thinking that will backfire.
Officials believe Obama's foreign policy legacy is strong because of his Afghanistan policies and the killing of Osama bin Laden, and that Gates' accusations don't hurt with the Democratic base.
A White House official called attention to two parts of the book that reflect positively on the President. Gates said of Obama's chief Afghanistan policies, "I believe Obama was right in each of these decisions."
"I never doubted Obama's support for the troops," Gates writes. The official, however, did not highlight the rest of the sentence, which says "only his support for their mission."
A former White House official contested the excerpts saying, "I thought the President was a close ally of Gates. It's disappointing, because if Gates had issues you would've expected him to raise them. When I spoke to Gates about the president he was always effusive."
National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the President "deeply appreciates Gates' service" and is open to differing points of view from his national security team.
"Deliberations over our policy on Afghanistan have been widely reported on over the years, and it is well known that the President has been committed to achieving the mission of disrupting, dismantling and defeating al Qaeda, while also ensuring that we have a clear plan for winding down the war, which will end this year," Hayden said in response to the comments.
A senior U.S. military official involved in some of the events described in the book expressed dismay with Gates, telling CNN that if Gates had been in uniform and felt that the President and his staff were deficient, he would have had an obligation to resign. He noted some may feel Gates also had the same obligation given that he signed orders sending troops off to war.
This official was directly involved in Afghanistan troop surge discussions. He was adamant the military commanders did not "game" the President on the numbers, but they came to realize Obama felt that way.
Republican Sen. Jeff Flake tweeted in response to reports of the memoir, criticizing the timing of the former defense secretary's comments.
Criticism of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden
Gates was also critical of Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, recounting a conversation between Obama and Clinton suggesting political motives for their positions on Iraq.
"Hillary told the president that her opposition to the [2007] surge in Iraq has been political because she was facing him in the Iowa primary," Gates writes. "The president conceded vaguely that opposition to the Iraq surge had been political. To hear the two of them making these admissions, and in front of me, was as surprising as it was dismaying."
Republicans use Gates' new book to hammer Clinton, Biden
The former White House official responded, "President Obama evaluated the merits of the surge but his opposition to it was not political, rather in line with his thought that more of the same was not the right path."
Of Biden, Gates wrote, "I think he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades."
Hayden said Obama disagrees with Gates' assessment of Biden and hailed the Vice President as "one of the leading statesmen of his time."
One day after Gates book bonanza, a rare peek into Obama-Biden lunch
Criticism of Congress more severe
For as scathing as Gates was in describing the Obama administration, the former defense secretary said none of the difficulties he had with the executive branch "compared with the pain of dealing with Congress," a body he describes as phony, self-centered and narrow-minded.
"Congress is best viewed from a distance – the farther the better – because up close, it is truly ugly," Gates wrote in a piece in the Wall Street Journal, which was adapted from his book.
"I saw most of Congress as uncivil, incompetent at fulfilling their basic constitutional responsibilities (such as timely appropriations), micromanagerial, parochial, hypocritical, egotistical, thin-skinned and prone to put self (and re-election) before country."
Gates opened the piece by writing that in the numerous times he testified before Congress, he found himself "tempted to stand up, slam the briefing book shut and quit on the spot" because of the "rude, insulting, belittling, bullying and all too often highly personal attacks" one has to endure during congressional testimony.
He said if he had done so, he would have told Congress, "I may be the secretary of defense, but I am also an American citizen, and there is no son of a bitch in the world who can talk to me like that."
"Members postured and acted as judge, jury and executioner," he wrote.
His hypothesis as to why so many members "were in a permanent state of outrage:" The members must have "suffered from some sort of mental duress that warranted confinement or at least treatment for anger management."
Another congressional thorn in Gates' side brought to light in his opinion editorial is how Congress handled deciding which defense instillations and bases to close during budget tightening.
Gates wrote that "any defense facility or contract in their district or state, no matter how superfluous or wasteful, was sacrosanct," even if the member had "stridently attacked the Defense Department as inefficient and wasteful."
Why he wrote the book—now
Critics of the memoir blasted Gates for publishing the critique in the middle of the Obama's second term, saying the more appropriate move would have been to wait until after his former boss leaves the White House in 2016.
A source close to Gates noted that he's a historian by nature and wanted to document what went on but didn't want to wait because he believed the content of his book is all still relevant and should be discussed real time, especially issues of war and the troops.
The dysfunction in Washington and the way commanders and generals were treated really upset him, the source added.
Gates disagrees that his decision to release the book now is disloyal. In fact, he believes just the opposite and stands by all of it, the source said.
As for Gates' stinging criticism of Congress, the source said Gates had the most disdain for the House Foreign Affairs Committee, though he didn't give specific names of lawmakers.
- CNN's Brianna Keilar, Barbara Starr, Dana Bash, Dan Merica, Dana Davidsen and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
Filed under: Obama administration • Robert Gates • White House
Peter Gerdeman
Sec. Gates – astounding comments from you, if true. You seemed surprised that some of us were in doubt of our SWA strategy? So – where was the WMD in Iraq, bozo?
January 7, 2014 11:21 pm at 11:21 pm |
Reagan80
No, Gates didn't say that Obama "lost faith" in his Afghan strategy. He said that Obama NEVER HAD faith in his strategy. That it was all political cover. That's much more damning.
From what I've viewed, hosts discussing the Gates thing, Gates is considered completely honest, and I'm going with that. If the Obama administration does not wish embarrassment, avoid doing embarrassing things.
LiveFree
Sorry, Mr. Gates, the congress only has nice words to those with a full pocket and a will to spend "wisely".
This is nonsense!! We are clearly WINNING the Afghan war. I mean, the last time I read anything about it, which was about 4 or 5 years ago on CNN, it seemed like everything was going well.
IpseCogita
"Gates' accusations don't hurt with the democratic base."
I think it has been clearly shown that nothing could hurt Obama with the democratic base. The base will not believe, or tolerate anything negative. They will spin things to seem good, they will call them lies, they will even adjust their own beliefs to accommodate him.
As evidence I offer the promise of all the troops home by the end of summer I hist first year. He did exactly the opposite of that and even the people that voted for him primarily on the strength of that promise lauded him for it.
I do love what the man has to say about congress.
What else is new, some people will say or write anything for a buck. Shame on Gates.
Susan McFarland
... And so we have further confirmation that our President is an "naive incompetent", as Bill Clinton said. Barack Obama has, and continues to be nothing more than a Chicago style politician who has never grown into the office.
American Worker
No surprise that a dishonest Presidency would slam honesty.
Mr. Gates acknowledges that he initially opposed sending Special Operations forces to attack a housing compound in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was believed to be hiding. Mr. Gates writes that Mr. Obama's approval for the Navy SEAL mission, despite strong doubts that Bin Laden was even there, was "one of the most courageous decisions I had ever witnessed in the White House."
In his final chapter, Mr. Gates makes clear his verdict on the president's overall Afghan strategy: "I believe Obama was right in each of these decisions."
silencedogood
If this had been written about Bush it would be praised, as it is about Obama CNN includes the "bad taste" angle. Really? Since when has it been in bad taste to criticize our elected officials? Maybe about the same time supposed "news organizations" start running reality TV shows about democrat politicians (see the new chicago show). Pathetic.
January 8, 2014 12:07 am at 12:07 am |
Richard Mitchell
Look at how many senior Military Leaders took early retirement during the Bush years. Leaders understood the war against terrorist, but the war in Iraq over Halliburton's control of the Iraq Oil Fields?
Former employees of presidents, especially when of a different party, often embellish books to get sales. Frankly, I think it is unprofessional of any former cabinet member to bash his former boss, considering there were good Democrats that could have handled his job. Obama put his trust in Gates. and the least he could have done is show respect by keeping his mouth shut until Obama leaves office. This sounds like a pre-planned partisan ploy to try to discredit Democrats prior to the 2016 election.
u laby
Lets stop worrying about saving face and protecting the president. Lets focus on the issues that matter to the country. It shouldn't matter if a politician "feels betrayed" by the likes of a Gates or a Snowden. What's most important is that the voter is receiving effective leadership. This goes for both Republicans and Democrats.
The Truth is comming out, wait till Patraus writes his book as well
Monomachos
So Gates is incorrect when he criticizes the president but correct whenever he praises the president. Right. The WH never lets any attack go unanswered and there will never be an admission of any mistake, but they still haven't come up with a good deflection to the problem of the president lying about his healthcare plan during the election. Makes it hard to trust anything the WH says.
I think what bothers me is that General McChrystal said the same thing after he met with Obama re the war in Afghanistan. I don't know much about Gates, and McChrystal could be mouthy at times, but I have never heard anyone call the general a liar.
leadreviewer
What a Fraud of a man to gossip over the office of the Presidency.. In my opinion Gates is a fraud of a man who has only now brought shame onto the position that he once held. Shame on him.
Snoway
CNN to the rescue. Changing the story from a criticism of the president and his secretary of state to a story about the rebuke of the criticism. THE STORY IS THE CRITICISM!
muffintop
Anything to sell some books! Don't these people all have to sign confidentiality agreements before assuming any position in government? I work for a little micky-mouse organization and everyone is expected to sign on the dotted line before they start working. It should be law – the same as criminals are not allowed to profit off their crimes then it should be the same for these creeps. Saying anything positive about President Obama will not get him on Fox news and will not get him a multi-million dollar book deal.
January 8, 2014 01:37 am at 1:37 am |
Evelyn Connaway
As for Robert Gates – I remember him from the Iran-Contra affair. He was useless then along with all the others in that fiasco. I remember his being questioned during congress. His answers to most things was I don't remember! I thought about this when Obama kept him in the position he was in, when he became President. Maybe he kept him because he thought Gates knew what was going on and needed him to continue – but with his lack of memory from his past – I doubt he was really worth a damn. I didn't trust him or anyone that had been involved in the Reagan and Bush I, Iran Contra affair, nor during Bush I president – nor anyone involved with Bush II and Cheney presidential Fiasco. In fact he has a lot of audacity to write a book about anything, it's just another way to make money. I wouldn't believe anything he said.............Just like I wouldn't believe anything any of the Bushes or Cheney and their other cohorts had to say. Just another damn republican trying to knock President Obama. They are all a sorry bunch of people. Frankly none of them did a damn thing for our country except tear it down. In fact that's all the republican politicians are doing, trying to degrade President Barack Obama and our country. They have never tried to rebuild what they tore down from 2000 through 2008, nor even tried to help Obama rebuild it. Many of us remember what happened during our past presidents regimes.
zackdryer
CNN you are propaganda at this point and should stop referring to yourselves as journalist any ore than MSNBC or FOX
If anyone ever doubted that Gates has a backbone I bet they will not after reading this book. I will buy it as soon as possible. I doubt Gates spared anyone from his opinion. From congress to the executive branch. Gates was sandwiched between Bush and his cronies the congress and then had to deal with President Obama. The very fact that our country had invaded Iraq and Afganistan was just pure over the top. A long range strategy for war is what...5-10-15 or 30 years? No one in America wanted this and we all were "sold" on this Iraq war by a corrupt Bush administration. But in all fairness to all, Gates should have waited a few years before writing his memoirs.
Old soldier
Mr Gates served under Republican and Democratic Presidents during a single appointment. Unlike Mr Rumsfeld and Mr Cheney, he did, in fact, execute his duties in a highly professional manner. He never undercut either President or Party as he conducted business. It is unfortunate he committed the same, deadly sin committed by so many high ranking officials: writing (or allowing a ghost writer to writing) public records of classified or private conversations. There is an old saying to never puke on someone else's combat boots. Divulging what went on in meetings ranks right up there with Snowden. As the General Officer noted, if he felt as strongly about things he observed (assuming his comments are true and accurate), he should have resigned his position. He has the same rights of free speech, but releasing his recollections and perceptions is abusive of his office. Unlike Gen Billy Mitchell, he didn't take actions at the time....he waited until after leaving office. Not cool, and not manly. While Gen Mitchell forced his own Court Martial, Mr Gates slipped his comments into a book to make money. Again, not cool, nor manly. He damaged his reputation and legacy to sell books and likely make himself more desirable for speaking circuits. Good-bye, Mr Gates. When I observed things I considered illegal, fraudulent, and wasteful, I went public as a "Whistleblower" (I wouldn't advise anyone to do that, since the Chain of Command hangs you out to dry). No guts, no glory. Tchuss!
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Don't you just love how easy it is to put your Mac to sleep when you close the lid on your notebook? And how instantly your Mac can wake up when you open the lid later on? It's just great and it is very reliable.
But while the computer is in the "sleep" mode it still consumes some energy. Usually it's nothing worth considering, but when you are traveling for couple of days you might want to save every bit of battery energy possible.
Both Windows and Linux offer you an option of hibernation. Of course MacOS supports hibernation as well but Apple refers to this feature as "SafeSleep". While experimenting with my Macbook Pro I've noticed that SafeSleep is used every time the battery is totally drained and there is not enough energy for powering the Sleep mode. When you plug in the laptop, ahem notebook, to the power adapter, it will use the hibernation file to recover the content of the RAM and thus the OS state. In fact the hibernation file is created every time the computer goes to Sleep mode so taking out the battery while the computer is in the Sleep mode will have the same effect.
I was pointed to this article that discusses the pmset command line tool and describes how to use it to prevent Macs notebooks from waking up on opening the lid or setting up the power button to put the computer to sleep without displaying the "shutdown menu".
When putting MacOS to sleep it will do whatever hibernatemode is set to.
Store this 5-line script via script editor as "Application Bundle" with "Run Only" option checked and you are good to go. I've noticed that when you save it as "Application" it still doesn't work.
One last note for PowerPC MacHeads: Some Powerbooks support SafeSleep as well, but it involves a little more work. Check out this article for more details.


Bazzani, Cesare (1873–1939). Italian architect who worked in Rome and created the Museo d'Arte Moderne there for the Exhibition of 1911. His style was eclectic Historicist in approach, and his buildings include the Biblioteca Nazionale, Florence (1907–35), and the Ministero dell' Educazione Nationale, Rome (1913–28).
"Bazzani, Cesare." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. . Encyclopedia.com. 25 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.


text:
Q: What is the working mechanism of inv() in kotlin? why the answer is -5 ?
it should be 11 because all zeroes will be ones and all ones will be zeroes.
var v = 4 //0100
println("bit Inverse = "+(v.inv()))

A: In the two's complement system, the most-significant digit on the left represents a negative value - in this case, -8.
-8 4 2 1

So the largest positive value you can represent with 4 bits is 0111, or 7.
-8 4 2 1
 0 1 1 1 = 0 + 4 + 2 + 1

The largest negative value is 1000, or -8.
-8 4 2 1
 1 0 0 0  = -8 + 0 + 0 + 0

And the inverse of 0100 is 1011, which gives us
-8 4 2 1
 1 0 1 1  = -8 + 0 + 2 + 1

which is -5!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Here's to spring! All the petals and blossoms really pitched the mood in the city, everybody is slowly getting rid of winter feels and into their sunny madness. What could be a better time to look at the renewal happening in the foodie scene? Admittedly, my willingness to keep up with the speed of current openings (and closings, for that matter) is very, very limited. So many people are opening so many restaurants right now – I'm often just overwhelmed by the sheer number of places calling for attention. Fret not, I invested the time to wade through the streams of opening announcements and filtered out the ones I deem most interesting, just by affiliation, description and / or plain, old foodie gossip. Let's see which ones will make it onto our regular radar, shall we?


Disclosure - All material facts such as relationships between agent and other parties, existence of other offers, status of earnest money, seller's financial condition, property's true worth, commission split with other brokers, and legal effect of important contract provisions.
Confidentiality - Any discussions, facts, or information that should not be revealed to others but does not include responsibility of fairness and honesty in dealings with all parties.
Accounting - in dealings Reporting of where any money placed in the hands of the broker is kept.
Reasonable Skill and Care - Arriving at a reasonable purchase price and advising the buyer of such, affirmatively discovering material facts and disclosing them to the buyer, investigating the material facts related to the sale. With a buyer agency, the interests of the home-buyer will be represented in the purchase of the home. This scenario is different from a typical transaction where the buyer is not technically represented.


#2018 Tmall Basketball 3X3 City Tournament#, jointly produced by Tmall and Jay Chou JYB Alliance, PCGBros Sports Platform, together with Tmall Vigor Camp, adidas, YYsports, Variety show "Dunk of China" ,launched the 14-city basketball competition in China.
Our team made a three-part design: "Slogan KV, Chinese 14-city dialect font and city logo", which is mainly used in posters and competition venues; for this purpose, our team also combined the keyword "speed, competition, blood" design. A set of Chinese characters library.
The logo design of 14 Chinese cities begins with the two parts of "culture" and "architecture". The application scene is on the streets of local cities. While ensuring the identification, it also achieves the cultural identity of the local people.


GeoFli allows users to create website content based on geographic location. Someone visiting your website from NY will have a different experience than someone visiting from CA. Personalize your website in under five minutes.


text:
Can you trademark your product's packaging?
It is a common misconception that only words and logos can be trademarked. It is also possible for a brand to lay claim to certain colours, sounds and three-dimensional shapes. Although three-dimensional trademarks for packaging are less common than word or figurative marks, they can be just as significant when it comes to protecting your brand from infringement.
In order to successfully submit an application for a three-dimensional trademark, you would need to prove that your packaging is distinct in your marketplace. Therefore, it would need to have an unusual or unique shape and be able stand on it's own as a representation of your brand. Jean Paul Gaultier has a trademark for his distinctive Jean Paul Gaultier Classique perfume bottles in the shape of a female torso. Due to its unique design, consumers readily associate this packaging with his brand.
However, the packaging shape that you choose to trademark must not be related to the nature of the goods themselves, it must not give your company a technical monopoly in the marketplace and it should not significantly increase the value of the goods to be packaged.
Since companies that apply for a three-dimensional mark are usually asked to prove that their consumers associate their packaging with their brand alone, they generally apply for the trademark once they have already launched their brand and have given themselves time to become more distinctive within the marketplace.
Furthermore, if your company has successfully registered a trademark for your packaging in the past it does not guarantee that this will be achieved a second time. Despite their successful registration of their contoured glass bottle in 1980, when Coca-Cola applied for a 3D European trademark for its classic plastic bottles in 2014, their application was rejected because the court believed that the design was not distinct in the marketplace. Therefore, their plastic bottle design remains unprotected in the marketplace.
Three-dimensional trademarks are the most difficult type of mark to successfully register as the criteria are so specific, however they do provide a significant level of protection for your brand once they have been acquired and contribute to your brand value in the marketplace.
For advice and more information on searching, acquiring, registering and enforcing Trademarks please visit our website, http://www.lipex.com.
Our unique database of trademarks for sale or license could save you time and help protect your brand.
London IP Exchange
3D trademarks and reverse engineering
Three-dimensional trademarks can be filed for products with a distinctive shape or design that is easily recognized by consumers, such as perfume bottles or headphones. The Coca Cola glass bottle is the most famous example. 3D trademarks are, however, restricted to shape and design and cannot cover the technical function of the object. The criteria for registering one are very specific and therefore difficult to obtain, but they do provide a high level of protection. This prevents one company's monopoly over a product, thereby ensuring competition in the marketplace and continued technological progress. According the IPKat , although 3d trademark registrations do not cover the technical functions of a product, certain signs conveying a higher "degree of difficulty" require judges to reverse-engineer them. That means that they must see if the product's practical function can be inferred from the trademark's graphical representation and from the company's commercial behaviour. I
Chipotle Tasty Made Vs Tasty Burger
The Mexican-themed chain Chipotle was recently accused of infringing on a trademark owned by Tasty Burger, a US fast food chain for their name. According to the World IP Review , Chipotle is due to open a new series of burger restaurants in the US and they have applied for three trademarks for the name 'Tasty Made', which Tasty Burger has objected to. The US burger chain, which launched in 2010, sent Chipotle a cease-and-desist letter. However, upon receiving no response the CEO of Tasty Burger, David Dubois has declared "we have no choice but to aggressively protect our well established mark." Dubois believes that Chipotle's mark is too similar in name and design to their own and that the firm has deliberately chosen to ignore the infringement that they are committing by launching this brand. We will have to wait to hear the outcome of this case. The best way to protect your company's reputation, brand value and profits in today's global marketplace is by r
Formula One case throws up questions on best practices for IP licensing
Image courtesy of sportskeeda.com According to Azrights , the Marussia Formula One team have recently been accused of infringing their licensor's trademark when their licence had expired. Their licence for the trademark expired part way through a racing season and since the Formula One governing body declined their request to change their name, the team decided to continue racing and infringe the mark instead of forfeiting their chance of winning. The High Court that passed judgement on the case stated that the team could not prove that they had used the mark with the licensor's consent meaning that their case was not likely to be successful. Furthermore, the Marussia Formula One team were also advised that in order to advance to a trial that they would have to pay £1.75 million in security fees. When licensing a trademark, a company should ensure that they are fully aware of the terms of the licence and that they can adhere to them for its entire duration. Furthermore, whe


text:
← Press Releases
Turing Award recipient Silvio Micali to address AiDecentralized Summit in Toronto
Published: May 3rd, 2018 By: AiDecentralized
Silvio Micali
Toronto – Silvio Micali, MIT Professor and ACM Turing Award recipient, joins an impressive lineup of thought leaders in blockchain and artificial intelligence at AiDecentralized, the first in a series of global summits initiated by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
A stellar, full-day event designed to connect the AI (artificial intelligence) and blockchain communities, AiDecentralized promises compelling insights into just what's possible when two revolutionary technologies come together for a common goal. Each is transformative on its own, but together blockchain and AI achieve a synergy that has critical implications for data accountability, security, and oversight.
In addition to receiving the Turing Award in computer science, Silvio Micali is a recipient of the Goedel Prize in theoretical computer science and the RSA prize in cryptography. A pioneer in cryptography, zero knowledge, pseudorandom generation, and secure protocols, he has a Laurea in Mathematics from the University of Rome and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley.
AiDecentralized takes place on May 22nd in Toronto at the historic Fairmont Royal York. The five-star event features presentations by the experts in today's two hottest technologies, including Nobel Peace Prize recipient Irakli Beridze, former Wikimedia CEO Lila Tretikov, IBM Master Inventor and IBM Watson Group World Wide Business Development Leader Neil Sahota, Blockchain Canada Chair Alan Wunsche, and ColliderX and Canadian Blockchain Co-founder Marc Lijour.
"AI and blockchain are poised to reshape our entire society," says AiDecentralized presenter, Wonki Min, Chair of the OECD Committee on Digital Economy Policy and a professor at State University of New York, Korea. "Not only do they bring innovative solutions to the IT sector, but they also have the capacity to transform the business models of all economic sectors, including banking, retail, and transportation."
ACM, the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, delivers resources that advance computing as a science and a profession. ACM provides the computing field's premier Digital Library and serves its members and the computing profession with leading-edge publications, conferences, and career resources.
Other sponsors for the event are TODA, ITWC, SingularityNET
Register now for AiDecentralized
AiDecentralized
AiDecentralized is an ACM Global Initiative, bringing 870,000 AI Practitioners in the world together with 280,000 Blockchainers and Cryptographers. A melding of the AI and Blockchain communities, it explores the possibilities at the intersection of these two technologies. www.aidecentralized.com
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This methodology is tried and tested and one we have been using for as long as Scotinform has been undertaking research! It's particularly useful for business to business research and where clients have a database of customers with contact details. We have also used this technique to speak with audiences which can be difficult to target ie teachers.
You want to be sure that we speak directly to the most appropriate person within the organisation.
You have a sample of customers together with their contact details.
You want to acquire both quantitative and qualitative feedback.
Your customers are geographically widespread.
Our surveys are designed to meet your aims and objectives and to be appropriate for telephone interviewing.
This process works particularly well when you send out an email to alert your customers to the fact that you have commissioned independent research and why you have done so. This means that respondents are more receptive to receiving a call from us.
When dealing with the business community we acknowledge the need to identify a mutually convenient time for the interview to take place.
Our telephone interviewers have significant experience of this process and are professional at all times.
We will contact someone just three times to secure an interview. We do not wish to be perceived as hassling an individual as this can reflect badly on you.
Once completed, the surveys will be input to Snap software allowing us to create tables of analysis.


In a large saucepan sauté the onion and butter until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the flour, salt and pepper and stir until all of the flour has been moistened. Cook for 30 more seconds before carefully adding the milk and cream to the pot.
Stir in the potatoes, bring to a simmer and reduce heat before cooking for an additional 8-10 minutes.
Stir in the corn and chives before transferring to an 8" square baking dish.
In a small bowl combine the melted butter and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the potato and corn mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Prepare the Applewood Salmon per the instructions on the box.
Serve the salmon alongside the creamed corn and potato gratin.
Complement the flavors of this dish with lentils or steamed vegetables. Suggest a lighter, white wine to round out the meal.


We are located in the easily accessible off of East Bethany Place with direct access from South Havana Street, South Parker Road and East Dartmouth and just minutes from the I-225 and South Parker Road exit.
Comfort Adult Day Care is housed in a 10,000 SQ foot facility that provides Day Care and services to Adults. We have a warmly decorated, secure and climate controlled facility that serves as a social interaction point and an excellent place for our seniors to spend their time.
Comfort Adult Day Care Center could be the loving solution for your family.
Call 303-632-6794 to schedule a visit.
We can even provide transportation.


text:
Q: laravel npm run dev ERR! code ELIFECYCLE Failed at the @ development script i'm trying to run npm run dev but it failed
node ver: 11.2.0, npm ver: 6.4.1, os:windows10
it gives out this error:

> @ dev C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial
> npm run development

> @ development C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial
> cross-env NODE_ENV=development node_modules/webpack/bin/webpack.js --progress --hide-modules --config=node_modules/laravel-mix/setup/webpack.config.js

 70% building 12/18 modules 6 active ...utorial\node_modules\axios\lib\axios.jsTypeError: dep.getResourceIdentifier is not a function
    at addDependency (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\lib\Compilation.js:690:30)
    at iterationOfArrayCallback (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\lib\Compilation.js:194:3)
    at addDependenciesBlock (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\lib\Compilation.js:712:5)
    at Compilation.processModuleDependencies (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\lib\Compilation.js:723:4)
    at afterBuild (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\lib\Compilation.js:855:15)
    at buildModule.err (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\lib\Compilation.js:899:11)
    at callback (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\lib\Compilation.js:628:5)
    at module.build.error (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\lib\Compilation.js:676:12)
    at handleParseResult (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\lib\NormalModule.js:441:12)
    at doBuild.err (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\lib\NormalModule.js:463:6)
    at runLoaders (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\lib\NormalModule.js:327:12)
    at C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\loader-runner\lib\LoaderRunner.js:370:3
    at iterateNormalLoaders (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\loader-runner\lib\LoaderRunner.js:211:10)
    at Array. (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\loader-runner\lib\LoaderRunner.js:202:4)
    at Storage.finished (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\node_modules\enhanced-resolve\lib\CachedInputFileSystem.js:43:16)
    at provider (C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\webpack\node_modules\enhanced-resolve\lib\CachedInputFileSystem.js:79:9)
    at C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\graceful-fs\graceful-fs.js:90:16
    at FSReqCallback.readFileAfterClose [as oncomplete] (internal/fs/read_file_context.js:53:3)
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno 1
npm ERR! @ development: `cross-env NODE_ENV=development node_modules/webpack/bin/webpack.js --progress --hide-modules --config=node_modules/laravel-mix/setup/webpack.config.js`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the @ development script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!     C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\npm-cache\_logs\2018-11-24T04_26_39_857Z-debug.log
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno 1
npm ERR! @ dev: `npm run development`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the @ dev script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.

and this is the log:

0 info it worked if it ends with ok
1 verbose cli [ 'C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe',
1 verbose cli   'C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js',
1 verbose cli   'run',
1 verbose cli   'dev' ]
2 info using npm@6.4.1
3 info using node@v11.2.0
4 verbose run-script [ 'predev', 'dev', 'postdev' ]
5 info lifecycle @~predev: @
6 info lifecycle @~dev: @
7 verbose lifecycle @~dev: unsafe-perm in lifecycle true
8 verbose lifecycle @~dev: PATH: C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-lifecycle\node-gyp-bin;C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial\node_modules\.bin;C:\Program Files\Git\mingw64\bin;C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin;C:\Users\User\bin;C:\oraclexe\app\oracle\product\11.2.0\server\bin;C:\ProgramData\Oracle\Java\javapath;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\iCLS Client;C:\Program Files\Intel\iCLS Client;C:\Windows\system32;C:\Windows;C:\Windows\System32\Wbem;C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\DAL;C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\DAL;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\IPT;C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\IPT;C:\Program Files (x86)\NVIDIA Corporation\PhysX\Common;C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0;C:\android-sdk\platform-tools;C:\Gradle\gradle-4.7\bin;C:\WINDOWS\System32\OpenSSH;C:\xampp\php;C:\ProgramData\ComposerSetup\bin;C:\Program Files\Microsoft VS Code\bin;C:\Program Files\Git\cmd;C:\Program Files\Git\mingw64\bin;C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin;C:\Program Files\nodejs;C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps;C:\Program Files\Microsoft VS Code\bin;C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Composer\vendor\bin;C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\npm
9 verbose lifecycle @~dev: CWD: C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial
10 silly lifecycle @~dev: Args: [ '/d /s /c', 'npm run development' ]
11 silly lifecycle @~dev: Returned: code: 1  signal: null
12 info lifecycle @~dev: Failed to exec dev script
13 verbose stack Error: @ dev: `npm run development`
13 verbose stack Exit status 1
13 verbose stack     at EventEmitter. (C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-lifecycle\index.js:301:16)
13 verbose stack     at EventEmitter.emit (events.js:182:13)
13 verbose stack     at ChildProcess. (C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-lifecycle\lib\spawn.js:55:14)
13 verbose stack     at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:182:13)
13 verbose stack     at maybeClose (internal/child_process.js:978:16)
13 verbose stack     at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:265:5)
14 verbose pkgid @
15 verbose cwd C:\xampp\htdocs\laravel\tutorial
16 verbose Windows_NT 10.0.17134
17 verbose argv "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe" "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js" "run" "dev"
18 verbose node v11.2.0
19 verbose npm  v6.4.1
20 error code ELIFECYCLE
21 error errno 1
22 error @ dev: `npm run development`
22 error Exit status 1
23 error Failed at the @ dev script.
23 error This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
24 verbose exit [ 1, true ]

i've search and tried various ways from various websites including here such as:
solution 1)

*

*delete node_module folder or by $rm -rf node_modules

*delete package-lock.json

*npm clear cache --force

*npm install

solution 2)

*

*npm install -g cross-env

solution 3)

*

*npm cache verify

solution 4)

*

*npm install webpack@latest

solution 5)

*

*replace cross-env with 'node' or 'set' in package.json

*or putting the dist before /bin in package.json

solution 6)

*

*npm update

i'm out of option and solution. is there another way to solve this?
p/s: i read something about the ram of server ran out or something like that. does it have anything to do with my error?

A: this is a workaround, not an actual fix. the solution was to change the webpack version. i had the latest version of 4.26.0. apparently, mix doesn't work well with v4.

*

*npm i webpack@3.1.0

i got the solution from here: When running npm run dev getting this error dep.getResourceIdentifier is not a function #1610
can't believe i spend >10 hours trying to fix this only to find myself the answer minutes after i post it online -_-


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Choose the best wrought iron fence for your yard – A complete guide!
Introduction: – If you are a homeowner, then there are a lot of things that you should consider. From choosing the right fencing contractor to picking the type of fence, you would want in your yard. Moreover, cost and maintenance are also taken into account. So, it is recommended to select the wrought iron fence as they are very affordable and perhaps gives a perfect look to your sense. Apart from this, here are the tips that you consider while choosing the wrought iron fence for your yard.
Maintenance of fence: – You should ask yourself how much time and money do you want to devote to your fence maintenance. It is usually seen that wooden fence requires a lot of maintenance as it regularly requires painting and straining. Here, Wrought iron fence can come into play. They require less maintenance, and moreover, they are not very hard on the pocket. Besides this, wrought iron fence look very appealing, andthey are highly recommended by many home owners.
HOA guideline should be followed:- There is no point of choosing a particular type of fence if the homeowner association doesn't approve it. You should be very clear about the fence that you are selecting and check that you are meeting with the guidelines that are being set by your housing association in terms of height and material to be used for the fence.
Select the right fencing contractor: – All your efforts would be wasted if you won't select the right fence contractor. Fencing a yard requires a lot of hard work as well as specialized tools. So, it is recommended that you hire a good fencing contractor, but don't forget to check the licensing status and references of the contractor. Besides this, they can be beneficial in helping you obtain the important building permits that you may require across your region.
Pick the right fence for your yard: – This is perhaps one of the most important decisions that you would have to make. You would need to decide the reason behind fencing your yard. Is it because you need privacy or perhaps a virtual appeal? As per your need, you can select an appropriate fence for your yard.
http://dfwfenceandarborpro.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/best-wrought-iron-fence-for-your-yard.jpg 425 800 dfwfenceandarborpro http://dfwfenceandarborpro.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/dfwfencandarborpro-logo-300x69.png dfwfenceandarborpro2018-02-13 20:37:222018-10-10 12:22:15Choose the best wrought iron fence for your yard - A complete guide!
Things to Keep in Mind When Hiring a Fence Company When is the good time to repair a wooden fence ?


text:
By Sandy Illian Bosch
Uniquely Thursdays return for 18th season
Annual concert series resumes, helping community get back to normal rhythm
Locally rooted band The Millenials will entertain the crowd tonight as the popular summer concert series Uniquely Thursdays kicks off its 2021 season in Burlington Park, a welcome sign of the community's continuing recovery from the pandemic. (photo courtesy of The Millenials; file photo)
Thursday is about to resume its place as everyone's favorite night of the week in Hinsdale.
The concert series Uniquely Thursdays is back, offering, in addition to live music, local food vendors, beer and wine, and walkable access to all downtown Hinsdale has to offer.
"Everyone is excited," said Eva Field, president and CEO of the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce.
While other towns are scrambling to create summer fun for their residents and neighbors, Field said the chamber's proactive thinking, and a little bit of good luck, has Hinsdale primed and ready for a full 10-week season of outdoor performances.
"Hinsdale is on the map," she said.
Field said the chamber decided several months ago to delay the start of the concert series by two weeks, hopefully giving the pandemic just a little more time to wane.
"Not knowingly, we opened up the state June 11," Field said, just 13 days before The Millennials are set to take the stage and kick off Uniquely Thursdays' 2021 season.
The Millennials lead guitar player Michael Henehan said it's exciting to be back where it all began, playing for the fans in Hinsdale. The six-member band got its start when its original members were students at Hinsdale's School of Rock. Six years later, some faces have changed, but the band's ability to entertain a crowd with classic rock songs and modern hits has only gotten better. Henehan said the Hinsdale show is one of 22 that the band has booked across the Chicago area this summer.
"I'm so excited to be back," Henehan said. "Hinsdale is always a great crowd."
Uniquely Thursdays will continue every week through August. Guests are invited to pack a picnic, or grab dinner from one of the event's vendors. Azteca, Giuliano's Pizza, Tropical Sno, Dippin' Dots and Sugar Mama's Mini Donuts will all be part of the festivities. Along with its fried dough specialty, Sugar Mama's will have a second truck offering hot dogs, lemon shake-ups, cotton candy and other treats, Field said.
Grownups in the crowd can enjoy a cold beer or a glass of wine while listening to the music on the main stage. New to the taps this year is Revolution Brewery's Anti-Hero IPA. Guests also can choose a Leinenkugel Summer Shandy on tap, or a can of Miller Lite or Coors Lite. Wine lovers can sip a Noble Vines chardonnay or cabernet sauvignon, or a Gnarly Head pinot grigio. Black Cherry White Claws also will be available.
Claudia Thornton, the chamber's marketing director, said the 10-concert series includes something for every musical taste. Fans of Elton John and Billy Joel won't want to miss tribute band Billy Elton on July 1, and reggae enthusiasts can chill out to the beats of True Company on July 8.
The Student Body will bring back the hits of the '80s and '90s on July 15, followed by Karma Committee putting its spin on hip hop, R&B, rock, pop and dance tunes on July 22. July 29 welcomes This End Up, which promises a mix of pop, rock and a touch of country. Thornton said country music fans will enjoy the Ethan Bell Band, set to take the stage on August 5. Fan favorite 7th Heaven is sure to draw a crowd on August 12.
New to the Uniquely Thursdays lineup is Reckless, a high-energy rock band scheduled for August 19. Closing out the 2021 season on August 25 is Semple Band, with a collection of tunes from the '70s through today.
While music is the main event, it takes much more than a band to make Uniquely Thursdays the destination events that they've become over the past 17 seasons. From the ice donated by HinsDeli to the support of presenting sponsor Amita Health Adventist Medical Center, it truly takes a village to make Uniquely Thursdays a success, Field said.
Kramer Foods will donate bottled water, which will be sold at the event for $1. Proceeds from bottled water sales help to offset the costs of the weekly summer concerts, Field said. She also thanked top sponsors Jameson Sotheby's, Hinsdale Bank, Band & Wire Orthodontics, and LaMantia Design & Remodeling for their support.
Uniquely Thursdays takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. in Burlington Park, 30 E. Chicago Ave. For more information, visit http://www.hinsdalechamber.com/uniquely-thursdays.
Sandy Illian Bosch is a contributing writer to The Hinsdalean
Stroll over to Christmas Walk
Holy Land trip brings Gospels to life


text:
Staff Focus: Clara Hendrick, Alternative Education Paraeducator, Laurel Woods Elementary School
Laurel Woods Elementary School Alternative Education Paraeducator Clara Hendrick can summarize her career's inspiration with: "I've always been drawn to children who have difficulties in the classroom, to helping those who need a little extra." She follows a long line of educators in her family and first discovered her love of children by growing up in a large family and teaching Sunday school.
Prior to HCPSS, Hendrick taught middle school English in Virginia as a continuing substitute and worked with Arc of Howard County to support parents of children with disabilities. She also devoted her time raising her own three children.
She joined HCPSS, and specifically Laurel Woods, 22 years ago, first as a special education assistant before switching to her current role. When Hendrick started at Laurel Woods, she said, "There was a student who trained me for the position. He needed so much, and I had to learn to give him what he needed." Small changes in her behavior—such as approaching him from the front, making eye contact and respecting when he needed quiet time—enabled them to better connect. "When trust was established, he gradually let me into his world. I carry forward those lessons today," she continued.
As an alternative education paraeducator, Hendrick works closely with students in need of additional supports managing their behaviors. Subsequently, she collaborates with teachers with developing the most effective strategies to reach those students. Her day is full with goal setting breakfasts with her students, check-in conversations with additional students throughout the school, homework review, classroom visits, parent communication and generally "whatever we can do to establish positive, meaningful relationships," she said.
Hendrick has also been a key member in developing Laurel Woods' capacity as a restorative school, which emphasizes building positive and inclusive school communities. She first got hooked on the concept at last year's staff book club, and has since gone through several trainings and helped facilitate community circles to discuss peer interactions and kindness in the 5th grade classroom. She has already seen an impact from restorative practices, with students finding their voice and the deepening of educator/student relationships—including the connections with her own students.
If that wasn't enough, Hendrick also helps with many of the school's collaborative problem solving teams and extracurricular programs, including PBIS to incentivize students to succeed and Girls on the Run, which promotes female empowerment. Notably, all of Hendrick's students participate in the new BFLY (Forever Love Yourself) weekly lunch group, where she supports them in activities that "help them see they can be a positive asset to the school community."
"The children make me a better person, and I hope I pay it forward," Hendrick said. "It's about meeting them where they are and moving them forward one day at a time, showing them all their possibilities."
Tiffani Peguese, Black Student Achievement Program achievement liaison, works closely with Hendrick on restorative efforts and the BFLY group. She said: "We call her Mama Clara because she's the type of person who's always been about relationships. She is all about high love, high support and high expectations. She gets to understand the students she works with and helps elevate them and harness the abilities they have. Students, teachers—we all love our Clara."
« HCPSS Sweeps Top TEEAM Awards at High School Level
Presentation of the Superintendent's FY 2021 Budget Proposal Rescheduled to January 9, 2020 »