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Did Thorn Birds Teach Me All The Wrong Ideas About Love?
For the few people that have been one of my roommates, they all have one thing in common – wondering why I was so obsessed with The Thorn Birds? Why do I even know about the Thorn Birds is a good start, given it aired when I was not even 2 years old in 1983? I guess you can thank my mom for that and her love of all things TV. And Richard Chamberlain.
Hey, Boo. (Chamberlain was 49 years old, and FINE.)
How can I describe 10 hours of Thorn Birds to you in a few sentences? The tagline says it all, "Love. Unattainable. Forbidden. Forever". Can you think of anything more glorious for a 14 year old girl (or 37 year old woman) to be obsessed with? There's a unashamedly handsome priest named Ralph, a beautiful young girl, an Australian plantation and enough secrets to fill the wool shed. Spanning 60 years, The Thorn Birds tells the story of several generations of Cleary women who seem to all have the same problem – they love men that are too ambitious for their own good. As the main character Meggie says, "I cried for him all my life, like a child crying for the moon." I don't even know what that means or why I would cry for the moon, but my gosh, it sounds romantic.
Father Ralph with The Cleary Women, Fee, Meggie and Mary (from left to right)
Now, add into things that this week in between Thorn Birds viewings I also watched the latest season of Big Mouth, and it all starts to make sense why a 14 year old Marie would love this forbidden story so much. One of the big themes in Big Mouth is how puberty is so isolating and divides us from the people we care about (friends, both female and male, parents and crazy gym teachers).
Missy, Hormone Monster, Jessi from Big Mouth on Netflix
You know what helps you feel less alone? Seeing someone else suffer. Enter the Thorn Birds.
Every character suffers in this mini-series. Literally EVERY CHARACTER. Mary Carson, the matriarch of the family wills herself to die on cue just so she can exact the perfect revenge on her unrequited love, Father Ralph. Meggie gets laid only like 5 times in the whole 10 hours but has 2 kids she has to raise by herself, plus live with her ornery old mother forever. The brothers never even get a wife, they just "work and obey". One dies in jail, one on the range, one with croup or some other condition that only kills babies in 1912. Barely anyone gets out alive! Even the most holy character ends up dead, trying to save a stranger's life, of course.
But I love it. I still cried watching it this time around, even though I know how it's going to end. (Plus I spent another $20 on the digital version through Amazon Prime for the convenience of not having to find my dvd copy (or my VHS). This thing endures! I now own more copies of Thorn Birds than the White Album.)
The main theme of Thorn Birds is that love is painful. Sometimes its a sweet pain, but mostly its just plain old torture. And yet, we continue to press our breast to the thorn trying to achieve that love, even though we know it might kill us. Yes I swear, this is an actual story from the book.
"There's a story… a legend, about a bird that sings just once in its life. From the moment it leaves its nest, it searches for a thorn tree… and never rests until it's found one. And then it sings… more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. And singing, it impales itself on the longest, sharpest thorn. But, as it dies, it rises above its own agony, to outsing the lark and the nightingale. The thorn bird pays its life for just one song, but the whole world stills to listen, and God in his heaven smiles."
So naturally, this is great viewing when you're going through puberty and hormonal, horny and angry all the time – you know, being a teenager. I have most of the 10 hours memorized, which is not something I'm proud of, but it might be good in the "special skills" section on my resumé.
I'm also sure this would be filed under "guilty pleasure" in the realm of the TV miniseries, despite being the 2nd most watched mini-series of all time. Roots, it's not. And usually I'm all for a guilty pleasure, because life is tough enough, you go Netflix and Chill with your Jane the Virgin on a Friday night after your kids go to sleep, Glen Coco. What was different this time about watching Thorn Birds was the juxtaposition of Big Mouth along side it. I was Jessi from Big Mouth when I was a tween/teen. Divorced parents, depressed, full of shame and trying to find where I fit in. And how I coped was by watching stories like Gone With The Wind, Thorn Birds, It's a Wonderful Life, Dirty Dancing and Titanic. So many stories about disappointed love and a life not lived. The more painful, the better. I mean why can't Jack live at the end of Titanic, it's just not fair!!
Re-watching it now while we are in the age of really dissecting what stories we want told, I couldn't help but wonder, Did indulging in Thorn Birds for over 20 years do more harm than good? How many ideas about love and romance did I just steal from a movie? Maybe Nora Ephron said it best, "You don't want to be in love! You want to be in love in a movie!"
And well, yeah, I do. Reality has home work and laundry and toddlers who have meltdowns over Barbie shoes. Love in a movie is a great distraction and there's nothing guilty about that pleasure.
Filed in Television ·Tags: big mouth, puberty, rachel ward, richard chamberlain, the thorn birds
I Couldn't Help But Wonder…Was SATC Good for You?
One of the best features of watching TV on demand is seeing in the "info screen" the original airdate of the episode. For me, it is anyway, because I have always loved the conversation about putting art into context. Even as far back as 15 years ago when I graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in "The History of Theater; The Theater of History." My friends still make fun on that one.
A few weeks ago, it was a rainy weekend and my kids were otherwise occupied so when I saw SATC (SATC might be the last television show of recent times to inspire a recognizable acronym like GWTW or EPL) on cable in re-runs, I snuggled up for the long haul. SATC on regular cable is more like LATC or FATC (love / friends) because a lot of the sex has been scrubbed to make it syndication friendly. As a habit, I noticed the original air-date and I couldn't help but wonder if Sarah Jessica Parker was right? Would present day NY would be unrecognizable to Carrie Bradshaw? A few clicks on IMDB also revealed that SATC was about to celebrate 20 years since it's premiere on June 6, 1998.
Yeesh, that must mean our heroines are well into their 50s now. Heck, Cynthia Nixon is running for governor! Times, they are a changin'.
Remember back in 1998 when Bill Clinton was still president and was dealing with the Monica Lewinsky scandal? When the entire country was in a discussion about what constitutes "sexual relations" and what the meaning of "Is" is? The biggest show (according to Neilsen ratings) on TV was ER (followed by Friends and Frasier). Online dating hadn't gone mainstream yet, Mark Zuckerberg was still in grade school, and people still used pay phones to check their machine! It's safe to say the world technologically speaking was a very different place. And that's where SATC came in. Finally you could see women talking about what they wanted in the bedroom out in the open. I guess nowadays if you really thought your boyfriend had "funky spunk" you'd just goggle it and not bother your girlfriends with it and have to deal with the embarrassment. But 1998 was a year before google became a verb so if you really had questions about sex, maybe you had nowhere to turn. I know when I was in college in 2001 and a guy told me he only had 1 ball, I had to go to my girlfriends / gay guy friends to verify that having 1 ball was a legitimate thing and not a prank he was playing on me. It would have never occurred to me then to look it up online.
HBO who aired SATC originally, was not known as a prestige network winning tons of awards. Sopranos hadn't aired yet, so HBO was known mostly for comedy specials, Real Sex, and replays of many PG-13 movies. The only original show I could think of pre-SATC was "Dream On" and I was too young to watch it. From the many interviews I've read by Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael Patrick King and Matthew Wiener, HBO was a great place to work in the 90's/early aughts. They gave you creative freedom, they didn't give a ton of notes, and they valued the work over the ratings. SATC in it's third season became the first cable show to win the "Best Comedy" Emmy and with that put a stake in the ground for HBO to become the award winning network of movie stars slumming it on TV. Sarah Jessica admits regularly in interviews she made the pilot for SATC and promptly forgot about it. After the fact she didn't even want to do the series and tried to get out of it. Can you imagine another actress captivating the world as Carrie Bradshaw? I can't.
SATC's first season aired in the summer of 1998 and quickly caused a stir. The reviews were mixed, but people were tuning in. Now looking back over the 6 seasons plus 2 movies, no one looks back at season 1 as their favorite. There were many growing pains like talking directly to the camera and stories of random peripheral friends never to be seen again. Heck, they don't even figure out how to tame Sarah Jessica's frizz until episode 6 when her romance with Big really gets going. That, coincidentally, is when the show starts to take shape as we follow the major romantic arc for the series – the uncertain woman meets the man they describe as "Donald Trump, but younger and more handsome" who's great at withholding and game playing. Watching their chemistry became the secret sauce of SATC's success initially, because the other female characters are caricatures for many episodes. Their differing viewpoints are so harsh at the beginning it's hard to find a character you identify with, shockingly, because the conversation of "I'm a Carrie" or "I'm a Miranda" takes over the media for about 10 years after the show goes off the air. (Obviously, I AM a Miranda). Miranda takes shape in the middle of season 2 when she finally gets into a relationship with Steve and then has to let him go when he's a lowly bartender and she's a high powered lawyer. Charlotte's defined by her quest for perfection right up to the point when she marries the wrong man: Trey. (Yes I recognize that both of these storylines has to do with "meeting your mate", but for me seeing them in relationship to the men is what ultimately gives them definition beyond the cliché). For Samantha, I actually think she comes into her own in the first SATC movie when she realizes she says Smith's name more every day than her own. But Kim Catrall is just so damn sexy, beautiful and funny that she makes Samantha three-dimensional despite there not being that much dimension on the page.
I've listened to all the director's commentary on the dvds of both the SATC series and movies and to hear Michael Patrick King's insights is fascinating because you hear from him how layered the show was from the writing/directing point of view. Not all of it comes out on screen though, which begs the questions, "Does it count?" SATC is a bit ham-fisted at times, cramming down our throats the pithy nicknames for the men "Mr. Pussy", "Springroll Guy", "Catholic Guy" and "Manhattan Guy" are among the silliest. Something Kyle Smith and I don't agree on, despite his rare rave for the show. There's also the running theme for each episode anchored in the column Carrie is writing that feels forced by 2018 standards, but at the time I don't remember thinking it's weird that all of a sudden we're talking about the stock market in the middle of an SATC episode. Perhaps it's only feels shoe-horned in when your binge watching it, not watching one episode per week. Shows are made differently now, and of course the trope of the "four (mostly white) girlfriends" has been executed over and over again with lackluster results since 1998. The best one being Lena Dunham's Girls, also on HBO. Cashmere Mafia, move right along.
Meanwhile, as the 20th anniversary of the premiere approached, I started to see more and more articles online about SATC's legacy. Here's the rub, a lot of it is negative. Someone is actually claiming SATC ruined their life because they moved to NYC to live the life of Carrie. But before SATC, didn't young women move to NYC to live the life of Annie Hall, or Holly Golightly? Gimme a break. I watched SATC as a young twenty-something and moved to NYC (well, Brooklyn, but close enough) and I never once bought a pair of Manolos. The show was never about the fashion, or the men, or the pop culture it influenced. It was about the pursuit of finding yourself amongst the backdrop of the New York City skyline, and maybe finding "the one" who would love the real you in the process.
Now that's a show I can still get on board with. The final words of the series are, "Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far when where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you that you love…well that's just fabulous."
Maybe in about 15 years, when my daughter is 19 and it's a rainy weekend, I'll fire up the HBO Go and show her the tv show that all the fuss was about when I was 19. Happy Birthday Sex and the City, you're still fabulous.
The Best Episodes of Sex and the City (in no particular order).
Season 1 – The Baby Shower
The four girls jumping in the car only to realize, no one got in the driver's seat is pure New York. Plus the realization that people do get married and move to the suburbs, even Laney, is important for the series because so much of their identity is wrapped up in NOT doing that, because it doesn't feel right for them. We also get the first visions of how scary parents are! Breastfeeding a kid who can chew steak? No, thank you.
Season 2 – The Chicken Dance
Finally Carrie has to take notice of the fact that Big loves her, but maybe not exactly the way she wants. Yes they're back together, but he still has boundaries and won't sign the card for the wedding and has to take work calls while she's reciting her poem (which is a lovely poem by the way). This is the foreshadowing that will come to a head in La Douleur Exquise. Guest star Carrie Preston, which is what Carrie Bradshaw's name becomes once she marries BIG in SATC 2.
Season 2 – La Douleur Exquise
The exquisite pain of Carrie and Big. Carrie realizes what she means to Big and it's not pretty. Women around the world relate to Carrie feeling like she's giving her all to the relationship and he's only thinking of her when it's convenient. This feeling alone has inspired countless songs, stories and themes in couples therapy.
Season 3 – Easy come, Easy Go
Carrie gets her revenge, sort of. Big finally admits that he made a mistake by rushing to marry Natasha and utters the words every dumped woman wants to hear, "I made a mistake, I love you." Miranda and Steve learn to break up with dignity and remain friends. Meanwhile Samantha struggles to deal with "funky spunk" from her latest bedmate, guest star Bobby Cannevale. And Charlotte talks Trey into marriage in possibly the least sexy way.
Season 4 – The Real Me
It's easy to overlook this episode as one of the episodes without the romanctic arc of Carrie/Big or Carrie/Aidan that dominate this season. But watching it with fresh eyes I realized that this is the episode of the series that defines the series. We all get knocked down in life, it's how you get back up that matters. It's there in the opening sequence of the series, and it's in this episode. Guest star Alan Cumming as a bitchy designer.
Season 4 – Ghost Town
Steve and Aidan open a bar? Sure why not! It's a great excuse to put Carrie and Aidan back in the same room. He's moved on and looks fabulous. She's haunted by how she hurt him and reconciles her feelings about moving forward. Plus, Miranda and Steve cement their friendship post breakup.
Season 5 – Plus One is the Loneliest Number
The love letter to the single girl. Sometimes big moments in your life will happen and you won't have that special someone to share them with. It's ok, NYC can be your date where there's always late night hot dogs and the men who give them to you for free. Samantha gets an ill advised chemical peel and Anthony screams "PINK!". What's not to love? Meanwhile Miranda stares into Brady's eyes and really gets it, "she's a mother now and life has changed forever."
Season 6 – The Post it Always Sticks Twice
I remember watching this episode the night it first aired with one of my friends and we cracked up at Smith being a "zygote" and the way Carrie smokes a doobie. We've all been broken up with in ways that feel icky (texts, phone messages and straight out ghosting) but having it written on a post-it was just so perfectly 2004. It hurts but it's still kinda old school. The girls go out to get Carrie's mind off her latest indignity and Samantha realizes she might just have some real feelings for Smith, Miranda gets into her skinny jeans and gets her sexy back. Charlotte comes to terms with her second engagement which is undoubtedly less perfect than the first, simply because it is not the first one.
Season 6 – The Domino Effect
The words we'd all longed to hear from Big, "what are we doing?" as he realizes life is fragile after heart surgery. Carrie is rocked by the tears that flow when she thinks about Big, but also smart enough to know his limitations when he turns on the witholding again. Miranda takes a personal day to get it on with sexy Dr. Robert Leeds, guest star Blair Underwood and poor Steve catches them in the act. Steve and Miranda have a Brechtian moment at her front door, when Steve says "Miranda…" The audience just wants these two to get over themselves and find eachother but as in real life, these things take time!
Season 6 – One
Miranda finally sees that Steve is the one and proclaims her love for him in the laundry room during Brady's party. Samantha has to come to terms with aging "down there" and Charlotte finds a way to bounce back after losing her baby. First appearance of "The Russian" played by Mikhail Baryshnikov shows Carrie there there's more love to be had, post Big. Or is there?
Filed in Television ·Tags: 1998, Sex and the City, Television


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Best film of all time?
I have a bit of a reputation for liking fairly naff films, so it'll come as no surprise to people who know me to hear that Cocktail is probably my favourite. Does that make me sound a bit 'in touch with my feminine side'? What do you mean people already thought that?!
I love the dialogue between Tom Cruise and Brian Brown's characters – witty and fantastic diction – which is perhaps where my love of words began. This, coupled with the combination of Gina Gershon and Elisabeth Shue, rendered me helplessly in love with this film as a young teenager. I guess I've had a soft spot for it since then.
More recently, and at the slightly less embarrassing end of the spectrum, I thought The King's Speech, which I was expecting to be totally bored by, was excellent.
I've been fortunate enough to go to some amazing places around the world when on a six-month travelling stint that masqueraded as a honeymoon – South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand. I was also lucky enough to spend three weeks in Canada on a school rugby tour, which was awesome for lots of reasons.
I'd say my favourite of these was New Zealand – the scenery, the wealth of activities, the adrenaline sports and the laid back pace of life make it the perfect holiday destination. The amazing views are in danger of getting boring, there are so many of them! Shame it's quite so far away – if it was where Wales is I'd move there tomorrow.
Ever since I read a short story when I was younger about deep-sea fishing for Marlin in Mauritius, I've also had a fantasy to go there one day and do just that. Definitely one for my bucket list.
Ooh, probably the one that was worth £10m. Oh, not that kind of quote?
I really love quotes and envy those that have the insight and ability to capture something succinctly that will be remembered for generations. That said, they can get really cheesy sometimes when splashed on T shirts or appearing at the bottom of your diary day.
And, not terribly exciting, but I really relate to "if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well". It's easily overlooked and ignored because it's tainted by its commonality but, if you really think about the words, it's difficult to argue with.
In a similar vein, and for more comedy value, I've always loved "If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly!" made famous by The Cannonball Run but, believe it or not, originally coined by Mahatma Gandhi!
I've worked in a much larger agency where I was exposed to pretty much everything this industry has to offer and given a thorough initiation into agency life. There's lots that's great about big agencies, but there are just as many negatives (beware the lure of the big, experienced agency that will cost you a fortune and where you'll never get to see a decision maker!). In Factor 3, I've now settled for the long haul at a smaller (but not small) agency with a culture, quality and set of people that are second to none.
I'd say the camaraderie here, both internally and that we share with clients, is the thing I enjoy and value the most. I really believe that people and relationships trump products and brands when it comes to determining marketing success.
My job title is Account Director, but that's probably not that enlightening in terms of what I actually end up doing with my days.
One of the best things about Factor 3, I believe, is our flat structure; it means we can be really agile and responsive, and also that the people clients and prospective clients meet and interact with are the people actually working on the account – there's no cumbersome game of pass the parcel up and down the hierarchy. As a result, I find myself doing everything from the menial at one end through to the downright strategic at the other. I've also recently become a shareholder, so that puts a whole new slant on what you do and how you look at things.
Whether it's brief writing, copy checking, meeting a client, having an international teleconference, typing up a contact report, estimating, invoicing, writing a proposal or constructing a new brand pyramid or marketing plan, no two days are ever the same. That's one of the things I love about this industry in general, and Factor 3 specifically. I'd hate to lose the day-to-day client contact and project management, and that's one of the things that can happen in bigger agencies as you move up the food chain. Sometimes there's nothing better than switching your brain off and doing something really simple and process driven, but equally it's great to get the old grey matter engaged and sink your teeth into some new thinking that's going to change the fortunes of a client's brand.
Nickname, if you have one?
'Mincer' when I was at school, and to this day with my school friends, because I was one of the first to get a girlfriend, which meant that I spent all my time on jaunts to the cinema rather than trying to get into pubs under-age with my mates.
I somehow seemed to acquire 'Supermike' in my early days at Factor 3, thanks James Akerman, but that seems to have died a death (read into that what you will). I now have a plethora of insults adorning the wall behind my head on a sheet of Magic whiteboard. 'Pernickety' is probably the one I'm fondest of.
Oop north – I'm a bit of a plastic Mancunian as I actually hail from Cheshire. Even in these cosmopolitan times, I still get jibes about my northern accent (which I've barely even got!), not least from my esteemed colleagues and my wife. Now my son says 'barth and 'grarss'; I am an island.
After going to uni at Warwick, I ended up working in Leicester for about six years. Then, after getting married and taking six months out to trot the globe, I've ended up settling in Cheltenham with my family for lifestyle reasons (no offence, Leicester).


I dedicate this post to Kathy Ayer because it was with her that I bought some fresh pasta from the town of Artena. Artena is famous for its bread, as is Lariano, but I reckon its flour makes some of the best fresh pasta I've ever tasted, with a delicious bite to it. We are very lucky to find it at the farmers' markets in the Castelli Romani. In Ariccia on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, and near Frascati on Fridays. She and I were in Ariccia on the Wednesday and I asked the vendor whether the pasta would last until the following (Easter) Sunday. The answer was yes. I was to leave the pasta in its plastic container, but the lid was to be kept open. Hmmm.
Having always challenged the mantra my mother chanted throughout my childhood, and that is "to trust is very good, to not trust is even better", I found myself annoyingly assailed by doubts that this pasta would indeed be good enough to eat five days after it had been prepared. On the other hand, I knew I had plenty of other dry pasta at home so it wasn't going to be the end of the world if I would have to do without it after all, on the appointed day.
The day was Easter Sunday, and in Italy, despite Berlusconi's protestations as he had himself photographed hugging a baby lamb, Easter usually does mean lamb. So I thought I would make a Paschal ragù using lamb and a few asparagus. I asked the butcher to mince the meat for me (leg of lamb) and kept the bone too, to help with both the sauce AND the water with which to cook the pasta.
Are you ready? This is not at all a difficult recipe but it does call for a little attention. It tasted really good, so I shall make it again. Try it some time.
The above is about 350g of minced lamb, taken from the leg. Of course, we are talking about Italian lamb here, agnello or abbacchio, and this is really baby baby lamb.
Leg of lamb, with the meat minced and the bone chopped into smaller pieces, asparagus stems (use the tips for something else), onion, garlic, olive oil, peppercorns, red wine (white if you prefer), rosemary, sage, mint, butter, parmesan or a mixture of parmesan and pecorino cheese, fresh pasta (dry if you haven't any), salt and pepper. Two saucepans. One to start the sauce with, and a much larger one for the end results.
The water goes red, so change it once or twice.
And that's what the leg of lamb pieces looked like after their bath. Please note that there is still some meat attached to the bone (not a lot).
I filled a large pasta pot with water and added bits of the bone that were meat free.
I added some rosemary and sage to the water, and turned the heat on, with the lid on.
Chop an onion, and place it in a nice saucepan together with some peppercorns, olive oil and the bits of bone with meat on 'em. Start cooking, over a low-medium heat.
Keep an eye on the onions – we don't want them to go brown.
When they are golden, remove them and transfer to another saucepan, in anticipation of the grand finale. A BIG saucepan that will be able to accommodate all the pasta at the end.
Back to our smaller saucepan. Carry on cooking the bones, instead, on a lively heat … they will roast to a burnished colour.
When the bones have roasted enough, remove them, and deglaze the pan with some nice red wine. When finished, transfer the juices too to the other, big saucepan.
Remove as much of the meat from the bones as you can – and this is mighty tricky, let me tell you. Not at all easy. I might get the butcher to do it for me next time.
And add those bones too, now, to the pasta water.
Chop the meat you managed to remove from the bones. Pur this chopped meat into the larger saucepan.
Back to our initial saucepan which is looking rather the worse for wear – but that's okay, no cause for concern. Dribble more olive oil and put a couple of roughly squashed cloves of garlic in the pan. Turn the heat on and wait for the garlic to go golden.
Now add the minced meat. Sprinkle some salt. Carry on cooking the meat until it turns a nice brown but not burnt colour.
And now, this is what the bigger saucepan is up to at this stage: it contains the (1) previously cooked onions, (2) chopped meat I managed to extract from the bones, (3) deglazed juices, and (4) some rosemary needles. Salt. Sprinkle salt.
Now add the cooked minced meat to the bigger pan. I apologise for the angle of this photo but I don't know why wordpress uploaded it this way. You'll have to crick your neck to see it 'properly'. No matter, you get idea, don't you?
I added a nice lump of butter. I do love butter and a little bit of butter works wonders when there is a pasta sauce that does not have a lot of 'liquid' (such as tomato sauce) to it. Remove the pan from the heat for now.
I removed all the bones and herbs from the pasta water. All these ingredients had been useful as a kind of broth, and had imparted whatever flavour they could. Time to say bye bye.
I put the chopped asparagus and the pasta into the boiling cauldron of flavoured pasta water and waited for them to cook. About 5-6 minutes. Notice who 'oily' the pasta water is!
Drain the pasta and asparagus and put them into the saucepan. Add some of the cooking water.
Combine all the ingredients, adding more cooking water if necessary, and then season the pasta with some grated parmesan. Use a wooden spoon to help you. Or two large forks.
Taste. Taste, taste and taste. A twist of pepper. Maybe a little bit more salt? A few mint leaves?
There was more grated parmesan on the table for people to add if they wished.
I normally rabbit on about loving the leftovers. Well, there were no leftovers that Easter Sunday. We polished off the lot.
Words of "Remember Remember" refer to Guy Fawkes with origins in 17th century English history. On the 5th November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was subsequently tried as a traitor with his co-conspirators for plotting against the government. He was tried by Judge Popham who came to London specifically for the trial from his country manor Littlecote House in Hungerford, Gloucestershire. Fawkes was sentenced to death and the form of the execution was one of the most horrendous ever practised (hung, drawn and quartered) which reflected the serious nature of the crime of treason.
The quote and poem is sometimes referred to as 'Please to remember the fifth of November'. It serves as a warning to each new generation that treason will never be forgotten. In England the 5th of November is still commemorated each year with fireworks and bonfires culminating with the burning of effigies of Guy Fawkes (the guy) and people chanting the quote of "Remember remember the 5th of November". The 'guys' are made by children by filling old clothes with crumpled newspapers to look like a man. Tradition allows British children to display their 'guys' to passers-by and asking for " A penny for the guy".
The folk verse is considerably longer than the first three lines we all remember (Remember, remember! The fifth of November, The Gunpowder treason and plot;) and the last lines are quite the eye opener, I wonder if Pope Francis knows about this!
And on with the reason for this, a very unusual post for me.
While it is November 5th that is remembered in Britain, in Italy there is a November 4th date that comes with hallowed historical importance. There is many an avenue all over Italy called "Via IV Novembre". There is one in Bologna too.
I was in Bologna last weekend, and spent much of my time just walking, up and down its streets and porticoes.
There is so much walking to be done in Bologna. The date (November 4th) marks the end of World War I in Italy, following the victory of the Battle of Vittorio Veneto. And Italy still commemorates "National Unity Day" and "Armed Forces Day" on November 4th, in remembrance of World War I. A laurel wreath is laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Rome by the country's President.
Snippet of war history: On November 3rd 1918, the Austro-Hungarian troops withdrew tired and demoralized while the Italian troops entered victorious in Trento and Trieste. On Nov. 4, 1915 The Austro-Hungarian Empire signed the armistice that closed hostilities on the Italian front. On the same day Chief of Staff Armando Diaz issued the "Bulletin of Victory" . The Bollettino della Vittoria, together with the address to the Navy by Paolo Thaon di Revel, is the symbol of the Italian victory in World War I. Commemorative plaques with the text are hung up in every town hall and military barracks of Italy, fused using the bronze of enemy artillery pieces.
And here. see above, is the plaque of The Bulletin of Victory in a main square in Bologna, opposite the Palazzo Re Enzo. I provide a translation the the text at the end of this blog just in case you might interested in reading it.
Above, on the same wall as the Bulletin of Victory is another plaque, this time commemorating the city's gold medal for the part it played in the resistance during WWII. And, at the same time, mentioning the number of Italian soldiers of the Acqui Division 'lost' on the islands of Cephalonia and Corfu – they were massacred with remarkable cruelty after surrendering to the Germans on 21 September 1943, with 3,000 others lost at sea. Captain Corelli's Mandolin – anyone read that book?
This plaque is reserved solely for the citizens of Bologna and the partisans (Resistance), and the huge role they played in fighting the Nazis. Bologna received a gold medal for military valour.
This is the huge front of the building called Palazzo della Borsa, which is now a fascinating library. The plaques I mentioned are the three starting from the right and going left-wards, even past the entrance to the building. To the left of that are showcases with photographs of every single partisan or plain citizen from Bologna who fought and died for freedom during WWII.
It's very hard to get a good picture – the glass reflects back. The photos are in black and white. I looked on and held back a choking sensation in my throat.
A wreath is also there in grateful commemoration.
Opposite this building is the Palazzo Enzo.
There were plaques on it too.
This one is in remembrance of soldiers who died in Nazi camps.
This one is dedicated to all men, women and children who died in concentration camps during WWII, whether they were Italian or not. It exhorts us to fight for human liberty, for the indpendence of peoples and to seek a more just society with peaceful interaction for all populations.
The above plaque recalls a time even further back, during the unification of Italy and Bologna's support of Garibaldi. It is dedicated to the Garibaldi Partisan troop who fought in Montenegro 1943-45.
So yes, Bologna seems to want to keep alive the memory and memories of past battles, strife and personal and collective sacrifice. It does not wish to forget the noble people who did all they could, sometimes at great cost, to look on the bright side of life.
Another road is named after Ugo Bassi, who was a priest at the time of Garibaldi. His execution enraged Liberals all over Europe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugo_Bassi There is a statue in via Ugo Bassi as well.
Yesterday was April 25th and a national holiday in Italy, so-called Liberation Day, the Festa della Liberazione.
It is the anniversary to recall the end of WWII, and the worthy role played by the partisan combatants (Resistance), of which many were women. Take a closer look on the following link: https://www.thelocal.it/20160425/what-is-italys-liberation-day-all-about-giorno-liberazione-partisans-nazi-fascist-milan-uprising-italian-republic-public-holiday .
So, yes. My mind has been caught up with the history of people fighting for freedom. And my heart aches at the thought of all the senseless killing, pain, distress and desperation that human acts of courage have entailed. throughout history, both recent and past. I know my own grandfather fought in the trenches in France during WWI and came back a changed man, at only 23 years of age. It was supposed to have been the war to end all wars.
I don't know about you but most of the blogs I follow are either travel or food related. I can't help but notice, as might you, that the tone is nearly always cheery and rightly so, say I. This 'wired', tentacle-like, media-enveloped world we inhabit comes with a steady trickle of news that is never out of earshot or sight or hearing and, let's face it, the content we perceive nearly always boils down to disquieting or bad news. I think that food and travel blogs, with their upbeat attitude to writing, offer succour and respite as well as valuable advice and information. I too try to inject some humour and light heartedness in my blogs, I feel I owe it to the readers who probably, like me, have many balls to juggle up in the air. A little chuckle, a fleeting smile … these can be soothing, these too can be zen-like in their effect.
When my children were of primary school age and began eating supper with me and my husband (they used to eat before us previously), I told him he had to stop watching the news while I was preparing the meal because, willy nilly, the TV reports managed to waft right into our kitchen, and it would upset me. The way I saw it then, and still do now, was that supper/dinner, whatever-you-want-to-call-it, was the time of day when we as a family could sit down and enjoy good meal and chat and 'bond' for a brief spell, and the last thing I (selfishly) wanted was to feel guilty about this pleasure in life. I remember at boarding school when, during my first term there, one of the nuns at the table would admonish us to finish the meal and not be ungrateful (if we didn't like what was on the table) and "think about those unfortunate starving people in Biafra". That just made me feel worse! There was I eating a meal, however unappetising, with a roof over my head and a uniform on, and having to think about poor people starving. How could my feeling guilty about them help them in any way? How indeed.
Bad news can lead to depression. Well, if not depression, a bleak outlook. People begin to feel disempowered and dismayed. When I heard about the Stockholm terrorist attack a few weeks ago, I switched the TV on only a short while after it had taken place, and watched several TV stations' news live. In three languages: Italian, English and French. I think I was glued to the screen for about half an hour, consciously keeping an eye my own reactions and trying to understand what was going on. Half an hour can be a long time and I realized that the video journalists just kept repeating themselves and that no 'real' further news was forthcoming at that point. Basically, all there was … was vapid bla-bla in three languages. So I switched the TV off and got on with whatever else I was doing. What would I have achieved by sitting there passively viewing scenes of human madness and distress?
We do need to know what is going on in the world, of course we do!, but I do wish that news agencies would also offer some items of news that might buoy us up a little. I am sure that there are lots of 'good' things happening in the world too, but we rarely get to hear about them. I was very impressed, for instance, with how the people of Stockholm reacted to this injury in the heart of their beautiful city. Their attitude was indeed very 'good' news.
So, yes, I can be a bit of a pedantic Pollyanna about the unrelenting way news is broadcast these days. I am not, on the other hand, enough of a Pollyanna that I can look at certain tragic historical events in the face without wishing they had never happened. I can't seem to 'see' any 'good' in a 15 year-old being lynched, in a priest being executed, in young men having been treated like cannon fodder during the First World War. Sometimes, we need to be reminded of how lucky we are. And that's when all those plaques, in Bologna or elsewhere in Italy, or elsewhere in Europe, come in handy.
It behooves us to honour all the victims in question, whether they were men or women or children, and whether they were heroes or just ordinary people. Without being morbid, it is good to give thanks and to realise that we owe so many of them such a big debt.
The Austro-Hungarian Army is vanquished: it suffered terrible losses in the dogged resistance of the early days, and during the pursuit it lost an enormous quantity of materials of every kind as well as almost all its stockpiles and supply depots. The Austro-Hungarian Army has so far left about 300,000 prisoners of war in our hands along with multiple entire officer corps and at least 5,000 pieces of artillery.
This is a Part 1 of a Part 2 Story Searing Meat story. The technique mentioned in this part relies on searning the meat first and foremost.
Cousin Arthur on my husband's side of the family (not a first cousin but that's all I am able to explain since I can never figure out how many steps are removed, meaning that the 'removing' mechanism of kinship completely baffles me) runs an Italian restaurant in the Highlands in North Carolina called Paoletti's (http://paolettis.com/). It serves a regional Italian-food menu and boasts one of the 'deepest wine cellars in the Southeast'. It has been in business for 32 years so that must surely say something about its quality.
We first met Arthur and his wife Meg about eight years ago and were very much looking forward to seeing them again last month. They were on a road trip that began in northern Italy, visiting various wine estates in Piedmont and Tuscany on their way to Rome. And with them were three members of the kitchen staff. I met with the boys in Rome and gave them a whirlwind unlikely tour of the city which went something like this. We 'did' the church of Santa Sabina, the Orange Garden (Parco Savelli), the peeking through the key-hole, driving around the Aventine a little (well, we were able to see the Circus Maximus, the back end of the Roman Forum, the fleetest of glimpses of the Arch of Constantine, blink-and-you-miss-it Colosseum, the Baths of Caracalla, the Church of S. Saba and Rome's only pyramid). It was now time to visit the market at Testaccio and take a look at some food. And eat some food too, naturally.
And as we planned our menu for the next evening, Arthur developed a yen for Chianina. We went to the Sartor butcher's who told us that unfortunately they were out of Chianina that day but that there was a lovely cut of fassona meat from Piedmont that would make a marvellous substitute.
I think it's that big cut of meat on the left of this photo, in the background.
Anyway, we bought a good sized steak and all kinds of vegetables and even some fresh anchovies to round off tomorrow's meal. And got on with the rest of the tour.
Here are the boys, in order from the left: Julio, Vijay, Arthur and Danny. We went to see the Via Appia Antica, we walked through the Ghetto, and onto Campo de' Fiori, and stopped for coffee and ice cream and shopping and, at my insistence, a sampling of the supplì in Via del Pellegrino. Aperitivo hour was upon us and we chose to enjoy one sitting outside in Piazza Farnese. Ciao ciao! see you tomorrow.
I managed to find some Chianina here in Frascati the next morning and all was well in our world. Now began the fun. Ha! Danny got the job of shelling the broadbeans/fava beans. I had pre-prepared (does that word exist? – the concept makes sense to me) a duck ragu that required further chopping. Only there wasn't any room in the kitchen and so the boys had to make do with the balcony. Vijay was somewhat bemused that I should hand him some scissors in order to chop it up the duck ragu, instead of a knife, but it was just like water off a duck's back to him.
Arthur, meanwhile, supervised the pouring of wine (they brought along some marvellous Felsina bottles, oh lucky us!, including their bubbly metodo classico) and here he is making the dressing for the puntarelle salad as he contemplates the meat. I made sure that the meat was at room temperature.
The evening was getting very jolly by now, our other guests had arrived, and here we are at the point where the batter is ready and Vijay is stuffing the courgette/zucchine blossoms.
Enrico, my brother-in-law, butterflied the anchovies and fried them 'alla romana', with just beaten egg and flour.
And here, dear Reader, you may get an idea of just how 'big' my kitchen is! As you can see, it will accommodate no more than two people comfortably. But sometimes comfort has to be forfeited when it comes to cooking. That's why any poor home cook requires copious refills of their wine glass and seeks comfort in philosophy. How else can one micro-manage or cope? This is Enrico at the stove.
Enrico is an expert griller and we discussed how we were going to deal with grilling the meat without a grill ! I don't have one. And here is how we did it. We seared the two steaks as much as we could on a cast-iron thingummy jig (what IS the name of that cooking utensil in the photo?) and realised that we would have to finish them off for a few minutes in the oven. At 150°C I seem to remember.
The only distracting irritation was the smoke … the steaks released a lot of fat and so we used some of that as condiment over slices of bread. It used to be called 'panuntella' here in Frascati, except the meat in question was pork and not beef. All things considered, the meat turned out remarkably well … and all I can say is that there wasn't any left over.
And here are the empty bottles of wine the following day. I want to take this opportunity to once more thank Arthur, his trio of chefs and Enrico for making it such fun for all of us that evening. We were quite the motley crew and there was much jest and rejoicing. I think I should get kudos too for not being too flustered about cooking with five chefs (Enrico just recently re-opened the Cantina Colonna restaurant in Marino).
And so all is well that ends well … we managed to sear and then cook the steaks on the stove top and then in the oven (i.e. without a grill), end of story.
Until, a few days later, I come across an article about a technique called "reverse sear".
I will tell you all about it in the Part 2 of this searing saga.
I only recently heard of a small(ish) vegetable shop, a greengrocer's as we once would have called it, receiving merited acclaim for the high quality of its produce. It is called Piccola Bottega Merenda and is located in the Tuscolano area of Rome, just down the road from where I live, more or less, in Frascati. All the produce is sourced from small holders/farmers and little old ladies who go foraging, and all the vegetables are completely and only seasonal. As to their freshness, the shop has not installed a refrigerator, the veggies get sold within the day or maybe two days. They also sell top notch cheeses, and a selection of charcuterie, as well as dry goods and other staples, drawn from brands that are either organically certified or else just bloody good. I noticed, for instance, that they sell my favourite olive oil: Quattrociocchi. Not to mention an array of mouth-watering cheeses.
Anyway, the reason I ended up going there last Friday was a bureaucratic one. I needed to pick up a legal document from a public notary office in Rome. I knew that their opening hours in the morning was from 08:30 to 12:15 p.m. and got there at around 11:00.
Only to find it closed.
Friday being the last day of the month, the office closed at 10:15. Picture me, neck craned, doing a double take, double blink, OMG I don't believe this!, I have just wasted a whole morning practically, Oh woe is me, o me misera! Seriously? a public office is not open to the public after 10:15 ? Just because it is the end of the month? Why bother opening in the first place?
Thankfully, it was a beautiful warm, sunny day. It's a crime to get one's knickers in a twist when the weather and the time of year are are prompting you it to notice that it should be a joy to be alive. And so I resolved to turn this 'down' into an 'up' and, why not?, pop into the Piccola Bottega Merenda on my way home and do some shopping there. I was having friends over to dinner the next day so it made a lot of sense.
Finding parking near the shop proved to be very challenging and I had to resort to a bit of devil may care nonchalance as I parked our car vertically alongside a zebra crossing, which is not allowed as we all know. The avenue, however, was a wide one and cars could cross the road no problem, as could pedestrians on the zebra crossing. Fearing an umpteenth ticket, on the other hand, I knew I would have to make the visit a short one.
The Piccola Bottega Merenda is run by the couple Giorgio and Giulia and from all accounts very lovingly so, showing respect both for the farmers and the end user. All the fruit and vegetables are seasonal and they eschew refrigeration. The produce will have been sourced from within driving distance and as fresh as can be. It is situated in the Tuscolano area of Rome, South-East, not far from the Cinecittà film studios. It is a very lively and populous area of Rome and serviced by the B Metro Line (underground). My husband once shocked me by explaining that the population of the Tuscolano is greater than that of Florence! The Tuscolana Road starts just after San Giovanni and goes all the way to Frascati. In parts, it is built over an ancient road, far more ancient than the famed Via Appia, and the road in question is the Via Latina. The neighbourhood itself, however, was built entirely after the Second World War and so is somewhat 'modern' by Roman standards, and not exactly 'cosy' or historically interesting, or even – let's face it – particularly attractive. Just a lot of modern apartment buildings flanking a main road. Practical (lots of shops and well connected to the centre) but not exactly charming.
I can't see central Rome residents going out of their way to come to this store; central Rome residents are almost afraid to leave their 3-kilometer comfort zone, it's really quite amusing. When they find out I live in Frascati (a perfectly respectable commuting distance of 17 kilometers to Termini Station, and a 30 minute train ride unless I am driving) they open their mouths wide as if I were talking about outer Siberia. But the San Giovanni residents shouldn't have too much of a problem? Little by little, it seems to me, this Tuscolano neighbourhood has been drawing attention to itself, gastronomy wise, for a few years now. Not least because of the famous butcher Roberto Liberati, who has now opened a second store at Rome Termini Station's eatery section Mercato Centrale (http://luckypeach.com/inside-roberto-liberatis-butcher-shop/), for the former Michelin-starred restaurant il Giuda Ballerino (which is now housed in the Hotel Bernini) and for 'Sforno', considered to be one of the best pizza places in all of Rome. I am told that Ali Baba is one of Rome's top-end Kebab destination and that too is in the Tuscolano area. The Tuscolana fishmonger, Pescheria Marcello, is considered to be one of the best in the Capital. So there. This quartiere might be a parvenu compared with the rest of Roman neighbourhoods but its palate is honing itself in a very good gastronomic direction.
The first thing that struck me about the Piccola Bottega Merenda was its modest size, made all the more noticeable by the amount of happy shoppers in it, both young and old. Secondly, as I said, its charcuterie and cheese selection ! Fabulous! They offered reblochon and red Leiscestershire besides other good Italian cheeses, not so easy to find in Rome. And then there were the vegetables. I especially fell in love with the wild salads, the 'misticanza'. Time was at a premium for me, nevertheless, since I had parked the car in such a cavalier fashion, hence I just got on with my shopping, paid, and quickly hurried away. I was unable to take more than a couple of photos of the cheese and salumi selection, one of them pictured above, the other below.
When I got home … I felt so enthusiastic, so full of energy. All I wanted to do was cook the gorgeous vegetables.
I had bought: carrots, artichokes, fennel, potatoes, and wild salads – all of them blissfully in season. From another greengrocer's, afterwards, I had also then bought bell peppers (capsicum), courgettes, aubergines and basil … I hope that Giorgio and Giulia won't admonish me for this unusual, for me, seasonal breach in food shopping. All I knew was that I had an incredible yearning to make some favourite warm-weather recipes.
I finished these carrots with chopped parsely before serving them the next day.
Braised fennel … béchamel sauce.
Finished off with plenty of freshly grated parmigiano.
Sweet and sour courgettes, with raisins and pine kernels, mint leaves just before serving. Sicilian style.
Deep fried, in olive oil, slices of aubergine. I had placed the slices in salted water for an hour. And then squeezed them very hard and patted them dry with kitchen paper just before frying.
While they were frying I was making a tomato sauce.
And then it was time to assemble the parmigiana di melanzane, the aubergine, mozzarella, parmigiano, basil, and tomato sauce layered dish. Once assembled, it needs to be baked but is better eaten at room temperature. Even the next day.
The beloved potato cake of Campania … known as the 'gattò di patate', with cheese and ham in it. Also needing to be baked.
I enveloped the two large red peppers in aluminium foil and roasted those too.
And that's what the stove top looked like, the night before the evening after. My yearning had been satisfied.
The roasted peppers were finshed off with garlic, olive oil and chopped parsely.
Buffalo mozzarella alongside some unseasonal cherry tomatoes ….
Chicken and veal meatballs. Gozzaroddi.
Wild salad leaf insalata. Notice the yellow flowers.
A Persian rice and chicken recipe, with saffron and sour cherries. Chicken Tah-Chin.
Our guests brought good cheer and wines and flowers and two saintly children and all in all it was a lovely evening. The menu made no sense whatsoever but there was a 'sensibility' within me, a deep desire to cook and nurture, that was above any rationality. Le coeur a ses raisons che la raison ne connait pas (The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of …).
And what lovely flowers. Spring is indeed in the air.
P.S. If you are interested in any of the above recipes, here are some links.


Hong-Kong based MRO HAECO has rebranded all 18 of its subsidiaries and joint ventures under its name.
HAECO-owned companies including TAECO and US MRO TIMCO, which was acquired in November 2013, will now operate under the banner of their parent company.
TIMCO, for example, has been renamed HAECO Americas.
The rebrand also includes a new logo (above) which will be used on HAECO hangars and uniforms worldwide.


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Behind the scenes: How the Schalit deal came about
Yaakov Katz
The Jerusalem Post	(Analysis)
October 14, 2011 - 12:00am
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=241691
The main breakthrough came in July. After five years of negotiations, Hamas forwarded a letter to Israel in which, for the first time, it outlined its final terms for a prisoner swap for Gilad Schalit.
Three months earlier, David Meidan, a former senior Mossad operative, had been appointed chief mediator to the Schalit talks by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Upon receiving the letter, he immediately got to work.
The first indication that Hamas was willing to ease up its demands came fairly quickly. After studying the letter and seeing the names of Tanzim chief Marwan Barghouti, PFLP chief Ahmed Sadat and some top Hamas terrorists, Meidan immediately made clear that these people – the so-called "symbols" of Palestinian terror – would not be released. Surprisingly, Hamas did not say no.
The same week that the letter was sent by Hamas, the Egyptian mediator – a deputy of Intelligence Minister Murad Muwafi – renewed his activity. In Israel, Cairo's renewed interest in the Schalit issue was understood as a result of a number of elements.
First, the interim military-run government in Egypt wanted to show the world that while the country appears to be in disarray and on the verge of governmental collapse, this is not the case. Instead, by mediating the Schalit deal, Egypt was able to show that it still is a player with major regional influence.
The second reason is more internal and has to do with Egypt's concern with Hamas, but even more so with its founding father – the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood is expected to gain significant political power in the upcoming elections. By striking a deal with Hamas, Egypt gains some political influence over what happens in the Gaza Strip.
Getting back to July, after receiving Hamas's response, the Egyptians proceeded to hold six rounds of talks between Meidan and Izhard Awadallah, the head of the Hamas delegation to the talks. Ahmed Jabari, Hamas's military commander, was also a frequent participant.
The talks were usually held in Cairo at the Intelligence Ministry. Meidan and the Israeli delegation would sit in one building and Awadallah and the Hamas delegation in another. The Egyptians would move back and forth with messages and instructions.
The last round of talks began at 9 a.m. Monday and continued for 24-hours straight until 9 a.m. Tuesday, when Meidan signed the deal. Meidan was joined at the final round of talks by Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Yoram Cohen and Netanyahu's military secretary Maj.-Gen. Yohanan Locker.
Contrary to some reports, while Germany played a role in the negotiations, it was at a much earlier stage. The German mediator had crafted an agreement – which one Israeli official called a masterpiece – already two years ago. Hamas, however, balked at it since it felt that the Germans were biased toward Israel.
Hamas had a number of reasons for finally agreeing to a deal.
The first is that while Israel has paid a price for not releasing Schalit, so has Hamas, which as proven by the deal, was holding a bargaining chip for five years that is worth 1,000 convicted terrorists.
The second reason has to do with the instability in Syria and Hamas's fears that it is losing its headquarters in Damascus. Musa Abu Marzook, Khaled Mashaal's deputy, has already established an office in Cairo that could potentially replace the one in Damascus. In addition, there are claims that the Egyptians have promised an increase in trade with Gaza.
Hamas has also been hit hard by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's move at the United Nations last month that gave him and his Fatah party a major boost among the Palestinian public. By securing the release of 1,000 prisoners, Hamas is gaining political points.
One of the main sticking points throughout the negotiations was Hamas's concern that the swap would be perceived as a "deportation deal" if a majority of the released terrorists were deported from the West Bank and Gaza. The change in that position came in March, when Cohen was appointed head of the Shin Bet.
Yuval Diskin, Cohen's predecessor, had rejected the possibility that a significant number of terrorists would be allowed to return to the West Bank. To Gaza, he agreed to a slightly larger number.
Cohen immediately immersed himself in the negotiations and established a rapport with Meidan. Cohen decided to be a little more daring than Diskin and agreed to increase the number of prisoners who would be allowed to return to the West Bank and Gaza. By doing this, and claiming that the results would be "containable," Cohen provided Netanyahu with the security backing he needed to be able to move forward with the negotiations.
The July talks did not start from scratch. Instead, they picked up from where Israel and Hamas had left off two years ago and were based heavily on the previously nixed German proposal. The two stages of 450 and 550 releasees were agreed upon in 2009. Now, the sides had to work through the names.
Meidan, working on instructions from Netanyahu, made two points clear from the beginning – First, Israel would not release "symbols," and second, it was willing to allow some of the released prisoners to go to the West Bank, and even more to Gaza.
Israel also, for the first time, agreed to release prisoners from east Jerusalem, as well as Israeli Arabs. These two categories had never before been seriously considered for release and were nixed during the talks led by the Olmert government. Here, too, the change at the top of the Shin Bet played a key role.
Cohen's rationale for agreeing to release six Israeli Arabs was that a few of the ones requested by Hamas were old and not particularly dangerous. The agreement to release almost all of the Hamas prisoners from Gaza was made due to an assessment that their influence over Hamas would be limited.
"There are 20,000 Izzadin Kassam members in Gaza, and another 200 are not going to make a huge difference," Cohen explained.
For now, the entire defense establishment is focused on implementing the deal and getting Schalit home. But after he returns to his family in Mizpe Hila, the tough questions will need to be asked: How come Israel failed for five years to create a viable military option to release him from Gaza, or other means of leverage over Hamas that could have forced it to agree to this deal earlier than now.
Israel will also have to ask itself what may the toughest question of all: What happens next time? What happens after the next soldier is kidnapped?
The Winograd Committee, established to probe the Second Lebanon War in 2006, wrote an appendix to its report in which it called on the government to set a clear policy for how it deals with kidnapped soldiers.
This has yet to happen, and as long as Hamas and Hezbollah know that one Israeli is worth 1,000 prisoners, chances are they will try again.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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5607 Tallapoosa St, Notasulga, AL 36866
Mission Statement / Beliefs
Missions Group
Pups Ministry
Interested In Our Ministries?
Special Events & Services
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Church Notifications
Liberty Church Staff
Tom Skeen - Senior Pastor
tom.skeen@mylibertyumc.com
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
What is your greatest challenge?
School. I'm currently in the process of continuing my education at Asbury Theological Seminary.
What was your first job?
Tom is a veteran, having served active duty in the U.S. Army for over six years. He has been married to his wonderful wife, Jane, for 17 years. Jane is a Registered Nurse just retired from Flowers Hospital in Dothan after 35 years. They have three children between them: Cara, who is also an RN; Jenny, who lives in East Texas working for Blue Cross Blue Shield; and one son, Cameron, that graduated from Auburn University and also works in the medical field. They collectively have four grandchildren. Jane's mother, Ms. Suzie, lives with Tom and Jane... and she is a delightful lady that loves the Lord. She does have dementia, but that does not hinder their ability to serve God.
Tom also enjoys running, camping, and watching baseball and movies. He has obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Troy University, and is currently in the Master of Divinity online program at Asbury. He is pursuing becoming an Elder in the Alabama / West Florida conference. He also loves children, and has always had a successful children's / youth ministry in each of the appointments he's been in. He has been a pastor for 14 years.
Tom thoroughly believes in God's Word and in the Wesleyan approach to making disciples of Jesus Christ who make disciples of Jesus Christ. And, he believes in teaching this at an early age.
Rebecca Davidson - Treasurer
rebecca.davidson@mylibertyumc.com
Rebecca serves as our church treasurer. You may contact her for giving statements and financial reports.
Susan Dillard - Financial Secretary
susan.dillard@mylibertyumc.com
Susan enjoys working in the background in many different areas, which also includes secretarial responsibilities.
She is an asset to our church.
Rosemary King - Choir Director
Rosemary and her family are active members of the church. The chancel choir practices each Sunday at 5:00 PM and performs special music each Sunday morning. The choir also presents special cantatas for Christmas and Easter.
Roger Bridgman - Pianist
roger.bridgman@mylibertyumc.com
Roger is a native to this area. He works at Auburn University and serves as the lead pianist for Liberty Church. He is the accompanyist for choir songs and plays the organ during congregational hymns. Roger is an excellent and talented musician and we are blessed to have him.
Daniel Davidson - Pianist
daniel.davidson@mylibertyumc.com
Daniel is a gifted young pianist. He plays during hymns and preludes, and sometimes also fills in for Roger.
He is also currently attending Auburn University to obtain a degree in engineering.
Angi Rhymes - Nursery Director
angi.rhymes@mylibertyumc.com
Angi serves to coordinate nursery care for our infants and toddlers during worship service. If you would like to assist with the nursery, or if you need a background check to work with children, please contact Angi or someone from our staff.
Robin Hood (with Kevin Costner)
Sewing, riding 4-wheelers and tractors, working in yard
Juggling multiple responsibilities - family, work, church, etc...
Eva's Cafe in Notasulga
Lisa King - Custodian
lisa.king@mylibertyumc.com
Lisa is well-qualified and does an excellent job of keeping our church clean. Her responsibilities include relocation of resources, coordinating recovery efforts, and ensuring the health and safety of all who enter the doors of the church.
Where Is Liberty?
© Liberty UMC


text:
/*
 * curand_mtgp32_kernel.h
 *
 *
 * MTGP32-11213
 *
 * Mersenne Twister RNG for the GPU
 *
 * The period of generated integers is 211213-1.
 *
 * This code generates 32-bit unsigned integers, and
 * single precision floating point numbers uniformly distributed
 * in the range [1, 2). (float r; 1.0 <= r < 2.0)
 */

/*
 * Copyright (c) 2009, 2010 Mutsuo Saito, Makoto Matsumoto and Hiroshima
 * University.  All rights reserved.
 * Copyright (c) 2011 Mutsuo Saito, Makoto Matsumoto, Hiroshima
 * University and University of Tokyo.  All rights reserved.
 *
 * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
 * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are
 * met:
 *
 *     * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
 *       notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
 *     * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above
 *       copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following
 *       disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided
 *       with the distribution.
 *     * Neither the name of the Hiroshima University nor the names of
 *       its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products
 *       derived from this software without specific prior written
 *       permission.
 *
 * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
 * "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
 * LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR
 * A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT
 * OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
 * SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT
 * LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,
 * DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY
 * THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
 * (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
 * OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 */
#if !defined CURAND_MTGP32_KERNEL_H
#define CURAND_MTGP32_KERNEL_H

//#if !defined(QUALIFIERS)
//#define QUALIFIERS static inline __device__
#define QUALIFIERS_MTGP32 static __forceinline__ __device__ __host__
//#endif

#include <cuda.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <memory.h>
#include <string.h>
#include "curand.h"
#include "curand_mtgp32.h"

/**
 * \addtogroup DEVICE Device API
 *
 * @{
 */

#ifndef __CUDA_ARCH__
// define blockDim and threadIdx for host compatibility call
extern const dim3 blockDim;
extern const uint3 threadIdx;
#endif

/*
 * The function of the recursion formula calculation.
 *
 * @param[in] X1 the farthest part of state array.
 * @param[in] X2 the second farthest part of state array.
 * @param[in] Y a part of state array.
 * @param[in] bid block id.
 * @return output
 */
QUALIFIERS_MTGP32 unsigned int para_rec(mtgp32_kernel_params_t * k,unsigned int X1, unsigned int X2, unsigned int Y, int bid) {
    unsigned int X = (X1 & k->mask[0]) ^ X2;
    unsigned int MAT;

    X ^= X << k->sh1_tbl[bid];
    Y = X ^ (Y >> k->sh2_tbl[bid]);
    MAT = k->param_tbl[bid][Y & 0x0f];
    return Y ^ MAT;
}

/*
 * The tempering function.
 *
 * @param[in] V the output value should be tempered.
 * @param[in] T the tempering helper value.
 * @param[in] bid block id.
 * @return the tempered value.
 */
QUALIFIERS_MTGP32 unsigned int temper(mtgp32_kernel_params_t * k,unsigned int V, unsigned int T, int bid) {
    unsigned int MAT;

    T ^= T >> 16;
    T ^= T >> 8;
    MAT = k->temper_tbl[bid][T & 0x0f];
    return V ^ MAT;
}

/*
 * The tempering and converting function.
 * By using the preset table, converting to IEEE format
 * and tempering are done simultaneously.
 *
 * @param[in] V the output value should be tempered.
 * @param[in] T the tempering helper value.
 * @param[in] bid block id.
 * @return the tempered and converted value.
 */
QUALIFIERS_MTGP32 unsigned int temper_single(mtgp32_kernel_params_t * k,unsigned int V, unsigned int T, int bid) {
    unsigned int MAT;
    unsigned int r;

    T ^= T >> 16;
    T ^= T >> 8;
    MAT = k->single_temper_tbl[bid][T & 0x0f];
    r = (V >> 9) ^ MAT;
    return r;
}

/**
 * \brief Return 32-bits of pseudorandomness from a mtgp32 generator.
 *
 * Return 32-bits of pseudorandomness from the mtgp32 generator in \p state,
 * increment position of generator by the number of threads in the block.
 * Note the number of threads in the block can not exceed 256.
 *
 * \param state - Pointer to state to update
 *
 * \return 32-bits of pseudorandomness as an unsigned int, all bits valid to use.
 */
QUALIFIERS_MTGP32 unsigned int curand(curandStateMtgp32_t *state)
{
    unsigned int t;
    unsigned int d;
    int pos = state->k->pos_tbl[state->pIdx];
    unsigned int r;
    unsigned int o;

    d = blockDim.z * blockDim.y * blockDim.x;
    //assert( d <= 256 );
    t = (blockDim.z * blockDim.y * threadIdx.z) + (blockDim.x * threadIdx.y) + threadIdx.x;
    r = para_rec(state->k, state->s[(t + state->offset) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->s[(t + state->offset + 1) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->s[(t + state->offset + pos) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->pIdx);

    state->s[(t + state->offset + MTGPDC_N) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK] = r;
    o = temper(state->k, r,
           state->s[(t + state->offset + pos -1) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
           state->pIdx);
#if __CUDA_ARCH__ != 0
    __syncthreads();
#endif
    if (t == 0)
    {
        state->offset = (state->offset + d) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK;
    }
#if __CUDA_ARCH__ != 0
    __syncthreads();
#endif
    return o;

}
/**
 * \brief Return 32-bits of pseudorandomness from a specific position in a mtgp32 generator.
 *
 * Return 32-bits of pseudorandomness from position \p index of the mtgp32 generator in \p state,
 * increment position of generator by \p n positions, which must be the total number of positions
 * upddated in the state by the thread block, for this invocation.
 *
 * Note :
 * Thread indices must range from 0...\ n - 1.
 * The number of positions updated may not exceed 256.
 * A thread block may update more than one state, but a given state may not be updated by more than one thread block.
 *
 * \param state - Pointer to state to update
 * \param index - Index (0..255) of the position within the state to draw from and update
 * \param n - The total number of postions in this state that are being updated by this invocation
 *
 * \return 32-bits of pseudorandomness as an unsigned int, all bits valid to use.
 */
QUALIFIERS_MTGP32 unsigned int curand_mtgp32_specific(curandStateMtgp32_t *state, unsigned char index, unsigned char n)
{
    unsigned int t;
    int pos = state->k->pos_tbl[state->pIdx];
    unsigned int r;
    unsigned int o;

    t = index;
    r = para_rec(state->k, state->s[(t + state->offset) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->s[(t + state->offset + 1) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->s[(t + state->offset + pos) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->pIdx);

    state->s[(t + state->offset + MTGPDC_N) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK] = r;
    o = temper(state->k, r,
           state->s[(t + state->offset + pos -1) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
           state->pIdx);
#if __CUDA_ARCH__ != 0
    __syncthreads();
#endif
    if (index == 0)
    {
        state->offset = (state->offset + n) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK;
    }
#if __CUDA_ARCH__ != 0
    __syncthreads();
#endif
    return o;
}
/**
 * \brief Return a uniformly distributed float from a mtgp32 generator.
 *
 * Return a uniformly distributed float between \p 0.0f and \p 1.0f
 * from the mtgp32 generator in \p state, increment position of generator.
 * Output range excludes \p 0.0f but includes \p 1.0f.  Denormalized floating
 * point outputs are never returned.
 *
 * Note: This alternate derivation of a uniform float is provided for completeness
 * with the original source
 *
 * \param state - Pointer to state to update
 *
 * \return uniformly distributed float between \p 0.0f and \p 1.0f
 */
QUALIFIERS_MTGP32 float curand_mtgp32_single(curandStateMtgp32_t *state)
{
    unsigned int t;
    unsigned int d;
    int pos = state->k->pos_tbl[state->pIdx];
    unsigned int r;
    union mtgp32_u_to_f {
        unsigned int u;
        float f;
    }o;

    t = blockDim.z * blockDim.y;
    d = t * blockDim.x;
    //assert( d <= 256 );
    t += threadIdx.x;
    r = para_rec(state->k, state->s[(t + state->offset) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->s[(t + state->offset + 1) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->s[(t + state->offset + pos) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->pIdx);

    state->s[t] = r;
    o.u = temper_single(state->k, r,
                        state->s[(t + state->offset + pos -1) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
                        state->pIdx);
#ifdef __CUDA_ARCH__
    __syncthreads();
#endif
    if (threadIdx.x == 0)
    {
        state->offset = (state->offset + d) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK;
    }
#if __CUDA_ARCH__ != 0
    __syncthreads();
#endif
    return o.f;
}

/**
 * \brief Return a uniformly distributed float from a specific position in a mtgp32 generator.
 *
 * Return a uniformly distributed float between \p 0.0f and \p 1.0f
 * from position \p index of the mtgp32 generator in \p state, and
 * increment position of generator by \p n positions, which must be the total number of positions
 * upddated in the state by the thread block, for this invocation.
 * Output range excludes \p 0.0f but includes \p 1.0f.  Denormalized floating
 * point outputs are never returned.
 *
 * Note 1:
 * Thread indices must range from 0...\p n - 1.
 * The number of positions updated may not exceed 256.
 * A thread block may update more than one state, but a given state may not be updated by more than one thread block.
 *
 * Note 2: This alternate derivation of a uniform float is provided for completeness
 * with the original source
 *
 * \param state - Pointer to state to update
 * \param index - Index (0..255) of the position within the state to draw from and update
 * \param n - The total number of postions in this state that are being updated by this invocation
 *
 * \return uniformly distributed float between \p 0.0f and \p 1.0f
 */
QUALIFIERS_MTGP32 float curand_mtgp32_single_specific(curandStateMtgp32_t *state, unsigned char index, unsigned char n)
{
    unsigned int t;
    int pos = state->k->pos_tbl[state->pIdx];
    unsigned int r;
    union mtgp32_u_to_f {
        unsigned int u;
        float f;
    }o;

    t = index;
    r = para_rec(state->k, state->s[(t + state->offset) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->s[(t + state->offset + 1) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->s[(t + state->offset + pos) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
             state->pIdx);

    state->s[t] = r;
    o.u = temper_single(state->k, r,
                        state->s[(t + state->offset + pos -1) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK],
                        state->pIdx);
#ifdef __CUDA_ARCH__
    __syncthreads();
#endif
    if (threadIdx.x == 0)
    {
        state->offset = (state->offset + n) & MTGP32_STATE_MASK;
    }
#if __CUDA_ARCH__ != 0
    __syncthreads();
#endif
    return o.f;
}

/** @} */

#endif

#undef QUALIFIERS_MTGP32

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
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Marshall Silver
Marshall is the Chief Commercial Officer at RedDoorz. Along with his other responsibilities, he takes a keen interest in building company culture and building employee skills.
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text:
from unittest import TestCase
from trie_search.trie import TrieSearch

class TestTrieSearch(TestCase):
    def test_search_all_patterns(self):
        patterns = ['new york', 'york city', 'new york city']
        text = 'new york city'
        answers = {'new york': 0, 'york city': 4, 'new york city': 0}
        trie = TrieSearch(patterns=patterns)

        for ptn, idx in trie.search_all_patterns(text):
            self.assertIn(ptn, answers)
            self.assertEqual(idx, answers[ptn])

    def test_search_longest_patterns(self):
        patterns = ['new york', 'york city', 'new york city']
        text = 'new york city'
        answers = {'new york city': 0}
        trie = TrieSearch(patterns=patterns)

        for ptn, idx in trie.search_longest_patterns(text):
            self.assertIn(ptn, answers)
            self.assertEqual(idx, answers[ptn])

    def test_search_all_patterns_jp(self):
        patterns = ['ニューヨーク', 'ヨークシティ', 'ニューヨークシティ']
        text = 'ニューヨークシティ'
        answers = {'ニューヨーク': 0, 'ヨークシティ': 3, 'ニューヨークシティ': 0}
        trie = TrieSearch(patterns=patterns, splitter='')

        for ptn, idx in trie.search_all_patterns(text):
            self.assertIn(ptn, answers)
            self.assertEqual(idx, answers[ptn])

    def test_search_longest_patterns_jp(self):
        patterns = ['ニューヨーク', 'ヨークシティ', 'ニューヨークシティ']
        text = 'ニューヨークシティ'
        answers = {'ニューヨークシティ': 0}
        trie = TrieSearch(patterns=patterns, splitter='')

        for ptn, idx in trie.search_longest_patterns(text):
            self.assertIn(ptn, answers)
            self.assertEqual(idx, answers[ptn])