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VOLSUNGA SAGA 4
Posted on November 29, 2002 by Murphy
Sigurd Part IV
Signy went to Seggeir, privately, and said, "I think you shouldn't kill my brothers right away, but you should put them in stocks. For my sake, please don't kill them quite yet."
Seggeir mocked her, "You are crazy! It is far worse for your proud brothers to be put in stocked that to be merely killed. I am happy to do what you ask; they should suffer more."
Seggeir had a big tree trunk in the forest made into stocks that would fit all ten of the brothers at once. He clapped all of them in the stocks and left them there in the woods.
At night, they were still there, helpless. A huge hungry wolf found them, and ate one of them.
In the morning, Signy's man told her what had happened. She was horrified and filled with grief, but there was nothing she could do. Every night, the wolf came back to eat another brother. At last, only Sigmund, her twin was left.
This time, Signy sent her man to Sigmund, with some honey. She told him to smear the honey all over Sigmund's face and to put some in his mouth. This done, he went away and left Sigmund to his fate.
Naturally, the wolf came back again for her supper. But this time she smelled the honey. She licked it all off Sigmund's face, and was beginning to lick the honey out of the inside of his mouth. Sigmund was ready for this, and when her tongue licked into his mouth, he bit down hard and wouldn't let go.
The wolf jerked back in pain, and kicked at the tree to get away. The tree broke, freeing Sigmund. But he still wouldn't let go! He clung onto the struggling wolf until her tongue ripped out, and she died.
Some people say that the wolf was Seggeir's mother, who was a witch and could turn herself into other creatures. Could be. But Sigmund took care of her!
So now he is free! He ran into the woods and stayed there. Signy sent men to find out where he was, and when she found out, she went to him.
Together, they made him a cozy home in the ground in the woods. Sigmund stayed there for quite a while.
But King Seggeir thought he had killed the whole Volsung family. But Signy turned inside herself, plotting revenge.
She had two sons by Seggeir. When the oldest was ten, she sent him to see Sigmund, to see if he could help Sigmund take his revenge on Seggeir.
Sigmund received the boy, and talked with him for a while. Then he gave him a sack of flour and asked him to make bread while he went out to gather firewood.
This was just a test for the boy.
When Sigmund came back, he asked where the bread was. The boy said, "There was something in the bag, and I didn't want to open in."
Sigmund lost all respect for the boy, because he had no courage. He knew that the boy would be no help avenging their family.
When he saw Signy next, he told her that. Signy said, "Kill him them. I have no more use for him." And Sigmund did.
When he next boy was old enough, the same thing happened to him.
Signy despaired of finding the proper man to help Sigmund take revenge upon Seggeir. She was sitting in her chamber, trying to decide what to do about it, when a sorceress of great skill came in to see her.
Signy saw her opportunity: "Change shapes with me!" The sorceress agreed. After all, Signy was the queen.
So they switched shapes, and the sorceress stayed in the palace. The king never knew it wasn't Signy.
But Signy, in the shape of the sorceress, was off to the woods to see Sigmund. I'm only telling you what happened.
Signy went up to Sigmund's door, "Please," she said, "I am a poor woman, cold in the woods. Please let me in and give me shelter."
Sigmund let her in and treated her well. He never had any idea that it was his sister. He fed her dinner and looked closely at her. She seemed like a fine woman to him. You can imagine what happened next. He asked her to sleep with him, and she did.
For three nights, they were together. Then Signy left to go back to the castle. She met with the sorceress and changed shapes again. No one ever knew.
But now she had a baby. He was the child of Sigmund. She named him Sinfjotli when he was born. As he grew up, he was strong and looked all Volsung. Well, he was.
Even before he was ten, Signy sent him to Sigmund. He went through the same bake-bread-while-I-gather-firewood scenario. When Sigmund came back, the bread was all ready for him.
Sigmund asked him if he had found anything in the flour. Sinfjotli replied, "I suspect there was something, but whatever it was, I just mixed it in with the bread."
Sigmund was delighted with this response. He said, "You might not want to eat this bread for dinner tonight. You kneaded in the most poisonous snake into the bread."
Sigmund ate the bread, though. He was tough enough to stand any poison. Sinfjotli could only stand external poison; he couldn't eat it.
Once the sword was out of the tree, everyone could see it was finer and more beautiful than they had even thought. Everyone admired it.
King Seggeir really wanted the sword. He said to Sigmund, "I'll give you three times its weight in gold for that sword."
I think this really shows that Seggeir was an idiot. Everyone in the hall knew that the sword was special, not something you just buy. Sigmund was meant to have it, and that's why he was the only one who could pull it out.
Sigmund turned Seggeir down, " You could have taken the sword from where it stood, no less than I did, if it were meant for you to carry it; but now that it has come first into my hands, you will never get it, even if you should offer me all the gold you own."
Well. Seggeir did not like that answer one bit. He thought that Sigmund was being a snotty-nose punk and that he had no right to talk that way or even THINK that way about him, the mighty King Seggeir.
But he kept a straight face. He already knew how to lie. He didn't say much more about it. But he decided he had to leave.
This was totally rude! Wedding feasts were supposed to go on for days and days. It gave everyone a chance to celebrate, and the family a chance to say goodbye to their daughter or sister. King Seggeir tried to cover up how rude he was being by saying, "You all must visit my kingdom soon. Everybody! Bring all your friends and servants and whoever you want! In three months, okay?"
Volsung and his family agreed to come, and Seggeir left with Signy.
Now this is where is gets sad. King Volsung and all his sons got ready and came when they promised, suspecting nothing. But when their boats reached King Seggeir's kingdom it was dark.
Signy was waiting for them. She snuck up to see them, because she had to warn them.
She told her dad, "Seggeir has been waiting for you, but he has gathered together a huge army to fight with you and kill you. You must turn around at once. Gather up your armies and come back prepared to meet with him in battle! Otherwise, you will be trapped by his lies and surprise attack!"
But Volsung seemed to have a habit of not listening to his only daughter. He made light of the situation and got all heroic and fatalistic. This is exactly what he said:
"All peoples bear witness that unborn I spoke one word and made the vow that I would flee neither fire nor iron from fear, and so I have done until now. Why should I not fulfill that vow in my old age? Maidens will not taunt my sons during games by saying that they feared their deaths, for each man must at one time die. No one may escape dying that once, and it is my counsel that we not flee, but for our own part act the bravest. I have fought a hundred times, sometimes with a larger army and sometimes with a lesser on. Both ways I have had the victory, and it will not be reported that I either fled or asked for peace."
Stubborn Volsung! He was being very brave, but I don't think he was being very smart. In those days, our people felt like peace was another word for coward, or "not good enough to win." He wouldn't go back and regroup.
Signy was completely upset; she cried and said she wanted to stay with them and not go back to the wicked Seggeir. But her father told her that her duty was with her husband, no matter what happened with the battle.
She left, crying and distraught, to go back to her husband.
Volsung and all the brothers armed themselves and got ready for the war they knew would be happening. As soon as they stepped off the boat in the morning, they walked into Seggeir's army.
Wow, they fought like the best, hacking and slashing their way through the ranks of the enemy. They had gone through the ranks eight times and were turning around to do it again, when Volsung fell. The brothers looked around, and realized that their father was down and the rest of their ranks were all down except for themselves, the ten sons of Volsung.
The odds were too great. Seggeir's men captured them, and took them away bound in chains.
Signy heard about it pretty quickly. She was full of grief that her father was dead, but since her brothers were still alive, she wanted to do anything she could think of to help them.
Volsung grew up and was really good at everything people wanted him to do. He could hunt, and he could fight. When he was old enough, Hrimnir sent his daughter Hjold to marry him.
Hjold was the one who had dropped the apple for Odin on Hrimnir's lap. She was a very special lady, not for just anybody. But Hrimnir could tell that Volsung was the right kind of man for her. They were married, and were incredibly close. They loved each other very much and told each other everything.
He had all kinds of treasure, and he had built a big hall to be his palace. The hall had a lot of marvelous things in it, but one of the most amazing was the big tree that grew in the middle of the hall. It was huge, with a strong trunk and branches that spread all throughout the roof. The tree would blossom beautifully; you can imagine how much they loved this tree and how proud they were. They called the tree Barnstock.
Volsung didn't have the same only-child problems his grandfather and father had. He and Hjold had 11 kids, 10 boys and 1 girl. First off, they had twins. That was where the daughter came in; the twins were a boy and a girl named Sigmund and Signy. They really were the rulers of the roost among the kids. Everyone knew they were the handsomest and the best at whatever. They were really good friends too.
After they had grown up, a neighboring king took interest in Signy. His name was Siggeir, and he was a very popular king. To Volsung and his sons, Siggeir seemed to be everything they could want for Signy. But Signy didn't like him.
Back in those days, women didn't really get to pick their own husband. Especially royalty. I mean, it's like that now, too. Political alliances and all kinds of other considerations got it the way. Maybe that's was Volsung was thinking about when he decided to let SIggeir marry Signy.
She was trying to be a good girl, and obey her father. She told him that she didn't want to marry Siggeir, but that she would do what he said.
Naturally, Volsung said marry him.
But at the wedding supper, the strangest thing happened! This old man, in a shabby hooded cloak and no shoes walked into the hall carrying a sword. Weirdest of all, he only had ONE EYE. Volsung's family and all the guests were so amazed, they completed forgot their manners and just stared at him.
This one-eyed man walked straight up to Barnstock and stabbed the sword into the tree all the way to the hilt. He announced, "He who draws the sword out of the trunk shall receive it from me as a gift, and he himself shall prove that he has never carried a better sword than this one."
Then, he turned around, and walked straight out of the room. That is all they heard from him.
As you can imagine, everyone was stunned!
But as soon as they came to themselves, there was a mad dash for the sword. All the men tried to pull it out. Every last one of them, regardless of rank, pulled and tugged and kicked and yanked at the sword, trying to get it out of the tree.
Everyone could see that it was a really good sword. Plus, they all wanted to prove that they were the ones worthy of the challenge.
Finally, after everyone else had had a shot, Sigmund steps up and pulls out the sword.
As easy as that!
I'll tell you more next time…
Every family has its stories. Maybe some of them are stories older siblings tell on younger siblings. My brother likes to tell the story of how I loved to shove rice krispies up my nose when I was in my high chair.
My mom likes to tell the story of how she fell in love with my dad. It was on their second date, and they were at the zoo. She said, "I don't think I should say this so soon…But I think I am in love with you."
My dad answered, "Me too."
My dad has a story about his grandmother. Everyone knows this story. My frontierswoman grandmother, who was barely 5 feet tall, was outside one day with the baby. She was doing her regular chores, and then she noticed that there was a WOLF coming towards her child. Nobody was going to mess with her baby! She grabbed an axe and killed the wolf all by herself.
It's entered the family legends. There are lots of them. And it's interesting, because no one that tells the story now was alive when the wolf was killed. But that's okay, because it's our family history.
I just read a little piece of my family history. It's called Sigurd the Dragon Slayer. Yeah, I'll call it family history, why not? My family comes from Nordic stock. We are every one of us Celtic-Anglo-Saxon-Germanic, big, tall, fair-haired and PALE. The original folks who told the story of Sigurd were Scandinavian, or Goths. I'm sure we were related somehow.
So I will claim kin, and tell you one of the family legends. It's time you all heard it.
I have to start with a little background on Sigurd. He was supposed to be descended from Odin. But I have a few doubts about it. There might be some skeletons in the "descended from the gods" closet; I'll let you hear the evidence and decide.
But even if he wasn't Odin's great-grandson, he still was quite a hero.
There was a man named Sigi, and HE was the son of Odin, so they say. Now, he had a servant or slave, what they called a thrall back then, named Bredi. Bredi was one of the best of men, really a great guy. He was strong and brave, far more than anyone expected a servant to be. Once, Sigi and Bredi were out hunting for deer. Sigi tried to capture and kill this stag, but he missed. Bredi kept chasing it though, and he caught it.
When Sigi caught up to Bredi, and saw that he'd caught the deer, he was jealous and mad. He lost it, and said, "how dare you, a slave, catch a deer when I cannot!"
He killed Bredi.
Now, back then, if you killed someone and admitted it, it was okay. I mean, they didn't want people to go around KILLING each other, but if you owned up to it, they would let you make it right. They would let you off easier; you had to pay a man-price called "Were Gild" according to the value of the person. There were set amounts for how much the lives of different classes of people were worth. A slave was worth less than a king–I do remember that.
But Sigi was a coward. He hid Bredi in a snowdrift and took off.
Big no-no. If he were found out, he would be considered a murderer, and would have to be dealt with as such.
Sigi took the long route home. When he got there, people asked where Bredi was. He tried to act innocent. Bredi wandered off, he told them. He acted like he was surprised Bredi wasn't back yet.
But they smelled a fish. That didn't sound right to the people, and they went looking for Bredi. Maybe they had already figured out Sigi's character. I guess it doesn't mean much to have Odin as your daddy—you can still be a lying good-for-nothing.
They found Bredi in the snowdrift. After that, Bredi was the word they used for snowdrift, and even glacier.
But it also meant that Sigi was in trouble. He ran. He knew that they would consider him a "wolf in hallowed places" if he stayed amongst them. He couldn't be trusted.
Odin stepped in again. I guess he was trying to help out his son. They went traveling, and as the story goes, they took a trip so long it was amazing. I don't know anything about where they went or what they did, but the next thing you know, Sigi is married to somebody. He seemed to think she was quite a catch, and for all I know she was. But I never caught her name. He had built himself up all kinds of treasure and gotten himself made king of somewhere. So this lady was his queen.
Sigi and his queen had a son; they named him Rerir. He was a good boy, by the standards of the day. He managed to fight hard, like the princes are supposed to do, get gold and a kingdom, and he married a worthy woman. I never caught her name either, but I do know they really loved each other, and were very happy.
The only problem was that they were having some trouble conceiving. They prayed to their gods, long and loud, because they really wanted to have a child. Well, Rerir was Odin's grandson after all. Freya, Odin's wife, heard their cries. Like a good wife, she reminded Odin to take care of the problem.
I don't know what Freya thought of Odin's relationship with Sigi. I mean, really. I am pretty darn sure Odin was fooling around when Sigi was "in process." But Freya was nice about Rerir's problem. She thought Rerir was a very good man, a warrior and all kinds of other good things. So she spoke to Odin about it.
Odin decided to enlist the help of a Valkyrie wish-maiden. I really don't know that much about this woman, but she's important later. The wish-maiden was the stepdaughter or something to the Giant Hremnir. Apparently, they needed Hremnir help with this.
Odin gave the wish-maiden an apple, a special apple. The wish maiden changed into a crow (a crow!) and kind of nonchalantly flew over to Hremnir with this special apple. She's sitting up over Hremnir while he's on the ceremonial mound outside his house. Hremnir is surveying his domain from the mound, and the wish-maiden-turned-crow drops the apple in his lap.
Hremnir is no fool, whatever you may have heard about giants. He sees the apple and knows right away what's up. But I guess he's okay with it, because he takes it and goes to see Rerir's queen.
Now, this is the part of the story that makes me raise my eyebrows. They SAY that they just "shared the apple," but that sounds a little euphemistic to me. I don't KNOW what happened, and I am not saying what happened or what didn't, but you can be the judge.
All we know for sure is that afterwards the queen was pregnant, and they were overjoyed. That special apple did the trick.
But back then kings were always off warring. It was part of the job, I guess, they had to keep up with the killing, or they would lose respect I guess. King and Peace didn't really belong in the same sentence, at least not they way they made it sound. So, Rerir had to leave and go battle somebody while his queen was still pregnant.
Only this time, he actually gets killed. While he is in his old-style lingering death throes, the queen manages to get her pregnant body down to the battlefield and say goodbye.
"Isn't there anything I can do? Let's get you patched up, " she says.
But Rerir is a hero in all senses of the word. "There is no point. If I knew that I was never going to die, that would be one thing. But this is something that comes to everyone. It is my time to die."
The queen was beside herself with grief. She stayed with Rerir on the battlefield, as he passed away. He told her not to be too sad, that she was carrying a son and he would also be a great hero. Finally, he died.
Now, the queen was having some trouble with her pregnancy. She was apparently pretty strong and healthy, but the baby did not want to come out. She was pregnant for 6 years. You can imagine this was not an optimal situation. The child kept growing within her. Finally, she realized that she was going to die because of the child. She told a doctor that he should open her up and take the child, because she was going to die anyway. The child came out, and he was a boy.
He was huge! He had been growing all along inside her, but he was a big boy for being six. His whole life, he was larger than other men who were considered big.
But he was able to kiss his mother before she died. She named him Volsung.
He became a famous hero, and all his children were named after him. In fact, a famous poem, called the Volsungasaga was written about him and his family.
Yes, my family! We should be proud.
I'll tell you more about him tomorrow. We haven't gotten to the part about Sigurd yet.
Just wait.
COPPER CANYON PRESS
…"in the multitude of middle-aged men who go about their vocations in a daily course determined for them much the the same way as the tie of their cravats, there is always a good number who once meant to shape their own deeds and alter the world a little. The story of their coming to be shapen after the average and fit to be packed by the gross, is hardly ever told even in their consciousness; for perhaps their ardour in generous unpaid toil cooled as imperceptibly as the ardour of other youthful loves, till one day their earlier self walked like a ghost in its old home and made the new furniture ghastly. Nothing in the world more subtle than the process of their gradual change! In the beginning they inhaled it unknowningly: you and I may have sent some of our breath towards infecting them, when we uttered our conforming falsities or drew our silly conclusions…"
George Eliot, from Middlemarch
I haven't finished Middlemarch yet, but that passage stopped me cold. Eliot wrote it 130 years ago, and how true it remains! We all know those people "fit to be packed by the gross", and I for one fear daily becoming one.
But the path lays so simply and easily in front of me, of us. The path from the bed to the closet full of work clothes, the path from the door to cubicle, then back to the prepackaged, demographically designed entertainment and commercial marketing
What disturbs me so much about the demographically designed entertainment is how ACCURATE they are! yes, I AM entertained by the same things that so many others of my age/sex/ethnicity/economic strata are!
And what better proof that I am fit to be packed by the gross?!?
I have, in the past, combat this by being scornful and suspicious of anything popular. If too many people liked something, I should not. Very simple. I can't be like everyone else then.
Levi's, Disneyland, popular film, music, television, all these things were to be dismissed, or if not, became guilty pleasures. Perhaps I could intellectualize a movie, if I liked it too much. "You see, Mulan is struggling with her gender identity and trying to come to terms with her own conception of herself!"
The major problem with this approach to life is it's essential FALSENESS. It is reactionary rather than reasoned or real. It did not take into account the merit of the thing.
If I refused to like things that were popular, and tried to embrace things that were alternative, edgy, or avant garde for no better reason than because they were DIFFERENT, I am not seeking a higher path.
I realized that I must look closely at the thing in question. Be engaged in my life; and to evaluate and try to understand what I engage it. This is responsibility at work. THIS is greater individuality.
And yet, the earlier way was better defined. It is frightening to leave behind easy labels.
I was QUITE nervous to visit Disneyland. My boyfriend would not accept my dismissal of it being evil. He said, "you have not been there since you were five. How do you know it's evil?"
So. I have been to Disneyland, and I guess it is not evil. It is a tool, and it can be USED for evil in the wrong hands. That's all I will say about it for now.
Naturally, I do not have to live my life in Disneyland. I live my life between the lines from the bed to the closet and the door to the cubicle. In between the lines, and on the margins, I look for ways to creatively express my individuality. There are flashes of poetry on the meeting notes I have on the table, and I can find time to read Eliot on the bus.
But I strive to remain engaged. Does it have to be this way? In between and on the margins might be a little shabby for my individuality.
Is there another path? Surely, there are other ways to live. Millions of people have lived their lives in millions of other ways.
I have heard a story about a man who put into his margins what I have made the lines.
Sam Hamill, who I only know about because books from his publishing house have been nominated for an award, drew his own lines. He decided a life dedicated to poetry would be his. I am awestruck. He created a publishing house for poetry.
Poetry, that difficult and indescribably beautiful artform that humankind has been turning and returning to since words were formed:difficult, because we must let go of pre-established equational connections and form our minds to new synaptic leaps.
Hamill chose poetry over a pension. He decided that renewing his mind was more important than stability.
I am amazed, astounded and envious.
I heard on the radio (I have searched, but I can't find it again…suffice it to say, it was an NPR station) the story of how he started Copper Canyon Press. He found an old 1907 printing press! He set the type by hand!
Later, he moved from Colorado to Washington, because he could get free rent there.
It is not like I haven't heard of people moving around, and doing "irresponsible" things like that. I grew up with people who did not want to be packed by the gross.
Alaska. There are barely enough people to MAKE a gross there.
So, I understood the "free rent" allure. I knew family after family that moved there, bought a plot of virgin land for practically nothing, and meant to build their dream home, their special individual place for THEM and THEIR FAMILY to be unique.
So, in the three months of summer, they threw up an A-frame structure, and did their best to insulate it against the quickly approaching winter.
And for years afterwards, the pink fiberglass and bedsheets for walls became stained with use, and the path to the outhouse grew bare and hardened.
This sort of individuality was common and not admirable, in my mind. Sure, it could be called "the path less traveled." I'm sure the (non-Alaskan) parents and extended families of the people who chose this life thought their children were the only ones in the world to live this way.
Well, I was FROM Alaska and not so easily impressed. These were the people who could be packed by the gross for me.
What purpose did this lifestyle serve? "Anti-materialism" or "anti-establishment" is only a negation. What is the positive contribution?
Hamill lived in his Washington home without the "basics", in the same way as those crazy Alaskans. However, HE made a lasting contribution to the world.
I feel challenged.
Posted in attempts at profundity, book reviews, bookworthy, random thoughts
LOOK MA! I'M A JOURNALIST
I promised to share the story I wrote for my real-world journalistic debut. It made newsprint earlier this month, in the Highland Park News:
From Italy to the Internet: Galco's Soda Pop Stop in Highland Park
By Murphy Horner
A small revolution has been bubbling up right here in Highland Park. At a time when large corporations and everywhere-you-look name brands are squeezing out all other options, John Nese has created a new business for his store on 5702 York Boulevard. He sells soda pop, and in a big way.
Galco's Old World Market began over 100 years ago as an Italian grocery store. John Nese runs the store after his father Louis, who can still be found on the premises keeping an eye on things. Nese is proud of what his dad had done for the store. He tells stories of how his father started the first buying co-op to get better prices for their goods.
But things began to change for the next generation. The bigger supermarkets were taking over. They used their huge buying power to cut smaller businesses out of the market. Small shops could no longer get the discounts that supermarkets enjoyed. It was becoming very difficult for locally owned grocery stores anywhere to compete.
John Nese knew he would have to get creative to keep his store open. He noticed micro brewed beers were becoming popular. He liked the idea of the microbrewers. They were small businesses creating a product that emphasized quality, just like himself. But alcoholic drinks were only for people over 21. What about all the younger people or others who did not want alcohol?
In 1995 John decided to listen to his heart and do what felt good. In Nese's own words, "What makes you feel good? Drinking a soda!" He began stocking hard-to-find sodas in his grocery store. As he tells it, the soda manufacturers were doubtful about whether the soda would sell. But he stocked them anyway, and even bought more varieties. He also began to seek out and buy candies from small candy companies. His philosophy at the time, in his own words, was "to go find little brands…and do what makes me feel good."
He began to look for all the little brands that were around, and buy their products. After he had stocked 150 different kinds of sodas, people began to take notice. The Los Angeles Times came to Highland Park to see this new Soda Pop Stop and write a story. Apparently the story was so interesting, it was picked up by a news syndicate and published all over America, even running internationally.
Nese's daughter contacted KCET's program California's Gold, and Galco's Soda Pop Shop received a visit from the ever-enthusiastic Huell Howser. He filmed a show about John Nese's store, which aired in 2000. A few months after, Sunset Magazine did a story about the Highland Park store that was now becoming a phenomenon.
Now that the word is out, customers are beginning to show up from all over the place. The Saturday I was there, I spoke with Kay and Bob Trevana. They were visiting California from Bloomington, Minnesota. Having seen the Soda Pop Stop on the Food Network, they came to check it out. Kay said, "It's kind of amazing to see that there are that many pops out there."
This is music to John Nese's ears. He says, "The one thing I can do is offer the customer a lot of variety." He works hard at bringing customers variety. By his calculations, if a customer tried out a new soda from his shop every day, it would be a year and a half before they would run out of new flavors.
But where does he find all these sodas? He listens to his customers. This business makes a huge point of asking the customers what they would like to buy. The proof is lined up on the shelves, in neat glass rows. Nese said, "Like the Manhattan Special. All of these things are from customers' suggestions."
The story of how Nese found the Manhattan Special (www.manhattanspecial.com) line of sodas is a classic example of how he runs his business. A number of New York City transplants had been requesting this coffee-flavored soda, so Nese called up the company to place an order. The woman who answered the phone was quite surprised. She wanted to know how the Los Angelino had even tasted the soda. When Nese answered that he had not tried it, she was having a hard time taking him seriously. Nese told her that he had a stack of requests from his customers who wanted Manhattan Special, and that was good enough for him.
She reluctantly agreed to let Nese place an order, but on one condition: he had to come get it. The Manhattan Special Company had been in business since 1895, and this is how they had always done it. If he was serious, he could pick it up himself.
Nese took up the challenge, arranged for a truck to go to Manhattan Special's door and pick up the soda. He now stocks Manhattan Special in his store, and ships orders from his website (www.sodapopstop.com). His contact with the Manhattan Special Company must have had an affect on their policy, because now they also offer to ship orders to customers from their webpage.
Nese's goal is bigger than just offering variety. He wants to sell high quality soda pop. In his experience, quality soda is bottled in glass and made with a cane sugar recipe. He feels strongly that the current use of corn syrup as a sweetener in soda is a bad thing. He explained that corn syrup is cheaper than sugar, but the quality of the soda suffers. He has gone to great lengths to get soda made with sugar.
It is hard job. He is a small business. Most of the manufacturers he buys soda from are small. He feels that maintaining high quality product is the best way for a small business to survive in a predatory market. He says, "Make a better product and the people will buy it." Since he is in direct contact with the people who are buying the product, he has made a point of calling the manufacturers and demanding they use cane sugar and not corn syrup. He has to go all the way to Mexico for some of his sodas.
Customers who visited the store to buy milk and sugar 50 years ago would find it very different now. John Nese and Galco's have come a long way. There is no milk or sugar on the shelves. But a lot remains the same. There is still a helpful person behind the counter. The owner still cares about the customers. And they still sell their famous blockbuster sandwiches. An Italian deli at the rear makes meat and cheese monstrosities that keep people coming back. Customers feel pretty good when they visit John Nese's store. And that makes John feel good.
WHACK THE HUAC
ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN
Another Radio Drama! Great stuff, that LA Theater works. This one was a "docudrama." Love that word, it sounds so fake.
Of course, it is based on the House Unamerican Activities Committee hearings. Those hearings trouble me. I have been trying to get my head around them. The paranoia about communism seems excessive in retrospect. It was hard to believe that people really took it seriously.
But they really did. People lost their jobs because they knew people who were interested in a political viewpoint.
I can hardly think how this country, based on radical political ideals, would so trample on communism.
But it happened.
The play was based on real transcripts from the hearings: hence the "docu"mentary part of the docudrama.
There seemed to be a real emphasis on how bad it was to inform on other people. the consequences were pretty severe for the ones named as "members of the communist party." They couldn't get work.
It reminds me of the situation now, somewhat. I wonder how Muslim groups might be thinking and feeling now. I haven't heard much about how those detained have been questioned. I suspect they too are asked to name the names of people they know. I might have to find out more about this, I am only speculating right now.
The part that made the most impact on me was the conclusion. James Earl Jones played the voice of Paul Robeson. Of course, Jones's voice is marvelous. But the words that Robeson said were marvelous. He was so proud and magnificent, and the House committee members were scornful of him, because he was African American.
It made me want to find out more about Robeson.
Posted in random thoughts, Theater reviews
GUILT ON THE WATERFRONT
Rented "On the Waterfront" this weekend. I had seen part of it on TV years and years ago, and always meant to go back and see the whole thing.
It's funny to see Brando so young. And Eve Saint Marie, she is so beautiful.
I thought the ideology behind the movie was very interesting. It was from the 50s, and it was set in a poor neighborhood. The men trying to work on the docks were "ethnic", which was how things were in the 50s. They don't seem SO long ago, but class differentiation was much more distinct then.
The 60s made a difference.
These men and their families talked about getting "food on the table." One recurring motif is how a dead man's jacket is given to someone else who needs it. Jackets, clothing, basic needs were not taken for granted.
They were poor and hard-working. They also had no prospects for anything better. Edie's (played by Saint Marie) father tells her that he worked and slaved and saved so that she could get out of there. She had been sent to a convent to study. She was sheltered, but she had seen enough to be grateful for it.
The men kept complaining about unloading bananas.
Bananas, now, are the cheapest fruit in the store. Not so in the 50s. I doubt that the average dockworker ever had the opportunity to eat a banana.
They were struggling to get potatoes. It was hard.
But the point of the story was union corruption. That's a tricky topic. Unions were created to stop corporate or "boss" corruption. But then, Unions became corrupt, and they began to exploit the workers. Almost like, where the bosses left off, the unions took up.
But it was hard to get unions going! They establishment of unions took a lot of work.
Also, I realized as I was watching it, Unions were considered socialist…Red..Communist! So how was this movie part of the whole McCarthy environment of the time?
Come to find out, the director Elia Kazan was brought before the House Unamerican Activities Committee. Twice. He Named Names on the second visit.
There were a lot of people that were blacklisted because of him. He didn't feel too good about that.
The scene from the movie, where the priest stands over the dead body of the one man who had courage to name names about the corrupt union bosses springs to mind.
It was very preachy. The clergyman gave a very rousing sermon about what was right, and how you HAD to speak out to stop the bad guys. The laborers were throwing things at him, even, and he kept going.
He was SO righteous!
And all throughout the movie, the theme of informing and being a "stool pigeon" or a "canary" was repeated and repeated.
He even had real pigeons playing a prominent role.
One thing I noticed from the movie, too, was the lack of a real answer. Sure, they broke the back of the union boss. But what then? None of those guys were really capable of taking over. The viewer didn't really have a sense that everything would be "happily ever after."
You can see how Kazan had re-cast his own story, making himself a hero informant, making the world safe against unscrupulous bosses. I'm sure it scratched a sore itch for him, making this kind of movie.
But it didn't really show any answers. Right then, I don't think people had any.
EVIL AMBITION
It's monday, and I stayed up late last night catching up on all my house chores.
So I am very groggy this morning.
I am considering whether or not ambition is evil.
One of the reasons I am thinking aobut this is because an old friend of mine recently started working at an Indian Casino.
Times are hard; he is a uber computer geek, but he can't find work. So he got what he could.
He said, "it's amazing to think about. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to, but many of the workers here are completely pleased to have the job, and say things about how stable it is, and how great it is."
It occurred to me that Indian culture is not expansionist. They are not like McDonald's and Starbucks, they don't necessisarily feel the need for more more bigger bigger all the time.
You might call that lack of ambition.
Or you might call it enjoying what life has to offer.
Food, clothing, the ability to appreciate your family and friends-that's really something.
What does ambition get you?
More money, less time to spend it.
Maybe not even more money. Depends on your ambition. I've known enough start-ups to know it doesn't always bring more money.
The angel of light (aka Lucifer) had ambition. Didn't do him much good.
Don't get me wrong. My ambition to do more and learn more has served me well, it's brought me a lot of good things.
But when is enough enough?
How much do I need? When should I stop?
In the Garden of Eden, what use was ambition? Maybe Adam and Eve spend a hard day working on the hedges…So that they could appreciate them the next day? That means they took the next day off.
It is easy on a monday to think that having to get up and work all day is evil.
Posted in bookworthy, my day job, random thoughts
I don't know how profound I am going to be, but I just felt like blogging.
This week, I have put my foot down and GONE HOME as early as I can. I still put in 8,9,10 hour days, but I am really trying to avoid the 12 hour days.
I am experiencing life without sleep deprivation. I recommend it.
Previously, things which I knew where simple tasks had seemed insurmountable.
I knew something was wrong, and I had to figure out a way to get back to normal.
Sleep was a very big part of the solution.
So, all week I have been quite cheerful and productive.
BTW of nothing, I just noticed that I have someone FROM RUSSIA! who has visited my site.
Hello hello and welcome!
Russia's academy of science is where my visitor came from.
I've had a lot of international visitors (how do they find me? I have no idea!)
but never anyone from that special country.
Since we all lived there for years (some of us more than others) my dad has been really digging in and trying to learn the GRAMMAR.
He had his birthday yesterday (happy birthday again, dad!) and was amusing himself with the fact that he is now 64, just like the Beatles song.
He and mom sang the song together. I think that's marvelous.
I'd get him a beatles CD, but I am almost sure he would never listen to it. He would much prefer a documentary video.
Anyway, Dad and I decided we should practice our Russian skills and become pen pals. That way we could practice writing and reading, and have something fun in the mailbox every once in a while.
I am going to have to find my RUS_ENG dictionary. I think one is in the bookshelf, but the good one is missing.
Well, like I said, not profound, but I am feeling pleased with life and thought I would burble on my blog for a while.


Phoenix is home to some hard-working people who do some amazing things! Abbey Ash, partner, and Director of Shopper Marketing has been working hard with Phoenix for years. She started at Phoenix as an intern. Since those days of filing and coffee runs, she has become an authority in the Shopper Marketing arena. Her work ethic and passion are evident as we sit down with her and pick her brain about her journey.
What was your first job in Marketing?
My first job in marketing was at Phoenix Creative Co. as an intern focusing on cross-merchandising. I honestly believe that I'm the only person that started at one agency and solidified that I will never leave.
I remember having my initial phone interview and my potential boss asking, "Do you know what cross-merchandising is?" and my response was no. He said "That's o.k. We have plenty of time to educate you about it." Little did I know, my mentor would quit a month after my internship started so I quickly learned what it was and the rest is history for me.
Who was your role model when you were younger?
My role model growing up was always my dad. I knew how hard he worked and how it paid off for him. It made me believe that starting as an intern was just the beginning for me. It was up to me to make the possibilities a reality.
The best compliment that I've probably ever been given is just that I would go to any extreme for my clients and that they can always count on me and my team. From day one, I knew I wanted to have clients counting on me.
What is your favorite/most rewarding part of your career?
It's every day. I'm a partner at a company that I love watching grow and I love being part of a team that is constantly helping our clients in any way that we can. We treat their brands as if we were the client because we believe in them and our customers. I love taking an assignment from a client, building a concept around it, and strategically determining the right tactics to increase our results and the brand's awareness.
What advice do you have for people starting out in this industry?
WORK HARD. No one is going to hand everything to you. Be passionate about what you're focusing on. Admitting you don't understand something isn't a sign of weakness.
You should be asking me what am I not reading right now…My main focus right now is on Agency: Starting a Creative Firm in the Age of Digital Marketing and I'm reading Leaders Open Doors, I think, for the third or fourth time! Both books are completely different but very valid with what I'm working on right now. As a partner at Phoenix Creative Co., I want to continue to make sure I'm helping our partners in continuing to build our company and as a lead on the Mondelēz International account, I want to make sure that I'm leading in a way that I'd want others to. Since starting at PHX, I've had tremendous leadership in front of me and I want to follow in those same footsteps. I want to have a team that trusts in me to help build and further their careers just as my boss did for me.
What's something about yourself that would surprise people?
Probably that I'm an emotional person. My team knows it, but for the most part, people would say that I'm a no-nonsense person. But in my mind, I'm extremely passionate and that is where my emotions come through.
What has been your most successful or favorite marketing effort? Why do you think it was successful/a favorite?
SOUR PATCH Watermelon SLURPEE of course! Honestly, it is just one of the many favorites I have. It definitely felt nice to win awards for this program and to show that a small retail marketing company like Phoenix Creative Co. was here to bring something new to the big agency mix. We've built our retail business in a way that not a lot of agencies can say that they have. We were definitely part of a large agency mix for this program, but I know the dedication that my team and I put into this program and it made all of it worth it.
What should people expect from you in 2017?
The possibilities are endless for me and my team in 2017. Phoenix Creative Co. is here to work with existing and new clients and help them bring their brands to retail in a variety of ways.


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text:
Orobanche solmsii är en snyltrotsväxtart som beskrevs av Charles Baron Clarke. Orobanche solmsii ingår i släktet snyltrötter, och familjen snyltrotsväxter. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Externa länkar

Snyltrötter
solmsii

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


What you can expect as a traveller, travel arranger and travel manager.
We may have just celebrated the Chinese New Year, but in business travel terms 2019 has been deemed the year of the 'optimist'. The newest generation of business travellers are embracing the industry's growing potential, viewing the opportunity to travel for work not as a perk, but a pre-requisite. With so much importance placed on travel, it's not surprising that in 2019 one third of businesses have increased their corporate travel budgets1, and now the pressure is on Travel Management Companies (TMCs) to step-up to the mark.
With key industry reports showing that machine learning (ML), NDC and GDPR will have a significant impact on the industry in 2019, we can start to predict what the OBT experience will shape up to be in the year ahead.
Below we discuss some of the biggest impacts for travellers, travel arrangers and travel managers.
The pocket-sized equivalent of OBTs, TMC travel apps, will be in high demand in 2019 as travellers and their bookers seek more seamless business travel experiences. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) allows for an end-to-end booking experience, from booking travel to expense reporting. The demand for MaaS and multimodal apps will see increased functionality in TMC travel apps such as allowing users to check-in to flights, access their boarding passes, be alerted of gate changes, access lounge passes and search for directions.
In 2019, the corporate travel industry will see a significant shift to a higher level of consumerisation, with customers demanding more seamless access to better travel content. In a fight to be ahead of the competition, TMCs are starting to engage key industry suppliers to incorporate their New Distribution Capability (NDC), a technology that enables airlines to provide offers and products that have previously been unique to the leisure industry. While airline content will remain at the forefront, greater opportunity to reduce travel programme leakage will evolve through adopting NDC content from hotels, a shift that leading TMCs have foreseen and embraced from the get go. With increased personalisation through dynamic and customised content, it is important that businesses adopt an OBT that allows them to capture all booking data to ensure traveller safety and compliance.
A side effect of increased consumerisation is the demand for a richer user experience through an enhanced OBT interface. TMCs will adopt a more 'retail' look and feel, with basket functionality, multi-transit comparison (e.g. rail versus flight) and automatic dual single search, meaning customers can easily select departing and arriving flights at their preferred times on different carriers, without having to make separate bookings.
Voice-search is one feature likely to make a bigger appearance in OBTs this year, while corporate chat bots will remain to assist with smaller tasks such as checking itineraries, researching travel options and completing expense reports. Facial recognition and fingerprint scanning are two methods TMCs can adopt within their OBTs to improve data security and user experience, especially in regard to virtual payments.
Further development in machine learning (ML) will have significant impact on the bottom line when it comes to corporate travel in 2019. With access to unique data driven insights, ML can reduce human error by identifying patterns and alerting travel managers of any anomalies before the bookings are made, saving time and money on amending bookings afterwards. TMCs will need to ensure their OBTs can handle the processing power required by such advanced technology.
While data collection for machine learning is on the increase, the introduction of GDPR policy has provided significant implications for TMCs in the development of their products and the ways in which they use this data. The challenge of delivering increased personalisation and increased data protection will encourage more discussion and collaboration within the industry in 2019.
The SME market is the largest business sector in the UK, and travel management companies are starting to realise the potential this market offers. While many SMEs may not recognise the need (or justify the cost) for a full-service TMC, they are the perfect candidate for a fully automated online booking tool and as a result many more SME-focused products will make an appearance in 2019. Offering perks such discounted corporate rates and basic reporting, travel managers will be able to access end-to-end booking functionality and policy integration with offline support as required.


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just out of interest, where did you order your tube dampers from? I haven't seen any for sale in europe on any of the sites i've checked.
I bought the tube dampers from UK ebay seller com6645. They are actually high temperature heavy duty Viton O-rings similar to what I used in the hydraulics industry. I think they are comparable to the Eurotubes dampers.
They didn't cure the tiny rattle, it was in the Ruby 6v6 (not microphonic though). Rattle has gone with the TAD 6v6 so I will use the Ruby to break in the Tube 10 speaker. Much louder with the TAD and I probably got double cryogenic treatment for free from the 2 way air trip across the Atlantic. Really happy with this simple rig now, ideal for solo sets I do opening for blues bands.
Dave, if you want to try the dampers PM me your address I will post you a couple for free as I got 4 and will only ever need 2.
I use O-rings meant for(cars) ATA, AC or hydraulic power steering.
that's very kind of you and I appreciate it, but I don't actually need any at the moment I was just asking for future reference in case anything I had started to rattle in the future- I had a fender excelsior which rattled like crazy, but I just got sick of it and sent it back for a credit note.
Thanks again though, that was a very kind offer and thanks for the info on the ebay seller, I'll keep that in mind if i ever do need any.


If your payroll system is not set up with Direct Deposit then there is a chance that you have unclaimed checks being stored at your office. What do you do with those?
It is a good idea to have an Unclaimed Checks policy in your employee handbook. We list some suggestions for wording below.
1. Determine if the employee is entitled to the check.
2. Make a concerted effort to deliver the check.
3. Hold the check for two weeks.
5. If a check is returned after being mailed, specify a period of time where it will be held at the office for pick up before turning it in to the state.
Property becomes unclaimed if the owner can´t be contacted by the holder of the asset within a specified period of time. Examples of unclaimed property include savings or checking accounts, uncashed payroll or dividend checks, and safe deposit box contents.
Is there value in implementing paycards at work?
While there has been concern expressed in the media about the security of paycards and the potential for hidden fees, paycards are subject to significant regulation. An informative explanation of how paycards are regulated can be found here. To summarize, many states have statutes that allow for employees to access their full wages, with no fee, at least once per month. Federal protections include Regulation E, which requires disclosure of fees associated with an employee's use of the card. Fees may be incurred, particularly if the cardholder goes outside the free options to access his/her money, but these fees must be disclosed. Funds on paycards are insured by the FDIC, and branded paycards (Visa, MasterCard, etc) often enjoy a zero cardholder liability policy in case of a lost or stolen card or fraudulent behavior (by someone other than the cardholder).
At Pamiris, one of the advantages we offer with our service is our relationship with TFG Card Solutions, Inc., whose website can be accessed here. Employers simply have their employee fill out the TFG card form and the Pamiris direct deposit form and send both to Pamiris. We enter the information into our system and the card will be used for direct deposit on the very next payroll, in most cases. There are many options for card use, such as dividing one's wages between the employee and a card held by his/her spouse, the ability to check balance online or over the phone, and many others. The TFG Frequently Asked Questions page can explain the many card characteristics.
The month of December often includes paying out year-end bonuses. In the Pamiris system, this can be accomplished when running a Regular Payroll, by processing checks in-house and running a Manual Payroll, or by requesting a Custom Payroll be built.
In order to avoid confusion when the time comes, here is an FAQ on entering bonuses using the Pamiris sytem.
Q: What is Grossed-up vs. Not Grossed-up?
A: A Grossed-up Bonus means that the employer will cover all the Federal taxes, state withholding is excluded. As an example, an employer intends to pay an employee a $100 bonus. The employer, having selected Gross-up pays the amount of the bonus, ($100) plus all associated taxes ($100/.6935 in 2012). As a result, the employee will actually receive a bonus amount of close to $144.20. Any other taxes (state unemployement, state income, etc.), are assessed as usual.
Grossing up bonuses can be very costly to the employer but you have to think of it not as a $100 bonus but as a $144.20 bonus if you want the employee to receive a full $100 net bonus.
For a Not Grossed-up bonus, the employer pays the gross amount of the bonus ($100), but after associated taxes are taken out ($100 * tax % from employee W-4) the employee receives a net bonus amount that will vary, depending on their tax rate.
Q: How does Pamiris calculate the Grossed-up amount on a bonus?
Q: What is discretionary vs non-discretionary?
A: A discretionary bonus is one given at the sole discretion of the employer, it is not an amount that has been promised to the employees. A non-discretionary bonus is given after the employer determines what standards are required to receive a bonus and an employee expects to receive that bonus if they have met those standards.
Q: How do I enter a bonus in the Pamiris system?
Choose an employee from the drop-down menu.
Choose an Effective Date from the drop-down calendar at the top of the page. (Effective Date needs to fall within pay period that you want to pay out funds).
Select type of Bonus (one button in each column must be marked before you can proceed).
View page with complete list of bonuses for every employee.
Bonuses are not viewable on Bonuses/Commissions page once they are run in a payroll. They are viewable on paystubs and payroll reports.


text:
How to Close MCB Bank Account?
This guide is for the customers of the MCB Bank who have made the decision to close the bank account. No matter in which country you are currently living. You will need an account to deposit and transact using your money. In this guide, I will tell you the steps to be followed to close MCB Bank account.
There can be so many reasons why you might have taken the decision to close the account. Some people will have personal reasons and some others will have professional reasons. Whatever the reason might be but before you start the process. You should make sure you have an alternative bank account with you.
If you don't have an alternative bank account, then spare some time and open a new account. Find out the banks that are operating in your country. Select a bank and ask these questions to the bank. If you find the answers given by the bank officials satisfactory. Then you can open the account with them.
The major thing you should take care of is there should be no dues or negative balance in your MCB Bank account. In case you have any you should first clear those. And then begin the process to close the account. This is because the banks will not allow the customers to close the account without clearing the dues and negative balance.
The next thing is you have to make your bank account balance zero. You can do this by transferring all your balance to your alternative bank account. I recommend you to do this only on the day you are closing the account. Do not do this in advance as this might attract some charges if you don't maintain sufficient balance.
About MCB Bank (Previously Muslim Commercial Bank Limited)
As per the information I got on the official website of MCB Bank. This bank is currently operating in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. More information about the bank is given below.
Type of Bank Public
Headquarters Lahore, Pakistan
Revenue (2015) ₨66.43 billion
Net income (2015) ₨25.55 billion
Parent Organization Nishat Group and Maybank
Official Website www.mcb.com.pk
Steps to Close MCB Bank Account
There are no online methods to close the account, you need to follow the offline method only. This guide can be used by the people who are currently residing in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. And in case you are a joint bank account holder then the steps will be slightly different.
Steps to Close MCB Bank Account:
Locate the nearest branch of MCB Bank.
Collect your identification proof documents.
Visit the branch.
Go to the customer support or help desk counter of the bank.
Tell the bank officials that you want to close your account.
The officials will ask you for your name and the bank account number.
Provide the details and show your identification proof document to the officials.
Collect the bank account closure form.
Fill the form with all the required details, sign the form, and submit it to the bank officials.
How to Contact MCB Bank?
You can talk with the bank on their official social media profiles of the bank and use the contact form given on the official website. The contact details are provided below.
Contact Details of MCB Bank:
Twitter: twitter.com/MCBBankPk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MCBBankPk
Website: www.mcb.com.pk
This is how you can close your bank account. Now you know the steps but I recommend you to contact the bank and ask if they will charge you for the closure. You can reach the bank using the contact information that is provided above. If you already have an account with another bank then there is no requirement to open a new one.
References Used:
https://www.mcb.com.pk/customer_services/contact-us
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MCB_Bank
Other Banks in Your Country
How to Close Habib Bank Account?
How to Close Bank Saderat Iran Account?
How to Close Bank Melli Iran Account?
How to Close Bank of Sharjah Account?
How to Close United Bank Limited Account?
How to Close NBQ Account?
How to Close National Bank of Fujairah Account?
How to Close First Abu Dhabi Bank Account?
How to Close Emirates NBD Account?
How to Close Arab Bank Account?
How to Close RAKBANK Account?
How to Close Mashreq Bank Account?
How to Close National Bank of Oman Account?
How to Close United Arab Bank Account?
How to Close Ajman Bank Account?
How to Close Dubai Islamic Bank Account?
How to Close Emirates Islamic Bank Account?
How to Close Commercial Bank of Dubai Account?
How to Close CBI Bank Account?
How to Close ADIB Account? (Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank)
How to Close Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank Account?
How to Close Sharjah Islamic Bank Account?
Account Closers is not an Official Part of Any Bank. All the Guides Published by Us are for Educational Purposes Only. The Logos and Trademarks are the Properties of their Respective Owners. We Do Not Collect Anykind of Sensitive Information from our Readers. All the Forms Including the Comment Form are Disabled. This is done to Make Sure there is a Safe Environment for Our Readers.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


McGuffy's Reader and 15andmeowing.com have a fun little hop. Thursday they post the prompts, allowing for a little time to contemplate and do a little self-examination. Friday you post your 'fill ins".
I like the synchronicity of the sound 'fill ins' and 'feelings'!
Trust a person to show you who they really are. I trust too easily, so I've been told, so, am hurt too easily. For me, once trust is broken, it's not coming back. Forgiveness is easy, but trust is not coming back.
I would protest, and do, abuses of power, abuse of children and animals. Don't get me started!
Right now I am preparing to head out to TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning, Ross to try to find a bed skirt to go with my freshly painted bedroom. The colors are so yummy I want to lick the walls!
I have a Koala Bear and a copy of Wind in the Willows that a boyfriend gave me in 1968! (Gawd, I'm old). Very precious to me.
Tropical vacation, YES! Fluffy linens, ocean view from bed, reading a great book as you recline in the sand, while some nice young man delivers Mimosa's! Many, I need to put on some sunscreen!
Kindle is a reading addict's drug of choice for late night reading. First thing in the morning, though, my reflection scares me!
I hope your weekend is going good. Hugs right back.
Such heartfelt answers! Thank you for these. I can relate, too. I am curious about the PTSD. Your poster at the end would be a great addition to Sparks!Maybe you would like to join us!
Sparks! Yes, I want to join. I participated last week and had every plan to do again this week but computer just got put back up after we emptied the whole room to get carpets cleaned. Looks like I'm just in time!
My PTSD is the result of living with a mother who is Borderline Personality Disorder, Paranoid and mean. Life for my brother, sister, father, and me was like walking on egg shells. That plus a couple of childhood traumas add up to always waiting for the universe to drop the proverbial 'other boot'!


Some weeks ago I was interviewed for one of these Uses-This websites. Here is what I use as of December 2013.
I'm Indra Kupferschmid, a typographer and professor at the University of Arts Saarbrücken in Germany, right at the border to France. I design with type, look at type, research type, talk, write and consult about type. I think about webfonts, rendering and onscreen typography every day. Sometimes I make bitmap fonts. I'm involved in Type Record, Fonts In Use, Webtype, DIN committees and books, for instance Helvetica Forever. I have a 21-year-long love–hate relationship with type classification systems.
A Mac Book Pro 13 Retina, and the previous Mac Book Pro 13 for things that require an older OS. iPhone, iPad Mini, [cut the rest of my Apple graveyard *], 4 magic mice, 3 extended Apple USB keyboards (because two apartments, two studios), all adapters and cables under the sun, an Olympus EP-1, a fat Epson scanner I forget the name of, a 21 year old AKAI stereo and a Dual record player.
Deutsche Bahn railways, striped clothes, Camper shoes, Dr. Bronner's soap, Bodum french press coffee, Alnatura muesli (or is this software?). I'm an ultralight travel evangelist. Even multi-week trips have to fit into my Accelerate 30.
* Original iPod, 2 iPod Touch, 2 iPod Shuffle (Stick and clip), Powerbook Titanium, Macbook Pro, Original iPad, whatnot periphery stuff.
I guess I'm spending most time in a browser these days, mostly Safari, with browser-based "software" like WordPress, Basecamp, the backends of website I contribute to. And of course Mail (no love for browser-mail), and iChat/Messages (no love for other chat though Messages is a mess, Apple.). Echofon for twitters. TextEdit and Writer for text, Preview, QuarkXpress (PDFs for presentations), Coda, Robofont, Netnewswire, Image Capture, tools like iCal etc. Dropbox to work across devices and continents. I hardly use Adobe applications, only Illustrator which I don't like but didn't find a good replacement for yet and use when I have to exchange files with co-workers. I prefer to draw vector-only graphics like logos in Fontographer. On iOS: Instapaper, Podcasts, IM+, dict.cc, Google Maps, Kayak. iTunes, vpro's Luisterpaal (stream) and Lastfm for music.
A Mac Book Pro 15 Retina that is as small as the 13″ when I carry it around. Getting iChat back. Free wifi that works, where you need it. My favourite books in lightweight mini format, or a dropbox for books, alternatively. And a book scanner, for Type Record. Sometimes I feel like I'd like to get a small projector but in the end I'm watching most things on my phone or iPad. And I want a Europe-wide annual pass for all railways and public transport.
Type specimen books, looking out of the window, looking around me. Running (thus probably oxygen).
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Can any one list the dangerous areas by name to stay away from.??
There are areas you don't go after dark alone, but I dangerally feel physically safe during the day. Scammers are around. Muggings and stabbings. Lots of addiction (meth, cocaine, alcohal).
Worse for women. I deal with a lot of harrassment when I go downtown, and sometimes on the busses.


Marilyn Ramos (born 1991, Klerksdorp, South Africa) is Miss South Africa 2012. She will represent her country in the Miss World 2013 pageant and Miss Universe 2013 pageant. Her height is 175 cm.
you are so beautiful baby i wish i could be with you as my wife because your beauty can makes every man gone crazy please if you ever read this comments please write at this e-mail francoabu10@yahoo.com.i love you baby thanks Franco Abu.


Make a statement with these stunning Gloh vessels! Each vessel is uniquely handmade from sustainably sourced Australian timber and produced in Peregian, Queensland. Use them to store pens, pencils, succulents and more. Buy 1 or buy all, mix and match, the combinations are endless. Internals are treated with multiple coats of environmentally friendly water resistant emulsion. Gloh vessels are suitable for minimal water or dry use. They are NOT suitable as a candle holder. A Stunning piece of Homeware.
Please note: variations and slight imperfections will occur as this is a handmade product made from a natural material... but that's ok, it just makes yours a little extra special.


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text:
How 'Bronx Bull' Boxer Jake LaMotta Got His Nickname and Inspired Raging Bull
By Lily Rothman
In the decades after his boxing career came to an end, Jake LaMotta — who has died at the age of 95 — was perhaps best known for having inspired the 1980 film Raging Bull.
The acclaimed movie "canonized and cauterized" the boxer, in the words of TIME's film critic Richard Corliss, as filmmaker Martin Scorsese translated onto the big screen the "nostalgic nightmare" of LaMotta's 1970 memoir. The two also shared a title, a reference to the nickname that followed the boxer throughout his career.
In the book, LaMotta wrote that he had earned the moniker for his style in the ring: "charge out of the corner, punch, punch, punch, never give up, take all the punishment the other guy could hand out but stay in there, slug and slug and slug." And in 1951, when LaMotta lost his middleweight championship title to Sugar Ray Robinson, TIME explained how the name had gained extra meaning as the fighter's career progressed: "Jake LaMotta, middleweight champion of the world up to last week, is a stolid, truculent fighter with a good punch and a Gibraltar jaw. In 95 fights, deep-chested Jake has never been knocked off his feet. For this combination of qualities, Jake is nicknamed 'The Bronx Bull.'"
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His strategy in that fight, the story noted, was the same one he used in every fight: "wade in and throw punches."
Get our History Newsletter. Put today's news in context and see highlights from the archives.
A later cover story about Robinson's success added that "the Bull of the Bronx" was "a stolid, crowding fighter with menacing strength and a stubborn pride in never having been knocked down" — and that his nickname fit him well even in that fateful match, as he continued to charge while Robinson, in the early rounds that left LaMotta worn down, stepped out of the way like a bullfighter.
Robinson, however, was able to elude their impact. After 13 rounds — LaMotta had specifically asked the referee not to intervene — a technical knock-out meant the end of LaMotta's reign, though not his streak of ending a match standing. "The finish found a pulp-faced vacant-eyed Jake LaMotta backed to the ropes and holding on—but still on his feet," TIME observed.
Though the match was a loss for the boxer, that feat would inspire one of the more famous lines from Raging Bull line: "You never got me down, Ray!"
Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com.


text:
class Cuisine < ActiveRecord::Base

  has_many :recipes

  validates_presence_of :name
  validates_uniqueness_of :name

  named_scope :by_name, :order => 'name asc'

  #scoped class methods

  def self.cuisines_with_recipes_count(recipe_scope = {})
    recipe_conditions = recipe_scope.blank? ? {} : recipe_scope.current_scoped_methods[:find]
    #
    scoped( {
      :select => 'cuisines.id, cuisines.name, count(1) recipes_count',
      :joins => 'inner join recipes on recipes.cuisine_id = cuisines.id and recipes.revisable_is_current = 1',
      :group => 'cuisines.name'
   }.merge(recipe_conditions) )
  end

  #class methods

  def self.select_from_filter(params)
    params.select{|a| a =~ /^q:/}
  end

  def self.get_ids_from_filter(params)
    params.collect{|x| x.match('^q:(\d+):')[1] }
  end

  #instance methods

  def to_filter_s
    "q:#{id}:#{name.humanize}"
  end

end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


? Microsoft John Kahan, left, and Juan Lavista Ferres of Microsoft A campaign to raise money for research into a mysterious cause of death among infants now includes a drawing for $500 toward a 529 college savings plan. It joins a list of other prizes, including a trip to Disneyland.
? First Steps for SIDS Recently, new initiatives have joined Kahan's efforts to help uncover the root causes of SIDS. In September, the US Senate introduced a bipartisan bill that would offer grants to states, municipalities, and nonprofits to help investigate and collect data on unexplained infant deaths. The bill, named Scarlett's Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act after another victim of SIDS, is endorsed by the Aaron Matthew SIDS Guild and other organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association.


2015 "Shoot to Win" Calendars still available!
I hope everyone had a good Christmas and holiday season! As you get ready for 2015, do you have a good wall calendar at the ready?
My 2015 "Shoot to Win" calendar has beautiful photography showing a gun tip each month. It's something I'm really proud of and I think you'll really enjoy it.
Check it out on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PX4W9S4.
Now that Sony and movie theaters nationwide have been scared into canceling the release of a controversial movie with Seth Rogen and James Franco, I think the only option now is to release online, either for free or for a fee.
One way or another, I can't see how allowing North Korea to bully us achieves any positive goal. More people than before want to see this movie and releasing it online will help Sony achieve maximum reach.
Leveraging the internet would be yet another example how the web is free, and you can't stop it.
There is a Change.org petition over here if you'd like to check it out and sign it.
Here's this week's big gun news in The Second Scoop!
2015 Shoot to win calendar now on sale!
I'm excited to announce that my 2015 "Shoot to Win" wall calendar is now available!
This beautiful full size 11" x17" calendar has a beginning shooting tip each month, accompanied by gorgeous photography by Oleg Volk.
There is a very limited quantity so order now before they sell out! They are only available through Amazon.com for $19.75. Click below to order. Free shipping for Amazon Prime customers.
Start planning for 2015 and Shoot to Win!
Here you go folks, this week's Second Scoop!
Ginny Simone from NRA News covers an awesome restaurant in Rifle, Colorado (yes, that's the real name of the city) where you can open carry in the restaurant, and most of the staffers are also open carrying.
"Shooters Grill" offers dishes such as the "M16 Burrito" and "Locked and Loaded Nachos." One diner in the video notes his favorite breakfast dish is the "Rifle Breakfast" with 2 eggs, meat, taters, and toast.
Their tagline "Armed and Delicious" is great, and they also offer shooting lessons at the nearby range. They have a lesson package where you go shoot and then end your session with an included meal at the Shooters Grill.
Looks like they're servin' up more than just the Second Amendment, check out the video below!
CMMG's new "Mutant" rifle is a modified AR platform that can accept AK mags with the 7.62x39mm round. They made this fun throwback video to highlight its new features.
Will this settle the AK vs AR debates? Will it satisfy the AK/AR enthusiasts who have tried and failed to convert their AR to an AK? We shall see, based on a first review over at The Firearm Blog, it seems like they may be on the mark.
MSRP is $1,499 and available in January.
Now that you've had Thanksgiving leftovers for six days and digested all your turkey, here's this week's episode of The Second Scoop.
I discuss Black Friday gun sales, Jay Leno cancelling on the 2015 SHOT Show, Floridians now get to hunt with suppressors, and then a harrowing story about a Good Gal with a Gun, and then the video of the week: NOIR.
The Second Scoop: Chris Cheng provides humor, insight, and commentary on the top gun stories you should know about. Come back every Tuesday night for a delicious serving of Second Amendment news.


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Rick Tew's Martial Science is a combination of effective, usable, realistic martial arts principles that make it into its elite system. It is a Modern Ninjitsu system.
The martial arts training you will endure is a path to achieving a greater self-worth.
This Ninja-MMA concept is for students that want to invest time each day into learning multiple martial art skills (strikes, kicks, weapons, self-defense, stances, rolls, falls, etc), and have the option to practice and train in grappling and full-contact sparring (commonly known as MMA – mixed martial arts).


text:
ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20170210153041) do

  create_table "hotentic_engine_image_containers", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.integer  "site_id"
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    t.datetime "created_at", null: false
    t.datetime "updated_at", null: false
    t.new ["page_id"], name: "idx_image_containers_to_page_id"
    t.index ["site_id"], name: "idx_image_containers_to_site_id"
  end

  create_table "hotentic_engine_pages", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.integer  "site_id"
    t.datetime "created_at",    null: false
    t.datetime "updated_at",    null: false
    t.integer  "order"
    t.string   "path"
    t.decimal  "priority"
    t.boolean  "active"
    t.string   "metadata"
    t.string   "template_path"
    t.new ["site_id"], name: "idx_pages_to_site_id"
  end

  create_table "hotentic_engine_site_templates", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.datetime "created_at",     null: false
    t.datetime "updated_at",     null: false
    t.string   "reference"
    t.string   "theme"
    t.text     "template_pages"
    t.string   "template_path"
  end

  create_table "hotentic_engine_sites", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.integer  "site_template_id"
    t.datetime "created_at",       null: false
    t.datetime "updated_at",       null: false
    t.string   "name"
    t.new ["site_template_id"], name: "idx_sites_to_site_template_id"
  end

  create_table "hotentic_engine_text_containers", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.integer  "site_id"
    t.integer  "page_id"
    t.datetime "created_at", null: false
    t.datetime "updated_at", null: false
    t.new ["page_id"], name: "idx_text_containers_to_page_id"
    t.index ["site_id"], name: "idx_text_containers_to_site_id"
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end


Joash is a former professional soccer player who was born and raised in Trinidad & Tobago. As a college player at Florida International University he still holds the record for most consecutive games with a goal (8 games). Joash has a wealth of coaching experience and has been coaching in Arizona for over 20 years.


Rafe Nielson of Browning recently discussed the revamped Browning Citori White Lightning Over-and-Under shotgun at Industry Day at the Range prior to the beginning of SHOT Show 2018 in Las Vegas.
According to Nielsen, the 2018 version of the White Lightning brings some enhanced engraving to the classic shotgun along with some internal design improvements. Add in a thinner forearm for a better grip and the White Lightning continues the Hall-of-Fame performance by Browning's iconic Citori line-up.
All in all, these enhancements to the Browning 12-gauge over-and-under should keep both waterfowlers and their upland hunting pals all smiles when the greenhead mallards and the pheasant roosters fly in front of the quick handling White Lightning shotgun.
The post New Upland Shotgun: Browning Citori White Lightning Over-and-Under appeared first on Guns & Ammo.


An appeal for health care in Colombia.
Since this cartoon strip was written by Peter Stalker the inquisition comes on this occasion from co-editor Debbie Taylor.
Editor: Rosa really did die afew months earlier. But the comic strip style makes that tragedy seem unreal. Surely that's unforgivable.
Peter Stalker: Yes, this is a true story.
And it is unusual for real life to be illustrated in this way when it is not intended to be a caricature. If this gives an effect of unreality it is only because this is the way cartoons are conventionally seen in our culture. Maria herself would be more used to seeing dramatic events illustrated in this way and would not, I think, take offence. But I do hope it is not felt to be insensitive by Western readers either.
Editor: It seems strange to have a doctortalk about redistribution in a story about 'barefoot' health workers. Isn't the doctor part of the problem?
Peter Stalker: Yes it is odd. But it was the local doctor who told me about the predicament of the villagers in the first place. Since he is unrepresentative of the medical profession as a whole, however, I should maybe have made the point in a more general way. Still, it is reassuring that there are relatively wealthy Colombians who regard the present distribution of resources as unjust.
Editor: Your bubbles literally put words into peoples' mouths. Would a Colombian peasant really know her children were dying of dehydration?
Peter Stalker: Probably not. But the cause of death had to be introduced early for the story to make any sense and this device probably rings a bit false. Had they actually known enough about dehydration they would probably have been able to treat it. There are traditional remedies that produce a liquid similarto that which the sachets offer. But the older women, who were the only ones in the village who knew about this remedy, remembered the mixture as a diarrhoea treatment and knew nothing about dehydration. The aura of modern medicine, however, causes people to look outside their own resources for treatment.
Editor: Doesn't the use of a cartoon strip oversimplify the issues?
Peter Stalker: I don't think that a cartoon strip does necessarily create a simpler picture in the mind than a written article or a television film. These might give more detailed pieces of information but they do have to be absorbed as a sequence and one idea or image can often obliterate the previous one. So you might for example only remember one picture from a television programme. In a cartoon the eye can wander back and forth more easily and may actually build a more complex picture in the reader's mind even if what appears on the page is very simple. At least cartoons have the virtue of appearing to be superficial while other media are less willing to admit it.
Editor: Surely you don't believe that 14,000 children a day will be saved by oral rehydration? Even if food isn't a problem for La Esperanza it is in many other places.
Peter Stalker: Rehydration could save a high proportion of these children, temporarily at least. You're right thatfood is the major problem for many children. If they are malnourished they are less able to resist infection and so are more likely to get diarrhoea. Rehydrating them either orally or intravenously might keep them alive but it won't stop them getting diarrhoea again orfalling victim to some other fatal disease. La Esperanza has just about enough food but many other villages in Colombia do not - thanks to a grotesquely unjust land distribution system. But even in La Esperanza there will be other things than can kill the children which is why it is important that they have a broadly-based health care system.


text:
Manners Matter: Managers, Employees Sound Off About Workplace Etiquette
- Bosses say being late to meetings is the biggest etiquette breach; employees say it's office gossip
- 65 percent of managers, 46 percent of workers think being courteous can accelerate career advancement
- 61 percent of leaders feel people become more courteous as they climb the corporate ladder; 48 percent of employees say civility declines
MENLO PARK, Calif., May 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A little common courtesy goes a long way at the office. Senior managers surveyed recently by staffing firm Accountemps said the most common breaches of business etiquette committed by staff and coworkers include running late to or missing meetings (34 percent), not responding to calls or emails in a timely manner (26 percent) and gossiping about others in the office (23 percent).
A corresponding survey of workers found slightly different results, with respondents citing talking about colleagues as the most common offense (24 percent), followed by being distracted during meetings (18 percent) and not responding to work communication in a timely fashion (17 percent).
View a slideshow to learn more about managers' and employees' opinions on workplace etiquette and courtesy.
"It goes without saying that you should show respect toward your colleagues, yet etiquette blunders happen every day," said Michael Steinitz, executive director of Accountemps. "Showing up on time for meetings and paying attention when you're there demonstrates that you value the time and efforts of others. Just being polite goes a long way toward creating a better work environment."
The findings from our research indicate being courteous to coworkers impacts career success; 65 percent of managers and 46 percent of workers say it can accelerate advancement. However, the respondent groups did not see eye to eye when it comes to courtesy and moving up the corporate ladder. Sixty-one percent of leaders said professionals become more courteous as they advance, but a near majority of employees (48 percent) disagreed and said politeness declines.
Steinitz added, "How you conduct yourself in the office and treat others can be just as important to your career as your work performance. Remember to think about how others may interpret your actions, and always aim to be considerate toward your colleagues."
Additional advice on how to improve office etiquette can be found on the Robert Half blog.
Accountemps worked with independent research firms to survey two populations: professionals and managers. Survey results are based on responses from more than 1,000 U.S. workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments and more than 300 senior managers at U.S. companies with 20 or more employees.
About Accountemps
Accountemps, a Robert Half company, is the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. Robert Half has more than 300 locations worldwide. More resources, including job search services and the company's blog, can be found at roberthalf.com/accountemps.
SOURCE Accountemps
For further information: Bianca De Rose, (650) 234-6022, bianca.derose@roberthalf.com


The faith leader the vice president asked to share a blessing for unity believes that the only way for Jews to reach heaven is to stop being Jews.
Rabbi Harry Pell works in the field of Jewish day school education and guides students through Jewish travel experiences in Poland and in Israel. After serving as a U.S. Navy Reserve Chaplain for many years, he currently serves as a volunteer chaplain for the men and women of his local police and fire departments, regardless of their religious faith tradition.


Jacksonville, NC – Launched a year ago in Jacksonville, NCServes Coastal is part of a statewide rollout of four regional NCServes networks across North Carolina funded largely by the Walmart Foundation and local philanthropic partners. On December 13, the network celebrates one year of service to over 1,000 military families in Jacksonville.
The four NCServes networks span from Asheville, to Charlotte, to Central Carolina (Triad, RDU/Fayetteville) and the coastal counties covering the majority of North Carolina's population and installation communities, from the "Mountains to the Sea." This coverage means veterans have better access to a wider array of services and care than their counterparts do in other states that do not have such networks.
The network is part of a national initiative called AmericaServes from Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF). NCServes-Coastal includes more than 50 community agencies and providers across the spectrum of services, working together to make it easier for veterans to find the resources they need.
Veterans, military members and families in need of assistance or more information should go to americaserves.org or call 1-844-435-1838.
WHEN: Wednesday, December 13, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Jacksonville Country Club Ballroom, 2201 Country Club Road, Jacksonville, NC 28546.


iDoctor, cleaning and security software for Mac OS X, has been certified with the Gold by OPSWAT Certification Program (https://www.opswat.com/blog/opswat-certification-roundup-summer-2015), which is the industry standard for interoperability certification of endpoint security software applications. iDoctor has been certified in the following categories: Antiphishing (GOLD CERTIFIED), Backup Client (GOLD CERTIFIED), Data Loss Prevention (GOLD CERTIFIED), Hard Disk Encryption (BRONZE CERTIFIED). In addition, iDoctor has been awarded with an official OPSWAT Partner badge. "We are sure that Mac users need more protection and assistance with their hardware than they think. We designed our software as a maintenance tool with important security features such as encryption and anti-phishing. We believe these features will secure the digital lives of our customers, and such certifications bring more trust to the products," says Yaroslav Molokoiedov, iDoctor spokesman. According to the latest OPSWAT antimalware report, the number of malware is growing and evolving. Now viruses are not the only target for software vendors. At the same time, according to the report, data encryption is one of the most important security features for Macs and PCs, and only 30% Mac owners are using this feature to secure their devices. About Kovell Ventures Ltd. -- Kovell Ventures Ltd. is an independent software development company that provides high-quality technology solutions for Mac users all around the globe, with an ultimate goal to facilitate both companies and individuals to effectively manage their daily informational routine. Our solutions are designed primarily to meet the needs of consumers by providing them with the best products and services together with 24/7 customer support, and to manage different kinds of problems that may arise.


Simple. Intuitive. Easy to use. The Classic Controller Pro is designed to work together with the Wii Remote controller on the Wii video game system. Created for accessibility and comfort, the Classic Controller Pro blends design elements from game systems such as the NES, Super NES, and Nintendo 64 providing seamless play control for a wide range of games. The Classic Controller Pro is primarily used for playing Virtual Console games on the Wii Shop Channel (not compatible with Nintendo GameCube games). Also look on the back of Wii Game Disc packaging to see which games use the Classic Controller Pro.