text:
296. Acting
"Well then there now," C.W. said and I groaned. He was in his "James Dean" mode and you know what that means.
Oh, you don't?
It happens every time he watches Giant or Rebel Without a Cause. He walks around all day in a red windbreaker and mumbles lines from movies of the 1950s. On this day, I had about one nerve left and it was waiting for him to get on it. It was raining and we had been locked up with him for more than 48 hours. My wife had chased him out of the kitchen with a knife, so he escaped to where I was trying to read.
"Can I have some dirt too?"
"Why don't you read a book?"
"You are the boss."
"You know it too, don't you?"
"C.W., you are not James Dean. He was an actor, and he is dead. You are an alien. Why don't you come back to earth?"
"I'm rich, Big Dope," he said. "I'm richer than all you sons of b…"
"Do you want to go outside in the rain and play? You have the whole farm."
"Someday I might just put a fence around it," he said. "and call it Little Reata."
With that, the James Dean, or Jett Rink, or whatever, persona, left him and he sat. "Tell me," he said, "what is thing your species has with actors?"
I looked up. "What thing?"
"The way you worship them and all."
"What do you mean worship them?"
"You hang on their every word," he said. "Even when they aren't acting."
"They are popular," I said.
"Some of them are incredibly dumb, too," he said, "when they aren't on script. Have you ever heard one during a meeting or conversation in which a writer or reporter asks questions of a person from whom material is sought for a story?"
"They are about as good at interviews as political candidates," I said, not knowing why I would choose to defend either politicians or actors.
"What about Mrs. Big Dope?"
This got my attention. "What about my wife, and don't let her hear you call her that."
"She worships them too."
"Actors, at least one of them."
"What makes you think that?"
"When you're not here," he said, "she puts a framed photograph of that actor 'Matthew what's his name' on the counter while she cooks."
"Maybe his picture makes her think of me."
"And who does that picture of Big Bang's Penny on your desktop remind you of?"
I changed the subject. "We just appreciate actors for their talent, that's all."
"So why does Mrs. Big Dope want us to become actors?"
This took me by surprise. "What makes you think she wants us to be actors?"
Now this fellow would turn a straight
man gay in a New York second. - C.W.
"How many times have I heard her tell you to try and act your age?"
"Well …"
"To act like you've got some (expletive deleted) sense?"
"Uh …"
"To at least act like you care."
"To act like an adult."
"Well what about you?"
"Haven't you heard her ask me to act like I fell off a space ship instead of a watermelon truck?"
"Oh yeah," I said.
"But do you want to guess what the most confusing one is?"
"It's when she tells you to stop acting like a damned alien."
"Come on," I said. "It's quit raining. Let's go 'Jett RinkWalking' around the farm. You like doing that. And if we're lucky, a deer hunter won't shoot us."
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Also check out www.wattensawpress.com and
www.allhatnocattle.com
Any buy Big Dope's book It's really quite good.
Labels: acting, aliens, James Dean, movies
Found Big Dope napping today with this on his computer. Thought you might like it.
Posted by JimmieG at 11:05 AM No comments:
Labels: Christianity, Christmas, Fox News, religion
Ask The Alien: Revenge
Dear Ask the Alien:
During Happy Hour the other evening, my wife revealed to me that there were some events in her life that she had never shared with me. This bothers me quite a bit for we have been married for what seems like a thousand years. And ... it makes me more convinced than ever that she threw away my "Slim Whitman" album years ago and it wasn't really the only item taken during a burglary like she claimed.
My question is this. Should I retaliate? She has a ZZ Top CD that she is extremely fond of.
Dear Vengeful:
No, I kinda like her ZZ ... uh ... oh ... I mean from the way you put it, she is a person of great patience and ability to plan long-term. If you ever intend to sleep all night again, I would counsel restraint. Of course you could buy a Jennifer Hudson CD and begin playing it at top volume, but I doubt if any jury would convict someone of murder as a means of avoiding such screeching. Best learn to appreciate "Gimme All Your Lovin'"
The Alien C.W.
295. Clarity
His name is Furlough Thompson—Mayor Furlough Thompson. He was born in November of 1943 while his dad was in the United States Army, which may explain the unusual first name. He governs the small town of Potluck, Arkansas (population 1,236) and he delights in comforting me when I am afflicted and afflicting me when I am comfortable, as they say.
Actually, "he" is the Alien C.W. in one of his favorite shapes. He remains fascinated by the thought of my profession as an urban planner and delights in showing up as the Mayor on occasion to torment me, or as he terms it, "To hep yuh better understand thangs of an urban nature."
At least that's the way he explained his sudden appearance this week. When I questioned his assumption that a Mayor of a city of less than 2,000 souls was the place to start understanding urban issues, he had a quick response.
"Assumptions," he said, leaning back in his chair. He is a tall man in his 70s, still maintaining a full head of brown hair. He ran a hand through it and repeated, "Assumptions," he said. "Now you just take the first three letters of that word and think of Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter."
"Beyoncé?" I began to mouth the letters he had specified.
"As in, some are better'n others," he said.
I stopped and didn't say anything more.
"Now," he said, "You have to understand that, as we say in in Potluck, 'If a hound dog couldn't howl, he might as well be a pig.'"
What could I say to that? You are correct, so I just listened.
"If you're fixing to (editor's note: i.e. if you plan to) be a consultant on urban thangs in the South, you're a gonna have to work on your u-fer-isms."
"My what?"
"Your u-fer-isms. Your," here his expression changed, "use of a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing."
That stumped me for a minute. Then understanding settled on me like peace on an Arkansas family that had just enjoyed a good "bate" of turnip greens.
"Do you mean euphemisms?"
"Ain't that what I said?'
"Okay," I said. "So give me an example."
"You can't keep telling folks they can't have this or that 'cause they don't have the money and they might have to raise taxes."
I just stared.
"You remember what happened last time?"
"Getaway cars are nice," I said.
I simply love the way that your so-called
conservatives explain economics. - C.W.
"Revenue neutral," he said. "That's what you tell them. It has to be revenue neutral. That's what your Governor says when he proposes something that the state can't pay for and he won't say you have to raise taxes to have it."
"Revenue neutral. And that means?" I asked.
"That they can't have it, somebody's ox is fixin' to get gored, or somebody's gonna have to crap money."
"Hush," I said. "My wife is in the next room."
"And," he said, "you can't keep telling folks that their city won't grow because their schools have too many n…"
"Stop it," I said. "We don't use that word here."
"Non-whites attending classes," he said, ignoring me again.
"So what must I say?"
"That it is a necessity these days to have a 'good school system' in order to grow your population."
"A good school system," I repeated.
"Yep," he said. "Everybody knows what that means. And," he said, "drop terms like neighborhood of concentrated sociological problems."
"Inner city. They'll understand, and know who you're talkin' about."
"What about white flight?"
"Forced busing," he said.
"Income inequality?"
"Takers and givers."
"Ambivalence toward urban problems?"
"States' rights."
"Vestiges of past slavery?"
"Benefits of our national guest worker programs."
I laid a trap. "Undocumented aliens?"
"I have papers," he said. "Want to see them?"
I gave up. "I'll bet," I said, "you could find a term for child and spousal abuse."
He didn't miss a beat. "Do you mean a return to traditional family values?"
Labels: Child Abuse, conservatives, Poverty, slavery, supply-side economics, taxes
Friends: Your religion confuses me.
Labels: hate, religion, Republicans, Syrian Refugees
294. For The Least Of Those
C.W. was in a philosophical mood. I could tell because he was wearing this cap and gown he claims he received when awarded an honorary doctorate from some school I never heard of, the Ozark Mountain Graduate University. I suspect its credentials, since the gown has an ad for STP motor treatment on the front along with the school motto, Non Postulo Scio Usquam, which, best I can tell, means "You didn't need to know it anyway."
He was in the form of a middle-aged man with a flowing mustache carrying a pipe he would have been smoking save for the memories of my wife and the last time he did.
"I've been thinking how great your society is," he said.
"That's a switch," I said, looking up from my computer. "You have been somewhat critical lately."
"Ah," he said, "but I've been conducting a study of how you maintain a statutory procedure or social effort designed to promote the basic physical and material well-being of people in need—your programs of ensuring health, safety, and prosperity for all."
I thought long and hard. "Are you talking about welfare?"
"Yes," he said, "the glory of your society: assistance to the needy and disadvantaged."
"I hate to tell you this …"
"Some people don't think so."
"How could they not?"
"Some call it 'taking' and think one should be ashamed of seeking assistance."
He stood up straight in his chair. "Horse flat growths forming the plumage of birds."
"No horsefeathers. For real."
"You're telling me that some don't believe in assistance to the least of those among you?"
"I'm telling you that some find it so distasteful that they want to force anyone seeking it to suffer the degradation of a drug test before receiving help. Peeing in a cup and all that."
He thrust his unlighted pipe into his mouth and scanned a sheet. "Surely they don't mean to include the 39 percent of children who receive assistance."
"I think," I said, "their motto is, 'If you're old enough to pee, we've got to see,' and that's it."
"That's a lot of urine," he said. Then he laughed.
"What's funny about that?"
"Oh nothing," he said, pointing at the school motto on his gown. "I was just how some of our instructors use words like 'youren' and 'oursen.' It's real folksy."
I was glad to see his mind distracted and, perhaps, moving away from this topic.
"Oh my goodness," he said as he grabbed his pipe.
"Children," he said. "What about the elderly?"
"Along with the children."
"The disabled."
"We pay. You pee."
"Is this what the man on TV meant by the word 'takers' that he almost seemed to spit out?"
"I'm afraid so."
"So anyone receiving public benefits and not paying taxes to support them is a taker?"
"It would seem so," I said.
"Holy urine sample," he said.
"Churchgoers," he said.
"What about them?"
He consulted a paper. "Oh my goodness," he said.
"What. What?"
"Churches receive all public benefits, right?"
"And don't pay taxes for them?"
"Holy welfare," he said, examining another sheet. "That's 71 billion dollars a year for 60 million people."
"If you say so."
"Just consider the logistics," he said.
"Collecting all those samples."
I had never thought about it and told him so.
"I guess those who offer communion could…" He stopped. "No. That wouldn't work."
I'm speechless in the contemplation. - C.W.
"No," I said. "Why don't we talk about something else?"
"Oh," he said. "Those 'Pay for Glory' churches could have the samples turned in and collected with their donations."
"I think Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer could afford to do that," I said. "That takes care of part of the problem."
"Not all, though," he said. "I see some tough situations."
"Those churches up around where my university is located." He pointed to his gown again.
"They all handle rattlesnakes during their services."
"I don't think they would have a lot of urine left afterwards."
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And ... www.allhatnocattle.com
Finally, buy Big Dope's book so he'll shut up about it.
- C.W.
Available at major on-line retailers, or
www.wattensawpress.com
Labels: churches, conservatives, religion, Republicans, taxes, Welfare
Veterans Day Revisited
Here is a repeat of one of our most popular posts in honor of Veteran's Day.
There are times when C.W. can break your heart. I know, he broke mine this week when he appeared in his saddest form yet.
It was late when I answered a knock on my door. There stood an American soldier in the kind of Class A uniform they made military personnel wear in public back in the day.
I say American soldier. Truth be told, he looked more like a kid dressed up like a soldier. He said later he was 18 but could have easily passed for 16.
He was white, thin, and his skin seemed to glow with paleness from deep in his soul. His uniform, though impeccably arranged, hung from his frame like a sheet on a clothesline.
"What the h…," I began.
"May I come in?" he said.
"Surely."
As he walked into the room in a slow, funereal gate, I observed him closely. His uniform sported a single PFC stripe and a black nametag that simply said "Armstrong." The highly esteemed Combat Infantry Badge was pinned above a field of ribbons that seemed to weight him down. They included the two Vietnam service awards and a Purple Heart. Another badge identified him as a "Marksman."
He stood until I offered him a seat whereupon he sat stiffly and stared at me.
"Your species behaves more strangely at some times than others," he said, after straightening his trousers and checking his highly polished shoes. Then he stared softly into space.
"Let me guess," I said. "Vietnam Veteran."
"Vietnam casualty," he said. "The last day of January, 1968."
"The Tet Offensive."
"I had been 'in-country' for two months," he said. He picked a thread from the sleeve of his blouse. "And there were a great many places where I would have rather been."
"Drafted?"
He nodded. "Twenty-five percent of us were." He looked at me and cocked his head. "We accounted for 30.4 percent of the combat deaths."
I said nothing.
"But that's not why I am here," he said.
"Why then?"
"Questions," he said. "I see where the Supreme Court of your country is considering passing a law that the government can't mandate that someone do something they don't want to do."
"Well, they don't call it passing a law," I said. "They call it …"
"I know," said. "You love to play with words. As your famous writer William F. Buckley Jr. once observed, we could call the act of sodomy 'following too closely' but it wouldn't change much."
I looked at him closely for a glimpse of a smile but saw nothing but more sadness.
"So what is your question?" I asked.
"Why didn't they come up with this before 1968?"
"I don't know," I said. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Seeking to change the subject, I nodded at his nametag.
"Armstrong?"
"Of the Charleston, West Virginia Armstrongs," he said. "Did you know our state had the highest percentage of combat deaths in Vietnam?"
Can't your species find something better
to rail against than health care? - C.W
"No," I said.
"It's true," he said. Then stared away again. "They say that when Momma heard the news about me, she shouted and prayed all night long and, as long as she lived, she would tell anyone who would listen that they didn't know what real sorrow was."
As I say, he can break your heart.
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Labels: Veteran's Day, war
293. Accountability
As much as C.W. annoys with his get rich schemes, he can worry one to death with what he calls "negative cognitivy pods." Don't look it up, it's his translation of a Falloonian term for which we have no direct counterpart. It has to do with facets of American life that make no sense and would, as he puts it, be normally "forbidden by law, rule, or other authority." We don't prohibit them. We not only tolerate them, we laud them, and—at least some of us—profit from them.
We were walking along the riverfront in Little Rock. He was in a favored shape, a striking resemblance to the late broadcast giant Edward R. Murrow. He was enjoying favorite pastimes, testing my patience and flipping lighted cigarette butts at bicyclists, a practice that began when one yelled at him one day to "Get out of the (expletive deleted) way." He had just sent one cascading over an embankment and landing in a wetlands lake.
"It's this whole accountability thing," he said. "Why do you suppose your species has abandoned the concept?"
"What makes you think we have abandoned the concept of accountability?"
He didn't answer. He took a long drag from a cigarette, inhaled deeply, and blew the smoke from his nose.
"Why," I said, "just the other day our legislature tried to pass a law requiring a woman wanting to protect her body first to have a long plastic probe thrust up her …"
He interrupted. "I'm not talking about women or children," he said. "I'm talking about male and corporate humans." He finished his cigarette and another cyclist left the sidewalk.
"Would you stop that?" I said. "You're going to get us arrested and, besides, you'll ruin your health."
"I have health insurance, don't I? Besides, I can disappear in an instant."
I thrust my hand into my pockets and kept walking.
"Let me give you an example," he said.
"Pray do," I said.
"Your so-called 'for-profit' universities."
"It's pretty much agreed that they provide no useful result, right?"
"So I understand."
"But public programs allow young people to borrow vast sums of money to enroll in them."
I began to see where he was going. "Yes," I said. "Vast sums."
"Sums which can't be paid back."
"So are the alleged schools held accountable for non-payments?"
"No," I said. "It's the taxpayers eventually."
"What about," he said, "realtors and bankers who load young folks with mortgages they know can't be paid. Then immediately sell those mortgages to avoid the consequences?"
"Who pays the goods transported by truck, train, ship, or aircraft?"
"Society pays the freight," I said, "and you need to get your Galactic Universal Translator adjusted. People aren't going to understand you when you talk."
"That's their problem," he said. "My GUT is fine. Now about this plastic probe …"
"It's pretty much a punishment applied to a female for an indiscretion, right?"
I thought. "Yes, that's right."
"So, according to all the known laws of the Universe of which I am aware, it takes more than the female to create this indiscretion, right?"
"Correct," I said.
"So is the plastic probe applied to the male half of the act as well?"
"So he has no restraints, from an accountability standpoint, to avoid the practice that causes the indiscretion?"
"No, no accountability whatsoever. So, you are correct, we have a problem with, with, … whatever." To tell you the truth, I found myself distracted, for I was stuck with the image of that plastic probe. Then we walked by some youths playing a game, new to these parts, in which bags were tossed at holes in boxes with slanted fronts. I fought images, and we walked in silence for a while.
"So you do agree your species suffers from a negative cognitivity pod in this area of accountability?"
It seem to me that if you must have wars,
veterans should be honored more than
once a year. Just my opinion. - C.W.
"I tore my thoughts away from the children's game. "Well, yes," I said. "But it is our problem and shouldn't concern the rest of the galaxy."
He started to flip a cigarette butt, saw that the cyclist was a police officer, thought better of it, and handed it to me. For some distance, he didn't speak. Then he turned to look at me in deep thought.
"Tell me," he said. "Whose children does your country send to war these days?"
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Labels: accountability, cognitive dissonance, veterans, war. abortion
Ask The Alien: Happy Confusion
My gorgeous wife has the cutest routine during a moment of intense emotional exuberance, actually when we are making love. She starts out by yelling "Oh Matthew, Oh Matthew," then she goes into a mode I can't describe herein. She ends by almost purring "Thank you Matthew," in my ear and falling asleep. The experience is so wonderful that I find myself dreaming about it later. I wouldn't miss it for the world, and have begun to look forward to it.
There's only one drawback.
My name isn't Matthew.
Should I worry or just keep enjoying the fun?
Misnamed
Dear Misnamed:
Are you kidding me? The worst possible scenario is that somewhere there is someone named Matthew who is getting a much worse deal than you are.
Labels: confusion, Love, sex
292. Lies Are Us
"You're what!"
"Calm down."
"Look, how many get-rich schemes have you tried over the last five years?"
"This one is different.'
"In what way?"
"Give me a moment."
"C.W.," I said. "The fans and readers are getting sick of your ideas for making money."
"There you go again. You've just proven my point."
I felt stupid. I was talking to Richie, the Young Conservative, one of the Alien C.W.'s favorite shapes. "What point," I said, "have I proven?"
"You just told a lie."
"What lie?"
"You just introduced or worked in gradually that my fans are not loyal."
"I insinuated that your fans are beginning to think you are insane and careless with the facts."
"What point?"
"That," he leaned back and smiled, "your species delights in using falsehoods for achieving their ends."
I thought about if for a moment. Actually, he had a point. I considered all the ads I had seen proclaiming how Windows 10 was a step forward in human evolution. "But how," I said, "are you going to make money from falsehoods?"
"By giving them away."
"Got you, didn't I? Of course I won't give them away. I'll just pretend to. Haven't you ever heard of a Love Offering?"
My head was spinning. To whom will you sell, give away, or whatever, lies?"
"Not corporations," he said. "There are firms that already have that business sewed up."
"To whom then?"
"Politicians of course, you silly boy. Haven't you noticed what they have been getting away with?"
"So," I said, after a moment's reflection, "what sort of lies will you sell?"
"Harmless ones."
"Ha," he said. "Got you again."
"Maybe," I said, "you could give me an example."
"I thought you would never ask." He produced a notebook and began to read. "How's this?" he held up a picture of a current presidential candidate and read, "My opponent inherited a fortune and never had to work, but says he thinks you and I don't work hard enough. Isn't that a beaut? My company, 'Lies Are Us' will make a bundle from that."
"Except for one thing," I said. "It's the truth."
"It's true, I said. You can't sell that for a lie."
His face fell. Then he brightened and held up another photo and read from his notebook. "This candidate," he said, "operates on the brains of living people, no doubt using antibiotics to prevent infection, but claims that the most basic and underlying principles of natural science are tools sent by something called "Satan" to ensnare us into a life of sin. What do you think? It's a little over the top but I think it will sell."
"I've got some bad news for you."
"You are kidding," he said, after I explained. He tossed the photo aside with a dejected look. "Well there's this one," he said, hold up another photograph while he read, "My opponent's party once elected, as President of the United States of America, this candidate who had to have his daily schedule approved by his wife's astrologer."
I shook my head slowly.
"Know what?" he said, dropping the photograph.
"Facts are stupid things." Suddenly his face brightened. "Say," he said, "I could sure sell the lie that a presidential candidate once said that on national TV."
We're lucky this man is not around.
He would try to tell us that our
President isn't a citizen. - C.W.
He almost cried when I told him.
"Maybe I'll have to face the fact," he said slowly, "that no American political party would ever follow the premise of the propaganda minister of another country, who said, 'If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.'"
He smiled at me with a kind look. "Your species," he said, would never do that."
"Now," I said, "you've hit on one.
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Labels: Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, politics, Republicans, Ronald Reagan


Keep a 1/6-scale doll in fashion for 30 days with this series of fabric outfits from Re-Ment! Nine of the series' 10 possibilities are multi-piece ensembles designed with mix-and-match versatility in mind, to make coming up with 30 different combinations a breeze; meanwhile, the 10th is a "torso"-type clothes stand, so you can display your favorite outfit even if you don't have a doll handy! Sold by the randomly-packed assortment of 10. Please note that these are trading items and are individually sealed and randomly packed in boxes of 10 before shipment to HobbyLink Japan. As a result we are unable to honor requests for individual or specific items, nor can we promise you which one(s) you will receive in a box. Please order only if you are willing to accept any of the possible types.


Louie Verrechio gave a very good talk on Our Lady of Guadalupe which, although I shall not call a must-watch, certainly is at the very least a should-watch. There is a movie about Our Lady of Guadalue, "The Blood and the Rose", which he cannot recommend highly enough. He thought he knew about the apparition, but after watching the movie he realised just how little he knew.


First Baptist Church of Frankfort, was founded in 1816 and was originally an integrated congregation. However, in 1833, some white members of the church thought it was wise to separate the races, creating two First Baptists – one white and one black. Although this First Baptist was chartered in 1833, the members did not have a permanent home until they built this edifice on Clinton Street in 1905. The church had been denied city building permits and a legal battle lasted several years until the Court of Appeals decided the city's opposition was "largely based upon race prejudice." The impressive brick structure and beautiful stained glass windows are a reminder that members, who at that time were typically earning less than fifty cents an hour, raised thousands of dollars to build their beloved church. Many members were masons and donated their services. Individuals, families, and groups purchased the stained glass windows, which commemorate pastors, auxiliaries, and early church members. The Rose Window which faces Clinton Street is a crowning feature. The congregation is committed to restoration of the church and has been actively making enhancements, remodeling, and restoration in recent years under the leadership of their current pastor, Robert Earl Houston.
Visitors are invited to enter and view the windows or to join the congregation for worship services.


A common enemy in the Kingdom Hearts Universe, the Shadow Heartless can still be threat to non-wielders of the Keyblade, especially in swarms! Luckily this Pop! Vinyl Figure comes packaged in a window display box, which should stop any surprise attacks!


text:
Selected Prose
Beer, Poker, Pool
Doreen Drinks a Glacier
"This is good," Red said taking a pull from the bottle.
"You think all beer is good."
"That's because all beer is good – for a fact."
"But your statement implies that some beer is better."
"Well, some beer is better."
"Not that you could tell."
"Of course I can tell. Just because I'll drink any beer doesn't mean I can't tell the difference."
"See, I drink Bud. But the fact that I drink Bud and not Pabst proves I can tell."
"No, it only proves that you can read."
"I'm saying that, if you couldn't see the label, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between brands.
"I bet I could."
"Five says no way."
"You're on – but you buy."
Watley returned from the bar with three bottles and three glasses. He arrayed them before Red. "Here's a Coors, a Bud, and a Miller. Now let's see what you know. Turn around."
Red angled his chair toward the dance floor while Watley poured, putting an equal measure of Bud in all the glasses. He then placed all three bottles beneath the table.
"OK, turn back around."
Red studied the glasses. He took a sip from each, then drained each glass in turn.
"Well?" Watley inquired. "Which is which?"
"One of them's Bud."
"Duh! I told you you could read. We know that."
"And one of them isn't Pabst."
"We know that too. I didn't buy any Pabst, smarty pants."
"But you said I couldn't tell the difference, and I just did. I told you I could tell Bud from Pabst, and that what I did. Pay up."
"But you didn't say which beer was which. Which one was the Coors? Which one was Miller?"
"The Coors and the Miller were the ones that weren't the Bud. Pabst isn't Bud, Coors isn't Bud, and Miller isn't Bud. Get it? Now pay up."
"You're trying to cheat me," Watley protested. "I'm not paying."
"Welcher!"
"Gyp!"
"You owe me five."
"And you owe me five. So we're square."
"At least give me one of those beers you bought."
Watley retrieved the bottles from below the table.
"I'll take the Bud," Red asserted.
"There is no Bud. There's only Miller and Coors. You drank the Bud."
"Oh, I guess we see who the cheat is! Let me have the Coors then."
"I can't do that," Watley explained, "because you drink only Bud."
"I didn't say that I drank only Bud. Obviously I drink other beers. That's why I know the difference between Bud and Pabst. Why would I bet on being able to tell the difference between them if I drank only one brand?"
"Because you're stupid."
"That's what you think. So who paid for the free beer I drank?"
"But who won the bet?"
"Settle it over pool?
"Five a game?" Watley asked.
"You're on," Red said, "but I break."
"You broke last time."
"I said you broke first last time."
"But I didn't break last."
"What's that got to do with it?"
"If you broke last, then it's my turn to break."
"No, you broke first last time, so it's my time to break first this time."
"So we're alternating?"
"Yeah, but not like you think."
"How do you think I think?"
Watley stared at Red. "Maybe you don't."
"If I don't, then how could I have developed a plan about alternating? So my plan proves that I think, and my thinking proves that you don't know what you're talking about."
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about."
"Are you going to talk or shoot?"
"Just break."
"Eight ball, right?"
"That's a slop game. Nine ball."
"That's dumb. We can't use all the balls. We get fifteen balls; we've paid for fifteen balls. We might as well use them all."
"Hey, genius, we could hold six back for the next game and save quarters."
"Then we would be playing six ball in that game."
"We could, or we could put in three more quarters."
"How does that save money?"
"You wouldn't because I'd still be clearing $4.25 a game off you every time I beat your ass."
"Let me ask you something. If we play nine ball, does the fifteen become the nine ball in the second game?"
"The object is to make the nine ball in nine ball. Is the object to make the fifteen ball in six ball?"
"The six ball probably won't be on the table."
"I know that."
"So what's your point?"
"Is the highest ball the six ball?"
"No, the fifteen is the highest ball."
"So the fifteen is the nine ball in six ball?"
"Wanna shoot eight ball instead?"
"Break 'em."
Watley drove the cue ball through the rack of balls, smirking as the last came to rest. "My choice," he said. "I sunk a stripe and a solid, so I'm either."
"No, you made the stripe first, so you're a stripe."
"That's not the rule. It's my choice."
"You've got a choice as long as it's a stripe. If you shoot a solid, you're shooting my ball."
"Suppose I had scratched?"
"Then it would be my turn."
"But what color would I be?"
"You wouldn't be any color. You'd be through. It would be my turn."
"What would you be?"
"I wouldn't be anything until I made a ball."
"So you could be anything you like?"
"No, I'd be whatever I made."
"So why can't I be what I made?"
"Because you made a stripe and a solid. You can't be both unless you plan to make all the balls."
"If I can't be both, then I get to choose to be something."
"I told you you don't get to choose to be something. You either are something or you're not."
"So what am I?"
"I told you. You're through."
Three turns later Red sized up a cut shot on the eight.
"How can I be expected to beat you when I have this big sore on my wrist? Doesn't it bother you to take advantage of me that way?" Watley asked.
Grinning, Red stroked the cue unhurriedly. Ever so slowly the white ball eased past the black. It missed it narrowly but nevertheless altogether.
"I win," Watley announced.
"I win. You scratched on the eight ball."
"I didn't scratch on the eight. I just didn't hit it."
"Same thing. That's a scratch."
"A scratch is when you sink the cue ball."
"That too. But if you miss the eight ball, it's a scratch as well – a table scratch."
"And what kind of scratch is it if I sink the cue ball?"
"That would be a pocket scratch."
"But you scratched earlier on the four, and you didn't lose."
"That's because it wasn't on the eight."
"You still didn't lose, did you?"
"No, you don't lose by scratching on the four. If this weren't a bar table, I would have to pull one of my balls out of the pocket and spot it."
"So you got to scratch for nothing?"
"Did you pull a ball out of the pocket?"
"Of course not. How could I do that on a bar table? You don't get the balls back."
"So you scratched without any penalty whatsoever?"
"Not really. I had to watch you shoot. That's penalty enough!"
"And now you get to shoot. Same same. Why should I lose when I scratch, and you don't get penalized at all when you do? Do make up the rules to every game you play?"
"How about a compromise?"
"Let's say that, when a player scratches and can't put a ball back on the table, then the other player gets to take one off. OK?"
"OK," Red agreed. "So you owe me a ball for scratching on the four. I'm taking one of my balls off the table now."
"But you don't have any balls left. You just have the eight."
"I know." Red picked up the eight and dropped into the side pocket. "You owe me five."
"Say, what is that sore on your wrist anyway?" Red inquired.
"Feel it," Watley said. "Go ahead. Feel it." Watley raised his forearm toward Red's face. A marble-sized swelling was visible above the wrist.
"Spider?"
"Wasp?"
"Bee?"
"Unh-uh."
"I don't rightly know."
"The how do you know it wasn't a spider?"
"Would've felt it. I didn't feel anything."
"Do you feel something now?"
"A knot. I feel a knot. See? Touch it." Once again Watley extended the risen flesh toward Red.
"No, thanks. That's all right. What are you going to do about it?"
"Watch it I guess."
"I'm going to see if gets any bigger."
"And if it does?"
"I don't know. I hope it doesn't."
"What if it doesn't get bigger?"
"But it's likely to. They always do."
"So you've had one before?"
"No, but I've heard about them."
"Heard about what? I thought you didn't know what it was."
"I don't – but I've seen things like it. And they're dangerous."
"How dangerous?"
"Dangerous enough to warrant looking after."
"But what good does looking do?"
"You know, the watched pot thing."
"Or in this case a watched boil."
"Same difference. If I watch it, it might not grow. But if it does, I'll notice."
"Then I suppose I'll have someone take a look at it."
"But you've been looking at it. Even I've seen it. Will one more person do any good?"
"I'm not talking about just anyone. I'm talking a bout a doctor or somebody."
"I'm somebody."
"Not when it comes to this thing on my arm, you're not. You're certainly no doctor. If you were, then you'd know what this thing on my arm is."
"So why did you show it to me then?"
"Because it's the kind of thing that everybody should watch out for. And while you're not somebody, not in the doctor sense, you are someone."
"Wouldn't it make more sense to keep this a secret until you know for sure what it is? You don't everyone getting upset over nothing, do you?"
Watley was puzzled by Red's remark. "But if isn't nothing. I can feel it. That proves it's already something."
"But if only one person needs to watch it, then why tell everyone – unless it's contagious? It's not, is it?"
"Why, are you afraid to touch it? Admit it, you're afraid. Or jealous!"
"You can't be jealous of a sore. You have to be jealous of a person."
"I'm a person."
"Yes, you are, but I'm not jealous. If I were, it would be envy anyway, not jealousy."
"But you are curious. Admit it. You're stumped and don't know what it is."
"No, you're the one who doesn't know what it is. I think it's a spider bite."
"But I told you it wasn't."
"No, you said you would have felt it if it were a spider bite. And you admitted that you could feel it, that everyone could feel it. You offered to let me feel it. So maybe it's a spider bite."
"Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. Want to settle it at cards?"
"Yeah, let's cut to see who deals."
"What's the point in that? Why not just cut for the money you owe me?"
"You'd like that, wouldn't you, particularly since you got to break at pool?"
"All right, we'll cut to see who deals. Then what?"
"Then we play."
"Play what?"
"Poker – a man's game. I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're not familiar with it."
"I suppose now you'll be telling me that stud is the only game to play."
"It's what I'm accustomed to."
"I'll bet you're accustomed to studs. Is that why you took so long in the rest room?"
"Watley, you'd play strip with a nun just for a glimpse of heaven."
"Nun? Why bring up your sex life? None is the only sex you've had."
"Just get the cards."
"Right here," Watley said, opening the pearl snap on his shirt. The cards had blue backs, but they weren't Bicycles, and they were worn too much to shuffle easily. Watley didn't offer Red a cut.
"Just make sure you deal clockwise," Red admonished.
"There's only two of us, so there is no clockwise."
"Of course, there's clockwise. Lookie there." Red pointed to the clock behind the bar, its red second hand sweeping in standard fashion. "That's clockwise."
"So if a clock runs ten minutes fast, that's clockwise? That clockstupid."
"What I'm saying is, clockwise won't change the cards I'll get or you get – unless you try to cheat – but it will change the direction the cards come to me."
"What are you talking about? You couldn't find north with an atlas and a pocket full of lodestone."
"I'm not talking about that kind of direction. If you deal clockwise, then your right hand leads. You can't hide it behind the deck and palm a card as easily. If you come at me counter-clockwise, your left hand leads, and I can't be sure what you're dealing."
"All right, cry baby. Have it your way?" Watley made a grand gesture with the deck, then peeled off the first card awkwardly with his left hand.
"You did that for spite," Red said.
"No, I'm going to kick your ass for spite."
Watley dealt each two cards face down. Then he dealt another for each of them, this time face up. Both received Jacks, two nearly identical nudes except one was blonde.
"You're a sick puppy to look at her that way," Watley asserted.
"Well, you're a suck puppy. Bet."
"How do you figure?" Watley asked.
"Your Jack is lower. It's a club. Club is the lowest suit. Low card brings it in, so you go first."
"The first Jack dealt has the right of way. And the lowest suit I ever saw was the one you got married in. How'd you make it shine like that?"
"I know you're wrong," Red countered, "but we can't cut the cards to decide because we're already using them to decide who won at pool. But since I'm eager to get my money, I'll speed things along. Pass," he declared.
"Check. It's called check."
"Pass is for bridge. Check is for poker."
"There's no passing on a bridge, idiot. Everyone knows that. And I'm not accepting any of your checks at poker either. Only good old American greenbacks."
"If you don't want to bet, say, 'Check.'"
"Roger. Check."
"Why didn't you say that right away instead of dragging this out?"
"Because of the rules. Rules are important. They're what separate us from the savages. Without them dogs and cats would be dancing in the streets. Without them how would we get anything done?"
Watley was unprepared to debate whether dogs were savages. He checked Red's check, and both stared impassively at one another for a moment.
"Speaking of rules," Watley explained, "there is a special rule on the fourth card. If either one of us has an exposed pair . . . ."
"I've got an exposed pair," Red interrupted. "Look at the ones on my Jack."
"I'm not talking about that kind of pair. If either of us shows a pair, then that person can double the bet."
"But neither of us has bet," Red observed.
Watley shrugged. "Nevertheless, those are the rules." He dealt Red a deuce and himself a King.
"Wait, wait. Hold on!" Red said. "You're supposed to burn a card. You didn't do that. You should have burned the two. So that King is rightfully mine." He slid Watley's King – a naked brunette dressed only in what appeared to be a gold cardboard crown – over to his side of the table. "Deal yourself another."
Red may have been right, maybe not, but he didn't argue the point. He turned over an eight for himself.
"Check," Red said.
"You've got two face cards, and you're not betting?"
"I don't need to bet to the win the money; I just need to win the hand. Besides, I spent all my quarters at pool."
"So you're not going to bet on any round?"
"Street. They're called streets, aren't they?" Red corrected. "So why don't you bet?"
"On what – a lousy eight against your King?"
Watley burned and dealt alternately until each had six cards. Neither man showed a pair, but a gallery of eight nudes in exotic poses smiled before them. "The last card," Watley explained. "The river."
"Streets, rivers – now who's playing bridge?"
"Bridge is a girl's game."
"It sure was the last time I played. And I had a good time too until the policeman shined his flashlight under the bridge."
Watley couldn't hide his smile. He dealt Red a card face down and then one to himself. It was clear that neither intended to open. Both men studied their hands.
"OK, let's see 'em. What have you got?" Watley demanded.
Red turned over his hole cards and pushed his best five forward: two Jacks, the King he'd taken from Watley, a nine, and a seven. Then Watley turned his.
"Flush," he said, pointing to five naked blondes, two with dimples.
"Nice try," Red said, "but color isn't the same as suit. And the way I see it, these women aren't wearing suits of any kind."
"But they're the same suits." Watley reassembled his hand, laying down his Jack, a Queen, a King, an Ace, and a two. "Straight," he declared.
"How so?" Red asked.
"Well, an Ace can be both high or low."
"Yes . . . but it can't be both high and low."
"Who says?"
"Hoyle, I guess."
"So who said you won at pool?"
"I did, I guess."
"But you didn't. I did."
"No, you scratched."
"So it's one apiece. Let's settle it. I'm thinking of a number."
"Perhaps you should start with a letter instead of a number."
"Double or nothing?"
"M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i. That's three double letters to your nothing.
"But who has the sore on his wrist?"
Both men sat back in their chairs. There was nothing more to shoot or cut, nothing left to drink. Nothing to decide. Nothing to consider but the swelling on Watley's wrist.
Spider.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Neuhauser Wohnküche is a cosy restaurant which is hard to categorize. Weekly changing Lunch- and Evening-Menu always will let you discover something new. Additionally we serve our classics. We love good wine! Great wine is not just served in our restaurant. You can also buy bottles in our Vinothek to enjoy it at home.


text:
TIM DRAIMIN
Partnerships Spur Innovation Capacity: Secondary Operating Systems as Innovation Catalyst
Most organizations are not designed to be innovative. Compounding this, over time a natural tendency of institutions is to become more siloed and insulated from outside pressures, stimuli and disruptions. This socialization process mitigates against flourishing innovation capabilities. Good ideas, says Steven Johnson in his book Where Good Ideas Come From, "want to connect, fuse, recombine…to reinvent themselves by crossing conceptual borders... When one looks at innovation in nature and in culture, environments that build walls around good ideas tend to be less innovative in the long run than more open-ended environments."
In other words, we need porous organizations. "Organizations with porous boundaries," explains the nonprofit consultancy Bridgespan, "have leaders and structures that encourage the free flow of ideas and information within the organization and between their organizations and the outside world. They actively fight against the intellectual insularity that often develops within teams, silos, and organizations." The pace of change in the 21st century is making unrelenting demands on organizations to be able to change and adapt. If a leader is interested in introducing more innovative mindsets, approaches and change-producing processes, what are strategies he or she can pursue?
One option is to establish a "secondary operating system," a strategy developed by Harvard's John Kotter. While all organizations have a primordial focus on their primary goals and role, they can find a way to create a secondary, or dual, operating system that allows them to pursue new ideas in a context relieved of the pressures of the primary operating system.
"The solution," writes John Kotter in Harvard Business Review, "is a second operating system, devoted to the design and implementation of strategy, that uses an agile, network-like structure and a very different set of processes. The new operating system continually assesses the business, the industry, and the organization, and reacts with greater agility, speed, and creativity than the existing one. It complements rather than overburdens the traditional hierarchy, thus freeing the latter to do what it's optimized to do."
Kotter has developed a set of principles to empower a secondary operating system approach including: creating urgency around a big opportunity, establishing a volunteer team of passionate people capable of overcoming institutional barriers by tapping into many change agents, giving them real permission to innovate and lead, identifying and re-moving barriers to change, and ensuring the organization sustains two systems maintaining a dynamic flow of information and activity between them.
Stephen Huddart, President and CEO of the McConnell Foundation, developed a variant of Kotter's secondary operating system. As he explained at the 2017 SIX Funders' Node, he used McConnell's active participation in the Social Innovation Generation (SiG) partnership (2007-2017) as the foundation's complementary system and source of new ideas. SiG's partners (which besides McConnell included a university, an innovation convergence hub, and an innovative nonprofit) explored and experimented in depth with many new ideas including: social finance and mission-related investing, social innovation labs, social innovation education and acceleration programming. Through its involvement in these SiG activities, McConnell was exposed to many new ideas and connected with practitioners leading proven innovations. SiG became a gateway through which new ideas and new relationships enriched and empowered internal McConnell changemakers and shifted culture.
In turn this led to new experiments being pursued directly by the foundation's staff. They covered grantmaking, capacity building, program research and program prototyping. SiG became a type of on-demand resource that provided not just a wealth of ideas but more direct access to personal advice and coaching for McConnell initiatives and change processes.
The result? Today McConnell is recognized as one of Canada's leading practitioners of social innovation through grantmaking, capacity building, policy advocacy, multi-stakeholder initiatives (on topics as diverse as climate change, mental health, food security, etc), and open-sourcing its experiences, new policies and procedures with its peers.
"The inevitable failures of single operating systems hurt us now, they are going to kill us in the future. The 21st century will force us all to evolve toward a fundamentally new form of organization…"
says John Kotter. Secondary operating systems are a valuable means for social purpose organizations – as well as businesses – to make these transitions.
Report: Global Networks - Strategies and learning with peers
Networks are a powerful and growing vector for social change. Considering the complex nature of today's global challenges, solutions need to be reactive to an ever-evolving landscape of players and circumstances.


All Existing Chattels And Equipment Are Included And Almost Brand New. List Will Be Provided Upon Offer Accepted. Upgraded Electricity System. State Of The Art Ventilation System.Turn Key Business. 5+5 Year Lease Starting From 1, May, 2017.


When all you long for is to be home for the holidays, this oh-so-adorable, angel helps brighten any waking moment spent near hearth and family! Our pixie statue is imaginatively crafted of metal, then hand painted and beautifully distressed to give the charmed magic of yesteryear. Blanche holds an ornament and our freestanding, Design Toscano-exclusive angel will innocently wing her way into your heart!
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text:
San Bernardino County Sun
PIONEERTOWN SCHEDULED TO BE AUCTIONED ON DEC. 30
Post Christmas sales are considered the best, and perhaps the biggest one scheduled in San Bernadino County will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30, at the north door of the county courthouse when Pioneertown goes on the block.
The Old West tourist attraction, showplace and movie location will go on sale for approximately $80,000 by Security Title Insurance Co. The company holds a deed of trust with the 18,000-20,000-acre site as security.
The sale was originally scheduled for Thursday morning, but was put off when a complaint for declaratory relief was filed by Attys. Daniel J. Cowett and Charles E. Ward in behalf of Pioneer Studio Locations, Inc.
The complaint was filed against the title company, Pioneertown, Inc., and directors Fletcher Jones and William Murphy.
It asked the defendants be restrained from selling the property until the rights and obligations of all parties concerned can be adjudged and determined.
The problem arises from a 25-year lease on the property taken out by Philip N. Krasne, president of Inter-American Productions, Inc., makers of the Cisco Kid film series.
Krasne was to produce films on the widespread acreage under the name of Pioneer Studio Locataions, Inc.
On June 30 Jones and Murphy gave notice of default of compliance with terms of a trust deed which had put the town up as security on a $60,000 loan made in 1948. With interest, the money owed is now in the neighborhood of $80,000, according to Security Title officials.
Krasne asked for a restraining order on the sale until his rights could be clarified, according to the complaint, his lease on the site was to run 25 years from last Aug. 30. Terms of the lease call for $500 yearly payments, $25 daily for scenes shot in Pioneertown proper and 5-10 percent of the Pioneer Studio Locations' gross proceeds.
The promissory note on Pioneertown was made out to persons listed as Jackson Diggs, Charles Halton and Lelah C. Halton, the complaint stated.
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FAQ - Fort Wayne, Indiana - Financial Advisors - Summit Consultants, Inc.
What are the credentials behind our names and what do they mean?
In the modern world of financial planning approximately 200 professional designations and degrees exist; however, they are far from equal in the level of knowledge they contain. While some designations can simply be obtained by sitting through a short course, others literally take years of study to obtain. Each advisor on our team has advanced education to show his/her commitment to our profession.
The Juris Doctor (JD), more commonly known as a law degree, is conferred by an accredited law school as a graduate level degree. This post-graduate degree involves a three-year study of all areas related to law, many of which relate specifically to financial planning. In depth study of tax planning, estate planning, and retirement planning are core subjects of any law degree; in addition, the laws involving the areas of insurance and securities are generally studied. A law degree provides a broad based overview of all of the issues that impact a client's financial plan and provides the knowledge to develop a comprehensive solution to a client's financial needs.
The Masters of Business Administration (MBA) is conferred by accredited institutions as a graduate level degree. Holders of this degree are taught advanced business skills and theory as applicable in today's changing world. Coursework typically includes analytical (accounting, economics, operations, organizational behavior, statistics), functional (financial management, human resources management, marketing management, operations management) and specialization (finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, etc.) classes in addition to ethics and a capstone course (when a major project is completed). This broad based knowledge is applicable in the design and implementation of cash flow strategies and portfolio construction, in addition to having a broad understanding of the ever-changing tax code.
The Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) is a designation conferred by the CFP® Board of Standards. CFP® holders are required to undergo rigorous training and testing in the five areas identified by the CFP® Board of Standards--Financial Planning Process, Tax Planning, Employee Benefits and Retirement Planning, Estate Planning, and Investment Management and Insurance. Additionally, work related experience must be completed before the CFP® designation will be conferred. Finally, CFP® holders are expected to uphold the principles of Integrity, Objectivity, Competence, Fairness, Confidentiality, Principles, and Diligence as outlined in the CFP® Board's Code of Ethics.
The Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) is a designation conferred by The American College of Financial Services. Coursework is intended to provide the designee with a broad-based understanding of financial planning in its many forms, including insurance, income taxation, retirement planning, investments, and estate planning. The ChFC requires the completion of nine individual courses with exams that are meant to ensure a certain level of knowledge in the topics outlined above.
The Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) is a designation conferred by The American College of Financial Services. Coursework is intended to provide the designee with a comprehensive understanding in the specific usage of life insurance for individuals, business owners, and professionals. Additionally, designees are trained to identify the many unique ways in which insurance can be utilized in advanced case design. This designation requires eight individual courses (or three if the applicant already holds the ChFC designation) with exams that are meant to ensure a certain level of knowledge in the topics outlined above.
What are the different ways in which our firm is compensated?
In today's modern investment world, we act as fiduciaries and, as such, are compensated on a fee basis per the industry's regulations.
The fee will vary depending on whether the funds are managed within our own proprietary models (fees are currently 1.35% or less, depending on the size of the assets under management) or we utilize outside money managers that specialize in niche markets (fees are currently 1.15% or less, depending on the size of the assets under management).
Our firm also offers an online/digital solution (Guided Wealth Portfolio) with a unique investment strategy for new investors who appreciate a paperless process. The fee for this program is 0.65%. More information can be found in the Client Center under the Guided Wealth Portfolio (GWP) section.
Prior to utilizing any investment we will review with you in detail how we will be compensated.
What should be considered in comparing different financial planning firms?
We are fortunate in that our community has been gifted with several excellent and reputable advisors, many of whom we have had the opportunity to share ideas with or discuss various strategies.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is the organization through which all securities licensed individuals must report. The organization's website houses a feature known as Broker Check. Broker Check allows anyone to review the compliance history of an advisor to see if he/she has had any regulatory issues or consumer complaints. Click on this link to access Broker Check.
Second, consider the history of the firm and its advisors. Typically a firm that has been around longer will have experienced different investment cycles and may be able to offer more insight during difficult times to invest. Additionally, the credentials of the advisors within the firm will provide you a better understanding of the level of commitment to education that has been instilled within the firm.
Finally, consider whether or not the firm can clearly articulate its process and what it will mean for your portfolio. This information may be laid out on its website or it may take an in-person meeting to determine. At the end of the day, the advisors that can most clearly articulate their investment philosophy are traditionally the ones who are best able to execute the plans they have designed.
How do we make investment decisions?
We utilize a multi-pronged approach to gather the information necessary to make informed investment decisions.
First, LPL Research is a team of approximately forty (40) investment professionals headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina (LPL Financial's headquarters) that is constantly monitoring the investment and economic landscape. They are continually drafting research papers and sharing their findings, in addition to providing trade ideas.
Second, LPL Financial is the largest independent broker/dealer in the country (based on total revenues as reported by Financial Planning magazine, June 1996-2017). This provides us a unique opportunity to have access to money managers across the country as we have questions or need to discuss current investment strategies in more detail. We are also routinely meeting with money managers, both locally and in their home offices. We do this in an effort to obtain a deeper understanding of their philosophies, strategies, and core competencies.
Finally, we cross-reference all information in research-based software that we subscribe to access.
Will we work with your attorneys, accountants, and other professionals?
Yes. In fact, we feel it is quite productive to work with your existing professionals. By working together we are able to offer each other a more comprehensive understanding of your financial status and achieve a better overall result. We are not looking to replace your accountant or attorney, but rather we feel that we can enhance the overall relationship by ensuring that all parties are working together. We find that we often end up acting as the coordinator between these professionals, and we expect to serve in that capacity. In the event you are looking to establish a relationship with a new professional, we have several referrals available for your various planning needs.
Will we work with younger individuals/families?
Yes. In fact, we feel that it is never too early to begin looking at your investment strategy and options, even in your 20s and 30s. Admist the broad array of financial planning tools available exclusively online, we are glad to present the value and benefits of working with a personal advisor for your consideration. We also understand the challenges of carrying college and other debts, rising costs of raising families, and the like.
In addition, and in conjunction with LPL Financial, we offer an online investment portal known as Guided Wealth Portfolio (GWP) that combines digital advice and advisor knowledge. Click here for more information.
Our regular business hours are Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. However, we will meet outside of these hours in order to accommodate your needs and work with your schedule.
What is the best way to get our latest thoughts?
There are several ways. In addition to our firm's quarterly newsletter, Financial Focus, we also post articles with timely topics as written by LPL Financial's Research team throughout the year on our website. Additionally, we provide market outlooks as they become available from LPL Research.
As materials become available, the timeliest way to receive them is to join our e-mail list (click here).
In addition, consider "Liking" us on Facebook (click here) or "Following" us on Twitter (click here).
Finally, the Resources tab of our website offers a vast array of information on many topics, including videos, articles, and financial calculators.
Can I review your firm's Form ADV?
Form ADV is a required submission to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by a professional investment advisor that specifies the investment style, assets under management (AUM), and key officers of the firm. Click on this link to access our firm's Form ADV.
Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor | Member FINRA / SIPC. Financial planning offered through Summit Consultants, Inc. a registered investment advisor and separate entity of LPL Financial.


The Golf Foundation is launching a new 'Skills for Life' trophy and awards scheme for golf clubs in England, Scotland and Wales that will help to champion the good values of the sport.
The scheme, which is free for clubs to take part in, seeks to reward young golfers of all abilities who demonstrate the personal skills that golf can help foster. The Golf Foundation calls these 'Skills for Life'; some examples being honesty, respect, co-operation and resilience, while many club members might also suggest 'sportsmanship' or 'fair-play'.
Part of the Golf Foundation's HSBC Golf Roots programme, this project will see the first 600 golf clubs that sign up being able to reward and acknowledge juniors who show these key personal and social skills. These young people might not be scoring winners every week but the Skills for Life prize can really help their confidence and self-esteem, encouraging them to develop a love for the sport.
Each club will receive a specially-created Skills for Life trophy to be awarded once a year at their junior awards event, while an attractive medal is also provided as a returnable weekly prize (all trophies are supplied by Burridge of London). Each club can decide its own rules and format for how the prizes are awarded, provided the Skills for Life spirit is central to the process.
All clubs taking part will also be able to enter a prestigious Skills for Life award (the Burroughs Award), as part of the charity's Presidents' Awards in May, 2018, an event held at Wentworth Club for more than a decade. The Golf Foundation would like to thank the 80-20 Trust for funding the scheme and Golf Monthly for helping to promote it to golf clubs across the country.


For the past 23 years the Cheakamus Challenge has put mountain bikers to the test on a course that links two of the biggest bike towns in North America, Whistler and Squamish.
The race has evolved considerably over those years, with organizers adding more singletrack where possible and reducing the amount of time riders spend on the highway. The 24 th edition of the race, on Sept. 20, is no exception, with the Resort Municipality of Whistler's trail crew completing a new section of Sea to Sky trail in the Calcheak area and eliminating another section of gravel road. As well, improvements have been made to Tunnel Vision, with several new sections of switchbacks replacing the fall line descents. Some sections of Trash have also been altered as a result of construction of the athletes' village.
There are two courses available. "The King of the Classics" course starts at Squamish Airport in Brackendale, and is more than 70 km with about 2,000 metres of climbing from start to finish. The fastest riders finish in just under three hours.
The shorter Cheakamus Lite course, sponsored by Pique Newsmagazine , follows the last 40 km of the race, starting at the Whistler Bungee Bridge and joining the race in progress at the Cal Cheak forest service area turnoff. It also has most of the longer climbs, including the Riverside climbs, the Highline Trail, the Microwave Tower Road to Tunnel Vision and the climb up Kadenwood Road to the Big Timber descent to the finish at Dusty's.
Max Plaxton is expected to defend his title for a third year, while Alison Sydor will be shooting for her sixth Cheakamus Challenge title.
Up to 500 athletes are expected on the start line of both races this year, with the main race getting underway at 10 a.m. and the Cheakamus Lite at 1 p.m. — one hour later than usual to give organizers more time to get to the start line, and to give riders from the first start more time to get through that section of trail.
Registration is $75, which includes a burger platter at the end of the race. The Lite course is $60.
Day of race registration is available at both starts for an additional $10.
For more information and registration, visit www.cheakamuschallenge.com.
Sports briefs: Ski-cross racers excel; Flann helps Grizzlies to title; Gymnasts shine at provincials More.


While the concept of a Triune God, three persons in One God, is hinted at throughout Scripture, Matthew 28:19, is one of the few places that the Triune God is mentioned, "Go, and baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The concept of the trinity is one of the most difficult to understand, but it is not about "understanding", it is about believing. For example, H20.
We all know that is water. Now at 31 degrees what happens to H2O? It becomes a solid. Is it still H20? What happens to water at 50 degrees? H2O becomes as liquid. Is it still H2O? Of course. What happens to H2O at 212 degrees? It becomes a gas/vapor. Is it still H2O?
God reveals himself to us in three ways, One God, but as Father who creates and sustains all creations; a Son who redeems, saves the world through his death on the cross; and finally as the Holy Spirit who creates faith, calls us to worship, brings us forgiveness, will raise all the dead at Christ's return, and who brings us eternal life.


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Morgansports.com.au believes that if you are serious about weight training then you should be serious about injury protection and safer lifting techniques. Weight lifting wrist straps, elbow straps, knee straps, figure 7 straps and powerlifting straps are designed to allow you to lift more and do more reps than you can without them. Weightlifting straps allow the user to hold on easier to dumbbells, barbells and pull up bars. Power lifting straps secure tightly around your wrist and have a length of heavy material that wraps around any bar to ensure a tight grip. Weightlifting hooks work in a similar fashion, also securing around the wrist. The difference is that weight lifting hooks have a metal 'j' hooks that wrap around a bar to create extra holding power and transfer pressure from your wrist back onto the hook itself. Direct wholesale pricing to your club, ensures that you get the best deal for your members, shop now at morgansports.com.au we are a direct B2B wholesaler which means, we will never sell to your clients directly!


text:
The Mind's Machine: Foundations of Brain and Behavior (Paperback)
By Neil V. Watson, S. Marc Breedlove
The Mind's Machine imparts the core concepts of behavioral neuroscience to students in a diverse range of disciplines, including not only psychology and the other life sciences, but art, philosophy, media studies, linguistics, and the like. The Mind's Machine, Fourth Edition, offers a streamlined text, full-color art, novel pedagogical features, and real-life examples and analogies to engage students new to neuroscience without sacrificing accuracy. This accessible, reader-friendly book is appropriate for brain and behavior, biopsychology, and physiological psychology courses.
Optimize Student Learning with Oxford Insight
The Mind's Machine, Fourth Edition, is also available separately in Oxford Insight. Oxford Insight delivers the content of The Mind's Machine within powerful, data-driven courseware designed to optimize student success. with a foundation in learning science, Insight enables instructors to deliver a personalized and engaging learning experience that empowers students by actively engaging them with assigned reading. This adaptivity, paired with real-time actionable data about student performance, helps instructors ensure that each student is best supported along their unique learning path. Contact your Oxford University Press representative or visit https: //oxfordinsight.oup.com/ to learn more.
Neil V. Watson and the members of his lab at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada study sex-related aspects of the structure and function of the nervous system, with ongoing grant support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. His research, which spans from the effects of hormones and pollutants on the structure of the nervous system to the relationships among social factors, cognition, and steroids in humans, has appeared in a variety of journals, including the Journal of Neuroscience, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and Brain Research. Dr. Watson received his undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Western Ontario and his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, he joined the faculty at SFU in 1996 where he is now Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience and Chair of Psychology. He teaches biological psychology to hundreds ofundergraduate and graduate students each year. S. Marc Breedlove, the Barnett Rosenberg Professor of Neuroscience at Michigan State University, has written over 130 scientific articles investigating the role of hormones in shaping the developing and adult nervous system, publishing in journals including Science, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. He is also passionate about teaching-in the classroom, and in the greater community through interviews with the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and Newsweek, as well as broadcast programs such as All Things Considered, Good Morning America, and Sixty Minutes. He has active grant support from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Breedlove is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association for Psychological Science.
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA


text:
Analyze data with the Statistics software R
Revision as of 11:35, 21 February 2013 by Michael (talk | contribs)
1 Normal Location and Scale
1.1 Online results:
1.2 The underlying source code
1.4 External links
Normal Location and Scale
This litte application sends the y-coordinates of the points which are normal distributed (pseudo-)random numbers to the server.
There, location and scale of the sample are estimated using the Statistics software R.
The return values are plotted and displayed.
The computed estimates are:
mean, standard deviation: red (non-robust!)
median and MAD: black (most-robust!)
radius-minimax estimator: green (optimally robust; cf. Rieder et al. (2008))
By changing the y-position of the four movable points you should recognize the instability (non-robustness) of mean and standard deviation in contrast to the robust estimates; e.g., move one of the four movable points to the top of the plot.
Online results:
Statistics:<br>
The underlying source code
The underlying JavaScript and PHP code
The R script can be downloaded here.
The Costs of not Knowing the Radius, Helmut Rieder, Matthias Kohl and Peter Ruckdeschel, Statistical Methods and Application 2008 Feb; 17(1): p.13-40; cf. also [1] for an extended version.
Robust Asymptotic Statistics, Helmut Rieder, Springer, 1994.
Numerical Contributions to the Asymptotic Theory of Robustness, Matthias Kohl, PhD-Thesis, University of Bayreuth, 2005; cf. also [2].
The R Project for statistical computing.
RobASt project on R-Forge
Wikipedia on Robust Statistics
Retrieved from "http://jsxgraph.uni-bayreuth.de/wiki/index.php?title=Analyze_data_with_the_Statistics_software_R&oldid=6042"


text:
Fort Meade Alliance Appoints New Board Members
The Fort Meade Alliance (FMA) has appointed four new members to its Board of Directors effective Nov. 12, 2015.
New Board members include Robert Hannon, President and CEO of Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation; Jennifer Smith, Director of Operations and Site Executive for Raytheon's Fort Meade Operations; Larry Twele, CEO of Howard County Economic Development Authority and Anne Wagner, President and CEO of WaveStrike.
"Anne, Jenny, Larry and Bob are passionate about the FMA mission and we are excited to add them to the Board of Directors," said FMA President Steve Tiller. "They are proven leaders whose expertise and enthusiasm will strengthen our organization."
Hannon is an experienced economic development executive who was appointed in late 2014 by Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh to lead AAEDC for the second time. He previously served as head of AAEDC from 2007 to 2013. In this role, he works to strengthen the county's business climate in order to attract and retain businesses and create jobs. During his time away from AAEDC, Hannon was project manager for joint task that worked to solidify Maryland's Baltimore-Washington corridor as the global center for cyber industry development. In this role, he developed a strategic plan to leverage the region's government, educational and business resources to nurture the growth of the region's cyber industry. Hannon has been involved with the FMA for several years, and he previously served on the Board during his first stint with AAEDC.
Smith serves as Site Executive for Raytheon's Fort Meade Operations business which specializes in full-spectrum cyber operations development and support and large-scale cloud analytics development. She has served in a variety of leadership roles with Raytheon including Engineering Director and Product Line Director. Smith has been very active in FMA activities and she also volunteers her time to support regional education and workforce initiatives, including serving as the AFCEA Central Maryland Valentine's Gala chair, which has raised more than $150,000 for STEM scholarships during her 3-year tenure. She has also served on the board of the Independent College Fund of Maryland.
Twele, CEO of the HCEDA, is a seasoned economic development professional with a track record of success in business development, business retention, workforce development and tourism. Before joining HCEDA, he was the Director of the Carroll County Department of Economic Development for six years. He also spent seven years with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, where he held several positions, including managing the statewide regional office system. He also spent seven years in management in a Fortune Global 500 manufacturing firm and three years as a manager of a small business.
As President and CEO of WaveStrike, Wagner applies the lessons learned throughout her career to build and lead a team that provides software engineering services to the Department of Defense and intelligence community. The company provides technology solutions in the areas of cloud computing, big data analytics and cybersecurity. An active FMA member for several years, Wagner participated in FMA organized economic roundtable discussions for Senator Ben Cardin and the Federal Reserve Bank. She also serves on the Board of AFCEA Central Maryland. She was recently named to the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ Class of 2015.
The Fort Meade Alliance Board of Directors consists of 26 members, representing a diverse group of business and industries in the Fort Meade region. View the complete list.
Your ticket for the: Fort Meade Alliance Appoints New Board Members


Information is like a genie in a bottle. It can be used for good purposes and for bad. It's good to keep both in mind.
Healthcare has its share of charlatans, incompetents, poseurs and crooks. Does the availability of more accessible information empower these people or disable them? Surely both. But believers in the free market of ideas start with the assumption — call it false optimism if you will — that in the world of ideas good will drive out bad.
Fishkill-based MedAllies, founded in 2001, is in the business of implementing electronic health records (EHR) in order to facilitate physician office redesign, improve office practice efficiencies, and enhance population health. Its thinking has been influential in the ideas contained in the New York State Health Innovation Plan adopted by the state government last year.
Its CEO, Dr. A John Blair III, is also president of the 5000-member Taconic IPA, whose physician members have been at the forefront of transforming healthcare delivery in the Hudson Valley through meaningful use of health information technology and pay-for-performance incentives. MedAllies boasts of now including nearly 2500 healthcare organizations and 40,000 users in its Direct network. It connects to more than 6000 healthcare organizations and 200,000 users.
The company appears to be continuing its expansionary mode. "MedAllies is experiencing unprecedented growth, both internally and in terms of market share," said Blair recently.
Blair's a nationally recognized expert in the use of healthcare information. He realizes that information is a tool for change. Revolutionary healthcare transformation, he wrote last month, "required the use of health information technology as a tool, care coordination as a process, and realigned payments as an incentive." That's the present New York State plan in a nutshell.
American healthcare transformation has been a long slog, as its pioneers are fully aware. The perils of information misuse and abuse are very real. Security and the protection of privacy are real concerns, as any veteran of the health information technology field is well aware. In that regard, MedAllies has put great effort into protecting the users of its network.


Ladies and Gentlemen, Mermaids (and Mermen) do exist, and I found them in Raja Ampat, for real!!
First of all, the coastal topography and its geographical location make the weather in Raja Ampat rather unpredictable. One moment, it could be dazzlingly hot, but another second, it could be pouring heavily like on the first afternoon, the day we arrived. Or curious still, is the local rain as you can see in the photo below. But lucky us, the weather after that heavy downpour just got better, so we were able to island-hop conveniently and safely. Although occasionally in the evening, it drizzled a bit.
So the first stop on our itinerary was Teluk Kabui, a small bay situated between Waigeo and Gam islands. Getting there from our resort was quite quick and we knew we were there when we started seeing boulder formation with trees growing from it, as The Lonely Planet puts it 'jungle-topped limestone islets'. The islets were of curious shapes, some like tops, balancing precariously on a thin base, which the salty sea water and weather erode over time.
It took us quite a lot of effort getting up to one of the islets, with steep and unsteady soil slopes and virtually nothing to hold on to. But the view from the top, this, was a worthy reward.
The next day on our island hopping tour, our first stop was Sawinggrai Village. Apart from the clear shallow water with coral reefs-studded shore, what's more memorable about this place is the people and the kids! A bunch of enthusiastic little children, who were innocently curious with the toys (drone) that we brought for documentation. We also got to feed the fish here, which turns out to love dough (flour and water mixture)! There's a homestay here, so it could be one of your options if you wish to stay with the locals and experience how their easygoing daily lives go about.
Then something in the water got the children fixated..
Next stop, Pianemo, an islet that provides one of the most tourist-captured sights. To get to the top, one has to climb up the 120-ish wooden stairs. Yep, again the effort was great, but the view and the heat at the top was unparalleled. Despite the heat, I didn't want to leave immediately, I just wanted to soak up as much of that view as possible!
With this kind of view, would you even want to leave?
Be careful when you're here because the danger of dehydration and even heat stroke is very real. So bring your sunnies all the time, apply the strongest sun screen that you can find with SPF 50 or even more, wear a hat if possible and have a water bottle ready in hand always!
Close to Pianemo, there's a Homestay, where we went to, to have lunch. The Homestay's location is ushered on one side by the by and the other side already open seas.
At Arborek Village, I took my very first dip in Raja Ampat's water and the experience was simply surreal. It was my very first snorkeling experience ever and I was quite gutless to swim without a life vest like most of the others in our group. Well although not as adept swimmer as our mermaids are, I managed to stay afloat and could breathe through the snorkel to soak up the surreal view underwater.
One of the clearer shots I managed to get underwater. Aren't you intimidated by the sheer number of fish there?
Yenbuba village was another spot that we visited. I remember it because it has a very long floating deck (see below photo), as well as a spot where I took a repeated jump off the deck just so I can get a video of myself jumping into water. I wish I could do somersault in the air like the local boys could. Ah, at least, I had the guts to jump LOL!
This site is also another unique, must-visit natural attraction in Raja Ampat, which is located right smack in the middle of the sea. The sandbank is at its biggest during low tide, so it's actually quite difficult for our boat to reach. So we had to walk from the coral-studded shallow water towards the sandy bank. There was no vegetation at all, so if you intend to stay here for quite a while, it would be wise to bring an umbrella or anything to cower under. The sun, I can't emphasize more, is merciless! It's best to wear slippers when crossing the water to the sand bank, because the coral reefs are very sharp and will otherwise graze and cut your legs, if without.
This was our last beach / islet spot of #MannaEncounterRajaAmpat tour. As we were all tired from playing in the water at Yenbuba and Pasir Timbul earlier. It's a shaded shore with a large tree and there's even a swing hanging from one of the trunks. Lovely place to just chill under the shade and enjoy the breeze.
And that was the end of our journey in Raja Ampat! The next day, we took the boat back to Sorong and spent an evening there. The city is still a sleepy and developing coastal city, there are a few supermarkets, shophouses, canteens, schools, hotels, etc. But they were all pretty basic, we're lucky to have wi-fi connection in the hotel, although it's quite slow.
Craving for some coffee, I asked my friend who's living in Sorong to take me around to find some souvenir and a decent place for coffee. The only place selling Papuan souvenir is just like a small 'warung', and the goods are quite expensive, which I guess is fair, because they must have traveled far from the source to get to the city, and the materials are all real feather / claws / etc. Let's just say I'm not keen on collecting preserved animal parts *shudders and thus, I'd rather buy a coconut shell bowl that I found at Misool for IDR 50,000. Again, not cheap for coconut shell, but oh well, at least I have something to bring home as a souvenir for myself.
The name 'Manna' was inspired from the history in the Holy Bible and the Quran. It was the food that God provided from the sky for the Israelis, during their journey to cross the dessert. Manna Indonesia was established in 2015 with a vision to professionally manage premium natural Indonesian products, such as bird's nest, hand-harvested fleur de sel (sea salt), premium flower tea and more products to be added in their portfolio soon.
Fascinating and beautiful. Thanks so much for your posts.
It must've been a memorable one for you. Nice shots!


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Ooh, so CUTE! LOVE the sleigh and that adorable snowman! Looks like he's having a ball! hahaha, Super Cute gift idea! Have a wonderful weekend!
Super cute treat box made with the Sleigh! Your little snowman is super adprbs!
Love this sleigh. Such an awesome gift idea.
Oh my goodness! Your sleigh and snowman combination have sent my Christmas spirit soaring! Love how 'enthusiastic' your little guy is, spreading joy to all who see him!
Two of my favorite things! The sleigh and a snowman! Love this!
I really need this sleigh in my stash! I just love it. Love that you can make it a treat holder with the sleigh bed. LOVE the snowman addition, too.
OMG, that is so adorable! What a fantastic treat box. A beautiful present that anyone would love to have.
OMG Miss Katey Your Sleigh is so Cute!! Love your idea for Frosty to be in charge....I can just picture him dancin' around town with his no horse open sleigh!! Love that Plaid Paper...so Stunning...You did a Super Incredible Creative job!! YOU so ROCK!!
how adorabble !!! who would not like that for a cute present!!
Haha! Maybe the sleigh was flying too low and hit that snowman...I like it :D So adorable!
No matter how he got there, I like the snowman in front of this cute plaid sleigh.


We have completed the winter season of basketball and the spring season and hopefully spring weather is on the horizon. Try-outs for the spring season will start the week of April 9th. The sports that will be offered this season is Girls Soccer and Boys Volleyball. Please make sure your student athlete has turned in a permission slip(located outside the gym) by the first day of try outs. The game schedule will be available after the league determines the schools participating this season.We look forward to a very exciting spring season and hopefully some more trophies for our Blaine athletes.
Try-outs and practice will be held on Monday and Wednesday afternoon from 3:00-4;30. Try-out dates are April 9th and April 11th.
Try-outs and practices will be held on Monday and Wednesday afternoon from 3:00-4:30. Try-out dates are April 9th and April 11th.
***Any questions about soccer can be directed to Mr. Sikes and any questions about volleyball can be directed to Ms. Harms.