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88-year-old man drives 3 kms wrong way on Tomei Expressway
Mar. 19, 2016	03:45 pm JST	 Mar. 19, 2016 | 03:54 pm JST
An 88-year-old man drove for about three kilometers in the opposite direction on the Tomei Expressway in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, police said Saturday.
The heavily-traveled express links Tokyo and Nagoya, but nobody was hurt during the incident which occurred at around 2:50 p.m. Friday, Sankei Shimbun reported.
Police said that the small car being driven by the man crashed after it crossed over the median barrier, but the driver was not hurt.
According to investigations, the man was initially driving in the correct direction and heading off the Hamamatsu Interchange when suddenly he made a U-turn in front of the toll collecting station. He then proceeded to drive his vehicle in the opposite direction of the same inbound road he had just come from.
The man managed to drive along the expressway, as oncoming vehicles swerved to avoid hitting him, for three kilometers until he crashed.
Police said the man, who lives in Nagoya, told them he was going to the hospital and said he had no idea that he was driving in the wrong direction.
SenseNotSoCommon
Mar. 19, 2016	05:31 pm JST
He wasn't going the wrong way. Everyone else was.
smithinjapan
Take away their licenses. Sorry, but the fact that he did a U-turn but had 'no idea' he was driving the wrong way is a pretty clear indication he was unfit to drive, and we hear about this, and hitting the gas instead of hte break and/or plowing down a group of people, far too often these days.
4 ( +10 / -6 )
Whoa, 3km! That's outrageous. Japan's prefectural unten menkyo centers need to clean house.
He should have his license revoked and or force to sit a new test
Are you serious?? At this point, a new tests should be out of the question.
Kobe White Bar Owner
He should have his license revoked and or force to sit a new test. Sure he will get away with a deep bow as we gotta be kind to old people even when they risk the lives of others knowingly or otherwise.
some14some
Police said the man, who lives in Nagoya, told them he was going to the hospital
it is 'certain' that he was going to a right place.
Nelson Wong
Yes! I was the victim of a hit and run last night!!! The woman that hit me was at least late 60s early 70s. I'm fine, but she looked me dead in the eyes and took off!
That's the spirit!
danalawton1@yahoo.com
You'd think on the "Tomei", the signs would be clear.
Monozuki
he was going to the hospital and said he had no idea that he was driving in the wrong direction.
Aha! That makes sense in a way. He may not have time to think about anything except going to the hospital.
wtfjapan
and Japan wants the worlds safest rds, sorry not going to happen until you stop most of the older folk from driving. quicker we get self driving cars for the elderly the better.
Have had two accidents exactly like this just off the exit ramp on I-75 about a mile or so from my home. Both fatal.
oyatoi
It'll all be on record who authorized the most recent renewal. Right now I bet you there's one or more license testing center officials sweating on the results of police enquires (rehearsing their answers).
ebisen
That's gotta be a new record, 3 km against the traffic on one of the most crowded highways in the world without crashing... Seriously...
changamangaliay
During that 3 km of drive he must be getting mad at those who were coming from opposite side on the lane he was driving.
WilliB
Well he should lose his license for sure.
battambangbound
I guess he couldn't see the oncoming traffic. After all, "tomei" means "invisable" in Japanese.
seadog538
At least he wasn't trying to attack someone in a fit of road rage.
The roads are quiet safe the people using them are the problem.
BertieWooster
smithinjapan,
Take away their licenses.
"Their" licenses, Smithers?
There was only one man driving in the article.
Or do you mean that no 88 year olds should be allowed to drive?
You would punish all for the sake of one?
Gov't streamlines celebration for crown prince's ascension
Japan faces decision over contaminated Fukushima nuclear plant water
Jan. 21	04:04 pm JST	 Jan. 21 | 04:05 pm JST
Abe calls for vigilance, steps against spread of new coronavirus


Congrats to Davitt Award Winners!
I am over the moon that two of my favourite people won awards at this year's Davitt's. They are Sulari Gentill and Jaye Ford. The wonderful blog fairdinkumcrime lists the winners but I wanted to add my heartfelt congratulations to two awesome female crime fiction authors.


International Bipolar Foundation hosted a special luncheon and presentation with Emmy Award-Winning Actor and Film Producer, Joe Pantoliano.
As one of today's best-known character actors, Joe Pantoliano boasts over 100 film, television, and stage credits. Joey Pants—as he is affectionately known—has been revered and honored for his unique and entertaining portrayals—including killer pimp "Guido" in Risky Business, bumbling criminal "Francis Fratelli" in The Goonies, double-crossing bail bondsman "Eddie Moscone" in Midnight Run, cynical US Marshall "Cosmo Renfro" in The Fugitive, turncoat "Cypher" in The Matrix, and shady sidekick "Teddy" in Memento. In 2001, at the behest of producer David Chase, Pantoliano joined the cast of the landmark HBO series The Sopranos. While portraying psychopathic mobster "Ralphie Cifaretto" on the hit show, the actor published Who's Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-Up Guy, a bittersweet memoir about his New Jersey childhood and his mother's mental illness that was a New York Times bestseller.
Inspired by his role in Canvas, Pantoliano created No Kidding, Me Too!, a nonprofit. Continuing to spread his message, Pantoliano made his directorial debut with an informative and moving documentary titled No Kidding, Me Too!, seeking to promote mental health and awareness. It became an integral piece of the Stomp the Stigma tour which includes a 12-day stay in Iraq, visiting troops and addressing mental illness. His second book, Asylum: Hollywood Tales from My Great Depression: Brain Dis-Ease, Recovery, and Being My Mother's Son, was published in May 2012. A humorous and candid account of his own journey through clinical depression, Asylum chronicles Pantoliano's quest for fame and the downhill spiral into depression and addiction that followed his success. By charting his own diagnosis and recovery, he hopes to educate others and remove the stigma from mental illness.


Description This is James Carson's Oath of Loyalty to the United States. Carson describes himself as a 70-year-old resident of Clay County, Missouri who was born in Kentucky. He states that during the Civil War he ""stayed at home."" The oath, labeled No. 124 in a bound volume, was signed by Carson in 1866.


Sleep aboard this Ketch for €550 per night, in Marmaris. Come and join us on Anna Belle, a Formosa 51 with 3 en suite cabins. You can tell us where you want to go and what you want to do. Or, we can suggest some possibilities for you. Maybe following Alexander the Great's path, the Lycian Way, along the Turkish southern coast, stopping off in little bays for swimming, snorkeling or fishing and then pulling in somewhere for the night where there is great food and drink. Taking time to explore the fascinating history to be found all along the coast. Or, we can cruise amongst the Dodecanese islands stopping off where, when, and for however long you want to. It's up to you, it's your holiday. We are based in Marmaris, Turkey which is a great jumping off point! Tell us what you want and we will make it happen!
This is not a bare-boat charter. A Skipper and crewman will be responsible for Anna Belle during your stay on board. They will take you where you want to go but their word is final in matters of seamanship, navigation, and safety. You will be responsible for the purchase of all food and drink. At the start of the charter you will be shown that the diesel tanks are full and you will bear the cost of refilling the tanks at the end of the charter period. Any mooring fees will be your responsibility.


Dr. Falcione combined a career as an active consultant with that of professor of organizational communication, researcher/author, and university administrator. Competencies in the area of conflict management, high-performance teams, facilitation skills, coaching and counseling skills, management and organization development, communication audits, customer service, and oral presentation skills have led to a variety of consulting assignments. For the last 20 years, a focus has been placed on PC/Internet-based 360-degree feedback, using Acumen Leadership assessments, and Panoramic Feedback instruments.
He has conducted training in communication and leadership skills for numerous government organizations such as the Dept. of the Navy, General Accounting Office, various county governments, the Dept. of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health. Selected business and association clients include AmeriChoice, United Health Care, National Association of Community Health Centers, Equitable Life Assurance of America, The Mortgage Corporation, Investment Companies Institute, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, IBM, and Verizon.
Since 1985, Dr. Falcione has developed and delivered employee development courses for the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. Since 1994, he has been one of the lead facilitators for the government-sponsored Security Briefers Course. He has also developed and delivered management and employee development courses for the Department of the Navy from 1976 to the present. Additionally, he has developed and delivered employee development courses for the Montgomery County Police Department and has trained nearly 1,000 police officers.
Significant experience in survey research methods has led to conducting communication audits for AT&T, the National Park Service, NOAA, HHS, NASA, a U.S. Senator's office, and various County Government offices. Other government clients include the Departments of the Air Force, Army, and Navy, Office of Personnel Management, Department of Labor, and the Defense Department.
A professor at the University of Maryland for over 30 years, Dr. Falcione retired, but periodically teaches courses in organizational communication, organization development, organizational behavior and human resources, and work team dynamics in the University's Robert H. Smith School of Business and School of Public Policy.
He is a life member of the International Communication Association (ICA), past Chairperson of the Organizational Communication Division of ICA, past president of the Maryland Communication Association, member of the American Society for Training and Development, and the Academy of Management.
Dr. Falcione holds a Ph.D. in organizational communication, and has published and presented over 60 articles and papers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He has co-authored 11 books and numerous book chapters dealing with state-of-the-art research in organizational communication, and is often a guest speaker to diverse groups and associations. He is presently revising his book, designed for the practicing manager and individual contributor in Federal, State, and Local governments entitled A GUIDE TO BETTER COMMUNICATION IN GOVERNMENT SERVICE, originally published by Scott-Foresman.
Antonette has over 30 years of experience in designing, developing, delivering, and evaluating myriad training programs for both the intelligence community and university clients.
While working within the intelligence community, Antonette was one of the co-founders of the CIA's Information Technology University (ITU), serving the unique needs of the IT professional. She partnered with both fellow academics and vendor training providers to ensure quality, mission-relevant training in both management and leadership and technical areas. The experience of leading a corporate university for over a decade enabled Antonette to ensure that quality training programs were delivered, as well as periodically deliver management, leadership, and communication training herself.
Due to her stellar reputation within the intelligence community, Antonette was asked to lead a similar training effort at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).Prior to government service, Antonette directed the New York University in Paris summer program for five consecutive years, and was also an assistant professor of French at the Molloy College in Rockville, MD.
Antonette holds a B.A. in French from Molloy College, Rockville Center, New York, an M.A. in French Linguistics from New York University, and a D.E.A. from the University of Paris--Sorbonne in French literature. She taught English language and literature while living in Paris, and is also English as a Second Language (ESL) certified.Antonette has continued teaching ESL on a volunteer basis for Catholic Charities since 2004.
Toi has over 20 years of management and project experience in several business areas including human resources, marketing, communications, client services, and sales. She has worked in various industries that include management consulting, technology, financial services, packaged goods, and international trading.
Toi has over 15 years of experience in managing assessment and survey projects, using the Panoramic Feedback 360° assessment and organizational survey, Acumen Skills and WorkStyles, and HS/CAR organizational culture inventory. She has also designed and implemented various consumer research surveys, using SurveyPro, a specialized, survey software.
Teamed with Falcione Consulting Group, Toi manages the 360° assessment and organizational survey processes.
She holds a B.S. in Music from Hofstra University in New York.


We will be closed to day to celebrate Thanksgiving! Regular hours for the weekend.
Thanks for a great turnout at the Reel Rock Film Tour. if you missed out be sure to check outwww.alohafridaymovie.com for a teaser to a film being made about climbing around the island by Berad Studios.


Fresh blueberries are in abundance in the summer and fall months and can be used in many recipes in the kitchen. To enjoy the flavor of blueberries throughout the year, blueberries can also be preserved by drying, freezing, or canning.
The best fresh berries will be plump and firm. Soft or shriveled berries should not be used. The berries should be blue to purple in color and covered in a whitish waxy substance, called bloom.
Fresh blueberries will only keep in the refrigerator for two to three days. They should kept dry and put in the refrigerator without being washed. The whitish hue on the skin of the berries actually helps to keep the berries fresh, so blueberries should not be washed until right before they are used.
Fresh blueberries have only 45 calories per half cup and are perfect to use fresh in fruit salads, on cereal and on top of cottage cheese or plain yogurt. Fresh blueberries can be used in cooking, but make sure to use a recipe that calls for fresh berries, or the sugar and moisture content may come out wrong.
Blueberries combine well with other berries, they are especially used in recipes with raspberries and strawberries.
Blueberries can be dried to use in in trail mixes and cereal. The berries should be washed and blanched by dipping them in boiling water for thirty seconds. Drain the berries and place them on a tray in a dehydrator for 24 to 36 hours. The berries can also be used in fruit leather, though because of their texture they should be used in combination with another fruit. Dried berries can be reconstituted to be used in pie or pudding by placing them in a bowl and covering them with boiling water. Let the berries soak for at least an hour, or until they are completely soft.
One of the easiest ways to preserve blueberries is to freeze them. Blueberries should not be washed prior to freezing, but should be rinsed before use. Blueberries in this form can be placed in a bag and frozen. However, they will tend to stick together in the bag. Only freeze them this way if freezing them in a set quantity; for example, the amount needed to make pies or muffins. The best way to freeze any berry is to place them on a cookie sheet (or the largest tray that will fit in the freezer), in a single layer until they are frozen. Then remove the berries and place them in bags and put them back into the freezer. Frozen berries will be good for about a year in a deep freezer.
Blueberries can be canned for long term storage. Berries can be canned whole, juiced or made into preserves. Whole berries are usually canned in syrup or juice using the "raw pack" method. Before canning any fruits or vegetables, consult the latest Ball Blue Book for proper recipe and processing times.


This paper investigates the transverse impact response for ultra lightweight cement composite (ULCC) filled pipe-in-pipe structures through a parametric study using both a validated finite element procedure and a validated theoretical model. The parametric study explores the effect of the impact loading conditions (including the impact velocity and the indenter shape), the geometric properties (including the pipe length and the dimensions of the three material layers) as well as the material properties (including the material properties of the steel pipes and the filler materials) on the impact response of the pipe-in-pipe composite structures. The global impact responses predicted by the FE procedure and by the theoretical model agree with each other closely. The parametric study using the theoretical approach indicates the close relationships among the global impact responses (including the maximum impact force and the maximum global displacement) in specimens with the equivalent thicknesses, proposed in the theoretical model, for the pipe-in-pipe composite structures. In the pipe-in-pipe composite structure, the inner steel pipe, together with the outer steel pipe, imposes a strong confinement on the infilled cement composite and enhances significantly the composite action, leading to improved impact resistance, small global and local deformations.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Centre for Offshore Research and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576.


Anne Arundel County Executive Robert R. Neall and county school Superintendent Larry L. Lorton have reached an agreement to keep school buildings open for use on weekends by recreational and community groups.
The agreement came late yesterday after several days of talks. While Neall has agreed to continue funding weekend use of the schools indefinitely, he said that the issue may have to be looked at again in an effort to keep the budget in line.
Facing a projected $8 million deficit this year, Lorton last week banned overtime pay for school custodians. The ban would have prevented custodians from opening and closing schools on the weekend for use by various groups.
But Lorton's prohibition on weekend use sparked complaints from community leaders, parents and the groups directly affected, leading to Neall's intervention.
Ron Beckett, the school system's assistant superintendent for support services, said Neall asked Lorton to allow the schools to remain open while a committee of school and county officials look for additional ways of reduce the projected deficit.
The school system's budget is $330 million this year, Beckett said.
* The school system has approved a plan to set thermostats in secondary schools at 65 degrees during the day and 55 degrees after school and on weekends, and at 68 degrees in elementary schools.
* Also, school offices are to be closed on Dec. 26, 27 and 28 to conserve energy. Athletic events scheduled for those days are to be held but school officials have advised those planning to attend to dress warmly.
Lorton's ban, which was to go into effect tomorrow left many community organizations in limbo.
Jay Cuccia, assistant to the director of the county Department of Recreation and Parks, said he felt as if parents and community and recreational groups were "in a holding pattern."
Former County Councilman Theodore J. Sophocleus said the superintendent's initial decision had the potential of adversely affecting thousands of children. "I think he can find other ways to make up the shortfall," Sophocleus said. "Make adjustments in heating and lighting.
"But to take it out on them, to take it out on the kids, it's just not right. With drugs everywhere, we're in an era where we should be making more use of the schools," he added.
Sophocleus said that when he was a councilman, $1 million was put into the budget for extracurricular activities in the schools. To date, only about $400,000 of that money has been spent, he said. Now, Sophocleus said, because of the projected deficit, the school system is saying that it wants to take the remaining $600,000 for the activities.
"That was not the intent of the council," said Sophocleus, who lost to Neall in the November election. "It's not legal to move from one category to another. Those clubs signed contracts in good faith. I think there's a legal issue here."
Cuccia said that, while this time of year is traditionally slow for his department, the new year will bring with it the start of many athletic leagues, such as men's basketball. It is possible, he said, that if the superintendent's ban had remained, his department may have had to cancel the leagues.
"On any given Saturday or Sunday, we have games in the school from 8 a.m. to eight, nine or 10 at night," Cuccia said. "It would be very difficult to move those games to the middle of the week. For one thing, we don't know work schedules, or what times we could have the schools.
"Then, there are parents to consider. They're not going to want their kids out late at night on a school night."
And the parents have been calling to complain, Cuccia said.
He said his department had checked into using other recreation centers and non-public facilities but there doesn't appear to be enough of them to go around.


And at a bowling alley.
The veggie burger is having something of a moment. Once dismissed as a desiccated soy puck whose allure fell between that of a speeding ticket and a colonoscopy, it has evolved into a sort of Trojan horse of culinary ingenuity, as likely to harbor tamari-soaked almonds as heirloom vegetables.
The specimen served at mission bowling club takes its inspiration from the south of France: its patty is a panisse, a fried chickpea-flour cake common to the region. Mission Bowling's version, though dutifully deep- fried, is improbably delicate and creamy. Shot through with edamame, kale, green onion, and roasted shiitake mushrooms, it's adorned with a crimson smear of red pepper sambal, creamy guacamole, and a thicket of sautéed fennel, all plopped between two pieces of bread.


The machine tool is equipped with the jump institution, so it is not necessary to conduct the manual tool setting again after exiting the grinding wheel for measurement or modification. The start hand of the workbench is equipped with the safety interlock to ensure the security of loading, unloading and measurement. The maximum speed of revolution of the machine tool spindle is 24000rpm to improve the grinding of small holes. For user's special order, the frequency control of electric spindle can be adapted to grind the inner hole with small diameter.
For user's special order, the frequency control of electric spindle can be adapted to grind the inner hole with small diameter.
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Bounce is a web-based tool which provides an easy way to comment on web page screen captures or images. Bounce allows for comments to be added and saved and bounced again by others. Bounce makes it really easy to share ideas, thoughts and feedback on image or web-based screenshots. Each "Bounce" will have a specific link, and can be bounced again with or without additional comments.
Bounce makes it easy to add "comments" to web page or an uploaded image.
In this example I chose to Bounce an image. I chose the image from my computer and uploaded it within Bounce. Once the image is loaded I have the opportunity to insert my name (or pen name). This is used to identify comments by different individuals.
Then the user can drag a rectangle over areas of the image and add a comment or question. These comments are numbered automatically. The commenter's name can be changed by entering a different name in the dropdown at the top of the window.
Clicking "Save" on the top right of the window will create a link specific to this image with the comments added up to the activation of the save.
You can use this link to bounce the screenshot or image with its comments to someone else. Mousing over a rectangle will have the comments appear by the area outlined.
Bounce can be used to annotate websites or images… that is the most obvious, and intended use…. BUT WAIT, I have some other ideas! If I upload a piece of student artwork students can "Bounce" it to share their feedback, suggestions, ideas. If we upload a paragraph of writing (as an image or from a website directly as an URL) students can point out strengths, weaknesses or even errors to be repaired. Students could even use this as a tool to check for clarity in work. Maybe the uploaded image is a solution to a math problem. Students could mark different parts of the solution and explain others ways to solve it or ask each other questions about the process. Working on a group project? Students could use Bounce to mark important parts of online resources they find and add their notes as comments and then Bounce it to other members of their team as a sort of annotated online research packet. Little learners could be bounced an image with lots of details and use the tool to mark areas in a specific shape, or color, or maybe even select things which are alive or not-alive.
Lots of uses for this very easy free tool!


Welcome to the Hotel Almhof!
The next outdoor adventure is right on the doorstep, as the Hotel Almhof is situated at the entrance to the ski resort Silvapark Galtür; in summer, the Hotel is a starting point to many different hikes.
And also indoors the Hotel Almhof offers everything you expect from an outstanding holiday resort in the Tyrolean mountains: accommodation in comfortable rooms, apartments, and suites, excellent cuisine and a luxurious spa area on two floors.
You will have a wonderful time here - definitely!
The unique location above Galtür has many advantages: in winter, you spend your holidays right in the middle of the ski resort, in summer, you are surrounded by blooming alpine pastures.
You appreciate top quality, a first-class lifestyle, and genuine comfort? In this case, you will definitely feel at home here in the Hotel Almhof!


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Netherlands-based Rights Radar Organization for Human Rights called on the United Nations to take urgent action to save the lives of the detainees in the prisons of the Emirati forces in Aden Governorate, south of Yemen, in general and the detainees in Bir Ahmed prison in particular. Many of those detainees had to go on hunger strike to attract the world's attention to their forgotten issue after having faced the most severe torture and abuse by their jailers.
Rights Radar urged the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffith, to include the issue of Aden detainees in his current moves as one of the urgent issues in order to end the suffering of dozens of detainees in Bir Ahmed prison in Mansoura District, Aden Governorate which is run by security forces supported by the UAE.
Rights Radar also called for an impartial and transparent investigation for revealing the circumstances of deaths and serious injuries in Aden prisons, as well as the reasons behind two detainees' loss of their mental capacity in Bir Ahmed prison.
The sources pointed out that "the most prominent evidence of the torture of detainees is that 3 of them tried to commit suicide and some detainees were released insane like the ex-detainee Kafi Gamal Faisal Shaker and others released in a very bad psychological state and mental disorder, like Nidal Mohammed and Nawfal Mohammed." They were released on January 13 with other 9 detainees according to the Public Prosecution's instructions and under pressure of the media and the human rights activists.
Rights Radar realized that the detainees began a hunger strike on December 20, 2018 which has exceeded two weeks as a protest against the disregard of the administration of Bir Ahmed prison for the instructions of the Criminal Prosecution and the Attorney General and a rejection for the bad treatment. They are determined to continue their strike until their demands are achieved.
The families of the detainees in Bir Ahmed prison said that the Public Prosecutor issued a decision on August 10 for releasing some of the detainees, but the prison director refused to set them free. The Prosecution accused the prison director of obstructing this decision and not complying with the Prosecution's instructions.
In the light of this difficult situation, on the 6th of the current month the detainees could leak photos after having their mouths sewn shut. Five days later they leaked a letter revealing that the fainting cases increased to 24 and they threatened to resort to committing suicide by burning themselves. They put full responsibility on the prison administration if they had to do so.
Rights Radar knew that the detainee, Yasser Qasem Al-Kaladi's fate is still unknown. His family received unconfirmed information that he died as a result of torture in Bir Ahmed prison and they demanded to reveal his fate urgently.
Rights Radar asked the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen to take immediate action to save the lives of detainees in Bir Ahmad prison in Aden before losing their lives and increase his humanitarian focus in Yemen to include all victims of abuses in prisons which are run by the Emirati forces or the Houthi armed group.


The only thing I have left to receive is my flight physical. I had a few things I had to get cleared for and now it's waiting on the flight surgeon at my duty station to do whatever he does before sending it to Rucker. My question is are there any recent applicants that had their flight physical submitted and was told 2-3 month turn around rate? That seems kind of ridiculous. I'm seeing people on here receiving them within 48-72 hours of submission. This is the only thing determining which board I turn my packet in for.
Once mine was submitted to Fort Rucker, they stamped it approved in about a week. Although this was back in early October.
Not trying to be nosey, but did you by chance have any waivers? I don't know if that's what is holding up my physical or what.
No, I didn't have any waivers. I'm pretty sure my flight surgeon submitted it the same day, so I just kept checking for the status online throughout the week.
Yeah I keep checking on the AERO site. They still haven't updated my status since January. It's extremely aggravating.


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Josh Ruffell
An Experienced Animal Trainer
An Introduction to Reptile Venom Used for Medical Purposes
A Look at the Black Mamba
The Largest Snake on the African Continent
A Quick Look at the World's Largest Reptiles
Guidelines for Animal Welfare in Films
Josh Ruffell at CakeResume
Josh Ruffell Resumonk
Josh Ruffell | Strikingly
Josh Ruffell, Xing
Posted on August 13, 2017 Entertainment, Josh Ruffell
Survivor-Like Contest Raises Money for Charity
Durham Warriors Survival Challenge
Image: durhamwarriors.org
Leveraging over 25 years of experience working with animals, Josh Ruffell is a Los Angeles-based freelance animal trainer and consultant who has worked on films such as Bad Boys 2, Hidalgo, and Cheaper by the Dozen. From 2005 to 2008, Josh Ruffell served as a wildlife consultant on the CBS show Survivor.
Now in its 34th season, Survivor has developed a large following of fans interested in attempting the team-oriented challenges that those on the show complete. Only a select few each season are chosen to appear on the show's remote locations around the world, but one former winner of the show, Bob Crowley, allows fans and Survivor alumni the opportunity to compete in similar challenges at his farm in Maine.
Hundreds of fans gather at the farm each year to watch contestants take part in the Durham Warriors Survival Challenge, which raises money for the Durham Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization which provides financial support to military veterans. The four-day event functions the same as Survivor in that, upon losing a challenge, one tribe must vote a member out. Survivor alumni Adam Klein, Susie Smith, and LJ McKanas, among others, attended the 2017 event, which was won by Bethany Sass, a Chicago-based accountant.
Charity Josh Ruffell Survivor
Posted on February 2, 2017 Entertainment, Josh Ruffell
The Animal Actors Stage at Universal Studios Hollywood
Animal Actors Stage
Image: universalstudioshollywood.com
An exotic animal trainer with 20 years of experience, Josh Ruffell formerly served as Assistant Curator at Australia Zoo. Prior to his time in Australia, Josh Ruffell worked at Universal Studios in Japan and California as an animal trainer with the Animal Actors Stage.
In 2001, the long running Animal Actors Stage at Universal Studios Hollywood was re-themed as Animal Planet Live and was promoted as a real-life counterpart to the popular television channel Animal Planet. Renamed Hollywood Animal Actors in 2006 (and now Universal's Animal Actors), the show has displayed a wide array of animals, including a crane, capuchin monkey, pigs, dogs, cats, rats and a raccoon.
Located on the Upper Lot of Universal Studios Hollywood, Animal Actors features a host of trained animals showing off their skills with the help of their knowledgeable trainers to an audience that is encouraged to participate. As part of the show, the animals reenact scenes from popular animal-centric movies.
Animal Actors Stage Josh Ruffell Universal Studios Hollywood
Posted on September 20, 2016 September 20, 2016 Entertainment, Josh Ruffell
Cirque Du Soleil to Offer NFL Experience in Times Square
Image: cirquedusoleil.com
As Curator of Reptiles and Birds at Australia Zoo, Josh Ruffell oversaw a diverse collection of animals both native and foreign to Australia. Outside his professional life, Josh Ruffell enjoys taking in all sorts of shows and entertainment, and is particularly fond of Cirque Du Soleil.
Cirque Du Soleil is teaming with the NFL and the NFL Players Association to create a unique attraction in Times Square that will encompass 40,000 square feet. The four-story installation will be located at 20 Times Square and is slated for a fall 2017 opening.
Among its many features, the attraction will boast a 350 seat theater that will be packed with high-definition screens and geared to give fans a unique multimedia experience. The show, which will be produced with the help of NFL Films, will beckon fans into an immersive experience and draw them into the game's action, both from the sidelines as well as behind the scenes.
Cirque Du Soleil is working in conjunction with the Witkoff Group, a real estate investment firm, to develop the site. AEG is also a financial partner in the project, which includes several other strategic stakeholders such as the Rockwell Group, a design firm, and the Thinkwell Group production agency.
Cirque Du Soleil Josh Ruffell NFL Experience Times Square


The latest magazine scans have announced 2 more Tamashii Nations exclusive figures set to release this November, 2014. These are the S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Femme and Kamen Rider Den-O Wing Form.
S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Femme (or Siren in Dragon Knight) represents the rider form of Miho Kirishima in the tokusatsu production Kamen Rider Ryuki. She is one of the 13 Kamen Riders that made a brief cameo in the TV Special 13 Riders, and appeared in the movie Episode: Final. It seems that there will be no contract monsters included but she will come with her armaments called the Wing Slasher, Wing Shield, Advent Cards and wrist replacements. Price is about 4860 yen.
Next is Kamen Rider Den-O Wing Form. The figure, aside from the usual hand replacements will include the DenGasher in boomerang and handaxe more. Price is about 4860 yen.


Every major bank offers online bill pay, eBill or ePay, which allows you to make regular payments without the need for a check. You can set this up with your bank through online banking or by calling your bank. Here's a link with instructions for most major banks.
-Put the initials of the staff member you are supporting under account number or in the memo line. Make the check out to "University Christian Ministries".
-Your bank sends us a check every month free of charge!
-No need to pay for a stamp!
NOTE: We have switched from PayPal to a new (and we think "BETTER!") online giving option.
For our online giving, we use a ministry donation tool called Tithe.ly. Through Tithe.ly, you can set up both individual and recurring donations for the staff member of your choosing. You can utilize Tithe.ly both through our website here, as well as through an app on your smart phone (see below). Transactions are encrypted, and you can choose to give through either credit card, debit card, or ACH/Bank transfers. Tithe.ly also supports electronic donation statements sent to your email for ease of personal bookkeeping.
Credit & debit card donations incur a processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
ACH/Bank transfers incur a processing fee of 1% + $0.30 per transaction.
*Be sure to select which missionary you would like to support from the dropdown list or make a general donation.
**Within the app search "CCF" and select the "University Christian Ministries – Staff" option.
Simply mail a check to UCM each month.
Note: If you currently do not receive newsletters but want your support to go to a specific missionary, please be sure their last name is on the envelope. Please make the check out to "University Christian Ministries" that way your gift will be tax deductible!


The UK's Chilcot Inquiry was convened under then Prime Minister Gordon Brown to establish the decisions taken by the UK government and military, pre and post invasion. It ran from 24th November 2009 until 2nd February 2011 and cost an estimated £7.5 million. The as yet unpublished Report is believed to run to 1,000,000 words.
The stumbling block – more of an Israeli-style "separation barrier" in reality – has been the correspondence between Tony Blair and George W. Bush, prior to an invasion and occupation, which former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan finally told the BBC was "illegal" and that "painful lessons" had been learned, (BBC, 16th September 2004), "lessons" clearly not learned by the current British government.
The Inquiry had also been seeking clarification from O'Donnell's successor Sir Jeremy Heywood regarding inclusion of references to "the content of Mr Blair's notes to President Bush, and to the records of discussions between Mr Blair and Presidents Bush and Obama." The wall remains in place.
Interestingly too "O'Donnell had consulted Blair before saying the notes must remain secret." Effectively, one of the accused, in an action which has destroyed a country, lynched the President, murdered his sons and teenage nephew and caused the deaths of perhaps one and a half million people, decides what evidence can be presented before the Court. Chilcot, has seen the documents but seemingly needs the accused's permission to publish them.
A stitch-up of which any "rogue" or "totalitarian" regime, would surely be proud.
Ironically on 31st October 2006, David Cameron voted in favour of a motion brought by the Scottish National Party and Wales' Plaid Cymru ("The Party of Wales") calling for an Inquiry into the Blair government's conduct of the Gulf war.
On 15th June 2009, in a parliamentary debate, the terms of the Chilcot Inquiry were presented in detail, duly recorded in Hansard, the parliamentary records.
In order that the committee is as objective and non-partisan as possible, the membership of the committee will consist entirely of non-partisan public figures acknowledged to be experts and leaders in their fields. There will be no representatives of political parties from either side of this House.
The whole point of having an Inquiry is that it has to be able to make clear recommendations, to go wherever the evidence leads, to establish the full truth and to ensure that the right lessons are learned … in a way that builds public confidence.
Cameron was particularly concerned about: "openness." How times change.
David Cameron is apparently also blocking evidence "… on Washington's orders, from being included in the report of an expensive and lengthy British Inquiry." Confirmation, were it ever needed, that Britain is the US 51st State, whose puppet Prime Ministers simply obey their Master's voice.
However, "shame" clearly not being a word in Cameron's lexicon, he landed in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon, a British Colony 1815-1948) as the above shoddy details broke, in full colonial mode.
Spectacular welcoming ceremonies barely over, he launched into an entirely undiplomatic, public tirade, at this gathering of the "Commonwealth family of nations" alleging that his host, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was guilty of war crimes during the civil war with the Tamil Tigers. Not disputed is, as any conflict, that terrible crimes were committed on both sides. But these are accusations from the man both covering up the genesis of massacres of genocidal magnitude – and who enjoined in the near destruction of Libya, the resultant lynching of the country's leader, the murder of his sons and small grand children and uncounted others in another decimation of a country who had threatened no other.
Cameron's Libya is Blair's Iraq. As with Iraq, the dying continues daily.
The pontification also from a Prime Minister backing funding for the cannibalistic orientated insurgents in Syria, the beheading, dismembering, looting, displacing, kidnapping, chemical weapons lobbying, child killing, infanticide-bent crazies, including those from his own country.
In Sri Lanka he demanded the country ensure "credible, transparent and independent investigations into alleged war crimes" and said if this did not happen by the March deadline, he arbitrarily imposed, he would press the UN Human Rights Council to hold an international inquiry. Further: "truth telling", he said, was essential. To cite hypocrisy of breathtaking proportions has become a redundant accusation, but words are failing.
Ironically, in spite a tragic recent past, Sri Lanka is the only country in South Asia rated high on the Human Development Index. The UK and "allies" recent victims, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan barely make it to the bottom.
It was British taxpayers' money that funded the Chilcot Inquiry, and this taxpayer wants her money's worth. All the British government papers concerning the sorry affair of an invasion of another country belong to this nation, not to the United States, not to Tony Blair, not to the current government. Taxpayers aren't here to save the faces of politicians.
Nor is it, in the words of the Cabinet Office, 'in the public's interest' that exchanges between the UK Prime Minister and the US President are kept secret' – sorry, 'privileged' – from those who are paying their wages. The phrase 'in the public interest' only ever means the interests of the government of the day.
Unless Sir John Chilcot and his team can publish a full and honest report, no lessons will be learnt by future governments. But then, if those lessons were learnt, and we the public knew (as in fact we do) what they were, this country would find it difficult to ever invade anywhere ever again.
This entry was posted in All Posts News Politics and-or Videos, England-UK-Britain, Human Rights, Iraq, Politics, War Crimes and tagged Chilcot Inquiry, David Cameron, Felicity Arbuthnot, Gordon Brown, John Chilcot, Sri Lanka, Tony Blair. Bookmark the permalink.
Great post. Can't wait to read the UK Chilcot Inquiry's findings.


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Our cardio program is for individuals that want to do a 5k, 10k, 15k, marathon, want to max out their PT time, and want to lose weight. The cardio program is not for athletes (check out metabolic training), bodybuilders, fitness competitors, or powerlifters. We have a built in walking program for bodybuilders, fitness competitors, and powerlifters. Our cardio program can be used by people that don't have access to a gym, bike, treadmill, pool, or recumbent bike. We use RPE so you don't need a heart rate monitor or some other fancy device to measure how hard or how far you are working. We completely take the guesswork out of your cardio training.
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HERE AT THE RANT, we recently received a missive from a good friend of ours who closed his letter with the phrase, "GO YANKEES," followed by a full twenty-six exclamation points.
Unfortunately for our good friend, these twenty-six exclamation points UTTERLY FAILED to bring his beloved Yankees a victory in last night's contest against the Boston Red Sox. While we do not wish to begin "talking smack" -- as we fear that Babe Ruth will claw his way out of his grave, shamble onto the pitch, and proceed to throttle Derek Lowe during the seventh-inning stretch on Tuesday -- we would offer some gentle teasing about last night's matchup. Besides, we figure that doing so will merely "cancel out the karma" and lead to a fair and even matchup between these two fine the valiant Red Sox and that other team.


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Browse: Home / Four-year 'encuentro' process begins in the U.S.
Four-year 'encuentro' process begins in the U.S.
Posted by CNS on March 27, 2017 in National News, World & nation | 28 Views | Leave a response
Leaders in ministry to U.S. Hispanic Catholics stand in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in 2016 with the Encuentro cross. They are from left: Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, national coordinator of the Fifth Encuentro; Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church; Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles; and Mar Munoz-Visoso, executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church. (CNS photo/Robert Duncan)
WASHINGTON (CNS) — In Spanish, the word "encuentro" means encounter and in the modern church in the U.S., it refers to a series of meetings that will take place over the next four years aimed at getting to know Latinos and producing more involvement in the church of its second largest and fastest growing community.
"The intent is for Latinos to have an encounter with the entire church and for the church to have an encounter with Latinos, understanding who they are, how they think, how they live their faith, so we can work together and move together and build a church together," said Mar Munoz-Visoso, executive director of the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
A recent report by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University commissioned by the U.S. bishops shows that more than half of millennial-generation Catholics born in 1982 or later are Hispanic or Latino. Those numbers alone call for the church to have a plan of how it will bring Latinos in the U.S. into the church's leaderships roles, its vocations and their role in society, Munoz-Visoso said.
"You cannot plan the future of the church without having an important conversation about this population," she told Catholic News Service. "This effort is very important."
While the numbers of Latinos in the church are growing, "there is a gap between the numbers of Latinos in the pews, and the numbers of Latinos in leadership, and the numbers of vocations, or (Latino students) in Catholic schools," Munoz-Visoso said.
The first part of encuentro, as the process is called, started in early 2017 and it's the fifth such process of its kind. Encuentros in the U.S. church took place in 1972, 1977, 1985 and 2000, but the Fifth National Encuentro, also known as "V Encuentro," is expected to be the biggest one of its kind in terms of attendance.
Participants first meet in small Christian communities at the local level to discern, dialogue, reflect about faith and the baptismal call, Munoz-Visoso said. Later in the year, parishes will hold parish encuentros of their own, which will later lead to diocesan, regional and finally a nationwide encuentro, set for Sept. 20-23, 2018, in Grapevine, Texas, in the Diocese of Fort Worth. The final part is a "post-national encuentro" that will include publishing a national working document about ways to implement what was learned during the process.
Encuentro organizers hope the process will yield an increase in vocations of Latinos to the priesthood, religious life, permanent diaconate, an increase in the percentage of Latino students enrolling at Catholic schools, and create a group of Latino leaders for the church, as well as an increase Latinos' sense of belonging and stewardship in the U.S. church.
At the fall 2016 meeting of U.S. bishops in Baltimore, Boston Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley expressed concern that the younger generations of Latinos "is a demographic that is slipping away from the church and I think we have a window of opportunity and the window of opportunity is closing."
Many Latinos are "joining the ranks of 'nones,'" said Cardinal O'Malley, referring to the growing number of Americans who are choosing to be unaffiliated with any organized religion.
"We have very few, relatively, Hispanics in our Catholic schools. They're underrepresented in our religious education programs, and I'm hoping that the outreach that is going to be done as part of the preparation for this 'encuentro' will make a difference," he said.
Munoz-Visoso said Latinos are being courted by all kinds of groups, not just other church denominations.
"And we are at this juncture in history where we have this dilemma, where the majority of the Catholic Church in the country is becoming Latino, but at the same time, more Latinos than ever are leaving the church," she said. "So, we have to address this situation because we have to really engage them, re-enamor them, their faith and make sure they're committed to their faith."
For those wanting to become involved, they can contact their local parish to see if the parish is involved in the process. More than 5,000 parishes have signed up to participate, said Munoz-Visoso.
Parish-level encuentros take place this May and June. Diocesan encuentros will take place in the fall in more than 150 dioceses with a total of 200,000 participants. The regional encuentros are slated for March-June 2018, with 10,000 delegates expected to attend. The regions conform to the U.S. bishops' 14 episcopal regions. Then comes the Fifth National Encuentro in Texas, which will have as its theme "Missionary Disciples: Witnesses of God's Love." This is then followed by the post-encuentro working document.
Alejandro Aquilera-Ttitus, assistant director of Hispanic affairs in the diversity secretariat, is national coordinator of the Fifth National Encuentro.
The materials for the encuentro meetings were designed so they could be used by small and large groups, Munoz-Visoso told CNS, and there are dioceses that plan to use them with migrant workers in the fields, among prison populations, on university campuses, in prison ministry and in military services so that U.S. service men and women who want to participate can do so anywhere in the world.
"The intent is for Latinos . . . but we're inviting everybody (to participate), if they want to have it in their community," Munoz-Visoso said, adding that the website www.vencuentro.org has information about getting started.


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Alabama League- Each year NICA recognizes student-athletes, coaches and volunteers for their contributions to our program. This year's award nominees
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Alabama League-
Each year NICA recognizes student-athletes, coaches and volunteers for their contributions to our program. This year's award nominees are due November 1st. (CLICK HERE)
Let's make sure the Alabama league is well represented in each of the award categories:
Student-Athlete Category (8 award recipients)
Specialized Student-Athlete Leadership Award – (2 recipients, Overall Boy and Girl, any league)
The Student- Athlete Leadership Award honors student-athletes who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, sportsmanship, academic performance and volunteerism in their team, school and community.
Trek All Star Student-Athlete Award – (2 recipients, Overall Boy and Girl, any league)
The All Star Student- Athlete Award recognizes student-athletes for their outstanding competitive achievements and potential for future success in competitive cycling.
Camelbak Distinguished Alumni Award – (1 recipient, any league alumni)
The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes a student-athlete who carries on the spirit of high school cycling beyond their high school years.
GU Energy Extraordinary Courage Award - (2 recipients, Overall Boy and Girl, any league)
The Extraordinary Courage Award recognizes student-athletes who have persevered through challenging circumstances and overcome adversity to develop and excel as an individual and role-model to other students.
International Mountain Bike Association Teen Trail Corps Award - (1 recipient, any league)
The Spirit of Howdy Award recognizes student-athletes who have demonstrated respect, empathy and compassion towards other trail users by working both on and off the bike to build awareness and care for trails in their community.
Volunteer Category (6-8 award recipients)
SRAM Coach of the Year Award – (up to 2 recipients, any league)
The Coach of the Year Award acknowledges a head coach whose qualities as a leader and motivator embodies NICA's mission to provide student- athletes with the coaching and camaraderie to help them achieve both competitive and non-competitive goals in a safe and enjoyable manner.
Clif Bar and Company Volunteer Service Award – (up to 2 recipients, any league)
The Volunteer Service Award honors an exceptional volunteer whose dedication of time, expertise and enthusiasm goes above and beyond to make a difference in the organization.
Quality Bicycle Products Community Impact Award – (1 recipient, any league)
The Community Impact Award honors an individual whose dedication to high school mountain biking has resulted in positive impacts on youth, the community and the organization. This individual is an outstanding representative of the organization internally and externally.
Primal Wear Race Production Partner Award – (1 recipient, any league)
The Race Production Partner Award acknowledges an individual whose outstanding partnership role in race
productions is key to the success of a leagues race event production.
Easton Foundations League Founders Award – (1 recipient, any league)
The League Founders Award recognizes an individual's commitment, enthusiasm and perseverance in launching a new NICA league.
NICA Legacy Award – (1 recipient)
The Legacy Award honors an individual for their tremendous philanthropic support of NICA and NICA leagues. Recipients of this award are individuals who understand the importance of empowering youth through sport and who have put their energies behind efforts that demonstrate and exemplify the traits that they themselves possessed and utilized to help them achieve success.
It only takes a few minutes to make a nomination so please do so today:
http://www.nationalmtb.org/blog/2015/05/22/2015-awards-nominations-due-november-1/
©2021 National Interscholastic Cycling Association | 2414 Sixth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710


High-end Commercial Web and Sheet Printer specializing in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry. $80 million in annual revenues. $46 million in debt. Two plants in two states.
Company was caught in the severe economic decline impacting most of its main lines of business.
Original equity was out of the money.
Rescue capital of $15 million, put in just 9 months earlier from mezzanine lender, was out of the money.
Lender group was facing a material loss on its position.
Sales management, who had lost its equity and controlled the customer accounts, was threatening to take their accounts elsewhere.
MorrisAnderson retained to assess the viability of the business plan because prior Fortune 100 consultancy firm could not determine the business risk to the satisfaction of the lenders.
Prepared comprehensive business plan assessment and operational and financial review of core business model and the assumptions driving projections.
Identified scenarios under which the lender could provide support for the company by assessing the risk and cooperation attendant among the stakeholders.
Devised exit scenarios and operating scenarios the company could work with to mitigate the lender's risk.
Company's long term business plan valid through a series of detailed analyses conducted by the MorrisAnderson team.
Cost reductions of $4 million identified and integrated into the business plan to improve financial strength and viability.
MorrisAnderson recommended that the risk of further failure was too high for the Lender's risk tolerance.
Plan for exiting the credit that was favorable for the lender and kept the company intact and viable for shareholders.
Lender group exited within 3 months.


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Evelyn Glennie's listening life
Evelyn Glennie. Photo: Jim Callaghan
Wherever Dame Evelyn Glennie goes she picks up things with an eye to making music with them.
"At the moment," she said in an interview earlier this year with ARTSFILE, "I am collecting bottle tops and plastic tops … things like that. I have a whole bag full of them. I can use them in different ways to create different types of things.
"l'm a big kid to be honest," she said, reading my lips over a Skype connection from her office.
She keeps the items in a bag in her studio in the U.K. and pulls them out from time to time to give them a bash.
Glennie was supposed to be in Ottawa this week to perform at the National Arts Centre. This interview was intended to set up the concert and offer an insight into her unique musical life. COVID-19 put paid to the concert, but not the inspirational message she offers.
She is an advocate for percussion and the range of instrumentation she brings is enormous and situational. She is an active commissioner as well as performer single-handedly creating a massive repertoire of music for solo percussion.
"In the early years I just wanted everything and the kitchen sink.
"But as the years have gone on, I have had to really think about the logistics of the instruments, making sure the pieces have a long shelf life for other people to play them so they aren't spending too much time and energy trying to find unusual bits and pieces.
"For me, as the years have gone on, I have tried to really reduce the number of instruments I use."
She says orchestras don't necessarily have a bottomless pit of cash any more.
"And even the whole process of commissioning is more challenging than ever before. There are a lot of things that come into play now in the decisions you make with the equipment."
Glennie said that she is also at a phase in her life when "I want less actually. I want to be more focused on what I am playing."
She says she is looking for simplicity and purity.
"It's an appreciation of what a single instrument can do and really finding the layers of that instrument and the layers of expression actually. When you are dealing with fewer surfaces, it really forces the imagination and the listening skills of an audience as well."
There is a magical word … listening. It is at the centre of her philosophy. She writes and speaks about the importance of listening often.
"Listening for me is an awareness. It's basically an act that you decide to immerse yourself in. Hearing is a medical condition. Listening is not based on the amount that you hear."
If you weren't aware, Glennie has been hearing impaired since childhood. But really she 'hears' more that most people.
"I think as musicians we are a species that involves ourselves in a certain kind of listening. That doesn't make us good listeners necessarily. Musicians can be selfish listeners at times.
"Listening is hard work. It takes focus. It does take time and concentration. It's a kind of presence."
As a journalist, it is crucial to listen intently in a conversation to get the facts and to also catch interesting insights and details. But, Glennie points out, "there is an aspect of the meaning that will not be available to the reader. The expression, the surprise, the disappointment whatever that may be.
"With music that is something that can always be changed. You can always change your interpretation even though an audience will only have one chance at it at a particular time.
"If you line up 10 different players you have 10 different stories. That's the beauty of music really.
"Although a decision has to be made at 7:30 or 8 p.m. on a particular date about how you will interpret that piece you know that it will be slightly different the next night. That's kind of nice to know."
When Glennie was a young player starting out she said she wanted to be as good a percussionist as she possibly could.
"That's just a neverending situation. Likewise I'm not going to get to the bottom of all of that so I'd like to be as good a musician as I could be. But then I'm not going to get to the bottom of that either so what do you do.
"I have found that the crux of what I did was that I'm always listening to what I am doing. You are always picking at what you are doing. You are weeding your sound garden, always going back to the drawing board.
"When I started giving masterclasses and workshops and had exchanges with students: basically what I was there to do was ask them to listen to themselves and make some decisions and to think to themselves what actions are actually taking place and why are they doing certain things and so on."
She did this to encourage students to listen to themselves, "because ultimately that is what they will have to do in a performance or in a recording studio. There won't be a teacher there holding their hand all the time."
She said she realized that's what she does herself.
"I am having a conversation with myself in a performance, recording or rehearsal. That made me realize the differences between practice and rehearsal and all sorts of different situations. The one thing that glued all these things together was listening.
"I think it was a natural progression and realization. Then as you get into so many different aspects of what you do in the profession, you realize that listening is absolutely paramount."
This happens in the broader society as well. "Often the breakdowns are from not listening."
What about the dynamic between a musician and an audience?
"A live performance always naturally involves all of the senses. You can give the illusion of creating a sound by just sort of hovering over the surface and people will actually think you are playing very quietly when in fact there is no sound.
"It is the presence of musicians that really helps an audience be involved in a performance.
"The visual aspect is so crucial in a live performance." This she says is why we have so many different experiences when we digest a piece of music through a recording which is basically fed through the ears.
"In a live performance you can feel the air move when somebody swipes it with a mallet. You can see the sweat and the facial expressions, the grimaces, the frowns and the eyes. The pace of the piece changes in a live situation."
That is different from a recording.
When one of the senses fades away, she said, "your body realigns itself and readjusts itself. That's what we do when we walk into a concert hall and try to work out the acoustics of a place.
"If we go into a library we aren't going to shout at the top of our lungs because it would be inappropriate. In the same way we won't be whispering at a football match.
"We are so used to just slotting our senses into boxes. If you are blind you can't see. If you can't hear it means you are deaf. That's gone on for too long. You realize all the senses are very connected. That creates this very mysterious sixth sense."
In her experience, musicians who are sight-impaired or hearing-impaired or have some physical difficulty, "they are absolutely no less creative in any kind of way in what they do. They can often bring such surprising elements to a situation that make you think outside of the box a little bit. I think that's pretty healthy."
For Glennie, it's been a journey in how she has felt. Dealing with (hearing impairment) has been a natural progression, she said. "That's just what you do."
She is often engaging with parents and children and "much more so now with adults who are musicians who are losing their hearing and trying to readjust themselves."
Technology is changing the landscape for children or are hearing impaired. There is, she said, "an explosion" in such things as cochlear implants.
"I'm a big supporter of a foundation in the U.K. called the Elizabeth Foundation where hearing impaired children are being helped to develop their own voices. They can enter mainstream schools and be musicians, businesspeople, athletes, teachers or whatever. It's possible.
"The whole detection of deafness into the womb gives a whole different support and program once the baby is born. It used to be deafness would be detected when a child was about two."
These advances have had an impact on how we treat music and hearing impaired people, she said. It's now highly accessible to a much larger proportion of people, she said.
All that said, Glennie is respectful of the desire of some to be deaf and not hear.
"I wasn't born deaf. I was deafened as a youngster. We all have different aspects of this. There is no way I can be in a position to dictate what someone should or should not do or can and cannot do. I can't force people to go to concerts. That's their decision."
Glennie is someone who has led the way for those seeking a career as a solo percussionist.
She believes it is important for "active players to involve ourselves in commissioning. We need each other and need to think of the longevity of the repertoire. We need to think about working closely with composers and think about the kind of pieces we want out there.
"I think percussion has come a long way on so many different levels. As a solo medium many more people now doing this in a serious way.
"Promoters now have a choice of thinking, 'Do I want a violinist or a percussionist?' Most orchestras will have a percussion concerto during their seasons. That's good news.
"I also think the level of playing has completely gone through the roof, which is fantastic."
More young people exposed to high quality instruments at school. That wasn't the case when she was young. She said she didn't get her own marimba until her early 20s.
"All that is really changing. There are many more and more high profile competitions. That gives more focus to repertoire. Audiences are now more exposed to percussion concerts. They can go for many different reasons now — the performer, the composer, the piece of music even curiosity. I think we are in a good place."
She started in school at age 12.
"My teacher came through the army music system and he was very much a musician through and through. We had very little in the school as regards the number of instruments and no one would come to give masterclasses."
She lived in a farming community in northeast Scotland. In her school less meant more.
"We were dependent on piano and violin repertoire fitted on a three octave xylophone. It was a rickety old thing, but that was enough to be thinking about melody, harmony, sound colour … all of the ingredients.
"I think that stood me in good stead."
She doesn't have a favourite instrument?
"Whatever is in front of me, it really is. That's how I see percussion. I focus on each surface I am dealing with."
The drum is a primal instrument. It is also spiritual for many peoples.
"From the beginning of time we made sounds with our body and we also struck two twigs together. So for many cultures, (percussion) is related to how the body is. It's internal to external. I think that's important.
"In our mother's womb, it's very percussive. We are all percussionists to an extent. That's why I get a lot of enjoyment and curiosity out of every day objects."
She says she has a lot of fun exploring what the imagination can do with something as simple as a bag of beans.
COVID postponement: Kiwanis Music Festival delayed until May
Chamberfest bids adieu to Borys and welcomes Carissa Klopoushak


What we envision God accomplishing may be summed up in the following goals: (1) a training program that equips God's people for passionate and effective ministry within the local church as God has gifted and called each believer; (2) a training program that will help godly men become skilled servants in teaching and shepherding ("apt to teach"), a key aspect of becoming well-prepared to shepherd God's flock in eldership/leadership roles; (3) a training program that will equip men for fruitful Christian ministry at the pastoral and/or missionary level of vocational Christian service. FRBI is especially committed to helping men gain skills in "rightly dividing the Word of Truth" so that they might become highly effective in Bible exposition and Bible teaching. In short, we envision God setting His people on fire for service by means of the Scriptures, as they come to a fuller and greater appreciation of God's own glory and greatness.


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aedd » Photo » Cortijo's Wake / El entierro de Cortijo
Juan Flores,Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá
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Duke University Press Books; Bilingual edition (December 30, 2003)
Cortijo's Wake / El entierro de Cortijo e-book
by Juan Flores,Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá
Juan Flores Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá Music English
Start by marking Cortijo's Wake, El entierro de Cortijo as Want to Read .
Start by marking Cortijo's Wake, El entierro de Cortijo as Want to Read: Want to Read savin. ant to Read. Well-known critic and cultural historian Juan Flores has provided a scrupulous translation of Rodríguez Juliá's text and an introduction situating the book in relation to Puerto Rican music and culture and the careers of Cortijo and Rodríguez Juliá.
Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá's El entierro de Cortijo is already a classic in contemporary Puerto Rican ng, entertaining, and enlightening. It is a real joy to see Juan Flores's translation of Rodríguez Juliá's narrative into English. Flores-sensitive to tone, sound, idiom, and meaning-has done an excellent job. Cortijo's music echoes through the text. Arcadio Díaz-Quiñones, Princeton University.
Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá, Juan Flores
Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá, Juan Flores. El entierro de Cortijo became an immediate bestseller following its original publication in Puerto Rico in 1983. An unparalleled Afro-Puerto Rican percussionist and bandleader, Cortijo (1928–1982) revolutionized the country's musical culture.
Una noche con Iris Chacón (1986). Campeche o los diablejos de la melancolía (1986). La noche oscura del niño Avilés (1984). lbum de Puertorriqueños la sagrada familia (1988). Camino de Yyaloide (1994).
Discover Book Depository's huge selection of Edgardo Rodriguez Julia books online. Cortijo's Wake, El entierro de Cortijo. Edgardo Rodriguez Julia. Free delivery worldwide on over 20 million titles.
Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá. Are you sure you want to remove Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá from your list?
Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá. Musarañas de domingo. Las tribulaciones de Jonás.
2004: Cortijo's Wake - Juan Flores translated this piece by Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá, describing the funeral of Puerto . El entierro de Cortijo. Translated by Flores, Juan. Durham: Duke University Press.
2004: Cortijo's Wake - Juan Flores translated this piece by Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá, describing the funeral of Puerto Rican musician Rafael Cortijo. 2007: Companion to Latino Studies - A collection of 40 original essays written by leading scholars in the field, dedicated to exploring the question of Latino/a identity. 2009: The Diaspora Strikes Back: Caribeño Tales of Learning and Turning - In this book, Flores examines the new diasporic process and the effects that this transnational movement has on the home country. Una noche con Iris Chacón (1986). This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Rodríguez and the second or maternal family name is Juliá. Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá. Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá (born October 9, 1946) is a Puerto Rican essayist and novelist. YouTube Encyclopedic.
El Entierro De Cortijo, Cortijo's Wake. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. The resounding success of the book is no doubt due in large measure to its subject matter: not only does the world of popular music carry an intrinsic attraction but the figure of Rafael Cortijo, who wrought a veritable revolution in Puerto Rican musical culture, looms especially large. The music of Cortijo y Su Combo has captivated Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin American audiences since its emergence in the mid-1950s.
Places Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez El Cortijo de las Flores. English (UK) · Русский · Українська · Suomi · Español.
A bilingual edition of a renowned work of Puerto Rican literature, Cortijo's Wake/El entierro de Cortijo is novelist Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá's vivid description of the funeral of legendary Puerto Rican musician Rafael Cortijo. El entierro de Cortijo became an immediate bestseller following its original publication in Puerto Rico in 1983. An unparalleled Afro-Puerto Rican percussionist and bandleader, Cortijo (1928–1982) revolutionized the country's musical culture. His band, Cortijo y Su Combo, captivated Caribbean and Latin American audiences as it emerged in the mid-1950s. Immensely popular across Puerto Rican social classes, the band both "modernized" the traditional vernacular forms of bomba and plena and forcefully reestablished their African and working-class roots. The group's innovations have been integral to salsa since the 1960s.
Winding through the streets of working-class San Juan with Cortijo's funeral procession, Rodríguez Juliá's autobiographical chronicle provides a rare portrait of the impoverished society from which Cortijo's music emerged. Along with detailed renderings of grief-stricken mourners—including Cortijo's childhood friend and fellow musician, the celebrated singer Ismael ("Maelo") Rivera—Rodríguez Juliá records his feelings as he, a light-skinned, middle-class writer, confronts the world of poor black Puerto Ricans. The author's masterful shifting of linguistic registers, his acute sensitivity to Puerto Rican social codes, his broad knowledge of popular music, and his sardonic ruminations on death and immortality make this one of the most widely read books of modern Puerto Rican literature. Well-known critic and cultural historian Juan Flores has provided a scrupulous translation of Rodríguez Juliá's text and an introduction situating the book in relation to Puerto Rican music and culture and the careers of Cortijo and Rodríguez Juliá.
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by Arkham Reviews in Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Surnames I-Q, Title A-H Tags: Arkham Reviews, Book Blog, Book Review, Breaking Dawn, fantasy, Fiction, paranormal romance, Review, Stephenie Meyer, Young Adult, Young Adult Reviews
Please note that this review may contain spoilers for earlier instalments of this series. You can read my reviews of these novels here:
Twilight | New Moon | Eclipse | The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
Breaking Dawn was written by Stephenie Meyer and first published in 2008. It is the fourth and final part of The Twilight Saga, focusing on Bella and Edward's early life as a married couple. The novel follows on directly from where Twilight (2005), New Moon (2006) and Eclipse (2007) left off, so I would recommend reading them in sequence to fully appreciate them. The series also includes a couple of spin-off stories – The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (2009), which told the tragic tale of a minor character from Eclipse, and Life & Death (2015), a gender-flipped retelling of Twilight. A prequel novel titled Midnight Sun is due for release later this year.
Bella Swan has almost got everything that she ever dreamed of. She has graduated from High School and is engaged to be wed to her soul mate, the vampire Edward Cullen. A date has also been set for her transformation, meaning that soon she will also leave her humanity behind and truly become a member of the Cullen family. Bella could not be happier, but that is until the honeymoon.
After Bella and Edward final risk becoming intimate, she is shocked to find herself pregnant. This is not something that anyone ever imagined could be possible, as no human had ever survived mating with a vampire before. Worse still, her pregnancy is progressing rapidly and Carlisle fears that it could cost her life. Still, Bella is determined to see it through and bear their child. She strongly believes that her beloved's venom could save her from death in childbirth.
Yet, Bella and Edward's biggest problems arise after their daughter is born. When another vampire catches sight of her and assumes that she is an Immortal Child – an illegal child vampire – she is quick to inform the Volturi of the Cullens' crimes. Knowing that the penalty for creating an Immortal Child is death, the Cullens gather their friends from around the world to prove Bella's innocence. But will that be enough to convince the ancient vampire royalty if they are determined to start a war against the Cullen clan?
If you've read my earlier Twilight reviews, you'll probably recall that it's not my favourite. It's taken me a good long while to pluck up the motivation to read this final instalment, but I must admit that it is one of the better parts of this series. While I feel that some of my enjoyment of this book is pure amusement value (did you know, for example, that vampires have poisonous eyeballs that can dissolve contact lenses?), there is no denying that it is a much more engaging novel than New Moon or Eclipse, building on all that they have set up to create a dramatic send-off for the Cullens.
My biggest issue with Breaking Dawn is its sheer length. At exactly 700 pages, it is far longer than any other instalment to date. Sadly, this did really cause it to lag in places. There is only one chapter of the novel that contained a time-skip which jumped forward more than a couple of hours. Ever other chapter just gave a blow-by-blow account of everything that Bella (and, briefly, Jacob) was doing.
To be fair, there were parts of the novel that were very intense. The opening of the story, which featured Bella's problematic pregnancy, was very exciting. Similarly the final 50 pages, in which the Cullens and their allies finally faced the Volturi, were also a brilliant exercise in tension. My problem was everything between these two points. The middle section of the novel was where I struggled. For about 300 pages, Bella does little more than sit around the Cullen house, alternating between passionately loving Edward and introducing Renesmee to new characters. This quickly became repetitive and felt a bit of a slog to get through.
Yet there were things that I actually really liked about Breaking Dawn. Jacob's chapters, once he finally got past his constant vampire-bashing, displayed an insight into the werewolf pack dynamic that Meyer had never shown before. This provided a surprising amount of character growth for both him and Leah, strengthening their bond and giving a clear indication of how imprinting actually worked. The build up towards the Volturi's arrival was also fascinating, as the novel did a great job of building their notoriety by showing the way that other vampires viewed them. Even Renesmee's birth was morbidly fascinating, despite the fact that it contained more gore than I ever expected to find in a Twilight novel!
However, the ending of Breaking Dawn was almost sickening. This book doesn't just have a happy ending. It has a universally happy ending. Everyone gets absolutely everything that they want and no one is left suffering. While I am certain that this will appeal to some readers, I just found it to be utterly nauseating. After so much build up to the final battle against the Volturi, and so much foreshadowing about how deadly the fight would become, it was just underwhelming for this event to pass without bloodshed. It was almost as bitterly disappointing as the unseen battle between werewolves and vampires at the end of Eclipse.
And then there were the characters. There are a lot of new vampires introduced in Breaking Dawn, but we are never really given the time to get to know them. As the many other vampire clans arrive within the last 200 pages of the novel, the individual characters don't really get a lot of time to shine. While one or two are significant, most just fade into the background and barely allow their voices to be heard.
The only new character of note was Renesmee, and I also found her to be incredibly problematic. Although her body ages rapidly, appearing to be a child within three months, it's the way her mind ages that gives me pause. Not only do all who see Renesmee fall instantly in love with her, but she proves to be more articulate and intelligent than most adults at only 3 months old. The only reason given for this is that vampire minds are superior to those of humans, which felt a bit weak. Added to this was the ethical grey area of Jacob's imprinting. Renesmee, it seems, will not be allowed to choose her future mate and will be physically the same age as Jacob in under seven years. This just all felt incredibly creepy. While I am certain that other readers will see a positive side to this, it just made me deeply uncomfortable.
Bella is also still a problematic character, as I do feel as though she exists to suffer. The fact that Edward, Jacob and even Alice seem to be reluctant to allow her to make any decisions has always been frustrating, but this gets worse still over the first two-thirds of this novel. Even as the Volturi approach, Edward will not allow Bella to learn how to fight due to his ultra-protective nature, and the less said about his feelings towards Bella's pregnancy the better. While Jacob is a bit more supportive, his behaviour concerning Charlie and possessiveness over Renesmee also quickly became tiresome.
Finally, I also found it a bit frustrating how the human characters were side-lined in this story. While Meyer has always portrayed these characters as being far less interesting than vampires, most of the humans – including Bella's mother – disappear from the plot after the wedding and are never seen again. The only major character who hangs around is Charlie, who does get a couple of nice scenes with Bella, but even he bows out of the plot as soon as the Volturi enter proceedings.
So, all in all, Breaking Dawn was one of the more enjoyable Twilight books, but is still not an especially good novel in its own right. If you enjoyed the previous instalments, it's definitely worth a read just to tie up the loose ends. Otherwise, I would strongly recommend giving this book a miss.
Breaking Dawn can be purchased as a Paperback, eBook & Audio Book from Amazon.co.uk
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Life of an Educator - Dr. Justin Tarte: Am I less of an educator if I'm not an ADE or GCT?
Am I less of an educator if I'm not an ADE or GCT?
If you work in education, you most likely know about the Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Certified Teacher programs. These programs are highly competitive and no doubt provide quite the learning experience and networking opportunities that all educators would certainly appreciate.
I know quite a few folks who have participated in these programs and I can count on one hand the number of folks who had something even remotely negative to say about the experience.
In short, people really seem to gain a lot and learn a lot from these experiences and the opportunities to connect with like-minded educators from around the world.
I myself am not an ADE or GCT.
Full disclosure, I've also never applied or attempted to be an ADE or GCT.
That's not to say I won't at some point, but at this time my educational journey hasn't yet led me there. It's not because I don't want to or wouldn't want to participate in an event that would allow me to travel to some distant city to learn with and alongside a group of passionate and innovative educators. I just haven't committed myself to trying for such a goal.
The folks who've participated in these programs are quite proud of their accomplishments. Not only were they accepted into these highly competitive and sought-after programs, but they are also now a part of an 'elite' group of educators.
I have an iPhone, an iPad and a MacBook Pro, and I consider myself to be somewhat knowledgeable about Apple products and how they can be used to expand and enhance learning opportunities.
I also have been a big part of moving my district toward being a GAFE district, which we are now in our 2nd year. I've been using Google related 'stuff' for several years and I'd like to think I'm somewhat knowledgeable of how to use Google's products in the educational setting.
But, because being an ADE and GCT is much more than just having devices and a Gmail account, I'd also like to think I see the big picture of education and how its role in society is constantly evolving and transforming. Additionally, I approach education as a platform of possibility and opportunity for students to work on and be a part of something special while simultaneously making the world a better place.
Now, make no mistake and please be quite clear here... this post isn't taking anything away from the ADE and GCT community. These folks are highly motivated and engaged learners and they are no doubt making positive dents in the universe. I applaud their efforts to be recognized as educators with a wide-range of skills and unique abilities who want to direct their energies toward helping kids.
What if I'm doing #education all wrong?