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STYLING FROM THE STRATOS-SPHERE!
One of the stars of the 2015 Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d'Este on Lago di Como was a beautiful Lancia Stratos HF, a car with an amazing birth story.
Lancia Stratos HF (Photo: Tim Scott for Sports Car Digest)
Bertone desperately wanted a connection with Lancia, to expand its client portfolio, but Lancia traditionally turned to Pininfarina for inspiration. Bertone's chief designer Marcello Gandini produced a concept car for the 1970 Turin Motor Show, called the Lancia Zero.
1970 Lancia Zero Concept
When Bertone arrived at the factory gates to present the car to Lancia, the workers stopped and applauded.
To create the running concept car, Nuccio Bertone prevailed on one of his personal friends to 'donate' his Lancia Fulvia to the project, which he chopped off at the sills and mounted the concept body.
Within a year Lancia had approved the creation of a production car, known as the Stratos, which was developed from the Zero concept. The car was to be fitted with a Ferrari Dino V6 engine, however Ferrari was cautious about approving the acquisition of the engines as he thought the Stratos may damage sales of the Ferrari Dino.
1971 Lancia Stratos prototipo
The bright orange Stratos prototype appeared at the 1971 Turin Motor Show.
When production of the Dino ended, Il Commendatore apparently had a change of mind, and in typically dramatic Italian fashion, had 500 engines dumped at the front gates of the Lancia works at Chivasso in 1973 for the construction of the 500 cars needed for homologation. The cars were built up at Bertone's operation, then shipped to Chivasso for final finish.
The Stratos was immediately successful, winning the World Rally Championship in 1974, 1975 and 1976, mostly at the hands of Sandro Munari, who was a quiet, studious and very technical driver.
Sandro Munari 1975
Bjorn Waldegard also figured in Rally wins with the sleek, wedge-shaped Lancia. Production ended in 1976.
I had the chance to meet Sandro Munari in Sydney in 1976 when he was on his way to New Caledonia for the car's final rally event. In our MODERN MOTOR interview I asked him if the handling of the car was as diabolical as reported.
He said: "It depends what you mean? If you mean do you have to pay attention at every change of direction, yes, it's true. Otherwise, it spins!"
The wheelbase/track ratio of the 950kg Stratos was almost 'square' so consequently it was like driving a car which pivoted around a central spindle! The 24 valve version of the Dino engine produced 320bhp, so at rally speeds it was quite handful.
Marcello Gandini with Lamborghini Muira
However, one thing is certain, Gandini, designer of the Muira and Countach, produced an exceptionally striking design.
Then, in 2018, at the Genva Salon, a new Lancia Stratos appeared - penned by Pinifarina (below). I have to say it beautifully emulates the shape of the original.
CARS WITH CHARISMA, AT COMO
Last weekend the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este was held at the Grand Hotel Villa d'Este on Lago di Como.
Along with the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and the Amelia Island Concours, the Italian event is becoming a must-see, every second year.
Tickets are hard to come by, and if you want to attend you need to start now, for the 2017 staging.
Our friends at Sports Car Digest have the BEST gallery of featured cars, and the class winners. The overall Best of Show was a beautifully original 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider by Zagato.
See: www.sportscardigest.com (Photos by Tim Scott)
If you love classic car design, set in a beautful location, plus the excitement of the Mille Miglia Storico, then you need to be in Italy this time every other year.
TOURING - ALONG THE WAY Part 1
My Grand Tour through Italy and France last year fielded some great photo opportunities for what I will designate an abstract collection - herewith:
Sunflowers near Carcassone
Packing Grand Pere's car
Checking out the fishing fleet
Breakfast in Bordeaux
Coffee in Carcassone
World Route Number One, near Cahors, France
This is what travel is all about. Memories, Moments and Living Large!
THE SMALLEST BENTLEY? Bring It On!
The Geneva Salon is famous for dynamic new car reveals, and Bentley Motors conquered all this year with its unveiling of the smallest contemporary Bentley yet - the EXP 10 Speed 6.
Yes, it's a concept car, but already mouths are watering, and chequebooks are being flashed around the world as Bentley enthusiasts wait for the go-ahead to series production.
Even though there's no powertrain details, or any technical specs, the would-be buyers are already lining up.
Regardless of which engine powers the beast, it features Bentley muscularity and a very aggressive front end, following the theme of its big brother, the Continental GT.
(Photo: hdwallcarpic.uni.me)
My good friend, Georg Kacher, Europe's leading automotive writer had a brief pre-Salon drive of the EXP 10, and pronounced it a must-have sports car.
Designed by Bentley Motors' new Director of Design, Luke Donckerwolke and designer Yangsup Lee, it's just a shade bigger than an Aston Martin Vantage.
I can't add information via captions, so you just get the photos from Geneva, and Georg's short drive.
Posted by John Crawford at 2:57 PM 3 comments:
THE BENTLEY 'BLOWER' - The Real Story
Bentley Blower
After reading the post on the recent Mille Miglia Storico, a couple of regular followers of Driving and Life have written asking about background to the Bentley Blower.
It's an interesting and twisted tale of enterprise, determination, folly, and the spirit of competition, which is so ingrained in the overall history of Bentley.
Colonel Sir Henry Birkin
Sir Henry 'Tim' Birkin, one of the famous 'Bentley Boys' suggested to W.O. Bentley he approve a supercharger for the 4.5L four cylinder in order to win at Le Mans.
W.O. Bentley (indicated) with the 'Bentley Boys' at Le Mans. Birkin, front, third from left.
Bentley himself had tried supercharging a 3 litre car in 1927, and had decided it "corrupted the original design" and if he wanted more performance, he would simply make the engine bigger – which he did with the 6 litre, Speed Six!
Birkin, however persisted and engaged supercharger expert Amherst Villiers and one of W.O. Bentley's favourite drivers, Captain Clive Gallop to help him develop a prototype. Bentley agreed to provide a basic car, and Birkin set up a 'works' at Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.
Dorothy Paget
As he had dwindled away his own funds, Birkin became friends with the wealthy Lady Dorothy Paget, and this is an interesting sidelight to the whole Blower story.
Dorothy Paget inherited Leeds Castle in Kent and her immense wealth ($200 million in today's money), from her family, and became one of Britain's most famous (and fortunate) race horse trainers.
Leeds Castle, Kent
Dorothy with 1934 Derby Winner
'Straight Deal'
She was big, gambled big, and won big, but famously stated she could "not stand the sight of men", however she was star-struck by Birkin and agreed to fund the entire 'Blower' project and his racing team. After all, she was a gambler!
We can only guess at the true depth of their friendship, but despite Birkin having a reputation as a dashing ladies' man, it seems unlikely the friendship became intimate – but who knows?
Blower number 1 appeared at Brooklands on June 29, 1929, but was unreliable and failed to finish the Essex 6 hour race. He did however set a new speed record for Brooklands, at 137.98 mph!
Tim Birkin on the banking at Brooklands in Blower Number One
A rare Blower 'Demonstrator', one of the 50 production
cars (now owned by Bentley Motors)
Undeterred, Birkin ploughed on, with support from the major backer of Bentley Motors, Woolf Barnato.
Birkin eventually persuaded W.O. Bentley to produce the 50 production 'Blowers' to qualify the model to compete at Le Mans.
Bentley Blower team car dashboard
Birkin created a racing team of five cars (Number 2 - UU5872 - is now owned by Bentley Motors), but because of production delays the Blowers never appeared at Le Mans until 1930.
Birkin's racing performance that year was nothing but heroic. He chashed, raced, pushed and dominated the supercharged Mercedes-Benz SSK of Rudolf Carracciola – so much so that both cars stretched their performance potential beyond the breaking point and neither car finished.
Bentley Blower 'Number 2 Team Car' at speed in France, driven by Richard Charlesworth
(Photo: D. Fontenat)
Woolf Barnato
The 1930 race, the final appearance of the Bentley Motors 'works' team, was won by company Chairman Woolf Barnato in a Speed Six, thereby confirming W.O. Bentley's contention that supercharging made the engine too 'fragile' for 24 hours of racing.
In 1931 Bentley Motors was taken over by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, and apart from some privateers, that was the end of Bentley Motors' racing exploits.
That is until the modern Bentley Speed 8s appeared at Le Mans in 2001, 2002, winning the race in 2003 – a fitting tribute to the achievements of W.O. Bentley and the Bentley Boys.
MAYHEM IN MONACO!
There'll be at least two very angry F1 drivers this morning as they reflect on what might have been in the Monaco Grand Prix.
(Photo: F1.com)
Race leader Lewis Hamilton had a handy 25s lead by Lap 64, when the Safety Car was deployed, and Mercedes called him in for a precautionary pitstop for new tyres. Hamilton complied thinking that Nico Rosberg and Sebastien Vettel would do the same. They didn't!
Rosberg took his third Monaco victory in a row, and Vettel finished second for a great win for Ferrari. Hamilton came 3rd, no doubt grinding his teeth!
Our Australian boy wonder, Daniel Ricciardo (who started from 4th) muscled his way up to the leading group, but on the final lap Red Bull's Christian Horner, ordered Daniel to allow teammate Kvyat to move ahead and take fourth place, leaving Daniel in 5th. Force India scored welcome points with Sergio Perez finishing 7th.
Posted by John Crawford at 8:18 AM 1 comment:
BUGATTI WINS 2015 MILLE MIGLIA STORICO
Winner 2015 Mille Miglia
After four long sections (Brescia-Rimini; Rimini-Roma; Roma-Parma; Parma-Brescia) the 2015 Mille Miglia Storico saw the 1927 Bugatti Type 40 of Juan Tonconogy and Guillermo Berisso take the chequered flag.
The original race covered 1,000 miles, and keeping in mind that the current event takes four days, Sir Stirling Moss won the 1955 race in 10 hours, 7 minutes at an average speed of just over 98mph!
Moss-Jenkinson on the way to winning 1955 Mille Miglia
1957 wreckage of De Alfonso Portago's Ferrari
The event began in 1927 and was run until 1957 when a serious accident resulted in the tragic deaths of spectators, including children, and Italian authorities shut down the mad race on public roads.
It was revived as a 'Regularity Event' in 1977 and is now probably the most important recreated historic rally in the world.
Bugatti's entering Roma, 2014
One of the more interesting section controls is the Vatican City in Rome!
More than 450 cars took part in this year's Mille Miglia, which only accepts entries of cars which actually, previously participated between 1927 and 1955, or exact (authenticated) models of cars which competed in the original race.
1928 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 MM
I'm pleased to say that the marque which scored the most wins in the original race was Alfa Romeo, but this year the highest-finishing Alfa Romeo was Massimo Greselli's 1928 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 MM in 22nd place.
Richard Charlesworth & Blower in 2012
Bentley Motors' supercharged 1930 'Blower' Bentley crewed by Bentley's Richard Charlesworth, and German journalist Stefan Grundhoff finished in 200th position.
Bugatti took 1st, 3rd and 4th place this year. Ettore would be thrilled!
FORMULA E IN MONACO - SHORTENED & SWEET (for Sebas...
A THOUSAND MILES OF MEMORIES
DANIEL'S NOT DOWN!
A 'RIVETTING' JAGUAR STORY


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Премия Гильдии киноактёров США за лучшую женскую роль в телефильме или мини-сериале — награда Гильдии киноактёров США, присуждаемая ежегодно с 1995 года.

Лауреаты и номинанты
Здесь приведён полный список номинантов и лауреатов.

1995—1999

2000—2009

2010—2019

2020—

Статистика

Многократные номинанты
В таблицах полужирным золотым шрифтом отмечены годы побед.

Другие достижения
Телефильмы или мини-сериалы с наибольшим количеством номинаций за лучшую женскую роль (указан год проведения церемонии):
 «Ангелы в Америке» (2004) — 3 номинации
 «Тэмпл Грандин» (2011) — 3 номинации
 «Большая маленькая ложь» (2018) — 3 номинации

Самый старый лауреат:
 Хелен Миррен (2014) — 68 лет

Самый старый номинант:
 Сисели Тайсон (2015) — 89 лет

Самый молодой лауреат:
 Анджелина Джоли (1999) — 23 года
 Аня Тейлор-Джой (2021) — 23 года

Самый молодой номинант:
 Кеке Палмер (2005) — 11 лет

Ссылки

Номинации премии Гильдии киноактёров США
Награды актрисам

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Veritable Pastiche Endorses Andrew Russo
Most regular readers know that typically the only endorsement I give at election time is an endorsement of the power of voting itself. But this year, I'm actually endorsing a candidate, Andrew Russo, in the race for NY Senate in my district.
Like most Empire Staters, I'm fed up with the nonsense that passes for 'government' in Albany, particularly in the Senate. The governor's mansion and the Assembly have their own issues, but the poster children for bad behavior, selfish partisanship, failed promises and do-nothing-ness have to be our Senators (read more here, here, and here).
My senator David Valesky and John DeFrancisco, who represents pretty much the rest of Syracuse, are both key players in their parties. Both have had ample opportunity to make things better, to collaborate on behalf of the citizens of Central New York and all New Yorkers as a whole.
Instead, both were involved in the disastrous, embarrassing, and paralyzing coup in 2009 and since then neither have acquitted themselves well. While I can't take part in voting out DeFrancisco (I can only encourage his constituents to do that), I can participate in sending David Valesky home. I believe now is the time to do that.
Why now? Because he squandered the opportunity he had as a member of the Senate leadership, at a time when the Dems controlled all three houses of government in Albany, to really make a difference for New York, to enact real legislative reform, and to make the hard decisions we needed him to make to help secure our future.
Why Andrew Russo? Because he believes in term limits, pension reform, and he talks logically about campaign finance reform. He believes that legislators should have real jobs (as he does), and get their benefits from those jobs, rather than from our tax dollars. He believes that good ideas come from people, not from political parties, and that the way to govern is to bring people together to put those good ideas into place. And of course he's in favor of more jobs, lower taxes, reduced spending and increased growth in our state.
How do I know this? Because I asked him, and he answered me. Which means that, even before he's in Albany, he's a couple rungs up in my book because Valesky has never had the courtesy to answer my email.
I've always considered myself a centrist Dem, but over time, I've become more fiscally conservative. I still believe that when citizens truly need help, government should be there, but to offer a leg up, not a handout. We can't afford to make promises to and protect every corporate interest, every constituent group, every union job, and remain solvent. And we certainly can't continue to afford a legislature as dysfunctional as the one we have today.
Andrew Russo is not perfect. I think some of his ads were on the negative side, I'm not excited that DeFrancisco was an early supporter, and I'm not thrilled with the money and support he got from the Republican machine. I'm concerned about his ability to say no to them, and to collaborate with Dems if his leadership doesn't want him to. And I told him that. He says I'm more important than they are, and I hope he's sincere.
But under the circumstances, I think we could do a lot worse, including maintaining the status quo. And that's why I'm voting for Andrew Russo. I hope you'll consider doing the same.
Labels: Andrew Russo, John DeFrancisco, Politics
The piece of paper on the floor
I was recently invited to participate in a program at work, a 'change agent' development program. I won't go into a lot of gory details about the program, (which I fully support) but I'II still have some confusion on what exactly it is that a change agent does.
At a meeting this week, I asked the question, do we tell our fellow employees we're here and offer assistance, or are we supposed to just sort of exude changiness' One of the HR mentors at the meeting equated being a change agent to walking down the hall or the street and seeing a piece of paper on the ground…do we leave it there or pick it up? I pondered that response a bit, I'll admit, trying to apply it to situations at work.
But the piece of paper analogy got me thinking about politics, and change, and how some of the local candidates would do with the whole paper on the floor thing. Here's what I came up with:
John DeFrancisco, the 'pit pull' of the NYS Senate. He's an entrenched incumbent Republican, been in office way too long, and sadly sees his primary responsibility as regaining control of the Senate for the Reps. DeFrancisco was a player in the disastrous coup of 2009. He would only pick up the piece of paper if it would give him the majority of the paper, otherwise he'd simply ignore it.
David Valesky, a Dem, is actually my Senator, for a couple more days, at least. He's had some challenges in the past couple of years as a high-ranking member of the majority party leadership, and is facing a tough battle. He wouldn't pick up the paper unless he thought it would be good for residents of his district (if you listen to him), or unless he was ordered to by the Downstate party bosses (if you listen to the Reps).
His opponent is classical pianist Andrew Russo, a 'citizen politician' with strong support from the Republican party, which can practically taste victory on Tuesday. But he's got some unorthodox ideas for a Rep, including supporting term limits (good luck with getting that done here in NY). I think he'd pick up the paper, but only a limited number of times.
Andrew Cuomo, Dem for Governor, of course would pick up the paper, then find some Wall Streeter or industry bigwigs to whip into compliance so there'd be no more paper on the ground under his watch.
Last, we have Carl Paladino the Rep-ish who miraculously won the primary to flail against Cuomo. I pity the paper if Carl found it first; he'd cut it by at least 20% and leave it in tatters, then email rauncy photos of it to his friends.
Ironically, on the two days after the change agent meeting, I found a piece of paper on the floor; I picked it both times. There were no witnesses, so I'm not sure I shifted the culture dial. I wonder how far it's going to shift on Tuesday...
Labels: Hodgepodge, John DeFrancisco, Politics
One last thing on Muslims wearing their garb
Our never-ending 'news' cycle aided and abetted Juan Williams in his desire to no longer be employed by NPR, and led to the ridiculous firings of former Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod and CNN's Rick Sanchez, the 'retirement' of Helen Thomas, and the perpetual circling of countless other recitations of stupidity uttered by both the famous and the infamous, the well-known and the unknown.
Imagine how hard it would have been for Howard Cosell (remember the 'little monkey'? ) or Jesse Jackson (painfully realizing he'd be relieved if the people who were following him were white), if we'd had this heightened sense of urgency about everything - good or bad, important or inconsequential - back in the day when their comments were misunderstood, taken out of context and repeated without nuance.
But one cool thing has come from the Juan Williams flap – and could only really have come in our current highly creative technological age - a great new blog on Tumblr, called Pictures of Muslims Wearing Things. This website in only a few short days has amassed pages and pages of pictures of Muslims wearing all kinds of garb, from athletic uniforms and tutus to kilts and tuxedos. Some of the folks pictured are well-known Muslims; some are famous people you may not have known are Muslim; and some are just your everyday, garden variety Muslims. And yes, Muslims, like the rest of us, come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and varying degrees of sartorial splendor. Some are even wearing 'traditional garb' such as the kind that occasionally make Juan Williams nervous.
So thanks, Juan Williams - had you not said what you did, we wouldn't be seeing these great pictures. I encourage you to check them out!
Labels: Hodgepodge, Juan Williams
What if Juan Williams had said this?
Seems folks continue to be up in arms about NPR's firing of Juan Williams. In some cases, the sense is he was fired for saying what 'everyone' thinks. Other folks are upset that he was fired un-nicely, instead of in some nice way. Although, If you've ever been fired (I was, once) there really aren't a lot of nice ways for it to go down.
My post yesterday, which prompted a few comments from folks, took the position that the guy had an employment contract, he'd had issues in the past, and the company with whom he had a contract had a Code of Ethics which he appeared to have violated. I didn't get into whether what he said was true or right or wrong, but simply that he should have known better based on his prior experience with NPR over the years, including a shift from anchor to 'analyst', NPR's request that his appearances on Fox do not make reference to his alternate reality on public radio, and the NPR ombudsman's published support of his work but not so much his actions.
There are a couple of things about the whole situation that bug me, and it's not that Williams got fired. First and foremost was the almost immediate call for pulling public financing for NPR by current and former nitwits of the Republican variety --and by Juan Williams himself. No slowpoke, this guy - nope - immediately starts earning his new $2 million contract with Fox News.
But here's the bigger thing that gets me -- what if Williams had said something really scary? What if he had said this, instead: "…when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in clerical collars and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as priests, I get worried. I get nervous."
After all, Catholic priests molested considerably more children than there were people killed on 9/11. And there are many more priests accused of molestation than there were extremists who attacked us on 9/11. The ramifications of the priest sex abuse scandal are worldwide, and the scariest thing is that they were (and perhaps still are) hiding in plain sight, under the protection of their collars.
What kind of outrage would be expressed if someone - anyone - put this kind of opinion out there on Fox News?
Labels: Hodgepodge, Juan Williams, Politics
Firing Juan Williams
So, Bill O'Reilly, one of the main Fox gasbags, had a hard time on ABC's The View when he announced that Muslims attacked us on 9/11. In the ensuing flap, two of the hosts, Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, walked off the set in a huff, but later returned. Since then, O'Reilly has been talking about his View appearance, ostensibly looking for support, and last Monday, he got into a conversation on this with Juan Williams, a news analyst under contract with NPR who also has a contract with Fox News and appears regularly on O'Reilly.
Here's what Williams said, after professing that he was not a bigot: "…when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."
Now, Williams is probably not a bigot, based on most reports, but what he said was foolish for someone who walks both sides of the line. Williams has long been a 'lightning rod' (to use NPR's own words) because of the opinions he expresses during his other appearances. In this February 2009 post by NPR's ombudsman, we learn that Williams himself appreciates the difference between what he says (or how he says it) on Fox and what he says (or how he says it) on NPR after some comments he made about First Lady Michelle Obama. He was even asked to remove his NPR affiliation from his appearances on Fox.
And in this latest instance, it at least appears that Williams has violated the NPR Code of Ethics which (when this post was originally published) said in part: "10. In appearing on TV or other media including electronic Web-based forums, NPR journalists should not express views they would not air in their role as an NPR journalist. They should not participate in shows in electronic forums, or blogs that encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis." And while the ombudsman feels that the firing was handled poorly, she agrees with NPR for doing it.
Juan Williams exercised his freedom of speech, and NPR exercised their freedom to employ independent contractors who act in accordance with their employer's rules. The bottom line is that sometimes expressing your own opinion can get you in hot water -- not because you're not allowed to have an opinion, or voice one, but because sometimes there are consequences.
Should everyone who expresses an opinion that differs from their employer's face termination? Nope.
But should someone who has to know he's crossing the line - since this is not the first time it's happened - be surprised when he does get fired?
Labels: Accountability, Ethics, Hodgepodge, Juan Williams, Politics, Reality
Poll Watch: 10/21/10
In a Fox News poll taken last week, we continue to disapprove of President Obama's performance, but by a lesser percent than in September; last month his disapproval number was 52%, and now it's down to 47%, among registered voters. Likely voters are likely to like the President less – 52% disapprove. Turning to Congress, both Dems (57%) and Reps (60%) are letting us down, with higher disapproval numbers than the President. Fortunately, while 55% of respondents think that 'an everyday American' can do a better job than most current members of Congress, only 43% of them think they can do a better job, so we might be OK for a while longer.
Concerning the Tea Party, an ABC News/Yahoo News poll shows that 31% want to see it become its own party; 28% want to see it become part of the Republican party, and 25% want to see it simply fade away. Dems and Independents, more than Reps, want to see it become a separate party.
The Kaiser Family Foundation has released their latest poll regarding our impressions of health care reform legislation; 42% express generally favorable opinions, (more Dems than Reps), with 44% generally unfavorable. When asked to describe their emotional response to HCR, disappointed (48%) and confused (47%) led, followed by pleased (41%), enthusiastic (30%), and angry (28%). Of the angry people, most (75%) are not angry about health care reform specifically, but about Washington in general. Go figure.
Labels: health care reform, Politics, Poll Watch
A New Reality Show for NY?
My head is still spinning from Monday's prime time political extravaganza, the alleged debate between the seven candidates for Governor of NY. Broadcast live from Hofstra University on TV and on NPR, it was more of a reality show or infotainment than debate. Of course, around here we never get 'debates', we typically get smarmy sound-bites from major party candidates only, with no air time at all for any of the lesser-party representatives.
All that changed on Monday.
On the stage, in addition to Dem front-runner Andrew Cuomo and Tea Partier-pseudo-Republican Carl Paladino were: Kristin Davis, a former madam representing the Anti-Prohibition party; Warren Redlich, a Libertarian attorney/entrepreneur; Howie Hawkins, a hometown Syracuse guy who is always offered up by the Green Party; Charles Barron, a former Black Panther and now NYC politician from the Freedom Party, and Jimmy McMillan, the larger-than-life representative of the Rent is Too Damn High party. Seriously.
There was a lot of silliness, and gentle ribbing, and posturing, and fun-having by the minor parties, with digs aimed at both Cuomo and Paladino from pretty much everyone on the stage. McMillan tied everything to 'the rent is too damn high', at one point causing Cuomo to laugh out loud, something the audience did regularly. Somehow, for the most part, the moderators stayed reasonably in control, and for that they have my admiration.
Davis wants to legalize marijuana and casino gambling, to bring in about $4 billion in new revenue, 50,000 new jobs….and countless other problems, which she didn't get into, naturally. She is a former madam, however, and has a track record of delivering services on time. Former Governor Steamroller Spitzer can allegedly attest to her business acumen.
Redlich wants smaller government, and he was true to that throughout. Barron and Hawkins had many similar positions, including their union support. They favor progressive taxation as did most of the other minor party candidates, and everyone thinks we need to do more about education – although there were some differences on how best to effect change.
Paladino and Cuomo tried hard not to make a mess of things; Cuomo was successful, Paladino seemed less so, stumbling over his speaking points and frequently running out of time. They tried to stick to their scripts without controversy, and I think folks can forgive Paladino his hasty trip to the men's room during the closing statement round.
In the end, we didn't learn much about the folks most likely to win – but we learned that there are lots of other voices out there, and somehow, someone found them and invited them to the show. I loved the pilot for "The Real Gubernatorial Candidates of NY" -- it's too bad we are never likely to see Episode Two.
Labels: Politics, Reality
Shots Fired: 10/17/10
"Power mongers such as Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who controls the Democratic majority in his chamber, must go. At the least, voters must send a message to Silver and his minions that New Yorkers are no longer willing to allow them to continue ruining a once great state.
The best way to communicate that sentiment is to refuse to return all incumbent Democrats who control both the Assembly and Senate.
Minority Senate Republicans deserve the boot, too, because they have shown more interest in regaining power than real reform. Remember their ill-fated coup attempt last year and their willingness to broker a deal with Sen. Pedro Espada, the disgraceful Bronx Democrat ?" --Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
"We do not despair for the State of New York.
But we do despair for the State of New York's Legislature, deemed the most dysfunctional in the nation well before this session's budgetary incompetence and political debacles, including the mess Democrats made of the Senate.
And we have been so critical of that performance, which made up in show what it lacked in substance, that we can recommend neither re-election this year of many of the Legislature's current members nor election of many challengers who seem to be running more on a show of anger than on a substance of policy knowledge, experience and expertise." –The Buffalo News
Labels: Ethics, Politics, Shots Fired
PPOD October 16, 2010: Politically correct, my eye...
My Sweet Baboo and I recently spent a week in Virginia, where we had the opportunity to visit the home of three early presidents: Jefferson (Monticello), Madison (Montpelier) and Monroe (Ashlawn-Highlands). While we enjoyed our tour of all three places, one thing really bugged me.
Each of the presidents at one point owned slaves, and at each of their homes the guides, the materials, the signage all referred to the slaves as African-Americans. Seriously. African-American slaves. Here's just an example, at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.
To pretend that the slaves, who were owned, bought and sold by whites (statesmen and non-statesmen alike), were 'Americans' doesn't soften the blow of slavery, doesn't make it any less a painful part of our history. And it doesn't fool anyone. Frankly it's ridiculous. And it's my PPOD for today.
Labels: Hodgepodge, PPOD, racism
PPOD October 15, 2010: Who's paying for this election, anyway?
This being election season and all, or maybe that should be 'heightened' election season – around here they never seem to stop – I'm being bombarded with mail from the ins and the wanna-be ins from both parties.
One thing that stands out in all of the mail I've received is that not one piece I've received says "paid for by the guy who wants your vote." And that's my Pet Peeve of the Day.
The ones for Andrew Russo, the concert pianist and music educator turned Republican NY senatorial hopeful, are all paid for by the New York Republican State Committee. Russo has some challenges to overcome, including the fact that he's not been a regular voter. But for me, the biggest challenge is his claim that he's running a 'grass roots campaign' that's paid for by people 'rooted' outside the district.
His opponent, incumbent Dave Valesky, is a member of the Dem leadership in Albany. One recent piece I received on his behalf is paid for by Education Reform Now, in Brooklyn NY. A second one is paid for by the NY State Democratic Committee or the NY State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (both are listed on the mailing) in Albany. Valesky also has detractors outside the district – a 'report card' I received was paid for by Common Sense, a group out of Glen Allen, VA.
A while back I complained about President Obama allegedly trying to talk our Accidental Governor out of running for reelection. Obama thought Paterson would hurt the party; I thought Obama was hurting New York by sticking his nose into our business. Similarly, one day, I'd love to see an election where all of the candidate's money is raised in their district, and where all of the ad money comes from within the district – because, again, who represents us should be up to us – the real constituents.
Labels: Politics, PPOD
PPOD October 15, 2010: Who's paying for this elect...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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AGE DIFFERENCES: The folded wings and tail of the adult male Black-headed Grosbeak shown singing above are black and marked with large, contrasting white patches. Overall, the plumage of the first-year male is similar, but its wings and tail feathers are brownish, not black, and they have smaller and more diffuse white areas. Art by David Allen Sibley.
Determining the age of songbirds in the field generally requires close views, careful study, and some experience. But in a few species in spring, the task can be relatively straightforward, and these birds provide a good starting point for understanding age variation in other songbirds. The key is a difference in wing-molt patterns between first-year and older birds. The difference really stands out on birds with black wing feathers.
The crucial molt difference happened about eight months ago, at the end of the last summer, and becomes more visible in the spring. In late summer, adults of most species undergo a complete molt to winter plumage. The molt involves all of their feathers — body, wings, and tail. At the same time, first-year birds just a few weeks or months old also molt into winter plumage, but their molt typically involves only the body feathers. The birds replace most of the juvenal plumage that was grown in the nest, but they retain juvenal feathers on the wings and tail.
Juvenal feathers tend to be drabber and slightly weaker than adult feathers, and they are also older by a month or more. By the time the birds return the following spring, the first-year birds' flight feathers are relatively brownish, faded, and worn, while the adults' feathers, which are stronger and blacker and were grown a month or more later, are still clean black.
In addition, just before the spring migration, many species replace the tertials, their innermost flight feathers, at the top of the folded wing. On first-year birds, the molt creates a strong contrast between the new blackish (adult-like) tertials and the faded brownish juvenal secondary feathers. On adults, the new black tertials barely contrast with the black secondaries.
This clue to a bird's age is particularly obvious on a few common species — Scarlet and Western Tanager, Rose-breasted and Black-headed Grosbeak — but once learned, it can be seen on many other species as well.
This article from David Sibley's "ID Toolkit" column appeared in the March/April 2017 issue of BirdWatching.
View photos of Black-headed Grosbeak.
View photos of Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
View photos of Scarlet Tanager.
View photos of Western Tanager.
David Sibley: How reflected light gives birds their most vivid plumage.


As Summer nears and the travel season begins it is time to think about travelling with our dogs and the added problems sometimes associated with those trips. Among the issues commonly seen are increased risks of parasites, regulatory requirements, motion sickness, anxiety associated with travel, and the risk of becoming lost.
Parasites are a concern, and some parts of the country have parasites not seen in other parts. For instance fleas are common in humid, low elevation, moderate temperature regions like the coastal regions, and less in the dry deserts or high mountain regions. Heartworm, a major health risk to dogs is spread by mosquitos and is common in the Midwest, South and Eastern US but is not seen in dogs confined to Washington, though is more common on the Oregon coast. Your veterinarian can help you prevent parasite problems if you will tell your vet of your travel plans prior to leaving.
Depending on where you go, you may need the rabies vaccination certificate to prove your dog is current on the rabies vaccination. Places that may ask to see a copy would include state and national parks, and travel to Canada. Be sure to check with your vet well ahead of time if you are planning a trip to another country as the requirements can take several weeks to fulfill.
Dogs with anxiety related to travel, or motion sickness can be helped with medication given ahead of time. Again, your vet can help with providing products that can successfully control these problems.
Finally, no dog should travel without good identification. Nametags with your phone number (make sure it is current), and the pet's name attached to the collar are essential. In addition I advise a microchip which can't be lost or misplaced. However, the chip is only as good as the owner's information associated with the chip, so make sure it has been registered and the contact information is current.
Should you have any question about this article, you can contact Dr. Hunter at 509-327-9354.


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text:
The World's Most Famous Pizza Mascot Fired!
Written by Abel Rodriguez
Chuck E. Cheese said that they are not changing their pizza, just their mascot. (Photo by Bristol Palin).
IRVING, Texas - Chuck E. Cheese's mascot, the giant, hideous-looking rodent has been shooed out the front door.
After 35 years of being the official spokesrat for one of America's leading children's pizza establishments Chuck E. will join the ranks of the unemployed.
A spokesperson for the pizza chain, Duracell "Parmesan" Parcafetti stated that after a meeting of the board members it was determined that the pizza giant no longer wanted to be represented by a gigantic horrendous-looking rodent.
One board member, Elisinore Gretchen Renorucker, 68, said that she had never been able to understand how a food franchise could have a varmint like a lowly, ugly, nasty rat be the mascot of a food chain.
She went on to say that it was decided by a board vote of 5 to 4 to have Chuck E. Cheese the Rodent join the ranks of other retired food mascots including Taco Bell's little Chihuahua dog, Budweiser Beer's Spuds MacKenzie the dog, and Frito Lays the Frito Bandito, who it was learned had never actually become a U.S. citizen.
Mr. Parcafetti said that the time was right for a move and the new mascot will now either be a non-speaking giant slice of pepperoni pizza with hands and feet or else it will be a modern-day, tattooed rock star playing the electric guitar.
The voice of the Chuck E. Cheese rat, Duncan "Nibble-Nibble" Brannan, stated that he is really going to miss making those commercials which helped pay for his $2.7 million mansion in Venice Beach, his two Lamborghini's, his 40 foot yacht "The Say Cheese," and his 185 acre kangaroo breeding ranch located north of Oxnard, California.
SIDENOTE: The iRumors News Agency reported that out of 10,000 nationwide kids between the ages of 4 and 8, who were polled, 97 percent said that they were glad to see the stupid, scary-as-hell rat go.
cheeseFoodmascotPizza
David Beckham Will Now Appear at the Olympics 02 July 2012
Olympics: David Beckham misses out on Stuart Pearces 'Team GB Squad' 28 June 2012
Mitt Romney To Local Pizza Shop Owner 'So Bad I Wouldn't Feed It To My Dog' 27 June 2012
ACLU takes FDA to Court on Punitive Pizza Ploy 22 June 2012
Kirstie Alley Kisses Her Diet Bye-Bye As She Balloons Up To 230 Pounds 19 June 2012
Fresh Guidelines on Breakfast Cereals 15 June 2012
Street evacuated after man bores people to death 13 June 2012
New York City: "Big Apple" Out; "Cute Apple" In 02 June 2012
Business Brief


text:
Massachusetts caps season of discontent; will President Barack Obama listen?
The Oklahoman Editorial Board
New Jersey and Virginia governorships lost to Republicans in November, plunging poll numbers on health care, and growing, non-ideological anger over runaway spending, government incursions into the private sector and a more passive international stance all signaled GOP candidate Scott Brown's rout of Democrat Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts race to claim the U.S. Senate seat held for 47 years by the late Edward Kennedy.
Brown's victory in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-1 caps a season filled with messages sent but not received by Obama and his loyalists: You have overreached, you have misread your 2008 mandate, this isn't the change we voted for.
Yet, amid the toast that was Coakley's campaign, the White House and some Democrats remain in denial: She was a bad candidate, we didn't go far enough with our liberal agenda, health care is failing because the process has taken too long.
With Mr. Brown headed for Washington as the 41st Republican senator, ending Democrats' filibuster-proof majority and putting Obamacare in peril, their early reaction looks like rearranging the beach cabana furniture as the tsunami rolls in.
There's talk of more partisan power plays to shove health care through the legislative grinder — a doubling down on a bad bet if we ever saw one. "There's going to be a tendency on the part of our people to be in denial about all this," Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh told ABC News. But "if you lose Massachusetts and that's not a wake-up call, there's no hope of waking up."
For Republicans, Brown also has a message. They're not necessarily excused from the political wilderness. Brown's "Independent Majority" was a gathering of independents and moderates on top of his state's tiny (11 percent) GOP base. The energy in the country is with non-ideological voters and the tea partiers, people who're angry at the entire process. Democrats are getting most of the heat because they're in charge right now.
The primary object of Tuesday's vote, though, is Obama. His presidency needn't be over after 12 months. He can still guide to the center and capitalize on the favor Americans still feel for him personally. Scott Brown's Massachusetts miracle makes it clear he has no choice.


Awenas son Xavi at Omaha beach in Normandie!
I have also received news that Lily passed her final exams in the working dog club.
Cenna has her obedience class every Sunday.
Thank you all for sharing your everyday life with me.


text:
Antrocephalus maculipennis är en stekelart som beskrevs av Cameron 1905. Antrocephalus maculipennis ingår i släktet Antrocephalus och familjen bredlårsteklar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Bredlårsteklar
maculipennis


Home Occasions	Labor Day or is it?
With the onset of another Labor Day comes the onslaught of weekend sales, special promotions and various different consumer offers that will have your head spinning so it's easy to forget what Labor Day is actually all about!
So it would seem that Labor Day is a celebration of American workers around the United States and a very worthy holiday it is to, celebrating both the common worker and the high powered executive, all classes of worker. But did you know that Labor Day here in Ireland and the UK is actually spelt Labour Day!
So why the difference? This is an interesting story that most Irish people, English or Americans don't know. Well back in the 1800's when the British empire spread it's long arms around the globe colonising many countries, absorbing them under British rule, America was not immune to this attmepted seige, something well documneted of course so it was when a man called Noah Webster decided to change the spelling of many words in the official English Samuel Johnson's dictionary creating An American Dictionary of the English Language. This was mainly as an act of nationalism but became the standard authority on correct spelling for America.
So if you decide to visit the US, think twice before you write anything, think about what it is your saying and if the right word is favor or favour, color or colour, neighbour or neighbor, the list goes on.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Q. My colleague's 19-year-old brother died in a freak biking accident. I attended the funeral and sent a condolence note, but worry about what to say and do when the bereaved comes back to work next week. What is your advice?
Q. My elderly aunt just died, and I'm on the fence about attending the funeral. I loved her, but the funeral is far away and will be so depressing. Will it really matter if I don't go?
Q. My elderly uncle, who is ailing, wants to be buried with his dog in his cemetery plot. Is this common with pet owners — and is it possible? I thought that animals had to go to pet cemeteries.
Q. When my time comes, I would like to have music played at my funeral. Is music acceptable at services in all religions? Can you suggest some appropriate choices?
Q. My aunt just died, and I want to attend the funeral. However, I haven't spoken to my cousin (her son) for several years after a series of arguments. What should I do? I'm afraid he'll be annoyed to see me there or even challenge me.
Q. My siblings and I are bickering over how much to spend for flowers at our mother's funeral. It's, "What do we need flowers for? They're a waste of money" – all the way to, "Let's fill the chapel." What do other people do?
Q. I was recently at a funeral for a relative with Alzheimer's disease who died in a nursing home. I happened to overhear someone tell the deceased's son that, "It's better this way." The comment seemed inappropriate to me, especially because the speaker was not someone who knew the family well. The son also received some condolence notes that made similar statements. Your thoughts?
Why Run an In Memoriam Notice?
Q. I see In Memoriams in the newspaper regularly, but I wonder why people bother to place them. First, they're expensive. Second, isn't an obituary enough?
Q. I'm debating whether to send flowers to a client whose father died or to make a contribution in memory of the person. In the latter case, how can I be sure the client will be notified of the donation? I've never done this before.
Q. I'm preparing an obituary in advance for my elderly father and want to include a photograph. How much extra does a photo cost, and what are the guidelines? Also, what do you think about using a photo from 40 years ago when he was healthy and dashing?
Q. I recently spotted an acquaintance walking down the street and ducked into a store. His wife had died, and I didn't want him to see me because I didn't know what to say. I felt like a coward. Why is it so difficult to talk to someone in this situation?


Time in a garden is measured by days and seasons, not by minutes and hours.
I am morally opposed to tidy gardens. I have decided that a messy garden, with a few weeds and spent blooms is a sign of a happy, healthy gardener who has balance in her life.
Flowers fade like time passes - too quickly. I feel like if I don't go out into the garden everyday, I will miss a bloom or two.
I tried not to think about gardening once ~ that was a terrible five minutes.
Did the plastic forks around the green beans scare the rabbits away, or leave them laughing so hard they couldn't eat the plants?
I wonder all these random thoughts while gardening will take me next?
I do my best thinking in the garden - and praying, too!
Your beans are looking wonderful. On Saturday we ate the first beans from my garden - Kentucky Wonder Pole beans planted April 15.
I definitely heard laughing rabbits.
Love your random thoughts! Just yesterday while the family was working in the garden my son asked me if it was ok to think about how he would start of his minecraft series (computer game)...I told him that was the beauty of working in the garden...you can think about anything you want and let your mind wander!
Have you ever thought of publishing a book, Carol? Seriously, you have so many gems of wisdom here, I know it would be a popular seller for gardeners everywhere.
I love your thoughts, Carol. I have had a few of those thoughts, too!
5 random thoughts = 5 new blog posts.
Indeed, an addition to that is "The sign of a good gardener is not a green thumb, it is brown knees."


text:
Migrants hoping to hunt U.S. asylum face years-long authorized limbo in overwhelmed system
New York — Beberlyn and her household boarded the subway to downtown Manhattan earlier than 4 a.m. in mid-October. Their appointment with federal immigration officers wasn't till 9 o'clock, however she needed to ensure her household can be seen.
When the household arrived at 4:40, dozens of migrants had been already ready outdoors the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) workplace at Federal Plaza. By 8 o'clock, traces with lots of of migrants had fashioned. It is a scene that repeats itself on each weekday in New York Metropolis, one of many high locations for the lots of of 1000's of migrants launched from federal U.S. border custody over the previous 12 months.
Beberlyn, 33, is a Venezuelan migrant who crossed the U.S. southern border unlawfully along with her husband, 15-year-old nephew, 12-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter in late August. She hoped ICE would give them an immigration courtroom date so they may begin the method of making use of for asylum and work permits.
In fiscal 12 months 2022, practically 380,000 migrants like Beberlyn had been launched by U.S. border officers beneath a humanitarian authority referred to as parole and instructed to test in at ICE workplaces throughout the U.S. to obtain a courtroom date, authorities knowledge present. It is a coverage the Biden administration started final 12 months to course of migrants extra rapidly out of Border Patrol holding services, since issuing courtroom notices is a lengthier course of.
However after their hours-long wait in Manhattan, Beberlyn's household was not given a courtroom date. As a substitute, they had been instructed to test in with ICE once more on April 1, 2024. The household is now in limbo. The U.S. allowed them to remain within the nation pending the decision of their circumstances. However their parole expired on Oct. 26 and since they don't seem to be in formal deportation proceedings in courtroom, they can't ask a decide for asylum or request work permits.
"We got here right here with the phantasm of getting forward, of working," mentioned Beberlyn, whose surname is being withheld due to her pending immigration case. "I need to work. My husband needs to work. It has not been as simple as we thought. It's kind of irritating and tough."
Beberlyn and her household's predicament has turn out to be more and more frequent for migrants searching for asylum within the U.S. Formally arrange in 1980 to grant refuge to these fleeing persecution, the U.S. asylum program has come beneath extreme pressure over the previous few years amid file numbers of migrants searching for safety alongside the southern border and Congress' failure to replace the system in over twenty years.
Roughly 600 judges are at the moment overseeing practically 2 million unresolved circumstances, together with 750,000 asylum purposes, within the U.S. immigration courtroom system, in response to authorities knowledge compiled by Syracuse College's TRAC program. These numbers do not embody migrants like Beberlyn who've but to obtain a courtroom listening to within the first place.
Because of the large and mounting case backlog, migrants wait a median of 4.2 years for a listening to earlier than an immigration decide, whose choices will be appealed. As a result of U.S. regulation solely permits asylum-seekers to obtain work permits 180 days after an asylum petition is filed, additionally they usually wait years to have the prospect to work within the nation legally, or are compelled to work illegally and receives a commission beneath the desk.
The woes confronted by the U.S. asylum system have intensified beneath the Biden administration, which has reported file ranges of encounters with migrants alongside the U.S.-Mexico border. Tens of 1000's of migrants have come from international locations like Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, the place the U.S. can not expel border-crossers beneath a pandemic-era rule that's getting used to rapidly flip again Mexican and Central American migrants.
Border Patrol brokers on responsibility as migrants from Venezuela attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in September 2022.
Christian Torres/Anadolu Company through Getty Photos
In fiscal 12 months 2022, U.S. border authorities recorded over 2.3 million encounters with migrants, a file excessive, although a major share included repeat crossings by the identical people. Whereas over 1 million of these encounters resulted in expulsions beneath the pandemic restriction referred to as Title 42, U.S. border officers processed 1.3 million migrants beneath U.S. immigration regulation, which permits them to request asylum.
Theresa Cardinal Brown, a former immigration adviser within the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, mentioned the present state of the asylum system hurts migrants by trapping them in a years-long authorized limbo. It additionally prevents the U.S., she added, from figuring out whether or not somebody qualifies for asylum promptly, a dynamic that may encourage migrants with weak or nonexistent claims to make use of the system to remain within the nation.
"It is processing individuals into an ever-growing backlog of a system," mentioned Cardinal Brown, who now works as a managing director on the Bipartisan Coverage Middle. "The asylum system has collapsed."
A Biden administration border coverage designed to weed out weak asylum claims has proven indicators of success, rejecting 50% of asylum-seekers on the preliminary screening section and granting asylum to eligible migrants inside months as an alternative of years. However this system has been carried out on a really restricted scale since launching in June.
"A really lengthy course of"
Beberlyn mentioned her household's migration journey began in 2016, after her sister was killed by paramilitaries within the state of Táchira. Her household, together with her sister's son, migrated to Colombia, turning into a part of a mass exodus of Venezuelans that just lately surpassed 7 million refugees, the most important displacement disaster recorded within the Western Hemisphere.
After dwelling in Colombia for a number of years, Beberlyn mentioned her household was once more uprooted earlier this 12 months after she filed a police grievance in opposition to a person she mentioned sexually abused her son and nephew. Beberlyn mentioned she was advised her household can be harmed in the event that they did not flee: "We solely had 24 hours to depart Colombia."
Like tens of 1000's of Venezuelans who've journeyed north over the previous 12 months, Beberlyn's household traversed seven Latin American international locations and crossed the infamous ungoverned jungle in Panama referred to as the Darién Hole on foot en path to the U.S. southern border.
"Our our bodies had been exhausted. Our toes had been swollen. 4 of my husband's toenails fell off; two of my toenails fell off, too," she mentioned, recounting the trek by means of the jungle.
However Beberlyn mentioned the arduous trek "was value it."
"Now I really feel calm. I really feel secure," she added. "I haven't got to fret about my youngsters's security."
The tight-knit Venezuelan household is now dwelling in one in all dozens of resorts that New York Metropolis officers have transformed into makeshift shelters for migrants bused to Manhattan by Republican officers in Texas and El Paso's Democratic authorities. The household has additionally obtained donated winter garments.
Beberlyn's daughter, Laidy, was enrolled in kindergarten at a public faculty within the Higher West Aspect the place her son, Emmanuel, goes to center faculty. Her nephew, Daiberth, who she treats as her personal little one, can be attending a public highschool in Manhattan.
Nonetheless, the household has confronted some challenges in New York. Beberlyn's husband, Melkin, mentioned he labored on a building challenge for over two weeks, however was solely paid for 3 days. As a result of Melkin doesn't have authorized standing, he mentioned, there's not a lot he can do about it.
Whereas some Democrats and advocates say that permitting asylum-seekers to work legally earlier within the immigration course of would curb labor theft and profit the U.S. financial system, detractors argue it might encourage extra unlawful immigration.
On their approach again from their ICE check-in in October, Daiberth helped carry Laidy's stroller and showcased a number of the phrases in English he had discovered at school. He mentioned he needed to be "massive" to play basketball at school. Emmanuel, in the meantime, mentioned he was wanting ahead to seeing snow for the primary time this winter.
Beberlyn poses for a photograph alongside her husband, youngsters and nephew after a check-in appointment with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New York Metropolis.
Camilo Montoya-Galvez
Beberlyn mentioned her youngsters will study English a lot quicker than she's going to. However she's frightened about their immigration case. They do not know after they'll obtain a courtroom date. She and her husband cannot work legally. The household additionally doesn't have a lawyer, which knowledge present might improve their probabilities of successful asylum.
If an immigration decide determines the household didn't endure persecution or doesn't have a well-founded concern of persecution based mostly on their race, nationality, faith, political beliefs or membership in a social group — the necessities beneath U.S. regulation — they could possibly be ordered deported.
"I've a great likelihood," Beberlyn mentioned, citing the threats in opposition to her household. "However I've heard it might probably take a very long time, even years. It is a very lengthy course of, so we have now to attend."
Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the immigration reporter at CBS Information. Based mostly in Washington, he covers immigration coverage and politics.
Tags: asylum, face, hoping, legal, limbo, Migrants, overwhelmed, seek, system, U.S, yearslong
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Britta had volunteered her services without a second thought. Not because she was feeling brave and adventurous — she had changed as a person since she'd started playing the game, but not that much — but because it seemed like what the game was asking of her.
Events were coalescing in one place, so that was the place she needed to be.
She was drawn there in a way simply receiving a message instructing her where to go wouldn't have achieved. She was both excited and apprehensive. Around her, there was only fear and trepidation. Except for Dad.
His mood was in stark contrast to everyone else's. He seemed to think he was off to a party where presents were being handed out to all guests, and he wanted to get there good and early.
It was probably the right attitude. Fretting about what was going to happen wouldn't help. Britta couldn't stop herself, though. She didn't understand what the Mayor and Gabriel Garbolum were up to.
If the Keystone could destroy large parts of New World, would they be willing to use it? Would they threaten others? If that was the plan, surely they would have done it already. What had they been waiting for?
There was something she was missing. Either Roman wasn't telling her the whole truth, or he didn't know it himself.
Not knowing all the facts, but ploughing ahead anyway, was not how Britta usually approached a problem. It didn't feel like a very smart way to behave. Even if you got away with it once or twice, you would eventually fall foul of ignorance, especially if other people knew what they were doing. She clearly had the poorest grasp of what the Keystone was and what it was capable of. By all rights, she should have no chance against either the Mayor or Gabriel Garbolum, whoever emerged victorious between the two. Everything was stacked against her and it would take a miracle to come out ahead from such a unfavourable position. Good thing she knew how to do magic.
"What's the plan?" asked Dad.
"Don't have one," said Britta. She didn't know who she'd face or how best to deal with them. All she had was a time limit. Dawn.
They were outside in the street, surrounded by dwarf ninjas. It wasn't exactly the most discreet entourage. A horse-drawn cart was waiting to take them to the mines. Everyone piled in, with Dad sticking out as the tallest.
"I'll try," said Britta, not really sure it would be worth it. Side quests rarely were.
"Magda, my love..." said Rusty who was sitting next to Britta.
Magda grabbed his head in both of hers and kissed him violently through his cowl. "If you don't come back, Rustworth, I vill never forgive you." She ran off sobbing.
Soft-hearted was not how Britta would have described her.
"So, we just swan in and fight our way to the Keystone, killing everything in our path?" said Dad.
Dad seemed to think he was in an 80s action movie. Everything would go wrong, but then he would inexplicably stumble onto a room full of RPG launchers and blow everything to kingdom come. Probably in slow motion.
"I don't know. It's a bit strange Dr Reedy hasn't been in touch." She looked up at the night sky. "Hello? Dr Reedy?" There was no reply.
She shook her head again. He was having a hard time grasping what she was suggesting, which was understandable. Don't kill anyone, get answers to questions they don't want to give, save the world. Oh, and watch out for the homicidal undead dwarf. Not exactly the easiest of tasks.
Perhaps the dwarf was the answer to all this. She had considered destroying the grimoire now, taking the death penalty, and then coming back. At most it would be twelve hours, possibly less. Even if it was the full twelve, would anything happen while she was gone? Not to sound too self-centred, but she was sort of key to the story, it would most likely wait for her. At least the spell on the dwarf would be removed and they'd have one less enemy to worry about.
But maybe the dwarf wasn't an enemy. If Tibor had no allegiance to either the Mayor or Garbolum, she might be able to use him against them. There was just the small matter of him being insane to contend with.
The dwarves all made noises indicating they were ready to lay down their lives.
"Okay, okay, calm down," said Dad. "Don't get too trigger happy. There won't be any need for your crack kamikaze squadron. We'll take care of it, right?" He looked at Britta, who gave him a weak thumbs-up.
It didn't take long for the wagon to reach the mines. Everyone got out and stood around, waiting for someone else to give the go-ahead. Britta realised that person was her.
"It will be immediate," said the dwarf, a certain amount of pride in his voice.
Britta walked up to the entrance. There was no one about; no players and no NPCs.
"We'll try to get to the lower floor without being noticed, and then…" That was all she had. Planning was hard.
They entered the mine, a thrill running through her. It wasn't every day you got the chance to save the world. At least this part would be fairly easy. Get the shade to scout the place and find out where everyone was, and take it from there.
They quietly made their way to the first chamber. The dwarf was standing there, red eyes ablaze, waiting for them.
I'll be taking a week off over the hols. Bitter will be back on 1st January.
Will restart 8th January. Going to take a week to try to get a buffer going. Writing in advance, I know, crazy.
Bitter is now available as an eBook.
Book One: Amazon Kindle and in epub on Apple, B&N, Kobo.
Book Two: Amazon Kindle and in epub on Apple, B&N, Kobo.


Aggro or Aggravation is when an enemy targets your character and begins attacking them. In V&H all enemies 5 levels below you and up will Aggro you. In-Game terminology usually classifies them as "Red Monsters". There are exceptions to this rule, for example all Elder and Venerable bosses will Aggro you regardless of your level disparity.
Please note that the table above is a very simplified representation of an enemy Aggro / Threat table. Threat is constantly updating throughout the duration of the fight, and this changes who the monster has as their number 1 targeting priority. There are a lot of different factors that can affect targeting priority, which we will go over below.
On-Sight Aggro: Now that you understand the basic concept behind threat, we will go over a few of the more intricate aspects. On-Sight Aggro is what happens when a player strays too close to a "Red Monster". The monster will immediately run towards you and begin attacking you. On-Sight Aggro has a threat value of 1, so it can easily be overpowered by another player with a simple hit. This is why it is NOT a good idea to run around in circles when an enemy is attacking you, instead head towards your nearest priest or tank so they can hit the enemy (applying threat) to take Aggro off of you. All enemies have a line of sight, picture this as a circle around the enemy. If you step into the circle they will see you, no matter what direction they're facing. Different zones have different Aggro radii. For example enemies in the Pyrron dungeons have a very limited Aggro radius, while enemies in the Blighted Isles have a much larger one. This means you can get closer to enemies in Pyrron without them noticing you as compared to in the Blighted Isles. So most people ask the question, "How can you tell how large or small the Aggro radius is?" Well you simply can't from first glance, there is some trial and error involved. Remember that most realms have set the same Aggro radius values, so if you notice a small Aggro radius in Pyrron Bastion you can bet it'll be the same size in Pyrron Ramparts. Simply walk towards an enemy and inch closer and closer until they notice you. Once you've got the hang of it you'll be able to avoid many enemy confrontations and save yourself time fighting your way through each monster. This is usually called "Hugging walls" or "Cutting corners". The further you are from an enemy the less chance you have of stepping into their Aggro circle!
Threat Generation: One of the main functions of a Defender warrior or "tank" is to keep enemies from attacking their more vulnerable allies. Tanks have specific abilities that help achieve this, for example Challenge, Thunderous Call, Defiant Stand and Pummel. What you may not know is that what these abilities are actually doing is applying threat to the enemy. Remember that an enemy's targeting priority is based on threat, and threat is a 1:1 correlation to damage applied. Well how would a tank deal enough damage to keep the enemy's attention away from his heavy hitting hunter ally? The answer is by using the feats mentioned above, or in other words by using "Taunts". Warrior's also have specific armor that adds an additional layer of threat to each of their attacks. This process of using taunts is known as Threat Generation. Essentially the warrior has to generate enough threat to overpower the damage of their allies in order to keep an enemy focused on them.
How to Avoid Aggro in Combat: If you're a glass cannon that last thing you want is the opponent targeting you! But how can you avoid that when you deal so much damage? Well the main course of action is ensuring there is a warrior in the party who understands threat generation mechanics and has enough taunts to keep attention off of you. Before every fight you must give the tank time to engage their taunts though! On-Sight Aggro can be finicky, and when multiple players are within the Aggro circle there is no telling which player the monster decides to attack. Recall that On-Sight Aggro has a threat value of 1, so if all players within the circle have the same value, then it becomes random probability who the monster charges at. Let the tank take the lead, and let them use their taunts or stuns before unleashing your heavy hitting attacks. Some players purposely avoid using high damage feats but this sort of play-style is not recommended and can lead to unnecessarily long fight duration. It is better to figure out a different solution. Perhaps the priest focuses heals and shields on whoever is tanking or wizards attempt to stun-lock the boss.
Single Enemies: Tanks have a large amount of physical and elemental protection, however it can be easy to become overwhelmed by ranged magic users if you're not careful. As a melee fighter a ranged enemy will always try to keep its distance from you. If you attempt to attack said ranged enemy before they 'lock in' their position then they will continually run away. This becomes dangerous as they can draw you into dangerous territory. During the early phase of the game tanks will notice a lack of spirit right off the bat. It's best to conserve your mana by using only a few key attacks per encounter. Charge is a great starter, as it will push your warrior straight into the fray and has a chance to stun the enemy for a few moments. Following with sword storm is also a common tactic. Normally these two abilities alone can finish off an enemy, however if your foe is extra challenging then you may need to use phoenix strike to replenish your health every now and then. Later on as your warrior enters Traven content you'll face an increasing number of elemental type monsters. A warrior tank generally has high elemental protection however not nearly as much as their physical protection. The zones are also much more monster filled, so it's recommended to drag an enemy onto neutral ground so that their friends do not spot you. Overall single enemies pose little to no threat to a tank and you'll find yourself able to traverse zones without much difficulty, however they will take time as you much conserve your low spirit reserves often and your attacks do minimal damage.
Group Enemies: Higher level content such as Pyrron and the Blighted Isles incorporate group enemy tactics. Meaning if you attract the attention of 1 monster, then 3 or 4 of their nearby allies will converge upon you as well. Even during lower level content this scenario can happen often, as plenty of zones feature monsters in close proximity so it's common to agro multiple enemies. Whenever this happens it is important to back-track a few steps into the area you had just cleared. If you dive headfirst into a group of opponents then chances are you will also be spotted by other nearby groups. Once the group is upon you, you'll have to immediately take out the largest threat. In most cases these are magic casters or elemental type monsters. Warrior tanks can have many physical damage based enemies on them at once without taking much damage, but magic/elemental opponents can bypass much of a warrior's defenses. Important abilities include dragon strike - this will stun all foes in the vicinity for a few seconds, buying you enough time to pinpoint which monster to kill first or replenish some health with a phoenix. Another great attack is whirlwind, this will strike all nearby enemies once again dealing damage as well as a chance to inflict bleeding. It can get dizzying when so many are attacking you at once, but it's best to keep calm and go at them one by one, the most dangerous ones first. As a tank you can last longer during these fights than most other classes, however if it becomes too prolonged then the penalty will be spirit depletion, which can cripple even the mightiest of defenses.
Single Enemies: While tanks can outlast most of their opponents, Swift warriors do not have that luxury. Playing a pure DPS warrior means you need to be quick thinking, have fast reflexes, and sound tactics in order to survive in hostile environments. What Swift warriors lack in defense however they make up for in offense. Swift warriors are capable of decimating foes with a few quick slices and these means that they can breeze through zones rapidly. However with speed comes great risk. Swift warriors are one stun or one crush away from death, this means they must choose their attacks wisely. In most cases the order of attacks for a Tank and Swift warrior when solo'ing are aligned. Charge followed by sword storm is the bread and butter of enemy warrior combo. Swift Warriors may want to buff themselves with huzzah before a fight or with titanic power if they're about to face an exceptionally difficult boss. It's important to drag enemies away from their allies before engaging them, this can be done by 'body dragging' meaning getting just close enough to aggro one monster without alerting his allies, and then proceeding to back up to a safe spot while the enemy rushes at you. Another way to accomplish this is through challenge, which could have a greater or lesser range depending on the agro radius of the enemy. Swift warriors can also use a flurry of other attacks such as eagle strike without fearing much loss in their spirit pool thanks to their gear.
Group Enemies: Fighting two or 3 enemies at once isn't much of a challenge for Swift warriors. Once the number reaches 4 or 5 though they can pose a real threat. Swift warriors need to rely on their damage and speed in order to quickly and effectively defeat their enemies, Before diving in click the enemies one by one and analyze them. Which of them seem the most dangerous? Once this is accounted for it's time to begin the fight. When rushing into a group it is highly recommended to lead off with a charge + Dragon strike combination after buffing yourself with Huzzah. This will ensure you make it into the group before enemies have time to react and then proceed to stun the monsters on the playing field. Whirlwind is another key ability which will weaken the surrounding foes considerably, making it that much easier to dispatch the group. Physical and elemental enemies alike pose a threat for Swift warriors, but ranged magic users are probably more damage due to their attack speed. While the enemies are stunned now is your chance to use sword storm and knock out the key heavy hitters among the enemies. It's a good idea to kill those that have the least health first before engaging enemies with a vast quantity of armor and health. Use stuns such as dragon strike and charge as often as possible and while certain enemies are stunned attack those that aren't stunned. If you notice a group of enemies composed of very deadly enemies then use the challenge ability to draw out one or two of the more powerful enemies. This can be done for almost every enemy and while it is a viable tactic it will result in taking much longer to complete a zone.
Single Enemies: Tanks are often group leaders in party situations. A tank's job is to ensure the safety of their less armored allies. This can be accomplished by making sure that the enemy is focused on you. Tanks have many abilities at their disposal such as challenge and pummel that will cause the enemy to attack them rather than the other players in the area. When fighting in zones with a large group expect much more enemy attention as your allies will draw over monsters as well. Make sure to check on your teammates often as your priority is their safety over yours. Even if there are a couple of monsters attacking you, it's advised to rush to the aid of your allies (specifically hunters and wizards) if you notice them being swarmed. While tanks can take the brunt of the attack, other classes can not. A tactic that a few players use when fighting single enemies with a group is to merely engage an enemy, use either pummel or challenge to get their attention, and then run to the next enemy while the previous monster is still chasing you. As the enemies run after you, your allies in the back can let loose a barrage of ranged attacks to finish the foes off one by one. This strategy is ideal for turning slow moving zones into fast paced adventures however it takes a highly coordinated team to pull off.
Group Enemies: Holding the attention of a large group of enemies is difficult when your allies are heavy hitting fire wizards and poison hunters but it isn't impossible. To achieve proper group performance every tank needs to understand how threat and agro work. When you notice an enemy on the map with a red name and that enemy sees you as well and begins to rush towards you, this is called on-sight agro. You have a very low threat rating for this enemy which can easily be broken when another player deals damage. Tanks have certain abilities (pummel, challenge, thunderous call, defiant stand) which increase their threat generation or apply threat directly. Damage also acts as threat in a 1:1 ratio. So say you attack an enemy as a tank and deal your average 200 damage you also just applied 200 threat + however much threat bonus is added by your defender gear. Now say a hunter then out-damages you and hits the enemy for 500 damage (also 500 threat). That enemy will now 'agro' or attack the hunter instead of you. As a tank, you do NOT want this to happen. When fighting a group of enemies it's best to start off with thunderous call. This is an Area of Effect ability that will apply threat to all nearby enemies, forcing them to swarm you. Now this is a great first step, but it is not enough. A quick combo from your fire wizard ally and all of those enemies will switch targets. Thus, once thunderous call is used and all the monsters are surrounding you, use whirlwind to deal damage + defender gear boosted threat onto those enemies. Now your allies can freely deal as much damage as they want with no fear of being swarmed. If you notice an enemy that has resisted your thunderous call, then that is the enemy you should focus your attacks on. Also, if there is enemy with an exceptionally large amount of health, chances are that one of your allies will eventually deal enough damage to out-threat you for that specific enemy. A quick pummel or challenge can fix this. If you're especially worried about a certain group of monsters then use defiant stand before charging in. This will increase your health reserves but more importantly your threat generation, meaning it will take a considerable amount of damage for anyone to be able to agro a monster away from you. Likely that will never happen considering the short duration of most fights.
Single Enemies: Swift warriors generally do not lead groups due to their lack of protection and preference for damage over control. In team situations Swift warriors can be compared to the melee version of the hunter class. Their role is to simply destroy the enemies. Swift warriors can accomplish this by staying behind the tank, letting them take control of the situation and then pouncing in to make short work of the enemies. Be careful where you charge though, since Swift warriors are a melee class everything that could see the tank at the front can also see you. This is why it's recommended to hang back a bit. If the tank is doing an efficient job, then Swift warriors can act as crowd control and group buffers. Using huzzah to increase the damage of their allies and then leaping to the aid of hunters and wizards whenever an enemy wanders too close. This makes it easier on the tank as well, and allows them to focus on leading the team and taking the brunt of the damage out front while the Swift warrior ensures that nothing harms the glass cannons in the back. If there is no tank around then Swift warriors can potentially act as a substitute but with much greater risk and less efficiency. Otherwise, Swift warriors should focus completely on damage, but while also making sure they do not accidentally draw unwanted attention.
Group Enemies: It is of utmost importance to allow the tank to engage a group of enemies and build up threat before charging in. In a group situation it can be difficult to ascertain who is attacking who, and if a Swift warrior gets agro from a powerful enemy monster then they can be wiped out before they have time to react and figure out which enemy is targeting them. Once the leader has established agro over the group, Swift warriors should charge in after/while buffing allies with huzzah. The priority of attack for a Swift warrior varies depending on the situation. If the Tank failed to get enough agro over a few monsters, and those monsters begin to rush towards ranged allies, then those should be top priority. Otherwise it should be enemies such as archers or drakes - the longer they're left alive the more powerful they become. Dragon strike is an important ability to use whenever your health falls too low. It will stun all enemies in the vicinity and give you an opportunity to use phoenix and replenish health. It's also advised not to attack the same enemies as your team (unless they need help). If you notice an enemy archer raining down fire unopposed while the rest of your team is only focusing on a couple of monsters then it is your job to engage and defeat the archer. If everyone attacked a single monster out of a group it would waste time, and spirit. Swift warriors should use a bouncing technique when fighting large groups - charge from one monster to the next, dealing quick damage with sword storm and then moving on to the next enemy. It's ideal to finish off an enemy before changing targets however it may not matter, as most groups have wizards and hunters who can deal AoE damage finish off any weakened enemies. It's also extremely important which enemy a Swift warrior chooses to use phoenix from. If you're desperate on gaining health and you are out of options then go for the nearest enemy, but if you have a few moments to pick a target then choose the correct one. Never use phoenix on enemies with large armor ratings and resistances, this will yield the lowest amount of health gained. In Pyrron dungeons the best enemy for a warrior to use phoenix on are sluggers/bruisiers. They have a large amount of health but little to no armor. This means Swift warriors can regain a considerable amount of health per phoenix.


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As part of the Embross VelocityKioskseries, the V-Desk continues the clean, modular and smart styling of the V Series but with a focus on agent-driven use, dynamic deployment flexibility and delivering a more passenger-friendly experience.
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The V-Desk is a modular structure with 4 easy-to-customize zones: Print, Battery, Shelf/Storage and Base zones. Each zone is designed to fit end user needs based on printer, storage and mobility requirements.
The V-Desk is available with dual displays: A single agent 24inch LED monitor and a 22inch passenger facing display. The passenger-facing display can be utilized to display passenger travel information for validation or general display as well as a range of information such as FIDS data etc.
The V-Desk features a dynamic, RGB illuminated frosted privacy screen around the Desk shelf. The illumination can be programmed to align with airline or airport branding. Any colour can be be programmed as well as notification lighting to signify the desk is available or unavailable.
The V-Desk can be purchased as a barebone unit or with a mix of integrated and BYO components. Some BYO components include an upgraded battery system, 24″ passenger-facing screen, biometric cameras, speakers, passport readers, bag tag and printer systems, and custom branding options.
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text:
Q: Suppress page headers in one chapter In a memoir document, how can I suppress the page headers for every page in one particular chapter?
However, I don't want want to use \pagestyle{empty} as recommended this answer, since I want the pages in that chapter to be formatted exactly like the other pages in the document (including having a footer, etc.)--just without the header.
Here is my current document:
\documentclass{memoir}

\usepackage{etoolbox}
\usepackage{lipsum}

% Headers and Footers

\nouppercaseheads

\makepagestyle{mystyle}
\setlength{\headwidth}{\dimexpr\textwidth+\marginparsep+\marginparwidth\relax}
\makerunningwidth{mystyle}{\headwidth}

\makeevenhead{mystyle}{\itshape\leftmark}{}{}
\makeoddhead{mystyle}{}{}{\itshape\leftmark}
\makeevenfoot{mystyle}{\thepage}{}{}
\makeoddfoot{mystyle}{}{}{\thepage}
\makepsmarks{mystyle}{\createmark{chapter}{left}{}{}{}}

\makeatletter
\makepsmarks{mystyle}{\createmark{chapter}{left}{shownumber}{\@chapapp\ }{:\ }}
\makeatother

\makepagestyle{plain}
\makerunningwidth{plain}{\headwidth}
\makeevenfoot{plain}{\thepage}{}{}
\makeoddfoot{plain}{}{}{\thepage}

\pagestyle{mystyle}

\makeatletter
\aliaspagestyle{title}{empty} % suppress the page number after \maketitle
\let\origps@chapter\ps@chapter
\preto\frontmatter{\let\ps@chapter\ps@empty\pagestyle{empty}}
\preto\mainmatter{%
  \cleardoublepage
  \let\ps@chapter\origps@chapter\pagestyle{mystyle}}
\makeatother

\begin{document}

\chapter{First Chapter}

\lipsum[1-10]

\chapter{Second Chapter}

I want to suppress the header for every page in this chapter.

\lipsum[1-10]

\end{document}

A: Add \pagestyle{plain} immediately after \chapter{Second Chapter}. You don't need to add \thispagestyle{plain} as this is (by default) done automatically by \chapter. (You do modify this behaviour for \frontmatter in your example, but switch back to the default chapter page style for \mainmatter. )

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Rice Krispies treats are one of my favorite desserts and this recipe only involves one extra step to make these super cute Easter treats! A delicious and adorable Easter dessert! This is a great recipe to make together with your kids!
I recently remade this recipe so I could refresh this post a little bit! I've added some new pictures and a few more details! I'm including the original picture so you can see how it looks with the different decorations! There are several ways to make this recipe!
Make the Rice Krispies Treats as you normally would, following the directions on the box. But, press them into cupcake tins instead of a big pan. Then, while they are still warm, press down in the center to create a "nest". You can use a shot glass, back of a spoon or even just your hands. Alternately, buy a box of pre-made treats, unwrap them and cut them in half. Shape the halves into the nest shapes with your hands and you're all set.
For the candy you can use any type of Easter candy you like! In the original recipe post I used M&Ms, when I remade it I used Robins Eggs and Cadbury mini eggs. You could also use jelly beans. When I first made this I used edible Easter egg grass for the grass part of the decoration, as shown in the picture above. It comes in several colors and flavors, and this is great alternative if you don't like coconut or are allergic!
Another method is to use shredded coconut and dye it green with food coloring. To avoid clumping, I added the drops of food coloring to my bowl first and swirled it around a little, then I added the coconut and tossed it around for an even coat.
Follow the box directions to prepare the Rice Krispies Treats, then press the treats into a cupcake pan, or use your hands to form the nest shape.
Mix shredded coconut with food coloring.
Decorate with "grass" and candy eggs.
Use store bought treats for quicker prep time!
So cute! I think yours came out prettier : ) And convenient, I don't like coconut either – I can't believe they make edible Easter grass!
Oh my goodness, those are adorable!
Very cute! I like your colorful version. I'm a new follower stopping by from Like Totally! Tuesdays.
Those turned out way cute!!
These are so cute!! And another excuse to eat rice krispy treats? Yes please.
these are super cute and look tasty too. what a fun idea! new follower from the bloglovin hop!
I love rice crispy treats! This is a great spin on them.
This definitely seems like a great take on an old classic. Especially if one has kids!
Those are sooooo cute, I'm going to have to make them for my kids. Thanks for sharing!!
So simple and yet super adorable! Are you and Carter making them again this year?


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The HOLT Family - Chesapeake, Virginia; The GOFF Family – Canon, Georgia; The BLOUNT Family – Laguna Hills, California; The LYNCH Family – Whitestone, New York.
The SMALL Family – Orange, Connecticut; The RHODES Family – Cedar Park, Texas; The TITTIGER Family – Stockbridge, Georgia; The SIMMONS Family – Cathedral City, California.
The PLAUCHE Family – Pass Christian, Mississippi; The LARSEN Family – Elburn, Illinois; The YANGELLO Family – Pennsville, New Jersey; The BAUGHMAN Family – Prosper, Texas.
The HYATT Family – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; The PARADOWSKI Family – Decatur, Georgia; The DOWNS Family – Norman, Oklahoma; The SATTERWHITE Family – Mechanicsville, Virginia.
The MIZE Family – Marinwood, California; The GAY Family – LaGrangeville, New York; The MACRINA Family – Wyomissing, Pennsylvania; The KOWALCZYK Family – Tinley Park, Illinois.