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Poems In Favor Of The Separation Between Church and Hate by Tony Haynes
Poems in Favor Of The Separation Between Church and Hate by Tony Haynes explores the tenets of myriad religions from around the world through a series of poems that demonstrate the fine line between spreading love and hate through their messages. Some of the poems hit their mark almost too well. Others skirt the edges. Haynes religious tendencies are clear throughout the collection of poetry. Poems In Favor Of The Separation Between Church and Hate highlights both the similarities religions share and the differences they indicate while showing the role they play in shaping the societies we live in for better or worse.
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly is a glimpse into a history that never made it into the history books taught in any of my history classes. I kept thinking about how the victors write history and how that history always makes those victors the heroes while ignoring all other contributions. Shetterly examines the role of the "human computers" and particularly the black women "human computers" who were instrumental in the advancement of the United States's development of planes and eventually the space program. Shetterly writes about these mathematicians, their work, and and their lives with finesse and insight. Hidden Figures is an intense and beautifully written story that shatters multiple stereotypes while demonstrating the obstacles overcome as well as the opportunities embraced. Maybe someday history will truly reflect the contributions of those wh…
Red Hot Murder by Joanne Pence
Red Hot Murder by Joanne Pence blends modern mystery elements with a nod to old westerns. Pence plays with stereotypes with a bit of humor in the midst of her characters, Angie and Paavo, becoming embroiled in a series of mysterious events in a small Arizona town connected to Paavo's childhood. While Pence creates characters who are easily relatable, the characters aren't necessarily likable. Sometimes Pence's choice of words distracted me from the story, but not enough to make me stop reading. As in many mysteries, sometimes the characters' decisions are hard to understand even though they further the story. Red Hot Murder proved to be a combination of intriguing, engaging, satisfying and at times predictable.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead reads like a journey through history. While at times the story reads as fantastical, it is also a glimpse into a history that was all too real. Whitehead engages the reader in the lives of his characters giving each person the feeling of both witnessing history and being immersed in it. The world Whitehead creates in the historical slave-owning South is vivid with all the pain and loss and hope of those who seek a life they can call their own. I felt the sting of the whip, smelled the burning flesh of punishment, and felt the itch of dusty confines. I felt the uncertainty of freedom after never knowing it. I felt the fleetingness of a freedom of one who has never lived as a free person. The Underground Railroad provokes thought on an emotional roller-coaster ride through the longing for freedom and the journey to liberation.
War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence by Ronan Farrow
War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence by Ronan Farrow is a fascinating look at the role of diplomacy in America's dealings around the world. Farrow spares no one as he examines the successes and failures of diplomacy. He demonstrates how the erosion of diplomacy has coincided with the increase of militarization of negotiation. Farrow details the complicated internal negotiations and jurisdictional struggles that go on within the myriad branches of the United States government and explains how those struggles shape our reactions around the world in ways that often seem more detrimental to peace and more conducive to war than we'd like to believe. Farrow interviewed many people who have participated in diplomacy and presents their experiences and opinions amidst the facts and evidence to demonstrate the complexity of the role of diplomacy in the world we all share. In the process, he also demonstrates how that erosion of diplomacy affects the i…
Original Fire: Selected and New Poems by Louise Erdrich
Original Fire: Selected and New Poems by Louise Erdrich explores religion, death, and life in ways that are thought provoking and emotionally provocative. Some of the poems made me squirm as I read. Some felt like a glimpse inside a world I'll never be part of. Some resonated with me more than I expected. Erdrich writes about the intersection of cultural identities in a world where those identities both uplift and suppress. The poems within Original Fire plays with our perceptions, instincts, and assumptions about the world we inhabit. At times the religion aspects overwhelmed me even as they showed me a glimpse of the way religion permeates life and invades culture. Overall, Original Fire is filled with stories written as poems that spark the imagination and offer an interesting perspective on the interactions between human beings, nature, and other Earthlings.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
I felt like I lived between the pages of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas the entire time I read it. The story infiltrated my imagination and stayed with me even when I wasn't reading and after I finished it. Even now, weeks later, the characters still resonate with me. I felt Starr Carter's pain as she watched her friend, Khalil, die and as she tried to navigate her life while trying to keep her status as the witness from becoming public. Thomas pulls the reader into Starr's life as she moves between two very different worlds highlighting the the way our life experiences taint our perception of ourselves and of others. As Starr fights with her friends and boyfriend as well as her family in the midst of a grief she hides even from herself, the reality that living two different lives never works crashes down on her and forces her to face the consequences that come with every choice she makes or avoids making. The Hate U Give is an intense, engaging, empowering, enlightening …
Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civil Life by Eric Klinenberg
Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civil Life by Eric Klinenberg delves into the connections that form when infrastructure is designed to bring people together to support building community. Klinenberg writes in way that feels like a story unfolding that explores the decline of community by the decline of social infrastructure as well as the solutions to bring community together. Palaces for the People delves into how libraries bring people together, community gardens create not only food but fellowship, and how storm walls can be built to double as gathering places among other structures built with the people who will use them in mind. Klinenberg presents research that shows how community changes when infrastructure supports the community. He examines the myths and the realities surrounding how infrastructure succeeds and fails. Palaces for the People offers an honest assessment of infrastructure, communities,…
Culling the Herd by Edward R. Etzkorn
Culling the Herd by Edward R. Etzkorn drew me in quickly and held me captive until the end. Etzkorn paints a picture of what happens when scientists decide to take extreme measures using science to fight what they see as the cause of the end of humanity. Culling the Herd is at times an uncomfortable book to read because Etzkorn creates a real enough world that the reader can imagine the events taking place even when they feel a bit unrealistic. His characters are a amalgam of good and bad with even some of the worst characters seemingly having good, or at least understandable, motives, and some of the worst characters having discernible flaws creating characters that are realistic. Culling the Herd forces the reader to question their own reactions to the actions the characters choose while contemplating the role we all play in preserving and protecting the planet we call home.
Note: This review is based on a free copy I received from the author.
The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands by Nick Flynn
As I read The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands by Nick Flynn, the word esoteric kept rising to the surface of my thoughts. Flynn's poems have a feel of peeking inside a world I'm unfamiliar with, maybe even a world I don't want to see but need to. There were moments I felt like the experiences Flynn shared in these poems lived outside a reality I could understand yet I felt compelled to keep reading, to explore the words, to see where each poem was going. The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands left me wanting to both raise my hands and sit on them to keep from raising them.
Equal Means Equal: Why the Time for an Equal Rights Amendment is Now by Jessica Neuwirth
Equal Means Equal: Why the Time for an Equal Rights Amendment is Now by Jessica Neuwirth examines the history of the Equal Rights Amendment, why it's necessary, and several common myths regarding the U. S. Constitution and the Equal Rights Amendment including the arguments made for and against and the struggle for ratification. Neuwirth offers examples of the cases that have been brought before the cours and have been decided that highlight repeatedly that the U. S. Constitution does not protect women the same as it does men. She makes her argument with facts and quotes from court cases that demonstrate how the judicial system consistently determines that the U. S. Constitution and the amendments to the U. S. Constitution don't apply to women. She explains why and how the Equal Rights Amendment would add women to the U. S. Constitution giving women constitutionally protected equal rights. Equal Means Equal is a short, engaging, easy to read book that demonstrates that asking …
Her Blue Body Everything We Know: Earthling Poems from 1965-1990 Complete by Alice Walker
Her Blue Body Everything We Know: Earthling Poems from 1965-1990 Complete by Alice Walker examines life on Earth and the interactions of Earthlings, particularly human beings interaction with other Earthlings. Walker taps into emotions and attitudes that aren't always comfortable to face with an eloquence that keeps the reader riveted with anticipation even when wanting to say "not me. oh no not me." Walker creates images that transcend the moment and descriptions that take the reader deeper into a place of deep contemplation. Often a simple poem feels like it bears tremendous complexity in its simplicity and a complicated poem feels simple when one lets it settle into the heart. Her Blue Body Everything We Know calls for us to better understand the planet that gives us life. Walker reminds us there is value all around us that we often take for granted or abuse and misuse, and that there are consequences for the actions we take. Her Blue Body Everything We Know asks us t…
Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement by Janet Dewart Bell
Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement by Janet Dewart Bell highlights how often women get written out of the collective history with this collection of mini-memoirs about women instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement. I've read many books over the past several years that have forced me to think about my history classes in a new way. As I read these women's stories told from each woman's perspective, I found some stories easier to read than others. Some stories were emotional. Some were more analytical. All provide insight into lives I can only understand through their stories. I saw places where I related and others where I couldn't relate at all. These women's stories exemplified courage, determination, intelligence, and a willingness to work hard without seeking glory. I wanted more. I wanted to know more about each one. I wanted each of these women to receive the recognition they deserve on a larger scale. I wante…
The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Psychological Trauma by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
The Emotional Would Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Psychological Trauma by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi lists a number of events that cause emotional wounds and provides a list of how those wounds affect one's psychological well-being and place in society. Acherman and Puglisi give insight into how to write characters who have been through a variety of traumatic situations. It's a reference book that any writer could find handy from time to time. While much more research might be necessary depending on the plotline, The Emotional Would Thesaurus offers a great starting point by giving a snapshot of each emotional wound it discusses. The appendix includes some helpful worksheets. Because of the similarities of some of the effects of the emotional wounds discussed, I found it easier to internalize each wound by giving myself time to think between reading each one. The Emotional Wound Thesaurus will stay on my shelves as a handy reference for those times when I need to…
The Bitter Season by Tami Hoag
The Bitter Season by Tami Hoag is a fast, engaging read. As she often does, Hoag tackles issues in depth that many authors shy away from or gloss over. She plays with gender roles, misogynistic attitudes, family dynamics, child abuse, and sexual assault in the midst of following two detectives solving seemingly separate murder cases. Hoag creates characters with enough depth to immerse the reader in their lives leading one to feel a sense of compassion that at times surprises the reader while eliciting enough anger at other times to keep the reader wanting a better outcome for myriad characters in the book even when the reader knows the outcome must be what it is. The Bitter Season explores real life attitudes and behaviors in the context of a fictional world that both intrigues and provokes thought. Hoag's books, including The Bitter Season, are never merely mysteries to be solved but a look into the conditions that lead to human depravity and the consequences thereof.
Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham
I bought Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham quite a while ago without really knowing what it was about or what to expect. As I started reading, I felt strangely like I was hovering above the characters watching them go about their lives. The use of Walt Whitman's work to weave these three stories set in different times together intrigued me and kept me wondering where Cunningham was going. As I read what in many ways felt like three novellas tied together by some common elements I couldn't help but think about the remnants we leave behind as we travel through life, remnants that might mean the world to us and nothing to someone else or might feel like nothing to us but change someone else's life. Cunningham's characters aren't all necessarily likable but they are engaging and even relatable in an uncomfortable way that seems to bring to mind some of the less desirable aspects of one's self as one wonders what one would do in similar circumstances. Specimen Day…
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Sometimes you read a book that makes you stop and think and then changes the way you think. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is one such book. I started reading with my skepticism hat on as I do with most research based material. As I read, Kahneman's descriptions of how we think and how our thinking is affected by the world around us deeply resonated with me. I read Thinking, Fast and Slow like a textbook for a class, a chapter at a time, giving what I'd read time to sink in before moving on to the next chapter. His discussion of "framing" really made me stop and think about how many times I've been manipulated by the wording of an "offer" that mostly benefits the person making the offer. I also stopped to think about how often I make snap judgments attributing my thoughts to intuition based on experience. Thinking, Fast and Slow examines how our brains so often take the easy answer instead of engaging in more thought to find more accurate an…
Complete Poems and Selected Letters of John Keats
Complete Poems and Selected Letters of John Keats takes the reader on the ride through mythology and Keats's time in the world. Keats wrote new imaginings on old mythologies in the form of poetry. At times I found myself a little awash in a story that felt both oddly familiar and completely foreign at the same time. Keats plays with language in a way that feels both deliberate and carefree. I often found myself looking for a hidden message in the simplest of text and longing for a straightforward message in more complex text. Complete Poems and Selected Letters of John Keats sometimes veers into unfinished thoughts and unfinished works with an honesty that disarms even as it brings up one's defenses. I found some of his unfinished work quite compelling as it was, even complete, and some of it... well, unfinished. Complete Poems and Selected Letters of John Keats is an intriguing look inside the work and the mind of John Keats that somehow feels like a complete work even with…
Some Soul to Keep by J. California Cooper
Some Soul to Keep by J. California Cooper reflects life in several long short stories that are realistic enough to feel voyeuristic while simultaneously feeling symbolic of something larger. Cooper captures the essence of life in a way that pulls the reader into the hearts and minds of her characters with unrelenting tenacity and compassion. She never shies away from the pain people can inflict on one another even as she offers a sense of hope that people can survive and grow and overcome the obstacles they face. Some Soul to Keep presents multi-dimensional characters who grab hold of one's beliefs, flips them over, and turns them inside out leaving one questioning life yet somehow feeling like one understands the world just a smidgen better than before one started reading.
Heroes for My Son by Brad Meltzer
I wanted to love Heroes for My Son by Brad Meltzer when I bought it as a gift. I decided to read it before gifting it because I don't like to give people books I haven't read. As I read, I found many things to really like, but a few that definitely gave me pause. Meltzer offers a rosy picture of the people he presents as heroes while never mentioning their flaws. I think including some of the flaws of these heroes would have made them more relatable. There were also some who I can't imagine having as heroes and would use to open a wider conversation about perceptions and images projected to the world rather than holding those particular individuals up as living lives one should model... Meltzer offers a quick snapshot into the lives of those he considers heroes for his son, and I hope this book will push children and perhaps even adults to further research and better understand the people, particularly the famous people, Meltzer included in Heroes for My Son, so they can …
Toby by Hazel Mitchell
Toby by Hazel Mitchell is the sweet story of an adopted dog finding his way into the hearts of the family who adopts him. Mitchell creates a story that reminds us the importance of not giving up on others and of trying to help others find their way when they're struggling. Toby isn't the best behaved dog, and his new family struggles to connect with him. Mitchell illustrates the process of finding common ground and using persistence to change an undesirable situation. There's a lesson in Toby for all anyone who struggles to see the value in those who don't meet expectations.
Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama
I initially hesitated to buy Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama as a gift for a young boy, but after reading it I realized the message applies to boys, girls, and adults. Obama explores historical figures who have contributed to America in their own ways and ties that to qualities he sees in his daughters, qualities I hope we all see in the children around us. I like Of Thee I Sing so much I want a copy for my own shelves, just so I can read it when I need to feel hopeful and inspired.
Imagine by John Lennon
Imagine is exactly what one would expect. It is the lyrics to John Lennon's song, Imagine, turned into a picture book. The pictures are sweet and kind. The message is peace and unity. Imagine provides a easy way for people who like the song to share it with their children. It also provides ample opportunity for a discussion about the world using one's imagination and the role imagination shares in shaping the world. Imagine is a book for children with a universal message of love and acceptance that knows no age limit.
Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers
Here We Are: Notes for Living on the Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers explores the place each of holds in the wide world and the interconnectedness of the world in which we live. Jeffers starts with our place in the universe in a move that feels a bit reminiscent of Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot. Here We Are is about how vast and yet how small our world is. Jeffers brings together both the smallness and the largeness of existence in this simple yet engaging and informative picture book.
The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen
I bought The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen even before I adopted a plant-based diet because I was intrigued by the recipes in the book. I've made several of the very interesting recipes in The Conscious Cook. I rarely make the recipes in it anymore, but I keep this cookbook on my shelves and occasionally use it as a reference or for inspiration. As I sit here looking through the cookbook, I'm tempted to make some of the recipes again soon, adapted to fit my cooking style which doesn't include the oils and the highly processed foods he uses. Beyond even that, many of the recipes require ingredients I don't necessarily keep in the kitchen, so I'd need to shop for them. This is probably the main reason I don't use this cookbook as much as some of the others on my shelves. Many of the recipes are also quite involved and time consuming. That said, the recipes I have tried all tasted delicious, so if you're willing to put in the time and effort, it's a cookbo…
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Someone I trust, I can't remember who, recommended I read On the Road by Jack Kerouac, so I bought a copy. I placed it in my to-be-read stack of books and went on my way. Eventually, I came to the book as I worked my way through the stack. To be honest, I moved it down in the pile a couple of times as other books appealed more to me in a given moment. Even after I started reading On the Road, I wasn't sure about it. Something didn't quite work for me at first. For pages and then chapters, I felt like I was missing some crucial element to the story, but I kept reading because it intrigued me and the writing style was interesting. That said, I never could figure out why any of the characters were so fascinated by Dean Moriarty. He came across as just another con man and I don't find con men the least bit charming, so I spent most of the book wishing the narrator, Sal, would wise up and get away from him and stay away from him. I came away from On the Road with one overwh…
I Know How You Feel : The Joy and Heartbreak of Friendship in Women's Lives by F. Diane Barth
When I first saw I Know How You Feel: The Joy and Heartbreak of Friendship in Women's Lives by F. Diane Barth on the Amazon Vine Program page, I scrolled on past. I didn't think it applied to me. My friendships are... just fine. Then I started thinking about it and ended up back on the page ordering it. I'm so glad I did. While there wasn't all that much that I didn't know or hadn't surmised from my own life experience, Barth gave me a different perspective on what the knowledge and experience I had actually meant. Barth writes in a tone that feels a bit like having a conversation with a friend. She even includes a bit of friendly advice at the end of each chapter with her "what you can do" section. As I read I Know How You Feel, my thoughts traveled back over my entire life in an attempt to better understand all the friendships I've had with women over the years. Barth touches on the emotions, the actions, the beliefs, the expectations, and the t…
Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook by Del Sroufe
Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook by Del Sroufe contains a wide variety of plant-based recipes that prove eating a plant-based diet can be satisfying. I've made many of the recipes in Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook and have enjoyed the vast majority of them. Sroufe demonstrates techniques to make plant-based cooking accessible to anyone while keeping the recipes interesting. The vast diversity of these recipes provides something to tease just about any taste bud. The simplicity of the recipes makes Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook great for those with little to no cooking experience while still containing recipes that will appeal to experienced cooks. I'd highly recommend Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook for anyone interested in trying a plant-based diet or even those who just enjoy trying out different methods of cooking.
No Justice: One White Police Officer, One Black Family, and How One Bullet Ripped Us Apart by Robbie Tolan and Lawrence Ross
No Justice: One White Police Officer, One Black Family, and How One Bullet Ripped Us Apart by Robbie Tolan and Lawrence Ross gripped my attention from the first page. It's the true story of Tolan surviving being shot by the police, his healing journey, and his attempts to find justice. Tolan and Ross tell the story like they're sitting in the room with the reader. They speak directly to the reader in Tolan's voice explaining his experience, his reactions, his perspective. He's honest about his anger, depression, and hope. He doesn't hold back about where his family had privileges poorer families might not have due to his father's baseball career as well as his own. He also explains how those privileges didn't protect him when he faced the police who accused him of stealing his own car in front of his own house. No Justice demonstrates how the court system, criminal and civil, works and doesn't work for those who are forced to participate in it. Tolan…
Creative Knowing: 50 Self-Reflection Questions for Women by Christina Katz
I finally decided to work through Creative Knowing: 50 Self-Reflection Questions for Women by Christina Katz recently. I thought it would make for a nice daily writing exercise, since I'm editing a book right now. I didn't think of it much in terms of "self-reflection" when I started. As I worked through the questions, I had a variety of reactions. You can read about my reaction to the initial set of questions in my blog post, Favorites... Shmavorites. Some questions were easy to answer, others provoked an emotional reaction, still others made me think. Some of the questions made me smile. Others irritated me. Still others inspired me. And then there were those that felt mundane. I felt a resistance rise from time to time as I pondered answering a question. Sometimes that resistance came from my own reluctance to explore the topic. Other times it was because I found the question presumptive when I didn't see how it applied to me. Initially, I was reluctant to eve…
The Green Gourmet Perfect Cup of Tea Book by Lori Jane Stewart
The Green Gourmet Perfect Cup of Tea Book by Lori Jane Stewart is a nice appetizer for tea time. Stewart whets the appetite for a delightful cup of tea any time of the day. She explains some of the history of tea, tea's influence around the world, and how make a cup of tea. It was a quick and interesting read that left me wanting to know more about the tea I drink several cups of a day.
Four O'Clock Sizzle: A Rebecca Mayfield Mystery by Joanne Pence
I read Four O'Clock Sizzle: A Rebecca Mayfield Mystery by Joanne Pence while travelling. It's an easy, light, fun read. Pence likes to blur the lines between procedural and cozy mystery in this series in a way that makes Rebecca Mayfield sometimes do things it's hard to imagine a police officer doing yet Pence gives her believable if flawed reasons for making the decisions she makes. The chemistry between Rebecca and Richie Amalfi has the reader both cheering for them and wondering what each of them is thinking at different times throughout the book. And, then there's the police investigation where Rebecca is torn between her feelings for Richie and her concerns that the rumors about Richie might hold more truth than she wants to believe. She struggles to reconcile the Richie she spends time with and the Richie of his reputation. As her investigation continues, Rebecca finds she needs Richie to solve the crime and she needs to protect him from danger for her own person…
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood made me squirm because Atwood creates a world that feels like it would be all too easy to slip into without truly noticing until it was too late. Atwood's ability to create characters who feel real made me identify with the characters even when I didn't want to. I felt the pain, the fears, and the hidden desires and joys of the characters as they traversed a world that would be a nightmare for most of us. In fact, The Handmaid's Tale stayed with me as I went about my day and popped into my dreams on a few occasions. Atwood deftly brings together elements of society and belief systems that continue to divide us by exploring a potential outcome that I don't think anyone wants. The Handmaid's Tale pushed me to think about my place in the world and my role in protecting the rights that matter to me. I couldn't help but think about what I would do if I faced a world like the one Atwood creates in The Handmaid's Tale.
White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg
When I bought White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg, I thought I knew what the book would contain. I thought I understood the class history of America. Isenberg presents a history that makes so much more sense that the romanticized version of history I was taught in high school. She argues effectively for the idea that we've always had a class system in America and that we all buy into that class system even while proclaiming we are a classless society. Isenberg presents factual elements and references historical documents to support her supposition that America has always been a country with a class system. Her expansive discussion of indentured servitude and other poor people shipped to America in our early history is enlightening. She discusses how our class system affects everything from the economy to politics. I felt uncomfortable at times because I really wanted to resist parts of the book that didn't resonate with what I wanted …
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
I read The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou several years ago and loved it so much that I often pull it off my shelf and peruse the contents. Sometimes I open it randomly and read whatever page I land on. Other times, I seek out a poem that has taken root in my thoughts for one reason or another. The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou has become a book I turn to for inspiration, encouragement, enlightenment, and education. Angelou's poems speak to the existence we all share on this planet and her words resonate across the artificial barriers we draw between us. When she writes about us all being part of the "Human Family", she pushes us to see beyond the stereotypes and see how much we all have in common. When she writes about being a "Phenomenal Woman", she reminds us all that we have the power to embrace our own phenomenal selves. The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou includes many poems that speak to her life experience and her observat…
Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann (Translated by Carol Brown Janeway)
I bought Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann (Translated by Carol Brown Janeway) while in Germany. When I got home, I placed it in my to-be-read pile. I moved it down the pile several times before I decided to read it. Finally I picked it up and started reading. The story is intriguing. The formatting is different than I'm used to. The characters were interesting if not always easy to like. Once I started reading, my curiosity about where the story was going kept me engaged even when I struggled to relate to the characters decisions. Measuring the World explores the human desire to make sense of the world around them through the stories of two highly determined and intelligent men. As I read Measuring the World, I felt like I was on a journey myself trying to understand the world through the eyes of the characters.
The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook by Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn
I bought The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook by Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn when it was released in 2014. I've used it several times though there are several recipes in it I've yet to make. Most of the recipes are quite easy to make and offering interesting flavors. It's a wonderful cookbook for those just starting on a plant-based diet or those looking to add some simple but tasty recipes to their plant-based diet. I've made some of the recipes for friends who quite enjoyed the food even though they haven't adopted a plant-based diet. The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook offers a nice variety of recipes to appeal to differing moods and taste preferences offering options for me to keep trying .
How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Halgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith examines the habits women tend to develop that work in one part of their careers but don't translate well to other parts. Based on their years of experience coaching both men and women as well as research into women and men in the workplace, they've honed in on habits that women tend to adopt that men don't necessarily adopt while also referencing that both men and women develop habits that can stymie their advances in their careers. While there are moments the book feels a bit overly generalized, Helgesen and Marshall readily admit that there are women who don't adopt these habits and men that do. They deal with tendencies and how to address those tendencies rather than absolutes. One thing that sets How Women Rise apart from many self-help books is that it doesn't approach the subject from the concept of the broken or inadequate wo…
One Good Dog by Susan Wilson
One Good Dog by Susan Wilson shows the power of connection to change lives and bring us to our best selves. I found it really hard to sympathize with Adam March's loss of wealth and social standing even as his story progressed through facing his losses and dealing with a past that he'd worked so hard to suppress he'd adopted the role of the man he wanted to be instead of the man he was. In fact, I related more with the chapters told the dog's point of view. I felt his pain. I felt his desire to change. I felt his will to survive. I felt his need to serve a purpose. The dog represented everything I wanted to feel for March but struggled to feel. Wilson pulled me into the lives of the characters to the point I wanted to influence their decisions and push them to do the right thing. One Good Dog illustrates how easy it is to let perception lead to biases based on the superficial parts of life.
Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride
Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride tempted me to expand my reading time day after day as I read Sarah's story of coming to terms with who she was, her love story with Andy, and her unquenchable thirst for seeking equality and social justice not only for the Transgender Community but for all those who are disenfranchised. Her story made my heart ache for all those people who have resigned themselves to living identities that don't fit just to fit in in the world and to stay safe. McBride immerses the reader in her fears that living as her true self would diminish her possibilities for the career in government that intrigued her as well as her journey as she faced those fears and sought out opportunities to seek change within the government and society as a whole. Her hope for the future inspired me to remain hopeful even when things appear hopeless. Tomorrow Will Be Different is as much a love story as a story of the fights…
Fierce on the Page: Become the Writer You were to Be and Succeed on Your own Terms by Sage Cohen
Fierce on the Page: Become the Writer You Were Meant to Be and Succeed on Your Own Terms by Sage Cohen gently, steadily, and apologetically pushes writers to recognize, embrace, and project their fierceness onto the page. Cohen offers short essays, stories, and anecdotal evidence of the techniques she describes for finding one's own inner fierceness. I opted to do the exercises in the book as well as read it and found they deepened the experience quite a bit. Most are simple writing exercises that take only a few minutes to do though a few are more intensive. All of the exercises are thought and/or emotion provoking, some more than others. I decided to treat the book like a class and do one chapter a day until I completed it. That worked well for me and gave me time to really digest each chapter before delving into the next. Sometimes I couldn't resist peeking ahead to see what was coming up. Cohen writes in a fiercely engaging way that feels vulnerable and strong at the same …
Hiking Waterfalls in Oregon (A Falcon Guide) by Adam Sawyer
I've been using Hiking Waterfalls in Oregon (A Falcon Guide) by Adam Sawyer to find hiking trails leading to waterfalls for several years now. I really like this guide because it provides good directions to the trailheads as well good descriptions of the hikes and what to expect on the hikes. The maps of the trails are also quite nice providing a realistic idea of what the hike will entail. The photos are nicely done and add a bit of enticement for many of the hikes. The estimated time the hikes will take are fairly accurate though this does depend on one's fitness ability. I'm not sure how accurate the difficulty scale is because I think there's a large amount of subjectivity involved again. I found some of the easy hikes more difficult than I expected and some of the difficult hikes easier than I expected. Overall, though, this is my go-to guide when I'm searching for a hike, particularly because I love hikes that include waterfalls.
In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike
In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike explores ideology and the intense effects of releasing beliefs as well as clinging to them. Updike drops the reader into the life of the Wilmot family and follows the family through four generations of belief and life demonstrating the strong effects of society on belief and belief on society. In the Beauty of the Lilies pulled me into the middle of the Wilmot family making me feel invested in their decisions even when I didn't particularly like a character in a given moment. His characters are deeply flawed individuals who also exhibit admirable qualities. There's a sense of watching human strength and human frailty battle each other in the internal workings of the characters as well as in their interactions with one another. Updike writes in a prose that feels like it inhabits his characters and their lives with page after page that strike the moods and attitudes of the character whose point of view is front and center. In the Beaut…
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
I'd heard about The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg from several different sources, always as a recommended book. I finally broke down and bought a copy and then put it in my to-read pile to get to eventually. I wish now I'd put it on the top of my to-read pile. It was that interesting and informative. As I read about cues and routines and rewards, I felt my usual resistance rise up. I suppose I'm a skeptic at heart because I often feel the need to be convinced. Duhigg breaks down the studies he references with an ease that makes them read as easy as reading a novel making The Power of Habit a very approachable read. As I read, I began to think about my own habits. I examined which habits are productive for me and which ones aren't. I realized it really isn't always that easy to see one's own cues, routines, or even the rewards without some deep examination. The Power of Habit pushed me to think about the role of ha…
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Congressman Kevin Cramer's fundraising continues to plummet in 2017. As an incumbent, Cramer only raised $103,325 in the third quarter of this year. This is down from the second quarter where he raised $226,274.51 and quarter one where he raised $322,390.30. The slow fundraising leaves Cramer with $824,008 cash-on-hand according to his FEC report. You can view the full report here.
Throughout the beginning of this year, Cramer was considered the favorite to challenge Senator Heidi Heitkamp. Then, Cramer had a series of cringe-worthy moments that made even the National Republican Senatorial Committee walk away from supporting him. Those cringe-worthy moments continue as Cramer defends anything and everything that comes out of the Trump administration.
His steadfast defense of the Trump administration clearly hasn't translated into fundraising. Though he hasn't explicitly said it, the slow fundraising confirms for me what some have suspected for awhile; Cramer isn't going to run against Heitkamp. She already has close to $4 million cash-on-hand. He'll seek reelection to the House. Former State Representative Ben Hanson is seeking the Democratic-NPL nomination to take on Cramer next year.
One of the controversies Cramer has backed Trump on is his dispute with the NFL. Cramer was quick to support Trump's initial comments, and then tweeted applause when Vice President Mike Pence staged a political stunt and walked out of an NFL game. Taxpayers are on the hook for the stunt. The public grandstanding Cramer has given on the NFL didn't stop him from taking money from the NFL. In the report, the Gridiron PAC (NFL's PAC) donated $1,000 to Cramer. I'm curious if he'll return that money.
Another interesting note from Cramer's FEC report. In the past, he has been criticized for hiring his wife to be his campaign staffer. Some view it as a round-about way of using campaign contributions for personal gain. In the third quarter report, Cramer paid his wife $6,000. Another large portion of campaign expenses went toward reimbursements to Kevin Cramer himself.
Cramer has said previously he isn't worried about fundraising, that he'll be able to raise large sums of money quickly. At least that's what he said when his name was still being thrown around to take on Heitkamp. Now that it appears unlikely he'll seek the Senate, you have to wonder if he is taking his reelection chances for granted.


When it comes to laser eye surgery, the developments in recent years have been extraordinary. Treatments have become significantly less invasive and require shorter recovery periods. And most importantly of all, new laser eye surgery treatments are available to more people and are more successful than ever before.
The latest development in laser eye surgery is ReLex SMILE. This is a minimally invasive, bladeless form of keyhole laser eye surgery which offers a superb alternative to more traditional forms of surgery.
Established treatments such as LASIK and LASEK have helped thousands of people to enjoy the benefits of improved vision, but they aren't suitable for everyone. The introduction of ReLEx SMILE therefore means that even more people can qualify for vision correction. ReLex SMILE uses the latest techniques, and there's no doubt that it points the way towards the future of laser eye surgery.
SMILE stands for Small Incision Lenticule Extraction. The very name gives a clue as to why this is a preferred treatment for many patients and surgeons. The process is minimally invasive, requiring a much smaller incision in the eye than any other treatment. It is capable of correcting higher degrees of myopia, and it's suitable for individuals with or without astigmatism.
Why choose ReLEx SMILE eye surgery?
Our ReLEx SMILE eye surgery uses a state-of-the-art Carl Zeiss VisuMax laser with extraordinary 3D accuracy. This allows surgeons to be incredibly precise, as they create bubbles on the cornea measuring less than a hundredth of the width of a human hair. This helps to ensure that the results of the treatment are highly effective.
SMILE surgery can be carried out in around 15 minutes per eye, and recovery times are quicker than with some other methods of surgery, so it's an ideal option for anyone who leads a busy life and can't afford to take too much time out. As the treatment is minimally invasive, less time is needed for healing. However, as always you are advised not to rush your recovery and give your eyes a chance to recover fully for maximum benefit.
SMILE surgery is better for the stability of the cornea than more invasive forms of eye surgery, and no flap is created so there's no risk of flap complications. Because such small incisions are made, healing is fast and there is less risk of infection and potential problems.
With more invasive forms of eye surgery, patients can experience dry eyes and discomfort as the eyes heal. With ReLEx SMILE surgery, there is less risk of developing dry eyes and discomfort is kept to a minimum, due to the fact that the incisions made in the cornea are so minimal. During the course of the surgery itself, your surgeon will also use anaesthetic eye drops to ensure you feel no pain whilst the procedure is carried out.
As SMILE surgery is so minimally invasive, more people are suitable for treatment. For example, if you have naturally dry eyes or a thin cornea, you may have been told that you can't have other types of laser eye surgery, but ReLEx SMILE could still be an option.
The principles behind ReLEx SMILE surgery are similar to other vision correction procedures, but the equipment and methods used are slightly different.
In a ReLEx SMILE procedure, the incision is made using a state-of-the-art Carl Zeiss VisuMax laser, which places a series of pulses on the centre of the cornea. These pulses are incredibly accurate and form tiny bubbles around a hundredth of the width of a human hair. The laser then makes a small connecting tunnel through which the surgeon can remove tissue to reshape the cornea. Unlike some other procedures, no flap is created so patients don't need to worry about flap complications.
The whole process takes less than 15 minutes per eye, and vision is typically 80% better within just a few hours. Within a few days, your vision will have improved even further, reaching 100% improvement after a few weeks according to patient trials. Although recovery time is generally very fast, it's important to note that you may experience some side effects such as blurry vision in the initial period following treatment, which will improve as the eye heals. At Optegra, we offer comprehensive aftercare to track your progress and ensure that everything is healing as it should.
Where can you have ReLEx SMILE surgery?
Optegra's eye hospital in central London is one of the few places currently offering the ReLEx SMILE treatment in the UK. Located just off Harley Street, this is one of the country's most pioneering eye hospitals. A recent £13 million redevelopment places it at the forefront of laser eye surgery in the UK, and by offering the latest laser eye surgery technique, it truly goes to show that we're the most innovative eye care specialist in the country.
If you'd like to know more about SMILE eye surgery and how it could benefit you, come along to an open evening at your nearest Optegra eye hospital, for the chance to meet one of our surgeons and ask any questions you may have. Alternatively, pop in for a free one-to-one consultation to get personalised advice on the best treatment option for your needs.


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Santa Cruz del Quiche, Guatemala to HWT
Santa Cruz del Quiche, Guatemala
Santa Cruz del Quiche
CST (Central Standard Time) is 3 hours and 30 minutes ahead of
1:30 pm13:30 in Santa Cruz del Quiche, Guatemala is 10:00 am10:00 in HWT
Santa Cruz del Quiche to HWT call time
Best time for a conference call or a meeting is between 11:30am-6pm in Santa Cruz del Quiche which corresponds to 8am-2:30pm in HWT
1:30 pm13:30 CST (Central Standard Time) (Santa Cruz del Quiche, Guatemala). Offset UTC -6:00 hours
10:00 am10:00 (HWT). Offset UTC -9:30 hours
1:30 pm13:30 Santa Cruz del Quiche, Guatemala / 10:00 am10:00 HWT
12am (midnight) 8:30 pm
1am 9:30 pm
2am 10:30 pm
4am 12:30 am
5am 1:30 am
10am 6:30 am
12pm (noon) 8:30 am
1pm 9:30 am
2pm 10:30 am
4pm 12:30 pm
5pm 1:30 pm
10pm 6:30 pm
Santa Cruz del Quiche Information
-6:00 hours during Central Standard Time, currently in use.
-6:00 hours during Central Standard Time.
Santa Cruz del Quiche Facts
AQB, Santa Cruz del Quiche, Santa Cruz del Quiché, Santa-Krus-del'-Kiche, Санта-Крус-дель-Киче
Quetzal (GTQ)
Offset: HWT is 9 hours and 30 minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and is used in Pacific
HWT representations, usage and related time zones
-0930 - sign character (-) followed by a four digit time providing hours (09) and minutes (30) of the offset. Indicates nine hour and thirty minutes time differences to the west of the zero meridian.
V to HWT
HWT to GMT
HDT to HWT
EDT to HWT
CET to HWT
BST to HWT
HWT to CST
HWT to V
HWT to GAMT
HWT to HST
IST to CST
IST to UTC
EST to GMT
CST to PST
Popular Santa Cruz del Quiche Converters
Santa Cruz del Quiche to TFT
Santa Cruz del Quiche to IT
Santa Cruz del Quiche to EET
Santa Cruz del Quiche to TLT
Santa Cruz del Quiche to PHT
Santa Cruz del Quiche to Bremerton
Santa Cruz del Quiche to Gifhorn
Santa Cruz del Quiche to Hamma Bouziane
Santa Cruz del Quiche to East New York
Santa Cruz del Quiche to Lod

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Why not throw it? Why not run it? Why not OBJ? Browns postgame scribbles – Terry Pluto
Updated: Oct. 05, 2020, 1:59 p.m. |
Published: Oct. 05, 2020, 5:33 a.m.
Cleveland Browns Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Dallas Cowboys, October 4, 2020
CLEVELAND, Ohio - It's a lot of fun to scribble about the Browns' 49-38 victory over Dallas:
1. I loved the honesty of Kevin Stefanski when the Browns coach admitted he probably should have used that trick play – a 37-yard TD pass from Jarvis Landry to Odell Beckham Jr. – earlier in the season. The coach said they had been practicing it for weeks.
2. Stefanski explained: "It's been on the call sheet staring at me, and I've not gotten it called. I told the guys we were not going another week...I had to get it off the call sheet."
3. Beckham said: "I pressed coach about it...I told him either you stop running it in practice or you have to call it. He was like, 'I got you.' He calls it. Touchdown."
4. This is where Stefanski the coach/playcaller also was a bit of a psychologist. He knows Beckham and Landry have not received a lot of chances to touch the ball. Stefanski has been praising their blocking to help the run game and their good attitudes. But both receivers are playmakers, and they wanted a chance to make an impact.
5. On the Browns' first possession, the coach unleashed the Landry-to-Beckham pass. It was a pretty spiral. Landry has a strong arm. He threw a 63-yard pass to Breshad Perriman in 2018. He has shown a strong arm in practice.
6. That one play early in the first quarter not only gave the Browns a 7-0 lead, it also electrified Landry and Beckham. It was as if they said, "Hey, this is going to be our day."
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. celebrates with wide receiver Jarvis Landry after running for a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the second half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
7. Stefanski also let Beckham run the ball for 23 yards in the first half. But the key run came with 3:37 left in the game. The Browns were in front 41-38. They had the ball on the 50-yard line. The last thing I expected was an end-around to Beckham. He was nearly tackled about 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage, but then took off for a TD sprint.
8. Stefanski said: "It's a play we ran earlier in the game. Figured we'd come back to it."
9. Stefanski's thinking seemed to be, "We ran it once for 23 yards with Odell, they won't think we'll do it again." So he tried it, and it worked. And he had to know if there was a fumble or a huge loss (as almost happened), he would be second-guessed.
10. Stefanski is a quiet guy in his press conferences but he's very confident as a playcaller. Unlike other Browns rookie head coaches who called plays, Stefanski's mechanics for getting the play called and set up have been smooth. Stefanski said he relies on offensive line coach Bill Callahan for both game preparation and during games.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield talks to Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski against the Dallas Cowboys in the second half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
11. Interesting comment from Stefanski: "(Our) plus-three turnover margin is huge." Dallas lost two fumbles and threw an interception. The Browns had zero turnovers. In the last three games, Baker Mayfield has thrown six TD passes compared to one turnover. He's not throwing the ball a lot, but that's part of this offense. Throw it smart. Mayfield has done that.
12. The Browns are averaging 39 points over their last three games, and they are doing it with Mayfield averaging 25 passes a game. But the key is Mayfield is making meaningful plays, especially near the goal-line. His play-fakes are superb, setting up open receivers in the end zone for easy catches.
13. I'm staring at one of the most amazing stat lines I've seen since the Browns came back: They rushed for 307 yards...astounding enough. But they did it with no one running for 100 yards. They did it with Pro Bowler Nick Chubb leaving the game late in the first quarter with a knee injury.
14. The leading rusher for the Browns was...D'Ernest Johnson? Yes, D'ERNEST JOHNSON! Give him 95 yards in 13 carries. As Kareem Hunt said: "I call him 'Slow Grind' because he takes it slow and is always working hard...He deserves it. I was doing everything in my power (to help him)."
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. celebrates with running back Kareem Hunt after running for a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the second half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
15. Hunt played with a groin injury, which is why Stefanski limited the Willoughby South product to 11 carries. Hunt still rushed for 71 yards and a pair of TDs. Hunt has scored 5 TDs in four games this season.
16. I was wondering when the Browns last ran for at least 300 yards in a game. It was in 2009 when former coach Eric Mangini was riding Jerome Harrison. In that game, Harrison rushed for 286 yards on 34 carries. The Browns had 351 yards on the ground as they beat Kansas City, 41-34.
17. Rookie tight end Harrison Bryant was on the field for 52 snaps, as the Browns often played two tight ends. He caught four passes for 37 yards. Fellow tight end Austin Hooper had five catches for 34 yards. Mayfield completed 19 passes, nine to tight ends. Beckham, Landry and Hooper all led the Browns with five receptions each.
18. Other than Mayfield and the offensive linemen (75 snaps), the guy who played the most on offense was Hooper (63 snaps). Stefanski limited Hunt to 27 snaps, not wanting to wear down his star who was playing hurt.
19. Myles Garrett had two sacks, including one where he forced a fumble. That's the third game in a row for Garrett having a "strip sack." Profootballfocus.com credited Garrett with six "quarterback hurries" in addition to his sacks. He was the only Brown to put much pressure on Dallas QB Dak Prescott.
20. You can spend time on the Browns defense, which has allowed at least 30 points three times this season. We can talk about that later. For now, I'm having fun with victory, the big plays and creative play-calling.
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This is part two of the camper and RV repair series. If you missed part one How To Repair RV and camper Roof, you may want to read that article and then come back. Or, if you are just sealing your camper or trailer seams, windows, doors, access panels and even lights; then read on.
Your camper may be leaking right now and you do not even know it. RVs, campers and trailers often leak around lights, seams and windows. They can leak for years before we even find the damage. By then, it may be too late.
By sealing your RV very well, one good time, and then applying yearly patch ups as needed - your trailer can last a lifetime. This article will concentrate on some of the important, perhaps well known areas, and even some you may not have thought of.
The camper pictured above was in very bad shape and every light socket was leaking, so they were all removed and the holes sealed with spray foam insulation, then taped off with aluminum tape coated with tar on one side. This makes a very good, permanent repair. Your trailer may, hopefully, not be that bad. But the following article will show you how to prevent such damage.
The items shown above are your weapons against water rot and leaking. You will need some RTV silicone sealant, for outdoor use, and some silver aluminum tape.
Wash the areas to be sealed very well. Then towel dry with a lint free towel. Use soap and water to get all the dirt and grime off the sides of your trailer. Concentrate mostly around windows, light fixtures, door frames and basically anything that protrudes from the side of your trailer. If it sticks off the side, then it needs to be sealed. Clean into the corners and cracks deep around the areas to be sealed.
Start with the windows. Run a bead of silicone around the whole frame of the window. Between the window frame and the camper siding. Be generous and make sure you get enough to seal deep into the cracks. Now, to push the silicone into the cracks, it is best to use rubber gloves, or even put a plastic bag over your hand. Use your index finger and gently push while you move your finger around the line of silicone you just spread. The idea is to push the silicone into cracks while smoothing it out nicely. Run your finger, in one smooth motion, all around the window frame. Start at one corner and work your way around the frame until you are back to the first corner.
In the image below, you can see the silicone around the window frame. This may not have been leaking at the present time, but could have started to leak in the future. While you are sealing off the camper, you may as well do it all up right. Trailer and RVs are originally sealed with a type of flexible putty that bends and flexes with the motion of the RV as you travel with it. Through the years, the putty will get squashed out of the cracks and you will be left with a leak.
Silicone sealer is flexible and should last quite a few years.
In the same way as you did the window, run some silicone around the door frames and other objects. Shown in the photo below is the hand grip between the window and door frame. This was also coated with silicone.
In the second photo you can see the side marker lights were also sealed. These are weak points in a trailer that most people do not pay attention to. In one trailer, the whole back wall was rotted out so badly that the wood was totally gone, all due to the running lights leaking through the years.
Also notice that the camper seams were coated from top to bottom. Every single seam was sealed off to ensure a water tight seal for years to come.
Below you can see that the silicone sealer was also applied to the water guard above the door. This was actually leaking on the camper shown and rotted the wood over the door frame. Water ran under the guard, along the screws and into the wood. The wood had to be replaced. Notice also the light fixture next to the door was coated with silicone.
The second photo shows an access panel that was sealed with silicone and aluminum tape. The tape is relatively inexpensive at about $7 for 100 feet of it. The access panels tend to leak around the sides with age. This allows water into the trailer and onto the floor. During the years your floor will rot away, if this is not checked. If you are not going to use the access panel for a while, then tape it off with aluminum tape along the sides to keep water out. You can always simply cut it away when you need to open the panel again next season. The access panel was also coated all around with silicone first. The silicone was allowed to cure for a few days before the tape was applied.
You can use the aluminum tape to cover every seal in the camper as well, to make sure it will not leak for many years to come. We have also taped above windows as well, after sealing with silicone for a permanent seal. The tape will reflect sunlight and prevent the silicone from rotting with time.
At the end of the season, check all of your new seals and make sure that none have been damaged due to the flexing caused by traveling. A trailer will flex a lot while driving down mountain trails and dirt roads, looking for your camping site. This will cause seams to be opened again. If you find any damage to your silicone, a quick touch up will make sure your trailer survives the winter and be ready for next year.


His Christening Day is special for your baby son and you....so may it bring you blessings to last your lifetime through.
May this blessed occasion be one that is cherished by all and brings with it much joy. Congratulations on your little one's Christening.
This Christening Day is special for your baby and you...so may it bring you blessings to last your lifetime through.
Best wishes to you for this new step in your journey of faith. Congratulations on your Christening.
Wishing you all the best as you celebrate the Christening of your child. God bless you.
May God's everlasting blessings, grace and love given onto you at your Christening, guide you throughout your life.


text:
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Financial Planning / Money
8 Major Ways We've Had To Adjust Financially Due to the Pandemic
By Gabrielle Olya
andreswd / Getty Images
The coronavirus pandemic has shifted nearly every aspect of how we live, from how we spend our time to how we spend our money. We've spent more on some things, less on others and maybe rethought our financial priorities.
As we hit the one-year mark of living with this new reality, take a look at some of the major ways we've had to adjust financially due to the pandemic.
Learn More: How To Keep Supporting Your Local Small Businesses During COVID-19
Delmaine Donson / iStock.com
We've Stopped Spending on Shopping and Recreation
An analysis by Qapital of Americans' top financial priorities in 2020 versus 2021 found that both shopping and recreational spending dropped out of the top 10 from one year to the next. Last year, these categories ranked as No. 4 and No. 9, respectively.
Americans have also spent less on commuting, dining out and entertainment outside the home.
In the News: Who Is Getting Vaccines? Survey Notes Income Disparity in Vaccine Recipients
ViewApart / Getty Images/iStockphoto
We've Spent Less on Travel
"People certainly are spending less on travel," said Derek Notman, CFP, founder of Intrepid Wealth Partners.
However, he believes these savings will be short-lived.
"I suspect they are saving this money to spend and splurge on a larger trip as the world opens back up," Nortman said.
Related: Why It's Smart To Book Your Late 2021 Travel Now
chee gin tan / Getty Images
We've Spent More on Our Homes
"There has been an increase in home spending — renovations, landscaping, etc. — since so many people are at home," Nortman said.
For homeowners, this spending might actually pay off in the long-run. Nortman notes that some home improvements can lead to more equity, "but this is not always the case," he added.
Find Out: How To Upgrade Your At-Home Work Space for 2021
mphillips007 / Getty Images
And We've Spent More on Entertaining Ourselves While at Home
Although concerts and sports games have largely been off the table, Americans have spent more on entertainment inside the home, including streaming services and takeout. And while restaurant spending is down, grocery spending has been up.
"One interesting aspect of the pandemic is that many of our clients' aggregate spending has not decreased — it has simply shifted," said Sam Brownell, CFA, founder of Stratus Wealth Advisors.
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We've Invested in Real Estate
"During the summer months, many customers utilized unused vacation expenses and invested elsewhere, particularly in real estate," said Robert Barnes, president and CEO at IBC Bank-Austin. "Some took advantage of low interest rates and purchased a new home."
This trend seems to be continuing into the new year. The Qapital survey found that saving for a down payment is now the No. 10 top financial priority for Americans, and it didn't even make the top 10 ranking in 2020.
Looking Ahead: What Realtors Say To Expect From the Housing Market for the Rest of 2021
Sezeryadigar / iStock.com
We've Realized How Important It Is To Have Emergency Savings
Many people experienced job loss or decreased pay as a result of the pandemic, which highlighted the importance of having an emergency fund.
"For those who found themselves without adequate savings last year, there was a realization that saving was critical to avoid stress in the future," Barnes said. "This led to many of our customers opening savings accounts and committing to saving regularly moving forward."
Read More: Prepare For Uncertain Times With 23 Tips To Build Your Emergency Fund
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We've Had To Be More Active Investors
"2020 showed the importance of active portfolio management," said Jeremy Gove, a financial planner for Stonebridge Insurance and Wealth Management in Kearney, Nebraska. "Outflows of open-end funds in 2020 of $380 billion more than doubled the previous record set in 2019 of $180 billion. Many investors see the value of active management versus passive management they have been used to over the past 30 years. Market volatility and world-wide economic issues like COVID-19 have shown investors that a buy and hold strategy is not as productive as an actively managed strategy."
Find Out: 15 Best Tax Tips for Investors
shurkin_son / Shutterstock.com
We've Had To Rethink Childcare
With daycares and schools closed amid initial shutdowns, parents had to rethink their childcare — and how to pay for it. Some decided to go without, balancing work with parenting duties — or in the cases of some mothers, leaving the workforce to fulfill these duties. Others got creative, opting for part-time childcare or inexpensive babysitters to cut costs. Depending on the situation, some parents actually saved on childcare costs, while others had to spend more to compensate for school closures.
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In many ways, having a savings account is like having a security blanket. You can dip into this account if you are suddenly laid off from your job or a health emergency happens. It can also be helpful...
By Jennifer Taylor
You work hard for your money, so you expect excellent service when you dine at a restaurant, have a drink at a bar or spring for a latte at your local coffee shop. The thing is, the waiters,...
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ABSTRACT: Formally specifying privacy goals is not trivial. The most widely used approach in formal methods is based on the static equivalence of frames in the applied pi-calculus, basically asking whether or not the intruder is able to distinguish two given worlds. A subtle question is how we can be sure that we have specified all pairs of worlds to properly reflect our intuitive privacy goal. To address this problem, we introduce a novel and declarative way to specify privacy goals, called "alpha-beta privacy", and relate it to static equivalence. This new approach is based on specifying two formulae alpha and beta in first-order logic with Herbrand universes, where alpha reflects the intentionally released information and beta includes the actual cryptographic ("technical") messages the intruder can see. Then alpha-beta privacy means that the intruder cannot derive any "non-technical" statement from beta that he cannot derive from alpha already. We describe by a variety of examples how this notion can be used in practice. Even though alpha-beta privacy does not directly contain a notion of distinguishing between worlds, there is a close relationship to static equivalence of frames that we investigate formally. This allows us to justify (and criticize) the specifications that are currently used in verification tools, and obtain partial tool support for alpha-beta privacy.
Short bio of the speaker: Luca Viganò is Vice Dean (External Relations) of the Faculty of Natural & Mathematical Sciences at King's College London and Professor of Computer Science at the Department of Informatics, where he heads the Cybersecurity group. His research focuses on formal methods and tools for the design, modelling, analysis, verification and testing of networks and systems in order to tackle cybersecurity and privacy problems that are important to industry, society and everyone living in a technologically dependent world.


text:
Q: Maven compilation failure error When i compile my bdd frame work in java getting the following compilation error.I am new to this.
[ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-compiler-plugin:3.
2:compile (default-compile) on project workflows.automation: Compilation
failure: Compilation failure:
[ERROR] /C:/OFFICIAL/BDDFramework/workflows.automation/src/main/java/bdd
/automation/pages/LoginPage.java:[23,1] package org.jbehave.core
.annotations does not exist
[ERROR] /C:/OFFICIAL/BDDFramework/workflows.automation/src/main/java/bdd
/automation/pages/LoginPage.java:[31,11] cannot find symbol
[ERROR]   symbol:   class BeforeStory
[ERROR]   location: class bdd.automation.pages.LoginPage
[ERROR] -> [Help 1]

A: The error says that jbehave core is missing at compilation time. Add jbehave-core into your pom.xml as a new maven dependency.
See https://mvnrepository.com/artifact/org.jbehave/jbehave-core

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


It is possible to run MySQL as a standard application or as a Windows service. By using a service, you can monitor and control the operation of the server through the standard Windows service management tools. For more information, see Section 5.7.7, "Starting MySQL as a Windows Service".
For instructions on installing MySQL using the compressed file, see Section 5.7, "Installing MySQL on Microsoft Windows Using a noinstall ZIP Archive".
In addition, by default, MySQL creates temporary files in the standard Windows temporary directory. To prevent the temporary files also being scanned, configure a separate temporary directory for MySQL temporary files and add this directory to the virus scanning exclusion list. To do this, add a configuration option for the tmpdir parameter to your my.ini configuration file. For more information, see Section 5.7.2, "Creating an Option File".


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Q: Iterating over dictionary in Python and using each value I am trying to iterate over a dictionary that looks like this:
account_data = {"a": "44196397",
                "b": "2545086098",
                "c": "210623431",
                "d": "1374059147440820231",
                "e": "972970759416111104",
                "f": "1060627757812641792",
                "g": "1368361032796700674",
                "h": "910899153772916736",
                "i": "887748030304329728",
                "j": "1381341090",
                "k": "2735504155",
                "l": "150324112", }

The goal is to use each ID to scrape some data, therefor I got a method that takes the corresponding userID and gets the data from it. At first I had a method for every ID in the dict, but now I want to change it so that I got one method which iterates over the dictionary, takes one ID at a time and makes the API request, if finished the next is made and so on.
The problem is I can't iterate over the dictionary, I always just access the first one in here.
I am relatively new to Python since I mainly used Java.
Maybe dictionary is the wrong data structure for this task?
Any help appreciated.
Edit:
This is my old code to iterate over the dictionary:
def iterate_over_dict():
    for key, value in account_data.items():
        return value

I then continue with using the id in this function:
def get_latest_data():

    chosen_id = iterate_over_dict()
    print('id: ', chosen_id)
    # get my tweets
    tweets = get_tweets_from_user_id(chosen_id)
    # get tweet_id of latest tweet
    tweet_id = tweets.id.values[0]
    # get tweet_text of latest tweet
    tweets = tweets.text.values[0]
    # check if new tweet - if true -> check if contains
    data = check_for_new_tweet(tweet_id, tweets)

    if data is not None:
        print("_________")
        print('1 ', data)

But I always only use the first one. I think in Java it wouldn't be a problem for me since I can just use an index to iterate from 0 to n, but is there something similar for dictionaries? I also want to run the get_latest_data method every time a new ID is chosen from the dict

A: Use for loop for iteration.
dict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2, 'c': 3}
for key, value in dict.items():
  print(key+" "+ str(value))

for key in dict:
  print(key+ " "+str(dict[key]))

The first one iterates over items and gives you keys and values. The second one iterates over keys and then it is accessing value from the dictionary using the key.

A: You can do this by turning the dictionary into a list comprised of only the values.
val = list(account_data.values())

Would give you ["44196397", "2545086098", "210623431"...]
Which you can then very easily iterate over in a for loop without needing to worry about the key at all.


text:
A to Z of the Shakers
The A to Z of the Shakers
The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, commonly known as the Shakers, followed Mother Ann Lee to the United States in 1774 when life in England became difficult. In the United States, they established several colonies whose governing principals included celibacy and agrarian communal living. Even at its peak, however, Shakerism claimed only about 4,500 members. Today, except for one active community in Sabbathday, Maine (that's us!), the great Shaker villages are diminished, but the Shakers left an enduring impact on the religion and culture of the United States.
The A to Z of the Shakers relates the history of this fascinating group through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 200 cross-referenced dictionary entries on Shaker communities, industries, individual families, and important people. Every definition, biography, and point of history was submitted to the Shakers at Sabbathday Lake for their review before it was included for publication. As such, the voice of the contemporary Shakers is found in the dictionary, and they have given it their unequivocal endorsement.
Paperback, 370 pages. Scarecrow Press
A to Z of the Shakers quantity
Categories: About the Shakers, Books Tags: A to Z, book, Dictionary, paperback, Paterwic, Shaker, shakers
Dill Dip -Tin
Bouquet Garni -Tin
Calendula -Tin


DW and I attended a free CFD trading seminar provided by CityIndex this evening. It was held at the Sofitel Wentworth hotel this evening, and attendees received a bonus $250 match if they opened an account and fund it within a week of the seminar. Those who applied for an account then and there also got a free one year subscription to Wealth Creation magazine (I think that's the title). Since we are already trading CFDs with CMCMarkets, and weren't entirely happy with CMC Markets trading platform, it seemed like a good idea to apply for accounts on the spot. DW and I have our own trading accounts, so we each applied for a CityIndex account. Hopefully this will mean we get $250 each credited to our new account. You have to put at least $100 into a new account, and the offer is a dollar-for-dollar match up to a maximum of $250.
The CityIndex trading platform looks pretty cool, and has a few nice features that CMC Markets doesn't provide. It allows you to set stop and limit prices in the same screen that you setup an order, rather than having to do a trade first and then create a stop, limit or both (OCO) order subsequently (which is they way it's done using the CMC platform). The CityIndex platform is web-browser (IE) based, so you can login and trade on your account from any PC. The CMC Market platform is a java application that has to be downloaded and installed on each PC you want to use for trading. This also makes the CityIndex platform easier to update, and it seems more 'modern' overall. Another nice feature is that you can edit existing stop/limit orders (eg. reset the stops as a trend continues). This is a lot more cumbersome with the CMC Markets app, which requires you to cancel an order and then create a new one if you wish to change to settings.
One disadvantage with CityIndex CFD trading is that the buy/sell spread for FX trades is 3 pips - compared to only 2 pips with CMC Markets. However, CMC acts as a market maker, and does not have to set prices that exactly match the physical market price, which could end up costing more than the 1 pip difference per trade. At the seminar we were told that they may soon be reducing their FX buy/sell spread to 2 pips at some stage. There is also a software enhancement in development to provide dynamic stop/limit orders (where you can have the setting automatically change as the trend continues, but remain at their maximum values during any reversals).
CityIndex doesn't charge any extra fee for trading stock and index CFDs (CMC Markets charges a fixed $40 fee per month for accessing the Au stock market data), so I may use my CityIndex account to also trade the Australian ASX200 index. It would have been nice to have had this setup last year - I could have sold the index when my Index Put Options expired, and therefore been 'insured' against a large part of the losses suffered by my Australian stock portfolio this year. A case of saving $40 per month ending up costing me tens of thousands of dollars!
CityIndex should be in touch with us tomorrow to provide the remaining details required to open our accounts, and we should be able to fund the account with $250 and start trading in a few days. I'm not sure if I'll switch my forex trading from CMC Markets to CityIndex, or just use the new account for stock and index trading. I may replace my expensive Comsec/Pershing account with CFD trading for my US stock positions - now that I'm no longer trading small-cap stocks selected using the "Little Book that Beats the Market" method, and sticking to large-cap stocks such as Microsoft and Berkshire I should be able to access them via CFD trading. I still need to check into the full details of the cost of using CFDs for holding long term positions. The nominal interest rate with CityIndex (2$ above the reserve bank overnight cash rate for borrowing (going long)) appears to be comparable to the current cost of funds used in my Comsec/Pershing account. However, the interest is charged on the full position value (not just the 'borrowed' amount). Since CFD trading uses a margin (your funds) of around 3%-10% of the position, this will mean a slight increase in the effect cost of the 'loan'. Also, with interest being charged daily on positions held open overnight, there may be extra costs due to rounding of the interest charged each day.
they also quoted an interest rate a couple of percent above the overnight cash rate, in practice the rollover charge when I kept positions open several days seemed to always be a fixed fractional number of pips, rather than an interest charge based on the current cash rate. I'll probably have to make a small test trade with CityIndex and keep it open for several days before I can be certain how interest is really calculated and charged.
I'm happy so far with the CityIndex platform. As I mentioned before, the big problem with using CFDs for long-term positions is that there is no long-term discounted tax rate for derivatives like CFDs whereas there is for assets like shares and funds. And in Aus you lose the franking credits too.


text:
Mavericks use big 4th-quarter run to beat Rockets
Sports // Rockets
KRISTIE RIEKEN, AP Sports Writer
Jan. 4, 2021 Updated: Jan. 4, 2021 10 p.m.
Luka Doncic had 33 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists, and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 30 off the bench as the Dallas Mavericks used a big fourth quarter run to pull away in a 113-100 win over the Houston Rockets.
Dallas was on top by 3 with about seven minutes remaining before using a 14-3 spurt, with seven points from Hardaway, to extend the lead to 106-92 with about 2½ minutes remaining.
JONATHAN FEIGEN ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Offense goes cold in Rockets' loss
Houston couldn't get anything going as the Mavericks took over. The Rockets missed five shots and had two turnovers in that span.
Hardaway, who made 8 of 10 3-point attempts, added another 3-pointer down the stretch to put the game out of reach.
Christian Wood had 23 points to lead the Rockets and James Harden added 21.
Both Doncic and Harden were back after sitting out in their team's last game with injuries. Doncic returned after missing Sunday's loss to Chicago with a bruised quadriceps. Harden played after sitting out on Saturday against the Kings because of a sprained ankle.
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) goes for a jump shot during the fourth quarter of a NBA game against the Houston Rockets Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, at Toyota Center in Houston.
Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer
The Mavericks led by seven points to start the fourth before Houston opened the quarter with an 8-1 run to tie it with about 10 minutes remaining. Eric Gordon made three free throws to get things going and Sterling Brown had a 3 that tied it.
Dallas had a 16-point lead after a three-point play by Doncic with about eight minutes left in the third quarter. The Rockets then scored the next 14 points to get within 72-70 four minutes later. Harden had a step back 3-pointer in that stretch and Jae'Sean Tate capped it with six straight points.
Doncic struggled during that time, turning the ball over three times and receiving a technical foul.
The Mavericks finally ended a scoring drought with a 3-pointer by Hardaway with less than three minutes left in the quarter.
Another 3-pointer by Hardaway later in the third extended the lead to six points before Gordon hit a 3 for Houston. But Doncic scored the last four points of the quarter to put the Mavericks up 84-77 entering the fourth.
DeMarcus Cousins was ejected after receiving two technical fouls in about three minutes in the second quarter. The first one came when he and Willie Cauley-Stein both got one after jawing at each other after fighting for a rebound.
Cousins was ejected when he yelled at an official after not getting a foul call after a layup with about nine minutes left in the first half. Houston coach Stephen Silas was clearly unhappy with the call and stood inches away from a referee pointing and arguing about it for a couple of minutes before he was pushed away by Harden.
Mavericks: James Johnson received a flagrant-1 foul after hitting Tate in the face on a foul in the third quarter. ... Cauley-Stein added 15 points with seven rebounds.
Rockets: Danuel House missed the game with back spasms. ... Ben McLemore was available after sitting out the first four games while in isolation because of COVID-19 protocols but did not play.
Mavericks: Visit Denver on Thursday before returning home for games against Orlando and New Orleans this weekend.
Rockets: Visit the Pacers on Wednesday before returning home for three straight games, with the last two coming against the Lakers.
KRISTIE RIEKEN


Al Azizia mosque is a majestic Islamic style building of 23,140m2, located just minutes away from Al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which is capable of accommodating up to 25,000 worshippers.
The scope of the lighting project included the illumination of the facades, the illumination of the landscaping of the gardens surrounding the mosque and the illumination of the interior space, favouring continuity and dialogue among these three aspects.
The final result of the exterior lighting design is based on the need to understand that the architectural complex must be visible from two different dimensions: It must be observable from long distances and also from the surroundings, understanding the different requirements this implies.
First of all, it is necessary to correctly understand and illuminate the shapes that form the outer skin of the building, respecting their hierarchy and ensuring the architectural volumes can be recognised in the nighttime, turning the building into an icon within Mecca's nocturnal landscape.
On the other hand, it is important to highlight the texture of the arabesques as well as of the architectural details and other ornaments, so that the experience of those who observe the mosque from the proximity is unique, revealing all the subtlety that emanates from its architectural concept.
The 5 domes, as well as the minarets, are elements that acquire a special focus within the lighting project. The choice of a uniform colour temperature of 3000 K achieves the cohesion of the entire ensemble: On the one hand, it respects the neutrality of the white stone used in the facade and, on the other hand, it favours the perception of the golden brocade yamur that culminates each dome.
The domes are illuminated by projection, combining the Flut models with symmetrical optics and the Mini Flut models with asymmetrical optics, both in 3000 K, achieving a uniform luminous degradation from the base and enhancing its volumetry, while the minarets were punctually enhanced with a spotlight that, due to its minimal dimensions, is fully integrated with the architecture -the Micro Shot model (3000 K and 23º average optics)- while offering great optical versatility to achieve the desired lighting effect.
The columns, of approximately 15-metre high, framing the main entrance are illuminated by the Gap 3000 K uplight model and an 11º concentrated optic that favours the verticality of these elements.
The aim of interior lighting is to generate an atmosphere that transmits the spiritual purpose of the space, surrounding the visitors and offering sufficient levels to perceive and highlight architectural details. Direct and indirect lighting creates different implementation planes and focus points, highlighting the geometric set of the space, which combines double and single heights.
The interior of the domes is illuminated by a dynamic whites system, changing from warm white to cool white and back to warm during the course of the day. Once the prayer is called, the domes change to a soft blue colour, reinforcing the spiritual connection with the visitor.
The Lamp team carried out certain customisations and adaptations to the lighting equipment with the aim of achieving the maximum satisfaction for all the parties to the project, carrying out everything from product changes with special finishes to customisations in the reflectors and adaptations of electronic equipment to the generation of certain specific technical documentation required by the project. In order to do this, it was necessary to establish a close and fluid communication with the lighting designers who allowed Lamp to deliver the desired solution. 'While UMAYA took care of the development of the inspirational part of the work, the Lamp team provided great support, especially when some customisation of the standard product was required,' says Baraa Fawzi, UMAYA Lighting Designer heading this project.