On September 11, 2017, in Zuber v. Boscov's, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an injured employee does not waive claims to FMLA and other benefits by settling his Pennsylvania workers' compensation claim and signing a Compromise and Release Agreement (C&R).
In Zuber, Boscov's fired the injured worker after he returned to work and requested additional medical leave to care for his injuries. Although Boscov's approved the request, it fired Mr. Zuber shortly thereafter. A few months later, the store settled Mr. Zuber's workers' compensation claim. As part of the settlement, the parties signed a C&R Agreement, which is required under the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act. When Mr. Zuber sued Boscov's under the FMLA, the federal trial court dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that it was barred by the language of the C&R. The 3rd Circuit reversed.
The 3rd Circuit ruled that the language of the C&R is governed by contract law and only applies to "matters which may be fairly said to have been within the contemplation of the parties when the release was given." The Court also agreed that the C&R was limited to Mr. Zuber's workers' compensation claim.
Our office assisted the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, which filed an Amicus (friend of the court) brief. We have regularly challenged the use of C&R Agreements to prevent injured workers from filing other claims not related to their workers' compensation claims.


Nothing as once, but something's going that way.
What means by a dream. As what in the psychology course, I wrote my essay on my favourite sleeping, and written some bullshits on dream as well. Yet, I'm forgotten all of them.
Probably the dream i am talking about, is different from what is discribed in the psychology lesson. We can't chase the dreams happened in sleeping, but we can chase some dream. But what are those dreams.
He described himself as a 'dreamchaser' sometime once. If he appears in front of me right now, I think I'll force him to tell me, what do you me by, a dream?
What do you mean by a dream, huh? Tell me. What are you chasing then?
Or, its just a slogan happened to appear in your head 5 years ago. Right now you've given all up.
If so, great, probably I'm going on the same way as well. Seem to have abandoned myself completely.
The two Libras with that many similarites. Losing the other is just like losing oneself, vice versa. The way to find myself back, probably is, to find you.


text:
A Star Wars Theory About Rey's Parents Would Neatly Reverse 'The Last Jedi'
Caleb ReadingTwitterEntertainment Editor
Star Wars: The Last Jedi took the story in unexpected directions (to the chagrin of some), and it left some questions unanswered. Is Finn a Jedi? (Probably not.) Was Han Solo a dumbass? (Possibly.) Will Carrie Fisher's scenes just be interview outtakes of her holding her dog Gary and dropping F-bombs? (We hope so.)
I hope all the footage is from unused 2016 red carpet interviews.
POE: General Organa, theyre tracking our hyperdrive, what should we do!?
LEIA: (Holding french bulldog) Who gives a fuck. https://t.co/LUGLILLdhu
— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) July 28, 2018
Um, anyway, another long-running question is, who are Rey's parents? The Force Awakens set it up like it would be a huge reveal, only for The Last Jedi to suggest that masters of the force can come from humble beginnings, like the broom-moving slave kid on Canto Bight and Rey, the purported daughter of junk traders. But were Rey's parents really who Kylo Ren claimed? ("They were filthy junk traders. Sold you off for drinking money. They're dead in a pauper's grave in the Jakku desert. You come from nothing. You're nothing. But not to me.")
This would seemingly contradict J.J. Abrams' original plans for her to have a more "relevant lineage," according to Simon Pegg, so will Abrams undo that part of The Last Jedi in Star Wars: Episode IX and reveal Kylo to be a lying liar who lies? A fan theory put forth by Film Threat makes an interesting case for who else her parents could be, and it would echo the original trilogy in a way Abrams would probably like.
If you don't have time to watch that, here's a summary, via /film:
According to this theory (and again, it's just a theory), Rey is the daughter of Han Solo and Qi'ra, Emilia Clarke's character from Solo: A Star Wars Story. The theory says that this "fixes everything" because it would provide exactly the kind of rhyming echoes in the Skywalker saga that George Lucas placed throughout the first two trilogies.
If Han and Qi'ra are Rey's parents, that means that Rey and Kylo Ren are half-siblings, sort of mirroring Luke and Leia's relationship. Plus, this would mean that Kylo and Rey both come from the same father and a mother who's connected with the opposite side of the Force.
Rey/Light Side : Qi'ra/Dark Side
Kylo/Dark Side : Leia/Light Side
If this means Rey and Kylo have to kiss at some point before finding out they're siblings, count me out. I like the idea that her parents were junk traders instead of another extended member of this space hillbilly family destroying planets across the galaxy. And wouldn't Rey would have to be older than Kylo for this timeline to make sense? I would be much more willing to accept her being related to one other character in particular…
Rey is Chewy's daughter.
That's why she's so good at fixing the Falcon
— Lela Gwenn (@LGwenn) November 13, 2016
See, now that checks out.
Anyway, we'll see if Star Wars: Episode IX undoes a major plot point from The Last Jedi when it opens December 20th, 2019. We hope it goes like this:
(Via /film and Film Threat)
Topics: #J.J. Abrams, #Star WarsTags: CHRIS TERRIO, DAISY RIDLEY, Episode IX, fan theories, J.J. Abrams, Lucasfilm, Star Wars, STAR WARS: EPISODE IX

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Sthenias madurae är en skalbaggsart som beskrevs av Boppe 1914. Sthenias madurae ingår i släktet Sthenias och familjen långhorningar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Långhorningar
madurae

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


turner end table espresso end tables at hayneedle. syrah coffee table espresso with frosted glass walmart. coffee & side tables ikea. carson coffee table multiple finishes walmart. mainstays lift top coffee table multiple colors walmart. best ideas about living room end tables on diy. altra carson coffee table cherry black kitchen & dining. larkin coffee table by ameriwood multiple finishes walmart. turner end table espresso end tables at hayneedle. pyramid trunk cocktail table espresso kitchen & dining.


The unique gameplay of Katamari Damacy is still just as fun. Rolling things up to make a bigger katamari (ball) is so relaxing. The bigger your Katamari, the tinier the prince pushing the ball is by comparison, but the bigger ball also lets you and him roll up larger and larger objects until you've gone from rolling up erasers and pencils to rolling up continents and planets.
The Steam for Windows version of Katamari Damacy ReRoll suffers from some limitations due to how old Katamari's design is. There is no autosaving, and it'll warn you about that, so you need to return to a house on the main planetary menu to manually save between levels.
Another limitation shows up when you launch ReRoll on Windows for the first time. ReRoll appears in a tiny window on your screen, and you can't access the options to change the resolution until you complete the first level. That might be difficult if you're trying to play on your couch. It's not a huge issue, but it was a surprise that Katamari didn't immediately choose a resolution to match the desktop.
Katamari Damacy ReRoll is a can't miss classic. At $30 it's ten dollars more expensive than it was when it was originally released at the bargain price of $20, but Katamari is worth every penny. I can't think of any game as hopeful and vibrantly silly. ReRoll is out now on the Nintendo Switch and Steam for Windows.


text:
Q: How Can My Discord.js Bot welcome new people to the server? I'm trying to make it so the bot Will Auto Welcome new members on multiple servers, this is the code I have currently and it doesn't come up with an error but it doesn't work
client.on("guildMemberAdd", (member) => {
    const guild = member.guild;
    if (!newUsers[guild.id]) newUsers[guild.id] = new Discord.Collection();
    newUsers[guild.id].set(member.id, member.user);

    if (newUsers[guild.id].size > 10) {
      const userlist = newUsers[guild.id].map(u => u.toString()).join(" ");
      guild.channels.find(channel => channel.name === "general").send("Welcome our new users!\n" + userlist);
      newUsers[guild.id].clear();
    }
  });

  client.on("guildMemberRemove", (member) => {
    const guild = member.guild;
    if (newUsers[guild.id].has(member.id)) newUsers.delete(member.id);
  });```

A: Your problem lies within your third line of code. What you do here is create a new Collection everytime someone joins. This means that the collection can never be > 10 because it's always 1.
To fix this simply create the Collection at the top of your index file and not inside a listener.
On a sidenote, I assume you want to create the collection to keep track of who is in your discord server. Thats not really a good idea because it will be newly created every time the bot restarts and since it only gets updated when someone joins or leaves it won't be accurate. A lot easier to use is the guild.members collection.
EDIT: This is how you would do something like that
client.on('guildMemberAdd', member => {
    const guild = member.guild;
    const userlist = guild.members.cache.map(u => `\n${u.user.username}: ${u.user.id}`);
    guild.channels.find(channel => channel.name === "general").send("Welcome our new user!\n Users" + userlist);
})

Please keep in mind that this will return all members of the guild. You can only use the guildMembersChunk listener to welcome multiple members and all of those need to come from the same guild which is rather unlikely.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


'Beyond Therapy.' Lab Theatre in Withycombe Hall, 30th and Campus Way, Corvallis. 7:30 p.m. A comedic portrait of love and neuroses, "Beyond Therapy" by Christopher Durang is a quirky, modern love story about the ups and downs of love and dating. The play premiered in 1981 and remains one of Durang's most frequently produced works. Tickets: $8 ($6 for seniors, $5 for students/youth, $4 for OSU students). No reserved seating. For info or tickets, call 541-737-2784 or visit www.oregonstate.edu/dept/theatre.
Chocolate Fantasy. The Old School at the Children's Farm Home, 4455 NE Hwy. 20, Corvallis. 7 – 10 p.m. Join the Arts Center for its annual fundraising gala. Tickets: $60 (includes wine, hors d'oeuvres, an art auction, music, and unlimited chocolate confections from local chocolatiers). All proceeds benefit the Arts Center's education and exhibition programs. For info or tickets, call 541-754-1551 or visit www.theartscenter.net.
PacificSource Health Plans 'Get Out, Get Covered' Tour. Corvallis Clinic, Ashbury Building, 3680 NW Samaritan Dr., Corvallis 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The drop-in sessions feature a series of "consulting stations" that allow consumers to engage in one-on-one conversation with PacificSource representatives providing the opportunity to: Ask individual questions and find answers to frequently asked questions; Find out if they are eligible for a tax credit; Explore specific plans and costs; Enroll in an appropriate plan; Find a primary care physician; Walk away with a comprehensive "grab & go" information kit containing pertinent materials.
The Jordan World Circus 2014. Benton County Fairgrounds, 110 SW 53rd St., Corvallis. 8 – 10 p.m. Witness a human shoot out of a cannon, see camels, white tigers, clowns, and elephants, watch the Globe of Death riders, see zebras, jugglers, ponies, and aerialists, and many more awesome acts that will thrill you. (Acts are subject to change.) Cost: $18.99.


The source code is available in SVN, You can browse the current 810 code online http://svn.linuxmce.org/trac.cgi/browser/branches/LinuxMCE-0810/src (http://svn.linuxmce.org/trac.cgi/browser/branches/LinuxMCE-0810/src), or you could check it out and view and edit it locally, which you will need to anyway if you're to do any development. There is an article on building 810 in the wiki for more details.
1. The xine player specifically is available in http://svn.linuxmce.org/trac.cgi/changeset/22596/branches/LinuxMCE-0810/src/Xine_Player (http://svn.linuxmce.org/trac.cgi/changeset/22596/branches/LinuxMCE-0810/src/Xine_Player).
I think that having multiple player options would be a very great feature for LMCE. I just wanted to suggest following up with niz23's post at http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=9257.msg64724#msg64724 (http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=9257.msg64724#msg64724) before proceeding with wiring in vlc directly. I'm not sure what his status is, but that approach sounds to me like an excellent way to integrate multiple players (vlc included), if it works out.


Sunnis consider the "incident" to be fabricated with the intention to slander Abu Bakr and Umar.
In Shia books which claim this incident, it is not recorded with a sound chain of narrators, so Sunnis do not accept it.
The same is in تصحيح اعتقادات الإمامية page 149 and جامع الرواة page 9 etc.
Sunnis believe that this is a lie spun to degrade the Ahle Bait and to malign the Sahaba.
Ali, the Lion of Allah, whose bravery and strength is unmatched, would never have let such a thing happen on his watch. And if it had happened, Ali would never have pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr and Umar, and he would have taken swift revenge from them.
When (the dead body of) Umar was put on his deathbed, the people gathered around him and invoked (Allah) and prayed for him before the body was taken away, and I was amongst them. Suddenly I felt somebody taking hold of my shoulder and found out that he was Ali bin Abi Talib.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged sunni shiism shia-sunni or ask your own question.
Why does the Shia and Sunni viewpoint differ on the concept of Khums? And what are those differences?


text:
Ace Ventura: Psi detektyw (ang. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, 1995-1997) – amerykański serial animowany zrealizowany na podstawie filmu o takim tytule. W Polsce serial emitowany był pod koniec 1996 roku na kanale FilmNet.

Opis fabuły
Zwariowany Ace Ventura próbuje rozwiązać sprawy ukradzionych lub zaginionych zwierząt. Udaje mu się to m.in. dzięki Fluke'owi.

Spis odcinków

 W odcinku Have Mask, Will Travel pojawia się Maska.

Linki zewnętrzne

Amerykańskie telewizyjne seriale animowane
Seriale telewizyjne emitowane od 1995
Seriale telewizyjne zakończone w 1997
Seriale telewizyjne zrealizowane na podstawie filmów


text:
← Hey Honey
Whose Candy Was It? →
Our Lighted Seasons
It's one thing to get an idea and quite another to make it a reality. I wanted to compile information about my ancestry and put it into a family history, but how to do it was a mystery. Where was the information coming from? What was the best way to organize the narrative? Just how far back in my family's history should I go? Would my children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews care about Ida Brown Cunningham? Probably. But they'd be more curious about their grandparents.
I soon realized that thinking and rethinking my ideas was nothing more than procrastination, and I took Nike's advice to "Just do it!" I started with what I knew and added tidbits of information as the work progressed. I went right to the sources who had the facts, figures, and stories—my aunts, one on my mother's side and one on my father's side. They were virtual founts of information.
I already knew when my great aunt Lillie was born and when she died. Same for her parents. I was saddened by her death and whelmed with compassion for the grief her parents must have suffered. But what did she die of? I never found the answer to that one, but I realized that niggling question was getting me off track and was something I could come back to later. Too, Lillie was just one person, and there were dozens and dozens of people I wanted to include.
But still…how to do it? During this time of indecision, a writer friend, Brenda Remmes, shared her book about her mother-in-law. Titled Emma, it was both a tribute and a history written about a strong young woman who was left raising three children after the death of her husband. Concerned that Emma's grandchildren wouldn't know anything about their resilient, hard-working, gutsy (her son Bill's word) matriarch, Brenda wrote about both Emma's and her husband's lives and families and then moved seamlessly into another part of Emma's life, the one including her progeny. Emma was the center, the heart, of the book.
One day I woke up knowing the focus, the pivot around which everything swirled, would be my parents—where they came from, where they went to school, and how they fit into their families. Both were the oldest children of their families although my father wasn't the firstborn. He was born nearly two years after the death of an older brother, Nelson, whose life was taken at eighteen months by scarlet fever. My mother was the oldest of three daughters. There were ten years between her birth and that of her sister Jonnie, and birth order theories would see that gap as quite significant. It's like starting a new family. She had attributes of both an only child and the oldest child—responsible, dependable, and mature.
The lightbulb of an idea grew brighter. I wanted to include what their childhoods, teen years, and adult lives were like; the decisions they made, including work, education, and child raising; what the world was like throughout their lives, from the Great Depression to the Clinton Era; their attributes, personalities, and advice. And I wanted to do it using the power of story without ignoring the "begats." I solicited narratives from my siblings, and their stories are the icing on the cake (forgive the cliche), the sweet details that complete the work–at least the first edition.
John and Margie was my working title until I recalled a quote from Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek: "I am a fugitive and a vagabond, a sojourner seeking signs. This is our life, these are our lighted seasons, and then we die." By the time I began revising "Family Changes," a chapter describing graduations, moves, illnesses, and a death, I changed the title to Our Lighted Seasons: John and Margie.
If you're thinking of writing a family history or any other kind of book, just do it. Nothing can happen until you stop procrastinating.
This entry was posted in ancestry, Annie Dillard, books, family history, Uncategorized, writing, writing projects and tagged ancestry, books, family history, stories, writing. Bookmark the permalink.


↑ Genton, Laurence; Melzer, Katarina; Pichard, Claude (2010). "Energy and macronutrient requirements for physical fitness in exercising subjects". Clinical Nutrition. 29 (4): 413–423. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2010.02.002. PMID 20189694.
↑ ୨.୦ ୨.୧ "Protein in diet". United States National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. 2009.
↑ ୩.୦ ୩.୧ ୩.୨ Hermann, Janice R. "Protein and the Body" (PDF). Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources • Oklahoma State University: T–3163–1 – T–3163–4.
↑ Vernon Young, Peter Pellett (1994). "Plant proteins in relation to human protein and amino acid nutrition" (PDF). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 59: 1203S-l2S.


text:
Oil settles higher despite Omicron concerns
Oil near one-month high on easing concerns over Omicron - Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021
By Laura Sanicola
– Oil prices settled higher on Tuesday, with Brent crude ending the session near $80 a barrel despite the rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, supported by supply outages and expectations that U.S. inventories fell last week.
Brent crude settled up 34 cents, or 0.4%, at $78.94 a barrel by 1:39 p.m. EST (1839 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled up 41 cents, or 0.5%, at $75.98.
Both contracts traded at their highest levels in a month, aided by strength in U.S. equities.
"The stock market appears poised to finish the year at or near record highs with easy spillover into the oil space pushing crude values higher," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates LLC in Galena, Illinois.
"Support comes as well from high aggregated production disruptions in Ecuador, Libya and Nigeria and the expectation of another large drop in U.S. crude inventories," said UBS oil analyst Giovanni Staunovo.
The three oil producers declared forces majeures this month on part of their oil production because of maintenance issues and oilfield shutdowns.
A preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday that U.S. crude oil inventories are likely to have dropped for the fifth week in a row, while gasoline inventories were seen mostly unchanged last week. [EIA/S]
England will not face any new COVID-19 restrictions before the end of 2021, British health minister Sajid Javid said on Monday, as the government awaits more evidence on whether the health service can cope with high infection rates.
U.S. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, pledged to ease a shortage of COVID-19 tests as the Omicron variant threatens to overwhelm hospitals and stifle travel plans.
Omicron-induced staff shortages led to thousands of flight cancellations over the Christmas weekend in the United States.
Investors are awaiting an OPEC+ meeting on Jan. 4, at which the alliance will decide whether to go ahead with a planned production increase of 400,000 barrels per day in February.
At its last meeting, OPEC+ stuck to its plans to boost output for January despite Omicron.
Money managers raised their net long U.S. crude futures and options positions in the week to Dec. 21, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Monday.
The speculator group raised its combined futures and options position in New York and London by 4,634 contracts to 259,093 during the period.


With the situation heating up in Clark County, Nevada, a range of emotions have been expressed by those following the events taking place. These emotions vary widely depending upon one's worldview and political perspective, as most emotions do. For those successfully trained to believe that government is always right, Bundy is nothing more than another "right wing extremist" intent on destroying the social fabric of the United States and the ability of Federal government to function. To those who are more inclined to promote a culture of liberty and freedom, Bundy represents a potential martyr. Even more so, to these individuals Bundy represents the possibility of another Waco or Ruby Ridge.
In addition, the surrounding of the Bundy Ranch with armed agents, military vehicles, and snipers despite the fact that the court order is merely to block entrance to the federal land and round up the trespassing cattle is nothing if not overkill. Such is yet another example of the nature of the police state in which we now find ourselves.
According to many media outlets, the entirety of the story is that the Federal government is attempting to confiscate Bundy's cows and fine him an unreasonable amount of money simply because of the presence of an endangered species of turtle in the area where the cows feed. Other outlets provide different versions of the story, with facts and timelines arranged in different order.
The fact is that Bundy's cows had been grazing on Federal land. This is not disputed by anyone in terms of the location. Because use of public lands for commercial purposes (ranch cattle grazing is commerce), ranchers are required to pay a grazing fee to the BLM. This fee amounts to about $1.35 per animal.
Bundy stopped paying this fee in 1993. Bundy contends that the land is not under the jurisdiction of the BLM or the Federal government, but under the state of Nevada. Thus, he also contends that he owes nothing to the Federal government since he claims that the Feds have no jurisdiction. If he owes anything at all, he says, he owes the money to Nevada or Clark County. Since Nevada is not coming forward to claim their money, Bundy argues that he owes nothing at this time. It should be noted that Bundy says he is willing to pay grazing fees but only to Clark County.
Nevada is not coming forward to collect the money, of course, because the land is clearly under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government. Bundy, however, continues to claim that because his family has worked the land since the 1800s, he has pre-emptive rights including the right to forage. However, pre-emptive rights are the result of a contract agreement, a contract that Bundy has stated he does not have.
Many of Bundy's supporters also claim that Constitutional rights are being violated in this case because of a clause in the U.S. Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17), which supposedly restricts the Federal government from buying from states except for the purpose of erecting "forts, magazines, dockyards, and other needful buildings." However, the land in question belonged to the Federal government before Nevada even became a state, making it impossible to buy land that was not yet even a state. Even so, the interpretation of this particular clause of the Constitution in this manner is tenuous to say the least since it refers to the legislative governance of the stated areas and institutions under the ownership of the Federal government.
In regards to the "turtles," the claims suggesting that Bundy's fees were a result of the designation of the desert tortoise as an endangered species are fundamentally untrue. Bundy ceased his payments in 1993. The grazing area was designated as off limits due to the presence of the "turtles" in 1998. Thus, the "turtles" played no part in Bundy's original resistance to the grazing fee.
However, it is also true that the BLM has euthanized a large number of the same tortoises they claim as being endangered; but the stated purpose of this euthanasia was to protect the sick tortoises from infecting the healthy ones being released back into the wild.
What should be pointed out, however, is that the DTCC (Desert Tortoise Conservation Center) was actually moved to the land where Bundy's cattle were grazing in 1991 in order to protect the desert tortoise from becoming extinct due to a development in Southern Las Vegas, a money-maker that grossly outweighed any concern for nature in the minds of business and government.
The other side of this story is that since Bundy stopped paying his fee in 1993 and refused to accept a grazing permit, in the eyes of the BLM, there were no ranchers on the public land for five years, since Bundy is the only rancher left in Clark County.
Furthermore, although Bundy's assertions regarding the idea that the BLM and other interests wanted him off the land should be given due attention, it should be pointed out that his original claim against BLM was that the Federal government did not have jurisdiction over the land.
Lastly, it is important to note that the original stated intent of the BLM and associates was to close off the federal land from the Bundy Ranch and remove the trespassing cattle, not to launch an all-out assault on the ranch in Waco fashion.
Of course, it cannot go without saying that if the government were truly concerned about the welfare of the turtles, they would have stopped the development in Southern Las Vegas, not Bundy's grazing cattle.
In addition, concerns about the environment and ecology of the federal lands in question were conveniently missing when the land was opened up for Harry Reid's pet projects with Chinese businesses. This evidence is damning; it shows government collusion in the form of Senate snake Harry Reid and his former senior advisor who had become the director of the BLM, as well as Reid's son Rory Reid, the chief representative for a Chinese energy firm that was planning to build a $5 billion solar plant on public land in Nevada.
Although the facts are still unclear, many analysts are claiming that the Public Lands on which Bundy's cattle grazed are not only heavy in mineral deposits but are also set to become an oil and gas fracking project.
While numerous potential scenarios exist in terms of the outcome of the Bundy Ranch standoff, there are at least four that should be considered before American citizens and militias descending on the property take any direct action.
The possibility that the Federal agents will initiate violence to be blamed on the protesters or militia members. We have seen in Syria, Egypt, Libya, Ukraine, and Iran, the use of snipers by Western intelligence to initiate violence and outright combat between government forces and opposition groups, both sides with legitimate griefs against one another. If government agencies wanted to initiate a violent confrontation between itself and militias/protesters, what better way than to fire into the crowd of protesters and/or federal agents to begin the process?
The possibility that this situation is being used or was created for the purposes of testing militia members and Americans who would actually respond in a real-life situation such as this. Perhaps the Bundy ranch is nothing more than a bellweather?
The possibility that violence is initiated through false flag means or through genuine anger. Mainstream media outlets would now have their ultimate opportunity to tout gun control measures as a necessity. They would make claims such as "First, we have street crime, then random acts of shootings and terrorism, and then school shootings. Now, we have open insurrection by right wing extremists who have proven they want to overthrow the government and set up a (insert "racist" "homophobic" "xenophobic" "radical") government in its place." A major propaganda push on the scale of what was seen after the Oklahoma bombing would immediately follow.
The potential for violence to break out with militias involved in the shooting. An open insurrection could be declared and martial law implemented throughout the entire country resulting in the possibility of combat between those Americans who do not want to be disarmed or relocated as well as the wide-scale crackdown across the country.
With this in mind, we cannot ignore the fact that there have been some very questionable individuals who have been behind "calls to arms" over the Bundy Ranch situation, leading this writer to believe that the likelihood is quite high of some kind of trap – physical or propaganda-based.
While the protests have remained entirely peaceful from the point of the view of the protesters (only the police have acted violently), we must guard against the potential scenarios mentioned above.
The four points made previously are no reason to suspend a protest. They are, however, reasons to consciously think through the next course of action and the potential ramifications of that action.
While Americans must be prepared to stand up to government abuse, we must also guard against knee-jerk reactions. Such reactions only make us pawns by those in much higher positions, and often cause us to act irrationally whenever we are faced with adversity.
The concerns over potential government false flags are no reason to refuse to protest, demonstrate, or act in self-defense or in the defense of others. However, they are a reason to exercise caution and a heavy dose of forethought before taking action.
While this article should not be understood as a condemnation of Bundy, it should be taken as a warning to all patriots, militia members, activists, and spectators that taking up arms is no small matter.
It is unfortunately true that there may come a day when Americans have to take up arms against an oppressive government and a line must be drawn in the sand. However, it is of the utmost importance that we are all on the right side of that line. We cannot allow media hype and agents provocateurs to decide how and where battles are fought.
Be the first to comment on "Turn of the Screw: The Cliven Bundy Standoff"


The Thule RoundTrip Boot Backpack is the perfect bag for you to transport your boots and other gear to the mountains. A separate boot compartment has grommets on the bottom to allow water to drain, and keep the rest of your gear clean and dry. The Back Panel door can flip down, and is large enough for you to stand on when you need to change into or out of your boots to keep your socks dry and fresh. A Heat-Molded, Crush Proof SafeZone is a perfect place for you to keep your phone, goggles or other gear protected. The RoundTrip Boot Backpack has loops that will allow you to easily connect to Thule RoundTrip Rolling Ski/Board Bags. There are two other pockets located on the sides that are large enough to store gloves, jacket, pants, and the main compartment is large enough to store your helmet. If you are looking for the perfect boot bag, the Thule RoundTrip has the right size pockets in all the right places.


An IPA brewed with rye malt, smoked malt and a lot of hops. A perfect combination for a surprising taste.
Emelisse Smoked Rye IPA An IPA brewed with rye malt (20%), smoked malt (10%) and a lot of hops (Simcoe en Cascade). A perfect combination for a surprising taste.


OMG Posters! » Archive Tomer Hanuka's "Overkill" Book and Bonus Art Print - OMG Posters!
Wow, I'm pretty much blown away by this new book and print package from Tomer Hanuka. First of all, Upper Playground and Gingko Press have teamed up to release his first Monogram book, "Overkill". You can get a regular edition on Amazon now. They are also offering a limited version (edition of 120) which includes an embossed cloth slipcover and the amazing 8.5″ x 11″ giclee pictured below. Visit Upper Playground.
His work just gets better and better. Damn those Meathaus Artists!
I think it's something in the New York water…..
Right to the top of my Christmas wish list this goes. Gorgeous work.
I should correct myself…I meant his brother Asaf's work is just as good, not "almost".


Nothing teaches you about fear like becoming a parent. Nothing.
I recall the first night we brought our baby home. We took it in turns to stay awake through the night as she slept. Just in case.
And I recall that same night, around three am, when she wouldn't sleep unless snuggled next to me as I fought to keep my eyes open and then, little by little, failed to do so. I remember how I berated myself for taking such a risk! I admit, I had an awful lot to learn.
Today, she has a rash. Red patches that can settle on neither spots nor splodges and leave me dashing to google for a diagnosis. She is fine.
Ultimately, I am terrified of losing her and it takes almost more than I have to keep that in check every day as we deal with all the big bad world dares to offer.
But the fear I have found is so much more than this. It is a fear of myself and all the damage I will undoubtedly do. I dread the thought of breaking her.
And the only thing that scares me more is that thought that I might not be around to see just how misplaced all my fears might be.
Her lips were the part I noticed first. When she was born, it was her big, soulful eyes. Eyes that spoke directly to me and broke my heart there and then before re-building it and turning it into something stronger, something strange and new. But before that, in that grainy, swirling black and white footage, it was her lips. Her fathers lips; full and pronounced and perfect. Just perfect.
When she was a tiny baby (that phase where they don't 'do' anything but you are just so amazed by it all) I kissed the tips of her fingers endlessly. I simply couldn't believe I held something so precious. So pure. I would stroke her skin and watch her sleep and kiss her. Always kiss her.
And when she learnt to kiss me back I couldn't have been more thrilled if I tried.
But she is a clever girl, one who knows her own mind and how to work us and get what she wants, and so she learnt the words that would thrill me even more; I love you. And my heart expanded and broke all over again. Aren't words wonderful?
With those words I saw more grainy shots of what the future holds in store. I saw beyond her first day at school to the day I wouldn't be allowed to wait at the gate as she walked in. I saw past the welcome bedtime routine to nights spent waiting to hear her turn the key in the door. I wondered who else's lips would she kiss? What other words might she choose to use and what might be their effect?
Now everyday I fight the urge to hold her hand a little more tightly.
Here is my daughter. My greatest achievement.
To imagine that two years ago today I was terrified of giving birth and becoming a mother seems unbelievable because, as I write this today, that is who I am and I cannot imagine being anyone else.
In those two years I have overcome fear much greater than I ever thought I was capable of facing just by being that person. I am scared daily by the task I have undertaken but it is only through this that I know what it means to live.
I would hate to suggest that being a mother is the only way to live a fulfilled life because I know that it is not. I admire so many women who haven't had to undergo that transformation to be someone whole, complete. And others who have but who manage to be more than just that. But I am simply not that person. I needed someone else to make me all I could be. And now she is here I hope that I can continue to find the strength to show her who she might become.
Last night, I had an extra large glass of wine and stayed up until 10pm. This morning, light filtered through my curtains at 4.45am as usual, my eyelids flickered and then I fell back asleep. Then, when I awoke, I sat in bed slowly sipping an enormous mug of hot chocolate whilst talking to my boyfriend and reading a magazine.
My daughter spent the night at her grandparents.
When I finally got up, I made the bed. I took a long, hot, silent shower and got ready. I took a trip to Tesco and ambled down the aisles stopping to look at anything and everything that caught my eye. Afterward, I wandered around the clothes shops and treated myself to a coffee and cake. Upon returning home I did other jobs; hung out the washing, watered the garden, painted my nails.
And I type this now back in bed! At 2pm!
I remember how this used to be the norm. How I could pick and chose how I spent my days, filling my time with this or that. Wandering. Ambling. How I knew the names of made-for-the-media celebrities and would spend my money on party dresses and fashionable shoes. Shoes that looked lovely whilst wandering and ambling.
Things were different today though. Where was the bouncing as I changed the bed? The photos I flicked through featured smiles that were unusually dimmed, subdued. The enormous hot chocolate was too much for me alone. In Tesco I missed the singing. As I shopped for a dress for this weekends party I realised that practicality was probably the order of the day. I left empty handed. And here is the part where poetic license suggests I claim to have scanned for sensible shoes, but anyone who knows me will see right through that. Suffice to say I looked at lovely shoes…in size 22.
Her absence was everywhere. How did I not see it before? Or maybe I did. Maybe all of those times I felt lost and alone I was simply missing someone I was yet to meet.
Anyone who knows me will testify to the fact that I am, indeed, a pushy mother. Friends will confirm that I am more than happy to sing my daughter's praises and boast of her many and varied accomplishments at any available opportunity. And if that opportunity doesn't occur organically, be sure that I will create it. Given that she is not yet two, you are correct in assuming that she has not yet graduated from Cambridge with a first class honours degree, become the youngest Olympic gold medal winner or the first woman to set foot on Mars. But, don't worry, when this is the case I can assure you that you will be the first to know.
I was pushy when I was pregnant. From day one (in fact, if I'm honest, even before that blue line appeared), I became obsessed with the Baby Centre pregnancy app. And, when that failed to satisfy (after all, that provided merely one piece of precious information a day), I began to alternate between that and Sprout. Obviously this is in addition to consulting every book ever written on the subject. I could accurately inform you at any given moment the exact fruit my growing foetus was the size of. Cumquat or butternut squash, I could detail the development of its organs and let you know exactly what I could do to ensure everything grew as expected. Okay, I may have indulged in a little more Diet Coke than was really recommended and certainly failed to meet the requirements for pelvic floor exercises, but told myself knowledge is power, right? And when I felt those first flutterings of movement I rejoiced because, not only could I finally feel my beloved baby, but they were earlier than the books said they would be! Terrible, I know.
And then my beautiful baby was born. And she was everything I had ever hoped for and more. And I swore right then and there that I would give her every little thing I had.
So my reading list expanded. My weekly guide became my scripture as I broke my earlier promise to myself by reading a week ahead, just to be on the safe side.
As she has grown we have tried it all; Baby Signing and swimming, flash cards and Gymboree, church mother and toddler groups and classical music. If research suggests it is beneficial for your child, we have been there!
We have also sat drinking coffee with other mothers after these classes. Now, 31 years of life experience has taught me that you don't win friends by showing off so, as I became initiated in to that wonderful world of motherhood through shared birth stories and talk of reflux and routines, I often sat silently screaming yes, but guess what she did today?!
But it wasn't until recently I realised I may have a problem. As I began a simple online search for Gifts for Father's Day, good old Google decided to throw up every site I had ever searched with the reference gifted toddlers. And there were a few!
Remember, it isn't a competition.
And he is right. You are all right. Because I know that I should let her be a child, that they all develop at their own rate and every other pearl of wisdom that makes mothers like me fein modesty and bite our tongues. But I like to think that, despite the evident truths in these words, my behaviour (and I am sure I am not alone here) is not all bad.
I am proud of my daughter and I tell her every day, so why not the rest of the world? She is certainly not perfect but remains the most awe inspiring thing I have ever known and watching her change and grow never ceases to amaze me so should this not be celebrated? And if I want her to see just how wonderful the world is and that she can contribute to that in so many different ways, is it not my job to show her how?
On a Friday, I am a mum. Don't get me wrong, I was there when she was born and have the scars to show I am indeed her mother and that is certainly no part-time thing, but on a Friday (and, because I am very lucky indeed, a Monday and Tuesday too) it is my job.
But, sadly, some days that is how I see it.
Today I woke up at 4.45am in a foul mood. The mood was a hangover from yesterday's mood, and the day before's. I sighed unnecessarily loudly and rolled over to read (Facebook is reading right?) knowing all too well that a return to sleep would be impossible. I was already listening out for her sleepy voice and counting down my remaining minutes until I was 'on the clock'. Not enjoying them, but wasting them and wishing them away. I grumbled as I sifted through the pile of clean clothes (I may be a stay at home mum but I never said I was good at it. Clothes get washed, if they are lucky taken down when dry and folded but never, ever make it to being put away) before settling for jeans. Again. As I sat before the mirror I could hear my daughter in the big bed with her dad next door. They were giggling and laughing and playing as they always do. I sighed again and thought to myself how easy it is for him to be fun when in half an hour he gets to walk out. Even though I know it isn't.
It was a story about a boat and a baby and the fish in the sea.
I began to let my mind wander and I wondered where that boat might take me if I let it. Where would I end up if I let her imagination lead the way?
And I let it. Struggling at fist to stop talking and telling her what to do. Slowly stopping to listen and breathe and take our time. To let go.


text:
surly gourmand
Devouring slices of misery so you don't have to.
In America, Italian restaurants that want to charge lots of money are confronted with a quandary: you can't charge big bucks for baked ziti, but you ALSO can't use too many classical French techniques because then you cross the culinary equivalent of the Alps.
So what do you do? You have two choices: either strip the recipes WAY down, like to three ingredients, but make sure that those three ingredients are the MOTHERFUCKING BEST GODDAMNED INGREDIENTS IN THE UNIVERSE. For instance, slather some delicate pristine handmade pasta with some fancy butter, such as reggiano butter, or some other kind of exotic butter made from the milk of cows that are fed only apples or some shit like that, and then top this with an obscure D.O.C Pecorino made by rustic badasses, or monks, or even better yet: Shaolin monks, which are in fact both. This is the strategy of places like Cantinetta and Spinasse. Or you can try a different approach and put a whole bunch of stuff on the plate and hope for the best. This is Altura's approach.
I'd been trying to get into Altura for a while. Unfortunately, the only reservation options, for WEEKS, were either 5:30 or 9:45. I place the entire blame on Open Table. As recently as seven years ago I used to place reservations with impunity in this town, gleefully calling up every restaurant in town and scoring valuable tables for two at 7:30 on a Saturday.
Now, sadly, modern technology has enabled any common Aspberger's sufferer, in a town, mind you, which is JAM FUCKING PACKED with awkward computer programmers loathe to communicate with AN ACTUAL PERSON, to cock-block people like me who are TRYING TO WORK HERE, YOU FUCKING NERDS. The horrors of technology, I suppose.
Anyway: Altura. Suffice to say we eventually did get a reservation. They've got an interesting pricing structure. The menu is divided, as Italian menus frequently are, into antipasti, primi, and secondi, though they aren't labeled as such. While you can order anything a la carte, you're better off taking advantage of a coursed meal, which is offered at Altura at a rate of $53 for 3 courses, $61 for 4 courses, $69 for 5 courses, or $132 for one metric shit-ton of courses. This sounds complicated, but don't worry; your waiter will laboriously explain all of this to you.
We started with the Spicy Grilled Baby Octopus. Grilled tentacles were present, of course, along with lots of cucumbers: there were thin rounds of lemon cucumber, cubed English cucumber, and round balls of some other kind of cucumber. Accompanying all these cumcumbers and tentacle was what I initially thought was some variety of hummus but was, according to the menu "calabrian bean puree." There was also a smear of basil puree and an asymmetrical splash of bright orange chili oil, which I assume was leaking from a small, red, grilled pepper.
This dish had a good amount of heat, as befits the name, but seemed unfocused. There were too many disparate elements. I get that you're supposed to get a bite of everything together, but with SO MANY different ingredients, how much shit can you hold on your fork? At some point it turns into culinary Pick-Up Stix.
Cavatelli was a pretty disorganized plate: a compact pile of perforated pasta cylinders were clad in a thick sauce of ground duck. This was topped with a translucent jade bundle of deep fried sage leaves. It was a lot of sage, actually: it looked like a tiny green chandelier fell from the ceiling and landed onto my bowl of pasta. The cavatelli was very ducky tasting. It was like an aggro mallard suffering from roid rage teabagged the cavatelli with his cloaca. That's not a bad thing.
Malfatti was SUPER FUCKING TASTY. Malfatti is like sloppy gnocchi: big, round, sloppy balls which are exactly what your mom craves. Three big fluffy green balls, flecked with kale and dandelion greens and bound together with ricotta, were piled atop a savory ragu of ground rabbit. The deliciousness was inexplicable. Normally I would think a pasta made primarily of ricotta and kale would be the kind of thing folk musicians would want to eat. Yet these delicious savory balls were somehow imbued with the spirit of True Tastiness, a Dickensian apparition which was not just an omen of my own terrifying pigheadishness, but also a symbol of delicious possibilities. Kudos. And when I say "kudos," I actually mean "K-K-K-KU-dos!!!" sung to the tune of the Chia Pet theme song.
Snake River Farms Flatiron Steak was competently prepared; grilled until the caramelized brown crust enshrouded a lurid clown-nose rare interior, the steak was then sliced into medallions. These were strewn about a plate containing shitloads of other stuff. Seriously, that steak was the Fred Sanford to the junkyard of garnish, though my indelicate metaphor doesn't do justice to how good the garnishes were.
There was grilled Treviso radicchio, which managed to be palatable because it was wrapped in pancetta. There was also a grilled green onion. Lurking off to the side, in much the same manner as your mom at a peep show, was a puree of parsley root with black truffle jus. I'd never eaten parsley root before, but you don't need to be Jules Verne to have an imagination fertile enough to predict that parsley root, like ANY edible root, pairs as tightly with truffles as Dave Murray pairs with Adrian Smith. Truffles and root veggie puree: a culinary twin guitar solo.
Acorn finished Iberico Pork was a special treat. Medallions of grilled Iberian pork, finally available in the USA after the FDA realized that Spanish pigs aren't the threat to democracy we initially thought. This pork was seared medium: the rose color, with a blush of blood even (!) made me feel-- let's just say-- less than comfortable, though it was so delicious I couldn't help but eat the fuck out of these forbidden undercooked pig pieces: it was, for me, the culinary equivalent of the stiffy I got watching Usain Bolt.
This homoerotic pork was cut, I was told, from a specific section of the pig shoulder, analogous to the aforementioned flat iron steak, I would imagine, and served atop a chewy and nutty bed of faro, along with figs 2 ways: a grilled fig half and a gorgonzola stuffed fig, wrapped in pancetta. Don't know why you'd include the plain grilled fig alongside the fig stuffed with gorgonzola and wrapped in pancetta: "Hey, let's put something NOT as good next to something similar, but more awesome!"
Dessert was a chocolate truffle cake. This was so chocolatey it caused a chocoquake in my mouth when I bit into it! The strata of dense chocolate, alternating with moist chocolate cake, were tectonic with coca flavor. We are witnessing an evolution in chocolate desserts: Restaurant Zoe serves mystical cocoa scrying orbs. Café Juanita serves a truffle cake, which is as light and airy as an angel's tits. Now Altura, which manages to put out the kind of Platonically ideal chocolate cake, the kind of cake I kept wishing for every birthday when I was a kid, yet never got. A chunk of this cake was served with some fancy fucking garnishes: there was an almond-filled cherry, the pit replaced with an amaretto cream, and a sliver of candied orange subbed in for the stem. There was the de rigeur smear of something, in this case cherry sauce. There was also a cube of pistachio brittle.
Apple huckleberry crostata had a misleading name. This was mostly my fault I guess: I thought the crostata would be innovative presentation of apples and berries on a slab of toasted bread. But that's because I confused crostata and crostini. Crostata, it turns out, is a cobbler with a master's degree from a liberal arts college. This was topped with a quenelle of a pine nut praline gelato. Delicious praline flavors were all there: creamy, nutty, and caramel. Unfortunately, I'm tired of ice cream being presented as a quenelle. Can't they shape it into an eyeball shape? Or a skull? Or a dick? That might spice things up.
Altura is one of those restaurants that's so pristine, you can't really find fault with it. The pricing structure is liberal like Dennis Kucinich. The techniques on display are masterful. If there's any fault to be found, it's in the overcrowded plates with too many competing flavors. Some of the presentations, specifically the octopus salad and the flatiron steak, looked like a Chinese subway station. The place also seems rather soulless, but then again so am I, so I wouldn't really count that as a disadvantage. Toodle-oo!
Rating: 8.5 Chinese subways out of 10
Altura is located at 617 Broadway Ave E
Posted by Surly Gourmand at 9/11/2012 09:04:00 PM No comments:
Other Surly Motherfuckers
Kurtwood Farms
Eater Seattle
Going for Seconds
The Gastrognome
Eating Seattle