With rounded knob to protect fabrics, Single Over-The-Door Hook keeps your garments looking clean and wrinkle-free. Plastic coat hook features reinforced steel back plates for durability. Versatile fit accommodates doors up to 1-3/4". Mounting hardware is included and concealed within the hook.


Two cameras, one back facing 5MP with LED flash, one forward facing VGA, plus "FaceTime" video chatting (but only from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi).
There you have it. The 16GB starts at $200 for qualified AT&T servants and the 32GB for $300. Cute girl at the Apple store's number not included, although I'll get it for a price. Of course you're gonna have to wear a GW mask on all your dates. Plus if you end up getting married and having children I'll actually legally own them. Think about it.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in, I knew something was supposed to happen today (I mistakenly guessed it was trash day and took the bin out the curb).


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Sakura Wars Reboot Gets a Western Release Date and Mech-Mashing Trailer
Sega's highly-anticipated (amongst certain hardcore fans) reboot of the classic Sakura Wars tactical RPG franchise has locked down a Western release date. The game's first Western trailer (featuring Japanese dialogue and English subtitles) has also been released. Check it out below.
SEGA Creates a New SEGA Sapporo Studio in Japan
But wait, what exactly is Sakura Wars? A long-running and beloved series in Japan (where it's known as Sakura Taisen), Sakura Wars is one part visual novel, one part tactical RPG featuring giant mechs. Basically, you advance the story and assemble your team in dating-sim-style visual novel segments, then you and said team jump into your mechs and do battle. Many of the people who made Sakura Wars went on to make Valkyria Chronicles, so if you like those games, you should keep an eye on Sakura Wars. Here's a more detailed rundown, courtesy of Sega:
One of SEGA's greatest IPs in Japan, Sakura Wars debuted on the SEGA Saturn in 1996 and grew into a successful franchise encompassing sequels, spin-offs, anime, manga, and even stage shows. During your adventure, you'll interact with a colourful cast of characters via the dynamic LIPS dialogue system (a trademark of the series), where what you say and how you say it makes an impact both on and off the battlefield. This flows into the high-energy combat system, featuring giant steam-powered mechs called "spiricle armor" that can only be piloted by those with strong spiritual power. All of this is presented in the style of an exciting anime production, complete with gorgeous animated sequences and dramatic character arcs that will leave you eager for what happens next!
For this reboot, SEGA brought back many of the original creators and received major contributions in character design from such luminaries as Tite Kubo, Yukiko Horiguchi, BUNBUN, Fumikane Shimada, Ken Sugimori, Noizi Ito, Shigenori Soejima, and more for a truly spectacular production. Sakura Wars will feature Japanese voice acting with subtitles in English, German, French, and Spanish.
And here's what you need to know about the game's story:
The stage is set in a steampunk version of 1940s Imperial Tokyo. Only a short while ago, a cataclysmic event destroyed the Imperial Combat Revue of Tokyo, the capital's global defense force stationed at the Imperial Theater. Now home to the Flower Division, an inept rookie squad who also strives to impart hope on the citizenry with their theatrical talents, the theater has fallen on hard times and risks closure. It's up to Seijuro Kamiyama as the captain of the new Tokyo revue to lead his squad and restore the Imperial Combat Revue and the theater back to their former glory! With the help of the revue's five colorful performers, he must rise to the challenge of competing in the Combat Revue World Games, protecting the inhabitants of Tokyo and getting the theater back on track.
Sakura Wars stomps onto PS4 on April 28. Pre-orders should be open soon.
Yakuza Series Sales Tops Over 2.8 Million on PC Platform
Ule Lopez • Jan 4
Sonic Frontiers Was Supposed to Release in 2021; Game Was Delayed To "Further Brush up the Quality"
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown Bested Expectations, Future Plans for Series Being Made
Sonic Frontiers to Release on November 15th, 2022 – Rumor
Company of Heroes 3's Open-Ended Strategic Campaign Detailed in a New Dev Diary

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Human hand gestures began in fish brains
By Krishna Ramanujan
Margaret Marchaterre/Cornell University
Andrew Bass' studies of the early development of the brain in young midshipman fish hold clues to the evolution of more complex behaviors in mammals, such as vocalizing and gesturing at the same time. The picture shows freshly hatched larval midshipman fish.
Talking with your hands may have begun with fish, according to research presented by Andrew Bass, Cornell professor of neurobiology and behavior, at the Society for Experimental Biology's annual meeting July 3-6 in Valencia, Spain.
The research offered evidence that the evolutionary origins of the link between speech and gesturing can be traced to a developmental compartment in the caudal hindbrain of fish.
The majority of fish and tetrapods, including reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals, are all known to communicate acoustically. In a 2008 Science paper, Bass and colleagues provided evidence that brain networks instructing when muscles should contract – called patterning – for vocalizing in fishes, birds and mammals, and even primates, originate from the same compartment in the developing hindbrain.
This suggests that the vocal networks in all vertebrates evolved from an ancestrally shared brain area that originated in fish.
In his current presentation, which follows a 2012 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on the topic, Bass drew on his 2010 Nature Communications study with colleagues showing that circuitry for controlling pectoral muscles – pectoral fins in fish, wings in birds and forelimbs in mammals – used for movement, develops in the same hindbrain compartment.
But, as the 2012 paper points out, pectoral appendages are also used for communication. Many fish are known to make sounds using their pectoral fins, while such birds as the club-winged manakin have developed unusual feathers and wing-bones that are rapidly rubbed together to produce humming sounds to attract mates. Similarly, humans often gesture with their forelimbs when they talk.
"Studies of early development of fishes show that neural mechanisms in the brain controlling complex mechanisms of social signaling, such as vocalizing and gesturing, have their evolutionary origins in a single compartment of the brain in fishes," said Bass.
While there has been plenty of research to show a behavioral link in humans between speech and gesturing, Bass' work provides rare proof of a neural connection between the two types of communication.
"Humans who are blind move their hands when they are speaking," Bass said. "This reflects the essence of the deep-rooted coupling of these two communication systems," he said.
In the future, Bass plans to further study the development of pectoral and vocal systems in the brain to better understand how they diverge as animals grow, as well as the genetic underpinnings of development of this part of the brain, he said.
Boris Chagnuad, a former postdoctoral researcher in Bass' lab, who is a faculty member at the Ludwig-Maximillians-University Munich, Germany, was a co-author on the 2012 PNAS study.
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
John Carberry
jjc338@cornell.edu
Researchers discover 'road map' in fish brain for how vertebrates produce sound…
From humming fish to Puccini: Vocal communication evolved with ancient species,…


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With the first spoken words of the author's note in the audible version of Daisy Jones and The Six, I wondered if I'd somehow never heard of this quintessential California band of the 1970s. But then Daisy herself began speaking, I recognized the actual voice of Jennifer Beals, and I congratulated the author on a job well-done. Apparently, I'm not the only one who has been fooled into thinking it might have been the real thing.
There are times when I love listening to a book and times when I loathe it: this was one of the times I loved it. Jennifer Beals, Pablo Schreiber, Ari Fliakos, Benjamin Bratt, Judy Greer. It's a great cast and they do a wonderful job infusing the multiple point of view story with emotion, personality and pathos.
The book begins as a portrait of Daisy Jones, someone the reader is presumed to know.
You've got a rich white girl, growing up in L.A. She's gorgeous—even as a child. She has these stunning big blue eyes—dark, cobalt blue. One of my favorite anecdotes about her is that in the eighties a colored-contact company actually created a shade called Daisy Blue. She's got copper-red hair that is thick and wavy and . . . takes up so much space. And then her cheekbones almost seem swollen, that's how defined they are. And she's got an incredible voice that she doesn't cultivate, never takes a lesson. She's born with all the money in the world, access to whatever she wants—artists, drugs, clubs—anything and everything at her disposal.
But she has no one. No siblings, no extended family in Los Angeles. Two parents who are so into their own world that they are all but indifferent to her existence. Although, they never shy away from making her pose for their artist friends. That's why there are so many paintings and photos of Daisy as a child—the artists that came into that home saw Daisy Jones, saw how gorgeous she was, and wanted to capture her. It's telling that there is no Frank Jones piece of Daisy. Her father is too busy with his male nudes to pay much attention to his daughter. And in general, Daisy spends her childhood rather alone. . . .
We love broken, beautiful people. And it doesn't get much more obviously broken and more classically beautiful than Daisy Jones.
So it makes sense that Daisy starts to find herself on the Sunset Strip. This glamorous, seedy place.
Then we meet a band called The Six: brothers Billy and Graham Dunne, brothers Pete and Eddie Loving, Karen Karen the keyboardist, and drummer Warren Rhodes. Billy Dunne has found his love of a lifetime, Camilla, and spends most of his days trying to make up for his alcoholic past by writing her love songs. Graham spends most of his time trying to convince Karen to live with him happily ever after. Pete has a long-distance girlfriend, Eddie hates Billy, and Warren just wants to meet chicks. I am a huge fan of Ari Fliakos and he reads Warren to hilarious perfection here.
After lots of backstory about poor little rich girl Daisy, and her drug-infused life at the Chateau Marmont; about Billy's descent into and out of drugs, alcohol and women following his wife's pronouncement that she's pregnant; after Eddie throws a fit a day over Billy's control of the band — the band and Daisy come together, as these things happen.
Billy and Daisy don't like each other much. She's wasting her talent; he's limiting his to love songs for his wife. But Daisy is invited to open on tour for The Six. When circumstances offer Billy and Daisy an opening to sing together, the dynamic explodes. They are suddenly the most popular band in the world: top of the charts, sold out concerts, groupies, roadies, Rolling Stone covers, cocaine, bennies, champagne, girls-girls-girls.
At the urging of no less than Rolling Stones' cover, Daisy joins The Six as an official member of the band. And as writing partner of Billy Dunne.
Daisy Jones and The Six paints a livid scene of the music industry in the 1970s. As I listened, I felt this must have been based on someone — Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles maybe? — but in retrospect, I think it's more likely based on everyone who ever had talent and tried to take it further. About every woman who ever faced the fact that "men often think they deserve a sticker for treating women like people."
Reid says she was inspired to write the book by songwriting teams.
First, I was really taken with how often in culture there are these men and women who write incredible songs together, but also have somewhat complicated personal relationships. The most obvious example is Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham in Fleetwood Mac, but there's a lot of them—The Civil Wars, who broke up in 2014, and other group bands who have had difficulty in their relationships and broke up very abruptly. Take Beyoncé and Jay-Z for example (even though it's hip-hop and not rock), who have this incredible relationship. They take their personal life and make art from it. I'm fascinated by it, so I wanted to create a band to explore that further.
There are moments particularly striking in light of the Bradley Cooper-Lady GaGa are they-aren't they discussions as well.
Reese Witherspoon liked the book enough to choose it for her book club and optioned the TV rights before publication, and Amazon has ordered a 13-episode run of the adaptation of the book, with writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (500 Days of Summer, The Fault In Our Stars) penning the scripts. Plus, there's a team crafting the original music for the show.
In the end, Daisy tells her own story, unvarnished and without remorse. Is it a cautionary tale? Is it a love story? Or is it all about the music? You decide. I think there's lots and lots of fodder for your next book club discussion. And if you want to read what Rolling Stone itself has to say about Daisy Jones and The Six: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/daisy-jones-the-six-book-taylor-jenkins-reid-women-music-803045/
"It is what I have always loved about music. Not the sounds of the crowds or the good times as much as the words – the emotions, and the stories, the truth- that you can let flow right out of your mouth. Music can dig, you know? It can take a shovel to your chest and just start digging until it hits something."
As you might imagine, there was not a lot of food being consumed in this book. But Daisy did specifically request a hamburger for her one meal a day and there were copious amounts of champagne.
My menu would be California-inspired.
Guacamole with chips
California burgers: hamburgers wrapped in Bibb lettuce leaves instead of buns (no carbs!)
Fleetwood Mac's Rumours
The Eagles' Hotel California
Sounds like Amazon is already working on this but just in case they need some help.
Daisy — Emma Stone certainly fits the bill.
Billy — I can't see anybody but a young Johnny Depp
Camilla — Selena Gomez (give Camilla some songs)
Graham — James Marsden
Karen Karen — Miley Cyrus
Eddie Loving — Ben Foster
Pete Loving — Jon Foster
Warren — I really want John Krasinski to play this part. He would be hilarious.
Posted in Book Club, books, Food, friends, Movie Casting, Music, Uncategorized	| Tagged Daisy Jones, Daisy Jones and The Six, novels about bands, novels about music, Reese Witherspoon, Rolling Stone, Taylor Jenkins Reid | Leave a comment |
April 3, 2019 by Pamela Dae
In Southernmost, Kentucky author (and treasure) Silas House creates a road trip, family drama, and mediation on the disparity between modern Christianity and its most rigid adherents. He begins with a flood in Tennessee, and a family on the brink.
Asher is the pastor of a small church in a small community. At the height of the flood, his son Justin disappears in search of his dog and Asher, Justin, and two other men help rescue a father and daughter. When Asher invites the men into his home, Asher's wife Lydia objects.
"Did those men leave?"
"No," Asher said. "They're putting on some dry clothes."
"We can't have them in here, Asher," she said quietly.
"They don't have anywhere else to go," Asher whispered. "We're the lucky ones."
"What would the congregation say? It's not right — "
"Not right to help people in trouble?"
"I know who they are," she said. "They're — you know what they are, Asher. We can't have them in here around Justin."
Asher has dealt with this dilemma before: his brotherLuke left Asher's own birth family years earlier, unwelcome due to his own sexuality. For years, Asher has missed his brother but accepted his absence as the way things ought to be, never divulging that he occasionally receives an unsigned postcard from Key West, Florida.
Ten years without his brother. He thought of their mother sitting at the yellow kitchen table while Luke danced across the red linoleum. Asher was laughing and clapping — only twelve, Luke four years older. Their mother's mouth clenched into a wrinkled line, like a pink drawstring purse. . . . .
Their mother darted up quick as a spider, snapped off the radio in one sharp click of her wrist.
The word she had said to Luke then.
(faggot)
Luke ran from the room, from the house, down to the willow-shadowy banks of the Cumberland, where Asher found him later, watching the river.
Near the beginning of the novel (just so you know I'm not giving away the ending), Asher undergoes a Road to Damascus change. He welcomes the gay couple to his church and then his position there is terminated, his wife Lydia throws him out, sues for divorce, and tries to take all visits with Justin away. Asher feels he has no option but to take the boy and run.
The descriptions of Silas House's work tend to include words like "masterful," "redolent and rich," "poetic," and "haunting." In an interview with novelist Jeff Zentner for the Parnassus' book store blog, musings, House discussed how he came to this particular topic at this time:
When I was little, our home was quickly overtaken by a flood and we barely escaped. So I had personal experience, and I knew the way an event like that can impact you spiritually and physically. When the 2010 flood hit, I heard a preacher on the radio saying it was the wrath of God because of "accepting gays." I had already created this character who I knew was going to make a principled stand for equality and as soon as I heard that, I knew I had the impetus for the entire novel. So mine is a fictionalized version of that flood that I've moved to 2015 to coincide with the Supreme Court's ruling on marriage equality. I loved working against such a dramatic backdrop to begin the novel.
https://parnassusmusing.net/2018/06/07/silas-house/
Southernmost is a powerful work that offers chewy discussion on themes of family, redemption, morality, choice, love. If your book club has a diversity of political viewpoints, it may be a volatile fuse. I personally think that's a good thing, and that's what discussion is for.
In the interview with Parnassus, House discusses the use of food in his work: "I always strive to make my writing as sensory as I can and few things do that as well as food. And we have such a strong cultural attachment to food — I mean, I've seen arguments bordering on violence about whether or not cornbread should or should not have sugar in it. (For the record, I say no.)" Interestingly, the Parnassus blog spells cornbread as one word; in the novel, Silas House spells it as two.
Some of the meals described:
fried green tomatoes, corn bread, cucumbers, green onions, and sweet tea
chicken, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, a slice of tomato
red beans and rice, corn bread, chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers swimming in vinegar, avocados sliced and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, and blackberry pie for dessert
Asher fixes grilled cheese, fried bologna, and peanut butter and jelly (with a Nehi) sandwiches for Justin and packs a bag with chips, granola bars, oranges, bananas, Nabs, peanuts, cashews all of which Justin eschews and asks for a honey bun.
If you need a cornbread recipe, here's Southern Living's official one. No sugar, Mr. House: https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/ben-mims-perfect-cornbread
Silas House talked about the music of Southernmost in his Parnassus interview as well (it's like Jeff Zentner was reading my mind!) and said:
Once I knew that Asher was moved and changed by the music of Patty Griffin, I knew more about him. Once I figured out that Justin is obsessed with Jim James from My Morning Jacket, I had him pegged. Then there's Bell, who has named her cottage after a Joni Mitchell song. For me, music is such an integral part of everyday life that I can't imagine characters who don't care as deeply about it as I do. This book had a soundtrack of about 75 songs that I listened to over and over again over the course of many years and that hugely informed the theme and mood of the novel.
Here are some of the songs I found as I read:
I Don't Want to Know, Fleetwood Mac
Wonderful, My Morning Jacket
The Mamas and the Papas
Song to a Seagull, Joni Mitchell
My Sweet Lord, George Harrison
My Dixie Darling, Carlene Carter
My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose, traditional Scottish song
Read Southernmost. Discuss it. Enjoy it.
Posted in Book Club, books, Food, Music, Uncategorized, writers	| Tagged Cornbread recipe, Kentucky authors, Kentucky writers, novels set in Key West, Silas House, Southern literature, Southernmost book club discussion, Southernmost book club food, Southernmost book club menu, Southernmost book club music, Southernmost playlist, Southernmost Silas House | 1 Comment |
Friday night is Eleanor Oliphant's favorite night of the week. She takes the bus home from her low-paying office job in a Glasgow ad agency, buys a Tesco pizza and two bottles of Vodka and then settles in at her apartment for a long weekend of public television, nature documentaries, and mental fuzziness.
And Eleanor is fine with that. Really fine. Really, she is.
"Some people, weak people, fear solitude. What they fail to understand is that there's something very liberating about it; once you realize that you don't need anyone, you can take care of yourself. That's the thing: it's best just to take care of yourself."
Since she moved into her solo apartment nearly a decade ago, Eleanor has had few guests. A total of two in fact. The meter reader and a social worker who checks on her about once a month. That is fine with Eleanor as well . . . until the night she encounters rock star-wannabe Johnnie Lomond who immediately impresses her as the type of man her mother would find acceptable because he buttons the lower button of his vest while performing in a local music venue.
I have always taken great pride in managing my life alone. I'm a sole survivor – I'm Eleanor Oliphant. I don't need anyone else – there's no big hole in my life, no missing part of my own particular puzzle. I am a self-contained entity. That's what l've always told myself, at any rate. But last night I'd found the love of my life. When I saw him walk on stage, I just knew…here, at long last, was a man who could be described with some degree of certainty as "husband material".
I listened to the audible.com version of this book and enjoyed it immensely. Cathleen McCarron's narration spooned the words and voice of author Gail Honeyman's character. Hearing Honeyman's words in McCarron's voice I felt I knew Eleanor, even as she said once again exactly what she thought, leaving her colleagues speechless or collapsing in laughter,
Once Eleanor spies Johnnie Lomond she embarks on a no-holds barred makeover attempt. New haircut, new wardrobe, adding some make-up, and making a new friend: Raymond, from the ad company's IT department. She found — to her surprise — these small changes reaped some rewards that she actually enjoyed.
"It turned out that if you saw the same person with some degree of regularity, then the conversation was immediately pleasant and comfortable—you could pick up where you left off, as it were, rather than having to start afresh each time. . . . Was this how it worked, then, successful social integration? Was it really that simple? Wear some lipstick, go to the hairdressers and alternate the clothes you wear?"
When Raymond and Eleanor encounter an older gentlemen in medical distress after one of their lunches, Raymond begins introducing Eleanor to lunches outside the office. Parties. Tea with his own mother. The internet becomes Eleanor's tool to spy on Johnnie Lomond, read his tweets (hilariously narcissistic), see his Instagram posts all while plotting the first meeting that will lead inevitably to the couple's long-term wedded bliss. It doesn't, of course, work out that way which leads to Eleanor's finding out she's in fact not fine, not fine at all. Which is exactly when things become really interesting.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is a debut novel by a post-40 year old author. Gail Honeyman worked in the British Civil Service and as a university administrator writing her debut novel during lunch and after work. She entered Eleanor in a fiction competition, didn't win, but an agent signed her and the novel became the subject of a bidding war, was named 2017 Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, and the film rights have been optioned by Reese Witherspoon. Talk about a Cinderella story.
So deserving.
Your book club will adore it.
Eleanor's preferred weekend meals are Tesco frozen pizzas and vodka. She prepares pesto pasta for dinner each night because it tastes good, it's easy and it fulfills her nutritional requirements. At the pub she frequents with Raymond she becomes enamored of frothy coffee and cheese scones. She orders "Magner's" frequently when she becomes more a part of social events, at the suggestion of a bartender. I'd never heard of Magner's but it is an Irish hard cider. It looks to be available in the US so I would serve Magner's with cheese scones.
Here's a recipe for classic British cheese scones: https://www.thespruceeats.com/easy-classic-british-cheese-scone-recipe-434867
I would also serve pizza. One of my favorite things to do with pizza is to buy pre-made pizza crusts, then place an array of toppings out for people to make their own favorite. Pepperoni, turkey pepperoni, mozzarella, fresh basil, shrimp, parmesan, artichokes, spinach, baked chicken, a jar of roasted red peppers. Your guests get to have exactly what they like and have fun making them together.
Definitely some Scottish bands. The Proclaimers, Simple Minds, Big Country.
The standard which our Johnnie Lomond will never meet. Alas.
Dear Reese: I really hope you don't transfer this story to the U.S. The Glaswegian character of the novel should be preserved.
That being said, please cast British actors! My suggestions:
Eleanor: Sophie McShera, a Scottish
actress, and fan favorite Daisy from Downton Abbey
Raymond: Rupert Grint, our man Ron Weasley of Harry Potter fame
Posted in Book Club, books, friends, Movie Casting, Music, recipes, Uncategorized	| Tagged audible.com, Cathleen McCarron, Eleanor Oliphant book club, Eleanor Oliphant book club menu, Eleanor Oliphant book club music, Eleanor Oliphant book club recipes, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Eleanor Oliphant movie casting, Eleanor Oliphant movie rights, Gail Honeyman, Magner's, novels set in Glasgow, novels set in Scotland, recipe for cheese scones, Reese Witherspoon, Rupert Grint, Scottish bands, Sophie McShera, Tesco | 1 Comment |
View of the Bay of Tangier 1912, Henri Matisse
"You cry when you arrive, and you cry when you leave." It's an adage shared with Lucy Mason, one of two, alternating female narrators of Tangerine, Christine Mangan's debut novel, as she departs the spellbinding Moroccan city of Tangier by boat. Lucy feels she has become like a "tangerine," the term for natives.
Lucy spent every dime she had for passage to Tangier, compelled to re-establish contact with her Bennington College roommate, Alice Shipley. It's been a year since the two separated, two years since Alice began dating a college boy, interrupting the "cloud of domestic bliss" between Alice and Lucy. Despite Alice's move from Vermont to Morocco, Lucy finds her and appears unannounced, uninvited, and perhaps unwanted, on Alice's doorstep.
The Kasbah Door by Henri Matisse
"We stood together n the front hall, and I remembered, in the space of our silence, the last words I had spoken to her that night. I had told her . . . no, I had shouted — the first time I could ever remember raising my voice to her — something awful, something wretched, something about wishing she would disappear, wishing I would never see her again. And then I remembered what had happened afterward, what I had thought, what I had said — though not to her, not to Lucy, who had disappeared long before I regained consciousness.
"I felt my cheeks go warm, felt her eyes watching me — certain in that moment, that she knew precisely what I was thinking about."
Yet, the two seem to have much in common: orphaned at young ages, feeling an outsider (Lucy due to her scholarship-needed background, Alice who suffered when her parents died — "beyond normal grieving" — so that her guardian considered institutionalization). When Lucy entices Alice on an overnight trip away from her husband John McAllister, it seems Alice may agree to run away with Lucy.
She had convinced me I must leave Tangier, that we must leave Tangier. In secret, under cover of night, because she also knew about the money, about the allowanced passed from Maude to me and on to John, knew about what he would really lose with my absence, and I did not question how, knowing only that she must, in that way that she always knew everything. It had all made a perfect sort of sense, and so I nodded and agreed. Tangier was not mine, I had never laid claim to it, not it to me.
An exotic locale, a one-sided relationship, classmates at Bennington College. If this is sounding to you like The Talented Mr. Ripley (a classic! https://daeandwrite.wordpress.com/2016/04/28/the-talented-mr-ripley/) meets The Secret History, you are not alone. Joyce Carol Oates offered this publicity quote for the novel's dustcover: "As if Donna Tartt, Gillian Flynn, and Patricia Highsmith had collaborated on a screenplay to be filmed by Hitchcock." Jennifer Reese, reviewing for the New York Times, adds: "It's as if Mangan couldn't decide whether to write a homage to Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" or a sun-drenched novel of dissolute Westerners abroad in the tradition of Patricia Highsmith and Paul Bowles, so she tried to do both. She mostly succeeds." https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/books/review/tangerine-christine-mangan.html
This novel is quick. Tense. Exhilarating. You find yourself guessing and second-guessing, wanting to shout advice like I always do in those teenage-slasher movies. "Don't GO IN THERE!"
George Clooney optioned the novel to film, and word is that Scarlett Johansson has been signed to star. What I am not sure of is which role. Lucyis described as dark-haired and beautiful, Alice blond and British-patrician. I'm guessing Lucy.
It's a hot choice for your bookclub's summer read.
Hot mint tea is mentioned multiple times and according to Epicurious.com, you can hardly walk in the casbah without tripping over mint tea offerings. There's mention of some gin drink and also some creation of Alice's own involving grenadine.
I would definitely serve a tagine — and it's always fun to have an excuse to buy a new piece of kitchen equipment. Here's a link with a variety of recipes: https://www.yummly.com/recipes/moroccan-beef-tagine
Hummus and pita chips, fresh sliced cucumber and tomatoes.
For dessert, a tangerine cake. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17667/tangerine-orange-cake/
Jazz clubs serve as backdrop for a couple of key scenes. I would find some great 1950s jazz station and let it roll all night.
Posted in Book Club, books, Food, Movie Casting, Music, Uncategorized	| Tagged book club food Tangerine, book club music Tangerine Mangan, Donna Tartt, George Clooney movie Tangerine, novels set in 1950s, novels set in Morocco, novels with jazz, Scarlett Johansson movie Tangerine, Talented Mr. Ripley, Tangerine Christine Mangan, Tangerine Mangan book club | 2 Comments |
October 29, 2017 by Pamela Dae
I read Viet Thanh Nguyen's 2016 Pulitzer-prize winning novel The Sympathizer the same week PBS' The Vietnam War aired. My husband, a military man, was fascinated by the documentary but I found myself flinching and turning away from the television night after night, grateful not to have been of age during that conflict to have it register so damningly on my mind.
Instead of watching the images on television, I turned to the pages of my book and found the war portrayed just as compellingly, albeit from the other side.
Nguyen's Sympathizer is a narrator who sees both sides of nearly everything. He is a native Vietnamese who speaks flawless, unaccented English. His father, a French priest, who denies him; his mother, an impoverished Vietnamese woman who loves him. The Sympathizer is a solder, an aide, a secret Communist in South Vietnam, a spy.
I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces. Perhaps not surprisingly, I am also a man of two minds, . . . able to see any issue from both sides. Sometimes I flatter myself that this is a talent," he continues, but "I wonder if what I have should even be called talent. After all, a talent is something you use, not something that uses you. The talent you cannot not use, the talent that possesses you — that is a hazard.
This book is deep, important, dense with information, plot lines, characters. Honestly, as someone who was not cognizant of the politics at the time of the war, it was often confusing. Perhaps that is intentional: Nguyen's narrator while externally representing the South Vietnamese position is internally aligned with the North Vietnamese Viet Cong. And yet, despite his internal beliefs and external work, the reader is not always sure where the narrator's true sympathies lie. He supports communism, hates America, yet moves to live in America and profits from it.
"My chances of returning to America were small, and I thought with regret about all the things I would miss about America: the TV dinner; air-conditioning; a well-regulated traffic system that people actually followed; a relatively low rate of death by gunfire, at least compared with our homeland; the modernist novel; freedom of speech, which, if not as absolute as Americans liked to believe, was still greater in degree than in our homeland; sexual liberation; and, perhaps most of all, that omnipresent American narcotic, optimism, the unending flow of which poured through the American mind continuously, whitewashing the graffiti of despair, rage, hatred, and nihilism scrawled there nightly by the black hoodlums of the unconscious."
The Sympathizer begins during the evacuation of Vietnam, continues into the immigrant experience in America then takes a surreal turn onto a movie set, very closely resembling Apocalypse Now. Although it seemed a strange turn for this "serious" novel, the movie set was my favorite part of the read. The American directors, producers, writers, and actors — for all their good intentions or not — can't help but step in it nearly every time they open their mouth.
"His arrogance marked something new in the world, for this was the first war where the losers would write history instead of the victors, courtesy of the most efficient propaganda machine ever created (with all due respect to Joseph Goebbels and the Nazis, who never achieved global domination). Hollywood's high priests understood innately the observation of Milton's Satan, that it was better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven, better to be a villain, loser, or antihero than virtuous extra, so long as one commanded the bright lights of center stage. In this forthcoming Hollywood trompe l'oeil, all the Vietnamese of any side would come out poorly, herded into the roles of the poor, the innocent, the evil, or the corrupt. Our fate was not to be merely mute; we were to be struck dumb."
This is an important book and one that I raced through in order to finish it in time for my book club. It turned out only two of us got through the whole things, it is, as I said, dense. But each page contains a nugget of joy, humor, wisdom. It's a book I'd like to return to and delve deeper into and take more time to read.
There was a great deal of beer drinking and an ode to fish sauce. My best idea would be to buy some good quality spring rolls, serve them with rice and fish sauce and also offer American burgers. The duality of the novel calls for the same in the menu.
Spotify offers a playlist of the songs that appear in The Sympathizer in the order in which they appear! How about that. https://open.spotify.com/user/128916364/playlist/7ogZqRZVXiMvlGyceT3dvv
I'm not even going to try. Way too many characters and my capacity for stepping in it is greater than the great DIRECTOR and AUTEUR imagined by Nguyen.
Posted in Book Club, books, Food, Music, Uncategorized	| Tagged Nguyen, novels set in Vietnam, post-Vietnam novels, The Sympathizer book club, The Sympathizer menu, The Sympathizer playlist, The Sympathizer quotes | Leave a comment |
Carter & Lovecraft, by Jonathan L. Howard
Science fiction does not generally find its way onto my reading list. But Carter & Lovecraft, described as the start of Jonathan L. Howard's thrilling supernatural series that brings the myths of H.P. Lovecraft into the 21st Century, somehow found its way onto my audible list. I'm actually not even sure I remember downloading it, but there it was, below Casino Island, https://daeandwrite.wordpress.com/2017/09/25/camino-island-by-john-grisham/, and above The Jane Austen Project. I pressed play and found myself first at a strange murder scene in NYC, then much more happily, at a bookstore in Providence, Rhode Island.
I'm pretty happy with any novel that includes a whip-smart librarian with a shotgun whoruns a bookstore. Emily Lovecraft is a descendant of sci-fi horror fiction author H.P. Lovecraft: a real guy — I wasn't sure as I read Carter & Lovecraft if H.P. Lovecraft was a clever variation of an author's name that sounded vaguely familiar or a real guy. It's the latter.
I also really enjoyed Dan Carter's take on nearly everything. He's smart, pragmatic, funny, and prepared — for almost anything. "In his experience, motives were simple. There was greed, there was jealousy, he'd seen plenty of revenge played out in gang-related crimes, there was even sadism, and sometimes there was flat-out stupidity, which was a pretty powerful motivator in itself."
A bit of background: H.P. Lovecraft died in 1937 without achieving any financial success during his lifetime. By his own account, his themes were complex and spooky:
Now all my tales are based on the fundamental premise that common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large. To me there is nothing but puerility in a tale in which the human form—and the local human passions and conditions and standards—are depicted as native to other worlds or other universes. To achieve the essence of real externality, whether of time or space or dimension, one must forget that such things as organic life, good and evil, love and hate, and all such local attributes of a negligible and temporary race called mankind, have any existence at all. Only the human scenes and characters must have human qualities. These must be handled with unsparing realism, (not catch-penny romanticism) but when we cross the line to the boundless and hideous unknown—the shadow-haunted Outside—we must remember to leave our humanity and terrestrialism at the threshold.
— H. P. Lovecraft, in note to the editor of Weird Tales, on resubmission of "The Call of Cthulhu
On to Carter & Lovecraft. Dan Carter is a NYC detective who is in on a catch that goes incredibly wrong when his partner dies at the scene. Soon after, Carter retires from the force and hangs his shingle as a P.I. Life is pretty dull until Carter is informed by a stranger-than-normal attorney that he has inherited property in Providence, Rhode Island from a person he doesn't know. Intrepid Carter seeks out the property and discovers it's a book store staffed by the beautiful Emily Lovecraft, she of the high cheekbones and shotgun. "Lovecraft angled her head back until she was looking at Harrelson down her nose. 'I trained as a librarian, and I run a bookstore. Fucking right I can use a gun.'"
Before you can say Cthulhu Mythos, a professor has drowned in a dry car, an Atlantic City pit boss has literally exploded after eating a plate of ribs, and Dan Carter keeps finding himself on an eerie and inhospitable spit of land called Waits Bill where the women are much more than women and the men are even stranger.
Having no foundation in Lovecraft, I was a bit at a loss at times, but the plot — or enjoyment — of a ripping good read in Carter & Lovecraft is not dependent on that knowledge.
Should your book club read it? Truthfully, you know your book buddies better than I do. Were I to bring Carter & Lovecraft to my own home club, I think my friends would turn on me faster than a Wait woman turns on a strange man. But just in case you do, I've got a few food and music suggestions:
BBQ Ribs. Truly, this is your only choice. And some bourbon. Recipes below.
In Atlantic City, Bernie Hayesman looked at the plate of ribs, and he was not happy. He had asked for an omelet, a simple omelet to be sent up to his office, and they had sent ribs. He couldn't understand it. He'd spoken to the chef personally. They'd discussed eggs, if briefly. There was no earthly way "omelet" could have been misconstrued as "ribs". He looked at the plate of ribs, and the ribs looked back. Neither he nor they were overjoyed at the situation.
Rhode Island Clam Dip
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 package Gravy Mix
1 cup shredded white Cheddar cheese, divided
1 (6.5 ounce) can chopped clams, drained
2 teaspoons Parsley Flakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook bacon in large skillet on medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon, reserving drippings in pan. Add onion; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until translucent. Stir in Gravy Mix, milk and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes or until gravy starts to thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in clams.
Pour into 9-inch glass pie plate. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with bacon and parsley. Serve with toasted baguette slices or crackers.
New Jersey's Award-Winning Rib recipe from Big Joe's Cookbook can be found here: http://nj1015.com/big-joes-award-winning-ribs-recipe/
Larcery Bourbon has an impressive selection of bourbon recipes on its website, but the Pressing Charges looks like a great combination for a rib dinner:
PRESSING CHARGES
2 oz. Larceny Bourbon
2 oz. Ginger Ale
2 oz. Soda Water
In an Old Fashioned glass, combine Larceny, ginger ale and soda water. Float bitters on top.
My playlist would include:
Evil Woman, ELO
Dark Lady, Cher
Witchy Woman, The Eagles
Monster, Lady Gaga
Sweet Rhode Island Red, Ike & Tina Turner
Rhode Island is Famous for You, Michael Feinstein
The Last Resort, The Eagles
According to Kirkus Reviews, the book has been optioned by Warner Bros. and is headed to tv land. Here are my casting suggestions:
Dan Carter Aaron Eckhart
Emily Lovecraft Gabrielle Union
William Colt Thomas Decker
So . . . there you go. If you dare.
Posted in Book Club, books, Food, Movie Casting, Music, Uncategorized	| Tagged Carter & Lovecraft movie casting, Carter & Lovecraft novel, Carter & Lovecraft novel menu, Carter & Lovecraft playlist, H.P. Lovecraft, homicide detective novels, Larceny Bourbon recipes, Monster Playlist, New Jersey ribs recipe, novels set in Rhode Island, Rhode Island clam dip recipe, sci-fi novels, Witch playlist | 2 Comments |
Posted in Book Club, books, Food, Movie Casting, Music, recipes, Uncategorized	| Tagged book club Camino Island, Camino Island John Grisham, Elizabeth Banks, Emma Roberts, food Camino Island, Hemingway Margarita recipe, John Grisham novels, Margot Robbie, menus Camino Island, movie casting Camino Island, music selections for book club, novels set in Florida, playlist Camino Island, recipes Camino Island, Simon Baker | 1 Comment |


Matthew Rosenberg is the writer of the comics We Can Never Go Home, 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank, and other comics with long titles. He reads a lot of comics, listens to music too loud, and pets too many dogs. Most of the time he is in New York City.


The language Web offers affordable English language classes for au pairs living in south west London.
We welcome enquiries across all levels for the Summer term 2019 - Please request a Level test or email info@thelanguageweb.com.
Would you like to learn English and make new friends?
Summer Term – ten weeks (flexible) starting Monday 29th April 2019 – Registrations now being accepted.
English language classes for au pairs run at Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, First Certificate, Advanced and Proficiency levels. On the Common European Framework for References for Languages (CEFR), these classes equate to A1 to C2. There is also a conversation class, a writing skills workshop, a grammar workshop and during the Summer term an IELTS exam preparation class.
The schedule for au pair English language classes is a 90-minute lesson twice a week each term. The conversation and IELTS classes run once a week for 90 minutes. The group classes have a maximum of 12 au pair students in each class for General English.
The classes are suitable for au pairs living in the South West London area, Wandsworth, Clapham, Balham, Battersea, Tooting and Streatham. The classes take place in Balham and the classrooms are less than a 1 minute walk from the Underground station.
The classes cover the four main language skills of speaking, listening, writing and reading, paying particular attention to grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.
Students receive a level assessment test before registration and the senior teacher will recommend a suitable timetable. Please request the level test above. We aim to respond to all enquiries within two hours.
For a 3-month term The language Web is happy to provide a letter of attendance giving registration dates and level attainment. Every student is placed at a level determined by an entrance test on registration.
We do encourage students to cover 10 hours of English language learning a week, broken down into class time contact and homework, which is marked and recorded by the class teacher.
There is an end of term test after each 3-month course to outline progress made and this also determines whether a student progresses into the next level for the following term.
Feedback and progress can be given at any time in the course from the teacher and sometimes there will be a 6-week progress test given at the half-term break.
Students can pay by bank transfer, cash or cheque. Total payment for the group lessons is payable by the end of the first lesson of the term. To secure a place for next term we require a small non-refundable deposit which is deducted from the main course fee. Fees are only refundable in the highly unlikely event that classes are cancelled.
For students who wish to use language in their work and daily life in basic interaction.
Work with numbers and dates.
Understand simple requests and instructions.
Make basic travel arrangements and appointments.
Students build on the skills they have and gain confidence to speak in the Present and Past giving them more flexibility to hold a conversation and express themselves more fluently.
Give simple explanations and instructions.
Understand and write simple emails and notes.
Make simple presentations on familiar topics.
Express themselves more fully in short conversations.
Improve your fluency, increase your in-depth understanding with the option to prepare for external Cambridge English exams.
Take the initiative in a conversation.
Ask for information and understand the response.
Have a greater grammatical awareness in the present, past and future tenses.
Reading and listening comes more readily.
For students whose daily life requires constant interaction in the target language. Their job requirement will demand more responsibility, which in turn demands for a stronger ability in the target language. Students are moving away from using translation and have a more natural approach to communicating in the target language.
Speak more fluently without translating.
Read longer texts and enjoy books.
This target level is primarily an exam -based target. It is expanding on all of the B2 material and being able to manipulate the language more naturally. The exam pass grades are an A, (equivalent to CEF level C1), B or C.
Reading longer texts in a short space of time and answering comprehension questions on the passage.
Understanding text cohesion and content.
A 40-minute listening task divided into 4 different tasks.
Use of English testing vocabulary and grammar.
Writing tasks – reports, reviews, essays, articles, emails using the appropriate formal / informal written registers.
Speaking using coherent, correct speech, which communicates well to the listener.
This target level is advanced and as such the student will mainly need to expand their knowledge and use of vocabulary for different scenarios and topics. Grammatically it is more a question of style in writing and register along with the correct use of expressions and subtleties. Understanding of texts at this level is also a great step up from the FCE exam.
The exam format is similar to the First Certificate but using a higher range of language and skills.
The pass grades awarded are A (equivalent to level CEF C2), B, C.
This target level is the highest award in the target language. Idioms, expressions and style likened to a native speaker are required with a full extensive knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical precision.
Text appreciation contrasting and comparing 2 texts in the written paper.
Extensive expression needed for written tasks at a longer more in depth length expressing critical awareness and opinion in an appropriate tone.
Correct use of idiomatic structures and the capability of showing an appropriate linguistic register through grammar and lexis.
Build your confidence and fluency in this class which enables you to speak for 90 minutes in a small group likened to a coffee morning club. Vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar will be covered as it comes up in conversation. The tutor continually monitors the conversation.
This class will provide tutoring and practice tasks to cover the writing parts for the IELTS and the Cambridge "suite" of exams.
If you are aiming for IELTS for University entrance in the UK, we offer a full IELTS preparation class during the Summer term.
An hour group dedicated to exploring grammar points in more detail. This class will give an overall look at English tenses and how they function together while also focusing on more complex structures of conditional sentences, passives and sentence structure in general. Being a workshop, students will have the opportunity to discuss areas of grammar they wish to clarify.
The language Web tutors offer support and guidance for all official Cambridge and IELTS exams. It is not compulsory to take external exams, however, should a student wish to work towards an official Cambridge exam or IELTS exam, for university entrance, every assistance will be given for preparing the student. The course and course books are tailored towards this requirement.
Our aim is to make learning interesting and enjoyable, to build your confidence and to provide you with the language skills you require to express yourself naturally. Our Tutors are vastly experienced and CELTA qualified in all aspects of English language tuition.
Thursday 28th February : 19:30 to 21:30. See your teacher for the location. Come along and meet new friends and practice your English! 40 places available - £5 per person.
The language Web Book Library The language Web Library has a wide selection of English language books from the Macmillan Reader series. There are books suitable for all The language Web tutor group levels.
I started my English courses when I arrived here in January and I did courses twice a week during 3 months. I can say that I enjoyed this so much! Hazel is an amazing person, and a great teacher. She's very smart and so thoughtful. She helped me a lot when I needed some advice, and I definitely improved my English with her help. We were just 4 students in my class so we could practice a lot our spoken English. Hazel is open-minded and we had pleasant conversation with her. I sincerely recommend Hazel to learn a good English quickly. Thank you again!
When I came to London my English was less than elementary, I could just say 'yet' or 'not'. Even if I knew the grammar it was like I had any word in my mind but I couldn't speak up. Hazel was able to pull them out and she made me talk. I felt like a child when he finally can tell everyone what he's thinking without doubt. I found the job I've always wished for. It was amazing having Hazel as my teacher, she became my friend. The most important thing she gave me a method and now I can keep studying by myself, but if I need I know she will be there.
I met Hazel at a private school some years ago where I studied Business English with her. She was such a brilliant teacher that I asked her to give me one- to- one classes. If you are looking for someone who is passionate, professional and dedicated to her work – It's Hazel. She has tailored my lessons to my needs by using a variety of methods and techniques. Having come here with little English, I am now working in a management role. I was lucky to meet her, as she is not only a great teacher but also a good friend.
I have known Hazel as my teacher at a language school for pre-intermediate class and later on due to her skills I chose her as my private teacher to help me prepare for the FCE exam which I successfully passed. Hazel is very friendly and hard-working person always well prepared for a lesson with many years of experience in teaching. I found her techniques very helpful and well-focused in areas I needed a help to improve the most.
I would definitely recommend Hazel to starters and also professionals who are looking for well-balanced lessons with a professional attitude and skilled person keen on helping you to improve in English language.
In lessons you will learn different skills, which are important for the english language, e.g. the difference and the use of all times, different forms of words and how you can change and use them, writing essays, reviews, reports etc. You will be also specialised in "Writing, Listening, Speaking". It is important that every student has the possibility to share their opinion with their class about the topics, you are discussing about in this moment.
I wasn´t thinking about doing the cambridge exam, but after a few months of hard working, training and a great preparation for the special exercises you have to do in the exam. I passed like the most of Hazel students.
My host mum found Hazel and her English school in the website "Nappyvalleynet" and I'm grateful to her because she CAN'T find a better school!
My teacher Caroline has been patient, kind, she is brilliant and she help me a lot to improve my English with grammar, listening, speaking and writing lessons and she was always ready to give you an help!
I can't say thank you enough for all of that, but I'm sure I could recommend "The language web" as a best English school!
This group is suitable for local European parents who wish to improve their daily-life English communication skills.
The language Web is based in Balham. Our classrooms are based in Saint Mary and Saint John The Divine church. The classrooms are spacious, well-heated and well-equipped. The church is on Balham High Road SW12 9BS, conveniently located on numerous bus routes and is a less than two minute walk from the Underground tube station.
Please get in touch by email or mobile. We like meeting in person at the church but this must be done by appointment.
The language Web would like to answer any questions from host parents or au pairs.
The timetable and class levels do change so please get in touch even if the published information might not meet your immediate requirements.


Emeg's design centre of excellence is based in our Manchester office. The team consists of professional Engineers with a skill base encompassing Electrical, Mechanical and Communication disciplines for building services. With the experience gained and the foundation created from our rail and construction industry background, we have the ability to resolve problems of construction design with viable and cost efficient solutions, catering to clients within all branches of engineering construction.
The team's extensive experience in Building Services design, from the conceptual stage to site installation, include Electrical/Mechanical and Telecoms disciplines.
Through Emeg's proactive and strategic approach to Building Services design, we are able to produce solutions that whilst highly sustainable, also represent exceptionally good value for money. We pride ourselves on developing and producing design strategies, in conjunction with structural engineers and architects, to provide energy efficient, cost effective multi service designs where required.
Emeg has the inhouse capability to design electrical systems from 110V and below through to 33kV. The more usual electrical systems that Emeg design are HV, MV and LV distribution, traction power distribution, internal / external lighting and emergency lighting, platform and car park lighting, depot and high mast lighting, general power and the like i.e. all aspects of electrical works found in stations, depots and the general rail infrastructure.
Our main focal points of mechanical design are heating, ventilation and air conditioning applications. We can provide bespoke heating solutions to cater for the exact requirements of the client and end-users. This is typically coupled with a strategic ventilation system, resulting in a fully-automated scheme controlling heat and air distribution through the building.
On the other end of the scale, we offer solutions for the more user-orientated commercial facilities, i.e. office blocks, station buildings and depot management suites. Occupational comfort tends to be the primary focus for these developments, where our detailed assessments enable an appropriate design solution to be installed.
Our telecoms design engineers can offer the complete package from design conception, approved for construction detailed design and CAD drawings. Emeg have expertise in IT and Telecommunications Hardware, Software and Networking services.
We specialise in design and installation of a variety of Telecom Voice and Data System Solutions.Certified Technicians work directly with clients and end users on complex requirements relating to the design of new installation and initial implementations. Emeg is committed to providing a dedicated, efficient and reliable design service without compromising on quality.
Emeg has the inhouse ability to provide complete turnkey packages for all Depot Systems, including all accompanying M&E works depot wide and within the various system plantrooms. The design and construction elements of the business have extensive experience in Depot Protection Systems (DPS), Carriage Wash Machines (CWM), Controlled Emission Toilets (CET), Fuel dispensing systems, Oil dispensing systems, Coolant dispensing systems, Adblue dispensing systems, Automated Sand dispensing systems, Tanking water dispensing systems and Hot & cold-water systems, to name but a few of the depot systems Emeg has vast experience in providing.
All of Emeg's systems can be tailored to the Client requirements and the specific constraints of site or location. Through experience Emeg has found that individual depots reflect bespoke regional requirements throughout the national Network Rail infrastructure and Emeg's ability to accommodate and manage local aspirations whilst maintaining national standards proves essential.
Emeg has been involved in various Network Rail services roll out programmes, such as the Northern Hub Electrification programme, to deliver fully operational train maintenance depots to service new and upgraded rolling stock and assets. The design team is involved from the initial concept stages through to depot handover and ensure that the original quality, safety, programme timescales and budget aspirations are maintained.


On air or Online, listen to U of M Basketball games on WSGW NewsRadio 790 or FM Talk & Sports 100.5!
The back-to-back Big Ten Tournament Champions are back to build-on their impressive National Championship appearance last season. Yes, the Maize and Blue fell short in their bid to win their first national title since 1989, but head coach John Beilein returns with a mix of new and experienced players who are poised to make some noise in the college basketball world.
Here are the BROADCAST times for the 2018-2019 Michigan Wolverines.


The League was formed by a City Council as a service to children in deprived inner city areas in the early 1990's. The council designed the competition so that all matches would be played at central venues and city parks without traditional 'home and away' matches. This way clubs could participate without investment in facilities.
With increasing popularity and participation rates in Junior football, the league was under pressure to move to online self administration and paperless systems to take the pressure of the team of volunteers who took over the running of the League. Today, over 6,000 children participate, in 1500 teams from over 50 clubs.
The solution provided a Database system that is accessible from numerous locations sharing data and processing aspects of the business. Access to the data is via desktop client software, iPad (live access to remote system), and Browser access to the database via Google Chrome, Windows IE >v9, Safari, Firefox etc.
Photographs of players can be taken on iPad and added directly to the Club/League database along with other Player details.
The system was implemented in a phased sequence of stages during the Spring and Summer of 2013 with legacy data migration and phased 'go-live' July 31st 2015.
Remote access via a browser to enable club secretaries to administer their Club, Teams and players.
Business analysis, coordination and liaison.
Adapt and develop initial database design.
Take Filemaker Database and develop online solution accessible from anywhere in the world.
Harness iPad and iPhone data capture of images and product data.


text:
Posts tagged krewe of Chewbaccus
Chewbacchus 2014 Rolls in the Marigny!!!
by NewOrleansMusicMan in Krewe of Chewbacchus, Mardi Gras
Chewbacchus 2014 marched throughout the Marigny last night, and they looked grand! Here's a cool set of photos from a friend of mine. Chewbacchus is a top 10 parade for 2014, you can see the rankings here. Enjoy and Happy Mardi Gras!!
Chewbaccus 2014
Chewbacchus 2014 2
Chewbacchus 2014 10
Carnival New Orleans krewe of Chewbaccus Parades
New Arty Carnival Krewe Seeks to Create New Breed of Parade!!
by NewOrleansMusicMan in Carnival, Carnival New Orleans, French Quarter, Mardi Gras, Mardi Gras Music, Mardi Gras parade, Mardi Gras Parade, Music, New Orleans Carnival, Zulu Coconuts
new Mardi Gras Krewe of Kolossos
It's still possible to reinvent the wheel when it comes to Mardi Gras parades. It's not easy, but it can be done. When parading down St. Charles avenue, convention rules, since the New Orleans City Council creates the rules for major parades. If you want to parade and do your own thing, that's more than possible though it's a ton of work; hence Krewe du Vieux, 'tit REX, Krewe of St. Anne, Krewe of Chewbaccus, etc. Most of these are in the Bywater, 7th ward, or Marigny. Most roll of Fat Tuesday, and most are really fabulous. Kolossos is headquartered in and will march in Marigny and Bywater.
The spanking new Krewe of Kolossos is seeking to "create a new breed of parade," utilizing tradition while drawing on ideas of environmental sustainability and reuse, art director Steven Donnelly said.
The idea for the krewe came from a partnership with grand marshal-elect Karina Nathan, the artist a.k.a. Katrina Brees. Donnelly's drum cart creation, a mobile performance art drum show and Nathan's Bearded Oysters, an all female marching and social group. Both share a love of a good party, and Kolossos was formed with this in mind.
The krewe has around 200 members. While the membership is open, the majority of members are artists, including sculptors, costumiers, performance artists, etc.
Krewe of Kolossos float
Tricycle-powered floats using recycled materials, mostly, will change into paper-mache animals, incorporating a large variety of previously used float props, including paper-mache eyeballs, 8-foot spiders, and pieces of castles from past parades.
Their throws will also be very different than beads and doubloons. Krewe du Vieux throws some beads, but all krewe throws are original. The world famous all natural Zulu Coconut, except for paint, and decorations, are the locally handcrafted model for their throws. To this end, Kolossos is seeking new alternatives to ship containers full of Mardi Gras beads from China.
Zulu Coconut Muses Shoe 2009
Since no date for the parade has been mentioned, it's obvious there is no date for their inaugural parade. Initially, the krewe planned to parade on New Year's Eve, but NOPD denied the permit application, stating their resources would be spread too thin.
Co Founder Donnelly understood the objections, there are bills to pay to obtain a permit. "Apocalypse Ball," on the other hand, is on. It will start at 10 p.m. at Siberia on New Year's Eve. The Bearded Oysters Parade Club, krewe members and the Drumcart will be part of the festivities, all for $25 per ticket. For tickets, email kreweofkolossos@gmail.com, or call 504-905-2830.
There are still krewe memberships available, check out kolossos.org
Bearded Oyster Ladies at Krewe of O.A.K. event photo courtesy of deliciousmusings.com
'Tit Rex 7th Ward Bywater Krewe du Vieux krewe of Chewbaccus Krewe of Kolossos Krewe of St. Anne Marigny St. Charles Avenue
KREWE OF CHEWBACCHUS IS LOOKING FOR A FEW NEW MEMBERS!
by NewOrleansMusicMan in Carnival, Carnival New Orleans, Mardi Gras, Mardi Gras parade, Mardi Gras Parade
Krewe of Chewbacccus
Come on down to the 3 Ring Circus Arts Education Center, 638 Cleo Street off of St. Charles Avenue tonight, January 20, 2011 between 8:30 pm – 12 am for a FREE Membership meeting and social for the Krewe of Chewbacchus! UFO Hefewiezen is sponsoring the event with $3 UFO draft!
The Krewe of Chewbacchus is a Carnival Krewe for the most revelrous of Star Wars Freaks, Trekkies, Whovians, Mega-Geeks, Circuit Benders, Cryptozooligists, UFO Conspiracy Theorists, and all the rest of Super Nerdom.
They roll on Bacchus Sunday, March 6th, 2011. King Chewbacchus himself will lead our krewe and ride on Eyegore the Royal Rickshaw. We are building a fleet of Flying Saucers, a Bar2D2 float, a giant BacchanALIEN puppet and a Boozebot 4200 puppet, experimental X-Wing Art Bicycles, and much much more…
Hans & Chewbacca
The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus, created by the 3 Ring Circus Arts Education Center and Razzamataz Puppetry, will stroll and roll for the first time this Carnival season.
Membership is open and all types of science fiction-themed costumes and contraptions are welcome. The march will be followed by Chewbacchanal block party later that night at the Big Top, with pyrotechnic puppetry and musical including Consortium of Genius, or C.O.G.
The krewe is based out of 3 Ring Circus Arts Education Center's The Big Top gallery, but members are creating a fleet floats and throws, including flying saucers made from hubcaps and old kitchenware as well as alien and robot puppets, at the Chewy Den, 4820 Banks St., No. 6, in New Orleans, every Wednesday from 7 to 10 p.m. until they roll.
Inspired by Zulu and then Muses, who created the much-sought-after throws of decorated coconuts and shoes, respectively, the Chewbacchus will create and then toss to the crowds furry, homemade wookie bandoliers, such as those worn by the huge, furry "Star Wars" character who inspired the krewe's name and theme.
Chewbacca's Bandolier
3 Ring Circus Arts Education Center Bacchus Sunday Big Top Gallery Chewy Den krewe of Chewbaccus Razzamataz Puppetry Star Wars Trekkies UFO Conspiracy Theorists Wookie Bandeleros


text:
De duinpriemkever of bleekgele snelloopkever (Bembidion pallidipenne) is een keversoort uit de familie van de loopkevers (Carabidae). De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort werd in 1801 gepubliceerd door Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger.

Bembidion

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
using download::DownloadItem;
using ::testing::Mock;
using ::testing::NiceMock;
using ::testing::Return;
using ::testing::ReturnRefOfCopy;
using ::testing::_;

namespace {

// Default target path for a mock download item in DownloadItemModelTest.
const base::FilePath::CharType kDefaultTargetFilePath[] =
    FILE_PATH_LITERAL("/foo/bar/foo.bar");

// Default URL for a mock download item in DownloadCommandsTest.
const char kDefaultURL[] = "http://example.com/foo.bar";

class DownloadCommandsTest : public testing::Test {
 public:
  DownloadCommandsTest()
      : model_(std::make_unique<DownloadItemModel>(&item_)),
        commands_(model_->GetWeakPtr()) {}

  ~DownloadCommandsTest() override {}

 protected:
  // Sets up defaults for the download item.
  void SetUp() override {
    ON_CALL(item_, GetMimeType()).WillByDefault(Return("text/html"));
    ON_CALL(item_, CanShowInFolder()).WillByDefault(Return(true));
    ON_CALL(item_, CanOpenDownload()).WillByDefault(Return(true));
    ON_CALL(item_, IsDone()).WillByDefault(Return(false));
    ON_CALL(item_, GetOpenWhenComplete()).WillByDefault(Return(false));
    ON_CALL(item_, GetState())
        .WillByDefault(Return(DownloadItem::IN_PROGRESS));
    ON_CALL(item_, IsPaused()).WillByDefault(Return(false));
    ON_CALL(item_, ShouldOpenFileBasedOnExtension())
        .WillByDefault(Return(false));

    ON_CALL(item_, GetTargetDisposition())
        .WillByDefault(
            Return(DownloadItem::TARGET_DISPOSITION_OVERWRITE));
    ON_CALL(item_, GetMimeType()).WillByDefault(Return("text/html"));
    ON_CALL(item_, GetURL())
        .WillByDefault(ReturnRefOfCopy(GURL(kDefaultURL)));
    ON_CALL(item_, GetTargetFilePath())
        .WillByDefault(ReturnRefOfCopy(base::FilePath(kDefaultTargetFilePath)));
  }

  download::MockDownloadItem& item() { return item_; }

  bool IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::Command command) {
    return commands().IsCommandEnabled(command);
  }

  bool IsCommandChecked(DownloadCommands::Command command) {
    return commands().IsCommandChecked(command);
  }

  DownloadCommands& commands() {
    return commands_;
  }

  void InvalidModel() { model_.reset(); }

 private:
  NiceMock<download::MockDownloadItem> item_;
  std::unique_ptr<DownloadItemModel> model_;
  DownloadCommands commands_;
};

}  // namespace

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, InProgress) {
  EXPECT_TRUE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::SHOW_IN_FOLDER));
  EXPECT_TRUE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::CANCEL));
  EXPECT_TRUE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::PAUSE));
  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::RESUME));
  EXPECT_TRUE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::ALWAYS_OPEN_TYPE));
  EXPECT_TRUE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::OPEN_WHEN_COMPLETE));

  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandChecked(DownloadCommands::OPEN_WHEN_COMPLETE));
  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandChecked(DownloadCommands::ALWAYS_OPEN_TYPE));
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, OpenWhenCompleteEnabled) {
  ON_CALL(item(), GetOpenWhenComplete()).WillByDefault(Return(true));

  EXPECT_TRUE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::OPEN_WHEN_COMPLETE));
  EXPECT_TRUE(IsCommandChecked(DownloadCommands::OPEN_WHEN_COMPLETE));
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, Finished) {
  ON_CALL(item(), IsDone()).WillByDefault(Return(true));

  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::CANCEL));
  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::PAUSE));
  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::RESUME));
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, PausedResumable) {
  ON_CALL(item(), IsPaused()).WillByDefault(Return(true));
  ON_CALL(item(), CanResume()).WillByDefault(Return(true));

  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::PAUSE));
  EXPECT_TRUE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::RESUME));
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, PausedUnresumable) {
  ON_CALL(item(), IsPaused()).WillByDefault(Return(true));
  ON_CALL(item(), CanResume()).WillByDefault(Return(false));

  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::PAUSE));
  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::RESUME));
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, CantPauseSavePackage) {
  ON_CALL(item(), IsSavePackageDownload()).WillByDefault(Return(true));
  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::PAUSE));
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, DoOpenWhenComplete) {
  // Open when complete.
  EXPECT_CALL(item(), OpenDownload()).Times(1);
  commands().ExecuteCommand(DownloadCommands::OPEN_WHEN_COMPLETE);
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, DoShowInFolder) {
  // Open when complete.
  EXPECT_CALL(item(), ShowDownloadInShell()).Times(1);
  commands().ExecuteCommand(DownloadCommands::SHOW_IN_FOLDER);
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, DoCancel) {
  // Cancel.
  EXPECT_CALL(item(), Cancel(true)).Times(1);
  commands().ExecuteCommand(DownloadCommands::CANCEL);
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, DoPause) {
  // Pause.
  EXPECT_CALL(item(), Pause()).Times(1);
  commands().ExecuteCommand(DownloadCommands::PAUSE);
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, DoResume) {
  // Resume.
  EXPECT_CALL(item(), Resume(true)).Times(1);
  commands().ExecuteCommand(DownloadCommands::RESUME);
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest,
       GetLearnMoreURLForInterruptedDownload_ContainsContext) {
  EXPECT_CALL(item(), GetLastReason())
      .WillOnce(
          Return(download::DOWNLOAD_INTERRUPT_REASON_NETWORK_DISCONNECTED));
  GURL learn_more_url = commands().GetLearnMoreURLForInterruptedDownload();
  std::string name_value_pair = base::StringPrintf(
      "ctx=%d", download::DOWNLOAD_INTERRUPT_REASON_NETWORK_DISCONNECTED);
  EXPECT_LT(0u, learn_more_url.query().find(name_value_pair))
      << learn_more_url.spec();
}

TEST_F(DownloadCommandsTest, InvalidDownloadWontCrashDownloadCommands) {
  ON_CALL(item(), GetOpenWhenComplete()).WillByDefault(Return(true));
  // Only 1 out of 2 commands should be executed.
  EXPECT_CALL(item(), OpenDownload()).Times(1);

  EXPECT_TRUE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::CANCEL));
  EXPECT_TRUE(IsCommandChecked(DownloadCommands::OPEN_WHEN_COMPLETE));
  EXPECT_TRUE(commands().IsCommandVisible(DownloadCommands::CANCEL));
  commands().ExecuteCommand(DownloadCommands::OPEN_WHEN_COMPLETE);

  InvalidModel();
  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandEnabled(DownloadCommands::CANCEL));
  EXPECT_FALSE(IsCommandChecked(DownloadCommands::OPEN_WHEN_COMPLETE));
  EXPECT_FALSE(commands().IsCommandVisible(DownloadCommands::CANCEL));
  commands().ExecuteCommand(DownloadCommands::OPEN_WHEN_COMPLETE);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Let It Loose Album Exile On Main St.
Happy Album Exile On Main St.
Tumbling Dice Album Exile On Main St.
Stop Breaking Down Album Exile On Main St.
Turd On The Run Album Exile On Main St.
Everybody Needs Somebody To Love Album The Rolling Stones, Now!
Pain In My Heart Album The Rolling Stones, Now!
Sweet Virginia Album Exile On Main St.
I Just Want To See His Face Album Exile On Main St.
Down The Road Apiece Album The Rolling Stones, Now!


text:
layout: page
title: SOAP or REST?
product: avaTax
doctype: use_cases
nav: apis
community: apiDisambiguation
---

Where to start>

Avalara's world-class AvaTax API has been around for twelve years, and we've implemented so many features it's hard to list them all.  When it comes time to start a new project, a good place to begin is asking what API should I use?  Let's start by comparing Avalara's SOAP and REST services.

			Feature
			In AvaTax SOAP
			In AvaTax REST

			Robustness
			World-leading API for tax services; used everywhere in the world for twelve years.
			Released in preview form in August 2016, this API is being gradually rolled out worldwide.

			Data Formatting
			XML conforming to a WSDL specification
			JSON

			Language Support
			Many languages including C# and Java.  You may need to find a third-party library that supports SOAP API calls.
			Virtually all modern languages include support for parsing JSON objects natively, or through open source libraries.

			Documentation
			Hand-written documentation in Avalara developer website.
			Online documentation in Swagger YAML for all APIs

			Proxy Class Support
			Avalara publishes dozens of proxy classes for major languages and frameworks.
			Proxy classes are in development for the use of REST v2; you can also use the online Swagger documentation to generate your own proxy classes.

			Endpoints
			Many different endpoints such as TaxSvc, AddressSvc, AccountSvc, BatchSvc, and others.
			A single URL, https://sandbox-rest.avatax.com, for all API functionality in one place

The good news: You don't have to pick between REST and SOAP.  AvaTax exposes the same data and the same functionality in both REST and SOAP.  So you can experiment with both APIs and find which combination of features works best for you.

Feature Examples

Here's a quick look at a few critical features and how they compare between REST and SOAP:

			Service
            In AvaTax SOAP
			In AvaTax REST

			Address validation
			ValidateAddress request
            POST /api/v2/addresses/resolve

			Tax calculation
			GetTax
			POST /api/v2/transactions/create

			Voiding documents
			CancelTax
			POST /api/v2/companies/123/transactions/456/void

			Committing a document
			PostTax
			POST /api/v2/companies/123/transactions/456/commit

			Retrieve document history
			GetTaxHistory
			GET /api/v2/companies/123/transactions/456

			Modify committed transaction records
			AdjustTax
			POST /api/v2/companies/123/transactions/456/adjust

Future Growth

Not all functions available in SOAP are yet available in REST; we are continuing to release new functionality each month in our universal REST API.  Over time you will see new features available in REST using the same design patterns as the primary API layouts above.

What to Choose?

We hope this information helps you decide which API is right for you.  If you have feedback or comments, please reach out to us at https://community.avalara.com/avalara


When Mark David Chapman assassinated John Lennon in December of 1980, he explained that he had to kill him in order to promote the reading of J. D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman's belief that he could become Salinger's protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is the genesis for this research. The concept that a person could identify with a novel or character in a novel to such an extent that he or she would commit murder is an extraordinary allegation.In order to further explore this accusation, this research focuses on three novels: Alexandre Dumas, pere's The Count of Monte Cristo, J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, and Stephen King's Rage. Michael Sullivan, Mark David Chapman, John Hinckley, and Scott Pennington read one of these literary works before committing, or attempting to commit, murder.This project traces the cognitive processes of these men in an effort to understand why reading a specific novel lead to a murder. By delving into the minds of these murderers, it can be determined if the novel itself is a motive, an impetus, for the crime, or a scapegoat.


This 15-story assortment contains stories set in locales from a Caribbean hotel for the generously-figured to rivers and bayous that carry secrets and techniques or develop into get away routes into and out of relationships. The characters in those tales malicious program their manner into your psyche. They don't constantly do the precise (or criminal) factor, yet they act for the proper reasons.
"Noch nie hatte ich die Einsamkeit aus solcher Nähe gesehen. " In den Erzählungen von Juan Gabriel Vásquez klaffen feine Risse in zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen und entfalten eine enorme Zerstörungskraft: Auf einer Jagd begeht ein modify Mann Selbstmord, weil er in die Frau seines besten Freundes verliebt struggle.
Un florilège de mythes, de contes et de légendes permet de pénétrer dans l'imaginaire de ChineJadis vivait un khan que tout le monde appelait le khan volant. Durant sa jeunesse, il s'était enamouré d'une jeune fille très belle, une fée, ressemblant à l. a. lune. Ses yeux brillaient comme l'or. Le khan los angeles chercha dans le monde entier sans parvenir à l. a. trouver.
A decade has handed considering boots first hit the floor in Iraq and Afghanistan. but the battle has no longer ended—only replaced. Twenty-five assorted veteran voices replicate the altering face of wrestle and replicate the haunting realities and truths purely fiction can demonstrate. those masterfully crafted tales from writers who've served mirror the total breadth of human emotion—loss, anger, pleasure, love, worry, and courage—and the evolving nature of what has turn into America's "Forever conflict.


text:
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text:
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Rozier. The Reverend Mark Minter, the pastor of The Church of God of the Prophesy, led in prayer.
The minutes of the November 7, 2002 council meeting and the November 15, 2002 called meeting were reviewed. Councilman Waller made a motion to approve said minutes, Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with four affirmative votes.
Mayor Rozier reported that the City of Pooler has advised him that they plan to charge the City of Bloomingdale a capital recovery fee of $63 for each new residential unit that taps onto Bloomingdale's system once the agreement for purchasing water from the City of Savannah has been executed. This fee will be in addition to a transport fee of 10 cents per 1,000 gallons. The Mayor stated that Savannah's agreement includes a $1500 tap-in fee and a cost of $1.30 per 1,000 gallons. Mayor Rozier pointed out that the capital recovery fee and tap-in fee would only apply to those residences outside of Bloomingdale's existing water service area.
Council was advised that the well permit application was being prepared.
Councilman Myrick reported that he and Councilman Ray had met with Sidney Williams, the contractor doing the drainage work at Taylor Park, and due to the wet weather, this work has been delayed. Councilman Myrick pointed out, however, that since there has been some dirt made available by the City's cutting down of the railroad bed, we will be able to raise the elevation of some of the lower areas at the park. Councilman Myrick reported that the original drainage plans were to use this approach for the drainage, but the cost of the fill dirt was prohibitive, so an alternative plan was used instead. Since the dirt is now available, some changes will be made in how the drainage work is completed.
Mayor Rozier stated that he had attended the council meeting in Pooler on Monday night to see if City officials would be willing to help with the cost of the replacement/repairs to the Wildcat Dam Road Bridge. He reported that the City of Pooler is requesting that both councils, along with representatives from the county engineering department, meet with the Morgan Family to discuss the Wildcat Dam Road Bridge issue. The Mayor pointed out that apparently the county plans to do some upgrading to the canal and before monies are invested in the bridge, these plans need to be discussed by all parties involved. Mayor Rozier advised council he would see if he could set something up the first of next week.
Mayor Rozier presented for a second reading the zoning classification ordinance for property annexed into the City on May 2, 2002 known as Part of the Carter Brothers Tract located on Bloomingdale Road. Councilman Waller made a motion to approve the second reading of said ordinance. Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with four affirmative votes.
Council reviewed a request from Kelly Deas to refund her rental fee of $75 for use of the community building without the required 30 days notice because of an unexpected change in her wedding plans due to the deployment of her fiancé. Since the agreement requires a 30 day notice, council would have to approve this refund. After a brief discussion, Councilman Myrick made a motion to approve said refund, Councilman Waller seconded the motion and it passed with four affirmative votes.
The Mayor recognized Jeri Patrick, a representative with Coldwell Banker, and Smoky Kenny, a local builder with Southern Family Homes, who requested information from council regarding the relocation of a drainage ditch on Maple Street at Lot #'s 248, 251, and 252. Mr. Kenny stated that he was interested in purchasing the property, but because of the way the drainage ditch cut across the lots, some changes to the ditch would need to be made before the property could be developed and he merely needed to know what steps would have to be followed to find out if the ditch could be re-routed. Ms. Patrick asked if the City had easements for the ditch and was advised by Attorney Gerard that any existing easements would have been obtained by the county. He pointed out that since the county had maintained the ditch for some time, there would be an applied easement even if there were no recorded easement. Mayor Rozier pointed out that this was a major drainage ditch for this section of Bloomingdale. Mayor Rozier stated that Councilman Tyler was not able to be at tonight's meeting, but had advised him that this area was involved in the county-wide drainage plan and had suggested that before any major changes are made to this drainage ditch that the county engineering department be contacted. Based on Councilman Tyler's information, the Mayor advised Mr. Kenny that he should contact the county about the re-routing of the ditch. Mr. Kenny asked if the City would participate in the cost of the project. The Mayor pointed out that the county is doing the engineering work for this portion of the plan on Bloomingdale's behalf, but the City will be responsible for the costs once the details are completed and the project is underway. Mayor Rozier stated that if Mr. Kenny wanted to pursue the re-routing prior to the implementation of this phase of the drainage plan, it would be at his expense. Mr. Kenny was advised that the City would require an engineer to draw up plans to meet the county's specification for drainage ditches and if approved, the engineer would have to certify that the ditch was installed as proposed. The Mayor informed Mr. Kenny that there has not been a definite timetable established for this project.
Council considered the following recommendations from the Planning & Zoning Commission:
1) Approval of the ordinance amending the Zoning Ordinance that clears up the inconsistencies between Code Sections 500 & 600. Councilman Ray made a motion to approve the first reading of said ordinance. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with four affirmative votes. Councilman Myrick then made a motion to dispense with the second reading and to approve the adoption of the ordinance. Councilman Wedincamp seconded the motion and it passed with four affirmative votes.
2) Approval of the ordinance to amend the Zoning Ordinance to add Section 411-Planned Development Overlay Districts (PDOD). Attorney Gerard pointed out that there were some typographic errors in the ordinance that needed to be corrected and suggested council review the ordinance before giving their approval. Councilman Waller made a motion to pass action on the ordinance until council has had time to review it. Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with four affirmative votes.
3) The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended council delay any action on the proposed fence ordinance until some changes can be made to the ordinance regarding the fencing of properties for agricultural purposes.
Council was advised the City has received a request from the City of Savannah to execute a mutual aid agreement that is now required for local governments to receive federal funding in the event of a disaster. A copy of this agreement has been distributed to council and to Attorney Gerard for review. The Mayor stated that this matter will be placed on the December 5, 2002 meeting agenda for consideration.
The Mayor stated that the MPC has prepared a response to EPD's letter of October 25, 2002. The EPD letter requested some additional information on our NPDES Stormwater Permit Annual Report 2001-2002 and the Action Plan for the Proposed Modifications to the Area Wide Stormwater Management Plan submitted September 20, 2002. After a brief discussion, Councilman Ray made a motion to authorize the Mayor to sign the response letter. Councilman Wedincamp seconded the motion and it passed with four affirmative votes.
Council was advised that the CMA Christmas party/meeting is scheduled for December 11, 2002 and will be hosted by Garden City. The meeting will be held at the Garden City gym starting at 6:00pm. Spouses/guests are invited and we must RSVP by December 4th with the number attending. The Mayor stated that the City of Bloomingdale will be receiving recognition by GMA as a City of Ethics.
Citizen Wayne Tipton asked if there had been any changes to the Bloomingdale Police Department's high-speed chase policy. Mayor Rozier pointed out that when Captain Pike had been appointed Interim Police Chief, council did so with the understanding that no policy changes would be made without the approval of the Public Safety Committee and, to the best of his knowledge, no changes have been made to this policy.
Citizen Tom Terry wanted to know the City's policy on the payment of garbage fees for rental property and was advised that the property owner was responsible for the payment of these fees. Mr. Terry stated that he did not think he should have to pay someone else's bill. Attorney Gerard confirmed that the City's Garbage Ordinance does hold the property owner responsible for the garbage fees. Council was advised that the City has several property owners that go ahead and put the bills in their name and include this fee in the rent. The Mayor asked Del Ferguson how he handled his rental property. Mr. Ferguson said that he was aware that he had to pay the garbage bill, but did not always know when someone was past due. The clerk pointed out that in cases where the property was served by City water and sewer or at least by City sewer the most that would be owed on garbage would be for three (3) months because when a bill is two months past due the services are disconnected. The Mayor asked why we would continue to serve residents with garbage pickup if they did not pay their bill and was advised by Attorney Gerard that the Garbage Ordinance makes it mandatory that all businesses and residences have the garbage service. The clerk stated that in the past, the bills have been being sent to the tenant; however, council may want to start billing the owners for the garbage service after the first of the year when the contract with Republic Waste Services, Inc. goes into effect. Several council members agreed that this may be one way to insure that the owners are aware of the monies that are owed.
Councilman Wedincamp asked if it was mandatory that someone had to take City water and sewer because if he had to pay another bill like he had to pay this week, he wanted to disconnect both of these services and install his own well and go back to a septic tank. Councilman Wedincamp was advised that he had to take City sewer service, but there was some question about whether the water service was required since it was available to him. Councilman Ray questioned whether or not he would be able to drill a well if he was already being served by City water. The Mayor asked him to explain what kind of bill he had to pay. Councilman Wedincamp stated that he was being bill for three water, sewer and sanitation bills at his place of business and he did not think he should have to pay three bills. Council was advised by the City clerk that there were three (3) businesses located in the building where Councilman Wedincamp's business was located. There is currently three base water and three base sewer bills being charged to this account, along with three sanitation bills. However, the water usage was only being charged once. Council was also advised that when a second business opened at this location in November, 2001, the license was approved by council with the stipulation that a base water and sewer charge, along with a garbage fee, would be added to the billing for the initial tenant. Council agreed to allow these base charges rather than requiring the installation of another water meter and grinder pump because it would be less costly for the owner of the property. Also, the owner would have to separate the electrical service if another grinder pump was installed to avoid problems if electrical service was disconnected for one of the tenants. The council assumed that the second business operator would be billed for the additional water, sewer and sanitation charges; however, this would be between the two tenants. When a third business opened at this same location the first of the year, a third base water and sewer bill, along with another garbage fee was added to the bill. Councilman Ray suggested that if there were three businesses being operated from this location that Councilman Wedincamp ask that the owner install two more grinder pumps and two more water meters and then the other tenants would have to pay their own bills. Councilman Wedincamp questioned how this could be done if the plumbing was under the slab. Councilman Ray stated that it would take some effort to re-route the lines, but it could be done and if there were problems with all three businesses paying their fair share, this may be the best solution.
The Mayor thanked everyone for attending the meeting.
The accounts payable were reviewed. Councilman Waller made a motion to pay the bills, Councilman Ray seconded the motion and it passed with four affirmative votes.
Being no further business, Councilman Waller made a motion to adjourn at 7:50pm. Councilman Myrick seconded the motion and it passed with four affirmative votes.
The Mayor and Council members Myrick, Ray, Waller and Wedincamp were present at the meeting.