Saturday marked the second annual Prince tribute fashion show, "The Purple Ones", curated by KFAI radio. I was so thrilled and positively humbled to stand beside so many talented designers on the runway. So charmed that I was actually stunned to have placed third, and within such a close call (I was told within a couple points of each other). I'm so honored to have even stood amongst such stunning designs.
My look was inspired by the song "Raspberry Beret" and the women that inspired Prince. Women who were often underestimated by himself and society. I had filmed a little of my process and with the results, decided to put it together here in the little campaign video at the end of the post.
The event was hosted by Can Can Wonderland, a fun little mini golf and entertainment center chalked full of prime spots for photo opportunities. If you want to see more photos and read about the inspiration, check out the portfolio page here.
I'm most proud of the leisurely pace I took preparing for this show. I didn't psych myself out, I took time to breathe and sleep, and maintained a healthy mindset. Growth is in everything we do and I'm happy to be finding a harmonious process. One where I believe in myself.
Until next time! A little Halloween surprise coming up.


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True Milli Vanilli singer John Davis dies from COVID-19 at 66
Updated: 8:50 AM MDT May 27, 2021
By Zamira Rahim
Nico Schimmelpfennig/picture alliance/Getty Images
SOURCE: Nico Schimmelpfennig/picture alliance/Getty Images
John Davis, one of the real singers behind notorious R&B act Milli Vanilli, has died of coronavirus at the age of 66, according to his family.Davis' daughter, Jasmin Davis, confirmed the performer's death Thursday.She revealed the news initially in a post shared on his Facebook page this week."Unfortunately my dad passed away this evening the coronavirus," she wrote on Monday."He made a lot of people happy with his laughter and smile, his happy spirit, love and especially through his music. He gave so much to the world! Please give him the last round of applause."Milli Vanilli was a German-French act fronted by Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, which fell apart after it emerged that the men had not sung on their records.The real singing was done by vocalists behind the scenes, including Davis.The musical duo won the 1989 Grammy for best new artist but lost the award after the truth emerged.Davis continued with his musical career after the scandal, this time as a lead performer.He sang with stars such as Luther Vandross and performed at concerts around the world. Davis also composed film music.The musician, who was born in South Carolina, moved to Germany later in life where he made occasional television appearances."Last night we lost: a father, a brother, a grandfather, a friend...and one of a kind musician," Jasmin Davis wrote on a GoFundMe page for her father's funeral."We are deeply saddened by his passing and will miss him dearly, especially smile and laughter."
John Davis, one of the real singers behind notorious R&B act Milli Vanilli, has died of coronavirus at the age of 66, according to his family.
Davis' daughter, Jasmin Davis, confirmed the performer's death Thursday.
She revealed the news initially in a post shared on his Facebook page this week.
"Unfortunately my dad passed away this evening [due to] the coronavirus," she wrote on Monday.
"He made a lot of people happy with his laughter and smile, his happy spirit, love and especially through his music. He gave so much to the world! Please give him the last round of applause."
Milli Vanilli was a German-French act fronted by Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, which fell apart after it emerged that the men had not sung on their records.
The real singing was done by vocalists behind the scenes, including Davis.
The musical duo won the 1989 Grammy for best new artist but lost the award after the truth emerged.
Davis continued with his musical career after the scandal, this time as a lead performer.
He sang with stars such as Luther Vandross and performed at concerts around the world. Davis also composed film music.
The musician, who was born in South Carolina, moved to Germany later in life where he made occasional television appearances.
"Last night we lost: a father, a brother, a grandfather, a friend...and one of a kind musician," Jasmin Davis wrote on a GoFundMe page for her father's funeral.
"We are deeply saddened by his passing and will miss him dearly, especially [his] smile and laughter."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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DU Home » Latest Threads » crickets » Journal
crickets's Journal
Hometown: Georgia
Boeing OC-135B
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_OC-135B_Open_Skies
The OC-135B Open Skies United States Air Force observation aircraft supports the Treaty on Open Skies.[1] The aircraft, a modified WC-135B, flies unarmed observation flights over participating parties of the treaty. Three OC-135B aircraft were modified by the Aeronautical Systems Center's 4950th Test Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The first operationally-capable OC-135B was assigned to the 24th Reconnaissance Squadron at Offutt AFB in October 1993. It is now fitted with a basic set of navigational and sensor equipment, and was placed in inviolate storage at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, Arizona in 1997. Two fully operational OC-135B aircraft were delivered in 1996 with the full complement of treaty-allowed sensors, which includes an infrared line scanner, synthetic aperture radar and video scanning sensors.
Keep American Skies Open to Russia: The Trump administration is poised to kill another useful treaty that contributes to trans-Atlantic peace (interesting op-ed about how the treaty came about and why we should keep it)
https://newrepublic.com/article/155583/keep-american-open-skies-trump-russia
But the biggest value of the Open Skies Treaty to the U.S., and the world, is its boost to confidence-building and transparency. By rule, American personnel sit in on Russian Open Skies flights, and vice versa. Treaty opponents say the widespread availability of high-resolution satellite imagery moots the accord, but most Open Skies members don't have their own constellation of bespoke satellites, like the one Trump outed a few weeks ago by tweeting a highly classified Iran surveillance photo it had taken. Even if the U.S. could rely fully on its advanced space-based imagery sensors, the other 32 non-Russia Open Skies members gain tremendously from the treaty's sharing process.
The Open Skies Treaty is not without its warts or disputes. The Obama administration locked horns with Moscow over Russia's compliance and bad-faith challenges to U.S. operations under the accord. But those disputes were largely resolved in open multilateral discussions, and the lingering challenges aren't fixed by steamrolling an unprecedented military-transparency regime, Bolton-style. The fact is that the Open Skies concept, and its application in recent years, vindicates "the continued relevance of arms control for our national security," as one State Department official put it in 2014.
The Importance of the Open Skies Treaty - Nov 2019
https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110262/witnesses/HHRG-116-FA14-Wstate-WoolfA-20191119.pdf
Foreign Affairs hearing re the allowed planes/equipment; includes the usual Congressional bellyaching about costs.
Posted by crickets | Fri Dec 18, 2020, 04:55 PM (0 replies)
There is no excuse for allowing this much wealth to be concentrated into so few hands
It means there are those who have not been TAXED properly and are not putting their fair share back into the society that gave them the opportunity to accumulate wealth in the first place. It's just wrong.
Posted by crickets | Thu Dec 10, 2020, 04:11 PM (2 replies)
Boom. Thank you, Judge Timothy Batten!
from OP tweet image:
Finally, in their complaint, the Plaintiffs essentially ask the Court for perhaps the most extraordinary relief ever sought in any Federal Court in connection with an election. They want this court to substitute its judgement for that of two-and-a-half- million Georgia voters who voted for Joe Biden, and this I am unwilling to do.
https://www.ajc.com/politics/breaking-judge-dismisses-lawsuit-challenging-bidens-win-in-georgia/UXSI5WUROJA4JHLTVTJ6UWNWOM/
U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten dismissed the lawsuit brought by former Trump attorney Sidney Powell in an attempt to decertify Georgia's election. He said overturning the election would have amounted to "judicial activism."
"They want this court to substitute its judgment for the 2.5 million voters who voted for Biden," Batten, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, said in court in Atlanta. "This I'm unwilling to do."
The decision leaves Georgia's results intact, supporting state elections officials' statements that there was no evidence of widespread fraud. [snip]
Attorneys for the state said there's no justification to award Georgia's electoral votes to Trump. State law requires the state's 16 votes in the Electoral College to go to the candidate who won the popular vote, and Biden held a nearly 12,000-vote lead over Trump.
"Their claims would be extraordinary if true, but they are not," according to a court brief by the state's attorneys. "Much like the mythological 'kraken' monster after which plaintiffs have named this lawsuit, their claims of election fraud and malfeasance belong more to the kraken's realm of mythos than they do to reality."
Posted by crickets | Tue Dec 8, 2020, 07:45 PM (0 replies)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212642076
[w/ links to several articles, including the one below]
Actual NSC Ukraine expert shut out of meetings to make room for Devin Nunes' fake expert
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/10/30/1896106/-Actual-NSC-Ukraine-expert-was-shut-out-of-meetings-to-make-room-for-fake-expert-via-Devin-Nunes
When Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman went in to testify before the House impeachment inquiry on Tuesday, Donald Trump tweeted a complaint about testimony from people he "never heard of." It may seem strange that Trump didn't even recognize the National Security Council's Ukraine expert, who had taken part in multiple White House meetings and listened in on Trump's calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, it turns out there's a good reason that Vindman didn't seem all that familiar to Trump: One of Rep. Devin Nunes' pals had been pretending to be the White House Ukraine expert. And officials kept Vindman away from Trump because the presence of the actual expert might "confuse him." [snip]
Patel had previously been best known for deliberately leaking intelligence documents to help Nunes undermine the Russia investigation. At the White House he became another of what turned out to be a series of "unofficial channels" Trump opened up with Ukraine. Trump had Rudy Giuliani running around Europe with a pair of indicted "associates" provided by a fugitive oligarch. He had the "three amigos" of Rick Perry, Gordon Sondland, and Kurt Volker badgering Ukrainian officials for investigations. And Trump had Patel ferrying raw intelligence data to the Oval Office and providing his own, completely uninformed spin on what was happening on the ground.
Posted by crickets | Tue Dec 8, 2020, 11:29 AM (0 replies)
This point is never made often enough.
we would not have to be making vaccines if Trump hadn't fired or dumped all the people,
protocols, and materials that President Obama had in place that would have stopped the pandemic.
The entire world suffered more than it needed to because of the destruction of the teams and resources that were removed, undercut, and ignored. The US and everyone on the planet would never have been so devastated by this virus if trump had just left the resources in place and let people do their jobs. There still might have been sporadic outbreaks worldwide and perhaps a need for vaccines, but not under pressure like this. Not even close.
Posted by crickets | Fri Dec 4, 2020, 09:46 PM (1 replies)
What a waste.
This makes me so angry and sad.
Posted by crickets | Thu Dec 3, 2020, 05:51 PM (0 replies)
*ding*ding*ding* Nailed it.
Two search keys will tell you all you need to know: Betsy DeVos, Bethany Christian Services. There are vile monsters involved in this, and all of them need to be tried and locked up.
https://upload.democraticunderground.com/1016208982
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/deported-parents-may-lose-kids-adoption-investigation-finds-n918261
https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2018/06/27/christian-group-fostering-migrant-kids-history-coercive-adoptions/
https://www.freethechildrenus.org/bulletins/2019/8/12/report-missing-migrant-children-being-funneled-through-christian-adoption-agency
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/02/630112697/devos-family-money-is-all-over-the-news-right-now
Voice of America is yet another wonderful organization wrecked by donnie and his pals.
Time to set things right again: clean house and press charges. Good start by getting rid of Pack.
The Office of Special Counsel's order places Pack in the unusual position of initiating an investigation into allegations of actions that stem from his own directives. Additionally, the order gives him 60 days - past the inauguration date of President-elect Joe Biden, who has already signaled his intention to replace Pack. Nonetheless it requires a sweeping review of Pack's actions.
This does not sound good. WTH is wrong with people?
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/us/politics/vaccine-cyberattacks.html
Both the IBM researchers and the department's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the attacks appear intended to steal the network credentials of corporate executives and officials at global organizations involved in the refrigeration process necessary to protect vaccine doses, or what the industry calls the cold chain. [snip]
The cyberattackers "were working to get access to how the vaccine is shipped, stored, kept cold and delivered," said Nick Rossmann, who heads IBM's global threat intelligence team. "We think whoever is behind this wanted to be able to understand the entire cold chain process." [snip]
Researchers for IBM Security X-Force, the company's cybersecurity arm, said they believed that the attacks were sophisticated enough that they pointed to a government-sponsored initiative, not a rogue criminal operation aimed purely at monetary gain. But they could not identify which country might be behind them. [snip]
If they are correct, the lead suspects would be hackers in Russia and North Korea, both of which have also been accused by the United States of conducting attacks to steal information about the process of manufacturing and distributing vaccines. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between official hacking operations for the Russian or North Korean governments and those run for private gain. [snip]
But some cybersecurity experts say they suspect something more nefarious: efforts to interfere with the distribution, or ransomware, in which the vaccines would be essentially held hostage by hackers who have gotten into the system that runs the distribution network and locked it up — and who demand a large payment to unlock it.
This was about as pared down as I could get it - lots more at the article if you can get to it.
How was Loeffler ever considered eligible to be appointed in the first place?
ICE = Intercontinental Exchange
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/12/while-kelly-loeffler-opposed-new-covid-aid-her-husbands-firm-sought-to-profit-off-the-pandemic/
Loeffler's husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, is CEO of Intercontinental Exchange, which owns a variety of financial exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange, and other financial businesses. The company is valued at close to $60 billion. Loeffler, who was appointed to to fill a vacant Senate seat in late 2019 and who now is in a run-off contest against Democrat Raphael Warnock, worked at Intercontinental Exchange for 16 years and left the firm at the end of 2018. She was a crucial part of its corporate team, according to a company press release that announced her departure: [snip]
While her husband was taking advantage of the pandemic's effect on the housing market to advance ICE's grand plan to gain control of the digital mortgage service sector, Loeffler has done little to address the housing and economic crises triggered by the coronavirus. In the spring, she unveiled a proposal "to restart our economy safely." It was a hodgepodge of mostly conservative ideas, such as eliminating payroll taxes for the rest of 2020 and cutting regulations for new businesses, and reform measures related to the first wave of pandemic relief already passed. One section did note, "Families are having difficulty affording their mortgage or rent." But Loeffler's plan included no provisions regarding mortgage or rent relief or eviction moratoria. [snip]
In July, Loeffler noted her opposition to extending assistance to Americans hit hard by the coronavirus recession: "I am not seeing a big need to extend the federal unemployment insurance."
More recently, Loeffler, like her fellow Senate Republicans, has not said much (or anything) about the looming eviction and foreclosure crises. In September, the Centers for Disease Control imposed a moratorium on residential evictions for people making less than $99,000 a year (or $198,000 for a couple). It ends on December 31. Other economic assistance benefits from the CARES Act that was passed in March also expire at the end of the month, including certain unemployment benefits that could affect millions of people and their ability to pay rent or mortgage bills. Also, mortgage forbearance provisions in the CARES Act are scheduled to end in March 2021. All this and more—including the accelerating spread of COVID-19—are likely to lead to a spike in mortgage foreclosures and evictions. But the new "wave of foreclosures," Millionacres, a Motley Fool service, pointed out, will likely lead to a real estate buying spree. That could be good news for Sprecher and ICE, given the company's acquisition of Ellie Mae. And ICE will continue to benefit, if the pandemic real estate market remains as strong as it has been.
Loeffler and Sprecher's financial actions have generated controversy on another front. In January, after she attended a private Senate briefing on the coronavirus threat, she and her husband made a series of stock sales. This included buying stock in firms that develop teleworking software. They subsequently sold off $18.7 million shares in ICE and also dumped shares in retail outlets. Once news of these trades emerged, Loeffler denied exploiting confidential information she had obtained as a senator. The Senate Ethics Committee stated it found "no evidence" she had violated the law or Senate rules. By the way, Loeffler sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates ICE. (Sen. David Perdue, a Republican campaigning alongside Loeffler in Georgia's other run-off election on January 5, was also snared in a stock-selling scandal. At least one case of his personal wheeling-and-dealing was investigated by the feds, but no charges were filed.)
Conflicts of interest everywhere, insider trading... Loeffler and her husband are unprincipled vultures. The entire article is well worth the read.


The Parish Community of Saint Augustine has been blessed with talent which lends itself to many diversified programs and organizations. We are proud of what we are, and we are continually searching for ways of better serving our community.
If you have any questions or would like to join one of the many organizations or projects listed, feel free to call any committee chairperson, any member of the Pastoral Council or staff liaison.
We are anxious to be of service to you.


Super Bowl 50 presented RH Strategic with a major, nationwide opportunity to help its client, Haystax Technology, build visibility for its brand and solutions. The company, which provides advanced security analytics and risk-management solutions to enterprise and government agencies, was tapped to secure the influential event.
Haystax Technology's Constellation analytics platform would be used by state, federal and local law enforcement officials to protect attendees at the weeklong series of Super Bowl 50 events. This included Super Bowl Opening Night, the Super Bowl City fan village, and the NFL Experience in Santa Clara, California. Given the event's national appeal and the public's heightened awareness of threats to national security, RH Strategic recognized it as a prime opportunity to raise Haystax Technology's profile.
To start building interest in the week leading up to Super Bowl 50, the RH team invited members of the media, representatives of Capitol Hill, and other stakeholders to visit Haystax headquarters in Herndon, Virginia. There, they were given a view of the real-time threat awareness data and communications coming from the epicenter of all Super Bowl festivities. Attendees also received in-depth demonstrations of Haystax's technology, giving them a peek into how the platform was being used by all public safety agencies collaborating to monitor the Super Bowl.
RH Strategic also helped secure on-site visits for media with Mike Sena, a state of California spokesperson, at an undisclosed location outside San Francisco, not too far from Levi's Stadium. This gave media a first-hand and real-time view of how Haystax Technology's solution was being used to help manage security for federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. High profile journalists from Bloomberg and NPR both visited in-person and interviewed Sena, resulting in national media placements for Haystax Technology and the state of California.
The campaign was a huge success. RH Strategic was able to position the company as a top-shelf resource on how to use security analytics to protect an event or organization.


Monitor has overall dimensions (with stand) 660 x 414 x 220.06 mm and a weight of 7.9 pounds. On the computer you can connect via HDMI (3840x2160@30 Hz), HDMI (MHL) and DisplayPort (3840x2160@60 Hz) connectors. The stand allows tilt adjustment range of 20 degrees and height adjustment up to 150 mm, so you can set up the monitor in landscape or in portrait mode.
Asus equipped this monitor with its own SplendidPlus Video Intelligence, EyeCare, VividPixel, GamePlus and QuickFit Vistual Scale Technologies. Monitor next to the audio jacks and has two stereo speakers than 2 W. It can already be purchased on most world markets including Europe with a suggested retail price of $799.99.


The Special Education program is designed to assist students with a variety of disabilities. Students are eligible for this program through identification by teacher, or parent and undergo a variety of testing to see if they meet minimum qualification for inclusion in to this program. Once they have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) in place they will receive services directly from their Special Education case manager and within the regular classrooms.


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Susan Raines
Dr. Susan Raines is a Graduate Professor of Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University in metropolitan Atlanta, GA. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Conflict Resolution Quarterly and an expert on internet-based dispute resolution systems. She has designed and evaluated Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs for numerous U.S. state and federal agencies. Her latest book, Conflict Management for Managers: Resolving Workplace, Community, and Policy Disputes, was released in January 2014.
Trends and Opportunities in Organizational Conflict Management
July 9, 2020 November 19, 2014 by Susan Raines
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) has left its early stages and is now coming into full maturity in the U.S. courts and, more recently, outside of them. In 2004, Marc Galanter's groundbreaking research noted that trials were vanishing rapidly from the US court system: 11.5% of filed federal cases ended in trial in 1962, but fell to 1.8 percent in 2002, due mostly to ADR and negotiated settlements


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Decade of Decadence
#820: 1991 Was the End and 1991 Was the Beginning (Part Three)
GETTING MORE TALE #820: 1991 Was the End and 1991 Was the Beginning (Part Three)
As monumental as 1991 already was terms of massive change, a big one was still to come: finally learning how to drive! The time had finally come when I had to, and so I did. I cut my teeth driving to and from University during the winter. You can get pretty good pretty quickly that way. Most importantly, I discovered the pleasures of listening to music alone in the car.
Choosing an album. Turning it up as loud as I could handle. Listening to the whole thing from start to finish without complaints. It was…a revelation. My parents used to be able to hear me coming home from around the corner, so loud was I blasting it.
It was an '89 Plymouth Sundance, but all that really mattered to me was that it had a tape deck and I was allowed to drive it. Upon arriving at school, I can remember putting the tape case on the dash board so the parking control guy could see how cool my music was.
Jesus, I was weird.
Still am? I guess this website is just me putting my tape cases up on the dashboard of life. Right?
With new music on the shelves by Europe and Tesla, and a monolithic new slab by Guns N' Roses to enjoy, I was keeping myself busy. Then and now I believed in giving new releases multiple listens, and I always played the Guns tapes as a set. There was no point, I reasoned, in listening to one more than another. They're really one album so that's how I played them, every time. Late '91 was a Guns-heavy time.
Although first year of university life was a lonely time, I did make some new friends. I had two night classes. One thing I enjoyed about night classes was that there was only one per week — a big three hour chunk. You could cover a lot of material in one class, and have a week to absorb everything for next class. My first night class was Sociology, and next to me sat big Rob V, who quickly became one of my Jedi Masters of Rock. He educated me on Whitesnake, Deep Purple and the Black Sabbath discography. Then he taped for me a number of rarities, and they were treasured by me for many years. Those tapes were only replaced when I finally scored original CD or vinyl copies for myself. We weren't the cool guys in Sociology class, but we had a lasting friendship. Rob lived not too far from me, so I was happy to drive him home after school. He would often have commentary for me regarding my musical selection for the car.
My favourite night class was Thursdays — Anthropology 101. I hated the professor initially. He was a ponytail guy. Our school had a couple ponytail guys. Also a few socks-and-sandals guys, which blew my mind. "What the fuck is the point of that?" I asked myself rhetorically. All psychology professors, those guys. But ponytail-Anthropology guy (gosh I wish I could remember his name) won me over very quickly with his entertaining, though factually dense, teaching style. There was a lot to cover each night.
Another quality that night classes had was a higher number of adult students. I enjoyed speaking to them, but one poor older lady really struggled in Anthro-101. I'll never forget her because although she slowed the class down, I just felt badly for her. She dropped the course by the second semester.
The teacher liked to use examples to illustrate a point. I can't remember the exact details, but he was using a current TV ad as his example.
"I don't know these modern TV commercials!" she said in frustration.
"OK, no problem…here's an example from your generation. On the original Star Trek in 1969 there was an episode where they beamed down to this particular planet…"
Then he lost her even further! He tried though; lord did that professor try.
While I was making interesting new friends in 1991, an old friend became more special. I took my studying very seriously and because of that I had to stay home for Thanksgiving instead of going to the lake with my parents. I couldn't study there. Too small a space. So Peter invited me to have Thanksgiving dinner with his family. That was something that meant a lot to me. I wasn't going to be alone and I had a hot meal to look forward to. I even put on a nice shirt and shaved my peachfuzz. Peter had an incredible family. His mom and dad were always welcoming, making me feel at home. Same with his sister Joanne. Over the coming months and years, Peter and I would grow closer and hung out every weekend. Where I had friends that were Jedi Masters of Rock, Peter was more like my Jedi Master of Movies. He had a huge collection. I think as a collective, comedy was our thing. Peter was also my Jedi Master of Comedy. I might never have seen Slap Shot if it wasn't for Peter.
At the end of 1991, my Christmas list took care of some of the last new releases in music that I needed. Poison's double Swallow This Live was, not surprisingly, a letdown. I was also underwhelmed by the Operation: LIVEcrime box set by Queensryche. Too many backing vocal tapes. But for a long time I had looked forward to Motley Crue's Decade of Decadence. Back in the summer of 1990, Vince Neil was talking about this album. Finally I had the tape in my hands! (It's a shame I spent so much time in my collection lingering on the cassette format, but the car tape deck made it a natural choice.) I loved the new heavier sound of "Primal Scream". The new remixes were just added value to me. I eagerly awaited whatever heaviness Motley Crue were working on, without realising that the band were working on firing Vince Neil!
Although worlds seemed to be ending when highschool did, somehow life was still going on. Many things did come to their natural conclusions, like friendships, rock bands and the Pepsi Power Hour, but other things had started to bloom. Peter and I were to trek onto many 1990s adventures, for the human adventure always continues.
Posted in RSTs Mk II: Getting More Tale and tagged 1991, Decade of Decadence, europe, guns n' roses, Motley Crue, prisoners in paradise, Psychotic Supper, tesla, Use Your Illusion I, Use Your Illusion II, Wildrid Laurier University on March 11, 2020 by mikeladano. 29 Comments
VHS Archives #94: Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx's Decade of Decadence – double shot!
"…Give us some time to work on what we wanna do now. Which is…so different, that it's gonna take time. You can't just go 'we're gonna do something different' and just crank it out. I mean you gotta experiment and it's going to take a lot of songwriting and trial and tribulations. So it'll be four years between albums for us at least." — Nikki Sixx
These are two of the interviews that made me really, really excited for the future of Motley Crue. Nikki and Mick did a pair of MuchMusic interviews in the same day that aired on different programs. Mars and Sixx were engaged and enjoying themselves. I've edited the two interviews together here for you. The first is a live session with Steve Anthony. They take live questions in front of that big glass MuchMusic window with a legion of fans outside. The second is a brief one in the basement with Teresa Roncon from the Power 30.
Subjects broached:
Parents still hating them
The next LP
Posted in VHS Archives and tagged Decade of Decadence, mick mars, Motley Crue, muchmusic, nikki sixx, Power 30, Steve Anthony, Teresa Roncon on March 7, 2020 by mikeladano. 49 Comments
VHS Archives #88: Motley Crue's Vince Neil – Back in Vancouver again with TDM (1990)
It's a clean, sober and healthy looking Vince Neil! Once again, MuchMusic had Terry David Mulligan with all the hot questions. This chat includes a surprise announcement of Motley's next album Decade of Decadence.
TDM raises the following subjects:
What does Bob Rock bring to the Crue?
How will the Crue celebrate its 10th anniversary?
Thoughts on the next 10 years
"In 18 months there won't be 20 teenagers left in America that would be caught dead listening to Motley Crue." – Creem magazine
Posted in VHS Archives and tagged bob rock, Decade of Decadence, Motley Crue, muchmusic, Terry David Mulligan, vince neil on February 20, 2020 by mikeladano. 8 Comments
VHS Archives #62: The "Real" Dirt – MOTLEY CRUE – MuchMusic special "Decade of Decadence" (1990)
Already seen The Dirt? Watch this then.
Back in 1990, before Motley Crue released their own Decade of Decadence video, MuchMusic made one themselves. And it's pretty good. They were already gearing up for the ill-fated Motley '94 album. "No ballads," says Nikki Sixx. It was a good time to be a Crue-head.
Youtube would not allow the music videos that were a part of this documentary. They have been edited out.
Posted in VHS Archives and tagged Decade of Decadence, mick mars, Motley Crue, muchmusic, nikki sixx, The Dirt, tommy lee, vince neil on March 30, 2019 by mikeladano. 4 Comments
Part 251: Punched In the Teeth By Love
RECORD STORE TALES Part 251: Punched In the Teeth By Love
Back in December of 1991, an old M.E.A.T Magazine article on Motley Crue revealed a cool little nugget of an exclusive. Motley were promoting their first "greatest hits" CD, Decade of Decadence. Like any good official compilation album should, it contained three brand new songs. They were heavier, alluding to an evolution in direction for Motley Crue. However there was a fourth new song that didn't make the cut:
It always disappointed me that since Vince Neil left the Crue in early '92, that song title never appeared on their next album. Too bad, I thought. Something about the title jumped out at me; I was looking forward to hearing the song, but it never came out. Bummer. Especially since I did indeed get "punched in the teeth by love" (figuratively) and been knocked out a couple times. But you could never keep me down for the count, I always bounced back.
Any time I broke up with some girl back then, I'd always tell the guys at the record store the same thing. "Man, I need to write a song called 'Punch In the Teeth By Love'!" I figured, since Motley Crue hadn't used it, the title was up for grabs! I threw some words and a rudimentary riff/melody together as a joke but it never went beyond that. It always generated a few laughs though, and laughing at work is healthy, especially when you've been punched in the teeth by love.
Of course later on (1997) Vince Neil did rejoin Motley Crue. Later still, after Tommy Lee quit the group acrimoniously, they released possibly their worst ever album New Tattoo (2000). Interestingly, that album's track #7 was called "Punched In the Teeth By Love"!
I don't presume this to be the exact song that would have come out in 1991, since Randy Castillo (Tommy Lee's replacement) is credited as a writer. Maybe the lyrics are recycled, maybe just the title, whatever: it doesn't matter. Finally "Punched In the Teeth By Love" surfaced and as hoped it was one of the heaviest songs. The riff was pretty generic, but Mick Mars' guitar work is impressive. I've always felt Mick has grown as a guitar player tremendously, especially since Dr. Feelgood. It's certainly not the greatest song, but it rocks hard enough and has a cool gang vocal chorus, so I'll give it a B or a B+.
It was considered to be worthy of the concert setlist in 2000 (Samantha Maloney on drums now, filling in for the terminally ill Randy Castillo). It was played only on that tour though, and it was not included on any Crue compilation since then, including the double Red, White & Crue. So I'd like to bring your attention back to this track, a pretty good if not great dirty little Motley Crue song: "Punched In the Teeth By Love"!
Posted in Record Store Tales and tagged classic rock, Decade of Decadence, hard rock, heavy metal, m.e.a.t magazine, mick mars, Motley Crue, New Tattoo, nikki sixx, Randy Castillo, rock music, Samantha Maloney, tommy lee, vince neil on December 8, 2013 by mikeladano. 25 Comments
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Francis Xavier Hiroaki Nakano (* 15. April 1951 in Kagoshima, Japan) ist ein japanischer Geistlicher und römisch-katholischer Bischof von Kagoshima.

Leben
Francis Xavier Hiroaki Nakano empfing am 2. April 1978 das Sakrament der Priesterweihe.

Am 7. Juli 2018 ernannte ihn Papst Franziskus zum Bischof von Kagoshima. Der emeritierte Bischof von Kagoshima, Paul Kenjirō Kōriyama, spendete ihm am 8. Oktober desselben Jahres die Bischofsweihe; Mitkonsekratoren waren der Erzbischof von Nagasaki, Joseph Mitsuaki Takami PSS, und der Erzbischof von Osaka, Thomas Aquino Man'yō Kardinal Maeda.

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Einzelnachweise

Römisch-katholischer Bischof (21. Jahrhundert)
Römisch-katholischer Geistlicher (20. Jahrhundert)
Japaner
Geboren 1951
Mann
Person (Kagoshima)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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"Misguided" solicitor fined over offensive remark
Nottingham Magistrates Court: Solicitor was talking to colleagues in courtroom
A veteran solicitor who made an "inappropriate and offensive remark" while trying to pay a compliment has been fined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
Richard John Hetherington, 69, has agreed to pay £2,000, the most the SRA can fine a solicitor without referring them to a disciplinary tribunal.
According to a regulatory settlement agreement published yesterday, Mr Hetherington – who qualified in 1974 – was at Nottingham Magistrates' Court in November 2017 to represent a client at a hearing.
He was having an "informal conversation" with colleagues in an otherwise empty courtroom when he made "an inappropriate and offensive remark during an attempt to express a compliment in relation to a firm of solicitors".
The agreement went on: "The compliment was meant innocently and genuinely but was misguided. The remark made reference to the ethnicity of members of the firm in question."
Mr Hetherington admitted that, in breach of the SRA principles, he failed to act with integrity, to behave in a way which maintains the trust the public places in him and in the provision of legal services, and to carry out his role in a way that encourages equality of opportunity and respect for diversity.
It said the solicitor, "recognising that his conduct was unacceptable", voluntarily attended a course on equality and diversity.
"Consequently, he now has a better understanding of words and conduct which may be inappropriate."
He also said this was "an isolated and atypical lapse in behaviour which would not be repeated in the future".
Meanwhile, the SRA overturned its decision to refer another senior solicitor to a tribunal after reaching a settlement agreement with him.
Stephen Goldberg, admitted in 1970, was a partner at North London firm OGR Stock Denton when he allowed an individual property developer client, and people and companies associated with them, to use the firm's client account as a banking facility in relation to three payments where there was no underlying transaction or legal service being provided.
Further, while acting for the same client, he created ledgers which did not accurately identify the individual or company for which the firm was acting.
Instead, they used the generic trading name of the group associated with the client, albeit each transaction had a separate file and ledger and could be identified by reference to the property to which it related, and Mr Goldberg was satisfied as to the identity of the individuals and companies concerned.
This was a failure to maintain proper accounting records.
Mr Goldberg was fined £2,000 and agreed to pay costs of £13,500.
Also yesterday, the SRA has banned from the profession the non-solicitor former manager of the criminal department at Bird & Co Solicitors in Grantham, Lincolnshire after she was convicted of intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence, namely the possession of a mobile phone while in prison.
Lindsey Whotton was handed a sentence of five months' imprisonment, suspended for a year, 120 hours of unpaid work, forfeiture of the mobile phone and a victim surcharge of £80.
Under section 43 of the Solicitors Act 1974, no firm can employ her without the SRA's approval.
The regulator has also made a section 43 order against Alan Bates, who was a litigation fee-earner at Merseyside firm Scott Rees & Co.
It said Mr Bates backdated a letter that gave the impression he had served two witness statements on the defendant by the deadline set by the court when he had not. The SRA found his conduct to be dishonest.
Another section 43 order has been made against Laurna Porter, who between 2004 and 2015 was employed as a probate fee-earner by Dewes, and its predecessor practice Dewes Sketchley, in Tamworth, Staffordshire, and then went on to work at Glaisyers in the town as head of the probate department before her dismissal in March 2018.
The SRA said: "During her employment with the above firms it was found that she misappropriated at least £133,187.25 of client money from four probate matters. A finding of dishonesty was also made against Mrs Porter."
Finally, Laura Evette Renwick, who was the assistant cashier at Keoghs Nicholls Lindsell & Harris in Altrincham, Cheshire, was found to have withdrawn £3,500 from the firm's petty cash account without authorisation and to have made false entries on the ledger to conceal it.
As the firm is an alternative business structure (ABS), the SRA has banned her from working in other ABSs, under section 99 of the Legal Services Act 2007, and fined her £2,625.
In sharp contrast with its powers over those at traditional law firms, the SRA can fine employees of ABSs up to £50m.
Transparency failures put three firms in the dock


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Q: Recording function calls to a library I am trying to find a tool which will generate wrappers around a library and record all the function calls. The project I am working on is quite large and the 3rd party refuses to dive into such a large codebase to debug their problem. Any suggestions?
PS: I am working on linux.

A: ltrace might do just that.
If that's now powerful enough, you can clobber something together thus: assuming you have a debug build with the symbols available, you could extract those symbols and write a script which inserts breakpoints into gdb based on that, runs it, and iteratively extract the location and continue.
Or you could go raw and use ptrace.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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The Vanuatu Government through the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marc Ati, has expressed utter dismay at the announcement by the Director General (DG) of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat regarding a recent voluntary contribution of 100,000USD (VT10.9 million) by the Indonesian National Police, to the Secretariat.
"The Secretariat's accompanying press statement implied that the donation has the support of the membership, which it doesn't," Minister Ati conveyed yesterday.
"While the donation is to support the development of MSG's Regional Security Strategy, it does not command the blessing of the entire membership.
"Moreover, given that the donation was to promote the MSG's common goal of peace and security, sustainable development and prosperity, within its '2038 Prosperity for All' Plan, consultation with the entire membership prior to accepting it would have been proper.
This is also mindful of related sensitivities surrounding Indonesia's accession to the MSG, as an Associate Member.
"What is becoming increasingly clear to Vanuatu is that while Indonesia's associate membership in the Group is by virtue of representing and protecting its ethnic Melanesian population, these same people continue to be marginalised and oppressed, especially in the Provinces of Papua and West Papua.
"As an organisation that was set up to raise the plight of Melanesian populations who continue to be marginalised in their own lands, the MSG has no place for the pursuit of subversive or domination politics, especially by bigger players, over its membership."
Vanuatu appeals to members of the Global Community to prudently assert their influences, through the United Nations, its subsidiary organs, committees and conventions, to deal with the unfinished business of colonialism, and ongoing human rights violations in the Pacific, especially in West Papua.
The Vanuatu government also reiterated the call for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to undertake that long overdue fact-finding mission to West Papua, a call made by Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in 2019.
This is in addition to common security threats and challenges faced by the 'MSG region' and the Pacific, such as the existential threat of Climate Change, and the ongoing ravages of COVID-19.
Source: https://www.dailypost.vu/news/vanuatu-upset-by-indonesia-s-vt10-9m-donation-to-msg/article_8a4873ba-4701-50de-82e1-eafc3ff842fd.htm


No, it doesn't involve 'gramming' your bubble bath.
Rosemary Phago accidentally left her phone in a taxi on her way home and the person who found it did the most unimaginable thing and leaked her nudes on social media.
Changing things up on the work front in 2019?
Will you be 'financially cheating' on your family and friends over Christmas?
South Africans are heavily affected by financial stress and pressure can mount during the festive season.
Whether it's work, your relationship or perhaps news of the latest petrol price hike, sometimes there's just no avoiding stress. But if you're planning on having children it may be even more important to learn how to cope with life's anxieties.
Do you let or does someone make work trump your personal life?
The best part: you don't even have to leave your chair.
If you treat me right i will treat you right. Not going to talk about myself here. Ask me and i will tell you all you want to know.
Im pretty easy going, and able to see the best in people. i Also want the best for the people i love.


P-05-863 Call on the Welsh Government to provide free sanitary products to all women in low income households.
P-05-858 Fire Sprinklers are for life, not a fast buck!
P-05-852 Introduce a Licence to manage land for game bird shooting in an attempt to end raptor persecution.
P-05-826 Pembrokeshire says NO!! To the closure of Withybush A&E!
P-05-806 We call for all premises in Wales to be awarded an Access Certificate number similar to the Food Hygiene Certificate.
P-05-804 We need Welsh Government funding for play!!
P-05-803 Our natural world is being poisoned by single use plastics...it's time to introduce a tax!
P-05-775 Put an end to the Cross Border and Sub-contracting Taxi Licensing loophole.
P-05-732 Unacceptable Waiting Times for NHS patients in A & E Wrecsam/Wrexham Maelor Hospital.
P-05-723 Establish Proportional Representation Voting System for Welsh Local Council Elections.
P-04-606 Ensure schools exercise their statutory powers under regulation 7 of The Education (Pupil Registration) (Wales) Regulations 2010 without interference or bias.


Im not living in ny right now, but plan on it in the furture. Ive heard of the ny troopers having a testing in a couple years, 1-2 from now. I was wondering how strict they are with the bi, i have heard they do not allow any drug use, then i have heard that they just want you to be honest with them if you had over five years ago, or if any at all. maybe some of you that have gone through this can give me some insite on this matter.
Drug usage is not the issue.. Integrity issues are what get's most people DQed. Smoke a little weed 8 years ago in high school when you were dumb... not a big deal. Smoke weed after you've decided that you want a career in law enforcement... probably not someone I want to work with. Listing "Meth Cook" as one of your previous jobs or "winner of High Times Best Hydro Setup contest" as a major accomplishment... don't waste your time taking the test.
Telling the truth about mistakes you have made in the past is the right thing to do. Maybe they will tell you that your issues are too recent and you should defer to a later class and take time to show us that you've changed... it happens a lot. I know a Senior Investigator's son and a couple of local Police Officers who have been told they need to give it some more time before they will be considered for appointment to the academy. Lie about things you've done and you wont have to worry about psych tests and polygraphs because you'll be dropped from processing and probably told to not apply again.
Integrity is what gets guys fired too... not their actions... lieing about what they did is what gets them fired.
Hello everyone, Just came across this site, its good to see other people going through the same uncertainty I am going through. About the Oswego academy, I have heard this also. The new gun control task force is really pushing the numbers way up, very good for us. The Academy in Oswego is currently used for the EnCon cops, but unlike the SP they don't have an academy every 6 months.
I'm also interested as to when people hear about the Medical, so if anyone gets a letter please let us know. Also, about the DQ letters, a buddy of mine went through the whole process last year and never reieved a letter saying he wasn't in until after the academy had already started. Are they pretty good about letting you know if you didn't get in?
One more thing, as you all know the last processing was for deferred applications and military, therefore the rankings are going to be pretty skewed due to the extra 5 points military and higher ranking deferred people. My number is in the 1700's. Any idea on where that puts me on the list for the April academy, I'd rather not wait another 6 months, but I will if I have to. Lets keep everyone posted.
Last edited by WishIKnew; 01-19-2006, 05:39 PM.
We just got an email stating that the April class will be 260 and the following class most probably will be the same size.
Thanks for the update, sounds good.
Last edited by Troophopeful; 01-21-2006, 12:16 AM.
Listen to this guys. The NYPD just called to see if I was interested in entering the January 31's class. 300 new spots just opened up for the academy and they need to fill them. I guess they can process me in 10 days, thats not saying a lot for the NYPD. They must really be hurting for qualified applicants since I just got my scores from the test last week.
What are you going to do? take the job with NYPD?
Or hold out for SP?
I told the NYPD that I wasn't interestd in the upcoming class, but to keep me on the list for the July class. It would be a mistake for me to give up on the SP so easily. 28K for 5 years would be a huge pay cut for me. How does anyone live on that? Now, if I don't get into the SP that will change things.
I was wondering if one of you guys could give some feedback on this to put my mind at ease. My BI finished my background in the end of Nov and I havent heard anything from him since. Then last week he called and told me that he got a call from Albany and that there was two tickets I got that I didnt tell him about. I guess they were two tickets on got on the base when I was in the military, one for seatbelt and not wearing a jacket on my motorcycle. I had honestly forgot that I received them and on the base the tickets dont go on your license just on your military driving report. My question is are these tickets going to hinder my package at all or am I really over analyzing the whole thing. Other than those tickets and a three others i got in my life (one of which was speeding) I have nothing else derogatory on my background. No drug use, excellent credit, and no criminal offenses of any kind. Thanks in advance for you responses.


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ARRL Visits British Hams, RSGB at National Hamfest
TAGS: arrl, arrl handbook, arrl headquarters, ARRL Marketing Manager, arrl members, arrl publications, ARRL's Facebook page, rsgb
Earlier this month, ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, represented the League at the National Hamfest in the United Kingdom. Billed as the biggest convention in the UK, the National Hamfest "kicked off" Ham Week UK, October 1-10. Now in its second year, the hamfest is sponsored by both the Lincoln Short Wave Club and the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB). Ham Week concluded with the RSGB Convention -- formerly the HF Convention -- held October 8-10. According to Inderbitzen, the RSGB Convention is a smaller event than the National Hamfest, and includes lectures and presentations for HF and VHF interests, but no exhibits.
Once at the hamfest venue, Inderbitzen met up with RSGB Commercial Manager Mark Allgar, M1MPA, and RSGB Advertising Manager Chris Danby, G0DWV. "Mark shared some background with me about the convention, a collaboration between the RSGB and the Lincoln Short Wave Club," Inderbitzen said. "The convention is a fundraiser and a club activity for the Lincoln Short Wave Club. I had dinner one evening with the show's organizer, Clive Catton, G1BSN. Just like most of the larger hamfests and conventions in the US, the show's success hinges on a single event organizer who is skillful at working with many, many volunteers. Clive is that guy!"
Allgar and Danby had arranged a very visible stand for the ARRL, close to the RSGB exhibit. "They had also run a few news releases, mentioning the ARRL's participation," Inderbitzen said. "The show ran from 10 AM-4 PM on Friday and Saturday (how very civilized!). About 3000 people came to the National Hamfest and I enjoyed the tremendous variety in regional accents and dialects. The majority of attendees were from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales."
Inderbitzen said he enjoyed visiting with some of the other RSGB officials, including General Manager Peter Kirby, G0TWW, and President Dave Wilson, M0OBW: "Dave's interaction with RSGB members is exceptionally warm, personal and in-touch. Peter mentioned that through his effort, the RSGB had purchased a LUSO tower after last year's convention." The tower is awaiting installation on the grounds of Bletchley Park -- site of the RSGB National Amateur Radio Centre -- presently under construction.
"I'd be remiss not to mention the RSGB's traveling teaching exhibit, demonstrated to me by Carlos Eavis, G0AKI," Inderbitzen explained. Carlos is responsible for this Amateur Radio classroom-on-wheels, GB4FUN -- complete with HF, VHF and satellite station. You could eat off the floor of this shack! When I asked where all the wires were, Carlos explained that they organized the operating positions to be very neat and orderly, so as not to 'scare away' parents and school teachers. Handwritten thank-you letters from children around the UK who have enjoyed a visit from GB4FUN are posted on the inside walls of the vehicle." The mobile classroom has supported radio contacts between schools and the International Space Station, a program sponsored by NASA, ARRL, AMSAT and other international space agencies.
Back at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, ARRL Membership Manager Diane Petrilli, KB1RNF, e-mailed the more than 1000 ARRL members residing in the UK, to let them know that the ARRL would be attending the National Hamfest and the RSGB Convention. "This contributed to visits from many well-wishers, including a few folks who remarked that they hadn't planned on coming to the convention until they received the nice invitation from ARRL," Inderbitzen explained. "I was overwhelmed with handshakes and 'welcomes.' More than one British ARRL member told me how much they enjoyed QST. Many of the new members who I signed up were familiar with QST through a local radio club subscription. I also received positive comments about ARRL publications, most notably The ARRL Handbook and ARRL's PIC Programming for Beginners."
Throughout the event, Inderbitzen posted photos and comments on the ARRL's Facebook page and said that some visitors stopped by after having seen the Facebook posts: "One new member even asked that I post his call sign on the page, so I did one better and posted a list of new members every couple of hours. The positive feedback was great!"
ICOM, Kenwood and Yaesu were at the National Hamfest; WiNRADiO Communications also had a substantial stand and display. There were a handful of smaller manufacturers, some touting antennas, QRP kits and crank up/down towers (which seems to be the standard in the UK). There were many more dealers -- big and small -- carrying box radios, antennas, QRP kits (including a Kanga kit dealer), connectors and supplies.
Following the close of the convention on Saturday, Allgar took Inderbitzen to his home in Bedford, England. "The trip included a tour of RSGB Headquarters, located in a relatively new business park in Bedford," he said. "This is a modest administrative office -- owned by RSGB -- with a handful of staff, plus offices for Peter Kirby and Mark Allgar." While in the UK, Inderbitzen met with RadCom Managing Editor Elaine Richards, G4LFM; RadCom is the member journal of the RSGB, just as QST is the member journal of the ARRL. "Elaine's work and nearly all of RadCom's editorial contribution are completed in a virtual, online setting," he explained. "She works from home and travels to RSGB Headquarters a couple of times during monthly deadlines."
Inderbitzen thanked the organizers and ARRL members who made his visit to the UK National Hamfest so enjoyable: "This is an event that promises to keep growing. I hope many more members will save the date for next year, September 30 and October 1 at the Newark and Nottinghamshire Showground, just 'across the pond.'"
ARRL Marketing Ma...
The National Hamf...
The convention or...
Carlos Eavis, G0A...
RSGB President Da...
Everyone had fun ...
What's a hamfest ...


Christians are called "Worshipers of the Cross by Muslims. Why? Because we show such reverence to the crosses we wear and put up in our churches, in remembrance of the one on which Jesus died, and we put them atop our churches. Today in Wenzhou, China, the city with the highest number of Christians in all China, crosses are being lopped off church towers all over Zhejiang province – nobody will give an answer as to why, but obviously some Communist high up in the ranks is seriously offended by the number of crosses out there. And of course in regions ruled by ISIL/ ISIS, not only are crosses being knocked off church towers and churches claimed as mosques (Syriac Orthodox cathedral of Mosul and 44 others http://www.aina.org/news/20140729100528.htm ) but Christians of all Churches have been crucified on new crosses. The enemies of Jesus both hate His cross and are disturbed by its claims: that the Word of God took flesh in the womb of the Virgin, became one of us, lived among us and worst of all He died for us out of love!
September 14 is the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Honored as the life-giving Cross, since through it Christ gives us eternal life and lifts us up to Him Who was lifted up on Good Friday for our redemption out of His great love for us; and also because when the True Cross was found by St. Helena, it was touched to the body of a man being taken for burial and he was instantly revived.
During the Vigil, a cross is placed on the Holy Table/ altar where it reposes during the Vigil. This cross is placed on a tray that has been decorated with fresh basil leaves and red flowers. The cross reposes on the "High Place" of the Holy Table, where the Gospel Book would normally be. Basil is used because this plant's name means "king" and Jesus is our true king, and because it is associated with Mount Calvary, where our Lord was crucified.
At Matins, the transfer of the Cross takes place. After the Great Doxology the priest brings the Cross out of the sanctuary, led by candle-bearers and the deacon with incense. He sets the cross on the tetrapod which always stands in the center of Byzantine-Ruthenian churches as the choir sings: We bow to Your Cross, O Lord, and we glorify Your holy resurrection. This is what baffles Muslims and Communists: how can we Christians believe in such a link, and why must we put our crosses in front of them to disturb their consciences?
The special "Exaltation" is then celebrated, echoing the one done in Jerusalem. This consists of the priest taking the cross in his hands and lifting it above his head. At the prayer sung by him or the deacon, the people sing "Lord, Have Mercy". As they sing, the priest slowly blesses the congregation, and then bows down to the ground and up again, lifting the cross on high. This process is repeated four more times to the four points of the compass.
Everyone bows during the singing of "We bow to Your Cross, O Lord" and stands up at the following verse "and we glorify Your holy resurrection. The cross will remain in the center of the temple throughout the octave and the faithful will venerate it whenever they enter or leave the church. Finally, on the leave-taking of the Feast, the priest and deacon will cense around the cross, there will be a final veneration of the cross, and then they will solemnly bring the cross back into the sanctuary through the Royal Doors.
Many churches are named in honor of this feast, the most important to our Church being the Cathedral of the Mukachevo Eparchy, the mother diocese of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolia of the United States (to which we belong), in the city of Uzhhorod. In this cathedral, a special reliquary with a sliver of the True Cross is exposed in a glass-enclosed box over the Royal Doors of the iconostas.
Put on a cross around your neck and thank God that you can do so, and kiss it. Hang a cross on a wall of your home, and do the same. Above all else, pray for those who have lost everything because they honor the Cross, and those under Communist rule who are willing to go to prison, for the sake of the Cross.
The enormous Sanjiang Church was completely torn down. Despite having had all the government permits, it was declared "illegal", and in a Communist country, the government's decision cannot be appealed, no matter how wrong it is.


The Pupil Services and SELPA Department, headed by Laura Blesse, at Plumas Unified School District, is developing a new Parent Resource Center and is currently offering parent workshops in Quincy, Portola, and Chester to aid in meeting the needs of students and their families within Plumas County. Jennifer Kimball, the PUSD Special Education Instructional Coach, and Patty Llamas, the Bilingual Parent Liaison, are helping put this resource center together by creating a network and database of knowledge and resources for parents to tap into to get support.
Every year, Plumas Unified Schools welcome foreign exchange students from all over the world. Historically, Rotary is the host organization that facilitates these exchanges. Rotary both organizes the international students exchange and host families here in Plumas County, as well as offers students opportunities for summer and yearlong exchanges abroad. This year we have two foreign exchange students hosted by the Rotary Club, one at Chester Jr./Sr. High School and one at Portola Jr./Sr. High, as well as one student at Quincy Jr./Sr. High School hosted by a private company.


text:
October 14 ~ in Music History
1871 ~ Alexander Zemlinsky, Austrian composer and conductor
More information on Zemlinsky
• 1907 ~ Allan Jones, Singer, father of singer, Jack Jones
• 1926 ~ Bill (William E.) Justis (Jr.), Saxophone
• 1928 ~ Gary Graffman, American pianist
• 1930 ~ I Got Rhythm, by George Gershwin, sung by Ethel Merman, was a show-stopper in the production of "Girl Crazy" on Broadway. It was Merman's debut on the Great White Way as she captivated audiences and launched her stellar career. "Girl Crazy" went on for 272 performances.
• 1931 ~ Rafael Puyana, Colombian harpsichordist
• 1938 ~ Melba Montgomery, Singer
• 1938 ~ One of the great songs of the big band era was recorded by Bob Crosby (Bing's brother) and The Bob Cats. Big Noise from Winnetka on Decca Records featured Bob Haggart and Ray Bauduc. Haggart whistled and played bass, while Bauduc played the skins.
• 1939 ~ Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) was organized on this day to compete with ASCAP (American Society of Composers and Publishers). The two music licensing organizations' goal is to ensure that composers, artists and publishers are properly paid for the use of their works.
• 1940 ~ Cliff Richard (Harry Webb), Singer
• 1946 ~ Justin Hayward, Guitarist, singer with The Moody Blues
• 1961 ~ The Broadway production "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" opened.
• 1971 ~ It was John and Yoko Day on The Dick Cavett Show on ABC. The couple promoted Lennon's new LP (Imagine) and film (Imagine) and Yoko's book, two films and a fine arts show.
• 1977 ~ Bing (Harry Lillis) Crosby passed away
• 1996 ~ Eighteen years after its creation, The Rolling Stones' Rock & Roll Circus was finally released. The 1968 event put together by The Stones comprised two concerts on a circus stage and included performances by The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull and Jethro Tull. John Lennon and Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell and Keith Richards. It was originally planned to be aired on BBC TV.
• 2001 ~ Willam Farr Christensen, a Utah dancer who started on the vaudeville stage and went on to become one of the most important figures in American ballet, died at the age of 99. Founder of the San Francisco Ballet and Utah's Ballet West, Christensen was the first person in the United States to choreograph full-length versions of several ballet classics, including "The Nutcracker", "Coppelia" and "Swan Lake". With his brothers Lew and Harold, he toured the famous Orpheum vaudeville circuit in the 1920s, performing a ballet act at a time when few Americans were familiar with the art. By 1934, Christensen had quit the circuit to found the first ballet company in Portland, Ore., then left three years later to join the San Francisco Opera Ballet as a principal soloist. Within a year he was named ballet master of the company. In 1941 he founded the San Francisco Ballet, the first major ballet company in the West. Christensen choreographed the country's first full-length production of "The Nutcracker" in 1944, and today it is a Christmas tradition for nearly every ballet company in the nation.
This entry was posted in Composers, musicians, Pianists, Today in Music History and tagged composer, conductor, Gary Graffman, George Gershwin, harpsichordist, pianist, saxophonist, singer, Today in Music History, video. Bookmark the permalink.


When I talk to my patients about the importance of their feet, I use a simple orchestra analogy. The body is the group of musicians and their feet are like the conductor. When the conductor is "off," so is the orchestra. When the feet aren't supported properly, the rest of the body follows suit.
Foot Levelers has a great graphic showing how the rest of the body is affected by over-pronation.
Pronation is a necessary movement during the gait cycle. Over-pronation, however, is problematic. Over-pronation is the inward rolling of your ankle and foot. Extreme over-pronation can be visibly seen statically as flat feet or dropped arches.
Let's assume a typical stride length is 3 feet for runners, give or take. Given this assumption, a marathoner will take roughly 46,112 steps by the end of the 26.2 mile jaunt. That is just for the race! We aren't even including all of the training leading up to that point. If a runner over-pronates only 1 millimeter, he or she will have over-pronated a total of 46,112 millimeters over the course of a full marathon, equaling 1,815 inches or 151 feet. The stress this puts on the body can add up quickly!
Over-pronation is wasted movement and when you're pushing your body to the max, efficiency is important. The inefficiency of over-pronation can also increase the amount of time it takes to get a proper toe off. To add insult to injury, it can also significantly change your gait.
A "toeing out" gait is a typical presentation for someone who over-pronates. This isn't the only cause for "toeing out", but it's a common one. When the foot over-pronates it puts the foot in a disadvantaged position to achieve a proper toe off. In order to achieve this, the foot makes up for it by "toeing out" to make room for toe off.
Picking the right orthotic is important. Stores are littered with choices: Dr. Scholl's, Super Feet, Walk Fit, Good Feet, etc. The problem with these inserts is that they assume that everyone's feet are the same. They only provide a handful of choices and then expect you to find one that works. It would be similar to an optician offering you 3 different prescription lenses from which to choose for your glasses. You will probably find one that works better than the others but it doesn't mean it is an ideal fit for you.
The other problem with the retail orthotics is that they only support one arch. Your foot actually has three arches and all of them need to be supported for proper foot mechanics. Supporting one arch is just a band-aid approach and in the end will most likely lead to more issues.
As a side note, hard orthotics, like the ones often made by podiatrists, brace the foot too much and prevent your deep foot muscles from firing and they become weak. This makes it difficult and painful to do anything without wearing your orthotics, especially walking barefoot.
In our office, we utilize Foot Levelers orthotics. Foot Levelers are the leading orthotic on the market. We use a special scanner to take a picture of the bottom of your foot and then run it through a computer program which shows us how you are distributing your weight throughout your foot. Next, we send the scan to Foot Levelers and they take over 200 measurements and build a custom soft orthotic that supports all 3 arches in your foot.
Foot Levelers has developed an orthotic specifically for runners. Typically, runners are concerned about the added bulk that can come with some orthotics which can decrease speed. The InMotion orthotic is made thinner and lighter without compromising durability. This allows for optimal support while maintaining speed and allowing range of motion, among other benefits. Don't believe me? Ask my wife.
As a runner, your feet are the most important piece of running gear you own! You can buy fancy shoes with a 4mm heel drop, the most technologically advanced Garmin GPS watch, the new Nike+ FuelBand, compression socks or the lightest Mp3 player on the market, all of which can be replaced when they break or wear out. Your feet on the other hand… well, you get one pair so take care of them!
What has been your experience with orthotics?
Image from Andrew Malone, used via Creative Commons Attribution rights.
What you Should Know About Chi Running – Part 1	Do you have to forget your last marathon before you try another?
I'm always pretty happy to wear test and review running gear, but not much gets me more excited than getting to test out a new brand of running socks. Most runners tend to take excellent care of their feet – especially since they're a main part of being able to do the sport we love – so having a good pair of socks on is a must. This is my review of the Rockay Accelerate Anti-Blister Running socks.
Knowing the anatomy of a running shoe will help determine the right shoe for you. Once you have the right shoe, the run will more be comfortable and the risk of injuries will be reduced. While there are a number of brands on the market, the shoes all have the similar anatomy. After reading the article, you will better understand the parts that make up a shoe and what those different parts do.
I was always pretty lucky that I managed to evade injuries when I was running track and cross country in high school. Something changed when I started college, though. I found myself sidelined all the time. After graduating, I knew I needed to make some changes if I wanted to keep racing. All those injuries just make it incredibly difficult to maintain a consistent training plan. It took some trial and error, but I've finally found a combination of strategies that work for me. Here are five things I do to keep myself as injury-free as possible.


Princess Nella feels so tired! Why don't you help her find all the necessary items in her pretty room? This magical place is full of incredible things! Can you do that? Help Princess find all things she needs that much and make her happy!


Envision the perfect Nutcracker experience with children—a crisp December afternoon of festive fun and togetherness. You arrive to see the Opera House beautifully decorated, the dancing sublime, and a ballet that's both charming and heart-warming. Their young eyes shine with delight as a magical story unfolds onstage. It's a holiday experience they'll always remember.
And yet—and we've all been there—that dream of a memorable holiday outing can take a decidedly less magical turn when the children fall apart during the quietest moment of the Waltz of the Flowers. Never fear! A bit of advance planning (and our best insider tips) can help set the stage for a wonderful experience with kids at Nutcracker.
When is a child old enough for Nutcracker? You know your kids best: Can they sit quietly through a two-hour show (with one intermission)? It's a judgment call: we recommend that children be at least 5 years old, and require that everyone be at least 3 years old (and have their own ticket). If you're unsure, we have questions to help you deciding whether your child is ready for the ballet. When considering who to bring, keep in mind that while ballet is often thought of as an activity for young girls, there's lots for boys to enjoy too, especially at Nutcracker.
Consider the kids' daily routine. Matinees start at 2 pm and evening performances at 7 pm (except for Christmas eve and the last day of the run, when there are matinees at 11 am and 4 pm). Children who are sleepy before 9 pm would most likely be better at a matinee, while those who have a mid-afternoon lull might better appreciate an evening performance.
INSIDER TIP If you're driving to an evening performance, consider putting a pillow, blanket, and pajamas in the trunk for the ride home.
Attending Nutcracker in the lead-up to the holidays is a special experience and a joyous escape from the holiday bustle. But did you know that Nutcracker performances continue after Christmas? The post-Christmas performances tend to be less crowded, with the same holiday magic but less pre-holiday stress in the air.
INSIDER TIP The 4 pm performance on Christmas eve has added poignancy and a festive air, with the orchestra playing carols post-performance.
Passport Performances are a great option for children—the first 500 children (ages 12 and under) who come into the Opera House are handed a plush toy. You'll have an opportunity to take photos with costumed characters, and you'll receive a special keepsake passport that you can use to collect different stamps from stations around the opera house. There are also complimentary treats and beverages for everyone at intermission.
For an upscale Nutcracker, VIP Box Experience provides seats on the elegant box level, as well as a private reception at intermission with complimentary sweets, beverages, and special gifts. If you order 6 to 8 seats, you can even have your own private Box Suite (book early so seats are still available).
For a truly one-of-a-kind experience, the Nutcracker Benefit Luncheon involves a beautiful lunch (and meeting the Sugar Plum Fairy), crafts, a performance, and much more.
When going to the ballet with children, look for seats on or near an aisle. Then if you need to slip out—for any reason—during the show, you and your child won't have to crawl over disgruntled seatmates in the darkened theater to exit.
You also need to choose a seating section. Nutcracker is special in that you see something different from each area of the Opera House. Want to see production's intricate details and the performers' expressions? Choose seats closer to the stage. On a budget? The seats high in the balconies also have a unique view: you'll see choreographic patterns in the "blossoming" of the Waltz of the Flowers and in the swirling snowflakes.
The seats on the two balconies (Grand Tier, Dress Circle, and the Balconies) are more steeply raked (stacked) so that it can be easier for children to see over those seated in front of them. That said, if you're seated in the orchestra section, there are a limited number of booster cushions available in the back of the lobby for children. Ask an usher to help you find them.
INSIDER TIP If you blanche when a child leans on a high railing, don't choose a seat in the front row of the Grand Tier, Balcony Circle, or Boxes.
You can read the story of SF Ballet's Nutcracker before the show. And listen to our Nutcracker Spotify playlist to get to know the music. To delve deeper, Explore Nutcracker has a wealth of information—ranging from how the blizzard in the snow scene is created to backstage photographs to the history of this, America's first Nutcracker.
INSIDER TIP Our downloadable Nutcracker Family Guide has great information on how children (and adults!) can get the most out of watching a ballet, plus reflection questions for after the performance (and much more).
A little advanced prep can go a long way—especially for kids coming to a ballet for the first time. Set aside a moment to explain what it's like to be in a theater. And that unlike at a sports event or watching TV at home, they'll need to be both quiet and still during the show (and can't look at electronic devices). Then prepare to bask in the reflected glow of accompanying such well-behaved kids at the show.
INSIDER TIP You can take a virtual tour of the Opera House.
The experience of Nutcracker starts well before the show, and everyone will be happier if you're not rushing and/or arriving late. Allow a few minutes for photos before you leave home, so you can capture everyone in their holiday finery, and budget extra time for traffic, parking, transit delays, inclement weather, etc. You can learn more about getting to the opera house, where to park, and where to eat in the neighborhood here.
INSIDER TIP Walk to the front of the Opera House to enter the building from Van Ness Avenue. On a clear day, you may feel a little "snow" coming down outside!
Build in time to get something to eat, whether at home or at one of the many local restaurants. You can purchase drinks and food throughout the opera house, but you cannot bring them into the auditorium, and outside food isn't allowed in the Opera House.
INSIDER TIP To avoid concession lines at intermission, you can pre-order beverages and snacks so they'll be waiting for you after the first act. Just speak to one of the bartenders before the show.
If you're going to a Passport Performance, aim to arrive when the doors open (one hour before the performance). Two reasons: the first 500 children to arrive are handed a plush toy, and you can only pose for photos with Nutcracker characters during the first 30 minutes after the doors open (and lines can get long).
INSIDER TIP You can rent opera glasses (binoculars) for $5 at the North Lobby coat check. Essential? Of course not. But if this gadget is what draws your child into the action onstage, it'll be worth it.
You know this already, but here's one more reminder: take a trip to the restroom before the show begins. Each act is about 50 minutes long and if you leave in the middle, you won't be allowed back to your seat. There are restrooms on every floor (except the Main Lobby level) with women's restrooms on the south side and men's on the north side (they're side-by-side on the lower level). There's a family restroom/gender-neutral restroom on the Dress Circle level.
Nutcracker is a wonderful ballet for children, with an engaging story and many short, colorful dances. That said, take a look around before the lights go down to determine the easiest way out of the theater in case anyone gets restless.
INSIDER TIP Need a band-aid or a cough drop? There's a first-aid room on the lower level. This can also be used as a mother's room/lactation room.
If you need a break or to leave the auditorium during the show, you can still see what's happening onstage. There's a special Family Viewing Area on the Dress Circle level. There you can watch the performance unfold on a screen in a welcoming space that allows children to move and/or talk about the performance while experiencing it.
Stretch your legs by exploring the Opera House at intermission (right after the snow scene). You can visit the Shop at SF Ballet on the second floor, use the restroom, get a snack, and/or burn off some extra energy. This is a great time to chat about the first part of the performance. What did you like best?
And don't forget to document your Nutcracker experience (but not during the performance, it's not allowed). There are Nutcracker-themed backdrops set up on two different levels of the opera house. And there's a photogenic sleigh on the north side of the lower level that you can sit in for photos. If you share to social media, tag @SFBallet and #SFBNutcracker.


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Blogs, Community Solar, Microgrids, Rooftop, Utility Integration, Wind Power
Why Minnesota's Community Solar Program is the Best
By John Farrell | 5.6.19
Updated monthly around the 15th
Minnesota's community solar program hit a record 532 megawatts of operational capacity in April 2019. The chart above shows the progress of projects through the program since August 2015, and the nearly two-year lag between the program launch in December 2014 and the successful ignition of multiple megawatts of capacity in January 2017.
Lagging by two months, data from Xcel Energy shows that bill credits for all customers totaled more than $2.2 million in February, for 17.3 million kilowatt-hours. Based on the 2018 approved value of solar, the energy was worth at least $2.2 million. That figure does not include factoring in the distribution capacity value of solar nor the potential volatility of gas prices that are avoided, nor does it include the benefits of shifting wealth from power generation ownership away from a private monopoly and to a broad set of subscribers across the state.
In April 2019, Xcel Energy proposed changes to how it is required to report community solar program information through a new online dashboard that the utility would make available on its website. ILSR signed on to comments to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in support of this proposed reporting change, which could help increase transparency and accessibility of community solar data. In addition, such a tool would provide a useful model as a growing number of states pass policies to expand shared renewable programs across the country.
In October 2018, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved an adder to compensation rates for residential subscribers, boosting subscriptions by 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour for projects started in 2019 or 2020. It's hard to say definitively, but the project queue (including new applications, projects in study, projects in design/construction, and energized projects) rebounded to over 900 megawatts by December 1st, after falling from about 950 megawatts in January 2017 to about 800 megawatts earlier this year. The adder will come on top of the revised compensation scheme for new projects in 2018––based on the value of solar.
Below is a simplified version of the chart above, showing just projects in the design/construction phase or in operation.
As Xcel Energy publishes data on the mix of subscribers, we can report that more than 12,000 residential customers (84% of all subscribers) are saving money with a shared solar subscription.
While most of the program's total capacity continues to serve commercial customers (87%), a majority of that total capacity (61% or 198 megawatts out of 325 megawatts) now notably serves public entities (up from one-third or about 100 megawatts of the total program capacity in March 2018). These public entities include schools, colleges, hospitals, and county and local governments, as outlined in Xcel Energy's 2018 Annual Operations Report (April 2019).
In other words, community solar helps broaden those who benefit from solar by enabling individuals and public institutions to save money with solar! We'll continue providing these subscriber spreads month-by-month if Xcel keeps reporting them.
I've been asked a lot of questions about Minnesota's community solar program over the past couple years and it's time to make one thing clear: Minnesota's program is the best in the country.
Why? Because there 10 times more community solar projects in the queue—400 megawatts—in Minnesota than have been built in the history of community solar in the United States (40 megawatts).
Minnesota's program (see infographic) is a comprehensive approach that makes developing community solar projects economically viable and—most importantly—that does not cap the development of community solar projects. The latter is the key.
Colorado's landmark community solar legislation, for example, caps the program at 6.5 megawatts per utility per year (although there's hope it may increase in the future). Massachusetts has just revamped their solar renewable energy credit program to make community solar a better investment. No other state has had significant community solar development, despite 11 states that have some form of virtual net metering that allows for sharing electricity output from an off-site solar energy project.
How big is Minnesota's projected success?
Xcel Energy's queue for community solar already has 20 times more solar in it than the state had installed at the end of 2014. If it all gets built, it would be enough to rank second in the country in annual solar installations in 2014.
I recently wrote that a state's solar market can't really launch without third party ownership—leasing or power purchase agreements that allow home and business owners to install solar with zero upfront cost, hand off maintenance concerns, and save money from day one. Indiana was the only potential exception, due to a (now defunct) feed-in tariff program operated by Indianapolis Power and Light. Minnesota may be the second.
I'm no stranger to community solar programs. I worked closely with advocates in Minnesota on the legislation, as part of a suite of pro-solar policies that passed in 2013. I've written extensively on community solar policies, from a 2010 report on the obstacles and opportunities to podcasts with leaders in the community solar movement. I've testified on community solar proposals in California and Maryland, and lent my advice in other states.
If the projects develop as expected in Minnesota, there will be no contest. To say it like a local, "Minnesota's community solar program is not too bad."
This article originally posted at ilsr.org. For timely updates, follow John Farrell on Twitter or get the Energy Democracy weekly update.
John Farrell is the Director of Democratic Energy at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and widely known as the guru of distributed energy.John is best known for his vivid illustrations of the economic and environmental benefits of local ownership of decentralized renewable energy.John Farrell can also be found on Twitter @johnffarrell, or at [email protected]
John Farrell directs the Energy Self-Reliant States and Communities program at ILSR and he focuses on energy policy developments that best expand the benefits of local ownership and dispersed generation of renewable energy. His latest paper, Democratizing the Electricity System, describes how to blast the roadblocks to distributed renewable energy generation, and how such small-scale renewable energy projects are the key to the biggest strides in renewable energy development. Farrell also authored the landmark report Energy Self-Reliant States, which serves as the definitive energy atlas for the United States, detailing the state-by-state renewable electricity generation potential. Farrell regularly provides discussion and analysis of distributed renewable energy policy on his blog, Energy Self-Reliant States (energyselfreliantstates.org), and articles are regularly syndicated on Grist and Renewable Energy World. John Farrell can also be found on Twitter @johnffarrell, or at [email protected]
View all posts by John Farrell


Copper is headed for the biggest monthly loss since September 2011 amid growing speculation that demand is weakening in China, the world's biggest metals consumer. Prices declined on Tuesday as durable-goods orders dropped for the fourth consecutive month in the U.S., the second-biggest user.
Commodity futures slumped to a 12-year low, led by the biggest plunge in copper since 2011, after a report from the World Bank fanned concerns of a global economic slowdown.
Copper tumbled 5.7 percent to $5,526 a metric ton on the London Metal Exchange as of 12:29 p.m., set for a sixth day of losses. Nickel, zinc and silver erased more than 2 percent. Oil reversed earlier declines, with West Texas Intermediate trading little changed at $45.93 a barrel. The Bloomberg Commodity Index of 22 energy, agriculture and metal products slid 0.8 percent to 100.45, the lowest since 2002.
Gold futures rose to an 11-week high on speculation that Greece will abandon the euro, boosting the precious metal's appeal as a haven asset. Silver climbed to a one-month high.
Opinion polls showed Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samara hasn't narrowed the lead by his top opponent from the Syriza party, boosting concerns that a change in political leadership will spur an exit from the euro area. Gold climbed for the third straight session.
Goldman Sachs said U.S. oil prices need to trade near $40 a barrel in the first half of this year to curb shale investments as it gave up on OPEC cutting output to balance the market.
The bank reduced its forecasts for global benchmark crude prices, predicting inventories will increase over the first half of this year, according to an e-mailed report. Excess storage and tanker capacity suggests the market can run a surplus far longer than it has in the past, said Goldman analysts including Jeffrey Currie in New York.
U.S. stocks fell after a two-day rally as energy shares tumbled, American wages fell and concern grew that Europe's stimulus plan might not be sufficient.
The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (SPX) fell 0.7 percent to 2,048.40 at 12:06 p.m. in New York. The loss sent the benchmark index (VIX) 0.5 percent lower for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 138.81 points, or 0.8 percent, to 17,769.06. Energy shares retreated 0.9 percent as oil resumed a selloff. Trading in S&P 500 companies was 7.2 percent below the 30-day average for this time of the day.
Oil extended losses below $50 a barrel amid speculation that U.S. inventories will expand, deepening a global supply glut that's driven prices to a five-year low.
Crude Oil futures declined for a fourth day. Stockpiles in the world's biggest oil consumer probably rose by 700,000 barrels last week, a Bloomberg News survey shows before a government report tomorrow.
Natural gas jumped a second day, extending a rally from a 27-month low as speculation an arctic air blast may boost demand made the fuel today's biggest commodity gainer.
Futures for February delivery rose as much as 4.4 percent in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gains were the most in the Bloomberg Commodity Index of 22 raw materials. Temperatures will be 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit below average from the Northern Plains to the Upper Great Lakes, the National Weather Service said in an advisory on its website.
Crude oil dropped to the lowest since May 2009 amid growing supply from Russia and Iraq and signs of manufacturing weakness in Europe and China.
Futures headed for a sixth weekly loss in New York and London. Oil output in Russia and Iraq surged to the highest level in decades in December, according to data from both countries' governments. Euro-area factory output expanded less than initially estimated in December. A manufacturing gauge in China, the world's second-largest oil consumer, fell to the weakest level in 18 months, government data showed yesterday.