Sea turtles are ancient animals on the earth. They have lived on the earth over some 200 billion years; they saw the dinosaurs survive and they saw them die (Velasquez-Manoff, 2007). Even though sea turtle can survive for a long time, they are in trouble in the current time. They have become one species of endangered animals. This is like a big dig in their very long existence on the earth. But it is a truth we need to face. Global warming that people made has threatened sea turtles. The problem is climate change. Temperature rising causes the sea turtle to be endangered because temperature is the important key to the gender of sea turtles' babies (Hawkes, Broderick, Godfrey & Godley, 2006). Higher temperature will cause the sea turtles' babies to be female. Male turtles will be fewer and fewer. Higher temperature also causes the sea to rise. Sea rising also destroys their habitats. There are fewer habitats for their incubation. Global warming also causes an unstable climate. There are more hurricanes and they are bigger in summer. They destroy everything, including the homes of sea turtles. So we need to notice that global warming actually causes sea turtles to be in danger of extinction, and find a method to save them. Human is also a murderer, killing sea turtles; fox is also a murderer, killing sea turtles (Canberra Times, 2007). The tourists and needs for food and medicines for humans cause sea turtles to have fewer habitats and be endangered.
Humans have responsibility to find some methods to save sea turtles and to stop global warming from being worse.
First, stopping increasing carbon dioxide is the major factor to improve the global warming. The greenhouse effect is the major factor that causes the earth to be warm. Greenhouse gases that contain water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone keep the heat in the air. But there are more and more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide. Humans' activities put a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, like all kinds of air pollution from cars, airplanes, and factories. The best way to reduce global warming is to cut CO2 emission. There is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and it absorbs heat, which makes our earth warmer and warmer. We have to stop global warming from being worse. We should take mass transit as much as possible because cars make exhaust gas in the air. According to Hershman & Foust (2007), "A study conducted for the American Public Transportation Association shows a single commuter, driving to work every day, can reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 20 pounds a day - 4,800 pounds a year - by switching to existing public transportation" (par. 9). If everyone can drive cars less times, carbon dioxide that is produced by cars will decrease every year. So taking public transportation is an easy method for everyone to do something good for reducing carbon dioxide. Using new clean power should be a goal for every country, because thermal power plants will produce more waste gas in the air. These greenhouse gases will make this earth warmer and warmer. The government should play an important role in alleviating global warming because we need to maintain this beautiful earth for our next generation.
Next, making a new law will save the sea turtles. According to International Information Programs (New Law Aims to Help Other Countries Conserve Endangered Turtles, 2004), "Under the new law, sea turtles will be added to the list of species eligible for funding under the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. That fund supports on-the-ground protection, research, and education efforts" (par. 7) There is more money to do some research and save sea turtles. Humans are also murderers, killing sea turtles. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) (Marine turtles - Threats, 2007), "Hunting and egg collection for consumption are major causes of the drastic decline in marine turtle populations around the world. Green turtles are caught for their meat, eggs and calipee. Calipee is the green body fat that has given the turtle its name and it is the main ingredient in turtle soup" (par. 4). Every year a lot of sea turtles are killed by commercial fishing. Humans catch sea turtles for specimens, food, and medicine. For Olive Ridley turtles, they have been caught for eggs and their skin used for leather production. Many sea turtles are also made as curios to tourists. According to Marine turtles - threats. (2007), "Marine turtle eggs are considered an aphrodisiac in some countries and eaten raw or sold as snacks in bars and restaurants" (par. 6). Many marine turtles are caught in an illegal way from the important sea turtle habitat. Shells of marine turtles are also very popular in some countries, like Japan. These countries will buy expensive shells of marine turtle product form other tropical countries. So these problems are still serious because most countries don't make a law to protect the sea turtles. We sincerely appeal to every country's government to pay attention to these problems and to make a law in order to protect these endangered animals. We don't want them to be in danger of extinction because of humans' needs. If humans don't have any demands from sea turtles, we will decrease by one factor the causes of sea turtles being endangered.
Third, we have to establish a safe reserve for sea turtles. There are many threats from environment which humans destroy and change. In "Threats to Marine Turtles" the author claims, "Loss or degradation of nesting habitat resulting from erosion control through beach nourishment and armoring, beachfront development, artificial lighting, and non-native vegetation is a serious threat affecting nesting females and hatchlings" (par. 7). Current habitats of sea turtles are not good for sea turtles' lives. Sea turtles have fewer and fewer habitats to live in. People establish new buildings on the beautiful beaches that sea turtles live on. They destroy the beaches to make places for vacationing. Sea turtles' homes become scenic spots for tourism. People come to these beaches in order to see what sea turtles are like and how they live. But this action has influenced the habitats of sea turtles. Artificial lighting on the beach is also a big problem for sea turtles. Sea turtles will lose the right direction to the ocean and they need to spend more time to reach the ocean. Sea turtles need quiet and safe habitats to live in forever. The government needs to make a law and establish several beaches for sea turtles' lives. The special reserve that is especially for sea turtles is necessary to keep sea turtles existing in this world.
Global warming actually is a big problem at the current time. Opponents claim that global warming is a natural phenomenon and it is just a big cycle of the earth's life. They may be right, but if they are wrong, we do not have time to rescue ourselves from this serious problems. Humans must also be in danger of extinction. According to Brahic (2007), "Global warming may drive a quarter of land animals and plants to the edge of extinction by 2050, a major international study has warned" (par. 1). A lot of species are endangered in the future if this warming weather continues to get worse. Scientists do many kinds of research to prove that global warming actually threatens our daily lives. We can see a lot of data that points out that climate and the situation are different from before. Larger hurricanes appear, the sea is rising, and temperature is increasing more rapidly than before. The carbon dioxide is also increasing more rapidly than in past centuries. We believe this is a serious problem on this earth. We also need to spend time and money to do research and solve this problem. Even if it is a big cycle, we will just waste money and time. But if we do nothing at all and it is a real serious situation, then we will not have any chance to rescue our beautiful earth. Extinction of humans will be our ending.
In conclusion, sea turtles are endangered and they also need our help to save their lives because humans cause this situation. The habitats of sea turtles are not the same as a nice place where they live. Returning the original habitats is the first thing that we can do. Set a good reserve that no one can bother. We shouldn't buy or eat any products that are made from these endangered sea turtle. We can stop these cruel commercial activities. Improving the situation of global warming will also allow is to save sea turtles and other endangered species, because sea turtles are sensitive to temperature change and have a crisis for their lives. And who is the next one to face this crisis? We think it will happen to human beings sooner or later. Saving sea turtles will also save our humans. If we can start to find some method to solve global warming problems, and also make some laws to protect sea turtles' lives, our next generation will still be able to see sea turtles and we will exist on the earth for a long time.
Hawkes, L., Broderick, A., Godfrey, M. & Godley, B. (2006, January 29). Investigating the potential impacts of climate change on a marine turtle population. Global Change Biology. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 13, 923-932.
Wal-Mart was the first supercenter I went to when I just came to Carbondale. I bought everything I needed in Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart also has played an important role in America. According to Hopkins (2003), "Wal-Mart's influence on the U.S. economy has reached levels not seen by a single company since the 19th-century rise of Standard Oil, economists and historians say" (par. 3). Wal-Mart is planning on building a new supercenter in Carbondale-Murphysboro area. Some citizens will worry that the new Wal-Mart will influence the area that they live in.
First, Wal-Mart provides cheaper price. Money is a very important thing for international students. Most international students spend a lot of money to study in the U.S. So they need to save money for living in the U.S. Wal-Mart can provide the good price for everyone. Hoenig (2006) says that "The truth is that all Wal-Mart does is provide low prices, serve communities with long hours, …" (par. 17). Cheaper price also can make low-income shoppers be able to afford the price for their daily lives. Wal-Mart is also very convenient because Wal-Mart is open 24 hours and provides big free parking lots for every customer.
Next, Wal-Mart also provides more jobs. New Wal-Mart can provide hundreds of jobs. According to Hoening (2006), "In 2005, Wal-Mart created 125,000 U.S. jobs, and is continuously adding thousands each months" (par. 16). People have jobs to do and they can live by themselves. The social problems will decrease.
Finally, Wal-Mart pays the big taxes for government, because most people want to save more money and they go shopping in Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart also makes a lot of money and needs to pay big taxes. Hoenig (2006) says, "The truth is that all Wal-Mart does is provide low prices, … and pay millions of taxes – over $61 million in the state of Illinois alone" (par. 17). The more taxes government gets, the more development government can do.
Wal-Mart is building now. Opponents claim that new Wal-Mart will make more stores close. The obvious example is that Kroger was closed in recent months. According to Jacobs (2007), "Some Murphysboro and Carbondale residents are protesting new Wal-Mart supercenter in Murphysboro because they fear it will destroy the town's small businesses and the quality of life for some of its citizens" (par. 1). But I think that survival of the fittest can give those opponents an answer. If small businesses have high quality and good service, residents will still to go to their store. But if they don't have enough ability to compete with their opponents, they will eliminate through competition. I also believe that good stores will be saved even though new Wal-Mart will be open.
In conclusion Wal-Mart is the biggest warehouse in the U.S. Wal-Mart provides low price for everyone. People can save more money to do other things or keep good lives. International students can have lower pressure for studying in the U.S. Maybe Wal-Mart makes some stores close. In this society, someone can make customers happy and someone can survive in this society.
Sea turtles are ancient animals on the earth. They have lived on the earth over some 200 billion years; they saw the dinosaurs survive and they saw them die (Velasquez-Manoff, 2007). Even though sea turtle can survive for a long time, they are in trouble in the current time. They have become one species of endangered animals. This is like a big dig in their very long existence on the earth. But it is a truth we need to face. Global warming that people made has threatened sea turtles. The problem is climate change. Temperature rising causes the sea turtle to be endangered because temperature is the important key to the gender of sea turtles' babies (Hawkes, Broderick & Godley, 2006). Higher temperature will cause the sea turtles' babies to be female. Male turtles will be fewer and fewer. Higher temperature also causes the sea to rise. Sea rising also destroys their habitats. There are fewer habitats for their incubation. Global warming also causes an unstable climate. There are more hurricanes and they are bigger in summer. They destroy everything, including the homes of sea turtles. So we need to notice that global warming actually causes sea turtles to be in danger of extinction, and find a method to save them. Human is also a murderer, killing sea turtles; fox is also a murderer of killing sea turtles (Canberra Times, 2007). The tourists and needs for food and medicines for humans cause sea turtles to have fewer habitats and be endangered.
Humans have responsibility to find some method to save sea turtles and to stop global warming from being worse.
First, Stopping increasing carbon dioxide is the major factor to improve the global warming. The greenhouse effect is the major factor to cause the earth to be warm. Greenhouse gases that contain water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone keep the heat in the air. But there are more and more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide. Humans' activities make a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, like all kinds of air pollution from cars, airplanes, and factories. The best way to reduce global warming is to cut CO2 emission. There is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and it absorbs heat, which makes our earth warmer and warmer. We have to stop global warming from being worse. We should take mass transit as much as possible because cars make exhaust gas in the air. Using new clean power should be a goal for every country, because thermal power plants will produce more waste gas in the air. The government should play an important role in alleviating global warming because we need to maintain this beautiful earth for our next generation.
Next, making a new law will save the sea turtles. Humans are also murderers of killing sea turtles. Every year a lot of sea turtles are killed by commercial fishing. Humans catch sea turtles for specimens, food, and medicine. The problems are still serious because most countries don't make a law to protect the sea turtles. We sincerely appeal to every country's government to pay attention to these problems and to make a law in order to protect these endangered animals. We don't want them to be in danger of extinction because of humans' needs. If humans don't have any demands from sea turtles, we will decrease by one factor the causes of sea turtles being endangered.
Third, we have to establish a safe reserve for sea turtles. Sea turtles have fewer and fewer habitats to live in (Velasquez-Manoff, 2007). People establish new buildings on the beautiful beaches that sea turtles live on. They destroy the beaches to make places for vacationing. Sea turtles' homes become scenic spots for tourism. People come here in order to see what sea turtles are like and how they live on the beaches. But this action has influenced habitats of sea turtles. Sea turtles need quiet and safe habitats to live forever. Government needs to make a law and establish several beaches for sea turtles' lives. The special reverse that is especially for sea turtles is necessary to keep sea turtles existing in this world.
Global warming actually is a big problem of the current time. Opponents claim that global warming is a natural phenomenon and it is just a big cycle of the earth's life. They may be right, but if they are wrong, we do not have time to rescue ourselves form this serious problems. Humans must also be in danger of extinction. Scientists do many kinds of research to prove that global warming actually threatens our daily lives. We can see a lot of data that points out that climate and the situation are different from before. Larger hurricanes appear, the sea is rising, and temperature is increasing more rapidly than before. The carbon dioxide is also increasing more rapidly than in past centuries. We believe this is a serious problem on this earth. We also need to spend time and money to do research and solve this problem. Even though it is a big cycle, we just waste money and time. If we do nothing at all and it is a real serious situation that we will not have any chance to rescue our beautiful earth. Extinction of humans will be our ending.
In conclusion, sea turtles are endangered and they also need our help to save their lives because humans cause this situation. Sea turtles who are sensitive to temperature change have a crisis for their lives. Who is the next one? We think it will happen to human beings sooner or later. Saving sea turtles will also save our humans. If we can start to find some method to solve global warning problems, and make some laws to protect sea turtles' lives, our next generation will still be able to see sea turtles and we will exist on the earth for a long time.
In this Canberra Times (2007) article "Turtle under siege as the environment", the author expresses that global warming actually is a big trouble for Murray turtles. Global warming also makes water dry in the habitats of turtles and there are about 10,000 Murray turtles who died in this situation. The author also says that water temperature is also a big problem for turtles. It influences their digestion rate, growth and aestivation periods. He also mentions that foxes are the biggest enemy for turtles. Foxes eat turtles' eggs and kill turtles for their food. Finally, the author argues that temperature is also a factor of turtles' extinction. The higher temperature will cause that cause most baby turtles to be female. Climate change actually is a big problem for turtles.
It is clear that climate change is influencing turtles' lives in this current century. A lot of animals are also facing the situation of extinction like polar bears, penguins, and sea turtles. Scientists are looking for the best way to prevent this situation from being worse. Environment change actually makes them almost die out even though they have lived for 200 billion years in this earth. Sea turtle will be extinct in the future or they will still be living in the future. Solving the problem of global warming is the important key to stop climate change. Stopping killing sea turtles and giving safe habitats for sea turtles is also the important thing we need to do.
Scientists seriously claim that global warming is the big factor to cause climate change. Global warming causes the temperature to rise. Even though the temperature just rises two or three degrees, they have caused a lot of problem to all kinds of species. Especially some animals are sensitive to temperature, such as sea turtles. Higher temperature make the eggs be incubated to female sea turtles. More female turtles and few male turtles will cause sea turtles to be endangered. Stopping rising temperature is the major problem we need to solve. And this way also can save sea turtles' lives.
Return the beautiful beach for the earth. Overexploitation of the beaches actually threatens turtles' reproduction. People develop the tourism by destroying beaches to establish some buildings. This development will attract people and bring income from tourism. After people visit this beach, they leave garbage on the beach. Garbage pollutes the beaches and the habitats of sea turtles are also polluted. The habitats are smaller than before and sea turtles are facing death at the same time. So what can people do? All that people can do is maintain the original beaches to be suitable for sea turtles, and design an area for protecting habitats of sea turtles. They will have more chances to live in the world.
Stop catching these endangered animals. Any animals have authority to live on this beautiful earth. People don't need sea turtles as food. So people don't have any reason to kill sea turtles. The government needs to make a law to forbid this cruel behavior and protect them. Therefore, the problem of sea turtles will be respected.
In conclusion, climate change actually influences sea turtles' lives. People also destroy habitats of sea turtles. More and more people understand this situation is worse and worse. But people are not sure whether climate change will really kill all sea turtles or not. Maybe sea turtles will adapt to this new climate because they are the most ancient animals and survived in even the dangerous climate that caused dinosaurs to die.
Velasquez-Manoff's (2007) article expresses the fact that climate change has threatened the lives of the sea turtle. Sea turtles have existed for 200 million years, from the time of dinosaurs to the current time, but the sea turtle is one kind of endangered animal now. Global warming is causing a lot of climate change. There are some problem that will appear, like stronger storms, rising seas and higher temperature. They all influence their lives and cause them to be extinct. The author also mentions that temperature will affect hatchlings to be male or female, but eggs will not be hatched in too high temperature. Sea turtles are looking for new cooler beaches to make their babies survive in this hot weather. People also want to save their lives by unnatural methods like moving eggs in to the nursery. The author also talks about the fact that sea turtles can find a new beach to survive, but people also like the same beaches. People destroy this natural beach to build new houses. People use chemicals to change the original sand. This sand will not be suitable to eggs hatched. Sea turtles' babies will die on this horrible sand. Finally, the author expresses that scientists are not sure whether extinction of sea turtles will affect the food chain or not. So we need to protect these endangered animals, and should not catch sea turtles.
It is apparent that climate change causes sea turtles to be endangered. The sea turtle is not the only kind of animals that are facing the situation of extinction. Sea turtles have survived on earth for over 200 million years. At the present time they have a large chance of disappearing from this warmer and warmer climate. Maybe people don't care weather sea turtles exist or not. If they become extinct in the future because of global warming, people probably will die out in the same situation. Global warming is a serious problem that people shouldn't neglect.
First of all, we need to attach importance to problems of global warming because global warming is threatening animals' lives. Not only sea turtles but also other animals are endangered, like American pikas, penguins, albatrosses, and Polar bears. Some plants are also threatened by global warming; for example, coral reefs are bleaching because of warmer seas. Even though some scientists argue that climate change that is compared with the past billion years is not very serious, we believe that there are some reasons that cause warmer climate. Furthermore, many kinds of evidence can prove that we have done something that makes earth become warmer and strange climate also can cause a lot of people to die. If we still don't face this problem, the next endangered specie is humans.
Next, high temperature is a killer for sea turtles. High temperature causes rising seas. The beaches will be smaller than before. The habitats of sea turtle will be less and less. Temperature also determines the gender of sea turtles. According to the article, most sea turtles will be males if eggs are hatched below 29.4 degree C. Now most sea turtles are females because temperature is higher than 29.4 degree C. As a result, it will be hard to reproduce babies in the future.
Finally, the human is an enemy of sea turtles. Global warming is caused by human beings. People are also destroying beaches now. People build houses to make money on the beach. Chemicals and garbage pollute the beautiful beaches. Some people make some tours about the habitats of sea turtle. They want to see sea turtles but also influence the lives of sea turtles. There are fewer and fewer beaches that are safe and no human beings will go to stay there. The human definitely is the biggest enemy of the sea turtle.
In conclusion, we should try to find some methods to prevent global warming from becoming worse. Sea turtles need to be protected by human beings because we cause them to be endangered. Sea turtles want to live continually in this beautiful earth. If we want to see sea turtles in the future, we need to protect them from a dangerous environment and make a suitable environment that sea turtles can live in forever.
Bhattacharya's (2004) article expresses the idea that global warming will be a serious problem. Many animals and plants will be endangered by 2050. Thomas, who is expert at the University of Leeds in UK, talks about his study that climate change is an important factor to influence lives of animals and plants. If animals want to live longer, they need to find a new place that is suitable for them. Pimm, who is an expert at Duke University in the US, claims that climate change destroys environment and makes animals and plants die. They will find a new place to live and this new environment will be smaller than before. Both of them suggest that control of climate change and actions of protecting the environment need to be started now by the government. The methods are about reducing carbon dioxide in the air and new use of energy.
It is clear that global warming is a big serious problem in this modern century. We have found that our weather has changed a lot. Rainfall is less than in the past hundred years. Huge changes of climate have appeared in current years. The flowers should bloom in spring, but they bloom in winter because winter is not cold enough. Climate change makes a lot of people die in unusual weather. We need to adopt some methods to stop global warming form destroying our environment.
The first way to reduce global is to cut CO2 emission. There is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and it absorbs heat, which makes our earth warmer and warmer. Where is carbon dioxide mainly form? The answer is the car. It is very convenient for us to drive cars, but they also make exhaust gas in the air. What can we do for reducing carbon dioxide? We can take mass transit as mush as possible. If we need to buy cars, we should choose a new car that car company have designed for producing less carbon dioxide.
Next, using new clean power should be a goal for every country. There are many methods to make electricity. Thermal power plants are the cheapest way to produce electricity, but they make so much exhaust gas. Especially in summer, demand for using electricity is more than other seasons. Because the thermal power plant is the cheapest way to make power, thermal power plants will produce more waste gas in the air. So we need to find another way to produce clean power. A wind power generator is a good way to produce power. It also can decorate our environment and it is also a beautiful building for visiting. A nuclear power plant is another choice for producing electricity.
Finally, the government should play an important role in global warming. A lot of countries don't want to keep their present situation to develop their countries. Protecting the only one earth is a responsibility for us. Governments need to make a law to stop the action that can cause global warming. They also have to spend some money doing some research to solve this serious problem. We need to maintain this beautiful earth for our next generation. The next generation can also enjoy any beautiful thing that I am enjoy now.
In conclusion, we can't pretend that global warming is not our business. We can do our best in daily life; for example, we can take mass transit as much as possible. We can also reduce the use of electricity. Governments also need to have some strategies to prevent global warming from getting worse. After all, we just have one earth. We need to protect it and live in it forever. We take action now to protect our beautiful earth.
Reading Reaction Journal #5 - Must-Have For Tweens: Cell Phone.
In M. Bora's article, Must-Have For Tweens: Cell Phone, the author describes a situation in which more and more tweens have cell phones. First, many tweens want to ask their parents to give them a cell phone to be a toy or present because other classmates all have cell phones. Even five-year old children have cell phones. Next, the companies of cell phones sell specific cell phones to these tweens that can let parents control where their children are. Finally, the author claims that tweens don't like this special cell phone for them. They want use the usual cell phone that general people use.
I am interested in the influence of technology on society. This article tells me some trends of using cell phones. I feel that tweens are living in a good period. Recalling in my memory, I was almost 19 years old when I got my first cell phone. But now 5-year-old people have their own cell phones. The time is changing very fast. I am even not able to imagine that this situation has happened. I think there are some advantages for tweens to have cell phones. Parents can easily contact with their children, and they can find their children by using new technology like GPS. But I think it is not a good phenomenon that children like to use the newest cell phone and like to compare who has the better cell phone. Parents should give children good concepts to have cell phones. After all, cell phone is used to contact with people, not compare with friends.


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Review: Gem says 'Hello' to dynamic 'Dolly'
'Hello, Dolly' plays through Aug. 5 at the Gem Theater in Garden Grove.
By Tom Titus
July 16, 2018 12:45 PM PT
Despite the considerable efforts of Carol Channing and Barbra Streisand, "Hello, Dolly!" would not normally be ranked in the upper echelon of American musical theater — its success being largely dependent on a flashy production and an energetic ensemble.
Fortunately, both are in residence at Garden Grove's Gem Theater, along with a terrific actress in the title role. That would be Adriana Sanchez, whose track record encompasses most of the diva-licious characters in the musical theater genre and whose voice rivals today's professional pop princesses.
And the window dressing (the ensemble cast) is abundant, at times over-abundant, as director Damien Lorton throws everything but the kitchen sink onto the Gem stage, lest playgoers be reminded of the structural limitations of the Jerry Herman musical.
Splendidly drilled by choreographers Heather Smith and Alan Collins, the waiters in particular comprise a show-stopping entity with highly accelerated movement and mid-air somersaults.
Overmuch? Perhaps, but quite entertaining nonetheless
As for Dolly herself, Sanchez injects a sneakily predatory spirit into her widowed Yonkers matchmaker as she pursues her own match with wealthy merchant Horace Vandergelder. This role is captured with bluster and gusto by Tim Klega, who wields total power over his spirited young clerks, energetically interpreted by Josh Curtis-Switzer and Jacob Wayne.
These two go on their own goofy matchmaking mission with milliners Erika Baldwin and Kelly Rosales. Baldwin's vocal prowess is exceptional while the youthful Rosales reflects traffic-stopping beauty.
Musically, the Gem show is distinguished by the broadly choreographed title number and the first act's curtain closer, "Before the Parade Passes By," both a personal anthem from Sanchez's Dolly and an admonition for viewers to get on with their lives.
There are some memorable cameo appearances by Hannah Gomez and Carmen Tunis as Horace's other romantic options and John Michell as an over-ebullient headwaiter.
Lorton also serves as musical director, and his unseen orchestra provides a fine upbeat accompaniment. A special treat is offered by costumers Ramzi Jneid and Larry Watts, who've gone beyond the call on their early-20th century creations. Sanchez's first-act bonnet, however, often casts a shadow on her face.
To make "Hello, Dolly" palatable, to borrow a Sondheim line, "You've gotta have a gimmick," and the Gem production of this vintage musical, dusted off for a new generation, is loaded with them. The show runs through Aug. 5.
WHAT: "Hello, Dolly"
WHERE: Gem Theater, 12852 Main St., Garden Grove
WHEN: Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sunday at 2 and 8 p.m. through Aug. 5
COST: Starts at $26
CALL: (714) 741-9550 or onemoreproductions.com
Tom Titus reviews local theater.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Opening theme: "Music To Lead Cavalry Charges By"
PROGRAM #1: "Our Favorite Things" TV commercial parodies including Minnesota Fats cigarettes, McCootie's Toothpaste, Prune Pith laxative, and "Teaberry Shuffle"; documentary on TPing houses: animated film parable "Skid" using human animation technique; movie film preview parody "Guts and/or Glory."
PROGRAM #2: "Our Favorite Things" including Salem smuggler, Scoop Mouthwash, Ivy Liquid and Cool Power detergent; movie film preview "Wagon Wheels, War paint and Horsees;" Doug Hoffman performs "Blackbird;" filmed sight gags on the subject of "Sleep;" and a parody of TV weather shows featuring Florence the Weather Woman in her "Weather Balloon."
PROGRAM #3: Hard-sell TV commercial parody for "Squash-O-Matic;" Doug Hoffman performs "The Great Mandella;" blackouts and music for "A Paean to Pollution;" experimental animated film "The Electric Rag;" and commentary on TV violence using film clips and the Beatles "Happiness Is A Warm Gun."
PROGRAM #4: "Our Favorite Things" including Swill Cream, Spit and Status and Herbyton Cigarettes; commentary on men's hair length; TV dance party as it might be presented in the Soviet Union, "Communist Bandstand," sponsored by Kremlin Cola, Iron Curtain Cleaners (with one month Stalinizing), Commie-Sil for bourgeoisie zits and Misha Mist Instant Babushka; rock group Captain Electric performs "Satisfaction."
PROGRAM #5: Return of Captain Electric performing portion of rock Symphony based on themes from Beethoven's ninth; small town beauty contest "The Miss Nifty Pageant; experimental stop motion animated film set to Bach's Two Part Inventions performed on the Moog Synthesizer.
PROGRAM #6: "25 Raunchy Records" parody of TV commercial; the Clean Family performs "The Sound of Music" (courtesy of Bonzo Dog Band); parody of obscure underground movie "Flaming Critters" with a contest to uncover hidden symbolism; first episode of "Dramatic Hospital" TV soap opera parody.
PROGRAM #7: Return of Sam's Bargain Furniture Warehouse pitchman with fire sale of TV commercials; tilted set and trick photography used for "The First Date" skit; return of Aunt Sally in an updated TV show "Uncle Sally's Psyche-Out," sponsored by Fab Flakes, "the only cereal which meets all the daily requirements as set forth by the Berkeley Free Press."
PROGRAM #8: Lip-sync reprise of rock oldie "Gone" with filmed story; second episode of "Dramatic Hospital"; filmed comedy sketch showing "Perfect Day;" "Championship Wrassling" parody, featuring a match between Farmer Don Cowboy and a boa constrictor, and a tag team match between the Brothers Grim and Bruce and Gunther Devine.
PROGRAM #9: "Beer Set" TV commercial parody; scenes from "West Side Story" featuring the company's resident ballet corps; parody of "Joy of Life" TV commercials; performance by the Amusement Company rock group; repeat performance of "The Electric Rag."
PROGRAM #10: Encore of "The Mating Game" (repeat); parody of TV show "The American Sportsman" with Jonathan Freed fishing for the pin-striped Edmund-Muskie (with dynamite) and Tab Troy hunting for the African red ant; encore of the parable "Skid" (repeat); film clips of violence with "What The World Needs Now Is Love" accompaniment.
PROGRAM #11: Lip-sync rock oldie "The Last Kiss" with filmed story; blackouts on the subject of student protest; parody of silent movie serials with Chapter 741 of "The Danger of the Hazardous Peril "starring Rex, the wonder dog.
PROGRAM #12: Program devoted entirely to Rhee Productions' "Tarzan's Rum Village Adventure." A mercenary, but none-too-bright, Lord of the Baboons guides a motley safari to the fabled elephants' graveyard, encountering the African Queen, her tribe and their dreaded Jujube Split torture.
Highlights of the 1969 season.


Ioanna Rooms price per day from € 55 .
Katerina Apartments & Studios price per day from € 45 .
Naoussa Hills Boutique Resort price per day from € 220 .
Zoumis Studios price per day from € 43 .
Odysseas Rooms & Studios .


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Romney Woos Illinois Conservatives
Mitt Romney signs his autograph on a supporter during an Illinois campaign rally at the College of DuPage, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2008(AP).
By Glenn Kessler
GLEN ELLYN, Ill. -- DuPage County is about as solidly Republican a county as can be found in the United States. The Chicago suburb has produced reliable conservatives like Rep. Henry Hyde and former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and is now the kind of place where Mitt Romney is making his last stand.
Speaking before a huge banner that declared "Washington is Broken," a jacket-less Romney told an enthusiastic crowd tightly packed in the arts center of the College of DuPage that the nomination battle had become a "battle for the heart and soul of Republican party." He asked the crowd, "Which way are we going to go? Are we going to take a sharp left turn in our part, to get as close as we can to Hillary Clinton?"
Few in the crowd of several hundred people appeared to be undecided; they accepted Romney's message that he was a true conservative. "I'm tired of reaching across the aisle when no one is reaching back," said Jim Strnad, a 63-year-old computer store owner.
There are few African Americans in DuPage, and census figures shows that the population is mostly white, with a heavy tilt toward Irish and German ancestry. Romney received his biggest cheers when he attacked Sen. John McCain's proposal to give citizenship to some illegal immigrants.
When Norma Green, a 78-year-old real estate agent, resplendent in a red sweater, said she "couldn't put her finger" on why she didn't like McCain, her son, Ken Wisdom, interjected, "Oh, that easy, Mom. It's amnesty, amnesty."
"Oh yes, amnesty," she said.
Wisdom, a 57-year-old union plumber, became emphatic: "It's not just Hispanics. It's Russians, Polish, Romanians, Pakistanis all coming. We are in a race to become a third world country. For a country not well liked in the world, people sure like to come here."
Speaking to reporters afterward, Romney said that, while he and McCain agreed on some issues, McCain's policies "are virtually indistinguishable from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on a number of issues."
From DuPage County, Romney planned to attend a Superbowl kick-off in the Maryland Heights suburb of St. Louis, Mo., before flying to Nashville, Tenn., to catch the end of the game.
On Monday, Romney plans to fly from Tennessee, where he's holding a rally, to Georgia, for rallies in Atlanta and Savannah. He then will fly to Charleston, W. V., Monday night. West Virginia will award its delegates at a convention, which Romney will address Tuesday before flying home to Massachusetts to vote in its primary and await the results.
Romney brushed off new polls showing him falling behind McCain, pointing to his victory Saturday in the Maine caucuses, and professed himself unconcerned about McCain's decision to spend the day campaigning in Massachusetts. He told reporters he would win in the state where he had been governor. "If he wants to go to Massachusetts, that's fine," Romney said. "I don't think it will help him a lot."
By Web Politics Editor | February 3, 2008; 4:58 PM ET
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*** ALERT ****
Tony Perkins and James Dobson of FRC (Family Research Council) value voters guide that I just received today clearly shows they are supporting Mike Huckabee for President.
Out of all the questions they asked of Republicans and Democrates, Mike Huckabee scored 100% in all questions.
It also shows that Mitt Romney''s liberal positions are still showing through him in the questioning.
It says Mitt Romney supports human cloning and embryo destruction. Plus it says Mitt Romney would vote for passage to water down the Federal Marriage act of 1996.
Plus it says Mitt Romney will vote to allow passage of law that allows the Government to take away private land of it''s citizens whenever it wants to.
Do Republicans want a liberal like Mitt Romney running our party or a true conservative like Mike Huckabee running our party?
It''s clear that Tony Perkins and Dr. James Dobson are supporting conservative Mike Huckabee in the value votes results I just received today.
If you are a conservative who has admired what Tony Perkins and Dr. James Dobson has down for the nation, please go vote tomorrow for Mike Huckabee who they are clearly showing they are supporting.
Posted by: vote4mikehuckabee | February 4, 2008 9:27 PM | Report abuse
Please watch this video for me before you vote. The media is influenced by money, we all know that.
As a U.S. Marine supporting my Country, I ask you to do one thing for us. Watch one youtube video. The video is a contrast between Mitt Romney, John Mccain, and Mike Huckabee. (not a Ron Paul video)
I love the USA. Will you watch it for the sake of our Country?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnU3G-HCf9w
Sgt., USMC
Posted by: marinepatriot | February 4, 2008 1:40 PM | Report abuse
McCain has no integrity. He cheated on his wife who faithfully waited for him for 5 years while he was a POW. Not only that but he divorced his wife and married the girl he was having an affair with. Maybe it was for the money (she's a billionaire). Or, maybe it was her age (she's 17 years younger than him). Most of you have probably seen her, she's the one who looks like a plastic manikin that's always by his side.
McCain also graduated 5TH FROM THE BOTTOM of his class in the naval academy. 5TH FROM THE BOTTOM PEOPLE!!!
Compare that to Mitt Romney who got a law degree AND master of business degree AT THE SAME TIME from HARVARD and graduated FIRST IN HIS CLASS.
That's enough information for me to not vote for McCain, no matter who he's running against. I'd vote for Hillary over the scum bag.
VOTE FOR ROMNEY BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!!
Posted by: robertmeyers0513 | February 4, 2008 2:57 AM | Report abuse
SABREHAWK WAS RIGHT!!
YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO GO WATCH THAT VIDEO BEFORE YOU VOTE!!!
Posted by: marinepatriot | February 4, 2008 2:28 AM | Report abuse
PLEASE LOOK AT THE VIDEO I MADE SHOWING MITT ROMNEY. I THINK YOU WILL BE SURPRISED IN WHO YOU FIND. I FOUND, COPIED, AND FUSED THE RECENT VIDEOS INTO A VERY NICE MOVIE. NOTHING ADDED BUT MITTS OWN WORDS.
I SERVED AND CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY WITH HONOR. GIVE ME A CHANCE TO SHOW YOU WHAT I FOUND.
Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98TWAV_u9iU
make sure you copy and paste the entire link to your browser. Or just search youtube the video is called- you choose!
If you have any questions on who to vote for in the republican primaries, please watch this video. Thanks
Posted by: SabreHawk | February 3, 2008 9:33 PM | Report abuse
How can you not like this man? He is unstoppable as an optimistic leader. Romney has great values and an amazing family. He is the most sincere politician out there. His expertise regarding the economy and immigration are unmatched. McCain threatens to destroy the republican party and Romney is the best candidate to stop that.
Romney '08
Posted by: poliscistudent | February 3, 2008 6:39 PM | Report abuse


MODELS AND LOVERS is a love story blossoming inside the world of modeling. In spite of the glamour and intrigue of this high fashion world, love is really about one guy and one girl finding each other. But wait, there is one more condition--they have to admit it to each other.
INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLING NOVELIST JOHNNY RAY has written an action and adventure filled novel filled with romance and suspense that follows up on his previous best selling contemporary romance novel HER HONOR'S BODYGUARD. With so many people asking for more, Johnny Ray decided to extend these contemporary romance and take Vance and Noella on to Europe where they have to solve a mystery in order to gain their freedom and to be able to share their life together as husband and wife. This is one crime, a family secret, that will test every ounce of their love for each other, and hopefully will not tear their families apart.
While reunions can take many forms, there is always one question that has to be answered sooner or later-what happened? Vance had always been extremely proud of Noella, and just because his life had been ruined, he saw no reason why she had to have the same faith.
When his dad died, leaving him and his mother penniless, he dropped out of law school and ended his relationship with Noella, but in doing so, he stopped a scandal that could have ruined her family. These secrets he would never let her know. Ironically, years later, he would have never guessed she would be instrumental in ruining his career with the Tampa police force. She knows that Vance might hate her for her part in having him dismissed from the police force, but what he will never know is that she actually saved him from going to prison. Additionally, she now thinks he was framed, and perhaps by the same people who are threatening her.
An International romantic thriller that you will never forget. FOR LOVE AND VENGEANCE When everyone lies to you-trust your gut instinct If that fails-start over For your love deserves the best And murderous terrorist your vengeance May God have mercy on their soul Both the Americans and the Russians think Victoria works for them exclusively. In truth; the Pack, an International Crime Syndicate, brutally controls her while they launder money in America by buying distressed houses for terrorist sleepers.
While she executes the perfect escape, staging her death during a shark attack, she makes one mistake-she meets Royce, who worked as a special operative several years earlier, the night before disappearing. Royce, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with any American led special operations after he had been lied to in order to keep him focus on his prior mission. His girlfriend had been abducted and brutally murdered earlier while they had kept him in the dark. The last thing he had ever expected was another woman in his life, especially a Russian spy. Furthermore, he never would have believed that she would be the one thing that would encourage him to finish a mission that he should have taken care of the first time.
Royce is well trained on how to discover the truth, so although Victoria's apparent shark attack was well conceived he knows better. He had used the life of a surfer bum for years as his cover. The more lies he uncovers, the more suspicious he becomes until finally he feels like he has little choice.
His prior operation was so top secret even the CIA were told nothing He didn't need them then, and he sure the hell didn't need them this time either. The last time it was for country-this time it was going to be personal.
This intense international thriller is a work of fiction packed with action and adventure where Matalina heads the elite special forces of Baltonia, a small country near Switzerland, and where the Maliviziati maintain their secret society that opposes the Illuminati's various splinter groups that want to create a new world order.
While she directs the most powerful special operatives in the world, she is very capable of going solo when needed. She was bred like her parents and theirs before to be the best warrior in the world. Unfortunately, her chosen mate, Bjorn, has turned against them, killing her sister in the process. She loved him earlier, and perhaps she still does. Still, when she finds him, she will kill him.
When a new faction attempts to release drones in America, Matalina has to respond to keep this from playing into the hands of those wanting to create a new world order. She soon learns that the leader of this group is one of Bjorn's operatives, Mario, a guy she should kill, but he is also the one person she needs to take alive to be able to locate Bjorn.
With mercenaries flown in from Columbia to help this terrorist faction which was formed out of Afghanistan, this novel circles the globe as many players fight for eventual control of the world.


New Jersey based singer, songwriter and southern style rocker Kenny Young has been around, seen a thing or two and captures his life experiences honestly and openly in his music. As with many musicians, life got in the way of creating music for a time. For Kenny it was a ten year hiatus. It took until 2009 for Kenny to release his debut 4 song EP, a recording which gave us a glimpse into the heart and mind of the man. In 2010, he was able to put a band together, record a bunch of hard rockin' tunes and release 'Simple Things' a 14 track full length album. The creative juices haven't stopped flowing and last year The Kenny Young Band released 'Been Down That Road' a 7 track EP. The band has also been gigging heavily, playing some impressive support slots and building upon an ever increasing fan-base. If you're into Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers and all manner of Southern style rock, you might want to check out the Kenny Young Band. Australian Musician tracked own Kenny for a quick Q&A about his career, gear and music.
My first guitar was a Sears Les Paul copy that my dad gave me.
What's your main guitar now?
Through what amp and why?
Egnater Rebel 30, I love the tone.
Do you have other guitars you use on stage and in the studio?
Which pedals are your standards?
If you could have any other artist's guitar in the world, whose would you want?
That would have to be B.B. King's guitar "Lucille" all around a beautiful instrument.
In March of 2014 we released our latest 7 song EP "Been Down This Road" which is available on cd baby.com and other downloadable sites.
When will you be back in the studio?
I have currently been in the studio working on my next album that should be released by this spring.
What gigs have you been playing lately?
The latest gig was Deerfield Twp. Harvest Festival with Lonestar. The K.Y.B. has also played numerous clubs in Florida and locally. We also have been shooting a music video for "Weekend", which we will be finishing up shortly.
The most memorable gig would have to be opening up the show for the Outlaws at the Weinberg Center for the Arts – in Frederick, MD. and @ The Ferguson Center for the Arts in Newport News VA.
That would have to be when my former drummer came in at the wrong time and twice as fast as he should have, and then after that, my direct box died halfway thru a song at the same show.
Album that changed your life?
What album are you listening to at the moment?
What gigs are coming up in the next few months?
We are currently in the process of booking bars, venues, fairs, festivals and bike rally's up and down the east coast. The next gig is Feb.7th @ Gettysburg Rocks in PA a fundraiser for children battling cancer. Upcoming Radio interviews also.
A guitar tip for the kids?
Practice and play what YOU want to play.
What's the grand plan for the Kenny Young band?


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Shop > Concuss Music + Print Media
Pedestrian - UnIndian II LP
unIndian II by pedestrian
UnIndian II is written and vocalized by Anticon co-founder Pedestrian, but the voices and sounds of friends; Jel, Odd Nosdam, Sole, Josiah Wolf, Walter Gross, Bomarr, Telephone Jim Jesus, Robert Werner, and Paperbark are its pulse.
It's compass includes a consideration of the meaning of songmaking ("Anything"), what it's like waking up in Oakland the morning after witnessing state murder at neighboring San Quentin ("Volume of the Seven Seas"), an alternative history of Dre and Snoop's "Lil Ghetto Boy," ("Oakland Hosannah"), post-Katrina police violence and disaster capitalism ("Resurrecting Morning"), and field recording ballads and meditations, lit up by modular synths, on hook-ups and other kinds of fugitive affections ("Songs Not Songs").
This is other than, yet quintessentially, a hip-hop album, and one determinedly in dialogue with the dead. Its accompanying chapbook includes new and revised lyrics, a cycle of poems entitled,"A Saint's Day Stand at the Oakland Swap Meet,"and an elegy, "Tomorrow is in the Bones (for Brendan Whitney)."
This album is available on clear, 180g 12″ vinyl for the first time ever and includes a lyric book with additional poetry and a digital download card. Pre-order your copy now to ensure you get yours before they go out of print!
Ships Next Monday, February 18th.
Pedestrian - UnIndian II LP quantity
Floods "Tentacles of Abraxas" CD (2016)
$10.00 Add to cart /* */
The Gibson Comic Anthology
Skull Long Sleeve


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Joyce Giraud & Husband SLAM 'Mean' Brandi Glanville: 'This Train Is Going To Derail Again!'
From racist comments to drunken antics, Brandi Glanville has rubbed up many of her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills costars the WRONG way.
But according to costar Yolanda Foster, the outlandish and outspoken single mother-of-two is a "beautiful person."
Foster, who has battled her own critics during the current season of the hit Bravo show, makes a valiant attempt to convince costar Joyce Giraud that Glanville, 41, isn't all that evil during this week's episode, which airs Monday.
But Giraud simply doesn't agree.
"I would love to get to know that person," a circumspect Giraud told Foster.
Giraud, a two-time Miss Puerto Rico, was still reeling after Glanville made bigoted remarks about her native heritage.
What's more, an obnoxious Glanville kept calling her by the wrong name during their trip to Palm Springs!
"Yolanda, if she was calling you whatever name you tell her, 'That name is what they would call me in high school and I was bullied for it, please don't repeat it,' and she kept repeating it, I don't think you would have the relationship that you have now," Giraud charged in a back-and-forth discussion.
"Don't tell me that she has a great heart because to me, she hasn't shown that great heart!"
Unable to muster a defense, Foster agreed that Glanville often cannot control what comes out of her mouth.
"I can see where Joyce is coming from," Foster said in her own commentary to the 90210 cameras.
"I can't control what comes out of Brandi's mouth. Even though I don't agree with it, I don't condone it, I will say something about it when it's the appropriate time."
Still, even though Foster acknowledged that Eddie Cibrian's ex-wife needs to change, she implored her new costar to "take our advice" and just accept Glanville for who she is.
"I think you need to advise her and give her some elegance," Giraud said.
Responded Foster, "She's proven to me that she's authentic and a loyal friend and that she's an honest person."
One person she couldn't persuade, though: Giraud's husband Michael.
"As much as you think she's authentic, I've seen a genuine, authentic mean person!" he said.
He added, "I think what they witnessed is a train wreck and they all know that this train is going to derail again."


It seems that my Taggloo (http://taggloo.im) experiment has been sufficiently successful to warrant some determined effort on producing a site that I would be happy to launch and have people use. After collecting some ideas from some Manx speakers and adding few of my own ideas, I've developed the site and am happy to publish the site for wider use. I've even had some positive feedback for my very limited design skills!
Taggloo, as the site says, is a means of bringing learners and seasoned speakers of niche languages together to help keep the language living. Taggloo is Manx Gaelic for "speech" and as such is designed to be an informal aid to existing resources that may be available, rather than a definitive or technical language resource. Currently, the site only has Manx Gaelic, but it is designed from the outset to support other languages.
My aim for the site is for to create a Social Dictionary. This will be achieved by aggregating electronically published content such as Tweets, blog posts or You Tube videos and by encouraging users to get involved by submitting their own interpretations and uses of words, or their own words. I've been learning Manx Gaelic long enough to understand that spellings, pronunciation and meanings of words can vary between dictionaries, contexts and even regions of this small island. So called "dead languages" are often still living, evolving and growing through use in the community and this includes the internet community.
Ultimately, I want to answer a key problem I had in trying to access useful Manx content in an electronic format, by opening the dictionaries and enabling opportunities for users to leverage this data. Users can access this data either by using the web-site or, using the comprehensive API, via mobile phone "apps" or even applets embedded in other web sites.
Community content aggregated from Twitter, blogs and You Tube.
Language use "in the wild" drawn from such community content added to translation results to show context within sentences and discussions.
Uploadable media items, including a subset of Manx Gaelic vocabulary to prime the collection of user-submitted media.
Submission of words missing from the dictionary by expert speakers and learners alike and rating of community submitted content.
Submission of comments regarding people's individual understanding of word meanings and uses, providing a very personal interpretation on language use.
The site is intended to be open from the outset and this includes accepting users' comments and suggestions on how to improve the site. I've set up a UserVoice forum to collect users' impressions. Maybe you have new languages in mind, or have a killer-feature in mind. Or, perhaps there is a bug on the site that needs to be fixed!
Any and all feedback is welcome, and you can submit your suggestions and queries at http://taggloo.uservoice.com.


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by Nirel | Jan 21, 2023 | Events
SICA-USA Presents: Nuts-n-Bolts Grant Writing Workshop conducted by Fayra Teeters January 28th 1:00 – 4:00 pm FREE at the Portland Subud House 3185 NE Regents Drive, Portland 97212 SICA-USA offers a FREE Nuts-n-Bolts Grant Writing Workshop geared for...
by Nirel | Jan 14, 2023 | Subud Couples
Subud Couples Who Support Each Other in Their Cultural Flow Roads Less Traveled, The Adventures of Joyce O'Halloran and Don Berg – by Fayra Teeters In the nine years that Don and I have been partners, we have supported each other's passions. I support...
by Nirel | Jan 7, 2023 | Subud Couples
Subud Couples Who Support Each Other in Their Cultural Flow Visiting with Aminah and Benedict Herrman – By Fayra Teeters In response to the question: How do you support each other to optimize your individual expressions of culture? Aminah's response: Benedict...
by Nirel | Dec 12, 2022 | Events, News
After teaching for 45 years at Portland State University, I am very pleased to report that an anonymous donor has given $60,000 to establish the Hamilton Cheifetz Endowed Scholarship which will be used to recruit and support talented string students. We just received...
by SICA-USA | Dec 10, 2022 | Events, News
From Isabel Gates: Dear Subud Brothers and Sisters, Fredrick Branchflower, our family's beloved patriarch, Subud brother, and dear friend to so many, passed away peacefully in our home on November 28, 2022 at the age of 86. His loving commitment to family, his...
by SICA-USA | Nov 28, 2022 | Events, News
News from Subud Greater Seattle, Fredrick passed away peacefully in his easy chair this morning. We learned this evening via Isabelle Gates (Fredrick and Melanie's daughter). Such a devout Subud member who impacted so many lives in such a positive way. A...
by SICA-USA | Nov 28, 2022 | News
A few months ago, Paul Nelson, Chair of SICA-USA, stepped down. It was my pleasure to test about becoming Chair. Yes! was the receiving for everyone testing. And the existing board members voted me in. How lucky am I? I am grateful to Paul for all the wonderful work...
Featured at the 2022 Fungi Film Festival coming in December. Hamilton Pevec's new film explores the relationships that surround one of the most potent hallucinogenic mushrooms found in the natural world. He looks at how Psilocybe azurescens relates to the people who...
SICA Co-Founder Latifah Taormina is approaching 90 and not slowing down too much. From her: Here is an ad and book release announcement. This wonderful book design — as well as the book's formatting and this release — was done by Marcus Bolt in the UK. There...
Halstein Stralberg passed away peacefully on Sunday November 6th, 2022 in Seattle, Washington due to heart failure. Halstein was born to Sigurd and Randi Strålberg with the given name Arne on May 12th, 1939, on a farm near the town of Farsund in southern Norway. His...
The Story of School


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The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift/Volume 3/The Examiner, Number 14
From Wikisource
< The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift | Volume 3
The Examiner, Number 13
The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 3
(1710) by Jonathan Swift
1575836The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 3
— The Examiner, Number 141710Jonathan Swift
NUMBER XIV.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1710.
E quibus hi vacuas implent sermonibus aures,
Hi narrata ferunt alio: mensuraque sicti
Crescit, et auditis aliquid novus adjicit autor.
Illic Credulitas, illic temerarius Error,
Vanaque Lætitia est, consternatique Timores,
Sedilioque recens, dubioque autore Susurri.
With idle tales this fills our empty ears;
The next reports what from the first he hears;
The rolling fictions grow in strength and size,
Each Author adding to the former lies.
Here vain credulity, with new desires,
Leads us astray, and groandless joy inspires,
The dubious whispers, tumults fresh design'd,
And chilling fears astound the anxious mind.
I AM prevailed on, through the importunity of friends, to interrupt the scheme I had begun in my last paper, by an Essay upon the Art of Political Lying. We are told the devil is the father of lies, and was a liar from the beginning; so that beyond contradiction the invention is old: and, which is more, his first Essay of it was purely political, employed in undermining the authority of his prince, and seducing a third part of the subjects from their obedience; for which he was driven down from Heaven, where (as Milton expresses it) he had been viceroy of a great western province; and forced to exercise his talent in inferiour regions among other fallen spirits, poor or deluded men, whom he still daily tempts to his own sin, and will ever do so, till he be chained in the bottomless pit.
But although the devil be the father of lies, he seems, like other great inventors, to have lost much of his reputation, by the continual improvements that have been made upon him.
Who first reduced lying into an art, and adapted it to politicks, is not so clear from history; although I have made some diligent inquiries. I shall therefore consider it only according to the modern system, as it has been cultivated these twenty years past in the southern part of our own island.
The poets tell us, that after the giants were overthrown by the gods, the earth in revenge produced her last offspring, which was Fame. And the fable is thus interpreted: that when tumults and seditions are quieted, rumours and false reports are plentifully spread through a nation. So that, by this account, lying is the last rellef of a routed, earth-born, rebellious party in a state. But here the moderns have made great additions, applying this art to the gaining of power and preserving it, as well as revenging themselves after they have loft it; as the same instruments are made use of by animals, to feed themselves when they are hungry, and to bite those that tread upon them.
But the same genealogy cannot always be admitted for political lying; I shall therefore desire to refine upon it, by adding some circumstances of its birth and parents. A political lie is sometimes born out of a discarded statesman's head, and thence delivered to be nursed and dandled by the rabble. Sometimes it is produced a monster, and licked into shape: at other times it comes into the world completely formed, and is spoiled in the licking. It is often born an infant in the regular way, and requires time to mature it; and often it sees the light in its full growth, but dwindles away by degrees. Sometimes it is of noble birth; and sometimes the spawn of a stock-jobber. Here it screams aloud at the opening of the womb; and there it is delivered with a whisper. I know a lie, that now disturbs half the kingdom with its noise, which, although too proud and great at present to own its parents, I can remember its whisperhood. To conclude the nativity of this monster; when it comes into the world without a sting, it is still-born; and whenever it loses its sting, it dies.
No wonder if an infant so miraculous in its birth, should be destined for great adventures; and accordingly we see it has been the guardian spirit of a prevailing party, for almost twenty years. It can conquer kingdoms without fighting, and sometimes with the loss of a battle. It gives and resumes employments; can sink a mountain to a mole-hill, and raise a mole-hill to a mountain: has presided for many years at committees of elections; can wash a blackmoor white; make a saint of an atheist, and a patriot of a profligate; can furnish foreign ministers with intelligence, and raise or let fall the credit of the nation. This goddess flies with a huge looking-glass in her hands, to dazzle the crowd, and make them see, according as she turns it, their ruin in their interest, and their interest in their ruin. In this glass you will behold your best friends, clad in coats powdered with fleurs de lis, and triple crowns; their girdles hung round with chains, and beads, and wooden shoes; and your worst enemies, adorned with the ensigns of liberty, property, indulgence, moderation, and a cornucopia in their hands. Her large wings, like those of a flying fish, are of no use but while they are moist; she therefore dips them in mud, and soaring aloft scatters it in the eyes of the multitude, flying with great swiftness; but at every turn is forced to stoop in dirty ways for new supplies.
I have been sometimes thinking, if a man had the art of the second sight for seeing lies, as they have in Scotland for seeing spirits, how admirably he might entertain himself in this town, by observing the different shapes, sizes, and colours of those swarms of lies, which buzz about the heads of some people, like flies about a horse's ears in summer; or those legions hovering every afternoon in Exchange-alley, enough to darken the air; or over a club of discontented grandees, and thence sent down in cargoes to be scattered at elections.
There is one essential point, wherein a political liar differs from others of the faculty; that he ought to have but a short memory, which is necessary, according to the various occasions he meets with every hour of differing from himself, and swearing to both sides of a contradiction, as he finds the persons disposed with whom he has to deal. In describing the virtues and vices of mankind, it is convenient, upon every article, to have some eminent person in our eye, from whom we copy our description. I have strictly observed this rule; and my imagination this minute represents before me a certain great man[1] famous for this talent, to the constant practice of which, he owes his twenty years reputation of the most skilful head in England, for the management of nice affairs. The superiority of his genius consists in nothing else, but an inexhaustible fund of political lies, which he plentifully distributes every minute he speaks, and by an unparalleled generosity forgets, and consequently contradicts, the next half hour. He never yet considered, whether any proposition were true or false, but whether it were convenient for the present minute or company, to affirm or deny it; so that if you think fit to refine upon him, by interpreting every thing he says, as we do dreams, by the contrary, you are still to seek, and will find yourself equally deceived whether you believe or not: the only remedy is to suppose, that you have heard some inarticulate sounds, without any meaning at all; and besides, that will take off the horrour you might be apt to conceive at the oaths, wherewith he perpetually tags both ends of every proposition; although at the same time, I think, he cannot with any justice be taxed with perjury, when he invokes God and Christ; because he has often fairly given public notice to the world, that he believes in neither.
Some people may think, that such an accomplishment as this, can be of no great use to the owner, or his party, after it has been often practised and is become notorious; but they are widely mistaken. Few lies carry the inventor's mark, and the most prostitute enemy to truth, may spread a thousand without being known for the author: besides, as the vilest writer has his readers, so the greatest liar has his believers: and it often happens, that if a lie be believed only for an hour, it has done its work, and there is no farther occasion for it. Falshood flies, and truth comes limping after it; so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale has had its effect: like a man, who has thought of a good repartee, when the discourse is changed, or the company parted; or like a physician, who has found out an infallible medicine, after the patient is dead.
Considering that natural disposition in many men to lie, and in multitudes to believe, I have been perplexed what to do with that maxim so frequent in every body's mouth; that truth will at last prevail. Here has this ifland of ours, for the greatest part of twenty years, lain under the influence of such counsels and persons, whose principle and interest it was, to corrupt our manners, blind our understanding, drain our wealth, and in time destroy our constitution both in church and state; and we at last were brought to the very brink of ruin; yet, by the means of perpetual misrepresentations, have never been able to distinguish between our enemies and friends. We have seen a great part of the nation's money got into the hands of those, who by their birth, education, and merit, could pretend no higher than to wear our liveries; while others, who, by their credit, quality, and fortune, were only able[2] to give reputation and success to the Revolution, were not only[2] laid aside as dangerous and useless, but loaden with the scandal of Jacobites[3], men of arbitrary principles, and pensioners to France; while truth, who is said to lie in a well, seemed now to be buried there under a heap of stones. But I remember, it was a usual complaint among the whigs, that the bulk of the landed men was not in their interests, which some of the wisest looked on as an ill omen; and we saw it was with the utmost difficulty, that they could preserve a majority, while the court and ministry were on their side, till they had learned those admirable expedients for deciding elections, and influencing distant boroughs, by powerful motives from the city. But all this was mere force and constraint, however upheld by most dextrous artifice and management, until the people began to apprehend their properties, their religion, and the monarchy itself in danger; when we saw them greedily laying hold on the first occasion to interpose. But of this mighty change in the dispositions of the people, I shall discourse more at large in some following paper; wherein I shall endeavour to undeceive, or discover, those deluded, or deluding persons, who hope or pretend, it is only a short madness in the vulgar, from which they may soon recover; whereas, I believe, it will appear to be very different in its causes, its symptoms, and its consequences; and prove a great example to illustrate the maxim I lately mentioned; that truth (however sometimes late) will at last preval.
↑ The first earl of Wharton.
↑ 2.0 2.1 Were only able — by this arrangement the word, only, becomes of ambiguous meaning, and the ear is hurt by the repetition of the same words, at the commencement of the two members of the sentence so near each other — were only able — were not only, &c. This may be prevented by substituting the word, alone, in the place of the first, only; as thus — 'While others, who, by their credit, quality, and fortune, were alone able to give reputation and success to the Revolution, were not only laid aside,' &c.
↑ But loaden with the scandal of Jacobites —— may mean with the scandal thrown on them by Jacobites; it should be — with the scandal of being Jacobites, &c.
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Faking My Westworld Fandom Was So Easy, I Almost Forgot I Was a Fraud
Sidney Fussell
Filed to:westworld
Photo: HBO
Reading The Ringer's recent review of Hereditary's Wikipedia page, I thought I'd found another opportunity to do my favorite thing. Everyone's favorite thing. The activity that the internet seems to have been designed for: acting self-righteous.
"I have read the Wikipedia plot summary for Hereditary multiple times, which is the only way I will ever personally experience any of that terror and decapitation," reads The Ringer's review of the familial horror drama (which I liked but didn't love), "because no way am I actually watching that shit."
"Sad!" I cried, ready to pitch a story "exploring" why someone would read a summary of a movie instead of just watching the damn thing. Would it be a poorly disguised excuse to judge people for doing something incredibly common? Sure, but good ol' judgement may be the only real pleasure left in our media wasteland of endless takes and nihilism masquerading as insight.
Ready to send another lamb to the Content Gods, I had a startling realization: Oh shit, I do that, too. With Westworld.
For weeks, I've been running an elaborate con on friends and acquaintances, posing as a Westworld watcher and robbing them blind of the communal good feels that come from being "part of the conversation." Just this weekend, I happily chattered along as legitimate Westheads (that's what you're called, right?) offered theories on Maeve and her superpowers. (Frankly, if the entire show was about a black robot-witch-geisha, I'd probably watch it in earnest.)
What's great about Westworld, I've discovered, is that none of the fans actually know what the hell is going on—seemingly by design. Two seasons in, the show is still revealing even basic motivations of primary characters. That's great for Fake Watchers like me, who can pretend to watch it, then act confused or intrigued when someone brings up something that's not in a recap they skimmed. You're all confused!
Of course, as always, the real culprit is society. The conversations surrounding a hegemonic pop culture product are annoying, insulting, and impossible to ignore. Personally, I don't go for sports, which means I can bow out of discussions on everything from the World Cup to the Superbowl. I'm just here for the Lebron memes, thanks. But as a known fan of nerd and sci-fi stuff, I feel a social obligation to participate in whatever Nerd Culture Emblem we're talking about this week—and rather than face the shame, I conform.
Anyway, the point is that I'm a fraud. And you can be one, too! Twitter makes it easy to free yourself from Homework TV. Whenever a show's a hit, it's obsessively discussed on social media. Something twist-y like Westworld or, say, Mr. Robot, is also pretty much always covered twist-first by pop culture sites. So rather than meandering through a lot of plot, check out some recaps, which pretty much always give you the biggest nugget in the first paragraph. From there, it's easy to finesse friends and acquaintances into believing you're the real deal. And if the endless feed doesn't provide enough intel for your cover story, try doing a search: The big reveal from the Westworld finale, for instance, was gif-ed all over social media within the hour and clips are already on YouTube.
Whether for conformity reasons or not-wanting-to-watch-people-get-decapitated reasons, it's actually easy to abridge lots of pop culture with the internet. And in a culture that demands we consume and respond to every granule of media, maybe faking it is the only way to not get conned.
Correction: An earlier version of this story referred to the most recent season of Westworld as season three. However, there are only two seasons of the show. We regret the error. The author is clearly unfamiliar with the show.
The 10 Biggest Questions From the Westworld Finale, and What We Already Know About Them
Hereditary Is a Horror Masterpiece That Shows a Family Losing Hope and Their Minds
The Westworld Finale Was a Beautiful, Bonkers Mess
Of course I have pages. I had pages five years ago. How anyone can believe I don't defies belief.
PGP Fingerprint: 6595 DBB6 1A35 1D33 2459 1643 3315 A092 4BA2 05E1


Lower front suspension ball joint rubber boot. Mazda Bongo & Ford Freda 1995-2003. NM01827.
Lower front suspension ball joint dust boot. Mazda Bongo & Ford Freda models 1995-2003, SGL3, SGL5, SGLW, SGEW, SG5W, SGE3. Genuine Mazda part.
This is replaceable without having to re-align the front suspension. Saves buying a new lower arm just because the rubber boot is perished or split.


A third-party provider that offers virtual private network (VPN) services for businesses and consumers. Providing anonymity and privacy, all requests go to the VPN server first, and all responses come back through the server. A major feature is the number of devices that can access the VPN servers simultaneously. For example, several family members may be using computers, tablets and phones at the same time.
Another important feature is the delay introduced by the service because the data must go through the VPN provider's server. The more servers the provider has, the less likely a user will perceive any slowdown. It also depends on the connection speed to the user's ISP and the ISP's performance.
VPN providers have servers in many countries. By selecting a foreign server, users may be able to gain access to news, sports and programs they could not obtain by making the requests from their ISP's servers. See VPN and anonymous Web surfing.
The website only sees the IP address of the VPN server and not that of the user. Depending on the service, the data may be encrypted all the way to its destination or just from the user to the VPN server.


What is an American Colonial?
The colonial period officially ended with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
American colonial homes had keeping rooms off the kitchens to keep the family warm.
It is easy to think of an American colonial house as one style; a staunch, even patriotic architectural concept born in a new country. Nothing could be further from the truth. American colonials are in fact more representative of another early American tradition: pluralism. In early colonial America, the houses known as American colonial today were as different and varied as the cultural and regional influences on them. Colonial homes represent a time period, rather than a specific style.
There are many different types of the American colonial house, including French, Dutch, British, and Southern. Reliant on the technology and available materials of the era, as well as regional preference and considerations such as local climate, many types do share some defining details. For instance, a dedication to symmetry of windows, siding and roofs regularly appears in many American colonial revivals.
With so many immigrants from distant lands, it is unsurprising that many sought to build new homes reminiscent of the style and appearance of those back home. Dutch colonials, for instance, feature the barn-like gambrel roof and primarily stone or brick construction that was common in the Dutch homeland. Georgian colonials were popular with British citizens, with the brick facade and slavish attention to symmetry calling up visions of bonny England.
Homesickness notwithstanding, the American colonial house remained a true expression of life in the strange new country. In the Deep South, where humidity and hot summers were a constant concern, colonial homes sprouted sheltered porches and balconies, and shuttered windows that took advantage of breezes. Spanish colonials in modern-day Florida blended Moorish influences with the popular building materials of the area, such as stucco and adobe. The saltbox colonial of New England kept symmetry intact but increased space in crowded towns by adding a one-story addition to the back of the house.
The colonial period officially ended as the new nation of America began, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The American colonial style, however, continued to influence and determine how houses were built in a fledgling nation. Eventually, colonial fashions gave way to the more highly decorative styles of federal, Victorian, and antebellum homes. Colonials have never strayed too far from the architectural mind, however, as several revivals have occurred since the original American colonial faded from high style in the late 18th century. Today, newer homes with symmetrical details, wood siding or brick construction, and central chimneys are often most often referred to as neo-colonial.
What Is a Gambrel House?
What is a Dutch Colonial House?
What is a French Colonial?
What is a Saltbox Style House?
What are Colonial Style Houses?
What is the Colonial Style of Decorating?


If you'd think that one way to skip the ever-growing queue of all the upcoming albums was to entice me with an exclusive track premiere, you'd be a little wrong. Even these I get by dozens every week. In the world of readily available music, created and broadcasted with an incredible force, the labels and the sites like mine, have certainly become the "filters". At least that's how I classify my "work". And so, if you have trust in these small words of guiding light, I hope you boost your confidence in taste with these few carefully selected track premieres. That's all I wanted to convey on this non-major topic. And thus, without much more interruption, I proudly present you with a beautiful new work by the one and only Hotel Neon.
Hotel Neon is a trio from Philadelphia, which has appeared on these pages [and hopefully on your rotations] ever since their self-released and self-titled Hotel Neon debut in 2013. The album has been subsequently picked up by Home Normal, with the band's followups, Remnants (2016) and Context (2017) appearing on Fluid Audio, and migration with Means of Knowing (2018) to Augustin Mena's (aka Warmth) Archives imprint. For their latest release, titled Vanishing Forms, the trio returns to Archives, with eight ambient atmospheres that blanket a spinning mind. The vastly spanning and highly textured pieces drown all anguish and polish the sharp edges of that troublesome thought. Listening to this music is like opening your eyes on the beach facing a boundless ocean, with an intense realization that at this moment all is real and everything else is just product of a projected and forever fueled in worry ego. This is how things truly are… And if you don't have the luxury of an ocean near your dwelling, at least you can reflect on the presence in your headphones, with Hotel Neon spraying all the vapours of their waves.
The album will be available for pre-order this Friday (April 12th), available on digital, CD, and of course, vinyl. You may have already noticed in the above Release Notes section, but it's worth pointing out again the mastering touch of Rafael Anton Irisarri from his Black Knoll Studio in New York. Hotel Neon is setting out on tour for the album premiere events, which also include performances by Lowercase Noises and Slow Meadow! Be sure to catch them in the US plus London and rest of Europe with Marcus Fischer and Kate Carr sometime in September! See all dates and venues on hotelneonmusic.com.


text:
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2008, 08:00
IMF raises eurozone growth forecast for 2008
The International Monetary Fund Monday upgraded its forecast for eurozone growth this year despite grave concerns over soaring oil prices and the current global financial turbulence.
The International Monetary Fund said in its report released Monday in Frankfurt that the 15-nation eurozone economy would grow by around 1.75% in 2008. The institution had previously cut its forecast for 2008 to 1.4% in April. The eurozone has demonstrated itself "a zone of stability in the international economy" despite major challenges, said the report. "Despite labor market inefficiencies and major terms-of-trade shocks, labor costs have been subdued and employment growth remarkably strong," it said.
Acting IMF director for Europe, Alessandro Leipold, told reporters in Frankfurt that "activity so far has clearly been more robust than we anticipated" in the Q1 of 2008. Still, Leipold warned that the eurozone economy is not "immune" to the outside world. Soaring oil and food prices are among the major factors that could weigh on the European economies, the IMF said. Experts are also worried that a strong euro could hurt the growth of some export-driven economies, such as Germany. And the ongoing financial crunch, which could lead to corporate credit crisis and a substantial reduction of investment, could cut global demand and exports and further drag down economic growth, the IMF said.
Meanwhile, the IMF suggested that the Frankfurt-based European Central Bank (ECB) keep its interest rates stable at 4.0% despite inflation fears. Even though inflation in the eurozone is likely to stay above 3% for some time, well above the ECB's goal of below 2%, it would "gradually return to below 2.0% in late 2009," the IMF said. The institution raised its eurozone growth forecast for 2009 from 1.2% to 1.25%. The ECB, established ten years ago with its main goal to curb inflation in the eurozone, has kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged since last June despite substantial cuts by the US Federal Reserve to boost economic growth. (people.com.cn)


The sense of smell, more than any of the other senses, can trigger strong emotional memories. The olfactory system is physically wired for it. Unlike the other sensory pathways, the olfactory bulb has a direct connection to the amygdala (emotion) and hippocampus (memory consolidation). When you want to trigger your fictional character's memory, you may want to figure out why s/he likes, or dislikes certain smells.
Preparing to explore the sense of smell was an exercise in itself. In the search for smells to trigger memories, I went scavenging at my childhood home. I started in the kitchen, looked around my old room, but hit serious pay dirt in my sister's and my bathroom. I found small bottles of perfume I had received as gifts, lotion, an empty bottle of shampoo that still had a strong smell, and other forgotten stinky treasures. This adventure to my childhood home on the hunt for scents inspired a piece of writing before even doing the exercise.
She looked around the cold, empty kitchen. She wanted to make it feel like home again; warm and inviting as if they were all together staring at the TV in a tired, after school daze. She chose the French vanilla coffee from the ten different bags, in variable stages of use, in the freezer and started the pot. Her mother didn't drink coffee and her dad drank instant. Did he drink instant because making coffee was woman's work, or did he never bother to figure out the coffee pot? She didn't know the answer. The only time there was coffee in the pot was for special occasions. Though her coffee was dripping in a regular plastic coffee pot, the sound of the coffee brewing reminded her of the tall silver percolator her mother set on the counter for every social gathering. She smelled the familiar earthy musk mixed with sweet and nutty aromas and she imagined everyone squeezing into the kitchen to help prepare the huge family meal. She thought of the Christmas get together with the lively white elephant gift exchange and smiled.
She went to the refrigerator and pulled out the huge block of orange medium cheddar which her mother always kept in the clear center drawer. The bread was on top of the fridge, though not in the stack of bowls like it used to be. They didn't have the wonderful, hazelnut bread for her today, so wheat would have to do. She buttered the bread and started to slice the cheese. Remembering her mission to explore the smells of her youth, she held the slice up to her nose. Instantly, she pictured the cat that had been so crazy about cheese you could get him to walk on his hind legs and turn in a circle if you held cheese over him. He would be in the kitchen meowing loudly before you could even get the cheese out of the plastic wrap. He was the only one of Tatiana's kittens they kept. What was his name? The smell of cheese didn't bring that back. What a strange thing to forget.
Exercise: Gather a large selection of smelly objects that may trigger memories (I tried a sampling of gum and candy from my childhood along with the things I found in my childhood home). Don't just look for good smells try some bad ones as well (I tried Witch Hazel, Noxema, and stinky perfume. Be creative. Try everything you can think of). In a group, smell the different objects and write down everything that comes to mind. Pick one smell that affected you the most and write about it for 5 minutes.
I had heard Ivory soap was invented to float, so I picked up a bar to clean myself in the lake while my septic was backed up—again. This was the second time in three years and when it happened the first time, I'd been without water for three months. At least this time it was warm. I got up before light and ripped open the plastic coated paper wrapper. The strong smell of the freshly opened bar of soap reminded me of the upstairs bathroom in my grandfather's house. Specifically sitting and reading the wallpaper that looked like pages from a catalog from the old west. I remember the brown drawings of high button boots and a wood stove with prices a child collecting her pennies could afford. I don't remember using Ivory soap during my annual week long summer visits. The soaps in the dish were small and shaped like flowers, but this was the smell of that bathroom. I decided I didn't want to smell like grandpa's bathroom. I didn't care if the soap sank to the bottom of the lake. I hunted around the cupboard beneath the sink and found some old body wash. It was probably more environmentally friendly anyway.
I hope you try this exercise and enjoy exploring sensory description. I'd love to hear from you. Please leave comments and suggestions. Thank you.


The world falls in love with a charismatic young president, his stylish wife, and their charming young children. In the campaign for the presidency he has defeated his opponent in part by charging Republican failure in the war against America's enemies. In the dawn of his administration this Harvard man musters strategic buttress from intellectuals bunkered in think-tanks and academe, for a decisive escalation by which the foe will be routed. Counter-insurgency will go hand in hand with nation-building. Corruption will be banished and local troops trained to shoulder the burden of the war.
To be sure, there are differences between Jack Kennedy's America in 1961 and Barack Obama's in 2009. At the start of the Sixties the U.S. economy in its productive phase hadn't crested. It was still on the way up to its peak in about 1969. The mantra was "guns and butter." In 1961 the best and the brightest, defeating Vietnamese guerillas in their Top Secret memos to Kennedy and his commanders, invoked Britain's defeat of the Communist insurgency in Malaya, courtesy of Frank Kitson's counter-insurgency tactics and America's victory over the Huks in the Philippines, with Edward Lansdale claiming the achievement. In 2009, veterans' hospitals here offer bleak testimony that in Iraq 150,000 US troops, lavishly equipped with advanced weaponry were held down for years in Iraq by the guerillas' rudimentary roadside explosives.
Most people thought this pledge would get lobbed into the trashcan the moment McCain conceded. But no. Last Friday I drove down Interstate 5 through the early spring blossom in Oregon's Willamette Valley, listening to Obama on the radio marching through his schedule for escalation and victory in Afghanistan. He was born in the year JFK became president, but has this supposedly smart fellow not read a single decent history of the Vietnam war and of America's defeat? Apparently not. Otherwise how could he blithely announce that "We will accelerate our efforts to build an Afghan Army of 134,000 and a police force of 82,000 so that we can meet these goals by 2011…Going forward, we will not blindly stay the course. Instead, we will set clear metrics to measure progress and hold ourselves accountable." Nothing perishes quicker in war than "clear metrics".
Signficantly,according to Ray McGovern's recent piece on this site Obama did not order a National Intelligence Estimate as he evolved his plan, doubtless because he and his National Security Adviser feared such an NIE might arrive at the same sort of depressing assessment as the April 2006 NIE on global terrorism, which concluded invasions and occupations do not make America safer but lead instead to an upsurge in terrorism.
It seems, from an inside dopester story by Bill Gertz in the Washington Times, cited here by William Lind last week, that in the White House sessions formulating Obama's Afghan policy Vice President Joe Biden, and Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg, argued for a minimal strategy of "stabilizing" Afghanistan. Against them Richard C. Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy for the region, U.S. Central Command leader Gen. David H. Petraeus and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton successfully sold Obama on a major nation-building program, bringing Afghanistan out of feudal poverty and backwardness into the healthful air of a stable and prosperous economy, respectful of women and the polling booth.
Maybe Biden forgot to point out to his boss that this was the Afghanistan model espoused by the leftist Noor Taraki in the late 1970s, setting off US alarm bells which duly led to Taraki's murder and the CIA's huge covert and successful intervention in support of the drug barons and warlords, whose feudal offspring are now America's actual or prospective allies in the war on the Taliban.
As Obama proudly flourished his alliterative triad ("to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan') , I listened with the same dismayed frisson as I did more than four decades ago to Kennedy's similarly childish rhetoric of intervention, whose dark underbelly was the murder of the Diem brothers, and the birth of the Phoenix assassination program of "Viet Cong infrastructure".
Obama's brisk sentences commit thousands of fresh US troops to overwhelm the Taliban, oblivious of the judgment of sensible observers that it's precisely the presence of foreign troops that prompts Pashtuns to support the Taliban and join their ranks. More brisk sentences summoned Pakistan to the crusade against terror, as if Pakistan's intelligence establishment does not work hand in glove with the Taliban and protects al-Qaida leaders.
It took the 10th Mountain soldiers nearly two hours to make a descent that usually takes Afghans 20 minutes. Each Combat Company soldier carried between 80 and 130 pounds on his back. Inexperienced Afghan soldiers, unsure of the route, caused further delays, losing their way and threatening to gun down an unarmed shepherd.
Up to 130lbs on your back, in the Hindu Kush! Shades of S.L.A. Marshall's studies of U.S.Marines on D-Day drowning in a couple of feet of water, pinioned under the weight of their vastly overloaded knapsacks. No wonder the Pentagon prefers to fire off Predators or bomb wedding parties from a safe height.
This essay originally appeared in the April 2009 print edition of CounterPunch.