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Mendocino County Today: Friday, July 8, 2016
By AVA News Service on July 8, 2016
Dallas Shooting
Water Tour
Budget Exam
Hypocritical Hospitality
Pit Brawls
Burglar Nabbed
CPUC Hearing
Homeless Costs
Scoundrel Trump
Spiritual Side
Cannabis Celebration
Mixtape Wallet
Trespass Grow
Police Shootings
Hill House Inn
TWELVE POLICE OFFICERS SHOT, FIVE FATALLY, BY SNIPERS AMID DALLAS PROTEST AGAINST POLICE KILLINGS
by David Caplan, Dallas
Eleven police officers were shot ambush-style, including four fatally, in Dallas Thursday night by at least two snipers, amid a protest against the recent police shootings of two black men, Alton Sterling in Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Minnesota, according to the Dallas Police.
Officials said the gunmen aimed to kill as many officers as possible. Among the officers killed, at least one was a Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer and at least one of the wounded was a DART officer.
One suspect is in custody, following a shootout with Dallas SWAT officers, police said, and a suspicious package was found near the suspect's location. Police said the package is being secured by the bomb squad.
Another individual, whom police initially identified on Twitter as a "suspect" and circulated a photo of on Twitter, has turned himself in. In a statement, they referred to him as a "person of interest."
Chaos erupted just before 9 p.m. when a pair of snipers in elevated positions opened fire on officers, who were protecting protesters, police said.
Some of the 11 officers were shot in the back, police said, adding that one civilian was wounded.
In an earlier statement, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said that two of the officers were in surgery and three in critical condition.
Police said the suspects were situated on two different perches or garages.
Marie Saavedra, a reporter with ABC Dallas affiliate WFAA tweeted, "MANY gunshots heard in video I captured in #Dallas, just before 9p as rally marched through downtown."
Following the reports of shots fired, public transportation was suspended in downtown Dallas: "DART rail and bus service in Downtown Dallas has been suspended due to criminal activity."
Witnesses to the mayhem took to social media, including the Instagram user below, who shot video of individuals running frantically, while shots being fired could be heard.
Earlier in the evening, however, the atmosphere was significantly different, as depicted by these images and video the Dallas Police Department tweeted of the demonstration.
In a statement released early Friday morning, Texas governor Greg Abbott said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dalllas law enforcement community and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) officers killed and injured this evening...In times like this we must remember -- and emphasize -- the importance of uniting as Americans."
(developing… Courtesy, ABC News)
WATER AGENCY ASSOCIATION PROGRAM & TOUR in Ukiah in August: Friday, 08/05/2016
Location: Army Corp of Engineers Facility at Lake Mendocino, 1160 Lake Mendocino Drive, Ukiah, CA 95482
ACWA Region 1 Program & Tour
Russian River Water Supply System Tour
Tour Start and End Point:
Army Corp of Engineers Facility at Lake Mendocino
1160 Lake Mendocino Dr., Ukiah, CA 95482
Parking limited – carpooling encouraged.
ACWA Region 1 is hosting a program and tour about the Russian River water system. The itinerary includes visits to Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma, the two major reservoirs maintaining water supply and providing flood protection for the Russian River watershed. Tour participants will begin the day at Lake Mendocino for an overview of the Russian River water system and tour of the hatchery. After boarding a bus and traveling south along the Russian River to Lake Sonoma, participants will visit Sonoma County Water Agency's Dry Creek Habitat Enhancement Project. The tour route will return to Lake Mendocino where the program will conclude. Lunch will be provided. Click here for preliminary agenda.
Registration is available online until July 29th
ACWA Member Pre-Registration Fee: $25.00
Non-Member Pre-Registration Fee: $38.00
A $5 fee will be added to all onsite registrations.
Onsite registrations will be accommodated as space permits.
Registration fee includes: meeting materials, tour transportation, lunch, snacks, and refreshments. Tour participants are required to sign an ACWA Voluntary Release and Waiver, available at www.acwa.com.
Personal Protection Attire for Tour: closed-toed flat shoes, sun hat and sun glasses are highly recommended for these tours.
Online registration deadline is July 29, 2016 or until space is full. Onsite registrations will be accommodated as space permits. Cancellations must be received in writing by 5 p.m. on July 29th, in order to cancel a registration and receive reimbursement. Substitutions can be made by requesting it in writing by July 29th. After that date, substitutions can be handled onsite at the event. Event details are subject to change and registrants will be notified by e-mail if changes occur.
Suggested Overnight Accommodations:
1220 Airport Park Blvd
ACWA Rate: $139 + taxes
Reserve your room by August 3, 2016 to take advantage of the ACWA rate, limited rooms available at this rate. Call the hotel directly at (707) 462-3442 to make your reservation.
Contact ACWA Regional Affairs Representative Katie Dahl at katied@acwa.com or call (916) 441-4545.
To Register: http://www.acwa.com/events/acwa-region-1-program-tour
WE WERE STARTLED to see this chart in the County's recently passed 2016-2017 Budget.
It shows a decline of almost $7 million in the County's discretionary revenues this year and there's no asterisk on the chart explaining the drop. But there had to be a reason, so we started reading budget…
BURIED DEEP in the giant collection of numbers, charts, graphs and text we found this: "The Auditor's projections for discretionary revenue include modest increases in property tax revenue with a slight regression in room occupancy tax revenue due to a number of one time corrections in FY 15-16, and a continued slight decline in sales tax receipts. A detailed breakdown of discretionary revenue projections is included on page 31."
SO, ON TO PAGE 31: "The Auditor-Controller's projections are the same as third quarter, with the difference of $6,758,535 being the shift of Proposition 172 funding from Budget Unit 1000 directly to the Public Safety Budget Units: District Attorney - Budget Unit 2070, Sheriff-Coroner - Budget Unit 2310, Jail - Budget Unit 2510, and Probation - Budget Unit 2560. These budget units have also had their Proposition 172 funds decreased from the amounts included in the Department Net County Cost assignments based on the Board direction to provide $564,874 of Proposition 172 funding to support Fire Districts. This funding is appropriated in Budget Unit 4016 - Emergency Medical Services."
SO THE PROP 172 SALES TAX REVENUE was moved from "discretionary" to specific departmental budgets and in the process about $565k was sliced off for local Fire Departments and Ambulance Service subsidies. There's no discussion of the impact of the reduction in the DA's, Sheriff's or probation budgets and we haven't heard about any grumbling from those departments after the 8% reduction. There's also no indication what the fire departments will do with the new money, money that almost everyone thinks is long overdue because Prop 172 was originally supposed to fund not just "law enforcement" but the larger category of "public safety" which obviously includes fire and emergency services.
WE EXPECT that a good chunk of the $565k will go to pay the extortionate insurance rates that Mendo's approximately two dozen independent fire departments are required to pay, more than half of which is for workers compensation.
IN ANDERSON VALLEY, for example, the Golden State Risk Management Authority, the district's general insurer, currently charges the local Community Services District about $40,000 a year for "insurance," more than half of which is workers compensation. (The charge is reduced to about $36k if the District submits a large pile of "loss control" paperwork, which it does.) In the more than 25 years of covering that fire district The Major can only remember two small workers comp claims, both of them stemming from minor injuries to volunteer firefighters, and one or two minor vehicle accident claims. This for an activity that clearly involves major property and personell safety risks. For this the district has turned hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars meant for fire protection over to the big insurance companies with almost nothing to show for it.
THE POINT: This is yet another example of how the public is ripped off in the absence of national single-payer health care. Whether you're General Motors (whose Canadian plant right across the border from Detroit pays no exorbitant health insurance comparied to the nearly bankrupting health insurance costs for US workers and retirees) or the little guy with one or two employees or even a small public agency with volunteers, monopolistic health insurance costs are imposed everywhere you look: your auto insurance, workers comp, MediCal, Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, Obamacare, general liability, group and private insurance, retiree insurance, emergency rooms, medications… It all adds up to a huge and unnecessary burden on commerce, not to mention providing mediocre care at high cost to only a percentage of the population. And even General Motors and their other big business pals can't bring themselves to lobby for single payer because they dare not buck the insurance mafia.
MY EXPERIENCE AT HOSPITALITY HOUSE
I went to the Hospitality House Sept. 3 2013 and received a bed and was told to check in at the Hospitality Center on Franklin St. in the alley to sign up for "services" with in 5 days and to go to the clinic for a TB test (did).
I went to the Hospitality Center to sign up for "services".
As they where just opening and I believe people need assistance sometimes (you too are eligible) I started 'being of assistance" as in supporting their programs, sharing Green and Sober Inc. morning check in, I ran the emergency winter shelter December 2013 to April 2014, volunteered for various "public service" activities.
I moved out of the house February 2014 to re-start Green and Sober Inc.
Having a lot of troubles I still needed services and have been denied housing because I will not lie about Cannabis use as my only medication, I still tried to turn to the Hospitality Center for assistance and to complain about the fact they where allowing other people to lie and cheat making what I am doing look wrong when in fact they are the ones who are wrong.
A few of us that openly use Cannabis as a medication started having Green and Sober meetings (peer to peer support) at Dragonfly wellness center.
At our first meeting a client of the Hospitality Center thought it would be funny to go to Dragonfly Wellness Center to get his Cannabis and wait for the meeting to end to rub my nose in the fact that he is allowed to use Cannabis and he is housed, "how's that honesty working for you?"
As this became an on going pattern, I reported this behavior to the Hospitality Center staff including Anna Shaw and asked them to tell their client not to stalk and harass me at the Cannabis club.
They told me they can't tell their clients what to do, as a matter of fact they leave what they believe clients can do up to the clients.
As what I see as a slap in the face, this client that I have been making formal complaints about was used as a hospitality center success story on the front page of the Advocate News (July 24 2014).
Finally after talking with a local police officer about what was going on, the harassment stopped.
I started re-filing formal complaints with patient's rights which at first seemed to be disregarded.
When my formal complaints where finally responded to I was blown away at their response which stated:
"Dear Mr. Mack,
"This letter is to follow-up on the grievance you submitted on June 15 and 17, 2015, regarding your report that you were denied services and you concerns about your medication. Mendocino County Mental Health Improvement did investigate your grievance.
"Per conversations with the Patients Rights Advocate and Connie Drago, compliance manager from Ortner Management Group (OMG), who spoke with your case manager at MCHC as well as yourself, we learned more about your concerns. Your case manager corroborated your statements, and you won't compromise your ethics. You are not being denied services. Your case manager, ***** ******, will continue to work with you on overcoming your housing barriers. OMG and Mendocino County will also continue to support you in your efforts."
This letter was dated June 25th 2015 and I still have the things to deal with that I have been asking for help on for over 2 years.
I even put in an application for employment on 2 occasions which must get buried also.
So I just want to let the people and agencies that refuse to help me know that since I can not get help to get housing from Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center, Patients Rights, Disability Rights, ACLU, local Board of Supervisor, Fort Bragg City council, various attorneys and the ones I do not want to mention due to fear of retaliation.
I am being forced lie & cheat (as many do), quit Cannabis (risk seizures) or get back on prescription medication to get housing.
All of this is completely wrong! Cannabis is my ONLY medication.
This is what I have been sending and saying to the various agencies.
I am missing part of my frontal lobe and was on many prescription drugs (2 being anti-seizure).
I have been able to successfully replace ALL of the prescription drugs with Cannabis (no seizures).
Using Cannabis and not prescription medication has kept me locked out of many mental health services such as housing (Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center).
In order to receive the most important component of homeless services, housing, I would have to lie & cheat, quit Cannabis (risk seizures) or get back on prescription medications (seems wrong to me). This is a blatant violation of my civil rights!
All of this is completely hypocritical considering the Department of Health and Human Services holds the patent on Cannabinoids (6630507). I am really disturbed by all of this.
The mental health system on the coast has given me more mental health issues then I have ever had.
Richard E. Mack, Fort Bragg
PITTIES BRAWL IN UKIAH
Several pit bulls in Ukiah are looking for a few homes this week after a fight between the animals led the owners to give them up, the Ukiah Police Department reported.
According to the UPD, officers responded to a home in the 1300 block of Berkley Way around 12:30 p.m. July 3 when it was reported that multiple pit bulls were fighting and the owners had been bit.
When officers arrived, they learned that three male adult dogs, three female adult dogs and six puppies, all pit bulls, were living at the residence.
A fight had broken out between two of the male dogs, and the third male, who was reportedly tied up, broke free of his harness to join the fight. While trying to stop the fight, both of the owners were bitten.
The officers took custody of the three males dogs, two of whom were severely injured and taken to a local veterinarian for medical care. The third male who was uninjured was taken to the animal shelter on Plant Road to be quarantined.
The owners reportedly admitted that they were unable to care for the dogs and relinquished ownership. The remaining three females and six puppies were then transported to the shelter as well.
Anyone interested in adopting the dogs or other animals can contact visit the shelter at 298 Plant Road, or call 463-4427.
GOTTA HAVE THAT TWEEK
On July 6, 2016 at approximately 8:15 a.m., Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to a burglary at the Point Arena Elementary School located at 20 School Street in Point Arena. After arriving and investigating the incident, Deputies determined that the person(s) responsible had forced entry to gain access inside the complex before stealing various items from within. School officials were able to immediately provide Deputies with a detailed list of property stolen from the location.
At about 11:19am, Deputies contacted suspect Peter Rose Jr., 22, of Point Arena, in the 100 block of Main Street in Point Arena. During that contact, Deputies determined Rose was wearing an article of clothing and in possession of other items, all stolen from the elementary school. Further investigation revealed that Rose was solely responsible for the burglary at the elementary school and he was arrested for burglary and possession of stolen property. Rose was transported to the Mendocino County Jail where he is being held on $50,000 bail. During the course of the investigation, Deputies were able to link Rose directly to five other previous burglaries and attempted burglaries in the Point Arena area that were reported to the Sheriff's Office between 06-22-2016 to 07-05-2016. Those victims included the Saint Paul's Methodist Church at 40 School Street, a residence located in the 100 block of School Street, the Point Arena School District Office located at 45 Lake Street and Fanny's Cup and Saucer located in the 200 block of Main Street, and a previous burglary of the Point Arena Elementary School, 20 School St. These investigations were submitted to the District Attorney's Office for additional complaints, including two counts of burglary and three counts of attempted burglary.
MENDOCINO COUNTY TO HOST CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (CPUC) HEARING – July 15, 2016 - Board Of Supervisors Chambers
On July 15, 2016, the County will be hosting a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Public Participation Hearing (PPH) regarding the Rural Call Completion and Dial Tone Access Proceeding. This hearing will be held in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at 501 Low Gap Road, Ukiah from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Hearing will focus on recent call completion issues, including outages that compromise access to 911 services in our area.
This is a unique opportunity for Mendocino County. CPUC Commissioner Catherine J.K. Sandoval is traveling around the state to hear directly from rural citizens about their telecommunications concerns, specifically problems associated with Rural Call Completion and Dial Tone access and the inability to connect to 911. It is critically important that residents who have experienced such problems attend and provide comments to this regulatory agency. Comments from the public can help the CPUC reach an informed decision.
The County of Mendocino is encouraging all residents that have experienced call failures for whatever reason (including outages), and those public safety agencies impacted by such failures, to plan to attend this important public hearing and provide input!
For more information please contact the CPUC News & Outreach Office, (415) 703-1366 or news@cpuc.ca.gov; or Trish Steel with the Mendocino Broadband Alliance, chairman@mendocinobroadband.org.
Released by:
Carmel J. Angelo
DO DEAD OR DYING TREES RAISE WILDFIRE RISK?
Focus: Do dead or dying trees raise wildfire risk? [San Diego Union-Tribune] As a record number of trees stand dead or dying in California's forests due to drought and beetle infestations, concerns are mounting that the die-off is creating an abundance of fuel likely to trigger wildfires that could threaten homes and lives. However, an emerging body of science finds little evidence to support these fears. Researchers studying wildfires across the western United States during the past decade have increasingly concluded that forests ravaged by bark beetles and other insects aren't more likely to burn than healthy expanses of forest. Forestry officials dismiss such scientific assessments as premature and inconclusive. They said active forest management will continue in an effort to prevent the worst consequences of wildfires.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/jul/06/pines-oaks-dead-wildfire-risk-forests-science/
CATCH OF THE DAY, July 7, 2016
Collins, Cronin, Davis
ANTONIO COLLINS, Fort Bragg. Probation revocation.
KATIE CRONIN, Fort Bragg. Domestic battery.
BRITTANY DAVIS, Ukiah. Probation revocation.
Fred, Garcia, James-Horton
JONATHAN FRED, Nice/Ukiah. Failure to appear.
CESAR GARCIA, Ukiah. Pot cultivation, possession for sale.
KENNETH JAMES-HORTON, Clearlake/Ukiah. Failure to appear.
Mateo-Martinez, Meza, Rodriguez
MODESTO MATEO-MARTINEZ, Ukiah. Pot cultivation, possession for sale, resisting.
SERGIO MEZA, Willits. Rape of person under 18, soliciting prostitution, acting in concert with another by force or violence or by aiding & abetting, conspiracy.
ISMAEL RODRIGUEZ, Point Arena. Pot and meth possession for sale, probation revocation.
Rose, Sanchez, Saunders
PETER ROSE JR., Burglary, receiving stolen property, drunk in public, probation revocation.
BULMARO SANCHEZ, Covelo. Pot cultivation, possession for sale.
BRADLEY SAUNDERS, Ukiah. Probation revocation.
Stone, Thomas, Vichi
TRACY STONE, Sacramento/Ukiah. DUI.
STEPHEN THOMAS, Ukiah. Possession of ammo by prohibited person, offenses while on bail, probation revocation.
ELMER VICHI, Fort Bragg. Domestic battery.
HOMEWARD BOUND, the Navigation Center, & "Better Outcomes"
The recent Controller's report on the Navigation Center for the homeless has an odd critique of the Homeward Bound program:
The Homeward Bound program's involvement with the Navigation Center is premised upon the assumption that clients will have greater success getting on the bus when they are housed overnight and given additional time and assistance to prepare for departure. However, because the Homeward Bound program does not track the outcomes for non‐Navigation Center clients, it is impossible to determine whether the Navigation Center contributes to better outcomes. Further, the data on page 15 of this report show that the Navigation Center has been increasingly used as a resource for Homeward Bound Clients (page 26).
On page 15 we learn that 38 homeless people have stayed for one or two nights in the five beds reserved in the Navigation Center for Homeward Bound clients before they get on a bus out of San Francisco. How is that not a "better outcome" than living on city streets or in city parks, which costs the city $80,000 a year?
According to the numbers provided in a recent SF Examiner story, since February, 2005, 9,917 of the city's homeless population have been given a bus ticket out of town at a total cost of $1,844,070. That works out to only $186 per person bused outahere, which is a bargain compared to the $16,000 per person the city spends to actually house the homeless that pass through the Navigation Center, as reported in an item in a recent Matier & Ross column (below).
Navigating the numbers: It cost San Francisco about $16,000 for each homeless person placed in permanent housing in the city through the highly praised Mission District Navigation Center during its first year-plus of operation.
That's the big takeaway of a report by the city controller's office that looked at the costs and benefits of the center — a different type of homeless shelter, one that takes in entire encampments and lets people sleep with partners, bring in all their possessions and even their pets, and gives them direct access to services designed to enable them to transition into permanent housing.
In a 13-month period starting in March 2015, 399 homeless people passed through its doors, the report found. Men outnumbered women by more than 2 to 1, and the median age was 43.
According to the report, close to half of those served by the Navigation Center — 168 people — were there only briefly before being put on buses out of town under Homeward Bound. That's the long-standing city program under which a homeless person gets a free bus ticket if a friend or relative is waiting at the end of the line.
"These clients typically stay one to two days," the report said, "and do not receive the same intensive case management services as other clients."
Translation: Most of what the city spends at the Navigation Center doesn't go toward them.
Those costs — amounting to $2.2 million in the 13 months studied, according to the report — are spent mainly on the people placed in permanent housing. There were 142 of those during the time the report looked at the Navigation Center — which comes to about $16,000 per placement.
A chronically homeless person on the street costs the city about $80,000 a year in emergency services, law enforcement expenses and the like, the city estimates. So $16,000 to get someone ready to go into supportive or affordable housing is a relative bargain.
But by no one's definition is it cheap. Getting one chronically homeless person ready for housing costs taxpayers $2,600 more than it costs for a year's worth of tuition and fees at the University of California.
(Rob Anderson, Courtesy, District5Diary)
HOW UNPATRIOTIC IS DONALD TRUMP?
by Ralph Nader
Samuel Johnson famously considered patriotism "the last refuge of a scoundrel." His biographer James Boswell, who passed along that judgment, clarified that Johnson "did not mean a real and generous love for our country, but that pretended patriotism which so many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak for self-interest."
This could be describing Donald Trump. And yet the Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan theorized in an April 2016 column that Trump's major appeal to Republican voters came not from his adherence to any political ideology, but rather from his radiant patriotism which has, in her view, been absent from the political status quo. "What Trump supporters believe, what they perceive as they watch him," she wrote, "is that he is on America's side."
There is little in Trump's rambling off-the-cuff speeches and media interviews, or in his reactionary stream-of-conscious tweets, that demonstrate his understanding of patriotism. Trump is a snake oil salesman, and he is arguably in the midst of his greatest pitch to date. Smart consumers should do their research to find out the truth about the "product" they are being sold by Mr. Trump.
Here are some examples of where the real estate plutocrat comes up short on patriotism.
* Peeved by The Washington Post's coverage of his presidential campaign and their investigation of the details surrounding his grand claims, Trump has revoked the paper's press credentials for attending his rallies and political events. He has also banned reporters from Politico, Univision, Mother Jones, The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post and others. What's patriotic about muffling the free press when you are running for the highest office in the land?
* Despite lofty rhetoric about "bringing jobs home," Trump has used cheap foreign production in China and Bangladesh for his signature clothing brands. "They don't even make this stuff here," the ever-defensive Trump told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos when questioned about it. Stephanopoulos informed Trump that Brooks Brothers clothing does, does, in fact, "make this stuff" here. What's patriotic about making profits on the backs of poorly paid foreign workers who are often suffering under dictatorial rule?
* Big talker Trump has claimed to have given millions of dollars to many different charities over the years. According to a recent Washington Post investigation, he's given far, far less than he's boasted ― and far less than other billionaires of his (alleged) comparable wealth. Most of his donations have come through the Trump Foundation, to which he has donated little of his own fortune. All in all, over the past seven years, the Post reports that Trump has personally given less than $10,000 to charities. What's patriotic about lying about your own philanthropy?
* One of Trump's more preposterous statements has been calling for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." Drawing much justified criticism, Trump has been pressured into clarifying and restating his position. He now claims that only immigration from "terrorist countries" would fall under his proposed ban. He also stated last fall that he was "open" to the idea of creating an Orwellian database of all Muslims living in the United States. Is accusatory language of ethnic stereotyping reflective of our patriotic traditions? The inscription on the Statue of Liberty is: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Is repudiating Lady Liberty patriotic?
* Donald Trump's bid for the presidency has been based upon the supposed strength of his talent and judgment as a businessman and dealmaker. These skills, however, are not totally verifiable, since Trump refuses to release his tax returns. Trump has managed to avoid any severe blows to his personal wealth by strategically insulating himself from failed corporate business endeavors. He has bragged that he "used, brilliantly," corporate bankruptcy as a competitive advantage. When Trump fails, only the little guys suffer. Not exactly reflecting the last words of the pledge of allegiance ― "with liberty and justice for all."
* Last year, Donald Trump shamefully criticized Senator John McCain who spent over five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. The ever-brash Trump dismissed McCain's extraordinary ordeal, claiming: "He's not a war hero." Trump continued, "He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured." Is degrading the suffering of an American veteran patriotic? Unlike McCain, Trump did not serve in the Vietnam War. He has gone on the record, however, for making a different kind of sacrifice. Trump described his romantic escapades in the 1980's as his "personal Vietnam" due to how he put himself at risk of sexually transmitted diseases. He told Howard Stern that this made him feel "like a great and very brave soldier."
* "I believe that Trump University was a fraudulent scheme," Ronald Schnackenberg, a former employee of the unaccredited Trump University, stated in testimony, "and that it preyed upon the elderly and uneducated to separate them from their money." Indeed, much of the information that has come to light about Donald Trump's "university" reveals that it was little more than a scam meant to drain people of their money while promising them success. Cornered by the allegations, Trump resorted to accusing Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel, who is scheduled to hear the class action suit in November, of being "a hater" of his due to his Mexican ethnicity. Are these the words of man who loves America or those of a con man caught with his hand in the cookie jar?
* Since starting his bid for the presidency, Donald Trump has produced a veritable Trump Tower of outrageously false statements. According to the nonpartisan Politifact, nearly 80% of the statements made by Donald Trump fall under the categories of Mostly False, False, or "Pants on Fire." His campaign won the distinction of 2015 Politifact Lie of the Year for its entire spider web of deceptions. What's patriotic about chronically lying when you're running for the presidency of the United States?
So what does it truly mean to be patriotic? My parents defined it quite simply. They taught my siblings and me that loving one's country meant working hard to make it more lovable. This means working to end poverty, discrimination, corruption, greed, cheating and other injustices that weaken the promise and potential of America.
See this video that explains how my father, an immigrant, viewed patriotism.
(Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate, lawyer and author of Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!)
THE YELLOW SUBMARINE
by Miguel Lanigan
When I was earning my living fishing, I, just as you, got pretty good at predicting weather by looking at clouds, waves, the behavior of birds, and wind direction. But, what I really set my clock by was Betancourt, an old-timer fisherman whose arthritic hands and knees never failed to tell us when weather was upon us. I only fished the big boats a few times, preferring to fish the small boats of the "mosquito fleet" – twenty to thirty feet in length. So, for us, it was even more critical that we not get caught too far off shore, or too far down the coast away from the safety of our harbor. One of the mosquito fleet guys was Admiral Bullshit – I forget his given name, no one used it anyway. He was an alcoholic survivor of the massacre of most of his unit in Vietnam. He was a unique and ballsy guy, but his courage and hardheadedness sometimes put him, his deckhand and boat at risk. One morning I was working on rebuilding my little boat I had named "VOLT" in the Village Boat yard.
A few boats over from me the Admiral came out of his tool shed, fired up a chain saw and began sawing the wheelhouse off his boat. This, of course, aroused the curiosity among us water folk, but in our little costal village, Princeton by the Sea, people were all the times doing weird shit, so we watched and debated. He finished chopping it down to deck level, then began replacing it with a very small, but sturdy built, wheelhouse just big enough for two people to stand in side by side. It now was a weird looking boat: all hull with this tiny conning tower of a wheelhouse. For reasons, known only to him, he painted the boat a vivid bright yellow from stem to stern including the telephone booth like wheelhouse. When she slid down the boat launch tracks into the harbor, she immediately was dubbed "The Yellow Submarine" and was known throughout the fishing fleet by that name for as long as I was still in the harbor. Later on it was proven prophetic. . . . It was winter fishing and the albacore tuna were running 120 miles off Half Moon Bay. Many of the big-boat guys, and several of the mosquito fleet, stripped the salmon gear from their boats, rigged for albacore trolling, and motored out to fish for these incredibly beautiful albacore tuna. The Admiral, and his hard drinking deckhand Slim, rigged up the Yellow Submarine and followed the big guys out to where the money swam in what was reported to be a very large school of fish. After twelve hours running, they found the tuna and dropped the gear. To their delight, the tuna were ravenous; the storm had put the fish into a feeding frenzy and they jumped on the hooks as soon as they hit the water. Slim and the Admiral pulled and pulled till their hands bled, but they didn't mind, they were having orgasms of monetary dreams coming true, as they filled their hold with albacore dollar bills. Greed pushed caution aside; they kept on pulling in dollar bills long after they should have pulled their gear and run for safety.
They didn't heed the increasing wind, which by now had shifted to the southwest and was pushing the ugly, black storm right at them. We all knew that ugly storm was coming from reading the clouds, the gulls running for cover, the barometer falling, the weather reports and old man Betancourt's knees, but, these were lean times: the salmon fishing had been sparse, but the bills weren't. So, once again, economics trumped caution and pushed many fishermen who knew better, to chance a quick run out to get in on the bite before the heavy weather set in. That was why the Admiral and Slim were out there chancing it in The Yellow Submarine. Finally the Admiral came out of his greed stupor: they pulled the gear, went about the boat securing everything as best they could, and headed for the barn. It was too late -- the storm was upon them.
They knew they had waited too long and were going to be slammed hard. The old boat could only do nine knots and they were 120 miles from the harbor running with an increasingly heavy following sea.
Later on, in between gulps of the Gallo white port that eventually killed him, Slim and I sat in the abandoned boat he was calling home, and told me about their fearful return trip. As they ran for home, waves from astern kept building. Some, he estimated, were cresting at thirty feet. As the hours passed, the period between crests got closer and steeper like those in the movie 'The Perfect Storm'. Slim said he looked back and, to his horror, saw a monster steamer wave coming right at them with spray flying off its crest. He dove to the deck and grabbed hold of something. It was later agreed that the only thing that saved them when they pitch-poled [somersault, as the stern pitches forward over the bow], was the tiny wheelhouse made of stout Douglas fir timbers. The boat did a 360, but because there was so little weight to the wheelhouse above the waterline, she rightedherself with her diesel engine still chugging faithfully along. The interior was a slimy mess of broken gear, smashed electronics, and broken batteries, but the tired old girl kept on heading for her Pillar Point sanctuary. One pitch pole in a waterman's life is quite enough, but TWO on the same trip . . . As they approached the coastal shoaling waters, they were hit with yet another monster and over they went for a second time. The old girl did another 360 and again righted herself.
Never did the harbor entry buoys look so welcoming. They waited outside the reef for a large wave, then surfed it through the narrow opening in the Pillar Point reef and on to the safety of our harbor. They tied up to the pier and didn't even think of selling their fish that night — there was always tomorrow – besides they had much more important things to do. They top iced the fish, locked up and hurried to the Ketch Jo Ann harbor bar at the end of the pier, and to many rounds to celebrate still sucking in air and not having their names engraved on the dead pole by the harbor master's office. From then on, we all looked at the Yellow Submarine with grudging respect, and would point her out to visitors and tell the story. Never again did any of us make fun of the faithful yellow ugly duckling.
ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY
Since the nation has selected a reality T.V. host as it's Republican nominee..Let's talk Truth or Consequences, that game show. Remember, 'Cept now it may be Truth and Consequences.
Truth #1 Half the country is on fire
#2 The other half is under water, my heart goes to W. VA. #3 Leonardo DiCaprio cares about climate change as long as it doesn't interfere with his flights back and forth from NY-LA
Now for something completely different, in a thrift book store the other day, shelves and shelves of books, walked right up to one written by author Sylvia Browne, who I believe was a gifted spiritualist. The title had to do with the days we are living in. What a beautiful work! It's not for the narrow minded. In it she writes that the veil is getting thinner between this world and the other side. In the coming decades many people, by various means, will gain knowledge of their past lives. It could account for the increase in psychic experiences, if the veil is getting thinner. Many women, educated ones even, believe that it is. Laugh, consider, deny, call her a nutcase, call whoever one, but the song remains the same. And then there's the individual who had a near death experience and to this day maintains they felt more alive when they were "on the other side" There you go again. ah yes, always has to be the spiritual side of things.
ACTING WORKSHOPS with New York City director Stephanie Cunningham! The Mendocino Theatre Company is offering three workshops -- Audition Technique, Scene Study, and Basics of Directing -- with the talented New York-based director and educator Stephanie C. Cunnigham, beginning July 21st. This is a wonderful opportunity for teen and adult actors of all levels and for anyone aspiring to direct a play on our stage! For class descriptions and prices, please see our website: http://mendocinotheatre.org/workshops/.
TRIM SCENE
On Sunday, July 10th, Humboldt Local, Inc., and Trim Scene Solutions present the 710 Oil Spill and Casual Crop eXchange at the Trim Scene Solutions store in Southern Humboldt. This 215 farmers market and concert is a celebration of our Emerald Triangle Medical Cannabis Community with music headliners Rocker-T and Dubsmashers. The market runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and music runs from 4:20 to 9 p.m. with DJ Chalice and Humboldt Hip Hop favorites the Mumu Crew opening, followed by dancehall legend Rocker-T with his positive vibes.
The Casual Crop eXchange (215 farmers market) features extraction demos, educational speakers, trimming machine demos, great food, local craft artists, clothing vendors, a 215 doctor on site, and a concentrate and flower competition judged by attendees with a free dab bar! Plus live glass blowing demos and local non-profit booths. All leftover meds from the competition will be donated to our Humboldt Local, Inc., compassionate care program for Seniors, Veterans and low income patients.
Perhaps the most unique feature of the 710 Oil Spill is "Demo Row," where a farmer in attendance can watch his or her own product get trimmed, kiefed and pressed with the most cutting edge equipment, all within the span of half an hour. This is especially valuable to the small farmer that may be considering making an investment in some big-ticket item, like a trimming machine or a rosin press, for example.
Plus, the Trim Scene Solutions store is right there, on-site, with our dedicated and knowledgeable staff ready to answer questions and to direct people to vendors and demos that suit their specific needs all throughout the day!
Come join us and bring your 215 to shop and enjoy our community's best crops of all kinds! The $5 entry fee will be donated to non-profit Humboldt Area Foundation. The 215 area is 21 and over. NO DOGS PLEASE. VIP access available. More information @trimscene.
Hit us back with any questions through email: media@trimscene.com or anthony@trimscene.com (vendor coordinator). Or you can call the store at 707-923-9319.
Keep it casual.
MAKE A MIXTAPE WALLET (for teens and adults), July 13th 2-4 pm Get Retro at the Library! Make a mixtape wallet from old cassette tapes! All materials will be provided but feel free to bring your fave old cassette to use if you wish. This makerspace is part of our Summer Reading Club, & attendance can be counted toward earning prizes. Sponsored by Friends of the Ukiah Valley Library. Please call 463-4490 to sign up! For more information about the Ukiah Library Summer Reading Program, please contact: Melissa Eleftherion Carr at 707-467-4634 or carrm@co.mendocino.ca.us.
11,030 PLANT 'TRESPASS GROW' ON HUMCO TIMBER COMPANY LAND
The following press release was issued by the Humboldt County Sheriff Department Thursday @ 9:34 am:
"On Wednesday, June 6, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) along with CAMP (Campaign Against Marijuana Planting) personnel, and Fish & Wildlife (F&W) Officers conducted a trespass marijuana investigation on Timber Company Land in the Atwell Creek Drainage system, east of Rio Dell.
DEU attempted to contact three suspects on scene who fled on foot. Deputies were unable to apprehend the suspects. Deputies located evidence of chemical pesticides and rodenticides used within the marijuana grow. F&W investigated the large scale water diversion from Atwell Creek. A total of 11,030 marijuana plants were eradicated.
Anyone with information for the Sheriff's Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Sheriff's Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriff's Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539."
(Photos courtesy of the Humboldt Sheriff Department.)
To: Alice Woelfle-Erskine, program director, KZYX
cc: to KZYX board <BOD@kzyx.org>, kzyxtalk@lists.mcn.org
Dear Alice Woelfle-Erskine:
Think of this matter as an unconscionably neglected repair ticket and address it.
I have been working hard for real media (radio, teevee, print publishing) in this county for over thirty years. In addition to my day jobs -- construction and theatrical work and maintenance and electronics, and so on -- I put twenty-plus hours into getting my show together and then do my show live every week on KNYO and KMEC, and before that I worked at KMFB for almost fifteen years -- maintenance and repair and solving problems as well as doing my weekly all-night show there, which, by the way, had no trouble paying its own way and paying me. I have never missed an airdate, nor caused a single legal problem for a station manager or with the FCC. I'm that reliable at what I do, and that experienced, and that proven. And I've been waiting for four-and-a-half years for my show to be scheduled on KZYX, where it will be one of the best shows there, and will fit KZYX' educational-band community broadcasting mission like a glove.
Months ago Lorraine Dechter told me that things at KZYX are different now from the bad old days, and she gave me to understand that all the people frustrated by the tone-deaf insular paranoid management of the past will finally get a fair shake. She told me to send a show proposal to then-brand-new program director, Raoul van Hall. I did that, and I wrote Raoul every week about it, providing explanations and links to samples of my work, and he never wrote nor called back. Then he vanished and somehow you became the program director, Alice. I wrote you. You took weeks to write back and then told me that my show sounded cool and that there's a new process for scheduling shows on KZYX. I wrote to ask you to describe that process and tell me the names and contact info of the people involved in it, so I can push it forward. That was a month ago. I've heard nothing from you since.
So I'm telling you now: pretend that I'm a paying member and so part owner of so-called Mendocino County Public Broadcasting Corporation, which I actually am, and I'm a taxpayer, one of the many whose federal tax money has been going to bail out KZYX to keep it from failing every year of its existence including this year -- and that's another fact: without the tax-derived CPB grant, KZYX would have been six figures into the red every single year since 1989; it started out that badly managed, and nothing has changed in that regard; the budget for the current year is as absurdly high as last year's and every year's (at least six times what it should cost) -- but further, and imaginatively, Alice, pretend that I'm one of the secret wealthy persons who step in to make up the difference when the pledge drive is failing, so the station always has just enough money to pay just the manager $5,000 a month (!), where the local airpeople on KZYX are paid nothing (!), while recorded and syndicated NPR shows are all paid enough for every one of their show people to eat steak and take summers off while they save for a year or two to buy a big fine house with cash. (Speaking of which, the MCPB budget has been hovering around $600,000. That's enough to pay cash for another brand-new pretty nice house on its own acre of land every year, when the total drain of running all three transmitters and all the equipment in all the studios and all the tower fees and publishers' fees and internet, phones and overhead and pencils and bottled water should come to less than $10 an hour -- around $80,000 a year -- at the absolute outside, just to give you some perspective, and I'm including this section because I'm copying this to the board, so they know everyone knows all this when they trot out, with a row of straight faces, another faked-up $600,000 budget to, you know, keep a couple of computers and transmitters switched on and a microphone plugged in.)
In short, Alice, get moving on scheduling my show on KZYX. Because I and my show are worth it, it will improve the station, and I waited patiently in line for years, and lately I have been extremely patiently waiting at the head of the line while other less worthy people are ushered in past me with nary a glance in my direction. Think of the matter in IT terms: consider this a simple repair ticket that's been deliberately ignored by your service department for years. I know you've only been program director for a few months, and of course you have other things to think about, but given the history and the facts and the ridiculous length of the delay anyone with any integrity would make this a top priority. In the real world you would, and from what I've heard about you I hope you will.
You can start by simply telling me (and my listeners and readers) what steps you've taken so far to schedule my show on KZYX. If you've done nothing, pick an entry point and start now. And describe the "new process" you mentioned, and tell me the names and personal contact information of all the people involved in that process. So I'm not writing this same letter every week for the next five years, to whoever comes after you, and whoever comes after that, and after that. Please.
NICE SIT IN, DEMOCRATS. NOW WHAT?
"So this morning I been making calls to Congressional leaders and asking them what they are gonna be doing about this rash of police shootings? I called Congressman John Lewis (202-225-3801), House Minority whip James Clyburn (202-225-3315), House Minority leader, Nancy Pelosi (202-225-4965) and the office to the Congressional Black Caucus (202-226-9776). Last night I tweeted to a number of law makers, including Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton.
In my calls I asked what they were intending to do about the recent police shootings. All of the folks I talked to said as of yet, they have heard nothing from the respective representatives. In the case of Nancy Pelosi and James Clyburn I was told they are focused on the gun control issue. I asked how that was going to stop the police from killing our people?
When I called John Lewis's office I was told he was in a meeting. I left my name and number and asked for a call back. They said they had been getting calls but as of yet the Congressman hasn't addressed this but things are fluid and that could change. I asked can I request he address this and that he make a big stink about this the way he did on the gun control issue. They told me they would pass along my message.
In the case of Nancy Pelosi in addition to the recent police executions, I also brought up the rape and human trafficking investigations of a minor with Oakland police and the racist text messaging scandal in San Francisco police which have tarnished the Bay Area's reputation. I asked what she intends to do about these police departments that are out of control?
I was told by the staffer, that they have received phone calls on this issue and that he would relay my concerns to the congresswoman. I reminded them that almost immediately after the Kate Steinle shooting at Pier 14 last year by the undocumented immigrant, the Congresswoman issued a statement. I asked what's it gonna take for her and the rest of congress to speak out about these police killings?
When I called the Congressional Black Caucus office, they told me they too had been getting calls on this and that I should check the website for updates. I pointed out on their website, is the gun control issue and no statements on the police shootings. I wanted to make a request that they do something about the police shootings.
I asked them what will it take to get them to hold police accountable, the way they wanna hold gun manufacturers and the NRA accountable? Again I pointed out that Congressional reps did a sit in last week and will they be doing things around the police shootings? They took down my request and promised to pass it along.
None of the websites for these reps as of this morning had on their front page any statement on the shootings. Hillary Clinton did send out a statement yesterday offering prayers to the family and noting the Department of Justice is investigating and that all of us have a right to live and be safe.
Bernie Sanders tweeted out that a police shooting should automatically trigger a DOJ investigation. That's consistent with his position.
If anything else follows I'll let you know as folks have my info and request for call backs. I would encourage folks to also hit up these lawmakers. Keep in mind, the goal here is not to have them do sit ins, but to have them aggressively push for bills and laws that would hold police accountable and punish them for wrong doing.
On a side note, a number of people have been quoting Malcolm X and stating we need to take this fight around police terror to the United Nations. Folks should know Over the past 3 years the UN has been visited 3 or 4 times by various groups and orgs.
Michael Browns family and a delegation from Ferguson went to the UN in Geneva. They addressed the assembly..A group from Chicago called We Charge Genocide went to the UN. I think the Atlantic did a story on them. We had them on our show to speak on this.
The Dream Defenders in Florida went to the UN twice...we had report backs from them.
During those trips delegations dealing with the issue of political prisoners which consisted of former Black Panthers like Dhoruba Bin-Wahad were also in Geneva before the United Nations.
Anyone proposing we should go to the UN, should follow up with the people and groups who went and understand that the UN is not always our friend."
— Davey Cook, Oakland
MUSIC AT HILL HOUSE THIS WEEKEND
Hill House Inn presents two nights of Music this weekend July 8 & 9.
First on Friday night, the Hill House is the unveiling of the Piano Bar! Enjoy new menu items, and a fresh drink menu all to live piano music provided by the talented Billy Schieve. The fun begins at 4pm and goes 'til 8 with No Cover Charge. It's a whole new Hill House Bar and Grill, drop in and see.
Then on Saturday, quality homegrown rock 'n' roll with "Highway One" is guaranteed to get your motor runnin'. With Sean Van Buskirk at the wheel, Philip Dunn navigating, Sean "Connie man" Connolly and Chris Dunn and Brian Urban back seat driving, you will want to jump up and go for the ride of your life. Four decades of Road Worthy Rock from Highway One. They play some from Fleetwood Mac, The Byrds, The Eagles, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, The Cars, just to name a few. On Saturday, doors open at 6PM for casual dining with full bar. Music starts at 7:30PM. $12 at the door. 937-1732 for more information and table reservations.
Sonya Nesch July 8, 2016
County's Discretionary Revenue
In the Fall of 2014, Carmel Angelo CEO announced a $9.8M budget carryover to 2015-16. Supervisors rewarded her in November 2014 with a $30,000 year raise to $180,000/year. Now we know $6.7M of that carryover was from Proposition 172 Sales Tax Revenue earmarked for Public Safety. How much of the $3.1M carryover left was from budget shenanigans with Mental Health Revenue?
Cathleen Boyd July 8, 2016
Great article on Trump by Ralph Nader!
John Sakowicz July 8, 2016
With the shooting in Dallas yesterday, I'm starting to think class warfare in America is back. Trump and Sanders started it in a nonviolent way. Now, in Dallas, it has escalated to violence.
See: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/15/we-now-join-the-us-class-war-already-in-progress.html
Rick Weddle July 8, 2016
re: 'Trump and Sanders started it…'
How and where was/is it that Bernie Sanders 'started' any kind of violence? In this campaign? I missed it…
George Hollister July 8, 2016
Pit Bull fight in Ukiah:
Debra Keipp September 14, 2016
"El Mayo" Rodriguez is the 21 year old whom I wrote about in AVA article several years ago entitled, "Muy Malo En Punta Arena", wherein he menaced my home and animals on Mill Street. Now he's a "drug lord". Wonder where he got all that TRIMMED POT? Da ya suppose it might have come from his mama's benefactor? And he denies all. Put the little sucker in a mental health facility, and leave him there. He's absolutely psycho. His mother has called him "El Mayo" after a famous drug lord in Mexico. So what do ya get when you call your kid after a drug lord? El Mayo of Punta Arena! Throw away the key!
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text:
Q: Move tkinter canvas left-upper corner to the item I have an object on the canvas and I want to scale it. When I scale it (+) it moves down-right side, but I want canvas to move with this moving-scaling item (catch item in the user view and it will be an anchor). How could I do that? I need this because if I would have large canvas items will jump on the very far distances and it will be tricky to find them after scaling. I save all items in the dictionary if it helps
PS. Use + - to scale
from tkinter import *

main = Tk()
canvas_items = {}

frame = Frame(main)
frame.pack(expand=True, fill=BOTH)
canvas = Canvas(frame, bg='bisque')

# Create new item on the canvas
new_item = canvas.create_line(60, 60, 90, 90, activefill='purple')

# Add it to dict with all items
canvas_items[new_item] = [60, 60, 90, 90]

# for scale
plus_multiply_k = 1.02
minus_multiply_k = 0.98

# All functions
def scroll_start(event):
    canvas.scan_mark(event.x, event.y)

def scroll_move(event):
    canvas.scan_dragto(event.x, event.y, gain=1)

def scale_plus(event):
    canvas.scale("all", 0, 0, plus_multiply_k, plus_multiply_k)

def scale_minus(event):
    canvas.scale("all", 0,0,minus_multiply_k,minus_multiply_k)

def get_coords(event):
    x = int(canvas.canvasx(event.x))
    y = int(canvas.canvasy(event.y))
    print(f'{x} . {y}')

# All binds

main.bind('<Key-plus>', scale_plus)
main.bind('<Key-minus>', scale_minus)

canvas.bind("<ButtonPress-1>", scroll_start)
canvas.bind("<ButtonPress-3>", get_coords)
canvas.bind("<B1-Motion>", scroll_move)

# Mainloop
canvas.pack(anchor='nw', expand=True, fill=BOTH)
main.mainloop()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Tag: Colorado-Set
REVIEW: Caitlin Crews's SECRET NIGHTS WITH A COWBOY (Kittredge Ranch #1)
August 3, 2021 ·
When I started Secret Nights, I thought I would end up DNF-ing; instead, it sucked me in and I read into the wee hours and again at dawn. I'm groggy and tired, but trying to understand why I enjoyed it as much as I did. To start, I think the reason I thought I would DNF is there's something about Crews's narrative voice that grates. When I start one of her novels, I'm instantly turned off by the feeling she's leading me along her narrative; I can see her composing on a computer. If I end up enjoying the novel, then it's because, despite that intrusive storytelling voice, the sheer romance-y-ness of it is compelling. In this case, it was (in others, not) and I don't even enjoy marriage-in-trouble romance:
Riley Kittredge has always known exactly what he wanted. His land, his horses. His woman. He met and married Rae Trujillo far too young, and their young love combusted right after they said their vows. But their passion has never managed to burn itself out. Yet when Rae shows this time, it's not a night of pleasure she demands, but a divorce. Rae should have moved on a long time ago. She knows she and Riley just don't work. They might make great lovers, but that doesn't make a marriage. And now Rae wants a new life, complete with a baby. But when her husband offers to be a father, to give her the family she's always secretly desired, she and Riley will both have to face demons from their past—and choose love over fear at last.
Riley and Rae were high-school sweethearts and their young love didn't exactly combust until "something happened" and Rae left Riley to move back in with her parents. Then, for the next eight years, Rae drove to Riley's horse ranch, to the house he built for them, to fight and have sex. Eight years of yelling and sex doesn't seem plausible to me because surely a person needs some peace and friendly conversation? What do I know, though, spinster that I am? A friend of mine once told me that her 30-year marriage consisted of yelling and great sex, so maybe? In any case, when the novel opens, Rae asks Riley to divorce because she wants to have a baby. Her friend Abby's baby, Bart, has set all hormones firing. This is less of a plot point, in the end, than the blurb suggests and that was a good thing. I'm glad baby-making didn't play such a great role, instead the working out of a relationship where's there's a lot of love, but not much by way of understanding, forgiveness, or communication. (more…)
Kristen Ashley's DREAM MAKER
I honestly don't know where to begin with Ashley's Dream Maker. About a quarter of the way through, I was looking forward to a snarky review, but having slogged through it (not an easy feat), I'm too tired for snark. This romance has much good to say about tossing off the bad and embracing the good (I can get behind the themes), but it says it so badly. If romance had manga, Ashley's would be it: caricatured characters, thoroughly one-dimensional. Her characters remind me of those Hallowe'en suits, like a Superman one, you "blow up" and get puffy muscles. There's a kind of breezy, down-to-earth, working-class tone to the novel and characters I found entertaining maybe for ten pages and then, the repetition, the language (woman are "bitches", "shit" is always going down) and everyone speaks like wound-up comic-book characters. Maybe this novel turns some readers' crank, but it is NOT a romance aesthetic I enjoyed. To start, plot-non-existent: hundreds of characters, all interchangeable, all men with their chicks, or bitches … and one of them, Lottie, I think, sets up our heroine, Evan "Evie" Gardiner with one of her "boys", Danny Magnusson. These "boys" seem to run some kind of security firm, not sure what it was, but the room they worked in had a lot of monitors, so what else could it be? It's insta-lust and like and love for Danny and Evan, so poof, that's taken care of. Sadly, Evan has a TERRIBLE family and she sacrifices and sacrifices and sacrifices for them: her deadbeat brother in jail, her shrew of a mother, and it goes on. Thanks to the family's nefarious activities, Evie is embroiled in a drug heist and some gun-running, all for the sake of saving her brother's sorry behind. Bingo, this means Danny can go totally he-man protective on Evie and have her move in with him. (more…)
REVIEW: Caitlin Crews's COLD HEART, WARM COWBOY
December 23, 2019 December 23, 2019 ·
Reading Caitlin Crews's Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy right after Yates's Lone Wolf Cowboy was like seeing the two romances in a two-way mirror. They are linked by ethos and setting and would be, you might think, too much of a good thing one after the other. Nope. I was as immersed in the former as the latter. Besides, who can resist amnesia and secret-baby trope combined!? Maybe a lot of romance readers can, but I can't! Moreover, Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy was the follow-up to one of my favourites 2018 romances, A True Cowboy Christmas, though not as good and there be reasons. Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy picks up where True Cowboy Christmas departs, centering on Everett middle brother, Ty, though we have delicious glimpses of the hero and heroine of True Cowboy enjoying married bliss. Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy opens with the heroine, former-rodeo-queen Hannah Leigh Monroe. She's on her way to Cold River Ranch to confront Ty with the cold hard facts of: exhibit A, their marriage (Las Vegas certificate and all) and exhibit B, their 10-month-old baby, Jack, though Jack's safely with her mother back in Hannah's hometown of Sweet Myrtle, Georgia. After what happened eighteen months ago, Hannah thinks it's high time Ty and she divorced.
REVIEW: Kara Isaac's ONE THING I KNOW
When a romance author is recced by Ros Clarke, I seek her out. That's how I came to new-to-me-inspirational-romance-author Kara Isaac's One Thing I Know. It was like no inspirational romance I'd read. Hero and heroine, Lucas Grant and Rachel Somers, come with heavy baggage; how their paths cross and they fall in love is a fraught journey. Looking back, they've got things to work out, looking forward sometimes seems impossible. That's the genre's beauty: all things are possible even when they seem highly improbable.
Rachel has a most unusual profession. She ghostwrites her aunt's, Dr. Donna Summerville's, advice-to-the-lovelorn books. Together, they make a lot of money, money that was once most necessary to Donna (when her husband left her to bring up their sons) and now is necessary to Rachel because she pays for her father's care in a chronic-care facility. Though to all appearances Rachel and Donna are deceiving their vulnerable audience, their actions are understandable, even sympathetic, to the reader. (more…)
REVIEW: Caitlin Crews's A TRUE COWBOY CHRISTMAS
November 23, 2018 November 23, 2018 · 8 Comments ·
Caitlin Crews's A True Cowboy Christmas is one of the most convincing contemporary marriage-of-convenience romances I've read … and so many other things. It opens with the hero's father's funeral. Gray Everett, however, is not mourning his father, but afraid of ending up like him. Gray introduces us to the family with: "Everetts historically lived mean and more than a little feral … tended to nurse the bottle or wield their piety like a weapon, spending their days alone and angry." Gray's Colorado ranch, Cold River Ranch, has never been a happy home. His father, a mean, violent drunk; his cheating wife, dead for ten years in a car crash; Gray works the land, cattle, and horses, keeps the bank at bay, and rears his teen daughter, Becca. Back at the ranch, at the post-funeral luncheon, where neighbours and friends have gathered to pay their respects and many to breathe a sigh of relief that Amos Everett's meanness will no longer touch anyone, Gray realizes that " … if he didn't change", "today's grumpy hermit" would become "tomorrow's bitter, old man." He resolves, there and then, in sight of the funeral-baked casseroles, that he "was going to have to figure out a way to live this life without drowning in his own darkness" and "to make sure that Becca didn't succumb to it either." Gray looks up from his thoughts to heroine and neighbour-spinster Abby Douglas's question, should she warm up a casserole? (more…)
REVIEW: Nicole Helm's A NICE DAY FOR A COWBOY WEDDING
September 8, 2018 ·
We meet Cora Preston, the heroine of Nicole Helm's A Nice Day For A Cowboy Wedding, as she comes into her own: "She was reaching for the stars now, or maybe those snow-peaked mountains. Strong, immovable, and majestic." Five years ago, Cora and her then seven-year-old, Micah, lived with an abusive husband and father. When Stephen threatened Micah rather than her, Cora divorced him, got full custody of Micah and a restraining order. In the intervening years, Cora and Micah moved to small-town Gracely to live with Lilly, her sister. They've been difficult, growing-pain years, but the movement has been forward and positive. Cora and Micah are forging a new life. Cora's gleaned herself off of total dependence on her older sister, is living on her own with her son, and partnering with Lilly to launch a wedding-planning business. More importantly, she and Micah's therapy, while a work in progress, is helping them cope with the day-to-day. Micah is showing signs of teen-age rebellion and sullenness, but Cora is mothering more than being mothered. Micah is in baseball day-camp and Cora on her way to her first wedding plan client, Deb Tyler of Tyler Ranch. Cora is a vulnerable heroine, but determined to succeed and do right by her son. I liked her from the get-go.
Wendy's TBR Challenge Mini-Review: Christine Rimmer's THE LAWMAN'S CONVENIENT BRIDE
January 17, 2018 · 4 Comments ·
Miss Bates went back and forth on several category romances for Wendy's TBR Challenge January "short read" before settling on Christine Rimmer's The Lawman's Convenient Bride. No rhyme or reason why, except Rimmer is fast becoming a comfort read. The writing is solid and Rimmer always achieves a balance of humor and sentiment. She also really comes down strong on marriage and fidelity without being smarmy or righteous and The Lawman's Convenient Bride certainly conveys this.
When the novel opens, sheriff-hero Seth Yancy is trying to stave off the president of the Justice Creek library association's convincing argument in favour of his participation in a charity bachelor auction. From Seth's opening thoughts, we learn that he has been celibate since a sad thing happened to him seven years ago. But community-minded, honourable, cannot-tell-a-lie Seth cannot resist the call of the library association cause and agrees, even though he'd do anything "to get out of being raffled like a prize bull." In the meanwhile, he also learns, from this conversation, that the woman who was his deceased baby stepbrother's lover is one month away from giving birth to his niece. This revelation brings Seth to heroine Jody Bravo's flower-shop doorstep. They carry on a wary, if friendly conversation and responsibility-personified Seth convinces Jody to allow him to help her out and be a part of his step-niece's life.
REVIEW: Nicole Helm's NEED YOU NOW
January 11, 2018 ·
Nicole Helm's Need You Now, first in the "Mile High Romance" series, at first appeared to be run-of-the-mill, contemporary, small-town romance, but proved more complex and interesting. Nevertheless, its opening wasn't auspicious, with a scene of rugged he-men ribbing each other and indulging in scared-of-deep-communication man-talk. Ugh. Usually, in contemporary romance, these bros are, well, bros, or best friends, or business partners. In Need You Now, they are bearded, handsome "lumbersexuals". Two are brothers, the hero Brandon, and his twin, Will, and their friend and business partner, Sam. They operate an "outdoor adventure excursion company," Mile High, in the Colorado mountains, near the fictional town of Gracely. With much manly teasing, the jokester Will informs his austere, a polite way of saying "grumpy", brother Brandon that they've hired a PR consultant to help promote their business, cue one cute heroine, Lilly Preston, freshly arrived from Denver. Lilly shows up, sparks fly, angst follows, much banter, and yet care, affection, and friendship grow, one glorious sexy time follows, then, a terrible sundering of the relationship and, the rest, as we say in the genre, is HEA. (more…)
REVIEW: Christine Rimmer's A BRAVO FOR CHRISTMAS
June 3, 2017 June 3, 2017 · 2 Comments ·
Now Miss Bates has read several Rimmer romances, she can speculate why she enjoys them so much. How are they sufficiently atypical to offer jolts of reader-surprise and predictable enough to be comfort reads? Miss B. has ideas. First, what her latest reading installment is about. Her click-happy finger on Netgalley amassed one too many Christmas roms, but the pleasure of reading one in June is no less. And it's her favourite kind: the type that opens on Thanksgiving and builds to Christmas Eve and Day. When our romance opens, heroine Ava Malloy, fallen hero's widow and single mum, "had the medals and the folded flag to prove it," is contemplating taking a lover: "Ava wanted the shivery thrill of a hot kiss, the glory of a tender touch. To put it bluntly, she would love to get laid." She's in a good place: successful, with a great six-year-old daughter, Sylvie, and happy in her friends and family. Enter almost-high-school-flame Darius "Dare" Bravo and his irresistible charm. Moreover, he's volunteering with a local girls' Blueberry troop, helping them build dollhouses for underprivileged children. What with Sylvie a part of the troop and Ava having to pick her up and Dare's persistently compelling flirting, the staid, serious single mum cracks and makes Dare a proposition he cannot resist, especially given he's carried a torch for Ava since high school: secret lovers from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, no strings, no obligations, not even friendship, all the benefits, commitment – bupkis.
MINI-REVIEW: Christine Rimmer's MS. BRAVO AND THE BOSS
March 1, 2017 ·
Miss Bates is looking at a very busy few weeks, so her reviews will be especially "mini" and impressionistic. She restlessly DNF-ed several titles … too trite, too much tell, *shudder* insta-lust … before settling on Christine Rimmer's Ms. Bravo and the Boss, an author she enjoyed with her first foray into the Bravo-Word, a series whose novels run in the double-digits!
Ms. Bravo and the Boss tells of the meet-near-fail, burgeoning sympathy, eventual courtship, betrayal, and reconciliation of two likeable characters, the eponymous "Ms", Elise Bravo, and reclusive Justice Creek, Colorado-resident thriller writer, Jed Walsh. When the novel opens, Elise's life is a shambles: her business burnt to the ground, her best friend off to Seattle, her relationship with her family a tad estranged, working two menial jobs (on the humiliating generosity of two Bravo sisters), living above a donut shop, eating too many of the sweet-rounds and not quite fitting into her clothes. Jed too is in a pickle: he has trouble keeping an assistant and is working on a tight deadline. Jed needs to find the right person to help him with his "process": dictating his novels to a silent, fast typist while he either throws knives, or cleans guns. His gruff ways and beastly temper chased every assistant away. Since his grandmotherly typist, Anna, left to live with her grandchildren, he's blocked. Until Nell, Elise's sister, suggests that Elise take the job.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
<?php

chdir(__DIR__);

$files = array(
    __DIR__ . '/../vendor/autoload.php',
    __DIR__ . '/../../../autoload.php'
);

foreach ($files as $file) {
    if (file_exists($file)) {
        $loader = require $file;
        break;
    }
}

if (!isset($loader)) {
    throw new RuntimeException('vendor/autoload.php could not be found. Did you install via composer?');
}

$loader->add('UghAuthorizationTest', "./test/UghAuthorizationTest");
Zend\Mvc\Application::init(require './config/application.config.php');

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Couldn't get values from View to Model I am learning Knockout.js building a simple application. I stuck on where I can get values from my view to model. Here is code of Model and ViewModel.
var COMPONENT_NAME = 'task'
var Task = function () {

  var self = this,
      params = {};

      self.name = ko.observable();
      self.isChecked = ko.observable(false);

  // var initialize = function(name, isChecked) {
  //   params.name = ko.observable(name || "N/A");
  //   params.isChecked = ko.observable(isChecked || false)
  // }
  //
  // initialize(_name, _isChecked);

}

var TasksViewModel = function (_params) {

  var self = this;

  var  name = null,
      isChecked = false;

  self.tasks = ko.observableArray();

  self.newTask = ko.observable();

  self.addNewTask = function() {

    self.tasks.push(new Task());

    console.log(self.tasks.toString());
  };

  self.deleteTask = function(task) {

      self.tasks.remove(task);
  };

  //var initialize = function(params) {
      // self.newTask() = params;
  //}

  //initialize(_params);

}

ko.components.register(COMPONENT_NAME, {
    viewModel: {
      createViewModel: function(params) {
        console.log(params);
        return new TasksViewModel(params);
      }
    },
    template:'New Task:\
            <input data-bind="textInput: $root.name"/>\
            <button type="submit" data-bind="click: addNewTask">Add Task</button>\

Tasks:
\

\
                    <input type="checkbox" data-bind="checked: $root.isChecked" />\

\

\

'
});

ko.applyBindings(new TasksViewModel());

And here is my view:
<!DOCTYPE html>

    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>knockout playground</title>

            Task list demo

Every time I am trying to add an object it adds empty object. I couldn't figure out what I am doing wrong. Any help is appreciated.

A: first you needed to pass the name parameter to your Task function class via the addNewTask event trigger, get the name variable and pass it there.
also, $root inside a component should have been $component, if I'm not mistaken

var COMPONENT_NAME = 'task'
var Task = function (name) {

  var self = this,
      params = {};

      self.name = ko.observable(name);
      self.isChecked = ko.observable(false);

  // var initialize = function(name, isChecked) {
  //   params.name = ko.observable(name || "N/A");
  //   params.isChecked = ko.observable(isChecked || false)
  // }
  //
  // initialize(_name, _isChecked);

}

var TasksViewModel = function (_params) {

  var self = this;
  self.name = ko.observable('');
  self.isChecked = false;

  self.tasks = ko.observableArray();

  self.newTask = ko.observable();

  self.addNewTask = function() {
  var name = self.name();
    self.tasks.push(new Task(name));
    self.name('');
  };

  self.deleteTask = function(task) {

      self.tasks.remove(task);
  };

  //var initialize = function(params) {
      // self.newTask() = params;
  //}

  //initialize(_params);

}

ko.components.register(COMPONENT_NAME, {
    viewModel: {
      createViewModel: function(params) {
        return new TasksViewModel(params);
      }
    },
    template:'New Task:\
            <input data-bind="textInput: $component.name"/>\
            <button type="submit" data-bind="click: addNewTask">Add Task</button>\

Tasks:
\

\
                    <input type="checkbox" data-bind="checked: $root.isChecked" />\

\

\

'
});

ko.applyBindings(new TasksViewModel());

            Task list demo


Our paper, "Intravenous Hemostats: Challenges in Translation to Patients", was just accepted for publication in Nanoscale. The article, by Meg, Andrew, and Dr. Lavik documents the state of the art of the field and the potential therapies on the horizon. This is Meg's first, first-author publication. Well done, Meg!


I don't especially like setting 'resolutions' at the start of the new year - most seem doomed to failure - but I do like having project goals. About a week ago, I spotted a Ravelry group that looks perfect for me - knit or crochet (or Tunisian) 10 shawls in 2010. I love both making and wearing shawls and I'm annoyed with myself for not having finished more of them this year, so I joined up.
The first 'real' shawl is also my first 'frog' for the year. I started a Seraphina's Shawl with my handspun but didn't like the texture or the look, so I ripppppppppppped it. Started again with some in-stash Fearless Fibers Alpaca and Wool DK in 'Pumpkin Spice' and I like it much better. I want to have this done by Thursday night so I can wear it to the Ravelry party after my class at TNNA. Which means I need to get cracking on this.


Every cell in the body relies on the digestive system for its supply of essential minerals, nutrients and energy. These are derived mostly from the food we eat and the air we breathe. The cells of every tissue in the body also rely heavily on the digestive system for the management of cellular waste. When the body digests, assimilates and eliminates efficiently, your health flourishes. You have more energy, sharper brain function, better sleep and a renewed sense of youthfulness. Good digestion is the cornerstone of long-term health and vitality. Digestion is a three-part process: digestion, assimilation, and elimination. Digestion is the breaking down of ingested foods into smaller and smaller particles that the body can use. This starts in the mouth (with proper chewing), and then moves to the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Absorption is the process of distributing digested food to the cells through the blood. Elimination starts at the cell site as individual cells evacuate the byproducts of cellular function. Cellular waste enters the blood stream — passes through the liver, lungs, and kidneys — and is eliminated from the body through urine, feces and sweat.
These three components — digestion, absorption and elimination — form a interdependent loop. If there is malfunction at one level, the whole system is adversely affected. For example, if elimination of waste is compromised due to constipation, then assimilation of vital nutrients will diminish as well. This causes a back up of waste at the cell site, which reduces the volume of nutrients that the cell can absorb. Constipation doesn't just affect the colon, it affects the whole body. Cells easily become clogged with toxic waste and therefore malnourished. This can happen to brain cells, thyroid cells, nerve cells, and muscle cells. Systemic balance at every level of human physiology is dependent on good digestion.
This is one reason we talk about the Vital Center as the hub of all Nine Spheres of life. Wherever you go, there your belly is. And when all is well in your Vital Center, it shows in every aspect of your life.
Simply put, to digest is to thrive.
Unfortunately, digestive-related health ailments, such as acid reflux, gas and bloating, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and Crohn's disease are extremely common. In addition, there are many frequent illnesses related to malfunction of the digestive system: arthritis, hypertension, low back pain, chronic fatigue, brain fog, chronic yeast infections, and sexual dysfunction.
Drink 20 oz (620ml) of plain warm water upon waking.
Practice at least 20 minutes of gentle movement before breakfast.
Practice at least 5 – 10 minutes of abdominal self-massage daily.
Eat a whole food plant-based diet.
Reduce your intake of wheat, dairy and meat.
Stop eating all highly processed foods, especially sugar and flour!
Finish your last meal 3 hours before bed (don't snack in the evening).
Most people see results fairly quickly after starting a self-care practice. However, consistency and patience are key. It takes about 100 days to fully transform the way that your digestive system functions. After you complete 100 days of healing, keep going with the program. Practice the exercise 3 - 4 times per week. Self-care is a life-long habit. Think long-term. By supporting optimal digestion, you are securing a foundation of health and vitality for years to come.
My Digestive Power DVD teaches you easy-to-learn postures, movements, and breathing exercises that will improve your digestion radically, along with 15 must-know secrets for superior digestive health. If you suffer from constipation, acid reflux, gas and bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, or any other common digestive challenge, this program is for you.


text:
office@woodstock.oxon.sch.uk 01993 812209
WoodstockCE Primary School
Our Christian Vision, Ethos & Values
Ofsted & SIAMS
Statutory School Information
School Performance & Reports
Raising Achievement Targets
Intent, Implementation & Impact
Curriculum Enrichment
Curriculum Frameworks
Supporting Mental Health & Wellbeing
SATS for KS1 & KS2
Supporting Learning
Early Years Information
Your PTA
SEND & Inclusion
Survey Summaries
Woodstock CE Primary is committed to all aspects of safeguarding. We believe that all children have the right to be protected from abuse and harm. The Governing Body takes seriously its responsibility under section 11 of the Children Act and duties under 'working together' to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; to work together with other agencies to ensure adequate arrangements exist within our setting to identify, and support those children who are suffering harm or are likely to suffer harm.
"Safety and security doesn.t just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear".
Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa
We recognise that all staff and governors have a full and active part to play in protecting our pupils from harm, and that the child's welfare is our paramount concern. We ensure that anyone, paid or voluntary, who seeks to work in our school is safe to do so.
Our school provides a safe, caring, positive and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical and moral development of the individual child free from discrimination or bullying where children can learn and develop happily.
Our School Safeguarding Team
Our School's Designated Safeguarding Lead is Lisa Rowe (Headteacher).
Our School's Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Anna Poole (Deputy Headteacher).
In the absence of Lisa Rowe or Anna Poole, any concerns can be raised with Anne Hipwell (Assistant Headteacher & Inclusion Lead).
Our first priority is of course your child's welfare and we are required to take any reasonable action to ensure the safety of our pupils. However there may be occasions when we have reason to be concerned that a child may be subject to ill-treatment, neglect or other forms of abuse. We will ensure that our concerns about a child are discussed with his/her parents first, unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child's welfare. In this case we are obliged to follow our Safeguarding and Child Protection procedures established by the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board and inform Social Care of the concern.
We work extremely closely with the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board to access training and support.
If you are worried about a child's safety please do not hesitate to contact Lisa Rowe (Headteacher) or Anna Poole (Deputy Headteacher) straight away.
What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Safeguarding means:
Protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
Preventing harm to children's health or development
Ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.
Safeguarding children and child protection guidance and legislation applies to all children up to the age of 18.
NSPCC Learn the underwear rule.
Click here to open a great leafet produced by the NSPCC about how to talk to your child in simple language about keeping safe from abuse. It's called Talk Pants And You've Got It Covered.
Educate Against Hate
This is a website recently launched by Nicky Morgan as a tool for parents and schools to help protect children from the risk of radicalisation. You can access the new site here
Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy 19-20 V1
Confidentiality Policy 19-20 V1
Whistleblowing Policy 19-20 V1
Keeping Children Safe in Education Sept 2019
Keeping Children Safe in Education Sept 2019 - Part 1
Prevent Duty Departmental Advice for Schools
Working Together to Safeguard Children
Website by e4education|© 2020 Woodstock CE Primary School
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text:
Ross Draper signs new contract
Photo Courtesy of Trevor Martin
Ross Draper signs for a further 2 years extending his current contract with the club until May 2016.
Ross joined the club in July 2012 from Macclesfield FC and has made the starting line up on 70 occasions scoring 6 times during his spell at the club. He is our midfield power house and we are all delighted that Ross has committed to the club for a further 2 years.
Manager John Hughes said "We have been working with Ross and his agent for a couple weeks now and we are absolutely delighted he has seen that his future lies with our club. He has been an ever present in the squad since first signing in 2012 and we have now secured the majority of this year's squad on long term deals which augurs well for the future and the stability of the playing staff for next season and beyond."
Ross Draper commented "I am delighted to put pen to paper, we have been in discussion for a couple of weeks now but we have been busy with games. I am really enjoying my time up here I love everything about the club and Inverness so there was no reason not to commit my future to the club."


Designed for snowboarders of every level. These gloves are really flexible, meaning every movement feels natural and they have good thermal insulation, perfect for the bracing temperatures you'll be face with on the mountain.
Warmth Recommended for temperatures of up to -4°C dependent on sensitivity to cold.
How can I be sure thay my gloves are waterproof?
These gloves are designed to include waterproof and breathable components. To avoid water getting into the seams, we have placed an insert between the outer component and the padding. The insert is completely waterproof and does not allow water to get through. In very wet conditions, gloves can become saturated with water especially where the waterproofing is worn and you keep hands away from the snow.
The water-repellent treatment of a fabric makes water to run off its surface without seeping in thanks to a treatment applied to its outer surface. The fabric does not become waterlogged, so it stays light and warm. This treatment must be renewed during the product's lifespan, after 2 to 3 washes on average using products available in our stores. All our waterproof trousers for snowboarders receive a water repellent treatment.


The team at Specsavers in Eccles has thanked customers for donating more than 1,650 pairs of their old, unused glasses this year, as part of a charity campaign to help people in Africa to see more clearly.
Working with Vision Aid Overseas, staff and customers at Specsavers Eccles have shown their generosity by bringing a record-number of old glasses to the store for donation over the past year.
Store director, Una Martin, said: 'The campaign this year has been a massive success thanks to our very kind and generous customers bringing in their old glasses. Every single one will make a difference.


As anyone who has been reading Synapses even semi-regularly knows, I've long been interested in the increasing tensions between the value of free speech and potentially competing values such as dignity; how the Internet and Twitter mobs present novel challenges to traditional Liberal conceptions of free speech, and how glib formulations such as "facts don't care about your feelings" are far too often deployed as excuses or justifications for being callous, rather than expressed as some part of a considered argument for unfettered free speech.
Blackford's book discusses these and related issues, and does a tremendous job of (in crude summary), updating the Liberal arguments for free speech to cater for the challenges and insights that were not part of J.S. Mill (and others') frame of reference at the time they formulated the arguments that are often applied – without any revision or contextual awareness – to free speech debates today.
One of the most interesting aspects of this book is how it doesn't pander to the current appetite for demeaning those who feel that free speech arguments are stacked in favour of the historically privileged. It doesn't deploy pejoratives such as "social justice warrior", or mock concepts such as "safe spaces", but instead takes a careful and balanced look at how we might best be able to reconcile free speech interests while also taking care to foster dialogue between people who have competing conceptions of value.
Along the way, you'll get a thorough grounding in the thoughts of people including John Stuart Mill, Alice Dreger, Glenn Loury, Daniel Solove and many more, and read thoughtful and detailed analyses of recent free-speech controversies, starting (in most of our living memories) with Rushdie and The Satanic Verses, but also including the Christakis incident at Yale, the Hypatia controversy involving Rebecca Tuvel, and many more cases that garnered similar attention.
A common thread in many such cases is that they generated far more heat than light, in that while they provided opportunities to think through and refine our attitudes towards debate, disagreement and what speech is permissible, much more time seems to have been spent shouting at each other, or trying to shut each other up.
Most of us – at least most of my readers, I'd think – subscribe to the idea of "freedom of speech". Yet the commitment is to an idea that is fairly inchoate, and one that is not necessarily applied consistently across cases.
If we are to have a coherent commitment to free speech, our conception of that value should allow for it to be applied consistently, whether involving controversial expressions by either friends or enemies, or the expression of either popular or unpopular ideas.
The Tyranny of Opinion is a valuable resource in helping us to think these problems through, and I'd encourage you to read it.
Next PostNext Data harvesting, Facebook, and the "10 year challenge".


GET THE WORD OF THE DAY – MAKE; Using, Definition and Example Sentences.
I think we can make a cake if we hurry.
Could you make us some tea?
Tailors make clothes according to body measurements of people.
How did you make this meal? It is really delicious.
She had to leave the factory that makes cars due to the familial reasons.
This terrorist attack has made quite a commotion in the country..
This makes problems for us.
Countries have made wars because of selfish attitutes throughout history.
Don't make war, make peace.
All of the children in the World want that countries don' t make war.
She was spending more time doing things that make her happy.
I didn't say nothing that would make my friend angry, teacher.
You can make yourself understood in English, but you should study hard.
These natural beauties make the country such a popular tourist destination.
His mother tried to make his son happy, but couldn't.
The child tried to make a phone call but he couldn't succeed.
Everyone can make mistakes in life.
You should make some effort to climb the tree.
The company has to make a decision for new stuff by tomorrow.
The country expects to make a good progress at economy in the following days.
The president made a long speech about the last election.
He makes $800,000 a year as a president.
She's very good at making new friends.
The man made many profits using this special case.
She made it clear that she couldn't makeit in time for the meeting.
Expenditure of the state officials have not yet been made public.


报告摘要: In this talk, we will present some results for biharmonic equations with exponential nonlinearity or with negative exponent. The finite Morse index solutions of the equation of Henon type euqtion with exponential nonlinearity are completely classified. Meanwhile, existence and precisely asymptotic behavior of the radial separatrix solution are obtained. We will present some results on the symmetry of entire solutions and the stability and/or stability outside a compact set of radial solutions for equations with negative exponent.


text:
Download New EP
Skiffle Minstrels Trio
The Skiffle Minstrels
Skiffle Stocking Stuffer!
Just in time for Christmas the new CD "Crowd Favorites" from The Skiffle Minstrels is now available! Contact Paul Todaro at skiffleminstrels@aol.com
Fourth (and fifth!) Album from The Skiffle Minstrels
With live shows on hold indefinitely, The Skiffle Minstrels are recording their fourth record in a creative, covid friendly way. The rhythm section: Paul Todaro/bass, Phil Knoerzer/guitar, and Bill Hutchison/drums recorded 21 titles at two sessions in August with one engineer (Gary Holt). Social distancing was practiced and a great live feel was captured - all three played together and the vocals were done at the same time for an authentic sounding Western Swing experience. Soloists Jim Whitford/steel guitar, Chris Jones/fiddle and Dave Mussen/clarinet will record their tracks from home to be mixed into 2 new records. Fifteen tunes will be pressed on CD and called (so far) "Crowd Favorites." The titles include Miles and Miles of Texas, There Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens and Bob Wills classics like That's What I Like About the South and Take Me Back to Tulsa. A six tune EP called (so far) "Skiff-Originals" will be available online. Titles include brand new recordings (first with the current line up) of All God's Chillin Gotta Dance, Austin Dam, Wonder Why, Louisiana Texas, Western Swing Thing, and All Night Diner. Release date (so far) is late in 2020!
Sportsmens Park
The New Sportsmens Park opens on August 4th 2019 with Ameripolitan Day!
The Skiffle Minstrels 2:00
The Steam Donkeys 3:00
The Lustre Kings 4:00
Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun 5:15
Dale Watson 6:45 - 8:30
$20 presale. $30 at the door
Ameripolitan Day
In 2018 the National Ameripolitan Music Awards named Sportsmens Tavern in Buffalo, NY the best venue on the planet for Honky Tonk, Outlaw Country and Western Swing. Now Dwane Hall and the Sportsmens family celebrate the opening of a new outdoor venue on August 4, 2019 with Ameripolitan Day. Buffalo's The Skiffle Minstrels and the Steam Donkeys open the show for The Lustre Kings, Bill Kirchen and Dale Watson!
The Skiffle Minstrels Trio
The popular Western Swing band The Skiffle Minstrels have launched a trio version of the group. Dave Mussen on Guitar and Clarinet, Chris Jones on Fiddle and Guitar and Paul Todaro on Upright Bass and vocals offer Western Swing classics and jazz standards in a light, loose and compact style. The trio is scheduled to appear at Buffalo's Duende at Silo City this spring.
Kristyn Harris and Hailey Sandoz
Paul Todaro (Bass Fiddle) and Skiffle Minstrels emeritus Gary Meixner (Lap Steel) will back the Texas duo at a Cowboy Christmas event for charity in Eden, NY on 12/7/18. Kristyn and Hailey have won multiple awards and traveled the globe playing Western Swing.
The Skiffle Minstrels win
The Skiffle Minstrels were voted Best Band of 2018 by the Sportsmens Americana Music Foundation tying with The Kensingtons.
Thank you SAMF!
"Best Band" The Skiffle Minstrels
The Sportsmens Americana Music Foundation has nominated The Skiffle Minstrels as the "best band" of 2018. The winner will be announced at the annual ceremony on October 15th at Sportsmens Tavern. Good Luck!
Live From Black Rock Debut
Sportsmen's Americana Music Foundation's show Live From Black will air on WWBZ local TV in Buffalo, NY on Tuesday June 21st at 6:30 PM and Thursday 6/23 at 10:30 PM. This Pilot episode features performances by The Skiffle Minstrels and Leroy Townes.
on January first, 2016 The Skiffle Minstrels' big band sound got a little bigger. Please welcome Dave Mussen on the Clarinet and Jim Whitford on Steel Guitar. The great Gary Meixner and his Steel Guitar will also make several appearances with the band. Western Swing on!
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