We spend one-third of our lives at work. We should at least somewhat enjoy it. Unfortunately, the majority doesn't. The 2017 Hays US What People Want Survey found that less than half (44%) of respondents are happy at work. Further, 81 percent said they would consider leaving their current role for the right offer.
So why the dissatisfaction with our work? Unhappiness can sprout from a number of factors: workplace environment, company culture, wrong job fit, lack of recognition, and lack of personal or professional development, to name a few. In fact, we've prepared a guide for measuring and improving employee satisfaction to help you assess and diagnose your team's sentiment.
Once we realize we're not happy with our jobs, we often look to our company to fix it. And for good reason. Many organizations struggle with how to address and improve employee happiness, so it's easy to place the blame on management or co-workers when those feelings of dissatisfaction arise.
But no matter if you're a business owner, corporate executive, dedicated team member or starting your first job, the following is true: you don't have to wait for someone else to make you happy at work. Many times, changing the way you think about and manage your work can help you find happiness and fulfillment all on your own. It may sound cliche (but who doesn't love a good cliche?) — happiness starts with you.
And now, time for a caveat. Not every job is right for you. Not every workplace is the right one. This list wasn't assembled to excuse bad company behavior or to minimize the unhappiness you feel. Our goal is to share steps you can take on your own, without overhauling an organization, to be happier in what you do. If you've tried the following without success, or if external factors outweigh the positives, it might be time to talk to your boss or even brush up the old Linkedin profile. That one-third of your life is too short to stay in a job that's not right for you.
Without further ado, here are seven changes you can make to be happier at work.
Happiness in your professional life begins with your personal life, so kick off your day right with a positive start to your morning.
According to a study by Brigham Young University, people who work out in the morning end up being more active in general, and consume less unnecessary calories throughout the day. Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier and go to the gym, or get outside for a morning jog. You'll be surprised at how much extra energy you have throughout the day.
If you find it challenging to work out first thing in the morning, try meditating. Giving yourself time to pause and reflect will set the tone for your entire day. Plus, you'll find yourself more energized than if you would have pressed the snooze button one more time.
There are a number of ways you can do start a meditation practice, so check out this list of the best mindfulness apps to find the one that's right for you.
Another ingredient to starting your day off right? Setting aside some time for breakfast. Skipping breakfast or rushing through it sets a precedent for the rest of your day to hurry from one task to the next. Instead, take a moment and actually enjoy breakfast. If you feel like you don't have time to make a nutritious breakfast in the morning, try these quick and easy recipes, or prepare your meal the night before.
By starting your day off right, you'll get to work with an already better attitude to tackle the day.
One of the easiest ways to feel happiness at work is by getting involved. You'll be surprised how fast things turn around when you have an invested interest in activities and events within your company.
If your company has events or groups created to help build company culture, join them. This is a great way to build connections with your co-workers, and get to know people on a more personal level. If your company doesn't already have a book club or a potluck day, offer to assemble a committee or plan one yourself. There are most likely other people you work with who have thought about something like this. The result could end up being positive for not just you, but your whole team. Take our company, Hubstaff, for example.
Raul approached our co-founders with a proposal to start a culture committee, and they were completely on board. Raul gathered employees from different departments and began brainstorming ways that Hubstaff could improve its culture.
"The glue was definitely the annual retreat, where we all meet up in person. But there are smaller things that we were able to do to learn more about each other throughout the year," Raul said.
At Hubstaff, we're all different, working from over 11 different time zones. If you can put a smile on a coworker's face every now and then, and feel more connected, you're more likely to look forward to work.
If there is no connection between you and your co-workers, or if your team is nothing more than the work you do, it's time for you to get involved. A culture committee made a huge difference with our team. You'll find that once you get involved with planning or simply show up in culture-related activities, your happiness for your job will increase.
Open communication is a two-way street. If you're a manager, create opportunities for your team to share feedback and ideas. If you have a boss, send them a note or schedule time to bring up ideas. No matter what position you're in, if you are feeling unhappy and you know there's nothing personally you can do to address it, it's time to talk it out.
Before bringing up your feelings and frustrations, take some time to prepare. Challenges are met with more open minds if you've also spent time coming up with solutions. You don't need to have it all planned out. But if you can come to the table with an issue and a few possible ways to fix it, you may have more luck implementing change.
The management team at Hubstaff has always promoted an open door policy, which is something our marketing manager Madhav Bhandari appreciated from personal experience.
"During my time at Hubstaff, I've had few instances where I was underwhelmed by my work and felt stuck. I was not being challenged or learning anything new. I would occasionally bring this up in our monthly call (super important for open communication), or drop a message in Slack.
If you've ever felt stuck in a role, this next part may sound familiar.
Moral of the story? Don't be afraid to talk to your manager about any feelings of dissatisfaction you may be experiencing. They can't help you if they don't know what's going on.
If you are a manager and looking for ways to keep the lines of communication open between you and your team, consider having monthly meetings where you can catch up with each team member individually. This is the perfect chance for them to get anything off their chest and discover what their pain points and frustrations may be. You can also keep things anonymous by using an automated, anonymous feedback tool. Officevibe, for example, sends out weekly surveys to your team in order to get a better idea of exactly how they feel about different aspects of the company.
Feeling unusually frustrated lately? Sometimes, you just need to step away from your desk. Not only does looking forward a vacation make you happy, but the time off itself can bring you back to your desk with a fresh outlook.
So many people have this irrational fear of taking a holiday. Maybe you don't want to fall behind on projects, or leave your team stranded, or face the barrage of emails once you're back. Sure, those are all legitimate concerns. But if you have vacation time to use, let this be your encouragement: take it.
That's what it's there for. If you like taking a long vacation and using your holiday time all at once, book it far enough in advance that you and your team are prepared. You may have to work a few extra hours before you leave in order to get all your ducks in a row. But you'll be glad you did when you don't have to worry about work while on vacation.
Trust your team to get the work done even while you're away. You can even schedule a call the week before to wrap everything up if you have outstanding tasks.
You may feel that taking a long vacation is more stressful than it is relaxing. According to a report by Expedia, 22 percent of the world's workers say they feel "somewhat guilty" for taking their vacation time.
If this is you, let me introduce you to my friend, The Long Weekend. Take a Friday or a Monday off, and enjoy a mini-holiday or staycation. You'll come back feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
Regardless of whether you are travelling halfway across the world or staying close to home, it's important to unplug and disconnect. Yes, it's okay to tell your team they can contact you in case of emergency. Other than that, set your Slack to 'do not disturb' and turn on an 'out of office' notification for your email.
According to that same report by Expedia, 85 percent of employees say they're happier at work once returning from a vacation. So there it is folks, if you want to be happy at work, take a vacation!
No, you can't always be on vacation. If you could, you'd probably be on a beach and not reading this. But the next best thing to taking an endless holiday is changing the way you think about time on and time off.
A phrase you hear often is work/life balance. But if you think about work as opposed to life, you might feel trapped in how little time you have outside of it. Maybe you work long hours, so you may never feel like the "balance" is right. Instead of thinking about how much time you work vs. how much time you don't, try thinking about work as a part of life, just like any other activity.
To do this, make a list of your priorities in life — work included. List out the things that help you grow, the things that make you happy or grateful, the things that keep you healthy. Some parts of your work are likely on that list. If not, jump ahead to the next section. At the very least, writing out this list may remind you of what drew you to this job in the first place.
While the phrase work/life balance can be misleading, the sentiment behind it is true. Everyone needs time to unwind and unplug, no matter the activity. This can be challenging for the always-moving crowd. However, it's easier to disconnect once you get involved in a hobby that will force you to use other parts of your brain or other skills you possess.
If you have a hobby that you are committed to, it allows you to turn off the computer and get out of the office. Plus, when you're inspired and enlivened by your new hobby, that happiness can spill into your work, too.
Another easy way to unwind is to disconnect at the end of your work day. When you're done working, shut off notifications and let yourself commit to the current activity. You'll be happier at whatever you're doing when you allow yourself to focus and enjoy the moment.
You know the saying, "Do something you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life?" Yeah, it's cliche. Work is called "work" for a reason. But, like most overused phrases, there's truth to it. Jobs are better when you believe in what you're doing.
How do you find a career that you love doing every day? Align your work with your values. Remember that list of priorities we mentioned? If you haven't yet, take a moment to write down what truly matters to you when it comes to growth, happiness and health. Does your current role align with those values? Or is there a position in your company that would allow you to do more of it? If not, maybe it's time to seek out a new job.
Keep in mind, there are always going to be ups and downs within your career regardless of what you're doing. Especially for entrepreneurs. But if you really care about your work, those difficult times will be easier to get through.
Need help getting started? Try taking a personality test like Myers-Briggs or CliftonStrengths to get a better idea of your personality type, ideal professions, strengths, and weaknesses. You might not get a clear path to your dream career, but if you're having a hard time narrowing your focus, this is a good place to start.
If you're feeling stagnant or unhappy in your job, maybe it's because you're not working at your full potential. Many founders talk about their a-ha moment, which is when they came up with a better way to do something and felt compelled to build it. Maybe this is where your founder origin story begins?
If you're already running a successful business, when was the last time you dedicated time to refining or improving your skills? There is always more to learn, whether it's about your industry, your skillset or your customers. Even if you only have 20 minutes to spare, you can lean from other entrepreneurs by listening to any one of these top business podcasts. You can even consider offering an education-based benefit for you and your team.
Companies will often send employees to conferences, where they can connect with other like-minded professionals and bring fresh ideas back to the organization. There's no substitute for the knowledge-sharing and bonding that the right conference provides.
If your business doesn't have anything like this in place, there are thousands of amazing resources available online. One of our current favorites is Skillshare, a learning community with thousands of classes in everything from design to entrepreneurship.
Learning a new skill that can help you excel in your work will motivate you and give you a new sense of purpose. Don't be afraid to learn something new.
Happiness at work starts with you, and can grow from there. Hopefully these tips have helped you identify the root of your work frustration, and given you a few ideas of changes you can make.
We'd love to hear from you, what are some of your tips for being happy at work?
Managing a team of distributed or remote employees often requires a time tracking app. Finding a professional and productive time tracking app, however, can be a difficult process. To help with your search for an iOS app we've compiled a list of options that can help you increase the productivity of your employees.


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Q: Upgrade OptiPlex 980 from GT330 to GT440? I have an OptiPlex (Mini-Tower version) with these specs:

*

*Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 860 / 2.80GHz, 8M

*8GB (4x2GB) NECC DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM Memory

*1 GB NVIDIA GeForce GT330, 1 DP & 1 DVI, 1 DP-DVI 1 dongle(Full Height)

The remaining specs are as detailed here.
I would like to upgrade the 1 GB NVIDIA GeForce GT330 to a NVIDIA GT 440. The specifications on Nvidia for the GT330 and the GT440 say they both need the same 300W PSU, so I'm guessing this shouldn't be a problem.
I'm wondering if I can simply replace the 330 with the 440? One issue is I can't upgrade the PSU for a higher end card because I hear Dell uses non-standard pin connectors. The other is the 440 is a dual-slot card whereas the 330 is single-slot. Not sure if space would be enough.
TIA.
NB: The main reason for this upgrade is for decent dual-monitor setup and some gaming.

A: I would also agree that you should go ahead and do it. I have heard of Dell using custom pins to connect the PSU to the motherboard but all the other peripheral connectors should be standard.
Regardless, a separate power cable for the graphics card is not needed in smaller cards such as this one, and as @slafat01 pointed out the 440 requires less power as well so you can easily keep the same PSU.
Looking at your motherboard you have 2 PCI x16 slots.  As long as you have a free x16 slot there should be no reason why you wouldn't be able to put in the new card.
As far as spacing goes I doubt you will have a problem because although the 440 is listed as a dual slot card it is quite small and should fit in quite comfortably.

A: According to the specs, it appears that the 440 uses less graphics power than the 330 (65W vs. 75W, respectively), so I would say that you could swap them out as long as you have an open power cord on your power supply.
Also, the 440 does not require dual slots (look at the images of the 440... it's a single slot card). The interface on the 440 is a PCI-e 2.0 standard, where the 330 interface is a PCI-e (assuming 1.0). Luckily, the PCI-e 2.0 standard is backwards compatible with the PCI-e 1.0 standard.

A: From my experience with dells, while the colour codes may be non standard at times most modern dells have had standard connectors. There were a few models that were around 2000 era which used a non standard PSU out, but not any more - dell started following the standard around 01.  I've been able to swap the PSU on the dell mini tower i run for a standard one with no problems, and i've never heard of dell changing any other pin outs.
I WOULD note that on the dell 530 MT i was working on, the 4 pin processor power connector was a non standard colour code (IIRC brown and black, swapped it for a standard PSU later) but worked fine. The colours may NOT be standard so check what you have carefully when you do changes.  I don't think fitting a 2 slot video card into a dell mini tower would be an issue either - working on them wasn't too bad other than the tight fit of the PSU. Assuming roughly similar physical dimentions, it should be a non issue unless a heatsink or other component is in the way .

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


According to MLive, Burton Police responded around 12:15 a.m. on Dec. 9 to Captain's Quarters Lounge on Atherton Road, for a report of a shooting. A 21-year-old man was found shot in the parking lot. He was transported to a local hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit for treatment of his injuries.
The suspected shooter was also admitted to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. He'll be sent Genesee County Jail after he's released from the hospital.
Not many details have been released aside from the fact that a man was shot. The shooting is obviously still under investigation. If you were at Captain's Quarters over the weekend and have any information, please contact the Burton Police Department at 810-742-2542.


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Los Islotes Los Lobos están formados por dos promontorios unidos entre sí por un corto istmo rocoso a flor de agua, están situados al oeste de isla Caribe en el Estado Sucre, en el mar Caribe posee una superficie que no excede las 5 hectáreas. La isla principal posee una superficie de 4,05 hectáreas y un perímetro de 0,95 km, la isla menor posee 1,08 hectáreas y un perímetro de 0,51 kilómetros, ambas están despobladas.

Los Lobos están constituido por rocas volcánicas y subvolcánicas. Los islotes son muy áridos y de difícil acceso, solo el Islote Lobo Grande posee un fácil acceso y es a través de una de sus playas, ubicada en el occidente de la isla. En la vertiente oeste hay unas pequeñas playas sobre las que se encuentran las ruinas de antiguas rancherías.

Flora y Fauna
Este archipiélago posee una gran diversidad de flora y fauna. Entre las aves marinas destacan el alcatraz, los bobos, gaviotas o tijeretas y guaraguanales. Tiene una vegetación xerófila, por lo que se pueden encontrar tunas, cardones, el melón o buche y el guaritoto, entre otros

Economía
El conjunto del archipiélago es ideal para la pesca, es por esto que los pescadores de la Isla de Coche y Chacopata se trasladan hasta estos islotes para realizar esta actividad. Generalmente utilizan redes de pesca, es la manera más apropiada para hacerlo ya que es de fondo rocoso. Las especies que más abundan son los pargos, meros, corocoros y langostas.

Historia
La Isla Caribe que se encuentra muy cerca fue descubierta en 1498 por Cristóbal Colón.

Acceso
La manera más usada de traslado hasta la Isla Caribe es desde el muelle público de Chacopata, en Sucre. Se pueden alquilar botes desde El Guamache (Isla de Coche).

Véase también
 Islas de Venezuela
 Geografía de Venezuela

Referencias

Enlaces externos

Archipiélagos e islas de Sucre

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Base of Operations: Ireland, c.1st century B.C.
Powers/Abilities: His body gave of heat, capable of melting snow and ice, or turning water to steam. In battle he became possessed by a berserker rage which would warp his body out of shape into monstrous forms. It is said that only Cúchulainn could heal the wounds he inflicted on his enemies. He often used a unique harpoon like weapon with vicious barbs, known as the Gae Bulga.
History: Setanta was born almost a year after the god Lugh kidnapped his mother on her wedding day. Lugh eventually allowed Dechtire to return to her groom with her newborn child, where her understanding fiancee still agreed to marry her and raised the child as his own. Setanta's strength and daring were exceptional, even as a child. At the age of seven he killed a fierce dog owned by the smith Culainn. In recompense he promised to find the man a new animal, and in the meantime act as a guard to Culainn's house; thus he gained his new name, Cúchulainn, "Hound of Culainn".
Cúchulainn grew up to be a member of the Red Branch, a group of heroes who protected the king, his uncle Conchobar. Although described as being short, he distinguished himself battling the lake-dwelling giant known as The Terror, his way of proving he was the strongest member of the Red Branch. He was to die young, however, stabbed with a spear by his long-time enemy Lugaid, and then decapitated by same; even in death he proved dangerous, as his falling sword managed to slice of his slayer's right hand. He was buried with his wife, who died of grief upon hearing of his death.


Dhaka: Bangladeshi cricketer Shahadat Hossain and his wife face trial on charges of torturing their underage house help following their indictment by a Dhaka court here on Feb 22.
The Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-5 framed the charges against the two on Monday and fixed March 22 for hearing the witnesses' testimonies. The couple, now on bail, appeared before the court during the hearing, reports bdnews24.com.
In September last year, Hossain filed a complaint with the police, claiming his house help had gone missing. But hours later, the 11-year-old girl surfaced to accuse the cricketer and his wife of subjecting her to regular torture.
Police said one Khandkar Mozzamel Haque found the girl at Mirpur and took her to the local police station. Haque later filed the case. The couple were absconding until police arrested the pace bowler's wife on October 4.
The next day, Hossain surrendered in the court of the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate, which rejected his bail plea and sent him to prison. On December 1, the same court granted bail to his wife.
Hossain then moved the court of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge for bail, but was turned down. On December 8, the High Court granted him bail until March 31, 2016.
The fast bowler last played for Bangladesh in May last year against Pakistan. He went off the field on the first day of the first Test with a leg injury.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had him treated in Australia and he was going through a rehabilitation programme. The BCB has said that reports of Hossain torturing a minor were 'utterly embarrassing' and banned the pacer from all forms of cricket until the charges were resolved.


text:
Will Aquino
Four Action Steps from NACHC President & CEO, Tom Van Coverden
- 7:00 pm
As the dust from the November 8th election continues to settle, we continue to meet with key decision-makers and to assess the direction and legislative plans of the next Congress and the new Administration. What is clear is that the road ahead for health centers and our patients will have serious bumps, unexpected curves and potential opportunities.
Along this road will come challenging debates over the Health Center Funding Cliff, the structure and size of the Medicaid program, broad Block Grants for many federal programs, and the future direction of our Health Center system of care. Our opportunities lay in the incredible bi-partisan support Health Centers have always had in Congress. In a contentious environment, Health Centers stand out as something both sides of the aisle can whole-heartedly agree on and support. This means Health Centers have an opportunity to serve as a centerpiece for change in the health care system as both sides seek solutions.
Make no mistake; the fights ahead will require every single Health Center to commit to advocacy as never before. This means going beyond a few leaders staying informed and participating in key calls to action. True commitment means creating a culture of advocacy throughout the Health Center by engaging Board, Staff, Patients and Partners by educating them about what is at stake, their role as advocates, and empowering them to act, repeatedly!
We have to prepare now to hit the ground running in 2017. The following four action steps for Health Centers and their Advocates will ensure our advocacy efforts are engaged, informed, prepared and effective:
Commit to Staying Informed and Mark Your Calendar: Beginning this month, NACHC will be hosting monthly in-depth Policy and Advocacy Briefings for all health center advocates via interactive webinar. We're committed to keeping you up to speed on the latest developments, asks, messaging and action steps, and to making our staff available to answer questions, discuss strategy and give guidance. These updates will each take place at 3:30pm Eastern Time on the following dates: December 14th, January 18th, February 22nd, and March 21st. Watch our weekly Washington Update for details on how to register and participate.
Complete a Health Center Data Analysis: Part of being able to tell the Health Center story must include data – what are the implications of the funding cliff (a potential 70% cut to grant funding) on Health Center operations, patients, services and the community at large? Relative to Medicaid – how many patients are being served in each FPL bracket under Medicaid? How much of Health Center revenue derives from Medicaid? What is the financial impact of Medicaid cuts/changes to the Health Center in the context of operations, services, patients etc? Gathering and analyzing Health Center level data now so that advocates can effectively tell their story through both human stories and hard data.
Schedule In-Person Meetings At Home with Members of Congress: Whether it is a brand new or veteran Member of Congress, scheduling in-person meetings at home much in advance of their arrival in DC in January must be an absolute priority. These meetings will provide the opportunity to establish foundational knowledge of Health Centers (particularly for new MOCs), layout what sets Health Centers apart from other providers, and discuss what is at stake in the year ahead in the context of both the Primary Care Funding Cliff and Medicaid. NACHC will provide clear talking points, background information and guidance for these conversations.
Prioritize and Begin Building Advocacy Capacity: Whether it be at the federal, state or local level, without question ALL will demand organized, effective and consistent advocacy response to ensure continued support, resources and protection for Health Centers and their patients. The first step must be to establish advocacy infrastructure at the Health Center (and PCA) by engaging and educating board, staff, patients and partners about what is at stake and their role in advocating to support, protect and preserve the Health Center. Building advocacy capacity will be best accomplished at the Health Center and PCA level through the ACE (Advocacy Centers of Excellence) Program which lays out a simple framework to build advocacy infrastructure, create a culture of advocacy, and establish protocols and benchmarks for engagement and effective response. You can get more information on how to build internal advocacy infrastructure through the ACE program by visiting saveourchcs.org or contacting our grassroots advocacy staff.
For more than 50 years, Health Centers have not only survived, but thrived, because of the strength of our model of care and the value and impact we bring to the health care system and our patients. This does not change. The year ahead will be challenging, but I know that if we are together, we are more than up to the task!
Tom Van Coverden
NACHC President & CEO

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Philip Bernholtz, född 18 oktober 1991, är en svensk före detta fotbollsspelare.

Karriär
Bernholtz moderklubb är Markaryds IF, vilken han 2008 lämnade för att i stället spela för Jönköpings Södra IF. Han spelade fem matcher i Superettan 2010 för J-Södra, fast dock inga under 2011 på grund av en korsbandsskada. I december 2011 skrev han på ett tvåårskontrakt med Tenhults IF i division 2.

I februari 2013 skrev han på ett treårskontrakt med Husqvarna FF. I mars 2015 förlängde han sitt kontrakt med två år.

I december 2015 värvades Bernholtz av Ängelholms FF. I mars 2017 återvände Bernholtz till Husqvarna FF, där han skrev på ett tvåårskontrakt. I april 2018 råkade Bernholtz ut för en korsbandsskada vilket gjorde att han missade resten av säsongen 2018.

Källor

Philip Bernholtz på fotbolltransfers.com

Noter

Svenska fotbollsspelare
Spelare i Jönköpings Södra IF
Spelare i Tenhults IF
Spelare i Husqvarna FF
Spelare i Ängelholms FF
Spelare i Superettan
Spelare i Division 1 i fotboll för herrar
Födda 1991
Levande personer
Män
Spelare i Markaryds IF


Patents are the cornerstones of numerous technology companies and other businesses. Assessing the value of both utility and design patents, our Patents group works closely with clients to navigate the complex patent landscape and to develop strategies that take full advantage of the patent statutory schemes. Combining the expertise of our business and IP groups, the Goulston & Storrs patent group assist clients with due diligence into the patent portfolios of clients, prospective business acquisitions and competitors. Our Patent group develops patent acquisition and licensing strategies that assist with the growth of our clients and works closely to nurture the development of joint venture and venture capital relationships through the licensing, assignment or acquisition of patent rights.
Our Patent group works closely with the Goulston & Storrs IP Litigation group to assert our clients' rights as well as to protect our clients from claims of patent infringement in a broad range of technology sectors, including healthcare, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, retail, real estate, banking, venture capital, private equity, consulting and computer technology.
From less complex design patents to more complex mechanical, software and pharmaceutical technologies under the Hatch-Waxman Act statutory framework, our Patent group works closely with clients to effectively and efficiently compete in the complex patent landscape.


text:
NATIONAL OPINION
Migrant Caravan Arrives At Southern Border, It Didn't Expect This
Carmine Sabia April 29, 2018
A caravan of asylum seekers has made it to the Southern border of the United States, but it could be the end of the line for the hundreds who made it this far.
"At this time, we have reached capacity at the San Ysidro port of entry for CBP (Customs and Border Protection) officers to be able to bring additional persons traveling without appropriate entry documentation into the port of entry for processing," Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said in a statement to Fox News.
Translation: Door is closed. No vacancy.
The commissioner said that many of the asylum seekers "may need to wait in Mexico as CBP officers work to process those already within our facilities."
They keep on knocking but they can't come in.
The San Ysidro border crossing can only hold around 300 people and authorities warned the caravan before it reached its destination that there would not be a way to house the massive group.
Demonstrators from the United States gathered at the border to support the asylum caravan and some have begged President Donald Trump to allow the migrants in.
"The only thing I would tell Mr. Trump is to have a conscious and to look at all the people and the way they suffer. Because the people, they are coming from those countries, they are not doing it for pleasure," Osman Salvador Ulla Castro, from Honduras, said to Fox News. "They face danger and extortions and they are looking for a better life."
Some of the asylum seekers attempted to enter the United States earlier on Sunday via a broken fence, but they were stopped by Border Patrol agents, Fox News reported.
"In several of these incidents, children as young as 4 years old, and in one case a pregnant female, were detected entering the United States illegally through a dark, treacherous canyon that is notorious for human and drug smuggling," Rodney Scott, the United States Customs and Border Protection San Diego Chief Patrol Agent, said. "As a father myself, I find it unconscionable that anyone would expose a child to these dangerous conditions."
In terms of the politics, this caravan is a major gift to President Trump and Republicans who are demanding a border wall. The video clips and photos of these migrants are a lock to be used during the midterm election campaigns for Republicans to appeal to those who agree with them on the immigration issue.
The president and Republicans could not have asked for a better scenario to prove the need for a border wall. And it was helped by those who attempted to sneak in via the "dilapidated scrap metal border fence."
President Trump mentioned the caravan at his rally in Washington, Michigan on Saturday.
"Are you watching that mess that's going on right now with the caravan coming up?" he asked the audience who started to boo. "Are you watching this? And our laws are so weak. They're so pathetic. Given to us by Democrats. They're so pathetic."
He used that as part of the reason he said he will shut the government when the budget is next due if he does not get funding for the border wall.
"[I]f we don't get border security, we'll have no choice," he said. "We'll close down the country, because we need border security."
Carmine Sabia
Carmine began writing for BizPacReview in 2014 where he found success as a conservative writer. His popularity continued to soar as he gained tens of thousands of followers. Carmine has been quoted by Fox News, has been interviewed on television by Tomi Lahren, appeared on BBC Radio, "The Critical Hour" with Dr. Wilmer Leon, Sky News in the UK, NHK in Japan, Power 98.7 South Africa and various other media outlets.
'Blindspotting' Focuses on the Increasing Racial Divide in Oakland, the U.S.
Egomaniac Gloria Allred Just Got Publicly Humiliated At Daytime Emmys
by Carmine Sabia, Citizen Truth

Migrant Caravan Arrives At Southern Border, It Didn't Expect This

by Carmine Sabia, Citizen Truth
April 29, 2018

	A caravan of asylum seekers has made it to the Southern border of the United States, but it could be the end of the line for the hundreds who made it this far.

"At this time, we have reached capacity at the San Ysidro port of entry for CBP (Customs and Border Protection) officers to be able to bring additional persons traveling without appropriate entry documentation into the port of entry for processing," Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said in a statement to Fox News.

Translation: Door is closed. No vacancy.

The commissioner said that many of the asylum seekers "may need to wait in Mexico as CBP officers work to process those already within our facilities."

They keep on knocking but they can't come in.

The San Ysidro border crossing can only hold around 300 people and authorities warned the caravan before it reached its destination that there would not be a way to house the massive group.

Demonstrators from the United States gathered at the border to support the asylum caravan and some have begged President Donald Trump to allow the migrants in.

"The only thing I would tell Mr. Trump is to have a conscious and to look at all the people and the way they suffer. Because the people, they are coming from those countries, they are not doing it for pleasure," Osman Salvador Ulla Castro, from Honduras, said to Fox News. "They face danger and extortions and they are looking for a better life."

Some of the asylum seekers attempted to enter the United States earlier on Sunday via a broken fence, but they were stopped by Border Patrol agents, Fox News reported.

https://youtu.be/u5_B3iYUcOw

"In several of these incidents, children as young as 4 years old, and in one case a pregnant female, were detected entering the United States illegally through a dark, treacherous canyon that is notorious for human and drug smuggling," Rodney Scott, the United States Customs and Border Protection San Diego Chief Patrol Agent, said. "As a father myself, I find it unconscionable that anyone would expose a child to these dangerous conditions."

In terms of the politics, this caravan is a major gift to President Trump and Republicans who are demanding a border wall. The video clips and photos of these migrants are a lock to be used during the midterm election campaigns for Republicans to appeal to those who agree with them on the immigration issue.

The president and Republicans could not have asked for a better scenario to prove the need for a border wall. And it was helped by those who attempted to sneak in via the "dilapidated scrap metal border fence."

President Trump mentioned the caravan at his rally in Washington, Michigan on Saturday.

"Are you watching that mess that's going on right now with the caravan coming up?" he asked the audience who started to boo. "Are you watching this? And our laws are so weak. They're so pathetic. Given to us by Democrats. They're so pathetic."

He used that as part of the reason he said he will shut the government when the budget is next due if he does not get funding for the border wall.

"[I]f we don't get border security, we'll have no choice," he said. "We'll close down the country, because we need border security."

This article first appeared on Citizen Truth and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.


ESCANABA — It's that time of year again — the start of a new school year is the day after Labor Day.
There's a reason for that. In Michigan, since 2005, state law dictates school will not open for the year until after Labor Day. The law was designed — in part — to extend the tourism season in the state.
Schools, however, may apply for a waiver from the state Superintendent of Public Instruction to start classes before Labor Day.
Local school superintendents have mixed feelings about the post-Labor Day school start.
"I think most educators see the value of a pre-Labor Day start as a way to help overcome the 'summer slide' students often experience. And, fall sports and activities are already underway well before Labor Day," said Coby Fletcher, superintendent of the Escanaba School District.
Jason Lockwood, Bark River-Harris school superintendent agrees with Fletcher. The Bark River-Harris School District would need other cooling means if there were classes in the summer.
"I believe school districts should have full local control when it comes to setting the school calendar. I understand the history and rationale behind the post Labor Day start, but I believe that if local school districts had full control of setting the school calendar, many positive educational outcomes could be improved." said Lockwood.
For those in the tourism business, children going back to school after Labor Day is seen a little differently.
Regardless of how starting after the holiday affects tourism, some superintendents feel their hands are tied because of the law.
"Back in 2005, when House Bill 4803 was introduced to the legislature, many of us had issues with the reasoning and rationale behind it. However, it was eventually packaged with a number of other bills that ultimately became the Jobs Package, and was signed into law in late 2005. Since that time, many of the promises made regarding school calendar have changed, and now local districts have very little local control over the calendar," noted Jay Kulbertis, superintendent of Gladstone and Rapid River The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) recognized the desire of many districts to best meet the educational needs of their students, so it increasingly approved waivers to the post-Labor Day start. As expected, there has been some backlash from the tourism industry, state chamber of commerce, and others, so MDE has pulled back their support of the waivers, according to Kulbertis.
"Locally, we have discussed the waiver issue at length… we have found ways to make the best of the current situation, and there has not been much interest among parents or the community in moving to an earlier start. Yet, we are collectively looking at how all of our students might benefit from a more balanced calendar, that spreads vacation time out more evenly throughout the year, and reducing the length of the summer break," Kulbertis said.
Tom Nemacheck, executive director of the Upper Peninsula Travel and Recreation Association, believes previous polls show the community would like to keep the start of school the way it is.


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A$AP Rocky & Famous Dex Hit the Flea Market in "Pick It Up"
A$AP Rocky & Famous Dex Hit the Flea Market in Designer Threads For "Pick It Up" Video
2018-01-20 02:04 in MusicWords By Jonathan Sawyer
Since dropping the track back in October, Famous Dex's "Pick It Up" with A$AP Rocky has gone on to take over radio airwaves and nightclubs alike. Now, the tandem returns to deliver the official music video for the catchy tune.
Shot in New Jersey, we then find Dex and Rocky hitting up a local "flea market." While flexing their designer threads, we see the rappers browsing the bootleg goods, surrounded by beautiful women.
The collaborative track is expected to land on Famous Dex's anticipated debut album, Dex Meets Dexter, out this spring.
In related news, we just ranked every song from A$AP Rocky's celebrated 'LONG.LIVE.A$AP.'
Famous Dex
Jonathan SawyerStaff Writer
Not NYC, not LA.


This 32 hour course is designed to provide coaches with the foundation tools and material to deliver safe, engaging and functional soccer training sessions for youth players and novice players. This course is conducted in the English language.
All participating players are recommended to have adequate personal insurance before participation on the course.
The InFACT Advanced Diploma in Youth Football is designed and delivered by an English FA Educator.
This course does not prohibit players from participating based on age or experience.
Practical demonstration of various activities, exercises and small-sided games suitable for youth players of aspiring ability aged 8 – 16.
In line with new ideas in UK best practices to show the game in its easiest format that would be acceptable to pass the award, but also how to build and progress the practice for the older players.
In line with new ideas in UK and European best practice to show the game in its easiest format that would be acceptable to pass the award, but also how to build and progress the practice for the older senior players.
Practical demonstration of how to incorporate the goalkeeper into outfield training.
In pairs, or groups of three, plan prepare and deliver a practice session of 2 or 3 activities based on the exercises shown in section 2 and/or 3. The tutor will give written and verbal feedback on the session to provide action plan points for individual assessments. Candidates will each have an input into the practice session in preparation for their own practice. This will also encourage students to work as a team. Sessions will last approx. 30 minutes.
Criteria to successfully pass this award is 100% attendance, participation, working with others and completion of all relevant tasks. Plus 1 mock and 1 individual assessed session.


Selkirk College bursaries have the power to change lives and embolden students to make it through the challenges that stand in the way of realizing their educational dreams. Earlier this month, students and donors gathered at Nelson's Mary Hall for the annual Bursary Tea to celebrate the important financial awards.
As the first semester wound down in December, Recreation, Fish & Wildlife Program student David Greaves had more to worry about than final exams. With four kids under the age of 12 and one on the way, the second year student had the Christmas season to tackle and was hoping Santa Claus wouldn't disappoint.
Recreation, Fish & Wildlife Program student David Greaves (right) is one of the students to benefit from Selkirk College bursaries. Greaves and his partner Nicole Merritt (left) are finding ways to balance a young family with four children and the pursuit of educational dreams.
"I was stressed, I wasn't sure we were going to make it through," said Greaves.
At the Bursary Tea, Greaves told his story to the more than 240 students, donors and Selkirk College staff assembled for the annual event. Chosen to speak on behalf of students, Greaves talked about how the bursaries he received this year has helped him carry on.
Each year, Selkirk College awards more than $300,000 in scholarships, bursaries and other awards. Bursaries are based on financial need and scholarships are awarded on academic merit.
Find out more about Selkirk College bursaries, scholarships and awards and join us on Instagram.


Twenty-four pairs competed in a club championship game on Wednesday, Jan. 16, during a meeting of the Hagerstown Bridge Club.
Overall winners in Flight A were: first place, Pat Newbold and Kathy Goss; second, Barbara Couch and Claudia Reppert; third, Ronald Orr and Tim Smith; fourth, Alice Butler and Rob Robey; fifth, Jim Eaton and David Abuhove; and sixth, Joanne Dickinson and Marie Nicely.
In Flight B, Bob Dickinson and Ralph Maier tied with Jack Mesner and Tom Janus for fourth place.
In Flight C, John Oyler and David Desjardins finished in fourth place.
North-South section winners in Flight A were Willa Garner and Aurora McDonough in fifth place.
In the East-West section of Flight A, Debbie Kiser and Emma Eaton finished in third place.
An inter-club championship will be at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, at South End Fire Hall in Hagerstown.


Congratulations to Frank Hirth who won the prestigious title of Brewer Morris 5-a-side Charity Football Tournament Champion, and to Deloitte who achieved the runner up prize.
We hope you all enjoyed yourselves and we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part and helped raise money for Anthony Nolan.
To book your team's place for 2016, contact Joe Rudkin or Allan Meldrum on the below details.


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The rest of the story / Sarah Dessen.
Dessen, Sarah, (author.).
19 of 41 copies available at Bibliomation. (Show)
0 of 1 copy available at Douglas Library of Hebron.
Douglas Library of Hebron YA FIC DES (Text to phone) 33400145574805 Young Adult New Fiction Checked out 07/19/2019
Physical Description: 440 pages ; 22 cm
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: New York, NY : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2019]
Emma Saylor doesn't remember a lot about her mother, who died when Emma was twelve. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges. Now it's just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable ... until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother's family that she hasn't seen since she was a little girl. When Emma arrives at North Lake, she realizes there are actually two very different communities there. Her mother grew up in working class North Lake, while her dad spent summers in the wealthier Lake North resort. The more time Emma spends there, the more it starts to feel like she is also divided into two people. To her father, she is Emma. But to her new family, she is Saylor, the name her mother always called her. Then there's Roo, the boy who was her very best friend when she was little. Roo holds the key to her family's history, and slowly, he helps her put the pieces together about her past. It's hard not to get caught up in the magic of North Lake--and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo's spell as well. For Saylor, it's like a whole new world is opening up to her. But when it's time to go back home, which side of her--Emma or Saylor--will win out?
Subject: Family secrets > Fiction.
Friendship > Fiction.
Man-woman relationships > Fiction.
Secrets > Fiction
Friendship > Fiction
Love > Fiction
Genre: Young adult fiction.


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2017 Wishlist: Getting Our Cinema Out Of Dumbing-Down Pit And Making Films That Connect
by Vivek Agnihotri - Jan 6, 2017 03:40 PM +05:30 IST
A still from the movie Dangal (Source: Dangal Official Trailer)
I am convinced Indian stories can have a bigger market than the current trend of window-shopping in foreign lands.
I like to go out of Mumbai, for months, to write my scripts. Yeah, it costs more to the producer but the value is immense. Very often, in film production, one finds people who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. This is the reason why the cost of filmmaking has soared and the value is scraping the bottom. Why is it that in India, in a given year, not more than a few films (out of several hundreds) are valuable films? Why is it that most of the films do not surprise us? Why are they not adventurous? Why are they so mediocre? Why does the audience reject 90 per cent of the films? Why are we constantly blamed for the dumbing down of our cinema? Why?
Investment in research and writers
The biggest complaint of the audiences is that our films are set in La La Land. We create a world which is neither real nor fantastical. Mostly, it is illogical. Which is why a lot of films meant for an adult audience are consumed by five-year-olds. This happens because there is hardly any faith in the script and the research that should go behind it. A lot of filmmakers these days are moneyed kids who haven't stepped out of Bandra. Their sense of reality is strangely opposite of what India is all about. Some of the recent films which wanted to cater to the "cool" Indian youth have proved that they have no idea about the real "cool" Indian youth. They assume that Indian youth is about Paris, short clothes, no purpose, no values and no ambition. They deliver what they see in their limited universe.
The Indian youth is studying hard, struggling for a job and trying to create his space in a fast-changing economy. This gap between the perceived reality and the ground reality is directly proportional to the dumbness of our cinema. I hope the producers invest in research and development where they employ rooted people who can present the Indian reality as the foundation for a typical Bollywood fantasy to be erected. I hope that our producers give a chance to these poor writers to take out few heartwarming, real and human stories from their bags.
A progressive and relevant television
Another big challenge that needs to be addressed immediately is the advent of the stupid. The real, emerging consumers of cinema are the youth of this country. Today's youth has grown up on modern television. Modern TV has slowly, steadily and systematically uneducated the cinema public. It has changed the comprehension of cinematic imagery. It has deconstructed the language and grammar of cinema and converted a big part of cinema's audience into a "commercial break" audience. TV is a medium of fleeting images and information and low-impact content. So, a whole generation, which has grown up on TV entertainment where one doesn't have to concentrate, where one doesn't have to comprehend, interpret and imagine, is not ready to appreciate cinematic language.
That's why good cinema has to struggle to find an audience. TV has contributed quite effectively to this "dumbing down" process with regressive, unreal and Stone Age stories. The single-minded focus on grabbing the audience's attention has given birth to stupid characters, stupid cinematography, stupid plots and stupid ideas. To make it worse, the queen of TV, Ekta Kapoor introduced Madrasi cuts (repeated cuts of the same expression with blaring music) and monstrous camerawork, topped with rehashes of Bollywood songs, leaving no scope for the audience to think or imagine.
I hope the TV think tank concentrates on discovering Indian stories and use its immense variety and depth to challenge the IQ of our cinema. A strong competition from TV is always beneficial for cinema. The quality of American TV shows is so high that their cinema has no other route but to excel.
Multiplex monopoly and exploitation
Multiplexes have changed the whole dynamics of film distribution. When multiplexes came, one thought it would open a world of choices for the audience. But…but…but….the people who own multiplexes are not in the film business. They are in the amusement business, "we also show movies" types. And the cost of running this amusement business is very high. So high, that this business can't afford to experiment. This business has no patience. Quick-turnover-high-volume is its DNA. With the advent of multiplexes, movies are now released on 1,000-4,000 screens, loaded with huge star fees and marketing budgets. So, any film which is not making big money is shown the door immediately.
A film which is not star-studded needs time to find its audience. And that audience is not a first-day-first-show audience. They are slow starters. Laggards. Due to a lack of marketing blitz, these movies survive on word-of-mouth and favourable press. This is a slow process. And before it can find its audience, it is being gobbled up by another blockbuster, backed by a huge campaign that dominates the media noise. The multiplexes, therefore, need to come out with a policy where it is an affordable, just and equal-opportunity distributor.
There isn't a single example in the world of marketing and distribution where a product is not segmented by price. Which means that the price corresponds to the size and volume. A Mercedes costs more because more money is invested in its engineering and quality. Only in our box office system does the ticket for a Rs 3 crore film cost as much as that of a Rs 200 crore film. So, the audience which spends a huge amount on a ticket seeks instant value for money. Instead of absorbing the story and characters, it wants instant rewards. That's why we see so much emphasis on style, item songs, locations, costumes etc and desperation to keep the audience distracted from the absence of a powerful story. This system is fundamentally faulty. A fundamentally faulty system soon becomes an exploitative system. This must change. Smaller films need to be given a chance to survive.
Make cinema experiential, again
Because of this fundamental flaw, the entire effort is to make blockbusters and bring in the audience with marketing muscle and hype. A hyped up audience wants more excitement in the film, which is impossible to match. This audience seeks instant gratification. It wants to consume over-simplistic, feeble content.
I have been told, on many occasions, by studios, producers and stars to keep the storyline very thin. In fact, only yesterday, I was told by a film tycoon that a recent movie is so successful because it has a very thin storyline. When I started my career, a star asked me to keep the story minimum so that even an idiot can understand it. The buzzword here is to make an idiot-proof movie. Therefore, what comes out is also idiotic cinema. Cinema with no sense of reality, common man or history. It is a cinema with no context and no content.
A film with context and content is perceived as "different" or "experimental" or "arty-sharty" types. Initially, nobody cares about it. Then it begins to sink in. It starts moving some people. It starts to create its own ecosystem, but not for long. There comes another blockbuster and it's out of the theatres, reinforcing the industry's collective belief that these kinds of movies are only for the film festivals. Sigh.
Make filmmaking less corporatised
Now, the bunch of executives at corporatised Bollywood, who earlier worked in Procter & Gamble or Unilever or Nokia, close the window for these movies. And these executives are the third most important part of this dumbing down process. Why, one may ask. Because no talented, ambitious filmmaker is going to do those jobs. He'd be out on the sets being part of filmmaking. But big corporations need big numbers of executives.
These people have nothing to do with cinema, but they are good with numbers. Since they don't know a thing other than numbers and they have to deal with people who know nothing about numbers, they get nervous. These hundreds of nervous executives end up deciding what to make. So they end up making what can be quantified. Without realising that some of the biggest blockbuster classics were started with an instinct. But here, it all boils down to budgets, number of prints, star fees. Nothing wrong about that if only we add content, research, passion and value to the list.
Films are not made now from the position of conviction, confidence or courage. They are made with fear and manipulation, all focusing on the bottom line. They are made to be idiot-proof. From the point of view of what one wants to hear, and not what one wants to say. That's why there is no bravery, no adventure, and no surprises in most of the recent movies. Don't feel bad, as it's not happening only to cinema. Look at our mainstream media. Everyone is becoming part of a dumbing down process.
Bring India and its common man back
India is a god's gift for filmmakers. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, we are full of such a wide variety of mythological stories, folk tales, fables that we can keep producing engaging content for centuries. We have fascinating history and myriad current conflicts. Wherever we look, there is a crisis, a conflict. We need to invest in them so that people find a reference point.
It's unfortunate that despite giving birth to four major religions, we don't find any insights on these greatest of the human creations in our cinema. Our films fail to reflect our society, our people, their culture, the architecture, their motivations or aspirations. If a foreigner picks up some of our latest blockbusters in order to learn about our culture, society and politics, I am sure he will end up learning more about New York, London and Paris.
I would like to see our producers invest in our stories. The Indian stories. I am convinced Indian stories can have a bigger market than the current trend of window-shopping in foreign lands. The unprecedented success of a small budget Marathi film Sairat and a mega budget film Bahubali are perfect examples of what Indians actually want to see.
Indian cinema can be divided into two eras—the era of the common man and the era of the NRI. I call it the pre-SRK and post-SRK eras. With the increased demand from the NRIs wanting to reconnect with their roots, Indian cinema saw increased revenues from NRI-dominant markets like the United States, United Kingdom, West Asia and Australia. Filmmakers instantly understood this trend and started delivering the content that suited their demands. This NRI audience wore Gap T-shirts but was proud of celebrating Karwa Chauth. A strange mix of modern and ultra-cool surface and regressive content became the order of the day.
This formula brought in so much money that the makers started depending only on the ultra-cool surface and slowly the common man died in our films. The concerns and scenarios started looking alien to Indian masses and they started rejecting film after film. So, the producers migrated this ultra-cool hero to Indian cities and villages. The geography changed, but the Hero still remained alienated. And the audiences remained indifferent. I hope to see this common man resurrected in our cinema.
The "audience wants it" argument is inane, irrelevant and mediocre. I don't believe that the audience needs to be titillated and sensationalised. I don't believe that a film is for weekend consumption only. I think intelligence and quality need to be pushed back into the audience's expectations. What should be a standard has become an exception. I believe that cinema is modern literature. I think it's a medium through which my children are going to connect with history and the world. For cinema shapes our worldview. Cinema touches our hearts, our lives and fills us with hope.
In a recent movie, the heroine says it's all about "Entertainment….Entertainment…Entertainment." This dialogue found resonance amongst people responsible for the dumbing-down process. Very often producers use this dialogue to reinforce their line of argument for pathetic content. My answer to them is simple: "If cinema was just entertainment then it's not different from circus."
I think the biggest challenge for us in the days ahead is to get our cinema out of this dumbing-down pit. Freedom Song
Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, public speaker and thought leader. He has made an award-winning film on urban Naxalism – Buddha In A Traffic Jam. His book Urban Naxals was released in March 2018.


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Defenders of the crescent design keep accusing Tom Burnett Sr. of trying to get an improper "do over" after failing back in 2005 to sway the design-competition jury. But who is really seeking the do-over? The American people rose up in protest in 2005 when they saw that the Memorial Project wanted to plant a bare naked Islamic crescent and star flag on the flight 93 crash site:
That uproar forced the Memorial Project to agree to redesign the memorial so that it would no longer include Islamic symbol shapes (whether they are intentional or not). But nothing significant was changed. Every particle of the original crescent design remains completely intact in the so-called redesign, which only disguised the original crescent with a few irrelevant trees, placed to the rear of a person facing into the giant crescent.
The American people caught a hijacker trying to re-hijack Flight 93, and the Memorial Project told him to go back outside and try again, which is exactly what he did. Now they accuse Tom Burnett of wanting an improper do-over?
There were dozens of articles and television segments about the crescent controversy this week, mostly in Pennsylvania, with some national news coverage by Fox News television and AP. This post is an attempt to capture the general thrust of the new wave of position statements.
The Memorial Project is inverting every moral imperative at this point, and it all comes from their fervent desire to reverse the results of September 2005. Their embrace of the crescent was rejected by America and they are determined to undo that defeat, to the point of being willfully blind to massive evidence of al Qaeda sympathizing intent.
The new face of the Memorial Project: Edward Felt's wife and brother take the lead
Sandra Felt, one of the Flight 93 family members who helped select the Crescent of Embrace design, admits that she never paid any attention to warnings about Islamic and terrorist memorializing symbolism in the crescent design:
Sandra Felt has known for nearly three years about complaints that the design of the proposed Flight 93 National Memorial allegedly contains Islamic symbols, but she never gave them any credence.
"I don't even think about it," said Felt, whose husband, Edward, died on ... United Airlines Flight 93.
And nobody blames her. It shouldn't be on the Flight 93 families to investigate evidence that any one of us can easily fact check. But Sandra and her brother in law Gordon Felt, now President of Families of Flight 93, are going further, pretending for some reason that the charges people have made against architect Paul Murdoch are actually being leveled against them.
How could that be, when three of the features that our petition lists as unacceptable--the Mecca orientation of the giant crescent, the 44 glass blocks on the flight path, and the giant Islamic sundial--were not even discovered until after the crescent design was selected? Nobody blames the family members for approving design features they had no inkling were there, yet Gordon Felt says that warnings about the design are "quite hurtful, to think we would want to create a memorial to those who murdered our loved ones."
Nobody ever suggested any such thing, but Felt is getting as much mileage as he can out of this excuse NOT to look at the facts, telling Fox News television:
I was outraged, for anyone to infer that family members who have been such an integral part of this process have in any way been involved in memorializing the murderers of our loved ones. I find it extremely offensive.
This after expressing his anger at Tom Burnett last week for Tom's failure to submit to the Memorial Project's "democratic process." Tom lost the jury vote, so in Felt's view, he is apparently supposed to shut up now. Strange view of democracy.
Along with Patrick White (brother of Louis Nacke II), Gordon Felt sees Mr. Burnett as trying to get an improper "do over" by raising all these new concerns. Presented with evidence of an enemy plot, Felt acts as if this new information is cheating. Like Sandra, he is positively hostile even to the idea of taking this information seriously.
Not surprisingly, this slope is slippery, and Gordon Felt now seems to be deliberately misleading the public about the 44 inscribed translucent blocks that are to be placed along the flight path.
Memorial Project misinformation, covered up by the media's refusal to check the facts
One of the claims in our petition is that there are 44 inscribed translucent blocks, or "glass blocks," to be placed along the flight path. Asked about the 44 blocks by AP reporter Ramesh Santanam, Mr. Felt denied it:
Opponents also claim there is a plan to have 44 glass blocks, for the 40 victims and four hijackers, in the design.
"That's an absolute, unequivocal fabrication that is being portrayed as fact," said Edward Felt's brother, Gordon Felt, president of Families of Flight 93. "It's misleading and helps drive the conspiracy theory."
He said he is insulted people would believe he would participate in anything that honored his brother's killers.
Santanam presents these directly opposing factual claims, and that's it. No fact checking, when all he has to do is open up the design PDF's and count the translucent blocks. It takes literally two minutes.
Open up the Sacred Ground PDF and on the right side you see this:
At eye level, are 43 "glass" (or translucent marble) blocks, built into the two part Memorial Wall that follows the flight path just above the impact point. Forty are inscribed with the names of the 40 heroes. Three are inscribed with the 9/11 date. (The blocks can be counted in an elevation view at the bottom of the PDF.)
For the 44th glass block, go to the Entry Portal PDF, which shows a giant glass block, marking the spot where the flight path breaks the circle in architect Paul Murdoch's description:
44th block sits at the end of the Entry Portal Walkway, which follows the flight path at the upper crescent tip. Murdoch even has the brass to tell us that it marks the terrorists' circle-breaking crescent creating feat. To be inscribed: "A field of honor forever."
They have been covering it up for two years now
The Memorial Project has known about this terrorist memorializing block-count since April 2006, when Project Manager Jeff Reinbold argued that the giant glass block at the end of the Entry Portal Walkway cannot be counted with the others because it is so much bigger (Crescent of Betrayal, download 3, p. 146). As Tom Burnett wrote in his February 1st advertisement in the Somerset Daily American:
What? Because the capstone to the terrorist memorializing block count is magnificent, that is supposed to make it okay?
But regardless of the merits of the Memorial Project's rationale for not being concerned about the 44 translucent memorial blocks on the flight path, there can be no excuse for telling the public that this claim is false. No one ever said that all the blocks would be the same size. We have been explicit: the 44th block is the giant glass block that dedicates the entire site.
Maybe Gordie Felt has a different dodge in mind. Maybe he is caviling over the fact that the 44th block is made of slightly different material than the other 43, being designated "glass" while the others are labeled "translucent marble." That's like caviling about the size difference.
We can't go repeating "44 inscribed translucent blocks on the flight path" all the time, so we shorten it to "the 44 glass blocks" or "the 44 blocks." Is that Gordon Felt's excuse for evading the fact that there are 44 inscribed translucent blocks on the flight path? We use a necessary shorthand and his instinct for evasion says "aha!"?
Sorry Mr. Felt. That is NOT how you live up to your fiduciary responsibility to the American people. You have accepted a position of trust and you trying to hide the truth, not expose it.
The fourth petition complaint: that the giant crescent is STILL THERE
One of the intolerable features of the soon-to-be-built memorial was known to everyone involved in the jury process. That is the crescent and star configuration of the original Crescent of Embrace design. When outrage erupted in September 2005 over this the planting of a naked Islamic flag on the graves of our murdered heroes, the Memorial Project was adamant they did not want to change it. They had talked about the likeness to an Islamic crescent during jury deliberations and decided that they wanted to choose it anyway. When controversy erupted, they felt the critics were trying to override what they thought was THEIR decision to make.
That position collapsed when Congressman Tancredo insisted that, intentional or not, it was unacceptable to build the Flight 93 memorial in the shape of a symbol that the Flight 93 terrorists claimed as their own. Pretty obvious one would think, but the backers of the crescent design were bitterly angry about having their preference overruled, just as they are now. They didn't want to change the design, and they DIDN'T change the design.
In the original, the terrorists break our liberty-loving circle, turning it into a giant Mecca-oriented crescent. The Park Service describes the so-called redesign in the exact same terms:
The circle is broken in two places that mark the southeastern path of the plane to the crash site. The circle is broken at the entry to the memorial and at the crash site.
It is still a broken circle, and it is still broken in the exact same places. The only change is that, instead of the broken off part being completely removed, a chunk of the broken off part of the circle now floats out across part of the mouth of the crescent:
Except for the re-coloring of the redesign image (right), the only change is the "broken off" arc of trees to the left of the crescent.
Both thematically and geometrically, nothing is changed. The unbroken part of the circle (the crescent) remains completely intact. In particular, it still points to Mecca, making it the world's largest mihrab (the Mecca-direction indicator around which every mosque is built).
Sandy Felt seems pretty clear that the issue is still the giant crescent:
Sandy Felt, Edward Felt's widow, was on the second jury.
She said ... that the issue of the crescent shape came up during discussions because of a public comment card submitted.
Jurors were not willing to dismiss the design because of the name, "Crescent of Embrace," or the shape.
"There's no particular ownership of this shape," she said. "... We felt confident with the notion that the void in the embrace was representative of loss."
She and the other crescent defenders claim that it is Mr. Burnett who wants a "redo" on this point, but it is actually THEY who are looking for a "redo." On this very point--on just the crescent shape itself, without taking into account the numerous other Islamic and terrorist memorializing features--it is the DEFENDERS of the crescent who lost the popular vote in September 2005, not Tom Burnett.
Do the nine people who voted for the crescent design (the vote was 9 to 6) really think that they have a greater claim to represent America's democratic voice than a United States Congressman, speaking for a national uproar? Do they really think that it is THEIR prerogative to plant a terrorist memorial mosque on the graves of our murdered heroes, no matter what the rest of the country thinks?
America stood up in September 2005 and said OVER OUR DEAD BODIES. The Memorial Project pretended to accede to this rejection, promising to remove the Islamic symbol shapes, but they DIDN'T remove the crescent. They only hid it.
Democracy is the will of the American people, not the will of nine family members, misguided by grief, who have fallen in love with a giant Islamic shaped crescent. It is bad enough that an inflated sense of prerogative makes these family members think it is okay to try to sneak their giant crescent onto the crash site even after it has been publicly rejected. Worse is their using their bitterness at being rebuffed as an excuse not to witness the numerous further Islamic and terrorist memorializing design features that have been discovered.
Every American feels tremendous sympathy for the grief of these families, but that does not absolve those who have stepped up to positions of public responsibility from the need to BE RESPONSIBLE. As much as the families may want peace and healing, our nation is in the middle of what promises to be a very long war with those who attacked us on 9/11. To be willfully blind to evidence of an al Qaeda sympathizing plot is DANGEROUS.
Since these family members are embracing every excuse to evade evidence of radical Islamic intent, they simply have to be overruled, and this time for good. No more do-overs for terrorist memorial mosques.
Imagine that the 4 terrorists somehow managed to survive the crash, and jury selection for their criminal trial is in progress:
All Flight 93 family members would be immediately disqualified from the jury on constitutional grounds (because they are not now, nor can they ever be, impartial).
Why should that jury standard BE LOWERED when it comes to selecting the design of the permanent national memorial to those same 40 heroes (who were mass-murdered by the 4 terrorists)? Maybe because of political correctness which believes that the feelings of the Families of Flight 93 could be hurt if they are disqualified from the jury, and preventing such hurt feelings is more important than getting the job done right. And what is the job here? To memorialize the 40 heroes, not the 4 terrorists (see
PUBLIC LAW 107–226—SEPT. 24, 2002
SEC. 6).
Max Kuenkel
Somebody might say that the Families of Flight 93 who were jurors were admittedly not impartial, but they were partial to the memory of their loved ones, so therefore they would be especially on guard, watching for anything (in a proposed memorial design) that might go against the spirit of remembering and honoring their loved ones. Unfortunately, that's not how it works; here is an analogy to explain what I mean:
If you are driving on the freeway, and you come upon the scene of a very bad accident with dead and injured people on the pavement: assuming you are the first car to get there: what is the most important thing to do? Give first aid? No! Let' em bleed. The first thing is to secure the scene of the accident as best you can so that other traffic does not plow into the scene and cause more death and injury. But if one of those injured people on the pavement is a family member of yours, then you will not be able to "let 'em bleed": you will not be on your guard against the deadly threat of a second collision. You will want to go straight to your family member to help, and so you might both be killed by a big truck coming around the curve who cannot stop in time because there was insufficient warning.
In the case of the Flight 93 memorial: the Families of Flight 93 are (obviously) not on their guard against the threat of Islamic cultural jihad infiltrating the memorial design (by stealth / deception / disguise). Why won't they even consider the possibility? Because it is painful, and the last thing they need is more pain. So they do what is psychologically necessary to avoid more pain. That's understandable, but don't put them on a jury to select a national memorial in a time of war.
# posted by Max Kuenkel : 1:03 PM
Were the nine votes against all family members? Or were there architects and "experts" also in the nine against? It would we be nice to know who was for and against and why.
If any tax payer money is involved, then representatives should be voting for a tens of millions project, not just family members.
# posted by Anonymous : 5:15 PM
The breakdown of the vote is not known. Tom Burnett has asked for it, but the Memorial Project won't give it to him. What we do know is that there were seven family members on the jury and eight others, mostly left-wing design professionals. It could well be that the majority of the family members voted against the crescent design. (The vote was 9 to 6 for the crescent.)
Barack Hussein Obama <-> Rashid Khalidi <-> Nasser Ramadi <-> Paul Murdoch.
(3 degrees of separation? or all part of the same collective consciousness?)


text:
local M = { }
local name1 = "lists"
local name2 = "replicate"
local TK = require("PackageToolkit")
local FX = require("FunctionalX")
M.case = function(input1, solution, msg)
  if msg == nil then
    msg = ""
  end
  print(TK.ui.dashed_line(80, '-'))
  print(string.format("test %s.%s()", name1, name2))
  print(msg)
  local result = FX[name1][name2](unpack(input1))
  print("Result: ", unpack(result))
  assert(TK.test.equal_lists(result, solution))
  print("VERIFIED!")
  return print(TK.ui.dashed_line(80, '-'))
end
return M

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I recently read an article on 10 reasons why photographers are expensive. Since many of our clients are using photographers for their birth, and milestones photography, I thought it was worth reading, and sharing with our clients. Then it got me thinking, I hear all the time about how doulas are too expensive from moms calling, and I hear "I wish I could charge more" from doulas in the field. The truth is, most doulas do not just pick a number and call it their fee. There are calculations that go into what they charge, this includes, time, cost, travel, and expertise/training. Let me give you the 10 reasons I think Doulas are expensive, and why it is worth paying the extra.
10- The Doula Bag: You might also call this gear. The experienced doula has many tools in his or her birth bag, and for us, we will not compromise on quality. Doulas bring with them birth tools such as a birth ball, snacks for you and your partner (and themselves) paperwork for you, and so much more. For a monitrice, like you get with The Doula House, this also includes oils, herbs, homeopathics, doppler, rebozo, etc.
9- Skills: Your doula not only possesses the awesome trait of being familiar with birth, she is also a mediator, a negotiator, and in many cases your birth photographer, belly caster, birth educator, and much more. You are not just paying for the birth, you are paying for everything else he/she brings to the table. Many doulas are hired for their personal experience as well, such as when clients hire us for a VBAC, since they know that is a personal connection.
8- The back up: Each doula is responsible for making sure that you have a doula present for your birth. This means she is covering the cost of having a back up, or two, available if your doulas is unable to make it to the birth. Your doula will have spent time training this other doula, or at least working to make sure that their back up has a similar birth philosophy and will be a good match for your birth, if your original doula is unable to make it.
7- On call: You may see your doula as a "Scheduled" event, but it is anything but scheduled. Most doulas are on call for 3 weeks before your EDD, and up to 2 weeks after. What this means…your doula is not going on vacation or taking a day off during that time. She is hooked to her phone, waiting for your call. Doulas will answer their phone anytime, anywhere. This is a major commitment. Can you imagine the cost to pay for your attorney or housekeeper to be on call for 5 weeks? An on- call employee is listed as "An employee who is on-call must be (1) accessible by telephone or beeper; (2) available to return to the worksite within a designated response time; and (3) in a physical condition that allows him/her to perform duty assignments." If a doula is on call for 5 weeks, that is 840 hours of waiting and being available. If we cut that in half, to average out, we come to 420 hours. If you paid your doula for her on-call time with a conservative pay of $1/hr, that is $420.
6- Experience: Not all doulas are created equal. There is a significant difference between a doula who has been doulaing for 2 years and a doula who has been doulaing for 10 years. There is also a major difference between the doula who take 2-3 births a year, and one who is taking 1-2 a month. The more a doula is working, the more she is learning. They will be up to date on best practices, and how to best support you during your birth. A doula who is also a birth educator, a photographer, or a postpartum doula is going to be worth more, because she has more to offer through the time of working with you.
5- Time: Yes, this is different from being on call. Your doula is spending at least one prenatal, the birth, and one postpartum with you. You are not being billed by the hour, and that is a good thing. Whether your birth is 4 hours or 40 hours your doula is there! And even if she is only there for 4 hours, it is four hours of continuous support, education, hip squeezes and pressure point relief. She is working to keep you comfortable, focused, and supported. Your doula is not only supporting you, he/she is supporting your partner as well. If you are using a postpartum doula, it is not just the hours she is physically present in your home, it is all the prep work, travel, and phone time she spends with you.
4- Skills: A doula with a higher price tag, has more education than the $300 doula right out of training. These doulas have invested in themselves, so that they can better invest in you. These doulas have become birth educators, lactation consultants, massage therapists, and postpartum doulas. Here at The Doula House, we have invest time and money into being a monitrice, this means classes, hours working and mentoring with a midwife, and much more. Remember, what you get with a Mercedes is not the same as a Ford.
3- Premium service: Along the lines of education, there is also the personal unique touch of a great doula. This doula has a way of helping you know what you need out of your prenatal, birth, and postpartum experience. These high end doulas have more education, more training, extra skill sets that take them even above and beyond the doula experienced by years. The premium doula brings something unique to the table, and you will know it when you meet with him/her.
2- Living Wage: Your doula is giving up time with her family, another job, or for herself to be with you. She needs to be paid enough to make it worth her time, not just to cover her expenses. Too many doulas are out there charging $300-$500 per birth. This may sounds like a steal of a deal to a couple looking to hire a doula. However this doula is not being paid for her time, and in order for her to make it worth her time, she will be unable to provide the level of support and commitment as a doula charging $1000-2500. This doula is making a living wage with her experience, this also allows her to take less clients, thus giving more time, energy, and attention to you. Many of the clients who hire me, love that I am not too busy to be present at their birth. I have only used a back up 3 times in over 10 years. I figure if the couple has spent the time to interview and research other options, and they choose me, then I better be able to attend their birth. There are some doulas who take so many births each month that half of them are attended by a back up doula. For some couples this is ok, but for most, they prefer their chosen doula to attend their birth.
1- No returns! Unfortunately, you will not get a do-over or a "take two" when it comes to your birth. The hardest thing to hear as a doula is when a women tells me "my doula was not what I expected" or "I should have hired you, I know it would have made my birth so much better." Whether you are considering a birth doula or a postpartm doula, you can not reclaim that time or experience. It is worth paying the extra for a better doula, remember, you get what you pay for.
**I am not saying that all highly priced doulas are amazing, or that just because a doula is charging $500 she is lacking in some way. I am simply saying that almost across the board, you will get what you pay for in the extra money invested. In 10 years I have not had one client tell me I was not worth it. I have never had a client tell me, I used a cheaper doula and she was just as good. In fact, I had a client who decided to use a cheaper doula, because my prices had increased between her two births. I ran into her a few months after her birth, and she expressed regret in not just hiring me again. My heart broke for that little momma, because that is something she can never change or get back.
Remember, like any well paid professional such as your midwife or OB, it is worth the time to do research, interview, and pay what you need to pay to have the birth support you need.
Most Flex Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts will cover the cost of a doula, and some insurance companies are paying for the cost of a doula. Ask your potential doula for information on these support programs that are available.


Made from our unique high quality blend material, 4 way stretch, dry fit, moisture wicking.
Our HIA signature high quality material feels soft and subtle on the body & allows you to bend, run, jump and move with ease and freedom.
You will never get sick of wearing these Beautiful leggings!


text:
Q: extract data from website using VBA get nothing I use below code to read and extract data from websites. But in specific URL (http://www.iamf.ir) there is a problem!
    Dim HTML_Content As HTMLDocument
    Dim dados As Object

    'Create HTMLFile Object
    Set HTML_Content = New HTMLDocument

    'Get the WebPage Content to HTMLFile Object
    With CreateObject("msxml2.xmlhttp")
        .Open "GET", "http://www.iamf.ir", False
        .send
        HTML_Content.body.innerHTML = .responseText
        Debug.Print .responseText                ' it's OK
        Debug.Print HTML_Content.body.innerHTML  ' it show nothing! (problem is here)
    End With

A: This should be the answer to your question, though I don't think it really solves your problem.
The XMLHTTP request you do to this website respond with an empty body, as you can notice from the line Debug.Print .responseText:
<HTML>
    <HEAD>
        <TITLE>امین آشنا ایرانیان</TITLE>
        <META NAME="Keywords" CONTENT="">
        <META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="0;URL=http://www.iafi.ir">
        <META NAME="Description" CONTENT="">
    </HEAD>
    <BODY> <-- body is empty
    </BODY>
</HTML>

This is why, when you print the .body.innerHTML of your HTML_document, you get an empty string.
Some websites are built in a way that only the full stack execution (i.e. also JavaScript execution, which doesn't happen when you perform an XMLHTTP request) is able to render correctly what you see in your browser.
In your specific case, you might need to get the information performing a slower but always working scraping based on an invisible browser. You can check out this answer I wrote some time ago to have an idea.


Dance Gavin Dance have dropped a surreal animated video for 'Son Of Robot'.
It features loads of links and references to other songs and videos, and is also strangely moving in parts.
It's taken from their album 'Artificial Selection', which is out now via Rise.


Our newest book, Revelation: An Idealist Interpretation, was completed and uploaded for review at our publishing vendor. The review process takes several days, but I am hopeful the book can be ready in the next ten days. After the paperback version is complete, I will submit the book for conversion into a Kindle edition. That process will take another week to ten days (at least).
The remaining nine books available through our Virtual Bookstore at Amazon.com have been modified, each with revised cross-references to all the other books. In the case of Fr. Ron's Kitchen Companion and Christian Spirituality: An Anglican Perspective, new content has been added. The Cookbook has many new recipes, revisions to old recipes, and a revised and improved Guide to Sources and Recipe Index with larger type. Christian Spirituality has a whole new section, a Primer on how to use the electronic resources available through the various ways the AIC has a presence on the Web. All ten books will be offered in both paperback and Kindle versions (with Paintings on Light being offered in a Kindle version for the first time). Several of the books have new covers in which I have used the white on black theme first used in Paintings on Light and new graphics.
The much-delayed new video series The Lord's Prayer: Verse-by-verse is now ready for recording. There will be two episodes of about 30 minutes each. I am hopeful of completing the series sometime before early June. The series was built from the base of a streaming video program first offered in A.D. 2010 and no longer available.
I have also begun work on the first two episodes of another new series, The Nicene Creed: Phrase-by-phrase. This will include images not often seen in the West of Nicea (both historical and recent) and several images of Constantine, both historical and modern.
The first two episodes of Lives of the Saints, Second Series, focused on 35 saints without Feast Days in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, from both the Eastern and Western Church traditions, are almost ready for recording. The first two saints to be honored are Clement of Alexandria and John of Damascus, both celebrated on December 4th. My friend Richard Irwin, at http://www.HymnsWithoutWords.com, has recorded the music to The Day of Resurrection, the most-famous hymn composed by John of Damascus, one of my favorite hymns and one which isn't performed today as often as it should be.
On a personal note: For those of you who are also petunia fans, my summer garden of over twenty varieties of petunias has been installed in pots, many on pedestals which will also them to trailing nearly to the ground. They will bloom profusely and trail from late Spring through the first frost. This year about 2/3 of the collection is varieties which do not require dead-heading (being either Supertunias or Surfinia petunias. The one pictured is Picasso in Pink, available from Proven Winners. Lowe's has these this year. Other spectacular varieties with the same characteristics are (in the Supertunia series) Bermuda Beach, Royal Velvet, Bordeaux, Priscilla, Raspberry Blast, Limoncella. Another, from the Suntory Surfinia collection, is Sky Blue. You might also want to consider the new Crazytunia series, especially Knight Rider, Star Jubilee, Stonewashed, Good Night Kisses and, the spectacular pink of Pink Frills. Happy Gardening!


text:
On the Ethereal Effervescence of Egg Tempera: A Review of Minami Kobayashi at Goldfinch Projects
Andrew Falkowski, New City, February 8, 2019
Minami Kobayashi, "About undulation" 2018, egg tempera on panel, 12 x 12 inches
Minami Kobayashi's show of small to medium-sized easel paintings takes a liberated approach to image, process and material. Leaning into the inherent ethereal effervescence of egg tempera paint, Kobayashi abandons the stodgy conventional approach predicated on tight draftsmanship and a methodical build-up of crosshatched lines. Instead, she builds color and form through veils of loose brushwork. Layering transparencies of color from warm to cool, and vice versa, her surfaces are amorphous. As they glow, they dissolve, adding to the dreamlike spontaneity of her idiosyncratic image juxtapositions.
Kobayashi has an insouciant approach to both the figure and composition. Casual and confident, she crops figures abruptly, producing peculiar focal points. Occasionally the figure and ground flip-flop spatially as well, asking the viewer to reorient their perceptual understanding. Animals, such as dogs and butterflies, are often disproportionately larger than their human counterparts. In one small painting, a boy looks down at his chest at a large butterfly approaching, or resting, upon him. They don't seem to co-exist pictorially and a clear narrative remains elusive, yet the image is gratifying to consider. The title, "Nocturnal Emission," conjures the excruciatingly awkward psychology and titillation of uncontrolled pubescent sexuality. And the saturated red and green color scheme only amplifies these metaphoric associations with compelling visual tension. Throughout the show, this seems to be a consistent quality of Kobayashi's paintings. She establishes brightly colored fugue states of dissociated moments that coalesce into charismatic amalgams that remain pointedly unresolved.
Kobayashi's focus sways from the cursory to attentive. This is most evident in her larger pictures. In "Breakfast Meeting," figures are described with a gratifying disinterest in anatomical credulity. The negative space in between the right figure's leg simply switches color arbitrarily, while the horizontal line connecting the floor to the wall rises or falls at every intersection with a figurative element. Yet the small leafy green salad and banana placed in the center of the picture are succinctly rendered with thoughtful detail, giving them both specificity and volume. In "The Back Alley," the pointy-eared man and a long-haired dog are less like figures with subjective presence and more like occasions to invest in abstract dynamics. The man's leg cartoonishly bends, indicating he is sitting. But more importantly, its red color amplifies formal contrasts in tone and saturation throughout the picture, offering a diversion from the cool, pale color scheme. The dog's fur, painted in languid vertical arabesque lines, contrasts with the blocky horizontal pattern of the grey brick wall surrounding it. These are compelling qualities, but Kobayashi really animates this painting with an exquisite array of skanky detritus at the bottom of the picture. A grey band of color, presumably a sidewalk, has depictions of crumpled beer cans, a squished toothpaste tube, cigarette butts and a used condom. These ornaments, both small and nasty, are pithy declarations of Kobayashi's ability to paint with spontaneity, ingenuity and clunky grace.
"A Park at Lunar Surface" is a pleasurable and wonky exhibition. It is filled with visual koans, strange image riddles that tease the viewer into playful speculation about Kobayashi's quixotic thought process and her burgeoning talent.
Minami Kobayashi's "A Park at Lunar Surface" shows through February 23 at Goldfinch Projects, 319 North Albany.
Link: On the Ethereal Effervescence of Egg Tempera: A Review of Minami Kobayashi at Goldfinch Projects


School selection is fuelling residential segregation says leading authority on community cohesion.
Ministers may be reconsidering controversial proposals to allow new state-funded religious schools to become fully segregated along religious lines.
Non-religious comprehensives admit 11% more pupils eligible for free school meals than expected, Jewish secondaries 61% fewer. How can this be right?
Is 'one nation' Labour's policy on faith schools the same as New Labour's?
People of different faiths are likely to support each other's issues more than people of no faith, a new survey suggests.


IT will host an open Banner 9 lab on Friday, June 1st, in Jones 203 from 8:00 am-4:00 pm. No signup is required.
Free Yoga Class: ?Standing Strong?
Free Yoga Class: "Yin/Yang Yoga"
Join us for our monthly gathering of W&M alumni and friends!
We invite alumni in the Washington DC & NOVA areas to join us for back-to-back alumni receptions on June 6 & 7. Come to one or come to both!
Thanks to the advent of social media, teachers' lives are increasingly in the public arena. Join us for as we explore tips and strategies for creating your professional web presence as an educator.
This new, concise biography examines the values and formative events that shaped one of America's most important Founders.
Join other Orlando alumni of Virginia schools at Vines Grille & Wine Bar!
In this novel, the fates of three young people cross during the First World War. What each hoped would be a grand adventure would ultimately become a crucible that would leave each of them changed forever.
Join fellow William & Mary alumni and friends to read and discuss books in DC. William & Mary alumni, friends, regular attendees, and new book lovers are all welcome!
Join us for our monthly happy hour. This month, we welcome alumni and friends from The University of Virginia!
Each of the stories contained in this collection were inspired by the author's life-long passion for hunting, fishing and dogs.
Join KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) teen and young adult athletes (ages 16-21) for an afternoon of bowling!
These prints, by award-winning watercolor artist Lynn Hosegood, capture the essence of Colonial Williamsburg & William & Mary. Take one home today!
Join the William & Mary Staff Assembly for its regular monthly meeting to be held on Monday, June 18 in Blow Hall's BOV Room. Open to all William & Mary employees!
This workshop will continue the conversation from last semester talking about racism, microaggressions, and colorism at W&M and beyond.
Join @tribeteachers for a Tweet Chat about cultivating your professional web presence. Be sure to tweet using the hashtag #tribeteachers to participate.
CommonHealth of VA - Getting Your ZZZZs?
Common Health of Virginia - Getting Your ZZZZs?
Join members of the Tribe in Atlanta for our monthly happy hour - this month we will be at The Yard House at Atlantic Station.
This charming new picture book illustrates each of the letters in our alphabet with a whimsical drawing of an animal by the author. Sure to delight children and parents alike!
We are delighted to offer a private, highlights tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection for William & Mary alumni.
Interested in becoming more involved with the Richmond Alumni Chapter? Join us for an informational meet & greet to learn more.
Join alumni and friends in the Triangle region for an evening of baseball! All are welcome to attend, please purchase your tickets using the link provided by June 24.