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Being a parent is a very delicate task.
You get 18 years to raise a child into a confident, healthy, contributing member of society. You get a very small and precious window of time to help set them on a course towards a brilliant future, so use your time wisely.
Your children have plenty of friends, what they need is a parent. They need structure, discipline, and guidance.
Some parents don't want to be harsh on their children and want to be seen as "cool" in their eyes. They are afraid that their children will see them differently. They need to see you differently. It is for their good that they respect you.
As mature as your children may seem, they don't yet have the life experience to make every decision on their own and they need a parental figure who will set guidelines for them.
Being a parent doesn't mean you just have to be a cold hard dictator of the family rules. Kids also need you to be warm, playful, and a shoulder to lean on, when appropriate.
Your children need rules and expectations. They need to know what is considered acceptable behavior and what the consequences are for poor behavior.
Setting family standards will make your family more cohesive and will cut down on nagging and repeat conversations. For instance, a rule that no child is allowed to watch R rated movies in your household, will cut down on them begging every time they want to see a movie with too much violence or provocative content. Also, there will be no sibling jealousy because one kid was allowed to watch one movie and the other was denied.
When your children have no doubt what is allowed in your household, they can creatively make their own decisions on what they think is acceptable for themselves. Setting rules grows maturity in them.
When one of your kids asks to do something and you enforce your household boundaries, use that opportunity to teach them life lessons. Just saying no will often prompt a child to rebel and push your boundaries. Instead, help them understand the reason for why those boundaries exist. If possible, show them an example of the consequences.
Always enforce rules out of love and care for your child, not selfish reasons. For instance, don't enforce an early bedtime because you want some peace and quiet in the house. When kids see that the laws of the household are for their protection and benefit, they are more likely to joyfully comply.
As a parent you the leader of your household, and good leadership means setting the bar high. Kids are extremely more receptive to your actions versus your words. How you treat your spouse, your neighbors, and even your enemies will have a profound effect on your children's formation and sense of right and wrong.
One important concept is that your children are highly unlikely to set their standards higher than your own. If you make your bed everyday, your kids will see that as a normal part of living and will typically follow suit. However, don't expect their comforters to be four inches off of the ground in perfect military style, if you leave yours unkempt.
Your children need to see, through your example, what a moral, compassionate, self-reliant, self-controlled, and disciplined life looks like. Make good choices and behaviors a normal part of life.
It's a scary world out there and your responsibility is to protect your children from physical and emotional harm. That said, you need to find a balance between protecting your children and allowing them to explore the world on their own terms. Being too rigid can cause them to rebel against overly strict household rules and expectations.
Being a parent requires you to make some tough decisions like which houses your children are allowed to sleep over, at what age they are allowed to walk to the store by themselves, how late they are allowed to stay out on school nights, which dances and parties they are allowed to go to, and what movies they are allowed to watch.
There is no magic answer. Most of those questions have to be answered on a kid by kid basis. Kids mature differently, and what you might allow your son to do at age 6, you wait until 8 for your daughter.
Some dangers and mistakes can have lifelong consequences for your child, so erring on the side of caution is prudent. You can always let down your guard later but you can never give back innocence to your child.
Giving your children responsibility is about more than just divvying up household chores. It's about giving them domains of responsibility in all areas of life. Don't make the mistake of assuming that your child is too young or incapable. Parents often missjuge their matuiry level. If you treat your children as mature little human beings, they will act like mature individuals.
Give each child a weekly chore.
Hold them responsible for how they upkeep their own space.
Teach them to save for big goals and let them decide how to spend their allowance.
Let them pick out their own clothes.
When camping, give them a responsibility like helping set up the tent, setting up for s'mores, or building the fire (under your guidance).
Let each child take turns picking out a weekly activity like a trip to the park, a community event, or an outdoor activity.
One of the best things you can do for your children is to have them explore the world. Take them to museums, travel to other states and countries, do science projects, explore a local park, get them involved with volunteering outside of their comfort zone, take them to a recycling center, get them outdoors, teach them to appreciate nature, and expose them to other languages and cultures.
Children begin forming a worldview at a very young age, so getting them involved in world affairs and getting them out on the world's playground is important. There are a lot of messy things going on in the world, and so it's important to use discernment and wisdom when choosing family excursions. However, getting them a little outside of their comfort zone, can grow them by leaps and bounds.
Reasons you should introduce your children to the outdoors sports and tips for how to ease them in gently. Go ahead, and go wild with your children, they will learn leadership skills, confidence, trust, lifelong skills, and endurance.
A child's heart is a beautiful and delicate garden that needs to be nurtured in order for it to grow. You are in an amazing position to help your child gain self-confidence, a strong sense of identity, and pursue their ambitions.
Kids need to grow up knowing that they are unconditionally loved, cared for, and valued. If they don't get this at home, they will look for it in other places, like popularity, substance abuse, and from other people. They need to know that no matter how badly they fail, you will always help guide them back on the right path.
Develop a listening ear for your children. Often they don't have the maturity to express themselves the way that adults would. If they are acting out, hiding away in a reclusive state, lack joy, or other abnormal behaviors, try to address the root of the problem and not just the behavior. Maybe a bully at school, a rocky friendship, or a personal failure is being expressed differently than you would expect.
Your child might be crying out for help and what they need is your guidance and compassion, not an iron rod. If you see abnormal behavior, it should be a trigger for you that something is wrong.
Often they won't just come out and say that a kid at school was making fun of them, so you'll have to ask a lot of questions to pull it out of them. Make asking questions a normal part of your child's life, so it doesn't seem like you are interrogating them when a problem arises.
Take undivided time every day to check in with your child. Ask about their teachers, their friends, what they are proud of accomplishing, and what they are looking forward to.
One way to build your child's confidence is to verbally encourage them. They need your praise, your admiration, and your support. Knowing that there is someone who will always fight on their side immeasurably build's their confidence.
Not only will your words build their confidence, but their own actions can have equal influence. Encouraging them to pursue their strengths, and standing beside them as they obtain small victories, will help them move mountains later.


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text:
Half Past the Month: The 'Prevailing' Wage
"People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices. But though the law cannot hinder people of the same trade from sometimes assembling together, it ought to do nothing to facilitate such assemblies, much less to render them necessary." — Adam Smith, 1776
by Craig Ladwig
Beginning this year, only those construction projects valued at more than $350,000 are covered by the state's prevailing-wage law. All right, but why $350,000? Why not $350? Or zero?
Because the law is arbitrary, capricious and immoral, that's why, and a GOP super majority led by a conservative governor so far hasn't done anything about it. That tempts the thought that one might as well go Democrat and hope to be cut in on the deal, to join those who are prevailing.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves; first, we need to know the history of this particular usurpation.
There is, of course, the infamous 1931 speech on the floor of the House of Representatives by Rep. William Upshaw:
"You will not think that a southern man is more than human if he smiles over the fact of your reaction to that real problem you are confronted with in any community with a superabundance or large aggregation of negro labor."
You get the idea: A "prevailing" wage, please know, doesn't have anything to do with an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.
What the law did then for federal contracts and what it does today for Indiana contracts is this: Politically manipulate the market for labor, whatever its color. It does so in a way that ensures that some people (unionists) have an employment advantage over the hapless rest.
That, of course, is a theft, however widely unreported. Once institutionalized in a government budget, it becomes a double theft — first from an employer and then from a taxpayer. Moreover, economists can show that there are hidden social costs in market distortions, the communication of trade skills, etc.
In nearby Michigan, for instance, where the law was temporarily ruled invalid for 30 months, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy found that 11,000 new jobs were created during that period. Other findings in its study include:
The (prevailing-wage) law added at least $275 million annually to the cost of Michigan's capital outlays, about five percent of the revenues raised by that state's individual income tax.
African-Americans in Michigan were less than 50 percent as well represented in the construction industry as whites, which the study's author argued was both theoretical and empirical evidence that the prevailing wage still promotes racial discrimination.
States without prevailing-wage laws (there are 19) had net in-migration of more than 2.5 million people from 1990 to 1996.
In states with strong prevailing-wage laws, out-migration totaled 2.7 million, and poverty rates were higher.
Similar studies in Indiana might or might not give similar results, but government waste and inefficiency are not the point. It is that the prevailing wage constitutes a moral wrong. That would be true even if it were to save taxpayers money, preserve "good" jobs or improve the quality of construction (and it doesn't do any of these).
George Leef, writing for the Cato Institute, put this moral wrong in an economic context: "The prevailing wage is merely rent-seeking by a politically potent interest group using its influence to use the law to enforce a price-fixing scheme."
Is this OK with our Indiana GOP? Apparently so. There's no movement among the super-majoritarians for reform, nor can the issue be found on the governor's "road map" for progress.
Look, this isn't a difficult public-policy question. It has always been a bad idea for any government to assist any group of sellers (in this case, unionists) in what is an eternal human desire to fix prices and stifle competition.
So the Indiana GOP's reticence is puzzling. Let's hope it can find its voice on this core economic issue.
Craig Ladwig is editor of the quarterly Indiana Policy Review.
David Bernstein. "The Davis-Bacon Act: Let's Bring Jim Crow to an End." Cato Institute, Dec. 26, 2012.
Richard Vedder. "Michigan's Prevailing Wage Law and Its Effects on Government Spending and Construction Employment." The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Midland, Michigan.
The Ohio Legislative Service Committee Senate Bill 102 Report: 22 25.
George Leef. "Prevailing Wage Laws: Public Interest or Special Interest Legislation?" The Cato Journal, Winter 2010.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
It's alway 1984 somewhere…
By Jim Booth on June 8, 2007 • ( 30 Comments )
Today is the 58th anniversary of the publication of 1984, George Orwell's dystopian vision of a corporatized totalitarian world where "Big Brother" is always watching and where the art of "double-think" (holding two contradictory beliefs at the same time and accepting both as true) is a way of life.
It's easy enough to point at the last six years and grouse that the Bush administration has done and is doing all they can to make this country into 1984's Oceania – engaging us in a pointless and economy debilitating war; enabling corporations to treat both employees and consumers in egregiously manipulative, self-serving and often harmful ways; bullying, cajoling, and co-opting the media into reporting information that not only flatters the government but that misleads the public about its real intentions; and even conducting spying on citizens who use their free speech to criticize these behaviors.
How does a powerful, deeply valued idea like American democracy die, anyway? It's hard to kill a great nation like ours with the "big bang" attack on it – even if that attack is done in a shameful, sneaky way designed to break the American spirit and engender fear like Pearl Harbor or 9/11. That kind of stuff won't kill America – it may shock and stagger our nation for a brief time, but we get our feet under us and fight back. Americans are made of sterner stuff than any cheap mugging, no matter how egregious, could take from us….
What kills our democracy are the small injuries inflicted by petty tyrants – to cite characters from Orwell's master work, it's people like Charrington and O'Brien – those who subscribe to "thought police" ideas and tactics. They're all around us, some easily identified like Bill O'Reilly, some, like local school boards or "decency committees" in small communities, inflicting the "death by a thousand cuts" upon the free flow of ideas that makes a great nation like ours the magical place that it is in world history. These little people – little in tolerance, little in outlook, little in soul – are always with us – and together they make up that "clear and present danger" we're warned about….
A story from my youth might prove illustrative….
In the fall of 1967, just after the Summer of Love and while the strains of that now classic paean to that time, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, were still reverberating on the portable stereos of me and my friends, I was a sophomore in high school in a little Southern town not unlike the mythical Mayberry of television. I was a smart kid, and as such I was part of the "Academically Talented" English class, a small group of 20 or so kids who'd been in special classes together since 7th grade. We had a terrific teacher, Mrs. R, who pushed us to read – and more importantly, to think. (I've noted her teaching talents before, so I won't belabor the point.)
Mrs. R decided that, given the cultural climate (revolution in the air that would soon erupt into that tragic and eventful year of 1968), it would be a good idea for us to read George Orwell's classic study of the world gone wrong, 1984. She ordered the books for us through a local vendor (standard practice in those days) and we each dutifully paid our 79 cents ("such, such is life," as Edward Lear notes) and received our copies. We dove in and found that though the political ideas were complex and fostered much discussion (thanks to Mrs. R) that the novel had a saving grace.
There were sex scenes.
The sex scenes (which actually become love scenes as the relationship between Winston and Julia deepens) are not gratuitous, they happen between two people who really care for one another but who are warped by the horrific society in which they live, and they are brief. But for 15 year olds plowing through a "novel of ideas" like 1984, they were exotic, exciting and exhilarating. Since Mrs. R only mentioned them in the vaguest terms and then only as part of her discussion of Julia and Winston's rebellion against Big Brother, naturally my classmates and I talked about them among ourselves. The boys did so with adolescent locker room raucousness before and after school, at lunch, and during breaks between classes, especially after 1st period English. The girls were more circumspect – they whispered and, I suspect, talked on the phone at night.
In fact, according to my somewhat spotty memory, that's how the parents of a couple of the girls learned we were reading a "smutty" book….
These parents soon notified the parents of other girls. They also, as good self-righteous citizens as well as (I suspect) Southern Baptists are wont to do in a small Southern town, contacted their pastors who promptly formed a "decency committee" and visited the principal, Mr. N. (I have a great fondness for Mr. N. He was a smart guy [unusual for high school principals, most of whom come from the ranks of failed coaches] and he and I had an interesting relationship through my high school career. But I digress….)
In a move that I still find shocking to remember, Mr. N caved to the committee. When we showed up for our first period English class one morning about 60% of the way through 1984, Mr. N was waiting for us with a box. He called for us to pass our copies of the book forward. We peppered him with questions which he brushed aside. A couple of us protested but were silenced by the threat of indefinite detention; then, when we continued to complain about the injustice of the taking our books with no explanation, Mr. N acted unjustly for the only time in my long acquaintance with him – he told us that the next student who spoke up would be suspended indefinitely.
He passed by the head of each row, took the stacks of books, put them into his box, and carried them from the room. We sat in silence for awhile, stunned by this sudden imposition of the very kind of tactics Orwell had been describing for us.
Mrs. R was nowhere to be found during this debacle. She came to class perhaps 15 minutes later, visibly shaken, her eyes red from crying, and proceeded to try to teach us a lesson about – something or other. I don't remember and I don't really think anyone else from the class would either if you asked them.
No more was said about 1984 for at least a couple of weeks. We dove into our literature textbook and began reading short fiction. Finally, one day on the way to lunch, a couple of friends and I ran into Mr. N. He nodded in our direction and then said, as sort of an afterthought, "Sorry I had to take your books, boys."
He had turned to go when I called after him, "You owe me 79 cents, Mr. N."
My friends froze for a second, then backed slowly away from me – out of the line of fire I suppose.
Mr. N turned back and gave me the stare – one of his most threatening weapons.
I stared right back.
He sighed (another favorite tactic) and said quietly, "You'll understand some day."
I'd like to say I retorted, "No, I won't." But I didn't. I said nothing and Mr. N walked away feeling he'd explained as clearly as he could given the circumstances. The machinations of small town education politics being as they were (and largely still are) the stuff of back rooms and off the record chats, I guess Mr. N thought no more need be said. Our right to read what our teacher thought was important was violated, George Orwell's right to free speech was violated, and Mr. N's sense of what a true liberal education should be was violated – all to placate a group of pompous prudes intent on imposing their narrow-minded morality on us as "protection" of our "innocent" minds.
My only act of defiance was to go get myself a copy of 1984 and read it. I've re-read it several times since. It resonates, like all great literature, across the decades….
This happened 40 years ago – it's happened plenty of times since – every time a school board chooses to ban books because they violate their own narrow views of what should be taught – every time the government abuses its power to silence a high school rock band who wants to play "Masters of War," Dylan's protest masterpiece – every time a political candidate self-censors to placate some group of praying and/or braying bigots – every time the media devotes time to coverage of "celeb-reportage" rather than providing us with real information about what our government is doing and why it's doing it – every time this happens, more cuts are made on the body democratic.
And we move closer to Orwell's dystopia where
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Read 1984. Share it with friends and discuss it. When your children are old enough, have them read it and discuss it with them. Encourage them to do the same with their children.
Heal some of those cuts.
UPDATE: Sam Smith shares this from Raw Story. We're already engaging in double-think.
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Categories: Arts/Literature, Education, Media/Entertainment, Politics/Law/Government
Tagged as: George Orwell, language, literature, socialism, thought police, xenophobia
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Brian Angliss says:
1984. Wow. There are few books I've read more often than this one, and its lessons about government, relationships, dissent, and the power of language and history have never faded.
"Whoever controls the present controls the past. Whoever controls the past controls the future." – the Ministry of Truth.
Where can I find out more about this?
Jim Booth says:
You'll need to be more specific, Jacqui, about what you want to find out more about. The novel? There are links in the post. Book bans, etc? Google "banned books" and you'll find plenty of info.
Other stuff? Let me know and I'll try to offer suggestions.
I believe you were saying something about "doublethink"?
myddrin says:
My how times change….
By the mid-80's in rural NY, I had to read it as part of my freshman or junior year class. (I'm not sure which year since I had the same teacher for both and it was about 20 years ago….)
[And before anyone asks, yes … I mean RURAL. The nearest airport/city was in Canada.]
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drdenny says:
I've had a similar experience such as yours with Mr. N.
Only mine occurred in a newsroom. I think we both experienced the phenomenon known as "the chilling effect."
CHRIS Cozzolino says:
Goerge Orwell ORR George Bush, hard to tell anymore…….
George Orwell ORRR George Bush,,,,,,,, who can tell anymore?
Jeff Sherman says:
Fantastic piece. Thank you! Now I htink I'll go get my well-worn copy out and re-read it once again. My son Dylan is 11. Soon it will be time for him to get his copy. America lives on. Democracy survives. . thanks to pieces like this. .
Orwell says:
You grew up in a time when educating our children was a "national security" emergency. –SPUTNIK– Your intellect created a
Paul in Eugene, Oregon says:
'1984' and Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' go hand-in-hand. Read both.
enigmafoundry says:
Jacqui:
The full text is online here:
http://www.george-orwell.org/1984/index.html
You can also look at these posts:
http://enigmafoundry.wordpress.com/tag/thoughtcrime/
Michael Craig says:
I came of age politically during the late '60's too and over the years "1984" has been invoked in one political climate or another but this past 6 years have been truer to the sense of that book than I could really imagine.
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T. N. says:
1984 has been on my mind a lot lately, too, because of bush. Thank you for your story.
If I may be so bold, and I am surprised to have to correct someone who attended an
mikefromtexas says:
My 7/8 grade teacher, back in 71/72, made us buy and read, among others books, 1984, Brave New World, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Daybreak 2250, On The Beach,,,,,,Some heady stuff for kids our age. It also happened to be a Lutheran parochial school..
John Bills says:
You can access both as eBooks on glasgow911truth.net as well as Webster Tarpley's masterpeice on false-flag terror. There are horrendous traitors in our midst. You are either with the Constitution or you are against.
rationalpsychic says:
A really good post. Sometimes I think we rage too loudly against the powers that suppress and forget that we are weak creatures ourselves. There are too many times when I've been unsure of or afraid to step forward and say "This isn't right," when hatred, censorship or outright lies are being used to keep folks down.
I have a post on another book about freedom, though from a decidedly different angle: "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton. It's at rationalpsychic.wordpress.com
I'll be back often.
Excellent post. I've been lucky to go to school in an area known for being rather intelligent about what material kids are allowed to read. 1984 wasn't the only "bad" book I read in class. It's definitely a very good book, and it's becoming increasingly relevant in this day and age…
whythawk says:
One of the strangest things of growing up in South Africa under a fascist nationalist government was the irony. And I'm very sensitive to irony.
We read 1984 as a setwork book in Junior High. In other words, white children of the oppressor had to read a book about the methods of oppression.
The ostensible lesson was that this is what would happen if we let black majority rule happen. The ANC were communists. 1984 was written about the Soviet Union. Therefore George Orwell was against communism and for National Party rule. It was tortured logic but persuaded most.
I found the whole thing very disturbing. Orwell, troubled man that he was, had a prescience about any centralised control that will resonate forever. And is certainly something to be perpetually aware of.
T.N. – I'm not just a former member of that "academically gifted" English class, I'm also an English prof in a large university and a novelist. Check this link for the past tense of dive:
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/cgi-bin/verbconj2.pl
Note that "dove" is the first choice. Just sayin'… 😉
In case you're British, this could be an "American English" issue….
Dee Loralei says:
Ya know, I've often thought that Karl Rove, great reader that he is, has really only read and studied and meorized a few books. I mean, memorized as in whittled down the ideas therein contained to bullet points for establishing a permanent Republican majority. I think 1984 is his go- to play book. Machiavelli's The Prince, anything by and about Joseph Goebbels, Mein Kampf, Mao's Little Red Book, the writings of Marx, Trotsky, Lenin,et al., the movies of Lina R(blanking on her last name), Brave New World, The Art of War, Animal Farm, and Lord of the Flies all have pertinent theses and fitting leit-motifs. I think he found many ideas in thse books and used them as a blueprint on how W should rule. We know most normal, emotionally healthy, sentient beings would take from these dystopian and patently false philosophies and learn how not to govern. We also know he used Nixon strategist Malek on how to use the federal government to attain his goals. W on the other hand, read Peter Pan, Catcher in the Rye and maybe If, by Kipling. And his emotional and intellectual development stopped there. (snark) Anyone else have book suggestions about Karl Rove ?
Have you actually read The Prince? There's a great deal of valuable information in it, and not all of it is immoral or amoral. True, there's a lot of nasty things, like reasoned discussions of when murder in the service of power is appropriate and when it's not, but that's not all of the book by any means.
Of course, this doesn't negate your point that politicians have absorbed these books and their lessons. If non-politicians had done the same, we might be better at in seeing through the BS than we are.
Comrade Rutherford says:
I asked my high school teacher, back in 1979, what we were going to read the next year. So I purchased 1984 and read it over the summer. From the lessons I learned in that book I began questioning my social studies teacher, who had a shrine to the Iran Hostages. I would ask him things like, "Why are the Iranians so angry at the US, what did we do to them?" and "What is the US political history in that region?", when all he wanted to do was wave the flag and curse those ignorant arabs.
The last time I re-read 1984 was 2005, and I dogeared every page that applied to Rove, Cheney, and the rest of the crazy administration. About 40% of the book was a play-by-play description of Rove's tactics. Just about anything O'Brien says sounds like a description of the anti-Americans that are in the White House now.
Matt Janovic says:
We get what we deserve if we don't stand-up to this kind of behavior. One has to accept that they won't be "rewarded" with a shitty-job where doubthink rules, but most sell-out to Big Brother. I've heard some say that the original-title of 1984 was to be "1948, which fits best. The book isn't a prediction, it's about the rise of totalitarianism in Germany, Russia, and even in other Western nations, especially under wartime conditions.
Orwell worked for wartime propaganda for the British Ministries, and Winston Smith is modeled after himself in many respects. Tyranny rises in only so many ways, and Orwell was one-of-many who was outlining these aspects in literature. What you read about are the tactics of Nazism (informant culture and Gestapo-raids, the disappeared, etc.) and Stalinism (NKVD-raids, the purges, the disapeared, & the show trials in 1937-38), primarily, and hints that the same kinds of systems could arise in the West due to war.
This is why it's timeless. It's best to look at Orwell's lifetime to understand the novel, and more accurately. Yes, these folks are always with us, but it takes a tolerance and apathy (and a nurtured sense of defeatism) to make totalitarianism possible, but also a rejection of the rule of law–that is the crucial-element.
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The Christian view of Sorrow
The Crown of Thorns — E. H. Chapin
"A man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief" Is. Iii.3.
There is one great distinction between the productions of Heathen and of Christian art. While the first exhibits the perfection of physical form and of intellectual beauty, the latter expresses, also, the majesty of sorrow, the grandeur of endurance, the idea of triumph refined from agony. In all those shapes of old there is nothing like the glory of the martyr; the sublimity of patience and resignation; the dignity of the thorn-crowned Jesus.
It is easy to account for this. In that heathen age the soul had received no higher inspiration. It was only after the advent of Christ that men realized the greatness of sorrow and endurance. It was not until the history of the Garden, the Judgment-Hall, and the Cross had been developed, that genius caught nobler conceptions of the beautiful. This fact is, therefore, a powerful witness to the prophecy in the text, and to the truth of Christianity. Christ's personality, as delineated in the Gospels, is not only demonstrated by a change of dynasties, -- an entire new movement in the world, -- a breaking up of the its ancient order; but the moral ideal which now leads human action, -- which has wrought this enthusiasm, and propelled man thus strangely forward, -- has entered the subjective realities of the soul, -- breathed new inspiration upon it, -- opened up to it a new conception; and, lo! The statue dilates with a diviner expression; -- lo! The picture wears a more lustrous and spiritual beauty.
The Christ of the text, then, -- "A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,"-has verily lived, for his image has been reflected in the minds of men, and has fastened itself there among their most intimate and vivid conceptions. Sorrow, as illustrated in Christ's life, and as interpreted in his scheme of religion, has assumed a new aspect and yields a new meaning. Its garments of heaviness have become transfigured to robes of light, its crown of thorns to a diadem of glory; and often, for some one whom the rich and joyful of this world pity, -- some suffering, struggling, over-shadowed soul, -- there comes a voice from heaven, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."
I remark, however, that Christianity does not accomplish this result by denying the character of sorrow. It does not refuse to render homage to grief. The stoic is as far from its ideal of virtue as the epicurean. The heart of the true saint quivers at pain, and his eyes are filled with tears. Whatever mortifications he may deem necessary as to the passions of this poor flesh, if he imitates the example of Christ he cannot deny those better affections which link us even to God; he cannot harden those sensitive fibres which are the springs of our best action, -- which if callus we become inhuman. He realizes pain; he recognises sorrow as sorrow. Its cup is bitter, and to be resisted with prayer.
There is nothing more wonderful in the history of Jesus than his keen sense of sorrow, and the scope which he allows it. In the tenderness of his compassion he soothed the overflowing spirit, but he never rebuked its tears. On the contrary, in a most memorable instance, he recognized its right to grieve. It was on the way to his own crucifixion, when crowned with insult, and lacerated with his own sorrows. "Daughters of Jerusalem," said he, to the sympathizing women, "weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children." As though he had said, "You have a right to weep; weep, then, in that great catastrophe which is coming, when barbed affliction shall pierce your hearts, and the dearest ties shall be cut in sunder. Those ties are tender; those hearts are sacred. Therefore, weep!"
But Christ did more than sanction tears in others. He wept himself. Closest in our consciousness, because they will be most vivid to us in our darkest and our last hours, are those incidents by the grave of Lazarus, and over against Jerusalem; the sadness of Gethsemane, and the divine pathos of the last supper. Never can we fully realize what a tribute to sorrow is rendered by the tears of Jesus, and the dignity which has descended upon those who mourn, because he had not where to lay his head, was despised and rejected of men, and cried out in bitter agony from the cross. He could not have been our exemplar by despising sorrow-by treating it with contempt; but only by shrinking from its pain, and becoming intimate with its anguish, -- only as "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief."
But, on the other hand, Christianity does not over-estimate sorrow. While it pronounces a benediction upon the mourner, it does not declare it best that man should always mourn. It would not have us deny the good that is in the universe. Nay, I apprehend that sorrow itself is a testimony to that good, -- is the anguish and shrinking of the severed ties that have bound us to it; that it clings closest in hearts of the widest and most various sympathies; that only souls which have loved much and enjoyed much can feel its intensity or know its discipline. In the language of another, "Sorrow is not an independent state of mind, standing unconnected with all others...It is the effect, and, under the present conditions of our being, the inevitable effect, of strong affections. Nay, it is not so much their result, as a certain attitude of those affections themselves. It not simply flows from the love of excellence, of wisdom, of sympathy, but it is that very love, when conscious that excellence, that wisdom, that sympathy have departed." They, then, who deem it necessary for man's spiritual welfare that he should constantly feel the pressure of chastisement, and be engirt with the mist of tears, do not reason well. Jeremy Taylor reasons thus, when he says in allusion to certain lamps which burned for many ages in a tomb, but which expired when brought into open day: "So long as we are in the retirements of sorrow, of want, of fear, of sickness, we are burning and shining lamps; but when God lifts us up from the gates of death and carries us abroad into the open air, to converse with prosperity and temptations, we go out in darkness; and we cannot be preserved in light and heat but by still dwelling in the regions of sorrow." "There is beauty, and, to a certain extent, truth in this figure," says a writer, in reply; "but it by no means follows that continuous suffering would be good for man; on the contrary, it would be as remote from producing the perfection of our moral nature as unmitigated prosperity. It would be apt to produce a morbid and ghastly piety; the 'bright lamps' of which Taylor speaks would still be irradiating only a tomb." (Edinburgh Review No 141 The article on Pascal) We may doubt whether there is more essential religiousness in this seeking of sorrow as a mortification, -- in this monastic self-laceration and exclusion, -- than in the morbid misery of the hypochondriac. Neither comprehends the whole of life, nor is adapted to its realities. Christ was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;" but he was also full of sympathy with all good, and enjoyed the charm of friendship, and the light of existence. Around that great Life gather many amenities. Below that face of agony beats a heart familiar with the best affections of human nature; otherwise, we may believe, the agony would not appear. The sadness of that last supper indicates the breaking up of many joyful communions and the history which closes in the shadow of the cross mingles with the festival of Cana, and lingers around the home at Bethany.
But I remark, once more, that while Christianity neither despises nor affects to desire sorrow, it clearly recognizes its great and beneficial mission. In one word, it shows its disciplinary character, and thus practically interprets the mystery of evil. It regards man as a spiritual being, thrown upon the theatre of this mortal life not merely for enjoyment, but for training, -- for the development of spiritual affinities, and the attainment of spiritual ends. It thus reveals a weaning, subduing, elevating power, in sorrow.
The origin of evil may puzzle us; -- its use no Christian can deny. A sensual philosophy may shrink from it, in all its aspects, and retreat into a morbid skepticism or a timid submission. If we predicate mere happiness as "our being's end and aim," there is no explanation of evil. From this point of view, there is an ambiguity in nature, -- a duality in every object, which we cannot solve. The throne of infinite light and love casts over the face of creation an inexplicable shadow. If we were made merely to be happy, why this hostility all around us? Why these sharp oppositions of pain and difficulty? Why these writhing nerves, these aching hearts, and over-laden eyes? Why the chill of disappointment, the shudder of remorse, the crush and blight of hope? Why athwart the horizon flicker so many shapes of misery and sin? Why appear these sad spectacles of painful dying chambers, and weary sick-beds? -- these countless tomb-stones, too-ghastly witness to death and tears? Explain for me those abrupt inequalities, -- the long train of necessities, poverty and its kindred woes, those fearful realities that lie in the abysses of every city, -- that hideous, compressed mass which welters in the awful baptism of sensuality and ignorance, -- the groans of inarticulate woe, the spectacle of oppression, the shameless cruelty of war, the pestilence that shakes its comet-sword over nations, and famine that peers with skeleton face through the corn-sheaves of plenty. Upon this theory of mere happiness no metaphysical subtlety can solve the fact of evil; -- the coiled enigma constantly returns upon itself, inexplicable as ever.
But when we take the Christian view of life, we discover that not happiness merely, but virtue, holiness, is the great end of man; though happiness comes in as an inevitable consequence and accompaniment of this result. And in the light reflected from this view, evil assumes a powerful, and, I may say, a most beautiful office. It is just as necessary for the attainment of virtue as prosperity, or any blessing. Nay, in this aspect, it is itself a great blessing, and
"Every cloud that spreads above
And veileth love, itself is love."
It is evident that, without the contact of sin and the pressure of temptation, there might be innocence, but not virtue. Equally evident does it seem that, without an acquaintance with grief, there would soon be but little of that uplifting tendency-that softening of the heart, and sanctifying of the affections-which fit us for the dissolution of our earthly ties, and for the communions of the spirit world. Beautiful is this weaning efficacy of sorrow. By the ordinance of God, youth is made to be content with this outward and palpable life. The sunshine and the air-the flow of animal pleasures, encircled mysteriously with the guardianship of parents, and the love of friends-are sufficient for the child. But as we grow in years, there springs up a dissatisfaction, a restlessness, of which we may be only half conscious, and still less know how to cure. With some, this may subside into merely a fearful and worldly discontent; others may heed the prophecy and lay hold on a celestial hope, an immortal possession as the only remedy. In this secret sense of want, which neither nature nor man can fill they will hear already that low, divine voice, -- "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." But generally another and more emphatic missionary is necessary. It is the veiled angel of sorrow, who plucks away one thing and another that bound us here in ease and security, and in the vanishing of these dear objects indicates the true home of our affections and our peace. Thus, by rupture and loss we become weaned from earth, and the dissatisfaction and discontent which sorrow thus induces are as kind and providential as the carelessness of youth.
Who does not see that it is so, -- that as we journey on in life there are made in our behalf preparations for another state of being, -- unmistakable premonitions of that fact which the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews so eloquently states, that "here have we no continuing city"? The gloss of objects in which we delighted is worn off by attrition, -- is sicklied o'er by care; the vanity of earthly things startles us suddenly, like a new truth; the friends we love drop away from our side into silence; desire fails; the grasshopper becomes a burden; until, at length, we feel that our only love is not here below, -- until these tendrils of earth aspire to a better climate, and the weight that has been laid upon us makes us stoop wearily to the grave as a rest and a deliverance. We have, even through our tears, admired that discipline which sometimes prepares the young to die; which, by sharp trials of anguish, and long days of weariness, weans them from that keen sense of mortal enjoyment which is so naturally theirs; which, through the attenuation of the body, illuminates the soul, and, as it steals the bloom from the cheek, kindles the lustre of faith in the eye, and makes even that young spirit look, unfaltering, across the dark river, and, putting aside its earthly loves and its reasonable expectations, exclaim, "Now I am ready!" But it would appear that equal preparation, though in different forms, is provided for most of us, in the various experiences of sorrow which we are called upon to know, and which, if we would but heed them, have a celestial mission, seeking to draw us up from this lower state, to induce us to lay up our treasure where neither moth nor rust corrupts. And in the Christian view of man as an heir of the spiritual word, does not sorrow, in this its weaning tendency, receive a most beautiful explanation?
And, because it accomplishes this work, may be the reason why sorrow always wears a kind of supernatural character. It is true that blessings, equally with afflictions, come from Heaven; but this truth is not so generally felt. A sharp disappointment will suddenly drive us to God. The mariner of life sails, unthinking, over its prosperous seas, but a flaw of storm will bring him to his prayers. And religion, reason as we will, is peculiarly associated with affliction. And does not sorrow possess this supernatural air, not merely because it interrupts the usual order of things, but because, more than joy, it has a weaning and spiritual tendency, -- is sent, as it were, more directly from God for this specific purpose? At least, after the sanctifying experience of sorrow, we hold our joys more religiously.
There are other tendencies of sorrow akin to this, upon which I might dwell, and which show the explanation that it receives in the Christian light. The humbling effect that it has upon the proud and hard-hearted; the equalizing result which it works, making the rich and poor, the obscure and the great, stand upon the level of the common humanity, -- the common liability and dependence. I might, expanding the topic already touched upon, speak of the influence which sorrow sheds abroad, chastening the light, at tempering the draught of joy, and thus keeping our hearts better balanced than otherwise. But I have sufficiently illustrated its mission. I have shown its use, even its beauty, in the Christian view. I have shown why Christianity, as the universal religion, is rightly styled the "religion of sorrow," and why Christ, as the perfect teacher and example, was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief."
Let us all, then, recognize the fact that life itself is a discipline. That for each of us sorrow is mingled with joy in order that this discipline may be accomplished. No one reaches the noon of life without some grief, some disappointment, some sharp trial, which assures him, if he will but heed it, that life is already declining, and that his spirit should train itself for a higher and more permanent state. In the failure of mortal excellence let him recognize the proof of an immortal good, and from the bitterness that mingles with these earthly waters, turn to drink of the celestial fountain. Of all things, let us not receive sorrow indifferently, or without reflection. Its mission is for discipline, but we feel it to be discipline only by recognizing its source and its meaning; "it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness" only "to them that are exercised thereby." Otherwise, it may come and go as the storm that rends the oak, or the drenching tempest that glides off as it falls. It may startle us for a moment, -- it may hurt us with a sense of pain and loss, -- it may awe us with its mystery; but unless it rouses us to solemn thought upon the meaning of life, to self-communion and prayer, to higher and holier action, it availeth little. It should not smite the heart's chords to wring from them a mere shriek of distress, but to inspire it with a deeper and more elevated tone, and by the element of sadness which it infuses make a more liquid and exquisite melody.
But while we are thus taught to chasten our views of life, and to hold even our joys with seriousness, and with wise forethought, let us not look upon things with any morbid vision, or cast over them a monotonous hue. Let us not live in gloom and bitterness. The Christian, of all others, is the best fitted for a cheerful and proper enjoyment of life, because he wisely recognizes the use of things, understands their evanescent nature, and sees the infinite goodness that has so ordained it. He is not surprised by sudden terrors. He is prepared for sorrow, and thus can rest in peace with the good that he has; while those who bury heart and soul in the present enjoyment, and know nothing but sensual good, are broken down by calamity. The sudden change, like a thunder-gust, puts out their light, and darkens all their life; and it is they who are apt to fall from the summit of delight into a morbid gloom; while the Christian, with his balanced soul, inhabits neither extreme.
Finally, let us remember that it is not the object of sorrow to overcome, but to elevate; not to conquer us, but that we, by it, should conquer. It converts the thorns that wound us into a crown. It makes us strong by the baptism of tears. The saint is always a hero. This explains that grand distinction between Heathen and Christian art, of which I spoke in the commencement; that expression of power blended with agony, -- of celestial beatitude refining itself upon the face of grief. Christianity has made martyrdom sublime, and sorrow triumphant. Christ is "the Captain of our salvation,"-the leader of "many sons unto glory;" for he was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief."


text:
Q: Picasso and httpClient cannot be resolved Does anyone face this problem before ? Picasso and httpClient cannot be resolved.
Gradle Build Error

Error:A problem occurred configuring root project 'app'.

Could not resolve all dependencies for configuration ':_debugCompile'.
    Could not find org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped:org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client:4.1.2.
         Searched in the following locations:
             file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/android/m2repository/org/jbundle/util/osgi/wrapped/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client/4.1.2/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client-4.1.2.pom
             file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/android/m2repository/org/jbundle/util/osgi/wrapped/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client/4.1.2/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client-4.1.2.jar
             file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/google/m2repository/org/jbundle/util/osgi/wrapped/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client/4.1.2/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client-4.1.2.pom
             file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/google/m2repository/org/jbundle/util/osgi/wrapped/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client/4.1.2/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client-4.1.2.jar
         Required by:
             :app:unspecified
    Could not find com.squareup.picasso:picasso:2.4.0.
         Searched in the following locations:
             file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/android/m2repository/com/squareup/picasso/picasso/2.4.0/picasso-2.4.0.pom
             file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/android/m2repository/com/squareup/picasso/picasso/2.4.0/picasso-2.4.0.jar
             file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/google/m2repository/com/squareup/picasso/picasso/2.4.0/picasso-2.4.0.pom
             file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/google/m2repository/com/squareup/picasso/picasso/2.4.0/picasso-2.4.0.jar
         Required by:
             :app:unspecified

Gradle Sync
Error:Failed to resolve: com.squareup.picasso:picasso:2.4.0
Open File
Show in Project Structure dialog
Error:(25, 13) Failed to resolve: org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped:org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client:4.1.2
Show in File
Show in Project Structure dialog
Information:The project encoding (windows-1252) has been reset to the encoding specified in the Gradle build files (UTF-8).
Mismatching encodings can lead to serious bugs.
More Info...

Build.gradle
apply plugin: 'com.android.application'

android {
    compileSdkVersion 23
    buildToolsVersion "23.0.2"

    defaultConfig {
        applicationId "com.example.project.myapplication"
        minSdkVersion 15
        targetSdkVersion 16
        versionCode 1
        versionName "1.0"
    }
    buildTypes {
        release {
            minifyEnabled false
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
        }
    }
}

dependencies {
    compile fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: ['*.jar'])
    compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:23.1.0'
    compile 'org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped:org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client:4.1.2'
    compile "com.squareup.picasso:picasso:2.4.0"
}

buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter() // or mavenCentral()
    }

    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:1.5.0'
    }
}

Edited
apply plugin: 'com.android.application'

android {
    compileSdkVersion 23
    buildToolsVersion "23.0.2"
    useLibrary  'org.apache.http.legacy'

    defaultConfig {
        applicationId "com.example.project.myapplication"
        minSdkVersion 15
        targetSdkVersion 23
        versionCode 1
        versionName "1.0"
    }
    buildTypes {
        release {
            minifyEnabled false
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
        }
    }
}

dependencies {
    compile fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: ['*.jar'])
    compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:23.1.0'
    compile 'org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped:org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client:4.1.2'

}

buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter() // or mavenCentral()
    }

    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:1.5.0'
    }
}

Gradle Sync Error
Error:(26, 13) Failed to resolve: org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped:org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client:4.1.2
Show in File
Show in Project Structure dialog

Gradle Build Error
Error:A problem occurred configuring root project 'app'.
> Could not resolve all dependencies for configuration ':_debugCompile'.
   > Could not find org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped:org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client:4.1.2.
     Searched in the following locations:
         file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/android/m2repository/org/jbundle/util/osgi/wrapped/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client/4.1.2/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client-4.1.2.pom
         file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/android/m2repository/org/jbundle/util/osgi/wrapped/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client/4.1.2/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client-4.1.2.jar
         file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/google/m2repository/org/jbundle/util/osgi/wrapped/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client/4.1.2/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client-4.1.2.pom
         file:/C:/Users/tongws/AppData/Local/Android/sdk/extras/google/m2repository/org/jbundle/util/osgi/wrapped/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client/4.1.2/org.jbundle.util.osgi.wrapped.org.apache.http.client-4.1.2.jar
     Required by:
         :app:unspecified

A: In your build gradle  add useLibrary 'org.apache.http.legacy'
android{
compileSdkVersion 23
buildToolsVersion "23.0.2"
useLibrary  'org.apache.http.legacy'
}

A: HttpClient is being depricated so better to use Volley or also you can visit okhttp, by the way if you still want to use http client then there is option just you have to include legacy in your android block in graddle app file
android {
    useLibrary 'org.apache.http.legacy'
}

Picasso use web services so once you will solve this picasso will work correctly, for detail on picasso please visit
https://www.simplifiedcoding.net/picasso-android-tutorial-picasso-image-loader-library/

A: There can be two problems :
1) add this in  /project/build.gradle
   allprojects {
        repositories {
            jcenter()
        }
}

2) You can do the above mentioned
android{
compileSdkVersion 23
buildToolsVersion "23.0.2"
useLibrary  'org.apache.http.legacy'
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Content copyright . My Good Reads. All rights reserved.


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Home » Home Warranties: Are They Worth It?
To find the answer, you first need to understand just what a home warranty does, what distinguishes a home warranty from homeowner's insurance, and most importantly, what the benefits of a home warranty includes.
Is a "home warranty" (appliance insurance) worth it?
A home warranty, often referred to as a "coverage plan," "protection plan," or "service contract," defends homeowners against sudden appliance and home system breakdowns.
When you have a home warranty and something goes wrong, your plan will help you get covered items repaired or replaced by a qualified contractor.
Depending on the protection plan you choose, a home warranty can cover things like plumbing stoppage and issues with major appliances including dishwashers, stoves, ovens, garbage disposals, and water heaters – items that would not be covered by homeowner's insurance.
A home warranty is worth it to cover the costs of appliance and system breakdowns. The cost of your individual plan when getting a free quote should be weighed against the appliances and systems you are purchasing a warranty for.
Differences between a home warranty and homeowner's insurance.
A home warranty is quite different from homeowner's insurance. While your homeowner's insurance policy may cover things like fire damage, weather damage, or property crimes, it won't cover things like your refrigerator motor breaking down or issues with your cooling system. That's where a home warranty will benefit you.
Make a claim with your home warranty provider.
Your provider connects you with a locally licensed service tech.
The service tech will set up an appointment to diagnose and repair or replace the problematic appliance or home system.
And that's it! All you pay is a modest fee for the service call. Some providers, including Select Home Warranty, have no limit to the number of repairs covered, don't require a home inspection to purchase, and cover appliances and home systems regardless of age.
Of course, if you're looking to sell your home, you'll find that a protection plan can help you sell it, with most home buyers preferring to purchase a home with a warranty.
In addition, home warranties aren't just limited to covering homes. You can even cover rental properties, condos, and mobile homes.
The cost of a home warranty comes down to a small cost now versus a big cost later.
Your savings varies on the value of each claim. When you submit a claim, you also pay a modest service fee on the day of service. Your return on these payments depends on which appliances or systems you have covered – such as how a refrigerator can cost up to $500 to repair while a plumbing system can cost up to $800. When you add up the cost of the day-of visit and your monthly payment, it's usually an easy choice.
Home warranties are worth it when you desire peace of mind from home appliance and system breakdowns. The high cost of repairing or replacing a refrigerator, as well as the headache of arranging a service technician to visit your home are both factors to weigh with considering a home warranty.
When wondering if a home warranty is worth it, consider more than just the bottom line cost. A home warranty is perfect for families who don't have the time to perform their own repairs and are looking for opportunities to cut costs down the line.
The absolute best time to buy a home warranty is when you are either buying or selling your home. When selling your home, home warranties are worth it as a great additional benefit to the new homeowner. The contract they inherit will help resolve issues between the seller and the buyer if there is an unexpected breakdown. If the water heater stops working come winter, the buyer won't need to communicate with the previous homeowner in order to fairly manage repairs.
For those buying a home, home warranties are worth it to equate the costs of repairs and replacements from the start of ownership. Buying a home is very expensive (among the biggest purchases you will ever make!) and equating the cost of a monthly payment now can save you later on unexpected costly repairs or replacements.
What is the best home warranty company?
The best home warranty is one that provides affordable coverage with fast service.
Select Home Warranty has proudly received the Best in Service Award from Home Warranty Reviews for two consecutive years in 2017 and 2018.
For a low monthly cost, Select will get you in touch with the right service technician so that your home is kept functional and with peace of mind.
When it comes to deciding whether a home warranty is worth it on renewing, it can be tough to weigh the benefits. For those who haven't used their home warranty recently, it might feel unnecessary. But home warranty coverage provides protection year-round, not just on the days you use it.
Home warranty offers you coverage not only when a sudden issue arises, but also when your home is safe and sound. If you haven't experienced a breakdown recently, we have a saying: It's only a matter of time.
While you might use the home warranty only a few days out of the year, it provides non-stop peace of mind.
The short answer is yes. At the end of the day, it's up to your individual home with unique assets whether a home warranty is worth it. Many homeowners understand the added value and peace of mind that comes with never having to worry about sudden costs from breakdowns on top of the low monthly cost.
Those with a home warranty won't have to worry about what they'll do when their heating system breaks, when the washing machine makes a banging noise, when their sump pump goes haywire, when – well, you get the idea.
Do you think a home warranty might be worth it for you and your family? Take a look at our protection plans today and find the perfect fit to shield your wallet and give you peace of mind.
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text:
Чемпионат России по международным шашкам среди женщин 2002 года в быстрой программе прошёл в городе Уфа 15 июня. Одновременно проходил мужской чемпионат по молниеносным шашкам. Соревнования принимал Дворец Культуры «Нефтяник» (ул. Ленина, 50).

Главный судья соревнований: судья РК Новиков А. Н. (Тверь).

 — Мильшина Елена

 — Тансыккужина Тамара

 — Абдуллина Олеся

Чемпионаты России в 2002 году
Чемпионаты России по международным шашкам среди женщин
Соревнования по международным шашкам в Уфе
2002 год в шашках
События 15 июня
2002 год в Башкортостане

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Mahwah Municipal Alliance Members
MMA Board of Directors
Carolyn Blake - President
Todd Van Duren
Joan Stewart
Valerie Tzaneteas
Liz Skrod
Deb Kourgelis
Executive Advisory Council
Jim Batelli
Chief Stephen Jaffe
Member Bios
Carolyn Blake
Carolyn Blake has lived in Mahwah for the past 20 years and has been a member of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance Board of Directors since 2006. She is also actively involved in Mahwah's youth sports programs including serving as Program Administrator for the Youth Lacrosse Program of the Township of Mahwah Youth Sports Boosters since 2002. In addition, Ms. Blake has been an Executive HSO Board member for the Ramapo Ridge Middle School and the Joyce Kilmer School in Mahwah. She is a graduate of Ramapo College and earned a Masters in Business Administration from Manhattan College. Professionally, Ms. Blake is currently the Business Development Director for CASME Market Focus and she has held various management and sales positions at Hewlett Packard, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and Dowden Custom Media. She has also served as an adjunct professor teaching courses in marketing and sales management at Ramapo College, Manhattan College and Berkeley College.
James Batelli
Chief James Batelli joined the Mahwah Police Department as a patrol officer in 1978 and rose through the ranks of the Patrol Division to become Chief of Police in February 2001. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Mercy College, a Master of Arts degree from Rutgers University, and completed all class work requirements (ABD) for his Ph.D dissertation from CUNY John Jay College. He also graduated from the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development School (LEEDS). Under the direction off Chief Batelli the Mahwah Police Department received international accreditation through the Commission on Law Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and continues to be one of the select law enforcement agencies in the nation to hold that status. Chief Batelli has also taught as an adjunct professor at Ramapo College and reviews and provides evaluations of criminal justice textbooks for national publishers. Chief Batelli is an ACTAR certified accident reconstruction, a designation held by less than 1,000 law enforcement professional and engineers in the nation. Chief Batelli resides in Mahwah with his wife and two daughters.
Chris Howard is a life-long resident of Mahwah and has an extensive history of serving the community. Aside from his duties on the Board of Directors of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance where he has been member since 2010, Mr. Howard has been a fireman and rescue technician since 1997 and an EMT for Mahwah Co. 1 since 1992. Mr. Howard is currently the President of HowCom Technologies which provides complete system solution needs for the SMB market. He also currently holds the position of Global Procurement Business Manager at Pearson Education. Prior to this, he was a sales manager at Howard and Associates providing insurance and executive compensation plans in the Tri-State area. Mr. Howard is a graduate of Ramapo College and is currently working toward a Masters in Business Administration at Rutgers University.
Stephen Jaffe
Captain Stephen Jaffe has been a resident of Mahwah for almost 20 years serving the community in numerous roles. Aside from his position on the Board of Directors of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance since 2006, he is an active participant in the Mahwah youth sports programs including serving as coach for football, softball, basketball, soccer and Mahwah Police DARE street hockey. Capt. Jaffe is also on the Advisory Board for Velocity Sports Performance in Mahwah and a member of the Knights of Columbus, 3rdDegree member. As a captain in the Mahwah Police Department, he currently holds the position of Commander of the Investigative, Juvenile and Special Services Division. Capt. Jaffe is also the Commanding Officer of Urban Area Security Initiative U.A.S.I. Bergen County Rapid Deployment Team. He is a graduate of Pace University and earned a Master of Arts in Education from Seton Hall University. Capt. Jaffe is also a graduate of the F.B.I National Academy and of the F.B.I. Law Enforcement Executive Development School.
Valerie Tzaneteas has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance since 2010 and has been a resident of Mahwah since 1989. Aside from her contributions to the MMA, Mrs. Tzaneteas has been an active
community volunteer including serving as Chair and member of numerous committees of the Home School Organization in the Mahwah school system. In addition, she has served as coordinator for various youth sports in Mahwah including the Mahwah Raiders soccer club. Professionally, Mrs. Tzaneteas is a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas College with a B.S. degree in Business Administration and has held various management positions with Macy's, Volvo of North America, and Aegon, Inc. She is currently employed as a paraprofessional at Lenape Meadows School in Mahwah.
Todd VanDuren
Owner of Ramsey Auto Group and a Mahwah resident
Joan is a Student Assistance Counselor at Mahwah High School who graduated from St. Olaf College with a double major in Psychology and Sociology. She received a Master's Degree from Montclair State University in Counseling with a concentration in Group Therapy. Joan is certified as a: Student Assistance Counselor & Active Parenting Specialist. Joan has been a Student Assistance Counselor since 1990.
Liz Skrod has enjoyed being a resident of Mahwah for 18 years. She has held Executive Board positions in the Mahwah School HSOs for the past 8 years. She has served on the Executive Board at George Washington, Joyce Kilmer and Ramapo Ridge. She has also chaired and served on many committees at each of these schools. Liz has also served for 5 years on the Mahwah Schools Foundation, including 3 years on the Executive Board. Other volunteer activities include: Executive Board of Cub Scout Pack 197, Mahwah Raiders parent coordinator, and Mahwah County Committee Representative. Liz grew up in Maine and graduated with a BS in Business Administration from the University of Maine. Her career brought her to NJ and ultimately to NYC where she became a VP in Risk Management Consulting at Marsh & McLennan.
Deb has lived in Mahwah for 24 years and has been a member of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance for almost two years. She received her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Fordham University and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Deb is in private practice, is currently Clinical Director at an outpatient substance abuse facility, and is a Trauma Response Clinician Team Member sent to Bergen County schools when there is a traumatic event. Over the years in Mahwah, Deb has served on the HSO Executive Board as Vice-President for four years at Lenape Meadows and Commodore Perry schools, as well as various other committees.


text:
import { ChangeDetectionStrategy, Component, Input, OnChanges } from '@angular/core';
import { Exercise, ExerciseType, getIcon, getIconTooltip } from 'app/entities/exercise.model';
import { IconProp } from '@fortawesome/fontawesome-svg-core';
import { CourseManagementOverviewExerciseStatisticsDTO } from 'app/course/manage/overview/course-management-overview-exercise-statistics-dto.model';
import { Course } from 'app/entities/course.model';
import { roundValueSpecifiedByCourseSettings } from 'app/shared/util/utils';
import { faBook, faExclamationTriangle, faFileSignature, faTable, faTimes, faUsers, faWrench } from '@fortawesome/free-solid-svg-icons';
import { faCalendarAlt } from '@fortawesome/free-regular-svg-icons';

export enum ExerciseRowType {
    FUTURE = 'future',
    CURRENT = 'current',
    ASSESSING = 'assessment',
    PAST = 'past',
}

@Component({
    selector: 'jhi-course-management-exercise-row',
    templateUrl: './course-management-exercise-row.component.html',
    styleUrls: ['course-management-exercise-row.scss'],
    changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
})
export class CourseManagementExerciseRowComponent implements OnChanges {
    @Input() course: Course;
    @Input() details: Exercise;
    @Input() statistic: CourseManagementOverviewExerciseStatisticsDTO;
    @Input() rowType: ExerciseRowType;

    // Expose enums to the template
    exerciseType = ExerciseType;
    exerciseRowType = ExerciseRowType;
    quizStatus = {
        CLOSED: 'CLOSED',
        OPEN_FOR_PRACTICE: 'OPEN_FOR_PRACTICE',
        ACTIVE: 'ACTIVE',
        VISIBLE: 'VISIBLE',
        HIDDEN: 'HIDDEN',
    };

    JSON = JSON;

    hasLeftoverAssessments = false;
    averageScoreNumerator: number;
    icon: IconProp;
    iconTooltip: string;

    private detailsLoaded = false;
    private statisticsLoaded = false;

    // Icons
    faTimes = faTimes;
    faCalendarAlt = faCalendarAlt;
    faBook = faBook;
    faWrench = faWrench;
    faUsers = faUsers;
    faTable = faTable;
    faExclamationTriangle = faExclamationTriangle;
    faFileSignature = faFileSignature;

    constructor() {}

    ngOnChanges() {
        if (this.details && !this.detailsLoaded) {
            this.detailsLoaded = true;
            this.iconTooltip = getIconTooltip(this.details.type);
            this.setIcon(this.details.type);
        }

        if (!this.statistic || this.statisticsLoaded) {
            return;
        }

        this.statisticsLoaded = true;
        this.averageScoreNumerator = roundValueSpecifiedByCourseSettings((this.statistic.averageScoreInPercent! * this.statistic.exerciseMaxPoints!) / 100, this.course);
    }

    setIcon(exerciseType?: ExerciseType) {
        if (exerciseType) {
            this.icon = getIcon(exerciseType) as IconProp;
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
by Crazy Penguin
Oct 25th, '08, 12:35
Forum: JDrama Discussions
Topic: [Discussion] OL Nippon
Episode 2 made this penguin groan. After they spilled the coffee on the computer... oi... oi... OI! This penguin wants to beat whoever wrote the script for that episode with his flippers! No penguin would be happy with what they did and I think every tech support guy on this planet would murder the ...
Forum: Tech Discussion
Topic: Which CD/DVD brand do you suggest I buy?
I've been running great with Fujifilm. I must have burned... ~500 in the past almost 3 years. I've shot a few, but those were either my own fault, or they were crap because my burner eventually decided to tell me to go to hell and stopped working. Other than that, they're really good, at least from ...
Topic: Is Windows Vista Compatible With Clubbox?
You'll still have to look for drivers yourself, because old drivers will get... well... old and outdated. And then you have to go to nvidia.com or ati, or whatever else. And no, no "auto-updates" please. I want to know what I install and when and why. And well, the oh so great security of Vista is j...
Oct 22nd, '07, 18:32
Forum: Life & Relationships
Topic: hey you, first generation asian-american kids
What is this "asian-american" you're talking about? For me, they're all American. This PC "Asian-american", "afro-american", "whatever-american" is a load of bull. BTW, why isn't it applied to white Americans? Where are the... italo-germanic-irish-americans? Nope, they are called... "white". There's...
Topic: Why Asian Women Don't Date Asian Men
Not even going to bother commenting. This is again one of those discussions that are totally pointless. Fact is, tastes are different. Live with it. Cope. Don't like that? Tough ****, but such is life. Some Asian women will go for Asian men. Others will go for the Italian type. Another Asian women w...
Sep 14th, '07, 15:49
Forum: Japanese Culture & Entertainment
Topic: Favorite Quotes From a JDRAMA?
"You suck!"
--Good Luck!
"Bu"
"Don't call me Bu"
-- Gambatte Ikimasshoi!
Topic: [Discussion]- JOTEI [2007] - Upcoming Shota Matsuda drama!
Does everyone ONLY watch for Matsuda Shota??? Nope. Only watching it because Maeda Ai's in it. Kind of funny to see her in such a part for once (after all the other things she's done). Good to see her back in a series as more than just a special guest for one episode. Seems that her time at univers...
Forum: Japanese Actors & Actresses
Topic: [poll] Who is the most charming Japanese actress?
Hmmm... Maeda Aki and Ai. I mean, honestly, Ai kicked butt in Battle Royale 2 (she and Fujiwara had about the only outstanding characters) and the only idol video she ever made was... odd (but fitting). She went to Canada for a year when she was 17 and is also the perfect voice for Kino in "Kino no ...
Aug 11th, '07, 19:55
Forum: KDrama Discussions
Topic: Need help to identify a Kdrama? Ask here!
Jul 31st, '07, 06:11
Topic: What's on your mind right now?
Food... what else... And I should sleep... But I can't!
Jul 30th, '07, 08:40
Topic: Why are DVD's for Japan so expensive?
higher cost of living =>higher wages=> higher price for goods =>expensive DVDs Exactly. By domestic standards I'm extremely well paid, but by Japanese standards I'm not. I'd get paid more if I would work in a Japanese company in Tokyo, but I'd have to pay more for my rent, etc, as well. That's perf...
Topic: [Movie Discussion] Dororo
Dear god, this movie is nuts. And I say again, Kou would have been the best choice for Azumi. I absolutely love the character Dororo, just... I'd never want to encounter her. She'd either steal my stuff or kick me in the nuts. Or both. Now I'm curious what's on the other 3 DVDs in this little specia...
Topic: How come we rarely see female Jmusic artists in Jdramas?
Not to mention, groink, that Johnny's has been pumping out some really good young actors. While the Hello Project, well... I can't think of any really good one coming from there. Matsuura... oh please... When playing tough she's like Ueto, totally unconvincing (Ueto as Azumi... oh for crying out lou...
Topic: [Discussion] Ushi ni Negai wo: Love&Farm
It's a riot. The funny thing is... city people on a farm are really like that. It's not so far fetched. Maybe it's a bit exaggerated, but you gotta watch citiers on a farm when they encounter the first cow of their lives, it's a riot usually. The wanna-be vet and the sheep *ROFL* And Aibu's nearly-c...
Topic: [Discussion] Papa to Musume no Nanokakan -
Hmm, well... So far I like the series. Yes, the plot is NOT new, it goes back to... I don't know. I remember a movie from the 80s with Steve Martin in it that had a similar plot. However, I find it refreshing in this one appearance. I really like the performance of the father. As for the bathing iss...
Topic: Worst J-drama Ever! (*spoilers*)
I'd have to count Gokusen 2 . I was watching the first few episodes and then I thought "wait... I've seen this before..." The plot was absolutely not new. I felt like I was watching a 100% remake of the first Gokusen, just with different co-stars. Teppan Shoujo Akane ... dear god... It made me stop ...
Topic: [Discussion] Yama-onna Kabe-onna - Itoh Misaki
Oh, it's funny, but hell... Some of the jokes are so damn cheap and so typical male. Pie-in-the-face looks like great comedy compared to them. And Kyoko with those... life-rafts... oivech... Honestly... jeez... I'd like to be at the set with a needle *eyeshift* Gotta find out whether they're balloon...
Topic: Becoming an actress in Japan
to be honest, japan thrives on these racial stereotypes of black people and white people in general. So's Hollywood with Asian characters. Most of the Asian characters in Hollywood productions are martial arts super masters (Zhang Ziyi isn't playing anything else in Hollywood (except memoirs of a g...
Jul 8th, '07, 15:11
Topic: veoh.com
You can download videos from youtube as well. Use Firefox and get the right plugin. Easiest thing to do, and you hit two birds with one stone. Better browser than Internet Exploiter... errrr... you know what I mean. Plus a plugin that, not only lets you download from youtube, but from others as well...
Jul 1st, '07, 17:26
Topic: GUYS : What kind of girl do u like???
Anyone who says looks aren't important is a liar. Looks are important, if she doesn't fall into the category I like when it comes to looks, why would I talk to her... Anyway... Other than that: she needs to be intelligent, creative, with a decent personality (not like Paris Hilton who's as dumb as a...
Forum: General Discussions
Topic: RECOMMENDED/FAVORITE ASIAN DRAMAS
Hmmm... that'd be "Satokibi Batake no Uta", Song of the Canefields. For those who've never seen it... It's from 2003 I think, and features Ueto Aya, Odagiri Joe, Nakama Yukie, Kuroki Hitomi, Katsuji Ryo, etc, and it deals with the family of a photographer who get dragged into the battle of Okinawa. ...
Sep 23rd, '06, 12:42
Topic: Korean Pop Star Diva Say No Nude Pictures to Japan
japanese sucks. they are all monsters. rmb world war 2? Oh my god! Ueto Aya is a monster! Itoh Misako is a monster! Suzuki Anne is a monster! But I guess the biggest threat and most horrible monster of all of them must be Fukuda Mayuko. Not to mention Abe HIroshi, oh dear, just wait till he stomps ...
Sep 21st, '06, 14:37
Topic: will you marry someone with different religion
I stick to what Marx said. Religion is the opium for the common people. And considering all the bad things religion has brought upon mankind (let's not start on crusades, jihad and things like inquisiton, suicide bombers and witch hunts), it'd be better if we'd abolish it alltogether. Despite propag...
Topic: YOUR REAL NAMES
My name is Bond... James Bond.
Sep 6th, '06, 04:41
Topic: Croc. Hunter .. DEAD?
No offense, but... I think this is getting a bit too far by now. Every forum has a thread like this. We're talking about a man who recklessly played with his life and even endangered the life of his little baby son once. Sooner or later this was bound to happen. Honestly, I'm not sad. I didn't know ...
Aug 6th, '06, 08:42
Topic: [Discussion] Dragon Zakura
I liked it, more than Gokusen. Simply because it didn't follow the same road. First: Abe Hiroshi with beard... yep, that just rocks Secondly: Nagasawa Masami as an idiot, a loser. Third: the teachers who tried to get a few things into the brains of the losers were just... odd Yet, I still hated the ...
Topic: 49th Japanese Drama Academy Award
I'm curious to know what qualities they think makes the "best" drama, actor, music etc... :scratch: I think I disagree with just about every choice on that list... :lol :lol ditto, I can only agree. Especially with medical series, which are -usually- full of errors (even the famous ER has countless...
Aug 2nd, '06, 08:43
Topic: [Discussion] Kekkon Dekinai Otoko
Can anyone relate to this drama? I love how they focus on bachelorhood, and how one doesn't have to be married to be fulfilled. I am not sure if Abe-san's charachter's personality became like that because he is single for a long time, or whether he was always like that, and therefore he is single, ...
Aug 1st, '06, 15:55
Topic: Where do you buy jdramas?
auroragb wrote: I think that a comparison site between cdjapan, amazon.co.jp, and yesasia a la dvdpricesearch would be a cool thing.
Sucks if you're in Austria and have no credit card, though...
Region free DVD of S.O.S.? I'll believe it when I see it, or when I get the official statement from the tv station that produced it... Ganbatte Ikimasshoi on VCDs? First time I see this, haven't seen it on ANY of my import shops, and one of them is actually in Hong Kong. As far as I know there is on...
Topic: Fatal FrAME SeRis
Played it, at least 1 and 2, still have to check out part 3 though. It's the only game I play on consoles, should say a lot. Usually I don't like console games, since the genres I prefer suck on consoles (FPS, strategy) and you can't mod the games there. I find Fatal Frame more interesting than the ...
Topic: Miss Universe 2006 (^_^)
Though, it's kind of "funny" (actually, it's quite sad). If you take Miss Japan's "traditional" costume... I won't go into details about everything that's wrong with that "armor", that would take far too long (IMO, calling it "armor" is an insult to every armor crafter in history, whether Asian or W...
Topic: What Makes You Watch a New / Unknown Drama?
Pretty easy
a. Actors / Actresses
b. Plot synopsis
I rarely go after the review of others, only if it's done by someone who has a similar taste. But usually different people have different tastes.
c. 26-35
No, not now, I'm busy... errrr...
a. Male
Ok, here is the costume, kind of cute..kind of sexy :lol [url=http://imageshack.us][img]http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/8836/captd0158d3c2a914a1ea9426b1837417abemissuniversecalj1iz0.jpg[/img][/url][url=http://imageshack.us][img]http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/2705/20060721t021954450x358usmiss...
Topic: Tokyo Tower Cancelled?
To be honest, if I'm his boss and he touches a minor... I'll fire him without hesitation, whether he's an artist or a programmer or whatever else. You don't touch minors. They're off limits. Rape or not wouldn't even matter to me. The girl's a minor, period, that's all I need to know. The rape part ...
Topic: Who is/has taken some Japanese classes?
@gixo I think it's a lot easier than German. German grammar is usually confusing the hell out of people (just take our "der, die, das", I have yet to see a German non-native speaker getting those right within just a few tries, I'm used to "der Auto", "die Haus" or "das Schuh" by now). And then the l...
Personally, I think this part in the poll "No, and I never will! Japanese is too hard >.<" is a typical misconception. Grammar-wise, Japanese is quite easy. A lot easier than English, French or German (basically no plural, no articles like "la" and "le" (or the good old "der, die, das", which usuall...
Topic: [Discussion] Taiyo no Uta
Hmmm... I hope that Erika Sawajiri will one day play a lead where her character doesn't have some sort of lethal disease.
Topic: [Discussion] Regatta ~Kimi to ita eien~
Hmm, I'm not sure about what to think of it so far. When I watched the first episode I was like "Ok, it's Ganbatte Ikimasshoi with male characters". The fact that Abu's in it, while I like her, doesn't really help (and her character really reminds me of what we see of her character in G.I. in the fi...
So far I absolutely love it.
Especially the fact that Abe-san's character and the doctor aren't your typical characters for such plots. They're both not really young anymore. That's great.
Topic: [Movie Discussion] Japan Sinks movie
i usually don't like japanese movies (despite being japanese) because japanese directors seem to hold a false belief that the less people understand their movies, the better their movies are. HOWEVER, this movie follows Hollywood traditions in that movies that are easy to follow, have good action, ...
May 13th, '06, 06:28
Topic: Acting in Jdramas..
There's a simple answer. People who like to act in something just because they think it's cool, lack the necessary professionalism and dedication. Any decent actor would pretty much laugh his or her ass off at the argument that if you love Korea you'd want to act in Korea (that's a BS argument, if y...
The thing I'd be interested in most would be: why would you want to act in a Jdrama? Because you think Jdramas are cool or because you like acting? Personally, I'd say the first reason would be rather lame.
Topic: More Asian movie remakes (ranty, not for the sensitive) -__-
I forgot if I said anything before... shame on me. But hey... Sometimes they're selling things as "remakes" and they're clearly NOT remakes, since they just screw up the original story. Just take what has been spilled about The Grudge 2 already. IF it was a remake of Ju-on 2 and IF it would follow t...
May 7th, '06, 08:51
Topic: [poll] Your top 5 fav Jp actress, still the same or changed?
Hmmm... let's see... 1) Maeda Aki 2) Suzuki An 3) Maeda Ai 4) Hirosue Ryoko/ Shibasaki Kou 5) Kaji Meiko Aki fired herself up to first place earlier this year with two statements she made. One at the Saikano premiere about WMDs (after all, the character she plays, Chise IS a WMD), the other at her B...
Topic: [Discussion] Attention Please
Well, at the end of the second episode, although Youko is wearing the suit that Yuki gave her, she is still wearing that punky shirt with the skull and crossbones under it. doinkies took that as a sign that, though Youko may act prim and proper in the future as that is what is expected of flight at...
Topic: [Movie Discussion] Maison De Himiko
It's brilliant.
Kou and Jo have a perfect chemistry. Also it shows the diversity of what Jo can play (he's really one of those who can play anything)
Topic: [Movie Discussion] Collage Of Our Life
I think the movie has already some sort of historic value (if you're a Hirosue fan, that is). It was her last big movie role before her baby break.
Topic: [Movie Discussion] Himitsu / Secret
It's pretty old though. From 1999 or so, isn't it?
Scary though, when you watch it today and consider that RH is already married and has a little boy
Topic: Should the illegal immigrants of the U.S be legal?
You do need one official language that is used and taught commonly. Considering the fact that the US once used to be a British colony with, mainly, former British citizens it's only logic to assume that they use English as the official language (just like Australia or New Zealand). So, people who wa...
Topic: Odagiri Jo
Don't worry about that
I don't think it has been released yet.
Seems it'll hit the screens on May 27th...
Topic: soft subs vs hard subs - which do you prefer
Hmmm... I think that really depends on what you want. For once, softsubs have the advantage that you can turn them off. Though, when running them on windows media player, you may need additional software for them. Personally, I don't really know lol. Hard subs have their advantages, too. I could say...
May 3rd, '06, 18:21
wow, Office Kitano involved... should be interesting
Topic: Do you do your own cooking? :-)
Well, considering how crazy the Japanese seem to be over Germany and Austria (just watch their tourists here, or the oddball "German" restaurants they have in Japan)... I think it'd do quite well lol.
Grabbing what? Satorare or you?
Bad pun, yes...
Different note. I was watching the Saikano Life Action movie making-of, and then the anime... I think Jo would have been one hell of a Tetsu.
Topic: [Discussion] Joou no Kyoushitsu
Yep. Though, in the beginning she pretty much tells them that, if they don't belong to the top notch, to the high society with its elite schools and what not, they won't be happy.
Quite an evil way to motivate them.
Episode 3 was great. I still love how JAL allowed them to film IN their hangars and simulators. That's great, really great. And... in episode 1, when that captain, the pilot-trainee and a few attendents walk through the JAL office building... that one model... looks like... a 7E7 Dreamliner!!! Also,...
Always, and I love it.
COOKING!
I'm still playing with the idea of starting an Austrian restaurant in Japan... It's just... a little toying around, nothing serious, though, it would be a funny idea, if pulled decently.
Topic: Which manga would you want to see 'drama-tised'?
It´s the same with Nana, it has a movie already, but I´d had wanted a drama instead, because with just a movie, there´re lots of thing that are unexplained :unsure: Yeah. I haven't seen Shinobi yet, but I don't think it's possible to squeeze all 5 parts of the manga into some 2 hours of film (not t...
Topic: I wish I was tall T_T
Keep one thing in mind you smaller ones: Size matters not
Topic: What song are you listening part 1
Saishu Heiki Kanojo movie OST
Topic: What continent are you living at?
qnhu... it's the Penguins... they're watching us...
Topic: Things I noticed from Jdramas.
On the other hand, in the US they get the huge sums for really bad work (I heard that Lucy Liu got 4 million USD for Charlie's Angles 2, an absolutely ridiculous ammount for a really bad movie); and most make what? 1 movie per year? Not really impressing. Or take what Sutherland (who's not really an...
May 2nd, '06, 18:31
Topic: Kuriyama Chiaki
lol, well, that's one way to describe it
Her hairstyle was... odd there. Though, she did a good job.
The two specials: http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/viewtopic_29729.htm http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/viewtopic_27428.htm Rokubanme no Sayoko was a tv series where Kuriyama played alongside Suzuki An. Kuriyama played Sayoko, who returns to the same school every so often in a couple of years (I think e...
Topic: Name your HOBBIES :)
History (not just books, but more the going out in the field and dig through old bunkers type), photography, aviation (vintage aircraft mainly), travelling, horseback riding (dressage, I can't jump, my style is horrible, and I barely have time these days anymore), and, most importantly, learning Jap...
Topic: What languages do you know?
haha, yeah, Inknow what you mean! My first year of Japanese is endung in the summer too... I'm going to continue in the fall/autumn as well.. What I'm going to do is just study ahead and review old things too so I won't forget. Also, since this summer I'm going to Japan for 15 days, that's help alo...
May 1st, '06, 18:13
Topic: Long Distance Relationship
From my understanding, and the way I see it... if my GF would cheat on me, well... I'd walk out on her. I expect loyalty from my partner, simply because I would be loyal towards her, too. If she'd cheat on me, well, I'd say that she would want it that way, so she and the guy she cheated with can be ...
Europe... Austria... the ass end of the world when it comes to Japanese entertainment...
Neon Genesis Evangelion , though casting Ayanami Rei would be a **** (Kuriyama Chiaki, the younger one of the Maeda Sisters or Suzuki An maybe, or wait a few years until Fukuda Mayuko is old enough (given her performances so far she'd be one SCARY Rei)). There is, apparently a western movie based o...
Topic: [Discussion] Satomi Hakkenden (Legend of the Eight Samurai)
I wouldn't really say "Chinese-style martial arts effects". There has been plenty of flying and other things along that line in Japanese movies before, like in "Azumi" or "Red Shadow", or lots of dodging and deflecting arrows in "Kozure Okami" back in the 70s. You have a lot of flying in basically e...
I still think Kill Bill was her weakest performance ever. Not her fault though, playing a character with the charisma of a postbox (thank you Tarantino, team up with George Lucas) can only lead to feeble results.
Now Mizuki in Kagen no Tsuki, yep, that's a great performance by her.
Apr 30th, '06, 04:11
Topic: [Movie Discussion] Kagen No Tsuki~Last Quarter J Movie
The special edition was sold out extremely fast. It had the theatrical cut on DVD, the director's cut on DVD and a special VHS tape with the title song by HYDE. (still nothing compared to Linda Linda Linda where the initial pressing with all the goodies was sold out within 3 weeks)