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Posts Tagged 'Sammy'
"Sammy" The East Texas Country Boy Workaholic
The East Texas Country Boy
Samuel E. Warren, an east Texas country boy, had his own style in life. In appearance, this Capricorn man was meticulous about his dress. In the era before "Wash and Wear", he had his dress shirts taken to the cleaners to be ironed and pressed. He wore a tie bar to keep the starched collar of his shirt down. He taught his son, Sam Junior, "how to tie a Windsor knot" to wear a neck tie. His dress shirts had French cuffs, which usually had a matching tie clasp in his personal jewelry box that contained his business jewelry. In his 40s and 50s, he usually wore a stockman's Stetson hat. In his youth, like many men of his era, he wore a more traditional business fedora, like in this studio portrait. My father believed you should, "Dress For Success."
by Samuel E.Warren Jr.
Samuel E. Warren had the blond crew cut and blue eyes. He stood six-feet and one inch. Middle age gave him a weigh in the area of around 200 pounds.
His pressed western shirts and creased denim jeans were the visual confirmations of military service – His civilian clothes had the appearance of a military uniform.
He earned two "Silver Stars" in World War II.
I never heard daddy speak of the war to anyone. Momma told me that through the years, he had talked to her about the things that happened in the war.
Black cowboy boots, the "Lady's Head Liberty Silver Dollar" in the brown western belt and the diamond Masonic ring identified him as, "Sammy" to his friends and family.
He loved his Chevrolet and GMC pickups. Daddy's traditional gray stockman's Stetson hat, western shirt, boots and denim jeans, identified "Sammy" as a Texan through and through.
Sammy could be considered shy in social situations. He preferred to listen rather than speak. My Scorpio Uncle Leo, an oil company executive, usually led the conversations between the family men. Uncle Audrey will smile and interject humor into the discussions. Daddy would listen and might on occasion add a comment or two.
"Papa" Warren loved to talk and tell stories. "Mama" Warren, had polio, which forced her to use a crutch. She was quiet natured and seldom raised her voice unless it was at something "Papa" Warren said. Daddy, obviously, inherited Mama Warren's quiet side.
Aunt Bill, Daddy's eldest sister had an award-winning smile. She had a big heart for kids and animals. Her laugh was loud, definite, and would echo throughout a room.
In Houston, or east Texas, Momma and Aunt Bill would go grocery shopping together and run household errands. They were more like sisters than sister-in-laws.
My Scorpio "Aunt Pet" always seemed distant to me. Aunt Bill and Uncle Audrey had no children of their own, but, "Aunt Bill" never missed an opportunity to spoil me and I always enjoyed the attention.
In Texas in the late 1950s and early 1960s, kids were still expected to be seen and not heard. In a room of adults you never knew if you were an extra end table or an unfinished robot.
Papa, Mama, Aunt Bill and Uncle Audrey always made me feel like a welcomed miniature adult. Uncle Leo liked to scowl and tease me, Daddy expected me to act like "daddy's little man."
Momma had briefed me on "Southern protocol" from an early age, so I could be a "kid", but, I always had to be respectful and polite around my adult elders. I never had to worry because I was never off Momma's "mother radar."
Most definitely, "I am a Momma's boy."
Daddy was an East Texas country boy, who grew up on the farm. I heard stories that as a young boy he worked in the cotton fields and sugar cane fields of east Texas.
Momma said daddy worked as a short haul trucker making runs from Gilmer. Tyler, Kilgore, Gladewater and Mount Pleasant until Uncle Sam "drafted" him to fight in World War II.
Yellowed V-mail correspondence from east Texas revealed one girl back home in Thomas, Texas, during World War II, had an interest in my father. The attractive brunette, dressed in a navy blue sailors' suit dress even posed for a photograph of her standing by an old Ford ton and a half stake truck.
Uncle Sam "drafted" Sammy and sent him to Fort Chaffee, Arkansas for "boot camp." After basic, Uncle Sam shipped daddy out to the European Theater of Operations and later to the Pacific Theater of Operations for World War II.
Thanks to the United States Army Signal Corps, daddy put some of the first land line telephone lines in the Philippines and picked up the skills of an electrician, during the war.
After the War, Daddy got on out at Cameron Iron Works in Houston. He worked part-time, which meant, most nights for George Cook as a bartender or bouncer at "Cook's Hoedown Club."
Later, he worked part-time at the "Dome Shadow," a club near Houston's famous Astrodome.
Daddy liked to talk to people, but, he spoke low and sometimes didn't finish his sentences as though he just got tired of talking and stopped.
"Lodge work" excited Daddy. He would get excited about the humanitarian activities of the Reagan Masonic Lodge, his lodge. He looked forward to getting the monthly issue of the magazine in the mail. He kept his Masonic apron in the elegant locked glass bookcase in the living room.
Daddy proudly displayed framed photographs of himself and his lodge brethren on the furniture in the living room.
Besides the Masonic Lodge, daddy the reserved Texan, only showed emotion if he got mad. He cussed. Then, of course, his message was distinct and crystal clear. Daddy was not a skilled communicator and usually let momma do the talking in social situations.
He had the "hard work" ethics of Americans of his generation. A Capricorn, daddy definitely embodied his Zodiac sign because he worked hard all his life and everything he ever got he earn by elbow grease and the sweat of his brow.
Capricorn rules earth, real estate, agriculture and basically, anything to do with land. Daddy grew up on the farm. He served in a major global war of human history that changed the borders and infrastructures of nations for generations and his job at Cameron's was to supervise an ore taken from the earth being turned into liquid to be poured into dies to create tools.
One factor astrologers point to about the sign of Capricorn is that people born under the sign usually have to work hard all their lives. Daddy did
Sammy loved to spend the money he earned. His philosophy of finances was,"You can't take it with you."
While daddy's carefree financial philosophy has merit on the surface; it doesn't work in the long haul. To live bold without a regard for cost means you have to be making a ridiculous amount of money each day or you will have to be a "workaholic" most of your life.
After World War II, Samuel E. Warren always had a "part-time" job, in addition to his regular job until his death in 1978.
Daddy worked too hard; he never took the time to enjoy his life. The true irony is he never made the opportunity or took the time to truly enjoy the money he earned.
Hat Links
Samuel E. Warren, my father, loved his hats. From the time I was a small boy, I remember my father wearing a Stetson. It was a gray western hat with a small brim that was called, "The Stockman."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stetson
Samuel E. Warren, my father, and my uncles, Leo Greene and Audrey Irwin were "Texans", who in the 1930s and 1940s usually wore a hat. There was the dress "Zoot Suit" style for Friday and Saturday evenings with a wide brim and there was the more traditional everyday business hat, which was known as a "Fedora."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedora
Opal M. DeLong Warren, my mother, worked as the chief waitress at the Cook's Hoedown Club in Houston, Texas. The dress code for the club required the women to "dress western." The white hat of momma's uniform came from the American Hat Company.
Samuel E. Warren, my father, also had a white western hat and a black western hat from the company. Inside all the hats was a humorous name card the size of a post card. It listed the person's name on the card. The words at the top of the card stated: "Like Hell, this is your hat ! This hat belongs to:"
The American Hat Company
http://www.americanhat.net/
Posted in Bloggers, Blogs, Business, Editorial, Family, Money, Opinion
Tagged with Agnes Warren, Aunt Bill, "Aunt Pet", "Cook's Hoedown Club", "daddy's little man", "I am a Momma's boy", "Lady's Head Liberty Silver Dollar", "Mama" Warren, "mother radar", "Papa" Warren, "Sammy" The East Texas Country Boy Workaholic, "Silver Stars", "Southern protocol", "You can't take it with you", "hard work ethic", "Miss Ellie", boot camp, by Samuel E. Warren Jr., Cameron Iron Works, Capricorn, Chevrolet, cotton fields, country boy, Dome Shadow, drafted, east Texas, electrician, Eliabeth Warren, European Theater of Operations, Fort Chaffee Arkansas, George Cook, Georgia Mavon Warren Irwin, Gilmer, Gladewater, GMC pickups, Houston, Houston's famous Astrodome, Joseph Samuel Warren, Kilgore, Mason, Mount Pleasant, oil company executive, Pacific Theater of Operations, Parental Portrait for Christmas, Philippines, polio, Reagan Masonic Lodge, Sammy, Scorpio Uncle Leo, short haul trucker, sugar cane fields, telephone lines, Texan, Thomas Texas, Tyler, Uncle Audrey, Uncle Sam, United States Army Signal Corps, workaholic, World War II
"Have A Green Christmas" by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
Green Christmas"
Have Yourself A Green Christmas !
If Christmas Day this year is "too close" to put the"green" in your stockings and brighten up the gifts under your Christmas Tree,then, a simple act of "saving" should be the shine on your Christmas tree and keep more bills in your wallet for next Christmas. Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
I always got my "Letter to Santa Claus" request.
Regardless of the economic conditions at the North Pole and in "The Lone Star State", Mom and Dad always made sure I had a "Merry Christmas.
As a child, I simply came to expect that I would have a wonderful Christmas. After all, both of my parents were workaholics.
My mother left "public work" to stay at home and "raise me." I appreciate her decision. Throughout my childhood, my dad ALWAYS worked a second job. In 1960, momma and I moved to the farm in Missouri.
My mother was one of the few "Women Hog Farmers In The United States Of America", especially in 1960. Momma raised hogs and used the money to provide for my every need from grade school through college.
Daddy stayed on the job in Houston, Texas to "maintain his seniority" and continue working toward a retirement plan.
Like most kids, I knew, the vast majority of my toys on Christmas morning came from the money in daddy's wallet and the cash in momma's purse.
What I never saw was "The Big Picture" of earning a living on a daily basis.
The reason the wrapped, brightly colored boxes, sporting bright bows, under the Christmas Tree made my home look like Santa Claus' North Pole Showroom and a Toys R Us store is because my mom and dad were "bound and determined" that I would have a better childhood than they had.
Dirt Poor Childhoods
Opal M. DeLong Warren, my mother, was born in a small house in Peach Tree Holler, near Reeds Springs, Missouri. Opal's mother, Martha, and father, Charley, loaded their personal belongings and their son, Richard, into the covered wagon and moved from Versailles, Missouri to a place, near Reeds Spring in Stone County in 1907.
All the rest of the DeLong children were born in Stone County. Richard began farming as soon as he was big enough to do the farm chores. The other boys: Willie, Hobert and Joe didn't go to school very long.
Opal DeLong liked school and graduated from the 8th Grade. Every year, Martha, her mother ordered three dresses a year for Opal out of the Sears and Roebuck catalog to wear to school. She rode a pinto-mix horse, named,"Shorty" to the Wilson's Creek School in Bear Den Holler.
Samuel E. Warren, my father, went to school in Perryville in east Texas. Joseph Samuel Warren, his father, was a tenant farmer, which meant J. Frank Couch, owned the land that "Papa" Warren farmed.
"Dirt Poor" is an accurate financial description of my parent's childhood years.
To add insult to injury, Fate unleashed The Great Depression around the time of their teenager years.
Daddy's Short Range Financial Plan
Daddy adopted the policy of "Live For Today ;Tomorrow Will Take Care Of Itself." The major flaw in his long-range financial plan is "In Order To Spend Money – You Have To Earn Money. The More Money You Spend, The More Money You Need To Earn To Keep Your Comfortable Lifestyle Going."
At the end of the day, Daddy's financial plan meant, "He had to be a 'workaholic', in order to keep earning money to spend. The irony is you spend so much time working,you never have "any fun" spending your money.
I remember, Monday through Friday, he would arrive home from work at about 4:30 p.m. He would sit down for supper and talk about his day. He could only relax a few moments and then, he would have to start getting ready for his "night job" as a bartender or bouncer.
His gray pressed Cameron uniforms would hang in the wardrobe beside his double breasted suits and neckties. By about 6:30 or 7 p,m,, the pickup would ease down the narrow driveway to take him to his "part-time job."
Sometimes momma would wake me up about 2:30 or 3 am, so I would be waiting for daddy to come home from work. The headlight beams would dance down the narrow driveway and in a few minutes I would smell the aroma from a box of a dozen Dunkin' Donuts, which daddy usually would stop and pickup on the way home.
Daddy did make a lot of money. But, he met himself coming and going.
Daddy always had "a wad of bills" rolled tightly that looked like a short, fat, pill bottle, with a rubber band around them that he carried in his front jeans pocket. In addition, to the roll of bills in his front pocket, he always had several bills in his wallet.
The roll of bills was one of those "Games Of Life" that when you take it out to pay a bill, people notice and they just naturally assume you are some kind of financial genius.
The stated "Big Picture" was daddy and momma were working to build their "Dream Home" on land momma bought in 1938, near her mother and father.
The Coffee Service
Daddy told me he offered the coffee service in his shop "at the plant."
From 1960 until his death in 1978, daddy always made two trips a year to Missouri. One vacation trip always came for the Fourth of July. The second vacation trip depended on the vacation schedule at Cameron's, which meant his two weeks began either at Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Whenever he came to Missouri, he would stock up on three-pound cans of Folgers coffee. He said it was cheaper to buy the coffee in Missouri. About once a year, he would buy a huge coffee pot that could make about 50 cups of coffee. Daddy wasn't a shopper. He went into a store, picked up what he needed and paid the cashier at the checkout register.
However, if Sammy walked past Craftsman tools, he would stop and browse slowly at all the tools. Daddy loved Craftsman tools and bought all kinds of Craftsman wrenches, vise grips and other tools.
One trip each year, daddy would "shop" for a new coffee pot to take "to the plant." He would shop around at the different stores and compare the features of the coffee pots.
I have, no doubt, there are people who bought bass boats with less research than daddy put into buying the right coffee pot. Despite his dedicated "shopping around for the right coffee pot", he always ended up with the same type. And, he would buy a huge cardboard box full of Styrofoam cups to take back to Texas.
I remember the huge coffee pots because their shiny silver cylindrical design made them look like huge vacuum tubes that went into the back of a radio.
"I get to the plant in the morning and I make the coffee for the shop. I have a coffee can with a slit in the lid. The guys know that coffee is 25 cents a cup. They put a quarter in the can. If they don't have a quarter, then, they put in some change. I don't really worry about it because the guys are honest. At the end of the week, I take the coffee can of coins home. Monday morning I always bring in a new empty coffee can for that week's coins," said Daddy,
In 1978, daddy was suppose to leave at the end of June for his Fourth of July trip to Missouri. He never arrived. The Houston Police Department notified momma of daddy's death at home.
A few days after daddy's funeral, momma and I made the trip to Houston. We found Folgers coffee cans stored in rooms around the house. Each can was filled to the plastic lid with mixed change from pennies to half dollars and a few silver dollars. The cans all had coins and none of the coins had been wrapped.
Momma asked Wanda Brinkley, a next door neighbor for help in wrapping the coins. Wanda had momma take the coins next door to her mom and dad's house, Mr. and Mrs. Pete Pippins. Momma ordered the pizzas.
All day until after midnight, Momma, Wanda, Mr and Mrs Pete and I wrapped coins. Wanda's two daughters, Donna and Debbie also joined the coin wrapping adventure. At this point in US history, American banks did not accept coins unless they were wrapped in bank wrappers.
Using the bank coin wrappers that daddy had on hand and some of the wrappers that Wanda had, we all wrapped coins all day and until well past midnight, It was after 2 am, when we finished.
Bank Robbery ?
The next day, Wanda, Momma and I went to the drive thru lane of the local Reagan State Bank. Wanda would put about 10 rolls of coins at a time up to the drive thru teller's window.
"You have a lot of coins," remarked the teller.
"My husband, Sammy had the coffee concession where he worked. He died recently. We just discovered, he never wrapped any of the coins from the coffee fund," explained Momma.
The teller nodded. A bank guard showed up with a dolly. The teller seemed to slow,at one point, in tallying the amount of coins. We sat in the car at the drive thru for a couple of hours.
After about an hour, the bank guard emerged from a side door with the rolls of coins in the familiar purple bank sacks stacked neatly on the dolly. He pushed the dolly slowly across the several lanes of the drive thru into the rear entrance of the main bank.
The bank guard made about four more trips with his dolly from the drive thru to the bank.
A couple of days later Wanda spoke to a friend, who worked at the bank. The friend had heard about all those sacks of coins that came through the drive thru. The friend laughed and told Wanda it was not uncommon for people to drop of rolls of coins at the drive thru and she told Wanda the rest of the story.
Then, Wanda Brinkley, telephoned momma.
"When we dropped those coins off at the bank. The bank got worried and called the local office of the FBI. They told the FBI why they were calling and asked the bureau to check for recent bank robberies because they could not believe that anyone would save that amount of coins.
" While we were waiting in the drive thru lane and the teller seemed to be taking the time tallying up the coins, they were waiting for a call back from the FBI to tell them if there were any reports of bank robberies where a large amount of coins had been taken," Wanda explained and laughed.
We wrapped about 20 three-pound coffee cans of coins to take to the bank. Momma also brought about 10 cans of unwrapped coins with her back to Missouri. It was two or three years before I ever wanted to wrap rolls of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters,half dollars and silver dollars.
My father died at age 52. The Harris County, Texas Corner's Report listed the cause of death as a "possible 'double heart attack.'" Daddy had literally "worked himself to death" through the years.
Momma's Big Picture Financial Reality
Momma would never be a "Victim Of A Global Financial Crisis." She had a poor childhood and realized "Money Has To Be Managed."
Momma always put aside a few dollars to have when she needed it. "Save" wasn't a word, it was a philosophy and a way of life.
People would tease my mother that she probably had the "First Dollar" she ever earned. Momma would smile and shrug off the comment.
Opal M. DeLong Warren was "never broke." Maybe, she didn't have a lot of money in her wallet or handbag, but, Momma was "never broke" financially.
Momma loved to remind me "I bought the first car, your daddy and I ever owned. And, I paid cash for it. I bought the first home, your daddy and I ever owned. I bought the land in Missouri, under my own name with my own money, before I ever met your daddy."
All the claims were true statements. Momma's message was not that she was a suffragette or a women's libber, but that she knew "How To Spend And Save Her Money."
Opal M. DeLong Warren is the woman, who went to the Reagan State Bank in Houston and arranged for the money to "buy the home in Houston at 313 East 26th Street."
Stubborn Sammy
During World War II, US Army doctors had told daddy that he had contracted "malaria in the Philippines." In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Veterans' Administration wasn't always able to convince Congress to provide medical care and decent pensions to veterans.
In the early 1950s, momma found out that daddy was eligible for VA medical care payments thanks to the hard-nosed efforts of Texas Congressman and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Sam Rayburn.
Daddy told Momma, Uncle Sam had sent him into World War II and, "I don't want nothing else to do with the 'Damn Government.'"
Momma reminded Daddy that some days it seemed difficult for him to get out of bed to go to work. Grudgingly, Daddy did the paperwork and accepted "Uncle Sam's Official Help", which didn't last that long. By then, daddy's health had improved and he did go to work everyday.
Momma The Family Banker
Martha Lou Marcum DeLong, my grandmother, kept her coins in a coin purse and her dollar bills in a sugar bowl in a plain white dish cabinet in the living room.
Everyone knew Grandma DeLong had worked hard all her life, but, Missouri's "old age pension" provided her the money to live out her senior citizen years.
Opal M. DeLong Warren had the reputation in the DeLong Family, Stone County, Missouri, Upshur County, Texas and among neighbors in Harris County – Houston, Texas of "Saving For A Rainy Day."
The Burial And The Banker
When daddy died in Texas, I asked momma if we could bring his body back to Missouri for burial. I went to the bank with momma. She told the banker, "I need money to bring my husband's body back to Missouri for burial. I don't know, when or how I will pay you. But, you will get your money back." I watched momma tell the banker those words.
In the 21st Century, most bankers would find a polite way to show the widow to the door out of their office.
In 1978, the banker nodded, "Okay, Opal. When you know how much you need for sure, let me know. You'll get the money," I heard the banker tell momma.
I was already a college student, so I was impressed that a banker would listen to a widow without demanding various forms of collateral.
The banker was not going out on a limb. He knew momma owned her "80 acres" of land and owned the other "10 acres" of land that she lived on. He knew she still "owned her home in Houston, Texas."
The banker wasn't gambling; he was investing.
The worst case scenario would be the bank would end up with Missouri real estate and maybe Texas real estate. Real estate in a city is usually more valuable than farm real estate,
In the late 1970s and early 1980s there was an active real estate market in Missouri and Texas.
But, everyone from Stone County, Missouri throughout southwest Missouri knew "Opal Warren always pays her bills."
Samuel E. Warren was laid to rest in Yocum Pond Cemetery, near Reeds Spring Missouri. The financial cost of moving daddy's body from Texas to Missouri was $7,000. The bank let momma borrow the money. Momma paid the bank off ahead of time.
Momma used money she already had saved for the associated funeral expenses and the double headstone. Uncle Sam provided the "foot marker" that was placed at daddy's grave.
Through the years, relatives would have financial issues come up in their lives. When they had no one to turn to, they would turn to "Opal."
If a relative was out to buy a big screen TV, then, they were on their own.
But, if it was a valid emergency like a mortgage, insurance, food for their kids or medical bills then momma would "loan" the money. A few of my relatives paid Momma back. The majority did not.
Momma had a better financial plan than daddy. Momma never invested in the stock market. I had the debate with her several times and she always told me, "Son, I hang on to my money."
Momma quit farming around 1982. The only "risky investment," momma ever made, other than her son, was in Land.
Land That Pays For Itself
But, she always said, "Invest in Land, that will pay for itself." Her Land did pay for itself because she "rented the pasture to other farmers for their cattle to graze on" and "loggers would cut some trees off the Land every three or four years for lumber."
The Other Land
Through the years, momma would tell me that people had called her and tried to sell her land in Galena or elsewhere in southwest Missouri. I asked momma why she passed on the offers.
"I have the land I want. The land I have been offered isn't land I would want to buy at any price," Momma would answer. Momma lived on one parcel of land. She could open her front door and look across the road to see the land that she had bought back in the 1930s.
Momma is one of the few people in the world, I know of, where bankers would call her and try to persuade her to move her money to their bank. She would smile, "The Bank Of Crane has always done right by me. Until something changes, I will stay with my bank."
At age 84, momma left "The Real World" in 2004. She had a double wide home that had central heating and air conditioning. She never went hungry and there was always food in the ice box and the pantry. She always had her coffee and cigarettes. When she went to the doctor or the hospital, she could always pay her medical bills.
Momma's Financial Secret, "She Learned To Save Money And Manage Her Money."
Momma and daddy made sure I always had a wonderful Christmas. I got enough toys to outfit a museum.
I was an "Only Child", which meant I had to play by myself most of the time, but, I had a huge wooden toy box in the garage full of toys to choose from each day.
In Missouri, every other weekend or so, my Cousin Donna would be at Grandma DeLong's and Uncle Richard's. I would of brought toys with me or we would go off in the woods to play. In Missouri, the toys were in a big cardboard box in the garage.
Samuel E. Warren Jr., the senior citizen, realizes now, Momma's ability to always put "The Green In My Christmas" came from her daily financial sense of saving and managing her money. Thanks to my mother, "My Merry Christmas" was always "A Green Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Momma ."
Posted in Bloggers, Blogs, Business, Current Events, Ecology, Family, Holidays, Money, Observances, Stone County History
Tagged with $7, 000, 1907, 1938, 1960, 1978, 2004, 313 East 26th Street, age 52, age 84, air conditioning, American banks, "A Green Christmas", "a wad of bills", "bound and determined", "Dirt Poor", "Dream Home", "First Dollar", "foot marker", "Games Of Life", "Have A Green Christmas", "How To Spend And Save Her Money", "Letter to Santa Claus", "Live For Today ;Tomorrow Will Take Care Of Itself", "malaria in the Philippines", "Merry Christmas", "My Merry Christmas", "never broke", "night job", "old age pension", "Opal Warren always pays her bills", "Papa", "part-time job", "public work", "Saving For A Rainy Day", "She Learned To Save Money And Manage Her Money", "The Green In My Christmas", "Woman Hog Farmer In The United States Of America", "workaholics", " Uncle Sam's Official Help", "Damn Government", "Money Has To Be Managed"."Save", "seniority", "Shorty", Bank Robbery, bartender, Bear Den Holler, bouncer, by Samuel E. Warren Jr., central heating, Charley, childhood, Christmas, Christmas Tree !, coffee cans, coins, Cousin Donna, Craftsman tools, Dad, Daddy's Short Range Financial Plan, daily financial sense, Debbie, DeLong Family, dimes, Dirt Poor Childhoods, Donna, double wide home, drive thru teller, Dunkin' Donuts, earn, east Texas, economic conditions, economy, farm, farm real estate, FBI, financial genius, Folgers coffee, Fourth of July, funeral expenses, half dollars, Harris County – Houston, Hobert, Houston, Houston Police Department, in "The Lone Star State", J. Frank Couch, Joe Sears and Roebuck catalog, Joseph Samuel Warren, June, Land That Pays For Itself, lifestyle, Martha, Martha Lou Marcum DeLong, medical bills, Missouri, Missouri real estate, Mom, Momma, Momma The Family Banker, Momma's Big Picture Financial Reality, Momma's Financial Secret, Money, Mr. and Mrs. Pete Pippins, nickels, North Pole, Opal M. DeLong Warren, parents, Peach Tree Holler, pennies, Perryville, pizzas, purse, quarters, Reagan State Bank, Reeds Springs, retirement, Richard, Sammy, Samuel E. Warren, Santa Claus' North Pole Showroom, Save And Manage Your Money, saving and managing her money, senior citizen years, she never went hungry, silver dollars, spend, Stone County, Stone County Missouri, Stubborn Sammy, Texas, Texas Congressman and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Sam Rayburn, Texas Corner's Report, Texas real estate, Thanksgiving, The Big Picture, The Burial And The Banker, The Coffee Service, The Great Depression, The Harris County, The Other Land, The Real World, Toys R Us, Uncle Sam, Upshur County Texas, US Army doctors, Versailles, wallet, Wanda Brinkley, Willie, Wilson's Creek School, workaholic, World War II, Yocum Pond Cemetery
The Warren Christmas Chronicles
During 2010, my wife, Christy Warren decided to try an online business. She made jewelry to sell over the Internet. She had a shop on Etsy. Christy diligently worked using the various stone cabachons and wrapping them in gold filled wire to create necklaces and earrings. I would photograph the various types of merchandise she had for sale in her "Jewelry by Christy" shop. This photograph is an example of one of the photographs that I took to promote and advertise her jewelry. There are many "success" stories related to Etsy. We tried different cabachons. She tried to wrap the stones in different styles. I tried many different ways to photograph the merchandise. She did sell a few items through her Etsy shop, but, ours was not a success story. In 2011, she went "off line." The photograph is a reminder that sometimes in life you try some business ideas and no matter what you try; sometimes, you simply do not succeed. Photo by Samuel E, Warren Jr.
Christmas is the time of year, when writers write several stories. Often the stories range from holiday decorating and recopies to the "I remember when. . .childhood Christmas story.
I take pride in not being a traditional writer.
I try to write about events and situations that people don't normally consider.
This Christmas season, I sat down at the laptop to write "a" Christmas story. I thought I would write "one Christmas story" and be done with the holiday.
I was not in a Charles Dickens mood. I started typing and the story started to expand to epic proportions like Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace."
I have always been a "wordy" writer.
Unfortunately, the story was becoming an entity. I was beginning to feel more like an expectant father than a writer.
The story was taking on a life of it's own on the electronic page before my eyes.
The story had begun to read like a child Christmas laundry list of toys beginning at October 30, 1955 and growing before my eyes to December 25, 2011.
I stopped writing and read over what I had written.
What had started as a story was now a three volume manuscript for Encyclopedia Britannica on the word, "Christmas."
Rather than post my Library Of Congress collection of Christmas novellas to my blog, I decided it was time to cut, paste and delete. Before I hit the delete key, I looked at the writing one last time.
Sections !
I realized my fingers in "type" mode and my mind on "flow" had yielded different periods of time in my life that came down to different Christmas Days in different locations at different times.
Wordsmith Warren word work time !
I read over and decided the sections were a series of articles on Christmas through the years of my life. The end result is there should be something in "The Warren Christmas Chronicles" for readers with different taste in literature.
The first articles in "The Warren Christmas Chronicles" are: "Have A Green Christmas", "Sammy, The East Texas Country Boy Workaholic," "Opal, The Business Woman Welder", "Opal The Hog Farmer," and "My Lone Star Christmas Story."
My faithful readers should check back everyday until Christmas for a new story in the "Warren Christmas Chronicles."
Posted in Bloggers, Blogs, Business, Crafts, Current Events, Editorial, Family, Holidays, Jewelry, Money, Observances, Philippines, Photos, Stone County History, Tourism, Tropics
Tagged with article, "Have A Green Christmas", "Opal The Hog Farmer, "wordy", ""My Lone Star Christmas Story", blog, by Samuel E. Warren Jr., Charles Dickens, childhood Christmas story, Christmas, Christmas Days, Christmas Season, collection, December 25 2011, Encyclopedia Britannica, feature, history, holiday decorating, human interest, Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace", Library Of Congress, manuscript, novellas, October 30 1955, Opal, post, publish, Sammy, stories, The Business Woman Welder", The East Texas Country Boy Workaholic, The Warren Christmas Chronicles, volume, Wordsmith Warren, write, writers
The Star Picture Frame Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
The Star Picture Frame
The glass star picture frame is an American antique from the World War II and 1940s era. Opal M. DeLong Warren and her husband, Samuel E. Warren sit at the counter of "Sammy's", a landmark and famous Houston, Texas restaurant. Sammy and Opal smile at the photographer.
In this photograph, Opal worked as a sales clerk at Foley's, a major department store in Houston. Samuel E. Warren worked as a "Heat Treater" at Cameron Iron Works, In his job, molten metal was poured into dies to make tools for crescent wrenches,oil well equipment and jet plane pistons.
At the end of the day, the Warrens would often meet for supper at "Sammy's." Both of the Warrens had a second job. Opal worked nights as the chief waitress at "Cook's Hoedown Club." Samuel worked nights "pulling bar" as a bartender and sometimes a bouncer at "Cook's Hoedown Club."
Mom and dad were "workaholics", but their efforts paid off they "owned" their home in Houston and they bought a farm in Missouri. Of course, they were also the proud parents of the world famous American Reporter,Writer and Photographer, Samuel E. Warren Jr.
Opal and Sammy established the foundations that guided Samuel E. Warren Jr, to join the United States Air Force and try to make a positive difference in the world.
Samuel E. Warren Jr. married Maria Christina "Christy" Saldana at Clark Air Base Republic of the Philippines, July 19, 1990. December 19, 2011, they moved to Leyte, Republic of the Philippines to allow Christy to return to her birthplace. Nikon D 70 Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr.
Posted in Bloggers, Blogs, Business, Current Events, Editorial, Family, Holidays, Leyte, Observances, Philippines, Photos
Tagged with "Heat Treater", "pulling bar", 1940s era, American antique, American Reporter Writer and Photographer, "Cook's Hoedown Club", "Sammy's", "workaholics", bartender, birthplace, bouncer, Cameron Iron Works, chief waitress, Clark Air Base Republic of the Philippines, December 19 2011, department store, famous, Foley's, glass star picture frame, Houston, husband, July 19 1990, landmark, Leyte, Maria Christina "Christy" Saldana, Nikon D 70 Photo by Samuel E. Warren Jr., Opal, Opal M. DeLong Warren, parents, photograph, photographer, Republic of the Philippines, sales clerk, Sammy, Samuel E. Warren, Samuel E. Warren Jr., Texas restaurant, The Star Picture Frame, United States Air Force, world famous, World War II


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The National Parks Turn 100: The Last Wild Place in the East
Bowman and Co. explore the land around our newest national monument in the north Maine woods.
By Zach BowmanSeptember 2, 2016
Bowman's Odyssey
Beth Bowman
Zach Bowman has sold everything he owns, slapped a camper to his high-mileage 2003 Dodge Ram and has taken his family on the road. His clan numbers three, counting wife, Beth, and their infant daughter. They are touring America, working and discovering, and are sending The Drive periodic dispatches from the road.
Bowman's Odyssey
It's the last wild place in the east, maybe. A sprawling 3.5 million acres of timber and mountain, stream and lake. A gnarled network of dirt roads, narrow and tangled up in the hills or wide as any four-lane, spreads out over the whole of it. This is the heart of the state's timber industry, and massive, laden semis barrel down the main routes with abandon, an apocalyptic cloud of dust rising from their wheels. And there's the sound; the roar and riot of metal and pine rattling off of each other over the pocked and rutted road. We're five hours from Portland, but everything out our windows looks like the farthest, darkest acres of Alaska.
I trust the truck, but I'm not an idiot. This is as remote as we've been in the nearly seven months since we left Knoxville, and once the weekend rolls around, the logging camps will all turn vacant. Even with some determination, we're four hours from the closest soul, and more from proper medical care. Like all forgotten places, this one is to be respected. Moose, bear, fast and deep water. A day's drive from pavement the odometer rolls over 311,000 miles, each digit a dare, a little louder than its predecessor.
Our friends, Brandon, Leigh, and their two dogs, met us in Portland. They've done as we've done: packed up their lives, parked it all for a spell, and left to wander the country for six months in their ragged and brilliant Westfalia. We've agreed to travel together for a bit, as much for the company as for the security. Someone else to hassle with decisions or to help diagnose one of the truck's chorus of rattles. Someone to go for help if the occasion calls.
Their van is no Syncro, but with a comfortable lift and Fox shocks from GoWesty, the thing's as capable as our truck on the cratered and rutted roads of the North Maine Woods. Meaty all-terrains and all the weight over the rear axles help give the van respectable traction, even with an open rear differential. The thing just goes, wading through bumper-deep pools and scrambling up inclines, its little Subaru engine burbling along as happy as ever, trundling along behind us. I find myself watching my side mirrors more than usual, drinking in the spectacle of the van as it clamors along.
There are no road signs. No clear directions. Beth works the gazetteer, counting streams and watching topo lines. Eying the green glow of the truck's compass to make certain we're headed the right direction. We are, more often than not. Our speeds are all over the place: Crawling through dense underbrush, the trees and bushes raking the truck's flanks as we pick our way through flooded stretches of road; or blasting down the wide sections at 50 mph, obliterating everything behind us in a sprawl of airborne grit.
Men have cut trees from this land since well before rail. Spent their long winters felling timber. Floated the logs down the Penobscot and the Saint John. The map is paint-splattered with lakes and ponds, some natural, plenty more made by damming rivers and creeks in order to move the fallen forest south to the mills in Bangor. They're all beautiful, and we spend our first night on the shore of Baker Lake, its bottom obscured by brown water.
Seeing it is the first indication of the scale we're working in. A minor puddle on the map, the reaching lake is massive, stretching off to our conifer horizons. There's nothing to hear but the birds in the trees and the sound of the water as it moves downstream, past our camp. We couldn't be more alone, the four of us.
I've been wound tight since we left Utah. Driven tense by the crowds and the cost of existing in the east. The insufferable familiarity of the Appalachians and the Atlantic. Scenes I'd seen before. Standing there, eyeing that water, watching a storm work its way from the far shore, the slow, cold rain and low clouds blotting out the trees in waves, it unlocks me. Lets me breathe.
It's a rare place. The kind of wild that breeds a duality in me. I both want to tell everyone and no one about what I see. Show everyone the snaking marshes and wildflower meadows, but keep them all for myself. Can a thing be both loved and protected, or does doing one betray the other? Halve it, somehow?
The National Park Service turned 100 years old while we were standing on that shore, and to mark the occasion, President Obama designated a vast swath of land to the east a National Monument. Roxanne Quimby, one of the creators of Burts Bees, had been buying land for years, and turned over some 87,000 acres to the Department of the Interior for just such a purpose. Those acres are now the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. It's the first step towards a new National Park, maybe.
I desperately want to love our parks. I've drug us through a gamut of them this year, from Big Bend to Zion and Canyonlands. Capitol Reef, Bryce, Grand Canyon, and Everglades. Maybe it's the centennial celebration or the summertime rush, but so many are overcrowded and underfunded. So few give us more than a domesticated glimpse of the wildness that was.
I want to believe the Park Service is there to protect the land from the people, but I see the opposite. This is an organization that will pave a two-lane road to the top of a mountain, construct a sprawling visitor's center at the summit with a 100-car parking lot, flush toilets, and a restaurant, all while posting signs that say "Protect your forests, stay on designated paths." No one seems to see the irony of campgrounds with 20 sites to an acre, everyone packed in tighter than in any apartment complex. Mowed grass. Gift shops and concession stands. Endless lines and insufferable traffic. It's the Disneyfication of our precious places.
What does it say when I feel more at peace in the middle of a multi-million-acre logging tract than I did on the top of Cadillac Mountain in the heart of Acadia, one of the jewels of the Park Service crown?
We spend a full day at Baker. Our daughter splashes around in the shallows and waves the kayak paddle at the trees. Hangs out with the dogs, Lilly and Piper. Gets her shoes sandy and her butt wet. There's not a thread of me that doesn't want to hold this place for her. To save it as it is so that she can return to it some day and walk these same shores as a full and grown woman. When I am a man too old for wild things. What will I tell her then? I will say that we were there before the park. That we watched fox and deer, and that when the storm blew off, the sky grew deep with the full arc of our galaxy glowing against the darkness. That we were only trying to protect it for her.
On McPhee, Truck Upgrades, and the French Navy's Rabbit Problem
Feel free to poke fate in the eye—just do it in someone else's vehicle.
Preparing for Winter Means Installing Another Solar Panel on the Dodge
Getting ready for the dark days ahead.
Contemplating What's Next In the Heart of Vermont
Bright, beautiful, and impossibly green.
With a One-Year-Old, All the World's Edges Are Sharp
The best we can do is herd her from the worst of it.
On the Banks of Lake Champlain, Appreciating a Certain Kind of Wealth
Heading to that murky middle place where New York fades into Vermont.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Wife and mom in southwest New Hampshire trying to slow down, and live more deliberately.
Posted in MiscellaneousTagged family, love, Parenting, relationshipsLeave a Comment on What is my identity?
It' s been a rough month, but I didn't want let it finish without posting something. I replaced the threshhold of my kitchen door, and took pictures of the whole process, only to find out that I had the wrong thickness threshhold, so I haven't written that post up yet. Usually, I love the holidays. I love the getting together of family, I love the good will towards all of the late fall/early winter season, I love seeing the lights on all the houses. But this year I am struggling. I guess I just want to get this all out of me.


text:
Home Tech News Court Dismisses Charter's Claim of 'False' RIAA DMCA Notices * TorrentFreak
Court Dismisses Charter's Claim of 'False' RIAA DMCA Notices * TorrentFreak
Legal battles between copyright holders and Internet providers are not new. In most countries these disputes revolve around site blocking but, in the US, the vocal point lies elsewhere.
Over the past years, several major ISPs have been sued for failing to terminate the accounts of alleged repeat copyright infringers.
These lawsuits are serious business. Late last year, for example, a jury found Cox liable for the infringements of its customers, awarding a billion dollars in damages to several record labels. While the judgment is being appealed, other ISPs are on high alert.
This is also true for Charter Communications, one of the largest Internet providers in the US. The company was sued last year by several major music companies, including Capitol Records, Warner Bros, and Sony Music, which argued that the ISP is liable for pirating subscribers.
Charter Countersues Over 'False' DMCA Notices
In March, Charter replied to the record labels' complaint. In addition to denying many of the allegations, the ISP also went on the offensive. Charter submitted a counterclaim accusing the labels of sending inaccurate, false, deceptive, or even fraudulent DMCA takedown notices.
The claims come after the music companies removed 272 sound recordings and 183 music compositions from their initial complaint. These were dropped after the record labels were ordered to produce further evidence that they indeed owned the rights.
Charter saw this as evidence that the companies, helped by the RIAA, have sent many inaccurate takedown notices in the past. These notices reportedly caused damage to the ISP, which said it incurred costs and reputational damage by forwarding the "false accusations."
"Charter is injured when it processes inaccurate notices, causing it to forward false accusations to its subscribers, to the extent this creates tension with the impacted subscribers, negatively affects goodwill, and causes reputational harm to Charter," the counterclaim reads.
The music companies were not impressed by this characterization. They countered the accusations by arguing that they were not knowingly aware of any mistakes or errors. In addition, they said there is no evidence that Charter customers were harmed as no customers were disconnected by the ISP.
Judge Sides With Music Companies
After hearing the arguments from both sides, US District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson ruled on the matter last week. In a ten-page order, he clearly sides with the music companies.
The Judge ruled that, even if the RIAA and record labels didn't have a valid complaint for the 455 works, there is no evidence that they knowingly made these wrong claims.
"Even if I assume, as does Charter, that plaintiffs dropped the 455 works because they did not have a valid infringement claim as to them, Charter has not alleged facts plausibly showing that plaintiffs knowingly or materially misrepresented its infringement claims in the original complaint," Judge Jackson writes.
Lacking Evidence
Charter argued that the music companies had or should have had knowledge of their inaccurate claims but that is not enough. Also, additional evidence concerning the inaccuracies of the RIAA's anti-piracy partner Marmonitor and the problems with flawed takedown notices, in general, does not suffice.
"The several paragraphs discussing the 2016 Urban Study and the invalid infringement claims allegedly submitted by plaintiffs' agent MarkMonitor, say nothing about the 455 dropped works."
While errors are never good, the contested claims are only a small fraction of the total number of DMCA notices. That is not "material," the court notes. Also, Judge Jackson believes it's "ironic" that the ISP is complaining that the number of copyright claims, for which it can be held liable, has been reduced.
Finally, Charter's DMCA abuse claim also fails because the court doesn't believe that the company or its subscribers suffered any damage as a result of the allegedly inaccurate notices.
"It appears to be undisputed in this lawsuit that although Charter has notified some of its subscribers of some of plaintiffs' claims of infringement, it has not cancelled any subscriptions or taken other actions to disable subscribers' access to Charter's service," the order reads.
Consumer Protection Claim Fails Too
Based on these and other arguments the court dismisses Charter's DMCA abuse counterclaim. The ISP also alleged that the 'false' notices violated the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. This claim was dismissed on similar grounds.
"[T]he premise that plaintiffs' dropping the 455 works constituted bad faith conduct that was 'fraudulent, reckless, willful, knowing, and/or intentional' does not come close to satisfying the particularity required for allegations of fraud," Judge Jackson writes.
The dismissal of both counterclaims is a major setback for Charter and a big win for the music companies, who face similar 'false' DMCA allegations from other companies.
The lawsuit between the ISP and the record labels is far from over, however. In his order Judge Jackson allows Charter to amend two other counterclaims. These ask for a declaratory judgment that the ISP isn't liable for contributory and vicarious copyright infringement due to subscribers' pirating activities.
A copy of Judge R. Brooke Jackson's order is available here (pdf)
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Welcome to the Girls' Shed. Our aim is to provide creative workshops where you can learn and indulge your passions in a relaxed, friendly environment.
Some of you might be interested in how Girls' Shed came into being. Here is the story.
Any of you who have seen farms, or lived on farms, know that there are many sheds that always belong to males. Well our farm is no different. We have several sheds – none of which were mine! I have a saying that 'every time it rains a new shed pops-up'. I have been a patchworker and quilter for a lifetime and I was bursting from a bedroom in the house with all my sewing 'stuff' and slowly taking over every available space in the rest of the house. Things had to change! So the next time it rained, sure enough, a new shed popped up and you guessed it, I 'snaffled' the shed.
It was not purpose built for patchwork, so it was just steel, concrete floor and Roll-A-Doors. I didn't mind, I had a shed of my own and over time I slowly moved all my sewing 'stuff' to the shed. However, there was a problem, the shed in summer was very hot, like a sauna and cold in winter. After a couple of years my husband took pity on me and lined the shed and put air conditioning in, best shed ever now. After that I spent much of my spare time in my shed and to distinguish my shed from all the other sheds on the property, I'd say 'I'm going to the Girls' Shed', because that is where my friends would gather to chat, be creative and have a great time.


I love a good wedding (who doesn't) and was lucky enough to marry the lady who asked me to become Mrs Fox in January 2013. On my blog I like to cover wedding ideas, crafts and look at weddings from the past.
What to make from this?
Fancy making your own wedding dress?
I like your blog! 🙂 I just nominated you for a Liebster Award. I hope that was ok! I'm a new blogger myself and am getting the hang of things here.


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1MATCH URL: https://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/15C0207E0EBC4AB7951A72AA2A2311B3/condura-skyway-marathon-20160208.jpg
Two die while running Philippine marathon
Organizers say two men, including a decorated military officer, die while running a charity marathon in the Philippines
@afp
Published 10:16 PM, February 08, 2016
Updated 10:16 PM, February 08, 2016
Photo from the Condura Skyway Marathon FB page
MANILA, Philippines – Two men including a decorated military officer died while running a charity marathon in the Philippines, organizers said Monday.
"We are devastated over the loss of our two brothers who ran for a Hero during the 8th Condura Skyway marathon last February 7, 2016," the organisers said on their Facebook page.
It said a 38-year-old and a 40-year-old military officer died during Sunday's race in Manila but gave no cause of death.
Army spokesman Colonel Benjamin Hao said Major Arnold Lubang collapsed just a kilometer (0.6 miles) away from the finish line, adding that an autopsy indicted he died of cardiac arrest.
"We were shocked when he collapsed. He ran a lot. He was into all kinds of sports. When he was into something, he really went to excel," Hao told Agence France-Presse.
Lubang had previously won the army's third highest honour for bravery in combat, he added.
The Condura marathon is a popular annual event which raises money for various causes. This year, it was raising funds for children of slain soldiers. – Rappler.com
Filed under:celebrity charity marathon•marathon•Condura Skyway


Millions listen to The Dave Ramsey Show every day for common-sense talk on money. Listeners are also tuning in to hear real callers share real stories about their lives and families.
Millions listen to The Dave Ramsey Show every day for common-sense talk on money. Listeners are also tuning in to hear real callers share real stories about their lives and families. They call the show in desperate need of help. They call to celebrate. And if you listen closely enough, you'll hear a story much like yours. Hope has a home on the radio—and now it has a home online. Tune in today!
Today, The Dave Ramsey Show is on more than 500 radio stations from coast to coast with more than 13 million listeners, but Dave's message hasn't changed. It's still as practical and common-sense as ever.


Explore the fascinating world of chemical reactions that produce light, called chemiluminescence. Mix up a magical blue light in a test tube using the glowing chemical luminol and other substances. With some cool chemical reactions, even coins and radishes begin to glow. You will discover how the natural world is full of luminous mysteries: bright spots on bananas, fluorescent chestnut bark, and glowing creatures in the sea!
Experiment with the special ultraviolet lamp to reveal things that would otherwise be invisible. Learn about the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible and invisible light. Experiment with glow-in-the-dark plastic. Build a fun glowing puppet theatre to play around with glowing pigments and discover real-world applications for glowing chemistry. A 48-page, full-color manual guides you through 22 experiments in light chemistry and provides scientific explanations and examples.
30 pieces and lab supplies, including luminol, petri dishes, pipettes, safety goggles, and more!


Jun 08 Comments Off on Father's Day Massage Contest – Enter Today!
Father's Day Massage Contest – Enter Today!
Visit us on Facebook or at 12 Wellesley St. West for your chance to win a 1 hour massage with Nick Furgiuele RMT! Enjoy the massage yourself (you deserve it!) or gift the prize to a Toronto father that you love!
Prize: One (1) 60 minute massage at the Toronto Wellness Centre with Nick Furgiuele RMT. Prize cannot be exchanged for cash value, or used for any other service at the Toronto Wellness Centre or elsewhere. Massage cannot be split into two or more sessions.
To enter online: Applicant "Like" the Toronto Wellness Centre's official Facebook page (Facebook.com/torontowellnesscentre) and comment on the Father's Day Massage Contest Post (pinned to top of page).
To enter in person: Visit the Toronto Wellness Centre at 12 Wellesley St. West, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1E7, and submit a draw entry.
All applicants must enter by 12pm (EST) on Friday June 16th, 2017.
Winner will be contacted by 5pm (EST) on Friday June 16th, 2017.
Winner may transfer prize to one other individual as a gift.
Winner does not need to be anyone's father.
To redeem prize, the winner must contact the Toronto Wellness Centre via Facebook, by calling 416-920-2722, or by booking online.
Apr 26 Comments Off on Mother's Day Massage Contest – Enter Today!
Mother's Day Massage Contest – Enter Today!
Visit us on Facebook or at 12 Wellesley St. West for your chance to win a 1 hour massage with Almarielsa Cansino! Enjoy the massage yourself (you deserve it!) or gift the prize to a Toronto mom that you love!
Prize: One (1) 60 minute massage at the Toronto Wellness Centre with Almarielsa Cansino RMT. Prize cannot be exchanged for cash value, or used for any other service at the Toronto Wellness Centre or elsewhere. Massage cannot be split into two or more sessions.
To enter online: Applicant "Like" the Toronto Wellness Centre's official Facebook page (Facebook.com/torontowellnesscentre) and comment on the Mother's Day Massage Contest Post (pinned to top of page).
All applicants must enter by 12pm (EST) on Friday May 12th, 2017.
Winner will be contacted by 5pm (EST) on Friday May 12th, 2017.
Winner does not need to be anyone's mother.
To redeem prize, the winner must contact the Toronto Wellness Centre via Facebook, by calling 416-920-2722, or booking online.
Dec 11 Comments Off on Gift the Gift of Feeling Great!
Gift the Gift of Feeling Great!
The perfect gift for someone who has everything! Give the gift of relaxation and stress relief this holiday season. All massages at the Toronto Wellness Centre are with qualified, experienced, and talented Registered Massage Therapists.


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The Instituto de Fisica Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos (IFISC), or in English the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems, is a Research Institute in Europe involved in the study of complex systems and complex phenomena, staffed by permanent professors and researchers, non-tenured Postdoctoral researchers and Ph.D. and Master students. It is a joint research unit between the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), situated in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Background
IFISC was created in 2007, as an initiative of the members of the former Cross-Disciplinary Physics Department of the Mediterranean Institute for Advance Studies (IMEDEA). The institute particularly performs research at the border of physics with other disciplines that range from social sciences to natural sciences and information technology. IFISC members develop interdisciplinary research from the physicists' point of view. To this end, the research methodology comprises the transfer of knowledge, concepts and methods from physics to other well established disciplines. IFISC claims to focus on advanced studies with potential applications, avoiding the polarization between basic and applied science.

The research followed by the institute manifests itself in the basis of a transverse line of exploratory nature covering the generic phenomena of nonlinear physics and complex systems, with tools borrowed form Statistical Physics, Dynamical Systems, Information Theory, Computational Methods and Quantum Mechanics. The main research line is complemented by a group of sublines of transfer of knowledge from that line, that include quantum physics and nanoscience, nonlinear photonics and information technologies, geophysical fluids, biocomplex systems and social and socio-technical systems.

Since 2012 IFISC has been running a Master program in Complex systems. The program focuses on the fundamental aspects that are necessary to understand the paradigm of complex systems, including training in theoretical, computational and experimental work.

References

External links
Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems
IMEDEA

Research institutes established in 2007
Research institutes in Spain

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


died on February 3, 2019 peacefully at home.
schools in his career as an Instrumentation Specialist.
adored his grandkids and great grandkids.
grandchildren Alice and Madeline Martinez.
Relatives and friends are invited to call at the family owned and operated MCCULLY-POLYNIAK FUNERAL HOME, P.A. 3204 Mountain Road PASADENA on Thursday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 PM. Where funeral services will be held on Thursday at 7:30 PM. Cremation services to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Art's charity of choice, St. Jude.
Friends and family are invited to join Helene and her children for a reception and sharing of memories in celebration of our loving husband and father Art Lehmann at the funeral home Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.


In order to set up a paid event in Brushfire and accept funds online, you must have a payment gateway and connect that gateway to Brushfire. A payment gateway is a service that is separate from Brushfire that handles the electronic payment processing.
Once a gateway has been configured in Brushfire, when the customer clicks "Place Order", the system contacts your payment gateway and securely transmits the customer's payment information to be processed. If there are sufficient funds and the customer has entered everything correctly, the payment gateway will send back a successful response to Brushfire and the system will let the customer know their payment has been processed and their order is complete. If the payment cannot be processed, the gateway will send back a failed response to Brushfire and the system will alert the customer of the details of the error (usually something simple like insufficient funds) and allow them to confirm their information and try again.
When the payment is successfully processed, the gateway then takes over from there and in a few days (it varies for each gateway and payment processor) the customer's funds will be deposited in your bank account.
Square offers competitive processing rates for in-person and online transactions. Connect your existing Square account or sign up for Square and connect your account to Brushfire in one easy process. All you need to get started is a bank account. Quickly connect to Square from your Brushfire account dashboard.
For instructions on how to connect Brushfire with Square, check out this article.
For instructions on how to connect Brushfire with Stripe, check out this article.
For instructions on how to connect Brushfire to your existing gateway, check out this article.


Take this opportunity to disconnect from cellphones and the internet and disengage from your routine mindspace. The greatly adds value and presence to the time you spend together and let's you be in the moment. Step outdoors with your child in the early morning or late evening to enjoy a little bit of the warmth of sun and explore the wonders that nature has to offer. Long walks, treks or even climbing a boulder or two that Hyderabad is famous for is a great way to challenge yourselves together while you chat and catch up with each other.
Vaccuming or sorting the laundry can be made a party, with some music and laughter! Doing chores together is a great way to share responsibilities at home and let your child be involved in getting things done around home. Give the maid a day off and cook a dish or two together, set time limits and create dusting competitions with a fun reward at the end of the day. There's a lot your child can learn from such experiences.
It's important to equip your child to face life on their own, and teaching them a thing or two about basic life skills is the way to go. Show them how to change a tyre, make themselves a meal, sew on a button or operate the washing machine by themselves. While it might seem silly, these basics are the best thing you can pass on to your child in terms of know-how.
Quality time should not always be defined by the adults. To make it more fair and well, fun, its important that children have a say in it to. Spend some time trying your hand at your child's favourite video game or risk it all with a fun make-up session at the hands of your child. Do what they love, and do what's important to them. This is a great way of communicating that they matter to you.
Nothing strengthens family bonds like a good, spirited and competitive game! Whether its a classic board game like Monopoly or Chess, or indoor games like Carroms (yes, its time to dust off the striker!) or Darts, or even a fun interactive virtual game like Drawful or Fibbage, games are great way to get everyone to team up and get laughing!


text:
package com.griddynamics.maven.plugin.cm;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Properties;

public interface MergeAlgorithm<T extends MergeContext> {

    boolean canMerge(T mergeContext);

    void setProperties(Properties properties);

    void merge(T mergeContext) throws IOException, MergeException;

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Omicron, Moon, Mars and Lhc in 2022 Science – Research and Institutions
2 weeks ago Izer
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1 million euros to redevelop the Karmi space
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Research and science. The Omicron variant will be less severe. According to several published preliminary studies, the new alternative is less dangerous because it does not harm the lower airways of the respiratory system.
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After a year full of bulls, the Wall Street growth room for US stock markets has shrunk, but the end is still a long way off.
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Science: What is the largest flying creature in Earth's history?
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The transfer market in Sampdoria, Skov Olsen is asking for space. An idea for January?
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Artificial intelligence improves life, this is what science says
New technological discoveries in artificial intelligence, in our imagination, have always been interested in science fiction: set in the future...
Mamacita/Space at Reggaeton in anticipation of 2022 in the new year in music
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Nature, from Macerata, is one of the five researchers who in 2022 will open the doors to a new science
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David Rolfe may refer to:

 David Rolfe (swimmer) (1964–2015), Paralympic swimming and paracanoe competitor from Australia
 David Rolfe (singer) (born 1968), American singer


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Trump holds all the aces as Perry crashes out of Glasgow Grand Prix
Published: 5:26 PM October 16, 2008
WORLD No. 12 Joe Perry was humbled by teenage potting sensation Judd Trump when he lost his Glasgow Grand Prix second round match 5-2 last night (Wednesday). Perry, from Chatteris, was in confident mood ahead of the championships. Before it started the 3
WORLD No. 12 Joe Perry was humbled by teenage potting sensation Judd Trump when he lost his Glasgow Grand Prix second round match 5-2 last night (Wednesday).
Perry, from Chatteris, was in confident mood ahead of the championships.
Before it started the 34-year-old said he had been, "playing the best snooker he has played in a long time."
And he came through a tricky first round match with Barry Hawkins, with a 5-3 victory, before coming unstuck against Trump, from Bristol.
Perry blamed bad luck for his defeat.
He said: "I felt as if I dominated the match and outplayed Judd, but somehow I lost 5-2. He didn't look in control of any of the frames, but anything that could go wrong for me did go wrong."
Trump, 19, is the youngest player to make a competitive maximum 147 break at the age of 14.
Since then he has been known for his break-building ability, but it was his safety and tactical play that won him Wednesday night's match to secure a place in his first competitive quarter-final after a succession of closely-contested frames.
Crucible semi-finalist Perry won the opening frame with a break of 70 then Trump won the next two on the colours.
Perry levelled at 2-2 with a 54.
In frame five, Perry missed a red on 47 and Trump countered with 59 before laying a snooker on the brown.
Perry hit it but left his opponent the chance to clear up and take the lead.
The sixth also came down to the last few balls, Trump fluking the green in escaping from a snooker and later potting a brilliant long pink to go 4-2 up.
Perry made 56 in the next but Trump clawed his way back, gained a snooker on the last red then made a 33 clearance which included an excellent pot on the green, nudging the brown away from the baulk cushion.
Trump said: "It's probably the best win of my career, or at least the highest ranked player I've beaten.
"But I'm disappointed to have played so badly. Hopefully in my next match I'll be able to relax a bit and if I can get my break-building going then I know I'm good enough to get to the semis or the final.


>> | some of his open-sourced work.
>> | from one of open-source's leading lights. You've got to love it.
> As I understand things - MS is not anti-open source.
back and deceive a few fools through mainstream media 'cattle'.
> anti-gpl.  There is a difference.


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'Thor' Slurpee Photos Featuring Jaimie Alexander as Sif
Thor Slurpee Photos Featuring Jaimie Alexander as Sif
— April 4, 2011
Are you thirstier than a banished God? Well, don't worry! 7-Eleven has you covered with a new line of Slurpee and Big Gulp cups featuring characters from this summer's mighty Marvel epic Thor. This new line of 7-Eleven merchandise offers a better look at Jaimie Alexander as Sif, along with new looks at Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Destroyer, and Tom Hiddleston as the villain Loki.
You can check out these images below, along with information on how to redeem your Slurpee points to watch an exclusive 3-minute behind-the-scenes featurette containing never-before-seen footage. Even more exciting, Thor gets his own Slurpee flavor: Blue Lightening Blast!
Instead of Super Heroes, maybe they should be called Slurpee heroes. When the first Super Hero movie of the year hits the big screen, you can be sure a 7-Eleven® fun-filled Slurpee promotion, with collectible cups, straws and a crazy-colored flavor, isn't far behind ... or in many cases, out in front of the U.S. premiere.
This year, Slurpee heroes, inspired by Thor, a movie from Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures due to hit theaters May 6, 2011, is thundering into participating 7-Eleven stores in the U.S. and Canada for the month of April.
RELATED: Will Robert Downey Jr. Ever Return as Iron Man? Here's His Answer for Now
The newest Marvel Studios movie tells the epic story of Thor, which spans across the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.
Produced by Kevin Feige and directed by Kenneth Branagh, the production is the first full-length feature film about the Norse god of thunder and long-time Marvel comic book Super Hero known for the power he wields with his hammer. The movie stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston and Jaimie Alexander with a cameo appearance by a 7-Eleven store, also featured in the trailer promoting the film.
In addition to the in-store promotion, special cups and straws, 7-Eleven has added an interactive social aspect with its recently launched Slurpee smart phone app. During the month of April, the app will be re-imaged with a Thor overlay, and visitors will be invited to check in via Foursquare at 7-Eleven stores around the country. With every check-in, Slurpee fans will accumulate prizes and Slurpee Rewards points redeemable by phone or at www.slurpee.com.
Prizes include Thor mobile phone backgrounds, a Thor badge that shows up on the app with check-in, a one-month subscription to Marvel's digital comics and a 30-minute session with Slurpee secretary, 7-Eleven's online concierge service that provides services ranging from answering trivia questions to reporting on sports scores to helping with homework.
Thor fans also can use their Slurpee rewards points to view a three-minute, behind-the-scenes video on the making of the movie, produced by Marvel. The documentary short is available exclusively to 7-Eleven's Slurpee Rewards participants April 1-l5, after which Marvel will release the piece publicly.
7-Eleven has created 10 different collectible cups for its Slurpee and Big Gulp® beverages, including two limited edition molded plastic mugs featuring Thor and the Destroyer, one of the villains in the movie. Among the eight collectible cups are featured Thor's nemesis and stepbrother Loki, and Sif, a goddess who carries a big sword ... and a torch for Thor.
Aptly named Blue Lightning Blast, the bright, turquoise blue Slurpee flavor is described as a thunderous blend of raspberry and tangerine flavors made by Dr Pepper.
Character spoon-straws have been growing in popularity since 7-Eleven introduced them four years ago. For April, exclusive spoon-straws feature the same four movie characters as the cups - Thor, Destroyer, Loki and Sif - in action-figure form for a suggested retail price of $1.99 each.
"There's a reason for the particular success of Super Heroes at 7-Eleven," said Rita Bargerhuff, 7-Eleven, Inc. vice president and chief marketing officer. "Our customers are both enthusiastic supporters of action-hero movies and Slurpee-lovers. They relish a first peek at movies and enjoy supporting products that resonate with them. These fans appreciate the chance to engage in ways that are meaningful and fun and that also build anticipation for a movie's release."
Thor marks the eighth time in as many years that 7-Eleven has partnered with Marvel on a movie featuring one of their larger-than-life Super Heroes. Even as far back as 1975 and 1977, 7-Eleven offered Slurpee cups with Marvel Super Heroes, many of which still show up on eBay and collector's sites.
As part of 7-Eleven's first major promotion of the year, the company created a 60-second radio spot for select U.S. markets and online advertising calling on customers to become the "Thor of Your Store."
Assisting 7-Eleven in developing the partnership and promotion for the Thor program is FreshWorks, 7-Eleven, Inc.'s advertising and marketing agency, which is a consortium of Omnicom companies.
Topics: Avengers, Thor
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'Apex Legends' hits 25 million player mark!
Apex Legends, the free to play battle royale game from EA games and Respawn Entertainment has amazed over millions of players, after the launch across PS4, Xbox One and PC. Surprisingly, the game has arrived on the scene to rivals the likes of PUBG and Fortnite and the game clock hit 10 million marks as the players booted up, within the game's first 72 hours of release and have just passed 25 million registered players after just one week since its release according to developer Respawn Entertainment.
Probably the impressive part is that the new battle royale title at one point had more than one million gamers playing all at once.
Apex Legends delivers a squad-based battle royale experience with a uniquely Respawn flavour. The game shakes up the battle royale genre with a cast of unique characters, squad-based gameplay, innovative mechanics and more.
Players will select from one of eight Legends – each with their unique abilities and playstyles – and the last team standing wins. Combatants can choose from unique characters like Bloodhound, the tracker who can see recent enemy activity on the map, or Lifeline, a battlefield medic who can shield teammates and bring them back from the brink of death. Balanced squads and teamwork are critical, as each Legend is easy to pick up and learn, but challenging to master.
"Our goal in every game you play is that you come in with a plan, but you leave with a story. We're building a game that is not only going to deliver a fun and memorable experience at launch but something we can keep growing for a long time to come," said Apex Legends lead producer Drew McCoy.
Also the Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Challenge, feature 48 Twitch streamers competing live for $200,000 in prizes. This two-part competition goes down on 12 February and 19 February, and it's a chance to witness how the streamers are leading the pack in the new battle royale shooter that's taking Twitch by storm.
Apex Legends showcases several new genre-leading innovations, starting before players even start the match. Once players are ready to begin, they'll choose their drop point with the Jumpmaster system, giving each squad full control over exactly where they drop in.
The innovations don't stop there as Apex Legends also delivers Respawn Beacons for one-time use locations where defeated teammates can revive. A contextual Ping communication system that allows players to call out enemies, weapons, locations and more with the push of a button, and an intelligent inventory system which automatically attaches gear and equipment to the appropriate weapons once players pick them up. All together it creates a battle royale experience unlike any other, complete with Respawn's commitment to top-notch quality and fun.
The first season of Apex Legends is scheduled to kick off in March and to give players the opportunity to purchase a Battle Pass to gain access to exclusive cosmetic items earned through gameplay. It will follow a seasonal model as each themed season will bring new content to the game in the form of new weapons, new Legends, new skins and more.


In broad strokes, the Google Play Max has more distinct bass and present treble out of the box. It makes an impact to play a song, slide the volume up as loud as your ears can take, and try to figure out how the bass is able to punch you from such a compact speaker.
On the other side, the Play:5 has equally impressive volume for its size. The high and lows are very much present, but aren't as distinct with more mids and a fuller overall sound. The Play:5 has a sound which is a bit warmer and not quite as harsh when pushed beyond 40 or 50-percent volume.
The Home Max has more sound personality out of the box, and if you were to put both side to side, I think a lot of people would prefer the Home Max at first reaction. After listening to a bunch of songs back to back, however, I do think the Play:5 is the speaker with a truer and more accurate sound profile. That's what Sonos touts, after all, a speaker which can and is used by professionals with critical ears.
It should be mentioned that all this discussion about sound has a big asterisk attached to it because both the Play:5 and the Home Max can change their EQ based on the room and their placements. Sonos uses TruePlay through your phone to calibrate a room's shape and acoustics, while Google uses Smart Sound and uses the multiple microphones on the speaker to automatically adjust the sound for its location.
The differences in function and capabilities is pretty remarkable, despite both of these being connected speakers with nearly the same form factor.
The Play:5 uses Sonos' app to connect all your music and audio accounts and all speaker interaction happens through the app, in a single location—give or take. Sonos does have Alexa voice controls in beta and can cast from some apps like Spotify and Google Play Music, but it still happens over Wi-Fi. While the Sonos app is an easy target for people to complain about, it is easy to understand that to control Sonos speakers, you do everything through the Sonos app.
There are some oddities because the Home app is where you set up the speaker and it will show your music playing, but you can't really start music from that app, even though you can change the volume and play/pause once music is playing—but you can't skip songs. The Home app will also kick you over to the Assistant app for determining default music services and other speaker preferences.
The primary method for controlling music on the Home Max is, of course, meant to be voice, and that works phenomenally, when it works. Meaning, the microphones and voice control is arguably better than Amazon's Alexa, but speaking the name of bands and music can be tough when it means you need to pronounce names like Haim, Haerts, ASTR, Hajk, Rhye, and tons of others which don't come easily.
Still, the Home Max is really a smart voice assistant for your home, able to control your Nest products, smart lights, and dozens more, and also happens to be a really loud and good home stereo system.
The Play:5 on the other hand is the most capable connected speaker, able to play audio from major services like Apple Music, Spotify, NPR, and MLB, but also tons of smaller services from around the world. It's a music lover's dream. The only issue is that not having microphones and more smarts built in directly, it can feel a little limited in direct comparison to the Home Max.
These two speakers may look similar, but they function pretty differently, meaning the same people happy with one, probably wouldn't have been satisfied with the other one.
If you already have a Sonos Play:5, congratulations, you have a terrific speaker connected to the most audio choices available; there's probably no reason you should pick up the Google Home Max—a Google Home Mini for voice assistance isn't out of the question though.
Conversely, if you picked up a Google Home Max, fantastic, you have a really good smart speaker capable of answering your questions, controlling your smart home, and filling your home with music. You're should be super happy with your purchase.
In the case of these two speakers, this really is case of your specific audio needs and preference. And hey, if you bought one of these and aren't happy, return it and pick up the other one and you should be good to go.


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Elsa Dax (born 14 May 1972) is a French painter and a member of the Stuckists art movement. Major themes in her work are myth, legend and fairytale.

Life and career

Elsa Dax was born in Paris, and educated at the Sorbonne where she gained an MA in cinema, Russian art studies, Constructivism and Suprematism. In 1994, she worked as a production assistant for the film Beyond the Clouds, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. In 1995 she was a librarian in the Pompidou Centre. In 1996 she was a television production assistant at the Musée d'Orsay for the film Whistler, an American in Paris, directed by Edwige Kertes.

In 1997, she was a production cinema assistant at the Ciné Lumière, French Institute, South Kensington, London, and the following year a television encoder and editor for Xtreme Information Ltd. From 1997 to 1998, she rented a 3 sq metre room in a convent, containing just a bed, a small cupboard and a tap. She spent her time there painting, "and I was very happy". In 1999, she worked as an editor at the Cannes Advertisement Festival.

In 2000, she joined the Stuckists, the anti-conceptual art  movement co-founded by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson. She first exhibited with them in their The Real Turner Prize Show at the Pure Gallery, Shoreditch, London, in that year, and participated in their first demonstration outside Tate Britain against the Turner Prize. She also took part in other demonstrations in subsequent years, and has participated in may international Stuckist shows.

In 2001 she founded the Paris Stuckists and organised the Stuckist Vernissage (Stuckist Paintings) the first Paris show of the Stuckists at the Musee d'Adzak: this included the artist Stella Vine (later made famous by Charles Saatchi), who at that time was a member of the Stuckist group. In 2004, she was one of the fourteen "founder and featured" artists in The Stuckists Punk Victorian held at the Walker Art Gallery for the Liverpool Biennial. She promoted the second Paris Stuckist show in 2005.

In 2005, she illustrated a children's book. In 2006, the Tarot Museum in Bologna acquired a Tarot deck, which she had designed in 1999.

Dax was one of the ten "leading Stuckists" in the Go West exhibition at Spectrum London gallery in October 2006.

In 2008, she was the first signatory a petition to the prime minister asking him not to approve Sir Nicholas Serota as Tate director.

She spends her time divided between Camden in London and Paris. She is now a full-time artist. As well as painting her own work, she is also a collector of other Stuckist paintings by Ella Guru, Charles Thomson, Bill Lewis, Philip Absolon, Rémy Noë and Ruth Stein.

She is married to John Kerr, an architect.

Art

Dax said that she chose her themes of myths, legends and fairytales as "I find reality terribly sad and cruel. I need to escape to another dimension," and that her style has been likened to Chagall's. A large body of her paintings are of Greek mythology, composing a mass of figurative detail. She respects the force of nature.

Research for a painting is a combination of academic books on the subject and infant picture books, which leads to a few weeks' mental preparation for the main elements. The first part of the painting is the central character, around which other images evolve in an imaginative process to "discover images like you might discover figures in a cloud."  It takes her three months to complete the painting.

She has said of her work:

Solo shows

2002, Westminster Gym, Houses of Parliament, London
2002, Lourdes Museum, Pau, France

Gallery

Notes and references

External links
Gallery of Elsa Dax myth paintings
Old gallery of Elsa Dax myth paintings
Elsa Dax in mungbeing.com
John Kerr Associates

1972 births
Living people
20th-century French painters
21st-century French painters
Stuckism
University of Paris alumni


Pushing the boundaries of natural skincare, the Balance Me story dates back to more than ten years ago when British sisters Clare and Rebecca Hopkins left their corporate business careers behind to follow their passion for holistic therapy. Starting at the kitchen table, the sisters would experiment by blending various ingredients. It was here that the girls blended the super toning body oil, which soon became one of their best-sellers. Based on their philosophy that "beauty works naturally", the brand is hugely passionate about using natural ingredients and gorgeous essential oil blends.
Help revive tired eyes with Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream. This skin brightening treat targets dark circles and fine lines, whilst providing skin nourishment. Working as a three-in-one treatment, the Eye Cream is gentle yet effective at brightening the entire eye area. Containing a whole host of wonderful ingredients including Roman Chamomile, lemon and anti-oxidant spruce knot, this eye cream is perfect for tired eyes.
Working hard to help banish wrinkles and give you smoother and softer skin, the Intensive Wrinkle Repair is effective as both a day and night treatment. Blended with a gorgeous blend of Neroli, Magnolia and Benzoin, regular use will actively firm and smooth skin – all whilst proving the most amazing hydration. Skin will be left silky soft, smooth and younger.
The Super Toning Body Oil was the very first oil made by Balance Me and it soon became one of the brand's cult products. The oil glides effortlessly and sinks into the skin so it's great for everyday use. Bursting with some of the most amazing moisturising oils including jojoba, macadamia and sweet almond, the oil improves skin tone, encourages good circulation and is sure to give you that signature glow.


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What the Stars of Our Favorite TV Shows Look Like in Real Life
When we switch to a new TV show we immediately fall in love with certain characters, following their screen lives and empathizing with their journeys, finding similarities between them and us or our friends and family. Sometimes, it's impossible to imagine that they have different personalities and even look different in real life.
Bright Side decided to remind you how various stars of our favorite TV shows actually look like in real life. Which celebrity's look will surprise you the most?
The Big Bang Theory: Mayim Bialik (Amy Farrah Fowler)
© Warner Bros. Television, © John Stewart/Pinterest
The Big Bang Theory's neurobiologist Amy is played by Mayim Bialak, who is herself a neuroscientist. She was 35 when we first met her in The Big Bang Theory. Just like Amy, she finds herself being super honest with people and, from time to time, feels a bit uncertain of her place in the social world.
Besides being a neuroscientist, she plays piano, trumpet and even learned to play the harp for her role as Amy. She loves writing and published a couple of books, one of which is about being a vegan. What a wonder woman!
The Big Bang Theory: Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter)
© CBS, © Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia
We all know Johnny Galecki as Leonard, Sheldon's flatmate. But not many of us know that Galecki could have ended up playing Sheldon. According to Galecki, he chose Leonard over Sheldon as he wanted to try something new and the character seemed to have a future of romantic triumphs and challenges.
For two years he dated his co-star Kaley Cuoco, who is known to us as Penny, and they ended their relationship on a good note.
Game of Thrones: Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen)
© HBO, © lincolnlt2001
Emilia was about 25 when she first appeared as Daenerys Targaryen, who is approximately 17 in the first season of Game of Thrones. Since then we've fallen in love with the Mother of Dragons, a strong woman who taught Emilia to embrace her feminism. She said this role showed her what it actually feels like to be a strong woman who stands up to inequality.
It's hard to believe, but the same person who plays Daenerys plays Sarah Connor in Terminator Genisys and Lou Clark in the romantic drama Me Before You. And next year we will see her in Solo: A Star Wars Story!
Game of Thrones: Conleth Hill (Varys)
© HBO, © Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia
Conleth Hill, a 53-year-old actor, who is known to us as Varys in Game of Thrones, was originally cast for the part of King Robert Baratheon. Luckily for the show and the world, in general, he read for Varys and accepted the role. After he did so, he was asked an interesting question: "How do you feel about shaving your head?" As we can guess, he didn't object, though he keeps a full head of hair when he is on break from Game of Thrones. Which image of him do you like more: bald or with hair?
Modern Family: Ariel Winter (Alex Dunphy)
© ABC, © Depositphotos
Alex Dunphy, a Modern Family character, is just a year older than the actress Ariel Winter who portrays her. Ariel was 11 when the first season was aired on ABC. In 2016 Ariel was accepted to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and intended to do a degree in Law or Political Science. She had to delay her education for a year due to a busy work schedule and started her studies in fall 2017.
Ariel Winter openly talks about the breast reduction surgery she had in 2015. The decision to take this step came because of both psychological and physical pain. Ariel said, "It's really difficult to be such a small girl and have so much weight on your chest . You physically hurt. ...I was uncomfortable and unhappy. I chose surgery because of how I felt, not because of what anyone else thought." After the surgery, she felt like a new person.
Besides acting and studying Law she is also an avid singer.
Orange is the New Black: Uzo Aduba (Suzanne)
© orange-is-the-new-black.wikia, © GabboT/Flickr
An entertaining and intriguing inmate on Orange Is the New Black, Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren, is played by Uzo Aduba, a 36-year-old American actress. She won two Emmys for this role. It's hard to imagine the show without this lovable and mentally ill character, but originally the actress was only signed to appear in two episodes of the first season, with an optional third. Her performance impressed producers and they saw more potential in the character.
Grey's Anatomy: Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey)
One of the most favorite and famous surgical interns of all time, Meredith is portrayed by Ellen Pompeo, who recently turned 48. She is one of the highest paid actresses on TV, and Grey's Anatomy is into its 14th season, with the first episode airing in March 2005! Her decision to keep appearing on Grey's was based on her age, as at 33, according to her, she knew that her clock was ticking in Hollywood.
Now Ellen Pompeo is a happy wife, a mother of three and a successful actress. Even though we don't see her much in movies, we are perfectly happy to keep following Meredith's adventurous life.
The Walking Dead: Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes)
© AMC, © Depositphotos
Eighteen-year-old Chandler plays one of the longest-surviving characters, Carl Grimes, on The Walking Dead. He was only 10 when he was cast in his biggest role. According to Georgia state gun laws (he was born in Atlanta, Georgia), a child can't handle any real firearms on the set until age 14. So if you look back at his early scenes, you'll notice he only had a cap gun. On his 14th birthday at 12:01 AM, his co-star presented him with a machine gun.
Lost: Evangeline Lilly (Kate Austen)
© Wikipedia, © Depositphotos
Canadian actress and author who is well-known to the world as Kate from Lost is now 38. When she auditioned for the part of Kate with 74 other women, she did not expect to get it. But when the writer and executive producer saw her tape, they immediately said, "That's the girl!" They almost had to find a new actress as Lily experienced difficulties getting a work visa. After nearly 20 attempts, her application was accepted and she moved to Hawaii to start filming just a day later. Even Hollywood is powerless in front of the immigration department!
Vikings: Gustaf Skarsgård (Flóki)
© vikings.wikia, © Frankie Fouganthin/Wikimedia
Religious zealot Floki is portrayed by Swedish actor Gustaf Skarsgard. He is not the first actor in the family of Skargards; his father and brother are both actors. But he is the first to make a name in Hollywood. Gustaf says that they jokingly check who has the highest ranking on IMDB in his acting family. He admits that life in Hollywood is more liberating than back home. Here, the bigger you get, the better it is, unlike Sweden where if you grow too big, you will be cut down in pop culture to a certain degree.
Shameless: Emmy Rossum (Fiona Gallagher)
© shameless.wikia, © Depositphotos
The main character of a reckless and shameless family from Chicago is played by Emmy Rossum, an actress and a singer-songwriter. In 2017, Emmy threatened to leave the show as she demanded equal pay as her co-star, William H. Macy. Throughout all seven seasons she was earning less than Emmy-nominated Macy. She successfully obtained a raise and renewed her contract for an 8th season.
Suits: Patrick J. Adams (Mike Ros)
© USA Network, © USA NEtwork
Another Canadian actor and a talented photographer, Patrick J. Adams is known to the world as a smart and brilliant unlicensed lawyer in Suits. If you have ever noticed the photographs that were hung up in Rachel's office on the show, you'll be surprised to know they were taken by Patrick.
The creator of Suits admits that he cast Adams because of his very intelligent eyes. Before the show, he had only small roles here and there, but after Suits people started to recognize him on the street as Mike Ross rather than Patrick.
The Handmaid's Tale: Elisabeth Moss (Offred)
© Hulu, © Depositphotos
Elisabeth Moss earned her eighth Emmy nomination for her role as Offred in The Handmaid's Tale where her character tries to make sense of a mad world. Moss took her time before signing on as the show's star and an executive producer. She said that she just wanted to feel sure what she wanted was what everyone else wanted to make.
According to Moss, they wanted to do justice to the book, to be dark while keeping a sense of humor and to be entertaining. Did they live up to this vision? See for yourself: the first season was aired on April 26th of this year.
The Crown: Claire Foy (Queen Elizabeth II)
© Netflix, © Imdb
English actress Claire Foy had to learn a lot to perfect her impression of Queen Elizabeth II. Getting the right dialect that the Queen spoke as a young woman was absolutely essential. Besides her attentiveness, The Crown also employed eight fact-checkers, a dialect coach, a jewelry expert and an on-set etiquette consultant to make sure that every single detail was in place.
Claire won a Golden Globe for this role, but, right from the start, she knew that it wouldn't last long as she was only cast to play the young sovereign for two seasons. Though she did a royal job, Foy will depart the series at the end of the current season and a new actress will assume the mantle.
Which show is your favorite? Which character do you associate yourself with? Share your answers in the comments below.
Preview photo credit HBO, lincolnlt2001