PepsiCo Pakistan signed on to the Women's Empowerment Principles, a joint initiative of UN Women and the UN Global Compact. These Principles provide a set of considerations to help the private sector focus on key elements integral to promoting gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community, through policy and action.
Gender parity is a cornerstone of PepsiCo's robust diversity and engagement agenda as well as its culture. In fact, PepsiCo leverages diversity and engagement as a competitive business advantage that fuels innovation and fosters engagement with employees and members of the communities in which we do business.
By signing on to the seven steps of the Women's Empowerment Principles, PepsiCo takes a global approach to four key areas: promoting economic development through female entrepreneurship, championing gender diversity in business and corporate level, public-private partnerships for advancing women's economic opportunities and providing potential business and investment opportunities through supplier diversity and marketing practices.
PCI was one of the first multinational companies to set up operations in Pakistan. Since commencing its beverage business in the country in 1967, it has grown to be one of the largest consumer goods producers in Pakistan and a market leader in refreshment beverages and snacks. The PCI System including its bottling partners and snacks portfolio directly employ over 15000 individuals while over a million are also indirectly associated with the business. The latter includes retailers, distributers, suppliers, transporters and farmers. With an increasing economic footprint, PCI plays an integral part in the economic growth and prosperity of the nation.
PCI's beverage FOBO (Franchise Owned Business Operations) business operates through its valued bottling partners, which manufacture and sell high quality and leading PepsiCo beverage products such as Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7 Up, Sting, Mirinda, Slice and Aquafina. PCI's snacks COSO (Company Owned Snacks Operations) business, which was launched in Pakistan in 2006, now features globally renowned brands including Lays, Wavy, Cheetos, Kurkure and Quaker, which have established themselves as favorites with the Pakistan market. Pakistan is one of the few markets which have the distinction of exporting locally manufactured snacks to over six countries including Malaysia.
Since 1967, the PCI System has made significant investments in the form of a beverage concentrate plant in Hattar, beverage manufacturing plants nationwide and state-of-the-art snacks manufacturing facility at the Sundar Industrial Estate in Lahore. The Pakistan business ranks in the top ten global markets for PepsiCo.


text:
Q: AWS, GitHub Action: User is not authorized to perform: sts:AssumeRole on resource(CodePipeline) I hope some help from AWS Experts.
I'm going to execute the AWS CodePipeline using GitHub Actions. I'm following this example and I already set the roles for this.
But when I test it, there is an error like this.
"Error: User: arn:aws:iam:::user/lms-test is not authorized to perform: sts:AssumeRole on resource: arn:aws:codepipeline:us-west-1::lms-test"
To fix this error, I also added sts:AssumRole to current user(lms-test), but still same error.
I look forward to getting solution about this problem.
Thanks for your time and consideration.

A: Theres something missing in your trusted policy. Change it as follows:
{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Principal": {
                "Federated": "arn:aws:iam::xxxxxxxxxxx:oidc-provider/token.actions.githubusercontent.com"
            },
            "Action": "sts:AssumeRoleWithWebIdentity",
            "Condition": {
                "StringEquals": {
                    "token.actions.githubusercontent.com:aud": "sts.amazonaws.com"
                },
                "StringLike": {
                    "token.actions.githubusercontent.com:sub": "repo:[your-org]/[your-repo]:*"
                }
            }
        }
    ]
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Myflowerapp has revolutionized the experience of online flower delivery all over India. Birthdays, graduations, promotions, weddings, anniversaries, baby showers, Mother's day, bridal showers, business launches – no matter what you are celebrating, it cannot be complete without flowers and deserts! Flowers bring smile and joy every time you receive or send them.
The budding petals, enduring smell brighten any moment. Nothing is better than sending flowers as a reminder of your love, concern or simply making anybody's day brighter.
Know our story: At Myflowerapp, we believe that sending flowers is simply the best way to express your feeling, celebrate or just being thoughtful!!
We bring you the very best flowers available, for that perfect bouquet for any season, for celebrating any milestone, or just because you are thinking about that person. We make sure that the flowers remain fresh and bright, full of fragrance when they are delivered. Our bouquets are hand-arranged, and hand delivered, making sure of their freshness. We make it easy to send flowers by simply clicking of a button. For last minute gift, we got you covered by sending the same day delivery!
Myflowerapp was founded by a few individuals, Venture Of Orangespike LLP, who are passionate about bringing quality products to you! Our team of experienced professionals helps ensure that we bring the maximum efficiency, exquisite aesthetics, competent technology, and affordable prices to our valued customers. With the help of our powerful set-up and channel stores, we currently have our network in 20 major cities and 408 cities across India and, we are growing rapidly. My FlowerApp offers a wide range of services that are backed by the optimal utilization of our resources. We use advanced technology-based systems to reach our customers and their necessities.
We deliver on time and we do it efficiently, thanks to our expert professionals. We are dedicated to maintaining authentic vendor management policy along with the modern technologies. We strive to offer our customers the quality products at affordable prices.
We at Myflowerapp delivers the best quality of flowers at a competitive price. Your satisfaction is our guarantee. We love to hear from you, your feedback is very important to us. We are here to listen to your suggestions for any improvement in our products and service.


text:
Q: Mapping multiple XML elements in Excel I am trying to map an XML file into an Excel worksheet to create a report. There will be multiple XML files all imported into a single Excel worksheet.
I have created an XSD file and I am able to map it to the Excel file and import data but the values are not mapping correctly in the Excel sheet.
Below is the XML sample file, all the files share this structure.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Task>
    <ID>13568133</ID>
    <Title>Sample</Title>
    <Description />
    <Status>InProgress</Status>
    <CreatedOn>Thu, 20 Feb 2014 15:41:21 GMT</CreatedOn>
    <Start>Tue, 25 Feb 2014 00:00:00 GMT</Start>
    <End />
    <CreatedBy>Joe Smith</CreatedBy>
    <Assignees>
        <Assignee>Bob Harry</Assignee>
    </Assignees>
    <Comments>
        <CreatedOn>Fri, 21 Feb 2014 15:28:56 GMT</CreatedOn>
        <CreatedBy>Person A</CreatedBy>
        <Comment>
  - Will they also be leading the P2P process during due diligence?
  - Robert has expressed concern around who will manage the P2P process
  - Robert to review IT Analyst Deck shared with his team earlier this month on 2/19</Comment>
        <CreatedOn>Wed, 05 Mar 2014 23:11:46 GMT</CreatedOn>
        <CreatedBy>Person B</CreatedBy>
        <Comment>- Complete initial onsite due diligence 3/3 to 3/5
- Mapped out current state process flows and initial validation confirmed by client
- Client may want to go live ahead of having CMD solution in place</Comment>
        <CreatedOn>Fri, 07 Mar 2014 22:17:31 GMT</CreatedOn>
        <CreatedBy>Person B</CreatedBy>
        <Comment>- Future state process flows in progress (15% completed)
- Tim  to contact client with clarification questions for future state
- Tim  to discuss process with client.</Comment>
        <CreatedOn>Tue, 11 Mar 2014 14:29:05 GMT</CreatedOn>
        <CreatedBy>Person B</CreatedBy>
        <Comment>- Future state process flows in progress (60% completed)
- Reviewed future state flows with the team on 2014-03-10, a number of questions resulted from the discussion and Tim will contact the client for clarification
- I sent my list of questions for the client on 2014-03-10</Comment>
        <CreatedOn>Thu, 13 Mar 2014 17:38:41 GMT</CreatedOn>
        <CreatedBy>Person B</CreatedBy>
        <Comment>Current state process maps sent to Tim for validation of process, future state process maps in progress (70% completed)</Comment>
        <CreatedOn>Thu, 20 Mar 2014 17:57:55 GMT</CreatedOn>
        <CreatedBy>Person B</CreatedBy>
        <Comment>Future state process maps in progress, 85% completed. Future state process maps continue to be validated and refined with the team.</Comment>
    </Comments>
    <Attachments />
</Task>

The trouble is that each comment and its CreatedOn and CreatedBy are in a single Comments block.
The XSD I was able to come up with is-
<xsd:schema xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
    <xsd:element nillable="true" name="Task">
        <xsd:complexType>
            <xsd:sequence minOccurs="0">
                <xsd:element minOccurs="0" nillable="true" type="xsd:string" name="Title" form="unqualified"></xsd:element>
                <xsd:element minOccurs="0" nillable="true" type="xsd:string" name="Description" form="unqualified"></xsd:element>
                <xsd:element minOccurs="0" nillable="true" type="xsd:string" name="Status" form="unqualified"></xsd:element>
                <xsd:element minOccurs="0" nillable="true" type="xsd:string" name="Assignees" form="unqualified"></xsd:element>
                <xsd:element minOccurs="0" nillable="true" type="xsd:string" name="Start" form="unqualified"></xsd:element>
                <xsd:element minOccurs="0" nillable="true" type="xsd:string" name="End" form="unqualified"></xsd:element>
            <xsd:element minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" nillable="true" name="Comments" form="unqualified">
            <xsd:complexType>
                <xsd:sequence>
                    <xsd:element maxOccurs="unbounded" type="xsd:string" name="CreatedOn"></xsd:element>
                    <xsd:element maxOccurs="unbounded" type="xsd:string" name="CreatedBy"></xsd:element>
                    <xsd:element maxOccurs="unbounded" type="xsd:string" name="Comment"></xsd:element>
                </xsd:sequence>
            </xsd:complexType>
            </xsd:element>
            </xsd:sequence>
        </xsd:complexType>
    </xsd:element>
</xsd:schema>

The trouble then is Excel maps the Comment, CreatedOn and CreatedBy onto different rows as shown in the screenshot. How can I make it so all these values are on the same row?
http://i.stack.imgur.com/VMXJ0.png
Thanks!
Joe


text:
Q: HTML: Items nesting within the item that comes before to it
I believe it has something to do with the <div> tag. I'd prefer not to post my code as its a mix of python and HTML and am asking particularly if anyone has seen this specific type of error before.

A: The issue was that in my HTML generated by a Python for loop, I was not closing the div tag which then caused this structure to render.


ST. LOUIS (PAI) — Saying that "America is about expanding democracy, not about shrinking it," AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre helped kick off Missouri's campaign against a "voter ID" initiative to restrict the right to vote in the Show Me State.
Gebre, a one-time political refugee himself, discussed race, politics and the photo voter ID constitutional amendment that's been placed on Missouri's November ballot when he came to St. Louis on Oct. 15. It was his fifth visit to the city in the past 12 months.
Gebre's remarks against Amendment 6 are in line with AFL-CIO efforts in other states to ensure that workers, blacks, Latinos, women, students and the elderly are not thrown off the voting rolls or thrown out at the polls this year and in the future.
Similar efforts are under way in other swing states, such as North Carolina, where Republican-run legislatures and governors railroaded similar restrictive voter ID laws through.
Gebre helped kickoff the Missouri Right to Vote's No On 6 Campaign door-to-door neighborhood canvass. The statewide coalition is working to educate voters about the dangers of Amendment 6, which would cost $17 million in taxpayer dollars to implement and make it harder, if not impossible, for nearly 220,000 previously eligible Missouri voters to vote.
"America is about expanding democracy not about shrinking it," Gebre told a roomful of union members, faith leaders and community activists meeting at SEIU Local 200.
If approved in November, Amendment 6 would allow HB1631 to become law, and require a current government-issued photo ID to vote. A Republican majority in both houses of the state legislature voted to place the question on the Nov. 8 ballot.
The Missouri AFL-CIO, which is part of the coalition, also held its door-to-door neighborhood canvass. The volunteers highlighted the multitude of ways that Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jason Kander and gubernatorial candidate Chris Koster will have the backs of working people. As Secretary of State – whose office enforces election laws – Kander provided the estimate for those being disenfranchised.
The Missouri governor's race is particularly important to workers. Term limits are forcing Gov. Jay Nixon (D) to retire. Nixon has had to veto many anti-worker bills approved by the lopsidedly Republican state legislature. Koster could provide a similar check.
Missouri AFL-CIO President Mike Louis compared the effort to stop Amendment 6 and defeat the millionaires, billionaires and anti-union CEOs who are trying to rig Missouri's elections to the Biblical story of David and Goliath.
"It's always a good day to fight for our freedom, and really Amendment 6 is about freedom," declared the Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, pastor of an historically black church in the state capital of Jefferson City. As executive director of Missouri Faith Voices, she's also spokeswoman of the Voter Protection Coalition's drive against the measure.
Denise Lieberman, a senior attorney in the Advancement Project's Voter Protection Program, said state law already requires voter ID. Amendment 6 goes beyond that, she said.
Lieberman used her own mother, Joy, as an example. Despite voting in every election since 1952, despite serving on the University City Board of Education for 24 years and having a school named after her, she would have trouble securing an appropriate ID because the first name on her birth certificate is different than the name on her driver's license and the name she has always used.
The St. Louis Labor Tribune: With over 60,000 paid subscribers, the Labor Tribune is the country's top union paper.


Come for the beer, but stay for the range of food vendors in this beer hall.
One of the only real nightclubs in Salzburg, City Beats makes for the perfect end to your night.
This trendy bar gives off serious hipster vibes.
We came for the "Latini Panini" (they don't call them that, but we think they should).
One of Salzburg's most famous cafés, known having served members of the Mozart family.
Known for its wide array of fresh pastries, but we suggest the plate-sized sticky bun.
The local favorite for regional cuisine, nestled in a hidden alleyway.


First, lets start this by asking what is spiritual awakening? I've come to understand that spiritual awakening means you realize what is real. Not just what your five senses; sight, touch, sound, taste and smell have told you is real but your extra senses as well. We have a subtle world operating all around us that if you quiet yourself long enough, you can be a part of and move about within it. I believe we all have spiritual awareness everyday, but for some it doesn't stick to create that awakening we are yerning to experience. True, some move around in this world completely distracted by its sounds, sights and colours. Never looking in to see the deeper meaning behind everything we experience. All things, and I mean ALL things, have a deeper meaning behind them. From what we would consider the most insignificant situation, to the most profound. I live in the subtle world everyday. Using my spiritual gifts to experience it. I think of my gifts like a muscle that I use, that others like me use. We can all excercise this muscle, if we so choose, and believe me the things I know, feel and understand are absolutely incredible. Some days I feel like a superhero. "Why bother?" Some may ask. Well, armed with that extra knowledge, spiritual awakening can help you navigate in the world we live in today. Over the years, I have found that my spiritual awakeness has assisted me in many difficult situations. I have been able to recover from tragedy quicker, and manifest changes in the experiences I have had that are not necessarily what I would deem desirable. We are not the victims we think we are. All things can be changed and become lessons and opportunities for growth. Yes, things happen that we wish would not happen. It is your examination of the situation which makes you awake or asleep. I would like to master my own responses to feel calm within the storm. I am not there yet, but I do work on it and that is all we can do. Finding peace within, is how we find peace without. People will hurt us intentionally and unintentionally, but that is all a part of our lesson plan. It comes down to the ego. The ego serves its purpose, and we all have one, but do you want to let your ego rule or do you want to be the observer instead. Do not beat yourself up when your ego takes charge. Instead remember that you are the one who controls you, so acknowledge the ego and move on. So you exploded at someone who made you mad or they hurt you so you hurt them in reaction. This is a part of what we are as humans. It is not necessary to punish yourself forever for being human. This is a common experience for a lot of us. It serves nothing if you are always criticizing yourself or others. Learn to let it go. A very hard and easy thing to do. Guilt is a difficult feeling to navigate, but it is self inflicted and serves no one. We will make mistakes, but it is all a part of your growth. There are techniques we can use such as, meditation, visualiztion to recreate how you would have rather reacted. The secret is that what you imagine in your mind, is enough to make it better in what you perceive is your reality. We are in charge of our lives and now is a time of awakening. If you haven't noticed yet, we are being called to wake up and be accountable for our thoughts, feelings and actions. It is my belief that 2017- 2020 is a mass spiritual movement and awakening. Those of us who do not become responsible and integral in our own experience will be forced to do so, by situations and experiences that will make us look inside for a deeper reason for why we have a loss of people, wealth, health etc. I don't know about you, but I would rather ride the wave of change then to try and fight the wave and drown or become overwhelmed. So what do we do next? There is a magnitude of information out there. I like to go simple. Start by watching the Secret. It is a movie that you can find very easily and has been watched by millions of people. I remember when this movie first came out, it was still online only. You couldn't get it on DVD yet. I made all my family watch it with me and then I bought it and still watch it annually. If i'm having a run of "bad luck" or "misfortune" I plug it in and shift my thinking. We are so much more then we think we are. Our thoughts are what we need to master. Be a person you can be proud of. Inside and out. It all starts with your thoughts. What do you think about the people around you? Do you see the divine gods and goddesses around you as just that? Or do you judge them on things like what they look like, or what they drive, or where they live? We are all divine, and we need to remember that we are Spirit. We are all here having a human experience, and not the other way around. Divne light. Be the person you wish others to be. Find your divine light and shine. Namaste.


text:
The Wars Of The Jews
Or The History Of The Destruction Of Jerusalem
Concerning The Interval Of One Hundred And Sixty-Seven Years.
From The Taking Of Jerusalem By Antiochus Epiphanes,
To The Death Of Herod The Great.
HOW ARISTOBULUS WAS THE FIRST THAT PUT A DIADEM ABOUT HIS HEAD;
AND AFTER HE HAD PUT HIS MOTHER AND BROTHER TO DEATH, DIED HIMSELF,
WHEN HE HAD REIGNED NO MORE THAN A YEAR.
1. FOR after the death of their father, the elder of them, Aristobulus, changed the government into a kingdom, and was the first that put a diadem upon his head, four hundred seventy and one years and three months after our people came down into this country, when they were set free from the Babylonian slavery. Now, of his brethren, he appeared to have an affection for Antigonus, who was next to him, and made him his equal; but for the rest, he bound them, and put them in prison. He also put his mother in bonds, for her contesting the government with him; for John had left her to be the governess of public affairs. He also proceeded to that degree of barbarity as to cause her to be pined to death in prison.
2. But vengeance circumvented him in the affair of his brother Antigonus, whom he loved, and whom he made his partner in the kingdom; for he slew him by the means of the calumnies which ill men about the palace contrived against him. At first, indeed, Aristobulus would not believe their reports, partly out of the affection he had for his brother, and partly because he thought that a great part of these tales were owing to the envy of their relaters: however, as Antigonus came once in a splendid manner from the army to that festival, wherein our ancient custom is to make tabernacles for God, it happened, in those days, that Aristobulus was sick, and that, at the conclusion of the feast, Antigonus came up to it, with his armed men about him; and this when he was adorned in the finest manner possible; and that, in a great measure, to pray to God on the behalf of his brother. Now at this very time it was that these ill men came to the king, and told him in what a pompous manner the armed men came, and with what insolence Antigonus marched, and that such his insolence was too great for a private person, and that accordingly he was come with a great band of men to kill him; for that he could not endure this bare enjoyment of royal honor, when it was in his power to take the kingdom himself.
3. Now Aristobulus, by degrees, and unwillingly, gave credit to these accusations; and accordingly he took care not to discover his suspicion openly, though he provided to be secure against any accidents; so he placed the guards of his body in a certain dark subterranean passage; for he lay sick in a place called formerly the Citadel, though afterwards its name was changed to Antonia; and he gave orders that if Antigonus came unarmed, they should let him alone; but if he came to him in his armor, they should kill him. He also sent some to let him know beforehand that he should come unarmed. But, upon this occasion, the queen very cunningly contrived the matter with those that plotted his ruin, for she persuaded those that were sent to conceal the king's message; but to tell Antigonus how his brother had heard he had got a very the suit of armor made with fine martial ornaments, in Galilee; and because his present sickness hindered him from coming and seeing all that finery, he very much desired to see him now in his armor; because, said he, in a little time thou art going away from me.
4. As soon as Antigonus heard this, the good temper of his brother not allowing him to suspect any harm from him, he came along with his armor on, to show it to his brother; but when he was going along that dark passage which was called Strato's Tower, he was slain by the body guards, and became an eminent instance how calumny destroys all good-will and natural affection, and how none of our good affections are strong enough to resist envy perpetually.
5. And truly any one would be surprised at Judas upon this occasion. He was of the sect of the Essens, and had never failed or deceived men in his predictions before. Now this man saw Antigonus as he was passing along by the temple, and cried out to his acquaintance, (they were not a few who attended upon him as his scholars,)
"O strange!" said he, "it is good for me to die now, since truth is dead before me, and somewhat that I have foretold hath proved false; for this Antigonus is this day alive, who ought to hare died this day; and the place where he ought to be slain, according to that fatal decree, was Strato's Tower, which is at the distance of six hundred furlongs from this place; and yet four hours of this day are over already; which point of time renders the prediction impossible to be fill filled."
And when the old man had said this, he was dejected in his mind, and so continued. But in a little time news came that Antigonus was slain in a subterraneous place, which was itself also called Strato's Tower, by the same name with that Cesarea which lay by the sea-side; and this ambiguity it was which caused the prophet's disorder.
6. Hereupon Aristobulus repented of the great crime he had been guilty of, and this gave occasion to the increase of his distemper. He also grew worse and worse, and his soul was constantly disturbed at the thoughts of what he had done, till his very bowels being torn to pieces by the intolerable grief he was under, he threw up a great quantity of blood. And as one of those servants that attended him carried out that blood, he, by some supernatural providence, slipped and fell down in the very place where Antigonus had been slain; and so he spilt some of the murderer's blood upon the spots of the blood of him that had been murdered, which still appeared. Hereupon a lamentable cry arose among the spectators, as if the servant had spilled the blood on purpose in that place; and as the king heard that cry, he inquired what was the cause of it; and while nobody durst tell him, he pressed them so much the more to let him know what was the matter; so at length, when he had threatened them, and forced them to speak out, they told; whereupon he burst into tears, and groaned, and said,
"So I perceive I am not like to escape the all-seeing eye of God, as to the great crimes I have committed; but the vengeance of the blood of my kinsman pursues me hastily. O thou most impudent body! how long wilt thou retain a soul that ought to die on account of that punishment it ought to suffer for a mother and a brother slain! How long shall I myself spend my blood drop by drop? let them take it all at once; and let their ghosts no longer be disappointed by a few parcels of my bowels offered to them."
As soon as he had said these words, he presently died, when he had reigned no longer than a year.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Our FIAR choice this week was Gramma's Walk by Anna Grossnickle Hines. It was an interesting book in concept, but a little too obvious in execution. I strongly recommend Anna and Natalie for its brilliant take on people with disabilities. I would say that Gramma's Walk is better for smaller kids and will work well with "five senses" units. Overall all three "follow up books" I highlight in this post were met with more enthusiasm that this FIAR book.
I kept Ladybug Girl at the Beach out of Smarty's reach until after she actually got a chance to be on a real beach. Of course, "her" beach was very different because of the water temperature. Strangely, it also had very few seashells, we were lucky to find one. Also, unlike the main character of the book, my daughter had no hesitation getting into frigid waters (provided that I was close). Still, she absolutely loved this book of first beach experience since she could connect to it now.
Shells, Shells, Shells is another book in a great series by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. We read some other books in it, but this particular book was recommended by The Adventures of Bear. I like how these books manage to make some complex concepts accessible for young children and add some humor elements as well. The book is somewhat long for younger kids, but they might still like beautiful illustrations.
Out of the Ocean by Debra Frasier is a great beach book that we enjoyed for the second time. Again, this book was a lot better received after an actual trip to the beach, especially since we had a funny experience when the ocean wave ripped a pail out of Smarty's hands, took it in and then washed it out some time later. Very exciting stuff for a 4 year old :) I loved the illustrations in this book – beautiful.
All of these sound lovely! I need to take my kids to a beach this summer - so far they've only been to a man-made one this year.
Nathan is sharing some of his favorite crafts of all time..come see his picks.
Way to couple reading with real life! Did you pick Anna and Natalie to read, just because of the title?
I was wondering the same thing as Leah about Anna and Natalie.
R is a big fan of all of the Ladybug Girl books.
We haven't spent much time at the beach this summer because I just don't have the energy for it. It makes me feel a little guilty because R LOVES the beach so much.
I love this link up and all the new book ideas!
What Lives In a Shell looks like one we'll get. I've been thinking of getting a hermit crab and this might be a good introduction.
We also LOVE Toot and Puddle. The Kitten in the Cold sounds like a sweet story.
I read that Ladybug Girl book at the store and need to go back and get it soon, we love that entire series.
We had the same experience at the beach, very hard to find many shells.
All the books sound great! I agree with Leah about how you used all the ocean books with a real life experience.
I had the same thought as Leah and Christy about the book featuring your names.
It's special to enjoy books that reflect real life experiences.
We still have a whole month of winter left, yet when I went to the shops yesterday they were selling swimsuits. I saw some particularly adorable ones for Miss Taleea but they were not practical and sun safe for our harsh Aussie sun.
M loved the Ladybug Girl at the Beach book. I thought it was a cute story too. I hope to get back into sharing our books soon. It's been a very busy summer and blogging has been on the back burner for a while.
We haven't read any of these yet, which is too bad since we just spent a week at the beach. I love your pairing, and it sounds like you had a great time.
I will have to check into the Ladybug Girl book series, sounds like something my dd would like.


text:
D.C.-based Indian eatery Rasa opening in North Bethesda
Two longtime friends and Montgomery County natives have made a big name for themselves on the Washington, D.C., dining scene. Now, the duo is bringing their business home.
Rahul Vinod and Sahil Rahman grew up in Gaithersburg, but said they felt really drawn to starting a business in Washington, D.C., as they were living there at the time and hoped to follow other similar fast-casual dining eateries like Sweetgreen and CAVA, Rahman said.
The duo started Rasa, a fast-casual Indian restaurant, five years ago and it has spread like wildfire since its conception with two locations in D.C. and two more in Virginia.
The North Bethesda location is scheduled to open between March and April. The location will also be one of Rasa's larger sites with 2,200 square feet and a large door, which was designed in and delivered from New Delhi. This location will also have bar seating, which is a first for Rasa locations.
"We've wanted to be in Montgomery County, specifically Rockville for a long time," Rahman said. "Obviously it's got such a cool homecoming feel to it, but we also just love Rockville geographically because you're close to Bethesda, you're close to Gaithersburg…It was just so centrally located on [Rockville Pike]. It's very visible and you're right at the nexus of so many things happening."
The North Bethesda location is in Montrose Crossing shopping center between honeygrow Five Guys at the former site of Slapfish, at 12033 Rockville Pike.
The business was inspired by following in the footsteps of their fathers, who are also friends and owners of Bombay Bistro in Rockville.
"Our dads, 31 years ago, opened their first restaurant, Bombay Bistro in Rockville right off of West Montgomery Avenue," Rahman said. "So quite literally, we grew up at our family restaurants. Being able to come back to Rockville is just really incredible – [a] full circle moment."
According to Vinod, the most popular items on the eatery's menu includes the Tikka Chance on Me bowl, which features chicken tikka, tomato garlic sauce, basmati rice, sauteed spinach, pickled radish, kachumber, pickled onions, toasted cumin yogurt and mint cilantro chutney. Another favorite is the Open Sesame, which features lamb kebab, peanut sesame sauce, basmati rice, charred eggplant, cucumber cubes, pickled onion, mint cilantro chutney and mango coconut yogurt. Customers also enjoy the Aloo Need is Love, which features sweet potato tikki, coconut ginger sauce, lemon turmeric rice, charred eggplant, pickled radish, tamarind ginger chutney, masala beets, cucumber cubes and lentils.
Rasa offers seven set bowl options on its menu. Credit: Provided by Rasa
"We find that a lot of new customers, they tend to order some of our set bowl options on their first or second time and then as they get more familiar with the menu, they start to kind of build their own bowls as they go along," Vinod said. "We have seven set bowl, which are kind of a good guide if it's your first time here. Each set bowl [comes] with a different protein option and then over 80% of our menu is vegan as well so we cater to people of different backgrounds, diets, spice levels."
Not only is the upcoming opening a way for the duo to return home and expand their business, but also to share their food with members of the community.
"[The overall goal] is to introduce people to Rasa, who we are, what it is we do, we want to share delicious Indian food that taste good and makes you feel good," Rahman said. "We really want to connect with our community and use this restaurant as, hopefully, a launching pad to sharing our food with more folks around the area."
EU risk watchdog warns of market stress from commercial real estate
Searchers find 2nd hiker in area where Julian Sands missing


Obama: Bush Strategy Strengthened Iran.
"One of the most profound consequences of the administration's failed strategy in Iraq has been to strengthen Iran's strategic position; reduce U.S. credibility and influence in the region; and place Israel and other nations friendly to the United States in greater peril," Obama told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobbying group.
The Bush administration recently altered its position, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying this week that the U.S. is willing to talk to Iran on security in Iraq.
Obama also emphasized in his speech his commitment to protecting the security of Israel, which he called "our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy."
"Our job is to renew the United States' efforts to ... help Israel achieve peace with its neighbors while remaining vigilant against those who do not share that vision," Obama said.
I think too many folks on the left are reflexively turned off by pro-Israel comments in the same way too many on the right scream "anti-semite" when someone disapproves of Israeli policy. They're our ally, and we ought to support them, but when they do wrong, we ought to say so as well - they're a democracy, they can take it.


text:
FDA Approves First Fully Automated Test to Screen for West Nile Virus in Blood and Tissue Donors
WEBWIRE – Monday, March 5, 2007
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the approval of a license supplement for the first fully automated West Nile Virus (WNV) nucleic acid test for donor screening. The Procleix WNV Assay on the Procleix TIGRIS system is licensed to detect the virus' genetic material in plasma specimens from individual donors of blood, tissue and organs, and other living donors. It is not intended for use on cord blood specimens or as an aid in the diagnosis of WNV infection.
The Procleix WNV Assay on the Procleix TIGRIS system can be used for testing individual donor samples or for testing pooled samples from up to 16 individual donations of whole blood and blood components. This assay system provides flexibility that allows implementing testing of individual blood donor samples more extensively during periods of high WNV activity.
The Procleix Tigris system is fully automated and is capable of performing certain steps that are generally performed by technologists when using semi-automated systems. The difference between this assay system and the previously approved Procleix semi-automated platform is the degree of automation.
"The capability of full automation can reduce the potential for human error while accelerating donor screening and enhancing the safety of blood and tissues," said Jesse Goodman, M.D., director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. "This is the latest step forward in what has been a very successful industry-government effort to keep blood safe from the emerging threat of West Nile virus"
WNV is typically spread by infected mosquitoes. However, transmission does occur, although much less commonly, through blood transfusion or organ transplantation. While most infected individuals have mild disease and recover spontaneously, infection can be serious or even fatal. WNV was first detected in the United States in 1999, and has recurred each year ever since then, becoming endemic in the country. It is estimated that between one and three million people have been infected with WNV.
The Procleix WNV Assay on the Procleix TIGRIS system is manufactured by Gen-Probe Inc. and is marketed by Chiron Corporation.


text:
Tipsy Typer
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Toppled Statues: US and Germany, side by side (why true history matters)
I came across a post the other day that said, "Over 1.1 million people were murdered in Auschwitz and it still stands 72 years later. Why? Because Jews who survived wanted it preserved, as it is a reminder to never let the evil that was Nazism ever happen again. Never tear down memorials!" This seems to be a common refrain and comparison in the debate on Confederate statues that have taken up residence in the US. Those who wish to keep these monuments in place state that tearing down these statues is a revisionist attempt to erase an entire period of our history. Now, I have a few issues with this argument, and I think it's important to dissect these sentiments if we are ever going to get to the heart of the issue. For starters: there is a distinct line between keeping historical sites that intend to educate people about our history, and keeping a memorial statue that glorifies a group that shouldn't be glorified.
Comparisons to Germany
I'm going to start here with comparisons to Germany because- well, it's pretty quick. What the author of the quote above fails to mention is that Germany did not maintain Nazi memorials after the war. Granted, there are many sites and museums dedicated to the Holocaust and the atrocities that took place on their lands, and Auschwitz does still stand as a vocal reminder of what humans are capable of. But the intent of these sites is the key difference: they disavow Nazism and are brutally honest about the horrendous things this regime did. A Confederate statue in a community park does not bear witness to the pain and atrocities of slavery or the systems that they created to marginalize an entire group of people for generations to come.
Whenever a regime is toppled, they generally don't get to decide if the memorials they erected get to stand- often they don't. This is a common refrain throughout history. In Germany libraries were immediately stripped of all Nazi books, newspapers that touted Nazi propaganda were shuttered. Statues and monuments were systematically destroyed by the government. You will not find a statue of Hitler existing in Germany today because any form of Nazi memorial that venerated or glorified the war or Nazi ideals was banned and criminalized. Some structures (admittedly, not all) were razed to the ground; and in a few instances, museums were erected in their place. In 1949 the display of the swastika was criminalized and the symbol was scraped, and occasionally blown off of buildings with explosives.
The German people themselves were not immune to the dismantling of the Nazi party and the way it's ideals were ripped out at the roots. Participants in Nazi activities were prosecuted, and executed in some instances. Many of those who were executed were buried in mass unmarked graves to ensure that their final resting places would not become Nazi shrines. It was crucial to Germany as a whole that the ideals of the Nazi party were disavowed to ensure that the horrors of the holocaust would not happen again. This idea even went a step farther and major Nazi strongholds that held the risk of being used as glorified monuments were intentionally tainted with anti-war activities. For example, Nuremberg was considered to be at the heart of Nazism, it was the location where anti-Jewish laws were enacted and the major rallies took place. The famous photos of Hitler talking to large swaths of Nazi soldiers were taken here- it was an iconic location deeply tied to the Nazi movement. To ensure that this location didn't become a beacon for any simmering Nazi ideals, it was specifically chosen by the Allies to hold the post-war trials of the Nazi leaders.
Now, this didn't mean that the ideas planted by the Nazi party didn't survive into future generations. It took decades for the German population to fully recognize their role in the war and come to terms with the atrocities inflicted upon others. It was a long process before this portion of their history was ever even taught in school. But eventually, that happened. And if you look at Germany today, you will see a nonmilitary state that has attempted to atone for their crimes and be a warning to others. Now, this piece right here is going to come into play later. But first, I think it's important for us to dive into the actual history of the confederate monuments in order to make a full circle.
The History of Confederate Memorials
What most people don't seem to fully realize is that most of the Confederate Statues existing in the United States today were not created until after the confederacy fell. That's right, they didn't even belong to the time period that many are 'trying to protect.' To be fair: there were a few 'original' monuments that were erected during, or immediately after, the war. However, those were almost exclusively memorials commemorating lost soldiers and were placed in the graveyards where they were buried.
Most of the statues existing today are of a different nature. They were erected in direct response to an uptick in civil rights activity, and they primarily focused on glorifying Confederate leaders and the role of southern participants. They were not built strictly within the confines of the 11 states that attempted to secede from the union; in fact, they can be easily located in 31 different states, as well as the District of Columbia. Now, the point that I really want to drive home is the timing that these statues were erected, because I find that to be particularly telling when we get to the issue of intent and context. If you look at the list of monuments and the dates they were established, you will see two large spikes along the timeline, and both of them have a very similar thread running through them.
The first spike in statues and memorials came about around the turn of the 20th century when two things were happening simultaneously. First, there was a political push to rebrand southern states as noble patriots, and not as "rebels," which was the preferred moniker during the war. The rebranding was an attempt to recreate the narrative (a revisionist narrative, you may ponder); to reclassify southern men as innocents who were simply intent on protecting their culture and livelihood against the overwhelming military might of the north. This was actually a pretty successful push, which is evident in the fact that somehow confederate flags are considered patriotic, even though they actively fought to separate themselves from the red, white and blue.
The second thing that happened during this time period, which is by far the overriding event: there was a noticeable upswing in civil rights activity related to the Jim Crow Laws established after the war. This was a period marked by resistance, with activists such as Ida B. Wells, Charlotte Hawkins Brown, and Isaiah Montgomery, to name a few. An increase in violence and murder of the black community led to a responsive increase in race riots, to include the 'red summer' of 1919. I don't find it coincidental that this increase in racial strife coincided with an uptick in confederate monuments put on display in public areas, such as city centers and parks. To me personally, this seems to be a pretty overt way of sending a message, of displaying a moral and social ideal.
The second spike in confederate monuments happened during the mid 1950s and 1960s. That's right: at the height of the civil rights movement itself. This was the time of Rosa Parks, the Little Rock Nine, Woolworth's lunch counter, the freedom riders, MLK, Malcolm X, the march on Washington, Bloody Sunday; and the key legal battles of Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fair Housing Act and more. The increase in Confederate monuments appears to be in direct response to the civil rights movement itself, and a not-so-subtle push towards the idea of white supremacy at a time when that group felt as though they were losing political ground. The creation of these statues was not made with southern pride at it's heart, it was a direct and racist response to a society that was attempting to push forward.
The context and intent of these monuments matters. The point of view and ideals that they portray are extremely important. In Germany you will find monuments that have been dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust, not the perpetrators. In fact, the German government has been extremely careful to ensure that Nazi sites don't "call to" the wrong people. There was major concern when the bunker Hitler committed suicide in was uncovered. The fear was that this site would be used as a shrine of sorts for those still following the Nazi ideology. There were attempts made to destroy the bunker, though it proved pretty sturdy. What remains of it was sealed, and an intentionally low-key informational board was placed nearby; although there was much debate on even giving it that much attention. The site is currently used as a parking lot. The German government and population made specific decision to ensure that those who inflicted pain on others would not be glorified in the eyes of future generations.
The fact that many of the Confederate monuments were raised years after the war, coinciding with key moments in the civil rights movement: that matters. In a country that has struggled with overt, insidious, and systemic racism for it's entire existence, having these statues on our soil and displayed prominently in public areas: that matters. Taking down the monuments isn't about revising history, it is about acknowledging the full depth and breadth of what happened here: just like Germany had to do. It is about proving what our true ideals and intentions are. Can you imagine the outcry if Germany had waited a few decades after the war and then raised Nazi statutes, claiming it was about honoring their history and showing German Pride? Can you imagine car races taking place where the Nazi flag with it's notorious swastika were prominently displayed next to the country's flag, and it was characterized as 'pride?' How exactly would the German Jewish population feel? Don't you think their thoughts and feelings on the issue should be taken into account? How is this any different?
We tend to have a bad habit of ignoring the pieces of our own past that we do not want to accept. We ignore the stories of those we oppressed as a nation, we don't educate or provide prominent monuments for the Native Americans that were displaced and killed, or the Japanese citizens who were placed in internment camps, or the countless souls who were brought here in chains by those in power. You cannot venerate the perpetrators of violence and still try to tell their victims that you still care about them and their role within our mutual society.
Once again, like Germany, there is a change of mentality that is required here. It took decades for some of the German population to disavow the ideals set fourth by the Nazi party. It took an entirely new generation coming of age to begin asking the difficult questions and coming to terms with their role in a part of history that they wish didn't happen. Even after the statues and swastikas were removed, there was still a battle of ideals that had to take place. Just removing the Confederate monuments will not end racism. But what it does is prove that dedicated steps are being taken to reach that goal. It proves that we, as a society, want to do better. It proves that we recognize the harm inflicted over the course of our history.
Removing icons won't fix the flaws in our society. But it will provide space for new stories that deserve to be told and other parts of our history that deserve time in the light. Being dishonest with ourselves about the intent and purpose of these monuments only compounds the harm that they can cause. It's time for us to finally face our role within our own history and vow to do better.
Author katiebell318Posted on June 24, 2020 June 24, 2020 Categories ActivismTags Activism, confederate, confederate statues, history, monuments, racism, statuesLeave a comment on Toppled Statues: US and Germany, side by side (why true history matters)
Remember the Past (Memorial Day Tribute)
Perhaps my family has been fortunate in the fact that the cost of war has not touched us deeply in several generations. The last member we lost on the battlefield was my great-grandpa's brother during WWII. Now, I grew up right next door to my great-grandparents, and fell asleep to the twisted fairy tales my grandpa would create, so his generation was no mystery to me. But now that I am an adult, I regret that I didn't ask him more questions about his life, his time in the war, and the brother he lost overseas.
We tend to look at our family history through the prism of distance. While we may share DNA, there is an otherness about the past that can be difficult to overcome. Truthfully, I never really put much thought into what life may have been like for my ancestors. I know where we emigrated from, but I can only guess as to why. I know what we did when we got here, but I don't know if that was a part of the dream, or something we settled for. Where they happy accepting the farming life once again after crossing that vast ocean to get to the land of promise and plenty? Did they carry other dreams that were or were not fulfilled?
Recently I was searching through old military records and came across some files on my great-grandpa's brother. He had been a tail-gunner in WWII, shot down over the Philippines. The plane he went down in was never recovered, and he was presumed dead for the remainder of the war. The internet tells me that his name is listed on a memorial they created on the island, but I've never seen it. These were all facts that I already knew, tales passed down through family lore. But it wasn't until I came across a copy of his enlistment card that it all truly sank in. He was one of my own.
I stared at the handwriting that chicken scratched the same last name I've copied over onto a million papers. I couldn't help but notice how the style looked so similar to my own, and I wondered if maybe he had been left-handed too. The enlistment form shows that he was tall like the rest of us, with the same red hair that was passed down to my sister. He had a scar on his left knee, and I desperately wish I knew the story behind it. He was still a teenager when he joined, and from what I know of my family, he probably spent most of his life on a farm, though this is purely conjecture. It's these tiny, seemingly insignificant details that take the idea of a person and cement them into reality.
He was 22 years old when he, his pilot, and his plane disappeared over their target late in the day on February 12th in 1945. The war would be over in about 6 months, but he wouldn't see the end of it. The military report indicates that the element leader flew back to the scene in search of the missing men or spot a debris field, but they didn't find anything noteworthy before the setting sun forced them back to base. It was unknown exactly what happened to the two men on board. All troops on the island were put on alert, in hopes that the men would be found on the ground; and additional planes were sent out the next morning, but no one ever found a trace of them. They were gone, just like that, without any indication of what their final moments may have been like. Only 22 years old, and that was it.
As a writer, I take a particular interest in the inner workings of people. And I can't help but feel a twinge of pain at the idea that this is all I will ever really know about a soldier who shared my name. Looking back now, I wish I had asked my great-grandpa more questions about his life and the brother he lost. I wish I knew how he responded when he heard the news. Did he ever secretly hope that his brother lived on somewhere? Did he ever struggle with the thought that he didn't truly know how things had ended?
I remember my great-grandpa as the tough man who liked to poke at people until they snapped back. He got such a kick out of it, and respected anyone who held their ground against him. He was the same man who would greet us with "Well don't you look all purdied up" every time we came over, even if we had ripped jeans and dirt on our faced. He's the same man who would tell us a bedtime story of his own creation every time we stayed the night. My personal favorite was his own version of Jack and the Beanstalk, ending with the giant falling from the stalk and breaking his leg, forcing him to be kind to all of the tiny people who helped him get better. It never occurred to me as a child that there was more to his own story. I never thought to ask more questions.
So this Memorial Day, I take the time to remember the stories I know and think of the ones I was never told. I remember to ask more questions so these histories don't die after the last breath is taken. This is the importance of stories; these truths and histories that we must be sure to carry with us into the next generation. Because the lives we live, the ones that came before us, and the ones that will follow: they matter. Even the tinies of details matters- like how a boy got a scar on his knee before he joined the war once upon a time.
Author katiebell318Posted on May 25, 2020 Categories LifeTags family, genealogy, history, memorial day, writerLeave a comment on Remember the Past (Memorial Day Tribute)
The Cards Never Told Me the Computer Would Crash (my adventure learning tarot)
I sat there staring at the spinning wheel of death on my computer and couldn't help but laugh at the irony. I was trying to register my final score after finishing a test to prove my proficiency with reading Tarot cards, and yet I still did not see this particular obstacle coming. It seems my third eye needs glasses just as desperately as my two earthly ones.
I've always had a fascination with the obscure and unusual. I am drawn to stories about the Oracles of Delphi, and tend to dip my toes into the realm of mysticism when dabbling with fantasy projects I'm working on. It also happens that I am a firm believer in jumping down the rabbit hole in search of your interests to see where they lead you. As fortune would have it, when I stumbled across the registration page for the Tarot course I made a decision and dove right in.
Now, tarot makes some people very nervous; the stories surrounding it tend to be dark and a bit creepy, the stereotypical practitioner you see in the movies is generally an odd little duck who points to bad omens before wrapping her thin shawl tightly around her scrawny shoulders, cackling and disappearing into a foggy night. The symbolism on the cards bring to mind stories of the occult. But as it turns out, the truth is a little less dramatic.
Tarot cards can be traced back to the mid-15th century in Europe. At the time they were not considered to be great lightning rods of divination. In fact, their original incarnation was in the form of a card game, which went by several names: trionfi, tarocchi, or tarock. To be fair- games were a very serious business in the age of the Renessaince. The artwork that began to adorn the cards became a point of pride as they made their way across Europe.
When the game traveled to France, the people there were acutely interested in Egyptian and hermetic philosophy and the purpose of the cards began to shift over time. New meanings were ascribed to the illustrations, and the drawings themselves began to change to reflect this thought process. As far as we can tell, some of these earlier iterations were more focused on assisting with inner and personal development as opposed to straightforward fortune telling.
Humans have a stronge desire to make sense of the world that they live in, coupled with an uncanny ability to connect dots where none had previously existed. As time passed and tarot cards became more popular, the narrative attached to them evolved. Authors of the age began to write books and theories about the origins of these divine cards, reinforcing the occult ideas and mystical symbolism painted onto each one. Eliphas Levi wrote The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic in the 1800s; this book is a key piece that led to the modern assumption that tarot had always been tied to the ancient mystical arts around the world, in spite of the lack of true historical documentation.
That being said, there is still a certain allure to the cards that depict the human story so beautifully. The cards portray the characters of our lives- they are full of heroes and villains, successes and failures. Over time they have been given allegorical power that symbolizes our journey from birth to death- adventure, betrayal, love, sacrifice, innocence, and enlightenment. This is where their modern power lies.
I will be honest- I am not the kind of girl who believes that the spirits are whispering to my cards and telling me the secrets of the universe. But I do still fully accept and appreciate that they carry significant power. as I have learned to read them, I have discovered a simple truth: we are all on a journey searching for happiness and enlightenment. The tarot is relatable and vague enough to apply to most situations. What it does is give people permission to view their problems from the safety of a new perspective. You can let your mind wander to what is truly bothering you and glean the meaning that you are looking for. It gives you permission to think and accept the thoughts that you already have buried in your mind. Perhaps you already know that the relationship you are in is toxic to you- the cards help you put those feelings into words. I believe their original use as a tool for self development is still the most accurate one there is.
And, if nothing else, they are a fantastic way to pull a story out of a plot hole you've written yourself into. Don't know what to do with Toby after his shinanigans in chapter three? Pull a card and see what awaits his future. Perhaps it will be a three of swords (heartbreak and betrayal), or the wheel of fortune (aka the karma card), maybe he deserves an eight of cups (leaving the safety of what he knows in search for something better), or, if he's been really bad, a good ol' fashioned tower card (a sudden change, the thing that he dreads more than anything coming to pass). The possibilities are truly endless.
So in the spirit of my new certification as a tried-and-true Tarot reader, I decided to do a reading for myself and this blog. It was actually kind of fun. I did a basic 3-card spread (there are literally thousands you can choose from). This is what I got:
Justice in this particular position tells me that there was a large decision in my past that led me to the specific place that I am at in my life. In relation to this blog, the first thing that came to mind was my decision to go back to school full time while attempting to simultaneously work over 40 hours a week, maintaining a fairly busy family/personal life, and still making time to write. It should come as no surprise to anyone (except me) that this plan failed spectacularly. My writing took the biggest hit; I didn't have the time or the energy after all of my other obligations were done. And while I absolutely loved being back in school, the personal price was too steep. My writing was the way I felt grounded, it filled my soul in a way that nothing else could. Sacrificing that time left me feeling like a rowboat unmoored in the ocean.
It led me directly to card number 2: the five of pentacles. It's a sad looking card, isn't it? This one is all about needing help, being down on your luck, and feeling like an outsider. The picture really tells the whole story. That was the very definition of me without my writing. I lost touch with who I was at the moment in my life when I needed it the most. My writing is my soul in physical form; when I sacrificed that I lost the most fundamental part of who I am. I felt one-dimensional, left out of the vibrant colors of my own life. I needed to find my way back.
That desperate need to rediscover my personal joy and creative spirit pushed me right to the final card: the two of wands. This little gem is all about reflection and opportunity. It symbolizes your need to search for the right path to follow. You have the tools and the ability, hell, the world is literally in the palm of your hand. But you have to find your place in this world, you must search for the direction that is calling to you. For me, the answer was simple: find my creativity again, start putting pen to paper and toss these words back out into the world. I missed this, far more than I wanted to admit.
This is the beauty of the cards: they give you the distance you need to admit hard truths. They helped me acknowledge the guilt I felt for abandoning the blog, the fear that paralyzed me these last few months when I couldn't figure out where to start to get back to it. And the inevitable pride I felt when I finally broke down the wall and took the first step towards myself again- rediscovering the path I never should have left.
The cards may not have told me that the computer was going to crash, but they helped me figure out why I felt like I had crashed. I think I'm okay with that particular plot twist.
Author katiebell318Posted on June 21, 2019 Categories UncategorizedTags challenge, future, history, learn, mystical, occult, tarot, writingLeave a comment on The Cards Never Told Me the Computer Would Crash (my adventure learning tarot)
When the water rises, you swim (finding beauty where you didn't look)
You must find beauty where you would least expect it if you want to survive in this world. It's okay to fall under the heartache, the pain, the anger, the frustrations- but you must always find the strength to search out your reason to stand again. You must open your eyes and search for the beauty that will inspire you to move forward. It will always be there, though you might not always be ready to see it.
It doesn't happen very often that the world tosses a perfect analogy into your lap. When the fortuitous hands of fate decide to gift you with a little ironic gem, it is best to grin and say thank you. This past weekend- I found my figurative self in literal nature.
There's a park by my house that I don't go to all that often. It's called Cottonwood Beach because it has a small sandy shore right along the river. During summer, this is where everyone pretends they are lounging alongside the ocean, though we are several hours from it. There's history along this river; Lewis and Clark traveled through here, and you will see statues and monuments peppered all along their trail. In fact, they even wrote about this particular little beach after spending six days camping there during March and April of 1806. It was in the running to be the winter camp for the group of explorers, but eventually it lost to Fort Clatsop. To commemorate their stay here, we have a park named in their honor, as well as beautiful monuments and statues placed in memory of their fearless pursuit into the unknown. Large cement canoes sit along the upper shore, there's the outline of an old post, and beautiful walkways to enjoy.
Now, it's no secret that I've been struggling with my anxiety issues lately, and if I'm honest, I've been feeling that persistent burn in virtually all areas of my life. On Saturday, I was starting to feel like I was drowning, slipping under the frustration that I was letting envelope my life. So I did the one thing I know to do in those situations. I called my sister and we went to the park.
What I find so ironic, is that I reached out because I felt that I was figuratively slipping underwater. And then we ventured off to this little park on a beautiful 90 degree day- and this little spot was literally underwater. That's right- after a few weeks with very little rain, we still managed to flood. Nature has an odd sense of humor, but for once- the irony to be found in this analogy hit me right between the eyes. There was no missing this nudge.
At first I was a bit annoyed- what were we going to do now? Of course, it was just my luck that the one time I try to go here, there really is no 'here' to go to. Well, my dear friends, if there is any lesson you should take from me it is this: if you can't beat them, join them.
Instead of turning back around like everyone else, we waded in and headed for the little patch of dry ground on the other side. There is something thrilling when you follow an underwater trail (even a gravel one that is only headed straight). We enjoyed the fact that for once the place was calm and quiet. We sat in the partially sunken cement canoes and listened to the calming melody of the river. We watched three different families of geese paddling around right beside us. It turned out to be completely and utterly beautiful. This misadventure that I nearly chalked up to another moment of bad timing and rotten luck wound up being the salve I needed to soothe the panicked voice inside. When I climbed into that cement boat, I was climbing into my own personal life preserver. I found solace in the beauty of a nature that cannot be contained by human elements. I found a moment of clarity in a world that is always running so damn fast.
Sometimes when it seems like the world is turning it's back on you, when nothing is going right and all you can do is throw up your hands and yell 'of course!' Perhaps you should take a moment to stop and really look around. The world could be holding out your saving grace- you just don't recognize it. There is beauty in every moment, there is an adventure in every story- you just have to find it my friends. I found mine sitting in the bottom of a cement canoe in the middle of a flooded park- the last place I would have thought to look. Imagine how many gifts the world has offered you, and you just walked by without recognizing them. We are guilty of this, but we do not to be. I must always remind myself to slow down and tilt my head so I can see the world from a new angle. It's all about perspective, my friends. Don't be afraid to look- you will be disappointed.
Author katiebell318Posted on May 31, 2017 June 1, 2017 Categories LifeTags anxiety, calm, clarity, flood, frustration, history, lewis and clark, Life, park, peaceLeave a comment on When the water rises, you swim (finding beauty where you didn't look)
Friday the 13th: the Myth, the Legend, the Legacy
Gloom, despair and agony on me
Deep dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all
In 1976, a New Yorker named Daz Baxter was reportedly so afraid of Friday the 13th that he opted to play it safe and stay in bed where no harm could befall him. That same day he was was killed when the floor of his apartment building collapsed. Coincidence, or is this date fated to truly exude the madness and mayhem of the unlucky?
In 1993 the British Medical Journal published an article aptly titled 'Is Friday the 13th Bad for Your Heath?' The goal of the researchers was to determine the relationship between health, behavior and superstition surrounding this particular day in the U.K. To do this they opted to review hospital admissions stemming from auto accidents, while taking into account the volume of traffic, on two different Fridays: the 6th and the 13th. Now, surprisingly, there were consistently fewer people who braved the roads on the 13th, and yet hospital admission for accidents was significantly higher, showing an increased risk of 52% when compared to the 6th. But is this a sign of the unlucky spirit of the day, or a simple matter of psychology where we believe we are unlucky, and therefore we fulfil our own prophecy?
There is a name for those who fear this day, a name that causes my soul to squirm and shiver when attempting to pronounce it: paraskevidekatriaphobia. Today I went on a quest to discover the origins of this little holiday that captures the imagination and inspires many horror films and scary stories. What I found was surprising, and perhaps a bit vague. So grab a drink and let's break it down.
The infamous number 13:
The theories and negative associations surrounding this number are plentiful. If 13 people sit down to dine, the first to rise will be soon to die. The Turks had such a fear of this number that it became practically nonexistent in their language. It takes 13 witches to make up a full coven. If you have 13 letters in your name, then you have the devil's luck. Want a few examples to think over after you have counted the letters in your own? Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy, Albert De Salvo (the Boston stranger), Aileen Wuornos (murdered 7 men in one year and said she'd do it again), Saddam Hussein, Lavinia Fisher (the first American serial killer who poisoned guests at her boarding house), Osama bin Laden; I am sure the list goes on. The fear of 13 has even carried into our modern society; many cities do not have a 13th street or avenue, and many building don't possess a 13th floor.
Now, not all cultures despise the number. The Chinese always regarded it as lucky, as did the Egyptians in the time of the pharaohs. Even today: I am a big fan of a baker's dozen where I can get 13 tasty treats instead of 12. But why is there a general dislike of something as unassuming as a number across history and cultures?
To answer that in part, we have to take it back to the Egyptians. Remember how I said that they thought it was a lucky number? Egyptians believed that life itself was meant to be a quest for spiritual ascension, as do so many religions. They believed that this spiritual journey could be broken down into stages; 12 in this life and the 13th beyond, which they viewed as their eternal afterlife. As such, they associated 13 with death, but in their views it was meant as a desirable and glorious thing. As time passed and subsequent cultures rose and fell, the original association between the number thirteen and the nature of death remained strong. What weakened, however, was the light that it was viewed in. People forgot the spiritual context of a happy and glorious afterlife, and began to fill in that empty space with their internal fears of death itself. That fear bred a mistrust and general distaste for the number it was connected with.
Another theory centering around the vilification of the number 13, interestingly enough, ties into the ever raging battle of the sexes. The number 13 represented femininity and was revered within prehistoric worship. As an example, it can be seen in a Stone Age carving known as the earth mother of Laussel, found near the Lascaux caves in France and is often cited as an iconic matriarchal spirit. This carving depicts a female figure holding a crescent-shaped horn that bears 13 notches. The number 13 corresponds to the number of lunar (menstraul) cycles in a year. It is thought that the matriarchal number fell out of favor as many societies and religions found themselves leaning more towards a patriarchal viewpoint.
The religious connotations related to the number 13 carry over into Christianity as well. The predominate story is centered around the Last Supper. There were thirteen in attendance. One of the disciples then betrayed Jesus Christ, leading to the crucifixion. To add an interesting twist, shall I mention the fact that the crucifixion itself was said to take place on a Friday? Ah yes, it appears that the plot thickens. Let us carry on with this thread.
The Fear of Friday:
Personally, I have never been afraid of Friday, nay, I revere and uphold this day as the oh-so-sacred end point of my working week, and my occasional day for lovely happy hours filled with hummus plates, cheesy tots and blue moons at my favorite Irish pub. But the love for this day has not always existed.
Old wives tales and general theory abound when it comes to this particular day of the week. It is said that if you change the bed on a Friday it will bring you bad dreams. Cutting your nails will lead to bad luck and sorrow. If you start a trip on a Friday you will encounter misfortune. Relating to this, ships that set sail on this day will encounter bad luck. There is even an urban myth stating that the Royal Navy once attempted to dispel this fear amongst their sailors so they created the H.M.S Friday. The story goes that they made a point to handle all major events on Fridays; they commissioned and named the ship, laid the keel, launched the vessel, selected the crew and captain, and embarked on its maiden voyage- all on separate Fridays just to prove the point that the superstitious fear was unfounded. The story concludes that, once it set sail, the ship was never seen or heard from again. This story survived under the guise of fact for many years and was spread through such notable publications as 'The Reader's Digest' before additional research was done to conclude that the ship itself never actually existed.
So once again, where does this fear stem from? Once again, there are deep ties to religion when it comes to the fear of a Friday. In terms of Christianity, Fridays were generally no-good, awful, very bad days. As I mentioned before, the crucifixion is said to have taken place on this day. It is also believed that Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden on a Friday, the Great Flood, the tying of tongues at the Tower of Babel, the destruction of the Temple of Solomon; all took place on Fridays.
It was also considered a sabbath day in many other pre-Christian religions. This meant that when Christianity took hold in many of these territories, that day became somewhat vilified by the father's of the church due to its 'heathen associations.' In an attempt to discredit the day and ensure that fellow christians would not begin to follow the practice of a Friday sabbath, it was decried the 'witch's sabbath,' a distasteful connotation in a superstitious era.
Another tie to the witchy word happens to stem from its very name. The word Friday is derived from a Norse deity who was worshipped on the 6th day. Depending on the story you read, she was either known as Frigga (the goddess of marriage and fertility), or Freya (the goddess of sex and fertility). These two dieties became intertwined with one another throughout the myths, and are still difficult to differentiate. The goddesses are associated with Venus, the Roman goddess of love. This association meant that those who believed in her felt that Friday was an especially lucky day to get married, as it was her day. Once again, this was to change when Christianity made it to the show. As I said earlier, it discredit the heathen practices. It was re-named the witch's sabbath. During this vilification process, Freya herself was depicted as a witch. Alongside her, her sacred animal, the cat, was rebranded as the witch's pet, an association that maintains to this day. From then on, Freya's day of love was recast as a day of evil intentions and ill omens.
It was not just religion that cast a dark pallor over the day, however. These undertones existed in other cultures as well, thought wether by coincidence or design is yet unknown. It became a recognized day of death. In pagan Rome it was their execution day, which morphed into Hangman's Day in Britain. The bloody stains could not be easily washed from the fabric of our beloved Friday.
What Brought Friday and the 13th Together at Last?
So we have two separate histories marked by fear and apprehension. But what brought these two together in solemn matrimony? That's hard to tell, though theories abound. One, admittedly not my personal favorite, circles back to our undercurrent of religion. This concept has arisen in well-published novels, such as The DaVinci Code. The theory itself surrounds historical events, in the form of the decimation and mass arrests of the Knights Templar, which took place on Friday the 13th. Now, I'm not going to spend extensive time on this theory because I don't find it particularly compelling or plausible. At the time, the events were not cast as a major event, and they would have had little effect over the superstitions and colloquial terminology of the day. While religion has a strong holding over the original superstitions of the two separately, I don't think they can claim credit for the joining of the ideas.
Another belief stems from a book published in 1907, written by Thomas Lawson. It is simply titled 'Friday, the Thirteenth,' and is about dirty dealings in the stock market. It sold relatively well for its time, and some have attributed the origins of the real Friday the 13th to this book. Though in actuality, it appears unlikely that the author came up with the idea himself, as the context of the story nods to the idea of the unlucky day as being one already known in the public conscious. Though, there is a good likelihood that he helped spread its universality. So for that we can thank him (or curse him, depending on your personal beliefs).
Personally, I follow a simple theory, though far less romantic; that people noticed a similar thread between the two and noticed when they coincided on a calendar. Think about it; Friday's have historically been viewed as unlucky. The 13th has been viewed in the same light. So it stands to reason that when you combine the two, you come up with unlucky multiplied by two. When viewing a calendar it would be easy to spot the anomaly, and given people's perceptions of the two distinct ideas, it isn't a far stretch to assume that they would then view the day as one to be doubly dreaded. After all, in the 1898 edition of the 'Dictionary of Phrase and Fable' there is no mention of Friday the 13th, though there are separate sections listed for each unlucky title. It wasn't until later editions that they were combined under one heading. This seems to be a natural progression in the superstitious trends.
This year we will see two occassions to fear the day; the first is right here in January, and our next is nestled snugly in October, a rather fitting month if you ask me. So whether you are one to march boldly out your front door and dare the day to do its worst, or whether you prefer to roll up in bubble wrap and avoid public transportation for the intervening 24 hours, may you be safe and have fun. Just remember, our fears have only the amount of power we grant them.
Author katiebell318Posted on January 12, 2017 Categories Learn Something New, Life, Lush-Us LessonsTags 13, friday, friday the 13th, fun fact, history, lesson, superstitionLeave a comment on Friday the 13th: the Myth, the Legend, the Legacy
A Tidbit about Tipsy Typer
As tempting as it is to use this blog as an excuse imbibe with a few margaritas (blended, naturally), before clickity-clacking my way through a few new pages, that wasn't the intent. Write drunk, edit sober is more of an analogy on how to view the work. It means to write without limits, be bold, throw inhibition to the wind and dig deep. When you write you must embrace your passion. But when you edit, proceed with a meticulous hand. So rest assured, this is no alcoholic author's lair (though, if you offer a Blue Moon, I wont say no).
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Barack Obama Chooses Culture Artist Kehinde Wiley To Paint His Presidential Portrait
Written By Omar Mazariego
While Donald Trump continues to go out of his way to destroy Barack Obama's legacy, the 44th President of The United States is choosing to have his likeness immortalized on a canvas by none other than Kehinde Wiley.
The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has announced that Kehinde Wiley has been tapped to paint the official presidential portrait of the last real President the country has known.
Kehinde Wiley is known for his large-scale portraits of young Black men wearing the latest in Hip-Hop attire. Some of his more notable work includes portraits of The Notorious B.I.G., Michael Jackson, LL Cool J and other music legends.
For the portrait of Michelle Obama, Amy Sherald has been tapped to capture the grace of the former First Lady.
Needless to say, we can't wait to lay eyes on the final product.
Don't be surprised if Donald Trump taps Bob Ross to do his presidential portrait when his time comes.*
[*We know.]
barack obama	, kehinde wiley	, Newsletter


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2014's Best Sci-Fi Movies
Ticket sales at the box office may have been at a 20-year low in 2014, but that doesn't mean there wasn't anything worth seeing. I'm a firm believer that, no matter the state of the industry, there will always be people making exciting, interesting films, you just might have to look for them. Regardless of what this means for studios and their bottom lines, sci-fi fans had a lot to dig into over the past year. There were huge, spectacle style blockbusters right along side quiet, introspective independent features more concerned with ideas than eye candy, as well as everything in between. There are a few gaps in my genre viewing for the year—I still have yet to watch titles like Young Ones, The Zero Theorem, and Under the Skin for some reason—but in this spirit, here are my top ten (actually eleven) sci-fi movies of 2014.
Hands down, I didn't have more fun at a movie over the past year than I did watching Guardians of the Galaxy. When I first heard Marvel was adapting one of their more obscure titles, I thought it was a gamble, but it's one that paid off huge. Not only is it the biggest domestic movie of the year (number two globally behind the latest Transformers), but director James Gunn delivered a pitch perfect blend of swashbuckling action in the vein of Star Wars, sarcastic humor, and legitimate emotional connection. It's even more impressive considering that the main cast includes an unrepentant thief, a vicious assassin, a revenge-driven madman, a talking raccoon who likes guns, and an anthropomorphic alien tree who only says three words. In a cinematic universe that often feel homogenous across titles, casts, and crews, Guardians breathed some much appreciated life into the MCU, and, more than anything Marvel has done to date, stands as it's own unique thing, and we can't wait to see more.
It took a long time for Snowpiercer to pull into the station, but it was well worth every second we waited. Director Bong Joon-ho and The Weinstein Company went rounds over significant edits, but the filmmaker stayed strong and we got his intended cut. Set on an train that endlessly circles the frozen wasteland of a new ice age, a rigid caste system develops where the poor dwell at the back while the wealthy live in opulence near the front. Tired of the boot on their throat, the oppressed classes, led by Chris Evans' Curtis, violently rise up and march forward against the tyrants, personified by Tilda Swinton's Mason. Evans and Swinton do career best work, and though it admittedly it comes off the rails a bit near the end, Snowpiercer is bleak and damn near desolate, but continually shifts, eschewing easy answers and clear definitions, and maintains just enough of a sliver of hope to keep from being entirely devoid of optimism.
Who knew one of the most affecting, human movies of 2014 would revolve around super-smart motion-captured apes? For the first few moments, as Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his ape cronies swing through the Northern California Redwoods, you're stunned by how incredible the special effects are. To their credit, in a true testament to their quality, a few minutes later you forget about them entirely. While the human side of Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is woefully underdeveloped, the film more than makes up for it with the dynamic between the apes. Themes of family, friendship, sacrificing for the greater good, making hard choices, and intolerance run through the narrative, and almost every element comes together to form something greater than the sum of its parts. No matter how much they try, two characters, one on each side, can't stem the tide of the inevitable coming conflict, and Dawn remains a haunting film that sticks with you long after the credits roll.
Edge of Tomorrow will probably go down as the biggest marketing blunder of 2014. The film was an absolute disaster at the box office, so much so that it was rebranded for its home video release. Almost no one saw this movie, which is a shame, because the Tom Cruise-starring actioner is way more than just the Groundhog's Day-with-aliens flick that was marketed. Cruise is as good as he's been in years, playing a smarmy military officer with no combat experience who is thrown onto the front lines, forced to relive the same day over and over again. And if you're not a fan of the Top Gun star, you get to watch him die, repeatedly, which is fun. Inventive and surprisingly funny—there's far more black gallows humor than you were led to believe—Edge of Tomorrow is a movie about repetition that's never repetitive. Like Dredd a few years ago, people are going to discover this on home video and kick themselves for not seeing it in the theater.
You can lob criticisms at Gareth Edwards' Godzilla all day long, and they're almost all warranted, from the lackluster human component to the title monster only being on screen for something like 15 minutes. But while there are big problems, there's also a giddiness to watching the legendary skyscraper-tall beast roar, stomp through a major metropolitan city, and clash with other monsters. The only way to describe these scenes is awesome, and even with all of the flaws, and the most wooden lead in any movie of 2014 (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, I'm looking at you), it's more than enough to satisfy me and delivers precisely what I wanted out of this movie.
A low-budget, idea-driven time travel story, Time Lapse made the festival rounds in 2014, gathering tons of awards along the way, and if there's any justice in this cold, cold world, many more of you will see this in the year to come. Set primarily in a single apartment, three young friends discover a camera that takes pictures 24-hours into the future and use it to their advantage. A slow-burn conflict develops between the trio, and tension mounts—director Bradley King channels Hitchcock and DePalma. Everything starts out great, but the dark shadows of greed and ambition begin to take over in short order and outweigh any potential benefits. Along with similar indie genre films like Safety Not Guaranteed and Primer, Time Lapse instills an important lesson in all of us: don't fuck with time.
The Purge: Anarchy
Despite being a sequel to a movie I didn't particularly care for, The Purge: Anarchy is a badass throwback to the tough-as-nails, gritty exploitation actioners of the '70s and '80s. While the first film has an interesting hook, but is little more than a standard home invasion flick, Anarchy opens up the world and shows you how the other half, the poor and disaffected who can't afford fancy security systems, survive the one night a year where all crime, even murder, is legal. This is something you would have seen in a grindhouse theater in days gone by, and more than anything, it announces Frank Grillo as the baddest man currently working in Hollywood. This is a kind of movie that doesn't get made much anymore, let alone released into theaters, the kind of movie where the chiseled-jaw anti-hero—he's on a quest for revenge after all—doesn't even have a name, and if you're into that sort of thing, Anarchy is something to celebrate.
There are a lot of people out there who hated Luc Besson's manic actioner Lucy, but quite a few of us loved this ludicrous artifact. It's based on a flawed scientific idea, and the script doesn't give star Scarlett Johansson much, if anything to do, but goddamn is this one bonkers movie. This is the French action auteur's 2001, his Tree of Life, or at least his attempt to do something profound, even if the result is total insanity. Gleefully delirious, this is a nonstop roller coaster ride of a movie that jerks you this way and that, following the title character as she gains access to more and more of her brain until she's flinging villains around like Darth Vader using the Force. Strange, funny, and always unpredictable, any time she run into a plot obstacle, Lucy just blows right through it, and the result is a frenetic blast.
Indie horror tale The Battery is not your usual zombie film, and injects some much needed energy into the decaying, shuffling genre. A quiet story follows two friends, former baseball players—a pitcher and a catcher, hence the title—as they trek across the Northeast in the wake of a plague that wipes out most of the human population. The film uses this standard set up to plumb the depths, shows how they react to the loss of everything they know, and how they cope with this ugly new world. One clings to relics of the past and old habits, while the other finds a strange sense of purpose and adapts to their circumstances with horrifying ease. The two clash and crack, and with a gritty 1970s vibe, it takes its time getting to its destination, juxtaposing peaceful, idyllic settings with swarms of the walking dead and human depravity running unchecked.
Out of the big dystopian YA adaptations released in 2014, The Maze Runner was easily my favorite. Divergent just isn't very good, and while I think The Hunger Games: Mockingjay will be fantastic when you can watch it as a whole entity, Part 1 is simply too much of a fragment to be truly engaging. An adaptation of James Dashner's novel, The Maze Runner has a cool hook—a boy wakes in the middle of a giant, ever-changing maze with no memory of his past or who he is—a unique setting rendered especially well on a budget, and fast-paced, kids-in-peril action. This isn't going to blow your mind, and many of the characters are underwritten, especially the sole female role, but it's fun, adventurous, and harrowing, and if you're looking for a taut, fast-paced film, you can do much worse than this.
The Rover had me the second I heard it described as a grim, gritty, post-apocalyptic western from director David Michod (Animal Kingdom). I would have watched for that alone, but the Heart of Darkness style journey, the deliberate world building, and measured, gradual character development deliver one of the best additions to this subgenre in years. Guy Pearce plays a stoic man-on-a-mission, searching for the men who stole his car, clinging onto the last good, loyal thing he has in this shitty world. Robert Pattinson, as far from his sparkly Twilight vampire as you can get, plays the dim, wounded puppy of a sidekick he picks up along the way and is a good here as he's ever been. Sparse and spare, even using bubbly pop songs to deliver deep emotional gut punches, The Rover is brutal, bleak, and devastatingly human all at the same time. The end has been a divisive point for many, but I'm in the camp that thinks it's a damn near perfect conclusion.
Posted by Brent McKnight at 8:05 AM
Labels: dawn of the planet of the apes, Edge of Tomorrow, Godzilla, Guardians of the Galaxy, List, Lists, Lucy, Movie Review, Sci-fi, Snowpiercer, The Maze Runner, the rover, Time Lapse
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