text:
"As my father said to me when he died in my arms, 'I don't understand any of it. I never did.'"
This weekend was spent in Charlotte, North Carolina for my cousin's wedding. I saw many family members I hadn't seen in years and for a moment when I first arrived around 10pm on Friday night felt totally overwhelmed when I encountered my extended family all drunk already in the hotel bar and having to talk with aunts and uncles that remarked to me how handsome I was and asking me if I remembered them, that the last time they saw me I was "this tall," them holding their hand a foot or two down from my current height, potentially true, but also very likely exaggerated claims of nostalgic and drunk family members. Once I had a couple drinks in me I felt much more at ease talking to my family and joined all the nostalgic games as well, really happy to see some of my aunts who I had not seen in years and who really were such a major part of my childhood. My aunt C and my grandma at one point asked me who I was living with now and I told them that I was living with my boyfriend and that felt really liberating to say. My gayness is a bit of an open secret that I assume most of my family knows about but which they never really ask me about, and so it was really nice to have some reason to talk about it, to feel really secure in doing so, being a bit drunk and also really quite happy with my romantic situation these days and it being something I want to share with people.
The wedding was the next day and it was stiff and overly formal, but nice nonetheless in a way that weddings often are, the public declaring of love and devotion of people that you know in front of other people that you know. I really do love my family a lot and it was quite fun to hang out with aunts and uncles that I've known my entire life as an adult now, to drink with them and smoke with them and talk about work and love. The reception wasn't starting for about an hour after the wedding and because the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, my family all wanted to grab some drinks beforehand and so we wandered around downtown Charlotte trying to find a bar that was open and found one. So much closeness is enabled with alcohol and I really felt so close with my family on this day, talking to cousins and aunts and uncles about life in a really nice way, sharing a lot about myself and listening to them share a lot about themselves. At the reception itself, I got quite wasted, as did most of my relatives. I encountered a gay aunt that I didn't really know and talked to her for a long time and am apparently going to hang out with her this weekend when she visits New York. I met this crazy flamboyant gay man on the groom's side of the family and both of these people made me feel much more comfortable at this wedding. I had a felt a bit ill at ease being a fag at this big Catholic wedding but felt so much better once I discovered I wasn't alone, that there were these awesome older queers at this wedding. There was a weird conversation with an uncle who was a priest about why I don't go to church anymore. There was awesome talk with my aunt S about everything.
After the reception a bunch of us headed to some pub nearby and continued partying. I snuck my 20 year old cousin T into the bar with me. I talked to S about my open relationship with Jacob. My cousin T told me about his romantic life a bit before telling me how awesome he thought I was for being so open with my sexuality in our family, that people talk about me in our family but how he thinks I'm really awesome. He then started to tell me how he's not sure if he's gay, how he's never done anything with a guy, but how he would like to. The things that alcohol will reveal. At some point, I went outside to use the ATM and then decided to go back to the hotel which was a block away and change out of my suit and into something less hot. I put on a tanktop and shorts and went back to the bar. They told me there was now a cover and that I needed to wear sleeves to get in. I was belligerent and hasty and used this opportunity to go to the gay bar in town, hopped in a cab, and went there.
I talked to a couple of people there who asked me where I was from, saying they could tell I wasn't from there because of how I was dressed. Despite the hot Southern weather, everyone was wearing pants and sleeves, and I told them I was from New York. I bought cigarettes for six dollars from a vending machine, finished my drink, and really missed the conversations I had been having with my family. I could have silly conversations with gay strangers any night of the week, but these were family members I only saw every couple of years and so I went back into town, changed into sleeves, and went back to this pub to hang out with my family. We shut the place down and I stumbled back to our hotel with my cousins T and J. J told me how he hoped my wedding would be the next one because it would be really funny to see our family at a gay wedding. I thought it would be too and throughout the weekend actually thought a lot about marriage and these ceremonies and family and how it's really nice these occasions where people have reason to all come together.
I watched The Boys in the Band tonight and it made me really sad at points because I thought about gay friends and thought about ones I have lost, missed them a bit, and then tried to squash the feeling, thought about moving on and what's good for a person and friendship and when they end and how mean people can be to one another. I am also thinking about a job I want and which I thought I wasn't going to get since I haven't heard anything for two weeks now after submitting my resume, but last night in a wine store was approached by someone who is friends with the person I submitted my resume to and who said he heard I was interviewing with him. I keep on playing that sentence over in my mind, trying to figure out what it may have meant, whether he was confused and heard I applied, or whether I am going to get called in for an interview. All day long today, I continued to check my email, hoping from word from this person, but nothing. And I am thinking I would have heard something by now but then keep parsing out the words of this guy in the wine store, hoping that I still may hear something from this job that I really, really want.
I am drinking wine now and it is quite hot out and I am sad and happy and I am alive.
BosGuy July 17, 2010 at 1:34 PM
If the thought takes hold - bring the family up to Provincetown and make it a really gay wedding. I just participated in my first gay wedding earlier this month and it was a fantastic time.
Love the blog BTW.
BosGuy
www.BosGuy.blogspot.com
American Shores
"As my father said to me when he died in my arms, ...


text:
Former employer
Former function
Member of European parliament (for 10 years)
New function
Senior policy advisor to its energy efficiency team
Rockwool International A/S (Hall's major consultancy client)
Policy area
Energy/Climate
Date of Revolving Door
Institutional reaction
None. There is no regulation requiring former MEPs to seek authorisation for their subsequent professional activities.
Fiona Hall was an MEP for 10 years from 2004 to 2014; she did not contest the recent European elections. She became leader of the liberal democrats in the European parliament in 2009 and was a member of the parliament's bureau.
Hall spent 10 years on the parliament's industry, research and energy committee. Here, she took the lead role for the group of MEPs in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) on dossiers such as the 2030 framework for energy and climate change policies, the energy efficiency directive, the recast of the energy performance of buildings directive and the renewable energy directive.
Hall remains a member of the European forum on renewable energy sources (EUFORES) which is a "European cross-party network of Members of Parliaments from the European Parliament as well as from the EU28 national and regional Parliaments. EUFORES core objective is the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency". Companies and industry associations are also eligible to join EUFORES and to sponsor their activities and events.
In June 2014, it was announced that Hall would join Rockwool International A/S as senior policy advisor to its energy efficiency team starting 1 September 2014. Rockwool is a major Danish company which provides insulation materials for buildings. It has operations in more than 30 countries and in 2013 generated sales of nearly €2 billion.
Rockwool is listed in the EU lobby transparency register; in 2012 (the most recent year for which its figures are available), Rockwool declared lobby spending of €300,000 - €350,000, and it worked primarily on energy efficiency of buildings; construction products regulation; sustainability; and fire safety. Rockwool is also listed as a lobby client of major lobby firm cabinet DN in 2013.
Fiona Hall has told CEO that
"I will be working from September not for Rockwool but as a self-employed energy policy advisor, with Rockwool as my major client. This is an alignment of interest rather than a conflict of interest: as manufacturers of insulation Rockwool have a commercial interest in promoting energy efficiency, whereas I want to do so because I believe that energy efficiency is the neglected silver bullet which can solve so many of the problems we currently face. I also think it is helpful that there are some corporate interests as well as NGOs lobbying in favour of energy efficiency, because there are huge commercial interests lobbying on the other side of the argument – notably the fossil fuel and nuclear industries."
She has also said that
"As a consultant I will of course be registering on the transparency register and applying for a lobbyist pass".
Her full reply can be read here.
The rules in the European Parliament
The current revolving door rules for MEPs are so weak as to be virtually non-existent. The code of conduct for MEPs (approved in 2011) states that
"Former Members of the European Parliament who engage in professional lobbying or representational activities directly linked to the European Union decision-making process may not, throughout the period in which they engage in those activities, benefit from the facilities granted to former Members under the rules laid down by the Bureau to that effect".
However, there is no process to monitor or enforce this part of the code and ensure that former MEPs do not use their lifelong access pass for lobbying purposes.
When MEPs leave the European parliament they are entitled to a transitional allowance equivalent to one month's salary for every year they have been an MEP, with a minimum pay-out of six months' salary and a maximum of 24 months.
Update 22 September 2015: Fiona Hall joined the EU's lobby transparency register in August 2014. Her entry says that she provides "advice and services primarily in the fields of energy, climate change, environment, democracy and development, with the goal of building a fair and sustainable world" and that she is currently active on the following dossiers: EP report on European Energy Security Strategy, Regulation on the European Fund for Strategic Investments, and the Energy Union Package. She has an European Parliament pass (at least until 30/9/2015) and she declares one client, Rockwool, who provides €100,000 - €199,999 of lobby revenue in this financial year.
Comment from CEO
"It is clear that Fiona Hall has been a strong supporter of energy efficiency, both prior to and during her time as an MEP. But when MEPs move from working on a specific issue within the parliament to then working on the same issue for private interests, it is important that there are some safeguards in place to prevent any possible risk that companies are 'buying' insider knowledge. In CEO's view, the MEP code of conduct should be reformed to put in place safeguards so that private clients do not benefit from ex-MEPs' insider know-how and likely privileged access to decision-makers."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


PLEASE NOTE: Food Vendors/Artisans/Home Based Consultants Vendors: Hours of Operation: Sat. 11:00 AM-4:00 PM. Artisans/Home Based Consultants: Your space is 10x10, you must be operational during the times listed above, NO EXCEPTIONS. When jurying applications we will do our best to limit duplicates. Food Vendors: Your space is 20x10, you must be operational all hours of Wine Stroll, NO EXCEPTIONS. You do not have access to any ELECTRIC, you may bring a silent generator to power your equipment. You must submit an application for jurying if you wish to participate. Applicants will be judged by quality of product, themed set-up and display, originality, uniqueness and menu/price of items. Items should be geared to the "Seafood/Angler/Aquatic/Culinary" theme of the event. As we receive applicants, they will be filed under the category of your juried merchandise. Jurying category selections will be limited to balance out the event and we may ask you to change menu options to not duplicate others. All decisions by the Jurying Committee will be final.
Food Vendors in addition to pictures of your event display, must provide pictures of menu with price list for jurying, if you wish to participate. Applicants will be judged by quality, specialty menus at reasonable prices, neatness of display, originality, and uniqueness. Menus may be limited to balance out the event. All decisions by the Jurying Committee will be final.


text:
A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind may refer to:

A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind: Volume 1, 2008 compilation album by Amorphous Androgynous
A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind: Volume 2, 2009 compilation album by Amorphous Androgynous
A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind: Volume 3, 2010 compilation album by Amorphous Androgynous

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Avalonia Combo box binding I have an Avalonia MVVM based application. I am quite new to Avalonia and MVVM and am now working with combo boxes and bindings. My goal is to change the current view of the application when the user selects a combo box item from the combo box.
My first approach to handling this was using buttons as the combo box items. With this I was able to bind a command that allows the view to change via the view-model. This approach works, but its not appealing to have a button as a combo box item.
My real issue is that I am not sure if I can communicate my combo box with my view-model.
Any kind of help would be appreciated.
Below is the .AXAML
<ComboBox Grid.Column="0" HorizontalAlignment="Center" x:Name="ProductComboBox" PlaceholderText="Products" Cursor="Hand" Background="Transparent">

                            <ComboBoxItem HorizontalAlignment="Center">Beef</ComboBoxItem>
                            <ComboBoxItem HorizontalAlignment="Center">Chicken</ComboBoxItem>
                            <ComboBoxItem HorizontalAlignment="Center">Fish</ComboBoxItem>
</ComboBox>

Image of combo box without buttons
Below is the button approach:
<ComboBox Grid.Column="1" HorizontalAlignment="Center" SelectedIndex="0" Cursor="hand">
                        <ComboBoxItem HorizontalAlignment="Center">
                            <Button Content="Fresh cuts" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Cursor="Hand" Command="{Binding ToFreshCutsPage}"/>
                        </ComboBoxItem>
                        <ComboBoxItem HorizontalAlignment="Center">
                            <Button Content="Butcher's choice" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Cursor="Hand" Command="{Binding ToButcherChoicePage}"/>
                        </ComboBoxItem>
                        <ComboBoxItem HorizontalAlignment="Center">
                            <Button Content="Discounts" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Cursor="Hand" Command="{Binding ToDiscountsPage}"/>
                        </ComboBoxItem>
</ComboBox>

Image of combo box with buttons

A: One solution would be to use reactive and subscribe in the constructor of your model.
ViewModel.cs:
 [Reactive] public int FilterComboBoxIndex { get; set; }

 // In constructor
     this.WhenAnyValue(p_vm => p_vm.FilterComboBoxIndex).Subscribe(_ => GoToPage());

 public void GoToPage()
 {
     // Navigate to page based on FilterComboBoxIndex
     switch ( FilterComboBoxIndex )
     {
        case 0:
            // ToFreshCutsPage
            break;
        case 1:
            // ToButcherChoicePage
            break;
        default:
            // ToDiscountsPage
            break;
     }
 }

.axaml:
 <ComboBox SelectedIndex="{Binding FilterComboBoxIndex}">
      <ComboBoxItem>Beef</ComboBoxItem>
      <ComboBoxItem>Chicken</ComboBoxItem>
      <ComboBoxItem>Fish</ComboBoxItem>
 </ComboBox>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In the food and beverage sector, each individual part of the wider system needs to adhere to the strictest hygiene standards. Which means sourcing the right tools for the job is imperative. In this article, PIF explores what makes butterfly valves suitable for the food and beverage sector.
What makes a butterfly valve suitable for the food and beverage sector?
With hygienic butterfly valves, there are several important elements to consider. Firstly, the sealing must be strong, perform highly with no leakage and ensure that it can't be contaminated. It also must be made of a material that isn't affected by CIP. In the food and beverage industry, CIP is often essential. Therefore, the integrity of the seal must not be impacted by the chemicals used. Sufficient seal technology will assist the butterfly valve in having a longer service life in demanding conditions.
For total hygienic reassurance, butterfly valves are designed to meet FDA requirements. Being FDA compliant ensures that your butterfly valve has been checked for its ability to function around food and beverage products, where contamination is possible. An FDA compliant butterfly valve is safe for use with food and in food production processes.
Stainless steel butterfly valves are especially useful in hygienic applications, such as in the food and beverage industry. Not only is stainless steel one of the most hygienic metals available, but it also one of the most corrosion resistant – prolonging the service life of valves in harsh environments.
The Series 900 from ABO is a great example of a hygienic butterfly valve designed squarely for the food and beverage sector. This valve delivers perfect tightness due to its three-stage sealing system, providing complete reassurance and long service life in demanding applications.
It also comes with further options that help achieve the highest standards of hygiene for the food and beverage industry. FDA approved EPDM liner is available on request, specifically designed for applications in the food industry.
It is not only the food and beverage industry that can benefit from hygienic butterfly valves. Other industrial applications where hygiene is necessary also require butterfly valves that meet certain stringent standards. This includes the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical industries.
For more information about butterfly valves in general, take a look at this recent article from PIF.


Hi!!A brand new italian fan!
Welcome, fellow european "neighbour"! I'm in Portugal!
Damn, I feel so 'ignorant' compared to you guys... I just play drums and guitar! lol Btw, for those of you in bands, it would be nice to post links to them! Mine are on my sig, if anyone cares to check them out!
Well, I'd be lying if I said it changed my life, even though I absolutely love the album. The thing is, everytime I find an artist like her - brilliantly creative, original and emotional - it sort of restores a bit of my long-lost faith in mankind. You turn on the news and you see all sorts of inconceivable acts done by human beings and you think this world's definitely gone to hell, but then you discover an artist like Regina exposing herself in such a pure and innocent way that you just can't help to think that maybe there is still hope for us.
quote: Originally posted by ihopeyouareok: For me, its "Chemo Limo". I really love them all for different reasons but "Chemo Limo" is just awesome in every sense of the word. Agreed... it's brilliant in every way!
Great photos! She seems to be a very smiley person!
Hello, hello! I just registered here myself! I "discovered" Regina only a few days ago but I'm already completely in love with 'Soviet Kitsch'!


Berlin Cathedral has approximately 1,390 seats. Here, we provide you with two overviews, which serve as an aid to orientation and should help you select a seat for a concert.
Should you have any further questions, please contact the Events Office.


Wine Cheese Place, liquor store, listed under "Liquor Stores" category, is located at 9755 Manchester Rd Webster Groves MO, 63119 and can be reached by 3149628150 phone number. Wine Cheese Place has currently 0 reviews.
Browse all Liquor Stores in Webster Groves MO. Discover census data for Webster Groves, MO.


text:
Catholic Michael Jackson fan quietly questioning everything
twitter: @cams_myth
Local Catholic and paid up member of the Michael Jackson fanclub Dorithy Wattle is quietly questioning everything today, after every person she has ever loved in this world was outed as a child predator in the span of one week.
"I just don't understand it," said a deflated Dorithy at an empty MJ drinks and trivia night. "Of all the people in this world that I would have picked as being perverts back in the 80s – MJ and and George Pell were not even on the list. Who's going to be the next beloved 80s star to fall – Winona Ryder, Johnny Depp, Rob Lowe or even Matthew Broderick? God help me if one of those angels turns out to be a criminal."
Informed that, in fact, those stars had been accused of theft, domestic abuse, soliciting a minor and vehicular manslaughter, Ms Wattle excused herself, before being heard screaming swear words from the next room.
"To think I used to look down on my friend Cindy in grade 4 for having posters of that 'wicked' Freddy Mercury on her wall." said Ms Wattle on returning. "Christ, I've made some bad calls in my time."
However, Dorithy is remaining upbeat, stating that without her faith or her beloved Michael Jackson record collection, she still has other interests to fall back on. "At least I still have my Woody Allen movie club every Wednesday. Now there's one guy you can rely on to be a decent human being!"
Donate to the RFS
The Anti-Expert's Guide to Everything – 2020 National Tour


text:
Q: Timed out waiting for process for running app from android studio to Temi that is connected wirelessly My laptop is connected to Temi Robot via same wifi SSID but for some reason I kept getting timed out:

07/01 15:33:46: Launching 'app' on rockchip rk3288.
Timed out waiting
for process (org.pytorch.demo.PatientPotentialFallDetection) to appear
on rockchip-rk3288-192.168.160.46:5555.
Install successfully finished
in 4 m 39 s 233 ms.

And no the app did not appear on Temi's screen. And Temi doesn't have any USB port for wired connection.
This happened suddenly, previously I did not have the issue before for some reason I found my ML model missing, put it back in and such problems appeared. Not sure if the model thing is the cause of the problem as it is only 58 MB.
Edit:
Timed out waiting for process to appear on device
Tried this Similar question's suggestions but they did not pan out.
Edit:
Downgrading from java 11 to 8 did help me run the app on Temi but for some reason when I put on  the ML model back in the poject, timeout error occurs again.

A: For some reason suddenly it is working for now, I don't know what happened. But it takes two minute to load the app to Temi robot.
Sorry for anyone web searching an answer for this.
Edit: My hypothesis is that it might be because there are too much gradle dependencies that I have  to install over wifi. I tried to install a fresh app with little dependencies and it installed over the air much faster


text:
David Barakau Wesley (born November 14, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the current television color analyst for the New Orleans Pelicans. He is the cousin of former NBA player Michael Dickerson.

Early life
David graduated from Longview High School in Longview, Texas. He was classmates with former NFL player Bobby Taylor.

College career
Wesley played his freshman year at Temple Junior College, then transferred to Baylor University.  Wesley averaged 17 points per game and 4.4 assists per game in 72 total games at Baylor, and left in 1992, 33 hours short of a degree in physical education.

Professional career

Wichita Falls Texans (1992-1993)
When Wesley left Baylor University in 1992, many scouts considered him too small (at 6'1") to play as a shooting guard in the NBA, and doubted his ability to make the transition to point guard. As a result, Wesley was not selected in the 1992 NBA draft. He spent the 1992–93 season in the CBA playing for the Wichita Falls Texans.

New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics, Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, and Houston Rockets (1993-2006)
Wesley signed with the New Jersey Nets as a free agent in 1993. He later played for the Boston Celtics, the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets the Houston Rockets, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wesley dispelled the initial doubts about his ability to succeed in the NBA, averaging almost 13 points and 4.6 assists per game over a 14-year career, including ten straight seasons with double-digit scoring averages (1995–96 through 2004–05). He received praise as a tenacious man-to-man defender, and a reliable outside shooter. Wesley played in 55 playoff games and scored double figures in more than half of them.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2006-2007)
During the 2006–07 season, Wesley only played for 35 games and averaged career-lows of 2.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He also did not play any minutes during the playoffs.

On September 29, 2007, Wesley was traded back to the Hornets for Cedric Simmons.  On October 29, 2007, the New Jersey Nets reacquired guard David Wesley from the New Orleans Hornets for swingman Bernard Robinson, center Mile Ilić and cash considerations. On November 1, 2007, not even a week after the Nets signed him, he was waived. A few days later, Wesley stated he planned on ending his NBA career. His 11,842 career points rank second all-time behind Moses Malone among undrafted NBA players.

Coaching
From 2011–2012, Wesley worked as an assistant coach for the NBA D-League Texas Legends.

Broadcasting
On August 6, 2012, it was announced that Wesley would join the Fox Sports New Orleans team in broadcasting New Orleans Hornets games. (Since then, the team has been renamed the New Orleans Pelicans.) He was hired to be the Pelicans television color analyst.

Personal
David Wesley was charged in 2000 with misdemeanor reckless driving in the crash that killed his friend and teammate Bobby Phills. A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police report said Phills was speeding at more than  when Phills lost control and crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a car. The report said both Phills and Wesley were driving "in an erratic, reckless, careless, negligent and/or aggressive manner". In a non-jury trial, a judge acquitted Wesley of the charge of racing Phills.

References

External links
 David Wesley Profile NBA – David Wesley Player Profile

1970 births
Living people
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from Texas
Basketball players from San Antonio
Baylor Bears men's basketball players
Boston Celtics players
Charlotte Hornets players
Cleveland Cavaliers players
Houston Rockets players
Junior college men's basketball players in the United States
Longview High School alumni
National Basketball Association broadcasters
New Jersey Nets players
New Orleans Hornets announcers
New Orleans Hornets players
New Orleans Pelicans announcers
People from Longview, Texas
Point guards
Shooting guards
Sportspeople from San Antonio
Texas Legends coaches
Undrafted National Basketball Association players
Wichita Falls Texans players


Welcome back to another edition of the linkup. First, a little mouse house keeping. You may notice I did not say the "Mickey Monday linkup" as my text normally starts. This is due to something that was discovered on Twitter, the hash tag for the linkup name, #MickeyMonday, is very much NSFW any more. When I started the linkup, I was forward thinking enough to check the hashtag first, and it was mostly unused, definitely not used in an inappropriate way. Unfortunately, this is not the case any more, so we will adapt. We'll take the Mickey Monday linkup, sprinkle a little pixie dust on it and give it a new name: the Magical Mickey linkup! Frankly, I liked the alliteration the first time around, so I'm sticking with it. Let me know what you think of the new name or if you have any other names to propose.
So... welcome back to another the first edition of the Magical Mickey linkup: the linkup centering around a love for Disney, sharing that love and connecting with others. I hope you find this linkup as a great place to turn to for Disney content each week and help all the bloggers participating out by helping readers find that great mouse-eared content. I'm co-hosting with Katie from Adventures by Katie, so of course check her blog out.
runDisney is a fantastic and magical thing, in my opinion. It is an experience different than really any other race weekend you'll find, truly unique. However, for most of the people who run it, it's a destination race, a runcation. The fees for the races can be quite high compared to other races, many you have to be ready to register the day of if you want to go, which is many months in advance and then you have the travel cost, hotel maybe park tickets coupled with your time off from work. All of this can add up, though I think the experience is worth it. Granted, I'll also accept any excuse as a reason to go to Disney if I could afford it. With this, it's not always financial possible to run all the runDisney races or maybe even just one a year. I do believe this presents a unique opportunity to experience another side of runDisney... the outside.
I had many friends running this past weekend at Walt Disney World. And I don't just mean online blogger and Twitter friends, but people I know in real life too. That made for a lot of tweets and pictures showing up in my feeds: on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook (to a lesser extent). I loved it and couldn't get enough of it. Seeing pictures of the expo made the memory pop fresh into my mind when I was there and picked up my first runDisney bibs, got my New Balance runDisney shoes and checked out all the vendors. When I saw the early morning race day pictures (after I woke up much later in a nice warm bed) I remember the early morning corrals full of people in the dark waiting for the 5K. Then I remember the long trek to the corrals on Saturday for my first half marathon. And the waiting. I remember running past all the characters, too afraid to stop and running through the parks full of joy and then struggling on some of the back roads just pushing to finish. That side of things was really cool, but I digress.
The cool thing about the weekend is there is so much coverage, through the runDisney blog and Disney Parks blog as well as all the runners on Twitter. They even set out "official" hash tags to try and make stuff easier to follow. For me, other than the memories it brought back, it really just makes you psyched to go run it yourself. Seeing all that there is to see while you run. Seeing the excitement everyone there has and the fun they're having even when it is unusually cold for Florida. I don't know how you could see that and not want to be a part of it. If you know people running, you could set up to track them. You get text or email updates as to their progress on the long races. So many ways to keep connected.
This year, they actually took things a step further for those of us that couldn't be there. This past year, the Disney Parks blog has been live streaming a lot of events, though to various degrees of success (from a viewing and technical standpoint). They extended the live stream to the marathon weekend events. This year you were able to watch live feeds of both the start and finish lines of the half marathon and full marathon. It was a really great idea. As mentioned, I wasn't up early enough to see the start line streams (though I was up before the start happened thanks to having a 6 month old at home that likes to wake up about 4 am). I did however watch some of the finish line streams. The cool part was you were not just given a video feed but you also were able to hear the finish line announcers. It was a good angle, good feed and great coverage. I actually tuned in a good bit to the marathon streams, even seeing 3 people I know cross the finish. Not too bad for being 855 miles away. As with all their live streams, you can watch them back after. So, if you did run, you can now see how you looked when you started and when you finished. How many races offer that?
You can check out the replay videos from the live streams on the Disney Parks blog for the half marathon and the full marathon or I've embedded the full marathon finish line video here below.
Did you run with weekend? Did you follow along at home? What do you think about the new name?
I ran the 10K this weekend, but got to cheer on the marathon runners for about half an hour at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It was a wonderful experience (although my voice is pretty scratchy today)! I love the live stream!!
Very cool. Glad you got to cheer them on. When I ran the half marathon last year, we went in and cheered for the marathoners in EPCOT for a while. It was fun.
The live stream was very cool from home. I actually Chromecast it to the TV and just had it on in the background for a large portion of the morning. My 3 year loved it. She wants to go run with them.
I really enjoyed all the photos and tweets about marathon weekend. It helped me feel like I could be a part of it even though I wasn't there :) I didn't check out the live streams but I'll have to look into that too.
It was fun to follow along with the pictures. Makes me itch to get back there.
The streams were fun, I'm interested to see if they do them for any other races or not. I can't imagine them doing it for all the races.


He sculpts and paints wood as well as bronze. He makes us discover his world worthy of « Alice in Wonderland » where a cat isn't a cat. Well, it is but better. He makes us smile when we discover his little messages in his sculptures. A true sculptor of happiness.


Both sides of the ongoing political conflict are allowing Thailand to slide further into destructive turmoil, without any obvious attempt to avoid it.
The clashes between some government supporters and student protesters in and outside Ramkhamhaeng University on Saturday – and between police and anti-government protesters outside many government offices in the capital yesterday – indicate that both the authorities and the protest leaders have broken their vows not to resort to violence.
Shots were fired into Ramkhamhaeng University on Saturday night and yesterday morning, leaving at least three people dead and more than 50 others injured. Red-shirt leaders also claimed there were casualties among government supporters gathering in the adjacent Rajamangala Stadium in support of the administration.
Police protecting government offices, including Government House and the Metropolitan Police Bureau, fired many rounds of teargas at protesters attempting to force their way into the compounds.
These ugly scenes do not bode well for our country. And the chance of seeing this new conflict resolved any time soon has been shattered.
It is also nonsense, and even deplorable, for protest leaders to demand that key television stations – namely Channels 3, 5, 7, Modernine, NBT and Thai PBS – broadcast live an announcement by protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who is also secretary-general of the People's Democratic Reform Committee. This can be construed as intimidation of the media and as a threat to media freedom.
It was reminiscent of coup-makers in the past making their announcements to the public after seizing control of state media.
Although all stations refused to completely follow the demand, the protest leaders acted against democratic principles by making such an order. The protesters, particularly Suthep, had accused the government of intervening and influencing the media, but now they were doing just that. It was the pot calling the kettle black.
However, there is still a slim chance of avoiding further bloodshed. The protesters should restrain themselves within legal boundaries and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her government should seriously consider solutions proposed by business circles and academics on how to get out of this crisis – such as stepping down or dissolving the House of Representatives.
This may not completely solve the country's problems, but should help defuse the current crisis.
Nevertheless, there is also a need to rewrite the Constitution in order to pave the way for eventual political reform acceptable to all parties involved.


text:
Susan Alexander
Susanne Alexander is the Publisher of Goose Lane Editions. Since joining the company at the tail end of the 1980s, she and her colleagues have expanded the publishing program to include more than 300 active titles, encompassing not only fiction and poetry, the heart and soul of the company, but also a wide range of non-fiction titles, including art, biographies, histories, and travel memoirs; works on contemporary social issues; and volumes by Acadian writers in translation. Their most ambitious books? The 1,200-page Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Dictionary and SakKijâjuk: Art and Craft of Nunatsiavut, scheduled to be issued in English, French, and Inuktitut.
Susanne has served as president of the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association and Enterprise Fredericton, and on the Boards and Executive Committees of the Literary Press Group of Canada and the Association of Canadian Publishers. She has also served on juries and advisory committees for the Canada Council of the Arts, the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the governments of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick.


Thomas & Mercer, 9781503944633, 518pp.
Shipwreck hunters Maggie Riley and Cole Thatcher are no strangers to the mysteries hidden beneath the seas. They've uncovered artifacts with secrets that powerful interests would do anything to control--and they're about to do it again.
As the newly engaged couple prepares to set sail, Cole suspects they are being followed. While he tries to unravel a coded message that hints at a treasure jealously guarded by an ancient society, a bomb is discovered on the couple's yacht. Now it appears that Cole's belief isn't mere paranoia--and that the cipher holds information others will kill for.
From a sunken submarine off the coast of Tunisia to the hallowed halls of the Vatican, can Riley and Cole outrun a ghost and save a manuscript that could rock the foundations of history?


This Precise Heat 3.5 quart Surgical Stainless Steel Oil Core Skillet features a low dome cover with stay-cool handles and knobs. The surgical stainless steel has been given a beautiful mirror finish as well as for beauty and durability. The measurements are 12 1/4 inches outside and a diameter of 11 inches on the inside of the skillet. The inside depth of this skillet is 3 inches. Shipping weight is 14 lbs. The skillet is 120v, 1650 watt and is UL approved.
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James Hadley Chase (real name René Brabazon Raymond) was born in London in 1906 and started his career as a bookseller. Following the depression, prohibition and the climate of Chicago gangsters in America just prior to World War Two, Chase's book trade experience made him realise that there was a big demand for gangster stories.
So with the aid of a dictionary of American slang and reference books on the American underworld he wrote his first novel, NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH, over six weekends. The book achieved remarkable popularity and became one of the best-sold books of the decade. It was a stage play in London 's West End , was filmed in 1948 and in 1971 was remade by Robert Aldrich as THE GRISSOM GANG.
Chase was heavily influenced by the American crime and gangster scene and his earlier books fell within that genre, with many of them based in the U.S. despite the fact that he only went there late in his life; much of his detail coming from encyclopaedias, maps and dictionaries.
Hailed as " the thriller maestro of the generation ", Chase's books (many of which were adapted to films) were all fast moving tales of murder, intrigue, blackmail and espionage. He had an enormous following worldwide and in all wrote ninety books that were translated and published throughout Europe, India , Japan , Africa and Latin Americas.
His interests included photography (he was up to professional standard), reading and listening to classical music, being a particularly enthusiastic opera lover. Also as a form of relaxation between novels, Chase put together highly complicated and sophisticated Meccano models.


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DJ BOBO, the internationally renowned Swiss artist and winner of around ten « World Music Awards », today takes up his appointment as National Ambassador Against Hunger for WFP.
DJ BOBO is the first Swiss celebrity to take up this role with WFP.
However, several stars of other nationalities are already supporting WFP activities.
Among them are the Brazilian footballer Ronaldhino, the Cape-Verdian singer Cesaria Evora and the world record breaking marathon runner, Paul Tergat.
The singer from the Swiss Canton of Aargau will use his fame by seeking to increase public awareness of the problem of hunger and child hunger, in particular.
"Travelling around the world has made me sensitive to human suffering. It is a privilege to be able to help. The advantage of fame is that I can be heard and I have to seize this opportunity," said DJ BOBO.
As WFP Ambassador, DJ BOBO will focus on school feeding programmes.
Last May, during his participation in the "Walk the World" event, held in Geneva, the Swiss artist declared: "I was captivated by the school feeding programmes. The idea behind them is very clever."
"In order to eat, these kids must go to school. Later on in life, these same children in turn send their kids to school because they have understood how important it is," he said.
Every five seconds a child dies of hunger somewhere in the world. Some 400 million children know what it is like to go to bed at night on an empty stomach.
For forty years, WFP has been running school feeding programmes which increase school attendance and enrolment.
By providing free meals at school, WFP encourages parents to send their children to learn.
Education remains the best way of escaping the vicious circle of poverty, illiteracy and hunger. In 2005, WFP enabled 21.7 million children in 72 countries to go to school.
"We are thrilled that a singer as talented and as credible as DJ BOBO has decided to lend his talent to reduce the spectre of hunger in the world," declared Daly Belgasmi, Director of the WFP Geneva Office.
As WFP's new National Ambassador against Hunger, DJ BOBO will embark on his first field visit to Ethiopia in January 2007, where he will become familiar with food aid operations in favour of malnourished Ethiopians.
This particular country has one of the highest rates of malnutrition in the world and one of the poorest rates of primary school attendance.
WFP is currently feeding six million people in Ethiopia, including 670,000 children thanks to its school feeding programmes.
DJ BOBO made it onto the international scene in 1992/93 with "Somebody Dance With Me".
In the summer of 2003, his song "Chihuahua" became the global hit of the summer receiving "Gold ", "Platinum" and "Diamond" awards in many countries.


6 by Six is a collection of card magic from Michael Six Muldoon. Included on this dvd are six effects you can do with ANY deck of cards, PLUS two bonus routines and a incredibly simple yet deceptive move to switch a card that has not been released any where, ever! It is finally shared here in a special section with over 35 - minutes of in depth detail, recorded in full HD. This is real world magic, that you will perform! Ranging from renditions on classics to incredible SELF-WORKING routines, this dvd is a must for anyone who loves card magic.
Two Ton Triumph: An in the hands triumph with a super clean get ready, to eliminate any "fishy moves". Perfect for the walk around performer or anyone looking for an anytime, anywhere version of Michael's Modern Triumph.
No Stopping Me: A self working routine done under impossible conditions. You can have a card looked at in the deck, have the spectator deal through and stop them at their card! The perfect stop trick, with a great psychological through off.
Fool Me Once: Some say this is one of the most direct effects you can perform. This is an absolute fooler that you will use forever. If you liked Benjamin Earls incredible "Ramjollock", you will love this!
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I've been blessed to have grown up in a family that loves to fish. It was not uncommon over the years to be on the water with brothers, sisters, mom, dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and many different friends of the family. There were a lot of days around home in northeast Wisconsin, but occasionally we made trips to places around the Midwest and Canada. The family got me started with fishing when I was 2 years old and like the saying goes I've been hooked ever since.
Dad was inspired to fly fish by gramps and before I was a teen Dad got me started in fly fishing and fly tying. Even though I continue to fish a variety of ways the fly fishing has been the most rewarding. The challenge and sense of wonderment consumes my thoughts and much of my life. I can't tell you how many times I've laid awake at night pondering, planning, wishing, designing, even agonizing over all aspects of the sport because the next day was too long of a wait. I'm darn lucky to have good friends that are just as crazy about it as I am.
It was a natural progression for me to start a fly fishing business. I could teach what I've learned about fly fishing over the last few decades and pay some bills at the same time. My knowledge and services continue to grow along with my desire to learn. I found that I enjoy teaching others as much as I love being a student of the sport.
There's a feeling of contentment that comes from fishing familiar water and having a good idea of how the day will unfold. Even then there will always be something new that presents itself. It's the unknown that drives me and fuels my dreams. There's nothing better than developing new fishing gear, new fishing techniques and new ideas. Equally as exciting is exploring new water and the challenge of different species. The more variety the better. Combine all this and I'm on top of the world.


Residents of the Lathrop Homes public housing community and their advocates marched through their community recently to get the Chicago Housing Authority to open up the large number of vacant units in the development to people in need of affordable housing.
Cathy Johnson, a homeless mother of four, urging the CHA to have compassion on the homeless and open vacant units to those in need during a protest and rally at the Lathrop Homes in October 2008.
"Keeping these units empty, in the midst of a housing crisis, is a terrible waste," declared Cynthia Scott, a member of the Lathrop Leadership Team, during the press conference that followed the Oct. 23 march and rally.
Lathrop Homes is the future site of a new mixed income community along the Chicago River, according to the CHA Board approved FY2008 Moving To Work Annual Plan.
Redevelopment plans of Lathrop Homes calls for a total of 1,200 units, divided equally into public housing units, affordable units, and market-rate units, according to the MTW plan.
The MTW plan also states that the , "CHA intends to negotiate a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office, convene working group meetings, and finalize a request for proposal for the redevelopment of Lathrop Homes in accordance with the MOA provisions," sometime in 2008.
On Wednesday, April 9, residents of Lathrop Homes experienced a major power outage which shut down electricity throughout the whole development and shut down most offices. Residents had lights out for days. U.S. Dwellings, the management company for Lathrop, put an emergency plan into effect. Lending a hand were Commonwealth Edison along with CHA representatives from headquarters.
On April 17, there was a march to stop the violence in Lathrop Homes. The march took off from the Cotter Boys and Girls Club.
In attendance were members of the Cotter Club as well as staff along with Local Advisory Council members as well as the CHA Service Connectors, members of the Tenant Patrol and staff of the DePaul University Urban Systems of Care, members of Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy and officers of the 19th District.
I also wanted to see how management rates themselves. So I went into the developments and spoke with both. They got some reports of praise as well as some criticism. I also felt management did a good job the way they answered the questions that were put to them that came from residents as well as myself – speaking on how they operate in the development and how they would like to continue to operate. Let's hear what everyone had to say.
Robert is the newly elected Local Advisory Council vice president in Lathrop Homes. Robert has been involved in the community for the past 5 years and has been a member of the tenant patrol in the 26th Ward. He also serves as the area president where he lives and is involved with the 19th District Community Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) as well as the summer food program.