Traveling has been a passion for my husband and I and this year we were able to share this experience with our friends. I must admit I was a little nervous, based on a girls vacation I had right after college. At that time I vowed I would never travel in a group again. Now that I'm older, married and have a close circle of friends I thought maybe we should give it a try. I must admit traveling with our friends really enhanced our overall experience.
Instead of starting off small we decided to go big or go home so we went on a 7-day cruise to some beautiful places. We laughed, talked, danced, drank wine, ate incredible food, shopped, and enjoyed great sangria. Oh wait, I think I already mentioned the drinks. 🙂 I hope you'll be inspired to travel this amazing world that we all live in after viewing some of our photos.


All Kelso homes currently listed for sale in Kelso as of 04/25/2019 are shown below. You can change the search criteria at any time by pressing the 'Change Search' button below.
If you have any questions or you would like more information about any Kelso homes for sale or other Kelso real estate, please contact us and one of our knowledgeable Kelso REALTORS® would be pleased to assist you.
"WOW! Beautiful View Home in Carrollton Crest Development. This home is on .61 acres to entertain and enjoy the picturesque setting and views of the Columbia River Valley. Grt Rm and Dining, 587 SF deck, views up & down the River. Large Rec Room with Wet Bar and Wine Cellar. Master Suite is phenomenal, and also opens onto the large deck 108 SF Walk-In Closet. 60 Spa Tub, Shower and dual sinks in Master. Large Open Kitchen!"
"Custom built one owner home w/ priceless views! Only 40mins to Portland! 2017 solar panels installed, timber land on 5 acres, large pool offers an auto close cover & is perfect for entertaining. Entryway is marble floor, hardwoods shine throughout & vaulted ceilings allow for natural light. Private indoor hot tub & sauna in the bonus rm. The master suite offers river views, a soaking tub & large W/I closet! 50yr concrete tile roof!"
"Columbia River View, Gated Community of Custom homes. Interior Completed, Deck and Landscaping to be completed as weather permits. This beautiful home sits on a 1.43 acre lot in the enviable Carrolton Crest. Awesome Master Suite with exceptional River View, walk-in closet and wonderful couples bath with double sinks, shower and separate spa tub. Kitchen - Great Room make a Wonderful Entertainment Area. Finished Basement with Bonus Room."
"Gorgeous 4 bdrm+den+bonus contemporary home w/ relaxing wrap around porch and expansive decking overlooks Kalama River Valley and Oregon Hills. Its flowing floorplan offers its kitchen w/ quartz counters, dbl ovens and pantry; formal dining room w/ French doors to deck and spacious family room with built-in cabinets. Unwind in the sunroom with heated tile floors or in front of one of three fireplaces. RV prkg and yard! Simply fabulous!"
"ONE OF a KIND! Gorgeous custom home nestled on 10 acres in Rose Valley Lovely floor plan boasts of 3 levels with breathtaking views. Formal living & dining, kitchen with granite, dacor appliances, eating bar & nook. Enjoy media, game & work out rooms. Each bedroom has own bath & Master on the main! Awesome sunsets from trex deck. Bring Horses! Fully fenced with 4 stall custom barn with loft Must see too much to list! 15 Minutes to I-5."
"Luxurious residence with stunning City, River & Territorial views nestled on the Kelso hillside! Pristine home boasting 4,282 SF, 3 bdrms, 4 bthrms, mstr suite w/spacious bthrm, walk-in closet & FR doors to viewing deck, frml living rm w/FP & wall of windows, frml dining rm, elegeant entry w/mica slate floor, gourmet kitchen w/slab granite counter tops & eating nook, den/office, 9ft ceilings throughout, family rm, home gym, 3car garage."
"Exquisite Custom Home sitting atop Scenic Kelso Bluff.3.75 Acres w/Airport,Columbia & Cowlitz River Views.4,446 Sq.Ft.~4 Bedrooms~3.5 Baths.Custom Floor to Ceiling Windows~Formal Dining Room w/Bistro Wet Bar~Granite Kitchen w/Eating Nook~Great Room w/Custom Built-in Entertainment,Gas Fireplace & more Windows w/Breathtaking Views.Main Floor Master Suite w/Turret Sitting Room.Upper Bedrooms w/private baths.Upper Cat Walk w/2nd Story Deck."
"Dream Home Alert!! This development is a hidden gem with amazing Sunsets, River and Mountain views! Just an 11 min drive off I-5 exit 36, come see this elegant 2014 built single story home situated on over 5 acres of land with a 1,728 shop. Home boasts quartz countertops, CAT 5 wiring, Hot tub, covered impervious patio, cathedral master ceilings, vltd great room w/ propane fireplace, alder cabinets, hardwood flooring and much more!"
"Newly Remodeled 3 bedroom 2.25 bath on almost 5 acres,Quiet deadend road.Completely updated inside & out.Open floor plan.All New: Siding,Windows,100% waterproof vinyl plank floors and carpets,Heat pump, WaterHeater.Remodeled kitchen with quartz counter tops and wood cabinets.Remodeled bathrooms with marble counter tops and wood cabinets.Master bedroom w/great view & deck access.Restored Horse Barn. Perfect property for horses;"
"Fantastic country home on manicured five acres! Ranch house with two bay shop, massive patio cover for kids to play year around. Master-suite, laundry room, territorial views! Five years new with spacious paved parking, garden shed. Home features vaulted ceilings and woodstove heating for the energy conscious. Don't miss the necessities like pantry and heat pump. A slice of heaven!"
"Wonderful solid home nestled on over 8 acres of beautiful property. Offering lrg Kitchen w/ nook & dining room. Wonderful spacious living rm w/ fireplace. Main level den & bath. 2nd level Master suite w/lovely tile shower & jetted tub. 3 additional bedrooms The basement is 90% finished ready for your final touches, many options there! Wrap around deck & 16x32 shop. Large shed 12x18 on lower level of property. Room for garden, Rv parking"
"Looking for acreage with views? Check out this scenic 5 acre property with tons of potential. Use our perfect home plans through Newrock Homes or bring your own builder. Home offers 9 ft ceilings, Forced-Air Heat/AC, caraftsman interior trim, quartz countertops, cedar deck & more! Well installed and property perc approved. Surrounded by other custom homes."
"Exquisite 1 level view home on the Kelso hillside! Pristine 2,172SF, 3 bd, 2 bth, lrg frml living rm, frml dining rm, gourmet kitchen w/custom oak cabinets, eating space & center island, family rm w/Fr Doors to private deck, mstr suite w/walk-in closet & elegeant bth, hardwood floors & custom ceiling throughout. 604SF 2 car att garage/624 SF det garage, fully fenced manicured yard w/mature landscaping & stone terracing."
"Spectacular views from the top of Rose Valley! Over 31 acres. Several buildable (possible) lots on a gradual hillside. All lots would have incredible views of Rose Valley, the rivers, and partial city views as well. Fix the existing house up and live in it while you build your dream home. Pictures do not do this property justice. Schedule a showing today."
"Amazing secl. 1/ac view lot in City limits, but with country feel.. Beautifully landscaped with 1,000sf flagstone patio, bubbling fountains, gazebo & outdoor furniture incl., Great rm with laminate flooring, granite counters, & cozy master suite w/beautiful view of the City. Full water filtration system, heat pump/furnace, and heat pump water heater.. also incl. sprinkler system for lawn and garden area. Paved driveway."
"Wonderfully maintained home in Butler Acres on a 1/4 acre lot, at the end of a quiet road. It is beautifully landscaped & has a feeling of privacy with mature trees & lovely views. Home has had many updates over time with vinyl windows, gas furnace/central air & five year old roof. The open kitchen with sitting room or eating space opens to a large deck overlooking the lovely back yard and territorial view. 2 car garage & extra parking"
"Country living while being 1 mile from all the attractions! Over 2000 SQ ft with 6 bedrooms on a large lot. Big kitchen that leads to dining room and nook with a cute farm sink in utility room. Private setting with a green house with irrigation ready to go. Newer floor and interior paint, make it yours!"
"Can't beat location! Daylight ranch-3bd/1.75 baths w/flexible living spaces. Marble floor entry is warmed by new gas insert in main floor living room or use as formal dining. Large windows provide natural light and city/hillside views. Kitchen updated w/tile floors & granite counter tops w/eating space. Master offers large closets and slider to redwood deck stubbed for gas. Large family room w/gas insert is perfect for game night."
"Beautiful single story home in great neighborhood. Quick I-5 access and roughly 40 minutes to Vancouver/Portland. Home offers vaulted ceilings, large pantry, bay window in living, Master ensuite, covered front and back patios, fenced back yard, plumbed for gas (BBQ), and sprinkler system. Floor plan is wonderful for entertaining both indoors and out. This home won't last, make an appointment to view it today!"
"This home is located in a beautiful Kelso neighborhood! This updated single story home features 4Beds/1.5Baths. Home features an updated open kitchen with new tile flooring. Beautiful hardwood floors throughout the main living areas. Grand over sized sliding glass doors located in the family room overlook the expansive yard! The back yard features a large fire pit, fruit trees, gardening space, and even room for chickens! Large deck for"
"Located off Pleasant Hill Road, this home features over 1900 sq. ft. The spacious, open living/kitchen area features a fireplace and sliders to private deck, dining room & bath on main level. The daylight basement has a wonderful master bedroom with sitting area, fireplace and walk-in closet. Double car garage and shed. Tons of storage & private setting. Make your appointment today!"
"Just over 5 acres and 2340 SF Manufactured home. Nice open floor plan. Living/dining areas. Family room. Master suite. Covered deck in front and large deck in back. Firepit area. Plenty of room for garage/shop/barn(old garage of no value). Pasture area(hasn't been used for a few years). Home needs some TLC to shine. Needs a roof. Lots of opportunity & equity awaits."
"Investor Alert!! Three units on one tax lot! 813A, 813B and 815. Buyer to do their due diligence on sqft and all other information. Multifamily for the price of single family!"
"Looking for your summer stay-cation spot?This home has an in-ground pool with a sand filtration system - just in time for the hot summer.Entertain away in this spacious 3 bed home with a poolside cabana and 2 living rooms. New roof and fresh interior/exterior paint.Kitchen upgrades include granite counters with new soft close cabinets. New insulation by PUD, woodstove and vinyl widows will help with the heating costs.Yard fully fenced"


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Badger Culling
Press Release: Culling badgers not the answer to eradicating TB
Ireland has a historic problem with bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle and since 1989 has been culling badgers in an effort to eradicate the disease. From the beginning the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has opposed this approach, which sees healthy badgers, including pregnant or nursing females, snared and shot. To-date over 110,000 badgers have been killed in this way yet eradication is still a long way off. In its biennial report, published this week, University College Dublin researchers show the same problem areas around Ireland despite decades of badger culling. The policy must now be considered a failure.
To reach disease-free status – the goal of the eradication programme – would require the level of disease in cattle herds to be maintained at 0.1%, and despite small reductions in recent years the national level is currently at 3.37%, with some regions as high as 13%. An audit by the EU veterinary office in 2014 stated that the goal of eradication was 'far away'. Yet in 2015, then Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney described the programme as 'hugely successful', claiming that eradication was his "personal ambition" and would be achieved by 2030
IWT Campaign Officer Pádraic Fogarty says "Bovine TB is a scourge for Irish farmers but we have to now acknowledge that the badger culling programme has failed. We would urge the incoming Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, to stop this pointless cull and initiate an independent review of the eradication programme."
Badgers are an important part of our heritage and ecosystems but have been vilified for too long as the cause of the TB problem. The IWT has serious concerns that decades of intensive culling is resulting in the loss of badgers from large parts of agricultural land in Ireland.
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Posted on January 10, 2018 Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Vol.4 No.1 are premium wines worth the premium?
Vol 3 No 17 Ring in the New Year with Red!
Okay, so it should be champagne but at the prices for the good bubbly TB will pass. IF he was to buy one it would be Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé , but at $100 plus I'll wait to be a guest at someone with taste and money's home. I first had the B-S when Kermit Lynch brought it to California if not the U.S. It is a stunning wine but not at a bargain price anymore.
So, what will TB be drinking New Year's Eve whilst watching that big ball descend on Times Square? Could be a Cava, yep same methode traditionelle that the Spaniards from Penedes learned and brought back from Champagne when they realized their wine was no good. Note also they brought back the equipment so it is closer than one thinks. It was founded in 1541 My personal favorite is Codorniu, especially the Anna (named after the last living descendant) in opaque bottles, either the Brut or Rosé, and for around $15 – a steal. Last night, after posting this, I tried of all things a Prosecco Spumante Rosé from Veneto (not Asti!) by Desiderio JEIO, that was an incredible bargain at $15 and in a beautiful bottle as well. The winery, which I had never heard of goes back to 1542 so it is one of the originals. A best buy!
My fav house in Champagne is Roederer, producer of Cristal, which while very good, isn't worth the hefty price tag to me, but that is personal. I can say this because I had a friend who would only drink Cristal. One night he called and asked us over because he felt like drinking some bubbly. I agreed on one condition: I bring a bottle and we do a blind tasting. Reluctantly he agreed. When we finished tasting the two bottles and removed the bags, he was dumbfounded: he had picked mine…also a Roederer BUT it was Roederer Estate from – sacre bleu! – Anderson Valley, California. I finally consoled him saying he could now buy a dozen or more bottles for the price of one. Not much as far as he was concerned. What is remarkable about Roederer is there is a flintiness that is unmistakable, similar to Chablis. How they did that in their California 'sparkler' is beyond TB's comprehension.
Decades ago my wife and I had been over at Mendocino and driving back stopped at Korbel, which is pretty good for the price but instead of the bottles being hand-turned as in Champagne, they devised a system of huge racks which 'flip' from one side to the other trying to reproduce the effect of the riddling method of Champagne, sort of. Korbel fell by the wayside however when the big champagne houses Mumm, Chandon, and a couple more, such as Deutz, with Burgundian winemaker Christian Roguenant who was brought over as winemaker for Maison Deutz (later sold and became Laetitia), and now is winemaker at Baillyana, both of which are in Edna Valley, just east of San Luis Obispo. Through a friend I got to know Christian who is not only a great winemaker but a chef.
After leaving Korbel we went to Napa Valley and visited Schramsberg, made famous by Nixon who served it at a state dinner (and decreed that all wine served at the White House be from California). Nixon being Nixon however, he kept a bottle of Chateau Margaux by his seat at the table and that is what he drank when wine served was red!
Very near to Schramsberg, we stumbled on Hans Kornell, and despite being nobody's, gave us a personal tour…there was nothing pretentious about Hans. We loved his champagne…oops, can't call it that today, can we? Especially his Sehr Trocken, or driest of the dry and I still have a bottle of it, long past time to drink but a remembrance of a very nice man. Poor Hans though, he had had to replace his vines to disease and built up a lot of debt doing so, then the economy took a downturn and the bank foreclosed, and he lost everything. There is one bright spot here though: Robert Mondavi. Beloved by some, despised by some, but he died an amazing thing: at auction he bought Hans' home, and allowed Hans and his family to live in it rent free until he died!
Hans Kornell makes a great segue into TB's book project. If you haven't heard it's a book on wine that isn't about wine but rather the people who make it. It is their passion that drives them and whether their wine costs $25 or $100 or more they all exhibit the same passion for what they are doing. I had to scale it back from all the countries I have visited and all the people I have met to just the U.S. and Canada. If it is well received, a second book for the rest of the planet will be published. Hopefully the first one will be out by Spring 2018 and the second by yearend.
The book is dedicated to Andre Tschelistcheff and Dr. Konstantin Frank, who made incredible contributions to making California…and New York wines great. These two Russians had incredible passion and influenced so many great winemakers.
Andre had the easier job as vitis vinifera was the vine of choice in California. Dr. Frank had too issues to deal with. First, the cold weather in the Finger Lakes region which the 'experts' said was too cold for vinifera vines…he knew they were wrong, having come from a cold climate. Secondly, he had to fight those who relied on the French-American hybrids and if you ever tasted early New York wines you will know why. The key adjective was 'foxy' and not in a nice way. Even today, more land is planted to Concord grapes than the rest combined. Hint: Welch's is located there!
Andre was responsible for training Joseph Heitz, Mike Grgich, and mentored Richard Peterson who was introduced to him by his son, Dimitri, when both worked at Gallo. He also advised Warren Winiarski on when to pick the grapes for the Stags Leap Cabernet that was used in the Judgment of Paris. Note also that Grgich was the winemaker for Chateau Montelena at the time which won the chardonnay class.
It is important to note that the purpose of the Judgment was not to prove American wines better than French but to show they could compete with top French labels. However most of the wines bested the French and in subsequent tastings that gap grew wider.
Others in the book include: Randall Grahm, Jim Clendenon, Bob Lindquist, George Hendry, Dave Rafanelli, the Unti family, Justin Meyer, Vince and Lise Ciolino of Montemaggiore, Bob and Mike Lamborn who had great influence on me and opened so many doors to me. Lane Tanner, who was discovered and mentored by Andre is a great story in herself.
Anyway, hope you find the book of interest and I will keep you posted on release.
Posted on December 29, 2017 December 31, 2017 Categories UncategorizedLeave a comment on Vol 3 No 17 Ring in the New Year with Red!
Posted on August 30, 2017 August 30, 2017 Categories Bordeaux, Climate Change, UncategorizedTags Al Gore, An Uncommon Truth, Arnaud Lasisz, Bordeaux, Chateau Pape Clement, Donald Trump, Dr. Kees van Leeuvwen, EasyJet Traveller, Exxon Mobil, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Katrina, National School for Agricultural Sciences, Sarah Palin2 Comments on Vol 3 No 12…there is no global warming, got it? …and no climate change…sheesh!
Vol. 3 No. 9…Parlez Vous vin?
Since moving to Minnesota seven years ago, I have looked for local wineries to support. Through a friend I found Schram which I wrote about in Vol. 1 No. 4, and I am still very fond of. I visited one other winery in the vicinity that is really just an event venue with mediocre wines which shall remain nameless. However, the other winery that every time I tried to visit was Parley Lake Winery, finally I was able to visit it on Saturday.
First impressions are important but can cloud your perception. Thus when I tried to visit it before I notice an old barn with some old barrels on a rack outside and so I didn't feel I had missed much…that is until I started talking to people in wine shops and a writer in the Minnesota Star-Tribune, Bill Ward. When I arrived there were quite a few cars in the lot and when I reached the winery I heard music coming from a pergola down the hill in the vineyard, and when I entered the winery I saw that it was not a run-down barn but a nice tasting room maintaining the barn interior but very nice.
There was a long tasting bar and it seemed pretty crowded but when I looked around I saw a small bar with just three people there. I walked up just as they were leaving and handed the man my card. Immediately he said you need to talk to one of the owners and pointed to the next room. A woman was seated drawing portraits and it turned out she is a sculptor and the wife of the winemaker and partner, Steve Zeller. She is very accomplished and has several bronzes in the area, some of which are rotated to other wineries and locales.
Artist Series #14: GOLD for Merlot dominant wines… the other gold was to Markham. Steve used Napa Valley Merlot in the blend!
Frontenac Gris: GOLD for hybrid white wines. This wine was developed at the UMinn and is one of five since they just released a new one: Itaska. They have been cloned as vitis vinifera hybrids.
Marquette 2012 Ltd Edition SILVER in Native American hybrid red wines. This is a wonderful grape now evidenced by the fact some California growers are planting it.
Barn Quilt Red received a SILVER in Native American hybrid red wines.
Pretty impressive given that the wines were dominated by California, Oregon, Washington, and dozens of other states. Congrats to them on the effort!
Posted on August 15, 2017 August 15, 2017 Categories Minnesota Wine, UncategorizedTags Parley Lake Winery, San Francisco Chronicle Wine CompetitionLeave a comment on Vol. 3 No. 9…Parlez Vous vin?
I had an unexpectedly nice surprise in many ways at a wine tasting of Domaine Bousquet wines from Argentina hosted by the Wine Republic in Excelsior, MN. Guiding us through the tasting were the owners, Labid Al Ameri and his wife Ann Bousquet, a charming couple who like Naji and Jill Boutros of Chateau Belle-Vue in Lebanon, are making a difference (see vol. 2, no 7), both had a Cinderella story, and both are doing good things for the people of their respective countries and making really good wines at the same time.
Both of these couples care deeply for the country and the people. They both hire as many local people as possible. In the Boutros's case it is to keep and have people return to their small town in the hills beside Beirut. They 'invested' in peoples land rather than buy it outright and created two internet companies to keep people from leaving. Likewise the Bousquet-Al Ameri's have hired local people rather than outsiders, such as winemakers, and in addition to being organic are a 'fair trade' company which in Argentina means effectively collective bargaining with their employees. There, a pool of funds is created and the employees form a board to determine how it should be allocated, removing that decision from the landowners. Makes sense to TB…if you want to improve the quality of life. Remember both of these families live in small towns and wish to spread the wealth around not have a huge wealth gap with their employees struggling to survive.
The story begins with Ann growing up in the Languedoc in the medieval walled town of Carcassonne. We had visited the Languedoc and Carcassonne in 1997, when the vast majority of the wines were substandard due to Co-ops and pricing the grapes based on weight alone, still, if you can't change the wine you can change the way the food is prepared to create a pleasant combination (when we travel, wherever we are we drink the local wines and I have made the mistake of buying some and then when I got home they didn't taste all that good causing me to wonder what I was thinking when I bought them). The Co-op just outside the small town of La Clape (seriously, and it is now a DOCG if you can believe that!), had what looked like a 1930's gas pump which delivered the wine for one franc a litre! People came in with whatever jugs they had…even saw a Clorox bleach bottle – egad!
Ann came to the U.S. to study at St. Cloud State University and there she met Labid, who was originally from Iraq but grew up in Madrid. Then, in 1990, her father, whose family produced wine in France, went to Argentina with the intention of planting grapes near Mendoza. Just south in the small town of Tupungato he found what he wanted: 110 hectares (about 260 acres) at 4,000 feet elevation with the soils to provide the terroir, he found what he was searching for. There were no other vineyards in the area and everyone thought he was crazy (reminiscent of my friend Carles Pastrana of Clos de l'Obac in Priorat, Spain, also at a high elevation). Despite this he purchased the land in 1997 and planted grapevines in 2002 with the first harvest in 2005. By this time he had recruited Labid and Ann to run the winery…okkaayy…and he focused on the vines. Like the Rhone Rangers of Paso Robles he brought in canes in his suitcases, and planted them. Due to the elevation there was little concern for phylloxera and other pests and they immediately decided to get organic certified, a process that takes three years to insure no chemicals are used and the government checks every year. They also use no sulfites as a preservative which is a common cause of headaches in some people.
The grapes are hand-picked and handled carefully and their 'big' wines are stored in 500 litre French Oak foudres in their underground cellar. Their softer wines use a combination of 80% French and 20% American Oak, mostly neutral so as not to impart harsh tannins. Their white wines are fermented in stainless steel and include a chardonnay (which spends three months on lies), white blend, and sauvignon blanc. They also produce two sparkling wines, a lower priced blend of 75% chardonnay and 25% pinot noir using the Charmat process (in vats), and the premier one made in the traditional or methode Champenois manner (in the bottle).
As for still wines they make a 2016 Rosé of Malbec which is delicious and very much like similar Rhone wines. We also had a 2013 Reserve Malbec which was 85% Malbec and 15% cabernet sauvignon, that to me was better than any Malbec I have previously had primarily due to the blending. A 2014 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was elegant with soft tannins and wonderful fruit and spice flavors.
The remaining two wines were 2013 Gaia (not to be confused with the Piemontese wine maker Angelo Gaja whose daughter is now running the business…her name is Gaia, which is the Greek Goddess of Earth…I was pleased to see they weren't going to have any trademark problems or be accused of trying to confuse buyers. This wine, the only one in a beautiful artist label bottle while the rest are in plain block letters was my favorite, which made Ann very happy as it is her baby.
We finished with a 2012 Ameri which is Labid's favorite and I found to be incredibly rich for a Malbec blend. Made in French oak it has black pepper and soft tannins yet should serve well until 2022. It was the most expensive of the flight yet still under $35, which I think is a steal. The rest of the wines are in the $10-20 range which makes them great value. I bought the Gaia and the Reserve Cab at about the same price as the Ameri, which to me was the best deal but I would not hesitate to spring for the Ameri which should make Labid happy.
Lastly, although readers know of TB's dislike for ratings (to put it mildly), you would be hard-pressed to find one of these values with less than a 90 and several in thee 92-95 range. While that means little to me, it says a lot to see that much consistency. As the saying goes…try it, you'll like it!


Whim and humor are two of the qualities I look for in an image. I photographed this Lisu woman from one of the Tibetan minorities in China, as she took her pet goose for a walk in a street market in the southwestern corner of China. The image, made with an old single reflex Yashica camera, always makes me smile.


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Glenn Hoddle spots bad sign at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur lost 20 games this past season, and Glenn Hoddle feels that Mauricio Pochettino needs to make big improvements.
Glenn Hoddle has claimed to BT Sport, during their live coverage of the Champions League final, that Tottenham Hotspur losing 20 games this past season is not a good omen.
Tottenham may have made it into the top four and progressed to the Champions League final, but Mauricio Pochettino's side have actually been too easy to beat this campaign.
Spurs suffered a heavy amount of losses over the season, and their form in 2019 has been poor so far.
Tottenham's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League final was their 20th of the campaign.
And Hoddle feels that big improvements need to be made at Tottenham this summer.
"That's the 20th game they've lost this season. That's not good," Hoddle said. "You've got to improve your squad if you've lost 20 matches in a season."
"There will be money for Mauricio. They got a really good deal on the stadium. Who is he going to buy? If they had won tonight he might have been able to shop a little bit higher."
It has been well over a year since Pochettino has been able to make a signing at Spurs.
The Argentine boss is thought to be looking to reshape his squad this summer though, as Tottenham look to kick on.
Spurs have made great progress by getting to the Champions League final, but there is a determination around White Hart Lane to make sure the club do not stand still now.


Joe Biden is toasted for his pre-VP triumph: the Violence Against Women Act, now turning 15.
As I mentioned earlier, Jennifer Block asked on Babble.com, "Did we ever envision an organic garden being planted at the White House by the nation's black first family?" About as often as we envisioned torture a Violence Against Women Act being championed by a Vice President.
But this just in over the Pinch Me wire: Today (as we speak), Legal Momentum honors our current (crushworthy?) veep with its Hero award at a symposium marking the 15th anniversary of VAWA, the first comprehensive federal legislative package designed to end violence against women and put the issue on the national agenda. Thanks for helping make it so, Joe.


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Late CHRISTIAN DEATH Singer Remembered in Upcoming Book
An excerpt from an extensive interview with former CHRISTIAN DEATH singer/keyboardist Gitane Demone, conducted by music writer Joel Gausten, is now available at this location. Gausten conducted the interview with Demone as part of his upcoming book, "Albums That (Should've) Changed the World". The chapter on CHRISTIAN DEATH will spotlight the group's 1984 album, "Catastrophe Ballet", and will serve to honor late CHRISTIAN DEATH singer Rozz Williams, who committed suicide on April 1, 1998.
Slated for a fall 2007 release, "Albums That (Should've) Changed the World" will feature exclusive interviews with past/members of BLACK SABBATH, KISS, CHRISTIAN DEATH, PRONG, PLASMATICS, SKINNY PUPPY, NINE INCH NAILS and more.
Gausten published his first book, "Tales of Horror: The History of the Misfits & The Undead", in November. His next book, "Prong: The Early Years", will be released in May.


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Myles Murphy Bryan Bresee Donavon Greene Tyler Davis Jahmal Banks Justice Ellison Sam Hartman Nate Wiggins Dave Clawson Davis Allen Dabo Swinney Atorian Perry DJ Uiagalelei College sports College football Sports Football
No. 5 Clemson hangs on, tops No. 21 Wake Forest 51-45 in 2OT
Clemson running back Will Shipley (1) reaches the ball over the goal line for a touchdown as Wake Forest linebacker Dylan Hazen (50) holds on during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins (20) is congratulated by teammate Keith Maguire (30) after knocking down a fourth down pass intended for Wake Forest wide receiver A.T. Perry (9) during the second overtime of an NCAA college football game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Clemson won 51-45 in double overtime. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson argues a call during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5) looks to pass as Wake Forest defensive lineman Jasheen Davis (30) tries to tackle him during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman (10) looks to pass as Clemson defensive tackle Tyler Davis (13) defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Clemson tight end Davis Allen (84) celebrates his touchdown catch against Wake Forest defensive back Malik Mustapha (3) during the second overtime of an NCAA college football game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Clemson won 51-45 in double overtime. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Wake Forest wide receiver A.T. Perry (9) misses a catch as he is hit by Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins (20) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Wiggins was called for pass interference on the play. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Wake Forest wide receiver Donavon Greene (11) catches a touchdown pass ahead of Clemson cornerback Jeadyn Lukus (10) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Wake Forest tight end Blake Whiteheart (85) catches a touchdown pass against Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson (22) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney watches a video replay during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams (0) catches a pass against Wake Forest defensive back Isaiah Wingfield (8) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)


text:
from flask import Flask
from flask import render_template
from flask import request, redirect
from flask import json, jsonify

from flask import make_response

app = Flask(__name__)
global email

#renders the main website using the index template.html template
@app.route('/')
def hello_world():
    return render_template('index.html')

#using a post method to sign up
@app.route('/signup', methods = ['POST'])
def signup():
	email = request.form['email']
	print("most recent email address is '" + email + "'")
	return redirect('/')

#Making the JSON with fake data.
@app.route('/JSON')
def dispJSON():
	varlist = {'email': 'fake-email@example.com'}
	methodlist={'signup': 'type: POST',
				'hello_world':'request_type:____',
				'dispJSON': 'request_type:____'}
	return jsonify(Variables=varlist, methods=methodlist)

if __name__ == '__main__':
	app.run(debug=True)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Puneet Varma
I am a dreamer who dreams of a world full of good people helping eachother
Updated on Jun 30, 2022
Stylistic origins Rock and roll rhythm and blues rockabilly roots rock country rock folk rock blues rock swamp pop Southern soul Tulsa Sound
Cultural origins Mostly Southern United States during the 1960s–early 1970s
Typical instruments Bass guitar drums guitar/slide guitar piano
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals. Although the origin of the term Southern rock is unknown, "many people feel that these important contributors to the development of rock and roll have been minimized in rock's history."
1950s and 1960s origins
1970s peak of popularity
1980s and 1990s continuing influence
The Allman Brothers Band played Southern rock with long jams. Loosely associated with the first wave of Southern rock were acts like Barefoot Jerry and Charlie Daniels. In the early 1970s, another wave of hard rock Southern groups emerged. Their music emphasized boogie rhythms and fast guitar leads with lyrics extolling the values, aspirations - and excesses - of Southern working-class young adults, not unlike the outlaw country movement. Examples include The Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, Outlaws, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Blackfoot. Bands such as Drivin N Cryin, Dash Rip Rock, and the Kentucky Headhunters emerged as popular Southern bands across the Southeastern United States during the 1980s and 1990s. The Georgia Satellites also had some widespread popularity in the mid to late 1980s. Some rock groups from the South, such as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds incorporated Southern musical and lyrical themes.
The 1990s also saw the influence of Southern rock touching metal. In 2001, Kid Rock went from a rock/rapper to a southern rocker/country singer. Southern rock currently plays on the radio in the United States, but mostly on oldies stations and classic rock stations. Additionally, alternative rock groups like Kings of Leon combine Southern rock with garage rock, alt-country, and blues rock. Several of the original early 1970s hard rock Southern rock groups are still performing today, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, and Canned Heat.
1950s and 1960s: origins
Rock music's origins lie mostly in the music of the American South, and many stars from the first wave of 1950s rock and roll such as Bo Diddley, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis hailed from the Deep South. However, the British Invasion and the rise of folk rock and psychedelic rock in the middle 1960s shifted the focus of new rock music away from the rural south and to large cities like Liverpool, London, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco. In the early 1960s, the recordings of early blues-rocker Lonnie Mack seamlessly blended the blues and country musical genres within the framework of rock. These recordings are viewed by some as a "prototype of what later would be called Southern rock". In the late 1960s, Blues rock bands such as Canned Heat (from Los Angeles), Creedence Clearwater Revival (from El Cerrito, California), and The Band (Canadian, though drummer Levon Helm was a native of Arkansas) were under the influence of Southern blues, boogie and country music.
1970s: peak of popularity
The Allman Brothers Band, based in Macon, Georgia, made their national debut in 1969 and soon gained a loyal following. Their blues rock sound on one hand incorporated long jams informed by jazz and classical music, and on the other hand drew from native elements of country and folk. Because a certain type of blues music, and essentially, rock and roll, was invented in the South, Gregg Allman commented that "Southern rock" was a redundant term, like "rock rock."
The Allman Brothers were signed to Capricorn Records, a small Macon label formed and headed by Phil Walden (former manager of Otis Redding) and partner Frank Fenter, former European Managing Director of Atlantic Records. Similar acts recorded on Capricorn included The Marshall Tucker Band from Spartanburg, South Carolina, Wet Willie from Alabama, Grinderswitch from Georgia (and composed of Allman Brothers' roadies) and the Elvin Bishop Band from Oklahoma.
Loosely associated with the first wave of Southern rock were acts like Barefoot Jerry and Charlie Daniels from North Carolina. Charlie Daniels, a big-bearded fiddler with a knack for novelty songs, gave Southern rock its self-identifying anthem with his 1975 hit "The South's Gonna Do It", the lyrics of which mentioned all of the above bands, proclaiming: "Be proud you're a rebel/'Cause the South's gonna do it again." A year earlier, Daniels had started the Volunteer Jam, an annual Southern rock-themed concert held in Tennessee.
Duane Allman's playing on the two Hour Glass albums and an Hour Glass session in early 1968 at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama had caught the ear of Rick Hall, owner of FAME. In November 1968 Hall hired Allman to play on an album with Wilson Pickett. Allman's work on that album, Hey Jude (1968), got him hired as a full-time session musician at Muscle Shoals and brought him to the attention of a number of other musicians, such as Eric Clapton, who later said, "I remember hearing Wilson Pickett's 'Hey Jude' and just being astounded by the lead break at the end. I had to know who that was immediately—right now." Allman's performance on "Hey Jude" blew away Atlantic Records producer and executive Jerry Wexler when Hall played it over the phone for him. Wexler immediately bought Allman's recording contract from Hall and wanted to use him on sessions with all sorts of Atlantic R&B artists.
As Allman's distinctive electric bottleneck steel sound began to mature, it evolved in time into the musical voice of what would come to be known as Southern Rock, being picked up and redefined in their own styles by slide guitarists that included bandmate Dickey Betts (after Allman's death), Rory Gallagher, Derek Trucks and Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
In the early 1970s, another wave of hard rock Southern groups emerged, heavily influenced by the British rock guitar sound: notably, the sound of Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, exemplified by his riff on "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," and Free guitarist Paul Kossoff's power chords and solo on "All Right Now," and (perhaps especially) guitarist Robin Trower's classic riff on Procol Harum's "Whiskey Train". The harder rocking Southern groups' music emphasized boogie rhythms and fast guitar leads with lyrics extolling the values, aspirations - and excesses - of Southern working-class young adults, not unlike the outlaw country movement. Lynyrd Skynyrd of Jacksonville, Florida dominated this genre until the deaths of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and two other members of the group in a 1977 airplane crash. After this tragic plane crash, members Allen Collins and Gary Rossington started the Rossington Collins Band. Groups such as the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, .38 Special, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, Point Blank, Black Oak Arkansas, and the Edgar Winter Group also thrived in this genre.
Not all Southern rock artists fit into the above molds. The Atlanta Rhythm Section and the Amazing Rhythm Aces were more focused on vocal harmonies, and Louisiana's Le Roux ranged from Cajun-flavored Southern boogie early on to a more arena rock sound later on, while the Dixie Dregs and Allman Brothers' offshoot Sea Level explored jazz fusion. At Southern rock's peak The Allman Brothers and other Capricorn artists played a part in Jimmy Carter's 1980 campaign for the presidency.
1980s and 1990s: continuing influence
By the beginning of the 1980s Southern rock icons the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd had broken up, Capricorn Records was bankrupt, and Carter was out of office. As with most all of rock, leading acts of the genre (In particular 38 Special.) had become thoroughly enmeshed in corporate arena rock. With the rise of MTV, new wave, R&B and glam metal, most surviving Southern rock groups were relegated to secondary or regional venues. Bands such as Molly Hatchet, Outlaws, Drivin N Cryin, Confederate Railroad, Dash Rip Rock, and Kentucky Headhunters emerged as popular Southern bands across the Southeastern United States during the 1980s and 1990s. The Georgia Satellites also had some widespread popularity in the mid to late 1980s.
During the 1990s, the Allman Brothers reunited and became a strong touring and recording presence again, and the jam band scene revived interest in extended improvised music. Incarnations of Lynyrd Skynyrd also made themselves heard. Hard rock groups with Southern rock touches such as Jackyl renewed some interest in Southern rock. Classic rock radio stations played some of the more familiar 1970s works, and Charlie Daniels's Volunteer Jam concerts were still going. Phil Walden resurrected Capricorn Records only to fall back into bankruptcy. One of the final Capricorn issues was a solo effort by former Wet Willie front man Jimmy Hall entitled "Rendezvous With the Blues".
Some rock groups from the South, such as Georgia's R.E.M., The B-52's, Widespread Panic, and Black Crowes, Florida's Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Sister Hazel, Blind Melon's Mississippian lead guitarist Rogers Stevens, and Texas's Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Joe Ely incorporated Southern musical and lyrical themes without explicitly allying with any Southern rock movement. Confer with R.E.M.'s Fables of the Reconstruction, which explicitly invokes the Reconstruction Era in the title and is considered a Southern Gothic album.
The 1990s also saw the influence of Southern rock touching metal. Several bands from the Southern United States (particularly New Orleans with its metal scene) such as Eyehategod, Acid Bath, Soilent Green, Corrosion of Conformity and Down, influenced by the Melvins, mixed Black Sabbath-style metal, hardcore punk and Southern rock to give shape to what would be known as sludge metal. Most notable sludge metal bands hail from the Southeastern United States. Most bands who have tried this style have slipped out of mainstream popularity, but there are still a few who belong to the genre, such as Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Pumpjack, Black Label Society and occasionally Hellyeah.
In 2001, Kid Rock went from a hard metal rapper to a southern rocker/country singer using 2001's album Cocky as the transformation album. His next two studio releases 2003's Kid Rock and 2007's Rock N Roll Jesus were mainly straight southern rock jams and country-tinged ballads. His 2008 single "All Summer Long" (which samples "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Werewolves of London") became one of his biggest hits to date without it being available on iTunes. The Allman Brother's Dickey Betts joined Kid Rock as part of his Rock N Roll Revival Tour in 2008 and Lynyrd Skynyrd opened for him. In 2009, they relaunched the tour under the same name. In 2010 he released "Born Free" a straight southern rock album without any rap or metal on it. He has remained planted in southern rock since with Rebel Soul (2012) and First Kiss (2015).
In 2005, singer Bo Bice took an explicitly Southern rock sensibility and appearance to a runner-up finish on the normally pop-oriented American Idol television program, with a performance of the Allmans' "Whipping Post" and later performing Skynyrd's "Free Bird" and, with Skynyrd on stage with him, "Sweet Home Alabama". In late 2007, Bo Bice joined Southern rock artists Jimmy Hall - vocals/sax/harmonica (Wet Willie Band), Henry Paul - vocals/guitar/mandolin (Outlaws, BlackHawk), Steve Gorman - drums (Black Crowes, Jimmy Page), "Dangerous" Dan Toler - guitar (The Gregg Allman Band, The Allman Brothers, Dickey Betts & Great Southern), Reese Wynans - keyboards (Stevie Ray Vaughan), Mike Brignardello - bass (Giant, session player), Jay Boy Adams - guitar (Texas blues solo artist) to record Brothers of the Southland.
Southern rock currently plays on the radio in the United States, but mostly on oldies stations and classic rock stations. Although this class of music gets minor radio play, there is still a following for older bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers play in venues with sizable crowds.
Post-grunge bands such as Shinedown, Saving Abel, Pre)Thing, Nickelback, Saliva, 3 Doors Down, 12 Stones, Default, Black Stone Cherry and Theory of a Deadman have included a Southern rock feel to their songs and have recorded cover versions of Southern rock classics like "Simple Man" and "Tuesday's Gone". Metallica has also covered "Tuesday's Gone" on their Garage Inc. album. Blues rock/stoner rock band Five Horse Johnson also have a southern rock influence in their sound.
Additionally, alternative rock groups such as Drive-By Truckers, The Bottle Rockets, Black Crowes, Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket, Hester, State Line Mob, The Steepwater Band, Greasy Grapes, Zach Williams & The Reformation, and Kings of Leon combine Southern rock with rawer genres, such as garage rock, alt-country, and blues rock. Much of the old style Southern rock (as well as other classic rock) has made its transition into the country music genre, establishing itself along the lines of outlaw country in recent years. Southern rock influence can also be seen in the metal and hardcore punk genres. This is showcased by such bands as Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Rebel Meets Rebel, He Is Legend, Nashville Pussy, The Showdown, Alabama Thunderpussy, Every Time I Die, Cancer Bats, Clutch, Once Nothing, Memphis May Fire, Acid Bath and Down.
Several of the original early 1970s hard rock Southern rock groups are still performing in 2011. This list includes Atlanta Rhythm Section (ARS), Marshall Tucker, Molly Hatchet, Outlaws, Gregg Allman, Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Canned Heat, Black Oak Arkansas, Blackfoot, .38 Special and Dickey Betts. New groups such as Dixie Witch, Blackberry Smoke, Gator Country, Widespread Panic, The Black Crowes, Gov't Mule, Southern Rock Allstars, The Derek Trucks Band, Alligator Stew, The Young Brothers. and SONS OF ANARCHY Band Preacher Stone are continuing the Southern rock art form.
A number of books in the 2000s have chronicled Southern rock's history, including Randy Poe's Skydog - The Duane Allman Story, Gene Odom's Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock and Rolling Stone writer Mark Kemp's Dixie Lullaby: A Story of Music, Race & New Beginnings in a New South. More recently Turn It Up was released by Ron Eckerman, Lynyrd Skynyrd's former manager and plane crash survivor.
Newer bands like The Deadstring Brothers, Fifth on the Floor and Whitey Morgan and the 78's combine the Southern rock sound with country, bluegrass and blues. This has been propelled by record labels like Bloodshot Records and Lost Highway Records. There are some more new Southern Rock Bands worth considering like Holman Autry Band, General Lee Band, The 484 South Band, The Don Harrison Band, Rebel Storm, Cash Box, Ryan Bales Band, Don Ray Band, Amberson-Baggett Band, The Four Horseman, Alligator Stew, The Zak Mills Band, Christopher Satterfield, Rebel Pride, Ghost Riders, Cody Cooke and the Bayou Outlaws, and more.
Southern rock Wikipedia
Similar TopicsSouthern rockhopper penguin
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Southern rockhopper penguin


text:
/**
 * Created at 12:12:33 AM Jan 22, 2011
 */
package org.jbox2d.gwt.showcase.client.example;

import org.jbox2d.collision.shapes.PolygonShape;
import org.jbox2d.common.Vec2;
import org.jbox2d.dynamics.Body;
import org.jbox2d.dynamics.BodyDef;
import org.jbox2d.dynamics.BodyType;
import org.jbox2d.dynamics.joints.LineJointDef;
import org.jbox2d.gwt.showcase.client.framework.BaseExample;

/**
 * @author Daniel Murphy
 */
public class LineJointTest extends BaseExample {

	/**
	 * @see org.jbox2d.testbed.framework.TestbedTest#initTest()
	 */
	@Override
	public void initTest() {
		Body ground = null;
		{
			PolygonShape shape = new PolygonShape();
			shape.setAsEdge(new Vec2(-40.0f, 0.0f), new Vec2(40.0f, 0.0f));

			BodyDef bd = new BodyDef();
			ground = m_world.createBody(bd);
			ground.createFixture(shape, 0.0f);
		}

		{
			PolygonShape shape = new PolygonShape();
			shape.setAsBox(0.5f, 2.0f);

			BodyDef bd = new BodyDef();
			bd.type = BodyType.DYNAMIC;
			bd.position.set(0.0f, 7.0f);
			Body body = m_world.createBody(bd);
			body.createFixture(shape, 1.0f);

			LineJointDef jd = new LineJointDef();
			Vec2 axis = new Vec2(2.0f, 1.0f);
			axis.normalize();
			jd.initialize(ground, body, new Vec2(0.0f, 8.5f), axis);
			jd.motorSpeed = 0.0f;
			jd.maxMotorForce = 100.0f;
			jd.enableMotor = true;
			jd.lowerTranslation = -4.0f;
			jd.upperTranslation = 4.0f;
			jd.enableLimit = true;
			m_world.createJoint(jd);
		}
	}

	/**
	 * @see org.jbox2d.testbed.framework.TestbedTest#getTestName()
	 */
	@Override
	public String getTestName() {
		return "Line Joint";
	}

}


This course teaches the skills that competent solo white water paddlers need in order to reach that next level of canoeing skill. During the course you'll take the maneuvers you learned to do and apply them to much more difficult rapids. You will hone your skills to precision. Surfing in huge waves solo will become common place. At the end of this course, you'll be comfortable playing solo in Class 3 water. You'll be opening up a whole realm whitewater playing possibilities.
You have Paddle Canada's Intro Moving Water Solo Certification or equivalent; you are a good swimmer and are not afraid of water; you have practised the 2x4 technique; you have strong forward stroke, and pry/draw correction strokes; you can do eddy turns in class II white water (solo); you can do front and back ferries class II white water (solo).
Safety Knowledge: (all items must be done from a solo position): canoe over canoe rescue in class II white water, rescues in moving water from shore (both the canoe and people), throw bag rescues from a canoe, self rescues.
Strokes: (all items must be done from a solo position): upstream braces.
Demonstrate: (in difficult class II rapids solo): upstream ferrying, eddy turns, S turns, back ferrying, paddling a pre planned course down a rapid, front ferrying, jet ferrying, side slips, front surfing, side surfing, portaging.
If you have a group who is interested, please contact us. We can help set up custom dates and an instructor.
This course teaches the skills that competent flat-water solo paddlers and paddlers who are used to paddling rapids tandem, need in order to manoeuver safely in easy to intermediate level rapids solo. During the course you'll learn eddy turns, S turns and front ferries, as well as back ferries and surfing. Participants will practice canoe-over-canoe and throw bag rescues. At the end of this course, you'll be able to recognize and avoid hazards in Class I and II water. You'll be opening up a whole realm of new solo tripping possibilities. You'll also be stepping into the new world of playboating.
You are a good swimmer and are not afraid of water; you can paddle a strait line from the solo position of the canoe without switching sides; you have your Intermediate Lake Certification, or proof of equivalent certification.
If you do not have the Pre-requisite skill, please consider taking the Pre Course offered on July 11. Cost is $130.
Safety Knowledge: canoe rescues, throw bag rescues - including throw bag self-rescues, swimming a rapid.
Demonstrate: (in class I to II rapids solo): entering and exiting a canoe, landing in moving water, surfing, off side paddling, S-turns, back ferrying, front ferrying, eddy turns, paddling a pre planned course down a rapid, side slipping, portaging, lining, tracking and wading.
Other: canoe and environmental ethics, river running theory, reading white water, knowledge of river classification, outfitting a canoe, canoe design and construction.
You will bring your own equipment (tent and sleeping bag and other personal gear). Churchill River Canoe Outfitters will supply all group gear, food, canoe and rescue equipment.


text:
Q: R package nnet - neural network question I am experimenting with neural network package in R nnet and i have some questions.

*

*The regulatory environment i am working on requires me to reproduce my results to show them to the auditors. How can i reproduce my model results after few months/years ? Can i use a seed value to control the model output ?

*How can i validate a neural network model ? are there any goodness of fit tests ?

*How do i choose the number of hidden layers i need ? I have 18500 observations in my training dataset and 8 variables. Does that help in identifying hidden layers required in anyway?

*Many times the model stops after 100 iterations. I have used maxiter option but sometimes you see the output and it says converged and sometimes it says stopped after 100 iterations. When it says stopped after 100 iterations does that mean i have a bad model ? and it did not converge ?

Thank you

A: *

*Setting a seed is a good start. It should ensure that you will always get the same results from the same code.  It would also be worth noting the version of R and the version of nnet that you're using (as well as any other relevant packages), in case something changes in later versions.  If you want to be really careful, you could even archive the current versions so you can go back to them if CRAN ever goes down.

*The best evaluation approach usually involves some kind of out-of-sample prediction.  Cross-validation is one very good option, as is a simple holdout approach.  The caret package automates some of these tools. You have so much data that holding some of it out probably won't hurt you much.

*nnet always has one hidden layer. Perhaps you meant the number of hidden units?  Cross-validation can be a good option here as well.  Just make sure that you don't use the same data for improving the model fit that you plan on using to evaluate model performance (as in question #2).

*Convergence means that the parameters aren't changing anymore. It means that the nnet has done as well as it can, given the setup you chose and the random seed used.  If you want it to run for more iterations, try increasing the size of the hidden layer or starting from a different set of initial conditions.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Електро́нне голосува́ння (, е-голосування) — є всеосяжним терміном, що об'єднує кілька різних типів голосування, охоплюючи як процес здійснення голосування за допомогою електронних засобів, так і процес автоматичного підрахунку голосів за допомогою електронних пристроїв та спеціального програмного забезпечення.
Електронне голосування  є одним з інструментів електронної демократії. Українське законодавство визначає електронне голосування як голосування з будь-якого публічного питання, зокрема участь в опитуваннях, виборах, референдумах, що передбачає використання електронних засобів для ідентифікації та підрахунку голосів".
Під електронними технологіями голосування можуть розумітися: перфокарти та системи оптичного сканування бюлетенів, спеціальні «кіоски голосування» (включаючи автономні системи прямого запису голосів, наприклад, такі які використовуються депутатами при голосуванні у Верховній Раді). Також електронні технології можуть застосовуватися для передачі виборчих бюлетенів і голосів за допомогою телефонів, ізольованих комп'ютерних мереж або через Інтернет.

Основним призначенням електронних технологій голосування є здійснення людиною свого волевиявлення, а також здійснення процесу підрахунку голосів, без втручання посередників, що можуть вплинути на результат (зловмисно, або під впливом людського фактору).

Інтернет-голосування
У вузькому сенсі, під електронним голосуванням мається на увазі Інтернет-голосування. Респондент (виборець) одержує на відповідному сайті електронний бюлетень (форму для голосування з варіантами можливих відповідей) і голосує, позначаючи оптимальний для себе варіант відповіді.

Термін Інтернет-голосування також охоплює різні форми вивчення громадської думки, починаючи зі сприяння у визначенні переможців конкурсів і закінчуючи політичними виборами та референдумами, що проводяться за допомогою мережі Інтернет. Один із найвідоміших в Україні прикладів визначення рейтингу споживчих уподобань за допомогою Інтернет-голосування є конкурс «Фаворити Успіху».

Справжність електронного бюлетеню під час Інтернет-голосування досягається, наприклад, за рахунок приватних реєстраційних даних користувача, або непомітних користувачу підписів у вигляді ідентифікаційної мережевої адреси та параметрів пристрою і програмного забезпечення, за допомогою якого здійснюється голосування. У досконаліших системах, що мають гарантувати ідентичність користувача та його бюлетеню, використовуються приватні цифрові підписи користувача чи навіть відбитків пальців. Важливою проблемою є збереження таємниці голосування через Інтернет. Крім того, центри голосування повинні передбачати заходи з попередження різноманітних маніпуляцій з електронними бюлетенями і відвертанню хакерських атак. Має особливе значення в межах діяльності електронного уряду.

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Watch Rick Moranis Reprise His 'Spaceballs' Role for Your Amusement
By Johnny Brayson May 10, 2018
After being one of the biggest comedy stars of the '80s with roles in films such as Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, and Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Rick Moranis effectively retired from live action acting in the '90s to focus on raising his children. He's popped up occasionally since then to do a bit of voice work here and there, most recently in Disney's Brother Bear 2 way back in 2006, but now he's back and reprising one of his most iconic roles.
In a major coup, the '80s-set ABC sitcom The Goldbergs was able to convince Moranis to perform his first acting role in 12 years by voicing his character Dark Helmet from the 1987 spoof Spaceballs. Moranis stars on the May 9 episode of the series, where Dark Helmet appears to the character Adam Goldberg in a dream. Moranis doesn't actually appear on screen in the episode, so his 21-year retirement from live action acting remains intact (he last appeared on camera in 1997's Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves!), but instead lends his voice to the Darth Vader parody he made famous over 30 years ago.
You can check out Moranis' full scene below, courtesy of Yahoo, and see if you can catch all of the clever nods and callbacks to Spaceballs that made it into the show.
Image courtesy of MGM Studios


text:
Today's Action
Mueller Plan
Indivisible 435
Nasty Women Get Shit Done
Swing Left
Sister District
Flippable
Woke Vote
Let America Vote
Postcards to Voters
Indivisible Oregon: Resistance Events
Community: Resistance Events
TRUMP'S ME-FIRST ON TRADE AND TAXES
Trump's latest corrupt, me-first international trade decision was so blatant that even Republicans protested. Last week Trump lifted penalties on ZTE, a Chinese electronics company and repeat violator of US sanctions — "as a favor to President Xi Jinping" — after Beijing loaned $500 million to a project benefitting the Trump Organization.
Trump just announced unspecified ZTE measures are back on — but don't count on it. China awarded 13 trademarks to Ivanka's business, with reportedly more to come.
Meanwhile, Republicans' business-first tax code is running up the red ink.
Revenue will drop $1.2 trillion below promises over ten years, as companies enrich shareholders, stiff employees, and outsource jobs.
60 percent of tax windfalls have gone to shareholders, while 15 percent have gone to employees.
Twelve iconic American corporations have fired thousands; some have closed plants after pocketing huge tax breaks.
Some large corporations are bluntly telling workers not to expect annual pay raises anymore.
Trump has sold out America to enrich himself. Republicans have sold out to keep their donors happy. The corruption and betrayal must stop. Congress needs to investigate Trump's corrupt business dealings, protect domestic programs, and stop tax breaks for businesses.
ACTION ONE: CALL YOUR SENATORS
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR MERKLEY AND WYDEN:
(Leave a message if you can't get through)
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling today because I am outraged by Trump's blatantly corrupt business dealings with China, particularly his intention to loosen sanctions on ZTE. I am also angry that the terrible new tax code is already failing, and worried that domestic spending will be even more threatened by cuts in funding. I ask the Senator to: 1) vote for a bill to stop any move to weaken ZTE sanctions, 2) push for investigations into Trump's violations of the emoluments clause, 3) call for hearings on the revenue shortfall under the new tax code, and 4) protect domestic programs in FY 2019. Thank you."
CALL SENATOR MERKLEY
Portland: 503-326-3386
Salem: 503-362-8102
Eugene: 541-465-6750
Medford: 541-608-9102
Bend: 541-318-1298
Pendleton: 541-278-1129
CALL SENATOR WYDEN
La Grande: 541-960-7691
ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR REPRESENTATIVES:
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling today because I am outraged by Trump's blatantly corrupt business dealings with China, particularly his intention to loosen sanctions on ZTE. I am also angry that the terrible new tax code is already failing, and worried that domestic spending will be even more threatened by cuts in funding. I ask the Representative to: 1) vote for a bill to stop any move to weaken ZTE sanctions, 2) push for investigations into Trump's violations of the emoluments clause, 3) call for hearings on the revenue shortfall under the new tax code, and 4) protect domestic programs in FY 2019. Thank you."
Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here.
Not sure who represents you? Find out here.
CALL Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)
CALL Greg Walden (OR-02)
CALL BLUMENAUER (OR-03)
CALL PETER DEFAZIO (OR-04)
CALL Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
ACTION THREE: REMEMBER FOR THE MIDTERMS
We need a different Congress to stop corruption by the President, to amend the terrible new tax code and to protect domestic programs. Make sure
You and everyone you know is registered to vote.
Check out Indivisible Oregon's website for plans for midterms, including volunteering to engage voters in our closest swing district to defeat the Trumpist US Congresswoman there.
Every candidate for Congress is answering questions about how they will work to make sure public schools are fully funded.
The 2018 elections will be the most important of our lives. Our future depends on it.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/05/is-china-straight-up-bribing-donald-trump-zte
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2018/05/24/congressional-budget-office-finds-higher-deficits-under-trump-budget-than-administration-projects/?utm_term=.b1437ced26f1
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/22/17144870/stock-buybacks-republican-tax-cuts
https://www.cheatsheet.com/money-career/these-companies-started-firing-employees-right-after-getting-tax-cuts-from-trump.html/?a=viewall
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/5/22/17350180/harley-davidson-tax-buyback-kansas-city-factory
TRUMP'S EGO PUTS AMERICA LAST
Trump's foreign policy behavior is volatile, misinformed, and untrustworthy – driven by ego rather than facts
Need to outdo/destroy Obama's legacy
Longing for grand gestures and/or Nobel prize
Clueless on complex nuclear disarmament details
Ignorant of actions' long-term implications for the US/world
Believes bullying and threats best negotiations, leaving capitulation or war the only options
Nowhere is this clearer than in relations with Iran and North Korea.
Trump pulled out of the Iran deal without a realistic strategy for preventing Iran from restarting its nuclear weapons program. Pompeo's prerequisites for a new deal are so unrealistic that suggested regime change—increasing the likelihood of Middle Eastern instability and war with Iran.
Trump unrealistically expects North Korea to agree to denuclearization—without a Plan B. Volatile personalities on both sides, each trying to one-up the other, make success less likely. With Bolton and Pence threatening to invade, we're edging closer to possible nuclear war.
Congress must rein in this Executive and reassert its war-making authority by replacing the current Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) with one like Senator Merkley's, that limits Executive's ability to declare/wage endless wars without congressional debate/authorization and informs the public who the US is fighting and why.
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN:
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling to express my strong disapproval of Trump's foreign policy which is uninformed, isolates America, and may lead to war. It is up to Congress to rein him in. I want to thank Senator Wyden for co-sponsoring S.200 and S.2047 which protect us against war with North Korea. Additionally, I am asking that he support a meaningful new Authorization to Use Military Force, such as Senator Merkley's Constitutional Consideration for Use of Force Act (S.J.Res.61). Thank you."
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR MERKLEY:
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling to express my strong disapproval of Trump's foreign policy which is uninformed, isolates America, and may lead to war. It is up to Congress to rein him in. I want to thank Senator Merkley for co-sponsoring S.200 (Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act), S.2016 (No Unconstitutional First Strike Against North Korea Act), and S.2047 (Preventing Preemptive War with North Korea Act of 2017), and for introducing S.J.Res.61, an AUMF bill truly in line with constitutional checks and balances. Thank you."
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR REPRESENTATIVES BLUMENAUER AND BONAMICI:
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling to express my strong disapproval of Trump's foreign policy which is uninformed, isolates America, and may lead to war. It is up to Congress to rein him in. I want to thank the Representative for co-sponsoring HR.669 (Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act), and HR.4140 & 4837 (No Unconstitutional Strike Against North Korea Act). Additionally, I am asking that s/he support a meaningful new Authorization to Use Military Force. Thank you."
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR REPRESENTATIVE DEFAZIO:
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling to express my strong disapproval of Trump's foreign policy. He is dangerously uninformed, has isolated America from its allies, and his policies may lead to war. It is up to Congress to rein in his ability to create chaos internationally. I want to thank the Representative for co-sponsoring HR.669 (Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act), and HR.4837 (No Unconstitutional Strike Against North Korea Act). Additionally, I am asking that he support a meaningful new Authorization to Use Military Force. Thank you."
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling to express my strong disapproval of Trump's foreign policy which is uninformed, isolates America, and may lead to war. It is up to Congress to rein him in. Please support HR.669 (Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act), and HR.4140 & 4837 (No Unconstitutional Strike Against North Korea Act). Any new war will be fully owned by the Republican Party and those Democrats who were silent when it mattered most. Thank you."
We have choices to make this fall. Do we want representatives who allow Trump—a volatile, impulsive, misinformed and untrustworthy man—to carry out a foreign policy driven by ego rather than facts? Do we want representatives who refuse to rein in this President's erratic behavior, putting us and the world at risk of war, and who are unwilling to reassert Congress' role in authorizing foreign wars?
If the answers are no, then join us in supporting candidates who will work on issues that are important to their constituents. Before you cast your vote, be sure you understand the candidate's position on these issues.
Check out Indivisible Oregon's website for plans for midterms.
Talk to voters in our closest swing district to defeat the Trumpist US Congresswoman there.
The 2018 elections will be the most important of our lives.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/05/21/pompeo-speech-reveals-no-realistic-plan-to-get-a-better-iran-deal/?utm_term=.6665fd2d7526&wpisrc=nl_popns&wpmm=1
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-lot-of-dial-tones-the-inside-story-of-how-trumps-north-korea-summit-fell-apart/2018/05/24/71bb5ad8-5f6f-11e8-9ee3-49d6d4814c4c_story.html?utm_term=.9fe94d5b72fb
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/us-officials-hold-summit-preparation-talks-despite-uncertainty-surrounding-meeting/2018/05/27/870c8196-61ae-11e8-b166-fea8410bcded_story.html?utm_term=.f73d19bb7451
https://www.justsecurity.org/56987/senator-merkleys-smart-alternative-aumf-proposal/
STOP ICE ABUSES!
Immigrants and refugees are people. Yet, Trump denies their basic humanity. Enraged by his inability to "build the wall," Trump focuses obsessively on the number of immigrants/refugees attempting to cross the border each month and seeks to appease his base by encouraging abuses and policies aimed at lowering that number. Trump has again put his personal concerns above all else. ICE has become Trump's "personal bullying squad."
ICE is out of control. It has:
Fatally shot an unarmed woman
Arrested parents with children, splitting families apart
Killed a citizen in a non-immigration-related matter
Lied about its activities, prompting one top official to resign
Been accused of many abuses of children
Startling cruelty animates this administration. AG Jeff Sessions threatened, "If you cross this border unlawfully … we will prosecute you … and [your] child may be separated from you …." WH Chief of Staff Kelly flippantly said that these children would be "put into foster care or whatever."
Congress must investigate and correct these abuses and stop ICE from splitting up families… or defund it.
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because ICE is Trump's "personal bullying squad" – separating parents and children, shooting to kill, and abusing those in its custody. These abuses must be investigated and stopped. Please tell the Senator to investigate and stop ICE's abuses. ICE must be de-funded unless it is thoroughly reformed. Thank you."
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because ICE is Trump's "personal bullying squad" – separating parents and children, shooting to kill, and abusing those in its custody. These abuses must be investigated and stopped. Please tell the Representative to investigate and stop ICE's abuses. ICE must be de-funded unless it is thoroughly reformed. Thank you."
ACTION THREE:
We have choices to make this fall. Do we want the current administration's cruel immigration policies that split families and harm children? If the answer is no, then join us in supporting candidates who will work for us. ICE has been described as Trump's "personal bullying squad." We must work to stop it. Even Melania has come out against bullying.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/were-closed-trump-directs-his-anger-over-immigration-at-homeland-security-secretary/2018/05/24/4bd686ec-5abc-11e8-8b92-45fdd7aaef3c_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.2acb207334a5&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/05/27/the-u-s-lost-track-of-1500-immigrant-children-last-year-heres-why-people-are-outraged-now/?utm_term=.8104e62ea824
http://tucson.com/news/local/parents-children-ensnared-in-zero-tolerance-border-prosecutions/article_e6b83d53-f4bd-566d-8487-9e9b67ef2bd8.html
TRUMP PUTS THE NRA FIRST AND OUR KIDS LAST
Memorial Day is a sacred day to honor those who have given their lives for our country. Today, we remember them and honor their sacrifices.
Sadly, families in America are also mourning the loss of their children from gun violence. In 2018, more children have died in American schools from gun violence than military members have in combat: 29 students have died in 14 gun related incidents; 13 service members have died from 7 gun related incidents.
And while school shootings grab the headlines, every day 7 children and teens die from gun violence and 46 children and teens are shot in murders, assaults, suicides & suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, and police intervention.
Trump and his GOP won't admit guns are the issue because they are loyal to the NRA. In 2016 the NRA spent nearly $30 million to help elect Trump. Money the NRA has taken from Russia that may have influence our elected officials in ways that put our children last.
For Trump and his GOP, the NRA comes first, and our children are last. Our MOCs must work to save our children's lives and pass comprehensive gun reform while shunning the NRA. If this Congress won't, we must vote in one that will.
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. We are failing our children and must protect them from gun violence. I would like to thank the Senator for committing to vote NO on S.446, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. However, more action is urgently needed. I'm asking him to 1) introduce, support and pass comprehensive gun legislation now and 2) investigate NRAs ties to Russia and their nonprofit status. Thank you."
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR ALL REPRESENTATIVES EXCEPT WALDEN:
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. We are failing our children and must protect them from gun violence. I am calling to ask that Representative to 1) introduce, support and pass comprehensive gun legislation now and 2) investigate NRAs ties to Russia and their nonprofit status. Thank you"
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR REP WALDEN:
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. We must protect our children's futures from gun violence. I am calling to ask Representative Walden to stop accepting money from the NRA and other gun industry lobbies, and to 1) introduce, support and pass comprehensive gun legislation now and 2) investigate NRAs ties to Russia and their nonprofit status. Thank you."
It has become clear that we need a different Congress to protect our children from gun violence.
Make sure you and everyone you know is registered to vote.
Make sure every candidate for Congress is answering questions about how they will work to work to protect our children from gun violence.
The 2018 elections will be the most important of our lives. Our children's lives depends on it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/05/18/2018-has-been-deadlier-for-schoolchildren-than-service-members/?utm_term=.0b7f67959064
https://everytownresearch.org/gun-violence-by-the-numbers/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/16/florida-school-shooting-focus-shifts-to-nra-gun-lobby-cash-to-lawmakers
CALL CONGRESS AND GET READY FOR MIDTERMS
This week we called on our MoCs to:
Pass clean DREAM act
Protect our children and enact gun reform
Protect women's rights and object to the domestic gag rule
Protect women's rights and pass the sexual harassment reform bill
Protect the ACA and CHIP
Protect Mueller and our democracy
These calls help defend our democracy and highlight the values we want to see from candidates running in the midterm elections.
So, if you didn't call your members of Congress this week, take a moment to do so now. Pick one of our Daily Calls to Actions (our entire library of scripts with sources are on our website at www.indivisibleor.org/actions/) and make a call.
After you do this, check out how you can get involved in our midterm activities at www.indivisibleor.org/
PROTECT MUELLER, SAVE DEMOCRACY
In an unprecedented assault on the rule of law, the President is undermining Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Trump's possible collusion with Russia in the 2016 election and his efforts to obstruct justice.
At stake is America's future.
Mueller's progress may be what's terrifying Trump. So far, Mueller has charged 23 people and companies, and obtained five guilty pleas. Michael Flynn and Rick Gages are cooperating with Mueller probably in exchange for reduced sentences. This week it was reported that a business partner of Trump's personal attorney also plead guilty and became a cooperating witness.
Trump is now trying to discredit the FBI. He "demanded" the DOJ open an investigation into spurious claims that in 2016 the FBI infiltrated his campaign for political purposes. This order breaches a decades-old firewall separating federal law enforcement from presidential politics.
Trump's attacks are working. Polls show trust in the FBI declining and media coverage is largely focusing on Trump's FBI fabrications.
Senator Jeff Merkley said this week. "During Watergate, principled Republicans stood up and saved our country from a constitutional crisis. We need that again in 2018." All MoCs should ceaselessly excoriate those Republicans who standby watching this destruction of democracy.
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling to express my gratitude to Senator Merkley for calling for principled Republicans to stand and protect the country from a constitutional crisis. He needs to go further and 1) constantly name those Republicans who are allowing our country to be destroyed 2) demand the Senate vote on the measure passed by the Judiciary Committee which would allow Mueller to appeal if fired and 3) work to pass legislation where the Special Counsel would provide a transparent report to Congress if dismissed. We are at a tipping point and what happens now will have a significant impact on the midterm elections. It will be remembered who stood by and watched our democracy destroyed and who stood up for it. Thank you."
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. As Senator Merkley has done, Senator Wyden needs to publicly name and shame those Republicans who are allowing our country to be destroyed. I also ask that he 1) demand the Senate vote on the measure passed by the Judiciary Committee which would allow Mueller to appeal if fired and 2) work to pass legislation where the Special Counsel would provide a transparent report to Congress if dismissed. We are at a tipping point and what happens now will have a significant impact on the midterm elections. It will be remembered who stood by and watched our democracy destroyed and who stood up for it. Thank you."
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR REPRESENTATIVES BLUMENAUER, BONAMICI, DEFAZIO AND SCHRADER:
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon, [zip code]. As Senator Merkley has done, you need to publicly name and shame those Republicans who are allowing our country to be destroyed. We are at a tipping point and what happens now will have a significant impact on the midterm elections. It will be remembered who stood by and watched our democracy destroyed and who stood up for it. Thank you."
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR REPRESENTATIVE WALDEN:
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon, [zip code]. I am calling to express my concern that Trump is eroding the rule of law and our democracy as well. I hope you can stand up against your colleagues who are silent in the face of these egregious acts. We are at a tipping point and what happens now will have a significant impact on the midterm elections. It will be remembered who stood by and watched our democracy destroyed and who stood up for it. Thank you."
It has become clear that we need a different Congress to protect our democracy. The attacks on our democracy won't change until Congress does.
Make sure everyone candidate for Congress is answering questions about how they will work to protect our democracy from partisan and foreign attacks.
The 2018 elections will be the most important of our lives. Our very democracy depends on it.
https://newrepublic.com/article/148499/number-trumps-impeachable-offenses-keeps-growing
https://www.apnews.com/e04f8e297faa4dcfa67af3c2d21ca307
https://themoscowproject.org/explainers/trumps-russia-cover-up-by-the-numbers-70-contacts-with-russia-linked-operatives/
https://www.salon.com/2018/05/19/what-more-do-you-need-to-know-about-trump/#.WwBx6GYXAnk.facebook
HEALTHCARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT. PROTECT OUR HEALTHCARE
Healthcare is a human right. We deserve to be free from the fear of falling ill, to reach our full potential. Trump and his GOP stoke this fear and harm our health by cutting our healthcare.
For Trump and his GOP, it is not enough to sabotage the ACA, revoke cost sharing reduction payments, propose budgets with Medicare/Medicaid cuts, repeal the individual mandate, approve work requirements for Medicaid, and adopt junk insurance.
For Trump and his GOP, it means nothing that they have caused our premiums to rise (up to 16% in Oregon) and the rate of uninsured to climb.
Trump and his GOP are not stopping. Ignoring the $1.5 trillion debt the GOP Tax Scam created, Trump and his GOP cite fiscal responsibility as part of the reason for their latest attacks on our healthcare:
cutting $7 billion from CHIP
another ACA repeal costing millions their coverage and eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions
Republicans plan to enact both through maneuvers that need 50 votes to end debate in the Senate.
The ultimate solution to end attacks on our healthcare is to vote in a new Congress. Until then our MoCs must protect our healthcare and our lives.
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am very worried about a new ACA repeal, cutting billions from CHIP, and the rise in premiums and the rate of uninsured. Healthcare is a human right. I ask the Senator to please keep working to protect the ACA and CHIP, while expanding healthcare for all."
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am very worried about a new ACA repeal, cutting billions from CHIP, and the rise in premiums and the rate of uninsured. Healthcare is a human right. I ask the Representative to please keep working to protect the ACA and CHIP, while expanding healthcare for all."
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am very worried about a new ACA repeal, cutting billions from CHIP, and the rise in premiums and the rate of uninsured. I also remember the Representative's role in repealing the ACA and individual mandate, and how he politicized CHIP funding last year. Please remind him he needs to work for his constituents and protect the ACA and CHIP while expanding healthcare for all."
It has become clear that we need a different Congress to protect our healthcare. The attacks on our healthcare won't change until Congress does.
Make sure every candidate for Congress is answering questions about how they will work to make sure women's rights and health are defended
The 2018 elections will be the most important of our lives. Our very health depends on it.
http://thehill.com/opinion/finance/388842-republicans-succeeded-at-raising-insurance-premiums-for-too-many
https://www.cbpp.org/sabotage-watch-tracking-efforts-to-undermine-the-aca
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/americans-are-starting-to-suffer-from-trumps-health-care-sabotage/2018/05/06/c60fb6fa-4fb2-11e8-b725-92c89fe3ca4c_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.20772eee1e23
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/22/trump-spending-cuts-kids-health-insurance-559137
https://www.buzzfeed.com/paulmcleod/republicans-know-voters-are-going-to-be-mad-they-didnt?utm_term=.mdxxlmNXmk#.auQ64MwvMB
PROTECT WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Tell Congress to defend women's right to control their own bodies:
Stop the "domestic gag rule" on family planning clinics.
Pass the sexual harassment bill in the Senate.
The proposed gag rule would cut off Title X funding for safety-net clinics that refer patients to abortion providers or even discuss abortion.
Title X clinics offer only pre-pregnancy care to low-income women.
They serve more than 4 million people, 21 percent of whom are Black and 32 percent Hispanic or Latino.
Oregon has 118 clinics. They face either financial ruin or must violate medical ethics and withhold information about a treatment option.
Meanwhile, sexual harassment reforms are still in play on Capitol Hill. The House already passed reforms via the Congressional Accountability Act. Senate negotiators hope to present a bill soon, though McConnell has not signaled willingness to back it.
Last month, Senator Merkley gathered 31 male colleagues to support a demand by all 22 female Senators for an immediate vote on House-passed legislation.
These two issues illustrate a cruel disregard for women's health and safety. Call your MoCs today and tell them we want a society that gives women – not men – control over their bodies.
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling today because I want a society that gives women – not men – control over their bodies. Thank you for spearheading the letter in support of protections for victims of sexual assault on Capitol Hill. I ask you to redouble efforts to persuade Sen. McConnell that a strong bill must come to the floor. Also, I ask you to oppose the Administration's proposed gag order on family planning clinics. Oregon women need to know all their options when they learn they are pregnant. Thank you."
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling today because I want a society that gives women – not men – control over their bodies. Thank you for signing a letter in support of protections for victims of sexual assault on Capitol Hill. I ask you to redouble efforts to persuade Sen. McConnell that a strong bill must come to the floor. Also, I ask you to oppose the Administration's proposed gag order on family planning clinics. Oregon women need to know all their options when they learn they are pregnant. Thank you."
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling today because I want a society that gives women – not men – control over their bodies. I thank you if you were one of the voice votes in support of reforms to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. If you were not, I ask you consider how you would feel if someone you love were sexually attacked or bullied at the worksite. Every one of the women and men who survived an attack was a child, a spouse and possibly a parent or a sibling. Next time please use your power to establish workplace protections. I also ask you to oppose the Administration's proposed gag order on family planning clinics. Oregon women need to know all their options when they learn they are pregnant. Thank you."
Women's rights are human rights and we need a different Congress to protect women's rights.
The 2018 elections will be the most important of our lives. Our children's lives depend on it.
https://www.nationalfamilyplanning.org/file/Domestic-Gag-Rule-Fact-Sheet—May-2018-003.pdf
https://www.vox.com/2018/5/11/17319614/trump-abortion-planned-parenthood-domestic-gag-rule-title-x
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/15/politics/sexual-harassment-legislation-senate/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/opinion/mitch-mcconnell-sexual-harassment-bill.html
OUR CHILDREN DESERVE BETTER. END GUN VIOLENCE NOW
Our children deserve a chance to achieve their potential. Our children deserve to live without fear from gun violence. Trump and his GOP are robbing our children's futures because they are beholden to the NRA.
It is not too many doors or black trench coats. It is guns. It is not parents or teachers. It is guns. It is not TV or video games. It is guns. When more children die in schools in America from gun violence than do in military combat, it is guns.
It is guns that loudly invades our children's lives with mass shootings and active shooter drills. It is guns that quietly inflicts a toll on our children when 96 people are murdered every day.
Trump and his GOP won't admit guns are the issue because they are loyal to the NRA. They speak at the NRA convention and accept money from the NRA. Money the NRA has taken from Russia that may have influence our elected officials in ways that put our children second.
Congress must pass comprehensive gun reform and shun the NRA. They must be the leaders our children need. If this Congress won't, we must vote in one that will.
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. We are failing our children and must protect them from gun violence. I am calling to thank the Senator for his opposition to the NRA's top priority, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, S.446. However, he must do more. I'm asking him to 1) introduce, support and pass comprehensive gun legislation now and 2) investigate NRAs ties to Russia and reject their nonprofit status."
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. We are failing our children and must protect them from gun violence. I am calling to ask the Representative to 1) introduce, support and pass comprehensive gun legislation now and 2) investigate NRA's ties to Russia and reject their nonprofit status."
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WALDEN:
"My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. We have to protect our children's futures from gun violence. I am calling to ask Representative Walden to 1) stop accepting money from the NRA and other gun industry lobbies, 2) to introduce, support and pass comprehensive gun legislation now and 3) investigate NRA's ties to Russia and reject their nonprofit status."
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/05/its-the-guns/560771/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/world/americas/mass-shootings-us-international.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/20/us/school-shootings-drills-risks.html
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/388005-senate-judiciary-committee-kremlin-used-the-nra-to-help-trump
HOUSE MUST ACT NOW TO SAVE NET NEUTRALITY AND DREAMERS
Midterm elections are coming, and moderate Republicans, fearing defeat, are bypassing party leaders
Senate Dems and 3 Republicans used the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to protect net neutrality
Bipartisan Senators condemned Russia's meddling in 2016 election to help Trump
If all House Dems sign DREAMers discharge petition, need only 5 more Republicans to force floor vote
Discharge petition to overturn net neutrality repeal is gaining momentum in the House
Farm bill failed in House when all Dems voted no
Immediately after Senate net neutrality vote, a House discharge petition, with166 Dem co-sponsors, was filed. 86% of Americans strongly favor net neutrality, and Senate's passage puts pressure on Republicans to act.
The same factors drive a discharge petition to force vote on DREAMers in the House. Four different bills will be considered, with the bipartisan one providing pathway to citizenship likely to receive most votes. This will pressure Senate to do likewise.
All of our MoCs but Walden have signed both petitions. Your calls worked to force the Senate's net neutrality vote, so keep them coming. If current members won't act to save net neutrality and DREAMers, they'll be replaced in November with ones who will.
ACTION ONE: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR REPRESENTATIVES (EXCEPT WALDEN):
My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am very concerned about two time-sensitive issues—the fate of net neutrality and of the DREAMers. I want to thank the Representative for co-sponsoring discharge petitions to bring both these issues to the House floor, and ask that [he/she] convince other colleagues to do likewise. It is imperative that both (1) a Resolution of Disapproval to reverse the FCC's net neutrality decision and (2) a clean DREAM Act be brought quickly to a vote. Thank you.
My name is [–] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am very concerned about two time-sensitive issues—the fate of net neutrality and of the DREAMers—which are of great importance to his constituents. Despite receiving more in contributions from the telecom industry over the last 28 years than any other House member, I'm asking him to put the needs of his constituents first and vote to restore net neutrality. I also request that he sign the DREAMers discharge petition, so the House can finally vote to protect DREAMers from deportation. Thank you.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/05/17/congress-is-in-full-revolt-must-be-midterm-elections-coming-up/?utm_term=.9423f878c922&wpisrc=nl_popns&wpmm=1
https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/16/after-senate-victory-house-announces-plans-to-force-its-own-vote-on-net-neutrality/
https://doyle.house.gov/press-release/fight-save-net-neutrality-moves-house-representatives
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/05/paul-ryan-scrambles-to-block-discharge-petition-on-dreamers.html
https://www.vox.com/2018/5/18/17364538/republican-immigration-daca-discharge-petition
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