On April 10th Odessa celebrated 71st anniversary of the liberation of the city from the German Nazis and associated Romanian invaders. Traditionally, the holiday is celebrated with mass parades, flowers, songs and red banners, since the city was liberated by the Soviet Army. People also wear yellow-and-black-striped Georgievskaya Lentochka (band). The celebrations are a big deal.
Odessa paid dearly for the invasion, including a water-deprived, bloody siege and occupation. As a result, Odessa became one of the 4 original Hero Cities of the Soviet Union, together with Moscow, Stalingrad and Leningrad (St. Pete). There is a movie called "Zhazhda" – "Thirst," about the siege and a heroic raid by the marines to give water to the water-starved city.
Ukraine is aggressively re-writing history! On April 9, the Kiev Rada adopted a law equating communism with fascism and banning all communist and Soviet related symbology, including the 'Great Victory Banner' usually displayed during Victory Day celebrations. The ban also included the traditional Georgievskaya Band. Armed nationalists from Kiev warned that they would be descending onto Odessa and that anyone who came out with traditional symbols would be sorry.
People in Odessa are scared, but not scared enough to stay home.
Several days before April 10, over 40 people were arrested in Odessa, most of them while simply walking on the street. They weren't shown any IDs or explained what they were arrested for. Later, SBU went to these people's homes and 'found' cell phones, various random items SBU said were being used to make bombs, Russian flags (sure, terrorists would actually parade Russian flags), and those extremely dangerous Georgievskaya Bands.
Clearly, those who are afraid of a little piece of fabric must be really insecure.
Posted on April 11, 2015, in Ukraine, WWII & Great Victory and tagged analysis of events in Ukraine, April 10, arrests in Odessa, China, Georgievskaya lentochka, liberation of Odessa, Odessa, Poroshenko, ukro-nazis, Victory day. Bookmark the permalink.	7 Comments.
Typical strategy of cowardly bullies. Demean and harass the living brave and the honored dead because they have nothing but brutality to call their own. Porky has been ordered to go make an example of Odessa to demoralize them and anyone else who would think to resist their aggression. I think his handlers have made another serious miscalculation, and once again they will fail miserably. The Odessans survived a horrific siege during the Great War. No citizen of the Hero City will ever kneel to an oppressor as long as that siege and the horror of the trade union fire remains in their memories. No way.
If the Kiev regime survives in some form, next year will see them being even more pro-Nazi and anti-Soviet/Russian. No surprise, as this has been going on for 23 years. The problem is the intellectual climate, and the Galicians' desire for revenge over WWII.
aeyrie, well, today's Odessans and yesterday's are a different breed – just as they are in almost all of the modern world. Besides, an enemy inside is much tougher than an enemy outside. The young have been brainwashed into seeing the enemy as being in Moscow, not Berlin. Once the regime weakens sufficiently, then some resistance can appear. So it is a kind of race, with the US and parts of the West trying to build up the army and police, but the whole society decaying fast.


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What Are the Most Common Traffic Tickets Issued in NYC?
New York Traffic Ticket Lawyers | Feifer & Greenberg » Traffic Ticket Blog » NY Traffic Tickets » What Are the Most Common Traffic Tickets Issued in NYC?
by Feifer & Greenberg LLP
Enforcement officers in New York issue millions of traffic tickets every year. In fact, from 2014 to 2017, nearly 14.5 million tickets were issued. Many different traffic laws were violated and some much more than others.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles provides data for the past 4-year window and the statistics are interesting. Here are the most commonly issued citations, plus some other statistics our NY traffic ticket lawyers think you should know.
The Most Common Traffic Tickets in NY
1. Speeding
Between 2014 and 2017, about 2 million tickets were issued for speeding. Speeding is a violation of VTL §1180. A speeding ticket is usually punishable by a fine depending on how fast the driver was going above the speed limit and the area in which the person was speeding.
In theory, imprisonment can be imposed in certain situations, but that is very rare. Speeding violations will carry from three to 11 points depending on how much over the speed limit one was charged with driving, which is why it is important to contact a speeding ticket lawyer when you receive this kind of ticket.
2. Disobeying a Traffic Device
Approximately 1.05 million tickets were issued for disobeying a traffic device. This is a violation of VTL §1110(a). A ticket for this infraction is usually punishable by two points on the driver's license plus a fine. A traffic device is a sign, signal or marking in place to regulate, warn or guide traffic.
One may be charged with violations for disobeying other specific traffic devices (like a one way sign or stop sign) that can carry more than two points, but the generic traffic device section and charge of Disobeying a Traffic Device carries two points.
3. Uninspected Motor Vehicle
About 665,000 tickets were issued for uninspected motor vehicles during the given time frame. This is a violation of VTL §306. No points are put on the driver's license for this violation but it does come with a modest fine.
4. Unlicensed Operator
Unlicensed operators received a total of 627,000 tickets between 2014 and 2017. This is a violation of VTL §509-1. A conviction of this violation comes with a fine only — there are no points.
5. Operating a Cell Phone While Driving
About 515,000 tickets were issued for using a cell phone or portable electronic device while driving. This is a violation of VTL §1225(c) & (d). A violation of these laws results in fines and five points on the driver's license.
Other Statistics to Consider
Who's Issuing the NY Traffic Tickets?
The vast majority of the traffic tickets between 2014 and 2017 were issued by the NYC Police Department; they issued 4.24 million tickets. The Nassau County Police Department issued about 753,000 tickets, and the Suffolk County Police Department issued the third-most tickets at about 671,000.
When Are Traffic Tickets Being Issued?
Surprisingly, the fewest number of tickets between 2014 and 2017 were issued in December, at about 967,000. The most tickets were issued in May, at about 1.35 million. The complete list, from the most to fewest tickets, is:
May (1.35 million tickets, approximately)
March (1.29 million)
April (1.28 million)
August (1.23 million)
June (1.22 million)
October (1.22 million)
September (1.2 million)
July (1.2 million)
January (1.18 million)
November (1.14 million)
February (1.13 million)
December (967,000)
By days of the week, Fridays were when the most tickets were issued at 2.25 million. The fewest were issued on Sundays, with 1.71 million issued. The complete list, from most to fewest tickets, is:
Fridays (2.25 million tickets, approximately)
Wednesdays (2.22 million)
Thursdays (2.2 million)
Tuesdays (2.13 million)
Saturdays (1.99 million)
Mondays (1.91 million)
Sundays (1.71 million)
Who Is Being Ticketed?
The majority of tickets are issued to male drivers, with 10.3 million tickets being issued between 2014 and 2017. Female drivers were issued 3.95 million tickets. Organizations were issued 163,000 tickets.
Most tickets were issued to young drivers. In fact, the entire top-10 most ticketed drivers by age were in their 20s. About half a million tickets were issued drivers who were 24, and 494,000 were issued to drivers who were 25. The full top 10 list is:
24-year-olds (501,000 tickets, approximately)
25-year-olds (494,000)
Where Are Tickets Being Issued?
There are 10 different Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB) offices throughout New York City where drivers can fight their tickets. There are also local town, village and county traffic courts throughout the surrounding counties where tickets may need to be answered. Typically, tickets will need to be answered in the TVB office or court nearest to where the citation was issued.
The top 10 offices/courts where tickets were answerable between 2014 and 2017 were:
Manhattan South TVB (711,000 tickets, approximately)
Brooklyn South TVB (659,000)
Bronx TVB (624,000)
Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency (590,000)
Queens North TVB (580,000)
Manhattan North TVB (561,000)
Brooklyn North TVB (558,000)
Queens South TVB (455,000)
Richmond TVB (325,000)
Suffolk District Court (290,000)
So, What's All This Mean?
In short, there are a lot of traffic tickets issued in NY every year. Whether they're tickets for speeding or using a cell phone while driving, the added license points and fines can easily impact you in a number of ways.
If you do receive a ticket, feel free to speak with one of our NY traffic ticket lawyers at Feifer & Greenberg. We can help you figure out the best path moving forward.
Call us at (888) 842-5384 or contact us online today for a free, no-obligation consultation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It takes a 14.80V input (from a 4S LiPo) and steps it down to 3.3V. That's not the right buck converter (it should be a LT1765-3.3), but the pinout is the same, so when it's done I'll only have to change U1. The SDHDN_n pin is left floating on purpose, according to the datasheet.


Painters Hill (GNIS FID: 301597) is a populated place located in Flagler County at latitude 29.533 and longitude -81.153.
The elevation of Painters Hill is 16 feet. Painters Hill appears on the Beverly Beach U.S. Geological Survey Map. Flagler County is in the Eastern Time Zone (UTC -5 hours).


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Known for its film production industry, shipping industry, and top tier shopping experiences, it's usually considered a suburb of Greater Vancouver and is both the most heavily urbanized and densely populated section on the North Shore.
According to the 2011 Canadian census, North Van increased to 48,196 people, a nearly 7% increase from 2006. This bustling North Shore community is chalked full of opportunity, experiences, and lies close by to the gateway of northern BC and all of its natural wonders that help make it one of the greatest backyards in Canada and the world.
Pre-dating the City of Vancouver to the south, a settlement called Moodyville, now the Moodyville Park, was erected by Sewell Moody. It represents one of the oldest European settlements on the Burrard Inlet. In fact, only New Westminster is older, reigning as the oldest non-Native settlement in the area.
This rich history is largely due to the logging industry sailing inland and harvesting the staggeringly beautiful Douglas Fir forests. In 1860, a water-powered mill was built to address production, and soon a school and a post office were both built. The surrounding Municipality of North Vancouver was incorporated shortly after and developed into the 1880's. Financial collapses in the 1890's and 1907 left the City in financial ruin, resulting in the separation of West and District of North Van.
Sawmills, logging and small agricultural operations continued to pop up over time, with the areas beautiful mountainous features helping to spur on permanent attractions in the form of skiing hills – namely Grouse Mountain and Mount Seymour.
The city of North Vancouver considers itself a leader in environmental protection and stewardship through its commitment to develop and build sustainable communities that integrate and balance social, economic and cultural and environmental concerns of its population.
The City features 47 parks that include urban greenways, heritage parks, playgrounds, waterfront parks, conservation areas, as well as all-weather sports fields and amenities including mountain biking trails, skateboard parks, and wildness hiking trailheads. As a bonus, from it's waterfront parks the City of North Vancouver boats unparalleled views of Metro Vancouver to the south.
The City also features many dog-friendly and off-the-leash parks like Lynnmouth, Mosquito Creek West and Kings Mill Walk parks, to accommodate man's best friend.
A lifestyle that's filled with recreation will feel right at home in North Vancouver, as the City supports and advocates for active, recreationally-spirited activities as an essential component to the overall health and wellness of the community. Further to its views, the City and District of North Vancouver established a joint recreation commission, the NVRC, in 1970 to take responsibility for delivering a vast range of indoor and outdoor activities suitable for residents of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
The NVRC has made North Vancouver one of Canada's most active, and healthiest communities, evidenced by nearly three million visits to community rec centers each year. Residents have access to 5 indoor leisure, recreation and arts centers, as well as 5 community recreation centers in the District of North Vancouver.
Of particular interest is Lynn Canyon Park, a massive 617 acre forest park with an ecology center, 50 meter high suspension bridge attraction; Twin Falls, a stunning 2 waterfall swimming hole; and the Baden Powell Trail, one of the most well-known trails in North Vancouver, crossing the entire North Shore mountain range linking to several more parks along the way.
The City of North Vancouver features many impressive signature events and festivals geared towards community involvement. Notably, the Fun City Festival, which features a popular 1000 foot water slide and Car Free Day, a huge community street festival filling Lonsdale Ave between Victoria Park and Esplanade.
The Rivers Day Creek to Creek Festival takes place every year and joins the communities of the City of North Vancouver, and Evergreen as you walk, bike or roll from creek to creek in celebration of World Rivers Day. It's a passport style event, with check-ins along the way.
The City also boasts musical events like the Jazz In the Plaza free concert series, as well as community features like Pianos on the Street, an initiative of Pacey's Pianos and the Piano Teachers Federation.
North Van also has three Farmer's Markets scattered throughout town, showcasing organic produce, meats, beer, and other artisanal goodies.
The Burrard Dry Dock Pier is a busy City feature, a 700-foot-long pier and signature landmark of North Van. Located at the foot of Lonsdale, the pier gives panoramic 360-degree views of the North Shore Mountains and the Vancouver skyline. It stands as a tribute to the City of North Vancouver's rich shipping and marine past, contributing to the City's reputation as a major urban destination.
To celebrate the regions diverse and impressive arts and culture community, North Vancouver is home to the North Vancouver Museum and Archives (NVMA). Founded in 1975, the facility serves to preserve and celebrate its unique history. It seeks, collects and preserves records, including public records, archival documents, and photographs from both the district and the City of North Vancouver.
The North Vancouver Community Arts Council is a grassroots and social-profit charitable entity that has dedicated itself to "maximizing the intrinsic value of the arts in all media." The group enables all artists, both established and emerging, to contribute their work and bridge cultural gaps in the community through art and heritage. The NVCAC has been around for 46 years, and offers various programming projects for artists to get involved with, including a North Shore Cultural Mapping Project, art rental programs, film series, exhibitions and discussions at various locations.
The City's Shipyard Social is a free arts and heritage event for everyone that aims to transport people back in time to the early 1900's. The event features dancing, food and drink, music and performances.
Public schools in the City of North Vancouver are managed by the North Vancouver School Board, which runs and operates 8 high schools and 30 elementary schools shared between the City and District of North Vancouver.
The District offers Aboriginal Education, alternate education, Artist for Kids, Enhanced Programs, and many other unique integrated programs.
An early French Immersion program is offered at 6 locations, and a later Immersion program is offered at two sites. The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates one Francophone school in the city of North Vancouver: école André-Piolat, which has both primary and secondary levels.
Post-secondary school is offered in the City and greater area by at Capilano University in the District, as well as programs and events at Simon Fraser University.
The City of North Vancouver is connected to Metro Vancouver via two highway bridges, the Lion's Gate Bridge, and the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing. It is also connected to Vancouver by a passenger-only sea ferry, the SeaBus.
Operated by Translink, this system also operates a bus system with its central station located at Lonsdale Quay, which doubles as the launch location of the SeaBus.
Highway 1, often referred to as the Upper Levels Highway, is a part of the Trans-Canada Highway and passes through the northern end of the City.
With a slowly growing population of about 0.4% per year, the City of North Vancouver released its Economic Development Strategy in 2008 with the goal of supporting local businesses both small and large.
Some of the larger and more prominent business development opportunities include aspects of tourism, port-related expansion, office-based technology and professional services, high value niche manufacturing and wholesaling, post-secondary education, and film production. The strategy includes a total of 41 specific strategies designed to achieve 21 larger economic goals, and further, fit them into 4 large categories – like high quality infrastructure, a tourism based economic plan, and creating an attractive environment for investment and development.


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Blue Blazes
When you hear someone ask the question, "What in blue blazes?" do you ever wonder what blue blazes are and if they are, indeed, blue?
Blazes is a slang expression referring to the fires of Hell, and blue is an alliterative intensifier. The use of blue blazes is meant to express extreme confusion, surprise, or aggravation. The interesting thing is that it's more often heard in the US than in other English speaking countries.
Back on 5 August 2020, KXAN News in Austin (TX) reported on an Alabama man who woke to find an alligator swimming in his backyard pool, KXAN shared the news story on Facebook with the question: "What in the blue blazes is this?"
There was is also an implication of great speed in the expression, as seen back in 1951 when Lottie Noel's horse Blue Blazes, ridden by Noel Anderson was trying to win races.
Back in 1940, Harry Douglas created the character Blue Blaze for Marvel Comics. His first appearance was in Mystic Comics 1 and he appeared in ten issues before disappearing in 1942.
Back in 1936, Raymond Kane directed a short comedy film titled, "Blue Blazes" and starred Buster Keaton (4 October 1895 – 1 February 1966). The story followed Buster Keaton's character who decided he wanted to be a fireman. He wasn't a particularly good fireman, but when he has a chance to save three women trapped in a burning building, it's a chance to prove his worth.
You can watch the 19 minute movie on YouTube by clicking here.
That wasn't the only movie titled, "Blue Blazes." The husband-and-wife team of handsome American silent western star, Lester Cuneo (25 October 1888 – 1 November 1925) and silent screen actress and camera operator, Francelia Billington (1 February 1895 – 24 November 1934) produced a silent movie Western by that name. It was a well-used plot of a loser who tries to hide in the West where he comes to the aid of a female rancher and her widowed mother to defend them against the dastardly mortgage lender who wants to be socially inappropriate with the younger of the two women.
The idiom was found in "Chapter 22: Private Dennis Hogan, Hero" in the book "Danger Signals: Remarkable, Exciting and Unique Examples of the Bravery, Daring and Stoicism in the Midst of Danger of Train Dispatchers and Railroad Engineers" by former railroad engineer John A. Hill (22 February 1858 – 24 January 1916) and Jasper Ewing Brady, 1st Lieutenant 19th United States Infantry, Late Captain Signal Corps U.S. Volunteers, published by Jamieson-Higgins Co in 1902. The book was copyrighted by S.S. McClure Co in 1898 and in Doubleday & McClure in 1899, and lastly by Jamieson-Higgins Co in 1900.
At four o'clock on the afternoon in question Denny was aroused from his reverie by the sounder opening up and calling "FN" like blue blazes. He answered and this is what he took.
Denny was the messenger boy as well as operator and without waiting to make an impression copy, he grabbed his hat and flew down the line to the colonel's quarters. That worthy was entertaining a party at dinner, and was about to give Hogan fits for bringing the message to him instead of to the post adjutant; but a glance at the contents changed things and in a moment all was bustle and confusion.
For weeks the premonitory signs of this outbreak had been plainly visible, but true to the red-tape conditions, the army could not move until some overt act had been committed. The generous interior department had supplied the Indians with arms and ammunition and then Mr. Red Devil under that prince of fiends incarnate, Sitting Bull, started on his campaign of plunder and pillage.
IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE 1: John Alexander Hill was a co-founder of the McGraw-Hill Book Company along with James Herbert McGraw (17 December 1860 – 21 February 1948), the predecessor corporation of today's McGraw Hill Financial and McGraw-Hill Education.
Remember the racing horse, Blue Blazes, from 1951 that was mentioned earlier? He wasn't the only racing horse by that name. In "The General Stud Book Containing Pedigrees of Race Horses from the Earliest Accounts to the Year 1896 Inclusive" published in 1897 by Weatherby and Sons in London, Blue Blazes was also mentioned (although it was a different horse from the one who ran races in 1951). The book listed thorough-bred stock from England and duly certified them as thorough-breds.
The euphemistic oath is found in Chapter 10 of "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. It's made clear the expression is one with a hefty punch.
"Well," said Joe, meditatively – not, of course, that it could be in anywise necessary to consider about it, but because it was the way at the Jolly Bargemen to seem to consider deeply about everything that was discussed over pipes; "well – no. No, he ain't."
"Nevvy?" said the strange man.
"Well," said Joe, with the same appearance of profound cogitation, "he is not – no, not to deceive you, he is not – my nevvy."
"What the Blue Blazes is he?" asked the stranger. Which appeared to me to be an inquiry of unnecessary strength.
In the book, "Real Life in Ireland by a Real Paddy" which attributes the idiom to 1821 is found in Chapter 15.
Blood and blue blazes, swore old Mrs. Tarpaulin. I'll send the fellow to hell that dares attack me at my moorings in blanket bay.
In 1812, "The Drunkard's Looking Glass" by the American author, book agent, and Anglican minister, Mason Locke Weems (11 October 1759 – 23 May 1825) passage was a clear demonstration of how the two words and Hell fit together so very well.
Ye steep down gulphs of liquid fire! Ye blue blazes of damnation! But hush, thou false zeal, hush! and curse not him who Christ hath commanded you to pray for.
The book obviously sold well as by 1818, it was in its sixth printing, and the old title, "God's Revenge Against Drunkenness" had been replaced with "The Drunkard's Looking Glass."
IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE 2: Mason Lock Weems, also known as Parson Weems, wrote the first biography of George Washington (22 February 1732 – 4 December 1799) titled, "The Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington" which was published in 1800.
IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE 3: He is the source of the well-known albeit unverifiable and thoroughly questionable story of George Washington chopping down a cherry tree as a child, and what was said by the child to his father at the time.
IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE 4: Mason Lock Weems is also known for his biography of U.S. military officer Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion (1732 – 26 February 1795) who was so nicknamed by the British for his elusive tactics.
Idiomation was unable to find an earlier published reference to blue blazes, however, for it to be used so freely by Mason Locke Weems — an Anglican minister no less — it most certainly was around at the start of the 19th century, and quite possibly earlier depending on how aged old Mrs. Tarpaulin was in the 1821 book "Real Life In Ireland by a Real Paddy."
Posted in Idioms from the 19th Century | Tagged: 1800, 1821, 19th Century, blue blazes, Buster Keaton, Charles Dickens, Danger Signals, God's Revenge Against Drunkenness, Great Expectations, Harry Douglas, John A. Hill and Jasper Ewing Brady, KXAN, Lester Cuneo and Francelia Billington, Lottie Noel and Noel Anderson, Marvel Comics, Mason Locke Weems, McGraw-Hill, Mystic Comics, Real ife in ireland by a Real Paddy, the Drunkard's Looking Glass, what in blue blazes | 3 Comments »
Forty Winks
The language of slumber is one that has some strange twists and turns to it, where sense seems to be nonsense, and nonsense sometimes makes sense.
If you need to catch or take forty winks, you need a nap because forty winks isn't a good night's sleep. But why do people call a nap forty winks?
A blink doesn't last long. It doesn't even last a second. But if all you need is a few minutes rest, then forty winks should be enough … especially during the day.
But how long is a blink? A blink is longer than a jiffy (read up on shake of a lamb's tail for more details on this) so scientifically speaking, forty winks should be about 15 seconds long. Since most naps are far longer than 15 seconds, the idiom is meant to imply a forty wink nap is not dissimilar from how short employers feel a coffee break should be.
SIDE NOTE 1: In astrophysics and quantum physics a jiffy is the time it takes for light to travel one fermi. A fermi is about the size of a nucleon.
A full cycle nap according to scientists and medical researchers is 90 minutes long. A cat nap is much shorter at 7 minutes.
That being said, the number forty has been used since long before Biblical times to describe an indefinite time — long but not too long. Shakespeare used the number in some of his plays in this way, and even Welsh poet, orator, and Church of England priest George Herbert (3 April 1593 – 1 March 1633) used the number similarly in a letter to his father in law, John Danvers, when he ended it with this closing.
I have forty businesses in my hands: your Courtesie will pardon the haste of
Your humblest Servant,
George Herbert.
SIDE NOTE 2: George Herbert was the brother of the 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury. They and their eight siblings were the grandchildren of Sir Edward Newport, Lord of Cherbury. They were also the grandchildren of Sir Richard Newport, ruler of souther Powys. THeir father, Richard Herbert was the sheriff and deputy lieutenant of the county of Montgomery.
That being said, a wynk (wink) meant a sleep in the 14th Century when William Langland (1332 – 1400) wrote "Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman" published in 1377. In fact, in his epic poem, there is a lot of wynkyng, none of which involved anything but sleep.
In Volume I, in "Passus Quintus de Visione, ut supra" (which was the second vision the dreamer had which is retold in this poem), the poet wrote:
Thanne waked I of my wynkyng,
And wo was withalle,
That I ne hadde slept sadder,
And y-seighen moore.
So how and when did forty get hitched to winks (or wynks) — and separated from one wink (or wynk) meaning a sleep — to mean a nap?
Back in 1960, the B-side on the Neil Sedaka release "Stairway To Heaven" was written by Barry Mann and Larry Kolber, and told the story of a lonely guy far away from his gal, but he knew she was just "Forty Winks Away" in his dreams.
On 15 March 1924, F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940) published a short story in The Saturday Evening Post titled, "Gretchen's Forty Winks." The number forty appears a number of times in the story, but in relation to taking a nap, it is found in this passage.
When Tompkins dropped them in front of their house at eleven Roger and Gretchen stood for a moment on the sidewalk looking at the winter moon. There was a fine, damp, dusty snow in the air, and Roger drew a long breath of it and put his arm around Gretchen exultantly.
'I can make more money than he can,' he said tensely. 'And I'll be doing it in just forty days.'
'Forty days,' she sighed. 'It seems such a long time–when everybody else is always having fun. If I could only sleep for forty days.'
'Why don't you, honey? Just take forty winks, and when you wake up everything'll be fine.'
She was silent for a moment.
In Act III, Scene I of the play "Deacon Brodie or the Double Life" by Robert Louis Stevenson (13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) and William Ernest (W.E.) Henley (23 August 1849 – 11 July 1903) and published in 1882 (just a few years before Stevenson published The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1886), the characters Jean, Smith, and Moore find themselves in a public place in Edinburgh, loitering. The exchange with forty winks mentioned is found at the beginning of the scene.
MOORE:
Wot did I tell you? Is he 'ere, or ain't he? Now, then. Slink by name and Slink by nature, that's wot's the matter with him.
JEAN:
He'll no be lang; he's regular enough, if that was a'.
SMITHER:
Badger, you brute, you hang on to the lessons of your dancing-master. None but the genteel deserves the fair: does they, Duchess?
O rot! Did I insult the blowen? Wot's the matter with me is Slink Ainslie.
SMITH:
All right, old Crossed-in-love. Give him forty winks, and he'll turn up as fresh as clean sawdust and as respectable as a new Bible.
That's right enough; but I ain't agoing to stand here all day for him. I'm for a drop of something short, I am. You tell him I showed you that (showing his doubled fist). That's wot's the matter with him.
SIDE NOTE 3: Deacon William Brodie was a cabinet maker, town councilman, and head of the Incorporation of Wrights and Masons in Edinburgh by day, and the head of a burglary gang who had a serious gambling addiction and two mistresses by night. He was caught during an armed robbery at Chessel Court in 1786 and hanging two years later on 1 October 1788.
SIDE NOTE 4: The character of Robert Louis Stevenson's character Long John Silver was inspired by William Ernest Henley who suffered from tuberculousis of the bone from the time he was 12 years of age, resulting in the amputation of his left leg below the knee at age 20.
SIDE NOTE 5: William Ernest Henley's daughter, Margaret, was the inspiration for Wendy in the J.M. Barrie children's classic, Peter Pan. Unfortunately, she was a sickly child and died on 11 February 1894 at age five. The play first opened on 27 December 1904 at the Duke of York Theater in London.
In Volume 55 of the Westminster Review published in mid-1851, an extensive article discussed electro-biology as a repackaging of charlatanism, somnolism, phycheism, and mesmerism. The expression forty winks — in quotation marks — was used.
The Fakirs of India are said to throw themselves into a trance by looking at the tips of their noses; but whether trance be induced, or sleep, by that or any corresponding process, must always depend, more or less, upon the constitution of the patient. The same visual or mental effort that would give to one person his quiet "forty winks" after dinner, would throw an epileptic person into a fit.
SIDE NOTE 6: Mesmerism is named after Austrian physician Franz Anton Mesmer (23 May 1734 – 5 March 1815) which he introduced to society in 1770. He is considered the father of hypnosis. It was not accepted as a viable therapy until 1958 when the American Medical Association approved hypnosis as a therapeutic procedure.
Back in 1828 when George Eliot was Mary Ann Cross — and long before she married her husband Mr. Evans — she wrote in her journal that she had "forty winks on a sofa in the library."
Dr. William Kitchiner (1775 – 1827) wrote a self-help guide, published in 1821, which was titled, "The Art of Invigorating and Prolonging Life by Food, CLothes, Air, Exercise, Wine, Sleep, and More." Already known for his previous books, including "The Cook's Oracle", The Literary Chronicle and Weekly Review of London (England) reviewed the Dr. Kitchiner's latest book in its November 24th edition that year.
The review begins with letting readers know that not only is Dr. Kitchener the author of a number of books, but also the author of a book on telescopes which proved him to be "an excellent optician." The reviewer also saw fit to state that the author was known to his friends as "a musical amateur, an advocate for good living at the least possible expense, for indulging in all the luxuries of epicurism, with due care to avoid its injurious effects." A nod to the author's age — that being 43 years of age at the time the book was published — is mentioned as well.
The review included this passage:
Sleep is a subject on which our author acknowledges his feelings are tremblingly alive; he is fond of a 'forty-winks' nap in an horizontal posture, as the best preparative for any extraordinary exertion, either of body or mind.
Idiomation was unable to find an early published version of forty winks meaning a nap — not a long sleep — prior to 1821 when it is used in quotations. So while winks (and wynks) clearly referred to sleep for a few hundred years, forty winks meaning a nap seems to have come about in the early 1800s.
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Smart As A Whip
When someone is said to be smart as a whip, it means that person is able to think and reason logically to a high degree, with a small degree of error in his or her thinking. In other words, intellectually speaking, they are blindingly brilliant.
On March 11, 2003 the column by Chip and Jonathan Carter entitled, "Inside The Video Games" reviewed the game "Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb" for the Rome News-Tribune. The game was available for Xbox and would be available for the PlayStation2 in May. The reviewers loved the game, going so far as to say that the "game play is a work of art." What's more, both Chip and Jonathan gave the game an overall rating of A+ for overall awesomeness. As a sort of play on the fact that Indiana Jones has a penchant for whips, the review was titled, "Smart As A Whip."
The Telegraph of Nashua, New Hampshire published their "Around The Town" column on March 13, 1965 with the idiom in the article, "Some Old Timers Are Smart As A Whip." It set the tone for the piece, and began with this paragraph.
Some of the senior citizens who call at the office to talk about the days of their youth are as smart as a whip and can recall their early days here with much more facility, I have found, than the later generations. If you can make them feel easy you usually wind up with a fund of information about Nashua, of their time anyway.
The Bend Bulletin newspaper of October 17, 1952 ran an ad for Lester Hou's Central Oregon Motors in Redmond, Oregon. The dealership was a Mercury dealership, and they were proud to trumpet the benefits of the Merc-O-Matic drive. At the time, there were three choices for a transmission on a Mercury: Standard, Touch-O-Matic Overdrive, and No-Shift Merc-O-Matic Drive. They blended a second idiom into the advertisement by stating that "whip smart and saddle fancy" was an old Western saying.
The same advertisement for other dealerships were published in other newspapers such as the Spokane Daily Chronicle, the Spokesman-Review, the Ellensburg Daily Record, and other major newspapers in America. The copy was the same from newspaper to newspaper, and the idiom that was upfront and bolded was "Smart as a whip."
In the November 30, 1938 edition of the Times Daily, the newspaper ran a photograph of Mrs. Angier Priscilla Duke (the former Priscilla St. George) in black boots, creamy tan whipcord breeches, plaid sports coat, man-tailored shirt, and a foulard tie. She was a fetching woman, and the photograph was captioned, "Smart As A Whip."
Priscilla wed Angier Duke (30 November 1915 – 29 April 1995) in Tuxedo Park on January 2, 1937. He was the son of Angier Buchanan Duke and Cordelia Drexel Biddle of Philadelphia which means that the 21-year-old bridegroom was not only a member of the Duke family but the Biddle family as well. The Duke family fortune came from the American Tobacco Company that was founded in 1890 by his great-uncle James Buchanan Duke, and the Biddle family fortune was due to banking.
The bride's father was the grandson of the late George F. Baker Sr. who, upon his death, was hailed as the last great titan of Wall Street, and was known to be the financial genius of First National Bank. The bride's mother was a first cousin of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Their wedding was followed by what the newspapers called "a grand tour, round-the-world honeymoon" that kept them away from New York for eight months. Unfortunately, she was the first of his four wives, and they divorced in 1939, just two years after they wed.
The 1882 book "Picturesque B. and O.: Historical and Descriptive" by Joseph Gladding Pangborn (9 April 1848 – 17 August 1914) provided an enchanting account of crossing the American countryside by way of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company trains as they headed out from the Jersey City depot.
The Pangborn family was one that was rich in American history. Joseph Gladding Pangborn's father signed up for volunteer service in the Union Army when the Civil War broke out, and was fatally wounded at Forth Ethan Allen in Virginia. His mother's family was steeped in American history. John Gladding had arrived at Newburyport, Plymouth Colony in 1660,and settled in Bristol, Rhode Island where he and his wife, Elizabeth Rogers raised four children.
The American Civil War broke out, and at fourteen years of age, he enlisted with the Union Army as a drummer boy. He was assigned to the Forty-fourth Regiment New York Infantry. In 1865, he served in Texas, and in 1866 he returned to his home in Albany, New York. He became a reporter and worked for the New York Times, the New York Tribune, The Republican (in Chicago), and the Kansas City Times.
By 1876, he had moved on to a new career with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, and on May 1, 1880, he joined the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad as a general advertising agent, then moving on to special representative status.
When the book was published, it contained 70 sketches along with the prose. And early in the book, smart as a whip was used.
Young Luap was, in his way, as striking a possession as any in the menagerie, and although the last of the Four to be trotted out, was by no means entitled to such place by reason of characteristics lacking; indeed, he possessed them to such a degree as to almost require an apology for not mentioning him first. Smart as a whip, but far from as pliable, he comprehended more in a moment than the balance of the quartet could grasp in a week.
In the "Dictionary of the Gaelic Language" by Norman Macleod, the idiom is recorded as smart as a lash and is considered to be a provincial term.
But it's in the "Recreative Review, or Eccentricities of Literature and Life" in Volume 1 that the connection between being smart and whips is made in an essay that begins on page 336. In the essay published in 1821, a passage talks about the virtues of whipping a boy to improve him.
But the practice is an old one. Doctor Tempete is mentioned by Rabelais as a celebrated flaggelator of school-boys, in the college of Montaigne, in Paris. Buchanan was wont to tickle his royal disciple, James the First, and joked with the ladies of the court about it. And, with respect to that of our public schools, it may be of service; for every one must allow it makes a boy smart.
The fact of the matter is that as early as the 17th century the word smart meant both to be strong, quick, and intense in manner and to be painful. So while a whip might cause pain and smart, someone would be strong, quick, and intense in manner in the same way a whip is strong, quick, and intense.
Idiomation was unable to find an earlier published variation to the idiom than the one in 1821, it is reasonable to believe that the idiom goes back at least to 1800, and most likely much earlier.
Posted in Idioms from the 19th Century | Tagged: 1821, Angier Priscilla Duke, Bend Bulletin, Chip and Jonathan Carter, Ellensburg Daily Record, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, Joseph Gladding Pangborn, Norman Macleod, Priscilla St. George, Rome News Tribune, smart as a whip, Spokane Daily Chronicle, Spokesman Review, The Telegraph, Times Daily, whip smart | Leave a Comment »
All Sense And No Nonsense
When you hear someone say someone is all sense and no nonsense what they are saying is that the person appears sensible, direct, efficient, and practical. In other words, what they say is what they mean and what they say and do is usually well-thought out long before they say and do what they mean to say and do.
In Thomas D. Taylor's short story "Skeleton Key" published in 2013, the narrator shares this with the reader:
The man was hardly more than a boy though he must have been in his mid-twenties. He was blond, fair looking but resembled an accountant more than a jock. He had glasses, wispy hair and was dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans. The woman he was with wore white shorts and a blue and white striped top. She was also blond but had no characteristics of the familiar stereotype. This one was all sense and no nonsense.
While the phrase isn't heard very often these days, it was used in an advertisement in the Spokane Daily Chronicle on February 26, 1943 where the headline read:
All Sense And No Nonsense About These Slack Suits For Your Working Hours.
The slack suits they were selling were described thusly:
Designed primarily for play, slack suits have been taken up with gusto by today's busy women for their working hours. They're comfortable as an old shoe, yet are so beautifully tailored and styled, they give you that neat, concise look that's important these days.
Back in 1873, the expression was found in "The National Teacher: A Monthly Educational Journal: Volume III" edited by Emerson Elbridge White. In the Editorial Department, on page 507, the following was written:
School Commissioner Harvey has attended a large number of the institutes in Ohio this year, rendering valuable assistance. His public addresses are highly commended by the press. An eminent educator who heard him at a recent institute, writes: "Commissioner Harvey is capital — all sense and no nonsense. No teacher can hear him without benefit."
Taking the phrase apart, the no nonsense part of the phrase actually originates from the phrase to stand no nonsense which, according to numerous dictionaries, was sporting slang back in 1821.
The word nonsense itself entered the English language from the French word nonsens sometime in the 1610s. The French word meant that something was either ridiculous or wildly unreasonable.
Since the expression was used in a published magazine in 1873, it is reasonable to believe that the expression all sense and no nonsense was in use at least one generation prior to 1873, putting it at sometime in the late 1840s or early 1850s.
Posted in Idioms from the 19th Century, Sports | Tagged: 1821, 1840s, 1850s, all sense and no nonsense, E. E. White, Spokane Daily Chronicle, The National Teacher, The National Teacher: A Monthly Educational Journal, Thomas D. Taylor | Leave a Comment »


text:
Vacation in Palestine
At four in the morning, I was abruptly awakened by having the warm sheets yanked off my body and the curtains lifted letting rays of sun shine upon my face. My groggy mind couldn't comprehend what was happening other than an icy blanket of cold air replacing the warmth on my skin. "Yalla ya Issam, get ready!" my father commanded. Amidst my confusion, I let out a faint grumble of protest before he started clapping his hands.
"Come on, we have to be at the border within an hour!"
Oh, right. Today was the day we were traveling from Jordan to Palestine.
We hurried out with out luggage to greet the driver waiting for us. I fell right back asleep as soon as the journey began in the van but was awoken by a sudden lurch Looking out I realized that we were at the border. Border control consisted of a small outpost on the side of a deserted highway. It truly felt that we reached the end of the earth since, besides a few dilapidated buildings, there was truly nothing else but the desert.My father and I walked to a dimly lit and uninviting office, which was no help against the sweltering heat outside.The place was dim and uninviting, and woman cradling her baby sat across from me. Perhaps she was in a similar situation,but I would never know for certain. I would later find out that these papers were our ticket into Palestine which my dad used connections and a bit of extra cash to get.
We climbed into another van and with a slight lurch we were off, going to the mystical lands of Palestine. The land that my parents constantly reminded me I was from. The source of endless conflict and bloodshed according to what I'd seen on television. A conflict with no solution, doomed to forever be stuck in a cycle of violence.
I thought a lot about what I was about to embark on. I was about to enter the Holy Land, a place where millions of people around the earth wish they could return to, or at least visit again. The millions of Palestinians around the earth who could not or were not allowed to visit their homeland and yet, I was one of the select few who could enjoy this privilege. However, I felt apathetic about it. I was only sixteen, had never visited Palestine before, and was completely ignorant about its history. I hated Israel because I only knew what my mom told me: that they stole our land and killed our children. However, I wasn't interested enough to determine the truth of that claim. I began feeling guilty as I recognized that I was not grateful for the trip as I should have been, and that a real Palestinian deserved to be in my spot instead of me. But now that I was here, I decided to make the most of it.
Except for the long lines and the soldiers messily searching through our bags the stop at Israeli border control was relatively painless. Driving to our grandma's house was disappointing at first because the earth was, as far as I could see, nothing but the desert. However, the closer we got to Betuina, the small village town where I was from, the more greenery I saw, the more homes and the more people milling about. However, what stuck out the most amidst the scenery were the number of settlements. These settlements freckled the land, growing and merging together, a cancer that was leeching on the Palestinians. The Palestinians couldn't resist against the construction as they were supported by one of the world's strongest militaries. They were built on the best plots for Jewish citizens of Israel, some of which went for ideological reasons, namely recapture of Judea and Samaria, while others simply wanted to a good housing deal. If you were unfortunate enough to have been living there before, you would be forcibly pushed away to make room and anything you had owned, including your house, was demolished. They took over all the resources from the land including 87% of the water. The malignant growth meant the Palestinians having to pay the ultimate price for it as the penniless population were spirited to lands unknown.
The white marble of the settlement buildings cast a somber glow upon the Palestinian inhabitants below it. The lavishness of these buildings also presented a dark contrast with the humble living conditions of the Palestinians. Nevertheless, we continued following the traces of civilization until we reached a checkpoint. The driver told us we were "lucky that it was so empty today, sometimes it'd be backed up for miles." Two soldiers emerged from their booth and walked up to our window. "Awraq", papers, they said, and my dad quickly provided them the last of our documents. They looked through them, hesitated for a bit, then let us through.
The same night at my grandparent's house, after the lights were out, I asked myself, "What exactly was I doing in Palestine?" I would have much preferred to have spent my summer vacation with my friends back in my current home, Saudi Arabia, but my parents had signed me up for a summer camp called "GoPalestine." They were adamant that I attend despite my many objections. GoPalestine was a program created by the heads of the "Friends School" in Ramallah, with the purpose of giving Palestinians in diaspora an opportunity to experience their native homeland (for the right price, of course). Despite GoPalestine's altruistic mission, I was frustrated at forcefully being signed up for a summer away from the luxuries of home. I did not want to see my relatives, nor did I want to attend summer camp, and least of all, visit Palestine. I didn't have any connection to that forgotten land and wanted to spend my summer goofing with friends and catching up on all the fun I had missed during school.
But here I was, at nine in the morning, sleep deprived, and standing in a circle with over two dozen people in red shirts branding the logo of the summer camp. The awkwardness was palpable and no one else seemed like they wanted to be there. After what seemed like an eternity of silence two camp leaders, in green shirts (referred to as "counselors") jumped in and broke the tension right through . Their forced positivity and jokes did not boost my confidence for the upcoming experience and I wanted nothing more than to be back home. The following three weeks, however, would turn out to be the most important and the most cherished of my life.
In the span of three weeks we visited every major town in the West Bank, including the city of Jerusalem. We started out first in Ramallah, the most modern of cities in Palestine and considered by many to be the new de facto capital of the West Bank. It was mostly here that one can feel a sense of normality even if it was fleeting. Free from visible signs of occupation one can almost forget that it was occupied territory, and that more than a decade ago Israeli tanks would be patrolling the streets in a hunt for the so called "terrorists.". Here, no settlements stood, no ugly wall jutting out from the earth. People's expressions were less tired and many could enjoy the small luxuries of normal cities such as a café or salon. This small enclave of normalcy was confined to just that, and outside Ramallah the occupation was impossible to ignore. Outside, settlements sprung up like weeds and the Israeli army regularly patrolled the roads pulling over anyone they felt posed a threat. While we traveled on the bumpy dirt roads, we saw the newly paved and smooth roads were to be used by the Israelis only. We had to stop constantly while driving to either maneuver around an impossibly large pothole or to go through one of the many checkpoints. Occasionally, our bus would be stopped and searched by an Israeli soldier wielding his military rifle. To avoid trouble, we were all required to hold out our ID's, look straight ahead and not dare twitch a muscle. On the way to the other cities, we would pass by homes that were obliterated, pancaked by Israel's infamous "home demolition" policies. One would grimly wonder where the former inhabitants of that house were. Ramallah, prison, or Jordan? These were questions that would remain unanswered.
While Ramallah is more liberal and modern, the city of Nablus was more conservative. The boys in our group were required to wear jeans and the girls were required to dress more modestly and to wear a hijab if they can. Despite its conservatism, Nablus closely resembled Ramallah in appearance. The inhabitants themselves looked much older, and traditional attire were more prevalent. The men dressed in long grey dresses called "thobes" and a majority of women adorned the hijab. In Nablus stood two major forms of Palestinian resistance: an olive oil soap factory and keffiyah, the traditional black-and-white headscarf, factory. These family owned factories are one of the few remaining modicums of Palestinian self-reliance. It's a small break against a total surrender to reliance on Israel. It was not and still is not a winning battle and the owners had/have to daily fight against Israeli bureaucracy and arbitrary rulings to keep the factory running. Thankfully, they are still up and running, and remains as a symbol of Palestinian persistence.
On the other hand, it was Hebron that showed most of the scars of occupation. The town was barely alive. For years, the town has been fighting the growing settlement community and were losing that battle, badly. Rows of stores stood desolate and closed, and what was once a thriving marketplace is now barely a shadow of it. One store was open on the day I visited, an old souvenir shop selling cheap trinkets caked in dust. The only person other than the shopkeeper were the inescapable guards. The Israeli settlers had ruled the city, they often were accompanied by the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) acting on their behalf to keep the city within their grasp, this often led to horrific consequences for the Palestinians.
The city housed one thing of value and that was the Cave of Patriarchs, the final resting spot of Abraham and and ancient mosque. Despite being under the authority of the Palestinian government, the IDF were the ones guarding it. Our group was forced to squeeze into the metal cages to wait in line for the booth. We resembled a herd of sheep waiting to be slaughtered. We stood under the hot sun, cramped and sweaty, for what seemed like hours until we were all allowed to pass through. I couldn't imagine how awful it was during Friday prayers.
The visit to Jerusalem turned out to be the most pleasant as well as least expected. Arriving at the gates of the city the air was filled with a sense of piety and intensity. In Jerusalem, Palestinians and Jews were always in direct contact, there were no settlement gates or 12-foot walls to separate the two. Many opted to have soldiers accompany them, service the soldiers were more than happy to offer. I was within the most fought after stretch of land in history. Even before the Zionist invasion, Jerusalem has been the site of contention for all three great Abrahamic religions. The creation of the Israelites and the splitting of the Red Sea, the Roman invasions, Crusades, Ottoman acquisitions, and the British Mandates, it all happened here. The city stood atop a small hill with ancient walls surrounding it. Nine gates were the only entrance into the city and before we could enter the "Damascus Gate," the women needed to adorn a full body Abaya. The city itself is ancient. Everything was built out of a yellow rock. It was cramped as well, and we pushed our way through people to make it to the Temple Mount, the site containing the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque. The path to the Mount was aligned with various vendors trying to sell you souvenirs or other religious memorabilia, which was a stark contrast to the empty streets of Hebron. We passed one more gate before the we got to the Temple Mount, it was breathtakingly beautiful. It seemed endless with its immaculate white stone flooring reaching as far as they eye can see. Immediately I was greeted with the iconic Dome of the Rock, where the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) ascended to heaven. According to Islamic history, the lesser known but more heavily regarded mosque, the Al-Aqsa, was to the left. Muslims would pray facing this mosque before God changed it to qiblah in Mecca. The atmosphere on the mount was much more relaxed than any other part of Jerusalem. Here there were no guards to destroy the scenery and everyone generally had an expression of calm and content, no occupation could distract from the religious satisfaction they must have felt here.
I would describe Palestine as a tragic beauty. The land was pretty no doubt about that. It has a unique combination Mediterranean vegetation with Arab desert. The lakes, climate, and location all made it extremely pleasant to be in. Apart from historic and identity reasons it is clear why it's been fought over for decades now. However, despite it's beauty you can never truly escape the ugliness the occupation. The giant grey wall that runs through the land of Palestine and dividing everything in its path. The soldiers with their regular patrolling; unwelcome guests that you could do nothing about. They were viewed as the cause of the Palestinian suffering, the ones enforcing the occupation by any means necessary. The soldiers and settlers view always viewed the ones responsible for the loss of their land and dignity; a masterpiece vandalized.
You could also see it on people's faces. People so utterly devoid of hope and happiness, simply existing. Each day was a barrage of bad news and new disappointments. Children killed, land stolen, failed peace talks, all were to become part for the course. The image of Palestine of a peaceful flourishing nation only existed in the stories of mothers told their children. They speak of a time before the occupation, and before the war. Some so fiercely held on to this image of perfection that they would do anything to make it a reality. Others let it go and accepted the bitter reality as a permanent one. Whatever the future holds for Palestine, it will not be reached passively, but rather heroically fought for with hearts filled with determination and rage. While I got to return home to the luxuries of a comfortable life, those that I left behind were sentenced to live under a brutal occupation. A life full of uncertainties and injustices wheresome may flee for a better one, but many others, whether from pride or financial, would stay. And those are the ones keeping Palestine alive, and protecting it from its existence from being scrubbed away. Palestinians around the world owe everything to the brave ones that stayed and continued fighting for their right to exist.
I returned from Palestine completely changed, and almost a different individual. The beauty combined with the despair that I had seen would forever change how I perceived this tiny sliver of land, including the entire world. It filled me anger at how such injustices could occur with no consequence, no punishment. Being Palestinian was more than just an identity, it was to keep it alive. To prevent the cleansing of our people and history. Ever since then I had proudly worn the badge of being Palestinian, not to take credit for actions I did not commit, but to resist even in the smallest way possible. I am a Palestinian and I am not going to go down without a fight.
Photos by Issam Ismail
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Centuries ago, civilized societies recognized and acknowledged the most basic instincts of all- i.e. the need for companionship – and founded an honorable institution known as marriage. Experience has shown that life is full of conflicts, questions, concerns, temptations, joys, sorrows, ups and downs and the Hindus believe that this institution of marriage can help navigate the complex ocean of life. Your ancestors, who were great thinkers set aside some guidelines to make sure that this institution is a permanent one capable of not only bringing happiness to two young people but also providing a delicate balance so that the family enjoys the fullness of life within the framework of what they called Dharma, the Hindu code of right conduct.
The subject matter of marriage has been discussed and debated ever since and you may be assured that even as we assemble here, there are perhaps a dozen or more such places in a 50 mile radius where one ethnic community or an other in this great land is imparting its own ideas to their sons and daughters as we are doing now. Therefore, you should feel quite normal about this event and consider this activity as an in-thing to do and learn.
The July 1989 issue of Readers Digest has an article entitled "Surprising Key to the Happiest Couples" written by two psychologists who conclude that " Romance "talks" about love but it is friendship that puts love to the ultimate test". They continue and say " If there is one prevailing wish that husbands and wives have for their marriage, it is to be close companions for life. While many men and women know that love is essential for such a lifelong bond, they often don't realize that love without close friendship is only a harmonal illusion. One cannot desire another person over the long haul without really being best friends with that person".
This may be a newly discovered concept by modern psychologists but one of your ancestors known as Yudhishtira revealed this "secret" about 4000 years ago. In the Aranya Parva of that great epic of the Hindus known as the Mahabharata, one of the 120 questions the Yaksha asked Yudhishtira was "kimsvin mitram grihesatah?" i.e. Who is the friend of a householder? To which the prince answered " bhaaryaa mitram grihesatah" i.e. the friend of a householder is his spouse. According to Hindus, therefore, the basis for marriage is friendship. According to Hindus, this friendship is the understanding, the promise and the commitment that unites a man and a woman. There is absolutely no question about the role of a woman, her importance, her position in this equation that binds them together.
Nothing short of the status of a queen is what the scriptures prescribe. Our ancestors went even further: they blessed the bride by saying;" murdhaanam patyuraroha"." May your husband keep you on his head" meaning "let him respect you". As a society, we owe it to ourselves to realize the wisdom in these ancient truths spoken by our ancestors. There are in fact two more questions in the Yaksha Prashna where this subject matter comes up. In another question the Yaksha asks Yudhishtira: kimsvid daiva krita sakha? Who is man's god-given friend? Yudhishtira's answer was: bhaaryaa daivakrita sakha- a man's God-given friend is his wife. Again the basis of friendship in marriage is emphasized.
If we, as parents expect you to adopt and adapt what we consider a great heritage, we cannot simply ask you to accept these ideas but we have to be able to articulate these ideas and ask that you consider, understand and assimilate these thoughts.
Our religion and culture are rooted in the Vedas composed around 1500 B.C. or earlier. The Vedic ideal of marriage, according to Abhinash Chandra Bose (The Call of the Vedas, page 259, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1970) "is that of perfect monogomy, the life-long companionship of two people. This practice must have been well established, as is evident from the fact that the Vedic Rishi, seeking comparisons for perfect duality for the Twin Deities, Ashvins, gives along with examples of two eyes, two lips etc. that of a married couple".
Dharma, artha and kama conflict with each other. How can these contraries be reconciled? How can a householder necessarily involved in the pursuit of good life seeking arttha and kaama in raising a family and serving a community not find himself in conflict with Dharma and how can he strive for moksha? Notice that Artha and Kama are safely sandwiched between Dharma and Moksha. If salvation is to be your goal, the ancient Hindus said, then by all means practice fully in the affairs of the society, raise a family, enjoy the good life in a responsible way, serve the community- all within the framework of Dharma.
That means, a person, in order to keep that delicate balance among the attributes of arttha and kaama, has to have a spouse who is dhaarmic. It is that protection coming from such a spouse, that torch light, that spirit of friendship and cooperation and sacrifice that gives a reasonable chance for a couple to succeed in meeting this challenge of conflicting attributes.
Our elders wanted us to get married in a Vedic ceremony so that the various vows are properly uttered and understood. Each step in the ceremony conveyed implicitly or explicitly an understanding between the two. The life companion inherited this burden of providing the umbrella of Dharma so that the family she was going to raise -her own family- would be a Dhaarmic one. That is why a wife is not simply called a patni but she is always referred to as Dhrmapatni, wife-in Dharma. This then is the reason for that very special, very unique, very necessary role a woman was called upon to play in the Hindu household.
We parents were fortunate in one sense when we were growing up in India. We had a support system when we were children: parents, relatives by the dozens, teachers, friends, and they all tried to mould our character silently, patiently and naturally. Without that strength of character, we could not be what we are today in a land that is foreign to us. We received our strengths without the assistance of any organized effort, gradually, unconsciously and unmistakably because all the supporting components, i.e. family, relatives, festivals, social and religious gatherings, music, stories, temples, people around in the community, schools, teachers, all contributed to that strength. It is the combination of that rich background and the education received both at home and abroad that has put the Indian community in the top 6% of the economic ladder in the U.S. God has been kind to the Indian communities across this nation and we have every reason to be grateful and to celebrate and enjoy the good life. That is our earned right.
We as your parents want you to be fine young people but we also want you to be strong in spirit, cheerful and outstanding citizens of this great country. I say this not only because it is the obvious wish of any parent but mostly because you are the legitimate inheritors of Hindu Dharma and therefore have the potential to develop a combination of qualities so powerful that can help you to be, in modern parlance, awesome. Because, there is, to my knowledge, nothing that can equal the combination of Brahmateja and Kshaatraveerya.
The activities of the Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple Society in the past 20 years in this great state have been directed to secure the future of our children. We want to help lay the foundation upon which a confident and stable Indian community can grow. Our point of view is simply this: We believe that the equation of life is complete only when we bring Dharma into it. That is what has sustained us for over 5000 years in good and bad times and that is what we believe will sustain our children. We want the future generations of American Hindus to receive the same nourishment we received from our philosophy. We want you to grow up with a strength of character that will more than equal the material prosperity into which you are born. It is my conviction that our endeavors in this State, including our plans to build a Hindu Temple complex will be the source of such strength and nourishment. I hope you share my optimism.


text:
The Church of St Michael and All Angels is the former parish church of Gwernesney, Monmouthshire, Wales.  It is a Grade I listed building. In 2017, the church was vested in the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches.

History and architecture

The church is thirteenth century in origin but with much fifteenth-century work.  The double bell gable, and more, was restored in 1853–4 by John Pollard Seddon. It is of Old Red Sandstone.

The interior contains a late medieval screen, "of particular interest."  The church register of baptisms and burials dates from the year 1758 and that of marriages from 1757.

Notes

References

Gwernesney
Church in Wales church buildings

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Self-Published Book Being Re-Made into Movie
Aside from the main characters, nearly 90 local children were extras during this scene of the new independent film "A Wish for Giants." Filming continues until June 2017. (submitted photo).
by Jonathan Weaver
A Kittanning writer is taking his novel to the big screen this Fall.
With the help of Armstrong Junior/Senior High School TV Production Teacher Don Swanson, more than a dozen principal actors and more than a hundred extras, Aaron Dunbar – of Blanket Hill – will be making his second novel "A Wish for Giants" come alive as a movie.
A self-employed landscape architect, Dunbar finished publishing the novel in 2015. He described the book's main plot and how he was encouraged to make a movie version of the story.
"'A Wish for Giants'" is about a little girl with an inoperable brain tumor. She collapses on her playground at school, (so) her mother takes her to the doctor – and she also collapses at the doctor's office. When they go to the ER, they find out she has an inoperable brain tumor," Dunbar explained. "The doctor suggests referring her to a wish-granting entity, and her wish is to find Bigfoot.
"Since (the book) had Bigfoot in it, one of the cast members (Cliff Barackman) from 'Finding Bigfoot' (on the channel Animal Planet) bought my book and invited me to a Bigfoot conference in May last year – where all the big gurus and personalities from television and researchers converge. I got to meet him and several others, and they kind-of encouraged me to make it into a movie," Dunbar said.
Filming began at the former-Kittanning Township Elementary School October 15 and continued October 22 at Olsen Chiropractic in West Kittanning.
The cast and crew will next film within a few weeks. Dunbar hopes for principal filming to be completed in June.
A November 13 all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner is planned to help raise funds for production. Beginning at noon at the Elderton Towne Hall, adults and children will also be able to win prizes in a Chinese auction, buy T-shirts and receive copies of the novel – as well as take selfies with an eight-foot Bigfoot!
Dunbar is still seeking extras for upcoming scenes in the movie. Interested actors can contact him via a form or information on the film's website, www.awishforgiants.com.
October 31, 2016 jweaver
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The HAC
HAC Enquiries:020 7382 1537
Venue Hire Enquiries:020 7382 1533
Regimental Enquiries:020 7448 0703
The Regiment
Special Constabulary
Joining the HAC
Ceremonial Sub-Units
Where we come from
Victoria Cross
Estate and Treasures
Awards of the Victoria Cross, First World War
Lieutenant (later Lieutenant-Colonel) Reginald Leonard (Bill) Haine VC MC
Haine was a member of the 1st Battalion's No. 3 (or C) Company and went with it to France on 18 September 1914. He was awarded the VC for his actions at Gavrelle on 28-29 April 1917 during the battle of Arras, when, as stated in his citation, "our troops, occupying a pronounced salient, were repeatedly counter-attacked. There was an ever-present danger that if the enemy attack succeeded, the garrison of the salient would be surrounded." His "superb courage, quick decision and sound judgement were beyond praise, and it was his splendid personal example which inspired his men to continue their efforts during more than thirty hours of continuous fighting." Haine later served in the Indian Army's 35th Sikhs and was awarded the Military Cross for his actions on the North-West Frontier of India on 17 May 1919.
Lieutenant (later Captain) Alfred Oliver Pollard VC MC and Bar DCM
Like Haine, Pollard was also a member of the 1st Battalion's No. 3 Company in 1914 and was awarded the VC for his actions at Gavrelle on 29 April 1917 during the battle of Arras. His citation states that "with only four men he started a counter-attack with bombs, and pressed it home till he had broken the enemy attack, regained all that had been lost and much ground in addition … By his force of will, dash and splendid example, coupled with an utter contempt of danger, this Officer, who has already won the DCM and MC, infused courage into every man who saw him." Pollard served in the Royal Air Force during the 1920s and was a writer of crime and mystery fiction; his many works also include an autobiography about his First World War experiences.
Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Thomas Tanatt Pryce VC MC and Bar
Pryce, who had also joined the HAC's 1st Battalion in 1914, was commissioned into the Gloucestershire Regiment in 1915 and was awarded his posthumous VC as Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion, the Grenadier Guards. This was awarded as a result of his actions on 13 April 1918 when, with only 40 men, he held back an enemy battalion for ten hours. He was aged 32 when he died, "last seen engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand struggle with overwhelming numbers of the enemy". He has no known grave but is remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Hainaut, Belgium.
To find out how to research a member of the HAC, or how to discover background information on this period, visit the Archives page (where you can also find details about our commemorative publication Reflections of a Regiment: The Honourable Artillery Company and the Great War in Pictures).
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The title "lligo Krasi Ligo Thalassa" is one of the longest names for the restaurant, but it is a temple worth visiting. It is a restaurant located at the entrance to the old port of Heraklion, at the center of the city.
The dishes are traditional Greek meals, with high quality and fair prices. Try the excellent sardines on the grill and the great oyster dishes.
All these are accompanied by the everchanging service, which some complain of its sluggish pace and others indicate its effectiveness. This changes depending on the crowds. This can be avoided if one comes at a less stressful hour.
Alongside the food,one can enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of the tasty restaurant. After a delicious meal, when not too crowded, it is customary to indulge in a barbecue or dessert on the house. However, if you did not receive it, order the famous loukoumades. This is a kind of donut, a ball of dough, dipped in syrup. Many people on the island say that the loukoumades of lligo Krasi Ligo Thalassa are the most delicious in all of Greece.


Annabelle is a master dyer, weaver & print maker and supports the artistic development and community development of the art centre. She believes passionately in keeping culture alive through art and embracing new mediums to express Anindilyakwa culture.
Bernadette is a strong teacher and leader at the Angurgu studio. She is just returned from leave visiting family in Mornington Island & Darwin, it's great to have her home!
Maicey is a strong and enthusiastic leader of the Umbakumba bush dyers and is excited by the prospect of teaching young people the bush dyeing craft.
Letoria is a young artist and hard working project officer who fills the art centre with laughter. Letoria enjoys dying and is currently learning to weave baskets with ghost net.
We are proud to be operating under the Anindilyakwa Land Council and working with many of their wonderful team to grow and develop our art centre to create sustainable and meaningful jobs for the future.


In the evergreen gardens of Barcelona, Jasmin is wearing the Calypso by Variation Design. Inspired by the sea, the Calypso frame is an « ambassadress" of sweetness. Structured with sophisticated curves, aerated straps offering roundness and freedom to the lenses.
In 2003, Dominique Varlet , a former optician North of France, created the company VARIATION DESIGN. His experience allows him to offer to each of his creations , a daring and aesthetic design. In 2006, he combined this knowledge with the one of a young designer to develop this dynamic spirit he has just created.
V.DESIGN: designer collection that allows everyone , male or female, to assert his personality and character. Drawing its lines in different universes such as design , nature and architecture, V.DESIGN creations are a mix of curves , colors and material effects. The collection is divided into combined acetate , drilled, full-ring and nylon frames.


Leafcutter Ants (Atta sp. and Acromyrmex sp.) invented agricultural techniques long before early man.
These "farmers" learned to grow and maintain a food source in the form of fungus, a kind of mushroom cultivated in underground chambers.
The fungus is food for both ants and larvae.
Leafcutter ant carrying a piece of leaf back to the nest.
Next to humans, Leafcutter ants have the largest and most complex societies on Earth. A single nest may contain a thousand chambers, up to 18 feet in depth, and support a community of more than a million ants! The queen is huge in comparison to her workers and about an inch in length.
The exact steps it takes to produce the mushroom-like fungus and keep it free from pests and molds are passed on across generations.
Leafcutter ants can be seen along pathways in the tropics, carrying bits of leaves back to their nest where they cultivate their fungus. Their amazing agricultural methods are a series of small, precise steps conducted in their underground chambers.
Leafcutter ants are from South and Central America, Mexico, and parts of the southern United States. They can be a problem for crops, roads, and farmland with their nest-making activities.
Some Leafcutter species are capable of defoliating and entire citrus tree in less than 24 hours!
Here in the states, at least there's one ant you don't have to worry about!


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Pseudodaphnella intaminata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.

Description
The length of the shell attains 7 mm, its diameter 3 mm.

All types were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire.

Distribution
This species occurs in the China Seas.

References

 Gould, A. A. Descriptions of shells collected in the North Pacific Exploring Expedition1860. under Captains Ringgold and Rodgers. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 1859-1860 vol.7 p. 339
 Gould, A. 1860. Descriptions of New Shells Collected by the United States North Pacific Exploring Expedition. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 7: 323-340.

External links
  R.I. Johnson, The Recent Mollusca of Augustus Addison Gould; United States National Museum, bulletin 239, Washington D.C. 1964

 Gastropods.com: Pseudodaphnella intaminata

intaminata
Gastropods described in 1860


Jeanne becomes angry when Leonard mentions her weight.
Every morning Rolfe went along the beach and looked for shellfish he didn't know.
Jeanette doesn't know how Knudsen died.
I didn't sell Dieter those.
Evelyn nearly died after eating some raw liver.
I run into Mariou occasionally.
I must speak with Dale.
Rafael won't be here till 2:30.
I hope Mark comes as well.
Cristina isn't going to stop till he drops.
Ricky shot Lucius twice in the leg.
Marcel is the first human ever to hear stoats singing.
Dominick seems to know the secret.
I saw Mahesh go inside.
What would Sherman do if he found out?
Do you know whether or not Tolerant is going to swim?
Mats takes care of himself.
Arnold succeeded in getting elected.
Carisa looked like he was going to hit Alain.
The box Sharada gave me contained potatoes.
Lenny is an extremely charming guy.
Tanaka broke his collarbone when he was thirteen.
Blaine has never been seriously ill his life.
I want to hear what Albert has to say.
Omar led us into a trap.
Ranjit took a lot of photographs.
I haven't seen Al around.
Ronald is a math nerd.
When was the last time you talked to Ahmet?


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Forty Days in Fountain
Here we are. The war in Fountain kicked off about forty days ago. Surely somebody must be winning the war by now, right?
The CFC has been able to maintain its foothold in the northern end of the region, with all of the outlying systems that were essentially handed to the CFC having been taken by TEST. TEST got those back but was unable to hold onto EI-O0O and Z9PP-H. And the fighting seems to be focused on 9-VO0Q now. Plus, TEST was unable to push back the sovereignty update on 4-EP12, so the CFC can now utilize infrastructure elements like a cyno jammer or a jump bridge terminus in that system.
North Fountain – July 16, 2013
And the war goes on.
All of the major parties involved say they are winning. The last CFC update says that all is going according to plan. The N3 Coalition says they are all in (or they will burn). And TEST… after apologizing for their simply awful live streamed alliance update… says they need donations but are still in and holding off the CFC. The main wild card in this seems to be the Russians in the east. They are purported to be done fighting amongst themselves and keen to reconquer territory lost. However, they were not able to exploit the great S2N Citizens Alliance sovereignty drop in the face of of the N3 Coalition's full attention. So it isn't clear to me how big of a distraction the Russians will end up being in the short term, as they clearly don't want to make so much noise that N3 heads back to the east in force.
On the individual blogger front, Poetic Stanziel has been covering the war in greater detail than I can manage. He seems to feel that the CFC cannot be stopped, at least not by external forces. However, being in Fweddit, a CFC alliance, you could hardly be faulted for taking that with a grain of salt.
Perhaps more interesting… or less biased… or whatever… is Kirith Kodachi, an outsider in all of this. He was asking questions about the war and, after collecting answers from various sources (including Riverini at EVE News 24, who certainly is not in the CFC camp), came up with "TEST is screwed" as a result. He has a few reasons for that, but the key one for me is participation. Basically, as I said in the past, sov wars like this hinge on participation. The side that stops showing up regularly loses, and indications at the moment are that TEST might be struggling on that front.
But as much as I would like to endorse his conclusion, I think we still have a ways to go before that moves from possible trend and annoyed allies to "fail cascade imminent," and a lot could happen in the interim.
On the TEST side of things, there is Gevlon who, after having been previously kicked by TEST, was let back into the alliance in what has to be a prime example of "TEST needs ISK." He appears to be all aglow about how much the TEST rank and file have donated towards the war effort, the theme being "Beyond my wildest dreams!"
Gevlon advances the notion that now that TEST has harnessed its carebears, it cannot be bankrupted and thus, cannot lose the war. He compares this to the "Goon idea" that he claims despises carebears and which, according to the Gevlon world view, forced alliance members like Spacemonkey Alliance to purge carebears.
Unfortunately for his theory, he seems to have created that "Goon idea" out of wishful thinking and the perception that all Goons are alike. Goons foster plenty of carebears in their ranks. More likely he is seeing a purge of inactive members from corps within the alliance.
At the end of the war, presuming a CFC victory, the spoils, such as moon wealth and sovereignty, will be doled out to the various member alliances in the CFC based on participation rates in the war. Inevitably this causes some alliances to purge inactive members. My own corp did that at the start of the war, as there is some pressure within our alliance, TNT, to put up decent participation numbers. So the inactive players went, though they were sent notification that they were welcome back if they started playing again. To my knowledge, nobody in the CFC is purging carebears as a matter of policy. But every time somebody sees a sudden change in numbers on DOTLAN, theories fly. When the Goons did an inactive member purge a while back, there was an immediate "Goon fail cascade!" theme from some quarters based mostly on wishful thinking.
So while TEST might be able to get a handle on their financial issues via fundraising, I do not think that is necessarily the winning card.
Which, I suppose, brings us back to the map.
Everybody seems to like to point at the map to prove their point. TEST and pals will say that the CFC invasion has failed as they only have those ten systems in the north of Fountain. The CFC will happily point out that if you are in a defensive war, as TEST is, and the enemy is consolidating in your territory, you are not winning. Pick the narrative you like best.
Things have certainly changed since I wrote about winning just ten days into the war. Doctrines have been updated or changed. Systems have changed hands. Huge battles have occurred. But it is still a day to day grind of timers and camps and time zones and line members just showing up for the small fleets that get most things done. That is what sustains the war. While both sides are quick to identify weakness in the opposition, I do not think we are at the tipping point yet.
Addendum: Looks like 9-VO0Q got hot last night. I couldn't stay up for a 1am fight, but it looks like both sides got numbers and the CFC turned the system.
This entry was posted in entertainment, EVE Online, Null Sec and tagged Fountain War, TEST on July 16, 2013 by Wilhelm Arcturus.


The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a cabinet department of the U.S. federal government, created in response to the 9/11 attacks on America. President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security (OHS) in 2001, and Tom Ridge began his duties as OHS director in October that year. In March, 2002, a Presidential Directive motivated the creation of a color-coded terrorism risk advisory scale, and DHS was established in November 2002. Throughout the past decade, DHS accomplished many things, but it appears that many accomplishments that were considered milestones at the time have since been transformed or dropped from agendas. Other milestones, such as the end of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, have succeeded in that the current organization bears no resemblance to its former incarnation. The DHS excels today in processing and disseminating information and in educating and informing the public.
At the same time, the current DHS has accomplished goals that often aren't mentioned. In February this year, one blogger who was involved with the DHS' Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002 (SAFETY Act) since its inception in 2001, reported all the goals reached by that one department in 2011. In Fiscal Year (FY) 11, there were 101 approvals, more than 40 percent above FY10 and 20 percent above the previous record reached in FY07.
2002 — In August, the Texas Association of Local Health Officials (TALHO) launched the Texas Health Alert Network (HAN), a statewide system to assist with early warning detection and prevention against infectious disease outbreaks and bioterrorism attacks. Today, a vast majority of the state-based HAN programs have over 90 percent of their population covered under the umbrella of HAN, which is now a national program under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
2003 — In March, the 69-year-old Immigration and Naturalization Service was dissolved, and its service and enforcement functions were parceled out to three divisions within DHS. Today, immigration services are met by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with an online service through Immigration Direct. Immigration Direct has empowered thousands of immigrants to successfully prepare their U.S immigration applications.
2004 — In November, the presidential inauguration planned for January 20, 2005, was designated a National Special Security Event (NSSE) by DHS. This designation put the U.S. Secret Service in charge of overall security planning for the swearing-in ceremony, the inaugural parade and the inaugural balls. President Bush's first inaugural was the first event to be given the NSSE designation.
2005 — The horrific fiasco named Hurricane Katrina occurred, showing the nation that the Department of Homeland Security, under the direction of Michael Chertoff, was basically ineffective during this disaster. Chertoff ignored the storm, saying he relied on FEMA director Michael Brown to make preparations. Brown resigned, blaming state and local officials in Louisiana and the media for the slow response to Katrina. The public later learned that Brown had no qualifications for his position. Brown currently hosts a radio talk show on NewsRadio 850 KOA in Denver, Colorado. Chertoff co-founded the Chertoff Group, a risk management and security consulting company, which employs several senior officials from his time as Secretary of Homeland Security as well as Michael Hayden, a former Director of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency. The third and current Secretary is Janet Napolitano, former Arizona governor.
2006 — President Bush signed the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act into law in October along with the Secure Fence Act and legislation related to chemical plant security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reform. The port security provisions comprised one of 20 bills introduced to Congress in the wake of the Dubai Ports World controversy that aimed to block Dubai Ports World acquiring P&O Ports, and more generally to stop key US ports falling into the hands of foreign owners. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) was tucked into the SAFE bill and caused controversy.
2008 — The first passenger flight was equipped with laser missile-dazzler defenses for trial runs, reported in July. While considered a major milestone at the time, nothing has been printed about the JetEye since. The threat that JetEye was intended to guard against is from shoulder-fired homing anti-aircraft missiles, which were only a threat to an airliner during landing and takeoff.
2010 — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced in June that 100 percent of passengers traveling within the United States and its territories were checked against terrorist watchlists through the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Secure Flight program. This was a major step in fulfilling a key 9/11 Commission recommendation.
2011 — The Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security's University and Agency Partnership Initiative (UAPI) reached a milestone in late January as the number of education partners topped 1,000. The nation's leading program for establishing and sharing homeland security curricula was established in 2006, and its mission is to facilitate educational collaboration among institutions and agencies across the nation to support development of homeland security academic programs.
That same year, the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) technical staff also developed a separate, stand-alone UAPI website to enable greater direct access to educational materials and encourage more participation in academic practitioner discussion forums. Moreover, the site simplified how users can obtain course material by organizing it into video, lectures, slide presentations, syllabi, and other offerings.
2011 — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in May that the agency's Trusted Traveler Programs have reached one million members. Trusted Traveler Programs include Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST. All Trusted Traveler Program applicants must voluntarily undergo a background check against criminal, law enforcement, customs, immigration, and terrorist indices; a 10-fingerprint law enforcement check and a personal interview with a CBP officer.


The rural communities of California's Central Valley are vital to our state's economy, but their unique needs and issues are often overlooked and under-resourced. Youth are particularly vulnerable, and their voices are essential to creating thriving communities that young people want to stay in and return to.
The Rural Youth Commission Advocacy program was established in 2017 with the support of The California Endowment. The program plants the seeds of youth leadership and activism in Fresno's rural areas by launching youth-led campaigns to establish Youth Commissions in the Central Valley's small towns and cities. Youth Commissions are a recognized entity of city government, and are responsible for advising local government on policies and laws related to young people. They are a key platform for youth voice at decision-making tables.
The Rural Youth Commission Advocacy program invites young leaders into a safe space where they can take a critical look at the world they live in and how it impacts them. With this critical lens, they are led through intensive trainings that prepare them to plan and implement campaigns that address these issues.
In the cities of Orange Cove and Reedley, youth advocacy groups succeeded in partnering with the Council members from to draft resolutions that will establish new Youth Commissions. As they push forward on getting these resolutions passed, these youth leaders have already begun researching issues in their communities, conducting a survey to gather feedback on local youth employment opportunities, as well as perspectives on youth voice and youth commissions. This data will be used to guide targeted research on specific issues to address once the Commissions have been established.
Youth participants attend weekly meetings and the annual YALL Summer Leadership Program. Stay tuned for applications, which will become available when the Youth Commissions are formally established.


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Two Very Different Warhammer Spin-Off Games Are in Development
Fans of both the Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy Battle are in for a treat as Battlefleet Gothic: Armada was announced and Total War: Warhammer's development was accidentally leaked.
The tabletop games of Warhammer Fantasy Battle and its widely popularized, futuristic companion, Warhammer 40,000, are each getting spin-off video games of their own. Polygon reports that Focus Home Interactive has announced it is developing Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, which is set in the same universe as Warhammer 40,000. Armada is going to be running on Unreal Engine 4 and features RTS gameplay revolving around four different factions duking it out in space.
Going from spaceship dogfights to ancient skirmishes, Warhammer Fantasy Battle fans will be glad to hear that Sega and Creative Assembly are working on Total War: Warhammer. Creative Assembly is known for its recent successes with Alien: Isolation and its historical RTS titles, including the Total War series. Kotaku reports that Total War: Warhammer's development was accidentally revealed in a leaked text excerpt written by Creative Director Mike Simpson from an upcoming Creative Assembly art book (provided below).
Stay tuned and we'll provide up-to-date coverage on both of these Warhammer spin-offs once more information is available.
WARHAMMER 40K: STORM OF VENGEANCE REVIEW (iOS)
Filed Under: Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, Creative Assembly, Focus Home Interactive, Total War: Warhammer
Categories: News, Real-Time Strategy Games


When private individuals call on us, we invest a great deal of time in creating of relationship of trust. When clients entrust us with a completely new design, proper direction and communication is key to be able to unburden them fully. We also pay close attention to the cost estimate, in order to ensure there aren't any unpleasant surprises.