text:
Die ehemalige Sensenschmiede am Gries, auch Gradnwerk oder Gradn ist ein denkmalgeschütztes Ensemble der Industriekultur in Micheldorf in Oberösterreich im Bezirk Kirchdorf. Das Sensenwerk wurde vor 1550 errichtet und war unter Caspar Zeitlinger zeitweise der größte Sensenproduzent der österreichischen Monarchie. Als letztes der Micheldorfer Sensenwerke stellte es 1966 die Sensenerzeugung ein. Heute befindet sich in dem Ensemble, das als eines der besterhaltenen Sensenwerke Österreichs gelten darf, das OÖ. Sensenschmiedemuseum.

Lage
Das Gradnwerk liegt am Oberlauf der Krems in der Katastralgemeinde Mittermicheldorf zwischen den ehemaligen Sensenschmieden Steinhub und Dörflern.

Geschichte

Auf der Schmiede, die der Herrschaft Pernstein dienstpflichtig war, wurden die Zeichen "Säbel mit zwei Stern" und "Hahn" geschlagen, bevor ab 1656 das Zeichen "Kelch" verwendet wurde. Der erste bekannte Meister war um 1550 ein Stefan Loperger. Von 1615 bis 1710 war der Hammer im Besitz der Familie Grätt, woran der Hausname "Gradn" bis heute erinnert. 1826 übernahm Caspar Zeitlinger von der Zinne das Werk mit dem renommierten Zeichen von seinem Schwiegervater Carl Stainhuber. Caspar Zeitlinger, respektvoll der "Grad" genannt, führte die Kelchmarke weltweit zu höchstem Ansehen, erweiterte das Gradnwerk zu seiner heutigen Form und wurde als Besitzer von insgesamt vier Sensenwerken (neben dem Gradn hatte er die Steinhub, das Moserwerk am Stein und das Helmlwerk erworben) einer der vermögendsten und einflussreichsten Industriellen des Vormärz. Ab 1844 wurde die "Giraffe" als Zweitmarke eingeführt, erlangte allerdings nie ganz den Ruf des Kelchzeichens. 1866 übernahm Neffe Franz Zeitlinger aus der Blumau, damals bereits Gewerke an der Zinne, das Gradnwerk.

Drei Generationen später wurde 1966 die Sensenproduktion eingestellt. Nachdem man bereits an den Abbruch der nutzlos gewordenen Werksanlagen dachte, wurde 1978 auf Initiative von Nachkommen der Familie Zeitlinger das Sensenschmiedemuseum eröffnet. Die wesentlichen Gebäude des Ensembles wurden seither unter Denkmalschutz gestellt.

Bauwerke
Das weitläufige Ensemble bestand aus zahlreichen Bauwerken, von denen ein großer Teil noch heute erhalten ist.

Gradn-Hammer

Der Hammer ist das zentrale Gebäude der Sensenschmiede am Gries. Auf dem typischen geschwungenen Rundgiebel befindet sich das Zeichen "Kelch mit Hostie", darunter ein Doppeladler, der zusammen mit Beschriftung und Jahreszahl auf das 1838 verliehene Landesfabriksprivilegium verweist ("K. K. PRIV. OB. ÖST. LANDES FABRIK V. K. Z."). Eine ovale Tafel über dem Eingang ist bezeichnet mit "Durch Caspar Zeitlinger und Josepha Zeitlinger im Jahre 1836 erbaut worden". Das Innere beherbergt als Teil des OÖ. Sensenschmiedemuseums die originalgetreu erhaltene bzw. wiederaufgestellte Ausstattung einer Sensenschmiede. Das Hammergebäude steht unter Denkmalschutz.

Herrenhaus

Das Herrenhaus diente der Gewerkenfamilie als Wohnhaus. Im Erdgeschoss befanden sich außerdem Büroräume, die Moarstube und die große Küche. Der Dreiflügelbau mit hohem Walmdach wurde um 1829 über einem älteren Baukern erweitert. Die vierte Seite wird durch eine Tormauer abgeschlossen. Das markante Einfahrtstor verbindet klassizistische Details mit traditionell bäuerlichen Formen (Drehwirbelmotiv), über dem Tor das Hauszeichen "Kelch mit Hostie". Einheitlicher Fassadendekor mittels eingetiefter rundbogiger Fensterrahmen und einem in Sturzhöhe umlaufenden Putzband im Erdgeschoss. Betonung der siebenachsigen Hauptfront durch Seitenrisalite mit Bänderung. Über der klassizistischen Eingangstür mit Kelchmotiven befindet sich eine ovale Tafel "Durch Caspar Zeitlinger und Josepha Zeitlinger im Jahre 1829 erbaut worden". Schmiedeeiserne Rokoko-Fensterkörbe im Obergeschoss, südseitig den Hl. Georg darstellende Sonnenuhr aus dem 18. Jahrhundert. Im Inneren trägt eine klassizistische Schmiedeeisentür zum Obergeschoss das Kelchzeichen und die Initialen "KST" (Karl Steinhuber). Im Obergeschoss befindet sich eine reich geschnitzte barocke Balkendecke, deren Rüstbaum wiederum das Kelchzeichen trägt und mit "G G" (Georg Grätt) bezeichnet ist. Das Herrenhaus ist heute Teil des OÖ. Sensenschmiedemuseums und steht unter Denkmalschutz.

Feyreggerhaus

Das benachbarte Feyreggerhaus war ein zu Wohn- und Wirtschaftszwecken multifunktional genutzter Bau. Hier waren unter anderem eine Schleife, ein Schweinestall und eine Schreibstube untergebracht. Der langgezogene, eingeschossige Bau trägt eine dem Herrenhaus entsprechende, biedermeierliche Fassadengestaltung mit nordseitig rundem Abschluss. An der straßenseitigen Fassade befinden sich ein eingemauerter Haimstock und eine ovale Tafel "Durch Caspar Zeitlinger und Josepha Zeitlinger im Jahre 1829 erbaut worden". Das Feyreggerhaus wird heute von der Gemeinde Micheldorf für Hochzeiten genutzt und steht unter Denkmalschutz.

Schmiedhaus
Das Schmiedhaus diente den ledigen Arbeitern der Sensenschmiede als Wohnhaus. Es trägt eine einheitliche biedermeierliche Fassadengestaltung. Die Fensterverdachungen im Obergeschoss weisen Dreiecksgiebel auf, das Walmdach ist ziegelgedeckt. Neben der Haustür befinden sich ein eingemauerter Haimstock und eine ovale Tafel "Durch Caspar Zeitlinger und Josepha Zeitlinger im Jahre 1830 erbaut worden". Das Schmiedhaus steht unter Denkmalschutz.

Kram

In der Kram erfolgte die Kontrolle, Sortierung und Verpackung der fertigen Ware. Der Neubau von Johann Baumschlager stammt aus dem 2. Viertel des 19. Jahrhunderts. An der Giebelseite befindet sich eine ovale Tafel "C.Z I.Z 1827" (Caspar Zeitlinger, Josepha Zeitlinger), darüber ist eine Hausuhr eingemauert. Die Kram ist heute Teil des OÖ. Sensenschmiedemuseums und steht unter Denkmalschutz.

Hofstadelhaus oder Bauernhaus
Der monumentale Bauernhof der Sensenschmiede am Gries wurde um 1828 unter Einbeziehung eines älteren Wohntraktes errichtet. Die biedermeierklassizistische Fassade und ein hohes, ziegelgedecktes Walmdach sind für das Gradn-Ensemble typisch. Bemerkenswert im Inneren sind eine großzügige Säulenhalle (der ehemalige Kuhstall) und die handwerklich gediegene Zimmermannsarbeit der Tenne und des mehrgeschossigen Dachstuhls. 1998 erfolgte die Adaptierung als "Gasthof zum Schwarzen Grafen". Der Bauernhof steht unter Denkmalschutz.

Bildstock
Der Bildstock stand ursprünglich westlich des Bauernhauses an der Grundgrenze und ist heute im Museumsbereich neben dem Hammergebäude aufgestellt. Das schmiedeeiserne Gitter in klassizistischen Formen trägt in einem Medaillon das Zeichen "Kelch mit Hostie" und die Initialen "K ST" für Karl Steinhuber. Der Bildstock steht unter Denkmalschutz.

Gartenhaus

Das biedermeierklassizistische Gartenstöckl befand sich am nördlichen Abschluss des Blumengartens und wurde im 20. Jahrhundert abgebrochen.

Kohlbarren
Der nördlich des Bauernhauses gelegene Kohlbarren wurde im 20. Jahrhundert abgebrochen.

Remise
Eine kleine Remise zwischen Herrenhaus und Schmiedhaus ist noch erhalten und bildet den östlichen Abschluss des Ensembles. Sie nimmt mit ihrer Giebelfassade und ihren schmiedeeisernen Fenstergittern die Gestaltung der Kram auf.

Steinhub

Unter Caspar Zeitlinger wurde 1830 die benachbarte, bisher eigenständige Sensenschmiede Steinhub mit dem Gradnwerk vereinigt und auch architektonisch in das Ensemble integriert. Von der Steinhub sind heute noch die wesentlichen Gebäude erhalten: Der Steinhuber Hammer (datiert 1831, unter Denkmalschutz) entspricht in seiner Fassadengestaltung dem Gradnhammer und beherbergt heute die "Klangwelten". Das Herrenhaus, die eigentliche Steinhub (datiert 1837) ist ein eingeschossiger Vierkanthof und wurde als Wohn- und Wirtschaftsgebäude genutzt. Das Steinhuberhäusl (auch Kärntnerhäusl oder Köhlerhäusl) war eines der letzten ursprünglich erhaltenen Beispiele eines "Sengsschmiedhäusls", bevor es 2017 abgebrochen und durch einen Neubau ersetzt wurde. Noch erhalten ist ein Stadel (datiert 1841), ein ebenfalls schon seltener Holzbau mit schön gearbeiteten Details.

Gradnteich mit Schwimmschule

 Gradnteich (1834 angelegt)
 Badehäuschen im Gradnteich (nicht erhalten)

Dreschmaschin
dat. 1839
 Aquädukt zwischen Dreschmaschin und Kohlbarren (nicht erhalten)
 Kohlbarren bei der Dreschmaschin

Payrhub
dat. 1827

Gradnalm

erbaut 1826–1840

Siehe auch
 Liste der Sensenwerke in Österreich

Literatur
 Franz Schröckenfux: Geschichte der österreichischen Sensenwerke und ihrer Besitzer. Linz – Achern, 1975.
 Franz Neumeyer: Heimatbuch Micheldorf. (1997).

Weblinks

 OÖ. Sensenschmiedemuseum

Micheldorf in Oberösterreich
Baudenkmal (Oberösterreich)
Industriedenkmal in Österreich
Hammerwerk
K.k. privilegiertes Unternehmen
Technisches Denkmal in Österreich


text:
Antique Paintings & Prints, Contemporary Paintings & Prints
Antique Paintings
Antique Berlin KPM Plaque "Psyche with an Urn" Robert Julius Beyschlag 19th Cent
This is an absolutely stunning and finely painted KPM Berlin Plaque of Psyche with an Urn, after Robert Julius Beyschlag, circa...
This is an absolutely stunning and finely painted KPM Berlin Plaque of Psyche with an Urn, after Robert Julius Beyschlag, circa 1880 in date.
This magnificent plaque is portrait in shape and depicts the Princess of outstanding beauty, Psyche, holding a black urn of classical shape in her hands. She is wearing a celestial and graceful white and light blue robe, which is further enhanced by gilded greek key patterns at the borders.
Psyche is depicted standing tall against a naturalist background including trees, bushes, a flower and a flying butterfly.
The appropriate distribution of contrasting colours from light (Psyche) and dark (the landscape) conveys a sense of harmony and serenity to this outstanding work of art.
It is titled "Psyche with an Urn" on the reverse and it is set within the original antique giltwood frame, which adds extra elegance to this splendid piece.
Add this splendid antique plaque to a very special wall in your home.
The plaque and the gilded frame both in excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation.
Height 21 x Width 16 x Depth 2
Height 8 inches x Width 6 inches x Depth 1 inch
The Royal Porcelain Factory in Berlin (German: Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin, abbreviated as KPM), also known as the Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin and whose products are generally called Berlin porcelain, was founded in 1763 by King Frederick II of Prussia (known as Frederick the Great). Its actual origins, however, lie in three private enterprises which, under crown patronage, were trying to establish the production of "white gold" (i.e. porcelain) in Berlin from the mid-18th century onwards.
Before KPM was founded, two attempts had already been made to establish a porcelain manufactory in Berlin. In 1751, the Berlin wool manufacturer Wilhelm Caspar Wegely was granted the royal privilege to set up a porcelain manufactory in Berlin. Furthermore, Frederick II of Prussia granted him exemption from duties for the import of essential materials and assured him of the exclusion of all competition.
Wegely hired first-class craftsmen from his competitors, and appointed the porcelain sculptor Ernst Heinrich Reichard to the post of chief modeller. However, technical difficulties and the Seven Years' War between Prussia and Saxony soon proved to be the enterprise's downfall. In 1757, he dissolved his company and sold its inventories, equipment and materials to the Berlin businessman Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky.
In 1761, the second porcelain manufactory in Berlin started its operations. Gotzkowsky concluded an agreement with Wegely's chief modeller, Ernst Heinrich Reichard, who was in possession of the secret formula known as the arcanum. Reichard received 4,000 thaler for the arcanum, and another 3,000 for the stock of porcelain and other materials. Furthermore, he undertook to work for Gotzkowsky as a keeper of the arcanum and as the manager. Gotzkowsky also agreed to take over Reichard's eight workers.
Appreciated and supported by the King of Prussia, Gotzkowsky managed to attract important artists and qualified employees. Right at the start, Gotzkowsky appointed Friedrich Elias Meyer, a pupil of Johann Joachim Kändler who came from Meissen, to the post of chief modeller, and Carl Wilhelm Boehme to the post of head of the porcelain-painting department. Gotzkowsky bought another building next to his own property at Leipziger Straße 4, and he began to build a manufactory on the site.
Nevertheless, Gotzkowsky's finances began to deteriorate. Since the royal exchequer was in the red on account of the war, Gotzkowsky believed that he stood little or no chance of obtaining assistance from the king. The end of the war also signalled the end for Gotzkowsky's manufactory.
Today, the porcelain pieces from the early days marked with a W for Wegely und a G for Gotzkowsky are extremely rare and highly coveted collector's items.
On 19 September 1763, Frederick II officially became the manufactory's new owner. He purchased the manufactory for the considerable sum of 225,000 thaler and took over the staff of 146 workers. He gave the business its name and allowed it to use the royal sceptre as its symbol. From then on, it was called the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin ("Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin") and became a model of how to run a business. There was no child labour, there were regular working hours, above-average incomes, secure pensions, a healthcare fund and assistance for widows and orphans.
In 1784, after a four-year development period, the king's desire for a soft and delicate shade of blue was fulfilled. The colour was known as Bleu mourant ("dying blue"), and it was used to decorate Neuzierat, Frederick's favourite dinner service. The colour was predominant in the king's private chambers at Sanssouci Palace and in the blue chamber of the New Palace in Potsdam, as well as in other castles.
As owner of KPM, the king used the "white gold" as an effective means of diplomacy. Almost all of his diplomatic presents came from the manufactory, and they were to be found at the court of the tsars in Russia and on the tables of European aristocracy. Under Frederick the Great's successor, his nephew Frederick William II, the manufactory became a technologically leading enterprise. The new king obtained what he needed in the way of porcelain from KPM, but stopped paying cash. The amounts due were deducted from his share of the profits. The manufactory flourished. From 1787 onwards, the average annual net profit came to more than 40,000 thaler.
Psyche is the Greek word for soul. It's also the Greek word for butterfly. If you have a protagonist in a story whose name is Psyche, you might expect that she will go through a major transition and crisis. Will she survive it? Will she come through and be transformed, or will she die? That's one way of looking at the Psyche myth. Those of you who heard Robert Bly's White Bear story on the first day of this conference heard a variation of the Eros and Psyche myth.
Aphrodite gives her four tasks that she must learn to get through.
The third task was the creative task: Psyche is told that she must fill a crystal flask with water from a stream that runs in a continual cycle from the River Styx to the highest crag. The great water of life, the water of creativity, cycles. It is archetypal. It moves and moves and moves, and yet each person needs to seize some of that fluidity and give it shape. Some of that is a conscious desire to capture archetypal energies, visions, emotions and give them shape through your own personality, which is relative to the great expanse of the archetypal world of gods and goddesses. It is symbolically fragile, and yet this is the task.
Again Psyche looks at the task. She sees this river that is carved into the side of the mountain. It goes down to the River Styx and then rises up through a spring to come up to the top again and down the face, etching its way into the mountain. If that isn't bad enough, there are snake-like dragons on either side warning, "Stay away! Stay away!" The water itself is hissing. Psyche again thinks, "Too much! I can't do it!" when another symbol comes to her aid.
Antique Oil Painting Grand Canal Alfred Pollentine Dated 1877 19th C 90x140cm
Antique French Giltwood Dressing Screen With Oil Painting Portrait 19th C
Antique Oil on Canvas Painting The Toast by Fred Roe Dated 1894 19th C
Antique Framed Collection 29 Grand Tour Plaster Intaglios19th Century

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Xero is the biggest name in accounting and bookkeeping software. It's easy enough to work the basics. You create a profile with your personal or business details and from there you can make invoices, pay accounts plus more. Tax agencies would normally take on this work and they still do, with a few "added features" to keep up with change. Enter the Xero Advisor.
The words accounting and bookkeeping conjure visions of paper towers and huge volumes of records businesses use to track their money. Xero keeps the same methods like invoicing, balancing and reconciling but puts it all online. This means less paper getting wasted, more storage space on the shelf and boosted efficiency because people don't have to spend time searching through records.
Thanks to the rise of mobile, both accountants and businesses can check numbers with just a click of a button on both their desktop and tablet. And yes, there's an app for that.
How does someone become an Advisor?
Once an accountant or bookkeeper is registered with Xero, there's an option to become an Advisor through their education program. The courses are available on a self-paced basis and have a 12-month deadline for completion. Like a university or TAFE course, there are electives, core courses and a credit point system.
To become an Advisor, the student has to cover four core subjects and four electives, totalling 40 credit points. They can pick and choose the courses to take, but the basics of Xero, reporting and conversions are compulsory. To maintain certification, the Xero Advisor must continue professional education each year and achieve a certain number of credit points.
How does a Xero Advisor benefit my business?
Many business owners worry about the accuracy of their records and the time it takes to balance everything. This is when they'd hand over the reins to their accountant. Xero Advisors are trained to manage the software competently.
Xero accounts are accessible anywhere, anytime. In the old days when everything was on paper, accountants or their assistants would have to wade through volumes of heavy records to find their client. Now it's as simple as clicking on a tab. Also, with an easy-to-read dashboard, tax agents can easily track their client's progress and see how their money is flowing. This makes for easier strategy planning to maximise return and boost profits.


text:
'A desperately sad day': Mass walkout tomorrow at Newport's Orb plant in show of solidarity
Newport Orb steelworkers to perform walkout on site's 'last day'
By Jonathon Hill Jonathon_Hill96 Trainee Reporter
WORKERS who have left Newport's Orb Steelworks plant will return tomorrow to perform a mass walkout in a show of solidarity for the city's steel industry.
As of tomorrow at 1pm, the final 11 employees will leave the 122-year-old site in what could be its final day in operation.
Politicians John Griffiths MS, Jayne Bryant MS, Ruth Jones MP and Jess Morden MP will join forces with the ex-employees as they walk and applaud.
The Orb site was mothballed in December by owners Tata, bringing to a halt a proud tradition of more than a century of steelmaking at the factory.
Representative of steelworkers' union Community Mark Spencer, who will be in attendance tomorrow, worked at the site for 38 years - as did his father, son, cousins and nephews.
No new Gwent coronavirus deaths and one new case in Newport
A look inside Gwent's new Grange University Hospital
Blackwood Gate Retail Park four-car fire extinguished
"It's going to be an emotional day but I think it's important we go down there and show solidarity. That place was such a big part of my life and my family's life," said Mr Spencer, 60.
"While the plant is there and is not being used there is always hope of recovery, and I will keep that hope with me."
Ahead of the walkout, Ms Bryant said: "It is a sad day for Newport and the long, proud history of steel in our city. I would like to pay tribute to the dedicated, skilled workforce who have been through some really difficult times over the years but, along with the trade unions, continually made the positive case for the future of the Orb. My thoughts are with the workforce and their families."
Mr Griffiths said: "For over a hundred years this site has been producing steels and it will be very sad to see it closing tomorrow.
"That said I am hopeful this is not the end for the site - I and Jessica (Morden) will continue to press the Welsh and UK Governments to look at ways in which electric steel making can return to this part of the city.
"One of these opportunities could be looking at growing the electric car industry in Wales, which I think the Orb site could play a key role in - and last month I made these points with the Minister Ken Skates."
Ms Morden MP added: "It's a desperately sad day for Newport and the end of an era after over 120 years of high-quality steelmaking at Orb.
"It's also a massive missed opportunity for the country as a whole - this was the only site in the UK capable of producing the electric steels needed for electric vehicles, which the Prime Minister has previously claimed he wanted Britain to be a world leader in.
"As I've emphasised repeatedly in Parliament and in meetings with ministers, the situation at Orb raises a generation-defining question for the government - do we want to be a country that manufactures or one that just imports?
"Orb should never have been allowed to close, and we urgently need a comprehensive UK industrial strategy if we are to avoid future days like these. It's time for action to save our steel industry."


text:
State College, PA :: News :: Columns :: Poorman Column
Penn State Football: Bill O'Brien 'Keeping This Place Afloat'
by Mike Poorman on August 03, 2012 6:00 AM
Follow @PSUPoorman
Print Comments Email
Bill O'Brien is just seven months into his new job – but it seems like so much longer. And if it feels that way to you and me, imagine how it feels to him. Photo courtesy of Steve Manuel, Penn State.
Click photo for gallery
The president of the Lettermen's Club calls him "the face of Penn State" – not just Penn State football.
And his starting quarterback says "he is keeping this place afloat."
Yet, the man they are talking about has yet to coach a game for Penn State.
Bill O'Brien is just seven months into his new job – but it seems like so much longer. And if it feels that way to you and me, imagine how it feels to him.
He's handled the never-ending ring of fire better than the firm of Joyner Lubert Nichols Rose & Co. ever expected when they hired him in January.
Now, just one month and one day away from the 2012 season opener, O'Brien is not just the leader of his football team, but also of Penn State athletics and, in some ways, all of Penn State.
Just ask fifth-year senior quarterback Matt McGloin.
"What that man has done in such a short time he has been here," McGloin said, "most coaches don't do in their career."
McGloin, too, has emerged as a positive and outspoken team leader, joining Michael Zordich and Michael Mauti as the voices of the players.
From one fiery, confident and vocal Irishman who wasn't the original choice to get his current job to another, McGloin gets what O'Brien is all about.
"He is a fearless leader. I would not want to step on that field Sept. 1 with anyone leading us but him," McGloin said. "He's kept our team and fans together. He's fighting for us everyday, which is why the fans and players are staying loyal to him."
Count the former Nittany Lion players among that group.
Last Friday, O'Brien sent out a message to several hundred football-playing alumni, inviting them to campus on Tuesday, to meet with the coach, get an update on the program and firm up their support.
Nearly 300 lettermen responded to O'Brien's call, and met with the first-year coach. He didn't disappoint.
"He was great. Bill O'Brien is a fighter, a competitor and very intelligent," said Lettermen Club president Tim Sweeney, who with Keith Conlin organized Tuesday's "Rise and Rally" that drew 2,500 fans.
"Quite frankly, the way that he, his coaching staff and the players have responded to all of this adversity is the silver lining of all that has gone on."
The past day, the past week, the entire year are unlike anything any coach has ever experienced. There is no playbook for what the man who calls himself OB is doing on a daily basis. Every day is an audible. Against an eight-man blitz.
How does he do it? O'Brien's tools include a Brown degree in organizational behavior management, 20 years of coaching college and pro football at five stops, a half-decade with Bill Belichick, a smoldering passion, a smart and supportive spouse, a finely-calibrated sense of humor, a hunger for the written word and a focus that is figuratively and literally laser-sharp.
Those who have spent time alone with O'Brien say he's a very quick and insightful read, who can adroitly assimilate and crystallize information, then deliver a message with a forthrightness and clarity that is both genuine and tinged with a wry view of circumstances.
Translation: Bill knows what's what and he's not a bull-shitter.
The loyalty O'Brien has gained he has worked tirelessly to earn. Take the past week…please.
Last Saturday, he met with members of the 2013 recruiting class and their parents.
Sunday, he met with current players and their parents.
Tuesday night, he hosted the lettermen.
Wednesday, he had a disappointing (last) meeting with Bye-lis Redd.
Thursday night, he and his wife Colleen hosted an evening reception called "Women Leaders of Penn State" in the Bryce Jordan Center.
And that was just part of it.
We're not even counting staff meetings and actual football preparations in advance of the season-opener Sept. 1 against Ohio in Beaver Stadium. Or the week before, when O'Brien was in Bristol, Conn., and Chicago to meet the press after a bevy of NCAA sanctions were handed down.
All that now makes the almost-quaint Coaches Caravan – seemingly three years ago, not just three months -- as easy as a quick trip to Sheetz for coffee and a Schmuffin.
O'Brien's staff is working just as hard. On Saturday morning, for instance, his assistants showed up at work beginning at 5:50 a.m., and by the time O'Brien arrived a bit after 7:30, four coaches were already at their desks.
Think about it: A year ago, O'Brien was in Foxborough, Mass., at the New England Patriots' summer training camp, getting Tom Brady, Wes Welker and The Gronk ready for another Super Bowl run.
Now, he's in the midst of not only the biggest coaching challenge of his two-decade career, but most likely the biggest one of anyone's coaching career.
Gone: bowl games, scholarships, star players, the legendary status of his predecessor.
Remains: Resolve, and it is oozing from every one of Bill O'Brien's 3.1 trillion pores.
Recent Columns:
Whiteout Has New Meaning for Penn State Football - July 23, 2012
Mike Poorman: Penn State Athletics' Leadership Needs to be Coached - July 18, 2012
Freeh Report: Summary of Key Points Raised by Former FBI Director - July 12, 2012
Mike Poorman
Mike Poorman has covered Penn State football since 1979, and for StateCollege.com since the 2009 season. His column appears on Mondays and Fridays. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PSUPoorman. His views and opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Penn State University.
More articles by Mike Poorman →
Penn State Basketball: Nonconference Schedule Emphasizes In-State Presence
by Ben Jones
Only a few days removed from the team's final summer workout, Penn State basketball released the nonconference schedule for the 2012-13 season which features five games against teams from within Pennsylvania boarders.
As second-year head coach Pat Chambers continues to grow the Penn State basketball brand in cities such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the Nittany Lions will play an exhibition gam
... Continue Reading →
Disclaimer: The views and opinions of the authors expressed therein do not necessarily state or reflect those of StateCollege.com.


Compare Friendship Acdmy Of Fine Arts Charter to nearby elementary schools!
Compare Friendship Acdmy Of Fine Arts Charter employs 8 full-time teachers.
Your rating for Friendship Acdmy Of Fine Arts Charter?
We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Friendship Acdmy Of Fine Arts Charter.
If you have first-hand knowledge about Friendship Acdmy Of Fine Arts Charter, submit a rating!
Rate Friendship Acdmy Of Fine Arts Charter!
Be the first to know when there is an update for Friendship Acdmy Of Fine Arts Charter!


System Intelligence is all about consultancy! We can guide you through the complex technical jungle, providing a clear path to your goals. Our consultants have bought many a difficult project to a successful close. If your desire is just for some short- term hand holding whilst using an unknown technology or a specification covering the complete design, we're here to help. We can provide both on-site mentoring and training to your staff. Should you at any time feel that the problem domain is too complex for your staff to address, we can easily take over and continue to provide a solution within the required time frame. Conversely, once your staff have grasped the new concepts, we will be the first to suggest that you dispense with our services whilst always being on call should the need arise.


As he monitors the city, a notification begins blinking on John's screen.
Alert: Irregular activity. Bin #117 is close to capacity.
Checking the bin's history log reveals that it was emptied just yesterday. Predictive analytics indicate that it shouldn't need to be emptied again for at least another week.
Perplexed, John enters the map view and sees that the trash bin is next to a city park. Maybe someone's hosting an event? But a quick search through the city's event permits doesn't turn up anything.
John decides to check Twitter.
Party!!! The storm of tweets make it pretty clear what's going on. John accesses a nearby security camera to be sure.
Yup. About 100–150 under-age drinkers having a party in the city park.
John presses a button to automatically dispatch police.
This isn't the future, it's now.
I recently attended an event called Smart Cities: How IoT is Making Our Streets and Citizens Safer where I had the opportunity to see some incredible demos. One of the demos was a visualization and control system that aggregates information from connected devices across a city. The scenario I described above took place in Dallas using this system.
The Internet of Things will completely transform our cities. By making cities "smart", we can reduce waste and energy usage, improve transportation, and increase safety for citizens.
Trash bins outfitted with sensors allow cities to optimize trash pickup, meaning cleaner streets and lower costs. Street lamps outfitted with motion sensors mean they only turn on when someone is nearby, keeping people safe at night while saving energy and money. Strategically placed noise sensors mean a clear picture of high traffic and concentrations of people, allowing better traffic and noise pollution control.
As we saw from the scenario in Dallas, these sensors can also be used to increase the effectiveness of law enforcement. Trash bins can indicate irregular activity, motion-sensing street lamps can help track down a fleeing suspect, and noise sensors can immediately alert authorities to gunshots.
Smart cities will give law enforcement powerful tools. In addition to the ability to quickly respond to crimes and disasters as they happen, law enforcement will also be equipped to address crimes and disasters before they happen. By aggregating huge amounts of data about the city and its citizens, predictive analytics can be applied to forecast likely places for crime or disaster.
This may sound like science fiction, but this future is rapidly approaching. The incentives are high for both local governments and citizens to make the their cities smarter, and the technology is already here and getting better by the day.
Given the inevitability of these changes, it's critical that we consider the broader implications and potential risks.
The United States Constitution has no explicit mention of privacy, let alone smart city privacy. However, The fourth, fifth, ninth, and fourteenth amendments combine to limit the the government's intrusion into an individual's right to privacy, even when exercising police powers.
But what constitutes "unwarranted invasion"?
It's clear that breaking and entering someone's private residence is an unwarranted invasion, hence the need for a police warrant. But other cases become tricky.
Smart cities will enable authorities to track a person's location at all times by using video feeds across the city (in busses, outside stores, etc), facial recognition, and other sensors/technologies. Although a person's activity may take place in public, this information can nonetheless be extremely private. For instance, people may need to travel to an HIV clinic, to a psychiatrist, to an abortion clinic, etc.
So what does smart city privacy look like? Should it be illegal to collect and store a person's location information? What about when this tracking isn't explicitly enabled but can still be pieced together from a variety of other data sources? Should those other sources of data collection be made illegal too?
I don't have answers to these questions, but they are extremely important for us to ask.
Sensors are becoming cheaper, wireless connectivity is becoming ubiquitous, and computing power continues to increase. An incredibly connected world and smart cities are going to be a reality. It's a question of when, not if.
While there are amazing benefits that we'll gain, there are also new issues we'll have to address. We need to begin conversation and debate about these topics before they're issues, so that we can build a better future.
To that end, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these matters. If you have expertise on the legal side, on the IoT side, or simply a strong opinion about smart city privacy, please share below!


text:
Cette page présente la saison 1939-1940 de l'AS Saint-Étienne. Le club évolue en Championnat Zone Sud-Est et Coupe de France.

Résumé de la saison
 La bonne première saison en D1 et les matches amicaux à l'intersaison lors de l'été 1939 ont laissé présager un départ tonitruant de cette nouvelle saison. C'était sans compter sur la Seconde Guerre mondiale qui stoppa beaucoup des ardeurs stéphanoises et qui entraîne surtout l'annulation du championnat. Tous les joueurs pros et un certain nombre de dirigeants sont mobilisés
 Pendant cette période de crise, un simili-championnat naît avec une division en 3 poules : celle du nord, celle du sud-ouest, et enfin celle du sud-est. L'ASSE, de par sa position géographique, rejoindra cette dernière poule. Et cette espèce de championnat débute donc finalement le .
 4 équipes composant le groupe avec l'ASSE : Marseille, Cannes, Antibes, Nice.
 Parallèlement, La Coupe de France rebaptisée Coupe Charles Simon est elle aussi organisée. Ces compétitions n'auront pas une grande valeur sportive, la plupart des joueurs étant mobilisés, seuls les permissionnaires pros ou amateurs non entrainés et les juniors peuvent disputer les matchs.

Équipe professionnelle

Transferts
Sont considérés comme arrivées, des joueurs n'ayant pas joué avec l'équipe 1 la saison précédente.

Effectifs

Championnat

Tableau récapitulatif des matchs

Classement final

Marcel Lyothier sort blessé dès la  de jeu.

Coupe de France

Tableau récapitulatif des matchs

Description détaillée des matchs

Matchs amicaux
Certains joueurs n'auront fait que participer à ces rencontres de préparation au championnat qui n'a pas eu lieu. Ceci explique leur absence du tableau de l'effectif de l'année.

Statistiques

Statistiques individuelles

Buteurs

Date de mise à jour : le .

Notes et références

Saint-Étienne
1939-1940
Football en France en 1939
Football en France en 1940

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
<?php

namespace trifs\Shirt;

/**
 * Simple HTTP Impromptu Request Trait
 *
 * @author   Martin Štepic <martin.stepic@3fs.si>
 * @license  http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT The MIT License (MIT)
 */
trait Shirt
{
    /**
     * Static constant for get calls.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    public static $get = 'GET';

    /**
     * Static constant for post calls.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    public static $post = 'POST';

    /**
     * Static constant for delete calls.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    public static $delete = 'DELETE';

    /**
     * Static constant for put calls.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    public static $put = 'PUT';

    /**
     * Holds http response code.
     *
     * @var int
     */
    public static $httpCode;

    /**
     * Holds http response string.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    public static $response;

    /**
     * Holds parsed http headers.
     *
     * @var array
     */
    public $headers = [];

    /**
     * Holds parsed cookies.
     *
     * @var array
     */
    public $cookies = [];

    /**
     * Holds cookie strings.
     *
     * @var array
     */
    public $cookieString = [];

    /**
     * Function creates GET request to url with appointed parameters.
     *
     * @param   string $url
     * @param   array  $content
     * @param   mixed  $header
     * @return  self
     */
    public function get($url, $content = [], $header = null)
    {
        return $this->call($url, Shirt::$get, $header, $content);
    }

    /**
     * Function creates POST request to url with appointed parameters.
     *
     * @param   string $url
     * @param   array  $content
     * @param   mixed  $header
     * @return  string
     */
    public function post($url, $content = [], $header = null)
    {
        return $this->call($url, Shirt::$post, $header, $content);
    }

    /**
     * Function creates PUT request to url with appointed parameters.
     *
     * @param   string $url
     * @param   array  $content
     * @param   mixed  $header
     * @return  string
     */
    public function put($url, $content = [], $header = null)
    {
        return $this->call($url, Shirt::$put, $header, $content);
    }

    /**
     * Function creates DELETE request to url with appointed parameters.
     *
     * @param   string $url
     * @param   array  $content
     * @param   mixed  $header
     * @return  self
     */
    public function delete($url, $content = [], $header = null)
    {
        return $this->call($url, Shirt::$delete, $header, $content);
    }

    /**
     * Returns JSON decoded response.
     *
     * @return mixed
     */
    public function toJson()
    {
        return json_decode(self::$response, true);
    }

    /**
     * Function returns response.
     *
     * @return mixed
     */
    public function response()
    {
        return self::$response;
    }

    /**
     * Function returns parsed cookies array.
     *
     * @return array
     */
    public function cookies()
    {
        return $this->cookies;
    }

    /**
     * Function returns cookies as string.
     *
     * @return array
     */
    public function cookieHeaders()
    {
        return $this->cookieString;
    }

    /**
     * Function returns all resopnse headers or only one specified by name.
     *
     * @param mixed $name
     * @return mixed
     */
    public function headers($name = false)
    {
        if ($name && isset($this->headers[$name])) {
            return $this->headers[$name];
        }

        return $this->headers;
    }

    /**
     * Function returns response code.
     *
     * @return int
     */
    public function responseCode()
    {
        return self::$httpCode;
    }

    /**
     * Function sets httpCode, headers and cookie for response array.
     *
     * @param array $httpHeaders    http response headers
     * @return void
     */
    public function httpHeaderParser(array $httpHeaders = [])
    {
        $cookies = [];
        // parse headers
        foreach ($httpHeaders as $h) {
            if (false === strpos($h, 'Set-Cookie')) {
                $this->headers = array_merge($this->headers, $this->parseHttpHeaderString($h));
            } else {
                $cookies[] = $this->parseHttpHeaderString($h);
            }
        }

        // checking for cookie(s)
        foreach (array_values($cookies) as $cookie) {
            $this->cookies[]      = $this->parseCookieString($cookie['Set-Cookie']);
            $this->cookieString[] = $cookie['Set-Cookie'];
        }
    }

    /**
     * Function parses cookie string.
     *
     * @param  string  $cookieHeader
     * @return array
     */
    private function parseCookieString($cookieHeader)
    {
        // init
        $cookie = [];

        // checks if cookie value is not a name or value
        $checkValid = function ($string) {
            $validProperties = [
                'domain',
                'path',
                'max-age',
                'expires',
                'httponly',
                'secure',
            ];
            return (bool)in_array(trim(strtolower($string)), $validProperties);
        };

        foreach (explode(';', $cookieHeader) as $name) {
            if (false !== strpos($name, '=')) {
                $handle = explode('=', $name, 2);
                if (false !== $checkValid($handle[0])) {
                    // appoint valid properties to cookie
                    $cookie[trim($handle[0])] = $handle[1];
                } else {
                    // appoint name and value to cookie
                    $cookie = [
                        'name'  => trim($handle[0]),
                        'value' => trim($handle[1]),
                    ];
                }
            } else {
                $cookie[trim($name)] = true;
            }
        }

        return $cookie;
    }

    /**
     * Function parses http header string and code
     *
     * @param  string $headerString
     * @return array
     */
    private function parseHttpHeaderString($headerString)
    {
        $headers = [];

        if (false !== strpos($headerString, ':')) {
            $handle = explode(':', $headerString, 2);
            $headers[$handle[0]] = trim($handle[1]);
        } else {
            self::$httpCode = explode(' ', $headerString)[1];
        }

        return $headers;
    }

    /**
     * Initiates a request and returns the response.
     *
     * @param  string      $url
     * @param  string      $method
     * @param  array|void  $header
     * @param  array|void  $content
     * @return this
     */
    private function call($url, $method, $header = null, $content = null)
    {
        // http request build
        $options = [
            'http' => [
                'method'          => $method,
                'header'          => $header  ?: 'Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8',
                'content'         => $content ?: [],
                'follow_location' => 0,
                'ignore_errors'   => 1,
            ],
        ];

        // get response data
        self::$response = file_get_contents(
            $url,
            false,
            stream_context_create($options)
        );

        // parse headers
        $this->httpHeaderParser($http_response_header);

        return $this;
    }

    /**
     * Curl file upload helper for curlPost (curlPut?) functions.
     *
     * @var string $filePath
     * @var string $fileMIME
     * @var string $fileDescription
     * @return string
     */
    public function imageUploadParam(
        $filePath,
        $fileMIME = 'image/jpeg',
        $fileDescription = 'image'
    ) {
        return curl_file_create(
            realpath(__DIR__ . $filePath),
            $fileMIME,
            $fileDescription
        );
    }

    /**
     * Function creates curl POST request to url with appointed parameters.
     *
     * @param   string $url
     * @param   array  $content
     * @param   mixed  $header
     * @return  self
     */
    public static function curlPost($url, $content = [], $header = false)
    {
        $ch = curl_init();

        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HEADER, false);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [$header]);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $content);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);

        $output         = curl_exec($ch);
        self::$httpCode = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
        curl_close($ch);

        // return
        self::$response = $output;
        return self;
    }

    /**
     * Function creates PUT request to url with appointed parameters.
     *
     * @param   string $url
     * @param   array  $content
     * @param   mixed  $header
     * @return  self
     */
    public static function curlPut($url, $content = [], $header = null)
    {
        $ch = curl_init($url);

        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, Shirt::$put);

        if (!empty($content)) {
            curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $content);
        }

        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [$header]);

        $output         = curl_exec($ch);
        self::$httpCode = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);

        // return
        self::$response = $output;
        return self;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Open Letter to David Cameron and Lord Singh of Wimbledon
Post author By sarbat
5 Comments on Open Letter to David Cameron and Lord Singh of Wimbledon
Open Letter to The Rt Hon David Cameron, MP, Prime Minister and Lord Singh of Wimbledon
Dear Mr Cameron,
Earlier this week, Lord Singh of Wimbledon made a number of comments in respect of same-sex marriages on the Today Programme on Radio 4. Lord Singh described the the consultation for same-sex marriages as being a "sideways assault on religion", and he described that as being the view held by Sikhs generally. He also described the call for same-sex marriages as being an attempt by "a vocal secular minority to attack religion".
We at Sarbat do not agree with those comments. Sarbat is the only social and support group for LGBT Sikhs in the UK, and we are also the one-stop resource for LGBT Sikhs around the world via our website www.sarbat.net. We are first and foremost Sikh and our sexuality is secondary to our Sikh identity, just as the sexuality of heterosexual Sikhs is secondary to their Sikh identity. Some of us are baptised Sikhs within the Khalsa tradition, whilst others are sehajdhari Sikhs, i.e. those Sikhs who have decided not to keep long hair. In other words, our membership is totally representative of the Sikh faith. The only things that set us apart from our heterosexual Sikh brothers and sister is our sexuality. We hold our beliefs truly and sincerely, and we do not see any reason why being gay should be a barrier to being Sikh or to being allowed to marry.
Sarbat was founded in 2007 as a means of promoting the rights of LGBT Sikhs in Britain and globally. We have published a leaflet about the compatibility of same-sex marriages within a Sikh context (http://sarbat.net/sikhism_and_same_sex_relationships.pdf), and we are fully supportive of the proposal for introducing same-sex marriages in England and Wales. We are also a pragmatic organisation. We are not asking for Parliament to force same-sex marriages to be sanctified in Sikh places of worship (Gurdwaras) as that would be a matter for the Sikh faith itself. What we are asking for is true equality in recognising our right to marriage.
The name 'Sarbat' is taken from the final couplet in the Ardas or the Sikh congregational prayer of supplication, where Sikhs pray for the happiness and goodwill of the whole of mankind. LGBT Sikhs form part of that mankind for whom prayers are given on a daily basis, and we do not consider ourself to be distinct from the Sikh faith solely because of our sexuality.
Sarbat trusts and believes that the Government and Parliament as a whole will pay heed to our views on this controversial topic and will take on board that the Sikh faith is not how Lord Singh has sought to portray it in his comments on Radio 4.
Lord Singh went on to say that he would be willing to bless "any other sort of relationship" as long as it is not a same-sex marriage. In that case, we call on Lord Singh to attend a civil partnership and give a Sikh blessing to it afterwards. We also call upon Lord Singh to tell us what the 'Sikh' blessing equivalent for a civil partnership would take, and we very much look forward to seeing Lord Singh march at World Pride on 7th July 2012 alongside our gay men and women members under the Sarbat banner.
← Same-Sex Marriage in the UK → 14th April – Sarbat Social – Trip to Southall
5 replies on "Open Letter to David Cameron and Lord Singh of Wimbledon"
surjitsays:
Let people live their lives the way they feel best. We are all humans. Sex is left to the individual
Ahuvsays:
Good response. There are many comments these days in the media about same-sex marriage because the government has started a public consultation. Just today on the frontpage of the Metro we read about gay marriage "The plans have united Catholic, Muslims, Jewish and Sikh leaders in their opposition…". Any person reading this will assume that the Sikh religion as a whole is against it… Which is wrong and should perhaps be challenged?
Ardaassays:
Very good response, keep it up, worth specifying that there is no hukum Nama forbidding gay sex as such.
Gay Sikhs invite Lord Singh to WorldPride after marriage 'attack' comment « Gold & Fabuloussays:
[…] Sarbat wrote today: "We at Sarbat do not agree with those comments. Sarbat is the only social and support group for LGBT Sikhs in the UK, and we are also the one-stop resource for LGBT Sikhs around the world via our website. We are first and foremost Sikh and our sexuality is secondary to our Sikh identity, just as the sexuality of heterosexual Sikhs is secondary to their Sikh identity." […]
Amandeepsays:
I definitely believe that being Lord of Wimbledon has gone to this man's head. He is nothing more than a mortal and the Guru Granth Sahib does not preach anything but love and community. Something tells me he needs to be brought down a peg or two or stop interfering in issues that do not concern him. To me he is a dangerous Charlatan and a fraud.


text:
Fearne and... Peaches Geldof
It appears a bit of the show title is missing, as the beginning of that sentence should obviously be, 'Who's your two least favourite faux-indie hangbag-carrying twonks?' If I sit here for a bit longer I could make that joke work, but I can't be bothered, so just laugh already, thanks!
Fearne (not just as good as Holly Willoughby) at least works for a living, even if she does have an obscene amount of revolting handbags, Peaches, well, with that face, she doesn't have so many options.
So Fearne goes to 'shadow' Peaches going about her business (of being a cunt). What is 'unpresidented' access, Fearne? Only you can tell us. She begins by telling us some 'myths' about Peaches; how about the one where anyone on the planet would find her attractive or funny?
Fearne is intensely irritating, from her stupid bowler hat downwards. Peaches talks like twat, because she is a twat. Why does she always sound like she's got a blocked up nose (ahem). She sounds like she'd say 'charity' 'charidee'. Her flat is fairly horrible. Mentions that Peaches is weird (by herself) so far: 1.
I like, this like, that, like... argh! What with Fearne's insincerity and Peaches' desperation to be cool, it's just unbearable. Oh, there's Peaches' cat which my boyfriend thinks is an aardvark. He's not that into nature.
Fearne: 'what do you think of all the haters out there?' She's no David Dimbleby, but in her defence, Nick Griffin is an easier interview than Peaches.
So is that magazine Peaches 'writes' still going? She mentions 'the British public'. Now SHE'S wearing a stupid bowler hat. Peaches says 'ant-eye' instead of 'anti'. That's New York living for you.
Peaches you can fiddle with your hair as much as you want, it will still look like that. Her and her friends were so cool they refused to have any fun. Fearne tried to make them drink some champagne but instead they sat round looking frumpy and describing things as 'intense'. I can't judge Peaches for finding Fearne 'lame', she is lame. But at least she's not pretending to be anything else. Peaches sits twiddling her hair talking about wormholes, and sounds every inch the student who thinks they're the first person to ever listen to The Orb and chat about aliens. But she doesn't want to talk about her 'spirituality and religion'. Forget the wormholes, she's an idiothole.
She's constantly carping on about being 'exhausted' which I reckon is because she's been out off her head all night. But Fearne was being such a dickhead as well, like your mum trying to force you to eat some toast when you're hungover, then gurning to the camera when Peaches (metaphorically) tells her to go fuck herself.
Next Fearne follows Peaches doing some 'modelling'. Peaches is tired and sulking. She makes Kelly Osbourne circa 2001 look like Taylor Swift. Peaches describes herself as 'nuts' and 'weird'.
She then admits to being a a Scientologist. Peaches, we already thought you were a moron, don't wrap it up in a bow for us. If you really believe it's not something to be ashamed of, back up your beliefs! Then she admitted she basically lucky dipped it.
Amount of times Peaches said 'like' in this documentary: 383228198.
54 minutes in and Peaches smiled for the first time. At the end Fearne concluded that maybe it was 'brave' of Peaches to be rude and difficult and to fall asleep when people are trying to interview her.
What I learnt from this show? Peaches is more boring than Peter fucking Andre, like so chronically dull it could be a medical condition. And Fearne is insufferable. And I knew these things already. Bugger.
Labels: Celebrity, cunts, Fearne Cotton, little rich kids, Peaches Geldof, Scientology
Katie: My Beautiful Face
This is the horrific story of the model who got acid chucked in her face, by a 'friend' of her boyfriend because she dumped him. Blinded in one eye, and scarred for life, she can't even eat because her throat is burnt. She has to get fed through a tube.
To all the people who believe in 'fate' and 'karma': tell me what does someone do to deserve this?
GOD, those first operation pictures were so fucking horrific. I can't believe she looks as good as she does considering those pictures. They rebuilt her face entirely. When she described looking in the mirror for the first time, it was just completely harrowing. Just unimaginable how that must have felt, especially to someone who made her living through her looks.
Watching her parents have to massage her scars four times a day looked hard. Having to move back in with your mum must be hard. Not being able to go out on your own. Hard. Losing your looks AND your independence seems too much to bear.
So she met Danny on Facebook. He raped her after two weeks. Three days later he sent the guy to throw the acid at her. How much must he have paid him? Fucking cunt couldn't even do it himself. The CCTV of that was just terrifying; that's real life horror right there. That's You've Been Framed directed by George A Romero.
29 operations. God. She is one strong woman. 'Brave' is a weird word, because what choice does she have? It's just do or die, isn't it.
I didn't like it when she said she belonged to him now because of what he'd done. Don't admit it, don't let him think he's won. The thought of him watching this show and feeling smug is just unbearable.
That boyfriend cunt got a minimum of 16 years. The other guy got 12 (no minimum mentioned, but the papers say he'll only serve 6). Not long enough. But thank god it wasn't any less.
It was hard to see her suffer and feel so ostracised from society, but a lot of it is in her head (understandably). I think she could easily find love again. I think she needs to get out of her mum and dad's house as soon as she is strong enough.
She was absolutely stunning before, but she's still attractive, and she's got a gorgeous smile, and massive strength. I thought she looked really good at the party; I'd kill to have that figure and hair! I liked her dress as well.
The only way 'justice' can be done in this situation is to stick her ex and his stooge in a vat of acid. I'd enjoy watching. Just lower them in by robot, and then there's no morality issue. Then put it on TV, just to complete the circle.
Labels: acid, channel 4, channel four, documentary, Katie, misogyny, my beautiful face
TV: Dating in the Dark
I started blogging a serious documentary, but it was so damn boring, so I'll blog Dating in the Dark instead. Dating in the Dark is a high-quality TV show on Living (!) and each week three boys and three girls (the boys room has a football table! The girls room is pink!) go on dates with each other in 'the specially made' darkroom (I have one of those too, it's called switching off the light and/ or bedtime). There's only SO much you can do in the dark, so it usually descends into them having a cheeky fumble, which is quite amusing when they see exactly whom they've been a-fumbling with!
So they go on a couple of dates before deciding (or rather, the producers deciding) who's their 'best match' and then they... well, go on another date, before they get to see.
The best bit is the 'reveal' when they shine a light on the person they've basically fallen in love with and are imagining is some 6 foot Robert Pattinson clone but better, and reveal them to be a boss-eyed, jug-eared 'bubbly' dwarf. The smart bit is that they keep the OTHER person in darkness whilst the light is on them, so they can't see the other person's crushing disappointment. Then both must decide if they want to meet again for a date in the light, or if they want to escape sharpish via the back entrance. It particularly amusing when the person buggers off, as they have to walk right by the person they've stood up. Harsh.
This programme could be improved massively by not having new contestants each week, but by keeping the same ones for six weeks. Make them REALLY fall for each other, then there's some interesting drama there. At the moment we learn nothing except for what we already know; people are shallow cunts. Put them in there for the long haul, and let's see what they're really made of.
Besides, Dating in the Dark already exists. It's called internet dating. Come on, you don't really think he looks like that, do you?
Labels: dating in the dark, reality TV, what's living called these days?
The X Factor: Eating a sandwich whilst swimming
It's sunday, so time for me to sit in bed in my nightie catching up on last night's caterwauling- hurrah!
Oh, it's Big Band night. Urgh. Is there anyone on the planet who thinks 'great- big band week!'. I don't have much to say about Olly or Lloyd, except the song was too low for Lloyd. Even if it was Brian Molko doing big band week I'd hate it. It's just against sanity.
Christ that rap by Miss Frank was AWFUL. I liked the red lipstick though. The judges always say the exact opposite of what I think.
Bring back Rachel's quiff! I can't believe Rachel is 18. She looks 30! Did someone put something in her drink, she was so loopy afterwards. I think I preferred her sulky with the quiff.
Is INXS big band? Er, no. Oh, it's U2. Same thing.
Dermot has said 'in your comfort zone' about 30 times so far tonight. It reminds me of the second time that I followed you home...
Stacey did sound out of tune, but who cares? You can't kick her out, it's like drowning a kitten.
I thought Danyl was pretty good- the best so far.
Please get rid of 'little' Joe. I'd rather watch mould grow on my windowsill. I like Lucie though.
John and Edward: still can't sing. Nice balloons. I don't think Ricky Martin is big band, either. I must admit, I did contemplate the John and Edward threesome for the first time tonight, but couldn't take it seriously.
Quite lacklustre tonight. We need a pop or rock week, or one where they choose their own songs.
Labels: cheryl cole, Dannii Minogue, Dermot O Leary, Louis Walsh, lucie, rachel, Simon Cowell, Stacey, The X Factor
Age 8 and wanting a sex change
Shouldn't that be 'aged'? That's a clunky title. How about 'My sex change: aged 8'. It's not entirely true, but it's snappier. Anyway...
Background: I think my feelings about transgendered people, and particularly their treatment by the media, (and then society), has definitely got a lot more defined in the past couple of years. It's all about the pro-nouns, isn't it (said in Gok style). It is so sick when the Daily Mail (oh yes, our old friend) insists on calling someone who's had a sex change by their old gender; if someone feels strongly enough to have their sexual organs operated on, and removed, then I'd say they deserve to be called a woman (or man, if it's the other way round), personally. Plus, the kind of agony it must take to come to that sort of decision; I mean, have a heart. Yet still, I barely notice jokes about 'trannies' sometimes, I'm sure I make jokes about them on occasion (yes even me!) They are an easily forgotten minority. Even some feminists seem unsure of where trans people fit in.
This documentary seems quite shocking on the surface; but what choice do the parents have? Let the child 'be themselves' whatever that might be, or suppress them? Isn't it better to let them find their own identity? That seems great in theory but in practice seems like a very difficult and confusing issue (and I'm just watching it!)
Josie is an 8 year old girl who used to be called Joseph and was born a boy. It does feel weird to call her Josie, initially, because can a child make that decision? I mean, they are American, and this is the country that brought you beauty pageants, Balloon Boy and My Monkey Baby. Who's to say a mother who really wanted a girl wouldn't put bows in her boy's hair for long enough until something stuck. But that's not the main reality.
It's interesting the way her mum said Josie ALWAYS wanted to be a girl; that it was just something so inherent inside. Not even that she wanted to be a girl, but that she WAS a girl. Even so, it does seem strangely psychotic to be discussing sex-change surgery with an 8 year old.
The mum said that Josie behaved badly as a boy because she wanted to be a girl so much. She finally found her in the bathroom considering castrating herself with a pair of nail clippers. The doctor diagnosed her with gender dysphoria (sounds like a Placebo song).
After that, the parents didn't seem so rash, they seemed very kind to have let her be herself at that age, rather than trying to fit her in another box. I guess a child who has had that freedom from 8 will be much better equip to deal with her teenage years, in many ways.
Kyla is another 8 year old boy with gender dysphoria (see, she wears pink!) Kyla seemed a little more like a boy in drag to me than Josie (and the voice-over was calling her him!!!) but I trust the parents have the child's best interests at heart. It's hard though; do you really know at 8? It's a scary decision to make, as they have to decide whether to give them hormones to basically change the path of puberty. That's a big one to get right. And I don't think it's patronising to question that; there's a reason why you can't get plastic surgery until you're 18, because your body changes, and your mind changes. But then there's this thing of just 'knowing inherently' and trusting someone to know themselves; I mean, I knew when I was 8 I never wanted to have kids. That hasn't changed. Argh, it's so difficult (see, this is why I don't want kids!).
It was weird to hear Josie at 8 coveting puberty and 'boobs'. That was funny when she said she was 'grumpy' that she had a penis. It seemed poignantly childlike.
Hold on, they just said 'it's been found that most people with gender dysphoria grow out of it.'!!! If that is the case (although they quoted no statistics) then surely letting the kids take the hormones before they hit puberty is pretty dangerous. I thought the doctors point about what if they change their mind about the hormones when the parents are quite fixed on it after so long was a good one. Christ, what a minefield!
Kyla then got highlights. I'm not sure an 8 year old should have highlights whatever the gender. I didn't dye my hair til I was about 13.
Ah, they finally have one the other way round! 12 year old Bailey was a girl who is now living as a boy. It seems more 'normal' that way round, I guess because it's more acceptable for girl's to act masculine. That was jarring when she said 'I don't even have girl thoughts; I think about sports and football'. This strikes me as a little worrying; because it's just this myth of defined gender roles, and they are hard to deconstruct at 18 or 27, let alone 12. Like, does it have to be one or other, or can it just be more fluid than that?
16 year old Chris was born female and now lives as a boy. He did take the drugs to stop him going through puberty as a girl, and now takes testosterone to make him a man. He really looked male too, except with a bit of a girly voice (but then I know many other men like that!).
It was interesting that his aunt said his dad always said he wanted a boy, but god, there's trying to please, and trying to please! Surely that can't have influenced it, it has to be genetic.
It was interesting when they were discussing should 12 year old Bailey tell his 'girlfriends' the truth? What if he does and it destroys his life, as they moved to an area where it wasn't known he was born female? It's a dilemma.
For Chris, aged 16, this was even more pertinent, but his girlfriend knew the truth. I liked his mum saying 'at least we can guarantee he won't get anyone pregnant'. Such a mum comment!
Bailey then had to chose between the testosterone injections and growing any taller, as they stop you growing. What a choice for a 12 year old. It just seems like too much. Testosterone also makes you infertile, so it's like a 12 year old choosing to be sterilised just for good measure. What a lot to take on, that's just mind-boggling.
In a weird twist of fate, Chris had a trangender mentor (FTM) who then fell in love with his mum! It's not the kind of family that Jan Moir would approve of, but it worked for them! I liked Chris, he was really sweet.
It makes you realise that these rigid little pigeon-holes we set up for children really are no good; pink for a girl, blue for a boy. They said Josie still likes cars and dinosaurs, so what? Maybe the little pink ironing board and kitchen set wasn't very much fun, did they think of that? I just feel lucky I never had to question my sexuality or my gender. I had it easy.
And as Brian Molko says, 'Don't forget to be who you are.' He also said 'For the first half of our gigs, there's normally some guy convinced I'm a girl, and a pretty cute one at that. As the gig continues, it begins to dawn on him that I'm a bloke, and suddenly he has to ask himself some serious questions.' and I think that's a good note to end on!
Labels: Age 8 and wanting a sex change, channel 4, documentary, sexual identity, trans, transexual, transgender
The X Factor: Slow motion suicide
I'm enjoying my Saturday nights now, and catching up with X Factor on Sunday afternoon, with no fear of finding out the result. Nice one, Simon.
Christ, where did they dig Whitney Houston up from? Annoying back in the day, and even more annoying now we're expected to forget about the ten year crack-fest. Grr!
And with Louis at Stephen Gately's funeral, the show is looking shakier than ever. Will he have just one single group to come back to? It makes you realise that it's all a load of old rubbish, really. RIP Stephen, and C-U-N-T Jan Moir (yeah, I think everything has been said on that subject already).
Diva week seems a bit unfair on some of the blokes, doesn't it?
Why is Whitney hanging out with Frank Butcher? Why is Simon Cowell bigging up Frank Butcher? 'The most legendary person in music ever...' Frank Butcher? WTF? This a farce! He's not even the best car-lot owner.
I thought Lucie looked good, and she did well to sing such a lightweight song when she probably wanted to do a belter. Thought Cheryl was a bit cruel to her. Cheryl's acts are a load of balls and she's definitely on the defensive. The bigger the hair, the worse the attitude.
I like Dannii's La Foux-style hair. Dannii does seem cooler this year. Is all it takes a haircut? Cheryl, take note.
The song Olly sang was awful but there's just something inherently likeable about him. He can sing, too and he's a bit different.
Christ, they've made the pretty, scraggy-haired black one from Miss Frank very blonde! I like Miss Frank. They are kind of mismatched and came together by accident and there's something good about that, serendipitous. I like the little curvy one, too. Fuck you, Simon. Keep Miss Frank in! He was particularly harsh considering Louis isn't even there to defend them.
I like Rachel's fuschia lipstick! Rachel is super-cool. They made her up like a clown last week and I don't think it helped. Oh dear, they've gone a bit overboard on the blusher again. I agree with Simon's comments- Dannii is getting Rachel's styling/ personality a bit wrong. Nice jacket, though. Does Beyonce have any songs that aren't sexist against either men or women?
I hate Joe, and I hate 'Where do Broken Hearts Go'. Fuck off. I don't get why they all love him so much, he's fucking rubbish from start to finish. Go to your room!
I like Danyl, and I think Cheryl is just being a bi-phobic bint. And yes, I'm still pissed off about Ethan. Oh, he did sound a bit off during that, though. These songs bore the crap out of me. I'm losing the will. How can anyone watch this show live with the adverts too, I'd be self harming by this point?
If I hear Cheryl Cole say 'little popstar' one more time I might punch myself in the face in protest. Lloyd: zzzz. He reminds me of Eoghan Quigg. He sounded flat too.
Simon, control yourself! he 'fell in love with' Olly, and described Lloyd as 'cute'. Hmm.
Cheryl squeezed out some tears to save her little popstar! Sweet (vomit).
Fucking hell, John and Edward were even worse than last week! Even I can sing better than that. What a pair of tools. WTF was that bit in the middle where they did some Titanic ad lib? Fuck a duck. Keep them in! This is amazingly ridiculous.
Oh I forgot about this last guy who did Respect (I wonder why?). Get rid! Oh and Jamie Afro too. I'm flagging badly now. This song is dreadful.
I'm not sure even Stacey can perk me up right now. Oh dear, Cheryl said 'little popstar' again. *breaks own nose*
God, could Simon get his tongue out of Whitney's jacksee? And as for Frank Butcher. Send him back to Pat/ Peggy/ Janine.
I LOVED the American version of Joe Millionaire, it was the ultimate in schmaltz. This Disney prince of a guy (I think he was a farmer, it was a while back) pretended to be rich, and wined and dined all these gold-digging bints before finally revealing he was brass. Did they end up together? I doubt it, but at least she was gracious, and they airbrushed things a bit.
I have no idea when the UK Joe Millionaire screened, but I just watched the whole series of it on 4OD. And boy, was it cut price. Instead of a square-jawed, charming hunk, we get Dominic, a bouncer from Bournemouth. He was so fucking boring that even with his faux-villa in Ibiza, you would have taken your chances in San Antonio at 3am rather than put up with this dude's smooth talk. Joe Millionaire US had a butler, Dominic UK had a producer who came on and said 'put your flip flops on girls, we're going to dinner.' There wasn't even a presenter! Come on, they could have got Michael Underwood to do it, surely.
Cheap! Some of the girls were actually OK, but why they put themselves up for this sexist bullshit, god alone knows. I don't see Joanna Millionaire anywhere, do you?
*spoiler- in the unlikely event that my blog post has so moved you, you are going to watch this series, stop reading now*
So genius boy turns down the lovely Welsh Jane who you could tell actually really liked him, and ended up picking probably the only girl who WAS bothered that he didn't have any £££, a complete crab-cunt called Amanda. Watching her face when he told her he didn't have the cash almost made it worth sitting through the other seven tedious episodes. Then she saw his 'no fear' tattoo and virtually ran up that hill in a different direction. There was one more scene where the producers forced her to go visit him in his normal house where she passed snotty comments on his clothes, his friends car, and finally, his job. I hope she's found her footballer by now; because her grasping outlook on relationships surely points to a destiny of hard-faced unhappiness.
Dominic, not only are you a dullard, you're a sucker. And Amanda, you're an arsehole. Should have picked Jane. Hey ho.
If you have any suggestions of good stuff to watch, on 4OD, or torrents, do let me know, as the TV schedulers seem to have given up. I've got Curb and Medium on the go, but could do with some more lightweight stuff. Thanks Exitainmentites.
Labels: 4OD, Amanda, dominic, gold-diggers, Jane, joe millionaire, reality, reality TV
Exitainment Heroine: Vanessa Feltz
Female columnists: Bashing Vanessa Feltz for being fat and wearing garish clothes is so BORING and too EASY. Don't you think she doesn't know that she's fat? Don't you think she doesn't know that her dress is rather pink? Do you think she gives a fuck? Noooooo! (I can't excuse the shoes, but hey ho)
I have always had a weird admiration for Vanessa Feltz, I like the way she sticks two fingers up at convention, I like the way she stands up for herself, I like the fact she's got strong opinions, and she's generally smiling.
Personally, I'd rather be Vanessa Feltz looking like that and having a laugh with that Turnaround twit than be Cheryl Cole, too afraid to trust her own husband. Because you get the feeling if Turnaround dude did the dirty on Vanessa, she'd just pick herself back up again, like she did after that douchebag husband left her. Vanessa has grit!
Say what you like about her, but she's got a younger man, she always looks happy, and she's pretty successful in various fields. I personally preferred her talk show to Trisha's load of old gubbins.
Wow, I just noticed those gloves. She has got some balls! Gok, keep your distance.
Labels: Feminism, feminist, heroine, news, turnaround, Vanessa Feltz
New: X Factor results show
Gately is dead, no Louis but the show must go on, because ching ching, there's cash to made. So they've made it like American Idol and made them sing a really shit song at the start to make us all cringe. 'Tonight's going to be a good night' was perhaps not that suitable an opening song in light of a tragic death, but there you go. Dermot'll give us a cud and make it all better.
I kind of hope the twins don't go out a bit, because watching them dig their own hole is quite funny.
Ah, this is the reason for the 2nd live show! More voting, more money for Cowell's coffers.
Alexandra Burke; not just as good as Leona Lewis. Nice try though, love. Her hair looks good, so that's the main thing. Hold on, is she miming? Surely not!
Haha, Dannii had to apologise for her bi-bashing last night! Don't diss the bi's Dannii, they are a much maligned minority. It cant be easy for them, all that choice.
Robbie William's 'performance' was like watching a knackered old car-horn that had grown an ego farting round a stage for five minutes. Awful. He looked a bit 'twinkly eyed' to me as well. Sniff!
Haha, that's funny they put John and Edward through first. LOL! More rubbishness to come. I reckon it might be Kandy Rain at the bottom.
Christ, look at Rachel's blusher! The make-up artist really hates her. Fuck, she better not be in the bottom two. Shit, she is.
All women in the bottom two, and a black woman at that. Good old GBP.
At least they sing a different song, I couldn't suffer through those same ones again.
Aw Rachel looks crushed. This isn't fair. I thought both performances were quite good. At least they gave Louis a vote by proxy.
OMG deadlock! Those racy clothes paid off after all. I'm glad it went to the viewers vote. I'm glad Rachel stayed too, although I thought Kandy Rain were good. That's sexism for you.
I can tell X Factor is going to go badly this year from the championing of Jamie and John. Zzzzzz. I'd rather watch Dating in the Dark.
The X Factor: 1st Live Show (without Ethan!)
Gawd, watching Saturday night's X factor on a Sunday is a tyranny; can't leave the house and get a paper in case I see the results. Oh hold on, the results are tomorrow now! Fuck this, I'm going out to get a sausage sandwich.
(disclaimer, I still think splitting it into two shows is utterly unnecessary.)
Wow that sandwich was good. I'm ready to bitch. Yes, I'm still mega smarting about Ethan and Daniel Fox. I reckon Simon would have chosen them. Cheryl needs to change her taste in men (in more than one area).
Hmm, they've put Rachel on first, not that pleased about that. She's brilliant so hope she doesn't crack under pressure! Oh fuck, Robbie Williams. WHY? He looks about 50. He makes me feel sick to my stomach. I could write 5000 words on why I hate Robbie Williams. If I could have him airbrushed from the planet, I would. Or machine-gunned even.
'Let me entertain you' doesn't have a tune, so Rachel was at a disadvantage from the start. Too much make up, too shreiky, too many 'wooos'! Too much dancing. Oh dear. Simon: 'I have mis-underestimated you.' Ahem.
Kandy Rain aka the Pussykat Trolls. Nah not really, I just wanted to do a Sun-style pun. They're good, good-looking and they can sing. A lot of leg boob on show though; why should men get to ogle when I don't get to perve over Ethan? Not fair.
Fuck off Cheryl; I've seen Girls Aloud wearing equally slutty (I'm using this word for men and women) things, and you're meant to comment on their voices, not their clothes. I hate Cheryl, she's being sexist; you can wear sexy things once you're established? This is bigger bullshit than Beyonce and her Sasha 'character'. They can wear what they fucking want, but it's not like they chose those clothes, the stylists did! Stick your demure up your old rotten fanny, Cheryl.
Next up is Deal or No Deal fella, Olly. He sang a Robbie Williams song, and sounded exactly like Robbie Williams. What's the point?
Ricky has basically stolen Ethan's spot as far as I'm concerned. Take your flat-cap and shove it up your arse. His voice sounded quite feminie singing Amy Winehouse but maybe that's just because of the song. I didn't mind it actually. *pines for Ethan*
I like Stacey, she's so dopey! She's like a comedy character. WOW, she was really fucking good! That actually moved me (I do like a bit of a cry-up to Coldplay). She can really sing. Dannii has got the strongest category by a MILE.
I like Miss Frank! I like the fact they came together by accident. They are a bit loud, but they're cool. And they're cute.
I found Jamie a bit tedious. Simon said that was the best thing he's seen so far? Shoulda gone to Specsavers.
Lloyd 'my little popstar tm.'; another dull foetus I have to look at instead of Ethan. Great, he can't sing high notes. Fuck off, then! Yuck, he's doing 'cry me, cry me!' I hate Timberlake almost as much as Williams (but not quite). I don't think this kid's voice is any cop whatsoever. To quote Courtney 'oh just shut up, you're only 16'.
Shit, I just saw on Strike Gently that Stephen Gately was dead (I was asleep for most of yesterday). Nuts. I know of someone who just went to sleep and never woke up, but who knows if there's more to it than that.
I think Lucie is very good. Dannii's category is seriously hot.
Next up is the distinctly non-psychic John and Edward. Oh they're irish! So THAT'S why. Robbie described them as 'endearing'. I think he meant 'arseholes'.
OMG Rock DJ; the worst song EVER EVER EVER written. At least there's barely any singing in it. The pair of them looked utterly embarrassed, and so they should be, the cocky little chancers. They make Same Difference look polished and likeable. Cheryl's backhanded insulting of them was good.
Little Joe whatever he's called doesn't do it for me, and that song was too low for him. I thought it was rubbish.
God this X Factor is sucking the life out of me, and I can fast-forward the adverts. It's too long, and tomorrow too? It's too much.
I like Danyl, but I hate that fucking song more than I hate Robbie Williams- FACT. Dannii outed Danyl as a bi! Hehe. Go on Danyl, squeeze out a tear.
Christ I need a stiff vodka and a lie down after all that.
Labels: cheryl cole, daniel fox, Dannii Minogue, Dermot O Leary, ethan borian, Louis Walsh, lucie jones, Simon Cowell, The X Factor, X Factor
Rant Blog: No TV so why not get sexually harrassed playing scrabble?
Wednesday night is clearly the death of TV; with no soaps to fill the hole, I am left floundering, twiddling my thumbs. So I turn to downloading some dreadful Placebo b-sides (I love you, Brian) and playing Facebook Scrabble.
If you're a girl; just don't play a man. Every. single. time. Where you from? How old are you? What you doing tonight? How does Scrabble and sex go together? It DOESN'T!!!
I actually vowed not to play men any more, but sometimes those pics move fast and you click in the wrong one, so I give the poor bloke a chance. Big mistake. 99% of the time if I play a woman they won't speak. If it's a man, they always do. They just have to try their luck.
Tonight's guy was holding a baby, seems harmless enough. Silly me.
Do you have a boyfriend? Yes. Then he says he has a partner and a baby. Good, I think, no sex chat here. Then; 'do you live with him/ you look about 18/ are you alone tonight?' He fired so many questions at me! Who asks for that when they play Scrabble? But I feel rude when I turn the chat off and someone is just being friendly and not creepy.
This is a man holding his child in his profile pic. Then I said 'this isn't the site for that' and that was the end of the game.
It's not actually FAIR that women have to put up with that, when just wanting to play a stupid game. There's enough sites out there for that stuff; they aint that hard to find. There's even specialist ones for cheating bastards; so go join one of them, you creepy fucker.
No more men! It shouldn't be this way. I wish men knew just how much low level harrassment women have to put up with daily. Just comments and looks and bloody patronising, sleazy bullshit, and it's not fair, because they don't have to put up with it, we don't encroach on their personal space in this insidious way.
Thanks, I needed to get this off my chest! The silly part is, on Friday when you want to have a drink and could live without the soaps, they force hours of them onto you.
Labels: Facebook, facebook scrabble, Feminism, feminist, rant blog, scrabble, sexual harrassment
The X Factor: Final Cut
Saturday night on my own! Quick, start drinking. They keep saying 'it's crunch time' and weirdly, I just opened a giant bar of Crunch chocolate. Nice! I am a female cliche. Ooh Harry Hill's back next week. Score.
Urgh, Ronan 'you nearly got me punched in a fight' Keating. You say it best when you say noth... oh I've definitely done that joke before.
Mmm Ethan. Drool. Urgh, Will Young, the chinny, lisping closet-case-til-just-after-he-won-Pop-Idol. Yeah, I don't like him much.
Simon has Sinitta helping him, who came out covered in leaves. Quick, pop her in the oven. Dannii went slightly more A-list with her sister, who is going for the preserved in formaldehyde look. Lush.
The boyz, the boyz. I can't be fugged with Joe, he looks like a foetus. His voice is quite good, but I can't be bothered with him. The same with Lloyd. It's obviously going to be him or Joe going through, battling for the jail-bait vote. His voice isn't as good.
I like Daniel. He's all emotional and loud. Perhaps Will will give him the gay vote. Ha, Will did like him.
Mm, Ethan. Hot. I could look at him all day long. If he doesn't go through I'll doubt Cheryl's heterosexuality. I like his voice a lot, too! He's the FULL PACKAGE (tm). Them going 'oh he's too good looking' that's not a PROBLEM, dope-bags.
Ooh Duane's voice was quite good as well. Shit. This is quite hard to call. I don't mind Ricky, but I can't be arsed with his cheeky chappie/ hat schtick. So my picks are Daniel, Ethan and Duane.
The groups. Project A. One of them looks like Suffia off BB. I think they're alright, like a hen-night out down Wetherspoons.
Kandy Rain used to be strippers. Well, the name was a giveaway. But at the same time, who cares- what century is it?! Sexist tabloid scum. The little blonde one is cute. I'm going for Project A over them, though, for the 'likeability factor' *shoots self*.
I don't remember ever seeing the appallingly named De-Tour ever before so I guess they aren't going through as they're about as charismatic as Ronan. Oh, scratch that then.
Clamouring for the worst band name is Harmony Hood, a ragtag brood but I kind of like them a bit, like mismatched socks.
Miss Frank are kind of cool, like the Fugababes, you suspect they are just being forced to pretend they like each other. They are good, I liked their performance! They're quirky.
Urgh, the Fylight twins. Get rid. They are shit! Louis, just take them to bed if you fancy them that much, but don't inflict them on us, for fuck's sake. He's DEFINITELY going to put them through.
My pick for the groups are Miss Frank, Project A and Kandy Rain. Which aint gonna happen.
The over 25s... Olly! Deal or No Deal! You gotta love him just for that. He's a bit dull, though.
I like Treyc (yes that is how you spell it). But she's a bit lacklustre, too.
Daniel 'One True Voice' has a mohican now, so we must take him seriously. He has a 'look'. Zzzzz. What, he's got backing singers?! Cheat. He bores me to tears.
Nicole (dead dad 2) I can't stand. She sang that song I hate and I can't get over it. She's too shrieky. I'm not very impressed with this over 25 category.
Oh I do like Danyl. So that's something. Oh and Jamie. I hope they don't only put one of them through. So my picks out of this lot are them and Olly. But Nicole's definitely going through.
And lastly, the girls. The girls are GOOD. Stacey, the people's chav. I like her a lot, actually. She's sweet. Good voice.
Does Kylie have it in her contract that they can't film her up close?
The next Stacey is OK but lacks charisma I think. And her voice is a little shrill. Plus, two Stacey's? I don't think so.
I love, love, love Rachel. I think she's great. She seems like she really NEEDS it, and she's cool, too. I hope she goes through.
I don't remember ever seeing Despina before, so I guess she's not going through. She was a bit shrieky for my liking.
Lucie is excellent. She's super-talented. Nicole is boring. Even her messing it up was boring.
It has to be Stacey the mum, Rachel and Lucie.
Oh it's over. I hate this 'over two nights' thing. It's too much. I can't blog it tomorrow either. BOO!
Rant Blog: No TV so why not get sexually harrassed...


There is a bit of truth to this saying, in that God's people are always to exercise biblical discernment when hearing sermons or reading Christian books. We are to "prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
But the Bible also twice warns that "a little leaven leaventh the whole lump" (1 Cor. 5:7; Gal. 5:9) and exhorts us to mark and avoid those who teach doctrine contrary to that which we have learned in Scripture (Rom. 16:17). There is great danger in eating the wrong spiritual meat!
What if the meat is rotten or poisoned or hasn't been cooked or properly stored? The U.S. government regulates how restaurants must cook meat, because undercooked meat is dangerous. When I worked in a restaurant in my youth, I was taught to handle the meat very carefully and to store it properly, because it spoils easily. If you eat meat that is spoiled or poisoned or undercooked, even if you spit out the bones, you will be in trouble. The writings of men like Brian McLaren and Richard Foster and Chuck Colson and Rick Warren and C. S. Lewis contain plenty of rotten meat. Those who advise God's people to "eat the meat, and spit out the bones," must explain to us how they know that this "meat" is safe.
Also, what if the bones have splinters or what if you get a bone stuck in your throat? When I was growing up in Florida, I went fishing often with my dad and granddad, and they were careful about which fish they kept and which they threw away, because some had too many bones to eat safely. And Mom was very careful to keep an eye on us when we were eating fish because of the ever-present danger of getting a bone stuck in our throats. This happened from time to time anyway, and it was a very unpleasant thing and, in fact, can be fatal. Likewise, very few Christians are able to wade through sermons or books by compromising preachers on their own and expertly spit out all of the "bones" of error. One of the reasons why so many fundamental Baptists are becoming New Evangelical is because they are reading New Evangelical books and blogs and listening to New Evangelical sermons.
And what if you don't know the difference between meat and bones? A toddler doesn't know the difference, and if it tries to eat meat and spit out bones, it will quickly be in trouble. Likewise, the average Christian today is far too biblically ignorant and carnal to distinguish properly between truth and cleverly presented error.
My friends, beware of clever sayings that aren't supported by Scripture.
We live in a shallow, apostate, carnal age, and it behooves us to study the Bible diligently and to think biblically!!!!


It's funny how the weather works.
We awoke to a beautiful day. The sun was out of course and there was a slight north wind. The thermometer in my tent registered 50 degrees! It is amazing how warm it can get in the tent even when the outside temperature is so low. As long as the wind is down and the sun is above the horizon by 20 degrees the temperature can really climb in the tent.
As I walked over to the cook tent I looked toward our mountain, Mt. Kirkpatrick, and saw a cloudbank hanging over the area. The problem with clouds on mountains in Antarctica, are they usually mean wind (orographic lifting), and these clouds were lenticular (lens shaped) which means high velocity winds. If you looked carefully at the mountain, you would see that that cloud was part cloud and part blowing snow, this meant that the mission to Kirkpatrick would be scrubbed. Dr. Hammer quickly changed our allotted flight time to take us to the Gordon Valley where he had been before and he knew that we could find some fossil bone. There are some mid Triassic beds that have a lot of bones in clasts so we decided to see what we could do there.
We took off around 9 AM and as soon as we were airborne and climbed to 200 feet we were hit with a pretty big head wind. Normally when we fly to Kirkpatrick, we go 3 at a time because our work zone is near the operational ceiling of the helicopter however, since we were flying on the glacier at about 6,000 feet, we were able to take 6 passengers. This still made for a wild ride as we were buffeted and twisted enroot to the Gordon Glacier because of the up and down drafts coming from the surrounding mountains.
As we approached the landing zone, pilot had to deal with swirling winds and boulders that are scattered all over, so landing the 212 was difficult, and it took several attempts to put the bird down. As soon as we got off the aircraft, we struggled against 40-knot winds to clear our gear from the cargo bay and get a safe distance from the aircraft. As soon as the helicopter departed the area, we took our gear and dropped below a sedimentary structure to get out of the wind, there we regrouped and made our day's plan.
The sediments in the Gordon Valley are from the mid Triassic, and Dr. Hammer had been here before collecting Synapsids so we knew that we would find fossil remains. We fanned out and started searching, when you found bones you would build a stone mound to mark the place then continue on. Next, the sites would be visited by Drs. Hammer and Curie who would determine which were best to remove in the time we would be there. The wind continued to build, and the sun stayed behind a cloud so with the temperatures around 10 degrees F. it was not the most pleasant place to work. I too a walk to the windward side of the plateau and leaned over the ledge (only four feet from the ledge below) and I was able to lean into it and not fall over, it was almost like flying.
With conditions worsening we called for a ride back to camp. We collected several bones, the best being an ulna from a synapsid (type of reptile) that will probably date back around 220 million years. But we did not accomplish a lot today mostly because we were not knocking off our primary goal, which is getting the rest of Cryolophosaurus and exploring other possible fossil bearing strata. As we flew back, we looked towards Mt. Kirkpatrick and we saw it was still engulfed in clouds and swirling winds and at this writing it has not lifted. We can only hope for a better tomorrow and with that, I will close this entry and get some sleep to get ready for whatever tomorrow may bring.
Mt. Kirkpatrick in the clouds with lenticular clouds above.
Ulna of an synapsid found in the Gordon Valley, Antarctica.


text:
Jan Wang Kuixin (chiń. 王奎新若望) (ur. 1875 r. w Nangong, Hebei w Chinach, zm. 14 lipca 1900 r. tamże) – święty Kościoła katolickiego, męczennik.

Jan Wang Kuixin 13 lipca 1900 r., podczas prześladowań chrześcijan w czasie powstania bokserów, wracając do domu ze swoim kuzynem Józefem Wang Kuiju schronił się w gospodzie przed deszczem. Podczas rozmowy zorientowano się, że są katolikami. Józef Wang został zabity od razu. Jan Wang próbował uciec. Został jednak schwytany i odesłany do prefektury krajowej. Prefekt był człowiekiem dobrodusznym i próbował namówić Jana Wang, żeby się ratował i wyrzekł się wiary. Jednak on odmówił. W konsekwencji prefekt (chociaż niechętnie) wydał go w ręce powstańców na stracenie.

Dzień jego wspomnienia to 9 lipca (w grupie 120 męczenników chińskich).

Został beatyfikowany 17 kwietnia 1955 r. przez Piusa XII w grupie Leon Mangin i 55 Towarzyszy. Kanonizowany w grupie 120 męczenników chińskich 1 października 2000 r. przez Jana Pawła II.

Bibliografia

Linki zewnętrzne

Jan Wang Kuixin
Chińscy męczennicy chrześcijańscy
Ofiary prześladowań antykatolickich w Chinach (powstanie bokserów)
Urodzeni w 1875
Zmarli w 1900
Jan Wang Kuixin
Jan Wang Kuixin


Six Acres ARE YOU A VENDOR?
Six Acres is a restaurant & pub venue located in Gastown, Vancouver. The cozy and rustic venue, complete with exposed brick walls and ambient mood lighting, is ideal for a rustic and vintage wedding. If you are looking for a venue that is a blank canvas for you to decorate and one that serves delicious food, you have found it! It is one of the most romantic venues in Vancouver, find out why today!
The venue, the oldest brick building in Vancouver, is spread across two floors and is ideal for either a small and intimate or a mid-size wedding. There is also an outdoor area for guests to enjoy if the weather allows! There are a huge number of different facilities and spaces.
A variety of services is offered by the team at Six Acres, including providing lighting and sound and the set up and clean up. The team also have developed close relationships with local businesses who can provide a whole range of additional services to you.