text:
New book helps kids discover the Salish Sea
Posted 06/08/2018 by Jeff Rice
Kids around the region are learning about the Salish Sea thanks to a new book that is being offered — in many cases free of cost — to Washington schools and libraries. Explore the Salish Sea by Joe Gaydos and Audrey Benedict inspires the next generation to appreciate and perhaps someday protect the environment close at hand.
Photo by Brandon Cole. All rights reserved. Courtesy of Explore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids.
If there is an award for the most beautiful book of the year, a new natural history of the Salish Sea must surely be in the running. Never mind that it is a book for kids. Explore the Salish Sea by Joe Gaydos and Audrey Benedict will elicit oohs and ahhs from even long-time residents, but the authors hope that kids especially will be drawn to the story. Dozens of glossy photos support key facts about the Salish Sea, ranging from the ecosystem's creatures to its complex geology, all of it geared toward fifth- and sixth-graders.
The book was published recently by Little Bigfoot, a division of Sasquatch Books in Seattle, and I caught up with one of its co-authors, Joe Gaydos during his speaking tour of schools in the area. Gaydos is the science director of the SeaDoc Society and also a member of the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound editorial board. His co-author Audrey Benedict is the founder and director of Cloud Ridge Naturalists, a non-profit based in Colorado. I interviewed Joe in-between bites of sushi at a downtown restaurant in Seattle where we started, appropriately, with one of my favorite facts from the book.
Jeff Rice: You were telling me an interesting fact about the Pacific giant octopus — that it can actually taste with its fingers.
Joe Gaydos: Right, they taste with each individual sucker. It's like a mini brain and a mini taste bud for them. And so when they grab something, they can taste what it is. It's like having taste buds on your fingers, but having 2260 fingers.
Pacific Giant Octopus suckers. Photo by Brandon Cole. All rights reserved. Courtesy of Explore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids.
JR: And that's in the book and there are all kinds of interesting facts like that. I confess that even though I spend a lot of my time thinking about the Salish Sea — it's part of my job — there were things in the book that I didn't know.
JG: I love hearing that. That's good.
JR: It must have been a lot fun writing the book.
JG: Yes, it was fun because I was able to channel my inner fifth-grader. I think my wife will tell you, I'm just a grown-up fifth-grader. And so, I was really able to think: What will a fifth- or sixth-grader think is cool? And then inspire them to want to learn more and love this place that is in their back yard.
JR: Why did you want to reach fifth- and sixth-graders in particular?
JG: There were a couple of things about that age. One, just scientifically speaking, in class they are starting to lean about ecosystems, food chains, trophic levels, photosynthesis, evolution... So, all of the components that they're learning about in school, all the Washington state core science curriculum components are in that book. But it gives them a local example of what they have to learn. So it was a nice fit. Even though it's not designed to be a textbook, it's an easy thing to slip into curriculum for them.
The other thing is that at that age, right around when you are in fifth and sixth grade, your mind is starting to open broader than yourself and you're starting to kind of look around at the world. I think it's a really powerful time when we develop our sense of self and who we are and what makes us who we are. Being able to get kids to think about where they live as being part of who they are was really important.
JR: It seems like you picked a lot of things that would really appeal to a fifth- or sixth-grader. A lot of fascinating facts. Is it just a collection of cool facts or is it more than that?
JG: It's more. If you read the book, you will have an overall understanding of how the ecosystem was made and how it works and what cool stuff is in there. So it's really like one-stop-shopping for a kid or parent.
JR: What's your favorite 'kid fact' in the book?
JG: Oh, let me think about that. The thing that gets them jazzed, where they go ooh... Well, we have this one photo on the cover, of a sea lion. And it's looking right at you. And it always gets these awws. Then I talk about, 'OK, imagine if you had to do most of your important life functions under water while holding your breath.' That animal will sleep at the surface, but really most of the important stuff it does to survive happens under water even though it breathes air. And [the kids] get this perplexed look. And I say 'OK, everybody, hold your breath.' And most kids start breathing out about 30 seconds into it. I say, 'Look, that animal can hold its breath for ten minutes no problem.' And it changes how they think about animals. So I like that.
Steller sea lion. Photo by Jessica Newley. All rights reserved. Pacific Giant Octopus suckers. Photo by Brandon Cole. All rights reserved. Courtesy of Explore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids.
JR: You make a bold statement in the book. You say the Salish Sea is unique. How is it unique?
JG: Well, I think even structurally, if you look at a map of the world's oceans you really will struggle to find a place that is such a self-contained sea. If you have some place like the Chesapeake Bay, it's not surrounded by mountains like that. It doesn't have this kind of unique flushing system that we have. It wasn't made by glaciers, so it's not really deep like we have here. It doesn't have these big fjords. And frankly it doesn't really have the diversity that we have.
The other thing about this place that's unique is that it is this amazing ecosystem that is bordered by so much humanity. Eight million people. And I even went and I did the census information for all the counties and states. So I feel good about that figure.
JR: I suppose everybody thinks that where they live is special, but I do think there really is something absolutely unique about the Salish Sea.
JG: Right. And if you ask people to name special wild places in the world, people might say Everglades, Serengeti, Amazon. They would have places that they name. This place could be on that list because it's special around the world, not just here.
JR: Do you think the parents of the kids are going to read this book too? Are they going to learn anything?
JG: I hope so. The nice thing about it is I've talked to people who have read it to their kindergartners or first-graders, and I've talked to people who have had their kids read it in sixth or seventh or eighth grade or even a little above. I think it has a wide range of appeal.
JR: It seems like you've had a good response so far. You also wrote a book for adults about the Salish Sea three years ago [The Salish Sea: Jewel of the Pacific Northwest], which was a big hit. Why did you want to then write this book to follow up?
JG: One, we saw a lot of pictures of moms and dads reading to their kids. But we [also] realized that one of the goals in the first book was to get people to know this place so they would want to connect to it and protect it. We realized conservation is a long-term deal. So it's not like we can dump everything on the kids to say 'Oh, we've screwed it up you've got to fix it.' That's a lot of responsibility, but we've got to start now if in ten years we want to have a cadre of young adults that are voting and thinking about this place in a positive way. And fifth and sixth grade is a perfect age to do that. That was really the motive to say let's start now getting everybody connected.
And it's a day and age where honestly not that many kids go to the beach or go outside even... If some teacher or some book doesn't get them wanting to explore this place, they're not going to want to take care of it.
JR: Let's talk about the photos. The images are incredible.
JG: There are a lot of new ones. We started this book a year after the other one [The Salish Sea: Jewel of the Pacific Northwest] came out. And we had a big call for photographs. The woman that we worked with is just amazing: Wendy Shattil. We looked at 1200 new photographs.
Warbonnet fish. Photo by Brandon Cole. All rights reserved. Courtesy of Explore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids.
JR: The colors are amazing. It's like the Wizard of Oz almost. Suddenly everything is in color. I really didn't realize the Salish Sea was so colorful.
JG: I know. And I made that mistake when I moved here. I just thought, 'Oh, you know, it's not a tropical reef.' But then when you realize how beautiful it all is, it's either the worst kept or the best kept secret. Because people don't know that. They don't look at Elliott Bay and imagine there being all this cool stuff down there.
JR: So you think people still aren't realizing this?
JG: We have something like a thousand people a week moving here. A lot of them don't even know if it's salt water. Really. And [many people] have not heard of the Salish Sea [Editor's note: The name "Salish Sea" was not officially recognized by the State of Washington until 2009]. People say 'Why haven't I heard of that? I've lived here my whole life.' And I say it's OK, it's new.
JR: One of your goals is to get this book out for free to a lot people. Tell me a little bit about that.
JG: So, one of the things I realized is that ecosystem degradation — toxins, air pollution and so on — it's not discriminatory, you know? Whether you're a Republican or Democrat, your kid's going to get asthma if you've got bad air quality. And the truth is poor kids are disproportionally affected by ecosystem degradation. It's not Medina where we've dumped the legacy POPs. It's down in the Duwamish Valley, right? This is for everybody. So the only way we figured we could spread that [message] was to say let's get money for free books. Basically, any Title I school, any teacher that calls up and says 'Look, my kids can't afford this,' we just send them a copy.
[Visit the SeaDoc Society website to get a copy of the book or to donate money to support free books for children.]
Jeff Rice is the managing editor of the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound.
SSEC 2018
Salish Sea, Salish Sea Currents magazine
Explore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids (2018)


Just one and half month before David Mzuguno died, he told to Daily Monitor, the Ugandan newspaper: "I have also taught three of my children to do art and hopefully they will carry on with the business when I have left this world," Now it has gone half year since David Mzuguno passed away so do the children carry on with Mzuguno´s business?
Observation 1: The three children Mzuguno had on mind are: Juma Mzuguno (1980) Mshana Mzuguno (1983) and Kipara David Mzuguno (1991) ranked from most skilful to less skilful. Also notice that there is one painter called Rashid Mzuguno, but he is not son. He is possibly grandson but some says that he is even not related to Mzuguno family. However he was definitelly educated by David Mzuguno.
Observation 2: The paintings are of almost same qualities as David Mzuguno once painted. The children did sometimes paintings for their father who simply signed them. It was not only lines which were drawn by children but even the sketches. There are however differences between David's and his children's paintings. David displays more variation, it seems but it depends on particular painting.
Observation 3: The children of Mzuguno continue to sign the paintings as their father. It is out for respect for their father. I explained it was a mistake to continue to sign as their father and it was accepted they start to sign individually. Notice that today (2013), the Mzuguno children have their distinctive signature.
Observation 4: Together with grandchild of Mzuguno, Rashid Mzuguno called Chichi, the 4 children constitute the core group of Mzuguno artists.


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Doris Salcedo's Crack
October 9, 2007 Michael Radcliffe
art, blog, Shows I've reviewed
I'm sitting in the main turbine hall of the Tate Modern, looking at a giant crack in the floor. This is the new work by Doris Salcedo.
The first thing you notice about it is it's very obviously made. It looks quite cartoony. Not at all natural. It runs the length of the entire turbine hall, right from the door-post to the other end, and under a glass wall out of sight, maybe into some office space that we don't know about. In fact, it runs right under Nicholas Serota's desk. Probably. When you look into it, it's got bits of metal buried in the concrete. I don't know how much concrete you've seen in your life, but normally concrete has stones and "bits" in it – with steel rods for re-inforcing, so it's obviously not the real floor.
I've already seen some dumb student land flat on their face because they tripped over it, and I'm wondering how long it is before health and safety come and put barriers everywhere. It's a very physical presence, and slightly disturbing (how did she do it? Did they raise the floor? Is the structural integrity of the building compromised?)
So, we're in a turbine hall, that's now a museum of modern art… turbine hall… power…? Dividing between those who have and have not…? Am I warm…?
On picking up the leaflet, I'm told its about racism. Huh? Well, the turbine hall was built around the time of the greatest imigration into British society (rebuilding after the war, 1947, etc.) Its called Shibboleth, because the word "Shibboleth" means "a word used as a test for dectecting people from another district or country by their pronunciation; a word or sound very different for foreigners to pronounce correctly." Modernity is a European construct that excludes non-Europeans, etc..
Oh, and the bits of metal in the crack, are suppoesed to be like the chains of slaves.
Right. This is a particular bug-bear of mine. How are you supposed to get that? The problem is, some one at the Tate has written that as an interpretation, and it becomes the authoritative one. There's the fascism right there. The leaflet says "Walking down Salcedo's incised line, particularly if you know about her previous work.." Well, I don't.
It's a great work for people to walk around, trip over, drop things in, sit by, and so on, and so on. That's ok. It doesn't need a leaflet to tell you what to think about it. I'm also a bit pissed off with the security guard jackboots that have been pacing around me since I first sat down and open this laptop up. Grr.
I'm going to start a new tradition. When you see this work, come and drop a coin in it, and make a wish, like a wishing well. I've already dropped the first pound coin in, as you can see from the photo above. My wish is that art would get better, and that people would stop crowding work with their own interpretation. Heal the cracks, you might say.
On a lighter note, I just can't resist a good innuedo. I've been trying to hold back for this entire post, but I can't contain myself, so here goes.. I've been to see Doris Salcedo's crack. Her crack was a lot of fun. Lots of other people had fun too. At the same time. It's quite a deep gash. It's huge. I could spout forth on her crack forever. I saw right into it. Etc., etc.,…
If you think of any other good ones, let me know.
Tags: tate, tate modern, doris salcedo, shibboleth, crack, radcliffe, turbine hall
2 Responses to Doris Salcedo's Crack
Cathydee says:
You can get a podcast of the artist, from Tateshots, talking about her work in the Turbine Hall. She explains very clearly what the work is supposed to represent. I find that it adds to the work rather than detracting to know the artist's intentions.
artbizness says:
Hi Cathy.
I do subscribe to the Tateshots podcasts – they're very good, and I would recommend them.
I suppose my point is that we regularly fail to encourage people to experience these things as the physical objects that they are.
I know that you could say that anything is "physical", but it seems to me that the Shibboleth is primarily a game with the space in the physical and structural sense of the building – all the writing/discussion about the other things may be related or important, but are ultimately secondary.
I think that its good that these "explanations" exist for those who want to dig a little deeper, but we would be better served by something a little more open ended that allows and encourages people to play out the possible scenarios and meanings – rather than just one monolithic meaning.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Byron Sanders
Closing the opportunity gap means that in addition to high-quality education programs that unlock creativity, we also must provide our children with social and emotional learning skills that will prepare them for careers that are yet to be created.
Byron Sanders is a committed advocate for education, economic development, and creating equitable communities throughout Dallas, Texas. As the President and CEO of Big Thought, he works each day to explore innovative ways to narrow the opportunity gap for children. Big Thought connects people and organizations to prepare youth and children in under-resourced communities for tomorrow's creative economy through quality in-school, after-school and community-partnership experiences. Byron has worked with Big Thought in various capacities since 2008, as a supporter, volunteer, advisor, partner, and most recently, board member.
Byron is a recipient of the 2014 Dallas Business Journal's Minority Business Leaders and its 2012 40 Under 40 awards. He has also been recognized as a Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau BIG Influencer, in Who's Who in Black Dallas, Dallas Foundation Good Works Under 40, and as a TEDx speaker. In 2017, he was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar by the program led by the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Most recently he received the Parkland Foundation's Community First Award.
Byron's professional expertise spans the fields of banking, education, philanthropy, and entrepreneurism. Prior to Big Thought, Byron served as Vice President for U.S. Trust, the private bank of Bank of America, where he connected high net worth individuals and institutions to solutions that accomplish their financial goals. He is the former Executive Director of the Dallas Education Foundation, where he built and cultivated philanthropic, corporate, and community relationships to support initiatives benefitting the students of Dallas Independent School District. He also served as Vice President of Group Excellence, a mentoring and tutoring organization serving at-risk K-12 public school students. During his tenure, Group Excellence was named the country's fifth fastest growing education company in Inc. Magazine's 2011 Inc. 500 list.
Byron believes that one's purpose and mission cannot be fulfilled without being actively engaged in the community. He is a member of many high-impact boards, such as United Way's Community Impact Council, Social Venture Partners Dallas, CitySquare, ChildCareGroup, KIPP DFW, and the Mayor's Star Council. He is also a member of Dallas Assembly, Leadership Dallas '13, Leadership ISD '12, Latino Center for Leadership Development Fellows, and several other service engagements.
A graduate of the University of Tulsa with a BSBA in Marketing, Byron's first love is spending time with his wife Celeste and his two young children.
amandaByron Sanders 01.08.2018


text:
If Anwar Bluffs, Why Must The King Meet Party Leaders & PM Muhyiddin Desperately Conducts A Self-Praised Conference?
October 14th, 2020 by financetwitter
Anwar Ibrahim's meeting with King Sultan Abdullah today has created more questions than answers. Earlier on September 23, the opposition leader called a press conference and made an explosive announcement – he had in his possession the majority Member of Parliaments required to topple the backdoor government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
Today (Oct 13), after a highly anticipated audience with the monarch, PM-in-waiting Anwar called for another press conference. He told reporters that the documents – statutory declarations (SDs) and endorsements from party leaders – to prove that he has the support of more than 120 MPs had been presented to the king, also known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
However, according to the Palace Comptroller, Mr Anwar did not provide a "full list of names" of the Member of Parliaments whom he claimed support him. Apparently, Anwar only presented the total number of the MPs. Hence, the monarch reportedly advised the PKR president to "respect the due process of the law" as prescribed by the Federal Constitution.
That statement from the comptroller of the Royal Household, Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, appeared to have destroyed all the earlier hopes that traitor Muhyiddin could finally be kicked out from the corridors of power. Supporters of the backdoor prime minister immediately concluded that Anwar did not have the numbers and had lied again. But was he?
Now, just because Anwar did not or refused to reveal the names of every single MP whom he claimed support him, does not necessarily mean he had lied to the monarch. Did Anwar lie when he, for example, told the king that he has the support from his own powerful Pakatan Harapan coalition's 91 MPs and Barisan Nasional's 42 MPs to form a government with a "formidable" 133 majority?
Or could it be considered a lie when Anwar, for example, presented to the monarch that 38 MPs of PKR, 42 MPs of DAP, 11 MPs of Amanah, 9 MPs of Warisan, 23 MPs of UMNO, 1 MP of MIC and 2 MPs of PAS have pledged their allegiance to him – without disclosing the names of the parliamentarians? If the PKR president had lied, he would have been thrown out of the Palace, no?
Instead, Anwar called a press conference to insist – again – that he has the backing of over 120 MPs, more than the minimum 112 MPs required in the 222-seat Parliament to form a simple-majority government. Either he had gone crazy over his obsession to become a prime minister, or he was the greatest con artist, or he indeed has more than 120 MPs in his possession.
It's worth noting that the Palace has always been infiltrated by spies under the payroll of the backdoor Perikatan Nasional (National Alliance) government. Therefore, it was not a surprise when the comptroller acted at lightning speed – telling all and sundry that Anwar did not have a list of names of the MPs who supported him, as if it was a crime worse than murder.
Interestingly, the comptroller did not state what the King Sultan Abdullah would do next, or if the monarch would do anything at all. If indeed the PM-in-waiting was beating about the bush or was wasting precious time of the monarch, the Palace could easily issue a statement that Anwar's claim was found to be so absurd, preposterous and ridiculous that he should be sent to a mental institution.
Yet, as if everything was pre-arranged, the monarch's schedule of the day included a meeting with 83-year-old Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah at 2 pm, just hours after Anwar left the Palace at 11:30 am. What were the chances that Razaleigh was in town, free and ready to be summoned for a meeting with the Agong right after Anwar finished his meeting with the monarch?
Najib and Zahid appeared to be just a red herring to mislead and distract the power-hungry Muhyiddin. The rebel leader (or at least the "proxy") who is leading a dozen or two of UMNO MPs who wanted to shift support from Muhyiddin to Anwar is Tengku Razaleigh, the man who has been calling for months that his party quit the backdoor government of Perikatan Nasional.
Heck, even DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has been summoned to Istana Negara (Palace) for an audience with King Sultan Abdullah tomorrow (Oct 14). And it seems this is just the beginning. The monarch is likely to meet more party leaders to verify the Anwar's claim that Prime Minister Muhyiddin has essentially lost the confidence of the MPs to lead the country.
To make matters worse for the prime minister, coincidentally, an evening meeting held by UMNO Political Bureau today has decided to consider a withdrawal of support for the fragile 2-seat majority government of Muhyiddin – suggesting that Anwar did not lie at all when he told the monarch that the present regime was as good as game over.
Another sign that Muhyiddin is on his way to become the shortest serving prime minister in the history of the country was when the panicked premier abruptly hosted a live virtual press conference. During the conference, which was called at the eleventh hour, he shamelessly praised himself, claiming while Anwar was having an audience with the king, he was busy discussing Covid-19 related matters.
The PM's self-praised drama included claims that his only focus is in managing Covid-19 pandemic and improving economy, despite the fact that it was him who created the "Minister Cluster" of Coronavirus in the first place. He was the hungry-power man behind Musa Aman's "Sabah Coup" and was responsible for a new "Third Wave" of Covid-19 because his own ministers ignored health procedures.
Calling himself the most obedient person, the hypocrite prime minister also insisted during the virtual press conference that his regime does not practise double standards. He made the preposterous claim despite the fact that his arrogant minister – Khairuddin Aman Razali – is yet to be charged despite having skipped the 14-day mandatory quarantine upon his return from Turkey.
Both the King and Muhyiddin could just laugh off at Anwar's attempt to topple the current government, but they didn't. Instead, the monarch found it necessary to meet UMNO Tengku Razaleigh today with another appointment to meet DAP Lim Guan Eng tomorrow (and probably more to come). Muhyiddin, on the other hand, rushed to conduct a press conference to explain and praise himself.
Still, why did the Palace say that the PKR president must "respect the due process of the law"? Perhaps that statement should be read together with Anwar's remark that the King should be given adequate time to look through all the documents presented to him as well as to meet party leaders within two or three days in order for the monarch to make a decision.
If the monarch is satisfied after interviewing various party leaders that Muhyiddin has lost majority support, the prime minister could be summoned to the Palace. The PM could either resign or advise King Sultan Abdullah to dissolve the Parliament for a nationwide election. Of course, the Agong could disagree to have an election and proceed to appoint a new prime minister instead.
The Palace's statement could also mean that Prime Minister Muhyiddin cannot be sacked even by the Agong. Therefore, the King may be suggesting that a motion of no confidence be used to confirm that Muhyiddin has lost majority support in Parliament. This is precisely why Anwar did not reveal the name of the MPs claimed to support him – the fear of MPs being "neutralised".
Either way, traitor Muhyiddin is trapped. He cannot instruct his hand-picked House Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun to bury any motion of no confidence if it's requested by the King. If at least 3 MPs currently in the government choose to vote against the premier, he is toast. Anwar does not need to prove anything in the Parliament. That's why the police was instructed – but failed – to stop Anwar from meeting Agong today.
Other Articles That May Interest You …
Get Ready For Bad Time Ahead! – As Malaysia's Economy & Corporate Debt Get Worse, Retrenchment Has Just Begun
Anwar To Meet King – Here's Why Backdoor PM Muhyiddin & His Gay Blue-Eyed Boy Azmin Are Game Over
Handover Power, Not Dissolve Parliament – Here's What The King Should Tell PM Muhyiddin If He Lost Support
Backdoor Government Has Fallen? – Why Anwar Strikes Now & How Did He Get The Numbers To Checkmate Muhyiddin
What Is PM-In-Waiting Anwar Waiting For? – He Has No Idea How Powerful The 91 MPs In His Coalition
Zahid Finally Threatens PM Muhyiddin – It's All About Greedy Malay Leaders Fighting Each Other For Power
12 Years' Jail & RM210 Million Fine For World's Biggest Crook Najib – A Result Of Insulting The Judge's Intelligence
Malay Dignity – For Lust Of Power, Muhyiddin Was Ready To Free UMNO Crooks Like Najib Back In February
Regardless Of Anwar Ibrahim's Decision, PKR, DAP & Amanah Must Stay United In Pakatan Harapan
A Puppet PM – UMNO & PAS Will Continue Blackmailing Muhyiddin, Including To Drop All Criminal Charges On Najib & Zahid
A Dozen Of Sharks In A Small Pond – PM Muhyiddin Has To Constantly Watch His Back For Traitors
Crisis, Government, Personalities
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Well…. It's about time with the release of the album getting closer its about time we changed the look of the site. I've got a bit of work to do….. but it should be finished by the weekend I hope. Things are gathering pace in the Wild Swans H.Q. so keep an eye on your in box for our next newsletter!


The first half of the tour takes place overseas with support from No Monster Club, spanning August 29 to September 20. On October 18 they'll touch down in the states, beginning with a show at Emo's in Austin, TX, followed by stops throughout the South, East Coast and Canada. The tour comes to a close on November 21 at the Glass House in Pomona, CA. Check the full itinerary below.
Click here for a full list of Polyphonic Spree tickets.


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High-Fashion Gone Mobile: How Nordstrom Is Changing the Way We Shop
Carolyn Frankel
A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get a break from the humidity of New York and travel to the desert of Palm Springs to meet with other mobile leaders at Mobile Next.
The event brought together mobile leaders from top brands, such as Marriott, Choice Hotels, Rent the Runway, Pandora, Target, Nordstrom, and Jet.com.
We had an amazing time at our booth, complete with an espresso bar and two baristas, and at our VIP Dinner at The Rowan co-hosted with our partner mParticle where 30 mobile experts gathered for drinks, dinner, and delightful conversation.
But for me, the most exciting part of the event was on day one, when we welcomed Dave Sims, VP of Loyalty and Retention at Nordstrom onto the stage with Leanplum SVP of Global Marketing, Joyce Solano. Together, they hosted a fireside chat on how Nordstrom is dressing up its e-commerce strategy to appeal to fashion-conscious, brand loyal, and mobile-savvy customers.
We opened the discussion with Nordstroms latest sizzle reel.
https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn-leanplum-images/1/2018/10/Nordstrom-video.mp4
Nordstrom started out as brick-and-mortar in 1901 and remains a major retailer today due to its diverse strategies and ability to evolve with the times. In fact, the beginning of our chat at Mobile Next focused on understanding the journey in how Nordstrom became so heavily invested in its mobile app.
The lightbulb moment? Through A/B testing, David said he found that push notifications drive almost 10X more users to make a purchase. This was something Nordstrom could not ignore. The brand had to find a way to evolve into the new world of mobile.
Nordstrom has a beautiful app where you can shop for the latest fashion items. But it's also much more than that. Its app offers a variety of services, such as ordering with store pick up and finding out what's in stock near you — but its main focus is its extensive loyalty program, Nordy Club. This exclusive app service allows members to earn a status based on their spend. The higher the status, the more rewards — like special shopping access, exclusive services, and invitations to events.
Nordstrom is no stranger to the struggles mobile apps face when it comes to mobile retention. On average, by day one, apps only have a 21 percent retention rate. By day 10, this number drops to 7.5 percent. This is why Nordstrom is majorly focused on personalized interactions and multi-touch attribution, including email and direct mail. It makes its users feel special, because they are! App users receive offers unique to them and rewards based on their activities. It's Nordstrom's way of anticipating customer needs.
Dave believes the app is amplifying what Nordstrom does best: building relationships with customers and pushing Nordstrom's to be the best fashion retailer in a digital world.
All in all, my time at Mobile Next lead to great learnings, a few new friends in the retail world, and a pretty sweet tan. Besides that, I can't wait to see what's next for this timeless fashion brand.


Sooner, the 1st Meeting on Controversies in prenatal genetic diagnosis was held on September 25-7, 2015 in Paris, France. It is the need of the hour that all the well trained medical and also scientific professionals should be coming up with ways to get to know the genome information and the detailing about them. It is for the improvement of their patients' lives.
This Prenatal Genetic Testing will be a sort of personalized medicine vision. It altogether bases on computational biomedicine. It will be that advancing discipline that will be entirely responsible for processing and also integrating as well as analyzing the genomic as well as clinical and also molecular information of their patients. All the methods and techniques developed in this field have almost created a revolution in all the medical fields. It will be because of this progress that will assist the medical staff and professional doctors to identify and analyze all the grave diseases. That will direct us to develop opposite treatments.
Genetic counseling for all the couples will promote by genetic diagnosis testing. This diagnosing development will let us know that which couple wants to get pregnant and embryo genetics will also be assessed. This prenatal diagnosis also improves the oocyte implantation effectiveness, early diagnosis of all the genetic diseases may aware through it. Now, we have come to this dilemma that this Prenatal Genetic Screening has been facing some of the controversies too, but people are unknown from this reality that through this development, a factual health of mother and baby can be known.
This developed genetic screening will have an encouraging impact on our society. It can abolish unforeseen pain. But people have some concern with it like confidentiality, what about the prospective barriers and other issues like these! People have been asking this inquiry that whether this development I have? They have been asking this subject that whether others will have admission to their genetic records and data? It is illegitimate to use genetic tests without the approval of the owner. It has also brought up other problems like these who have the right to know all this information?
Then for your information, it is only through this genetic testing that you can know you have been carrying these two BRCA1 dysfunctional alleles and your doctor does have this right to tell it to your family members.
The bottom line is that patients should be taken into confidence with regard to this Prenatal Genetic Screening. There is not a 1% harm of giving the warranty to the patients that their data and private information will remain private. Hopefully, in this conference, results and serious outcomes of this Prenatal Genetic Screening will be revealed. We will keep you posted about the minutes of a conference that will let you know whether this Prenatal Genetic Screening is controversial or not.


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Tag Archives: The Three Stooges
Layer upon layer of dense frog….
Posted on April 30, 2015 by gigoid
"Skepticism, like chastity, should not be relinquished too readily."
~~ George Santayana ~~
Invergordon, Scotland, seaport near Inverness/Loch Ness
Yesterday was a bust. A massive attack of vertigo kept me from doing much at all, including a Pearl. It's the first actual miss in over a year, I think, but, this time, it wasn't my fault…. (Yes it was….) (NO, it wasn't….) (Yes, it was….) (Ah, go f__ yourself!…)….
Ah well, regardless of who wins the argument, I'm getting one done today, no matter what it looks like, or how smooth it isn't; I don't like to miss a day. Since the primary focus of doing this is NOT the message, or even the fame (well, in this case, the lack of fame….), but, rather, the process as therapy for my own inner demons, it's more important than mere celebrity…. to me, anyway….
Hmm… a bit somber for an opening, but, I'm too much in the groove to do it over. Besides, I know this Pearl will be choppy. Oh, you won't be able to tell from where you're sitting, but, believe me, getting this done at all was a challenge, one answered very well in the affirmative. Of course, it took three dead bodies and two false fire alarms, but, who's counting? The bodies weren't even from my staff, so, that's good. My budget wouldn't stretch to training new staff right now….
I'm pretty sure I don't have much of a clue today; I'm writing pretty much by instinct right now. I am hoping it will get better by the time we get to the rant, but, hey, we take it the way it comes, because we're legally required to do so, AND, it keeps Momma happy. With Mother's Day coming up, we all know how important it is to keep Momma happy….. Of course, she ain't MY momma, but, she thinks she is, and it doesn't hurt business to let her think so…. I just wish she wouldn't sit out front & flirt with every guy over 12 who walks in the door….
Okay, I've blathered sufficiently, both for the legal requirements, and the personal. Of course, those latter regulations are perfectly non-existent, but, shhh….. the authorities don't know that part….. Y'know, I think I'd best take us outta here, before this gets any more complicated…. Luigi, hit it!…..
Shall we Pearl?
"Don't ever become a pessimist, Ira; a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun — and neither can stop the march of events." — Lazarus Long, in Robert Heinlein's "Time Enough For Love"
Image from billboard.com via Google images
I was first introduced to Jimmy Buffett's music in 1978 or 79, not long after the release of his first album, which, if memory serves, was titled, "Livin' and Dyin' in Three-Quarter Time"…. His version of southern fried island rock burst upon the music scene with gusto, and he's never looked back. I've seen him in concert many times, for each of his concerts is the world's biggest party, for five or six hours, depending on how they get rockin'…. Infectiously joyous, funny, and down-to-earth, Jimmy and the Coral Reefers continue to fill up concert venues wherever they play….. Enjoy, ffolkes,. this is good time music….
Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band
Jones Beach ~~ August 21, 2014
https://youtu.be/_4nba6YneJY
I had hoped to complete a fresh rant, but, time constraints preclude such an event today, so, here is a somewhat lengthy, but, appropriate rant, on the very same issues the originally scheduled piece was to address…. Go figure….
From 2/16/2013:
"Laws are only words words written on paper, words that change on society's whim and are interpreted differently daily by politicians, lawyers, judges, and policemen. Anyone who believes that all laws should always be obeyed would have made a fine slave catcher. Anyone who believes that all laws are applied equally, despite race, religion, or economic status, is a fool." — John J. Miller, And Hope to Die (in _Jokertown Shuffle – Wild Cards IX_)
Fiction is the repository and temple of the Metaphorse…. which explains this passage from a novel I haven't read, but obviously need to get around to finding, so I can. This is such a perfect statement of Reality in society today, it could only be said in a work of fiction, because anyone stating this in the public venue would be shouted down by the aforementioned politicians, lawyers judges, policemen, and may I add, preachers/priests and the rest of the priestly hierarchies…. none of whom would wish for the truth of the idea become commonly held knowledge, or even a point of discussion…. They have too much invested in keeping things just as they are to allow any such utterance, without the protection of metaphor….
With metaphor, in both prose and poetic form, the truth can be intimated, and made clear for those who otherwise would never even consider the concepts involved, without being connected directly to Reality itself. Most of society has been brainwashed since birth, and are trained to accept as true anything told to them in a newspaper, on a TV by a person in a suit, or by someone holding a Bible, no matter how disconnected from Reality that may be. Reading things in a book, a piece of fiction, they are taught, is suspect, and not to be believed without corroboration from someone in authority….
"God said it, the Bible told me, and I believe it, so that's the end of it!" How many people do you know who would say that? It saddens me no end to know that even I, who tend to drive that sort of person crazy in no time at all, know several folks who feel this way. I have to say, if nothing else, these folks are stubborn, but, stubbornness is not always a survival technique… it can also serve as a death warrant. One has to learn to give up knowledge that is shown indisputably to be false, or face consequences not to their liking.
As I've stated before, I have no issue with ffolkes who are sincerely devout in their beliefs…. I've found that people who do try to live by the rules that Jesus put forth are generally good people, with good instincts, and have a lot of compassion and kindness in their nature. I have at least two people in my own family who fit that description, and at least three of the people with whom I grew up are what I would call true Christians, because they use their faith as a supportive tool to enhance their lives, not as a crutch, or a reason to feel entitled…..
In other words, they don't use their faith as a mask, to hide from the world what they really are like inside…. or, as tool of manipulation, to further their own agenda, which generally involves theft from everyone else, in one form or another….. I have found, by experience with real people in the real world, that a good 95% of those who claim to be Christians are NOT true believers…. Only about 5% of those who call themselves Christians make any attempt to live up to that social reformer's rigorous standards….
Of that figure, 95% of all self-identified Christians, the great majority can be considered, and are generally labeled, as the ignorant masses, whose minds have been under the control of someone else their entire lives. The smaller percentage of that number, probably only about 1 or 2% of the 95%, are those who either don't believe in the dogma at all, but use it as the modus operandi for their sociopathy, or those who at least believe it on the surface, but only because it is to their advantage to do so… They would believe anything at all, if it kept them in power….
"Always watch where you are going. Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the Forest that was left out by mistake." — Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne
I'm not sure whether those who stubbornly cling to their faith (i.e., they walk through the Forest with eyes closed….) are like that because of their nature, or their nurture, and in the final analysis, it doesn't matter. But, it sure would be nice, for those of us who ARE aware of the truth behind the lies we've been told all our lives, to have a few more of us out there, working against the small percentage of people who are taking advantage of the massive ignorance and apathy of the great masses of people, who don't have the time or mental energy to care about anything but what is happening right in front of them.
Those who control society for their own personal benefit, without any regard for the rest of humanity's suffering at their hands, aren't going to change, and they aren't ever going to give up what they've got without a struggle…. I can only wish for enough ffolkes like myself, who can see the truth, to find a way to save at least a few of our species, if only for some galactic zoo of extinct species…… If enough of us get together, there is still a small chance, though the odds of success are diminishing, second by second….
"I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves." — John Wayne
(Did your jaw drop as far as mine when you read that?)
Bah! Enough pessimism for one day…. let's go find something a bit more uplifting, shall we?….. As a parting thought, please note the following, which serves to illustrate and define the general feeling in modern society, in terms of ethics and morality…. Consider, if you will, the cultural paradigms that are needed to make this statement a joke, one that no one at all would think was out of place…. In other words, by its calm acceptance of the implied lack of ethics, it shows how deeply ingrained is the attitude (made crystal clear by Mr. Wayne…), in the members that make up that society….
"I think our No.1 problem is that nobody wants to take responsibility for anything, but don't quote me." — Randy Glasbergen, "The Saturday Evening Post
Relative Cynicism, with Caramel Sauce
Absolute stillness follows violent movement,
it can happen during a downhill race,
as an immovable piece of asphalt pavement
meets the once handsome racer's face.
Yuk, yuk, yuk said that asshole Moe,
after poking both of Larry's eyes,
bashing face, head, & crotch of Curly Joe
and only ever got hit with pies.
Lonely moments never really come along
when Murphy's got us in his sights.
Not for money, love, or siren's song
will he abrogate his natural rights.
All we can do is sigh, or laugh in pain,
as Life portions out our ration of shit.
Silver linings melt in the slightest rain,
so we may as well learn to live with it.
I find it mildly curious to note, both Socrates, (470-399 B.C), and Laozi, known commonly as Lao Tzu, (604-531 B.C. ), each died more than 2400 years ago in human history; yet, today, they are still known as, perhaps, humanity's most revered scholars, one the most influential in Western thought, the other in the East. Each one left a legacy of wisdom, of simple ideas to last a lifetime, giving us the benefit of the workings of their innermost minds, powerful enough to have lasted through the centuries.
In my experience, using a thought from either of them as the basis for a pearl is guaranteed to make it more relevant to reality, not to mention more perceptive and intelligent, in re: the conclusions/lessons/concepts being presented…. It doesn't seem to matter which comes first, or last, or if only one is included; the pearl comes out better. Using them both, especially as bookmarks around the wisdom of five other historical sages, though rare, seems to make the best old-school pearls….
I'm sad to have to report, this pearl, as with each of the individual pearls, was pulled out of Smart Bee using, well, not to put a false face to it, torture; it seems to be the only method working just now. I can't say I didn't warn it; it's been balky for days, & we've been through this before…. So, enjoy, please; it cost the poor little database a lot of pain and anguish….
"Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued."
~~Socrates ~~
"And I asked myself about the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep." — Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
"They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom." — Confucius
"Aristotle was once asked what those who tell lies gain by it. Said he, "That when they speak truth they are not believed." — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200AD) — Aristotle, xi
"A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser to-day than he was yesterday." — Alexander Pope
"Remember this,–that very little is needed to make a happy life." — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, vii, 67
In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
~~ Tao Te Ching ~~
That will have to do. I'm not sure exactly how it got done, or how it came out, but, I'm trusting to the process to carry the day…. Foolish hope, I know, but, hey, remember the second quote today, about optimism? I take that to heart…. See y'all tomorrow, ffolkes, if you're lucky….
Posted in Daily Pearls of Virtual Wisdom, Social Issues	| Tagged A.A. Milne, Alexander Pope, Anonymous, Aristotle, Asininnies, Buddha, Confucius, Death, Democrats, Diogenes Laertius, George Santayana, Jimmy Buffett, John J. Miller, John Wayne, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Lao Tzu, Lazarus Long, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, NSA, politics, Randy Glasbergen, Religion, Republicans, Robert Heinlein, Smart Bee, Socrates, Tao Teh Ching, The Three Stooges, Time Enough For Love, Winnie the Pooh, You Tube	| 3 Replies
Last train to Paducah.boarding now on track 13….
The ruling passion, be it what it will,
The ruling passion conquers reason still.
~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744) ~~
~~ Moral Essays, Epistle iii, Line 153 ~~
Well…. Don't worry, my next words won't be "and, that's a deep subject"….. Why not? Simply because I'm feeling more dignified than that; it's too early to give in for the day already…. Of course, dignity is something all of us are able to do without to survive, but, survival sure feels better when we have it…. I suppose we could say that is true of a lot of things we humans feel, to wit: we feel a lot of things that don't necessarily help us in our most important task as humans…. But, then, ask any two humans what their most important task may be, and you'll get at least two answers, if not more….. We're an odd species, to be sure….
That said, and since I am a member of said fickle, yet charming simian phylum, I think I may also say, we are a sorry bunch of naked apes, and will, no doubt, come to an ignominious end, most likely before most of us have a clue as to the time, let alone the ending time…. It's a natural state when we spend most of our time in this plane of existence struggling AGAINST the basic rules of the universe, trying to overcome our inner confusion by imposing our own sense of order upon the world…. Since that NEVER works, we spend a lot of time, scratching our heads, wondering what went wrong….
Like this morning, for example…. Here I am, once more typing away madly, trying to fill in this space so we can get to the meat of the matter, but, obviously, I haven't a clue as to how to proceed with any degree of certainty as to my final destination…. Hell, I can barely remember my name this early, but, here I am, making like a writer, just as it I were one…. And, in point of fact, I am enough of one to realize I should have gone with my initial impulse, to comment on the lions in the picture I took, above….
I mean, look how easy it would have been to talk about it, as the two guardians of the steps react to the presence of the leaf blowing across the yard…. See how they both are focused on it, with paw raised in warning, to tell it to stay away…. But, no, I had to go with my second, more dignified, but less interesting discussion of human nature, and it's all-too-apparent flaws…. Go figure….
Nonetheless, here we are, down the page far enough to declare victory over the forces of obstruction, aka, Murphy and his myrmidons, at least for the day…. Often, if I can beat him off this early, he'll go find someone else to fuss with; we'll see how that goes…. In the meantime, I'm going to get started on getting the rest of this mess done, so, hang on while I use some of my vaunted skills at piloting this weird craft, and take us out of here, into the world of Virtual Wisdom, or a reasonable facsimile….
"I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time." — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900)
It's a classical day today…..
Four Seasons ~ Vivaldi
http://youtu.be/GRxofEmo3HA
In place of today's rant, which isn't happening, here is what I collected to give it a start, along with the pearls I found to represent the point I'm making by including the articles…. My original intent was to show how the government of this, and every country in the world, mostly, is actively engaged in oppressing the citizens of their own countries…. But, it began to appear like a subject too big for one little pearl, so, instead, I've put the appropriate comment from SB, or whomever it delegates, above each link….
After the links, you'll find an old-school pearl, with some rather pointed remarks regarding those who engage in the public orgy of masturbation as displayed on a daily basis in the halls of Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court, all of which are in varying stages of corporate enslavement, or are otherwise showing the signs of insanity common to all sociopathic personalities….
"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the Legislature is in session." — Lysander Spooner
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/press-freedom-new-censorship
"A free press can of course be good or bad, but, most certainly, without freedom it will never be anything but bad… . Freedom is nothing else but a chance to bet better, whereas enslavement is a certainty of the worse." — Albert Camus, Resistance, Rebellion and Death (1960)
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2472148,00.asp
I could have added a number of other headlines, with the concomitant pearl to highlight its point, but, I'll show some restraint, and confine myself to finding a balanced number of pearls of virtual wisdom, all of which will further expose the assholes for what they are, or, at minimum, take a shot at a vital spot with our barbed missiles…. The first pearl kind of sets the proper tone, with the rest adding in their own melodies, all of which will form a charming little tune, to show the fuckheads for what they are, in the space of a nine-star pearl….
The Three Stooges, the sinking ship, and the lone lifeboat:
Ronald Reagan: "Maybe we should save the women and children."
Richard Nixon: "F**k the women and children!"
Bob Packwood: "Gee, do you really think we have time?"
~~ the Stilt Man ~~
"Keeping freedom safe from democracy" — Vision statement of the GOP, 2016
"Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business." — Tom Robbins
"A government solution to a problem is always followed by the creation of at least two additional problems, either of which was worse than the original problem which the government set out to solve." — Smart Bee
"A leader leads from in front, by the power of example. A ruler pushes from behind, by means of the club, the whip, the power of fear." — Edward Abbey
"Men who allow their love of power to give them a distorted view of the world are to be found in every asylum: one man will think he is the governor of the Bank of England, another will think he is the king, and yet another will think he is God. Highly similar delusions, if expressed by educated men in obscure language, lead to professorships of philosophy, and if expressed by emotional men in eloquent language, lead to dictatorships." — Bertrand Russell (1872-1967)
"It is more than a crime; it is a political fault," — Joseph Fouche (1763-1820) — Memoirs of Fouche
"In a democracy you can be respected though poor, but don't count on it." — Charles Merrill Smith
Till their own dreams at length deceive 'em,
And oft repeating, they believe 'em.
— Matthew Prior (1664-1721) — Alma, Canto iii, Line 13
"Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary."
Fine and Good, Good and Fine
A pig in a poke's got nothing on me,
cuz I'm as confused as a man can be.
This ol' world's got me spinnin' around
cussin' and spittin', a penny for a pound.
Forty 'leven times since I was a kid, well,
I've fallen in love, 'least too close to tell.
Every damn time, it all went to crap,
Forty 'leven times I've felt like a sap.
'Course, each time it happens, I forget the last;
why not? I'm havin' such a blast….
Livin' in each moment, filled with joie de vivre,
'til it's all gone away again, nothin' left up my sleeve.
Don't want y'all to think I'm sad or blue,
life's full of sorrow, lots for me, and/or you..
T'other side of that coin, we can be glad,
is joyful love, and that ain't at all bad.
My road's been littered with parts o'my heart,
each one colored with trust, which ain't always smart.
Yet, long as I don't lose my connection to joy,
I'll find my own true love, and be a happy boy.
It's been some kinda fun, even when I'd take a fall,
and doin' it over makes no sense at all, at all
Day after day, I keep on keepin' on, as it's said;
Guess I'll keep on doin' that 'til I'm dead.
~~ gigoid, tongue firmly in cheek ~~
As I searched for the pearls found in section two today, these little gems kept popping up at random intervals… Since they all pertain to one particular subject, all having to do, at least peripherally, with an aspect of religion, or those who play with them; I like to call them "dogma dogs", a term I coined because it gives the proper feel to how I think they should be viewed…. preferably with gloves and mask in place, to prevent any possible inhalation of their spew….. In other words, all of these take a shot at some portion of the dogs' anatomy…. Enjoy! I did….
ARCHBISHOP, n. An ecclesiastical dignitary one point holier than a bishop.
If I were a jolly archbishop,
On Fridays I'd eat all the fish up —
Salmon and flounders and smelts;
On other days everything else.
Jodo Rem
~~ Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" ~~
"Asked what he gained from philosophy, he answered, "To do without being commanded what others do from fear of the laws." — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Aristotle, xi
"Accurate reckoning — the entrance into the knowledge of all existing things and all obscure secrets." — Ahmes the Scribe (17th cent. B.C.)
"– How many PRESBYTERIANS does it take to change a light bulb? None. Lights will go on and off at predestined times." — Smart Bee
"What is a church? Our honest sexton tells, 'Tis a tall building, with a tower and bells." — Crabbe
God's plan made a hopeful beginning
But man spoiled his chances by sinning.
We trust that the story
Will end in God's glory,
But at present the other side's winning.
"There is not enough love and kindness in the world to permit us to give any of it to imaginary beings." — Nietzsche
"Writing science fiction for about a penny a word is no way to make a living, If you really want to make a million, the quickest way is to start your own religion." — L. Ron Hubbard
"Concentrate on th'cute, li'l CARTOON GUYS! Remember the SERIAL NUMBERS!! Follow the WHIPPLE AVE EXIT!! Have a FREE PEPSI!! Turn LEFT at th'HOLIDAY INN!! JOIN the CREDIT WORLD!! MAKE me an OFFER!!!" — Zippy the Pinhead
Well…. What? Did you really believe that of me? That I would end this the same way it began? Okay, busted…. But, having caught myself in time, I'm able to plead not guilty, and use the opportunity to make my escape…. Besides, it's done, or, as done as it is going to be, so, there's little point in dragging this out any further…. On that note…. See y'all tomorrow, ffolkes…. Stay alert, the world needs all the lerts we can find….
Posted in Daily Pearls of Virtual Wisdom, Social Issues	| Tagged Ahmes the Scribe, Albert Camus, Alexander Pope, Ambrose Bierce, Anonymous, Antonio Vivaldi, Aristotle, Bertrand Russell, Bob Packwood, Crabbe, Death, Democrats, Diogenes Laertius, Edward Abbey, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, GOP, Joseph Fouche, Kahlil Gibran, L. Ron Hubbard, Lazarus Long, Life, Lysander Spooner, Matthew Prior, NSA, PCMag, Philosophy, Poetry, politics, Reality, Religion, Republicans, Richard Nixon, Robert Heinlein, Ronald Raygun, Society, Taoism, The Four Seasons, The New Yorker, The Three Stooges, You Tube, Zippy the Pinhead	| 1 Reply
Save those false pretenses for the coffee cake….
Posted on August 25, 2013 by gigoid
Okay, so what's the deal here? I get up, all sleepy and grumpy, hoping to find that all is well, and I can get on with the day, only to find that nothing has changed….
There were supposed to be dancing girls! Yes! Right there in the parlor. And, they were supposed to be wearing matching caftans! But, no, what do I find upon arising? A parlor full of dancing engineering students, wearing togas! Boy! You just can't depend on anybody these days!…. Since we're having to forgo the dancing girls, we may as well get started on today's Pearl….. I suppose I also should come back into a more realistic voice, to make sure everyone ends up on the same page, so to speak….
Hi there! Good morning, sort of… We're here in gigoid's parlor, dodging the guys in horn rims dancing around, and waiting for inspiration to show up…. The muses are a bit edgy when they come here, due to Murphy's uncomfortable habit of including them in his machinations, so I like to have them met at the door, and made welcome…. I had word that they, or, at least, one of them, would be showing up here about now to deliver what I left with them some time ago….
Oh, don't worry, it's not anything dangerous… at least, not any more so than the usual stuff we handle here. No, it's merely some subject lines, a matched set of aphorisms, some platitudes, and a few choice phrases I left in their office when I was there a few days ago; I've got others, but, they were out this way today for deliveries anyway, so… I'm almost certain that there was definitely one item they're bringing that I can use today, but, I don't remember exactly which stuff got left there, so I have to wait to see it before I can go any further with today's post…..
Does this mean we're going to be forced to listen to more of my blathering here in the intro section?…. Well, yes, sad to say, it does mean that…. State law and internet etiquette requires me to provide you with some form of mental stimulation during these episodes, so, let's see what kind of nonsense I can come up with today…. I mean, it's not like we've already wandered around with our thumbs up our….. oh, wait, yes we have. In fact, that is what we seem to be doing right this very moment, if I'm not mistaken…
No, by heavens, I'm not! We HAVE been wandering around with SOMETHING up our…. well, somewhere, anyway. And, look! We've done it again! If you will note, there are five legal sized paragraphs above, all of which are pointing in the same direction, if not with any clarity of purpose. The law governing such things says this is enough for an intro, and around here, we pay close attention to that law…. we have to, due to gigoid's lack of talent in this section…. Now that my covers are completely on the floor, we'd best get on with it…
Delivers in such apt and gracious words
That aged ears play truant at his tales,
And younger hearings are quite ravished;
So sweet and voluble is his discourse.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Love's Labour's Lost — Act ii, Sc. 1
(I know, terrible rhyme, but, it fits, sort of….) (Now you know why you don't see Will's work here very often….)
Of all the causes which conspire to blind
Man's erring judgment, and misguide the mind;
What the weak head with strongest bias rules,–
Is pride, the never-failing vice of fools.
— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Criticism, Part ii, Line 1
Now, THAT'S a poem!….
Yesterday, I had a bit of time with reduced pain, so I went to cruise the net, heading off to a few WP sites to catch up with some of my favorites, and check out a couple of new ones… I ended up going to quite a few blogs, compared to my normal inability to get anywhere. In my cruise, though, I noted something I hadn't previously been aware of, regarding the demographics of the 'Net, in terms of the stand that people take in political matters…
What I noticed is that there is a fairly wide array of opinions, wider than I had known, and certainly wider than anticipated…. But, I also noted that there are way too few of them who seem to be aware of just how badly they are being fooled by those whom they are following in their political pursuits…
On both the right wing, and the left, there seems to be a common ignorance of just how often the BRC lies to the public, and of how little they really care about the people who are behind them on the wagon they are driving…. Not only is this the case, but, there are a LOT of people out there who either don't care, or don't have the moral courage to express an opinion about any of what is happening out in the real world. In fact, this latter group, those who choose to ignore the world as much as they can, is the largest group by far…..
"Stupidity may be masked by sincerity, but it is still stupidity." — Smart Bee
This means, not only are those who are involved in the issues ignorant of the actual truth, but nobody else, aside from a few curmudgeons like me, who hate EVERYBODY, (joke… we just don't discriminate against anyone when it comes to being critical…. in my mind, they're ALL fuck-tards….), has any idea of how little integrity, or real knowledge of what is truth, or, for that matter, common sense, there is loose in the world today…. All three of those items, essential to a healthy society, are lacking in our current world culture…. In point of fact, all three of those ideas are not only not loose, they seem to be totally absent from our reality…. much to our chagrin….
SIGH…. This is a rather amorphous rant, isn't it? I'm railing against human nature again, which is such a huge, slippery concept, it's difficult to confine it to one or two simple ideas for discussion…. Suffice it to say, my picture of humanity, even that part of it that is tech-savvy enough, and independently-minded enough, to have their own blogs on the 'Net, fails to show me any of the qualities that will ensure our survival for much longer, and, actually, shows a lot of evidence that supports our extinction within the next 100-200 years….
Once the atmospheric levels of oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and the other elements that make up what we breathe, have been altered to the point of no return, (which happened two years ago….) it will not take long for us to succumb, as the process of degradation acts in a parabolic fashion, faster and faster the longer it goes on…. The ice will continue to melt, the seas will continue to rise, the air to get dirty, the weather to get stranger, and the people will continue to hide their heads in the sand….
It's a sad commentary on our race, to my mind, when we, as a species, can't even seem to pull it together long enough to make a concerted effort to stop those who have destroyed the environment we inhabit, as they have for millennia, and continue to do today, all out of their insatiable greed and utter inhumanity, aided and abetted by the ignorance embraced by most of the rest of humanity .
Hell, most of humanity isn't even aware there is a problem, or any danger…. How does one overcome that level of ignorance?….. The BRC is a lot better at the carrot and stick routine than are the more honorable people in our world, and aren't going to allow anyone to take away their privileges and perks; they've been at it for centuries, and are so good at it, most people never even realize they are slaves….
Okay, so I've ranted…. now I'm gonna go old-school… just because I can….
"A person reveals his character by nothing so clearly as the joke he resents." — G.C. Lichtenberg
"What the hell, go ahead and put all your eggs in one basket." — Smart Bee
"You cannot believe in honor unless you have achieved it. Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world." — George Bernard Shaw
Assume a virtue, if you have it not.
That monster, custom, who all sense doth eat,
Of habits devil, is angel yet in this.
— William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Hamlet
— Act iii, Sc. 4
[A small difference of opinion on the U.S. Supreme Court in 'Texas v. Johnson' 491 U.S. 397 (1989)
"If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the Government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable." — Justice William J. Brennan, writing for the majority
"Surely one of the purposes of a democratic society is to legislate against conduct that is regarded as evil and profoundly offensive to the majority of people; whether it be murder, embezzlement, pollution or flag burning." — Chief Justice William Rehnquist, dissenting
(The question that occurs to me on reading this is this: how can a supposedly intelligent person, with a law degree and everything, have misunderstood the Constitution so badly?….. Astounding, not to even mention how stupid it is, to even TRY to rationalize the legislation of morality, which, in Mr. Rehnquist's mind, or what passes for one, is confused with custom…. In spite of what many religious fundamentalists, and both right and left wing politicians, would have us believe, morality cannot be legislated, or, for that matter, influenced in any way at all by anything outside the person whose morality is under question…. Nor should morality be confused with custom; they are not the same thing…. nor should they be….)
(The second thing that occurred to me upon reading this was: Does it physically hurt to be that stupid?….)
"Late in the night, we realize that the acts of our lives have not been shadow-free, that we are shadowed by curses and sins –not because we are cursed and sinful by nature, but because with the very origins of the world, one half of which belongs to night, come fearful figures who demand we know them." — James Hillman
"What GOOD is a CARDBOARD suitcase ANYWAY?" — Zippy the Pinhead
Oops…. sorry, went a little off the rails there at the end; Zippy's lines can do that, usually without conscious effort on my part…. But, it does rather fit, don't you think?…. Just think of morality as the suitcase…. go ahead, it's really not hard, and doesn't hurt much, once you're past the initial shock….
Having awakened in a "mood", I'm trying not to let that spill over into this…. how'm I doin'?…. Oh…. Well, I'm trying, and will continue to do so, so, that's worth something, right? Right…. Maybe this will make up for it…..
Apollo And The Graces
WHICH of the fairest three
To-day will ride with me?
My steeds are all pawing at the threshold of the morn:
To-day will ride with me
Across the gold Autumn's whole Kingdom of corn?
THE GRACES all answer
I will, I – I – I
young Apollo let me fly
Along with thee,
I will- I, I, I,
The many wonders see
I – I – I – I
And thy lyre shall never have a slackened string:
I, I, I, I,
Thro' the golden day will sing.
~~ John Keats ~~
Well, gosh…. I'm not sure what to do now…. I've already supplied a fresh, newly minted rant, put together an old-school pearl with some great pearls, and found a great poem…. It's not often I'm a tough act to follow, but I seem to have put myself in that position, so, we'll apply some cosmic judo to the issue…. Here are pearls in a bunch…. not grouped, not chosen, just bunched up, into sort of a bouquet… Let's see what happens….
"Fleas can be taught nearly everything a lawyer can."" — Smart Bee
— the Stilt Man
"Ever notice that 'what the hell?' is always the right decision?" — Marilyn Monroe
Q: "How many lawyer jokes are there? A: 3, the rest are true stories." — Smart Bee
"Among the rich you will never find a really generous man even by accident. They may give their money away, but they will never give themselves away; they are egotistic, secretive, dry as old bones. To be smart enough to get all that money you must be dull enough to want it." — G. K. Chesterton, A Miscellany of Men
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." — Aesop (620-560 B.C.)
LIFE, n. A spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay. We live in daily apprehension of its loss; yet when lost it is not missed. The question, "Is life worth living?" has been much discussed; particularly by those who think it is not, many of whom have written at great length in support of their view and by careful observance of the laws of health enjoyed for long terms of years the honors of successful controversy.
"Life's not worth living, and that's the truth,"
Carelessly caroled the golden youth.
In manhood still he maintained that view
And held it more strongly the older he grew.
When kicked by a jackass at eighty-three,
"Go fetch me a surgeon at once!" cried he.
Han Soper
— Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"
"The sixties were good to you, weren't they?" — George Carlin
Why, yes, George, yes, they were…. which should be moderately obvious to even the most casual observer…. Now you've done it… You've uncovered my secret plan, to confuse everyone with so many words, that make such little sense, you don't know which ones to pick for use, and the little easter eggs I've strewn throughout the pages can work their clandestine, subliminal magic….
Oh, well, it couldn't last forever…. I'll just go back to the old way of doing things, and bore everyone to tears, but, get just as much done…. For now, though, this will have to do, so I'd best see if it's worthy…. Be right back….
I must say, after going through it, THIS is a Pearl!…. Somehow, in spite of all Murphy and his myrmidons have conspired to foist upon me, the poor lad will be forced to consider today a major fail…. This ain't bad at all…. It's good enough to post, anyway, so, I'm going with that….. In fact, I'm going to get out of here, while the getting is good…..
Blessed Be, dearest Carole…
Posted in Daily Pearls of Virtual Wisdom	| Tagged Aesop, Alexander Pope, Ambrose Bierce, Anonymous, Bob Packwood, Democrats, G.C. Lichtenberg, G.K. Chesterton, George Bernard Shaw, George Carlin, Global Warming, James Hillman, John Keats, Justice William Brennan, Life, Marilyn Monroe, Murphy's Law, overpopulation, Philosophy, Poetry, politics, Reality, Religion, Republicans, Richaard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Shakespeare, Smart Bee, Society, The Stilt Man, The Three Stooges, US Supreme Court, William Rehnquist, Zippy the Pinhead	| Leave a reply
That is one querulous chipmunk…..
Posted on March 12, 2013 by gigoid
Fear, correctly handled, can be a powerful motivator; just ask any married man…. Ba da bing….. Rim shot….. No? You didn't recognize the classic format? Shoot, I could have sworn y'all were old enough to remember that kind of stuff….. Maybe you do, it just doesn't register that you do….. You know, a comedian makes a joke, usually very punny (sorry, never can resist a good pun….. or, a bad one, for that matter….), and the drummer in the band does what is called a "rim shot", three quick drum beats, ba da bing, indicating the feeling of dropping off the edge of a cliff….. No, still no stirring of the old memory box?….. Hmm, this is more serious than I had imagined….
If this evidence is typical, we, as a society have a big problem….. we're losing our sense of humor….. Everyone alive should be able to recognize the rim shot joke format; it is perhaps the only classic, truly American style joke that exists. Though it was present, and in use for a time in Europe, it wasn't until Americans such as Jack Paar, Steve Allen, Johnny Carson, and the sociological genius, George Carlin, in the late twentieth century, that the genre became recognizable as an American art form, brought to its peak in the latter half of the century on TV, with proponents like Jay Leno, and most particularly, David Letterman, the savior of late night TV, upon the retirement of Carson, and the clear winner in that time of TV history known as the Late Night Wars of the Eighties…..
Whew, love those run-on paragraphs…. Any who…. Now, it appears that modern culture has lost touch with this classical American style of humor, which grew out of the ancient styles of Groucho, Zeppo, & Harpo Marx, (Leonard & Gummo only appeared occasionally), and Larry, Moe, and Curly Joe, the inimitable Stooges. Never again will the stage or screen see the kind of uninhibited nonsense as produced by those two genius comedy groups, the Marx Brother's, and the Three Stooges, during their periods of popularity…… No one will ever poke their finger in an eye with quite the panache that Moe could give, and it is a foregone conclusion that the art of clowning lost its greatest genius when Harpo Marx passed on…. I still get a runny, big, red nose on the anniversary of this death….
How will future generations ever cope with all of the stress and angst they will have to face, in the fight to survive the environmental damage being done by today's Beloved Ruling Class and the Asshole Division of Megacorpse? Humanity will be assuming a heavy handicap in trying to face down such experienced evil-doers without the benefit of having George C on their side…. Nobody could issue indictments of the asinine behavior of the 1% better than Grandmaster Carlin, and the video discs he left behind, targeting the corporate assholes, are as valid now as when he filmed them 10-20 years ago, all precise, detailed attacks on the people whose sole purpose is to fuck the rest of us at every turn….
I would suggest that society take a very close look at the state of humor in today's culture, and begin the attempt to bring back the jokes needed to motivate society to action. Our artists have always shown the way, in revolutions and historical times of tension, by singing, and quoting poetry, and carving statues, and making jokes about the government, or otherwise expressing the outrage and feelings of anger that people have when confronted with the chicanery of their peers; we look to Art to show us how to live….. It will be a sad thing indeed if we cannot learn to at least laugh at the foolishness of our own demise, because, damn if it isn't hilarious…. from the point of view of the rest of creation, anyway…..
Hmm…. without even noticing, I've already ranted once, and managed to get an intro section out of it as well…. Cool, eh? If nothing else, it's different than your average intro, without question…. whether that is a good sign, or not, remains to be seen….. I'm going to bow to the inevitable now…. Shall we Pearl?…..
It's time, as is obvious from the intro, to mix things up a bit…. Oh, don't panic, just a little shake-up, no major disruptions…. In this section, rather than the recently typical entry of a politirant, or a religirant, I'm switching to a harlequin pearl, the quickest, most efficient form of pearl creation in my somewhat limited repertoire of same….
I'm confused, which is both normal, and expected, so I'm going with my usual response to that condition, and making random changes to routine, so as to "go with the flow", as it were…. You should know by now not to encourage me like this….. There IS a point to this pearl, and you SHOULD be able to figure it out fairly easily…. If not, well, you can always look at the ads while the adults are busy playing…..
"The dictate of the light says: 'Know yourself and what you are.' The dark replies, 'By all means, but then become afraid.'" — Tanith Lee
"The only way to combat criminals is by not voting for them." — Dayton Allen
"And never, ever cut a deal with a dragon." — Smart Bee
"Plato affirmed that the soul was immortal and clothed in many bodies successively." — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Plato, xl
(I don't know about y'all, but it's nice to have this confirmed by ancient decree…..)
"What I need is a MATURE RELATIONSHIP with a FLOPPY DISK…" — Zippy the Pinhead
"Individuality seems to be Nature's whole aim — and she cares nothing for individuals." — Goethe
For those who didn't make it to page 249 of "The Anthropic Cosmological Principle" by John Barrow and Frank Tipler, I quote : "In a randomly infinite Universe, any event occurring here and now with finite probability must be occurring simultaneously at an infinite number of other sites in the Universe. It is hard to evaluate this idea any further, but one thing is certain: if it is true then it is certainly not original!"
I have no excuses, and no rational explanation for my behavior…. too bad, so sad…. They said he showed such promise…..
Something about Sylvia Plath's poetry draws me…. like my own poetry, I don't wish to lose whatever it is about it that feels so right, so I don't question it closely, I just enjoy…. and hope you do as well….
Your clear eye is the one absolutely beautiful thing.
I want to fill it with color and ducks,
The zoo of the new
Whose name you meditate —
April snowdrop, Indian pipe,
Stalk without wrinkle,
Pool in which images
Should be grand and classical
Not this troublous
Wringing of hands, this dark
Ceiling without a star.
~~ Sylvia Plath
You are about to witness an unprecedented event of major proportion…. Well, for this corner of reality, it's major….. The remainder of today's Pearl of Virtual Wisdom is hereby canceled. The reason is not one of a malicious nature, but, rather a sudden burst of good news that will require some thought and assimilation in order to settle comfortably…. which is a long winded way to say, YIPPEE!
Following up on a phone message from yesterday, I spoke this morning with a Mrs. H, who informs me that a) my status as a disabled retiree has been approved by Social Services, and b) my benefits can start immediately…. oh, and c) she would be my caseworker from now on…. I am still trying to catch my breath, as the adrenalin is making it hard to settle down long enough to cheer….
After almost 3 years, it is an exquisite feeling to know that my wait is, essentially, over. The money owed in back pay will be in my account within 30 days (or, possibly, by her report, less than that….), and my monthly benefits should begin by the first of April, or May, at the latest.
Needless to say, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed, so I'm taking the rest of today off, in re: these Pearls, and am going to go do something fun, if not foolish…. Hopefully, I can avoid anything legally actionable, but, I'm making no promises….
I leave you in this last section, not with a rant, but with a pearl of nearly infinite luster…. Well, actually it's a pearl and a rant, all in one…. It doesn't have anything to do with my news, it just seemed like a good substitute for the 1200 or so words I would usually accompany this with…. Just feel grateful I didn't have the impulse to discuss this one…. we would still be here late tonight….. Enjoy, & I'll see ya in the closing….
"Conservative intellectuals have taken on the left's sense of persecution and repression — though in this case, at the hands of cultural commissars. The same conservative intellectuals who denounced the psychology of victimization have been nursing a fine sense of victimization of their own. How many times have we read or heard the same half-dozen stories about the horrors of political correctness? This sense of being victims at the hands of multicultural barbarians, militant feminists, and spineless university administrators (the usual characters in this drama) gives conservative intellectuals, as it has long given their counterparts on the left, a kind of collective identity. It is a powerful, organizing myth, which is not to say the individual stories are untrue– it is the total picture that is false. The myth of liberal repression allows the conservatives to cross-dress as intellectual insurgents. Charles Murray has perfected this appropriation of radical rhetoric– the courageous, lonely truth-teller, sadly bearing the hateful facts but facts they are, willing to voice the unspeakable, to break through the repressive apparatus of liberal conformity." — Paul Starr, at http://www.princeton.edu/~starr/libcon.html
Okay, I can relax a bit now…. I was afraid I wouldn't get this done before exploding… and if I don't hurry, that statement will be a lie, or at minimum, wrong. In any case, it's done, and I can go start my random wandering around in a daze, trying to figure out what to do first…. It may sound like a threat, but it's really just a promise…. I'll be back….. Y'all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..
Posted in Daily Pearls of Virtual Wisdom	| Tagged Anonymous, Barrow & Tipler, Dayton Allen, Democrats, Diogenes Laertius, George Carlin, Global Warming, Goethe, Life, Paul Starr, Philosophy, Plato, Poetry, politics, Reality, Religion, Republicans, Smart Bee, Society, Sylvia Plath, Tanith Lee, The Marx Brothers, The Three Stooges, Zippy the Pinhead	| 4 Replies


ASUS prides itself on making gaming laptops not just for the high-end gamer crowd, but also for those who want something a little more mainstream. The ROG Strix II line is exactly that, and sits somewhere in between beefy desktop replacements and super-slender lightweight notebooks. Now, the company has come out with updated versions of last year's announcements with the ASUS ROG Strix SCAR II and the ASUS ROG Strix HERO II getting new NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphic options.
As a reminder, both models boast desktop-style keyboards, complete with dedicated shortcut keys for volume and mute. Like many other ASUS ROG laptops, both the Strix models also have enhanced lighting around the logo and the lid, plus a diffused strip along the front. According to ASUS, the light bar casts an "Aura Sync" glow and can be customized to a variety of patterns and colors.
The Scar II comes in 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch sizes, and boasts a 144Hz refresh rate plus a 3ms response time. They're cloaked in what appears to be a "shooter-inspired motif", as the Scar II was designed primarily for FPS-style games. It's outfitted with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics, or you can opt for a GeForce RTX 2070 for that extra boost.
The Hero II, on the other hand, is made for MOBAs and is a tad more subtle in its design. While the Scar II has highlighted WASD keys, the Hero II has a translucent keycaps to the QWER row. The Hero ships with GeForce RTX 2060 graphics.
Both laptops have six-core Intel Core i7-8750H processors as well as 32GB of RAM, solid-state system drives as well as the option for a faster SSHD in case you want that extra fast load time. No word yet on pricing, but ASUS says that both laptops will be available in just a few months.


text:
Elizabeth 'Boopa' Corsolini
LADD — Elizabeth A. "Boopa" Corsolini, 86, of Ladd died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, in St. Margaret's Hospital in Spring Valley.
Betty was born in Peoria on Sept. 26, 1931, to John and Elizabeth (Eustice) Chioni. She married Donald J. Corsolini on Nov. 4, 1950.
Betty was a beloved waitress and cook at Rip's Chicken and Torri's Ice Cream Parlor in Ladd.
She enjoyed bowling and trips to the casino riverboat. She was a member of the Rip's Chicks bowling team. Betty volunteered at the Bureau County Food Pantry. Her greatest loves were her family and friends.
She is survived by six children, Barry "Chico" (Karen) Corsolini of Ottawa, Richard D. Corsolini of Ladd, Kristie (Ray) Marenda of Spring Valley, Lisa (Mark) Hoffert of Hollowayville, Maria (Mark) Bergagna of Spring Valley and Mary (T.J.) Zecca of Merrill, Wis.; 30 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; two sisters-in-law, Pamela Haughawout of Peru and Phyllis Chioni of Florida; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, six sisters and one brother.
A Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 7, at Holy Trinity Church in Cherry with the Rev. Ronald Margherio, O.S.B., officiating. Burial will be in Valley Memorial Park in Spring Valley.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, at the Hurst Funeral Home in Ladd. Additional visitation will be Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. in the church.
Pallbearers will be Jason Corsolini, Matthew Corsolini, Zachary McGrogan, Colton Corsolini, Ryan Marenda, Larry Bickett, Tony Bickett and Geno Zecca. Honorary pallbearers will be Joanie Pozzi and Ethel Lund.
Online condolences may be viewed and remembrances shared at www.hurstfuneralhomes.com.