In criminal cases, there is a natural tendency for jurors to overvalue scientific evidence. In many ways, that is understandable. After all, much of the evidence jurors hear is based on the memory of witnesses, which experience tells us is imperfect and prone to error. At first glance, scientific evidence – like blood or breath test evidence in DWI cases – seems so much more precise. But in too many cases, confidence in the reliability of scientific evidence is misplaced and could lead to wrongful convictions.
One way to lessen this danger is by forcing labs to publish data regarding their accuracy rate. That way, results of scientific tests are not presented to jurors in a vacuum – they can weigh the results with an understanding of how often the State gets it wrong. Recently, a judge in Michigan came to a similar conclusion and refused to admit blood evidence after the lab could not produce statistics regarding its error rate (read the story here). "Without an error rate, the lab leaves an inference that the test result is an absolute or true result," the judge, Peter Wadel, said in an opinion. No doubt, science has a place in the courtroom, but caution has to be taken to minimize the danger that jurors will treat scientific evidence as infallible. Judge Wadel has the right approach.
Cases involving scientific evidence like breath and blood tests present unique challenges to defense attorneys, and that is why it is important to retain a lawyer experienced in challenging the science behind DWI or DUI cases. If you or a loved one is arrested for any offenses, including DUI or DWI, in Houston, TX, or the surrounding areas, the attorneys at Scheiner Law Group are an excellent choice.


I decided to go with ribbon - not what you'd normally associate with menswear! But it's all grosgrain ribbon, which is slightly more masculine than, say, organza!
I have stamped onto ribbon in the past, but can't claim the credit for the "Let's Celebrate" as it was already on the ribbon when I bought it. I stamped the circles to represent the spotlit floor using a stamp by Heindesign.
Great take on that inspiration - love the texture of the ribbon and how you've incorporated the spot lights!
I love the grosgrain stripes- they definitely reflect the inspiration photo! Thanks so much for joining us on the Runway!
Love those little strips! Thanks for joining us at Runway!


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Q: Show that the Heaviside function is not weakly differentiable Consider the function $$H(x):=\left.\begin{cases}0&\text{, if }x<0\\1&\text{, otherwise}\end{cases}\right\}\;\;\;\text{for }x\in\Omega:=(-1,1).$$
How can I show that there is no $g\in\mathcal L^2(\Omega)$ with $$\langle H,\varphi'\rangle_{L^2(\Omega)}=-\langle g,\varphi\rangle_{L^2(\Omega)}\tag1$$ for all $\varphi\in C_c^\infty(\Omega)$?
Clearly, if $g$ exists, then $$\varphi(0)=\langle g,\varphi\rangle\;\;\;\text{for all }\varphi\in C_c^\infty(\Omega)\tag2.$$ In particular, $$\varphi(0)=\langle g,\varphi\rangle\;\;\;\text{for all }\varphi\in C_c^\infty(\Omega\setminus\{0\})\tag3.$$
Now we know that $C_c^\infty(\Omega\setminus\{0\})$ is a dense subset of $L^2(\Omega\setminus\{0\})$ and hence $C_c^\infty(\Omega\setminus\{0\})^\perp=\overline{C_c^\infty(\Omega\setminus\{0\})}^\perp=\{0\}$. So, $$g(x)=0\;\;\;\text{for Lebesgue almost all }x\in\Omega\setminus\{0\}\tag4.$$

But I don't see that this is a contradiction to any of the assumptions.

A: (Supposing $g$ exists) note that since $\varphi$ is compactly supported, we actually have
$$\varphi(0) = \langle g,\varphi\rangle$$
for all $\varphi$.
Now the main idea is to pick a sequence of functions $\varphi_n$ which breaks this by concentrating around the jump of $H$ at $x=0$.
For example, we can pick smooth functions such that for each $n$,
$$\begin{gather*}
\varphi_n(0)=1 \\
\varphi_n(x) \leq 1 \\
\text{supp}(\varphi) \subseteq [-1/n,1/n]
\end{gather*}$$
You can imagine smoothing out an isosceles-triangle-shaped function with fixed height and decreasing width (in $n$), or use some standard bump function that you know. The important fact you should conclude is that
$$\langle g,\varphi_n\rangle \xrightarrow{n\to\infty} 0.$$

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


FutureMark Studios released this trailer showcasing game play for their upcoming tower defense game for the PC, IPad and XBLA, Unstoppable Gorg, a homage to the early Sci-Fi films of the 40s and 50s. The Gorg, lead by the Lizard King, attack earth in the classic flying saucers. The tower defense battles take place in orbit around earth as opposed to land based battles. The Unstoppable Gorg game play looks unique. FutureMark Studios plans to release Unstoppable Gorg in early 2012. Price is TBD.
"Unstoppable Gorg is a lovingly crafted homage to vintage sci-fi films from the 1950s. Flying saucers, rubbery aliens, dodgy effects, it's got it all. The game's story scenes were shot on film using models, miniatures and live action actors and then edited together with genuine archive footage to create a classic sci-fi experience that is out of this world.


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PallyCon, a Multi DRM and Forensic Watermarking Service for OTT apps, adds App Security to its digital arsenal
A robust 360-degree cloud-based end-to-end content security service provider to OTT platforms
Los Angeles, USA(27 May 2021)
PallyCon, a global leader in Multi DRM, forensic watermarking services, and anti-piracy technology launches its state-of-the-art app security service. The company has now become a robust 360-degree cloud-based end-to-end content security service provider to OTT platforms.
A simple plug-n-play solution, it is dedicated to helping content developers and publishers protect their content from manipulation and theft. The solution is conceptualized with no single line of code and offers robust security that's also highly affordable.
Expressing his thoughts, CEO and Founder at INKA Entworks Inc. James Sungim Ahn said, "With the increasing popularity and rise in viewership of OTT apps, the chances of theft and leakages have increased multiple times. It takes a lot of effort and money to produce content, and illegal access and copying are causing significant revenue losses. Hence, data security should be considered mandatory, and all content creators should adopt a 360-degree security along with DRM service for OTT apps to protect their investment".
"Building an OTT app is no easy feat, it takes a lot of time and energy. And in today's application-focused world, security can't slow down your speed of development." he added.
The solution offers a real-time threat analytics dashboard for content creators to trace the source of piracy and hacking of streaming content in real-time. It works in tandem with a high-performance DRM video protection service to identify leakages right to the last user who leaks or consumes the content illegally, thus offering endless scalable security. The solution supports Android, iOS, and other hybrid apps. Our powerful security suite ensures real-time in-depth application security with features like source code protection, anti-reverse engineering, cheat tool and emulator detection/blocking, while enforcing app integrity. Here are a few ways in which the solution stands out:
A simple plug-n-play solution (Get a secured OTT app in "Minutes")
Robust security that's highly affordable
Real-time Threat Analytics Dashboard
No single line of code
Unlimited free trials
Supports Android, iOS and hybrid apps
No annual maintenance charges (AMC), hardware setup or tech support cost
Meet compliance needs with data localisation rules
Endlessly scalable security
Content security, App security and data security in a single workflow
Discussing the immense potential of the service Govindraj Basatwar, Head of Global Business for INKA Entworks said, "We are pleased to announce the commencement of our app and data security service. Cyber-attacks against OTT apps and content creators are on the rise. Without adequate security, apps can be easily hacked, which poses a threat to the privacy of data, revenue and puts the brand image at risk too."
"PallyCon is a first-of-its-kind cloud service that provides a 360-degree security for OTT platforms. With this launch, we aim to create a fearless and thriving environment for all content creators and protect their data from potential threats," he added.
With new security standards set by Hollywood studios, it becomes critical for OTT platforms to protect their apps in runtime. Additionally, the company is offering unlimited free trials to reap the benefits app and data security without the need of Coding.
About PallyCon is a premium content protection service by INKA ENTWORKS trusted by 200+ customers globally, providing 360-degree, cloud-based end-to-end content security for OTT platforms, such as Multi DRM, Forensic Watermarking, Anti-Piracy services, Anti-screen capture/Recorder, App Security with Quick and Simple integration. It is a ONE-IN-ALL solution for OTT owners.
About INKA Entworks is a pioneer in the field of Digital Right Management with over 20 years of security experience in providing DRM technology. INKA Entworks Holds Many Patents around DRM and App Security Technology. We created cloud based SaaS platforms (Security as a Service) which offers Quick time to Market technology services from mobile games and applications to digital streaming, movies, music and online education which prevents hackers from manipulating or stealing content.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Infinite Ink Tattoos is one the hottest Pensacola tattoo shops. Located right between the front gate of NAS Pensacola & Correy Station, we are perfectly situated to serve all of your tattoo and piercing needs. We have a state-of-the-art facility and the collection of work in our gallery is sure to inspire anyone who may be looking for their next masterpiece. At Infinite Ink, we use only the most sterile equipment and professional techniques in the business. We are also the only shop in the Pensacola area that uses all disposable tubes and equipment. We have a very artistically diverse staff, and as such, we are experts in all styles of tattoos. Our extensive gallery has a wide selection of different art styles for you to look through if you're hunting for that little bit of inspiration for your own custom masterpiece. In addition to creating brand new works of art, our artists are also experts in cover-up tattoos. Our artists can take that piece that you aren't particularly crazy about anymore and turn it into something you can be excited about again. If you're in the market for some new ink, be sure to visit us and get your work done by some of the best artists on the Gulf Coast.
Infinite Ink is home to Pensacola Florida's most talented tattoo artists. Our brand new tattoo shop is now open and our staff eagerly awaits you and look forward to bringing your ideas to life. Our artists have years of experience providing high quality body art using only the most sterile equipment and safest practices in the industry. We are located between the front gate of NAS Pensacola and Correy Station. We always offer military discounts. We accept walk ins and appointments. Just give us a call and we will provide you with the best service possible.
Never sat for a tat? Come to the shop that's going to take care of you and make sure you like it so much, it's the first of many!
Ready to get rid of that janky tat your cousin who was a "professional" did for you? Come and see us and let's get rid of the tat you keep covered up because you're embarrassed.
From time to time, touch ups are needed. Maybe too much time in the sun. Maybe the color has faded. Whatever the case, come see us to get your tattoo revitalized.


Is It Still An Anonymous Tip If It's Me? Is It Still An Anonymous Tip If It's Me?
Detective Harold Zech and Lawrence Spathelf didn't have probable cause to search the homes of Albert McCullough and Dakeem Booker, so they made their own. They phoned in "anonymous" tips to McCullough's and Booker's parole officers, who searched their and found some heroin.
While parolees give up some rights as a condition of being on parole, this isn't kosher.
[T]he law is clear that police cannot use parole agents as an arm of law enforcement to initiate a search to get around the stricter probable cause standard they must meet[.] Multiple appellate courts ruled that practice, known as a "stalking horse," illegal.
Lackawanna County Judge Vito Geroulo indicated he had serious concerns about Mr. McCullough's case during his suppression hearing on Oct. 16.
"Do I think in any way, shape or form this was an effort to be dishonest or an intentional act? I don't," [District Attorney Shane] Scanlon said. "I think it was an attempt to comply with the stalking horse law that was just done wrong.
"Not an intentional act?" Seriously? How exactly does that work? Did Zech and Spathelf accidentally trip over something and accidentally hit the speed dial for the parole office and accidentally leave an anonymous voice mail about the McCullough and/or Booker? the only the good thing about such a tired excuse is that this time it's only being used to justify an illegal search instead of a dead black guy in the middle of the road.
The statements the detectives made in the arrests affidavits are not false just because they did not disclose they were the sources of the tips, he said.
Oh, really? I have an anonymous tip that Zech and Spathelf conspired with Roxane Gay to kill my non-existent puppy. And that's not a false statement, either, because I'm the anonymous source and I totally tipped myself off to this vast conspiracy.
The district attorney's office initially did not disclose that Detective Zech and Patrolman Spathelf made the calls. Mr. Brier and Mr. Bolock only learned that after they fought for phone records.
Mr. Scanlon, who prosecuted Mr. Booker when he was an assistant district attorney, said there was no intent to withhold that information. The district attorney's office did not learn Detective Zech and Patrolman Spathelf were the sources of the tips until months after the arrests when they told prosecutors what they did, he said.
This is actually somewhat plausible, as prosecutors typically only know what the police tell them, and Zech and Spathelf probably didn't include the details of their little scheme in their report. But their coming clean probably wasn't motivated by an attack of conscience, but a result of the defense attorneys getting copies of the phone records of the "anonymous" calls and filing a motion to suppress.
But surely, Zech and Spathelf have been punished for their misdeeds?
Mr. Scanlon said as far as he knows no disciplinary action was taken against Detective Zech. Chief Graziano declined to say whether any disciplinary action was taken against Patrolman Spathelf.
Wow. Ol' Shane must have really done his homework to speak with such confidence.
He acknowledged he has not done any research to determine if there are other cases. Since these cases, Mr. Scanlon said he advised detectives this is not an appropriate way to act.
Well, okay then. Problem solved.
 Okay, a LOT of a heroin.
 Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get my puppy.
"Do I think in any way, shape or form this was an effort to be dishonest or an intentional act? I don't," [District Attorney Shane] Scanlon said.
I imagine anyone who reads this blog already knows this, but the Fourteenth Amendment does not care, and this statement – even if if true – does not let the prosecution off the hook. See Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419, 421 (1995).


Press Release (ePRNews.com) - IPSWICH, Mass. - Apr 14, 2017 - In Million Dollar Maverick, Alan Weiss reveals that the most successful entrepreneurs do not take direction from others; they do what they love and they find a way to sell it. They do not chase money; rather, they attract money by thinking differently, acting decisively, and succeeding quickly. Weiss shares his own entrepreneurial story to help others gain influence, build confidence, and develop the critical thinking skills they need to discover the inside track to rapid success.
• Do what is truly important to their personal and professional well-being instead of following convention and doing the same thing repeatedly.
• Learn not to be afraid to offer their opinions, innovate, and take controversial actions and positions.
• Stay positive by identifying with their results rather than their job titles.
• Develop an aura and presence that makes them a subject of interest that others will think about.
• Learn to communicate effectively and persuasively.
• Subordinate their egos and stay focused both professionally and personally.
• Build communities around themselves that offer their members shared experiences, connections, and the ability to get involved.
• Strive to live without fear or guilt and adopt the attitude that they are the best in their fields.


Choose from the races & games below to have a good old-fashioned race event at your company picnic or family outing. Add a Game Coordinator to organize the games and entertain the crowd with trivia, extra games & challenges.
Sample do-it-yourself picnic games to-go packages includes: burlap sacks, spoons with balls, tug-of-war rope, balloons, ties, buckets, posts, pennant flag strings, race instructions, etc. You can also choose individual race equipment.
Most games can be completed within 10-15 minutes (or approx. 4-6 games for each hour of running time), depending upon the number of participants/teams.


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Annual Statistical Supplement, 2011
You are here: Social Security Administration > Research, Statistics & Policy Analysis > Annual Statistical Supplement, 2011
Highlights and Trends
Social Security (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance)
Employment and Earnings
Workers in OASDI covered employment, 2010
Average earnings, 2010
Earnings required in 2011 for—
1 quarter of coverage
Maximum of 4 quarters of coverage
Earnings test exempt amounts for 2011
Under full retirement age for entire year
For months before reaching full retirement age in 2011
Beginning with month of reaching full retirement age in 2011
Test eliminated
Cost-of-living adjustment for December 2010
Average monthly benefit, December 2010
Widows and widowers, nondisabled
Number of beneficiaries, December 2010
Old-Age Insurance
Survivors Insurance
Benefit payments, 2010
$701.6 billion
Administrative expenses, 2010
$3.5 billion
As a percentage of total benefits paid
Program Trends
About 54.0 million persons received Social Security benefits for December 2010, an increase of 1,509,149 (2.9 percent) since December 2009. Sixty-nine percent were retired workers and their spouses and children, 12 percent were survivors of deceased workers, and 19 percent were disabled workers and their spouses and children.
Seventy-four percent of the 34.6 million retired workers received reduced benefits because of entitlement prior to full retirement age. Relatively more women (76.4 percent) than men (71.4 percent) received reduced benefits.
The number of beneficiaries aged 65 or older rose from about 34.0 million in 2005 to more than 37.2 million in 2010 (9.4 percent). The number of beneficiaries aged 85 or older increased at a greater rate during the 5-year period (16.7 percent), from fewer than 4.5 million in 2005 to more than 5.2 million in 2010. In 2010, about 51,000 centenarians were receiving Social Security.
About 21.0 million women aged 65 or older received benefits for December 2010. About 9.3 million (44.0 percent) were entitled solely to a retired-worker benefit. About 6.2 million (29.4 percent) were dually entitled to a retired-worker benefit and a wife's or widow's benefit, and about 5.6 million (26.7 percent) were receiving wife's or widow's benefits only.
More than 3.2 million children under age 18 received benefits, including 1,239,083 children of deceased workers, 1,660,196 children of disabled workers, and 309,512 children of retired workers.
About 9.4 million persons received benefits based on disability—8,203,951 disabled workers, 949,200 disabled adult children, and 244,953 disabled widows and widowers. In addition, 160,300 spouses and 1,722,388 minor and student children of disabled workers received benefits.
Average monthly benefits for December 2010 were $1,176 for retired workers, $1,068 for disabled workers, and $1,134 for nondisabled widows and widowers. Among retired workers, monthly benefits averaged $1,323 for men and $1,023 for women. For disabled workers, average monthly benefits were $1,191 for men and $931 for women. No cost-of-living adjustment for 2011 went into effect in December 2010.
Average monthly family benefits for December 2010 were $2,133 for a widowed mother or father and children; $1,838 for a disabled worker, wife, and children; and $2,419 for a retired worker, wife, and children.
Total OASDI benefit payments for calendar year 2010 were $701.6 billion. Payments from the OASI trust fund were $577.4 billion—an increase of 3.6 percent from the $557.2 billion paid in 2009.
Benefit payments from the DI trust fund, from which benefits are paid to disabled workers, their spouses, and children, increased by 5.0 percent from $118.3 billion in 2009 to $124.2 billion in 2010.
OASDI benefit awards in calendar year 2010 totaled 5,697,011, including 2,634,439 to retired workers, 510,140 to their spouses and children, and 902,437 to survivors of insured workers. Benefits were awarded to 1,026,988 disabled workers and to 623,007 of their spouses and children.
Annual Payment Adjustments
Monthly federal benefit rate, effective January 2011
Individual living in his or her own household
Couple with both members eligible
Benefits paid in 2010
$48.2 billion
Number of recipients, December 2010
Average benefit, December 2010
Federal SSI payments
Federally administered state supplementation
2.4 million a
a. Includes 2.1 million persons receiving federal SSI and state supplementation and 0.3 million persons receiving state supplementation only.
In December 2010, 7,912,266 persons received federally administered SSI payments—235,580 more than the previous year. Of the total, 2,041,490 (25.8 percent) were aged 65 or older; 4,631,507 (58.5 percent) were blind or disabled aged 18–64; and 1,239,269 (15.7 percent) were blind or disabled under age 18.
The number of blind or disabled aged 18–64 rose by 180,219 (4.0 percent) between December 2009 and December 2010, and the number under age 18 increased by 39,481 (3.3 percent).
During 2010, 1,042,124 persons were awarded federally administered payments, an increase of 42,584 from the previous year. Of the 2010 awards, 731,265 went to blind or disabled recipients aged 18–64, 204,219 to those blind or disabled under age 18, and 106,640 to recipients aged 65 or older.
Total federally administered SSI payments were $48.2 billion in 2010, up 3.2 percent from 2009. Federal SSI payments in 2010 were $44.6 billion (an increase of 4.6 percent over the previous year). Federally administered state supplementation totaled $3.6 billion.
Total benefits paid in calendar year 2010
Hospital Insurance (Part A)
Supplementary Medical Insurance (Part B)
Number of enrollees in July 2010 (one or both of Parts A and B)
Administrative costs, 2010
Supplementary Medical Insurance
Medical service expenditures in fiscal year 2009
Number of unduplicated recipients, fiscal year 2009
Average 2009 vendor payment per unduplicated recipient
Persons aged 65 or older
Permanently and totally disabled persons
Dependent children under age 21
Average 2009 vendor payment for medical services
Nursing facility services
Inpatient general hospital care
Prescribed drugs
Physicians services
Other Social Insurance Programs and Veterans' Benefits
Total payments, 2009
Weekly benefit amount (regular programs)
Duration of benefits
18.8 weeks
Weekly insured unemployment
Covered employment
Compensation payments
Medical and hospitalization
Benefits paid by—
Private insurance carriers
State and federal funds
Employers' self-insurance
Covered workers per month
Costs as a percentage of covered payroll
Temporary Disability Insurance
Average weekly benefit, 2008
State fund
Private plans
NOTE: Programs in effect in California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Puerto Rico, and the railroad industry.
Black Lung Benefits
Basic benefit to miner or widow
Maximum family benefit
Part B (claims filed before July 1, 1973)
Number of monthly benefits to miners, widows, and dependents, December 2010
Total benefits paid, calendar year 2010
$208.1 million
Part C (claims filed July 1, 1973, or later)
Total benefits paid, fiscal year 2010
Disability and survivors benefits
Veterans' Benefits
Number of veterans with disability compensation or pension, 2010
Service-connected disability
Nonservice-connected disability
Monthly payment in 2011 for—
10 percent disability
Nonservice-connected disability (maximum payment)
Without dependent
With one dependent and in need of aid and attendance
Poverty Data
Weighted average poverty thresholds, 2010
Individual, aged 65 or older
Couple, householder aged 65 or older
Percentage of population with income below poverty level, 2010
15.1 percent
Children under age 18 living in families
Top of page Table of contents Next: Social Security


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Paul Manafort
Trump-Russia inquiry heats up as three key aides indicted
Ex-adviser George Papadopoulos pleads guilty over Kremlin contacts
Paul Manafort and Rick Gates plead not guilty to money laundering and fraud
Julian Borger, Lauren Gambino and Ben Jacobs in Washington and Shaun Walker in Moscow
Mon 30 Oct 2017 21.09 EDT First published on Mon 30 Oct 2017 08.18 EDT
Paul Manafort seen entering FBI field office in Washington DC – video
The special investigation into Russian election meddling has closed in dramatically on Donald Trump after news broke on Monday that a former foreign policy adviser pleaded guilty to perjury over his contacts with Russians linked to the Kremlin, and the president's former campaign manager and another aide faced charges of money laundering.
In a day of rapid and surprising developments in Washington, George Papadopolous, the former foreign policy adviser, was revealed to have pleaded guilty earlier this month to lying to FBI investigators over his contacts last year with two people with apparently close ties to the Russian government.
One was an unnamed professor – identified by the Washington Post as Joseph Mifsud – who offered "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. Another was a woman who portrayed herself as "Putin's niece".
What you need to know about the Trump-Russia inquiry
How serious are the allegations?
The story of Donald Trump and Russia comes down to this: a sitting president or his campaign is suspected of having coordinated with a foreign country to manipulate a US election. The story could not be bigger, and the stakes for Trump – and the country – could not be higher.
What are the key questions?
Investigators are asking two basic questions: did Trump's presidential campaign collude at any level with Russian operatives to sway the 2016 US presidential election? And did Trump or others break the law to throw investigators off the trail?
What does the country think?
While a majority of the American public now believes that Russia tried to disrupt the US election, opinions about Trump campaign involvement tend to split along partisan lines: 73% of Republicans, but only 13% of Democrats, believe Trump did "nothing wrong" in his dealings with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.
What are the implications for Trump?
The affair has the potential to eject Trump from office. Experienced legal observers believe that prosecutors are investigating whether Trump committed an obstruction of justice. Both Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton – the only presidents to face impeachment proceedings in the last century – were accused of obstruction of justice. But Trump's fate is probably up to the voters. Even if strong evidence of wrongdoing by him or his cohort emerged, a Republican congressional majority would probably block any action to remove him from office. (Such an action would be a historical rarity.)
What has happened so far?
Former foreign policy adviser George Papadopolous pleaded guilty to perjury over his contacts with Russians linked to the Kremlin, and the president's former campaign manager Paul Manafort and another aide face charges of money laundering.
When will the inquiry come to an end?
The investigations have an open timeline.
Meanwhile, in a federal courthouse in central Washington, Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and a business associate, Rick Gates, pleaded not guilty to an indictment for money laundering, tax evasion, failure to register as agents for foreign interests and conspiracy to defraud the US government.
A federal judge ordered Manafort and Gates to be confined at home and set bail at $10m for Manafort and $5m for Gates.
The indictments were the first issued by Robert Mueller since he was appointed special counsel in May, with broad powers to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion by members of the Trump campaign.
After the indictment of Manafort and Gates was revealed on Monday morning, Trump tweeted: "Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????"
The president added: "...Also, there is NO COLLUSION!"
Later, the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, played down the connection between the three men and the Trump campaign. She said of Manafort and Gates's indictment: "Today's announcement has nothing to do with the president, presidential campaigns or any campaign activity."
Manafort joined the Trump campaign in March 2016 as convention manager, focusing on winning delegates at the 2016 Republican convention, and was promoted to campaign manager in June 2016 before resigning in August over his links to Ukraine.
Sanders said: "Paul Manafort was brought in to lead the delegate process, which he did, and was dismissed not too long after that."
She also insisted Papadopoulos's lies to the FBI about his contacts with Russia on behalf of the Trump campaign had "nothing to do with the activities of the campaign", and repeatedly dismissed Papadopoulos as "a volunteer member on an advisory council".
White House: No sign of collusion in campaign aides' indictments – video
However, Trump himself had announced Papadopoulos's appointment as a foreign policy adviser in March 2016, describing him as "an excellent guy". The charges, which Papadopoulos accepted as accurate as part of a guilty plea on 5 October, said Trump was present at a meeting of national security advisers where Papadopoulos boasted of his Russian connections and said he could help organise a meeting with Putin.
The charges state that the unnamed woman he was in contact with was not related to the Russian president. But Papadopoulos's links with her and the professor led to extensive contacts with Russian officials regarding a Putin-Trump meeting and other high-level exchanges.
The professor referred to in the charges against Papadopoulos is said to have told him that the Russians had "dirt" on Clinton in the form of "thousands of emails" at a meeting around 26 April 2016, months before the Russian hack of Democratic party emails became publicly known.
A prosecutor representing Mueller's office, Aaron Zelinsky, said at the October hearing that the Papadopoulos case was just a "small part" of "a large scale ongoing investigation", according to a transcript of the court session, adding weight to anticipation that Monday's charges are the tip of an iceberg.
Collusion itself is not a crime, unless it rises to the level of espionage or treason. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents about the extent and timing of his contacts with Russians, and about his awareness of their links to the Kremlin.
Papadopoulos was arrested in July at Dulles airport when he returned from a trip abroad. The court papers note that he subsequently "met with the government on numerous occasions to provide information and answer questions". He was charged more than two months later.
'A cause for deep concern'
Paul Manafort listens during a round table discussion on security at Trump Tower in New York on 17 August 2016. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters
Summarising the day's developments, Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes, editors of the Lawfare blog, wrote: "President Trump, in short, had on his campaign at least one person, and allegedly two people, who actively worked with adversarial foreign governments in a fashion they sought to criminally conceal from investigators."
Ultimately, the question over whether Trump committed "high crimes and misdemeanours" through his camp's contacts with Moscow during the election will be decided by Congress, where Republicans control both chambers.
Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, said after the charges were made public: "This is just the latest in a series of undisclosed contacts, misleading public statements, potentially compromising information and highly questionable actions from the time of the Trump campaign that together remain a cause for deep concern and continued investigation."
Manafort and Gates pleaded not guilty to 12 charges. The first was "conspiracy against the United States", an overall charge that refers specifically to the failure to inform the government of foreign income and foreign bank accounts, and failing to register lobbying work for foreign interests.
Manafort's 'lavish lifestyle' laundered illicit cash through property loans – and Airbnb
The indictment focuses on the business activities of the two men before Manafort joined Trump's campaign, in March 2016, and Gates became a senior fundraiser.
The charges allege the two men worked extensively for political figures and parties in Ukraine and laundered millions of dollars in payment for that work by channelling it through a web of companies, mostly in the US and Cyprus. They are accused of constructing elaborate schemes to hide their earnings from the US government, and failing to register the foreign interests for which they were lobbying.
The indictment alleges $75m in payments flowed through offshore accounts, of which Manafort laundered more than $18m to buy property, goods and services in the US, hiding the income from the government. It says Gates transferred $3m from the offshore accounts to other accounts he controlled.
"In order to hide Ukraine payments from United States authorities, from approximately 2006 to at least 2016, Manafort and Gates laundered the money through scores of United States and foreign corporations, partnerships and bank accounts," the indictment claims.
It notes that Manafort used "his hidden overseas wealth to fund a lavish lifestyle, without paying taxes on that income".
The charges were approved by a grand jury on Friday. Although the indictment says the two men's moneymaking activities lasted until at least 2016, the charges do not mention the role of the two men in the Trump campaign.
An attorney for Manafort, Kevin Downing, said there was no evidence the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government.
"Mr Manafort represented pro-European Union campaigns for the Ukrainians and in the course of that representation he was seeking to further democracy and to help the Ukrainians come closer to the United States and to the EU," Downing said in a statement. "Those activities ended in 2014, two years before Mr Manafort served in the Trump Campaign."
Trump's lawyer, Ty Cobb, told the Guardian there was "no angst at the White House". Manafort had been warned to expect an indictment and Cobb recently told the New York Times he was confident the former Trump campaign chair had no damaging information on the president to offer in exchange for leniency.
However, the Mueller investigation is widely expected to produce further indictments and many legal observers had predicted it would start with charges related to financial crimes as a way of pressuring defendants to provide more information on the Trump team's relationship with Moscow.
Russia inquiry charges: how close does this get to Trump?
"The amount of money that Manafort received is staggering," said Scott Horton, a US expert on international law with extensive experience of financial cases and eastern Europe. "The Russian/Ukrainian side is complicit in its routing and obscuring the fact of payment.
"That's significant because it means they had knowledge of serious criminal acts by Manafort which they could hold over his head and use to force him to do their bidding. The suspicion would naturally be that they were a driving force behind his volunteering to serve the Trump campaign for free."
Trump-Russia investigation
Deutsche Bank hands bank records of Trump affiliates to Robert Mueller
German bank, Trump's biggest lender, complies with special counsel's request to turn over documents and says it always cooperates with authorities
Published: 5 Dec 2017
All the signs in the Russia probe point to Jared Kushner. Who next?
Jill Abramson
The Russia scandal may be about to take a new twists as Donald Trump distances himself from his son-in-law, writes Guardian columnist Jill Abramson
Was Michael Flynn asked to wear a wire in Mueller hunt for evidence on Russia?
Plea agreement includes clause showing Flynn consented to participate in 'covert law enforcement activities" if required
Mueller investigation takes a big step closer to Donald Trump
Simon Tisdall
Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser, is co-operating with the investigation into Russian influence in the White House
Donald Trump: Michael Flynn's actions during transition were lawful
Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to FBI as Trump-Russia inquiry takes critical step
'There's a lot more there': Mueller ups the stakes in the Trump-Russia inquiry
Raging Trump demands FBI investigate Clinton, uranium – anything but Russia


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Title: Three eyes on Malawi poverty : a comparison of quantitative and subjective wellbeing assessments
Author: Tsoka, Maxton
Awarding Body: University of York
Current Institution: University of York
http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/2073/
This dissertation aims at improving the official measurement of wellbeing in Malawi by proposing the incorporation of popular understanding of wellbeing. The objective is to reduce targeting errors that come due to differences in the understanding of wellbeing and poverty between those that identify the poor (villagers) and those who evaluate the quality of the targeting (experts). The dissertation compares the official measure of household wellbeing (consumption expenditure) against subjective measures of wellbeing (self and peers assessments) that are applied on the same households at the same time. Four comparisons are made; household rankings, poverty rates, households determined as poor, and characteristics of poor households. The comparisons determine similarities and differences and, where different, whether the characteristics unique to subjective assessments can be incorporated in the official wellbeing assessment. The dissertation finds that the three assessments are not similar, although there are some overlaps. The ranking of the households based on consumption expenditure is significantly different from that based on peers-assessment. Likewise, poverty rates for three assessments are different. While some households identified as poor are the same, these are less than discordant households. In terms of characteristics, some are common in all the three assessments while some features associated with subjective assessments are absent in the official wellbeing assessment system. An assessment of the absent features shows that it is possible to improve the official assessment without radical changes. Modifications can be made in data collection and analysis, and wellbeing profiling. In particular, qualitative aspects of wellbeing like type and frequency of meals, food security, quality and quantity of clothing would improve the relevance of the operational definition of poverty. Likewise, wellbeing profiling that includes subjective wellbeing assessment is likely to resonate with what is on the ground.
Supervisor: Hudson, John Sponsor: Not available


Multidrive's product portfolio is made up of specialist designed solutions and systems integration for on and off highway vehicle requirements across a variety of industrial disciplines.
Our design capability utilises the latest electronic aided design tools back up by a wealth of design, manufacturing and operational problem solving experience within the UK truck manufacturing industry.
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A great asset to me….
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text:
{- |
Module : Cantor.Analysis.Dependency
Copyright : Copyright (C) 2014 Krzysztof Langner
License : BSD3
Maintainer : Krzysztof Langner <klangner@gmail.com>
Stability : alpha
Portability : portable

Analysis of dependecy graph between project packages.

-}
module Cantor.Analysis.Dependency ( DependencyGraph
--                                  , buildPackageGraph
                                  , scp ) where

import Control.Arrow
import Data.Graph (Graph, buildG, scc)
import Data.Tree
import System.FilePath
import qualified Data.Map as M
import Cantor.Project (Project)

data DependencyGraph = DG [String] Graph deriving (Show) --[Dependency] deriving (Show)

{-

-- | Build dependency graph for given project.from node and edges given as names
buildPackageGraph :: Project -> DependencyGraph
buildPackageGraph prj = buildGraph ()

-- Helper function for building a graph from nodes and edges
buildGraph :: [String]              -- Node names
           -> [(String, String)]    -- Edges
           -> DependencyGraph
buildGraph ns es = DG ns $ buildG (0, length ns - 1) $ map ((M.!) ids *** (M.!) ids) es
    where ids = M.fromList (zip ns [0..])

-}
-- Returns list of strongly connected packages
scp :: DependencyGraph -> [[String]]
scp (DG pkgs graph) = map mkPkgGroup groups
        where groups = filter (not . null . subForest ) (scc graph)
              mkPkgGroup node = nodeName node : concatMap mkPkgGroup (subForest node)
              nodeName node = pkgs !! rootLabel node

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The swimming and diving team improved to 4-0 on the season following back-to-back meets against the SMU Mustangs and North Texas Mean Green. The meets acted as the home-opener for the team, and head coach Ryan Wochomurka's athletes did not disappoint.
Over the two meets, the women had 27 top-place finishes, winning the meets by a margin of 120 points and 159 points, respectively. The weekend was a dominating display that will prepare the Cougars for their upcoming road meets.
Each meet started off with wins for the Cougars in the relay races. Against SMU, the combined effort of sophomores Laura Laderoute and Peyton Kondis, freshman Rebecca Cox and senior Cait Horner won the 200-yard medley relay in one minute, 43.82 seconds.
Against North Texas, Laderoute and Cox were joined by sophomores Angeliki Mavrantza and Zarena Brown in the 400-yard medley relay. Together, they came out winners in three minutes, 43.09 seconds.
Over the course of the weekend, five Cougars repeated as champions between the two meets. Junior Conor Glenn won the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10 minutes, 18.39 seconds against SMU and in 10 minutes, 26.15 seconds against North Texas.
Laderoute won the 100-yard backstroke in 55.82 seconds and 56.67 seconds in the respective meets.
Against SMU, Horner tied with sophomore Hanna Blewett in the 50-yard freestyle, both finishing the race in 24.17 seconds. But Horner was the sole victor against North Texas. She claimed her second title in as many days with a time of 24.07 seconds.
Mavrantza was the only swimmer with two wins on both days. Competing in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke, Mavrantza beat out all competitors and teammates. Against SMU, she won the 100-yard in one minute, 4.14 seconds and nearly matched that time against North Texas, finishing the race in one minute, 4.39 seconds.
Redshirt senior Micaela Bouter was perfect in the diving events over the weekend, winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. Against SMU, Bouter scored 281.18 points in the 1-meter and 286.20 points in the 3-meter.
Sophomore Lauren Burrell was right behind her each time, placing second in each event both days.
Now the Cougars will get back to training. Their next meets are on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4 at Colorado State and Northern Colorado, respectively. But with the entire team getting time in the pool and performing well this past weekend, they should be ready later down the line when they face the top competition in the country.


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Living room design ideas finding the most suitable living room decorating design ideas can be a tough challenge. If you want maybe some recommendations from our team can be inspire enjoy. Theres no better place to hunker down on a cold night than in a comfy cozy living room.


text:
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A top photojournalist and an undercover model... What could possibly go wrong? But Lauren and her son fled back to her hometown to escape fame's cruel spotlight, so she doesn't expect a sexy photojournalist to move in next door. READ MORE
Women's Fiction, Romantic Comedy
If Justine Hale had the time, she'd get in her car and go crazy. She owns two kids, an ex-mother-in-law, and a bankrupt mother. Money scarce, she moves her entire family into a run-down, two-hundred-year-old farmhouse. With so many balls in the air, the last thing she needs is a helpful ghost and a hunky Mr. Fix-It next door who think they can help. READ MORE
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You can now purchase your season tickets ahead of the new campaign.
Season tickets are now on sale ahead of the 2019/20 season, and we are on a mission to #PackPriestfield!
Prices have been slashed across the board with all adult seats reduced by at least 10% in all areas of the ground, with early bird Rainham End season tickets costing just £300!
That is a ten-year low and a 20% reduction on the same price in 2018.
A number of supporters and groups were consulted before prices were confirmed, with the players taking part in a series of video clips to help promote season tickets.
This offer is open to ALL past, present and new supporters and our early bird prices are available up until 5pm on Tuesday April 30, with current season ticket holders having until 5pm on May 31 to reserve their current seat before they are made available via general sale.
For a breakdown of all prices, download our 2019/20 brochure by clicking the below link. Season tickets are on sale with immediate effect and you can purchase online, over the phone or in person on Redfern Avenue. The number is 01634 300000/350350.
Please be aware we are expecting a lot of calls and there might be a short wait as our customer engagement staff do what they can to complete transactions ASAP.
REMINDER: The early bird prices expire at 5pm on Tuesday April 30.


text:
Home/Hamptons Living/Sports, Fitness & Wellness/Hampton Classic Weekend Features Kids Day, Grand Prix
Hampton Classic Weekend Features Kids Day, Grand Prix
Jabeza Bostwick August 28, 2014
Kent Farrington and Zafira at the Hampton Classic, Photo: Shawn McMillen
The Hampton Classic Horse Show continues through Sunday, August 31, with some of the show's most highly anticipated events—including the Horseless Horse Show, Optimum Kids Day, the $40,000 Longines Cup and Grand Prix Sunday—occurring this weekend.
Friday's Horseless Horse Show allows more than 100 "horseless" youngsters to race against the clock on foot over the miniature jump course. Approximately 1,000 attendees are expected to cheer on the young participants and future generations of equestrian sport. The event benefits JustWorld International, which seeks to raise funds for children in impoverished communities around the globe. The nonprofit is the Hampton Classic's charity partner for the eighth year. Money will also be raised at a silent auction during the exhibitors' party.
Saturday brings one of the Classic's most popular attractions, Optimum Kids Day, with activities for kids of all ages. Children under 12 receive free pony rides, face painting by Ruby, airbrush tattoos by Fancy Faces and crafts with Children's Museum of the East End.
There will also be magic tricks with The Amazing Zola, and performances by The Bellini Family Circus & Friends. Animals from Long Island Livestock Co. will be visiting, along with the birds of prey from the Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons, which will be giving demonstrations while Jarrell Entertainment provides the music.
The Hampton Classic attracts some of the best riders from around the world who have their sights set on winning the highlighted class, the $250,000 Hampton Classic Grand Prix & FEI World Cup Qualifier, presented by Land Rover, which is held on Sunday, the Classic's final day.
As an FEI World Cup Qualifier, the Hampton Classic Grand Prix serves as a qualifying event for the 2015 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final, which will be held in Las Vegas April 15–19, 2015. The top finishers in the Grand Prix will earn valuable points toward qualifying for Las Vegas, and the winner will be awarded $82,500 in prize money, a Longines timepiece and a jeroboam of Cristal Champagne. The groom of the winning horse will also be rewarded, and will take home a groom's box from Beval and $500 from Aden Brook.
Sunday's Grand Prix is the final of three straight days of FEI-recognized Grand Prix classes at the Hampton Classic. Throughout the final weekend, world-class riders will be competing in other top classes in the run-up to the culminating event. On Friday, August 29, the $50,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier presented by Longines will take place at 1 p.m. On Saturday, August 30 at 2 p.m., riders will compete in the $40,000 Longines Cup. Both classes, in addition to also being FEI recognized, offer riders a chance to accumulate points toward the $30,000 Longines Rider Challenge, which awards a $30,000 cash prize and a Longines timepiece to the rider who accumulates the most points in the Open Jumper division. Presentation of the Longines Rider Challenge will immediately follow Sunday's Grand Prix in the famed Grand Prix Field.
For those who can't make it to the show grounds, a complimentary live webcast of all Grand Prix ring classes will air on the Hampton Classic website (hamptonclassic.com), produced by ShowNet and courtesy of Longines. In addition, WVVH-TV, the official Long Island television station of the Hampton Classic, broadcasts up to five hours of competition and highlights each day. The broadcasts can also be seen online at wvvh.tv. Most of the Classic's other classes will also be on ShowNet.biz.
Shinnecock Powwow Returns to Southampton This Weekend
Hampton Arts Cinema Will Likely Close if It Doesn't Get $95,000 in Pledges by Saturday
Soldier Ride Hamptons: Wounded Warriors Return to Where the Healing Began
Summer Medical Myths Debunked: Don't Butter Your Tan
Gina Bradley Helps East End Women Find Their Inner Paddle Diva
The Derm Wife's Summer Skincare Tips for a Beautiful Season


text:
Home Isolated Tracks Amy Winehouse's Isolated Vocal for "Rehab"
Amy Winehouse's Isolated Vocal for "Rehab"
Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" was the first single from her second studio album Back to Black. Written by Amy and produced by Mark Ronson, the lyrics are autobiographical, and talk about Winehouse's refusal to enter a rehabilitation clinic. It peaked at number 7 in the United Kingdom on the UK Singles Chart and number 9 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100.
Ronson expanded on the songwriting process when interviewed by DJ Zane Lowe for the BBC Radio documentary series Radio 1's Stories in an episode called 'Making It' broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in July, 2011. He said, "I was walking down the street with Amy. We were in New York and we'd been working together for about a week and we were walking to some store. She wanted to buy a present for her boyfriend and she was telling me about a specific time in her life that was…. I feel bad, like, talking about a friend like this, but I think I've told this story enough times…. but she hit, like, a certain low and her dad came over to try and talk some sense into her. And she was like, 'He tried to make me go to rehab and I was like, "Pfft, no no no"'. And the first thing I was like, 'ding ding ding ding ding'. Like, I mean I'm supposed to be like, 'How was that for you?' and all I'm like is, 'We've got to go back to the studio.'"
In the lyrics Winehouse mentions "Ray" and "Mr. Hathaway", in reference to Ray Charles and Donny Hathaway. However, for some time, she replaced "Ray" with "Blake", referring to her ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil.
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text:
"Winter's Mistress," by Renee Nicholson
Renee Nicholson
Rene K. Nicholson lives in Morgantown, WV, splitting her artistic pursuits between writing and dance. Formerly a professional ballet dancer, Rene is an American Ballet Theatre Certified Teacher, and choreographs for the Morgantown Ballet Company and the West Virginia University Dance Ensemble. She is the recipient of a grant from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, and, since 2007, served as Assistant Director of the West Virginia Writer's Workshop. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Chelsea, Mid American Review, Perigee: A Journal of the Arts, Paste, ABZ, Poets & Writers, Dossier, The Gettysburg Review, and elsewhere.
Winter's Mistress
I had just moved into the new loft, downtown, and my life was still crated up and unsorted. In the mornings I poked through my belongings, not really settling in, but telling myself I'd ease into it. I'd found a box stuffed full of my old shoes. I was able to pick out my first pointe shoes, a garish pink pair of Capezio Pavlovas, the sort that every dance teacher starts their pupils in. I dug around and found several pairs of Chacott Coppelia II's, my last and favorite brand, the peachy fabric smudged with dirt. I remember loving that these shoes were so quiet against the hardwood or marley of stage or studio floors. They whispered as I danced. A pair of Capezio Infinitias, the shoes I'll always remember as my Don Quixote shoes, and which looked beautiful but wore out too quickly.
Most of these shoes weren't even made anymore. Most of the dancers I worked with were wearing Gaynor Mindens, which wasn't even a pointe shoe company when I was performing. Christina, the most promising of the dancers, had told me, "I just couldn't live without them." I believed her. For a dancer, shoes were serious business.
I pulled out another pair. I saw where I had carefully cut away the cloth on the flat tip of the toe, where, on pointe, the satin would have been slick against the marley. The cleared area was about the size of a silver dollar, not so much that balancing and turning would have been affected. Elastic and ribbons sewn at the heels, which kept the shoes on properly. The back of the shoe was carefully folded down and wrapped with the ribbons tucked in, so as not to show the frayed edges.
Taking each pair out of the box, I arranged them to make a spectrum, from bubbly pink to fleshy peach, some shiny despite the dirt, others smoothed to matte with Carbona, or pancake make up, to give them a powdery look. The pancaked or Carbona-ed shoes would have been for the stage. Most of these were Freeds, which were the most often requested shoes by dancers at National Ballet. I often performed in Freeds before I switched loyalties to the Chacotts. I made the switch during rehearsals of my solo in Graduation Ball, right after I'd been promoted to soloist.
When I found the shoes I was surprised that I didn't want to cry. Five years ago I would have cried. One pair was marked GG. Gloria Grady. Now, Ms. Grady, ballet mistress. And I remember how just a few days ago, when I pulled my hair back to teach company class, it wasn't all strawberry blonde, but flecked with strands of white. Not gray. Pure white. I had let them grow in, and I saw them as I pulled my hair high into a pony tail, braided and wrapped it. Christina started to wear her hair like mine. From the back our heads looked like platters of Danish. Christina was my Winter Fairy.
Outside the snow-slush mix was turning to ice, the road dingy with sleet and salt. Indiana was all ice storms in late February, sheets that formed against the flat. In the Indianapolis Star I read about the city's shortages of salt. I would have to leave early for the studios, because I had to work with the four fairies for our upcoming production of Cinderella. My box of satin artifacts would have to wait. Probably somewhere in the box I would find the pairs for each time I was one of these fairies. I've performed them all, but none as often as Winter.
Seth was still sleeping. He had cocooned himself in the quilt I used as a comforter. His snores were light when I got up, but he didn't stir, so I just let him sleep. I left a note: lock the door, XOXO G. No kiss goodbye.
The studios were dark when I arrived, even though it was nearly nine. There had been a stretch of days when the sun didn't shine, another item tracked dutifully in the Star. Inside, the studios were brisk, and yet there was still the stale hint of yesterday's sweat, the chalky grit of rosin. Joyce would be in soon, wrapped in her long L.L. Bean parka, the one she'd had ever since I came on board with Ballet Indiana to replace Irina Ouchkova, who retired after years of setting the Russian classics—Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Don Quixote. More and more even the regional companies weren't relying on the Russians anymore. I'd come to Indianapolis the year after my contract wasn't renewed at National Ballet. I could count the time by Joyce's coat; she must have had it at least eight years. It had once been puffy, full of down, but now sagged and bulged in odd places—right below the hip on one side especially—and stretched out around the arms. Joyce would hang the coat on the hook on the backside of her door, tuck her gloves in the pockets, adjust the thermostat, turn on the computer, and waiting for it to boot up, she'd start a pot of coffee.
I liked having this time in the studio alone. The slush had been thick and stuck to my boots. I had a tiny office, with no windows, which I also used as a changing room. I took off the boots, which had already started to shed the slush, melting into a grimy puddle. I always wore a pea coat in winter. Every five years I bought a new one, always navy blue, the current one I shed and hung on the back of my office chair. I slipped off the cashmere gloves that Seth had given me for my birthday. They were robin's egg blue but dirty from wear. I said out loud, "Everything wears out too soon." My hip hurt, and I knew the weather was going to change.
"Think ice maiden. Sparkling, but cold," I said to Christina. She was really lovely—chestnut hair and big blue eyes, pale pink complexion, and strong but flexible feet to die for. I set Ashton's Cinderella, the version we performed at National Ballet. Christina was a little more Balanchine than Ashton, but she took on the choreography. She was enamored with speed, moved her feet as fast as any dancer I had known. But her footwork was also crisp, thinly slicing the air.
In rehearsal Christina attacked a series of piqués traveling diagonally downstage. "No," I said, "too heavy." She twisted up her mouth, as if she were knotting her lips. Puzzling it out.
"Ms. Grady, I don't get it," she said. "How is it heavy?"
"You're mashing your foot down. Resist." I couldn't demonstrate, so I had to rely on words. Christina continued to mash her foot in her shoes.
"Don't think about the foot," I instructed. "Pull up from your thigh through the hip, under the rib cage. It will force you to pull up out of your shoes."
She tried again and it was better. I didn't say so, just asked for her to do it again. That's how I was taught, and it worked. Repetition until it was muscle memory. Christina would do a combination or step over and over and over until I said she could stop. She would never question why she had to repeat, only try to understand how a step or combination worked. Sometimes I worried she thought too much, but a few weeks ago when I saw her with a new boyfriend, giggling, I worried, wanting to say, "Oh Christina, you don't think enough."
I also rehearsed Gina, a loose limbed blonde; my Summer Fairy, Anna, a whipper-snapper Autumn; and Lexi, was the perfect Spring, flighty and perky. Lexi felt dancing more than she understood technique. Anna had a lovely sense of line, and could move through a leap, but her face was so round that it made her look chubby. Lexi was lazy, and talked about going to college.
Gina had more promise than Lexi or Anna. A couple of months before rehearsals, Gina had her ears tucked. She was working with an outside teacher, Magda Famosa, who had told her that her ears stuck out too much, that they diverted attention from her line. I didn't know this Magda, but many of the company dancers and promising Academy students worked with her. They took her word as gospel, and Magda's words were "You need to do something because your ears look like a bat's." Gina had her ears stitched closer to her head by a plastic surgeon, one Magda had recommended. She had ideas about moving up, or moving on. She often questioned me about National Ballet.
"How long were you there? Fifteen years?" she asked after one of our rehearsals.
"Since I was 18," I answered, trying not to look peeved. Gina was too close to the truth.
"Yeah, but how many years, Ms. G?" She'd put her hands on her hips.
"That's not polite to ask," I said. "I'll see you tomorrow." Perhaps I should have told her that I didn't see her as a dancer who could move up to National Ballet. Instead I said, "Tomorrow we'll work on the phrasing. It's off."
Gina and Christina always wanted to know about my past as a dancer. If I told them, I would have to say that I was labeled "a clean dancer," one with precise technique, especially en pointe and during complicated passages across the floor full of turns and little jumps. When I thought about my own dancing, I imagined myself skimming across the top of a lake, like a skipping stone. I could have brought in my box of shoes—or at least shown them the Infinitias I wore for my first solo variation. They were a soft shoe, which cut down on noise, and if a dancer had high, strong arches like mine, they looked great. But they wore out quickly. Capezio quit making Infinitias not long after I stopped dancing. The first pair I owned was for Winter Fairy, but I didn't want to admit this to Christina. I didn't want to tell her about Coppelia, Paquita, or Graduation Ball, either. I wanted the shoes and the roles for myself.
"I have you pegged as an Autumn," said Christina, after our rehearsal. She smiled at Gina. I had rehearsed them together; and teased them about the sing-song rhyme of their names. They were friends, as much as any two dancers in the corps of a company will ever be friends. My reason for rehearsing them together was that I wanted them to watch each other, thinking they would push each other along.
"You don't know that I was even in Cinderella," I said, smoothing a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
"It's in National's repertoire," replied Christina.
She does her homework, I thought. That was something I would have done, followed the careers of dancers, the repertoire of other companies. Gina only raised an eyebrow, then rifled through her bag for a Snickers. Gina would starve herself all day and treat herself with candy bars. Christina would never do that. There was a quality about her that was sharper, and I think that was why she was cast as Winter. I didn't cast; my job was to set the choreography and coach the dancers. As artistic director, Léon Currant decided. But if I had a say in the casting, I would have cast Christina as Winter, too.
After rehearsal, I scraped frost and ice off my windshield so that I could drive home.
At the loft, Seth was there, awake this time, and making beef stew. I could smell his cooking down the hall, the beef broth heavy and salty, as I walked towards the door of my new place. It was like he had never left, but I knew he had. He was supposed to install a dryer outlet for a house in Castleton and do an estimate on a cottage in Broadripple that had some issues with aluminum wiring. "It's a fire hazard," he'd said. "Some of the old homes have brought up to the current code."
That's how we had met. I'd been renting a townhouse on the west side near the reservoir and had called the landlord about a problem with outlets not working and my landlord had sent Seth out to fix them. He didn't look like an electrician, what I expected an electrician to look like—the kind of man with sloppy hair and a gut. That was probably unfair. But Seth had honey-blond hair clipped close and was trim and athletic. He had a nice smile. It had been so long since I'd been asked out by a man, that when he blundered the invitation to dinner, I said "yes" too quickly.
"Hi Beautiful," he said when I came in. I felt my face scrunch, annoyed, but turned my head so that he wouldn't see. There was something in the way he said the word beautiful that came out misshapen, like it didn't fit me and it didn't fit his voice either.
I dropped my bag and then closed the door, locking it. "Did you leave today?" I asked, trying to sound funny, but my voice curled at the edges with annoyance.
"Oh, sure Glo," said Seth, emerging from the kitchen red-faced from cooking. "But it was a light day." He came over and kissed me. Seth was the kind of man who knew how to kiss; never just the little brush of the cheek, but always a full-on smooch with lots of pucker.
The loft was thick with beef smells. I breathed it in, my nose wanting to run from the cold I'd left outside. "Looks like ice storms," I said, but Seth was on his way back to the kitchen.
"Uh-huh" he answered, but I wasn't sure he'd heard me. "Hey," he yelled back at me as I took off my coat and hung it up on a hook by the door. "What's with all the shoes across the floor?"
The loft was large, with some partitions for different living spaces, and I scanned across an expanse of wooden floor to see where I'd made my pink spectrum of pointe shoes against one wall. Even though they were frayed and up close they were dirty, from where I stood I was struck by how soft and almost charming they all appeared. Fairy tale slippers. Pointe work, I knew, was not this soft and delicate business. To make it look that way, I'd toughened my feet with blisters and rubbing alcohol, corns and bunions. My stomach had been taut—good feet started at the core—and my legs and ankles strong like metal rods. I ached for the pain of pointe work.
"Glo? Did ya hear me?" Seth turned his head over his shoulder.
"My old shoes," I said, pulling off my boots. "I found them in a box. Must have been in the basement of the old place."
"If you want," said Seth, "I can store them at my place. You don't have much storage here." His voice was edged with hope.
I knew what Seth meant; he wanted to start moving my things into his house. He'd not been happy with my idea to relocate to a new place. If I were going to relocate, it was supposed to be his place, a fixed up cottage in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood, about a ten minute drive north of my new downtown loft. He'd restored the floors and put in new fixtures in the bathroom. But I hadn't lived in a city since National Ballet, and I liked the idea of it.
"No, I think I'll keep them here. I'm going to go through them." I padded in socked feet into the kitchen. "Hmmm. Smells good."
"Going through them for what?" asked Seth. "They're old, used-up shoes."
"I need them," I said, and then kissed him behind the ear before slipping away to strip and shower, savoring the steam and hot water.
Seth, as he did most nights, stayed over. He performed a tender ritual, kissing along the scar from my hip surgery. It loosened me, this brush of lips against the seam left from my incision. He wanted me to be okay with my body the way it was, but without his touch, this tantalizing diversion, I never accepted the form I had inherited.
"Do it again," I instructed. Then I placed my hands on his and moved them along the curve of my body.
I was glad to have the sanctuary of skin on skin, to press myself against him, the wet parts of our bodies like adhesive, the soft incantation of "Gloria, Gloria, Gloria," a fluttering whisper in my ear. I liked how I rocked my body on top of Seth's, felt his hands against my back, my legs, my ass. Everything I needed to know about a man I could tell from the way he touched me; Seth's touch was sure and firm with a certainty that was a little like faith. Most men I'd known didn't know how to touch a woman's body. Partners in the studio grasped too hard, leaving bruising marks, bristling at suggestions, preferring their own leaps and turns to the delicacy of pas de deux. Lovers fared better, but their hands were about want and lust and couldn't express themselves in gratifying touch.
Because of the way he touched me, I wanted to love Seth. But I couldn't. And yet I took satisfaction in his body because it made me forget I wasn't whole.
When Seth fell asleep, I got up from the bed and walked to my row of shoes. I could see them through the light of the window, the streetlights of the city outside casting a dusky shaft through the panes of glass. There were still shoes left in the box, and I pulled out a pair, surprised to see that they were like new—old, but never used, never worn, never even broken in. I held them in my hands, turning them over and over between my palms, and before I could stop my tears, they dripped on the satin surfaces. I heard the uneven wheeze and rasp of Seth's sleeping, and I hated him for it. I should have gone back to bed and curled my body against his. Seth was always a better man than I would let him be.
In the morning, he woke early and made eggs. "Sunny side up or scrambled, Glo?" he asked as I wandered from the bed to the kitchen.
"Neither," I answered. Instead, I ate toast and drank coffee, my morning ritual since I was fifteen. The coffee was hot and bitter and I drank it without cream or sugar.
After he finished his eggs, I caught Seth looking at my row of shoes. He didn't touch them, but hovered over the slippers, staring. There was no reason for me to feel this way, but I felt the shoes were in danger. So I went over, and gently pushed him back, and then knelt down, feeling the tight sting in my hip as I eased into the crouch, and started putting them back in the box.
"I can take them," he said.
"No," I said. "Just leave." My voice was flecked with annoyance.
We didn't kiss when we left my loft, him first, excusing himself with an early appointment, and me not saying anything. I slipped the old new pair of pointe shoes into my bag before my own departure, and relished the cold snap of air as I left the lobby of my building. There was something in me that liked the cold.
Christina showed up in the studio decked out in white: white leotard, white chiffon skirt, little rhinestone studs in her earlobes. Her fairness against dark hair showed off white well, and I was struck how many dancers I had known had looked just like her, and why so many ballets featured women in white. She'd become quieter, and if the company gossip could be trusted, she'd also stopped seeing her boyfriend. Christina would be moving on soon. She had that certain something, the thing that made an audience look at her. I showed her my own affection in the only way I knew how: by correcting her.
"You really need to spring up into that arabesque, and the bourrées aren't crossed enough," I said. I did not smile. I wasn't smiled at when Yelena Artychemova had coached me, and if I were to make Christina successful, I couldn't smile. It had to be uncomfortable.
She tried the bourrées again, the low stipple-sound of her feet across the floor allowing her to look almost as if she floated. "Like this?" she asked.
"Not quite," I said. "Crossed more from the back foot. And faster."
In truth, it was close to the right effect. One of Christina's best attributes was her work ethic. Even as a member of the corps de ballet, she was always prepared like a soloist. So this tiny role was given to her, she must have seen it as a chance—her opportunity. That's how it had been with me. Make myself perfect and through hard work, get the steps better than right. Christina had this same inclination, and all she needed was someone to nitpick, to break apart her technique and help her put it back together again. She showed up ten minutes early to every rehearsal for Winter Fairy, in her Gaynor Mindens, ribbons laced around her ankles, the ends tucked under.
The others didn't show Christina's promise. Even Gina, with her sumptuous legs that made beautiful extensions, lacked. She just wasn't made for New York or the big regional companies.
I had told Anna, Lexi, and Gina that in these variations, they each had a different personality based on each season. "Summer's sensual, Spring's light, and Autumn's fiery. But I told Christina something much more pointed.
"You are to be imperial."
Artychemova's exact words.
I always appreciated Cinderella for its small roles. In this ballet, an effort was made to integrate them into the plot. Bright Spring hopped in and deposited flowers for Cinderella's hair. Summer stretched her legs like a thick haze and gave Cinderella her lavish golden ball gown. Fall breezed in with splits and leaps to cover her shoulders with a cape. But Christina, the collected-cool Winter, commanded the stage with each piqué. Then, she gave Cinderella the glass slippers, the gift with the most magic.
I thought of my own slippers in my bag, but I didn't pull them out. Instead, I offered Christina advice. "You need to think of yourself as a remote kind of beauty. Float. You need to think of yourself as a dancer whose feet are too good to touch the floor." Recycled from what had been given to me. I hoped that a little bit of me, and my training, would go on to wherever Christina's next company would be, that I would have at least a little of that success, that what I had to offer wasn't done.
At the end of rehearsal, Christina kissed my cheek the way she said hello and goodbye to the other dancers. "You're a really good coach, Ms. Grady," she said. When she said it, I swear I felt my heart squeeze, from guilt, from selfishness, and a little from pride.
Seth did not come back over, and I can't say that I was surprised. While there would be no fight, he would sulk and stay away, then return until we played out again. I reheated a bit of the stew he'd made the night before, but didn't eat any of it. I listened to Don Giovanni and sipped bourbon. Then, I fished my shoes out of my ballet bag.
My body was now anchored to the Earth, and I understood the pull of its gravity, down through the joints. Limbs that once soared in perfect split leaps were grounded. Even coaching put a strain on my body. I iced my hip with the same old-fashioned icepack I'd used during my time with National. It was decorated with little blue stars that had faded over the years of use.
As I iced my hip and sipped my drink, I remembered the office of David Berkshire, National's artistic director. It was nothing like my own, a bare-walled closet. In David's office one wall displayed pictures from his own dancing days. On the other were two drawings. The first was of a wolf—limber with lean muscles, not unlike a dancer. Its eye was sharp blue and it looked like he was hunting. Below and to the left of it was a nude woman whose fullness and ease betrayed her as not a dancer. But she was, in her way, very beautiful. I had always thought of the wolf as prowling for the nude, but she was too far removed from his line of sight, below and to the side, a turned over L. And yet, there was something vulnerable about this lopsided pairing, as if he might have found her, cornered her, pounced. I never asked David about these pictures except to inquire about who drew them. My own body was easing from the dancer's shape to the softer fullness of the nude, a transformation that I couldn't ignore. But if I was the nude, I was also the wolf. I would have devoured myself. I poured more bourbon, drinking it from a cleaned-out Welch's jelly jar.
I found my aborted pair of shoes in my bag, and held them a while. Back when I had gotten serious about pointe shoes, about finding the perfect pair, I also perfected break-in rituals. Nothing was quite perfect right out of the box. In the kitchen, I found a meat tenderizing mallet, like the one I used regularly on the stock of shoes the company allotted me. I worked the box, hammering away in brisk strokes, concentrating. I slipped the shoes on, stood, went up en pointe, flexed halfway down onto the ball of my foot, the heel still up in élevé then raised myself back en pointe again. My hip flared and ached, but the pain appeased me. A dancer could rely on her pain, and I wanted enough that I would go numb from it. Besides, the shoes were still too rigid. So, I hammered again, tried them out, working each one to my liking. "I should help Christina make her shoes noiseless," I said. Of course she would already have her own break-in rituals, specific to her needs as a dancer. As I kept working, I remembered a story about the dancer, Marie Taglioni, the first ballerina to dance in pointe shoes. In 1842, she gave her last performance in Russia, in the Maryinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, and her shoes were auctioned off to a group of balletomanes for 200 rubles. I considered the worth of my own shoes, rinsing up and down from point, savoring the sweet stabs in my hip. The rest of the myth: the balletomanes that bought Taglioni's pointe shoes had them cooked in sauce, and, wanting to pay homage, these men served up and ate her shoes.
If only all of us who danced were so celebrated. Or, perhaps, the bourbon made me sentimental.
When each shoe felt right, when they felt like I could have used them for a class or a performance, as if that were still a possibility, I set the box by pouring a half a cap of Future floor wax into the inside of the toe of the shoe, swishing it around for an even covering. Then, hoping that they would turn out just the way I wanted, I set them on the windowsill to dry.
‹ "In Memoriam" by Rachel Kadish up "What Doesn't Kill Me," by Sharon Solwitz ›
A Painting by Carolyn Schmitz
Four Vector Graphics by Charles Harker
Four Paintings by Dave Wilder
Four Paintings by George Rodrigue
A Painting by Larry Willis
Four Paintings by Michael Ward
Four Paintings by Rafael Navarro
Three Paintings by Sara Newton
"The Last Frontier," by Andrew Arnold
"Astrolove," by B.J. Hollars
"June," by Dana Kroos
"Two Mice," by Jason Olsen
"In Memoriam" by Rachel Kadish
"What Doesn't Kill Me," by Sharon Solwitz
"No Peeking," by Michael Schiavone
Alberto Rios
Elizabeth Kadetsky
Erick Setiawan
James Nolan
Mary Jo Bang
"At Nile Badrawi" by Amanda Fields
"I Need a Miracle" by Brenda Miller
"My First Year In The Country" by Kim Chernin
"Things You Should Never, Ever, Ever Say to Your Children" by Elane Johnson
"Another Martini, Another Lobster" by Madeleine Blais
"Time in the Mesquites" by Elizabeth Bernays
"Let Go, Let Dog" by Gretchen Dietz
"The Wide Open Mouth" by Ira Sukrungruang
"In Bhutan" by John Calderazzo
"Hands" by Karen McElmurray
"Bathroom Reading" by Katherine Cottle
"El Khela The Emptiness" by Kelly Cunnane
"Eyes That Have Seen Every Sorrow in the World" by Lori Jakiela
"Lighten Up, It's Summer" by Paul Lisicky
"Song for a Boy Not My Own" by Sally Shivnan
"Hall of the Sky" by Tricia Louvar
"The Chautauqua on West Woodlawn Avenue" by Daniel Nester
"The Star Above the Garter" by Robin Behn
"The Things You Can Not Say" by Tim Hedges
"Unapparent Harmony" by Aaron Bauer
Three poems by Alberto Rios
Four poems by Amanda Auchter
Two Poems by Andrew Galligan
Four poems by Bethany Reid
"Animal Studies" by Eric Wertheimer
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"The Sullen, Silent Cows" by James Hoggard
"Xenoglossia" by J.C. Pankratz
"Tremendous Idea" by Karen Neuberg
"Sam Shipper and the Rock: Fiction Writing 101" by Lynn Levin
Three poems by Mary Carroll-Hackett
Three poems by Meghan McClure
Four poems by Michael Schmeltzer
Three poems by Molly Brodak
"Faux Hawk" by Nick Demske
"The Buddha on the Road" by Norman Dubie
Four poems by Orlando White
"Survivor" by Philip Gross
Three poems by Rosanna Oh
"In the Dark my Flashlight" by Ronda Broatch
Three poems by Sally Ball
Four poems by Sally Wen Mao
Four poems by Sharanya Manivannan
"Forty" by W. Todd Kaneko
"Eclipse" by Vanessa Blakeslee


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Raven Myths, Folklore and Spirit Animal Info
by Linda Ursin | 0 comments
Today, we're digging into the myths and folklore surrounding the Raven. Thanks to Ina Mulvik for the suggestion 🙂
It has a wide distribution in the Northern Hemisphere and lives in many different habitats. It's sometimes seen at sea level but tends to prefer higher elevations. Occasionally I see ravens fly over our house and it's definitely a treat for me.
Their call is sometimes described as a long "croak". The Swedish name for the raven, korp, comes from this sound.
The scientific family name for ravens and their relatives is Corvidae (a popular name for the group is Corvids). There are over 120 species in the family, including ravens, crows and magpies, and the raven is the largest of them all exceeding 1,4 kgs (3.1 pounds) and 65 cm (26 in).
They can live up to 21 years in the wild, so they hang around for quite a while longer than some other birds.
Will's Raven, a pencil and coloured pencil drawing by Linda Ursin
In many cultures, it's seen as a symbol of death and battle and as a harbinger of doom and destruction. There's also a common notion in modern European culture that the main attribute is their connection with the 'other side'. The association probably comes from its tendency to eat carrion, which would be available in large amounts after a battle. This has, unfortunately, lead to it being persecuted and killed in large numbers through the years.
Ravens are actually omnivores. They're not exclusively scavengers eating food scraps or carrion eaters, given the opportunity, they'll also eat insects, cereal grains, berries, fruit, and small animals.
A fascinating and intelligent bird, modern experiments have shown that they can count up to 8 and solve pretty complex problems. It can mimic sounds and even learn to speak human. It really got a bum rap because of myths and folklore. Let's get to the stories about the raven.
Mythology featuring Ravens
In Norse mythology, we have Huginn and Munin, the ravens of Odin. Each day the ravens fly out from Hliðskjálf and brought news from Midgard back to Odin.
The 9th-century poem Hrafnsmál describes a meeting between one of the Valkyrie and a raven where they discuss the life and exploits of Haraldr hárfagri, the first king of Norway.
Hugin and Munin, watercolour painting by Linda Ursin
The 13th-century poem Sólarljóð ("The Song of the Sun") speaks of the Ravens of Hel, who tear out the eyes of those who answer back.
In Irish mythology, ravens are associated with warfare and the battleground in the figures of Badb and Morrígan. They were also associated with the Welsh god Bran the Blessed.
Morrigan took the shape of a raven while acting as "Chooser of the Slain" and the protector of warriors at the battlefields.
Ravens were the favourite birds of the god Lludd, the Celtic god of artists and artisans. He was said to have two ravens to attend to all of his needs.
Raven Emerging, acrylic painting by Linda Ursin
In Greek mythology, the bird is associated with Apollo. They were the god's messengers in the mortal world and a symbol of bad luck. Apollo sent a white raven (or crow) to spy on his lover, Coronis. When it brought back the news that Coronis had been unfaithful, Apollo scorched the it in anger, turning the animal's feathers black. That's said to explain why (almost) all ravens are black today.
The raven is the first species of bird to be mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the bird Noah sent to check if the water had receded.
In the Quran version of the Cain and Abel myth, a raven is said to be the one who taught Cain how to bury his brother.
The Hindu deity Shani is often depicted as mounted on a giant black raven or crow.
Ravens appear in several traditional Serbian epic poems. Like in many other cultures, they're associated with death, specifically with an aftermath of a bloody or significant battle.
These birds are also prominent in the mythologies of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. It's seen as the Creator of the world, but it's also considered a trickster god.
Folklore about Ravens
According to legend, the Kingdom of England will fall if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London. Today, ravens are still kept at the Tower, with their wings clipped (just in case). During World War II, Tower Hill was bombed, and all but two ravens were killed. These two ravens later left, one after the other. Winston Churchill ordered them to be replaced and new ones were brought from the Welsh hills and the Scottish Highlands.
Jubilee and Munin, Ravens of the Tower of London
Photo by Colin, Wikimedia Commons
"To have a raven's knowledge" is an Irish proverb meaning to have the powers of a psychic.
Irish and Scottish Banshees can take the form of ravens. A raven calling over the roof of a house was considered to be an omen of death for the occupants.
In Swedish folklore, hearing a raven crow from the left is considered a bad omen, especially early in the morning. According to some Swedish sources, ravens were believed to be the spirits of murder victims who didn't get a proper burial.
In Scotland, it's said that if you hear one crow before you head out you will have a good hunt.
A magical spell from Norway says that if you want to become invisible, you should take the right wing from a raven and an owl and some blood from a black dog. This should be placed in your right armpit and after saying a specific spell, you would become invisible. Of course, this is not something you would do in this day and age.
The Raven as a Spirit Animal
People who have the raven as their spirit animal are wise, perceptive, intuitive, fearless, creative, playful, rebellious, curious, learn quickly and are a bit mischievous as well. They enjoy solitude, seek stillness and quiet and are perfectly happy in their own company. These people are able to blend into the shadows when they want to, and are good at discerning danger from safety.
In conflict, they can talk their way out of a fight or may take the role of the mediator. They don't get attached to the outcome and are able to accept defeat without getting too upset about it.
They can be a bit intimidating having a presence that commands attention. When they walk into a room, they turn heads and make everybody want to know who they are.
Their lives will include mystical and magical adventures of some sort. Many of those involved in a more mystic spiritual practice may be sought out by this bird. These people often stand with one leg in the physical world and one in the spirit world. They aren't afraid of the dark, whether this is the absence of light or their darker side.
Common Raven (Corvus corax), adult, Berlin, Germany. Photo by R. Altenkamp, Wikimedia Commons
The people who have this spirit animal are messengers, delivering messages or information to others. This can be about mundane things or deeply spiritual. People come to them because of their knowledge and wisdom hoping to get help to transform their lives.
When this bird shows up as a guide in your life, take a moment to pause and carefully consider the messages coming to you. It brings a message of transformation and a dramatic one. Whether that is something about yourself, your life or your surroundings. The message may be difficult to understand at first but there are always subtle clues.
Are you stressed out? Maybe you have something bad or old you need to get rid of? Is there something lurking in the shadows, holding you back? Bring it out into the light and get rid of it.
It brings a lesson of using your time wisely (i.e. stop procrastinating). Another lesson is to stay true to your voice, to who you are. Don't give promises or divulge secrets lightly. The raven is a secret-keeper, hold onto yours. Express yourself and speak your truth but also make sure you listen carefully.
That's all for the Raven
If there's a particular animal you want me to check the myths and folklore for, leave your suggestion in the comments.
Wolverine Myths, Folklore and Spirit Animal Info
Chickadee myths, folklore and spirit animal info
The Wolf in Myths, Folklore and as Your Spirit Animal
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Kevin Costner plays former CIA agent Frank Farmer, now retired and working as a private bodyguard.
He takes on the case of singer Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston), who has received several death threats.
Initially reluctant to take on his ideas about security, Rachel gradually begins to warm to Frank, who begins to suspect the pop star's would-be assassin lurks amongst her entourage.


Galvanized three tiered serving tray is perfect for housing mugs and coffee cups for your home coffee bar.
DIY 3-tiered basket. Just get 3 baskets of varying sizes, a wooden dowel, paint (if desired) and two normal screws plus one double-ended screw.
Sew Country Chick: Sustainable Sewing: 3 Tier Vintage Plate Server Tutorial-Could use dollar store stems.
White Scalloped Cake Stand - 11"
DIY Tiered Serving Platter (and/or jewelry stand) from dollar store/ thrift shop plates & candlesticks !
Kirkland's: Metal Harrison Plant Stand, Set of 2. Another small storage option.


In the center of the unrivaled city stands the prestigious institution of Govt Postgraduate College No. 1 Abbottabad It is a tower of learning which has been spreading its light for more than half a century. This College was established in 1944 in a rented building on Mansehra Road. After independence, its site was shifted to the heart of the city in Araya School. In 1954 the Honorable Chief Minister of the N-W.F.P (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Abdul Qayyum Khan laid foundation stone of the present magnificent building at link road. The building has large, spacious and ventilated classrooms, well equipped science laboratories. Since then the College has rapidly progressed.
In 1966 the college started M.Sc Physics and MA Economics Classes. In 1973 MA Classes in the subject of English, Urdu and M.Sc classes in Chemistry and Mathematics were started. In 1986 M.Sc Botany and MA Political Science department were added. In 1999 M.Sc Computer Science was started. In 2010 MA History was further added at postgraduate level. Now it is rightly called a mini university. The College provides quality education to almost five thousand students from 11th grade to 16th grade in 27 common subjects in science and arts. Female students are admitted only to MA/ M.Sc and BS classes in a separate block.
To make Government college self sufficient in providing university level modem education aiming at ensuring promising career for students in and outside the country, a revolutionary semester based 4-years bachelor degree program called as bachelor of studies (BS) has been launched in English, Mathematics, Chemistry, Computer Science. Physics, Economics, Botany. Political Science. GIS & H.P.E.
The newly initiated program has been started to benefit the talented students with meager sources of income without discrimination. This will also help eliminate class difference in society. The B.S four year program is an evening program with classes after 12 noon. It encourages talented students to pursue line of studies compatible with international education system. The outstanding students studying in this program are given scholarship based on their academic performance in later semesters. Admissions are open to both male and female candidates in this program purely on merit.
At present College is offering education facilities at Intermediate, Bachelors, Masters and BS levels. There are 11 Master degrees departments namely: Botany, Chemistry, Economics, Mathematics, Physics. Statistics, English. Political Science, Islamiyat. History and Urdu.
The departments offering BS degree program are: Botany, Computer Science, Chemistry, Economics, English, G.I.S, H.P.E, Mathematics, Physics and Political Science, Urdu, History & Pakistan Studies.


A soldier from Sedan, Kansas who died in Texas returns home for the final time Thursday.
Private First Class Jacob Ryan Casebolt was killed on November 8th during a training exercise at Fort Hood in Texas.
In addition to these news headlines, you may also want to join the Sedan High alumni directory and check out the yearbook listings.