Hi! Most of you know me but I thought I should do a little introduction if someone who doesn't know me as well needs some background! 🙂 I am a wife, mother, daughter employee, friend, and Daughter of God. Much like you, I live a normal life of working 8-5 and deal with the hustle and bustle of life. I have a beautiful wife who epitomizes love. She has helped me create a space of growth, vulnerability, and strength. I have two amazing kids. A daughter who is 13 who teaches me daily with her sweet nature, to always be kind. A son who is 8 that teaches me to play and have fun. I co-parent with two great individuals who love and care about my kids. We are a divorced family but we would never allow that to hinder the growth of these two amazing kids God has bless us with. I love to read, learn and be active. If there is any sports going on, I love to be involved. P.S. I love the Baltimore Ravens!
You know that nag in the back of your mind, the one that often you silence or ignore? Maybe it's taking a new class, finishing a project or enrolling in a yoga class. It's the nag that stretches you and allows you to appreciate a new space in your life. It's one that you know you will appreciate if you just do it! Well… I have had one of these nags all of my life and I am finally ready to embrace it in 2018.
For most of my life, I have always said I wanted to write. Limitation, excuses and fears have stopped me from starting a blog (Other than fun family blogs I have done in the past). I have always joked that I couldn't spell so I couldn't write (that's what spell check is for), or I have said I was too busy. We all are busy. Writing brings me joy, and learning with other makes me happy. I attended a Celebration of Life with my family yesterday and realized how much our gifts can influence those we come in contact with.
So I face 2018 with a shift. I am committed to writing. I am not allowing perfectionism to limit me. I am fully embracing, that if there is a word or sentence that is not grammatically correct, the message is more important than the structure. AS Gestalt states; "the whole is greater than its parts." My intention of this Blog is to create space where our thoughts and growth can take fire. That we can grow together and kindle the fire that lives in each of us already. Lets create a space where we grow together.
I pray this space is a place where others can share what they know and have learned. I know full well that vulnerability will be a key part of this process. I create this space for others to speak their truth along with me. MY hope is all of us together can learn and grow.
This blog will touch on many topics. It will be a space for laughter, thoughts, insights, and maybe even tears. The topics will be shared in hopes to create connection. I will write of goals, books, movies, and learning to connect with one another in a world that focuses on differences rather than similarities. Connection, love, pain, sadness, happiness, and faith is something we all can relate to. Each topic may not look the same to everyone but ultimately deep down it truly is all the same. We will talk about the relationship we have with ourselves. Until we are real about our relationships with ourselves, our relationships with others are hindered.
The year of 2018 is a big year! Energetically I feel it. Growth is part of the year, whatever that looks like for each of us. I look forward to walking this journey with whoever comes along. I am excited to continue to connect with old and find new connections that can guide this process in the journey ahead.
Looking forward to the days ahead…. while EMBRACING today!
love you sweet girl – Sorry I didn't get to see you over Christmas!
I love you Haylee 🙂 Love having you in my life and seeing you so happy!


Saw a jar of wasabi mayonnaise at the Asian market yesterday. I almost bought a jar, was standing in the checkout line, turned around and put it back. I have mayonnaise and a tube of wasabi at home, I can combine my own wasabi mayonnaise.
I know, it's not the authentic stuff, but I'm not paying an arm and a leg for the authentic stuff. Instead of mixing the mayonnaise and wasabi, I just spread both on the same side of the bread for my sardine sandwich.
The sardines are on the bottom, romaine lettuce on top, pretty awesome. The wasabi/mayo combo is as good as whole seed mustard, maybe even better. That was lunch.
For dinner, I caramelized an onion (using the oil from the sardines), wasabi/mayo and romaine lettuce again.
Again, pretty awesome. Socks came off both times. I think the wasabi/mayo combo complements the sardine flavor. Can't wait to try it on other "fishy" foods.
Street food. One of my favorite noodle dishes from Shanghai. Four ingredients (in my case five) noodles, green onions, oil, salt, and I added white pepper.
I cooked the spaghetti (yes, spaghetti, that's what was in our pantry), and sautéedthe green onions in oil. I think my oil wasn't hot enough, the onions didn't toast, or maybe the onions had too much moisture. Our resident dragon had the day off. Hee hee.
Not quite authentic but still tasty. A more authentic take on the dish can be read here.
Our local Whole Foods store has a daily salad bar. On Wednesdays, the per pound price is reduced by two dollars. Guess when I pick up from the salad bar.
Sometimes, I like to see what's on the clearance shelf at our local supermarket. Kind of like going to a garage sale. You never know. This past weekend, I bought one of these from the clearance shelf.
Just to try. One summer, many many many moons ago (I was still in middle school), I took a summer cooking course. One of the dishes we made was potato pancakes. I liked it.
When I opened the package of pancake mix, it was all powder (I dunno what I was expecting, maybe dehydrated potato bits?). Hmm, no worries, easy fix, I grated a potato from the pantry, soaked in cold water, and added it to the mix.
Making the mix couldn't be easier. Beat on egg, add one cup of cold water, add mix (at this point, I also added the grated potato).
After that, just pan-fried them.
I think mine were a little bigger than intended, local style. Not bad though, the fresh grated potato definitely added texture. Even The Cat liked it.
I forgot to mention yesterday, we were help to do some quality control at the chocolate shop. For some reason, some of the chocolates had some cosmetic defects. We helped to pick out the ones that were not as pretty.
Since Chef won't sell them, we got to munch on some of the defective pieces. I know, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it. Hee hee.
I had two pieces, and I think The Cat had three. All dark chocolate, I think we got our daily supply of antioxidants. That was the only reason we ate them. Heh heh.


John Sothoron Evans, son of E.R. Evans & Mary Priscilla Johnson was born in February of 1848 in St. Mary's County, Maryland. He died there on January 19, 1921. He married once, to Sarah Stone on December 31, 1872. According to the 1910 census he was a general farmer and living next door to his son George Webster Evans.


This list includes the top 10 Canadian mom bloggers on Twitter, ranked by Klout score. Using Cision's media database, we compiled the list of journalists based on Cision's proprietary research. Tied scores were broken by number of Twitter followers. This list changes over time as Klout scores update in real-time. All numbers were pulled April 5, 2012.
Get profiles on key mom bloggers as well as Mother's Day editorial calendar opportunities by downloadingCision's complimentary briefing book.


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Chelsea defender Guehi completes loan move to Swansea
Written By James Westwood
Getty Images https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/GOAL/13/c9/marc-guehi-chelsea_yizmje4sda321607galdn1qxo.jpg?t=-1955361265&w=500&quality=80
M. Guehi
Chelsea defender Marc Guehi has joined Swansea on loan until the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
The 19-year-old has already taken in a training session with his new team-mates, and will be available for selection when the Swans face local rivals Cardiff City on Sunday.
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Guehi was only able to appear in two Carabao Cup matches for Chelsea in the first half of the season, with the wait for his full Premier League debut still ongoing.
The talented England U21 international is likely to play far more regularly at the Liberty Stadium, and Swansea will have the option to extend his loan for an extra year in the summer.
⚠ BREAKING NEWS ⚠
✍ We are delighted to announce the signing of @ChelseaFC defender Marc Guehi on loan until the end of the season.
👉 https://t.co/DMxdV8MDMx pic.twitter.com/zjMbkqxt9b
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) January 10, 2020
Guehi was born in the Ivory Coast and signed for Chelsea at the tender age of eight, before making his way through the club's youth ranks.
He played a key role in the Blues Under-18s' treble success back in 2017, and was subsequently rewarded with his first professional contract for the club.
Guehi has since emerged as a regular in Chelsea's U23 setup, helping them maintain an unbeaten run through the first half of the season with his superb displays in the heart of the defence.
Swansea were also able to bring in Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster on a temporary deal this week, and he will now link up with a former team-mate in south Wales.
Brewster and Guehi were stars of the England U17 squad which won the World Cup three years ago, with both men getting their names on the scoresheet in a 5-2 final win over Spain.
Steve Cooper will now hope that a teenage pair can help his side return to the Premier League, with the Championship table wide open after 26 fixtures.
Swansea are in the final play-off position at the moment, one point ahead of seventh-place Millwall and 11 points behind leaders Leeds United.
A win over Cardiff could see them rise to third if results go their way this weekend, with a home fixture against Wigan Atheltic set to follow on January 18.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Easter week may not be the best time for this bit of opinion, but I am going to risk it anyway.
A good-looking older businessman on TV the other night said he had had a good career, made a good deal of money and now it was time to retire. He was grateful to his customers, his city and his country and he made a point of saying "now it was time to give back." A curious phrase when you think of it.
Unless he was a crook or crack-dealer presumably he had made his money by providing some useful goods or services to his customers. Apparently however he had also unwittingly bought into a common opinion among socialists that profits are like stealing. And now it was time to "give back" some of the loot.
No question, socialism does have a better public relations face than capitalism. The socialist vision is clear and inspiring, to have people work together unselfishly for the common good. This is in contrast to the capitalist notion where the individual profits by providing useful goods or services and in the process makes a profit (or a good salary) for him or herself. If the profit (or salary) gets very large, this is often seen as greed.
In my DVD program CAPITALISM AND DEMOCRACY I explain the differences this way.
"Despite the seeming triumph of capitalism (and democracy as well) on the world stage, there is strong opposition to capitalism in many parts of the world, including the western world where it originated.
"One of the major problems of capitalism is that it does not automatically bring to mind romantically utopian hopes and dreams. To many sensitive and intelligent people it smacks of crudity, selfishness, greed, and a ruthless competition that rewards the bully and punishes the weak. And it fosters, some claim, an environmentally and morally destructive hedonism and consumer driven excess.
"Underlying the direct causes (of the Soviet collapse) there was and is a basic flaw in communist and socialist theory about human nature. Free-market capitalism assumes that humans usually act in self-interest and that diversity of talents and rewards leads to progress for all, so long as private property, free trade and free markets are given a chance to work their magic.
"Democracy insists that the individual human being has rights and privileges that need to be acknowledged and protected, that freedom of speech, of religion and of the press are essential to a civilized society.
"On the whole both democracy and capitalism say self-interest, diversity of talents and individual rights are good things. And finally both democracy and capitalism are pragmatic, not utopian. That is, they are open to change and to new ideas and do not have a grand fixed vision-of-the-future, nor a dogmatic set of rules on how to get there.
George W. Bush is not wildly popular nowadays. It was not always so. I am republishing here a Hawkhill News that I wrote five years ago, just after Bush's 2nd Inaugural Address. I think it still has relevance today.
And what human activity has a firmer grasp on truth than science.
Aha! There is the catch. Truth with a capital T (whether it comes from religion, politics or science) is just the kind of truth we don't need. This is the kind of truth that for many sad centuries people have been killing one about. One group, that is, thinks they have the Truth, while their adversaries are just as certain that they have the Truth.
What kind of truth then does make us free?
Answer: the kind of truth (with a small "t") that science at its best gives and promotes.
In Feynman's book "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" he explains the relation of science to democracy this way.
"Through all ages of our past, people have tried to fathom the meaning of life. They have realized that if some direction or meaning could be given to our actions, great human forces would be unleashed. So, very many answers have been given to the question of the meaning of it all. But the answers have been of all different sorts, and the proponents of one answer have looked with horror at the actions of the believers in another–horror, because from a disagreeing point of view all the great potentialities of the race are channeled into a false and confining blind alley. In fact, it is from the history of the enormous monstrosities created by false belief that philosophers have realized the apparently infinite and wondrous capacities of human beings. The dream is to find the open channel.
"If we take everything into account–not only what the ancients knew, but all of what we know today that they didn't know–then I think we must frankly admit that we do not know.
"But, in admitting this, we have probably found the open channel.
How best to teach this soul of science to young students in high school and college is the tough part. Certainly one way not to do it is the way many schools in Islamic countries choose. They hope to teach and get the benefits of science on the technology side without letting the wisdom of science challenge their fundamental religious dogmas. In the worst of their schools the students study only the Koran. Unfortunately this approach is also present to a lesser degree in some fundamentalist schools in the west, including the United States, where the Bible is considered the final authority not only on all moral questions but on scientific questions as well.
One of my own modest suggestions for all schools is to spend far more time teaching the history of science than we have in the past. All three of the major science curriculum projects– AAAS Project 2061, NSTA's Scope, Sequence and Coordination of Secondary School Science and The National Science Education Standards—strongly urge schools to teach more about the history of science.
The more students learn about how we found out about atoms, about stars and galaxies, about germs, about genes, about weather and climate, about animals and plants and ecosystems, about our own bodies and brains and emotions, the less susceptible they will be to people and to movements that claim to know it all. The more they will respect the power of evidence. The more they will respect the virtues of tolerance, of doubt, and of ignorance. The more they will realize the power of free inquiry. And finally, the more they will appreciate the value of freedom.
This integration of science history with the nuts and bolts of modern science technology is central to our Keys to Scientific Literacy Series of videos and DVDs.. Each member of the series has two parts. Part One relates the history of how the concepts were discovered in human history. Part Two explains the state-of-the-science today. See our web site catalog above for more information on programs like THE ATOM, ECOSYSTEMS, TOXIC WASTES, NUCLEAR POWER, THE GENE, EVOLUTION, SCIENTIFIC METHODS AND VALUES and many more.
"Blessed is he who learns how to engage in inquiry, with no impulse to harm his countrymen or to pursue wrongful actions, but perceives the order of immortal and ageless nature, how it is structured." Euripides. 406 B.C.E.
"Nothing could be more obvious than that the Earth is stable and unmoving, and that we are in the center of the Universe. Modern Western science takes its beginning from the denial of this common-sense axiom." Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers.
"Hell, if I could explain it to the average person it wouldn't have won the Nobel Prize." Richard Feynman after winning the Nobel Prize.
"No matter how much evidence exists that seers do not exist, suckers will pay for the existence of seers." J. Scott Armstrong.
"It has been for me a glorious day, like giving sight to a blind man's eyes: he is overwhelmed with what he sees and cannot justly comprehend it." Charles Darwin on first seeing tropical forests.
"Any idiot can face a crisis. It's the day-to-day living that can wear you out." Anton Chekhov.
We at Hawkhill are trying to do our small part in advancing world-wide science education – as well as making a living in a good free-market way for ourselves. During the last few years we have seen some of our programs translated into German, Finnish, Hebrew and Turkish. English language versions are being sold in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Australia, Scotland, Canada and South Korea. If any more of our foreign correspondents would like to import (and/or translate) our programs, give me a call.
P.S. Our 2010 huge unprecedented sale is still on (though I can't say right now how long it will be on). You can buy any of our DVD programs at a 70% discount. We are liquidating our VHS video tape programs. The ones we have left you can buy at a 90% discount. See the notice on our web site: at top of this page for more information about this sale.
Everyone knows of the Academy Awards. But have you heard of the Darwin Awards that are bestowed each year, honoring the least evolved among us?
Here are a few that made the cut this year.
The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.
If you want to learn more about the real McCoy, that is, the real story of Evolution, please see our updated 108-DVD EVOLUTION.
P.S. Don't forget, our huge 2010 sale is still on. 70% discount on all DVDs (including of course EVOLUTION) and 90% discount on all VHS video tapes. See our web site www.hawkhill.com for details on over 100 up-to-date DVDs and over 150 new VHS video tapes.
Thanks to those readers who persevered and read my new script on the Cold War and 9/11. And special thanks to those readers who took issue with some of the facts and interpretations. More than one reader thought I did not give enough attention to the Vietnam War and its negative effects. One friend and fellow graduate was upset about my critical remarks about Antioch College. Still another reader was critical of my praise of Ronald Reagan. And my son Andrew felt that the 70/90 sale might make people think we were going out of business!
One Vietnam critic insisted that "right-wing ideologues" like Ronald Reagan were behind the tragic losses in Vietnam. I pointed out that it was actually left-of-center presidents like Jack Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson who got us into the Vietnam War and that for the first few years of the war the vast majority of Congress and the majority of the American public were supportive of the war.
I am working on an expansion of this script which I hope to publish as a book. I point out there important differences between the two hot wars–Korea and Vietnam.
Even though the Korean "police action" ended in a military stalemate, the stalemate was a significant victory for South Korea and a nearly total disaster for North Korea. In North Korea, for instance, (one of only two Marxist-Leninist communist countries in the 21st century, the other is Cuba) up to 2 million people died of starvation in the 1990s. That was out of a total population of 22 million. The life of the survivors was, in the words of one survivor, "worse than a pig's life in China." Life expectancy in North Korea today is 48 years while in South Korea it is 71 years. The GDP per capita is $900 in North Korea, $13,700 in South Korea. So no, our "police action" was not in vain and the loss of 50,000 troops in Korea was tragic but, as in WW2, no one died in vain.
Vietnam was different. It was a humiliating defeat for the United States and left a bitter legacy that has still not completely dissipated in 21st century America. Unlike the Korean War which eventually laid the foundation for prosperity in South Korea, the Vietnam defeat laid foundations instead for tragic times in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Over a million Vietnamese were sent to harsh "re-education camps" where thousands perished; hundreds of thousands of refugees fled Vietnam in small boats, many thousands dying in the attempt; hundreds of thousands of Hmong people were persecuted by communist governments in Laos and Vietnam, some escaping to become immigrants in the U.S.; and most tragic of all, a holocaust came to Cambodia when over 2 million Cambodians died at the hands of fanatic Khmer Rouge communists led by the madman Pol Pot.
Only now in the 21st century are Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos beginning to recover economically. Like China, these southeastern Asian countries, after suffering through many decades of poverty are belatedly but slowly and surely moving from the command-economy of communist days to a modified free-market capitalist economy. As with China, it remains to be seen whether they will also move in democratic political directions and treat their own citizens with more respect.
As for Antioch, I stand by my report that in my days it was a stimulating wonderful place. As it moved sharply leftward in the late 20th century it lost most of its students and most of its financial backers. I am sad about that and hope it can recover and begin again to reconstitute itself as the stimulating wonderful place I knew.
As for Ronald Reagan I admit that it is an exaggeration to claim he "won the cold war." I make no such a claim. If any one person deserves this credit it has to be Mikhail Gorbachev. In the end, as I do say in my script, it was the internal contradictions in the Marxist-Leninist camp that eventually caused their downfall.
Finally as to my son's remark – definitely no. We are not going out of business at Hawkhill. Like many other large and small media producers I admit these are tough times and business is slow. I also realize that school budgets are hurting world-wide and the funds available for media purchases are slim. These hard facts led to our new 2010 Hawkhill sale where we offer a 70% discount on all DVDs and a 90% discount on all VHS video tapes. We are trying to liquidate our VHS inventory but not the DVD one. In fact we are expanding our DVD production with new programs that have received strongly positive reviews in national publications like the one reprinted below from School Library Journal.
P.S. Please check out our web site: www.hawkhill.com for over 100 up-to-date DVD programs in science and social studies. You won't be sorry. I guarantee it.


Script written by Garrett Alden. We still don't get it! Join WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the top 10 movies that people still don't understand. For this list, we'll be going over the films with confusing plots or that involve specific events that continue to puzzle viewers even years after the fact.
We still don't get it! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we'll be counting down our picks for the top 10 movies that people still don't understand.
For this list, we'll be going over the films with confusing plots or that involve specific events that continue to puzzle viewers even years after the fact.
The story of a woman, or something masquerading as one, abducting men in Scotland, "Under the Skin" has gotten under many of its viewers' skin because of how ambiguous it is. Little explanation is given for the woman's actions or even who or what she is, though she's clearly otherworldly. The dialogue is sparse and the characters don't even have names. "Under the Skin" definitely has thematic messages though, as most critics seem to agree that it's about inverted predation, the lustful, desirous (and usually predatory) male becoming the victim, and that it also addresses the larger concerns of purely physical attraction.
"American Psycho" follows Patrick Bateman, a superficial businessman, whose veneer of normality hides a twisted, depraved, and murderous monster. When he's not envying his colleagues' business cards, Bateman unleashes his repressed rage on women, animals, and one of his rivals. However, the ending throws us a sharp left turn when it's revealed that Bateman's rival, who we saw him graphically kill, is supposedly alive and well. Our doubts are reinforced by the discovery of Bateman's notebook, which is filled with violent imagery - suggesting that some, if not all, of his deeds may have been in his head. But where do we draw the line between reality and fantasy? Audiences are still wondering.
Filmmaker/writer Charlie Kaufman is known for unusual stories, but arguably his most confusing is "Synecdoche, New York." The film depicts a playwright whose physical and emotional turmoil are offset by his play, which begins to blend in with his real life. The setting, as well as which actor is playing which character, changes throughout the play and the film, which makes keeping track of it all difficult. However, part of the title, "synecdoche" means "a part that represents the whole," so interchangeability is kind of the point – everyone is everyone, and everywhere is everywhere. At least, that's what we think it means… you tell us.
While some point to Richard Kelly's ambitious, sprawling film "Southland Tales," as the most incomprehensible in the director's repertoire, "Donnie Darko" is arguably more accessible in its confusingness… if that makes any sense. The movie follows the eponymous protagonist over the course of a month as he's guided by a man in a rabbit suit to avert the world's end. While the interactions Donnie has with his friends and family are fairly straightforward, the explanation for why everything is happening is not spelled out, at least not in the theatrical cut of the film. The director's cut makes the time travel element more explicit, and if you want to understand it, definitely watch that version.
Psychological thrillers are prone to intricate plots that can be hard to understand, but even by the standards of the genre, "Pi" is incredibly difficult to pin down. The debut of director Darren Aronofsky, "Pi" follows Max, a number theorist whose obsession with an apparently divine number leads him on a convoluted journey. Max suffers from paranoia and hallucinations, making the line between delusion and reality very ambiguous, right down to its rather vague ending. The film explores several religious and existential themes, which, when added to all the mathematics stuff, culminates in a film that goes over most viewers' heads.
The Wachowskis aren't exactly known for clarity when it comes to their work, but this adaptation makes their other stuff seem simple. An ambitious sci-fi story told across centuries, "Cloud Atlas" follows several groups of characters whose lives seem connected, especially since actors play multiple characters across the tales. Whether they're reincarnations of one another is somewhat unclear, and the fact that some of the stories are referred to as fictional in the context of other segments leaves many uncertain as to what's real. Interconnectedness seems to be the major theme though, so, real or not, they, and we, are all part of the same story.
Nobody really understands time travel. All we have are theories, really, and even those can be difficult to wrap our brains around. "Primer" depicts two friends who invent time travel and the fallout of their attempts at manipulating the past. Typical time travel weirdness ensues, with multiple versions of the characters encountering one another and themselves, as well as branching timelines. Little of the technical jargon is dumbed down either, so unless you're versed in engineering, a lot of details can be hard to follow. Director Shane Carruth's follow-up, "Upstream Color" is weird too, though for entirely different reasons, and ultimately "Primer" is the one you'll find yourself most often revisiting in hopes of understanding.
Ostensibly a primarily visual story about a man named Jack, as well as his boyhood experiences, "The Tree of Life" is also interspersed with imagery of the creation of the universe and Earth's development. With its sparse dialogue, and seemingly random but beautifully shot footage, "The Tree of Life" is definitely an arthouse film; and those aren't for everyone, since they're often open to interpretation or accused of being pretentious. Whether it's pompous dreck or a brilliant cinematic commentary on the universality of existence… or both, we'll likely never have a definitive answer.
We could have easily filled our list with David Lynch's filmography: the director is the king of surreal filmmaking. However, we don't think he's yet topped his feature-length debut, "Eraserhead," at least when it comes to confusing people. The bizarre story of a wild-haired man contending with a threatening industrial environment, his girlfriend, and his horrifying mutant child, "Eraserhead" is a weird and often upsetting film to watch - and it's one that we're not sure we want to understand. That being said, it does capture the stress of parenthood well, in its own weird way.
A seminal science fiction movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey" is one trippy trip through space. The film is presented in three sections, first at the dawn of man, next on a manned spaceflight, and lastly in a strange locale experienced by the last surviving astronaut of the aforementioned journey. All are connected by a mysterious monolith. "2001" tells its story primarily through music and visuals, so it's very thematically driven rather than story driven, though the middle portion is fairly straightforward. Whether you understand it or not, "2001: A Space Odyssey" is absolutely captivating from its beginning to its surreal and grandiose end.


Adams Construction Company is one of the oldest asphalt paving firms in Virginia. Since 1946, Adams has participated in the construction of every interstate throughout Virginia and most of the primary highways.
Are you ready to take your electrical skills to the next level? If you have experience, this opportunity can help to increase your value, earn great pay, and continue to advance your technical skills.


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Rethinking Argentina
W. Blake Gray
2009 Patrice Colin Vieilles Vignes
Author Marko Kovac
marko-kovac
Marko Kovac
Marko Kovac is a communication and public relations consultant living in Croatia, focused on building promotional identities for companies and individuals off- and on-line. He had previously worked as a journalist and editor for national and international news outlets. With a strong passion for wines with character, made in a way that respects nature, he often travels in search of winemakers who share this philosophy. E-mail him at kovac.marko (a) gmail.com.
The Avant-Garde of Osteria Francescana
Half way into the lunch, Giuseppe Palmieri is doing the unimaginable. He has brought three bottles to the table — a German Riesling, a French Chenin and an Italian Malvasia. "You see-this wine is too young, this one is too 'hard' and this one is too aromatic," Palmieri says before
100 Percent Grapes: Finding Natural Wine in Tuscany
Amidst the discussion among wine writers on just how much "natural wines" should be included in wine lists, I am flipping through a 50-page wine list in one of Siena, Italy's more renowned osterias. "So, anything interesting in there?" my Significant Other wonders, me being lost among wines of Italy's
Croatia's Plavac Mali Secret
My late grandfather spent the last decade of his life solving crosswords and drinking wine. It's been 15 years since he was with us. But I can still vividly recall his passion for both words and a bicchiere of dark-read more-
The Story of Malvasia Istriana
In June 2005 I joined a mixed group—Croatian winemakers, restaurateurs, professors, and journalists—to sail the Adriatic from the Istrian peninsula of Croatia to the Greek locality of Monemvasia, off the eastern coast of the Peloponnese. We boarded two 65-foot yachts-read more-
An Evening With Georg Riedel
"My glasses hate water," said Georg Riedel, as he opened a mid-May spirits and wine tasting in Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital. Riedel, head of the Kufstein, the Austria-based glass company that holds cult status among wine geeks and mainstream consumers alike,-read more-
Off the Beaten Path in Northeastern Italy: Three Winemakers Discuss the Future
At almost two meters in height, with broad shoulders and sturdy hands, Paolo Vodopivec looks well adapted to work the land that is Carso. When I drove through this northeastern Italian region a year ago, I felt tremendous respect for-read more-
Croatia: The Time is Ripe
Unusually low temperatures—as low as –20º C in mid-December—sent shivers down many Croatians' spines. But the snow and frost that have covered vineyards in the northern and eastern parts of the country made conditions right for yet another excellent sweet-read more-


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Book Review – Untidy Towns by Kate O'Donnell
By Tahlia on 22/02/2018
Kate O'Donnell's debut novel, Untidy Towns, sets up an escapist fantasy, and then fills it with the reality of running away from your troubles.
Who hasn't dreamed of abandoning school and clinging to the safety of home? When Adelaide walks out of her suffocating boarding school, she thinks she's free to live her life however she chooses. However, she's quick to find that reality isn't that easy to hide from, and she isn't as sure of what she wants as she thought.
Untidy Towns is a coming-of-age story that describes that turbulent time between childhood and adulthood. Adelaide returns home to discover that her hometown wasn't frozen in time, waiting for her to come home; she's changed, but so are the people she's known her whole life. She has to learn to fit back into a world that has moved on without her.
The sense of doubt felt by everyone facing life after high school is prominent in this novel, with the disapproval from Adelaide's family becoming almost tangible. Addie is in constant limbo between feeling scrutinised by her loved ones, and sticking to her decision. It's a feeling familiar to anyone whose dreams are different to the expectations of the people around you.
Untidy Towns comments on the unique experience of adolescence. Ambitions change, and sometimes the path laid out isn't always the right one. Adelaide's journey is one that forces her to face the consequences of her own actions, but she does find rewards for staying true to herself.
O'Donnell encapsulates the adventure of first love in a way that's rare for the young adult genre. The romance in this novel is not explosive or poetic – it starts off with two people who like each other, and simply keep finding things to like. It's an honest reflection of how sometimes, love can be awkward and clumsy, but it's worth it as long as both parties are willing to work for it.
Following a character who is trapped simultaneously in the past and the future, Untidy Towns is a great read for anyone who's ever felt unsure of themselves.
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Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series played a huge role in my love of Greek mythology – the modern take on heroes and myths make them easier for a young audience to understand, and there are plenty of Easter eggs for those who already know their myths. The Lightning Thief kicks off the series wonderfully, introducing …
Book Review – Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Skulduggery Pleasant follows herione Stephanie Edgley, whose uncle–a famed horror author–dies mysteriously, leaving Stephanie with his fortune and mansion, but as Stephanie spends the night in her late uncle's house, she is thrust into a magical underworld full of murderous hunters, vampires, ghosts and monsters that appear to mirror those written about in her uncle's …
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DRAGON RIDER follows the tale of Firedrake, a young dragon who sets off on a quest to find the acclaimed Rim of Heaven after learning that his home–and all the dragons that live in it–are in grave danger of a man-induced flood that will destroy their riparian home. Along the way, he will be joined …
Book Review – Dracula by Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker's Dracula, which has been deemed by both critics and the general public as a staple in both horror and gothic literature, readers are introduced to Jonathan Harker, who travels to the region of Transylvania to meet with Count Dracula in order to assist him in his real estate affairs. It is not long, …
Book Review – Key to Rondo by Emily Rodda
For anyone who loves fairy tales with a twist, the Rondo series is the perfect way to escape to a world of magic and mystery. Rodda creates a new layer to the classic formula, drawing from familiar characters such as evil queens, talking animals and mythical creatures, but the addition of two protagonists from the …
Book Review – The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke
April Genevieve Tucholke's high fantasy novel, The Boneless Mercies, sweeps the reader into a deeply evocative world that grants a feminist take on classic tales inspired by Norse mythology. A retelling of Beowulf, the story follows a band of young women called the Boneless Mercies as they abandon the life they knew and travel the …
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A kid tries to find his uncle he has never met.
I felt like I had gone backward in time as I searched for Carl R. Bonde Jr.'s name on the Internet. I had done this every month or so with no success once the Internet became available. I had hope and, finally, a plan for systematically searching for Bud.
My scheme was to find the name of any US ship that sank on Christmas 1944 and then follow any leads. I found a website that listed ships lost in WW II along with date lost and disposition. I got perhaps 30 pages with 40 ships per page. I looked and looked for several hours. Most of the ships were small, more like boats.
Then on a hunch I typed Uncle Bud's name in the search engine box and lo! A History Channel website came up that featured the SS Leopoldville. My first reaction was disappointment! Then I felt skepticism. This was simply too easy. I was convinced when I found Bud's name among those lost.
I ordered the History Channel videotape that featured the Leopoldville for $49.95 and then returned to the HC website and followed a link to a sort of blog that had been dormant for many months in which callous strangers questioned why anyone would care about a ship that was sunk 60 years ago. They wrote really ugly words and cynical, but at least they agreed that a ship sunk in 1944 had no relevance to them.
Of course I felt hurt. For a while I thought my search had come to an end. Unkind people wrote that the SS Leopoldville no longer mattered. I felt discouraged. Obviously, what I searched for had no relevance or value.
I was too late. The research had been done, the ceremonies to remember the soldiers had already been held. I saw photographs of soldiers attending reunions.
I couldn't leave it alone, though. I didn't know Bud's fate. Had he drowned? Were any of his Army buddies still living? Does anyone know?
I found other various websites where I searched for Bud, his Army outfit, or his ship and I printed reams. I ordered a book called The Leopoldville Trilogy, a collection of first hand accounts compiled by Ray Roberts, a WW II veteran who had not been anywhere near the ship when it sank. I ordered a set for each of my cousins too, and my sister. Also History Channel tapes to go around.
My hopes were up. I wanted to read the stories of survivors. I was hoping to read some from guys who knew Buddy, or perhaps had been close by. I made charts. I kept lists of who was where. Parts of two regiments of the 66th Army Panther Division had been on the ship: the 262nd and 264th. Each had numerous companies. These had squads and sections. The sections had soldiers.
The books and video, I soon found, were collections of survivor stories, in no particular sequence. Often the stories conflicted or seemed incredible. The ship had been sunk about 60 years previously. None of the books I bought contained Carl R. Bonde, Jr.'s name, although the trilogy book had an image of a monument with his name. Now that I knew where to look I can almost make it out.
I don't remember which website, or when I saw it, but I recall that someone posted Carl's name with a note that nobody in his family had been located and would someone try?
Right then I felt the burden of duty to step up. I felt like a surrogate for my grandma. I could envision my grandma stepping forward to claim her son, to represent his interests before strangers. Or was I was remembering a sight I had seen in a courtroom in Kalispell when I was in the 5th grade? My grandpa had died and my grandma went to court, stood before a bailiff, swore on a Bible, then testified. I can't remember what. What I do remember is that a man who appeared before the judge just before her had been asked if he had ever been arrested. He said "Yes, for vagrancy." I didn't know what that meant, but it made my hair stand up.
A few times when I found promising email addresses, I wrote. I got replies from other relatives of the lost who inquired about their soldier and then wished me well in my search.
In 2005 most of the active work on the story of the SS Leopoldville seemed to have already been done years before. The books had been written, the films made, the blogs had gone up, comments posted, years had gone by. Seems the most recent blog entries were always 2-3 years old.
I emailed author Allan Andrade who had a web page devoted to the SS Leopoldville. Mr. Andrade had also written one of the most definitive books about the disaster. I had about lost hope of finding anyone who still cared, or who could answer my questions. Andrade's website had an invitation to write to him, so I told him about my Uncle and me. He answered quite soon. He said he would make some calls to see if he could get permission to help me reach some survivors. A day or so later I got another email.
Andrade wrote, "Call Bill Moomey in Kearney, Nebraska. He remembers your uncle." I remember feeling glad I was alone in the house, because I yelled! I would like to say I screamed, but I only hollered. I half dreaded calling for some reason, but I was unable to wait.
I phoned Bill as quick as that. His wife Doris answered and she called him to the phone. His voice sounded like that of an old farmer, mild and kindly. He told me he had hoped most of his life for the chance to speak with someone from Carl Bonde's family.
Yes, he remembered Carl quite well because they trained together in a machine gun section for the better part of a year in Alabama before being shipped to England, then to France aboard the Leopoldville. We talked on and on. Bill Chuckled. He particularly remembered that Carl would answer the question, "Where are you from?" with a long flowery recitation that sounded like it had been written by the chamber of commerce.
Since then I have looked up the Kalispell, Montana, chamber of commerce to find one of their descriptions of the Flathead Valley where Carl was born and raised. It is actually very beautiful, verdant, fertile, and like the Garden of Eden. Carl spent his summers in a lookout tower watching for fires over Glacier Park on Huckleberry Mountain, situated near the North Fork of the Flathead River. This interest may have influenced him to choose forestry for his major subject when he attended the University of Montana in Missoula in 1942.
We know that Carl did not stay long in Missoula. In less than two years he was back in Kalispell, volunteering for the draft. Importantly, during WW II one could not enlist in the Navy if one wanted to avoid becoming a soldier. Instead, one would volunteer for the draft. Then a kid would get a letter that started, "Greetings…." and would finish with directions to report to Butte to the Armed Forces Entrance Examination Stations (AFEES). I learned this from a WWII veteran in Billings when I attended an event at my nephew Jon's daughter's (Kathleen Elizabeth Angel) school a couple of years ago for Veteran's Day.


Remember, if you're married but separated, you're married.
If you're married and living single, you're married.
But best of all, if you want to be single, make sure you are—legally." "If you think that love should 'just happen' or it's not meant to be, it's time to rethink your dating plan," Suzanne says.
"Age is just a number, so give him a chance." "Choosing another potential mate can be an extremely difficult process."Women over 40 sometimes convince themselves that there are not many good opportunities for a future mate on the dating scene after 40, and therefore settle for the first good candidate who comes along," Drenner says."Too often, they make the 'smart choice,' meaning a good potential partner that cares for them, rather than the 'heart choice,' who is someone they love." So go ahead and hold out for someone who you really, truly love.Phillip Zimbardo, Director of The Shyness Institute at Stanford University."That's millions of guys who seldom meet women because they are too shy.
from multiple analysis of samples (n ≥ 6) contaminated at the HRGC/HRMS decision limit as the lower endpoint of the data distribution (represented in the figure by a Izračun cut-off vrijednosti na temelju 95 % razine pouzdanosti, što znači da je udio lažno sukladnih rezultata < 5 % i na temelju RSDR < 25 %: 1.


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Gencom's risky business – The Royal Gazette | Bermuda News, Business, Sports, Events, & Community
02a8f390-b4ef-467a-9360-e9fc4ea545fa
Gencom's risky business
RG: In our Opinion
Created: Dec 04, 2020 08:00 AM
Thomas Jones, a Bermuda Industrial Union representative at the Fairmont Southampton, leads a group of employees who were made redundant in protest in October (Photograph by Blaire Simmons)
Curtis Dickinson, the Minister of Finance, has received generally high marks for his handling of the economic and financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
He has, rightly but with a suitable show of reluctance and many expressions of regret, borrowed large sums to enable Bermuda to survive the damage of the Covid-19 lockdown.
He has – while doing a job that no one else would surely want right now – combined financial knowhow with compassion. Not all of his predecessors would have done the same, and that is to his credit.
That combination of compassion and creditworthiness has come into question for the first time as a result of the decision to pay the almost 700 Fairmont Southampton employees' money equivalent to the redundancy payments they should have received from the hotel when it closed in October.
No one begrudges the Government's desire to look after the employees, but genuine questions about whether the public's money can be recovered are being asked.
When the hotel failed to pay the $11 million in redundancies, Mr Dickinson said he – and he alone – took the decision to lend the money to the employees.
The assumption at the time, and this was confirmed at least once to The Royal Gazette by a government spokesman, was that Gencom, the owner of the hotel, would repay the Government the $11 million as soon as it could.
But last Friday in the House of Assembly, Mr Dickinson dropped a bombshell.
There was no agreement with Gencom, he told MPs. Requests for information from Gencom had been met with silence for a week or more.
Mr Dickinson was circumspect in the House of Assembly on the question of how the Government intended to recover the money, but at a press conference on Monday he was more forthcoming.
Having taken legal advice in London and Bermuda, Mr Dickinson said the Government had lent the money to the workers on the basis that they agreed to take part in a lawsuit against Gencom subsidiary Westend Properties, which actually owns the property, seeking the recovery of the funds.
A class-action lawsuit means there will be only one legal action against Westend, not as many as 700, and by forcing employees to agree to join the action, the Government could be sure of getting its money back when the employees would otherwise have little motivation to undertake such an action on their own.
So Mr Dickinson seemed to have devised an approach that would give the Government some means of getting its money back. It could not sue Westend Properties directly because it had no agreement with the company.
A belated press release from Gencom stated that the company had tried and failed to negotiate a loan agreement with Government, which had instead made the loans directly to the employees. Mr Dickinson will now need to explain why he chose that route.
Despite Gencom's protestations last night, it seems clear that Westend does not have the money for the redundancies or the renovations, although it seems confident it can raise the funds when the economy settles down.
On the face of it, the merits of the lawsuit are clear. The law is clear on redundancies. Based on the documents The Royal Gazette has seen, the hotel does not dispute this and has co-operated in providing the amounts owed to each employee.
The real issue is that if Westend says it is unable to pay, the plaintiffs, directed by the Government, have few options for recovery of the funds. The most dramatic is to put Westend into liquidation, meaning the company could be forced to sell assets – the hotel property – to satisfy its creditors. It could also sell off smaller parts of the property before a liquidation.
Mr Dickinson has emphasised the Government's first priority is to protect the rights of Bermudians, and this is inarguable. Having 700 people lose employment with no financial safety net in the existing economic climate would be inhuman and disastrous in economic terms.
However, it still sets a precedent for other businesses to see this as a way of not paying redundancies in the future. If the Government is going to step in and loan redundancy payments to workers, a struggling business may stagger on until it has completely run out of money, knowing the Government will come to the rescue of the staff. Then, when the Government sues to recover the loans, there will be no money or assets left.
It would have been better for all if the hypothetical company had seen the writing on the wall and closed while it still had enough money to meet its obligations to its employers. But by removing the moral hazard, the company may try to carry on in the slim hope of a turnaround, while employees will look to the example of the Fairmont Southampton for reassurance that they will not be left destitute.
This is a dangerous precedent to set.
There is another risk. The Bermuda Government, in taking this action, may deter other potential developers from investing in Bermuda, especially given the unprecedented economic circumstances that have damaged all parts of the tourism industry, including hotel owners.
An industry insider The Royal Gazette spoke to thinks this is unlikely to harm Bermuda's reputation, but it could create another reason for developers not to invest in the country at a time when investment is needed more than ever.
Although Mr Dickinson has been at the centre of the controversy, Gencom itself has behaved badly. Having come to Bermuda with the purchase of Rosewood Tucker's Point and turned that property around after it entered receivership, there was optimism that it would be a good partner for Bermuda with its largest resort.
But it has been deafening in its silence until last night. Gencom is a large company that has completed more than $6 billion in assets and owns 17 hotel properties around the world, according to its website.
While it may be good business practice to ring-fence its various properties, it defies logic that it cannot find $11 million to meet its contractual obligations to its own employees, even in the present circumstances.
Its belated response last night does not answer the question of when it plans to meet its obligations to its employees. Promising to do so is not sufficient. It must do better and quickly.
The case for Black identity
The wrong solution
Belco needs to provide answers for Black Friday
When a bond breaks
Published December 04, 2020 at 8:00 am (Updated December 03, 2020 at 7:38 pm)
Fifty bus routes cancelled - The Royal Gazette | Bermuda News, Business, Sports, Events, & Community |


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California Labor Calls on Whitman to Detail Involvement with Goldman Sachs at GOP Debate
California Labor Calls on Whitman to Detail Involvement with Goldman Sachs at Sunday's GOP Debate
As Criminal Probe Gets Underway, Whitman Must Answer Tough Questions about Her Background with Goldman, Knowledge of Illegal Activity and Continued Ties
(Sacramento) — California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski today called on Meg Whitman to provide detailed answers during this Sunday's GOP debate to questions about her close ties to notorious banking giant Goldman Sachs, which is embroiled in a criminal investigation of practices that led to the subprime mortgage meltdown.
"The hot water Meg Whitman's in due to her inextricable ties to Goldman Sachs just hit the boiling point," said California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski. "The people of California deserve the honest truth about Whitman's involvement in the practices that are being investigated as part of the current criminal probe against Goldman Sachs. Whitman must immediately disclose all dealings with Goldman Sachs – past and present – and divulge any information she has about the alleged criminal activity under investigation."
California working families demand that Whitman address the following questions at this weekend's debate:
1. Will you admit tonight that Goldman Sachs was wrong to bet that hard-working people would lose their houses, at the same time the company was stacking the deck so innocent families were sure to lose? Will you publicly rebuke Goldman and the Wall Street culture you were a part of — the same company and culture that made you a billionaire?
2. Knowing Goldman's unethical — and potentially criminal – activities drove the mortgage meltdown, will you apologize to the half million California families who lost their homes for your role as a Goldman director and investor who profited from their losses?
3. California voters deserve to know what kind of judgment you would display as Governor. Will you come clean with voters right now about what you knew about Goldman's unethical dealings and when you knew it?
4. If you are named in a federal criminal investigation or asked to testify publicly about your knowledge of Goldman's illegal tricks or your profits from the company's scams, how will you remain focused on California's concerns over their jobs, education, and health care?
"To date, Meg Whitman has avoided the tough questions California families have about her dealings with Goldman Sachs and support of the Wall Street agenda that collapsed the economy," Pulaski said. "The Wall Street tricks and scams under investigation led to more than a half million California families losing their homes and the devastation of countless lives. On Sunday, Whitman must directly address these questions, which are central to growing concerns about her fitness to lead our state."
It was reported yesterday that the Department of Justice has opened a criminal probe into Goldman Sachs over insider deals on mortgage-backed securities. Experts agree these types of deals are largely to blame for the housing collapse, which led to the largest economic disaster since the Great Depression.
Whitman sat on the board of Goldman Sachs in 2001-2002, was engaged in now-illegal insider deals with Goldman Sachs that netted her nearly $2 million in profits, and currently holds myriad investments with Goldman worth millions of dollars. Whitman has repeatedly dodged tough questions about her involvement with Goldman.
The California Labor Federation launched this week www.WallStreetWhitman.com, the most comprehensive site on the Web devoted to Meg Whitman's background as a CEO and Goldman Sachs director, and her Wall Street agenda for California.
Paid for by the California Labor Federation.
Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate.


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Phoebe Thaler from Roger Williams Talks about the Experience of Interning with US Senator Tammy Baldwin Last Summer
March 08, 2018 / Washington Internship Institute
Every morning I would get off the metro at Union Station and walk towards the entrance, seeing the Capitol Building in the distance. I would walk with the crowd of well-dressed D.C. professionals towards the Hart Senate Office Building, show my ID, and take the elevator to the 7th floor. Finally, I would look at the plaque outside the door that read, "United States Senator Tammy Baldwin," as I walked in. Despite working on the hill all summer, I never seized to be in awe walking through the capitol to deliver something important or seeing a Senator who I look up to in the hallway. One day, when I was waiting for the elevator Senator Tom Carper from Delaware invited me to ride up with him in the "Senator's Only" elevator! Participating in the Washington Internship Institute allowed me to be part of a community of college students living in DC from across the nation, take classes to improve my skills when applying to internships and in the professional world, and work on narrowing my future career path.
At my internship, I would code constituent correspondence, sort mail, and take constituent calls. I would also write constituent response letters, attend policy briefings, write issue memos, and sometimes even give capitol tours. I was assigned to the legislative team working with women's rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration, and disability rights, which is where my passions lie. Through this internship I could better understand what I wanted to do for my career. While in D.C. I also had the opportunity to attend an information panel on the George Washington Graduate School of Political Management, where I would like to get a master's degree in legislative affairs. I enjoyed the experience working on human rights policy and have decided I would like to pursue a policy based career, either in a congressional office or at an advocacy organization. I am already looking at going back to Washington to do a policy/government relations internship at a women or LGBTQ based advocacy organization this summer. I did a political and policy based internship, but there are an incredible and diverse amount of options for all majors and interests in the D.C. area. This is a list of some of the many places students have interned through WII in the past:
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
Northeast-Midwest Institute
Street Sense United States Coast Guard
International Rescue Committee Council on Foreign Relations CBS News Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee One World Youth Project
I also got to meet some amazing people through the community of WII. We all stayed at a nice apartment building in Arlington, Virginia, which is only a quick metro ride to the District. I became friendly with all the people in the program this past summer, and we often hung out on the building's roof top deck. I also got to spend more time with the people I met through our courses at WII. There was an Internship Seminar course that equips you with the tools for life in D.C., networking, and figuring out future career plans, along with an elective course. For my elective, I took "Global Women's Leadership Development," which was a mix of gender studies, history, political science, and sociology. I enjoyed how we got to visit different sites and ended the summer by working with a group to create a mock organization and the policy that it would push for. There are also courses in general political science, international affairs, and sometimes in environmental and health policy. The courses allowed us to apply what we were learning in our internships and allowed for a more well-rounded experience. Overall, it was an amazing summer and I would highly recommend the program!
March 08, 2018 / Washington Internship Institute/ Comment
Roger Williams, Political Science, Public Policy
The mission of the Washington Internship Institute is to foster students' intellectual, personal, and professional development through individually tailored, quality internships and challenging academic coursework that take full advantage of the opportunities available in the nation's capital and reflect the best practices of experiential learning and liberal education.
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Q: Two questions about Langmuir probe current-voltage characteristics When the surface of Langmuir probe is a plane, the I-V curve has a shape like that illustrated in this figure:

One can clearly note the existance of two regions of sauration, in which the current has a fairly constant value. The thing is, I d'ont know why this happens.
1. why do the electronic/ionic currents saturate?
On the other hand, for a cylindrical probe, the electronic current don't saturate, as shown here:

The reason is as follows: the electronic current increases because of edge effects due to the increase of the collection area by the expansion of the sheath. A follow up question is:
2. why does the electons sheath expand in the first place?
 (I know that the collection area of a cylindrical prob is not limited by the physical area of the probe's tip).
I've read many references, but I didn't find satisfactory answers to these tow questions. Can anyone elaborate on these points please? Thanks in advance!

A: To answer your first question, we have to remind ourselves on a very important property of the plasma: if you insert a test charge into a plasma, plasma particles of the opposite charge will form a space charge cloud around that test charge cancelling its electric field such that the test charge is not "seen" by the plasma outside of this space charge cloud. The distance over which the test charge is shielded is the Debye length which depends on plasma temperature and density.
If we replace the test charge with a Langmuir probe, the exact same thing will happen: depending on plasma temperature and density, the potential of the probe will be shielded over a certain distance (Debye length) and it is not possible to attract charged particles outside this sheath. This is why the current saturates.
Your second question implies that such a saturation does not exist in reality (i.e. the lab). This is indeed the case, as illustrated by the characteristic you have plotted. A simple explanation for the non-saturation is the Orbital Motion Limit model. Let's consider a spherical Langmuir probe. As explained above, a sheath will be formed around the probe shielding its potential. If, however, charged particles from the plasma fly by the probe, passing it, they will be attracted by the probe's potential (or repelled). This will change their trajectory. If they are very slow, their trajectory can change such that they are collected by the probe (similar to celestial object movement, hence the name of the model). This will increase the effective probe surface. The higher the probe bias (the applied voltage), the more likely it is to "catch" passing charges. This is why the drawn current increases further with increasing bias voltage.
Note that edge effects, leading to higher electric fields, are not part of the above mentioned model. Higher (local, i.e. at the edges) electric fields, however, will simply result in an increased effective probe surface based on the same explanation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


SACRAMENTO – Fresh off a record-breaking year of the largest, deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history, the state kicked off its first wildfire technology summit Wednesday.
Michael Picker, president of the California Public Utilities Commission, said only 6 percent of the state's residents rely on landline phones anymore. A majority of Californians rely on their mobile phones.
The summit explored topics Thursday including risks posed by power lines, and what utilities can do to identify problems and solutions.


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Estoril Conferences 2019
Estoril Global
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Nuno Mota Pinto |
Name: Nuno Mota Pinto
Occupation: World Bank´s Alternate Executive Director for Italy, Albania, Greece, Malta, Portugal, San Marino and Timor-Leste
Fields of Expertise: financial mechanisms for development, economic growth, globalization, poverty-reduction, approaches to economic and financial crisis, civic and political movements
Nuno Mota Pinto has been the Alternate Executive Director for Italy, Albania, Greece, Malta, Portugal, San Marino and Timor-Leste at the World Bank Group since 2003.
During the past decade, he has worked on financing for development, globalization, poverty-reduction, country strategies, and global challenges and approaches to economic and financial crisis, especially within the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Mota Pinto started his career in 1994 and for a decade worked as a financial analyst at Banco Português de Investimento, S.A., an investment bank in Portugal. He specialized in areas of investment and merchant banking activities. Prior to his nomination as Alternate Executive Director, he served as Deputy Director at Project Finance/Institutional and Municipal Banking Department.
Mota Pinto also represents Portugal at the Global Environment Facility and advised on Portugal's relation with the International Monetary Fund in the context of the adjustment program co-financed by the IMF from 2011 to 2014. He was also Portugal's representative in the Multilateral Investment Fund Council of donors and on some IDA replenishment processes.
He is a member of the Consultative Group of the Director of the Economics Department of Coimbra University, Portugal and of the Consultative Group of the Program of Partnership for Development of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
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http://www.worldbank.org/en/about/people/n/nuno-mota-pinto
https://www.dinheirovivo.pt/economia/nuno-mota-pinto-e-administrador-e-elege-novo-presidente-do-banco-mundial/
http://diasporaportuguesa.org/index.php/pt/component/content/article/55-conselheirosall/conselheiros/economia/391-nuno-mota-pinto-pt
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Q: Is Stack Overflow a proper place to earn reputation for a good job? Is Stack Overflow a proper place to earn reputation for a good job? I look through the questions and it seems to me that we have a lot of artificial questions that were asked by people who actually know the answer.

A: If you start participating on SO with the goal of earning reputation to get a job, you will probably get frustrated quickly. Gaining reputation is often an arbitrary process, and a sole focus on rep will usually result in some kind of negative feedback from the community. Plus, it's entirely possible that your SO reputation will be shrugged upon when trying to get a job, simply because people don't know the site or don't value it.
But if you participate on SO out of interest for your area of expertise, to converse with fellow developers, or to stay up to date in your technology, and if you bring along solid knowledge in your field, your participation will very likely, over some time, amount to a track record (including reputation points) that can be beneficial when looking for a job. It may even land you a job when you are especially active in a field, and point out to be looking for work in your profile - you never know.

A: I would say that SO isn't a good place if your main motivation is to get reputation to get a good job. The motivation should be helping people - and it's pretty obvious when that isn't the case (IMO). Having said that, between SO and SO Careers, it can certainly be a benefit when looking for a new job.
Personally I haven't seen much in the way of clearly artificial questions - could you give examples?


text:
Turkey to extend state of emergency by three months
by SOFREP Jan 5, 2017
Turkey's parliament on Tuesday approved a government-backed motion to extend by another three months the state of emergency imposed in the wake of the July 15 failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The state of emergency — which has seen tens of thousands lose their jobs or be arrested on suspicion of links to the putsch — had already been prolonged once before and was due to expire on January 19.
Ankara argues the state of emergency is needed to eradicate the influence in Turkish institutions of the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who it blames for the failed coup. Gulen denies the charges.
Read more France 24
Image courtecy of Reuters
Turkey Issues a Warrant for Fethullah Gulen, Cleric Accused in Coup
Turkey's Erdogan says military to be restructured after abortive coup
U.S. Delegation 'Heading to Turkey for Gulen Probe'
The Turkish government dismisses thousands of employees with ties to the failed 2016 coup
Turkey Declares 3-Month State of Emergency After Failed Coup
Ex-CIA chief proposed plan to discredit Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen


text:
package org.mafagafogigante.dungeon.io;

import org.mafagafogigante.dungeon.game.DungeonString;
import org.mafagafogigante.dungeon.game.Game;
import org.mafagafogigante.dungeon.game.GameState;
import org.mafagafogigante.dungeon.logging.DungeonLogger;
import org.mafagafogigante.dungeon.util.Messenger;
import org.mafagafogigante.dungeon.util.StopWatch;

import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;

import java.io.BufferedInputStream;
import java.io.BufferedOutputStream;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.io.ObjectInputStream;
import java.io.ObjectOutputStream;
import java.io.OutputStreamWriter;
import java.nio.charset.Charset;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.List;

import javax.swing.JOptionPane;

/**
 * Loader class that handles saving and loading the game.
 */
public final class Loader {

  private static final File SAVES_FOLDER = new File("saves/");
  private static final String SAVE_EXTENSION = ".dungeon";
  private static final String VERSION_EXTENSION = ".version";
  private static final String DEFAULT_SAVE_NAME = "default" + SAVE_EXTENSION;
  private static final String SAVE_CONFIRM = "Do you want to save the game?";
  private static final String LOAD_CONFIRM = "Do you want to load the game?";

  private Loader() { // Ensure that this class cannot be instantiated.
    throw new AssertionError();
  }

  /**
   * Evaluates if a File is a save file by checking that it is a file and ends with the save extension.
   *
   * @param file a File object
   * @return true if the specified File is not {@code null} and has the properties of a save file
   */
  private static boolean isSaveFile(File file) {
    return file != null && file.getName().endsWith(SAVE_EXTENSION) && file.isFile();
  }

  /**
   * Checks if any file in the saves folder ends with the save extension.
   */
  public static boolean checkForSave() {
    return !getSavedFiles().isEmpty();
  }

  /**
   * Prompts the user to confirm an operation using a dialog window.
   */
  private static boolean confirmOperation(String confirmation) {
    int result = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(Game.getGameWindow(), confirmation, null, JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION);
    Game.getGameWindow().requestFocusOnTextField();
    return result == JOptionPane.YES_OPTION;
  }

  /**
   * Appends the save file extension to a file name it if it does not ends with it already.
   *
   * @param name a file name
   * @return a String ending with the file extension
   */
  private static String ensureFileEndsWithExtension(String name, String extension) {
    return name.endsWith(extension) ? name : name + extension;
  }

  /**
   * Generates a new GameState and returns it.
   */
  public static GameState newGame() {
    GameState gameState = new GameState();
    DungeonString string = new DungeonString();
    string.append("Created a new game.\n\n");
    string.append(gameState.getPreface());
    string.append("\n");
    Writer.write(string);
    Game.getGameWindow().requestFocusOnTextField();
    return gameState;
  }

  /**
   * Loads the newest save file if there is a save file. Otherwise, returns {@code null}.
   *
   *
Note that if the user does not confirm the operation in the dialog that pops up, this method return {@code
   * null}.
   *
   * @param requireConfirmation whether or not this method should require confirmation from the user
   * @return a GameState or null
   */
  public static GameState loadGame(boolean requireConfirmation) {
    if (checkForSave()) {
      if (!requireConfirmation || confirmOperation(LOAD_CONFIRM)) {
        return loadFile(getMostRecentlySavedFile());
      }
    }
    return null;
  }

  /**
   * Attempts to load the save file indicated by the first argument of the "load" command.
   *
   *
If the filename was provided but didn't match any files, a message about this is written.
   *
   *
If the load command was issued without arguments, this method delegates save loading to {@code
   * Loader.loadGame(false)}.
   *
   *
If no save file could be found, a message is written.
   *
   *
This method guarantees that the if null is returned, something is written to the screen.
   */
  public static GameState parseLoadCommand(String[] arguments) {
    if (arguments.length != 0) {
      // A save name was provided.
      String argument = arguments[0];
      argument = ensureFileEndsWithExtension(argument, SAVE_EXTENSION);
      File save = createSaveFileFromName(argument);
      if (isSaveFile(save)) {
        return loadFile(save);
      } else {
        Writer.write(save.getName() + " does not exist or is not a file.");
        return null;
      }
    } else {
      GameState loadResult = loadGame(false); // Don't ask for confirmation. Typing load is not an easy mistake.
      if (loadResult == null) {
        Writer.write("No saved game could be found.");
      }
      return loadResult;
    }
  }

  /**
   * Saves the specified GameState to the default save file.
   */
  public static void saveGame(GameState gameState) {
    saveGame(gameState, null);
  }

  /**
   * Saves the specified GameState, using the default save file or the one defined in the IssuedCommand.
   *
   *
Only asks for confirmation if there already is a save file with the name.
   */
  public static void saveGame(GameState gameState, String[] arguments) {
    String saveName = DEFAULT_SAVE_NAME;
    if (arguments != null && arguments.length != 0) {
      saveName = arguments[0];
    }
    if (saveFileDoesNotExist(saveName) || confirmOperation(SAVE_CONFIRM)) {
      saveFile(gameState, saveName);
    }
  }

  /**
   * Tests whether the save file corresponding to the provided name does not exist.
   *
   * @param name the provided filename
   * @return true if the corresponding file does not exist
   */
  private static boolean saveFileDoesNotExist(String name) {
    return !createSaveFileFromName(name).exists();
  }

  /**
   * Returns a File object for the corresponding save file for a specified name.
   *
   * @param name the provided filename
   * @return a File object
   */
  private static File createSaveFileFromName(String name) {
    return new File(SAVES_FOLDER, ensureFileEndsWithExtension(name, SAVE_EXTENSION));
  }

  /**
   * Returns a File object for the corresponding version file for a specified save file.
   *
   * @param saveFile the save file
   * @return a File object
   */
  private static File createVersionFileFromSaveFile(File saveFile) {
    String path = saveFile.getPath();
    if (!path.endsWith(SAVE_EXTENSION)) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException("save file does not end with the default extension");
    }
    String versionFilePath = path.substring(0, path.length() - SAVE_EXTENSION.length()) + VERSION_EXTENSION;
    return new File(versionFilePath);
  }

  /**
   * Attempts to load a GameState from a file.
   *
   * @param file a File object
   * @return a GameState or {@code null} if something goes wrong.
   */
  private static GameState loadFile(File file) {
    StopWatch stopWatch = new StopWatch();
    try (BufferedInputStream in = new BufferedInputStream(new FileInputStream(file));
         ObjectInputStream objectInputStream = new ObjectInputStream(in)) {
      GameState loadedGameState = (GameState) objectInputStream.readObject();
      loadedGameState.setSaved(true); // It is saved, we just loaded it (needed as it now defaults to false).
      // Update the GameState version if required.
      if (loadedGameState.getGameVersion().compareTo(Version.getCurrentVersion()) < 0) {
        loadedGameState.setGameVersion(Version.getCurrentVersion());
      }
      String sizeString = Converter.bytesToHuman(file.length());
      DungeonLogger.info(String.format("Loaded %s in %s.", sizeString, stopWatch.toString()));
      Writer.write(String.format("Successfully loaded the game (read %s from %s).", sizeString, file.getName()));
      return loadedGameState;
    } catch (FileNotFoundException bad) { // The filed was moved or deleted.
      Writer.write("Could not find the specified saved game.");
      return null;
    } catch (ClassNotFoundException | IOException exception) {
      Writer.write("Could not load the saved game.");
      DungeonLogger.logSevere(exception);
      return null;
    }
  }

  /**
   * Serializes the specified {@code GameState} state to a file.
   *
   * @param state a GameState
   * @param name the name of the file
   */
  private static void saveFile(GameState state, String name) {
    StopWatch stopWatch = new StopWatch();
    File saveFile = createSaveFileFromName(name);
    File versionFile = createVersionFileFromSaveFile(saveFile);
    ensureSavesFolderExists();
    try (BufferedOutputStream out = new BufferedOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(saveFile));
         ObjectOutputStream objectOutputStream = new ObjectOutputStream(out)) {
      objectOutputStream.writeObject(state);
      state.setSaved(true);
      String sizeString = Converter.bytesToHuman(saveFile.length());
      Charset charset = DungeonCharset.DEFAULT_CHARSET;
      try (OutputStreamWriter writer = new OutputStreamWriter(new FileOutputStream(versionFile), charset)) {
        writer.write(state.getGameVersion().toString());
        writer.append(System.lineSeparator());
      }
      DungeonLogger.info(String.format("Saved %s in %s.", sizeString, stopWatch.toString()));
      Writer.write(String.format("Successfully saved the game (wrote %s to %s).", sizeString, saveFile.getName()));
    } catch (IOException exception) {
      Writer.write("Could not save the game.");
      DungeonLogger.logSevere(exception);
    }
  }

  private static void ensureSavesFolderExists() {
    if (!SAVES_FOLDER.exists()) {
      if (!SAVES_FOLDER.mkdir()) {
        Messenger.printFailedToCreateDirectoryMessage(SAVES_FOLDER.getName());
      }
    }
  }

  /**
   * Returns a list of abstract pathnames denoting the files in the saves folder that end with a valid extension sorted
   * in natural order.
   */
  @NotNull
  static List<File> getSavedFiles() {
    File[] fileArray = SAVES_FOLDER.listFiles(DungeonFilenameFilters.getExtensionFilter());
    if (fileArray == null) {
      fileArray = new File[0];
    }
    List<File> fileList = new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList(fileArray));
    for (Iterator<File> fileIterator = fileList.iterator(); fileIterator.hasNext(); ) {
      File file = fileIterator.next();
      if (!file.isFile()) {
        fileIterator.remove();
      }
    }
    Collections.sort(fileList, new FileLastModifiedComparator());
    return fileList;
  }

  @NotNull
  static List<Version> getSavedFilesVersions(List<File> savedFiles) {
    List<Version> versionList = new ArrayList<>();
    char[] versionBuffer = new char[32];
    for (File saveFile : savedFiles) {
      File versionFile = createVersionFileFromSaveFile(saveFile);
      Charset charset = DungeonCharset.DEFAULT_CHARSET;
      try (InputStreamReader reader = new InputStreamReader(new FileInputStream(versionFile), charset)) {
        int end = reader.read(versionBuffer);
        while (end > 1 && Character.isWhitespace(versionBuffer[end - 1])) {
          end--;
        }
        versionList.add(new Version(new String(versionBuffer, 0, end)));
      } catch (FileNotFoundException exception) {
        versionList.add(null);
      } catch (IOException fatal) {
        DungeonLogger.logSevere(fatal);
      }
    }
    return versionList;
  }

  /**
   * Returns the most recently saved file. As a precondition, there must be at least one save file.
   */
  private static File getMostRecentlySavedFile() {
    List<File> fileList = getSavedFiles();
    if (fileList.isEmpty()) {
      throw new IllegalStateException("called getMostRecentlySavedFile() but there are no save files.");
    }
    return fileList.get(0);
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Acadia University is located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, in the scenic Annapolis Valley region, approximately a one hour drive from Halifax.
The Chemistry Department is located in Elliott Hall. Faculty members are active in many research areas (including environmental issues and cancer research), and interested students have the opportunity to engage in independent research projects under the supervision of faculty members, to enhance their post-secondary education.


A 15-year-old girl is in critical condition after a double decker bus crashed into a bus shelter in south London in a suspected drug-driving incident on Sunday.
Police and emergency services were called to the scene in Station Road, Croydon shortly before 12.30pm following reports of a collision involving another bus and a car at West Croydon Bus Station.
The teenage girl – a passenger on the 198 bus – was taken to a local hospital by air ambulance and is now fighting for her life.
Twenty injured people were treated at the scene, with 18 taken to hospital suffering from mostly minor wounds, according to the London Ambulance Service.
The driver of the bus has been arrested on suspicion of on suspicion of failing a roadside drug screening test and was taken into custody before being released.
"At this early stage it is believed a route 198 double decker bus had been in collision with a car, another bus and a bus shelter at the location," said a police spokesperson.
Transport for London (TfL) warned that several bus routes in the area have been diverted due to the crash.
Enquiries into the circumstances remain ongoing by officers from Croydon. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 and quote CAD 3330.


text:
March Madness: Star Wars-Edition – Special Features #20
Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen	Dagobah Day, Special Features	 March 30, 2018 6 Minutes
I know, I know — people get super excited about college basketball in America, but, here's the thing, one, I can't watch the games and, two, I don't really care about the March Madness NCAA tournament, to be perfectly honest with you.
But, hey, I like the whole bracketology obsession that March Madness has fostered, so I want to do my own thing here. Each and every year going forward, at the end of March, I want to do my own form of March Madness where I answer a pop culture, filmmaking, fanboy question or the like via the whole bracket format. This year, I want to figure out which Star Wars character is the best of all-time.
Okay, so, the tournament format this year is pretty simple. There are thirty-two different characters on the tournament bracket below — 8 from the animated shows, and 8 from each of the three trilogies. Sure, we've only seen The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi in the sequel trilogy, but, at this point in time, it seems fairly likely that we can figure out who the eight best characters in the, as of yet, unfinished trilogy are. But I digress, let's have a look at the tournament bracket below.
I'm sure I've broken some hearts already with this list, but, here's the thing, this thing isn't easy. Picking only eight original trilogy characters is really hard, but that's just how it works this year. Boba Fett and C-3PO could've been on the list, but they just fell short. Also, before I forget, I should mention that I did make some ground rules for this tournament bracket and the first one is that no character could appear twice.
What that means is that I couldn't have both Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor on the tournament bracket, and Luke, Han, and Leia could only appear once each. On top of that, I should say that I randomized the characters of each section of the bracket to get to these match-ups. I, obviously, couldn't seed them as I will ultimately be the guy deciding which character wins it all. With the rules out of the way, let's talk about each section of the bracket and knock out some characters.
THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY
And here we go! In Round One, Luke went up against his small, green Jedi master, Yoda. For me, Luke absolutely does take out Yoda here, but it isn't that bad, Yoda. As you've said, "we are what they grow beyond, that is the true burden of all masters." Meanwhile, R2-D2 was up against Chewie, and, even though I do love Chewie, this is an easy one for me. R2-D2 has character, he is absolutely one of the most important characters in the trilogy. So, Artoo advanced to take on Luke Skywalker. This was another heartbreaker, but it wasn't all that difficult to make the ultimate decision. Luke goes on to take on his father — Darth Vader.
But his way to this point was much harder than Luke's. For many people, Vader is the first thing people think about when they think of this franchise (it isn't the thing that I think about first, but I'll get to that later). Vader went up against Han Solo and Leia — two of the three central heroes. But it had to end this way. Darth Vader versus Luke Skywalker for the title of 'Best Star Wars character in the original trilogy.'
When I was deciding the ultimate winner of the original trilogy, I really had a hard time making a decision. Really, it is a toss-up. It's too close to call. So I went with my gut and picked the hero of the story who stands tall at the end of arguably the greatest trilogy of all-time.
THE PREQUEL TRILOGY
And now we take a look at the other George Lucas trilogy — the prequel trilogy. This one had some really fun match-ups as a result of the randomized seeding. Dooku ran into Qui-Gon Jinn in the first round, but had an early exit. Qui-Gon doesn't get enough praise. Now that is an underrated Star Wars character.
I still remember how my sister — mind you, we were both kids when we first saw it — cried when Qui-Gon died, even though she wasn't really a fan of the original trilogy. She has since become a fan of the Disney-era Star Wars films, which is nice.
But I digress, Qui-Gon was, in the bracket, knocked out by Palpatine, who is probably the most intriguing character in the prequel trilogy. But that isn't necessarily what this bracket is about, which is why he ends up being taken out by McGregor's version of Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose performances, I think, are easily the best things about these prequel films. On his way to winning the prequel section of the bracket tournament, Kenobi took out Darth Maul, which is, of course, a character that he has taken out in both the first prequel film and in one of the animated shows.
THE SEQUEL TRILOGY
So, sure, this trilogy isn't finished yet. We've got Episode IX to look forward to. But here's the thing, we should be able to say what characters in the sequel trilogy are important and noteworthy already after two films. After a pretty easy round one with all of the choices being pretty easy to make, round two was a real heartbreaker for me. Ben Solo (I'm not calling him Kylo Ren) is such a good character, and when I first saw him in The Force Awakens I knew what they were going for.
Ben is well-designed and thought out, and I think he is a much more interesting character than Rey at this point in time. But, man oh man, that other round two match-up broke me. Finn and Poe's friendship is one of my favorite things about the sequel trilogy, and I love both John Boyega and Oscar Isaac. But my ultimate decision here was made when I thought of their involvement in the two films.
I think Finn's development in The Last Jedi resembles his character development in The Force Awakens a bit too much, whereas the Poe Dameron character actually does change and becomes more important. This is a character who is set up to be the new leader of the Resistance, but whose decision-making skills were challenged in The Last Jedi. So even though Poe was originally supposed to die in The Force Awakens, I ended up picking him over Finn in round two. But Poe Dameron versus Ben Solo is not really a tough match-up, and Ben took this corner of the bracket tournament fairly easily.
I think this corner of the bracket definitely shows how I much prefer Rebels to Clone Wars. Sorry, but that's just how I feel. When I think of the animated Star Wars shows, I think of Kanan, Hera, and the character who ended up winning this corner of the bracket — Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka is such a great character, who went from being someone fans really disliked to being someone fans were begging to see again. It was only really close between Kanan and Ahsoka, but it just had to be Ahsoka, didn't it?
THE SEMI-FINALS
Let's be honest here, even though Ewan McGregor's version of Obi-Wan is absolutely fantastic, he doesn't hold a candle to Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker — the prototypical blockbuster movie hero. So that decision was pretty easy to make. Now, the tougher call was to decide whether to go with the beloved animated character or the somewhat controversial new villain in the saga films. I ultimately went with Ben Solo because of what Adam Driver brings to the table as an actor, and the way his character's decisions in The Last Jedi were so believable.
THE BEST STAR WARS CHARACTER OF ALL-TIME
Nothing — and I mean nothing — will make me lose faith in Luke Skywalker. His journey as a hero is so important to me that it tops every other hero's journey out there. When I think of Star Wars, I think of the "Like my father before me," line — and I think about the green lightsaber that I was obsessed with when I was a kid. And, look, I know that it is tough for some fans in this Star Wars fandom civil war to look at the sequel trilogy as a part of the universe and the actual next step for our heroes, but I even really like what they do to Luke there. Is it as phenomenal an ending to Luke's story as I had thought it would be when I started to imagine how he would go out? No, it isn't. But it is a triumphant ending for Luke as he decides to lean into his role as the bringer of a new hope, pun intended, for the galaxy far, far away.
And there you have it folks! The inaugural I'm Jeffrey Rex film-centric March Madness is in the books and Luke Skywalker has been chosen as the best Star Wars character ever shown in the films or the animated shows. Although, who knows, maybe I will have to revisit this bracket in a decade when Disney has probably made Star Wars into a different creature altogether. And, hey, you probably disagree with me, don't you? I can sense your hatred, your anger — I can feel the controversy. Give in. Leave a comment below and tell me exactly what I messed up.
– Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen
Ben Solo
Bracketology
Cad Baane
Thrawn
Published by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen
Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen is an aspiring film and television critic from Denmark. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Copenhagen in 2018, and he holds a Master of Arts degree in English Studies with a minor in Film and Media Studies. Harry Potter fans will want to know that he is a Ravenclaw. Star Wars fans will be interested in knowing that he loves Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Cineastes will want to know that his favorite film of the first decade of the 21st Century is Guillermo Del Toro's El Laberinto del Fauno.	View all posts by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen
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"The goal is to build a tasty, satisfying meal primarily with what is local and seasonal, supplementing with ingredients from farther afield. The reality is that it's tricky to eat strictly locally and seasonally all the time, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to find a good deal of our foods from close to home when possible. There are an increasing number of ways to do this: Purchase local chickens at a farmers' market instead of industrial ones shipped cross-country and enjoy domestic berries from late spring to early fall instead of buying imported berries in January."
It's extra challenging here in the Black Hills but I am convinced it can be done.
So here's what was on my plate for Sunday. Sorry, no photo.
Throw everything in a baking dish and mix together so the potatoes and onions are coated. Put in a 375 pre-heated oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are done and a little crunchy. Every 15 minutes, mix it up. Yum!
We also had stuffed hamburgers. The burger came from a local cow (RIP) that we purchased from the Butcher Shop in Spearfish.
For four burgers / one pound of ground beef.
Stuffing mix: Finely chopped onions, peppers (from my garden last year), a piece of pastrami (from the Butcher Shop) and a piece of Swiss cheese (I think from Sam's Club), dried oregano (from my summer garden), salt and pepper.
Mix together the chopped onions and peppers, set aside.
Divide beef in 8 sections. Take one of the sections and flatten it out so it's very thin (I put it on a cutting board) but still thick enough that it won't fall apart when you pick it up with a spatula. Put a small piece of the pastrami on top of the burger and make sure to leave about an inch from the edge. Then scoop on the onion / pepper mix, salt and pepper and top with a small piece of Swiss. Roll out another section of burger so it's flattish and put it on top of your burger with pile of stuff on it. Seal the edges like you've made a little pie. Try to really seal it or stuff inside (like the cheese) will really ooze out and it won't be as cute.
I use a little spray oil and cook the burgers in a big frying pan with a lid over medium high heat. Be careful when you turn them over so they don't come apart. These are really good and a nice surprise when you bite into them . No bun needed.
Oh, and we had some broccoli too. From Sam's I think.