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|Louisiana Division
New Orleans Public Library
|Administrations of the Mayors of New Orleans
John R. Conway (1825-1896)
John R. Conway, thirtieth Mayor of New Orleans, was nominated by the Democratic Party.
He was born in Alexandria, Virginia, August 24th, 1825, a descendent of a family which had emigrated from Wales to America during the reign of Charles II. He settled in New Orleans in December 1862 and was employed by a large cotton commission house. Due to general suspension of business during the occupation of New Orleans by the Federal forces, he was thrown out of employment. In 1865 however, he re-entered business as a wholesale grocer and commission merchant, together with his brother Colin A. Conway. It appears that he was quite successful in his venture up to the time he became Mayor. When the Orleans Parish Democratic Committee reorganized after the Civil War, he was made first chairman. His administration is noteworthy because during it the period of military control over the government came to an end. He was a man of small stature and lacked the vigor, both physically and mentally, to deal energetically with the different problems which demanded his attention as Mayor.
The following incidents of interest occurred during his administration:
On February 18, 1870 a letter was received from Hiram Powers, the American sculptor, dated January 23rd, from Florence, Italy accepting the proposition for the completion and shipment of the Benjamin Franklin Statue to this city. An enterprise undertaken and carried to a successful termination by the New Orleans Times.
On March 26, 1870, Pierre Soule, a native of France and one of the most brilliant lawyers and gifted personalities which characterized the era of 1834-1836 throughout the South, died at his residence, 200 Burgundy Street, between St. Ann and Dumaine, at the age of 69. He lies buried in the St. Louis Cemetery.
It also may be of interest to mention that when the Federal vessels of war made their appearance in the river facing the city, he was one of the chief advisers of Mayor Monroe and is credited with having written the letters signed by the Mayor and sent to Captain (who later became Admiral) Farragut.
When New Orleans surrendered to the Federal Forces, General Butler had Soule arrested and sent to Fort Lafayette, where he was detained as a prisoner of State for several months. After being released he went to Richmond where he was given the rank of Brigadier General in the Confederate Army, but never served in that capacity.
Mr. Conway was a member of the Board of Trade and Chamber of Commerce, he belonged to the American Legion of Honor and was one of the oldest members of the Chess, Checkers and Whist Club. He also was one of the organizers of the Sons of the Revolution.
He married Miss Elize G. Waggeman, youngest daughter of the late Hon. George A. Waggeman, on December 9th, 1857, at Avondale Plantation. She died in Brooklyn at the age of 33 and her remains were sent to New Orleans in 1869.
John R. Conway died on March 11th, 1896 at his residence, 1405 Baronne Street at the age of 70 and lies buried in Cypress Grove (Firemen's Cemetery).
Two daughters survive him, Mrs. Thomas A. Shaffer and Miss Margaret S. Conway.
|Members of the Conway Administration
June 10, 1868-April 4, 1870
Next: Flanders
Back to the Introduction


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Shoe Lust Saturday 2013: Volume 21
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I may be compensated for purchases made via these links; thank you for your support of this blog.
Good morning, lovelies! I hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday morning. Is everyone ready to share their Shoe Lust list this week?
If you're new to this party, the rules are pretty simple:
- Grab the Shoe Lust Button
- Write a post that shoe-related
- Link up and visit with the other partiers.
Okay, let's get started. Here's what I'm lusting after lately.
Want to play along? Link your Shoe Lust list up below.
P.S. If you've been enjoying playing along for Shoe Lust Saturday, you might enjoy following my Shoe Lust board on Pinterest.
Also, don't forget to sign up for my Blogiversary Giveaway.

subset: commoncrawl


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ZARAGOZA, Spain, Nov. 22 (UPI) —
Scientists in Spain say they'll attempt to clone an extinct mountain goat using frozen, preserved cells taken from the last living animal before it died.
The species known as a bucardo, or Pyrenean ibex, went extinct in 2000, but cells from the last animal were collected and frozen in liquid nitrogen.
A previous attempt at cloning in 2003 saw a bucardo calf brought to term but it died shortly after birth. Despite that it was considered an an historic event, the first "de-extinction" in which a lost species or sub-species was resurrected.
Now researchers will make another attempt using the 14-year-old preserved cells from the last animal, which was named Celia.
"At this moment, we are not initiating a 'bucardo recovery plan,' we only want to know if Celia's cells are still alive after having been maintained frozen during 14 years in liquid nitrogen," Alberto Fernandez-Arias of the Center for Research and Food Technology of Aragon told BBC News.
If the cells prove to be intact, an attempt to clone embryos and implant them in female goats, researchers said.
"In this process, one or more live female bucardo clones could be obtained. If that is the case, the feasibility of a bucardo recovery plan will be discussed," Fernandez-Arias, head of the Aragon Hunting, Fishing and Wetlands Service, said.
One possible approach, researchers said, might be to cross a healthy female bucardo clone with a closely related sub-species such as the Spanish ibex and then selectively breeding the offspring to enhance traits typical of the bucardo.


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Yesterday, RAINN hosted its first virtual 5K – meaning you signed up and paid your fee online, they sent you your shirt and other materials, and then you ran/walked/biked at your leisure. My husband runs, so I sent him the link and he immediately signed up. I knew he would, when he was in the service they had the option to donate a part of their paycheck every month to a charity, and Brian chose RAINN.
To put it as vaguely as possible, i've lived through sexual assault. It is not something I would wish on my worst enemy, it really does change who you are forever. You can get past it, but you can't ever get rid of it. The word 'triggering' is overused and misused, but I explain it that I can be okay 99.9% of the time and a certain action or words or even a smell will send a jolt through my body. It's like sticking your finger in a socket and getting punched in the stomach at the same time. And if i'm having a good day otherwise, I can deal with it. If not, I might have a meltdown. After one of those meltdowns, Brian told me that it made him feel helpless that he couldn't make these feelings go away for me. I told him all I needed from him is his support, and that's what he did yesterday.
Part of the runner's package was a piece of paper that you could write who you're running for, we forgot about it until he was about to head out so we waited until he got back. I got my camera and Brian brought out his sign and showed it to me and said, "Is this okay?" It was like insta-tears.
I love this dude so much. After the shootings last week, and the cries of "Not ALL men…" Well, here is a man who is really not all men. He doesn't get defensive on behalf of his entire gender because he's confident in the fact that he's not a misogynistic jerk and those that are, aren't reflecting on him. I've never heard him make a rape joke and in our 14 years together, he's never once called me a bitch or a whore or any other such word (he does tell me to fuck off sometimes, though). He enjoys Feminist Frequency and has a Gaming's Feminist Illuminati shirt. None of this is to say that he's perfect, but I think he's pretty awesome.
under: family


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Constitutions with aversion to open air and dislike to exercise, mental or physical; imbecility.
GREAT DEBILITY: caused by heat of summer (Ant. c.); exhaustion FROM LEAST EFFORT, mental or physical; ready to drop after a walk; chronic effects of sunstroke.
Chronic effects of sunstroke; now, with return of hot weather, suffers from headaches.
Emaciation with pale face and blue rings around the eyes, dilated pupils; dark urine; anaemic; milky, watery skin and great debility.
INABILITY TO THINK or to perform any mental labor; causes headache; feels stupefied if he tries to exert himself; comprehension slow, difficult.
Intolerable melancholy and apprehension; is wholly occupied with sad thoughts.
Attacks of anxiety and restlessness during a thunder storm (Phos.) ; < from music (Sab.).
Headache: from slightest mental exertion; from SUN or WORKING UNDER GASLIGHT (Glon., Lach.) ; with tension in nape or occiput before menses; head feels too large, as if it would burst.
Face pale, with blue rings around the eyes; eyelids swollen; catarrh; mucus in throat and posterior nares; constantly hawking to clear the throat; dropping into the throat from posterior nares.
Catarrh: extends to posterior nares and throat; hawking much thick mucus from throat; profuse discharge during day, stopped at night (Nux).
Thick, yellow, green, offensive, musty, hard discharge from nose; often ceasing after a meal.
Aversion to milk; diarrhoea from it.
Bearing down as if everything would come out (Agar., Lib, Mur., Sep.); heaviness, < sitting, > by moving.
Discharge of mucus from vagina after an embrace, causing sterility.
Easy dislocation and spraining of ankle (Led.) ; so weak that it gives way; foot bends under (Carbo an., Nat. m.).
Compare: Nat. s., for yeast-like vomiting; Cal., Sep.
Follows well: after, Sep. in bearing down.
From music; IN THE SUN; excessive summer heat; MENTAL EXERTION; a thunder storm.


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If you or your team are into Scrum and if you're using Trello for managing your tickets, but still didn't get the best of Trello – then you're on a right place. If you don't have a clue what Scrum is, but you're interested in that – maybe you should do a little bit of research if you want to get the best of this post-tutorial.
The beginning of Trello
Ok, so let's begin the story…while I was working in Zemanta I first met Scrum method in practice. When I came there, we were using TicketTracker (custom made Zemanta's employee Pančo), which was cool at the beginning, but somehow, folks didn't get too used to it – at dailyies, there was always reminders about "Don't forget to move your ticket in TicketTracker".
Few months later, someone introduced Trello as an "awesome tool", then someone else started to use Trello for managing backlogs, smaller teams tickets etc – at the end, the word about how "Trello is awesome" came to our "project leader" who immidiately fell in love with Trello. People were really excited about Trello, they were moving tickets like crazy, you should just see that. But still, we missed something, and that was a "Burndown chart", which was introduced by TicketTracker and which was always at the main screen in the living room. So this is the part where I come in – since Trello didn't have that feature and didn't have any plugins for creating "burndown chart", my job was to research Trello API (which is really detailed and well documented) and to create a burndown chart – so if you have find yourself in the similar position, I can somehow help you with that.
What will you need for that project?
- Trello account and Trello API – get it here
- Sprint board on Trello – create test one if you want to
- Chrome (yes, you should use Google Chrome) extension name "Scrum for Trello" – for adding points to your ticket
- Google account (for Google Docs)
- a little bit of JavaScript/Google Apps Script knowledge
Let's start and setup a few things
First thing, get into your Trello account and request for your Trello API key.
Second, create a testing board inside your Trello dashboard – and make sure it has the same lists as one in the image below – add any tickets you want, add them as much as you want and make sure that you add all to "Planned" list at the beginning.
Third thing you need to do is to download "Scrum for Trello" (if you didn't already) and to assign points to your tickets. Just head to your board, click to each of your cards, then click on a card title and then you'll see Scrum points that you need to assign to your card. Do it for each of your tickets and after that you should get something like this.
And fourth thing you need to do is to open your Google Documents and to create a new spreadsheet. Also, be sure you rename your "sheet" into something like "Sprint #active". So, be sure you have #active tag inside your sheet name. After that, go to "Tools > Script Editor" where we'll continue.
Let's do some easy coding
I'll introduce you functions in some running order and not in "priority" order – so don't worry if you come almost to an end and you still don't see a function that makes connection with Trello. First thing we need to do at the beginning of the script is to create something like this:
var sheets = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheets(), active_sheet = "", sprint_info_column = 10; for (var i=0; i<sheets.length; i++) { if (sheets[i].getName().indexOf("#active") != -1) active_sheet = sheets[i].getName(); } var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName(active_sheet);
What exactly we do here is that we get all Sheets from the current Spreadsheet, we create variable active_sheet where we'll store active sheet and we create sprint_info_column where we store a number of info column. Info column will be a column (inside sheet) where we'll put Board information – so we can grab all our data. In our example this is 10th column, which is under J letter, so we'll just add info in this order:
Sprint # // Sprint number – whatever you want
Name of sprint // Sprint name – whatever you want
21.6.2012 // Sprint start date – in that format
5.7.2012 // Sprint end date – in that format
board_id // board_id. Get it from your board URL format which looks like this https://trello.com/board/sprint-june-2012-21-6-5-7/board_id
Next thing we need to do is to create a function that will prepare as a table and few other things – we'll call this function sprintStart() and it'll look something like that (if you run it currently it won't work, so wait until we finish few other things):
/* generate dates from start to end of a sprint */ function sprintStart() { var baserow = 2, basecolumn = 1; var start_date_array = sheet.getRange(3, sprint_info_column).getValue().split("."), end_date_array = sheet.getRange(4, sprint_info_column).getValue().split("."); var start_date = new Date(start_date_array[2], parseInt(start_date_array[1])-1, parseInt(start_date_array[0])), end_date = new Date(end_date_array[2], parseInt(end_date_array[1])-1, parseInt(end_date_array[0])); var current_date = start_date; // generate headers sheet.getRange(baserow - 1, basecolumn, 1, 6).setValues([['Date', 'Score', 'Fires', 'Score done', 'Fires done', 'Total score']]); // generate dates while (current_date.getTime() != end_date.getTime()) { sheet.getRange(baserow, basecolumn, 1, 1).setValue(current_date.getDate() + "." + (current_date.getMonth()+1) + "." + current_date.getYear()); current_date.setDate(current_date.getDate() + 1); baserow++; } sheet.getRange(baserow, basecolumn, 1, 1).setValue(current_date.getDate() + "." + (current_date.getMonth()+1) + "." + current_date.getYear()); // create 5min Trigger ScriptApp.newTrigger("fetchData").timeBased().everyMinutes(5).create(); // create end Trigger var end_date_trigger = new Date(end_date_array[2], end_date_array[1] - 1, end_date_array[0], 10); ScriptApp.newTrigger("sprintEnd").timeBased().at(end_date_trigger).create(); }
What we do here is – we get the sprint start_date and sprint end_date from info column, then we create header titles inside our spreadsheet, then we create rows for each date from start_date to end_date and at the end we create some triggers that we'll mention a little bit after. Since we still miss some 2 other function that we need those triggers for, you can just put last three statements (for creating triggers) under comment and try to run that script.
If you're not familiar with triggers inside Google Apps Script, you should check this.
You can run your script by selecting it and then by clicking "Run". After that, in your spreadsheet you should get something like this.
Now, we must create that function fetchData() that will grab all we need from our board. It should look like this:
/* fetch data from Trello and append it to Spreadsheet */ function fetchData() { var data, baserow = 2, basecolumn = 1, datenow = new Date(), today = datenow.getDate() + "." + (datenow.getMonth()+1) + "." + datenow.getYear(), active_sprint_id = sheet.getRange(5, 10).getValue(); while (sheet.getRange(baserow, basecolumn).getValue() != "") { if (sheet.getRange(baserow, basecolumn).getValue() == today) break; baserow++; } data = getActiveSprintData(active_sprint_id); sheet.getRange(baserow, basecolumn + 1, 1, 5).setValues(data); }
What we do here is that we grab data for currently active sprint – and we do that by calling a function getActiveSprintData() which will be introduced right after. After we grab the data inside data variable, then we just add it to current baserow and basecolumn. As you can see, before that, we're settling our baserow so we make sure that we don't add data about today's statistics into wrong row – this will be easier to understand later, after I show you all together.
Next thing is getActiveSprintData() that will look like this:
function getActiveSprintData(active_sprint_id) { var active_sprint_lists, active_sprint_cards, done_list_id, fires_done_list_id; var points = [], number_of_stories = 0, points_all = 0, points_left = 0, points_fires = 0, points_fires_left = 0, points_fires_done = 0, points_done = 0; active_sprint_lists = trelloFetch("/boards/" + active_sprint_id + "/lists/"); active_sprint_cards = trelloFetch("/boards/" + active_sprint_id + "/cards/"); for (var i=0; i<active_sprint_lists.length; i++) { if (active_sprint_lists[i].name == "Done") done_list_id = active_sprint_lists[i].id; if (active_sprint_lists[i].name.indexOf("Fires") != -1) fires_done_list_id = active_sprint_lists[i].id; } for (var i=0; i<active_sprint_cards.length; i++) { var regex = /\((\d+)\)/; var story_point = active_sprint_cards[i].name.match(regex); story_point = story_point ? parseInt(story_point[1]) : 0; points_all += story_point; number_of_stories++; /* count fires separately and remove them from points_all */ if (active_sprint_cards[i].labels[0]) { for (var j=0; j<active_sprint_cards[i].labels.length; j++) { if (active_sprint_cards[i].labels[j]['name'] == "Fires") { points_fires += story_point; points_all -= story_point; } } } /* count finished stories */ if (active_sprint_cards[i].idList == done_list_id) { points_done += story_point; } /* count finished fires */ if (active_sprint_cards[i].idList == fires_done_list_id) { points_fires_done += story_point; } } points_left = points_all - points_done; //points_fires_left = points_fires - points_fires_done; points[0] = [points_left, points_fires, points_done, points_fires_done, points_all]; return points; }
So we get all lists from our board and we get all the cards. For each of those, we check where is particular card belong to. If it's "regular", if it's a fire (tickets that were not planned), if it's in Done etc. Depending on that, we're summing up points which will be presented in our spreadsheet.
Now we need to more functions and one of them is trelloFetch():
function trelloFetch(url) { var key = "your_trello_API_key", api_endpoint = "https://api.trello.com/1", member_token = "your_member_TOKEN"; var completeUrl = api_endpoint + url + "?key=" + key + "&token=" + member_token; var jsonData = UrlFetchApp.fetch(completeUrl); var object = Utilities.jsonParse(jsonData.getContentText()); return object; }
This one will be used just to fetch data from Trello. You need trello API key and member token (mentioned at the beginning). After that we make completeUrl and we get data via UrlFetchApp.fetch() – yeah, in Google Apps Script is easy as that.
For the end, there's one more function that will kill everything after sprint ends (so the script doesn't continue to run):
/* remove all triggers when it comes to the end of a Sprint */ function sprintEnd() { var triggers = ScriptApp.getScriptTriggers(); for (var i = 0; i < triggers.length; i++) { ScriptApp.deleteTrigger(triggers[i]); } }
And that's all about coding! If you've done everything as it was said, you can now run your sprintStart() function (be sure to remove comments from statements where you create triggers) which will create other triggers and your script will be running and working as it should. fetchData() will run every 5 minutes and after the first execution it will look something like example in the image below. Since today is 28th of June I've added some test data for all previous days, and I've moved one ticket into "Done" list.
There's one problem though – at that is. If you finish any story at the first day of the Sprint, then chart won't look good – it'll start from "current" number of points and not from total number of points.
If you feel you didn't understand everything very well or that you've made some mistakes, here's complete code available for download.
Finish up your burndown chart
And to finish up your burndown chart, inside your spreadsheet, you do next:
- select "Date", "Score" and "Fires" columns
- click Insert > Chart
- choose your chart style (my suggestion is line chart) and that's it
At the end, you'll get burndown chart like this, which can be published to it's own sheet and customized however you want.
Related articles
- Trellomania (restreaming.wordpress.com)
- Burning Down the Sprint (restreaming.wordpress.com)
- How to use Product-Burndown-Charts and Sprint-Burndown-Charts (not only) in SCRUM Projects? (dzone.com)
- Scrum in 5 Minutes (dzone.com)
- "How Do You Use Trello?" Contest Winners! (trello.com)


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To meet the needs of a changing DJ and music production landscape, Mackie is proud to unveil its new d.pro Series of DJ Production Consoles with FireWire I/O. These new 2 and 4 channel DJ consoles are highlighted by their unrivaled FireWire capabilities, true studio quality sound, immense routing flexibility, and recently announced certification for Native Instruments powerful Traktor Scratch software, letting DJs mix and scratch digital music files using standard turntables with specially coded vinyl discs.
"The d.2 pro and d.4 pro consoles go well beyond anything that's ever been offered in a DJ-style mixer," commented John Boudreau, Vice President of Product Development for Mackie. "With their unprecedented feature sets and Traktor Scratch certification, these consoles eliminate the need for separate computer audio interfaces, mic preamps or, in the case of the d.4 pro, standalone compact mixers."
Mackie's d.2 pro (2-channel) and d.4 pro (4-channel) consoles start with premium analog circuitry throughout, including VCA-based design, audiophile-grade phono preamps, an Infinium "contact-free" crossfader, and a variety of rear-panel connections including balanced XLR main outputs. The d.4 pro is further distinguished by onboard analog filtering effects and genuine Onyx microphone preamps with 48v phantom power.
The d.pro's most notable feature, however, is their built-in 13×6 FireWire interface at 24 bit/96kHz—enabling these mixers to function as a multitrack recording source and a multi-input performance mixer when connected to any FireWire-equipped Mac or PC. DJs can simply plug either the d.2 pro or d.4 pro into a laptop and start playing digital music files from iTunes, Traktor, MixVibes, Ableton Live, and more.
The d.pro series Traktor® Scratch certification brings an entirely new level of performance. By purchasing Native Instrument's Traktor Scratch Upgrade Kit, DJs can mix, manipulate and scratch digital music files on their computer using a d.pro mixer, standard turntables and specially coded vinyl disks—without the need for separate converter boxes or any additional hardware.
For music producers and remixers, the d.4 pro delivers all the simultaneous I/O needed to connect turntables, CD decks, a beat machine, two studio microphones, a keyboard and a computer—with studio sound quality and without repatching. It also includes Mackie's easy-to-use Tracktion 3 software with hundreds of inspiring beats, samples and loops to get started.
The d.pro mixers will be available starting May 2007 and have a U.S. manufacturer's suggested retail price of $899.99 for the d.2 pro and $1,149.99 for the d.4 pro, respectively.


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At his recent Washington summit on nuclear security, President Barack Obama correctly identified the looming threat of nuclear terrorism.[1] Nonetheless, the president continues to believe that he can simultaneously oppose Islamic radicalism and support Palestinian statehood. Such an ironic belief, it is easy to explain, makes no logical sense. A Palestinian state – any Palestinian state – would undoubtedly become another conspicuous addition to our extant list of Jihadist foes.
Palestine, therefore, would also become another possible nation-based source of anti-American nuclear terrorism.
What might actually happen? At some point, at least after they are finally able to stop slaughtering each other, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas could finally advance a joint plan for Palestinian sovereignty in the 'West Bank' (Judea/Samaria), Gaza, and East Jerusalem.
Such an announcement, while being expressly contrary to binding expectations of the PA's Oslo Agreement with Israel, would also undermine authoritative international law at more general levels. Most obvious would be the plan's flagrant indifference to requirements of The Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (1934), also called the "Montevideo Convention."
This foundational treaty remains the governing legal document on statehood.
Here, history needs more precise pride of place. On November 29, 2012, the U.N. General Assembly voted to upgrade the Palestinian Authority to the status of a "nonmember observer state." By definition, however, this action was not a bestowal of sovereignty, or, indeed, of any "full legal personality." Significantly, there has never ever been a state of Palestine, not in 1948, when Israel lawfully emerged from its League of Nations mandate, or, for that matter, at any other time.
President Obama, stubbornly ignoring relevant history, remains convinced of a creditable symmetry between Israeli and Palestinian claims for statehood. Still buying in to the most elementary and rhetorical misrepresentations of international law obtaining in that region between 1917 (the Balfour Declaration) and 1947 (formal U.N. General Assembly approval of a "Jewish State"), he somehow remains willing to equate a mandated Israeli return to plainly indefensible borders with proper conditions of a contractual "peace."
Prima facie, all of the Islamic world, not only Jihadists, effectively calls for a One-State Solution from Israel. This unambiguous demand is for Israel itself to disappear, and then, to be suitably transformed from "Occupied Palestine" into a larger and blessedly uniform "Palestine." Further, this new state, in an immutable aspect of Arab diplomacy not even presumed subject to negotiation, would either be "free of Jews" altogether, or more generously allow "former Israelis" to remain as aptly deferential subjects. With such an allowance, of course, these remnants of a formerly Jewish state could still stay alive, but only under well-known historical conditions of codified subordination and ritualized inferiority.
Such expected Islamist views of Dhimmitude would not be narrowly political or military, nor would they be ad hoc constructions of the moment. Rather, they would stem from the doctrinally unchanging notion of umma (community), a core concept whose foremost and overriding obligation is to answer the obligatory call of Jihad. As had already been declared by leading representatives of all four Sunni schools of law, back on January 9, 1956: "Palestine is a permanent possession of the global Muslim umma, and must therefore be governed in perpetuity by full Islamic law."
It's not complicated. The complete elimination of any Jewish State existing in the Dar al- Islam (the World of Islam) has always been a permanent Islamic duty, deducible from continuously-binding rules on the status of non-Muslim minorities (dhimmi) living under Islamic authority. This means, among other things, that even if they should somehow be grafted into a "unified" Palestinian whole, that sovereignty's constituent Palestinian communities would remain unalterably opposed to Israel's survival as an independent state.
It's not hard to understand. A Palestinian state, any Palestinian state, even if it could somehow avoid rapid physical takeover by ISIS or ISIS-type proxies, would have a profoundly injurious impact on American strategic interests. In every conceivable scenario, this 23rd Arab state, whatever its ultimate governing authority, would gratefully harbor the very same sort of Jihadist adversaries that we are now trying to destroy elsewhere.
Credo quia absurdum. "I believe because it is absurd."
Incontestably, America's ongoing war against ISIS and related sources of nuclear terrorism requires a secure and U.S.-supported Jewish State. Any American effort, however well-intentioned, to carve yet another Islamist state from Israel's still-living body would substantially degrade U.S. security. Also worth noting here is that our strategic interests and our legal obligations coincide. While not widely understood, especially by some of our current presidential aspirants, international law is an integral part of the law of the United States. This incorporation is true, especially, by virtue of Article 6 of the Constitution (the "Supremacy Clause"), and also of several supporting and reinforcing U.S. Supreme Court decisions (most notably, the Paquete Habana, 1900).
It follows that any further official support of Palestinian statehood – either by this president, or by his successor – would represent both a meaningful infringement of America's strategic interests, and a violation of American Constitutional law.
First published in INN.


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Food Waste
A 2017 study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council revealed the average American household throws out between $1,350 and $2,275 in food each year and a total of 8.7 pounds of food was wasted per household per week. Reducing the amount of food American's waste saves money, landfill space, and natural resources.
Reduce Your Food Waste
EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy
The Food Recovery Hierarchy prioritizes actions to prevent and divert food waste. Each tier focuses on different management strategies for wasted food. "The top levels of the hierarchy are the best ways to prevent and divert wasted food because they create the most benefits for the environment, society and the economy."
For more information on the Food Recovery Hierarchy and each tier, visit EPA's Sustainable Management of Food.
EPA's Food: Too Good to Waste
EPA's Food: Too Good to Waste consists of an implementation guide and toolkit that aims to reduce wasteful household food management practices. For more information, visit EPA's Food: Too Good to Waste.
Additional EPA Food Waste Prevention Resources
The EPA provides additional tools to prevent and reduce wasted food including Excess Food Opportunities Map, Food Waste Assessment Guidebook, Toolkit for Reducing Wasted Food and Packaging, Waste Reduction Model (WARM), and Training Webinars. For more information visit EPA's Tools for Preventing and Diverting Food Waste.
FDA's Tips to Reduce Food Waste
The FDA suggests the following simple steps to reduce food waste and save money:
Planning & Shopping
- Preplan and write your shopping list before going to the grocery store. As you write your list, think about what meals you will be preparing the following week, and check your fridge to see what items you already have.
- When at the store, buy only what you need and stick to your shopping list. Be careful when buying in bulk, especially with items that have a limited shelf life.
In the Kitchen & Storage Tips
- Use the FoodKeeper App for information on how to safely store different foods to maintain freshness and quality.
- Create a designated space in your fridge for foods that my go bad within a few days.
- Check your fridge often to keep track of what you have and what needs to be used. Eat or freeze items before you need to throw them away.
- Check the temperature setting of your fridge. Keep the temperature at 40° F or below to keep foods safe. The temperature of your freezer should be 0° F.
- If you have more food on hand than you can use or you need, consider donating your extra supply of packaged foods to a local food pantry or a food drive.
- Learn about food product dating – Many consumers misunderstand the purpose and meaning of the date labels that often appear on packaged foods. Confusion over date labeling accounts for an estimated 20 percent of consumer food waste.
Cooking & Serving
- Be creative and have fun! Create new dishes and snacks with leftovers or items you think will go bad if not eaten soon. Have a cook off to find out who can come up with the best dish.
- Follow the 2-Hour Rule. For safety reasons, don't leave perishables out at room temperature for more than two hours, unless you're keeping it hot or cold. If the temperature is above 90° F, food shouldn't be left out for more than one hour. Also, remember to refrigerate leftovers within two hours.
- Use serving size information on the Nutrition Facts label to help you portion meals or snacks. You can always add more to your plate after finishing off the first helping.
- Prepared too much food for a party at your home? Pack extras in containers for guests to take home or take some over to a neighbor as a nice gesture.
1. Hoover, Darby. "Estimating Quantities and Types of Food Waste at the City Level." (2017)
2. Tips to Reduce Food Waste (2017, December 7) Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/tips-reduce-food-waste


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It's a girl for Kristen Bell, fiance Dax Shepard
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are new parents of a baby girl.
The engaged actors took to Twitter Thursday to announce the arrival of their daughter, Lincoln Bell Shepard.
Bell, who stars on Showtime's "House of Lies," tweeted that her "new roommate poops her pants and doesn't pay rent." She closed with, "welcome baby Lincoln."
Shepard is a star of NBC's "Parenthood." He posted that his new daughter "has mom's beauty and dad's obsession with breasts."
Bell is 32 and Shepard is 38. The couple have been engaged since 2009.


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Kathy Bates Joins American Horror Story as Jessica Lange's Frenemy
Kathy Bates has signed on to join American Horror Story for its upcoming third season, TVGuide.com has confirmed.
As first reported by TVLine, Bates will play the best friend of Jessica Lange's new character, who eventually becomes her enemy. Sounds like this will be a battle for the ages!
Photos: Should these shows end?
It is not yet known who Lange is playing this time around. She has appeared in both seasons of Ryan Murphy's horror series and won an Emmy, a Golden Globe award and a Screen Actors Guild award for her work in Season 1. Also returning for Season 3 are Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Taissa Farmiga and Frances Conroy.
Bates, an Oscar winner for the thriller Misery, most recently starred on the NBC legal drama Harry's Law, and recurred on The Office.
View original Kathy Bates Joins American Horror Story as Jessica Lange's Frenemy at TVGuide.com
Related Articles on TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com


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Los Angeles (CNN) -- A southern California woman convicted of cutting off the penis of her then-husband and throwing it into a garbage disposal was given a life sentence Friday with the possibility of parole after seven years, authorities said.
Catherine Kieu, 50, of Garden Grove, California, and her husband were going through a divorce at the time of the July 2011 incident. The couple married in December 2009, but in May 2011 the husband filed for divorce, which was granted in August 2011, according to Orange County court records.
Kieu laced her husband's dinner with the sleep medication Ambien after they had an argument over a friend possibly staying with them at a later date, the Orange County district attorney's office said in a statement Friday.
When the husband went to sleep, Kieu tied his legs and arms to the four corners of the bed, and when he awoke, she pulled down his pants and severed his penis with a knife, prosecutors charged.
Kieu then threw the severed penis into the garbage disposal, turned it on and mutilated it, prosecutors alleged. Kieu then called 911 about how her husband was bleeding, and he was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery, authorities said.
The victim's name has not been made public because he is a victim of spousal abuse, police said.
The ex-husband, 60, described the trauma in an impact statement during Friday's sentencing, according to a statement by the prosecutor's office.
"The convicted (person) viciously deprived me of part of my life and identity," the ex-husband told the court.
"Then, as is routine in cases of violence that involve something sexual, the victim must endure, at the hands of the defense, a second attack. This was a cruel and calculated violation of a person's body and mind. I now struggle with what is before me. She has torn off my identity as a man. She has caused doubt in my belief in good. She has betrayed my trust in people."
On April 29, a jury convicted Kieu of one felony count of torture, one felony count of aggravated mayhem, and a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a knife, prosecutors said.
The Vietnam-born Kieu is also known as Que Anh Tran, court papers said. She and her ex-husband had no children, divorce papers said.
During the trial, Kieu's attorney said she suffered mental health issues, including depression, and the lawyer argued she shouldn't be found guilty, the prosecutor's office said.
The Orange County case was widely compared to the1993 attack against John Wayne Bobbitt by his then-wife, Lorena, who cut off his penis with an 8-inch carving knife while he slept.
Lorena Bobbitt then drove away, tossing the penis out her car window. The penis was eventually found and surgically reattached.
Lorena Bobbitt was later found innocent by reason of insanity. During her testimony, she tearfully described her life at the hands of what she described as her abusive husband.
In a separate trial, John Wayne Bobbitt was acquitted of sexually assaulting his wife. He later made adult films.
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NPMA-33 Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report
WDI FX™ Pest Control Software includes the NPMA-33 Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report in the Inspection Module. The NPMA-33 Wood Destroying Insect Report is the form approved by HUD for FHA and VA loans and was developed by NPMA (National Pest Management Association).
- Paperless office
- Integrated Photo Pages (Photo Manager required)
- Store graphs digitally
- Addendum
- Finding and Recommendations Library
- Create pdf of finished reports to email
- Ability to store an unlimited number of reports
- Import/Export reports between users
- Dispatch digital reports to the field from the office (FX Connect required)
- Send completed reports to the office from the field (FX Connect required)
This easy to use form includes integrated photo pages (WDI FX Photo Manager required) and the ability to store optional graphs created with Windows Paint or our SmartDraw drawing program (see SmartDraw info below). In addition, the WDI FX NPMA-33 Report includes an Addendum which allows users to document property conditions that will not fit in the standard NPMA-33 form. Information can be entered manually or by using the built in Finding and Recommendations Library which ships with over 100 standard comments and can store an unlimited number of additional comments.
The WDI FX NPMA-33 Inspection Module works on any Windows® platform including desktops, laptops, Tablet and UltraMobile PC's®
In order to email NPMA-33 reports, WDI FX enables users to add the inspector's signature and state license number automatically to each report. To email an NPMA-33 report you simply click the "Print" button and then select "pdfFactory" as your printer (in fact, you may want to set pdfFactory as your default printer since you will no longer need to print or fax hard copies to your clients). pdfFactory enables you to view your NPMA-33 report as a PDF, print to another printer connected to your computer or email it to your client.
Site Drawing Software
See Graphs tab above for compatable drawing programs.


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(CNN) -- As the world looks for ways to help the victims of Haiti's earthquake, the FBI is now warning that there are also those who are looking for opportunities set up scams surrounding the latest disaster relief efforts.
The FBI advises that people should be very skeptical of any unsolicited appeals they receive or find on the Internet.
One month after Hurricane Katrina, the FBI said it was suspicious of most of the 4,600 Web sites soliciting money on behalf of those victims. Within an hour of the World Trade Center attacks, scam sites popped up on the Web according to ScamBusters.org.
At CNN's Impact Your World, you can find a list of list of Web sites of charities highly rated by CharityNavigator.org, an independent, nonprofit organization that evaluates and rates thousands of charity groups based on effectiveness and financial stability.
But Web sites are not the only way criminals try to get their hands on charity funds -- they might also send you an e-mail, a letter, phone you or even knock on your door.
Here are some tips from the FBI, Scam.Busters and the Better Business Bureau on how to make sure your money goes to people in need.
• Be skeptical if someone e-mails you or contacts you through social networking sites claiming to be a quake victim or a government or charity official and asks for donations, the FBI says. Also, the agency says, do not click on any links within those e-mails. And do not click on attached files labeled photos or video because they may contain viruses.
• It's OK to be suspicious. Ask for the name, phone number and address of the charity. The American Institute of Philanthropy says honest charities encourage you to know about them and respond to your questions. Also, request that they put the information in writing.
• However, do not give them your personal or financial information, because that may leave you vulnerable to identity theft.
• Don't be misled by a charity name that "sort of sounds familiar." Scammers may change one word in the title to trick you.
• Ask if the charity is registered with any organization and get the registration number. Check for the organization on Web sites such as the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, or Charity Navigator.org.
• Ask what percentage of the money you give actually reaches the needy. You also can designate how your donation is to be used.
• Don't ever donate cash. Make the check out to the name of the charity, not the person asking for money. And get a receipt with the name of the charity on it. Do NOT give your credit card number to telemarketers or use it on a Web site of a charity you have not checked out.
• If the person seeking your donation asks you to give more, that may be a sign that something is wrong. Legitimate charities are grateful, not demanding.


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Thirteen years ago, a team of researchers studying the Allan Hills meteorite found evidence that the rock might contain fossils of Martian bacteria. Now, fresh evidence makes a stronger case that Mars once contained life very similar to Earth bacteria.
Spaceflight Now is reporting that, within the next few days, NASA plans to publicly discuss new research concerning ALH 84001, the Martian meteorite found in Allan Hills, Antarctica. The research is said to strengthen the findings of the team that studied the meteorite over a decade ago and announced in 1996 that the meteorite might contain evidence of bacterial life.
The new research, detailed in a 46-page peer reviewed paper, looks at magnetic bacteria found on Earth. The researchers have closely studied magnetic bacteria and the formations they create in rocks. The bacteria leave distinctive remnants in the rock, uniquely-shaped magnetite crystals that test with a chemical purity that reflects biological, rather than geological, origins. That these remnants are unique to magnetic bacteria on Earth and are also found in the Allan Hills meteorite strongly suggests that the crystals indicate ancient bacterial life on Mars.
Critics of the original NASA report have doubted these features as reliable fossils, claiming that the shape and chemical purity could be achieved by the same thermal shock that separated the material from Mars in the first place. But new research reported in the paper disproves the thermal shock theory.
Spaceflight says that the new research isn't quite a "smoking gun," but it greatly strengthens the case for life on Mars, and could change the conversation about future NASA missions.
Martian meteorite surrenders new secrets of possible life [Spaceflight via Universe Today]


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Saturday, September 17, 2011
The LG Marquee Will Be Happening on Sprint Soon
Posted by Jon Westfall in "LG Android Phones" @ 04:30 AM
"It looks like Sprint's version of the LG Optimus Black -- dubbed the LG Marquee, we recently learned -- will bring a little less black than the global version, adopting a gray pinstripe for the back battery cover."
An interesting new version of the LG Optimus Black will be coming to Sprint soon. With an interesting battery cover (to say the least), it's a solid Android 2.3 offering on Big S.


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Women's Wigs
459 products
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Every woman deserves to look her very best. Shake up your style with The Wig Company's online selection of synthetic and human hair wigs for women. Here you'll find fashion-forward wig styles from top brands like Raquel Welch, Hairdo and more. And since 1969, The Wig Company has offered the legendary Gabor brand for our thousands of loyal customers. Shop our wigs online today.


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Schools are blunt about new pot law: Not on our campus
- State law says yes, federal law says no
- Colleges say they won't allow smoking pot on campus grounds
- Federal law may trump state legalization for many colleges
Social media is abuzz with future college students dreaming of doing bong hits openly on the greens of universities in Colorado and Washington state. But those dreams may go up in smoke.
"If someone thinks they are going to walk around campus smoking a joint, it's not going to happen," says University of Washington spokesman Norman Arkans.
Although voters in Colorado and Washington approved the legalization of marijuana, officials aren't expecting cannabis-welcoming changes in campus policy.
The federal government still considers marijuana illegal, and universities don't want to risk their federal funding for research or student financial aid.
"We don't see that it will change our policies very much," Arkans says. "We get caught in the vise between the state law and our obligations under the federal government. While it may be legal two blocks off campus, it will be illegal under federal law, so it will be illegal on campus."
Even the University of Colorado-Boulder, which tops Princeton Review's list of "Reefer Madness" schools, doesn't expect a change in policy anytime soon.
"We have a lot of sorting out to do," says University of Colorado-Boulder spokesman Bronson Hilliard.
The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act puts the university at risk for all of its federal funding if they knowingly and willingly allow illegal substance use on campus.
"Now the question is, 'Is that a federal definition or a state definition of illegal?'" Hilliard says. "We are already sorting through it now, but it's complex and it's going to take time."
Other universities, including the University of Denver and The Evergreen State College, are waiting to hear from lawyers and the government on how the ruling will affect them.
University of Denver spokeswoman Kim DeVigil said it's too soon to know how the school will handle the passage of the amendment.
"We are a smoke-free campus, so regardless you can't smoke in dorms, buildings or any grounds," she says. "We will comply with state, local and federal laws."
Under the Colorado and Washington laws, personal possession of up to an ounce of marijuana would be legal for anyone 21 and older. Cannabis would be sold and taxed at state-licensed stores.
In Colorado, a person could have up to six marijuana plants, but "grow-your-own" pot would be still be banned in Washington. Both states prohibit public use.
"You won't see a big influx of people who just want to go to school in these states just because they want to party. They already can go party," says Chris Conrad, who testifies in court as an expert witness on matters related to marijuana. "The age limit is 21, so until they are 21 it will not make a huge difference no matter what campus they are on."
Not everyone is hopeful that marijuana will make its way onto campus.
Craig Hirokawa, a University of Denver senior, voted against legalizing marijuana in Colorado.
"What sort of message are we sending if we're using pot money to fund education?" said the political science major.
Hirokawa, 22, of Parker, Colo., added that he doesn't think the new law will change the culture at the University of Denver or lead to an influx of drug users enrolling in the school.
"They would have to wait three years to be able to smoke," he said, referring to the fact that people must be 21 to buy pot.
His opposition to the amendment may be the minority view on campus. At a university election-watch party Hirokawa attended Tuesday, most students seemed happy with the results, he said.
"I find it difficult to believe that universities are all of the sudden going to cannabis-friendly coffee shops on campus," High Times editor in chief Chris Simunek says. "I think for universities it is going to be best for them to look the other way, like they have been doing for years."
Simunek doesn't expect the change to draw students any more than they are already attracted to schools in Colorado and Washington.
"Any student who is really interested in marijuana already knows that these are easy towns and easy states to find marijuana," he says. "Kids shouldn't choose their college by how good the herb is."
CONTRIBUTING: Yamiche Alcindor


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Wednesday, August 16, 2017
5:30pm – 6:30pm
Waterbury Campus
99 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06702
It is extremely important that prospective students make informed choices regarding the selection of an graduate program, and attending an infosession is a valuable way to gather the missing pieces.
UConn's graduate business infosessions are an ideal opportunity to learn first-hand about our highly ranked programs, meet with admissions representatives, and hear from some of our faculty members. It's also a great way to get acquainted with the campus and see where you would be attending classes.
This infosession will present information about the part-time MBA program.
Online registration is available at: http://s.uconn.edu/3np
Graduate Business Programs (primary), Graduate School - Events, School of Business, School of Business Part-time MBA Program, UConn Master Calendar, Waterbury Campus
Submit Event
Thank you for submitting an event.
Please check your email for more information.


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America's Best: Top 10 Comfort Foods
Food Network Magazine names the best comfort food in the US.
©dave lauridsen 2010
Alton Dishes on the Top Comfort Food Spots
Alton Brown delivers Food Network Magazine's picks for the top comfort food spots in the country. Check out this sneak peek of the finalists, then tune in September 20 to 23, 2010, at 9 p.m. ET, when Alton will reveal the winners.
Best No-Nonsense Pizza: Lucali, Brooklyn
No pasta. No vino. All you can get here are pizzas and calzones. New Yorkers don't mind in fact, they wait up to two hours for them. Owner Mark Iacono (who made his very first pie when he opened this place) lets his dough rise for two days then rolls it out with a wine bottle and tops it with his grandma's sauce. 575 Henry St., Brooklyn, NY; 718-858-4086
Loveless Cafe, Nashville
Lon and Annie Loveless opened this spot in 1951 as a Grand Ole Opry hangout, and although ownership has changed, Annie's biscuit recipe hasn't. The buttery, fluffy rounds come as a side with every meal, but it's a crime not to get them as the main event, with eggs, country ham and red-eye gravy. 8400 Hwy. 100, Nashville, TN
Boise Fry Co., Boise, ID
The slogan is "Burgers on the side": This place is all about fries. You can name your cut, your potato type (like Okinawas from Hawaii) and your toppings (like chipotle aioli or smoked sea salt). You can create just about any combo, but you can't get your fries naked they're all cut with the skin on. 111 Broadway, Suite 111, Boise, ID
Scarpetta, Miami Beach, FL, and New York City
Great chefs know not to mess with Mom's recipes. Chef Scott Conant serves his spaghetti the old-fashioned way no meatballs, no fancy garnishes, just perfect freshly made pasta, hand-mashed tomato sauce like his mother used to make and olive oil infused with basil and hot pepper.
Famous 4th Street Delicatessen, Philadelphia
Russ Cowan comes from four generations of Jewish deli owners, so when he took over this famous spot five years ago, he didn't hesitate to add his family's chicken soup to the menu. Each bowl is loaded with chicken, carrots, matzo balls, kreplach (beef brisket in dough), noodles, rice and kasha. It's meant for two to three people, but fans claim to eat it by themselves.
Watershed Restaurant, Decatur, GA
Edna Lewis, the face of Southern cooking before she died in 2006, helped create this restaurant's amazing fried chicken recipe: Fry master Laura Mares soaks the chicken in buttermilk for two days and fries it in lard, butter and fat from a country ham. Plan your visit: It's sold only on Tuesdays. 406 West Ponce De Leon Ave., Decatur, GA
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Las Vegas
We're guessing renowned chef Joel Robuchon's mashed potatoes are one big reason his chain of L'Atelier restaurants has exploded around the globe. The "pommes puree" are insanely decadent, as if the potatoes couldn't possibly hold any more butter. At the MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV
Best Real-Deal Burrito: La Taqueria, San Francisco
There is much debate over whether La Taqueria invented Mission-style burritos, but there's little debate about how great they taste. Try the lengua (tongue) or the carnitas: The meat is smothered with refried pinto beans and pico de gallo. La Taqueria never adds rice, and you'll never miss it. 2889 Mission St.; 415-285-7117
Zingerman's Roadhouse, Ann Arbor, MI
At this restaurant companion to the popular mail-order food catalog, you'll find at least five awesome takes on mac and cheese. Start with the classic (made with aged Vermont cheddar) and return to try all the others. The chefs cook each batch to order in a cast-iron skillet, so it arrives with a nice caramelized crust. 2501 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor, MI
The Foundry on Melrose, Los Angeles
Every year, Los Angeles hosts The Grilled Cheese Invitational for 7,000 hungry fans, and Eric Greenspan's unusual entry taleggio, slow-braised short ribs, oven-dried tomatoes and apricot-caper puree on raisin bread took the prize two years ago. He put it on the menu here, and we think it's still a winner. 7465 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA


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But why??? Because it must! I must return to my children, husband and family before they send out a search party.
I had so much fun here in the DC area with cousins and my niece Leslie.
Last Wednesday I flew up to DC and had literally had my head in the clouds, the day was absolutely beautiful looking at the clouds.
Last Thursday, I went to the DAR headquarters and did research, and found out I have a total of eight American Patriots.
On Dad's side of the family, I have Thomas Bullard.
On Mom's side of the family I have Isaac Ball, Jacob Dennard, John Smith Jr., Abraham Neighbours, William Hooks, John Roberts and Godfrey Shelton.
So amazing! And the good thing was I was able to copy things out of their files like on Lt. Jacob Dennard for instance, I now have a copy of the original pay stubs from the American Revolution. Top that! 🙂 Of course I also collected wills, bible records, and general information about the family. I think the DAR headquarters is one of the best sources around for genealogical information.
Then on Friday I went to the National Archives and pulled and actually held in my hand a copy of the muster rolls for Sanford Higginbotham from the Indian Creek Wars in 1836.
I also held in my hand a copy of the muster rolls from the war of 1812 for my great-grandfather Ben Martin.
Then on Saturday, Leslie and I hung around her apartment and watched Six Feet Under all day while working on genealogy and cleaning and organizing some things in her apartment. Well, mostly she did that but I did assist a bit. It was a good day at any rate.
Then, on Sunday, we went and got pedicures and drove to Fredericksburg, VA to meet our Hooker cousin. Ok, close your mouth, not a real Hooker, a cousin with the surname Hooker. As a family with "Hooker" as a surname of my Ancestors, I'd truly like to thank Gen. Joseph Hooker for ruining the good name and making it feel dirty to say. Doucher. I mean, the whole time we were there talking, it was just awkward to talk about Hookers in front of Jamie's children. I wish I would have gotten a picture of all of us together, but I forgot! How stupid! Anyway, we figured out we are 3rd cousins 2x removed and we all had a great time visiting and getting to know each other. I really look forward to getting to know Jamie and her husband a lot better.
Then, on Monday, I met up with my 3rd cousin Jim Marsh and we headed over to 3rd cousin John Dawson's house in McLean, VA where we spent the day scanning photos and other family documents from the Ball side of my family. It was totally awesome and John surprised me with a video he had taken interviewing his grandmother, Gladys Ball Gregg back in 1985. To hear her talk about family and my ancestors, was truly a treat. With John's permission I will be sharing some of that soon! This is John and his lovely wife Ann.
This was a favorite find of mine, a picture of my great Aunt Dorothy with Jim's mother Bonnie Harkness Marsh. I love both of these women.
Then on Tuesday, Jim and I met back up and we back to the DAR for a bit, and then Jim left and went to visit some other cousins, and I went to the Smithsonian American History Museum and back to the National Archives for a while and just killed time until Leslie got off work. Then we had a nice dinner, and went to a movie. A rocking movie theater with recliners. How fun and relaxing!
Now, today I'm packing up and will spend the day traveling by planes, trains and automobiles. Let's just hope I have an easier time than John Candy did.


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LORAC Multiplex 3D Lip Gloss Review, Photos, Swatches (Cliche, Intermix)
LORAC Multiplex Lipgloss: Intermix, Cliche
Move Over Dazzleglass!
LORAC Multiplex 3D Lip Gloss ($22.00 for 0.17 oz.) is an ultra shimmering, light-reflecting non-sticky lipgloss that gives MAC's Dazzleglass a run for its money. Giving you nearly three times as much product for $4 more, Multiplex just might dazzle your socks off.
It has a lightweight feel with just the right level of thickness–it's not so thin that you need to keep going back for more, but it's not so thick that it feels gooey. There's no tackiness either, but despite the non-sticky feel, it still lasts a good two to three hours on me–which is average to a little above average for me. A lot of the non-sticky glosses I try tend to disappear in an hour's time, which I definitely find frustrating.
These glosses are also moisturizing–they don't dry out lips, even when worn alone, and in fact, my lips feel pretty good after wearing one for several hours. There is a very faint sweetly citrus scent, but I had a tough time detecting it enough to settle on a descriptor for it. Packaging is so-so — it looks cute, but it feels a little cheap in my hand. Not super cheap, but it doesn't feel as nice as Dazzleglass.
- Cliche is a semi-sheer fuchsia pink. It has a very sheer, pale pink base, but it's full of fuchsia and iridescent shimmer that it gives it a much fuller coverage look.
- Intermix is a browned nude base with peach-copper shimmer and sheen. I think this would be a really flattering everyday shade for those with warmer skin tones.
According to LORAC, the glosses contain holographic pigments, which is where the dazzling, shimmering, and glistening comes in. They have this rich, glossy sheen mixed with flashes of iridescence and lots of microshimmer. It doesn't feel like shimmer or glitter, so even when it fades, it's not gritty. The way the shimmer works is that it almost delivers the color of the lipgloss, rather than the gloss itself. Very cool!
I really loved this gloss–great texture, look, and feel–and I hope LORAC will release many more shades in the future.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 🙂
- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you love the way MAC Dazzleglass shimmers and shines but find yourself running through a tube too quickly, Multiplex offers the fun, shimmering, dazzling look with a non-sticky, lightweight texture with more pigmentation to boot!
AVAILABILITY: Sephora
LORAC Multiplex Lipgloss: Intermix, Cliche
LORAC Multiplex Lipgloss: Intermix, Cliche
LORAC Multiplex Lipgloss: Cliche
LORAC Cliche Multiplex Lipgloss
LORAC Multiplex Lipgloss: Cliche
LORAC Multiplex Lipgloss: Intermix
LORAC Intermix Multiplex Lipgloss
LORAC Multiplex Lipgloss: Intermix


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Switzerland's Anti-PowerPoint Party
I know plenty of people love PowerPoint, but I personally can't stand it and apparently, I'm not alone. There's a whole political party in Switzerland dedicated to having it banned within the country's borders. According to their completely unverifiable statistics:
The use of the presentation software costs the Swiss economy approximately 2.1 billion Swiss Francs a year (US $2.5billion). They base their calculation on reportedly unverified assumptions about the number of employees that attend PowerPoint presentations weekly, and the assumption that these presentations hold no value for 85% of attendees thus costing companies money from the loss of productive work hours.
While it's a little over the top to ban the software outright, I completely respect their movement. Then again, if they ban PowerPoint, another political party will have to spring up to ban long, boring meetings without visual presentations.
[Image courtesy of dotpolka's Flickr stream.]


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Welcome! We've asked authors Lisa Mason and Laura Vosika to talk with us about their time travel books.
Lisa Mason is the author of Summer of Love, A Time Travel, and The Gilded Age, A Time Travel. Summer of Love was a Philip K. Dick Award Finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book. Locus Magazine said, "Remarkable. . .the intellect on display within these psychedelically packaged pages is clear-sighted, witty, and wise." The Gilded Age was a New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended Book. The New York Times Book Review called The Gilded Age, "A winning mixture of intelligence and passion."
Laura Vosika is the author of Blue Bells of Scotland, lauded as a book in the vein of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, and earning many five-star reviews. Nan Hawthorne, author of historical fiction, called Blue Bells of Scotland one of her favorite books of the year. The praise was echoed by Robert Mattos of Book and Movie Reviews, adding that it is a must-have for the book shelves of any serious reader. The Minstrel Boy, Book Two in The Blue Bells Chronicles, is also out.
Q: Do your time travelers have to observe certain rules of time travel or do they get into trouble?
Lisa: Of course they get into trouble! And there are sanctions and restrictions my time travelers must observe, starting with the classic "grandfather paradox;" if you traveled back in time and killed your own grandfather, you wouldn't exist in the first place to go do the deed. Then there's the "butterfly principle," in which a time traveler goes back to a primordial jungle and accidentally kills a butterfly, changing all of reality.
Both Summer of Love and The Gilded Age begin with stringent "Tenets of the Grandmother Principle," supervised by the Luxon Institute for Superluminal Applications, a far-future bureaucracy. Please go to the books to see what they are.
Like many authors before me, I played with these concepts and their ramifications, adding quantum physics into the mix. Under the Uncertainty Principle, the observer changes the observed, proven in the famous experiment in which a photon appears as a wave or a particle depending on how the experimenter sets up her observational apparatus.
I wanted to add another favorite trope of science fiction authors—that a sweeping and seemingly beneficial technology can go terribly wrong. Consider the automobile, a technology which has given us freedom and mobility unprecedented in pre-car history, reliable distribution and delivery of goods, and a lot of enjoyment. Cars have also blighted the landscape, caused us to be dependent on foreign oil, caused pollution, injury, and death, and alienated people. I explored the notion that the far-future technology of "tachyportation," which could be employed to colonize planets and right historical wrongs, had sweeping unintended consequences.
Laura: Throughout Blue Bells of Scotland, Shawn and Niall have no idea what they're dealing with. Niall, being from 1314, has no concept of Grandfather Concepts or of changing history. He gets Amy to help him research what happened to his people at Bannockburn–in her world, the history says they all died–and he doesn't care much about changing her present or anyone's future. He cares only about saving the people he loves.
Shawn, for his part, spends his first few days in medieval Scotland in a wilderness that looks much like parts of present-day Scotland. He is not aware of just how badly off track his life has gone, and even if he had been, he cares only about his own pleasure. Once he does understand that he's not in his own time, his only motivation is survival and getting back where–make that when–he belongs, to safety.
In The Minstrel Boy, these ideas are delved into a little more, but my characters are dealing with something unheard of, something nobody else knows about, and something of which they have very little understanding. There's no machine, no control, no bureaucracy, no answers to any of their questions. Their motivation continues to be mainly survival and setting their own lives right.
Thanks to Lisa Mason and Laura Vosika for a lively and thought-provoking discussion. If you, the reader, wish to join the discussion or have any questions or comments for our authors, feel free to contact them at their websites.
And please buy their books! Like them, review them, add stars, blog them, post them, Tweet them, and share the word with your friends. Your participation really matters.
We thank you for your readership!
Summer Of Love (a Philip K. Dick Award Finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book). On BarnesandNoble, US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo. On Kindle in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands.
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The Gilded Age (a New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended Book). On BarnesandNoble, US Kindle, Canada Kindle, UK Kindle, Apple, Kobo, and Smashwords. On Kindle in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico, and Netherlands. Back in Print in July!
Visit Lisa Mason at Lisa Mason's Official Website for books, ebooks, stories, and screenplays, forthcoming projects and more. And on my Facebook Author Page, on Amazon, on my Facebook Profile Page, on Goodreads, on LinkedIn, on Twitter at @lisaSmason, and at Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
For urban fantasy, science fiction, fantasy, romantic suspense, humor, and a screenplay, visit the Virtual Bookstore! All Lisa Mason Titles, All Links, All Readers, Worldwide. NYT Notable Book Author
Blue Bells of Scotland is on Kindle, Nook, itunes, and at Smashwords, and The Minstrel Boy, Book Two in The Blue Bells Chronicles, is on Kindle.
Visit Laura Vosika on the web at www.bluebellstrilogy.com or www.facebook.com/laura.vosika.author.
If you missed the first three Time Travel Blogs, please find Blog 1 (Introduction) at https://lisamasontheauthor.com/2017/07/15/lisa-mason-talks-time-travel-with-laura-vosika-part-1-sfwapro-timetravel-novel-1960s-1890s/
Blog 2 (Social Commentary) at https://lisamasontheauthor.com/2017/07/16/lisa-mason-talks-time-travel-with-laura-vosika-part-2-social-commentary-sfwapro-timetravel-sciencefiction-womenssciencefiction-socialcommentary/
Blog 3 (Time Machines) https://lisamasontheauthor.com/2017/07/17/lisa-mason-talks-time-travel-with-laura-vosika-part-3-time-machines-and-thin-spots-sfwapro-timetravel-womenssciencefiction-timemachines/


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Darin St. George: Many layers to building fitness
I have just come from a million Easter egg hunts and have had just about enough of jelly beans, Hershey's kisses and chocolate bunnies.
My daughters look like princesses, have enough candy to sink a battleship, and they've deposited dear old dad in front of the computer before hopping off into the sunset.
Trainer X does not consider fitness to be a bowling ball: one-layered and landing with a thud when dropped. Rather, I have referred to it time and again as an onion; multilayered and delicate, with many fragile parts that need to fit together to form a greater whole. Let's examine the many levels upon which you can build your body and how you can combine them to really start cooking (my last egg pun, I promise!).
You've got to have heart to start. If you told me 15 years ago that I would be running the Boston Marathon, I would have asked you what you were smoking. Now, I'm running like mental and my heart has never been in better shape, and it is having exponential effects on all facets of my fitness. I finally get it: your heart is the most important muscle in your body. It will take your body to its limit, but only if you keep it strong and take care of it every day.
If a relationship doesn't bend it will break. Ah, flexibility -- the classic practice of the past that everyone "used to do." I can attest to that; I'm one of them. Throughout my career I have performed the same stretching program for 15 minutes before each workout. Stretch and warm up before, during and after your workouts, and you'll stay in the game longer.
Build and support your progress with a solid foundation. No big explanation here; resistance training is for everyone. Your body is designed to lose muscle and gain fat, and if you want to be fit and lean, you must lift like your life depends on it. In fact, it does.
If you're not on a diet, you're off a diet. And when you go "off a diet," what happens? You gain weight. I know one thing to be undeniably true when it comes to fitness: When you strip your nutrition down to exactly what you need to eat, you will be "as fit as a butcher's dog," as my mate Lee says. Diet is everything, people, so stop fighting it and shut your mouth.
Let's call all things equal and say that each of these items play an identical part in your fitness. Combine all four and you're working on all cylinders. If you put all four of these eggs in your basket, you will have one tasty egg-white omelet (oops!).
Darin St. George is a personal fitness coach at Gold's Gym in Natick, Mass. Visit his Web site at www.myspace.com/darinstgeorge.


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My grandfather William George Growdon died 60 years ago, and today we visited his grave in Stellawood Cemetery, Durban for the first time in more than 30 years. My grandmother, Janet McCartney Growdon, born Hannan, had died two years earlier, and they were buried in the same grave as my Uncle Willie, whom I never met, who was killed in a motorbike accident before I was born.
William George Growdon (known as George) was born in Cornwall and came to the Cape Colony at the age of 3, where his father William Matthew Growdon worked on the Cape Government Railways as a platelayer in the Eastern Cape. George became an engine driver on the railways, until he was injured in an accident at Drummond, Natal, after which he worked in the railway stores at Greyville.
Janet McCartney Hannan was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and met George Growdon in Transvaal, and they were married at Waterval Boven in 1909. Their grave is very near the highest point of Stellawood cemetery, and it seems that the dead have one of the best views in Durban.
Filed under: family history, genealogical research, Growden family | Tagged: Add new tag, Durban, George Growdon, Growden family, Growdon family, Janet Growdon, monumental inscriptions, Stellawood Cemetery, Willie Growdon | 1 Comment »


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VIDEOS: Prosecutor says Keith Luke planned to commit rape, torture and murder in Brockton
Ball gags. Handcuffs. Hammers. Hatchets. Long knives. Box cutters. A sledgehammer. An ax. Medical devices. Restraining tools. Evidence found in accused killer Keith Luke's bedroom, in his van, and in the victims' house show he planned to rape, torture and ultimately murder his victims in 2009, a prosecutor said Tuesday as Luke's trial began in Plymouth County Superior Court.
The items "are sexually sadistic and meant for rape and torture" and were ordered by Luke online – using his mother's credit card – about 90 days before the slayings, prosecutor Frank Middleton said.
"It goes to show planning for months," Middleton said in asking Judge Frank Gaziano to allow the state to include the evidence during the trial, which is expected to last three weeks.
Luke's attorney, Joseph Krowski Jr., did not object.
Luke, now 26, is accused of carrying out a hate-filled plan on Jan. 21, 2009, killing two people and critically injuring another before a car chase and shoot-out with police that had bystanders ducking for cover.
A self-proclaimed white supremacist who once came to court with a swastika etched into his forehead, Luke appeared in court Tuesday in manacles and an orange jail jumpsuit.
He didn't have to wear either for long.
Gaziano ruled before jury selection began that Luke could change clothes and appear before potential jurors without the hand and leg restraints.
Luke's mother drove to the courthouse during a recess to drop off his clothes, but the pants didn't fit him, officials said. He wore a white T-shirt and his orange prison pants during jury selection.
Luke looked dramatically different than at previous court appearances. He was once bearded, weighed about 300 pounds and had the Nazi swastika carved into his forehead.
On Tuesday, Luke was much thinner and more muscular, had no beard and had a clean-shaven head with several red pockmarks. The swastika has mostly disappeared.
Luke was escorted to court and guarded by at least seven court security and sheriff's department officers.
Luke will have his fate decided by a Plymouth County Superior Court jury.
Six jurors – one man and five women – were selected on Tuesday. Jury selection was to continue today.
Luke at times frowned, grinned and smirked during jury selection. At one point, he made a face at an Enterprise photographer.
Several police officers, doctors, nurses and witnesses are scheduled to testify during the trial.
The judge allowed motions by prosecutors to admit 911 calls made to authorities as the events transpired on Jan. 21, 2009.
Gaziano also allowed motions to admit some of Luke's jail calls and physical evidence taken from the crime scenes and Luke's bedroom.
The judge denied a motion by prosecutors to allow testimony from Luke's former neighbor who, prosecutors said, had also been targeted by Luke several months before the murders.
Authorities allege Luke gunned down Selma Goncalves, 20, and Arlindo Goncalves, 72, who are not related, and shot a third person, who survived and whom he is charged with raping. All of the victims are of Cape Verdean descent.
Luke is also accused of shooting at bystanders who came to the aid of Selma Goncalves as she lay dying outside her house on Clinton Street. Luke was arrested that afternoon after a car chase and shootout with police. He has been jailed since the slayings.
On May 6, 2009, Luke was arraigned in Plymouth Superior Court on 18 charges, including two counts of murder, six counts of armed assault with intent to murder, armed kidnapping with sexual assault and four counts of aggravated rape.
At that arraignment, that he appeared with the swastika on his forehead, stunning those in the courtroom.
On Tuesday, his attorney said he may pursue an insanity defense.
"It's a strong possibility," Krowski said.
Luke has been held predominantly in a special unit at the Plymouth County House of Correction. Tighter security measures were put into place after Luke allegedly attacked a psychiatrist at the Plymouth jail in 2010.
Maria Papadopoulos may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow on Twitter @MariaP_ENT.
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Money Math: Lessons for Life
Money Math: Lessons for Life is a four-lesson curriculum supplement for middle school math classes, teaching grade 7-9 math concepts using real-life examples from personal finance. The 86-page book is a teacher's guide with lesson plans, reproducible activity pages, and teaching tips. A teacher needs only one copy of Money Math: Lessons for Life to teach several classes of students.
Free to teachers, Money Math: Lessons for Life was developed by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in accordance with national school mathematics standards. The lessons were tested in Missouri schools and received rave reviews. Teachers need not be experts in personal finance to use Money Math in the classroom; questions and answers are clearly provided in the book.
A second printing of Money Math: Lessons for Life is now available. It is co-sponsored by a group of four generous partners who provided monetary grants and in-kind assistance to the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. Many thanks to:
- Citigroup
- Department of the Treasury
- Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy
- University of Missouri-St. Louis
For more information, contact us.
Download a copy of Money Math: Lessons for Life (PDF file, 3.13MB, uploaded 02/27/08).
Download individual lessons of Money Math: Lessons for Life:
Introduction and Correlations (PDF file, 225K, uploaded 02/27/08)
The Secret to Becoming a Millionaire (PDF file, 316K, uploaded 02/27/08)
Wallpaper Woes (PDF file, 210K, uploaded 02/27/08)
Math and Taxes – A Pair to Count On (PDF file, 293K, uploaded 02/27/08)
Spreading the Budget (PDF file, 326K, uploaded 02/27/08)
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More on Money Math: Lessons for Life:
- Quotes from Teachers and Educators
- Links to Personal Financial Education Resources
- Slide Show (PPS file, 525K, uploaded 02/27/08) introducing Teachers to Money Math