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D-backs pitch in for Ronald McDonald House
Montero on hand for playground dedication at nearby Phoenix facility
PHOENIX -- When Miguel Montero first came to the United States in 2002, he joined the D-backs organization's rookie-level entry in Missoula, Mont., and stayed with a host family as he assimilated to life in America. It was there that the young Venezuelan first encountered the Ronald McDonald House, as one of the children in his new "family" got sick and needed to use its services.
Though the young girl passed away in 2007, Montero has never forgotten how meaningful that organization was to his host family and Friday morning, he joined the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation in dedicating a brand new playground at the Ronald McDonald House of Phoenix just a few miles from Chase Field.
"This means a lot and it's just a great feeling to see these kids smiling and having a great time," said Montero, who was joined by his wife, mother and mother-in-law at the ribbon cutting ceremony. "I've been blessed and I want to help others. I've been here a few times in the past and to see what the Diamondbacks did and all the work that the D-backs employees put into this, it's amazing."
Using a $50,000 financial contribution from Montero and the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation, a group of D-backs employees from the D-backs Give Back League undertook the renovations of the playground, which is modeled after Chase Field. It features a baseball diamond with a replica of Montero at home plate and the walls are padded just like the outfield at Chase Field. The project also included new lighting, fans, a mister system, grilling area, patio furniture and landscaping.
The Ronald McDonald House provides temporary housing for families that travel to Phoenix to get care for their children. The city has become a medical destination for children dealing with everything from oncology to premature birth and RMHC becomes a "home away from home" for them, according to executive director Nancy Roach.
"The Ronald McDonald House is something that's become close to our hearts," said D-backs senior marketing and media specialist Rayme Lofgren, whose Give Back League team coordinated the project. "Just seeing the kids playing on the playground before the ribbon cutting, they were really excited to have something positive to look forward to during the unfortunate situation that they're going through."
It's all part of the D-backs' overall approach to being a part of the community during good times and bad.
"We're not always going to win on the field and this year, of course, we didn't make it to the playoffs, but this is winning as well," said D-backs president and CEO Derrick Hall. "This is only possible because of the generosity of our employees and Miguel Montero, who gets it. The more that we can do for the community, in particularly families and young kids, the greater our opportunity will be to have a lasting effect for years to come."


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mark Zandi has more riding on this week's U.S. labor data than most other economists.
The chief economist of Moody's Analytics is helping to overhaul the ADP report on hiring by U.S. companies. It is a closely watched report but it often proves to be out of line with the government's jobs numbers reported two days later, probably the most important U.S. economic indicator.
As part of the surprise revamp announced by Automatic Data Processing Inc (ADP.O) in October, the report now has a more explicit mission statement: it will seek to predict not what the government data will look like 48 hours later, but rather what the revised third reading of the official jobs number will be when it is released two months later.
If ADP's change is successful, it will provide a reliable precursor of the Labor Department's official figures and could capture an upswing in hiring earlier than the government numbers, which would mark an important turning point in the economic recovery.
Trying to narrow what has sometimes been a wide gap between the two reports may put Zandi's reputation on the line.
"Now I'm sweating about Wednesday," Zandi said with laugh, referring to the ADP release on Dec 5.
The people behind the numbers say they are trying to achieve two things: their newly stated target, and to come up with a report that can stand on its own as a "true" look at private sector employment.
"I suspect there will be months when we have turning points and ADP is out ahead of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and we may come under criticism for not being close to the BLS number," said Zandi.
Moody's Analytics was brought on to replace ADP's previous partner Macroeconomic Advisers, which co-developed the report with ADP in 2006. Modifications to the methodology include using a larger number of companies and changing some outside economic data used in the modeling.
Differences between the jobs numbers from ADP and those from the government have varied widely. ADP either overshot or underestimated the first payrolls reading by an average of 57,000 a month from January through September, the last month that ADP used the old methodology, according to IFR Markets, a unit of Thomson Reuters.
On the other hand, the jobs data from the government gets revised on a monthly and annual basis, often significantly. The annual revisions tend to push up payroll readings during times of job growth and lower the figures in times of job losses, according to IFR.
ADP tested its new model on data going back to 2001 and found it had a very high correlation of 96 percent with the private sector component of the revised government figures.
After only one report so far using the new method, it's too soon to see how well the data matches up in real time, and whether it can assuage critics of its past performance.
"If ADP didn't come out before the payroll data, no one would use it at all or ever look at it," said Paul Dales, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics in London.
Wall Street continues to look for ADP to be its crystal ball, something that ADP is aware of even with its new focus on the third reading of the government numbers.
To that end, the firm is experimenting with the idea of slicing the data to come up with another figure that would predict the first reading, Zandi said.
"Ultimately, I think we'll be judged by how close the ADP number is to the BLS over time," said Zandi.
Another possibility is to release weekly data, he said, and regional data looking at big metropolitan areas will be implemented soon.
Jan Siegmund, ADP's new chief financial officer who has been involved with the report since its beginnings, said the revised methodology should make the index quicker to spot changes in the pace of hiring.
"At least that's the hope. We haven't seen the change in momentum yet," he said.
The people working on the data say it is a more complete, real-time report because ADP culls its data all the way up until the weekend before its report, unlike the Labor Department which conducts a survey up until a cut-off date that is in the middle of the month it is reporting on.
"I have always thought in the back of my mind that maybe we should be listening more to ADP and less to the government data," said Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at ConvergEx Group in New York.
"I understand they're not a good forecast of the Friday number, but it's a really big and robust sample and I do believe there's value in looking at it."
It is likely to take months before it is clear how well the new ADP survey is tracking the government payrolls report. Catching a change in momentum is particularly difficult given all the moving parts, said Brian Bethune, professor of economics at Gordon College.
"I think it's a heroic attempt but I think it's unrealistic to think that they can do better than Macroeconomic Advisers did."
Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Lisa Shumaker

subset: commoncrawl


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Buehrle 2011: 4.8 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 45% GBs, .291 BABIP, 72% LOB, 3.58 ERA, 4.14 xFIP
Buehrle Career: 5.0 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 46% GBs, .291 BABIP, 72% LOB, 3.83 ERA, 4.22 xFIP
Almost mirror images, right? [Mark] Buehrle is right on his career averages this season and he does this practically every single season, like clockwork. He is Jeff Suppan-esque in his consistency except he doesn't stink. [Mark] Buehrle has tallied right around 46 WAR over 12 seasons and almost always produces 3.5-4.5 per season. Even his worst season was still league average by our standards here. …
Sign him Jerry! 2/25 may be enough. It doesn't seem like Mark wants more years.


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The story is based on the 2004 novel - These Foolish Things - written by Deborah Moggach. There is an element of adult romance too inside the story. There is even a sequel - The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - that was released in early this year.
|The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Quote
Well, yes you are right. I'm on my way to Delhi. As you may have known, to visit Dharamsala and to meet Dalai Lama has been my dream since long time ago. And now, since I have lots of time and chance, I'll take a risk and do the change to make my dreams come true.
|The only real failure is the failure to try
It doesn't matter I could meet him or not now although I keep my hopes high. But there won't be attachment to it, because at least, I try, and take the risk.
|Everything will be all right in the end :)
And just like the above quote saying, "Everything will be all right in the end. If it is not all right, then it's not yet the end." ;) So, we shall see the outcome. Keep my finger crossed and hope for the best! Your prayers and best wishes are appreciated! Welcome to India!!! ^^
P.S. All quotes were taken from Google.com


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Though the second season of AMC's acclaimed zombie-centric series The Walking Dead won't hit the air until this Halloween, we already have our first look at the second season of powerful drama (and yes, we know it's not the image above). Though it's nothing more than your standard zombie image, the eyes on the walker at the forefront of the image just creep me the hell out. Frank Darabont provides some publicity fluff with the photo by saying, "At this moment, I'm standing on a stretch of post-apocalypse interstate in Georgia, littered with abandoned cars and blessing my good luck to be reunited with our amazing cast, and our fantastic directors and crew. Across the board, there are none better. It's great to be shooting again. I think we've embarked on a great season." Plenty of viewers, myself included, can't wait to see what happens when the second season takes off in October. See the first look at the second season of The Walking Dead after the jump.
Click on the image to see it in high resolution.


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If you're yet to make the jump to Blu-ray then LG has got a stylish treat in store: a DVD recorder with integrated hard disk drive and Freeview+ support.
LG's RHT497H: records Freeview telly onto its 160GB HDD
The RHT497H can receive over 40 digital Freeview channels - each of which you'll be able to pause, play and rewind live – and sports a 160GB HDD, enough for over 470 hours of telly.
You can schedule the unit to record your favourite programmes up to eight days in advance, while "series link functionality" tells it to record a show's entire season.
This is where the Super Multi DVD drive recorder comes in handy, of course, because you're then able to archive your recordings onto disc. Sixty minutes of content takes about 27 seconds to record, LG said.
Upscales to 1080p
RHT497H's other technical highlights include 1080p up-scaling through an HDMI connection, DivX movie playback, optical output to a home cinema system and a USB port for connecting up peripherals, such as a digital camera.
The RHT497H is finished in high-gloss black with a silver trim and is available now, priced at about £300 ($492/€346). ®
Sponsored: Webcast: Discover and secure all of your attack surface


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Denise Ricahrds has opened up about the difficulties of raising five children as a single mother after taking in her ex-husband CHARLIE SHEEN's twin boys.
Richards is looking after the actor's two-year-old sons, Bob and Max, while their mother Brooke Mueller is in a rehabilitation clinic, and the former Bond girl also has three girls – Sam and Lola by Sheen, and adopted daughter Eloise.
Richards insists she didn't have to think twice about helping Sheen out with his parenting duties, telling Us Weekly magazine, "You just figure it out because you don't have a choice. You have these children depending on you. You prioritize. I had children because I want to be a parent, and I want to be there for them. I think my biggest challenge is their different activities sometimes overlap. I have a good schedule going. You just manage."
The 42 year old also admits her relationship with the former "Two and a Half Men" star has improved over the years since their divorce in 2006.
She adds, "My situation with Charlie is… so much better. There are a lot of feelings and emotions there, but at the end of the day, our daughters benefit from us getting along, and (I do), too. I don't want to have an unhealthy relationship with him, something toxic with a lot of animosity. Life's too short for that. We actually enjoy hanging out, and we enjoy being with the kids."


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National Hurricane Center
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Hurricane Katrina of 2005 produced the highest storm surge ever recorded on the U.S. coast--an astonishing 27.8 feet at Pass Christian, Mississippi. This bested the previous U.S. record of 22.8 feet, which also occurred at Pass Christian, during 1969's Hurricane Camille. According to the NHC Katrina final report (PDF File), Hurricane Katrina brought a surge of 24 - 28 feet to a 20-mile stretch of Mississippi coast. Fully 90 miles of coast from eastern Louisiana to Alabama received a storm surge characteristic of a Category 3 hurricane. The colossal damage that resulted has been documented by blogger Margie Kieper during a series of blog posts that ran in the summer of 2006. The contents are reproduced here, and consist of an introduction explaining why the surge was so large, and 16 parts exploring the damage done to each stretch of the Gulf Coast ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Figure 1. Maximum height of the storm surge above each grid cell in NOAA's SLOSH model for Hurricane Katrina of 2005. This image does not show the height above mean sea level of the surge, but rather how high the surge was above the surface. The simulated surge values compare well with the actual surge heights compiled on FEMA's web site.
Hurricane Katrina Storm Surge:
Weather Underground Storm Surge Articles
Storm Surge Safety Actions
Source: NOAA
National Hurricane Center
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Storm Surge
Tropical Storm Outlooks
Monthly Hurricane Summaries
Tropical Weather Discussions:
Other Tropical Imagery
Aircraft Reconnaissance Reports
Blank Tracking Charts


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Hi all,
We are extremely pleased to announce that this year's Master Builder is Brother Steven!
There were several builders with a high number of extremely stong submissions this year, including (in no particular order) (actually in alphabetical order): Cesbrick, Disco, Legonardo, Soccerkid and Takkata, and you guys made our job very difficult. In the end, though, there can be only one. Congratulations, Steven. You get to wear the mantle of Master Builder for the next year, until one of these builders, or someone else entirely, comes along. Congratulations to Steven, all of these builders, and everyone who participated in what is, IMO, the best LEGO building even in the extended community.
-CC Admin Team


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+61 2 4952 6304
Detects electromagnetic and AC electrical voltage sources from 110 volts to 750,000 volts at a range of 200mm to 300mm.
View Modiewark Contact and Non-Contact Voltage Tester
The new G.L McGavin Digital hand held Proximity Tester FR30 is designed for Electricians, Technicians and the Fire & Rescue departments.
View FR30 Rescue Tester
Non-contact voltage detector for use by persons approaching metal clad meter boxes in residential or commercial situations.
View Mini Meter Reader Voltage Tester
Pocket-sized non-contact power pole tester to aide in the identification of cracked and broken insulators.
View Mini SWER & Pole Voltage Tester


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In case you hadn't seen the results, I abandoned after Carhais on the return to Paris, unable to get my feet/shins/ankles to carry me down the roads. More on that another day.
Honored though is how I now feel about the whole Paris Brest Paris experience. It was a true joy to cycle the beautiful country roads that are France. It was a delight to be the recipient of such sweet smiles and serious cheering on by villagers. And it was such fun to connect with cyclists from around the globe.
I am well, touring Paris with my brother, his wife, and Dartre, and I am eager to tell the tales another day soon.
Thanks so much to everyone who cheered us on. Every good wish was meaningful!
The photo is of Dartre and an unknown French finisher who badly wanted Dartre and I to know that he was 74 years old! I'm so glad we went to the finish to welcome folks back. What a kick!
Keep it joyful,


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Suncast Trash Can Shed - 70 cu. ft.
Product Details
About this item
The Stow-Away™ Horizontal Shed by Suncast is designed with both durability and elegance in mind. Constructed of a durable double-wall resin, this shed will not rust, rot, or dent. An all-encompassing color scheme of vanilla and stoney creates a shed that is sure to match your home or landscape. Wood grain textures add a unique look to your shed and never require touchups or paint.
This horizontal shed delivers a large capacity while maintaining a low profile. At 70 cubic feet of storage space, there is enough room for two 96 gallon garbage containers. Sitting at a height of 4 ft. 4 in., The Stow-Away™ is easily placed on the side of your house, patio, or below a fence line.
Fusing convenience and security, Suncast's The Stow-Away™ Horizontal Shed includes a 3-door locking system. This system secures both front doors and lid in one convenient location. The lock hasp requires only one standard padlock (not included) for all 3 doors. Gas shock assisted lid is most accommodating when you need inside the shed and your hands are full. Easily lift the lid with one hand and store/throw away items with the other. A great shed is nothing without a great foundation. The Stow-Away™ is built around a heavy duty floor reinforced for heavy items and high traffic. Top it all off with Suncast's Easy Bolt assembly, this shed requires a minimum amount of tools and time before your shed is complete, and your back doing what you love most. Suncast. Smart. Inside & Out.
Policies & plans
- Holds two 96-Gallon Garbage Containers
- Gas shocks in the lid enable a one handed lift operation.
- Lids opens up making it easy to throw trash away without removing containers
- Steel reinforeced double wall and roof construction for added security
- Includes lockable metal latch to keep lid and doors from opening.
- Made in the USA


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Jennifer Aniston made an appearance on Ryan Seacrest's radio show "On Air With Ryan Seacrest" on Friday, and during the phone chat, the two found out that the DJ nearly played Heidi Montag's husband in Adam Sandler's 2011-due comedy, "Just Go With It."
"I was supposed to be in that," Ryan told Jennifer of the Adam Sandler project which she is currently filming.
When Ryan began describing the character he was set to play, but couldn't because of the film schedule which conflicted with "American Idol," Jennifer jumped in.
"The guy that had too much plastic surgery," Jen said, describing the part.
"Yes! That was me. I was gonna be [the character] Adon," Ryan recounted. "Sandler calls, he's like, 'Dude! You gotta play this role… So I was psyched."
Jennifer then revealed who Ryan's on-screen partner would have been.
"You would have been Heidi Montag's husband," Jennifer said. "What a missed opportunity!"
Filming on the picture began two weeks ago and Heidi actually began shooting her cameo just this week.
As for filming the project, Jennifer said "Just Go With It" has been a blast.
"It's really funny," she said. "I love Adam so much… It's almost impossible to get through some of these scenes without… laughter."
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Keepin' It Real With TV's Hottest Reality Stars!
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Ryan Seacrest
PLAY IT NOW: 'The Bounty Hunter' Premiere, New York
PLAY IT NOW: Heidi Montag: I Was 'Addicted & Obsessed' With Planning My Surgery
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Ryan Seacrest - Heidi Montag - Movies - Reality TV - TV


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Potato Rendang Recipe
Learn more about how to make rendangs here.
Read more: Seriously Malaysian: How to Make Rendang
- Yield:4 servings
- For the flavoring paste:
- 1 can coconut milk, about 14 fluid ounces
- 2 thick stalks fresh lemongrass, de-stemmed with the bristly tops cut off
- 5 medium sized shallots, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1 piece turmeric, 2 inches long, peeled and coarsely chopped, or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 piece galangal, 2 inches long, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 pounds small potatoes, either fingerling, a baby variety, or peruvian blue
First, reduce the coconut milk: Pour it into a nonstick skillet and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered, for fifteen or so minutes, until the milk has reduced a bit and swirls of oil begin to appear on the surface.
To make the paste: Cut the aromatic part of the lemongrass into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place the cut lemongrass, shallots, garlic, turmeric, galangal, and chilies in a small food processor. Pulse until the consistency is chunky-smooth, adding a teaspoon or so of water if necessary to get the paste moving along.
Add the paste to the coconut milk after it has been simmering for 15 minutes; then simmer for 30 minutes or so, until the liquid has reduced by 1/2.
While the coconut milk is simmering, scrub the potatoes and slit them halfway through with a knife. When the coconut milk has reduced by half, add the potatoes and simmer, uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes, until the only the oil is left in the pan.
Reduce the heat to low and sauté the potatoes in the remaining coconut oil. Continue to sauté, stirring the potatoes around every 5 minutes, until the skins are nicely browned—about 30 minutes longer. Allow the dish to rest for a few minutes, then serve.
This Recipe Appears InSeriously Malaysian: How to Make Rendang
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Buehrle loses fifth straight despite quality start
Encarnacion leaves with injury after driving in the Jays' only run
OAKLAND -- The Blue Jays find themselves in the middle of a crucial road trip on the West Coast but so far their lineup has not risen to the occasion.
The production from Toronto's offense has all but disappeared within the spacious confines of O.co Stadium. Through three games vs Oakland, the pitching has continued to shine but the bats haven't held up their end of the bargain.
The Blue Jays had yet another quiet game at the plate while Mark Buehrle recorded a quality start but saw his losing streak extended to five games in a 5-1 loss to the A's on Saturday night. Even more devastating, though, was that Toronto might have lost slugger Edwin Encarnacion to a potentially serious injury.
"Bottom line, we played a [bad] game, there's no way around that," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We didn't score again. We scored a run but it was a costly run with Edwin.
"The first night we scored a run on a replay, other than that they stuck it to us. In this business you're paid a lot of money to show up and play, no reason to get down. You're paid to play, show up and play. I don't expect anybody to get down."
Toronto entered the game on a 19-inning scoreless skid and while that came to an end in the first it also might have cost the Blue Jays one of their best players. With runners on the corners, Encarnacion suffered a right quadriceps injury on his way to first base.
Encarnacion beat the throw to avoid the double play but he immediately crumpled to the ground after touching first base. He rolled around on the ground and later had to be helped off the field by a pair of Blue Jays trainers. Encarnacion said after the game he felt a "pop" but his status won't be known until an MRI on Sunday.
That unfortunate play marked the only time the Blue Jays were able to score off A's starter Scott Kazmir. Toronto has lost three consecutive games to Oakland and have scored a total of two runs with 19 hits in those 30 innings. Kazmir allowed three hits and two walks while striking out eight and throwing 76 of his 113 pitches for strikes.
Toronto's struggles against left-handers aren't new. The Blue Jays entered the game hitting an American League-worst .234 vs. lefties and a .137 mark over their past 12 games. Toronto also saw its problems continue with runners in scoring position as the club went 0-for-5 and is now 41-for-212 (.193) over the past 28 games.
"It's just a matter of time, we're scuffling big-time out there, it's not our original lineup but you deal with it," Gibbons said. "You've got to keep plugging away, no one feels sorry for you in this business. Everybody gets hurt at some time or another. You've got to try to rise up."
Buehrle once again kept the Blue Jays close even though he gave up a lot of hard-hit balls early in the game. The A's hit a pair of deep fly balls during the second inning that would have easily been home runs at Rogers Centre but they died at the warning track in Oakland. Buehrle wasn't so lucky in the third when Josh Donaldson went deep to center for his 19th home run of the season.
The A's added two more in the fourth as Buehrle labored through a 34-pitch inning. Coco Crisp and Craig Gentry had a pair of RBI singles to give Oakland a 3-1 lead it would not relinquish. Buehrle allowed the three runs on 10 hits and one walk over six innings.
Buehrle hasn't won since June 1 but during that five-game losing streak he has allowed 16 earned runs in 40 innings for a 3.60 ERA. Buehrle is 10-1 when the Blue Jays score two or more runs but is 0-5 when his club scores one run or less.
"He's tough because he mixes speeds and he throws so many different pitches," Gentry said. "We were just lucky to [get] a few hits in here and there, and then got some big hits with guys in scoring position. I think once we pushed a couple runs across, Kaz did such a great job all night of keeping their bats silent, so hat's off to him."
Toronto attempted to rally in the eighth inning with two outs. Melky Cabrera kept the inning alive with a single and Jose Bautista followed with a double to the corner in left field. Cabrera attempted to score but was ruled out by home plate umpire Bill Miller on a close play at home. The Blue Jays challenged but following a brief delay it was ruled that the call would stand because there was not conclusive evidence to overturn.


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Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Simple Things
7 comments:
Such a talent! Your post brightened the start of my day.ReplyDelete
What a lovely tribute to such a talented artist. I am sorry to hear she's passed. Thank you for sharing such wonderful contributions she made during her lifetime.ReplyDelete
Very beautiful...I love them all...a very talented lady.ReplyDelete
Your post is a lovely testament to her memory.
What an outstanding talent. Such a shame that I had not heard of her.ReplyDelete
Some very evocative pieces. She clearly had a love and understanding of light. What a shame to hear she has passed. Thank you for a lovely tribute.ReplyDelete
Oh Dash...I adore each and every one, you have captured the essence of everything that is beautiful and poetic...ReplyDelete
Best wishes for a lovely weekend..thank you also for your lovely commet. I have been in and out of blogland lately.
So nice to catch up with old friends...
Jeanne xx
Thank you, your article is very goodReplyDelete
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Thank you for visiting French Sampler, I hope you come back soon. I love to read your comments and will reply as soon as I can.


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Sometimes I read things that really make me question the working world; especially, as someone entering it. These stories are scary and feel like they are out of a bad version of the Devil Wears Prada.
Yesterday, I read something on Australia's Smart Company by Aunty B, a business wiz woman who takes questions from disgruntled, confused and often clueless people about the corporate agenda.
But yesterday's question, not only surprised me, but I'll admit I was quite disgusted by it as well:-
Dear Aunty B,
I am so angry. I just asked our young new staff member very nicely to do the coffee run. Yesterday morning he did it, reluctantly. But this morning he flatly refused, saying he had not done five years study at university and given up two weeks of work to come and be an intern, only to walk across the road and get coffees.
I then sent the big boss to talk to him and he still refused to get the coffee. It was explained to him on the interview phone call that he would do the coffee run every morning and he agreed.
But now he says he thought that was just a joke.
Fortunately, someone else got the coffee so we are not all suffering from caffeine withdrawals as well.
Is this a Gen Y thing? Or is he a one off? Can I expect more Gen Ys to refuse to get coffee?
I'll tell you this: I wasn't disgusted by errand of getting coffee, but rather by the mentality of helplessness, obvious disdain and discrimination shown by "TL†for Gen-Y.
I immediately had to channel Shonda Rhimes (and Grey's premieres this week y'all *yay!*) for a moment of pure:-
Seriously? Seriously. Seriously!
Is there some reason this "TL†is choosing to single out and generalize all of Gen-Y? And furthermore, was this really and truly a part of the Gen-Y's job interview?
Maybe I just see too many things through rose-coloured glasses…
I think if I was going on a work experience excursion for two-weeks and someone told me I'd be getting coffee, I'd think it was a joke too. Not because I'm being sassy or trying to be extra smart, but because, I would imagine that I would gain real-world experience and learn something from a work experience program. Especially, if I felt that I was qualified after gaining a university degree or two. I wouldn't be under the impression that a college graduate enrolled in a work experience program was there to "get the coffee."
Are you Miranda or Nuclear? I don't think so…
It is basic human nature and an imprint left upon us by society: work hard, do well and thou shall get ahead…or something like it at least.
And it's not just Gen-Y. But that's the thing, whether Gen-Y, Gen-X, Boomer, Silent or naught, anyone, does it matter?
Did this unnamed company hire a work-in maid, or university graduate to train and help build up their company? Are they trying to do a service to the future of their business community or are they participating and mulling over a disservice to their lusting caffeine yearnings?
Fire the intern and get a new one? Or fire the mentality?
I know there is a lot of talk about the intern slave trade and it's not uncommon – but I often read things like this and wonder why we can't all just get along?
Why is there is need to demean people, order instead of nurture and bits of "Im'ma let you finish" ogling our specs?
You know, like Gracie Lou Freebush says, in Miss Congeniality…
…I really do want world peace.
Sasha Muradali runs the 'Little Pink Book' . She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida ('07) and an M.A. in International Administration from the University of Miami('08). She loves Twitter and all things social media, so you should find her @SashaHalima.
Copyright © 2009 SashaH. Muradali. All Rights Reserved


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Just wanted to take a moment to recognize and publicly thank Mr. Filipek, Mrs. Acuña and Mr. DeVoe for their vision, motivation and just plain hard work in taking on an all-school production like Annie Jr. It was a delight and a great opportunity for our kids in community theatre. Really a top notch show.
It was a tremendous and heroic effort on the part of these adults to undertake this. Way above and beyond their usual responsibilities, typical work day, or their job descriptions. I greatly appreciate their efforts and enthusiasm. Especially for teachers or staff on the rookie end of the seniority list, this was an amazing first big project.
Thank them in person and they will graciously deflect and share their success with all. They will remind you that many were involved in this, such as the teens who stepped up and jumped in too. Thanks, kids. You guys were SO good with the little ones.
Thanks to all our teachers and staff, who give more than they need to. Our humble, and understated, thanks.
– Mary Gautz
Oak Street, Morenci


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Silent Scope
Concept art for canned Silent Scope revamp surfaces
Concept art from the Silent Scope reboot Day 1 Studios was working on, before Konami backed out of the deal, has surfaced. The revamp of the franchise was to be the first in the series since 2002′s Silent Scope 3 for PS2, and was being designed as a stealth-based, third person shooter with machine guns. […]
Silent Scope headlines
Report - Day 1 lays-off 95% of Silent Scope team after Konami backs out
Day 1 Studios has had to lay-off 95% if its staff working on the Silent Scope reboot after the game's publisher, Konami backed out of the deal. According to a Gamespot report, the Chicago-based studio was working on a revamp of the franchise for Konami, and it was to be the first entry in the […]
Watch iPhone Silent Scope being played
There's a video after the break of someone from IGN playing the iPhone version of Silent Scope.If you expected it to be any different from what it actually is, we'd say you were mentally deficient. But that's just us.Take a look.
Silent Scope iPhone gets "shot"
Some screens after the break of the iPhone version of Silent Scope, announced yesterday.Unless memory's failing, it looks exactly like the 1999 arcade game.We may buy an iPhone and sign up to a crippling contract just to play this on the odd occasion we leave the house.
Silent Scope confirmed for iPhone
Fucking hell. You can't keep a really, really, really old shooting franchise down, apparently. Konami confirmed a version of Silent Scope for iPhone today, claiming the on-rails actioner will have "touch-screen capabilities, multiple gameplay modes and difficulty levels".A bit like Metal Gear Solid Touch. The new game's based on the 1999 arcade release."With the release […]


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Free Entry
Named for the Clerk (1921 to 1954) of the former Mirani Shire, Edward Lloyd, who was instrumental in preserving and maintaining parkland in the Shire, the park had a major make-over by Mackay Regional Council.
In addition to improved parking areas which can cater for all vehicles up to large buses and caravans, the park now boasts a family friendly playground, picnic shelters, barbecues and modern public toilets.
There is also a concrete walking/cycling track from Melba House to Marian State School - a distance of just over one kilometre - which is very popular with fitness seekers and pleasure walkers as it meanders along the Pioneer River bank giving views of the river and birdlife which frequents the area. If you are really lucky, you may see the local platypus sporting about.


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Lifesavers on the High Seas
"We hovered meters above the high waves and lowered the rescue team to the life rafts in the sea below."
This is how Lt. Col. D., commander of the elite Israel Air Force Rescue Unit 669, summed up the daring and tricky rescue operation which saved ten Turkish seamen from drowning the other month. The cargo ship they were on had broken anchor as a result of high winds and waves forcing the ship out to sea from its mooring at Ashdod Port. About ten miles out the boat sank and the Turkish sailors entered life rafts.
"We identified a fairly large vessel lying on its side about to go down, and two life rafts bobbing like fig leaves in the middle of a rough ocean," reported the commander. Helicopters then lowered cables with rescue teams to the rafts and within an hour and a half the rescue mission was successfully completed.


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- Harvesting my first BIG crop of Johnson grass tubers. HUH? (5/30/20)10
- I don't want to die, but..... (5/30/20)3
- We have the paper! There is no shortage. (4/22/20)24
- Folks, WE NEED TO GO BACK TO WORK! (4/16/20)68
- Maybe this explains why cities often think and vote differently? (4/14/20)2
- First hummingbird spotted in Nashville! (4/5/20)16
Should marijuana be legalized, or at least be left up to individual states to decide?
This was a question that came in on my blog about "What's on Your Mind. Now might be a good time to make sure your blog alias is good. :-)
I absolutely think it should be legalized. First, there is no constitutional authority for the feds to regulate, or outlaw it. Second, we should have learned the lesson during prohibition. Outlawing an item only creates a black market for it as people still want it. The risk of arrest gets factored into the black market price, increasing profits as well. So now we have people and organizations willing to bribe, beat or kill for their "market share".
If drugs were legalized, their price would decrease, meaning addicts wouldn't need to rob or steal to afford them. Sellers wouldn't have huge profit margins worth killing over. Drugs could be taxed, and would probably fix our deficit problem by itself.
The war on drugs has cost untold billions, created some of the most intrusive laws, and had very little effect. The average high school student can still buy drugs any time they want to.-- Posted by quietmike on Thu, Oct 20, 2011, at 4:29 PM
Being a child of the 60-70's I saw my fair share of pot smokers. I was a bit naive at first since I had no idea that the classmate who used to take me for plane rides in a Cessna out of M'boro was smoking pot in his pipe.
Maybe that is why I don't like flying too much but it was not until later that I learned that his jovial manner, glassy eyes and insatiable hunger were all indications.
Thank God he was in control enough to fly a plane and I don't think I could say the same for someone who had been drinking. If alcohol is legal, it makes no sense to me that marijuana is banned.
I know the folks who need to feel naughty or those who are prone to addiction will move on to something else, but I have to agree that (in my opinion) legalizing and taxing Mary Jane will accomplish several positive things that quietmike mentioned.-- Posted by stevemills on Thu, Oct 20, 2011, at 5:25 PM
In October, 1970, a single marijuana cigarette was discovered by the Shelbyville Police Department.
That night, 41 years ago now, was our first warning we were no longer immune to the scene. Within days more drugs were found, more arrests made, more lives ruined.
I wish all of you could have seen the things I've been called on to take pictures of over many of those years. Would you like to see a young person dead with a needle in his arm? How about marijuana hidden under an infant sleeping in its little crib, horrible wrecks that claimed lives and I could go on and on for hours.
Yes, most of them started on marijuana. Crack and meth and, yes, marijuana, are out there everywhere.
We're all guilty for letting this take over our city and county and we pay a huge, huge price each and every day in more ways that just money.
Unhappy Anniversary!-- Posted by bomelson on Fri, Oct 21, 2011, at 2:47 PM
I agree that criminalizing mind-altering substances has created a drug culture,supported the underworld and unleashed tainted and dangerous materials that are either unlawful or one minute/one molecule away from being contraband.
I wish I could believe that the publicly-approved highs would be healthful and less destructive to people's characters.
Prohibition might have been a successful experiment if beverage alcohol had been tolerated as the temporary burden of emotional cripples.
Instead,it became the symbol of excitement,glamor and being "grown-up".
That "party" mind-set has spread to the sources of chemical sabotage that have been popular in all the years since the days of the speak-easy.
Taking the poison and the profit out of the habits would be great but we must erase our need before we can reduce the greed.
The responsibility lies with us rather than crooks or law enforcement.
I heard that the original plants (coca,cannabis,tobacco,etc.)were safe because they had beneficial ingredients the forbidden versions don't while lacking the toxic additives of the banned kinds.
It was easy (if not necessary) to blame the plant enough to prohibit American-made hemp products that had no connection to hallucinogens.
But,we chose to make the plants harmful and illegal.
If we change ourselves,the laws and the plants will change to match.
If not,I fear that we will make improvements in one area just to transfer the problem to another source.-- Posted by quantumcat on Fri, Oct 21, 2011, at 3:40 PM
Looking back at the late 60s & 70s, I am not proud of some of the things we ushered in during those years. A return to morals, family values, etc. would do us all a heap of good.
As a newsman, I am sure you saw more of the seedy side of our community, but I over the years, I recall much more death and destruction from alcohol, meth, and lsd than pot.
In my opinion(worth what it costs :-))the person that gets addicted to alcohol, to marijuana, hard drugs has a basic need that is not being filled by their environment. It starts with the family, but it could be their friends, community and their religious family (if they have one).
Some drugs take a while for chemical dependency while some take hold quickly. We as a society need to work hard to reduce the need for chemical stimulation or numbness in the first place.
Throwing someone in jail for smoking a joint, or even hiding their stash under a baby's crib has not proven to be the solution.
Maybe legalizing it will not be a solution either, especially if we do not do more to help people feel a part of this society, their community and their family.
This is where I believe many churches and religious movements are missing an opportunity. They are so intent on pushing their interpretations of the Bible, how they worship, what they believe, etc. that they overlook many of Christ's methods of bringing the people to his Father.
Whoa, I need to step off my box. I will leave the previous comments in, but preaching is not my strong point. I accept that so, enough said.-- Posted by stevemills on Fri, Oct 21, 2011, at 3:56 PM
Having worked as an addictions counselor, I'm certain that some form of punishment for drug offenses is the correct thing to do, but without treatment, incarceration is a waste of time and taxpayer money. I don't believe that legalization is the only solution to the problem, but I do know that the non-existant "war on drugs" has done absolutely nothing to deter drug use.-- Posted by Tim Lokey on Sat, Oct 22, 2011, at 6:26 AM
Tim, with your experience as "addictions counselor" I would appreciate hearing more about your views on this.
I have found that the "on the ground" folks who handle any challenge usually have great insights that no one on top seems to hear or consider.
If you have been out of it for a while, even better because you would have had time to sit back and think about what your experienced. Sometimes being right in the 'thick of it' can unduly influence.-- Posted by stevemills on Sat, Oct 22, 2011, at 8:04 AM
Mr. Mills, I am still employed as an addictions counselor. I've worked for the Tony Rice Center for almost 11 years now and I was also employed at Buffalo Valley for a period of almost 7 years.
Marijuana is very often a gateway drug that leads to the use of harsher substances. I am well aware that smoking marijuana does not always lead to hard drug use, but over the years I've counseled hundreds of Meth, Heroin, Cocaine and prescription drug addicts and nearly 100% of these addicts reported marijuana as being the first illicit substance they used.
Those who are proponents of legalization do make some very valid points in their support of this idea and the most often quoted concept is one of very tight government control and the collection of tax revenue. I won't debate these. However I do question the wisdom of legalizing yet another harmful substance, therefore making that substance readily available to our children in the same manner that alcohol and tobacco are now.
I deal with men every day from all walks of life. They range in age from 19 to 60. Alcohol/Drug addiction and related behaviors have brought these men to the brink of self destruction, as well as costing Tennessee's taxpayers untold millions of dollars every year. Locking them up and "throwing away the key" has never been, nor will it ever be the solution to addiction. As I mentioned before, if treatment is not a vital component of any period of incarceration, the offender's addiction has not been addressed. Statistics do show that those receiving treatment have a much lower rate of recidivism.-- Posted by Tim Lokey on Sun, Oct 23, 2011, at 12:10 AM
Drugs are already accessible to our children now. Most stats show that nearly half of high schoolers have tried marijuana.
For the arguments of Marijuana being a "gateway" drug, addicts usually have something missing inside, some unresolved psychological issue that they are hiding from or trying to numb away. They will usually be addicted to "something". They what is irrelevant as addiction is only the symptom of their real problem.-- Posted by quietmike on Sun, Oct 23, 2011, at 3:50 AM
Quietmike, you are somewhat correct. The booze and the dope are only symptoms of the problem. Drugs and alcohol do not cause the user to become addicted. If that were true, then everyone who ever took a sip or a hit would be addicted. The road to addiction begins when one uses drugs or alcohol to medicate their emotional state. During this process, the addict soon begins to use alcohol/drugs to medicate all emotions, from one extreme to the other. Eventually the addict reaches a state where they aren't using to get "high" anymore, they are using just to feel normal.
Marijuana is a gateway drug, in the same sense that tobacco is. I've already pointed out that not all marijuana users progress to harder drug use, but a very large percentage of them do.
Sure drugs are readily available in every community. Some more so than others. However, in order to obtain them, one first has to overcome the fact that they are committing a criminal act. Making them legal would remove that obstacle and therefore encourage many to initiate drug use who otherwise would not do so.
Another argument for legalization is that it would lower crime rates. This is a somewhat plausible line of thinking, however a drug addict who robs and steals to support his/her habit is not going to stop this type of behavior just because they can now purchase their drug of choice legally. I would argue that legalization has the very frightening potential of causing even more criminal behavior. I realize that the potential for criminal activity is there anyway. We all are aware that prohibition gave birth to the mafia.
The fact that marijuana is considered by many to be harmless or less harmful is the motivating factor behind many who seek to legalize it. Clinical studies have shown marijuana to be very harmful and legalization, in my humble opinion is a step in the wrong direction. Even those who use this substance refer to it as the "stupid" drug.-- Posted by Tim Lokey on Sun, Oct 23, 2011, at 12:28 PM
I hate to leave a comment just to express my agreement with someone else's, especially quietmike's, but he (along with a few others) summarize my thoughts pretty well. I do not have much too add, except that the byproduct of an increased police state, in order to combat drug use, is far more pernicious that the social ills that are brought about by drug use in the first instance. Moreover, I imagine an increased police state was one of the motivations to criminalize originally.
Tim, You advocate punishment and treatment in combination? What kind of treatment did you have in mind? "One drug dealer dead and another in jail for most of their life sounds like a good outcome. The only thing better would be two dead drug dealers."
Marijuana may be the lazy drug or even the epiphany drug, but likely not a stupid drug. I guess those designations must be dependent upon the natural state of the user though.-- Posted by memyselfi on Sun, Oct 23, 2011, at 2:13 PM
Tim, is their a typical treatment for marijuana users?-- Posted by stevemills on Sun, Oct 23, 2011, at 6:09 PM
legalize it. just be done with it.-- Posted by 4fabfelines on Mon, Oct 24, 2011, at 7:44 PM
Steve there is treatment available for Cannabis addicts. It often employs the use of 12 Step modality whereby one simply learns a new manner of living wherein the addict is educated in how to face life on life's terms, practice acceptance, forgiveness, amends making and personal responsibility. Of course, anyone can do these things without going into treatment. However in-patient treatment programs offer a safe environment for the learning, development and internalization of recovery/coping mechanisms and relapse prevention skills that are vital to maintaining abstinence.
There are those that refer to this type of addictions treatment as brain-washing, however the results are self evident. It has worked for myself and millions of others who's brains needed a "bath".
@ memyselfi....I do advocate punishment in combination with treatment. If an addict is just locked away without treatment, he/she will very often just begin using again very soon after their release from jail. The recidivism rate for addicts that do not receive treatment is extremely high. I've long been an advocate for having a drug court here in Bedford County. Many surrounding counties have them in place and they are working quite well. Not every addict is going to take advantage of the help offered to them. Many will die in their addiction, but they don't have to. As far as drug dealers go, I have absolutely no sympathy for their fate at all. I deal with the broken lives and the misery that they profit from every single day.-- Posted by Tim Lokey on Tue, Oct 25, 2011, at 12:42 PM
I did not see mention of any drugs to help withdrawal symptoms, so can I presume that MJ is not the same type of chemical addiction as nicotine, & heroin?
By the way, does alcohol require a medical withdrawal treatment?
What is a "drug court" and how does it differ form traditional court?
Thanks for educating some of us.-- Posted by stevemills on Wed, Oct 26, 2011, at 6:23 AM
I notice no one is "admitting" to anything . I would guess the majority of us are around the same age. I would like to see it legalized because it sure isn't going away! Tax it and maybe some good will come of it. I disagree about Pot being a gateway drug for most people. I am tired of the government in my life making laws and rules that effect my every "move". I now have a fear of buying something for sinus because of the association of buying something that would make me feel a little better. Don't tell me being locked up is going to "cure" an addict. There are more drugs in our prisons than on the streets. Of course if it were to be legalized a lot of people would have to be released from jail and the judges would not have as many cases and of course it would reduce the people on probation and therefore the tax dollars. We have a comment in my family about "11/29 for LIFE" because it sure seems like the same people get the same thing... over and over again.
To someone who is not an addict it just all seems like a waste of time. One of the best "highs" in life is watching your child take their first steps, their first day of school and them turn into an adult. It is a good high as you watch them grow and be sucessful.
I have never been sucessful counseling anyone. Tim Lokey, my hat is off to you. Maybe I don't know the right steps .
I did get a letter from Diane Black, I wasn't to excited about her comments, but it was what I expected. I guess she has never had a family member die that could have been helped by a little weed.
Dear XXXXXXXXX,
Thank you for contacting me regarding the legalization of cannabis. As a nurse for over 40 years I understand the long term effects of marijuana which include short-term memory impairment and difficulty to learn ; impaired lung function similar to that found in cigarette smokers which can lead to more serious effects, such as cancer and other lung disease; and impaired immune response among other issues.-- Posted by Union on Sat, Oct 29, 2011, at 5:20 PM
It would sound as if she wants to outlaw alcohol and cigarettes.
I wonder how many folks she nursed in 40 years who were in the hospital for marijuana compared to cigarettes and alcohol. I would bet the vast majority, if not all were for A & C, not MJ.
I have a friend of 62 years who has smoked MJ for the last 40+ years,probably on a daily basis. I talked to him just yesterday and he had no problem carrying on a lucid conversation.
Likewise, I have another friend of the same time frame who drinks beer on a regular basis. I am not sure how many per day, but I know I sure could not handle it. He is losing his thoughts with increasing frequency.
It seems to be almost the exact opposite of what Diane Black has experienced.
Of course, I have some experience with forgetting things and I do not drink, smoke tobacco or MJ, so.... go figure. Living a straight life must be damaging to my health.-- Posted by stevemills on Sat, Oct 29, 2011, at 10:28 PM
There is not a standard detox protocol for Cannabis that I am aware of. There are various noted withdrawal symptoms however, ranging from mild discomfort to headaches and insomnia.
Ethyl Alcohol is quite a different story, due to the fact that it damages the body on so many levels if it abused. Anyone who has witnessed the death of a friend or family member from cirrhosis or other alcohol related illness can attest to this. It's absolutely horrible to watch.
Alcohol is classed as a sedative/hypnotic, chemically comparable to Valium or Xanax and these all require a definite medical detox because this type of withdrawal can be fatal. Many chronic alcoholics and sedative addicts suffer grand mal seizures during detox. Statistically speaking, about 30% of alcoholics that experience Delirium Tremins (DT's) have these types of seizures and do not survive them.
The typical detox period from alcohol runs it's course in about 4 to 7 days. It often involves the use of Librium and/or Valium in decreasing doses during the detox period, along with a vitamin regimen to increase appetite and restore potassium levels.
In many alcoholics however, the damage has already been done. Though I have been clean and sober for well over 11 years, I do have liver cirrhosis as well as alcohol related liver hepatitis. Both of which won't get any worse as long as I don't drink alcohol. At age 53, I can assure you that my body has now started to repay me for all the "fun" I had.-- Posted by Tim Lokey on Wed, Nov 2, 2011, at 8:44 AM
Tim, comparing what a body has to do to get off alcohol and drugs, would it not seem that marijuana is actually less damaging than the other two? Or are there other things we are not considering?-- Posted by stevemills on Wed, Nov 2, 2011, at 4:15 PM
Steve, if the subject of marijuana legalization were strictly looked at through the eyes of logic, legalization makes sense. If the penalty for possession of marijuana were reduced to the same level as a simple traffic citation, I could live with that. Our government spends far too much money punishing people for what most consider to be not as harmful as others. I also don't believe that someone be strapped with a criminal record for life for using this substance.
The main consideration that I personally have regarding the idea of complete legalization would involve the message we would send young people by doing so. Alcohol and tobacco are legal, and according to statistics, tobacco use alone kills more people than all other drugs (including alcohol) combined. In a perfect world, young people would all wait until adulthood to decide whether or not to experiment with drugs, but in reality, the average age for onset of first use is getting younger every time these type of statistics are gathered. I just can't help but believe that complete legalization of marijuana would cost our society far more than money.-- Posted by Tim Lokey on Fri, Nov 4, 2011, at 12:35 AM
Tim, I understand your concern about loosening the values and standards of our society. I believe THAT is a major contributor to the ills of our society now.
Youth will always test the boundaries and if those boundaries continue to relax, there is no moral fabric to the society and history shows that it eventually collapses.
We will always have dangerous, harmful substances being offered to us and always have a few that have the need to escape their reality, but with a stronger family base and social moral code, I believe we could have avoided much of what is plaguing us today. :-) Just My Humble Opinion
Regarding Marijuana, I believe decriminalizing the use of it, decriminalizing and regulating the growth and sale of it will go a long way towards eliminating the profits that make it so lucrative for organized crime.
Granted, organized crime will find something new to exploit. but maybe we can get a better "bead" on that.
Taxing the sale of it like cigarettes and alcohol will not necessarily be a big burden on the American people. They are paying now, but it is going to the criminal organizations.
Put our efforts into strengthening our social moral codes and values.
Encourage the family unit.
Encourage parental involvement, not relying on "Big Brother".
Encourage social morality based on religious principles. While I am Christian, I believe that MOST religions have a base morality that would benefit society.
Encourage abstinence until one is mature and financially stable enough to responsibly handle the possible outcome. Don't just accept it as a sign of the times.
Discourage the popularity of mind altering substances, while nurturing positive, enriching activities like the arts, sports, nature, Scouting etc.. There are numerous "enriching" activities and making it "cool" to participate would give our youth something to focus on besides all the "vices" available to them.
Again, just my opinion.-- Posted by stevemills on Fri, Nov 4, 2011, at 11:22 AM
Steve, you hit the proverbial nail squarely on the head here. For far too long, we have relied on our government to legislate morals and somehow hoped that the schools would teach our children values. Neither one of these concepts has worked and never will.-- Posted by Tim Lokey on Fri, Nov 4, 2011, at 12:25 PM
Mr. Mills, I waited for a month after this blog died before I commented further. I understand that you appreciate more civility, and less confrontation, in your topics. Unfortunately, graciousness is not one of my strong suits. Not everything that I want to write is entirely negative though. I will start with that.
There is nothing new about marijuana in this area. According to some "old timers" whom I was fortunate enough to smoke with in my youth, it has been grown and used regularly in Bedford County, at least since the era of prohibition. It was only after that experiment had failed that the resources previously allocated to alcohol eradication were assigned to other drugs, ironically enough, by the same people. The actual enforcement was originally directed to large commercial importers/cultivators /retailers (if not primarily interested in retaining funding) and was typically uninterested in individual use. Instead, an expensive propaganda machine was set into motion to work upon the hearts and minds of the otherwise uninterested public, essentially driving the practice further and further underground through stigmatization, which only produced the outward appearance of non-existence, and effectively eliminated the commercial crop. It was such an effective campaign that the residue of disinformation still lingers within the background of modern thought.
For decades afterwards, there were few statutes regulating drug use (particularly marijuana) and fewer still mechanisms of enforcement. It was only after the decade of the 1960's that a unified policy (with teeth to enforce it) was produced, largely in response to the unrest witnessed amongst the youth. The demonstrations, the race riots (especially those triggered by the assassination of King), the rise of militancy, and the troops returning from combat as addicts were all points of concern for those who were in a position to protect the status quo from those who sought to upset it. The effective criminalization was not viewed as a salvation for those affected by drug use, but rather as a method of usurping dominion from individual liberties vigorously protected previously. When selective enforcement creates criminals of political enemies, opposition is effectively squelched with the introduction of fear and paranoia. Whatever opposition that is not readily silenced is easily marginalized by a public gulled into unquestioning acceptance of dictated standards regarding social responsibility and propriety.
To make matters worse, when the list of ties between the illicit drug trade and the federal government is seriously examined, there is little doubt (at least to me) that a connection exists between the two, likely a connection of causality. From Indochina and Central America, to the Bloods & Crips and modern Afghanistan, the indictment is to be found within the record.
On a larger scale, the idea that there is anything novel about 20 and 21st century drug use is completely misguided. Marijuana has been grown in this nation since the colonial period. Both Washington and Jefferson grew tons of it. The record does not preserve either gentleman's thoughts regarding the medicinal properties of the plant, or if they ingested it themselves, but they undoubtedly knew what the properties were, as did everyone else at the time. Moreover, as farmers, if there was a demand for the buds, they most certainly sold them as opposed to letting them waste. This is further attested to by their choices of plants. There are varieties with high fiber content and those with high THC content. Both were grown. I do not doubt either president's likely use, but it is somewhat irrelevant anyway as Washington, like many of his era, was notoriously fond of Opium, and the Jefferson's brewed enough beer to make small commercial breweries of the time envious.
The acceptable fate of a drug dealer is no more being shot in the street, than a speeder's fate should involve their carjacking. A drug dealer (if convicted) "deserves" only what the law prescribes. Any extrajudicial expectations of laudable homicide are indicative of absolute hypocrisy. Moreover, given the system of distribution required for such illegal acts, there is absolutely no way to separate the users from the dealers. They are one and the same.
To assert that drugs (or drug dealers) ruin lives is the same as insisting that inanimate guns kill people (and that the gun dealers provide motive). If guns do not kill people, then drugs do not ruin them. You cannot have it both ways. Like guns, drugs have no intentionality. It is the way in which we collectively deal with drug use that is laden with intentionality. What ruins individual lives is the reality of high prices, intermittent supply, fines, incarceration, disenfranchisement, separation from family, lack of employment for the users, fear, guilt, shame, isolation, and the almost certain destitution that is seldom entirely overcome within a single generation. What ultimately ruins lives though, are the people who continue to blindly endorse this well-orchestrated intrusion upon what was, at one time, justifiably considered to be a basic liberty for a free people, the ability to be secure in one's own decisions of medication.-- Posted by memyselfi on Wed, Dec 7, 2011, at 2:06 AM
memyselfi, your contribution to this discussion is appreciated. I saw much to be considered and nothing that violated my sense of decorum.-- Posted by stevemills on Wed, Dec 7, 2011, at 10:49 AM
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NEWS- Hitting home: Activist's street target of parking ban
When the city put up signs around Friendship Court and public housing complexes on South First Street prohibiting overnight parking, Eugene Williams objected. Now, Williams, a 79-year-old retired landlord and civil rights activist, finds his own street on the do-not-park list, and he's having trouble getting specifics about the new rules.
Citing safety concerns and residents' complaints, the City has banned parking between 9pm and 5am in two other neighborhoods, and Williams has alleged racism. In a recent Hook article ["Racial restrictions? Nighttime parking limits rile residents," May 24], Williams cited the fact that those neighborhoods, both largely African American, are the only city locations subject to such restriction, and he wondered, outraged, which street might be next to have its parking policy changed. Williams got his answer in late June.
That's when Williams noticed a sign hanging on a utility pole across the street from his house in the 600 block of Ridge Street. The sign– one of three on Ridge, a historically African American neighborhood– says the proposed change is "due to neighborhood safety concerns" and offers a phone number and asks for residents' input between June 19 and July 3.
Since Williams' feelings about the restrictions should come as no surprise to anyone in the traffic office, did city officials know they were targeting Williams' block? Neither police chief Tim Longo nor traffic engineer Jeanie Alexander returned the Hook's calls for this article, but city spokesperson Ric Barrick says Alexander was "very surprised" to learn Williams lives there.
Barrick says the parking restrictions are something the City has used in an attempt to combat drug activity. The recent sign postings, says Barrick, are to allow public input before a final decision about parking changes are made. Barrick says he is "not sure how much feedback they've gotten from residents."
Williams lives in the 600 block of Ridge Street in a stately brick house he and his wife, Lorraine, purchased in 1956 and in which they raised their two daughters. Fifty years after the Williamses moved in, the property remains immaculate– the trim painted, the grass cut, flowers hanging on the wide front porch. They appear to be a quiet couple.
Unfortunately, not all the residents of Ridge are quiet or considerate. City spokesperson Barrick says there were 34 calls to police in a multi week period this past spring for complaints related to 608 Ridge Street, and there have also been issues with 610.
Both are multi-family rental properties with out-of-town owners, says Williams, who acknowledges the problems. He says, however, that banning overnight parking isn't the solution to the problems of drugs and other crime– it simply deprives residents of the right to park in front of their houses.
The restricted parking signs, says Williams, are a "beacon" of a troubled neighborhood, and he fears that "people will not want to pay fair property value with those types of signs" out front. He's not the only Ridge Street resident who feels that way. Giovanna Galfione, wife of former Charlottesville Mayor Maurice Cox, who has lived in the 700 block Ridge Street for 14 years, says she agrees with Williams.
The parking restriction signs, she says, will "stigmatize the neighborhood." The dead-end portion of Ridge Street provides excess parking on a street where offstreet parking is scarce, Galfione says, so preventing overnight parking in the circle "doesn't make any sense."
City code says that changes to parking on any street should be initiated by resident petition, and Williams has asked the city to provide him with copies of letters from Ridge Street residents requesting the parking changes. So far, he says, he has been given no names.
"They can't seem to prove that any residents made the petition," he says. "I"m a stickler that you need to be able to prove something other than
This Don Berard cartoon originally ran with our May 24 story.


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LONDON — Your director is insisting that it's artistically essential to shoot in Iran. Who are you going to call?
In the ever more international and complex world of indie filmmaking, the completion guarantor sits not only at the heart of the financing process, but can serve as an ersatz problem solver. Film Finances, the company that invented completion bonds in 1950, remains the first port of call for many producers looking to make such impossible dreams become reality.
"We did a film in Iran recently," says Film Finances co-president Kurt Woolner. "The filmmaker thought it was important to shoot there, guerrilla style. It might seem crazy, but the producer came up with a well-thought out plan with a lot of contingencies, so we are able to provide the bond."
Filmmakers sometimes chafe at the creative restriction of a completion guarantor telling them where, how and with whom they can shoot. But as bonders point out, it's the completion funding, that gives filmmakers the freedom to pursue their vision by securing the considerable amounts of money from multiple sources that they need to do so.
"We're kind of a trust factory," says Film Finances co-president Steve Ransohoff. "Producers have a lot more choice these days about how they put together movies (with incentives and a growing number of finance instruments), so our product has become much more of a tool for (them) to help raise (money), rather than a mechanism to keep them under control."
The increased complexity of the business is reflected in the expansion of Film Finances from a company with 13 staff when Woolner and Ransohoff came onboard in the mid-80s, to 75 staff today, and offices in nine countries. And the company has learned it has to be ready to take a view on proposals for filming in all sorts of unusual locations.
"You'd be surprised at how many places we have worked in," Woolner says. "There's only a very small list of countries you couldn't make a Western movie in."
Film Finances taps into a worldwide network of informers to give a sensible appraisal of risk. "We're backed by Lloyds of London, and we have guys there we can call who insure political risk," Ransohoff says. "They insure airplanes taking cargo into difficult countries, and based on their spreads, we have the ability to take a very sophisticated view on all kinds of places."
Of course, it's not just about judging the threat of terrorism or war. If a producer says a distant government is offering lavish inducements, Film Finances has to verify the promises are genuine before the crew hits the ground.
"We're seen as a clearing house for information," Woolner says. "If a producer wants to go to Colombia, say, and the distributors asks us if this company in Colombia is real, we have to be able to answer that question."
Guarantors increasingly also have been vetting the CGI houses that offer filmmakers invest money upfront to secure post work on a project. "We (determine) if the vendor is legitimate, if they can do the work to the right standard and on time, and if the amount of money they are saying they need to achieve the work is correct," Woolner says.
Film Finances tries to flexible and sympathetic to the seat-of-pants nature of indie filmmaking, where producers are constantly juggling the shifting demands of financiers, talent and the market, and sometimes need to bend rules and take shortcuts to keep the show on the road. At the same time, the company needs to use all its experience to tell when a filmmaker's dream has become a delusion.
"We are guaranteeing to all the different parties — the banks, the talent, the buyers, and their powerful lawyers — that the producer will fulfil obligations," Woolner says. "And that changes every year, with every deal. People's demands are always increasing (and) the difficulty of raising the money is increasing."
But despite the greater complication of dealmaking and the ever more arcane risks, the proportion of pics that break their bond hasn't increased.
"As the business has become more complex, the producers who have survived are the ones who have learned to travel those fast-moving currents, because they have the best knowledge and ability to execute," Woolner says. "As a producer," he adds, "you have to know how to cut your cloth to fit your coat."


text:
Consider a Markov process $X_t$ with generator $L$ and invariant distribution $\pi$, whose distribution at time $t$ is given by $\pi(t,dx)=\phi(t,x) \pi(dx)$ - in other word, $\phi(t,x)$ is the density of $\pi(t, dx)$ wiht respect to the invariant distribution $\pi$. Define the (relative) entropy $$ S(t) = -\int \phi(t,x) \ln \phi(t,x) \pi(dx) \leq 0.$$
One can expect (Boltzman H-theorem) the entropy $S$ to increase over time, and eventually to converge to $0$.
question: what conditions should be imposed in order for such a result to be true ?
Fokker-Planck equation shows that for any test function $f$, $$ \int f(x) \partial_t \phi(t,x) \pi(dx) = \int (Lf)(x) \phi(t,x) \pi(dx)$$ so that $$S'(t) = -\int L (\ln \circ \phi)(x,t) \phi(x,t) \pi(dx), $$ but I still do not see why this quantity should be non-negative.


text:
Ex Hire Sale ShopAddress: the kilt hire co26 Hardengreen Industrial Estate Estate, Dalkeith. EH22 3NX
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Phone: 0044 (0)131 337 3333
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Address: the kilt hire co 13 Union Street, Dundee. DD1 4BN
Phone: 0044 (0)1382 227 800
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Address: the kilt hire co 36 Bridge Street, Musselburgh. EH21 6AG
Phone: 0044 (0)131 665 9898
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
We charge £3.50 for smaller orders under £50 value & FREE POSTAGE available on UK purchases over £50*
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The Kilt Store selling & Hiring Scottish manufactured Highland wear since 1991. We offer a traditional range of Prince Charlie jackets, modern kilt jackets & a Scottish made range of Hand made kilts Proud to support the Highland industries in Scotland, since our start up in 1991 we have remained true to the original ethos of buying local & still purchase jackets & trousers from local firms local cloth manufacturers just outside Perth & superb local kilt makers hand making our kilts for sale & a top class state of the art kilt manufacturing unit in Scotland supplying some of our hire kilts. Sporrans & sporran chains from Edinburgh
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Desktop Linux Showdown
Desktop Linux Showdown
OpenSUSEs configuration tools are broken out into perhaps too many separate pieces.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Control Center Search
Theres a search box to help cut through the control panel maze, but it doesnt always deliver. To find font configuration tools, I should have been searching for appearance.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Beagle Desktop Search
OpenSUSE relies on Beagle for desktop search.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Bluetooth via Beagle
I wanted to check out OpenSUSEs Bluetooth functionality, and Beagle led me to the spot.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Bluetooth on Fedora
I was able to transfer files between my Treo and my Fedora 8-based test notebook, but I could not get the two talking via Fedoras new Phone Manager application.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Ubuntu\s Desktop Search
Ubuntu turns to Tracker for its desktop search needs.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Kerry Beagle Front End
OpenSUSEs KDE implementation also leans on Beagle for desktop search. I find the KDE Beagle front end, Kerry, more useful than the GNOME-based version.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Evolution Backup and Restore
GNOME 2.20, shown here on Fedora 8, comes with a very useful backup and restore feature for Evolution. Ubuntu 7.10 also includes this option, but the version of Evolution that comes with OpenSUSE, strangely, does not.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Online Desktop Demo
Fedora 8 offers an early look at Red Hats Online Desktop initiative. At this point, the software amounts to little more than a handful of links to online services.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Online Desktop in Action
Fedora 8s online desktop demo connected me, through Firefox, to a set of online services.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Tomboy Tasks
As implemented in OpenSUSE, the Tomboy note-taking tool (which is one of my favorite applications) offers an integrated task list option that Ubuntu and Fedoras Tomboy implementations lack.
Desktop Linux Showdown - OpenOffice.org 2.3
Ubuntu 7.10 (shown here), OpenSUSE 10.3 and Fedora 8 all ship with the OpenOffice.org 2.3 office productivity suite.
Desktop Linux Showdown - OOXML Support
The version of OpenOffice.org that ships with OpenSUSE supports Microsofts OOXML format. Ubuntu also offers this support, while Fedora does not.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Restricted Software Repository
Ubuntu 7.10 made it easy to enable ATIs proprietary graphics adapter driver-once I enabled the 'restricted' software repository.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Driver Installation
OpenSUSEs driver installation utility looked promising, but it didnt manage to enable my test systems ATI driver.
Desktop Linux Showdown - KDE Start Menu
OpenSUSEs KDE implementation is very slick. The OpenSUSE 10.3 KDE Start Menu, for instance, definitely outshines that of its GNOME cousin.
Desktop Linux Showdown - More KDE Start Menu
OpenSUSEs KDE Start Menu returns search results as you type.
Desktop Linux Showdown - My OpenSUSE Computer
OpenSUSEs KDE implementation sports a rather handy system state overview page.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Kubuntu 7.10
Ubuntu boasts a KDE implementation of its own.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Delta RPM
OpenSUSE features bandwidth-saving delta RPM (Red Hat Package Manager) update support. Neither Fedora nor Ubuntu offers this capability.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Debconf
Ubuntus package configuration application, Debconf, is a big competitive advantage for the distribution.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Zypper
The new OpenSUSE 10.3 command-line software management tool, Zypper, presents information effectively.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Resolve Dependency Problems
OpenSUSEs software tools offer very granular options for resolving package dependency problems.
Desktop Linux Showdown - More Dependency Resolution
OpenSUSEs software dependency-resolving tools work from the command line, as well.
Desktop Linux Showdown - Are You Sure You Want to Remove That?
Fedoras software management tools warned me about removing an old kernel version from my test system.


text:
LETTER- Rich just fears old age
"As a nation, we would do well to move on and join the growing number of realists who recognize the difference between people who are truly alive and those merely capable of enduring an incurable, twilight form of existence" writes Barbara Rich in her July 13 essay, "Terminal? More than breath required for life."
When I read that, I became quite emotional over her reasoning on end-of-life matters.
Rich appears to assume that the "permanent residents living in tastefully furnished rooms" who get around "via walkers or wheelchairs" are nothing more than "unaware and uncomprehending" shells.
After reading Rich's article, I realized that she was transferring her fears of growing old into every line she wrote.
I believe that anyone who reaches the age of 90 is proof of the power of the will to live. Instead of wishing society would accept the killing of the old and the disabled as an act of compassion and not "murder," Rich might have soothed her fears by taking the time to show some of that "compassion" to those she seems to so easily label as "a shell."
There are many human beings living in nursing homes. Some are old. Some are young. All depend on others for something. But regardless of their individual physical and mental state, they did not cease to exist and become humans unworthy of respect.
I believe that Rich should rethink the issue of legalizing the killing of innocent human beings in the name of "compassion."
Janice Sanford
Starke, Florida


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ThroughThe Dark Trees
Reads: 295 | Likes: 0 | Shelves: 0 | Comments: 1
Short Story by: The Battlecry
Have you ever woken up in a dark forest with no idea how you had gotten there? Well it feels like a nightmare that you woke up from full of clammy sweat and a still pounding heart, except I hadn't woken up from the nightmare. I was living it.
Looking around me I could see dark shadows move from tree to tree in unnatural silence. Seeing them move sent my heart beating faster then it had already, the clammy sweat I had felt earlier was now coming more freely from body. Standing quickly, a high pitched buzz ringed in my ears making me dizzy and disoriented.
"w-whos t-there?" I asked faintly, more shadows moved between the dark trees. Mist was slowly moving in, " whos there!" I screamed my voice high pitched, no one answered. Running my hand through my long curly blonde hair and holding my other to my stomach I started to sob. My eyes darted side to side as the hysteria started to seep into my mind closely fallowed by paranoia that someone was laughing at me. The next thing I know, I'm running.
Branches hit my arms scratching them as I push forward through the dense forest, bushes and roots try to trip me as if they were alive. For I knew, they could be.
I wanted to stop running but my lags wouldn't let me, I wanted to clear my mind and take a breath but something, or rather someone, didn't want me to. Tears fell freely down my face as I thought I heard a man laugh at me, not with my ears but inside my mind. The paranoia was hitting me hard when I saw more shadows around me almost like they were trying to hunt me. Blood pounded in my ears as I tried to run away from these. . . these demons that were hunting me, that were laughing at me. Making the mistake of looking behind me I didn't see the tree branch the hit me in the face, falling to the ground I heard more cruel and inhuman laughter coming from the darkness around me.
They're gonna kill me! I thought pushing myself back up, I was running again. I didn't know were I was going but I knew I had to run, I just had to or something bad would happen. "what do you want from me!" I screamed again falling on my face, I couldn't stop sobbing, I couldn't stop shaking from the fear of this living hell.
no. a voice in my head said, hell's much, much worse. . . then it laughed at again, that laugh was so cruel and pure evil it was like it wanted me to get hurt. It enjoyed my tears of pain and fear, I wanted to see me die slow and painfully, It wanted me to become even more frantic and scared and lost just for it's entertainment. Looking around me franticly I felt completely hopeless, all around me were trees and shadows filled with hatred and rage focused at me for something I didn't do. Stopping I looked at my dirty hands, something dark red was on them. Looking a little closer, not really sure how else to react, I saw that what they were smothered in was blood.
"oh God," I gasped, my knees were shaking uncontrollably. Falling to them I felt the hard earth beneath me. Shadows surrounded me as if waiting for this moment when I would fall, when I would give in. I toke a deep shaky breath remembering something from the church my mom made me go to.
One of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side and there came a great flow of blood and water, Ephesians 2:13 looking at my hands I knew who's blood it was, it wasn't mine, it was Gods. although I never believed in him I felt like in this dark and demented place he was my only hope of life.
"God," I prayed, "i never really believed in you before, and I thought anyone who did was stupid for believing," I looked up to the gray sky, "but now that I'm here, now that I see the your blood on my hands, the blood you gave so that you would die for me-" my voice cracked so I looked back my hands unsure of how to continue, biting my lip I tried to keep back the flood of tears rolling down my face. "i just want to say I'm sorry, for taking me this long to realize that your there. And I want to say sorry for everything I've done," I said looking up again, "for fighting with my mom, for stealing and lieing, for drinking and giving up my purity to dirty men," looking around me I knew it was just a matter of time before I died, the shadows were already smothering me with fear as they grew thick around me to the point that I couldn't see my own hands. Seconds were left I and I wanted to make them count.
"God, I'm sorry, and I love you. So please, please save me, because I'm-" and that's when my last second was up, I was on the ground my last words becoming thoughts.
Forgive me. . . and just like that a blinding light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Except it wasn't a tunnel, it was the demons that surrounded me. They were screaming as the light hit them, shrieking in pain all shouting one name.
Jesus! It came out in hisses, in screams, in agonized voices. As the light grew closer and the darkness fled away another bible verse popped into my mind.
To make their eyes open, turning them from the dark to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may have forgiveness of sins and a heritage among those who are made holy by faith in me. Acts 26:18
new tears of of happiness fell to the ground in the dust, the love coming from this light was for me and I knew from the bottom of my heart the darkness would not, could not, hurt me any longer.
Stay away from her satan, the light said, she's mine. All the darkness fled at that moment leaving me alone with Jesus. I stumbled off the ground before he could reach me and once again I was running, running into his out stretched arms.
"daddy," I whispered as he held me tight, "daddy, I came home," his gentle laugh shuck my body, I open my eyes to see his joyous face.
"and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful gift," he whispered into my ear petting my hair lovingly. I smiled as another bible verse popped into my mind.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 john 1:7
smiling I closed my eyes, I sighed happily.
"i love you," I whispered into his chest, his warm love washed over me in response.
"i love you too, my beautiful and brave, brave daughter," he said, then I woke up.
His words still lingering in my mind I hated to open my eyes and ruin the dream but I could already feel the blankets on top of me and the slightly hard bed beneath me. A long beep was coming from my left and from my right I could hear my mom crying. All around me I could hear a jumble of voices and I felt hands pushing down on my chest then raising, then push down on me again. I felt something being pressed over my mouth and push air into my lungs after each push on my chest, I wanted to pull it away with my hands but my arm wouldn't move, I wanted to breath but my lungs wouldn't budge. The beep was becoming loud in my ears, I wanted to tell the people to make it stop but no air came to meet my unmoving mouth. The harder I tired to breath on my own or to say words the more my chest hurt, just as I was about to give up I heard a soft voice in my ear and a warm hand on my chest.
Breathe. . . he told me, and like that I could. Gasping, I opened my eyes the same moment the long beep turned into beeping looking to my side I saw it was a heart monitor. Looking above me were doctors and nurses who all looked shocked. I was in a hospital.
"she. . . she's alive!" my mom cried rushing past the doctors to my bed side grabbing my hand she looked at me happily. "baby, oh my baby!" she cried, "i thought you were dead," and like that I remembered everything.
I was at home, depressed as usual. I was doing dishes and mom was in the other room, we had just gotten into a fight. I remember crying and saying I was sorry then I reached for a knife and stabbed myself right were my lungs were then everything went black. Looking at the doctors and then my mom I thought it was strange that I didn't feel any pain there, pulling up my bloody shirt, despite the doctors attempt to stop me, I saw that there was no wound. No blood or scar was there to show what happened to me, but what was left was a hand print of a man. All the doctor looked at me in shock, a few fell on their knees started to praise the Lord, my mom looked at me through unstoppable tears.
"mom," I whispered, "i met Jesus, and he said he loves me," my mom looked at me, I thought no one could ever look happier.
"praise the Lord," she whispered hugging me, "Thank you God for bringing my baby home!" she cried, I smiled, we both heard a voice in the room say.
For God gave his one and only son so that whoever believes in him will not die, but have eternal life.
© Copyright 2020 The Battlecry. All rights reserved.
Add Your Comments:
Eternal life, for humans, would end up eternal torment, psychologically speaking. We are not equipped to deal with living forever, even if it was possible.
Accept the inevitable and make the most of your mortal presence instead of wasting the time on this Earth trying to find a way to cheat death.
but you missed the last verse, God made us and he made a heaven so that when we die we can go there but we can only go their if we accept Christ as our Lord an savior. it's true, and it's not cheating death, God truelly wants us to come home with him and to be with him there. yes, there is a hell, but only the ones who do not believe in Jesus go there and with each soul that does die like that brings great grief to our father. so when i say i'll pray you hear this message and that i'll be praying for you i don't mean i'm doing what i can as long as i'm not really involved and have to get my hands dirty, i mean i'll pray and pray and pray and talk to you as much as i can to help you get Jesus's love in your mind so that you might be saved. because if you believe you'll just go to hell and suffer for eternity don't you think it's worth giving this 'Jesus thing' a chance if it promises to deliver you from it?
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Disney Princess Toddler Doll - Assorted*
Disney Princess Toddler Doll - Assorted*
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text:
Series: Mail Order Brides #1
Published by Pocket Genres: Historical, Western
Source: Publisher
Reviewed by Vanessa
HE MAY BE HER ONLY HOPE. SHE MAY BE HIS LAST CHANCE. Miranda Wentworth never imagined becoming a mail-order bride. Now marriage to a stranger is her only hope of finding a home where she and her two younger brothers can escape the brutality of the Chicago orphanage where they live. With any luck, she can even start a family of her own, once the three of them are settled at Jacob Creed's Texas ranch. But Miranda has one gigantic concern: Her husband-to-be knows nothing about the brothers she's bringing along. What if he calls off the deal when he discovers the trick she's played on him? Jake Creed is hanging on to his Texas ranch by his fingernails. His nemesis, Alexander Blackthorne, is determined to ruin him. Jake will never give up, but he's in desperate trouble. His wife died six months ago in childbirth, along with their stillborn son, and his two-year-old daughter needs a mother. The advertisement Jake wrote never mentioned his daughter--or the fact that he has no intention of consummating his marriage. He's determined never to subject another wife to the burden of pregnancy. But Jake doesn't count on finding his bride so desirable. He doesn't count on aching with need when she joins him in bed. And he never suspected his bride would have plans of her own to seduce him.
Miranda Wentworth will do anything to protect her younger brothers from the rod of the mistress at the orphanage. Since she has to leave the orphanage because she will be of age, she has no choice but to take her youngest siblings with her. Fate had answered her dilemma in the guise of becoming a mail-order bride to a stranger in Texas. However, Miranda wasn't too sure that her groom-to-be would accept these young stowaways since she never mentioned them to him. She comes up with a slick little plan and hopes it will play out well for her HEA.
Jacob Creed is in need of a wife to help out at the ranch so that he doesn't lose it his enemy. He keeps mum about his "conditions" for his bride-to-be, and he fails to disclose that he already has a child. He has his own goals in completing this quick marriage of convenience. He certainly doesn't think that he will desire his wife either! However, Jacob soon finds that even his "conditions" may not be enough to hold off a woman intent on seduction!
Texas Bride was a heart wrenching sweet tale of romance with just the right amount of realistic conditions added to jack up the angst. I didn't like the hardships that Miranda had to endure, but I felt that they were probably authentic to the time period in Texas Bride. Jacob wasn't one of those great billionaires either, but more a down-to-earth hard-working man that truly deserved his HEA in Texas Bride.
The development of the secondary characters added more to the overall story, and answered some questions that were brought to life, since I read the series out of order. However, I was still looking for resolution in their stories as well in Texas Bride. Yet I can't find fault with Jacob and Miranda's love story in Texas Bride.
I felt invested with Jacob and Miranda and cried at several points in Texas Bride. I liked that Jacob learned to take a risk and that Miranda learned to trust Jacob in Texas Bride, as well. The dialogue was witty and entertaining at several points and engaged me in the lives of the various characters. The fact that I could become involved in this historical western, which I don't normally read, makes Texas Bride a Joyfully Recommended read!