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Tag: Rex Balsom
National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Watching soaps today, alone, would make you question, 1 – whether writers were aware of the significance of this month, 2 – if they would care if they were aware of it. According to RAINN, every 2 minutes someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. Click the RAINN symbol to learn more about SAAP month, and to find events taking place in your local area. Today, on almost every soap left on air, a woman was nearly sexually assaulted, emotionally assaulted, or physically assaulted – almost none for the sake of furthering a discussion about sexual and other violent assaults. Almost all for the sake of 'entertainment'. Check the ratings, writers, we – your primarily female audience, are not amused or entertained by such storylines.
1. Days of Our lives. I've thought of EJ as a coward for quite a long time. Today's episode just made things a heck of a lot worse. If your father is a murderous psychopath and you're quickly following in his footsteps, then it makes sense that you don't care to protect your partner in crime from your father's tyrannical wrath. It makes you appear to be less human, as well. Too busy trying to cover his own arse, EJ has made no moves to stop others from thinking of Anna as a vile kidnapper who tormented a young infant girl for months after she'd already lost the only mother she'd ever known. If you were watching today's episode, you witnessed Stefano Dimera, EJ's father, physically assault his former daughter-in-law, his deceased son's wife. Tony might have killed Stefano for slapping his wife.
The excuse is supposed to be, I'm sure, that Stefano had no idea that Anna wasn't alone in kidnapping his granddaughter when he slapped her. My response? WHO CARES!?!?! She as alone, half dressed and defenseless against him and the goons he brought with him. That scene was heartbreaking from beginning to end. It was in fact EJ, the child's father, who concocted the scheme and convinced Anna to become his partner in crime. It was his son EJ, who got the 'bright' idea to cover the child's clothing in blood and make everyone think the infant had been murdered. Will Stefano slap him across the face? Will he have his son dragged off with threats of death? Is that behavior reserved only for women 'who have it coming'?
While EJ sat home, basking in the glow of being complimented for being a 'great dad', Anna was being slapped around, manhandled by Stefano's goons, and had to plead for her life, as Stefano promised her that she would not be alive much longer. DAYS has done a lot of things right, but this was dead wrong and made it clear how parasitic the Dimera men's relationships with women are. EJ professes love, two children later, to the woman he raped at gunpoint, and while he sat with her trying to convince her he was a new man, Anna faced violence and certain death.
2. The Bold and the Beautiful. I watched the last 10 minutes of the show, today – apparently ten minutes too many! It was a continuation of Donna Logan Forrester being treated as if she was disposable by her husband, Eric Forrester. This follows an earlier discussion in which he screamed at her in front of his ex wife and his former sister-in-law (both of whom have attacked Donna physically and verbally). Earlier he'd faulted Donna for never being on his side – a full-throated lie. He's clearly 'finished' with Donna and finds excuses to scream and yell at her, including faulting Donna for her brother-in-law's partnership with his WILLING ex-wife, who helped weaken his company before Bill Spencer bought it out from from under him. Eric accepts no responsibility for being a lousy businessperson. He also gives Donna ZERO credit for being willing to deceive her own sister to help him get his company back. He screams at her, demeans her, and then she returns home to beg for his forgiveness for not being tolerant enough of his needs. If she was a friend of mine in a marriage like that, I would be advising her on thinking about how to get out of it, or at least how to protect herself from a man like Eric Forrester.
3. One Life to Live. Schuyler Joplin has been just about as perfect a man as one can be in daytime. He's thoughtful, loving, kind, and patient… which means that when he had to be torn down to prop the show's resident snooze producing couple – the writers took the lowest possible route to try to make him unlikable to fans. His soap day started with him being a loving father who only wanted the best for his child. He finds out the child he's been loving isn't his and just a few hours later he's holding Gigi Morasco hostage at gunpoint, trying to force her to undress so they can have sex and he could prove to her that they still have a special relationship. He doesn't want to be alone.
Pretty.Damned.Pathetic.
Soaps use to write rape storylines to sway fans' sympathy in the direction of 'bad girls who needed redeeming'. Now they use rape as a way of trying to sway fans' ire at male characters they want to get rid of — most of the time. Sometimes they decide that the rapist isn't all that bad and try to redeem him or try to get the audience to accept his attempt to get his victim to fall in love with him. It's that sort of clumsy and careless storytelling that makes soap fans ashamed of the genre.
4. General Hospital. Kristina, after ignoring Ethan's pleas to not allow the entire town, most especially her murderous mob father, believe that he'd beaten her up- as he was innocent – was beaten again today by her boyfriend, Kiefer. I'd watched DAYS' Anna being slapped around, DAYS' Sami talking about her lovelife with her rapist, OLTL's Gigi held at gunpoint and potentially raped, BnB's Donna beg forgiveness for being treated poorly, and then Kristina. I am emotionally drained and most especially because it's clear that daytime writers still don't get it.
As usual, the storyline hasn't been about this poor teenage girl who is being harmed, it's about the adults around her – her mother who took the time to run down her attacker with her car while on the way to the hospital to get help for Kristina, her angry mob boss father, Ethan -the wrongfully accused… but very little about the survivor.
I'm hoping we'll see more of Kristina, in therapy to learn that it's not her fault she's been attacked, or that we'll get to see her confront Kiefer and make him realize how badly he's hurt her. As I've written about before, it would be best to see HIM in therapy – helping him figure out why he's so violent towards women.
Soaps do a lot with the 'assault' part, nothing much with the 'prevention'. Were women victims of assault and violence on the other two soaps? Probably, I'm just glad I missed it – I've had more than my fill in just a single day. It's depressing.
Posted on April 5, 2010 April 6, 2010 by NorrthPosted in UncategorizedTagged Alexis Davis, Allison Sweeney, Anna Dimera, Days Of Our Lives, Donna Logan Forrester, EJ Dimera, Eric Forrester, General Hospital, Gigi Morasco, Kiefer Bauer, Kristina Davis, One Life To Live, RAINN, Rex Balsom, Sami Brady, Schuyler Joplin, Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, Stefano DiMera, Stephanie Forrester, The Bold and The Beautiful. Leave a comment
Inglorious Bastards
No, not 'Basterds', that's Tarantino's deal. The IB's I'm (lovingly) referring to are the daytime writers who have yet to give up on trying to pull one over on the fans!
1. I'd appreciate it if someone would explain to me why Cole and Starr (of 'We're Cole and Starr' fame) would think it was 'ok' to involve Starr in Cole's '21 Jump Street' drug operation. From there, "Stole" proved that neither will ever be a member of the Llanview brain trust! I was stupefied after they involved their innocent defenseless baby to give 'credibility' to Cole's cover. Why didn't they stage a break up before having Cole go 'undercover'? Why not have Starr and child leave town for a while? Oh, I get it! "There is no 'Starr and Cole, they're fictional – THEY didn't do it"! "It was all the writers doing". That won't stop me from cringing whenever Starr and Cole are on. The longer this pairing goes on, the weaker the writing for them becomes. It's increasingly more difficult it is to like them and I find myself resenting the airtime they've stolen from veteran characters. The characters are consistently placed in storylines that are 'too adult' for them and the integrity of the storyline suffers as a result.
2. I don't care who Rex's father is… it's dragged on too long without enough plot points in between to keep me curious. Now I'm just annoyed every time the topic comes up. Rex is a freakin' private investigator. He must really suck at his job if he can't figure this one out. Isn't it just a tad bit odd that he can figure out that Tea has some deep dark secrets, but can't find his own father? It's also odd that he can't keep up with Stacy's mustache twirling machinations!
I love Stacy Morasco… oh yeah, I said LOVE, but it's evident that while her engine is on, there's no one behind the wheel. If SHE can outsmart Rex, time and again, he's working with a single digit IQ. I'm going to hate myself later for admitting this, but I'm thrilled at the thought of a Gigi Schuyler pairing and a Rex and Stacy pairing – if only because Stacy will make sure Rex stays miserable for a LONG time. What irony that Ilene Kristen who played Ryan's Hope's scheming bad girl (Delia Reid Ryan) could become the onscreen mother-in-law of a similar character!
3. Fish and Kyle. Daytime writers seem to believe that all gays have a traumatic coming out experience. While it may be a difficult moment for some, will OLTL writers ever give the audience a gay character who isn't closeted and terrified of coming out? I lived through the Daniel Colson storyline. I would have much rather had Fish avoid Kyle because he gave his heart and soul to Kyle in college and Kyle cheated, lied, and was generally unconcerned about anyone but himself. That's VERY consistent with the scheming, lying, blackmailing Kyle we were introduced to.
At some point, writers, can we please just have gay characters who are actually HAPPY with their lives, and not afraid that their friends and family will turn on them? Am I watching too much Miami Social? (Yeah, I should be ashamed of admitting that too! That cast of real life characters puts the 'super' in superficial!)
1. Oh those sneaky GH writers! They've pulled a fast one. Every FBI agent, or undercover cop, ever sent to 'take Sonny down' ended up falling for Jason's pecs, Spinelli's wit, or the magic of Sonny's pecker (Hannah, Reese). So how have the writers topped themselves? HA! It's the fruit of Sonny's loins (product of the pecker) who is now being sent to take him down! Marked improvement, writers, really… only not! It's a given that Dante Falconeri won't end up carrying Sonny's child and wouldn't want to even if he could, thank the soapgods. Unfortunately there's no guarantee that Dante won't go the way of every cop/agent before him and end up loving his papa, Sonny, so much that he turns on his profession to protect him.
Even though I'm having a hard time buying Dante as Olivia and Sonny's kid, I'll suspend disbelief if Dante is allowed to put the mob storyline to bed, rather than climb into bed with the mob when all is revealed. (I can't be the only one who thinks that Dominic Zamprogna's Dante, looks more like Olivia's older brother than her son! David Lago would have been a much better choice given the character's supposed age, but since I'm enjoying DZ in the role, I can live with it). Let's hope that the revelation that Sonny is his father will mean that Dante becomes more determined than ever to shut Sonny's operation down. If Dante doesn't actually signal the end of the reign of the mob boys, GH is doomed. The writers either have to send them to prison (won't happen) or have them leave their lives of crime (can't see this happening either), but things can't go on as they are.
2. Nik… calling Emily Rebecca a 'whore' and 'slut' and repeatedly making reference to how easily she 'spreads her legs'… just lovely… As much as I despise Rebecca, I would have cheered her on for slapping 'Prince Nikolas' out of his shoes, thank you very much! If I recall, Nik was as 'slutty' as Rebecca. She wanted money, he wanted an Emily substitute and tried to give it up to her much sooner than she was willing to give herself to him.
Why do I feel the need to shower after watching GH?
Speaking of showers, did anyone watch KKL's Brooke and HT's Taylor mud wrestling scene? Obviously, I didn't, but as I understand it, the actresses (their characters) took a 'mud bath' to cleanse their toxins and a fight broke out between the characters.
What's up next? The Brooke and Taylor accidentally fall into a vat of jello and begin fighting?
A pillow fight breaks out and they 'accidentally' start ripping each other's shirts open?
Tsk, tsk, tsk, The Bold and The Beautiful writers.
Posted on August 20, 2009 by NorrthPosted in UncategorizedTagged Brooke Logan, Cole Thornhart, Dante Falconeri, General Hospital, Gigi Morasco, Hunter Tylo, Katherine Kelly Lang, One Life To Live, Rex Balsom, Stacy Morasco, Starr Manning, Taylor Hamilton Hayes, The Bold and The Beautiful. 2 Comments
The first thing we do? OLTL?
Copyright ABC (2008)
Let's rid ourselves of all of the bad editors! (if you don't mind the turn of phrase).Most of what took place on OLTL this past week pleasantly surprised me. Even my well worn remote would like to take this moment to thank the writers for relief. It pretty much had the week off with One Life, since I don't remember hitting FF once this week. The only big shocker for me this past week were several pretty lousy editing choices, one in particular. I'll get to that in a moment.
Soap-heaven help me, I still like John and Marty. The only thing that's harder to take than a dark and brooding John McBain is John McBain in love. 'Happy' John and 'Brooding' John are pretty much one in the same. It's just at times tough to watch a man who SHOULD be filled with joy behave like a man whose problems could all be solved with the help of a good laxative. Wardrobe, could you PLEASE at least put on a brightly colored shirt under his dark suit jacket and dark coat, to go along with his dark pants and dark shoes so that we know the difference between Brooding John and Joyous John? Thanks!
John's reaction to Marty as she flashed back on her the manipulated-rape sex with Todd was a reminder that there are soap writers who still realize that it's so much easier for fans to root for good men – we get so few of them in daytime. Many of us still love men who are sensitive to the needs of others, rather than focus on themselves and their own pain. LOVED that moment when John reminded Marty that he was always willing to wait for her – she's worth it. LOVED that the writers didn't follow that scene up with John immediately running to someone else to flirt with or have sex with while Marty was working on her recovery.
The only thing that made the scene even remotely awkward was watching Blair seduce Todd at the same time Marty had difficulty being touched by John because of Todd's assault of her. If the writers wanted to make some of us squeamish about Todd and Blair, job well done. Otherwise? Bad editing job on this one. It made Todd and Blair seem completely disconnected from the world around them, belligerently insular. They seemed to not care about how much damage had been done to others in their time apart.
Blair, who was disgusted by Todd's treatment of Marty, seems to have absolutely no qualms about his actions, now. She was disgusted enough before to want to keep his children from him. Now? She can't keep her hands off of him.
I would much rather have had long soulful talks between the two rather than strip scenes and "shame-filled" sex. The problem with the writing for the once magnificent Todd and Blair is that that the writers don't seem invested in having them break the inch deep-mile wide pattern they've established as part of their courtship. OLTL writers have seem to always bank on the hard work of Kassie DePaiva and Trevor St. John in winning back fans to the 'Todd and Blair corner to bring romance back to the show. I think they'll have to reconsider, this time. Too much damage has been done and an instant reunion most likely won't give them the bump they're looking for. How instant is instant in their case? Todd/Blair reunions can be summarized by the following dialogue:
"You hurt me" (Todd to Blair, Blair to Todd, it doesn't matter).
"I'm sorry" (Todd to Blair, Blair to Todd, it doesn't matter)
"Stay away from me" (Todd to Blair, Blair to Todd, it doesn't matter)
"You don't mean that" (Todd to Blair, Blair to Todd, it doesn't matter)
They have sex… AND SCENE!
Where is the discussion about what they want and why they want it? What about some insight into why they dragged Marty and John into their psychodrama? How about some part humorous/part dramatic couples counseling for them? What about real consideration about Tea's feelings? It's bad enough that Todd cheated on Tea after she put everything on the line for him, her life included, but he then lied and said that it meant nothing that he'd had sex with Blair. If it wasn't a lie that having sex with Blair meant nothing to him? It makes his actions even worse. The writers rubbed salt in fans' wounds by having Todd coldly state to Blair that he was leaving her to go after Tea 'because she's worth it'.
Hells bells, people, you know that despite Tea's fault, I'm a fan of the goddess of grand bitchery but for TODD to state who is 'worthy' and who isn't? Well that just burns my grits. I would have loved watching Blair get up off the chaise lounge and slap Todd back to his infancy (which would finally allow his external state match his internal state)! Marty, Tea, Blair, his sister Viki, and even his own daughter, Starr… just how many women in Llanview are going to end up emotionally scarred thanks to this guy? Taking Todd down the dark road for the sake of pimping "Starr and Cole" is a decision that still haunts this show. The writers haven't been able to find their 'Todd mojo' and get anything right with this character since then.
Despite the detour and bad editing, I enjoy Marty and John.
What else was there to love?
1. Greg turned out to not be a big a jerk as he originally seemed. I liked that he experienced pangs of guilt about running out on Destiny and realizing that he'd hurt her with his actions. I still don't like the guy enough to have Rachel walk away from Shaun and fall into Dr. Dork's waiting arms. I just like the idea of Shawn and Greg working out their differences for their sister's sake.
Lovin' the OLTL writers for giving us this little family. It's so unconventional and I can't wait to see where they go next. Don't make me eat those words, writers.
2. I uh… liked Destiny last week. If you're shocked, imagine how I feel. I'm starting to see what the casting directors saw in this kid when they cast her. She's growing in the role and learning to convey a vulnerability that's refreshing in a teen character, given the rash of adult-themed storylines daytime writers have been pushing for young characters, lately. It will be interesting to see where the friendship between Destiny and Matthew goes.
3. I uh… liked Starr last week. Still in shock here! The discussion between Starr, Cole, and Jessica was so rational and thoughtful, I have to classify it as the high point of my soap watching week! Alderson held her own in scenes with Buddy and Williamson. Scene chewing is not her thing so this emotionally low-key scene felt genuine and believable. I have to admit that the discussion between Jess and Cole sparked my interest most. Er, NO, I don't want to see them as a couple. I'm giving kudos to the writers for creating such a layered scene. Both made the connection that they were both 'in recovery' and made poor choices because of an inordinate amount of pain, but that they both needed to take responsibility for their own actions. Both Jess and Cole realized that they had to forgive others as they needed to be forgiven. For a brief and shining moment, I felt that I could honestly tell my friends who don't know that I watch soaps about the show … well done, writers, well done! It was good enough for prime time… 😉 Ouch?
4. Wish I could give a crap about the Stacy storyline, but I don't. I don't even care who Rex's father is any more… just.not.interested!
While Starr moved one step closer to being a 'real mom', Gigi took a step back for me. (Wait, I'm getting to it… there's something I like about this storyline, hang on)… It was odd to watch her encourage Shane's hatred of Aunt Stacy no matter how much of a low life Stacy has been.
I had to wonder if there wasn't a unconscious attempt to warn fans about the perils of being a young mother – since it appears that they're avoiding that 'lesson' of young parenthood with Starr and Cole. Gigi applauding Shane's comic book character (skanky Stacy? Sleazy Stacy?) REEKED of an immature mother dragging her child into her baby's daddy drama. A mature mother would have told Shane that his feelings of anger are appropriate, but that it's also appropriate to feel sorry for Stacy for what she's become and to hold out hope for her. The Gigi-Shane scenes skeeved me out a bit, I gotta' admit.
SO, here's what I loved
A – That the 'secret' is finally out in the open. I was tired of this storyline about a month before it began (damn you spoilers!)
B – That there's a possibility of a Schuyler-Gigi pairing – the actors have an amazing onscreen chemistry. Rex and Gigi have been terminally cute. Schuyler and Gigi have the potential to be hot!. Having Rex sleep with Stacy and lie about it after treating Gigi like such dirt for so long makes Rex and Gigi a dead pairing for me, for now. No matter how many things didn't add up, Rex refused to believe the truth and painted the Scarlett 'A' on Gigi's chest – clearly tempted to use her own blood to do so. Let Big Rex, and little Rex, sit on the sidelines and watch Gigi happy with someone else for a while.
5 – I've never been much of a Bo and Nora fan… but they're reeling me in. Poor Clint… Sorry guy, I think I want to see a Bo and Nora reunion. Clint and Nora seem to have been killing time for a while now. Send Clint home to Viki (sorry Charlie!)
Posted on July 20, 2009 by NorrthPosted in UncategorizedTagged Blair Cramer, Bo Buchanan, Clint Buchanan, Cole Thornhart, Destiny Evans, Gigi Morasco, Gregory Evans, John McBain, Marty Saybrooke, Matthew Buchanan, Nora Buchanan, One Life To Live, Rachel Buchanan, Rex Balsom, Scott Clifton, Shane Morasco, Shaun Evans, Stacy Morasco, Starr Manning, Tea Delgado, Todd Manning, Viki Lord Buchanan Davidson. 2 Comments
Which one of you BITCHES is my mother!?!?
Why is it that the best 'soap' moments don't come from daytime soaps at all? If you got goosebumps reading the subject header, you remember the infamous scene from 'Lace' in which celebrated wild child, Lili, confronts Pagan, Maxine, and Judy. The latter three have been best friends since their days at boarding school, so much so that they hid a pregnancy – refusing to tell which of the three was pregnant. Together they placed the child for adoption. Lili is that child. While adopted by a lovely couple, Lili's childhood was miserable following their untimely death. She was forced to 'survive' in the most unlikely of ways. Though now incredibly wealthy and successful, Lili is equally angry at the three for having abandoned her (they believed she was killed in the war along with her adoptive parents). Lili sets each of the three women up to lose everything they hold dear, unless they answer the long-held hair raising question… one of entertainment's soapiest moments is found 1:28 into the video:
You really want to know which 'bitch' is it, don't you? Fine… here you go:
Where is the same level of camp/drama/intrigue in daytime? Where is the lovely but infuriating clever ingenue who steals your heart, but makes you lose your cool all at the same time? She is not alone in being missing in action in the soap genre. Daytime is woefully short in offering two types of characters that have typically driven soaps in the past:
1. Empowered women. The empowered woman's motto is, 'If they screw with you, pay them back tenfold'. The empowered woman in daytime is unapologetic for being smart and in control of her own destiny. She does not suffer fools gladly. She knows what she wants and she's not afraid to go after it. Her strength is a true strength, and not psychotic and controlling behaviors reinterpreted as strength – as with bat crap crazy BnB's Stephanie Forrester and GH's Helena Cassadine.
She's equipped to stand her ground in the boardroom, in her romantic relationships, and in all other aspects of her empowered life. Take, for example, OLTL's Rachel Gannon. She's a second generation empowered woman (as far as we know). Daughter of the legendary ass-kicking Nora Gannon Buchanan, Rachel fought a drug habit, served time in prison, is now a drug treatment counselor, and a woman slowly falling in love with a good man – the damned sexy and cuddly Shaun Evans .. who has a rich, powerful, sleaze for a brother. You can see where this is going, can't you? Hang on a minute.
Empowered women still exist, they're just often revamped to play 'weak' and 'whiny' women who have to beg forgiveness when they're mistreated by the men in their lives, or by others. If they're not completely destroyed, they're placed on the backburner once daytime writers decide that they've had enough with all the 'grit' and 'courage' and they replace her with knuckle-drooling counterpart – weak women whose claim to fame is compliance and acquiescence – deference to the mindless soap male. It's why I'm sure that in short order, Rachel Gannon will fall for the sleazy brother, Dr. Gregory Evans. She'll want to 'save' him from himself, and she'll hurt sweetheart Shaun in the process.
The dialogue that follows? "We didn't mean to hurt you!" … "It just happened"…." If I could take it all back"… and then the years of affairs, maltreatment, excuses, and bitter triangles in which she'll have to fight off Greg's other 'great love' begins… for you dear soap fans, not for me. As I've taken the BnB off my playlist, the OLTL is soon to follow should the storyline play out as it seems. What is it with OLTL and the siblings/shared lovers storylines? Layla/Cristian/Evangeline – Bo/Nora/Clint – Stacy/Rex/Gigi, and now, most likely, Shaun/Rachel/Gregory.
2. The Vixen. Unlike the empowered woman, she fights from a position of fear, anger, and insecurity. Her motto is 'Get them before they get you'. She's more likely to wreak havoc and create hell in the lives around her and not because she's necessarily evil, but more so because she doesn't know any other way of existing. DAYS' Melanie comes closest to a real live 'bad girl' in the mold of the daytime classic over-the-top troubled vixens, but I need more.
Remember GH's Lucy Coe when she was first introduced? Oh.Dear.Soapgod. Who could have seen that one coming? That Lucy was involved with bad boy Kevin was a given… it was clear that the mousy librarian was protecting him. That the 'mousy' librarian wasn't mousy at all, but a studded collar short from being a dominatrix? SAY WHAT? No one I knew who watched soaps then had ever seen anything like it. Sadly, I suspect we'll never see anything as off the wall wonderful as Lucy Coe again, not in daytime (OH, and SHAME ON YOU, GH. In a recent interview, Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe) reveals that she made it clear to TPTB that she was open to reprising the role… they weren't interested. GH's loss is As The World Turns' gain.
I'd hoped that OLTL's Stacy would become Lucy-esque, she had such potential – but the writers took it one step twenty steps too far. Not only did Stacy drug and try to seduce Rex Balsom, the object of her obsession, her sister's fiance, and father of her only nephew (pretty tame for daytime vixens, however), she went as far as allowing her sister, Gigi, to believe that she would allow Gigi's son, Shane, die unless her sister turned Rex over to her. That's pretty psychotic for a daytime vixen. If there was ever anything to root for as far as Stacy was concerned, that storyline killed it. Had the writers had Stacy fake being the donor, with Roxy and Kyle's help as she was already doing, Stacy as a vixen could have survived. She could have then played off of Rex's gratitude to slowly seduce him away as Gigi was heavily focused on Shane's recovery. The writers could have set a trusting Gigi up to ask Rex to play 'nurse maid' to her recovering sister. Allowing a mother to believe that you would let her son die, for a roll in the hay? Bad. When the child's mother is your own sister? EVIL.
Without it's heroic empowered women and mischief making vixens, daytime has me tuning elsewhere for interesting characters (real or fictional).
Posted on July 5, 2009 by NorrthPosted in UncategorizedTagged Days Of Our Lives, Gigi Morasco, Gregory Evans, Judy, Lace, Lili, Maxine, Melanie Layton, One Life To Live, Pagan, Phoebe Cates, Rachel Gannon, Rex Balsom, Shaun Evans, Stacy Morasco. 3 Comments
OLTL, you like me, you really LIKE me
It's like someone woke a sleeping giant! OLTL is showing big love to its fans once more! Prior to this lasted set of arcs, this show was on a huge downward shame spiral for some time now. The storylines stopped making sense, the characters became unlikable – or worse, BORING, and watching OLTL began to feel more like an obligation. Hey, I could have trashed the show without watching it, but how fair would that have been?
Trash it? Oh no, I'm here to PRAISE it! This show has found its mojo and it's paying off in SPADES. My biggest gripe with daytime is that so few writers seem to do the unexpected any more. Most writers' moves are telegraphed and therefore yawn producing. OLTL writers seem to be determined to offer viewers the unexpected. Fans have wondered if David's conversion was real. Had he become a better man, or was this yet another Vicker's scam? I'll admit that I was waiting for the scam – when isn't David pulling a con? We got our answer.
THIS time David is for real. He not only doesn't want to harm the Buchanans, but the revelation that BO, not Asa is his father has led him to change his mind and being entitled to the Buchanan money. The old David would have fought tooth and nail for that money and not given Bo a second thought. David isn't willing to hurt his family just to become a wealthy man. He wants to create his own life. He wants to feel good about who he is and not owe anyone anything. Of course, it sucks that we learned it as he was on his way out the door (Tuc Watkins why do you keep breaking my heart with each goodbye!?!?!) but we can't blame the writers for that.
I'd expected Rex to somehow turn out to be Bo's son (not Mitch Laurence's- if the mystery man really is Mitch Laurence).
I never expected Bo to be so callous in learning about David's paternity (WTH was that? Having lost one son, you'd think that Bo would have been reluctant to get to know David, but to want to know him anyway.)
I expected David to turn out not to be Asa's, but instead to be Ned Truman's son after all.
At the very least, I expected David to stick it to Dorian, who'd waged war against him during his marriage to Addie, by having her give up her fortune and then claiming his and not marrying her.
I've been happy to be proven wrong at every turn. The show is far more interesting this way.
Posted on March 2, 2009 by NorrthPosted in UncategorizedTagged Bo Buchanan, David Vickers, Dorian Lord, Mitch Laurence, Ned Truman, One Life To Live, Rex Balsom, Tuc Watkins. Leave a comment


In the practice of the United States, religious buildings, shrines, and consecrated places employed for worship are used only for aid stations, medical installations, or for the housing of wounded personnel awaiting evacuation, provided in each case that a situation of emergency requires such use.
United States, Field Manual 27-10, The Law of Land Warfare, US Department of the Army, 18 July 1956, as modified by Change No. 1, 15 July 1976, § 405(c).
United States, Air Force Pamphlet 110-31, International Law – The Conduct of Armed Conflict and Air Operations, US Department of the Air Force, 1976, § 15-3(c)(7).
The US Instructor's Guide (1985) states: "In addition to the grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, the following acts are further examples of war crimes: … improperly using privileged buildings for military purposes such as a church steeple as an observation post".
United States, Military Commissions Act, 2006, Public Law 109-366, Chapter 47A of Title 10 of the United States Code, 17 October 2006, p. 120 Stat. 2626, § 950v(a)(3) and (b)(10).
(1) It is the understanding of the United States of America that "special protection," as defined in Chapter II of the Convention, codifies customary international law in that it … prohibits the use of any cultural property to shield any legitimate military targets from attack … .
United States, Military Commissions Act, 2009, § 950t(10).
certain principles of customary law codified in [the 1977 Additional Protocol I], the Government of Iraq placed military assets (personnel, weapons, and equipment) in civilian populated areas and next to protected objects (mosques, medical facilities, and cultural sites) in an effort to protect them from attack.
A classic example was the positioning of two fighter aircraft adjacent to the ancient temple of Ur … While the law of war permits the attack of the two fighter aircraft, with Iraq bearing responsibility for any damage to the temple, Commander-in-Chief, Central Command (CINCCENT) elected not to attack the aircraft on the basis of respect for cultural property and the belief that positioning of the aircraft adjacent to Ur (without servicing equipment or a runway nearby) effectively had placed each out of action, thereby limiting the value of their destruction by Coalition air forces when weighed against the risk of damage to the temple. Other cultural property similarly remained on the Coalition no-attack list, despite Iraqi placement of valuable military equipment in or near those sites.
The US and its Coalition partners in Desert Storm recognized that they were fighting in the "cradle of civilization" and took extraordinary measures to minimize damage to cultural property. Regrettably, these precautionary steps were met by Iraqi use of cultural property within its control to shield military objects from attack. A classical example is the positioning of two MiG-21 fighter aircraft at the entrance of the ancient temple of Ur. Although the law of war permitted their attack, and although each could have been destroyed utilizing precision-guided munitions, US commanders recognized that the aircraft for all intents and purposes were incapable of military operations from their position, and elected against their attack for fear of collateral damage to the temple.


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Chinese rover set to explore far side of Moon
Pic: China News Service
Beijing: China's space agency has revealed images of the exploration vehicle with which it hopes to reach the far side of the Moon by the end of this year, a feat no country has ever accomplished, the media reported on Thursday.
In December, the vehicle will travel aboard the unmanned lunar probe Chang'e 4, which is expected to land in the Aitken basin on the far side of the Moon, not visible from the Earth, Efe news reported.
The vehicle is similar to Yutu, China's first lunar rover launched in 2013 along with Chang'e 3, which continues to traverse the visible side of the Moon, according to a report in the China Daily.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China's lunar probe programme, said that the new explorer was more adaptable to complicated terrain than Yutu.
The rover was also the lightest of its kind in the world, weighing only 140 kg (309 pounds), much less than its predecessors, he added.
The rectangular box-shaped rover will have six wheels, two solar panels for power, a radar and multiple cameras to explore the lesser-known side of the Moon.
Pioneering space programmes earlier had photographed the far side of the Moon over half a century ago but could never manage to land there.
In May, China took the first step of this mission with the launch of a satellite to facilitate communications between the Moon and control centres on Earth.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This is a hand painted oil painting of two Koi fishes in shades of yellow/orange and white on an abstract background of water. A white frame has been given to retain the modern look. The piece measures 51.5x45.5cms with the frame. Can do customized paintings on request.


A few days ago I read an old story written about a man named Ali Hafed who sold his idyllic farm and wandered the world in search of diamonds. His search yielded nothing and his dreams of being wealthy did not come true. Finally, penniless and poor, Ali threw himself into the ocean off the coast of Spain and drowned himself.
Meanwhile, the man who purchased Ali's farm discovered an entire acre of diamonds as he plowed the fields that Ali had once owned and walked over each day.
As I read this story, I was reminded of a woman that I saw through my office window. She was walking very briskly down the sidewalk. Her manner and her gate made me think that she was very focused on her objective and very determined to get there. Behind her a small child followed. I think she must have been about 3 or 4 years old. I also think this child belonged to the woman she was following. This child was singing as she walked and kicking at fallen leaves; picking them up, throwing them, laughing; her hair blowing in the wind.
Too often, like Ali Hafed and this woman, we ignore the miracle that is with us as we search for something that is just beyond our vision and just beyond our grasp.
Miracles surround us. If only we had eyes to see them.


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Minnesota gets good news on federal funding to help state's 'littlest learners'
by MinnCAN posted on December 16, 2011 August 16, 2016
The moral of this story: 'Tis definitely better to receive.
This morning, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that Minnesota is one of nine states that will get up to $100 million each to create high-quality pre-kindergarten systems for disadvantaged kids.
The maximum Minnesota is eligible for is $50 million over four years. Officials did not release award amounts at this morning's White House press conference, but local early-ed insiders said they'e heard the state will receive $45 million to $50 million.
The other winners are California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington.
"They're creating high-quality early-learning systems," Sebelius said of the winning states. "By pushing everyone to raise their game, we intend to increase the quality of early education from coast to coast."
"This grant was the result of an extraordinary public-private partnership and reflects the Dayton Administration's strong commitment toward providing every child with access to high-quality early learning programs," said state Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. "This collaboration showed Minnesota's 'can-do' spirit at its best."
"We're ecstatic," said Duane Benson, executive director of the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation (MELF), which spearheaded some of the key initiatives that landed the grant. "Now we can get more kids ready for kindergarten."
In October, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 35 states applied for a slice of $500 million in federal Race to the Top grants for the pre-kindergarten systems.
Still smarting from the wholesale trouncing the state got in the first RTTT competition for part of $4 billion in K-12 education reform dollars, Minnesota policymakers drew up a 700-page application complete with 48 appendices that dotted every I in the feds' playbook and crossed a few T's for good measure.
Specific feedback from the applications' reviewers is not yet public, but it's probably a safe bet that two factors helped push Minnesota's application (PDF) to the head of the pack.
The first: A five-year effort by MELF, a high-profile, bipartisan consortium of policymakers and business leaders, to define high-quality care, prove its achievement-gap-closing value and figure out how to steer fragile families with public child-care subsidies toward top providers.
The second: An equally unprecedented effort to show Duncan the depth and breadth of support early ed enjoys among Minnesotans. In addition to the aforementioned educators, business leaders and policy types, the state's grant application was endorsed by entities ranging from law enforcement to the state historical society.
RTTT grants are one-time funds (PDF), so creating an infrastructure that will support itself going forward is an optimal use.
Still, as public policy sagas go, the quest to focus resources on Minnesota's littlest learners has been a nail-biter.
When the year started, it seemed as if the one effort that was a shoo-in at the Capitol was support for early ed. Ideological foes were in lockstep on the state's need to invest in its workforce by making sure impoverished kids start kindergarten ready to learn.
Plus, while lawmakers wouldn't have new money to play with absent a tax hike, there were plenty of policy freebies that would give pre-K a significant boost.
One was a formal seat at the education policy table, something Gov. Mark Dayton proposed to do by granting Cassellius responsibility for overseeing all state early-ed efforts and naming an Early Learning Council to advise her.
The other was the statewide expansion of MELF's five-year pilot program, a rating system that identifies high-quality early-ed programs and guides families that rely on private scholarships and public child-care subsidies toward the best.
Persuaded by research showing that every dollar the state invests in top-notch early childhood education returns $16 to the economy, MELF's private-sector boosters put up $20 million to create ratings and study their impact.
Among the findings: Test scores rose and mobility virtually disappeared among children enrolled in St. Paul programs that participated in the pilot phase of "Parent Aware."
Despite bipartisan support, legislation to expand the ratings system statewide died a middle-of-the-night death, halfway through the session, reportedly because of fears it would literally create a "nanny state."
State House leaders have never publicly explained what happened, but advocates working on the issue say that following lobbying by a religious-right organization with ties to Rep. Michele Bachmann, the GOP's Tea Party wing threatened to withhold support from the omnibus education bill if it contained support for early ed.
In the crush of the state shutdown, lawmakers also failed to repeal the laws authorizing MELF's pilot. And so in August, days before the release of RTTT's application parameters, Dayton issued an executive order expanding Parent Aware. The governor also named 22 people to the Early Learning Council he created by executive order earlier in the year.
The coup de grâce: All of the data painstakingly amassed during the pilot showing the correlation between provider training and good care, good care and kindergarten readiness and preparedness and academic achievement in later life gave Minnesota an avalanche of data to deliver to Duncan.
And some quick work by MinnCAN, a broad-based advocacy coalition working on the early-ed issue, generated strong statements of support from an array of community members who spoke to the relationship among poor child care and crime, unemployment and dependency on costly services.
"Minnesota's model, Parent Aware, is unique in that it points to outcomes," said MinnCAN Executive Director Vallay Varro. "We have a clear vision."
A second round of grants will be made next year.
"It was a team effort to get everything together," said Benson. "I just can't say enough about the number of people who threw their backs into this."


Address: Airtricity House Ravenscourt Office Park Sandyford Dublin 18 Co. Dublin, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: Airtricity House Ravenscourt Office Park Sandyford 18 Co. Dublin, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: 22 Lower Main St Port Laoise Co. Laois, Laois. See full address and map.
Address: 142A Slaney cl Dublin Ind Est Glasnevin Dublin 11 Co. Dublin, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: 27 Lower Fitzwilliam st 2 Co. Dublin, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: 3 Grand Canal Plaza 5th Floor Grand Canal St Upper Dublin 4 Co. Dublin, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: 3rd Fl Mill House Ashtown Gate Navan rd 15 Co. Dublin, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: Mill House Ashtown Gate Navan Road Dublin 15 Co. Dublin, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: 3 Cranford Hall Donnybrook 4 Co. Dublin, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: Woodford Business Park Santry Dublin 17 Co. Dublin, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: Woodford Bus Pk Santry 17 Co. Dublin, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: Head Office Clanwilliam House Clanwilliam Place 2 Co. Dublin, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: Adrigole Bantry Co. Cork, Cork. See full address and map.
Address: Paramount Court, Corrig Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin. See full address and map.
Address: Ballymanagh Craughwell Co. Galway, Galway. See full address and map.
Find every business listed for Electricity Supply Companies in Ireland.


text:
Sergeant D's List: Debut Column Covering the Best in Metalcore, Pop Punk + 'Scene Bands'
Welcome to the first edition of Sergeant D's List in which I, Sergeant D of Stuff You Will Hate, will tell you what's happening every month in metalcore, hardcore, pop punk, and other genres that your virgin neckbeard friends think they're too good for...
Sergeant D
Those Who Lie Beneath Aim to Elevate the Evil
Jamie Hanks is in the back of a van somewhere in America's mid-section, and he's repeating what must his band's mantra. In summation, it's that Those Who Lie Beneath, the Portland, Ore.-based death metal band he fronts, want to be as brutal and evil as possible...


text:
AJC Transatlantic Institute
Our Cooperation Partners
About Transatlantic Friends of Israel
Campaign: The EU Must Ban Hezbollah
TFI Virtual Meeting with Knesset Member Avi Dichter and Michael Doran (Hudson Institute)
Embedded video for TFI Virtual Meeting with Knesset Member Avi Dichter and Michael Doran (Hudson Institute)
The Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) group held an exclusive briefing entitled "The Central European Case for Banning Hezbollah." Moderator Avital Leibovich, AJC Jerusalem Director, discussed with MK Avi Dichter, Member of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs Committee, and Michael Doran from the Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute the significance of designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization for Cenral Europe, the prospects for the EU to follow suit, and a common transatlantic approach to Iran and its terror proxies. In light of Poland's V4 presidency, the briefing was hosted by MP Michał Jach, Chair of the Sejm's National Defence Committee, and Senator Michał Kamiński, in cooperation with AJC Central Europe.
Counterpoint: Are Jews Safe in Europe?
Joshua Goodman and Daniel Schwammenthal are joined by Rabbi Andrew Baker, AJC's Director of International Affairs and the OSCE's Personal Representative on Combating Anti-Semitism, to discuss the recent EU survey on Jewish perceptions of anti-Semitism in Europe.
AntisemitismIsrael
Counterpoint: Middle East News Round-Up
Host Joshua Goodman discusses three stories from the Middle East - the crisis in Syria, the status of women in the Arab World, and the murder of an Israeli soldier - with Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of the AJC Transatlantic Institute.
The New Face of European Anti-Semitism
By Daniel Schwammenthal
The Wall Street Journal Europe
This past...
Host Joshua Goodman is joined by AJC Transatlantic Institute Director Daniel Schwammenthal, Roland Freudenstein, Deputy Director of the Centre for European Studies, and Jan Techau of Carnegie Europe to discuss three headlines from the Middle East: the acquittal of former-...
Counterpoint: Anti-Israel Bias in the European Parliament
On Thursday, October 17, 2013, the European Parliament hosted not one, but two events on the situation of Bedouins in Israel. An important topic, but perhaps not one requiring two forums on the same day. The reason? The event organised by the Socialist and Democrats Group...
Counterpoint: What are the Palestinians Doing with EU Aid?
A report in The Sunday Times (13 October) cites an unpublished report by the European Court of Auditors detailing how EU aid to the Palestinians has been "misspent, squandered or lost to corruption." According to the article, the report shows that "Brussels...
TAI Calls for Investigation into Corruption and Misuse of Palestinian Aid
14 October 2013 – Brussels – The AJC Transatlantic Institute called on the European Union to make public a report said to document corruption and misuse of aid in the Palestinian territories, and launch a full investigation into the alleged financial abuse....
CNN: Syria's Wounded Treated in Israel
Syrian victims of civil war are being treated in an Israeli hospital. CNN's Jim Clancy reports.
IsraelTerrorism & Radicalism
French Interior Minister Valls Meets AJC Leaders in New York
June 29, 2013—New York—An AJC leadership delegation met privately for over an hour with French Interior Minister Manuel Valls in New York on Friday. Minister Valls was in the United States for a series of meetings with security officials, including Secretary of Homeland...
Greek Foreign MinisterAddresses AJC Global Forum
June 4, 2013 – Washington – Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos delivered a stern warning against extremist groups that have emerged across Europe, including in Greece, at the AJC Global Forum. He addressed an audience of more than 1,500 people, including Members of...
IsraelTransatlantic Relations
AJCTAI on Twitter
RT @AJCGlobal: 73 years ago this week, the @UN voted for the partition of Palestine. The Jews accepted the plan; the Arabs rejec… https://t.co/tpEduH7knW
RT @AviMayer: A pleasure to be at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, to discuss the importance of preserving the bipartisan consen… https://t.co/yuIYsfvdqs
RT @AJCGlobal: Heartfelt congratulations to our friend @ABlinken, a staunch ally of Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship, on hi… https://t.co/zVjn0MbmGW
tai@ajc.org +32 (0)2 280 06 43


Tony joined AmeriPac in 2018 as our President. Tony has spent 20 plus years in packaging distribution, sales and manufacturing. Over the course of his career, he has held positions as Vice President of Operations of a $3 billion distribution business for IP and various General Manager assignments responsible for sale organizations between $50 - $400 million.
Tony's wealth of experience and perspective in the national packaging community positions him to drive and lead the expansion of AmeriPac into the national packaging space.
Tony's record of growing business double digits, managing expansive change and developing teams will be key as AmeriPac positions itself for the next 5 years.
Tony received his BS in Business Administration from the University of Missouri @ St Louis in 1996. He is married with one child.


SAN FRANCISCO, April 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The California Green Medal recipients have been announced for the fifth annual Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards. The California Green Medal recognizes the leadership of wineries and vineyards committed to sustainability and is presented by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, California Association of Winegrape Growers, Wine Institute, Lodi Winegrape Commission, Napa Valley Vintners, Sonoma County Winegrowers and the Vineyard Team. Four Green Medals are presented in the following categories: Leader, Environment, Community and Business. The recipients of the Green Medal Awards will be honored at a ceremony at the California Department of Food and Agriculture in Sacramento on May 1, 2019. The event will be held in conjunction with a Legislative Reception, celebrating California Wines Down to Earth Month in April recognizing the California wine community's commitment to sustainable winegrowing.


OEM quality, and factory part for the Chicago Scooter Company, this 11 coil stator is the ideal upgrade for a GY6 swapped Honda Ruckus. Upgrade your 6 or 8 pole wired GY6 engine with this vastly superior and high quality replacement. You can also purchase both the stator and flywheel together here.


187,000 in Eritrea (2006), increasing. Population total all countries: 194,430.
Gash Barka region: mainly between Gash river and Ethiopia border; Barka south of Barentu; Marda north, northeast, and east of Barentu and in Barentu; Aimara west of Barentu.
Aymasa (Aaimasa, Aimara, Odasa), Barka (Berka), Bitama (Bitaama), Ilit (Iiliit, Iilit, Iliit), Marda, Sokodasa (Sogadas, Sogodas), Takazze-Setiit (Setiit, Setit), Tigray, Tika (Lakatakura-Tika, Tiika). Bitama and Ilit are nearly unintelligible to other Kunama dialect speakers. Barka is largest and is intelligible to speakers of all others.
Home. All ages. Positive attitudes. Used as L2 by Bilen [byn], Nara [nrb].
Literacy rate in L1: Females: 21%. Literacy rate in L2: Low. Taught in primary schools. Poetry. New media. Radio programs. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 2012.
Latin script [Latn], used since late 1800s.
Laka-Takura and Tika have been influenced by Arab culture and by the Beni-Amer. Traditional religion, Muslim (Bitama), Muslim (Ilit).
An Ethnologue Country Report, 25 pp.


Katy in a scene from the 1953 comedy 'Majlis El Edara' (The Board of Directors مجلس الإدارة ). She's fabulous, love her. In this scene Katy's dancing to distract actor Riad al Qasabgi so he doesn't see that the live bullets in his gun are being replaced with blanks.
The film starred Sherifa Maher, Mohamed Salman and Estefan Rosti.
This entry was posted in Belly dance, Katy (1927-1980) and tagged Arabic, belly dance, bellydance, bellydancer, cinema, film, golden era, Katie, Katy, Keti, Maglis el Edara by TheCarovan. Bookmark the permalink.


Are you a teen or young adult? Are you interested in writing and journalism? Most importantly, do you have an interest in politics, music, inequality, feminism, foreign affairs, movies, government, television, issues that affect teens, or just about anything at all? Join the WTP team! Currently, WTP is a small startup magazine, but hopefully, with the exciting new writers and other support, we can make it big! Writing for us can give you a place to be published and have your work read by others!
WTP is focused on spotlighting teens and young adults voices about important issues and topics around the world!
Our mission is to create a large platform with a vast array of ideas and points of view so that everybody has a voice and those voices may be heard. That is the whole reason I started this magazine: a place where everybody's point of view is able to be heard, not just the ones with which the editors agree. Our magazine is all by young adults that just want to be heard in a "safe space" where their opinions can be respected.
The only requirement to apply is that you must be able to write an article once or twice a month to be published (of course accommodations can be made if you let us know ahead of time). If you are worried about not having a topic every time, you don't have to because we believe in helping each other and working together! Someone is always able to help by giving writing prompts and talking about current events. Our writing staff really makes up a small community that is always available to help you out!
In your application, you must include your name, birthday, email, three article pitches, etc. The application is a rolling process, meaning that there is no deadline to apply. We do not require a writing sample, but it is very much encouraged and helpful.
We accept writers regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or citizenship. Writing for us does not offer monetary compensation, but it does offer real life experience, having your work published at a young age, the privilege of getting to put it on your resumé, and even a school/job recommendation letter!
One of the best parts is that we do not accept writers based on their writing abilities because this is a place to get better at writing over time! Our staff is always here to help by providing constructive criticism to make your writing better. We mainly look at your article pitches to make sure that you are informed and up-to-date with current events so you will have well-informed topics for articles.
Once we receive all your information we will do our best to get back to you as quickly as possible. Our goal is to get back to you within twenty-four hours, but if it takes us a little longer, do not worry! We will get back to you as quickly as we can.
Be heard on a platform that promotes our first amendment rights by giving all teens a place to share their views! Take advantage of this public platform that lets you share your ideas and beliefs with people around the world (currently read in 32+ countries), and influence the topics people care about with fair opportunity and expert guidance to bring your insights to the world.
Meet new people from around the world with the same interests and passions! What makes us stand out even more is that not all of our writers even share the same views because we accept writers regardless of their political views.
Stay informed by regularly having a reason to read the news from a reputable source. Because you will probably constantly be on the website, you will see things that you haven't heard about there as well as article ideas that are sent in the group chat/email.
Try something new because whether or not you have written before or even want to be a career writer or journalist, it's okay! Many of our contributors never wrote before they joined our magazine and even have completely unrelated goals in mind, but it's always great to keep an open mind and at least see if you like writing or if you are any good at it! Many of our employees never even realized how much they would like writing before they joined!
Build your resumé and college applications by saying that you wrote for a publication before you even turned twenty. That's pretty impressive!
Learn about working in the professional world by writing for us! While many people your age might not have the skills to work at big companies and may not learn it until they turn twenty-five or thirty, you can learn the skills right now so you always have a head start when the time comes.
Improve your writing so one day, you can hopefully be writing for bigger companies like the Washington Post or the New York Times! One of our writers even moved on to POLITICO!
Have fun! Writing does not have to be boring, especially when you get to choose the topic and write about something you are passionate about! Honestly though, the magazine is about more than just the writing, because you get to join a community of other active teens who will be our future leaders.
If perhaps, you have an article that you would like to submit but are not interested in writing on a regular basis, you can submit your article (with the required information requested in the application) directly to the Editor-in-Chief, Harrison J. Romero, at harrison.romero@wtpmag.com.


Update Jan 28, 2019: iozone-db.txt collects benchmark results submitted by folks. Thank you.
I eventually made up my mind on the choice of single-board computers (SBC) that will assist and eventually replace the role of my Asus RT-AC56U as an always-on home server. It's not a Raspberry Pi. My workload will be more towards server side and headless. I won't need, for example, WiFi and camera interface but would be good to have gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 and SD socket supporting UHS-I. More to come on my pick once I take the shipment and play with it.
One consideration that took unbelievably longer time to decide is a Micro SD card that will be used as system partition on my SBC. Actually it's not specific to Micro SD cards but picking flash thumbdrives in general. I'm not exactly new to this game. After reading people's research in the SBC communities, I feel like entering a new world, facinating!
To begin with, perhaps we shall start with Android. In earlier years, Android allows people to install applications on Micro SD cards. Later this feature was removed. Now this feature is (or will be) resurrected, thanks to new categories of Micro SD cards that support A1/A2 classes.
A1 class specifies a Micro SD card capable of minimum 1500 read and 500 write random I/O operations per second (IOPS), each operation consisting of a 4KiB chunk. A2 class cards could perform minimum 4000/2000 random R/W IOPS. Random read/write of small chunks is typical workload of operating systems and applications. Its performance is critical for smooth app experience. More details on A1/A2 classes can be found on SD Association's whitepaper (in pdf format).
The concept behind A1/A2 classes is equally applicable to USB thumbdrives used for running applications on routers, single-board computers and other IoT devices. On Windows, we have well known benchmark tools e.g. CrystalDiskMark and ATTO Disk Benchmark. On Mac, there is Blacmagic Disk Speed Test. I've never questioned how these benchmarks are implemented. But have seen results on the same USB stick could vary a lot from different tools.
The SBC communities appear to favor a tool called iozone that is not only open source but descently designed and widely available on all platforms. That makes even cross-platform comparison a possibility. If you happen to run Entware on ARMv7 (32-bit) or ARMv8 64-bit devices, you may get my compiled iozone binaries. Instructions follow.
Note: e.g. Asus RT-AC56U/68U/87U/88U. The above command line installs iozone to /jffs/bin. Replace /jffs/bin with another path of your choice.
iozone will test the target drive of your current directoy and operations are non-destructive to the drive. It creates a temporary file of size specified in -s for read and write and delets the file after test done.
First row represents the read/write performance of chunk size 4KiB. The next row 16KiB and so on. For operating systems and application use, the random read/write of 4KiB chunks is a critical metric. All throughputs are in KiB/s. Divide the numbers from first row and last two columns by 4, you get IOPS roughly. Alternatively, specify '-O' so that iozone display throughputs in IOPS.
The above result shows the throughput of my SanDisk Ultra Flair 64GB USB 3.0 purchased a few years ago. Converting the random read/write into IOPS, my stick has 1551.5 for read and 994.25 for write. Those numbers appear slightly exceeding A1 class.
Over the years, I think memory cards (including USB sticks) are one of the most lucrative products in tech commodities. Vendors charge premium for promoting maximum sequential read speed. Under perform on everyday tasks except copying large files from the memory cards.
I would love to see results on a variety of cards here or elsewhere by running iozone. Keep them coming in!


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Black Dragon Knight
For the monster data, see Black Dragon Knight (Monster).
This article contains spoilers.
If you do not wish to read further, please return to the home page.
The Black Dragon Knight, also known as the Black Devil, is one of the antagonists in The Saga: Iria working with the Cessair organization. He is also despised by the shamans of Courcle, having massacred them prior to the Saga of Iria. He is presumably a Knight of the Black Dragon Bhafel and may be an avatar of the Black Dragon, though the relationship between the two is never mentioned.
Mainstream Story
The Saga: Iria (Spoilers)
This part of the current article contains spoilers.
Episode 1 - Fate's Origin: The Demon
During the fight between Akule and Bhafel, a man in black armor looks over them.
Episode 2 - Hero's Return: The Trap
The Black Dragon Knight interrogates Shamala and informs her of mentor Akule's death, as he oversaw what had happen during the aftermath of the fight between Akule and the Bhafel, then declares that her "tragedy" is his victory. He also antagonizes Shamala telling her that he is also aware that Shamala is the Black Panther of Cor and mocks her, stating that her work and her risks to protect that village are simply in vain. Shamala responds that the Black Dragon Knight is the same as her and she pities him. The Black Dragon Knight angrily denies Shamala's claim and points his sword at her, but after hearing some ruckus above him, caused by Bhafel's capture of Millia and the Milletian, he turns away and walks towards the exit of Shamala's prison. He then removes his helmet, which reveals that the Black Dragon Knight has red-hair.
Episode 4 - Mystic Training: The Ritual
The Black Dragon Knight discusses with Black Mask on dealing with their enemies, and agrees to aid the Cessairs.
Episode 5 - Proud Heritage: The Battle
After Black Mask subdues the Milletian and its allies, the Black Dragon Knight walks over to them.
Episode 6 - Demon Night: The Truth
The Black Dragon Knight reveals his identity as Ruairi, and explains that he has been fighting off Morrighan's curse that Morgant placed on him. Despite supposedly coming to even terms in Generation 8, he blames the Milletian for the curse and attacks them, eventually defeating and killing them after three scuffles.
The Black Dragon Knight as he appears in the cast of The Saga - Iria
The Black Dragon Knight as he appears in the log-in screen for The Saga - Iria Update.
The Black Dragon Knight's 3D model in the game
Retrieved from "https://wiki.mabinogiworld.com/index.php?title=Black_Dragon_Knight&oldid=732464"
Human (NPC)
Human (Mainstream NPC)


A hackers delight since the 60s, and a 'disruptive' element of most topics today.
So we're happy to start another regular night in Tog: Mobile Phone Filmmaking.
Mobile Filmmaking and Mobile Journalism (shortened to MOJO) refers to: filming, editing and publishing stories from your phone.
Thats what we plan to learn and practice with this nite at Tog.
The main thing you'll need for it is a camera phone; tho of course you can bring and use other devices too.
We will teach some techniques (the night will be open to everyone, from total beginners to experienced filmmakers) and practice others … and team up for demonstrations and competitions as we go along too!
The main editing app we will use is called Kinemaster which allows you to edit your clips together; its free and works on iphone & android.
Some of the online communities we'll take inspiration from are those that sprung up around vine, snapchat and other platforms… there's some compilations out there to get an idea of what they are about.
There are Irish groups such as the Dublin Filmmakers Collective and MOJOCon which might be of interest.
What are some of the techniques we'll learn?
There are plenty of MOJO tutorials you can find online, here's one example.
Being able to make and tell stories that you film from your phone has lots of applications: hackers & makers might want to show off their latest invention, or do an interview with an interesting visitor … filmmakers, journalists, comedians, actors, activists and really anyone who wants to get media-literate and tell stories/phobile-moans will also be interested.
This night will run 7-9pm every 2nd Thursday from Oct 12th until the end of the year (and we'll take stock then).
We'll try to develop an online community in parallel with doing so in the meetspace.
Hopefully it will be a fun, engaging and useful process for all involved.
This was written by Jules. Posted on Wednesday, October 4, 2017, at 4:21 pm. Filed under Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. Follow comments here with the RSS feed.	Post a comment or leave a trackback.


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Home / Boys Soccer / Four More Lakota West Firebirds Sign in End of Year Signing Ceremony
Four More Lakota West Firebirds Sign in End of Year Signing Ceremony
By Jason Cronk
West Chester, OH (May 18, 2021)
Lakota West Athletic Department hosted a final end of school year athletic signing event on Tuesday afternoon in the Lakota West Community Room. Four more Senior Firebirds signed their commitment letters to continue their academic and athletic careers at their respective schools. Senior Football Players Josh Brogden and Daniel Laritz joined the 12 other football seniors who have already signed earlier in the school year (Link to Story). The Firebirds now boast 179 football players in Lakota West history to make the college football commitment since the school opened in 1997. In addition to the two football players, Seniors Michael Lane (track/cross country), and Leah Abribat (basketball) made their commitments official.
The Firebirds also saw 12 athletes sign in the fall signing ceremony in November (Link to fall story) and five athletes in the spring signing ceremony in April (Link to spring story) bringing the total number of signed athletes to 29 for the Class of 2021.
Daniel Laritz-Football– Rose Hulman Institute of Technology
The 6'2" 215lb defensive lineman has been a two year varsity player. "Dan was a solid fourth man on the defensive front. Contributing weekly up and down the defensive line of scrimmage and even playing on special teams. For a defensive lineman, Dan runs exceptionally well and competes at a high level. He leads by example both on and off the field. He's a great student, teammate, and an even better all around young man. He has a great combination of size, speed and smarts that will fit in well at Rose Hulman," said Lakota West Head Coach Tom Bolden.
Josh Brogden-Football-Ohio University
The 5'10" 215 pound running back is also an All-GMC first team wrestler. "Josh was part of a one two punch in the Firebirds backfield last year. He carried 50 times for 327 yards (a 6.5 yards per carry average). Punching in 3 touchdowns one of which was over 35 yards. He is one big ball of muscle and can be difficult to bring down. The walk on will be a great find for the Ohio University Bobcats," said Lakota West Head Coach Tom Bolden.
Leah Abribat-Basketball– Miami University-Hamilton
The 5'7" guard is a two year varsity starter for the Firebirds. As a senior, she averaged 8.3 points, 1.3 steals, 2.5 rebounds per game. "Leah's basketball skill and intensity grew each year she was in the program. Her responsibility, dependability, timely shooting, and perfect free throw shooting her senior year helped our team to a 20-5 record. Leah graduates as a loyal, hard working, team player who will be an asset to the Miami-Hamilton program; she is continuing to work out and improving as a basketball player. I love seeing her still in the gym," said Lakota West Head Coach Andy Fishman.
Michael Lane-Track/XC– Ohio University
After moving from varsity soccer to varsity cross country, Lane was first team All-GMC in his first and only year on the cross country team. "Michael in his first year as a Cross Country Runner excelled. He turned in a personal best time of 16:23 in the 5K, 9:47 in the 3200 and 4:41 in the 1600. These are exceptional times for anyone, but for a first-year runner 16:23 is amazing. Michael's hard work ethic and dedication to his training and teammates are what set him apart from others. He will be missed as he heads to Ohio University," said Lakota West Head Cross Country Coach Sean Hart.
← Previous Story Kemba Credit Union Athletes of the Week 5/10/2021-5/16/2021
Next Story → Lakota West 3200 Relay Team Runs Away As "The" Ohio State Champs!


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Q: How do I attach FUNCTION to future elements? I try to build my own custom checkbox plugin using jQuery, and it works great, but how do I attach functions (not click / focus.. events) to future created inputs (by ajax for example) without calling the plugin again every time?
This code didn't help:
$(document).on('ready', 'input[type=checkbox]', function...

How can I make it work?

A: That's what DOM mutation events are for.
For newer browser, use DOM mutation observers.

Here's a tutorial to get you started:
Detect DOM changes with Mutation Observers.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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The Fading Extravagance Of The Johnson Publishing Building
Lakeidra Chavis
Andrew Gill/WBEZ
For more than 40 years, the Johnson Publishing building was home to Ebony and Jet magazines, important cultural institutions that chronicled black success in America.
The 11-story building now sits vacant on Michigan Avenue in the South Loop after Columbia College bought it in 2010. The college put the historic building back on the market last year and hopes to sell the building this month.
The Chicago City Council is expected to vote on whether to designate the building a landmark by the end of the year, but there's a catch. The move would only preserve the building's exterior, meaning that the few remaining interior features — some of which are extravagant even by today's standards — could disappear. A spokesman for the city's landmarks commission said interior-design elements usually aren't protected because it's difficult to monitor changes to things like carpets or wallpaper.
The prospective owner is 3L Real Estate, a development company that repurposes historic and vintage buildings. Joseph Slezak, the company's founder and CEO, said he expects to transform the space into a mix of retail and apartment units by the end of 2019, and there are plans to include an homage to the building's history.
WBEZ recently visited the building to document what remains inside. Here's a look at what we found with commentary by Lee Bey, the vice president of the DuSable Museum of African American History. Bey also took photos of the building's interior back in 2013, which you can find here.
Going on a field trip
After opening in 1972, the Johnson Publishing building was the first and only downtown Chicago building bought and designed by African-Americans — publisher John H. Johnson and architect John Moutoussamy.
"I remember when this building was built, it was an icon of my childhood," Bey said. "When (we'd) go on field trips downtown, and the bus would be on Columbus Drive, you know, that [building] was ours. The rest of it may be somebody else's downtown, but this was ours.
'This was a black space'
"[The interior design uses] things in an interesting fashion, that doesn't look to history, but somehow it is still very black. When you walk through the spaces, there's something about the color of it, the pattern of it, that let you know that this was black space."
'Its own identity'
"You would go inside the original lobby, there was sort of a maroon color motif there and a Richard Hunt sculpture, and then you'd go the elevators and it led you to this kind of menagerie of colors and textures. Everything — every floor — had its own identity."
"My favorite of all. This test kitchen alone should make it qualify for the [National Register of Historic Places]. Ebony magazine used to have recipes, and if your mother cooked like mine did, she tried a recipe out of Ebony. … So this kitchen has been responsible for millions of meals for millions of black folks all over the [African] diaspora. For that alone, it should be preserved."
'Classical' details
"This gilded sink is one of my favorite pieces, too. In an otherwise very modern building, you have this sink that looks like it was stolen from Pompeii, right? It's gilded and looks like a shell, and it has these classical knobs and faucets. … It looks like money, doesn't it? It's probably one of the only classical, design wise, elements in the building."
"This was in the Fashion Fair headquarters part of the building. This was the fashion line and aesthetic that Eunice Johnson was responsible for."
Needed 'vigilance'
"These are great spaces. Luckily, a few of us got to preserve them through photography. … These spaces will at least live on through that. But I think it sounds the alarm that these spaces, whether they're downtown or on the South or West sides, that they are in need of added vigilance."
Lakeidra Chavis is a producer and reporter for WBEZ. Follow her @lakeidrachavis.
#Johnson Publishing
#Chicago architecture
#Jet
Chicago Considers Making Former 'Ebony' And 'Jet' Headquarters A Historic Landmark
Inside EBONY & JET
The End Of A 71-Year Run Under Johnson Publishing
Former Ebony Editor On The Magazine's Digital Transition


The American Kennel Club is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its Registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function. Founded in 1884, the AKC® and its affiliated organizations advocate for the purebred dog as a family companion, advance canine health and well-being, work to protect the rights of all dog owners and promote responsible dog ownership.
� Advance the study, breeding, exhibiting, running and maintenance of purebred dogs.
In short, CHIC is a database of consolidated health screening results from multiple sources. Co-sponsored by the OFA and the AKC Canine Health Foundation, CHIC works with parent clubs to identify health screening protocols appropriate for individual breeds. Dogs tested in accordance with the parent club established requirements, that have their results registered and made available in the public domain are issued CHIC numbers.
CavalierHealth.org is dedicated to providing easy Internet access to factual information about the health of and severe genetic health disorders which afflict the cavalier King Charles spaniel.
The site also provides links to Health Clinics around the country.
Pawpeds.com is a site for information about the history of the pedigree cats, and to educate cat breeders about the need for genetic variation and what the situation is in their breed. The organization is publishing databases with pedigree information for different cat breeds breeds, with functions for calculations of the inbreeding coefficient and pedigree analyses. The website also includes articles related to these topics.


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The Last Lion 1: Visions of Glory 1874-1932
by: William Raymond Manchester (author)
William Manchester met Winston Churchill on January 24, 1953. Their encounter on the Queen Mary sparked an intense curiosity in Manchester that would eventually result in his classic three-volume magnum opus The Last Lion. In this, the first volume, we follow Churchill from his birth to 1932,... show more
William Manchester met Winston Churchill on January 24, 1953. Their encounter on the Queen Mary sparked an intense curiosity in Manchester that would eventually result in his classic three-volume magnum opus The Last Lion. In this, the first volume, we follow Churchill from his birth to 1932, when he began to warn against the remilitarization of Germany. Born of a lovely, wanton American mother and a gifted but unstable son of a duke, his childhood was one of wretched neglect. He sought glory on the battlefields of Cuba, Sudan, India, South Africa and the trenches of France. In Parliament he was the prime force behind the creation of Iraq and Jordan, laid the groundwork for the birth of Israel, and negotiated the independence of the Irish Free State. Yet, as Chancellor of the Exchequer he plunged England into economic crisis, and his fruitless attempt to suppress Gandhi's quest for Indian independence brought political chaos to Britain.Throughout, Churchill learned the lessons that would prepare him for the storm to come, and as the 1930's began, he readied himself for the coming battle against Nazism--an evil the world had never before seen. (1983)
ASIN: 385313489
Publisher: Delta
Non Fiction, Biography, History, European Literature, British Literature, War, Military, Politics, Biography Memoir, World War II, World History
Series: The Last Lion (#1)
Bettie's Books rated it 4 years ago
http://bettie.booklikes.com Bettie's Books 4.0 The Last Lion 1: Visions of Glory 1874-1932 by William Raymond Manchester
text The Last Lion 1: Visions of Glory 1874-1932 by William Raymond Manchester
bookshelves: autumn-2015, dip-in-now-and-again, biography, nonfiction, published-1983, tbr-busting-2015 Read from April 06, 2013 to September 05, 2015 Description: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory 1874-1932When Winston Spencer Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace, Imperial Britain s...
Book Thoughts rated it 5 years ago
http://saucier101.booklikes.com Book Thoughts 5.0 The Last Lion #1: Visions of Glory by William Manchester
text The Last Lion #1: Visions of Glory by William Manchester
An instant favorite! What a fantastic first volume of a three book trilogy on the life of Winston Churchill. This book takes us from Churchill's birth through his seeming end in politics in the early 1930s. It is a fantastic look at not only Churchill's life, but also the world around him. I particu...
Denise rated it 6 years ago
http://Denise.booklikes.com Denise 5.0 The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 1: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932
text The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 1: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932
This is a comprehensive look at Winston Churchill's life up until 1932 (this is the first volume in a three volume set). This book felt like a journey to me. Not a long weary journey but that I was right alongside Churchill throughout his life. I found this to be absolutely fascinating and would def...
"Check Six" rated it 12 years ago
http://MikeP.booklikes.com "Check Six" 5.0
A hero for all. I need to reread.
Books by William Raymond Manchester
http://bit.ly/1qE0mcb


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Talking to yourself? Why it matters and how you can do it better
Have you ever wondered who a tennis player is talking to? During my time at lifetime, I noticed that during tennis matches players would often verbally express themselves. This included statements like "come on", "that's terrible "and "of course I would choke". But who are these players talking to? With no one else on the court but themselves and their opponent it becomes obvious that these players are directing their statements at themselves. So why are they talking to themselves?
In the context of sport psychology, the concept of talking to yourself during a performance is often referred to as self-talk. This concept of self-talk includes inner dialogue, internal monologue, intrapersonal communication, inner voice or speech, covert speech, private or silent speech, self-statements, self-communication, self-directed verbalizations, verbal thinking, verbal mediation, auditory imagery, articulatory imagery and stream of consciousness. Self-talk in a sense is an external verbalisation of a player's internal mindset during a match. Self-talk is a key component of sport psychology as research has indicated using self-talk correctly can increase effort and concentration, subsequently leading to increases in performance. However, it has also been shown that negative use of self-talk may also decrease effort and concentration, consequently negatively affecting performance. So that leaves us with the question what is the right way to talk to yourself?
Self-talk is usually categorised as positive and negative. Positive self-talk consists of statements that people say to themselves that are encouraging or positive in tone. In a sport setting, positive self-talk might include statements such as "I can do it," or "Yes!" Negative self-talk involves statements that are negative and/or reflect anger, frustration, or discouragement, such as "you are slow!" or "that's horrible."
It has been suggested that different self-talk originates from two different mental processes that use two separate systems in the brain. The first system is fast, effortless, and emotionally charged the second system, is slower, effortful, and consciously monitored. Self-talk that originates from the first system is often described as intuition, and comes to mind spontaneously as gut feelings or impressions. An example of this in the context of youth tennis is when a player misses a shot on an important point an yells at themselves in frustration "how did I miss that".
The second system self-talk results from consideration and planning, and may lead to logical, instructional, task-focused, and motivational self-talk, as well as self-talk used for distraction purposes. The second system also monitors the information generated by the first system (e.g., swearing in frustration), which may lead to self-talk (e.g., calming self-talk to manage frustration). For example, in contrast the second system includes explicit and intentional ideas, logic, conscious calculations, attributions, and interpretations. Self-talk from the second system plays an important role in regulating psychological functions. In the context of tennis this could include a player saying telling themselves "next point" or "refocus" after losing a point.
Having an understanding of these two different systems can be very important when watching young tennis players because you will notice the first system working overtime with a lot of fast emotion reaction both positive and negative in responds to the match that they are in. However, the second system does not see the same amount of work. Very rarely do you see young tennis players engaging in self-talk that is effortful, and consciously monitored. This is not unusual in the context of teenagers, as a teenager develops the ability to experience emotions before they develop their ability to regulate it. As a result teenagers will engage in self-talk that is emotionally charged until they become overloaded or emotionally drained throughout the course of a tennis match. So the question becomes how do we encourage more self-talk from the second system to create a healthy balance of emotion and emotional regulation in a tennis match?
The good news is that because system two involves conscious effort the ability to engage in this system can be developed through practice. While many young players may laugh at the idea of practicing how to talk to yourself, efficient emotional regulation is a skill and like any physical skill will develop with practice.
The steps to training more effective self-talk:
Firstly drawing player's attention to moments in which they are engaging in self-talk. (Often player aren't aware of the process)
"Did you notice when you said this"
Secondly, getting players to be able to identify different types of self-talk (positive, negative, emotional, motivational or logical etc.)
"Why did you say that?"
Thirdly getting players to identify whether the self-talk is helpful or unhelpful to their performance.
"Do you think saying that helped you?"
Fourthly getting players to identify alternative self –talk that may be more helpful. This stage involves the player putting a conscious effort into what that could say, and therefore gets them to engage in system two of their mental processing.
"What else could you have said or could you have added to make it more helpful'.
A players attention to the process of self-talk not only gives a player a greater awareness of what is happening in their own mental processes but as draws attention to how these mental processes are effecting their performance. Practicing this process allows player to develop patterns of self-talk that are a healthy balance of emotion and emotional regulation in a tennis match.
Michael Pastorello
Masters of Psychology (Sport & Exercise) (Candidate)
University of Queensland.
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How Norwegian Traditions Work
by Allison Wachtel
Winter Holidays in Norway
Norway was originally a pagan culture, and elements of that culture remain today. Early Norwegians worshipped a pantheon of deities you might have heard of, among them Odin (the chief god) and his son Thor (god of thunder). According to the myths, the gods resided in Asgard, a fortress in the center of the earth, while humans lived in Midgard, the middle section of the earth. High walls protected Midgard from the chaotic outer reaches of the world, which were inhabited by the fierce, troll-like Jotuns [source: Bringsvaerd].
The Viking King Olav II established the Church of Norway in 1024, and today, at least on paper, Norway is predominantly a Christian nation. Around 85 percent of its citizens belong to the state church, now the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway, but the religious community also includes other offshoots of Christianity [source: Visiting Arts]. However, many Norwegians don't self-identify as religious.
Holidays like Christmas -- called Jul, the Viking version of Yule -- that combine pre-Christian and Christian traditions are a big deal in Norway. (We suspect that the excuse Jul provides to party in the midst of winters that can last from November through April doesn't hurt its popularity.) The festivities begin on December 1 with Advent, a countdown to Christmas during which children receive a small gift each day -- a tradition echoed in some American families with chocolate-bearing advent calendars.
St. Lucia Day, December 13th, marks the middle of the countdown. Though named for the Roman Catholic saint of the blind (the word "Lucia" comes from the Latin lux, meaning "light"), the holiday is now more secular than religious, and its celebrations bring light to Norwegian communities on what was historically considered the shortest day of the year. On St. Lucia Day, a child from each elementary school or town is chosen to represent the saint. They wear lit crowns and lead processions through the community, singing songs and handing out saffron-flavored buns called lussekatter.
Christmas itself comes early for Norwegians: Children wake up to full stockings on December 24, and families gather to celebrate that evening. It's a busy day, and Norwegian parents take advantage of classic Christmas films like "Tre notter til Askepott" ("Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella," actually a Czech film that's been dubbed in Norwegian) to keep the kids entertained while they whip up Christmas dinner [source: Hollekim Haaland].
In the evening, families open gifts from one another and from Julenissen, the Norwegian version of Santa Claus. Legend has it that Julenissen ("the Yule elf") was a regular fellow who began delivering Christmas gifts and just never stopped. Like the American Santa Claus, he has legions of nimble helpers lending a hand during the pre-Christmas months; however, his lack of magical powers leaves him so exhausted that he sleeps for weeks after the big day [source: Royal Norwegian Embassy].
Norwegians are big on personal holidays, too. We'll talk about birthdays, bunad and more on the next page.
Norse gods still appear in many English-speaking cultures in the form of the names of days of the week. These words originally combined a god's name with dag, or day, as follows: Tuesday: Tyr's dag -- Wednesday: Odin's dag (similar Germanic mythologies use the spelling "Woden," which may be where we got the "w") -- Thursday: Thor's dag -- Friday: Frigg's dag. [source: Bringsvaerd].
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