Ici n'chiani nkulinga mule awiri ~ You can ask what this is, provided there are two of you.
It's a long flight from Johannesburg to Atlanta, seventeen hours, so plenty of time to write, but I find it a little awkward. It's easier with pen and paper than balance the laptop on this tray table with it being a bit bouncy. We'll see how it goes.
Ursula and I spent a lot of time writing this week. She sat at the desk adjacent to mine and we hammered away at the policies and procedures we needed for the midwifery ward. It was a big job, but we got a draft done. It needs editing, augmenting, and referencing, but it's a good start and something we were able to present at our meeting on Thursday. Interjected into the writing sessions were discussions about the issues we'll be facing. For instance: What are we going to do if we've got fifteen women in labor and only two available beds? How are we going to manage a staffing problem if someone doesn't show up for work? How will we implement ongoing quality improvement? Could we really do a staff retreat? What kind of renovations are absolutely needed for us to open? Who actually does the renovation? There are so many layers to this and we've only begun peeling them away. It's exciting and daunting.
There is an election this year in Malawi and there is an underlying uneasiness about the political future. I asked Ursula about her thoughts on Kamuzu, the man who was president for life during my Peace Corps years here. The couple who own the cottage I stayed in spoke highly of him, but others don't. Ursula told me Kamuzu did a lot of good for the country. She said she benefitted tremendously from his policies, and the only reason she has her PhD is because of Kamuzu. I realized I didn't know much about how she got her education. I knew she'd gone to university in the states, and I think I assumed she came from a privileged family. She was dean of the midwifery school when I arrived, an effective leader, and a role model for me. We are close in age. She explained how she got to where she is and how Kamuzu's policies played a part.
She was born in a village in Kasungu, just north of Lilongwe, the third child of her parents. They lived so deep in the bush that she couldn't go to school because of wild animal attacks. Leopards were so plentiful that the danger of them eating small schoolchildren walking miles back home at the end of the day was real. She said her father said he'd rather have living children than lose all in search of education. Only her eldest siblings went to school. They lived as subsistence farmers and were very poor. When she was ten years old, her mother needed to go to the hospital to have her seventh baby, and her father chose Ursula as the one to accompany her as guardian. She and her mother traveled together to the hospital and Ursula went to sleep with the other guardians in the shelter. In the morning a nurse called her to come and hold her baby brother. Ursula said she was so happy sitting and holding this infant, then looked up to see her father and siblings coming toward her crying. She asked why they were crying? They should be happy they had a new baby! Then her father told her that her mother had died while giving birth. They buried her mother and her father asked his sister to care for the baby. His sister told him she would take the baby, but she needed to keep Ursula also, to help her care for the infant. So Ursula stayed with her aunt as well. She told me, "That is when the family split." A year later, the baby died of malaria, and after burying the last connection to her mother, Ursula started school for the first time. She did very well and when she had finished form two (which would be our sophomore year of high school) the president was starting Kamuzu academy to give Malawian children a chance for a quality education. At the time there were a few private schools but they were expensive and only white children and those from rich Malawian families could attend. Kamuzu Academy was meant to provide a quality education for Malawian students. They took two children from each district, a boy and a girl for each class. Ursula was the girl chosen from her district to start form three (junior year of high school). Some local nuns gave her the needed supplies: underwear, clothes, and other necessities. The uniforms and school supplies were provided at Kamuzu Academy for all students. She went and excelled. After graduating, she was supported by a group of Catholic sisters to go to the U.S. to attend nursing school. She got her nursing degree and masters in midwifery before returning to Malawi. Later she went back to the states to get her PhD.
Know what I was doing when I was ten years old? Playing jumprope. Lying on a blanket in the back yard, listening to Red Sox games on a transistor radio. Sitting by my friend Beth's pool reading Little House on the Prairie books. Skiing on winter Sundays. Watching Wild Kingdom on T.V. on Saturday nights, fascinated by the animals and the African landscape. I was riveted, amazed at how they could film a lion take down a zebra, or a leopard feeding on an impala. I didn't know the leopards were also eating children on their way home from school. Or that a ten year old girl somewhere on that continent sat holding her baby brother as her mother died in the next room.
I asked Ursula if I could share her story in my blog? She plans to write about her life and I don't want to misrepresent any of it. But I told her this is such an incredible illustration of how risky childbirth is in this country, how young girls have to care for younger siblings, and how random the opportunity for education is. At home, we take all this for granted. When I showed her what I'd written, she had to clarify some of it, and I realized I missed some details as I listened to her story. I was imagining being that ten year old girl holding the baby. I hadn't heard whether it was a boy or girl. I thought of how lonely and frightened I might be, sleeping in that guardian shelter with strangers. I thought of my own mother going to the hospital when I was ten for back surgery. I hated that she was gone for several weeks. I remember my father dropping us at church and realizing before I walked in that I wasn't wearing a hat. I didn't know what to do. My brother told me I couldn't go in, but I couldn't stand outside. My father had already driven away so I had no choice but to go in. I went to one of the nuns and told her my mother was in the hospital and I didn't have a hat. I asked her what I should do? She took a tissue out of her pocket, folded it in thirds, took a bobbie pin off her veil, and pinned the tissue to my hair. She told me to go kneel down and pray. I did, for my mother. I left the tissue on my head until my brother and I had walked all the way home. I had always thought of that as a traumatic childhood experience. When we went to visit my mother in the hospital that afternoon the first thing I told her was about the hat. She laughed and then it didn't seem so serious. I can't imagine if we'd gotten to the hospital and they'd told me she was gone.
There were so many moments that made me hopeful and optimistic this past week. We had our big meeting Thursday morning with the country director for SEED Global Health, the administration for the nursing school, faculty members, and the chief nursing officer from the hospital maternity department. There were a few conflicting meetings so some of the key players were missing, but it was still really productive. Some days I'm overly optimistic about what this ward will accomplish: we'll set a new standard of care for women, we'll bring down maternal mortality, we'll turn out superior students, etc. etc. etc., and other days I'm thinking this is never going to happen. I'm afraid to let the latter thought take form as I don't want it to be a self-fulfilling prophesy. When we all sit down together and I hear people supporting it and coming up with ideas of how to make it happen, it fills me with energy. This is what I want to be doing right now. I so believe in this. Ursula gave a short history of the project and I gave a report of progress to date. These things made me feel like we've come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. But when we begin discussing next steps I start thinking, "Holy smokes. This is huge. How are we going to do this?" and then I start fantasizing about a donor just handing us zillions of dollars to do whatever we want, then I reel that one in and start imagining going door to door asking for some Kelly clamps, emesis basins, and an autoclave. Nothing I hate more than asking for money. I still have PTSD from doing that for the Women's Health Center, though, I've got to say, it seems easier in Malawi than in the states. People ask for things all the time there and it doesn't have the same stigma I attach to it here.
The architect students sent a floor plan they designed and Ursula and I looked it over before the conference call with them to discuss it. It is gorgeous. It is a dream. I wanted to live on this drawing. One of those movie scenes played in my head where the whole fantasy rolls out in technicolor with dreamy lighting where smiling mothers were holding perfectly delivered babies. Guardians chatted with each other in an airy garden and midwives floated between beds offering massages and support. Students washed their hands in a clean sink with water that actually came out of the faucet. And soap. There was soap. The maids did their jobs between a dirty AND clean utility room. Oh, it was so beautiful. All the while a gentle breeze blew through the open windows providing natural light. At night, the solar energy provided light when and where we needed it. Staffing wasn't a problem! Midwives begged to work there! No one called in sick, and if they did, no one minded working a double shift. Oh it was heaven. Then the little ding signaled that the email had come and I woke up and we connected to the Zoom meeting in Philadelphia. I've gotta say, that is a cool technology that zoom. We could be part of the class and we could ask and answer questions. It was amazing! I was sure the internet would be too slow for it to work, but see? If that worked, there's no reason we won't get this ward established. We might have to start with something a little less dreamy than the drawing we reviewed, though. At this point the running water would make me happy. At the end of this month we'll have five different drawings to use as we wish, and it's another step in the process. We've got our lists of things to accomplished and it looks like I'll go back in June. We've got a target to open on October 1 of this year but a lot has to happen before then.
On top of all that, I met with the women's group on Monday. One of the women lives near my old house and I went with her to the village where they now meet. I would never have found this place by myself. There are eight women who still meet twice a week and I was bowled over by the mountain of jewelry they've made. The quality has improved a lot and they've come up with some new designs. I was thrilled to see this. I asked where they were selling it, and they told me they aren't. They are just making it. Ok, seems they need some help with that. They told me that Rachael, the woman I'd left it all to, hasn't come since last August or September. And the guy from Catholic Relief Services, who was supposed to teach them some business skills, didn't show either. And Chimemwe, who was supposed to be their teacher, got hit by a car a month after I left and has a debilitating brain injury. Given all that, I was so proud of them for still meeting! And making cool stuff! They have hired another man from the village to teach them to make the wire designs. He was there working on some bracelets. I asked if he were teaching them or just doing it himself? They said he was teaching them. Ok, great. It seems there has been some confusion about what to do with money and buying supplies, much of which I didn't understand, and knew I would not be able to sort that out. I only had a short time with them. I love some of the new stuff they've made, though, and bought some and told them I'd order more to pick up when I come back. Irene, the woman emerging as a leader of the group, explained this to them and took note of some quality issues I pointed out. I explained that to sell these they have to be really good quality. I told them about the farmers market on the first Saturday of the month, but that will require paying for a table and I think they'll need some help getting that set up. I decided to try to find the guy who'd agreed to help them. I also sent several messages to Rachael to find out what the hell happened to her. Then Irene took me to see Chimemwe in his village.
George had seen Chimemwe right after his accident when he was just regaining consciousness. George said he left weeping. I was preparing myself for what I was about to see, but I was blown away by how much progress he's made in his recovery! He is walking without help, a little unsteady, but he says that's because he can't see. His vision comes and goes. His language was perfect though and his mind sharp. For that I was so incredibly grateful. I asked if he notices improvement with his vision over time and he said he does, but it is slow. He's frustrated that it is taking so long. I said, "It's only been six months! Six months ago no one was sure if you'd survive!" He said six months seems like a very long time and he wants to go back to work. His father, a very well spoken gentleman, came to greet me. His English is perfect and he said, "Your husband told us you would come, and now you have." We chatted awhile and as he left he told me they are all very grateful to George who left them a good amount of money to live on until (hopefully) Chimemwe could work again; he was the family support. Before I left I gave Chimemwe some money and tried to be reassuring. I told him he still has a lot to offer and maybe he could teach the women a little English until his sight improves. That didn't go over too well.
On Wednesday I went over to the Catholic Relief Services office to find the guy, David, who was supposed to meet with the women and didn't. I wish I'd had a camera in my hand when he opened his office door. That was a classic. You'd have thought I was Jacob Marley. He actually screamed when he saw me. Then we both started laughing. To his considerable credit, he took total responsibility. I asked if there was confusion on the women's part? He said, no, it was him. He just never went. I appreciated him being honest. He said he commits to too many things (I can relate) and was very sorry. I told him about my visit with the women and asked if he knew of any business courses or anyone else that could help them. I'd be willing to pay for Irene to do a short business course. He said, "No. You have inspired me. I will do this. I will make good on my promise and make a plan to meet with them." I told him about Irene and how it would be best to go directly to her. He told me he'd meet with her on Friday and make a plan with her to meet the women. And he did. So that was a success.
I never did meet up with Rachael though. I'll track her down the next time.
Whew. This is getting long so I think I will wrap it up. I'll be too tired to drive home when I land in Boston, so will probably just vegetate on the couch at my daughter's, hug my grand babies, and drive home early Monday.


Confluent has released the latest version of its open source streaming data platform built on Apache Kafka. The new release of Confluent Platform 3.0 introduces Kafka Streams, a lightweight solution to real-time processing designed to support highly responsive applications. With Kafka Streams, developers can build core streaming applications such as fraud and security monitoring, Internet of Things (IoT) operations and machine monitoring, with code that is distributed and reliable.
As a solution to real-time processing, Kafka Streams is a stream processing layer that provides a new, native streaming development environment for Kafka. Developers will be able to utilize a library for building distributed stream processing apps using Kafka.
- Supports stateful and stateless processing; distributed processing and fault tolerant; no downtime rolling deployments.
- No dedicated cluster required; no message translation layer; no external dependencies.
- Allows for late arrival of data; processes one event at a time; doesn't microbatch messages like other stream processing solutions; windowing with out-of-order data.
Confluent Platform 3.0 also features Confluent's first commercial product, the Confluent Control Center, that operationalizes Kafka across an organization offering a comprehensive management and monitoring system for Apache Kafka.


According to research done by TalkTalk there are over half a million UK homes that are losing around 4Mb of broadband speed due to poor in-home set ups, with enough "leaked" bandwidth capacity to power the BBC iPlayer for 59 years!
The research was done by TalkTalk to show how their new Online Service Centre could be of use to customers who need help with their broadband such as how to fix common broadband problems.
They report than over 100 million megabytes of bandwidth capacity is "leaked" in these half a million homes each year which is enough for the BBC iPlayer to run continuously for 59 years!
BT Broadband customers can now get their hands on the iPlate for free and start benefiting from faster broadband speeds.
The iPlate, also known now as the "BT Broadband Accelerator" is a device that plugs into your phone socket and cuts out the bell wire in your phone socket by bypassing it. The bell wire attracts electrical interference that can slow up broadband connections with the electrical interference that it attracts.
The benefits can be quite substantial with broadband speeds tests showing that 50% and above speed increases can be achieved in some cases by having the iPlate fitted.
The iPlate is available free to BT Broadband customers although there is a £1.20 postage charge, customers of other broadband providers can however buy the iPlate for under £10 online from places like ebay.


A popular Honda Generator with residential consumers and fire departments is being recalled due to a fire hazard.
Issue: The product can leak gasoline from the fuel valve, posing a fire and burn hazard.
What to do: Immediately stop using the recalled generator and contact an authorized Honda dealer for a free repair.


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Home General News Article
Feral Interactive Set to Bring DiRT 4 to Linux and MacOS
Posted by Evolve on Dec 13, 2018 | In: General News
The long-running DiRT franchise has been one of Codemasters' claims to fame - and with its roots in the legendary Colin McCrae Rally games, it has seen quite a few changes over the years. It began as a racing festival-filled extravaganza that showcased a lot of features that weren't commonplace in its infancy – like a team-based approach that allowed everyone on your team to succeed with strong racing skills and track positions. The fourth entry takes away the festival theming, but makes teamwork stronger than ever before and the game as a whole has more quality of life improvements. A redone HUD makes navigation a breeze while re-recording the dialogue for your co-driver makes for easier navigation from the cockpit when you don't want to have a HUD blocking your view.
The fourth mainline entry merged arcade-inspired action with realism, which worked surprisingly well. Being able to have a fun, fast-paced race and then still have to worry about things like tires blowing out makes each race more exciting since you have to go fast – but still be mindful of the condition of your vehicle. Having it get beaten up doesn't just look awesome – even if you know it means your downfall, but it can be a sign that you're in danger and need to take it easy.
This fourth entry hasn't been getting as high marks as its predecessors did, but it still delivers rock-solid action. The core racing is more intense here than in prior games – with trackside objects littering the courses to add a renewed sense of realism to the goings-on. The sound design is incredible too – especially in rallycross mode, where you're surrounded by vehicles with super-loud engines. It's claustrophobic and adds a sense of panic to each race. Environmental effects are also stronger here than before, with rain truly stealing the show. Beyond just looking cool, hearing it beat down on the track and your car makes the races come alive.
While DiRT 4 isn't the newest racing game on the market as a whole, it did kind of slip underneath the radar on both PC and consoles. It came and went and as a result, didn't quite achieve the level of success it really warranted. It's a fantastic racing game and one of the best entries in the series to date – even if it doesn't quite put all of the pieces together as it did before. The lack of the festival theme definitely hurt the fun factor a bit, even if the racing is better than ever.
It's currently set to hit Linux and Mac OS X at some point in 2019. With the announcement being made towards the tail end of 2018, one would expect either an early spring or perhaps early summer release. There's a lot of game to work with – but Feral Interactive has ported many games, so it shouldn't be too much for them to handle. The game itself has been on some big sales before - including a Humble Bundle, so if you have a Linux machine and want to get the game for the lowest possible price, you may just want to pick it up early and then enjoy it whenever it comes out.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This guide details 15 high value best practices for Risk Management operations organized by function, including Compliance, Corporate Governance, Ethics, Internal Audit, Risk Assessment and Risk Reporting. Use this document as a guide in implementing work activities in your risk management operations that have proven to increase efficiency, cost effectiveness, customer service and work quality. The majority of OpsDog's best practices require no new technology and can be implemented without infrastructure or regulatory-related organizational changes. Order this document to point your risk management operations in the right direction.


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Phillipsia is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcoscyphaceae. There are about 17 species in the genus, which collectively have a widespread distribution in subtropical and tropical areas. The genus was circumscribed by Miles Joseph Berkeley in 1881. The generic name honours Wales-born English botanist William Phillips (1822–1905).

Species

Phillipsia carminea
Phillipsia carnicolor
Phillipsia chardoniana
Phillipsia chinensis
Phillipsia costaricensis
Phillipsia crenulata
Phillipsia crenulopsis
Phillipsia crispata
Phillipsia dochmia
Phillipsia domingensis
Phillipsia gigantea
Phillipsia guatemalensis
Phillipsia hartmannii
Phillipsia kermesina
Phillipsia lutea
Phillipsia minor
Phillipsia olivacea
Phillipsia plicarioides
Phillipsia polyporoides
Phillipsia ranomafanensis
Phillipsia rugospora
Phillipsia straminea
Phillipsia subpurpurea
Phillipsia tetraspora
Phillipsia umbilicata

References

External links

Sarcoscyphaceae
Pezizales genera

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


[WEDNESDAY ACTION] No. 11 Penn State shut out Colgate, 5-0, in the Nittany Lions' final tuneup before beginning Big Ten women's action against No. 21 Illinois on Sunday at Jeffrey Field (TV: Big Ten Network, live, 3 pm ET).
Two Katie Schoepfer goals less than three minutes apart put the game away early in the second half. Ashley Myers and Aubrey Aden-Buie had scored to give the Lions a 2-0 halftime lead. Freshman Danielle Toney's goal closed out the scoring with under two minutes left.


Few people think about the difference a garden designer can make to how you use your outdoor space. Most gardens have evolved over time. We pick up the odd plant we love. Find a sale bargain shrub and maybe sneak in the odd ornament.
Moved in to a new house? Growing family? Or a special event on the horizon?
If it feels like the time for a complete garden makeover you may be tempted to just instruct a landscape gardener to realise your ideas. In our experience using a garden designer can open up opportunities in your property that you didn't even think were possible. Instructing a qualified and experienced garden designer can create for you, an outdoor space that becomes an extra room. An outdoor living space the family can enjoy together.
The key to a great garden makeover is great garden design. We can offer advice and experience in designing a garden makeover that meets your needs whilst making the most of your garden space. We can go beyond a simple garden clearance and re-design your garden space into something you use and love for years to come.
In your initial meeting we will discuss how you want your garden to work for you. The key to successful garden design is understanding how YOU use your outdoor space. If you are looking for a low maintenance garden, kitchen garden or playground, we can help you make the most of your space and budget.
It's then our job to survey your garden site and assess what technical and planning restraints may affect your garden design.
We will present you with a garden design that clearly outlines the timescales, costs and features of your potential garden.
Once the design is finalised our team of gardeners will turn the design in to reality and you can start enjoying your new outdoor space!
We have undertaken many garden designs and makeovers across Cheshire. Manchester. Preston. Blackburn. Burnley. Barrowford. Skipton. Clitheroe. Ribble Valley. Colne and beyond with many happy customers across Lancashire and Yorkshire.


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James B. Stewart
Photo: © Tony Cenicola / New York Times
James B. Stewart is the author of Heart of a Soldier, the bestsellers Blind Eye and Blood Sport, and the blockbuster Den of Thieves. He is currently a columnist for the New York Times and a professor at Columbia Journalism School, and in 1988 he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the stock market crash and insider trading.
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This thesis project, "Bump Watch: Fashioning Celebrity Pregnancy as Performance and Product," examines celebrity pregnancy as a discourse. It draws upon a multidisciplinary approach to research the ways in which the celebrity maternal body is produced and mediated as a ritualized performance of symbolic bodies rather than an embodied experience.
This investigation of the spectacular media discourse surrounding the'"baby bump"positions the bump as a garment that is worn upon the body as a fashioned performance, transforming it into a fashionable product that markets a specific regime of reflexive discipline. It also examines the social media activities of celebrity mothers as "practices of the self" to discuss their role in altering the consumption and production of pregnancy in contemporary culture.
The written thesis is accompanied by a Tumblr site with additional imagery and discussion, offering new insights into the production and consumption of the fashioned body in new media.


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Marketing & Statistics
RealEstateRama 2015
Seattle shoreline program approved
- Washington RealEstateRama -
Seattle's program will result in the balanced management of nearly 100 miles of marine, lake and estuarine shorelines throughout the city. The city's locally tailored program is designed to minimize environmental damage to shoreline areas, reserve appropriate areas for water-oriented uses, and protect the public's right to enjoy shorelines areas.
City of Seattle: City lays out roadmap for re-vamping homeless investments
Mayor Ed Murray released the Seattle Human Services Department's (HSD) Homeless Investment Analysis. The Homeless Investment Analysis provides an in depth look at the City's current and historical investments to prevent and end homelessness as well as make recommendations to move to a more effective system of homeless services.
Seattle City Council approves two new historic landmarks
Seattle City Council approved landmark designation ordinances for two city of Seattle landmarks. Located in Downtown and Yesler neighborhoods, these buildings showcase the rich cultural and architectural heritage of Seattle.
PCCP Partners With Principal Real Estate Investors to Acquire Class A Office Building in...
- PCCP, LLC -
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- PCCP, LLC has announced that it has partnered with Principal Real Estate Investors, the fourth largest institutional real estate manager in the United States, to acquire a 253,769 square foot class A office building located at 705 5th Avenue South in Seattle. The property is located within the Pioneer Square submarket, which is situated just south of the Seattle CBD, and is 98 percent vacant. The joint venture acquired the property from a private owner in an off market transaction.
Council approves rental housing inspections
Seattle, WA - June 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Seattle City Council today approved (7-0, Rasmussen and O'Brien disqualified) legislation to better protect renters from sub-standard rental housing conditions.
Green Building Initiative: saving energy for homes and businesses
SEATTLE, WA - April 22, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels today announced a multitiered strategy to save energy and shrink the amount of climate pollution from Seattle's buildings and homes. Launched today on Earth Day, the Green Building Capital Initiative:
Seattle awards $628,000 to improve community buildings
Seattle, WA - April 17, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Greg Nickels today announced City of Seattle funding awards totaling $628,000 for five community agencies that are renovating or building facilities to help them better serve people in need. Funding for the awards comes from the federal Community Development Block Grant.
More housing for chronically homeless
City of Seattle, United Way of King County partner to secure site for 60-unit projectSEATTLE, WA - October 30, 2008 - (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Greg Nickels...
Mayor proposes funding to keep homeless day center open
SEATTLE, WA - October 15, 2008 - (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Greg Nickels visited the Family & Adult Service Center (FASC), a Seattle "day center"...
Bremerton, King County, Seattle to bring affordable housing in new mixed-income communities
WASHINGTON - September 23, 2008 - (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston today awarded $50.5 million to three public housing...
Mayor Nickels calls for plan to create more workforce housing
SEATTLE, WA - September 16, 2008 - (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Greg Nickels today sent legislation to the City Council to increase the supply of...
Northgate Buildings Win the Gold
SEATTLE, 06 May 2008 - Mayor Nickels announced today that two city facilities in Northgate won environmental awards from the U.S. Green Building Council....
Seattle No. 1 Green Building City in the Country
Tally of LEED certified buildings puts Seattle ahead of the nation SEATTLE - The U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization, determined that...
NAHB Names Seattle High-Rise Best Multifamily Community of the Year
April 17, 2008 - Mosler Lofts, a high-rise condominium located in downtown Seattle's historic Belltown neighborhood, has been named the Best Multifamily Community of...
Mayor proposes rehab of Magnuson buildings
Package would tap $16.8 million for expanded arts and recreation at waterfront parkSEATTLE- Mayor Greg Nickels this week sent to the City Council legislation...
Seattle Parks To Host A Public Meeting On Property Acquisition For New Ballard Park
Seattle Parks and Recreation will host a meeting to discuss a new park acquisition for the Ballard community. The meeting will take place on...
Seattle Planning Commission Presents Affordable Housing Action Agenda
February 28, 2008 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Seattle City Hall, Bertha Landes RoomThe Seattle Planning Commission will host leaders in labor, environmentalism, development, smart growth...
City partners with two nonprofits to help struggling families facing foreclosure
SEATTLE - January 29, 2008 - Mayor Greg Nickels today announced a new pilot program aimed at helping Seattle families facing foreclosure keep their homes...
'Housing First' Approach to Homelessness Brings Hope to Hard Lives
Two studies show once-controversial projects are helping save lives and money SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels released studies showing that Seattle's "Housing First" program is...
Mayor Urges Council to Act on Affordable Housing
SEATTLE, WA - November 30, 2007 - Mayor Greg Nickels today urged the City Council to take action by the end of the year on legislation that could create...
KCHA spearheads successful effort to preserve nine subdized apartment complexes in...
WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 3, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- When a portfolio of nine privately owned Section 8-assisted housing complexes located in five counties scattered across Washington state was offered for sale last spring, the King County Housing Authority spearheaded a collaborative effort to purchase it. The housing authorities of Bremerton, Grays Harbor County, Yakima, and Chelan County and the City of Wenatchee participated in assuring the preservation of a total of 337 homes within the various communities.
Developer scraps $215 million project for former Evergreen Airport
100 Percent Mortgage Financing Still Available in Washington and Oregon
Realtor James Dainard utilizes custom IDX solution to showcase Heaton Dainard,...
- IDX Broker -
Calmwater Capital Originates $7.6 Million Loan for WSU Student Housing
- RealEstateRama -
Calmwater Capital, a leading national direct real estate lender, has provided $7.6 million in senior debt to Nelson Brothers Professional Real Estate, LLC to acquire and upgrade a student housing complex near Washington State University. The 184-bed property, known as College Crest Apartments, is located at 1555 NE Merman Drive in Pullman, Washington.
Seattle Real Estate Expert Bortfeld to Speak At Top Real Estate...
- WAV Group Communications -
Mercy Housing Northwest celebrates Grand Opening of transit-oriented development in Rainier...
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City kicks off Meydenbauer Bay Park construction
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text:
Tags: ISIS/Islamic State | Religion | group | sues | middle eastern | banks | murder
California Group Suing Middle Eastern Banks Over Murder of Christians
By Jason Devaney | Tuesday, 21 June 2016 12:41 PM
A Christian group is suing two banks and a Kuwaiti sheikh over the murder and displacement of Christians in the Middle East.
According to the Courthouse News Service, St. Francis of Assisi — a nonprofit based in California — filed a lawsuit against the Kuwait Finance House, Kuveyt-Turk Participation Bank, and Hajjaj al-Ajmi on Monday.
The group assists refugees who have been forced to flee their native Iraq and Syria because of the Islamic State (ISIS).
"My clients have lost everything," the group's attorney Mogeeb Weiss told Courthouse News. "They've lost their property, livelihoods, members of families that have been murdered systematically. It's very important, for no other reason than it is so unprovoked, other than religious beliefs."
The complaint numbered 19 pages, although there was no word on how much money St. Francis of Assisi is seeking in damages.
"To successfully plan, fund, and carry out the killings of members of [St. Francis of Assisi], ISIS relies upon an open, notorious, well known, and formalized system of terrorist financing which incentivizes and incites the killings and displacement of the Assyrian Christians," the complaint reads, according to Courthouse News.
Al-Ajmi, a Sunni cleric, has allegedly raised money for terror groups in the past via Twitter, which forced Twitter to suspend his account two years ago.
Pat Boone: Obama Is 'More Muslim Than Christian'
Christians Will Strongly Back Trump, Reed Predicts
group, sues, middle eastern, banks, murder, christians


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Bellevue's Hokkaido Ramen Santouka didn't wait long before doling out assistance to nonprofits.
The restaurant, which opened in April, on Wednesday presented Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson and Jordan Hill with a $10,000 donation for the CR3 Diabetes Association, which the teammates represent. CR3 provides diabetes testing supplies and insulin pumps to uninsured patients. Santouka CEO Jun Yoneda flew in from Japan to present the gift.
Both Seahawks' families have been affected by diabetes. Hill's father battles the disease, while Wilson's father — who steered Russell toward college athletics rather than accepting a pro baseball contract in high school — died of adult onset diabetes in June 2010.
Santouka has a history of teaming up with athletes. The company's CEO, Jun Yoneda, was the general manager of a Japanese professional baseball team and often hosts ballplayers at his restaurants.
"I've learned how important it is to contribute to the local community, and I'm glad I can do so through my connections in sports," he said.
The restaurant also announced Wednesday a charity partnership with malnutrition nonprofit Table for Two. During the month of June, Santouka will donate 25 cents per bowl of ramen sold to the charity, which will partner with area school districts to provide school meals to low-income children.
Charles Ray III, president of North Carolina-based CR3, was pleased with the generosity from a vendor in Wilson's and Hill's community. He said the $10,000 will cover the cost of a six-month supply of insulin pumps, and such donations are thanks in large part to Wilson's involvement in the charity.
Ray first reached out to Wilson in 2010, shortly after Wilson's dad died from his diabetes. Four years, an NFL draft and a Super Bowl win later, and the quarterback helped Ray secure a donation that will assist others suffering from diabetes.


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Opinions Feb 25, 2003
by Clay Risen
New York and Washington have their differences, but the greatest disparity (at least to someone who just moved from Manhattan) is in their subway systems.
No one will ever confuse New York and Washington. Despite a few similarities shared with most other big cities—a vast rich-poor gap, great museums—there's really nothing in common. One is full of skyscrapers; the other is covered in squat concrete buildings. One is home to a panoply of companies and industries; the other is home to the federal government—and not much else. But having spent time in both as of late, were I forced to pick the one thing that best draws a line between our cultural and political capitals, I'd pick their subway systems.
Which seems strange, because at first glance this should be a common ground—after all, there are only seven cities in the country with significant underground rail systems. But the difference between the two is stark, and in ways that reflect back, oh so tellingly, on their respective urbs.
For one: the smell. For me, there's nothing quite like waiting for the A train at the 59th Street station in late July; the concentrated ooze that has spent all year collecting between the rails, giving nourishment to rats the size of footballs—it's positively gut-wrenching. And yet it is also the unfiltered odor of the urban environment; blind and dumb, I'd have no problem knowing I was in New York once I made it to the train station. The Metro, on the other hand, is like a freshly showered body: odorless, until I take a deep breath and notice the faintest hint of soap—or, in the subway's case, recycled air. It's pleasant, yet disturbing, at least to a New Yorker. Nothing in the public realm should be this clean. It's unnatural, and it gives the entire city an anodyne sheen.
Subways are incredibly accurate social portraits; if someone goes to a city and all they do is ride the subway, they'll learn all they need to know about how the place operates. New York's subway is a great equalizer: everyone rides it, even the mayor. The 4, 5, and 6 trains headed north carry both upper-crust Upper East Siders and down-on-their-luck Spanish Harlemites. Yes, New York is far from even in its social structure. There are exclusive clubs and exclusive classes. But it's impossible to avoid the mix of races and incomes that defines the city and, in turn, is reflected in its mass transit. The system's history plays this out: Originally intended to move people around Manhattan, it brought mobility to everyone, and only in the 1920s, with the addition of the BMT and IND lines, did it expand to what were then the suburbs in order to carry middle-class workers in and out of the city. But, according to Clifton Hood's magnificent history of the New York subways, 722 Miles, it still clung so tightly to the nickel fare—until 1948—that it almost went bankrupt in the mid-1960s.
The Metro, on the other hand, seems almost exclusively built for commuters coming from the Virginia and Maryland suburbs—indisputable when you consider how hard it is to get across the city without going through downtown. Predictably, there are long stretches of some lines where all I see are young, white faces. Though the city has a burgeoning black middle class, it is primarily the former for whom the city is shaped: the transitory, the eager, the poorly paid. The foot soldiers of the federal economy. Predictably, there are also stretches where all you see are African Americans—the result of one of our country's most segregated cities.
At the same time, I rarely see the sort of obviously wealthy people I encounter on virtually any Manhattan subway car. These people live far from a Metro station, sequestered in the vast tracts of Northwest D.C. that opposed Metro construction in the late 1970s. 'The widespread perception,' wrote the New York Times in 1984, 'was that the Georgetowners had a more basic fear: While out walking their poodles and Pomeranians, they would be confronted by suburban riffraff pouring up the subway steps.' Instead, they drive, or use a car service; mass transit is for little people. The simple fact that Georgetown residents could defeat a Metro station with only the most thinly veiled racism speaks volumes about the city's social structure. As Wayne Biddle writes in the February 2003 Harper's, 'Washington is still a fashionable apartheid city, with a narrow swath of Northwest containing most of the white people…there lingers a palpable unspoken notion in the neighborhoods between Wisconsin and Connecticut avenues debouching into Montgomery County that the Third World is held at bay here.' But don't take Biddle's word for it—ride the Metro and see for yourself.
Then there are the stations themselves. In New York there are subway fanatics, people who joyride the rails and study the myriad makes of subway cars—and then there are the subway station fanatics, whose arcane knowledge of the city's 490 stations would shame a hardcore Trekkie. But there's a method to their madness, or at least a justification: Each station has an amazing character, a history. In the corner of the Grand Central Station end of the 42nd Street Shuttle is a locked door, over which is written the word 'Knickerbocker.' Behind it is a staircase that once led to the Knickerbocker Hotel—which has since been demolished. Next time you're on the 4,5, or 6 line, halfway between the 14th and 23rd Street stations, press your face up to the window and cup your hands over your eyes. The now-shuttered 18th Street station, graffiti'd and beautiful, is just one of many such ghost stations throughout the island.
There are no shuttered stations in Washington. In fact, there are no distinctive stations at all—the system, on the contrary, operates like a McDonald's, maintaining service by keeping each station exactly the same. Inside, there are few clues that tell which way is which, and even veteran Metro riders find themselves at the wrong exit from time to time. The stations are immaculate; like so much else in Washington, they are cleaned by an army of low-wage workers who only come out after the city has gone to sleep.
But there is, nevertheless, an aesthetic dimension to the Metro: Like the World Trade Center or the Apollo program, it is a masterpiece of late Modernism, the result of a few thousand engineers dreaming the impossible dream, then finding the public funds to make it reality. Whether their dream meshed with the needs of the public is a different question, and one never addressed in the planning stages. The Metro is sheer and utilitarian, designed to serve a single purpose. As a result, unlike the New York subways, it is impervious to the musings of poets; hit songs will never be written about the Orange Line. It is pure efficiency.
And yet: Coming back from New York after Valentine's Day, I entered Washington just as it was beginning to dig itself out of the two feet of snow that had fallen on cities from Washington to Boston over the previous few days. The New York subways had nevertheless been running throughout. But in Washington, the trains were still on a much-diminished schedule, running every half-hour and not serving above-ground stations. This was an improvement, I heard, from the day before, when the trains hardly ran at all. And it was marvelous, really—that here was a system whose limitations (closed at night, a relatively small number of stations) were supposed to improve its efficiency. And yet for all its clean cars and natty stations, it was far behind New York in actually getting riders where they need to go. And after spending an hour trying to get from Union Station to Capitol South, less than a mile by foot, there was no longer a question—I'll take outsized rats any day.
masstransit
TMN Contributing Writer Clay Risen's first attempt to build a website fell apart after he learned that risen.com had been bought by a hardcore Christian rock band. Clay is a senior staff editor at the New York Times and the author, most recently, of The Bill of the Century: The Epic Battle for the Civil Rights Act. He lives in Brooklyn. More by Clay Risen
Follow Clay Risen on Twitter


text:
Death Rides A Puppy 4/21
Featured in today's roundup are David Gerrold, Vox Day, Jim Wright (no relation to John C.), Jason Cordova and Jason Sanford, Amanda Green and Edward Green, Mick and Mackintosh, Alexandra Erin, Philip Sandifer, plus all the other woofers and tweeters.
Eric James Stone
"Ruminations on Nominations" – April 20
Voting: Various people have suggested voting "No Award" above any of the Puppy nominees regardless of the merits of any particular nominee, as a way of protesting the use of bloc voting for nominations. I think that's an understandable reaction, and it's not against the rules, so I do think that's a valid strategy. But I think it's unseemly; not as unseemly as bloc voting, but still unseemly. I don't think it's right to punish all the nominees on the Sad Puppies slate because they swept most of the available spot on the ballot, because I doubt any of them had any idea that was going to happen. This whole Sad Puppies seems to have grown out of what happened a few years ago when some people in the WorldCon community deliberately snubbed Larry Correia because of his politics and religion. Larry decided to push back, and received pushback on his pushback, and things escalated from there. It's time to stop the escalation. I think George R.R. Martin, John Scalzi, and many others have the right idea: check out the individual nominees, and vote based on whether you consider them worthy or not. If that means "No Award" in some categories, so be it, but I think you should at least give the nominees a fair look.
Self-Correction: Given the reaction this year, I think it's fair to say people should be on notice about what it means to be on a slate, and a blanket No Award strategy for any nominees who are willing participants in a slate next year would be appropriate. Also, people will be alert to warn others who might have missed this year's controversy as to what being on a slate means. With regard to the Sad Puppies campaign, I hope that if they do decide to continue with Sad Puppies 4, it is with a recommendation list far broader than a slate of nominees. Hopefully, next year slates will not be a problem, and so amending the rules (which takes two years) will turn out to be unnecessary.
Vox Day on Vox Popoli
"There is a theme" – April 21
This is an interesting exercise in rhetoric. Mr. Gerrold clearly wants us to be very impressed by his feelbads, and thereby convinced of the pure and utter evil of those who would cause such feelbads.
With all due respect, Mr. Gerrold, you're not exactly convincing anyone. We've read STARTREKSHIRTS. We've read "If a Dinosaur Had a Cookie, My Love". We've read "I am Chinese and I am Gay". We've read LOOK MA, I CAN DO WHAT DAVID SILVERBERG DID NEARLY 30 YEARS AGO. The only soaring that is taking place here is the Muse of Science Fiction leaping out the window in protest. More interesting is Mr. Gerrold's threats of unpersoning and banishment from that fine community of SF fandom, which of course proves exactly what we've been saying from the start.
Edward L. Green on Facebook – April 21
And when the SP/RPs do the same next year? Declare the war is over, and the Hugo is done. Business meeting votes to retire the award and box the rocket.
And when we bury it, we tell the world that Vox Day, Larry Correia and Brad R. Torgersen killed it.
Every time the Hugos are mentioned in the future, we say that same thing.
Vox Day, Larry Correia and Brad R. Torgersen killed it.
Now, I admit, at least one of those people seem to not care in the slightest that will happen.
But I suspect Correia and Torgersen might care. Or not. Hell, maybe they want their one lasting literary accomplishments to be to destroy a prestigious award like the Hugo.
Wouldn't that look kinda neat of the cover of a novel?
"From The Author Who Helped Killed The Hugo."
Now some might say 'Those guys weren't part of the RP Slate. They may have hung around them, and maybe spoke with them, but they weren't part of it." Correia and Torgesen are trying to distance themselves in a not distancing kind of way from this madness.
Amused how the Sad Puppies can say I'm a "rich, powerful" writer AND also maintain I don't actually sell books. MAKE UP YOUR MINDS, PUPPIES
— John Scalzi (@scalzi) April 21, 2015
Jim Wright (of Stonekettle Station) on Facebook – April 21
Some day, I hope to be on that stage receiving my own shiny rocketship, should that particular fantasy ever come to pass I'd like to think it was because I earned it on the strength of my ability and not because a bunch of you people stacked the ballot box for political reasons.
As to the Con itself, I don't care about controversies. I. Don't. Care. We're gonna have fun. Repeat, we're gonna have fun, huge goddamned fun, with a lot of really, really amazing and fun and talented people. If you're determined to be miserable, don't come. Please.
And on that note: for minions who plan on being at SASQUAN, I'll be happy to meet up and share a drink and a story or two – especially if you're buying.
Look for me, I'll be the guy in the hat.
Alexandra Erin on Storify
"Gamergate, Sad Puppies and the default narrative" – April 19
Alexandra Erin discusses how both GG and the Sad Puppies are both operating under the fallacy that the narrative that most closely aligns with their own world view and politics is the one "without politics"
But these guys, despite their heavily ideologically, message-centered, politicized writings, see themselves as basically neutral.
— Alexandra Erin (@alexandraerin) April 19, 2015
Philip Sandifer
"Guided By The Beauty of Their Weapons: An Analysis of Theodore Beale and His Supporters" – April 21
All of these tropes are, of course, immediately visible in the Sad/Rabid Puppy narrative of the Hugos. Torgersen's paean to the olden days of science fiction is straightforwardly the golden age myth. The claim that a leftist cabal of SJWs, the details of which are, as is always the case with these things, fuzzy, but which at the very least clearly includes John Scalzi, Teresa and Patrick Nielsen Hayden, and the publishing house Tor have since taken control of the Hugos is a classic stab-in-the-back myth. And the Puppy slates feature heroic men (Torgersen and Beale) who speak truth to power and call excitedly for the people to rise up and show their freedom by voting in complete lockstep with them. It's a classically fascist myth, just like Gamergate (gaming used to be great, then the feminist SJWs took over the gaming press, and now Gamergate will liberate it) or Men's Rights Activists (of which Beale is one).
I haven't paid much attention to Sad or Rabid Puppies, since attention is what they want, and my mindspace is limited.
— Joe Hill (@joe_hill) April 21, 2015
Steph Rodriguez in San Francisco Book Review
"War of the Worlds: Slate Voting Games" – April 21
"In science fiction, you cannot be an out-of-the- closet conservative without people sticking their nose in the air," said Torgersen in a telephone interview from his home in Utah. "Science fiction is almost overwhelmingly, very progressive, very liberal, and there's a monoculture that is formed, and, if you're not part of it, you're on the outs."
…For science fiction author and Hugo Award winner Kameron Hurley, she noticed a definite shift in the science fiction community over the last five years, in terms of hosting a more diverse group of authors, whether it be male to female ratios, or even a more culturally varied lineup.
"Science fiction award ballots in 2009 through last year became more diverse and as it got more diverse, it started to frighten people, and they didn't want their own slice of pie to get eaten by everyone," Hurley explained. "[This year], there [are] nine nominations that come from this tiny, little [publishing] house in Finland, which one of the organizers of the slate, [Theodore Beale], actually owns. So, it's an incredibly tiny minority. It's not even really representative of science fiction publishers, let alone the full breath of science fiction."
David Gerrold on Facebook – April 21
Some people have posted notes that suggest they believe that the host of the Hugo Award Ceremony will use the podium as an opportunity to take revenge on the sad puppies with some scathing ridicule.
The Hugo Award Ceremony is the highlight of the fannish calendar. It is the most important fan event of the year. It is not a place for petty grudges, it is not a place for divisiveness. It is a celebration of excellence. It is a celebration of our community. And most of all, it is for the nominees — it is their moment to be recognized as the best in the field. And this year, despite the slate-mongering, despite the rancor, there are still many qualified works that have fairly earned their place on the ballot.
This is my commitment. We will do nothing to spoil their evening. We will honor them, we will celebrate them. We will congratulate them if they take home a trophy, we will give them an "attaboy" even if they don't take a trophy home.
An open letter to Brad Torgersen,
It looks to me that there is a part of this situation that you have not considered.
Regardless of how you have justified yourself, you have failed to understand several things:
The Worldcon is created fresh every year — it's a self-assembling village. It requires the work of hundreds of fans who volunteer their time and energy to have a five day celebration of science fiction. It belongs to no one. It belongs to all of us, regardless of politics, regardless of skin color, regardless of who we love, regardless of gender. It belongs to all of us — in the traditional sense of the word "all" — with no one and nothing left out.
While you may believe your slate-mongering was a moral act, a justified act, a pushback against some kind of social justice tyranny — at least that's how it's been characterized by some of those who favored the slate — while you may feel that your actions are not blameworthy, you have hurt the entire community.
Mick from Mick on Everything
"Why We Need Sad Puppies" – April 20
[First-ever post on this blog.]
Query: with everything I just wrote, does it surprise anyone still reading that I didn't know I could vote on the Hugos until Sad Puppies 2? I was shocked to learn it. No wonder the insular cliques are running the show, the rest of us don't even know we're supposed to be contributing to the script!
The only way to change that is to erect a big tent and get everyone in. People like the trufen who scoff at me are already there. Sad Puppies have showed the rest of us that we can join too. And as a bonus, since SP3 started, I have a list of new authors to check out so long I can't even remember them all at once. Everybody wins!
That's what it's really about. I just spent 1,300+ words telling you why my fandom should count. That doesn't invalidate anyone else's fandom. I am still laboring to understand how "fandom" became a contest. My whole life, "fandom" has meant that I can share books, and games, and movies with people with similar interests, and they will share theirs with me, and we will both get enjoyment.
Now, "fandom" is being construed to mean the taste-makers, the CHORFs who get to tell the rest of us how awful we are for simply enjoying our entertainment. I have rarely been so enraged as when I read Making Light, or George RR Martin's attempts to sugarcoat the groupthink, with the supposed kingmakers telling me that I don't matter. As if my 25+ years of actually reading and supporting these genres makes me unworthy of their eminence. As if they and their ilk are better than the rest of us.
Jason Sanford
"Thank you to our genre's many volunteers (and please don't attack them)" – April 21
One of the most disgusting things I've seen since the launch of the Puppy campaigns is how people are attacking these genre volunteers. Some of these attacks are subtle, such as the Puppies saying Worldcon and the Hugo Awards don't represent the true fans (whatever that means). But if you're saying that, then you're also saying everyone who volunteers to make the Worldcon and the Hugo Awards happen aren't true SF/F fans.
Other attacks aren't subtle, such as the attempt to create insulting names to call our genre volunteers. Or saying you'll destroy the Hugo Awards, which amounts to an attempt to destroy the work of generations of Worldcon volunteers merely to accomplish your political goals.
I recently read a comment which sums up the pain many of these volunteers are feeling over having something they love turned into a political football. Chris Barkley, who is a long-time WorldCon volunteer and has worked on the Hugo Awards, recently wrote the following:
"As someone who has been deeply and personally involved with the Hugos Awards for the past 16 years, I find this…situation, extremely distressing. I, and many others involved with the Worldcon and the Business Meeting have worked VERY hard to make the award categories inclusive, fair, engaging and most importantly, relevant, in the 21st century. To see all of that jeopardized, by people who should know better, for all the wrong headed reasons, is something I never saw coming…"
Paul St. John Mackintosh on TeleRead
"Hugo Gernsback: The man who put the Hugo – and the bad karma – in the Hugos" – April 21
The sad Sad Puppies saga in the Hugo Awards casts an unflattering light – in fact, two lights – on the man whose name they bear: Hugo Gernsback, "who founded the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories and who is considered one of the "fathers" of the science fiction genre," as the Hugo Awards Wikipedia page says. In fact, in 1960 he received a special Hugo Award as "The Father of Magazine Science Fiction." And the two lights are: first, Gernsback's personal ethics when dealing with his stable of pioneering science fiction authors, which according to quite a few sources, were shoddy. And second, the whole notion of "good old-fashioned SF and fantasy, the stuff the readers really love," as George R.R. Martin described it, which Gernsback personified and which many Sad Puppies proponents have claimed to be defending.
Tim Hall on Trebuchet Magazine
"Watching the Hugos burn. Sci-Fi Controversy Wreaks Havoc" – April 21
[Largely repeats two of Hall's blog posts referenced earlier, for those who've been tracking these roundups since the beginning.]
At this point, the Hugo Awards of 2015 look as good as dead, and everyone is now fighting over a corpse. Whether The Hugos can be salvaged in future years is another matter, and it does need a consensus on what the awards actually represent, and who they belong to. At the moment it's degenerated into a fight to the death which will only destroy the object being fought over. Science Fiction itself is the loser.
Maybe cooler heads will prevail in 2016. A few people have tried to build bridges and find some common ground, but they're still being drowned out by the louder and angrier voices.
There do need to be changes, and there is still the chance that some long-term good can come out of this mess.
Slate voting has demonstrated how a relatively small minority voting the same way can sweep entire categories. But it didn't start with the Sad and Rabid Puppies. It was broken before, and it didn't need an organised conspiracy to do it. With a small voting pool all it took was a critical mass of people with heavily-overlapping tastes to crowd everything else off the ballot. That fuelled the perceptions, true or not, that second-rate work was ending up on the ballot simply because the author was friends with the right people, and even that the whole thing was being fixed behind the scenes by an imaginary cabal.
R. C. Hipp on The Drakehall Broadsheet
"Shakespeare and that Sad Puppies Thing" – April 21
…Othello wins hands down because the titular character has a full blown panic attack. Contemplating Desdemona's (invented) betrayal and the reparative action required of him by the demented Man Code of his time (murdering her), Othello becomes so unhinged that he babbles half-incoherently before falling "in a trance" to the stage.
Yup, that's a panic attack.
You probably get the idea that while elves and aliens are important to me, so are more meaty and realistic things. I like to see race, gender, and religion in my speculative fiction. I like to read about mental illness (and wellness). If the characters are fighting a daemon or a mega corporation that's all well and good. But when it becomes clear the dragon is a stand-in for something else, something I or my friends have to deal with in real life, that's when I'm jumping up and down in my seat.
So I don't get the Sad Puppies and Rabid Puppies.
If you haven't heard (you probably have, I'm about two weeks late to this party and in Internet Years that's a millennia) a bunch of dimbulbs worked together to ensure that only "fun" stories were nominated for the Hugos this year. "Fun" as opposed to "niche, academic, overtly [leftist]". Mainstream escapism for the overprivileged as opposed to anything else.
Amanda S. Green on Noctural Lives
"An update, a thought or two, and a snippet" – April 21
Frankly, I am more than disappointed with how a number of them have reacted to the current situation. Here are authors who ought to know better trying to get their peers and fans to vote No Award ahead of nominated works simply because they don't like they think something made it onto the ballot. They don't give a damn about the author or the work. They are making a "statement" — well, I hate to tell them this but it is a chickenshit statement and one that shows just how petty they are. I have looked at the ballot and there are works on it that I have a pretty good idea I won't like — and yes, they come from one of the so-called slates. But I am not going to vote No Award because of the slate it was on. Nor am I going to vote No Award because I think I won't like it. What I will do is read it, as well as the other entries. Then and only then will I cast my ballot. The only way I will vote No Award is if I think a work — after reading or watching it — is not worthy of being awarded the Hugo. Too bad others can't do the same.
The Prussian on The Prussian
"Don't Bring A Toothpick to a Tank Fight" – April 21
Before I go on, let me say that I don't give a damn about literary awards. I'm a reader, not a writer, so I have no financial interest in the awards, and that is the only reason anyone should be interested in them. I'm only interested in good books – words put together on paper in a new and interesting way.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that getting an award is a bad thing or that they only go to crappy authors. Obviously not – Neil Gaiman and Harlan Ellison have won multiple Hugos and V.S. Naipaul won the Nobel Prize for literature. But on the other hand, neither Nabokov nor Borges ever won the Nobel Prize in literature, and Ray Bradbury never won a Hugo, and Terry Pratchett, Michael Moorcock and J.G. Ballard were never even nominated.
So, yeah. For someone who cares about writing and literature, the awards are irrelevant.
…Now usually in these issues, I wind up by pointing out that this is dangerous, because it opens up the field to truly scary types. That's not true here – as I've said, awards are pretty meaningless, so we're not really playing for high stakes. Just a word of warning: if you are relying on SJWs to defend issues that actually matter – anti-racialism, women's emancipation, free speech, the defense of civilization – you are relying on people who cannot even rig an award competently.
Sci Phi Journal
"Lou Antonelli's Hugo-nominated Short "On A Spiritual Plain" Available for Free" – April 21
You can get Lou Antonelli's "On a Spiritual Plain" for free in EPUB and MOBI The download also includes the story of how "On a Spiritual Plain" came to be included in Sci Phi.
Jason Cordova
"#FreeSpeech" – April 21
I've been having a <<censored>> day so far, trying to <<censored>> <<censored>> before I <<censored>>. It's a <<censored>> way to live, but hey, gotta <<censored>>, am I right?
A lot of <<censored>> have been contacting me this week regarding <<censored>>. One of the things I like to <<censored>> is that <<censored>> is open to the <<censored>> of <<censored>> speech. <<censored>> speech is one of the most important basics of our <<censored>> nation, yet the muzzle of <<censored>> has been slowly being applied to the <<censored>> mouth over the past 50 years. Not only is our <<censored>> of speech being attacked in the name of <<censored>>, certain individuals and groups are now <<censored>> their own allies, feasting upon them as the Ouroboros does its own tail. But it's <<censored>> <censored>> who are <<censored>> and <<censored>>. Do I have that right?
<<censored>> of <<censored>> — it's why we have such a great <<censored>>.
glaurung_quena comment on More Words, Deeper Hole
The theory is that one nominates the best stories you've read in the past year — stuff that knocked your socks off. Judging by the quality of the puppy slate, I can only conclude that they have very loose socks
Damon G. Walter on Patreon
Damien Walter is creating Nothing
Other than the things I already do.
The Hugo Awards ballot and ceremony appear to be unhanged for the last two days now. I don't know how to react.
— Ray Radlein (@Radlein) April 21, 2015
I hope I never find out exactly how much time I've wasted reading about this year's Hugo awards.
— Jack Lint (@JackLint1984) April 21, 2015
This entry was posted in Awards, Heard Online, Worldcon and tagged Alexandra Erin, Amanda S. Green, David Gerrold, Ed Green, Hugo Awards, Jason Sanford, Joe Hill, John Scalzi, Philip Sandifer, Ray Bradbury, Sad Puppies, Sasquan, Vox Day by Mike Glyer. Bookmark the permalink.
165 thoughts on "Death Rides A Puppy 4/21"
Mike Glyer on April 22, 2015 at 3:14 pm said:
James May: I'm not your editor, nor do you want me to be. There are things you want free rein to argue that I am not hosting. When I saw your allusion to the Jews in Hollywood float by I swatted the comment, I didn't edit it.
rcade on April 22, 2015 at 3:15 pm said:
"I will say though – look at the upticks in registration and say again with a straight face that 80-85% of the voters have been marginalized."
It is a fact that 80-85% of us were marginalized in the nominations process. Look at the ballot. The choices of 150-250 people fill five entire categories and five other categories have four out of five. The other 1,200 nominators put almost no nominees in most of the ballot.
Rick Moen on April 22, 2015 at 3:20 pm said:
xdpaul: Your phrase 'Hugo insider Brianna Wu' made me briefly wonder if someone is putting LSD in my coffee. So, well done, there.
Performance art, I assume?
Rick Moen
rick@linuxmafia.com
Fred Davis on April 22, 2015 at 4:01 pm said:
a hair
but how long is a strand of hair?
James May on April 22, 2015 at 4:05 pm said:
Well, Mr. Glyer, this will be my final comment here. Comments were closed off to us community wide using arrogant and confusing rules about my-house-my-rules with Banhammer and yadda yadda. But no can ever figure out the rules other than "I said so." If you haven't figured out by now we don't like that then you don't understand how Sad Puppies happened. HTML is not a secret held by some guild and we don't like be answered with "because I said so." However we do like to treat people the way they treat us.
Wildcat on April 22, 2015 at 4:11 pm said:
I think a more accurate phrasing of the situation is "80-85% of the voters who nominated works this year have been marginalized." The RP and SP factions, by nominating mostly a prescribed list of candidate works across the board, dominated most of the nominee slots with their choices, despite being only 15-20% of total voters who nominated works this year.
One of the reasons there has been negativity directed toward slate voting is that 80-85% of people nominating works this year for the Hugos saw slim-to-none of their nominees make the final ballot, so they feel disenfranchised and, yes, marginalized.
MickyFinn on April 22, 2015 at 4:46 pm said:
Well, shall we wait and see if James May can actually stick the Flounce, or if he stumbles into the usual Flounce and Return.
Andrew on April 22, 2015 at 5:44 pm said:
Sure, but we are all literary SJW fascists. If the Puppies call us names and rail against our oppresion long enough we will eventually realize how wise they are and embrace their insight.
Or, we will keep nominating and voting for books they hate long after they are all in adult diapers because book nerds are extremely long-lived and resilient. Definitely one of those.
VD on April 22, 2015 at 5:44 pm said:
"And if you don't, you reward gaming the process and allow the awards to be tainted and devalued. It sucks all round. Thanks a million, puppets."
I find it very amusing that on the one hand SJWs are claiming that all their options suck, and on the other, declaring that I'm going to claim victory no matter what.
"We're told over and over by Puppies and their supporters that bloc voting is within the rules. No Award is within the rules."
Why do you keep repeating yourself over and over and over again. Go ahead. No Award everything. Neither I nor anyone in RP objects in the slightest. Bloc voting is fine. No Award is fine. If that's what you want to do, then do it.
"Vox Day is counting on you thinking emotionally, not seeing your way through to minimizing the losses. He's very public about it, as he thinks no amount of logic, reason, etc. will sway the traditionalists."
It won't. They don't think, they react by feel. I do find it very funny that I can tell them exactly what I'm going to do, and because they are such emotional basket cases, they assume I must be bluffing and are subsequently shocked when I go ahead and do exactly what I said I would.
I said last year that I didn't game anything, and that if I gamed something, everyone would know it. And yet, they learned nothing from that. At this point, I'm mostly curious how many times they have to be hit over the head before the lesson sinks in.
It's like they've never even heard of game theory. "We're going to teach them a LESSON!" That's the thing, you're really not. All you're going to do is either confirm or falsify a hypothesis.
Will McLean on April 22, 2015 at 5:48 pm said:
Oooh, look. The wannabe super-villain is monologuing. Again.
Mr. Incredible: You mean you killed off real heroes so that you could *pretend* to be one?
Syndrome: Oh, I'm real. Real enough to defeat you! And I did it without your precious gifts, your oh-so-special powers. I'll give them heroics. I'll give them the most spectacular heroics the world has ever seen! And when I'm old and I've had my fun, I'll sell my inventions so that *everyone* can have powers. *Everyone* can be super! And when everyone's super…
[chuckles evilly]
Syndrome: *no one* will be.
Human on April 22, 2015 at 6:00 pm said:
A lot of the people who voted unconnected to SP or RP voted for themselves (based on posted ballots). This is one of the reasons there are almost as many entries as voters, and I'm not seeing why I should be sympathetic to people like that complaining that their votes were washed away or drowned out. It's pretty entitled to expect that voting for yourself and getting ten more friends to do so as well should garner you a Hugo nomination, and yet that's supposed to be more sympathetic and representative of the soul of fandom than SP or even RP.
Oh wow, I didn't realize that every supporting member of Worldcon had created their own Hugo-eligible piece of media. Dang, it's like we're SFWA up in here.
Alexvdl on April 22, 2015 at 8:07 pm said:
Gee, with each ballot having 5 slots to nominate in 17 categories, the fact that the number of ballots was about equal to the number of entrants means that there was a HELLUVA lot of consensus on the things voted for.
Basic math eludes some people, apparently.
(Note: I'm using Human's math. I feel he's puling his numbers out of the aether)
I think (their statement is a lot ambiguous, but I'm squinting and trying to figure it out) that "human" is referring to the fact that in a normal Hugo nomination vote*, there is a long tail of works which have been nominated on a handful of ballots. The leap to assuming that those nominations are down to "voting for yourself and getting ten more friends to do so" is unsupported, but that never stopped a puppy from making an assumption before. I'm not sure quite why "human" feels that even their theory of a nomination process where people who get the blind support of themselves and ten friends don't make the final ballot** is worse than a nomination process where Theo Beale gets a hundred "friends" to vote in lockstep and does make the ballot.
*I'm assuming, for lack of a reference to anything that better suits the bill, that "posted ballots" refers to the list of nomination counts in the award statistics that are put out at the hugo ceremony. (e.g. http://www.loncon3.org/hugos/2014%20Hugo%20awards%20full%20details.pdf).
** the lowest number of nominating votes required to get on the ballot in any category this year appears to be 23 in the Best Fan Artist category


Don't miss this holiday sale if you have a friend with an active dog that loves to fetch tennis balls or is a flyball star! Not only is every jewelry piece on sale, but it also comes with free standard shipping to US addresses.
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Shop For Love of a Dog now for best selection. Since For Love of a Dog Jewelry is closing there will be not more. Sure, you can wait to see if prices are reduced more... but your favorite piece may be gone.
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This Flyball dog bone necklace features a very cool handmade porcelain tennis ball and sweet silver rolo chain.
Remember, this is just a sample. Fetch For Love of a Dog Jewelry for more in this theme. Hurry!
That stuff is so cute it makes me wish Rita was more into fetch!


text:
Part of MultiCultural/HPMG News. ©2020 Verizon Media. All rights reserved.
Kimberly Inskeep, Contributor
Chief Culture Officer and President, cabi
The Top Things I Love About Being Over 50
04/22/2015 08:07 am ET Updated Jun 22, 2015
It is all too apparent none of us are living on the "Benjamin Button" timeline. As I don't intend to add fodder to the excessive lamenting about aging (except maybe in the first few minutes of climbing out of bed), I am choosing a posture of downright celebration, calling out the abundant benefits of each passing year. Here are the things I love about being in my 50s; regardless of our age, these things apply more broadly to the beauty of getting older, and when embraced can perhaps allow you to skip some stages and realize earlier freedom before reaching mid-life.
1. I've stopped attempting to be all things to all people. I've learned to focus on the things I do best, and the people who need them most.
2. "No's" are no longer immediately followed by guilt and second-guessing and "Yeses" have become even more certain and enthusiastic.
3. Life's embarrassing moments have a much shorter smack and now quickly move to my "hilarious memories" file.
4. No one expects me to be the one who knows how to work the remote on the Apple TV (but I do, and I get a kick out of how much it impresses people).
5. I now know there are only a few things in life really worth putting your stake in the ground for--and for those things, I am confident enough to stand up for them with all my might.
6. My relationships are truer and deeper then ever. The friends and family who have endured together through heartache, triumph, loss, conflict, or just a bunch of normal Tuesdays, are those who I now truly know -- and feel deeply known by.
7. Glasses have become a fun fashion accessory (albeit a total necessity). They are also a handy prop for slipping into a sage-esque alter ego, should the need arise.
8. I no longer feel a strong desire to be the one who is right. I simply want truth to be found, regardless of who points to it.
9. I've learned how to make really amazing lasagna because I no longer feel captive to recipes.
10. I've embraced YOLO more than FOMO (for my friends without a 19-year-old daughter as an interpreter, that's "you only live once" and "fear of missing out").
11. Now that my daughter is grown, I get to spend my time in awe of the woman she's become instead of worrying about what she might become, navigating the dance of both speaking up and shutting up.
12. I've found a liberating simplicity, going through drawers and closets letting go of "stuff."
13. If I overreact or get a little teary, I can slough it off with a little laugh, muttering something about "hormones."
14. I've let go of "balance." It really doesn't exist. Instead, there is a willingness to let go of what doesn't matter for the sake of the things that do and doing them fully.
15. I've learned true strength is rarely obvious and never self-promoting.
16. The phrase "Actually, I'm going to bed" rolls off the tongue, with a lilt of triumph.
17. Research has shown that cognitively, we are at our highest point between the ages of 40 and 68. We more quickly solve problems and recognize patterns (which has definitely strengthened my position when stressing a point with my husband).
18. I've embraced the power of admitting I don't know how to do something (which has also strengthened my position when my husband is stressing a point with me).
19. My husband and I now value one another's differences.
20. I've seen that the core of business is solving problems. When problems come up, it is not a crisis -- it's the job.
21. I know that no problem to be solved is more important than a person to be loved.
22. I'm one step closer to getting away with those quippy truisms that the Dowager Countess of Grantham can cunningly slip in.
23. With time comes more great stories. I have a treasure trove of zingers (both heartfelt and hilarious) that I can bring out at dinner parties.
24. I have "gotten complete" with my past. I know my story, the parts of it I want to carry forward, and the parts I want to leave behind.
25. For the first time in my life, the President of the United States is younger than me, giving me the opportunity to say "Well, when I was your age ..." with an air of wisdom, should I ever meet him.
26. I no longer care if I get the credit. In fact, it can be a fun game to avoid it.
27. Research show that three quarters of women in their 50s feel more confident than ever before (which may be why I'm so much better at getting out of speeding tickets; wait -- should I not be proud of that?)
28. As women age, we are more willing to take risks (while men grow more risk averse). Because ... YOLO.
29. I've learned that if I give any time to comparison, I lose time I could be using to love life and people better.
30. I am more able to see how "this OR that" can be "this AND that" through increasing sophistication of thought.
31. I now assume the best about people's intentions. This one action breathes abundant grace into all relationships.
32. Tough conversations are no longer something to put off, but rather something to go after with boldness.
33. I am eager to both give and receive feedback and understand that both postures take intense humility. I'm willing to risk a little bit of relational equity for the greater good of speaking and hearing truth that yields growth.
34. They say, "It's not what you know, but who you know," but there is also some truth in "who you know won't want to know you for long if you don't know much."
35. My days are always better when they start out with a yummy breakfast, and end with a yummy dinner. Good food does enough for my spirit to allow a few extra pounds.
36. I love my mom and dad more than I ever have in my life.
37. My grandfather was right; you'll never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul so be generous while you can enjoy seeing the difference it makes.
No matter your age, what are the things you love most about the decade you're in?
Earlier on Huff/Post50:
Doesn't it seem like Betty White has been around since David torpedoed Goliath with a slingshot? Our favorite golden girl is only 94 though. Even though Miss Betty White began her career in the 1940s on radio, and later appeared on late night talk shows and game shows (including "Password") in the 50s and 60s, she wasn't really a household name until, at the age of 51, she began playing "The Happy Homemaker" Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1973-1977).
Who doesn't love Morgan Freeman? This Academy Award winner paid his dues and then some. Freeman worked for several years as an actor, but really came into his own playing chauffeur Hoke Colburn in "Driving Miss Daily" at the age of 52 (although he was 50 when he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the film "Street Smart").
Heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne has been famous for over 40 years as lead singer of the English band Black Sabbath. His wife, Sharon, however, did not become a household name until their family reality show "The Osbournes" premiered on MTV in 2002. Just barely 50, Sharon became a media darling, which opened up many doors. She went on to become a judge on "America's Got Talent" and has been co-host of the CBS daytime show "The Talk" since it debuted in October 2010.
Regis Philbin was comedian Joey Bishop's sidekick on the ABC television show "The Joey Bishop Show" from 1967 to 1969 and hosted his own local talk show -- "A.M. Los Angeles" -- from 1975 to 1983. But his name wasn't exactly on the tip of our collective tongues until he became a daytime staple with Kathie Lee Gifford in 1988 on "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" when he was 57. His vibrant, caustic, yet fun-loving personality pushed him over the top sometime after the show began to gain in popularity with daytime viewers.
Born in 1921, Abe Vigoda captured the role of Salvatore Tessio in the film "The Godfather" in 1972 at the age of 51. His next big role came in 1975 when he signed on to play Sgt. Phil Fish on the television series "Barney Miller." And that's when Vigoda -- who passed away in 2016 -- really became a household name.
Sure, Tom Bergeron became the host of "Hollywood Squares" in 1998 and of "America's Funniest Home Videos" in 2001, but he didn't really become widely known until joining the wildly popular "Dancing With the Stars." The amiable host was 50 when the show premiered in 2005. After more than 20 seasons as host, it appears he's a keeper.
Maybe Mike Wallace was well-known in some hard-core news circles, and perhaps he was on a first-name basis with a few news junkies many moons ago, but it wasn't until he laid his groundwork as a superb gotcha reporter on "60 Minutes" which he did from 1968 (after he turned 50) until 2008 -- that his star really began to shine. This well-respected news journalist sadly passed away on April 7, 2012 at the age of 93.
Gabe Ginsberg via Getty Images
Born in 1948, Samuel L. Jackson appeared in more than 100 films before the age of 40. However, it was only after he landed the role of a hitman in "Pulp Fiction" in 1994 that his star really began to shine. For this performance, Jackson received a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
Andy Rooney is another personality that seems to have been around since the beginning of time, and we're all glad to have been the recipients of his off-the-wall satirical takes on human nature. In 1978, at the age of 59, Rooney began his "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" segment on the CBS news show "60 Minutes," continuing through 2011. He made us laugh, he made us cry, he made us think. It doesn't get better than that. Rooney died on November 4, 2011 at the age of 92 only a few weeks after his last appearance on the show.
Joy Behar was 54 when she was cast as one of the original members of "The View," which made its debut in August 1997. A few years before that, you could catch Behar doing hilarious stand-up comedy on television. But she only became a household name sometime after "The View" became a must-see, daytime television talk show.
Post50 Passion Turning 50 Fifty Well Being


NaNoWriMo 2015 – Heena Rathore P.
December 7, 2015 by Heena Rathore P.
I was planning to write the first draft for my second novel, Sinister Town, for this year's NaNo, but unfortunately "life" happened (and also Diwali) and I was left to rush through the last 15 days of NaNo. Though it's not a lot, but I still got the plotting done along with a few scenes (Yes, 52K is just the plotting!) But still I'm happy that at least I wrote these 52K words!
I'll be drafting the FD of Sinister Town in December (even though my birthday is fast approaching) and January and once I'm a little free I'll share about it in my writing updates.
Wow! This is great news! 52k words in 15 days! That's awesome!
Congratulations! The important thing is not the amount of words you wrote, but the fact that you wrote them. I know many people who tell me they want to write a book or start a blog, but all they do is talk, they don't put in the necessary time and effort like you did.
Thanks a lot, Robbin! And I agree, writing is what really matters. I'm actually planning to get my second novel done by March of next year so that I can get my agent to represent me for this book as well. Hope I'll get there soon. Fingers crossed.
Wow, 52k words….. what a great achievement, Heena! Wish you good progress, dear!
Thanks a lot, D. I haven't visited the NaNo site in a while, how about you? How's your story coming along?
I can understand! I haven't written a word since last two weeks myself! And same here, even I've set up Jan-end as my last date for completing and revising my first draft. But right now, I'm not so sure… lol!
Congrats Heena! Well done 😀 52 000! Phew!
Thanks a lot, Elizabeth! Happy holidays to you too!
Thanks a lot, Phoenix! 🙂 How's your WIP coming along?
Not too badly. Currenlty worldbuilding for a rewrite. Letting my NaNo project rest for a while. :)Is your writing going okay at the moment?
It's amazing how hard it can be to fit in everything we want to do. I've never managed to get the bang of crocheting. I can knit, but can't seem to find the time. Writing's my priority, and blogging, which is taking up more time than I ever thought it would. I enjoy it though.
I'm sure you'll find a way o make a balance.
Wonderful news Heena. And congratulations.
Congrats Heena! What an amazing accomplishment. 🙂 Happy birthday in advance.


I didn't row and instead saw it from afar, as one of my college roommates rowed heavy-weight. Eric did, too, in college (and, did well at the national level).
Now, I see it through one of my children, who is rowing for her school, often as stroke of her boat.
Growing up where I did, there wasn't rowing. Or, sports like golf, squash and tennis. My only exposure to crew in my youth was in movies like Love Story or Oxford Blues (both of which are pretty bad). It really has been a long way from Brooklyn.
I'm writing this as I stand at a bridge above the Charles River in Cambridge. They're racing right by the grungy graduate school housing in which I used to live.
It is the last race of the year for my daughter's team, and it is against their rival. It is very exciting to see young people engage be in such intense competition and camaraderie.
I am very proud of my daughter's grit. I think all of that physical pain and suffering is important. But, more on that in a future post.
I love my kids. These are the small moments in parenting that you remember for a while, when your children take opportunities that you didn't have.