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Book Three:
Skinned Alive
by Melanie Anne
Part Two: Innocence Sought
Mr. W. Squared
Book Two: Innocence Sought
From Journeys and Transitions
Today I had lunch with a millionaire. That's not exactly true. Actually, he has thirty-five million dollars. Late thirties, medium tall, with slightly thinning hair and a boyish expression, he sat across the smallish table at the Bombay Bicycle club holding my hand. I smiled graciously as he called me "beautiful", and wondered how I'd gotten myself in THIS situation.
Mr. W. Squared, we'll call him, first contacted me some two months ago. He reached me directly at my office number - unusual for a call that didn't come through the switchboard operator. Speaking in a frenzied stream of sentence fragments, he juxtaposed his jumbled thoughts: a frantic onslaught I was later to learn had been born of fear that I would not speak with him.
Picking though the verbal carnage I was able to reconstruct what he was trying to tell me: He was a successful entrepreneur who had recently sold his business for huge sums, had heard about me both through my involvement with the story software and also through reading my diary. He struggled to express how I was something of an icon to him - a heroine. He went on to explain that he was transgendered himself, physically attracted to me, and (by the way) had a wife and six kids. Essentially, he asked me to be his mistress.
Well, that sort of thing doesn't happen every day, even to me! I considered it. I was just days away from my surgery, so I explained I could not meet until I had healed. He was planning a trip to California on business about that time and requested that I agree to join him then. In my typically cautious manner, I said, "sure"!
At the end of my first week of recovery at home, I called in to discover that a Federal Express package had arrived at the office marked, "Personal". I had my assistant open it and read it to me over the phone. Inside was a charming letter apologizing for his frenetic attitude over the phone. It included a poem he had told me during that conversation that he had written for me. In this letter, he recanted, saying it really wasn't written for me but himself: it just seemed to apply. Also enclosed was a simple get well card, which called me a "special and rare" person. Well, at least he was accurate!
I never responded to his note, nor to the call he left in my voice mail before I returned. When I finally did go back to work, he called again and asked to set up a lunch appointment. Which brings me back to where I found myself today, staring into his attentive eyes while he held my hand at the smallish table in the Bombay Bicycle Club.
We chatted about many things. Gender, mostly. Not MY favorite subject these days, but obviously his. He told me of his risky youth, his intense drive in business, his incredible good fortune ("last week my stock went up and my net worth increased 11.9 million...") Mostly, though, he wanted to ask about me. How did I feel now? How did I do it? What was going on in my head?
Then, the topic changed. He wanted to tell me about me. How beautiful I was, how feminine. How attractive I was (maybe we could be more than friends). To be truthful, he was the perfect gentleman, though it seemed he found every opportunity the punctuation of conversation would allow to grasp my arm, touch my hand, or put his arm, ever so briefly, around me.
What did I think? He was charming enough, but seemed sadly torn. On the one hand he had it all (by American standards): the hugely successful career, fame and financial freedom at an early age, a loving wife and family. All the time he could want and the wherewithal to do or be anything he desired - except one thing. He could not keep all of that and become a woman. I could see he was confused, uncertain. He was not sure if he was attracted to me because I had been down that path or because he wanted to follow in my footsteps. He simply did not know where he wanted to go. I tried to help him clarify his thoughts and zero in on where his feelings were really pointing. But, he is so very new to exploring this side of himself that he did not have enough mental roadsigns to follow.
From the number of times he mentioned it, I'm sure he expected me to be impressed with his money. I felt sad in disappointing him by not being. I already have all I need, since I could retire today on my story software royalties and never work again if I chose. I might not have thirty-five million, but how much more does one need that complete freedom from undesired labors?
As I think of it now, I have known one other person who struck me to be of the same dilemma. Oh, this other friend did not want to change genders, but wanted to change careers. He was making twice as much per year at the time as anyone else I knew, yet was attracted to anyone who seemed to be enjoying their job. He spent time with them to the point of becoming a barnacle. He noted their tools, their lifestyle and their clients, and then bout the tools, adopted the lifestyle and sought the clients.
He never took anything away from those he studied, but simply tried to emulate them, mistakenly believing that if he did what made them happy, it would make him happy to. Unfortunately, what he never did realize was the reason these people liked what they were doing is because of their character, not because of the job. It was not the work that made them glow, but their intrinsic attraction to that kind of work. What was right for them, was not right for him, but he never saw it. If only he had looked within instead of without, he might have found what brought him true joy and developed a career where he found his own brand of contentment. Alas, he ended up losing his good job to a union busting maneuver by the management, and now has to struggle like most everyone else, doing a job he doesn't like and no longer having the ability to choose to do anything else.
So here was Mr. W. Squared, so new to the gender community that he didn't know the buzz words, yet convinced that he wanted to be like me. Where have I seen this pattern before? I was reminded of the scene in the movie, "Chinatown", where Evelyn Mulray is slapped by Jake Gittes as he tries to find out what relationship she has to a young girl. On each alternate slap she cries, "I am her mother..." slap... "her sister..." slap... "her mother..." In this case, Mr. W. was effectively saying, "I want to BE you... DO you... BE you..."
What did he really want? I'm sure he didn't know. But he was such a pleasant fellow, so full of quest and angst, that I couldn't hurt him. And, of course, there was that movie, "Indecent Proposal:" in which Robert Redford offers Demi Moore and her husband (Woody Harrelson) one million dollars if she will sleep with him for one night only. Where have I seen THIS pattern before?
While I pondered this, he saw me back to the office, presented me with four bottles of fine wine from a vineyard he visited as research to buying one of his own ("I have a private cellar, by the way, with over 1,000 bottles"). Upstairs, he took several pictures of me with his Nikon, then gave me two extended breast to chest hugs, and left, promising to call.
So, I went back to thinking about it.... Do I have a price? If so, what IS my price. Oh, that's not hard. I can be had, but I'm not cheap! So, how cheap is cheap? Well, one hundred thousand dollars. Yes, I'd do it for that. Ten thousand? No way! Fifteen? No. Twenty five thousand? Yes. So, that's my price. At least today it is, and at least for Mr. W.
I recall a scene from "The Magnificent Seven" in which Charles Bronson is approached to work as a gunfighter for twenty dollars a day. He retorts that he has been hired before at two HUNDRED dollars a day. Those trying to hire him turn away saying they supposed his isn't interested for two hundred dollars is a lot of money. Bronson responds, "Right now, twenty dollars is a lot."
All of which means that there are those with whom I would go to be for free. For Mr. W. Squared, the price is twenty-five thousand dollars. Oh, there's nothing repulsive about him, it's just that I work on a sliding scale, based on ability to pay. It's my liberal upbringing.
My millionaire called back today. He made me an offer. Could I refuse? He said he would like to pick me up from the office on Friday, take me to a movie and dinner... and then to the Beverly Hills Hotel where we could spend some time together in a fine room with a private Jacuzzi, champagne, and a view over the city. Tempting... very tempting... but I wanted MONEY!!!
I determined the best approach was to give him a definite maybe. (Guys HATE that - they can't give up and they don't know if they'll get.) I told him to let me think about it, and to call back later in the day when I would tell him what I decided.
Now, secretly, I was hoping he would get the message and offer me cash. But, when he called back, he just repeated the offer. I think I sensed an opening he was leaving for me to tell him what I wanted that would close the deal. But, damned if I was going to go ASKING for money!!! It's one thing to be approached and quite another to go soliciting in my book. This girl wants to pick and choose from the requests.
So, I declined. Reasons? Well, it would have been romantic, and he is a tad attractive. Its just that a relationship with him can't go anywhere. He IS married, after all. I've taken care of my career, my finances, and my self. The only thing I still need is a real relationship. Anything that doesn't lead in that direction is not worth doing. (Of course twenty-five grand could go a long way toward making a slight detour rather appealing).
I told him he needed to sort things out. I explained that his family was a real negative to anything of that nature. I thanked him for the offer and then had to fend off his continued attempts to get me to at least join him for lunch over the weekend. I reiterated that I didn't want to become that wrapped up in gender talk again, but he could call me or drop by every now and then to keep in touch. I told him I knew he wanted more, but I didn't want that much. So, as long as we limited it to what I wanted, we could both enjoy what we did get, even though for him, he'd still want more.
I only slightly kicked myself while I was doing this. After all, wouldn't that little tryst have made a wonderful entry in my diary? But, as much as I think of y'all, some things are just too much to ask of your humble author.
Now if he had only been single... well.....
This morning while I lay in bed I wondered: why didn't I go with W.? I began to feel that I had been put off by all the potential entanglements. I didn't want to make an Emotional Investment for I suspected it would take too long to pay back because of all the complications in his life.
Then it struck me that this same issue also applies to my relationship with Mary - another Emotional Investment. Actually, in this case, although it feels like investment, I can see that it has really been a withdrawal on my part - just the opposite of my situation with W.
In my mind, I owe her. I am in emotional debt. All the support she has given me means I am obligated to repay. So THIS is what obligation is. I had trouble all along defining it in the story theory, probably because it was too close to home. Men get tied up in commitments, but we get tied up in Obligations.
In story theory terms, there are four levels of what we call "Justification" - this being the process whereby we put immediate benefits on hold in the expectation of greater rewards later. Each level of Justification consists of four areas of concern. The first level is the most "honest" or "immediate", pertaining to our Knowledge, Thought, Ability, and Desire. The second level strays away from that as we begin to consider what we Need, what we Should, what we Can and what we Want. Third level Justification focuses on our Situation, Circumstances, Sense of Self and State of Being. Eventually, we drift into the fourth level and find ourselves facing Responsibilities, Commitments, Obligations, and Rationalizations. By the time we get to the top, we are addressing items which are the most powerful motivators of all, yet the hardest to clearly see.
When we take emotional support, then, we become debtors, and cannot break the "contract" until we have paid back the debt. But just like those who over-spend, we continue to extend our line of credit. We see we have a certain amount available and run the debt up to the hilt to pay for immediate emotional gratification.
Then, one day, we run into our limit. We are cut off by those who have been supplying us. Many relationships fail at this point when the whole GIVE/TAKE dynamic that has formed the foundation of the relationship fails to function.. We are forced to go cold turkey, but have often found ourselves committed to a lifestyle or career or situation that still demands an emotional toll upon us. So, we now must not only pay the current bill, but pay back that which we borrowed. The total amount is not unlike paying back a debt with interest.
I can see now that this is really why I moved into the living room. I truly wanted to stay in the back room with Mary, but if I had, I would have continued to draw emotional sustenance, further running up my debt. If I continued that much longer, I'd NEVER get her paid back in emotional currency: I won't earn that much in the rest of my life. By moving out to the living room, I stopped running up my bill.
Lately, I've found myself comforting her. Why? I thought maybe I was growing closer again. It felt like that. But really, I am just making extra payments against the principal. That saves interest in the long run. Because the longer an emotional debt remains unpaid, the more interest it accrues.
Mr. W. sensed this when he kept repeating on the phone yesterday that he wanted to find a way to help me in return. Clearly, men realize this kind of transaction intuitively. For us, it must be learned.
I can see that I didn't want to get involved with W. because it would have been the reverse situation of the one I have with Mary. He would be running up a debt with me, and have no way to pay it off as he goes. If I had needed money, being his mistress would have been good for him and good financially for me. But I don't need money. If he was single, we might have established an emotional give and take, each drawing a little bit and returning a little bit so that neither of us ended up in emotional debt or emotionally bankrupt. But, his being married did not allow me to in good conscience make an emotional investment in him, for there is little potential he could ever pay back in kind.
I see that the reason I was beginning to invite people over for dinner this year was an attempt to continue to draw the amount of emotion I required each month, but rather than trying to take it from Mary, who I had tapped out, I was trying to take a little bit from a lot of different people, robbing a hundred Peters to pay one Paul, as it were.
This is why I never instigate phone calls or ask people if they want to go do something. It is not because I am afraid of rejection - not really, though it seems like that. I am simply a taker. I take emotional hand-outs from all who will give them to me and when that source runs dry, I find another. I am, and emotional beggar, a bag-lady of the heart, with no home, no resources of my own, a vagabond and thief of the intimate treasure.
In fairness to myself, I had a dream that required venture capital. I set out to solve the question of what we really are and how the universe really works. I interested others in the project with my sincerity and by exhibiting flashes of brilliance. They invested, some with loose change, some heavily. If I had not been able to deliver the dream by turning it into a reality, I would have lost every friend I ever had. But I did deliver. I created Mental Relativity and it is even more than I promised.
Now, however, I have no such magnificent scheme with which to interest others. So, they are not as willing to part with their emotional resources. As the project concluded, I found others less willing to listen to my whining and complaining. That's when I tried to expand my circle of investors by going to lunch with them and having them over for dinner. But it just didn't work the same.
Oh, I still had the same spark, but there was nothing to focus it on. And so, they came at first, attracted by the fireworks, but quickly tired and changed the channel to something of more substance. I found I could not cash in the old achievements for a meal ticket.
That is when a new plan began to form... I had paid back the investment, but not the interest. Everyone got back what they had put in, but by now, inflation had taken it's toll and they still did not feel they were any better off than when they first got involved with me.
Clearly, some charlatans or unlucky entrepreneurs promised as much as I did, took as much as I did, and failed. Sometimes they leave emotionally bankrupt investors in their wake. At least I was able to prevent that scenario by succeeding. I succeeded in my science, I succeeded in my personal evolution, I succeeded in my art. In each of these areas, I had attracted a different kind of investor, but all believing in the dream of truly knowing how one fits in.
Some wanted the scientific explanation, others wanted the empathic Truth. I delivered on all counts. But, there was much left to be paid off.
All the work I've done for the gender community, has been an attempt to keep from overdrawing my account in that institution. It was largely a pay as you go arrangement from the start. That is why yesterday I responded to a notice from the Transgender Community Forum on America On-line (the group I founded almost five years ago) and told them to take me off the mailing list. I have paid THEM back, and with interest. Any more would be charity.
My newly awakened interest in my kids is my way of paying back all the emotional support they have given me during the transition years. My new found interest in work at Screenplay Systems is my way of paying back Chris and Steve for all the emotional support they have given me over the years. I'm even in debt to my employees, all of whom have listened to my woes with patience. But most of all, I owe Mary, for YEARS of putting up with my emotional needs in the hope that someday, for her, it would all be worthwhile.
Chris once told me that sometimes you have to push something away to make it come toward you. Sometimes you have to pull something toward you to make it go away. Emotional currency works that way. The more you draw, the more you push away the investor. The more you give, the more you attract the recipient.
Which goes right back to Mr. W. I didn't want to attract him because I don't really believe he can ever pay back with anything I want or need. One night for $25,000 is not so much for the money, but would have been a way of making it all a single transaction. He got what he was looking for and I got an amount to make it worth my while. No future obligations, no future commitments.
Just spending the night with him would be an investment from me and a draw by him. How could he, a married man, ever hope to repay? Before he ever could, he would have to get divorced, and how much emotional investment would THAT require of me.
So, men and women see things differently. Men look at the history to see what baggage is attached. We look to the future to see where things are pointing. This leaves them more apt to go for the "quick kill" and avoid entanglements. It leads us to become emotional gamblers, throwing good money after bad in the hope of a single, sterling happy ending that makes it all alright.
We invest in those whom we believe will someday pay us back with interest, and this attracts them until we have nothing left. (As I did with Angel some years back, as Mary has done with me.) Just like a junkie, they (I, we) keep on coming back for our fix until our supplier has had enough and kicks us out onto the street, or until we are able to make something of our emotional selves and pay them back for their kindness. Do you notice the shift above? From investor to junkie, from supplier to entrepreneur. We play all these parts with different people in our lives, trying to balance the equation overall. But that is a game in constant upheaval, where the rules keep changing. The only way to soothe the seething soul is to take one person at a time. See each as a different account, and make sure the books always balance at the end of the month.
Don't get behind in your payments, don't over extend your credit. If one account is a constant draw, cut your losses. If you are going deeper in debt on another, pay it off! Go from the long term to the short term. Expect a give and take instead of a G-I-V-E and T-A-K-E. The whole transaction becomes a wave. The trick is to find the frequency that suits you so you don't go too long without a drink or expect constant refreshment.
Lately,. I have found myself losing my desire to buy new things. I have wanted to apply that money to my credit cards with the hope of getting out of fiscal debt in the next year and a half. I now find myself uninterested in drawing on others emotional reserves. I want to pay back what I have borrowed and get back to neutral. I believe I have subconsciously balanced my life so that both the monetary and the emotional can break even at the same exact time.
Just as I skip around a plate of food sampling a little of this, a bite of that, trying to end up with one last nibble of everything for a final go 'round that cleans the plate, so I have manipulated my life to hone down all the rough edges until one final round of polishing will make the whole thing shine.
Keith leaves home in 18 months, monetary debt will be paid off in 18 months, emotional investment will be returned in 18 months.
I have been very lucky. I had a dream for myself that attracted many others. I was surrounded by true friends and lovers who believed in me. I had the tenacity, skill, and luck to rough it out until I achieved that dream. Now all I have to do is get out of the hole and make myself whole.
This is the year I get out of debt.
There's a big difference between accepting emotional investments and soliciting emotional investments. There is also a big difference between offering an emotional investment and honoring a request for emotional investment. In addition, the reasons for any of these may be altruistic, selfish, true or misguided, for purposes now or later, actual or perceived.
Clearly, the symphony of the human song is composed of instruments such as these.
When we look at a relationship as an interchange, rather than a condition, we find ourselves empowered. How rich is a man who cannot buy what he wants? Men look to the external economics of power and represent it in politics, money, influence, and control. Women look to the internal economics of the heart and represent it in what is offered, what is asked, what is taken, and what is forced.
When we see any of these things as transactions rather than instances, we can evaluate their continuing nature, rather that just the ultimate outcome. For men, these must be things that are either worth the investment or not. For us, they must be processes that are either positive or negative. No investment is worth supporting that has a negative return. No process is worth engaging in generates an ongoing negative. Investments that lose now, might win later. Processes that start negative may turn positive. Each of these is a gamble. Only by gambling can one excel in hand or heart, but only by playing it safe can one protect against external or internal bankruptcy.
Still, the expected fails, and the history is violated. Sometimes the only sure bet is to gamble.
And sometimes we start at a loss or deeply in the negative and must gamble to even break even, or must play it safe and let things heal themselves.
There are no guarantees. The waves of change wash against the crystallizing shore. Is the land rising or eroding? Does the sea expand or dry up? Every equilibrium is a counterbalance in another, larger, leverage, and is itself a by-product of the smaller tugs of war that populate its innards.
If this were so and all there was we could not hop to rise above. Yet, we do not see the world equally from reason's balance sheet and emotion's storehouse. Men see reason while emotion is trod beneath their feet. Women see emotion while the world falls apart around them. Any effort to balance the two is a lie, based in the belief we can truly see the other side and compensate. But we cannot.
When men go with the logic and let the feelings fall where they may, they will be most satisfied. When women follow their feelings and let the world go its own course, they will be most fulfilled. But the men will be saddened and the women bruised. This is why we pair. To allow us to let go a little bit of the other side, whichever that may be, and to rely on another who is comfortable in that world to pick up the slack. Each acts as the other's conscience, one for the head and one for the heart. And each is thereby able to move closer to that which his or her clear focus most strongly desires.
Beyond the male and female are partnerships based on being "more oriented" toward the external or the internal. In a world in which survival is a fractal level away from daily existence, we have bought ourselves the luxury of moving away from the binary while still maintaining security.
For in the early days, the survival society required a binary partnership to allow for any movement away from the center at all. Individuals in such a world could not relax for a minute, and needed to be ever vigilant on both sides to avoid disaster. Partnerships allowed each individual to play to individual and complementary strengths. Men had to be in ultimate control, for one can survive without being happy, but one cannot be happy without surviving.
But as our society insulated itself from the short wave chaos, we earned the right to expand toward neutral ground. Each year that our world becomes a safer place, the physical need for bonding with one's opposite becomes less and the issues of transactional relationships become based more strongly in dynamic flux than stead state dynamics.
Relationships become more disposable, but intimate and social, and lasting relationships spawn from resonant flux rather than ongoing compatibility.
An Email letter from Mr. W. Squared which arrived yesterday, and my reply of this morning:
Dear Melanie,
I hung up the phone with you, and floated out of my room to eat dinner with [friends] with a lightness of heart I haven't felt in a very long time. We shared a wonderful time, late into the evening, and I was right there with them, completely in present time. And this, after I had just been denied my goal to spend an evening with you. This is wild! Your clarity of purpose, communicated so compassionately and effectively had completely overcome any disappointment I felt in being denied my original purpose. Wow! Believe me, this is an extremely unusual occurrence for me (in fact, I don't recall it ever happening this lifetime). To interact with another human being capable of handling me the way you did - understanding my fundamental need, satisfying it while redirecting my attention, with my complete agreement, simply amazes and titillates me.
The more I talk with you, the more I am convinced that you and I share an extraordinary commonality so rare that I am unable to ascribe it and our encounter, at this exact point in our lives, to simple circumstance. It's eerie - when we're addressing our feelings, talking with you is like talking to myself. My own exact feelings, thoughts and experiences keep coming out of your mouth. Plug this one into your theories and science for an answer!
Damn, I was dead right about you from the start. Through the staggering mass of data and personalities on the WWW, you and your communication alone reached through and touched me with profound clearness. You called me home and I came. I like it a lot. And I like you a lot.
You've got a soul mate on your hands, Ms. . Helping you to realize your aspirations and be happy seems now as natural an impulse to me as helping myself. And I will help you in any way I can.
What were you thinking and how did you feel when we hung up the phone?
[Mr. W.]
My reply....
Hiya, [Mr. W.] Glad you are feeling up! You ask what I was feeling when we hung up the other day. Well, better to tell you how I feel in general about our meeting and phone conversations. For me, the experience is not as special as it is for you. Oh, you are an interesting conversationalist, but there is no spark from my side.
Now, I know you feel you've found a "soul-mate", but I have to tell you, I get that response from half a dozen people a week. The writings I have done for the gender community and the manner in which I've organized my "self" has led me to a position which is not unlike a television celebrity that comes into your living room every week. You begin to think of them as part of the family, when in fact, it is really a one way transmission, not a communication. So, although I find nothing negative about you or what short relationship we've had, I find nothing positively compelling either.
Don't let this dampen your spirits. You have much to explore, much to experience, and your personal bud has yet to bloom. It may be that we keep in touch over the years, or it may be that your interest grows in another direction. Either way, you have to be true to yourself, as do I.
So, again, I'm more that pleased to meet with you occasionally for lunch, or over the phone. Just keep in mind that you have been seeing me through the eyes of infatuation, and as powerful as that is, it seldom lasts for long.
If it comes at a moment of personal insight and is a part of that, it can be a fond and special memory for the rest of one's life. It is not essential that those who cross paths in such a way alter their courses to run in parallel.
Thanks again for the lunch, the wine, and the offer for what would have been, I'm sure, a wonderful evening. Stop by from time to time and Email or phone me when there's something on your mind. Do, however, keep firmly in your mind that the very special feelings you are experiencing are from your side only. That doesn't invalidate nor tarnish them, it just places them in context where they can continue to be special to you.
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New Novel by Peter Ho Davies Takes a Searing, Painful, Loving Look at Parenting
Peter Ho Davies says his new novel is "adjacent to life" and his own experience as a parent. Photo by Lynn Raughley
GRS alum gets inside the head of one father. He didn't have to go far.
A couple prepares to welcome their first child, but prenatal tests are ominous. Too many chromosomes. "The list of things the baby might have was four pages long. Single-spaced." Wracked with indecision, the couple ends the pregnancy, and tries again. This time a son is born. But their lives are shadowed by uncertainty—is he on the spectrum?—and haunted, in quiet moments, by their decision to abort the first time. What, exactly, does it mean to be a good parent, a good spouse, a good person, day after day after day?
The father is a writer.
Peter Ho Davies (GRS'94) is a novelist, not a memoirist, but he says his new book, A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021), is "adjacent to life."
"It's going to seem as though I'm being coy, and that's not quite the intention. Clearly my experiences have informed the book in various ways. But it is also true that the book is distinctly fiction," says Davies. "Even if I had thought to write a faithful memoir of the experience of parenting, memory intervenes, memory forgets, memory selects certain things. We're not actually in control of the way we fictionalize our recollection.
"Ultimately the book is suspended a little bit in that space between memoir and fiction, and deliberately so," he says from Michigan, where he teaches fiction at the University of Michigan as Charles Baxter Collegiate Professor of English Language and Literature. "The uncertainty as to the form or nature of what is being read is partly intentional, because that uncertainty is an analogue for the uncertainty the characters are experiencing. So the slightly slippery, uncertain form of autofiction felt as though it was a good fit for the material."
Davies' first novel, The Welsh Girl (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007), was a London Times bestseller and long-listed for the Booker Prize. His most recent, The Fortunes (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016), was a New York Times Notable Book, and won the Anisfield-Wolf Award and the Chautauqua Prize. He also has a nonfiction book, about the process of revision, coming out in the fall.
More than a decade ago, he wrote a short story about a couple's decision to end a pregnancy, and read it at writing conferences and bookstores. "At the end of the readings, there would always be a handful of people who would wait for me afterward and tell me they had experienced something similar," he says. "That was always a powerful moment for me. I had written it out of a sense of a kind of loneliness, and I had the sense that these folks also felt that sense of being alone in this experience, an experience that's very hard to talk about or express to other people, and that communion made me think there might be some value in writing into this space."
That short story became a novel, told in elliptical vignettes full of colloquial wisecracks and pop cultural references. Disney's California Adventure is namechecked, as are the Baltimore Ravens and the band Wilco. Some vignettes are funny. Some are agonized. We are very close to the bone with the father, seeing the mother through his eyes. That is how they are identified throughout: the father, the mother. Something about this, combined with the rhythm of the sentences, holds us in suspense.
"I did want the book to be an intense experience, because I think parenting is a pretty intense experience," says Davies, father of one. "This book is a condensation of those intensities. It's a pretty short book. There's a kind of roller coaster, which I do think is representative of the parenting experience. It swings from dismay and despair to almost hysterical laughter. It's easier to get a sort of laugh-out-loud moment in a book like this because of the grimness, the darkness, the challenges that precede some of those moments."
There's a level of worry that almost never leaves his characters.
"It's very much a parenting story that starts from not parenting, so it's shot through with that anxiety all the way," he says. "I think most parenting stories are shot through with many anxieties, inevitably, because we are all, especially with a first child, exploring a territory that we don't really know very much about.
"This character is so anxious when he comes to meet his son—Will I love him? When does that moment of love kick in? And I think at that moment, all of the anxieties and fears are love, and I think in a certain sense that for many years after—for the character and for myself—that remains somewhat true, that one of the ways we express our love is through worry
and anxiety."
The novel's strengths are its honesty and specificity, built from small moments, telling details.
"With an experience like parenting, how do you write about this and say anything new about it? How do you write about this and make it particular? How do you make it detailed and textured so it speaks to a particular character? I was very conscious of that," Davies says.
The book's episodic rhythms are also the result of the central fact: The father is a writer. The writer is a father.
"The fragmentary nature of the book, written in these short vignettes, some of that goes back to the opening chapter, because that was written when my son was young, and I think it has some of the rhythms of early parenting to it."
An intentional artistic choice, then? "Intentional?" Davies says with a laugh. "I think it was situational—no, survival, a survival choice!
"Before we had a child, I used to be a somewhat precious writer. You know: There's no point sitting down at the desk unless I have the whole morning to work. And of course a child quickly disillusions you from those preciousnesses. I was obliged to say, 'He's napping for 45 minutes, I should try to get something done!'
"Early parenthood is this sort of frenzy punctuated by moments of calm," Davies says, "and those moments of calm lend themselves to the way the book is written, in these shorter, vignette-style sections. Or maybe the moments of calm are the white space between the sections."
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Joel Brown is a staff writer at BU Today and Bostonia magazine. He's written more than 700 stories for the Boston Globe and has also written for the Boston Herald and the Greenfield Recorder. Profile
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How do I relate the right/left form border? How do I relate the border of my form? How do I call it? Something like form1.RightBorder?
I already tried to create a PictureBox, put it in the right side and relate it, but after a few PictureBox controls my game started lagging.

A: Set the Anchor property to anchor the control to a particular location.  So if you want it anchored to the bottom right, you could use:
pb.Anchor = AnchorStyles.Bottom | AnchorStyles.Right;

See the Anchor and AnchorStyles documentation for more info.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Ralph Conner
Ralph Conner Unleashed: CORE-Chicago Chairman Gun-Rights Movie : Jew For Preservation Firearms Ownership
« CORE-Chicago Chairman Appears on Nationally Recognized: Milt Rosenberg Radio Show!
SON OF CORE SPEAKS OUT!! »
Chairman CORE-Chicago Weighs In on Health Care Debate
August 21, 2009 by rwc42048
Thomas J. DiLorenzo of the Ludwig
Von Mises Institute has captured the
essence of the debacle we know as government
health care and why it will not work in America.
As the Obama adminsitration continues to play
the race card in the hopes of salvaging a milder
version of socialized government health care,
please know we are watching and Americans of
all ethnic and age groups have a lot at stake.
CORE-Chicago will go on record in support of
continued private-sector health insurance and
less government intervention with health
care GSE-cooperatives. A new federal
bureaucracy for more Chicago-style patronage
jobs and rationing of health care by disinterested
health nannies is not the future America voted
for in November. My musing is followed by the
best analysis on health care from an economic
and a black perspective. Enjoy!
Letter to the Editor: Chicago Sun-Times
Health Care Burning on The Back Side
Down in Mexico, President Obama said immigration reform was on the back burner since his health care overhaul and financial bailout strategies deserve priority ("Immigration overhaul will have to wait, Obama says".)
In a continuation of the Hispanic affirmative action celebrations post-Sotomayor's confirmation, Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), observed that the proposed health care legislation has "gaping loopholes that will allow illegal immigrants to receive taxpayer-funded benefits ."
Since the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) has estimated the health care burden of treating illegal immigrants is $11 billion a year, and President Obama is confident Americans will resort to "sensible and reasoned arguments", citizens may suggest that the president consider taking immigration reform off the backburner. Nationalizing health care just because the system is broken is no rationale for creation of additional unsustainable health care entitlements for citizens or immigrants.
Ralph W. Conner, Chairman CORE-Chicago
###############################
By Thomas J. DiLorenzo
Mises.org
Socialized Healthcare vs. The Laws of Economics
The government's initial step in attempting to create a government-run healthcare monopoly has been to propose a law that would eventually drive the private health insurance industry out of existence. Additional taxes and mandated costs are to be imposed on health insurance companies, while a government-run "health insurance" bureaucracy will be created, ostensibly to "compete" with the private companies. The hoped-for end result is one big government monopoly which, like all government monopolies, will operate with all the efficiency of the post office and all the charm and compassion of the IRS.
Of course, it would be difficult to compete with a rival who has all of his capital and operating costs paid out of tax dollars. Whenever government "competes" with the private sector, it makes sure that the competition is grossly unfair, piling costly regulation after regulation, and tax after tax on the private companies while exempting itself from all of them. This is why the "government-sponsored enterprises" Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were so profitable for so many years. It is also why so many abysmally performing "public" schools remain in existence for decades despite their utter failure at educating children.
America's Healthcare Future?
Some years ago, the Nobel-laureate economist Milton Friedman studied the history of healthcare supply in America. In a 1992 study published by the Hoover Institution, entitled "Input and Output in Health Care," Friedman noted that 56 percent of all hospitals in America were privately owned and for-profit in 1910. After 60 years of subsidies for government-run hospitals, the number had fallen to about 10 percent. It took decades, but by the early 1990s government had taken over almost the entire hospital industry. That small portion of the industry that remains for-profit is regulated in an extraordinarily heavy way by federal, state and local governments so that many (perhaps most) of the decisions made by hospital administrators have to do with regulatory compliance as opposed to patient/customer service in pursuit of profit. It is profit, of course, that is necessary for private-sector hospitals to have the wherewithal to pay for healthcare.
Friedman's key conclusion was that, as with all governmental bureaucratic systems, government-owned or -controlled healthcare created a situation whereby increased "inputs," such as expenditures on equipment, infrastructure, and the salaries of medical professionals, actually led to decreased "outputs" in terms of the quantity of medical care. For example, while medical expenditures rose by 224 percent from 1965–1989, the number of hospital beds per 1,000 population fell by 44 percent and the number of beds occupied declined by 15 percent. Also during this time of almost complete governmental domination of the hospital industry (1944–1989), costs per patient-day rose almost 24-fold after inflation is taken into account.
The more money that has been spent on government-run healthcare, the less healthcare we have gotten. This kind of result is generally true of all government bureaucracies because of the absence of any market feedback mechanism. Since there are no profits in an accounting sense, by definition, in government, there is no mechanism for rewarding good performance and penalizing bad performance. In fact, in all government enterprises, exactly the opposite is true: bad performance (failure to achieve ostensible goals, or satisfy "customers") is typically rewarded with larger budgets. Failure to educate children leads to more money for government schools. Failure to reduce poverty leads to larger budgets for welfare state bureaucracies. This is guaranteed to happen with healthcare socialism as well.
Costs always explode whenever the government gets involved, and governments always lie about it. In 1970 the government forecast that the hospital insurance (HI) portion of Medicare would be "only" $2.9 billion annually. Since the actual expenditures were $5.3 billion, this was a 79 percent underestimate of cost. In 1980 the government forecast $5.5 billion in HI expenditures; actual expenditures were more than four times that amount — $25.6 billion. This bureaucratic cost explosion led the government to enact 23 new taxes in the first 30 years of Medicare. (See Ron Hamoway, "The Genesis and Development of Medicare," in Roger Feldman, ed., American Health Care, Independent Institute, 2000, pp. 15-86). The Obama administration's claim that a government takeover of healthcare will somehow magically reduce costs is not to be taken seriously. Government never, ever, reduces the cost of doing anything.
All government-run healthcare monopolies, whether they are in Canada, the UK, or Cuba, experience an explosion of both cost and demand — since healthcare is "free." Socialized healthcare is not really free, of course; the true cost is merely hidden, since it is paid for by taxes.
Whenever anything has a zero explicit price associated with it, consumer demand will increase substantially, and healthcare is no exception. At the same time, bureaucratic bungling will guarantee gross inefficiencies that will get worse and worse each year. As costs get out of control and begin to embarrass those who have promised all Americans a free healthcare lunch, the politicians will do what all governments do and impose price controls, probably under some euphemism such as "global budget controls."
Price controls, or laws that force prices down below market-clearing levels (where supply and demand are coordinated), artificially stimulate the amount demanded by consumers while reducing supply by making it unprofitable to supply as much as previously. The result of increased demand and reduced supply is shortages. Non-price rationing becomes necessary. This means that government bureaucrats, not individuals and their doctors, inevitably determine who will get medical treatment and who will not, what kind of medical technology will be available, how many doctors there will be, and so forth.
All countries that have adopted socialized healthcare have suffered from the disease of price-control-induced shortages. If a Canadian, for instance, suffers third-degree burns in an automobile crash and is in need of reconstructive plastic surgery, the average waiting time for treatment is more than 19 weeks, or nearly five months. The waiting time for orthopaedic surgery is also almost five months; for neurosurgery it's three full months; and it is even more than a month for heart surgery (see The Fraser Institute publication, Waiting Your Turn: Hospital Waiting Lists in Canada). Think about that one: if your doctor discovers that your arteries are clogged, you must wait in line for more than a month, with death by heart attack an imminent possibility. That's why so many Canadians travel to the United States for healthcare.
All the major American newspapers seem to have become nothing more than cheerleaders for the Obama administration, so it is difficult to find much in the way of current stories about the debacle of nationalized healthcare in Canada. But if one goes back a few years, the information is much more plentiful. A January 16, 2000, New York Times article entitled "Full Hospitals Make Canadians Wait and Look South," by James Brooke, provided some good examples of how Canadian price controls have created serious shortage problems.
A 58-year-old grandmother awaited open-heart surgery in a Montreal hospital hallway with 66 other patients as electric doors opened and closed all night long, bringing in drafts from sub-zero weather. She was on a five-year waiting list for her heart surgery.
In Toronto, 23 of the city's 25 hospitals turned away ambulances in a single day because of a shortage of doctors.
In Vancouver, ambulances have been "stacked up" for hours while heart attack victims wait in them before being properly taken care of.
At least 1,000 Canadian doctors and many thousands of Canadian nurses have migrated to the United States to avoid price controls on their salaries.
Wrote Mr. Brooke, "Few Canadians would recommend their system as a model for export."
Canadian price-control-induced shortages also manifest themselves in scarce access to medical technology. Per capita, the United States has eight times more MRI machines, seven times more radiation therapy units for cancer treatment, six times more lithotripsy units, and three times more open-heart surgery units. There are more MRI scanners in Washington state, population five million, than in all of Canada, with a population of more than 30 million (See John Goodman and Gerald Musgrave, Patient Power).
In the UK as well — thanks to nationalization, price controls, and government rationing of healthcare — thousands of people die needlessly every year because of shortages of kidney dialysis machines, pediatric intensive care units, pacemakers, and even x-ray machines. This is America's future, if "ObamaCare" becomes a reality.
Health Care & Race: Three Conservative Perspectives
Peter Kirsanow: "Health Care Rationing And Minorities – A Curious Silence"
The member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and conservative Republican attorney opines: "If, under Obamacare, the federal government allocates health-care expenditures on a utilitarian basis — i.e., on a cost/benefit analysis driven in part by the life expectancy of the patient — then certain groups could be affected more than others. Obviously, the elderly who've shown up at town-hall meetings have concluded that they will suffer the biggest impact. But studies also show that blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans often have lower projected survival rates than whites and Asians for various diseases. Accordingly, it's possible that under Obamacare patients from the former three groups would be denied the more expensive (but only marginally more effective) treatments granted patients in the latter two groups. This wouldn't be [intentional] disparate treatment; rather, there may be a disparate impact on blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans based on survivability rates. Since, e.g., blacks (for numerous reasons, including finances, diet/lifestyle, seeking initial treatment much later than whites, etc.) are more likely to die within five years of certain cancer diagnoses than are whites, there may be a greater probability that the more expensive interventions will be withheld from blacks in the aggregate."
More: "Typically, the Left is alert to any possibility, however remote, that a governmental policy or piece of legislation may have a disparate impact on protected classes ('Administration Fails to Act on Asteroid Threat: Minorities and Women Hardest Hit'). Yet thus far there's been absolutely no discussion of whether rationing may have a disparate impact on certain minority groups. Does anyone doubt that such discussion would be loud and vigorous if, say, Newt Gingrich were the primary sponsor of the health-care bill?"
Magic Negro Watch Blog: "Health Care Becomes A Racial Issue: 'We Are Talking About Taking From Hard-Working White People And Giving To Lazy Black Folks"
The conservative blog in Lawrence, Kansas takes issue with white liberal writer and activist Tim Wise's comments on CNN contending that the government-run health care reform debate is all about race: "I'm reading all of these liberal blogs and I'm seeing in written form what this video points out. They are working so hard to sell the race baiting card that they are failing to realize that even people sympathetic to Obama are starting to say 'stop the insanity.' I believe that liberals/Democrats are beginning to see that Obama is a f___g disaster. When they had Bill Clinton at least they had a great charismatic b___r who could string together coherent thoughts to get his point across. Obama is just a dumbass and an arrogant one at that and people like this dude are trying their best to cover for his stupidity."
Kevin Martin: "Playing The Race Card Without A Full Deck"
The conservative Republican argues that it's not surprising that the Obama administration began pulling out the race card as his policies have grown increasingly unpopular, but rather how quickly it has happened: "In a change from the Bush years, however, it appears liberals no longer consider dissent to be patriotic. A Washington Post reporter wrote that town halls have 'transcended their original purpose and become a kind of professional wrestling for the civically engaged.' More cynical critics suggest those exercising their constitutional rights are racists. The leftists who selected Obama saw him as a vessel to pass the most radical agenda in decades. They seem to have strategized that, once public opinion shifted away from them, they would use his race to try to silence his detractors. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Representative James Clyburn (D-SC) – a member of the congressional leadership – likened disgruntled constituents to mobs opposing the civil rights movement. Clyburn said about current protests: 'This is an attempt on the part of some to deny the establishment of a civil right.' Representative John Dingell (D-MI) told MSNBC: '[T]he last time I had to confront something like this was when I voted for the civil rights bill… At that time, we had a lot of Ku Klux Klan folks and white supremacists and folks in white sheets and other things running around causing trouble.' Speaking of MSNBC, host Carlos Watson worried on-air 'whether or not 'socialist' is becoming the new n-word for, frankly, for some angry upset birthers and others.'"
More: "People speaking out at town halls are genuinely concerned about the direction our nation is being pushed. They are frustrated because they feel they are removed from governing. They are not racists. What about their opposition? The White House suggested supporters 'punch back twice as hard.' At least one Obama follower took this literally in Missouri when Kenneth Gladney, a black man, was roughed up and reportedly called the n-word while handing out 'Don't Tread on Me' flags at Representative Russ Carnahan's (D-MO) August 7 town hall meeting. The actions. The disfranchisement. The hate speech. When all the facts are on the table, it's clear who's bringing race into all this: Obama and his team."
on June 29, 2013 at 2:55 am Lettristische Internationale
My family all the time say that I am killing my time here at web, except I know I am getting know-how all
the time by reading thes good articles.
Ralph Conner, R.I.P.
CORE-Chicago Chairman Goes NUCLEAR!!!
CORE-Chicago Chairman: Ballot of the Bullet!!
CORE-Chicago Chairman Speaks At Continental Congress 2009
SON OF CORE SPEAKS OUT!!
corechicago.wordpress.com


text:
Webinars: Preparing Your Family to Succeed in an Exponential World
Exponential Families is an entirely new team within Singularity University dedicated to empowering families to shape a better future. Our individual families play a unique role in the world around us. Families everywhere are shaping the next generation of leaders to drive the world and their legacies forward.
In this on-demand webinar, SU's Chipp Norcross and Gabriel Baldinucci introduce the Exponential Families program and explain how this program can prepare your family for an exponential world, stay ahead of the exponential curve, create and preserve family wealth, structure your business for innovation and disruption, and prepare the next generation for success.
Watch this on-demand webinar to learn:
How SU can help your family become aligned around your strategic vision for the future
The important trends and opportunities that can protect your family's legacy and philanthropic work
Whether your family is a good fit for this program and how to join us
At Singularity University, we prepare leaders to thrive amid uncertainty and empower them to lead their organizations into bold new futures with valuable tools, frameworks, and leadership models not found elsewhere.
See how we can help your organization become exponential, with leaders who are prepared to tackle the coming changes and seize new opportunities.
Learn more about the SU programs featured in the webinar:
Exponential Families
Chipp Norcross, Vice President, Family Programs and Learning
As Vice President of Family Programs and Learning at Singularity University, Chipp steers the organization's focus on providing families with the perspective, knowledge, and tools they need in our exponential age. As a father of two, husband, son, and sibling who works in the heart of Silicon Valley, Chipp has a unique perspective not only on the opportunities for technology to bridge generations that have grown up in dramatically different worlds.
Gabriel Baldinucci, Executive Director, Exponential Families
Gabriel works across the organization in a number of capacities. He works closely with the CEO to develop and implement SU's overall strategy, including growth, structure, corporate development, M&A, and international expansion. Gabriel also works closely with different business units on product strategy and new product development. Additionally, he focuses on strategic issues, projects, and challenges across the organization to ensure the success of SU's overall plan and mission.


text:
1379.0.55.001 - National Regional Profile, 2005 to 2009
Waverley average house values up 137% (NSW Media Release)
Queenscliffe average house values up 83% (Vic Media Release)
Gold Coast average house values up 42% (Qld Media Release)
Copper Coast population on the rise (SA Media Release)
Peppermint Grove average house values up 95% (WA Media Release)
Central Highlands average house values up 91% (Tas Media Release)
Palmerston fastest growing region (NT Media Release)
Amaroo population up over 5% (ACT Media Release)
Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra time)
Palmerston fastest growing region
The population of the Local Government Area of Palmerston in the Northern Territory grew by 5.1% per annum between 2004-05 and 2008-09 to 29,346, making it the fastest growing Local Government Area, according to the latest National Regional Profiles, released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
National Regional Profiles use a Google Maps based interface to make it easier to find information on Local Government Areas and other types of regions across Australia.
The regional profiles now include information not in previous releases, including tourist accommodation and additional government payments. This adds to the existing economic and social data such as income, age, occupations, building and agriculture.
NT highlights in today's release include:
Palmerston also recorded the second highest average value of private sector houses in 2008-09 ($320,800), behind Darwin Local Government Area ($400,200). This was an increase of around 43% from 2004-05 ($224,000).
There was a 23.8% increase in the number of people receiving Baby Bonus payments in Palmerston between 2004-05 and 2008-09, to 577 in 2008-09.
The Local Government Areas of Darwin, Alice Springs and Litchfield had the largest number of registered passenger vehicles per 1,000 population in the Northern Territory in 2009. In comparison, the Northern Territory had 359 passenger vehicles per 1,000 population.
However, Litchfield Local Government Area had the largest number of total registered vehicles per 1,000 population in the Northern Territory in 2009 with 801, compared to Darwin with 752.
Further information is available in National Regional Profiles on the ABS website www.abs.gov.au.
Media Note: When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
This page last updated 3 November 2011


When it comes to your pet's health care, prevention is the key. We take the time necessary to know you and your pets in order to provide the most appropriate individual recommendations for vaccinations, diet, exercise, parasite screening, plus other preventitive medicine.
Often you will find that one office visit is not sufficient to monitor a health condition or track changes in your pet over the course of a year. We will develop an individual program for your pet from the time they are kittens and puppies through adulthood and senior years.
Good nutrition is much more than just maintaining a healthy weight.
We also carry several prescription foods that can help treat certain medical conditions.
Dental health starts with your pet's first visit to to our foundation and begins with a complete oral examination. We include at-home brushing guidelines and dietary recommendations.
Should your pet's teeth need to be cleaned, we perform that procedure under anesthesia, along with any necessary dental extractions of diseased teeth.
Through a combination of our facility, outside laboratories, and referrals to board certified specialists, we provide comprehensive diagnotic testing for the health of your pet. We have extensive laboratory facilities, exceeding the capabilities found in most veterinary hospitals.
Surgery and anesthesia are never routine. We take special care to make this experience as stress-free as possible for you and your pet.
Since 1964, the scapel blade, except for rare instances, has been replaced by Electrosurgery and in the last few years, the laser capability has been added. Cryosurgery is available for special needs. A recent addition is an Operating Microscope, which has the capability of being used by two surgeons in the same operation. It also has video capabilities for the recording of operations for teaching purposes.
Our three anesthetic machines, with a total of four vaporizers, permit a choice of anesthetic procedures for the safety of the patient. Most surgical procedures include the use of a Therapeutic Laser (see What's New) which in most cases eliminates the need for postoperative pain medication, enabling us to utilize our philosophy that the less medicine, the better.
Be On Time! Come early and complete your paperwork before appointment time.
Do Not Miss Appointment - if you must cancel your appointment, please call our office - do NOT send an email.
Use cash or debit card = 5% savings.
Bring urine sample if sick dog or wellness exam.
Have blood draw prior to exam if sick dog, or wellness exam.


text:
package com.alarm.alarmweb.demo.spring.conditional;

import org.springframework.context.annotation.Condition;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.ConditionContext;
import org.springframework.core.type.AnnotatedTypeMetadata;

public class WindowsCondition implements Condition {

    public boolean matches(final ConditionContext context,
            final AnnotatedTypeMetadata metadata) {
        return context.getEnvironment().getProperty("os.name").contains("Windows");
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Calculate Distance Between Two Postcodes In PHP I'd like to calculate the distance between two postal codes in India. I've found the Google Map API and I'm trying to use it with this code:
$url =
"http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/distancematrix/json?origins=144216&
destinations=160017&mode=driving&language=en-EN&sensor=false";
   $data   = @file_get_contents($url);
   $result = json_decode($data, true); //print_r($result);  //outputs the array    $distances = array( // converts the units
   "meters" => $result["rows"][0]["elements"][0]["distance"]["value"],
   "kilometers" => $result["rows"][0]["elements"][0]["distance"]["value"] / 1000,
   "yards" => $result["rows"][0]["elements"][0]["distance"]["value"] * 1.0936133,
   "miles" => $result["rows"][0]["elements"][0]["distance"]["value"] * 0.000621371    );
print_r($distances);

It is showing this output:
Array (
  [meters] => 5497949
  [kilometers] => 5497.949
  [yards] => 6012630.1491217
  [miles] => 3416.266068079
)

The resulting distance is much bigger than it should be. The actual distance between these places is about 200 km.
What can I do to make this work correctly?

A: If you take a look at the result from google you will notice that it is calculating a route from india to russia.
"destination_addresses" : [ "Wologda, Oblast Wologda, Russland, 160017" ],
"origin_addresses" : [ "Punjab 144216, Indien" ],

This happens because you only provided postal codes, without reference from which country they are. I assume you want to calculate a route within india, since your profile shows that you are from there.
If you just add ,india to your postal codes, like this:
http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/distancematrix/json?origins=144216,india&destinations=160017,india&mode=driving&language=en-EN&sensor=false

You get a result that looks much more like what you want:
{
   "destination_addresses" : [ "Chandigarh, 160017, India" ],
   "origin_addresses" : [ "Punjab 144216, India" ],
   "rows" : [
      {
         "elements" : [
            {
               "distance" : {
                  "text" : "201 km",
                  "value" : 200693
               },
               "duration" : {
                  "text" : "3 hours 30 mins",
                  "value" : 12625
               },
               "status" : "OK"
            }
         ]
      }
   ],
   "status" : "OK"
}


text:
GEM Mining Reaches 1% of Bitcoin's Hashrate
GEM Mining, the bitcoin mining company headed by former South Carolina Gov. candidate John Warren, has increased its deployed fleet by over 4,000 machines and now houses 13,118 active mining rigs according to a Wednesday statement.
"We will continue to seek out opportunities to deploy industry-leading technology with our premier hosting partners," Warren, CEO of GEM Mining, said in a statement. "That has been our mission since the company's inception and will continue to be our focus in 2022."
Warren previously said he founded GEM Mining after having spotted "huge opportunities" in the mining industry last year. The entrepreneur was joined by four founding partners to start the Bitcoin business and has since raised $200 million.
According to the statement, GEM Mining has produced over 560 BTC since February and with the new miners is now boosting about 1.25 exahashes per second (EH/s) of hash rate capacity. The company said it expects to add 19,000 more machines to its fleet during the next year as purchase agreements get fulfilled and orders are received.
The bitcoin mining industry has been booming in the U.S. since China banned the activity earlier this year. What began as power rationing measures in a few provinces grew to become a nationwide crackdown on mining, eventually leading to a broader ban. Bitcoin trading was also banned, and Chinese customers saw censorship of Bitcoin-related information on popular search engines and the fleeing of prominent service providers like Huobi, which closed all Chinese customers' accounts and denied opening new ones.
Despite the many warnings at the time about the possible dire consequences of a Chinese ban on bitcoin mining, the industry is arguably better off now. Though Bitcoin's hash rate did suffer for a couple of months, the metric recently climbed to new highs as countries like the U.S., Russia, and Kazakhstan welcomed Chinese miners. News also recently surfaced that there are still medium-sized bitcoin mining operations in China despite the ban, scattered underground across the country to hide their footprints from the preying communist government.


Three good reasons for choosing bamboo homes.
in an area the size of the home itself. Use bamboo and save a forest.
times. Durable, resilient and long-lasting.
because it is considered such a luxurious, beautiful material.


text:
Q: 'User changes password' acceptance test in behave I was automating acceptance tests using behave (python), when I encountered a problem of writing test for changing password scenario.
This are my steps in test_change_password.py
from behave import *
from features.steps.common_steps import fill_in_email, fill_in_password, show_main_page, register_user, logout
from features.steps.constants import *
import time

CHANGE_PASSWORD_USER_EMAIL = 'change_password@gmail.com'

use_step_matcher("re")

def login(context, password):
    context.browser.visit("/login")
    context.browser.is_element_present_by_css("//input")
    fill_in_email(context, 'test@gmail.com')
    fill_in_password(context, password)
    context.browser.find_by_xpath("//button").first.click()

def change_password_fields_and_logout(context):
    old_pass_field = context.browser.find_by_xpath('//form/div[%s]/input' % OLD_PASS_INDEX)
    old_pass_field.fill(NEW_PASSWORD)
    new_pass_field = context.browser.find_by_xpath('//form/div[%s]/input' % NEW_PASS_INDEX)
    new_pass_field.fill(OLD_PASSWORD)
    confirm_new_pass_field = context.browser.find_by_xpath('//form/div[%s]/input' % CONFIRM_NEW_PASS_INDEX)
    confirm_new_pass_field.fill(OLD_PASSWORD)
    context.browser.find_by_xpath('//button[text()="Submit"]').first.click()
    logout(context)

@given("change password user login")
def step_impl(context):
    context.browser.visit('/login')
    context.browser.is_element_present_by_css('//h1')
    fill_in_email(context, CHANGE_PASSWORD_USER_EMAIL)
    fill_in_password(context, NEW_PASSWORD)
    context.browser.find_by_xpath("//button[@type='submit']").first.click()
    if not context.browser.is_element_present_by_text('first name last name'):
        NEW_PASSWORD, OLD_PASSWORD = OLD_PASSWORD, NEW_PASSWORD
        fill_in_password(context, NEW_PASSWORD)

@when("user changed his password")
def step_impl(context):
    context.browser.is_element_present_by_text('first name last name')
    context.browser.find_by_text("first name last name").first.click()
    context.browser.is_element_present_by_text('Change password')
    context.browser.find_by_xpath('//a[text()="Change password"]').first.click()
    change_password_fields_and_logout(context)

@then("user login with new password")
def step_impl(context):
    login(context, NEW_PASSWORD)

It works as expected the first time I run tests, but because it changes user's password in DB, I have to swap values of NEW_PASSWORD and OLD_PASSWORD or truncate DB and seed my fixtures before running tests.
I think that there are better, more automated ways of doing it.

A: *

*Connect to database and insert new user in set up method.

*Test changing the password for added user in step 1.

*Remove user from the database in the test clean up.
You can use environmental-controls for set up and clean up or you could write you own steps for that.


SANTA BARBARA, CA, (April 5, 2018) – Service Objects, the leading provider of real-time contact validation solutions, today announced it has once again earned a high-ranking Net Promoter Score (NPS) after surveying its customer base. This year, Service Objects received a score of 64, eight times higher than the industry average.
Service Objects is dedicated to delivering on our commitment to provide aweSOme customer service, and we instill this belief into every customer touch point.
NPS measures customer satisfaction based on a 200-point scale ranging between -100 and +100, with scores over 50 considered "best in class". Service Objects has maintained its outstanding rating for the past five years because of its continued commitment to 24x7 support, 99.999% server uptime, experience in validating over 3 billion contact records and in-depth knowledge of the contact validation industry.
Service Objects continually measures its NPS score to gain a better understanding of the current level of satisfaction amongst its client base. With a 2018 NPS score of 64, the company marks five consecutive years of achieving a score higher than the technology industry's average of 7.52. This latest NPS ranking once again places Service Objects in the top tier of the technology industry, above other well-known companies including Intel (52), IBM Software (51) and Cisco (38).
"Service Objects is dedicated to delivering on our commitment to provide aweSOme customer service, and we instill this belief into every customer touch point," said Geoff Grow, Founder and CEO of Service Objects. "It is rewarding to see our dedication pay off and to achieve a five-year streak of NPS scores that place us amongst the best in the industry."


A perfect makeup kit is a collection of your makeup and skin care products. The products in the kit keep on changing, growing, and advancing as time goes on. Makeup artists should have their kit always ready for their daily use. They carry what best works for them and their clients to achieve a flawless skin and enhance their natural glow. Here are some of the essential makeup tips for an artist makeup kit.
You will need a case to carry your beauty products. The case size depends on the makeup products and tools you have to carry with you. Choose a case that is portable and convenient to move with from one place to another. Ensure that your case is arranged in an organized manner to ease the hustle of looking for various products or tools. Your case should be clean and spacious. This is the key to professional makeup ideas.
Brushes are essential in a makeup kit. It is important to have both natural and synthetic brushes. You should carry different sizes and types of brushes. Ensure that you keep your brushes clean throughout. It is also necessary to disinfect before using them on the next client to avoid spreading of skin conditions and disorders such as acne.
The wipes are necessary for wiping off the makeups from your clients. They are also essential in helping you to rectify your mistakes or switching looks. You can also accompany it with a liquid makeup remover. It will assist in eliminating the stubborn makeups on your clients face.
The cleaner is used to clean your brushes after attending to your client. Some of them help to sanitize the brushes. It will enable to clean the brushes quickly without having to wait for them to dry. This enhances your speed especially if you are working on many clients like at a wedding show or fashion show. Cleaning the brushes is essential in that spreading of skin conditions such as acne and pink eye is restricted. They also add a sweet scent to your brushes which will not put off your clients.
Its concentration should be above 70%. Alcohol is a disinfectant, which is used to kill bacteria on your makeup tools. You can place it in a spray bottle for easier use. The more the concentration, the faster it dries. Thus, 99% alcohol will tend to dry much faster than other alcohol percentages. Hand sanitizer ensures the health of your client is looked at. Sanitation of your kits is equally important too.
A cap helps to keep the products off your clients' clothes. White cape reflects accurate light on the client's skin, unlike the black one, which makes the skin to appear dull and pattered. It also shows the cleanliness every client would desire to see.
It is always best to start with a clean and fresh face before applying makeup on your client. The cleanser will help you do away with dirt particles or makeups on your clients face without drying their skin. Apply toner and moisturizers after cleansing the skin.
They form the basis of all the makeups. As a makeup artist, having a good variety of colors for foundations is one of the professional makeup tips you should stick to. You can choose different palettes with a different number of colors. You can use a spatula to mix the colors together in order to have the exact color you need.
Concealers are used to enhance the flawless of your client's skin. They are often used under the eye or to cover acne or scars. Correctors are also used to hide scars, bruises, and other unflattering skin markings.
Eye makeups help to enhance the appearance of your eyes and your face generally. You should include a variety of good quality products, which includes eyeshadows, eyeliners, mascaras, eye pencils, and fake eyelashes.
For the sake of your health and that of clients, it is important to use disposables applicators. They include lipstick applicators, makeup wedges or sponges, and mascara wands. This will prevent the spread of various skin conditions or disorders from one person to another.
Ensure your makeup kit is well organized and has high-quality products and clean tools. Other essential things are tissues, lipsticks and lip liners, hair products and tools, mirror, powder puffs, and cotton balls. Ensure that you also carry essential things such as painkillers, eye drops, deodorants, nappy bags, tampons etc. The mentioned tips will guide you to having a perfect makeup kit.


John Irving and Ann Benford were married here in 1858.
Parish Church of St Nicholas, Remenham, Berkshire.
From 1861 and the birth of daughter Elizabeth, John drops the "g" from Irving. Therefore both he and his wife and all his children except Mary Ann became "IRVIN's".
[S24] Berkshire baptisms index Transcription (Reliability: 3), 28 Jun 1834.
[S48] England Census 1861 (Reliability: 3).
[S145] England, Select Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991 (Reliability: 3).
[S28] England Marriages 1538-1973 (Reliability: 3).
[S137] England & Wales, Civil Registration, Marriage Index, 1837-1915, 2c, 829 (Reliability: 3), 4th Qtr 1858.
[S03332] England, Select Marriages 1538-1973 (Reliability: 3), 16 Oct 1858.


Xynergy Inc. ("us", "we", or "our") operates the www.xynergy.com website (our "Website") which is one aspect of our company "Service".
We may use your Personal Information for providing and improving our Website and Service. By using the website as well as entering data into the forms on our website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.
While using our Website, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to, your email address, name, and phone number ("Personal Information"). In order for us to obtain your Personally identifying information, you must provide it via forms on our Website.
We collect this information for the purpose of providing the Service, identifying and communicating with you, responding to your requests/inquiries, servicing your account, and improving our services.


Applying a Discount – Pacific Amber Technologies Inc.
From the transaction winow select the item you would like to discount and press or hit the F2 key to enter the Discount menu. Note that the discount menu is unavailable if no items are entered into the sale.
In the Discount window there are three options for applying your discount. You can lower the price by a percentage using the % Off field, subtract a set amount using the $ Off on Unit Price field, or simply set the price to whatever you prefer using the New Unit Price field.
Next you will select a reason for the discount. Select the Reason field for a dropdown list of allowed discount reasons. These are set during inventory setup.
Once you have selected a reason you can use the Apply Discount to Transaction (All Lines) checkbox to apply the selected discount to all items within the transaction. The Discount On Reg. Price checkbox should be used if you wish to apply the discount to the regular price of the item(s), rather than an already discounted price. Check Prices Include Taxes if taxes are already included into your prices and not added at the end of transaction.
Once you are satisfied with your selections, press the button to change the price(s) and return to your transaction for completion of the sale.


text:
Q: chosen allow_single_deselect is not working as expected Below is my markup, i have empty option included in my markup
<select name="drop_down" id="drop_down" class="single">
  <option></option>
  <option value="First Choice">First Choice</option>
  <option value="Second Choice">Second Choice</option>
  <option value="Third Choide">Third Choide</option>
</select>

Any my js is like
$('.single').chosen({allow_single_deselect:true});

but i don't see blank option in drop-down after initialization, am I doing something wrong?

A: This normally happens if you are using a dynamic dropdown. The deselect will work fine after initialization. Once you empty the dropdown and fill it with new values and chosen:update it. You won't see the chosen allow_single_deselect option not working. If anyone looking for invisible chosen deselect option
Refer: https://github.com/harvesthq/chosen/issues/1780
You need to add an empty option tag before you fill the drop-down will new values. If you miss an empty <option> before the actual drop-down values you will not see the deselect cross mark icon.

$('#natureInput').chosen({
    allow_single_deselect:true,
    width: '50%'
})
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.9.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://harvesthq.github.io/chosen/chosen.jquery.js"></script>
<link href="https://harvesthq.github.io/chosen/chosen.css" rel="stylesheet" />

<label for="natureInput">Nature</label>
<select data-placeholder="Choose a nature" name="nature" id="natureInput">
  <option />
  <option>Spring</option>
  <option>Winter</option>
  <option>Summer</option>
</select>

A: I know this post is old, but if any one still not able to figure this out. Here's what you need to do.
Documented: https://harvesthq.github.io/chosen/options.html

When set to true on a single select, Chosen adds a UI element which
selects the first element (if it is blank).

<select class="chosen">
    <option value=""></option> <!-- required -->
    <option value="Batman">Batman</option>
    ...
</select>

$(document).ready(function(){
    $(".chosen").chosen({
        allow_single_deselect: true
    });
});

Missing 'x'?
Make sure you have included the sprites in the 'same location'.
chosen
|-- styles
|   |-- chosen.jquery.min
|   |-- chosen.min.css
|   |-- chosen-sprite.png // image
|   |-- chosen-sprite@2x.png // image

A: I would try to make the option not really empty but leave some whitespace in it, or even something like '(none)' or '(choose one).'

A: oops my bad, the path to sprite image that shows close button on select was not correct due to which close button (cross symbol) was not displayed on drop-down and felt like blank is not working

A: I have not used the Chosen plugin before but I looked at the website, the very first example has an empty option and the Chosen function gets rid of it when called. Also the allow_single_deselect option says that it will "add a UI element for option deselection" which doesn't mean it preserves empty options.

A: Make sure you have an empty option both before and after updating the chosen.
Example:
//html
<select class="consultant_refer"><option></option></select>

//initialize
        $('.consultant_refer').chosen({width: '100%', allow_single_deselect: true})

//empty select but make sure to add another empty option
        $('.consultant_refer').empty().append('<option>')

//add other options
        consultants.forEach(function (data) {
             $('.consultant_refer').append($('<option>').val(data.id).text(data.name))
        })
        $('.consultant_refer').trigger('chosen:updated')


Amphetamines are stimulant drugs that speed up the brain. They help you stay alert and awake and even can provide an energy burst. There are a few prescription medicines that contain amphetamines in them. A large amount of people who take amphetamines are not taking the drug as prescribed by their medical doctor or they are taking them illegally. In the USA it is illegal to abuse amphetamines. The effects of amphetamines can be dangerous and even deadly.
There are several different side effects of the amphetamines. Many people taking the drug will either not care about the side effects or they want to experience some of them. There are many different mental and physical effects of amphetamines. It is important to look for the these common side effects if you people that someone you love may be using amphetamines.
The effects of amphetamines can be painful but they can also be managed.
These side effects of amphetamines can be treated with the help of a professional. It is important to speak to your medical doctor about the symptoms that you are experiencing. Also, going to counseling or group therapy can help you overcome some of the withdrawal symptoms and overcome your addiction to amphetamines.
According to the US National Library of Medicine, once a person is addicted to amphetamines, it is possible that you can permanently damaging your body and brain. The addiction can cause the brain to be rewired. When the person decides to stop using amphetamines, they will experience severe withdrawal symptoms. Most times the rewiring can cause the person to have problems quitting the drug altogether without the help of a professional therapist or an addiction rehab program.
Memory loss and disturbed thought process are other permanent neurological effects of amphetamines. A person with an addiction to amphetamines can also experience financial problems and loss of employment. Since the drug causes the addict to lose sole focus on what it is important in life. The drug can also damage the liver, heart and other organs. Once the damage is severe enough, the results can be fatal.
The length of time that the effects of amphetamines last will vary from person to person and their dependency on the drug. The symptoms can last for a few days if only used occasional or weeks to months if the user is more addicted. The person may become very sleepy and experience lucid dreams while they are symptoms of amphetamines.


The Pointer Butcher's shop was established in September 2012 as part of the refurbished Pointer Bar & Restaurant. It has subsequently provided Brill with another village amenity that is very well supported by the local community, as well as being exposed to a wider customer base which have visited The Pointer Bar & Restaurant.
Working with our local producers, with whom we have established a close working relationship, we are able to confidently supply our valued customers with a varied seasonal range of meat reared to a consistently high standard throughout the year, using a combination of traditional livestock, breeds, and husbandry methods.


Romano's Pizza | What's The Skinny?
Romano's has expanded the healthy options on our menu to include "The Skinny." The Skinny is a pizza on a wrap. It's a healthier way of eating pizza. This means you have more choices to enjoy excellent food that is good for you, too! Click here to see The Skinny offerings.


text:
Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton Scout For Talent On New Reality TV Competition
Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton and the masked country singer Orville Peck will be featured on the new Apple TV+ reality music competition, called My Kind of Country, debuting on March 24th. They will serve as talent scouts searching the globe to find the next big country star. The show will also feature appearances by its co-producers Kacey Musgraves and Reese Witherspoon, according to Billboard.
My Kind of Country consists of eight episodes, and the winner will receive what is described as a "life-changing prize" from Apple Music that will include "unprecedented support and exposure on the platform."


Ordinarily given to commentary and analysis of contemporary art, from painting to photography, film, architecture, design and more, the Modern Painters' Art & War edition is indicative of what bubbles just beneath the surface of the art world. Editor Susan Morris struck what for me seemed a positive note, when she wrote in her editorial statement that the magazine's staff; "began to wonder about art and activism, art in the age of terrorism, the nature of propaganda, and the role of art in wartime. The stories in this issue are, we hope, the start of what will be a continuing conversation." A single issue of a magazine is of course not enough, but it is a step in the right direction towards developing a questioning and contentious aesthetic. Morris' words are pleasing to my disposition, since what she describes is in actuality the general direction this web log has taken since its inception.
It's not often that my name is mentioned in the same breath as that of Karl Rove, so you will excuse my wanting to share the following with you, but it's one of the finer points made in Merjian's article that has to do with the complexities of language, visuals, and of articulating views outside of acceptable mainstream parameters.
The April edition of Modern Painters also carries several other commentaries, columns, and reviews of note. In the article Display Tactics: Political Curating, freelance curator and critic, Tirdad Zolghadr, challenges the effectiveness of recent exhibits that have addressed the Iraq war. Five Years and Counting is a portfolio of images from over a dozen of today's artists who have created works in opposition to the Iraq war. Home Delivery: Martha Rosler's Photomontages, is Richard Meyer's essay on the fierce cut and paste montage work of Rosler, who has four stunning works in the magazine's pages, plus - she created the powerful cover art for the magazine. No doubt of interest to artists, activists, and academics, Modern Painters' Art & War edition is available on newsstands most everywhere.
That the advertising company behind this jingoistic marketing blitz decided on martial language for its promotion is bad enough, but the ruthless slogan is coupled with a militaristic image that conjures up the brutality of war. No doubt the ad execs responsible for the campaign will stand behind the subterfuge that the image simply represents the CBS/KCAL fleet of helicopters flying over the city against a backdrop of L.A.'s ubiquitous palm trees, but look again, what's that you see - Vietnam?
A quick glance at the official theatrical posters for the musical Miss Saigon, and the movie Apocalypse Now, tells you exactly what served as an inspiration for those ad execs behind the CBS/KCAL campaign, but honestly - someone should tell them that the U.S. lost the war in Vietnam. Or could it be that the CEO's had the Iraq war in mind when they approved the billboard and bus shelter graphics? Perhaps they hoped that by equating the journalists of CBS/KCAL to U.S. soldiers in Iraq, some of that "support our troops" sentiment might rub off on their broadcast clients. Such an ugly and perverse display of venality coming from the commercial advertising world cannot be discounted.
At any rate, whatever the impetus behind the CBS/KCAL ads might be, they are a picture perfect example of what I like to call, Totalitarian Postmodern, a dangerous aesthetic that threatens and undermines democratic values.
The poster depicts train riders steadying themselves in their seats, holding on to safety straps and poles, but the style of the artwork is also a direct reference to the politically charged Soviet posters of the late 1930's. The train riders even appear to be holding red flags, but instead of a slogan like "Long live the great unity of the working people of the world" the poster instead calls on viewers to "Report any unusual activities." Such wording conjures up George Orwell's, 1984. In that tale of a horrifying modern dystopia, constant surveillance of the population by the one-party state was the order of the day, with the populace encouraged to spy on and inform against itself. In 2002 a similarly Orwellian poster was issued in London by the Metropolitan Police working with the CCTV, London's mass transit provider. That unnerving poster bore the slogan, Secure Beneath The Watchful Eyes - the watchful eyes of the police of course, and the poster confronted rapid transit users all across the city.
It is interesting to contemplate how the Watch, Ride and Report poster was sanctioned by The MARC Train Service to begin with. No doubt an advertising agency was used to create and print the artwork, which entailed artists and designers, copy writers, proof readers, editors and of course department managers who would approve the work as it progressed. Finally, the poster had to be approved by MARC and its managers and directors. And yet, while passing through all of those hands not a soul objected to the blunt authoritarian style of the artwork. Despite the fact that I've noted the totalitarian postmodern style used in tongue-in-cheek commercial advertising before, what makes the MARC Train Service poster different is that it offers no irony or humor. Instead it is a serious poster concerning public safety measures and law enforcement in a time of color coded terror alerts, increased FBI powers, and Homeland Security surveillance.
That a people professing allegiance to democracy and human rights could be reassured and comforted through the use of aesthetics utilized by dictatorial regimes should be a cause for concern, but then, we live in exceedingly bizarre times. The totalitarian postmodernist style is not just restricted to announcements from the "public sector". As I mentioned previously, it is a deeply rooted aesthetic in modern commercial advertising, though it does not always have such an obvious political veneer. An excellent example of this would be a billboard I saw on a heavily trafficked boulevard in Los Angeles just prior to 9-11. The huge billboard was an advertisement for a major department store, and I regret not having taken a photograph of the offensive display. The gigantic minimalist ad featured nothing but bold white text centered on a unadorned green background, with the store logo tucked away in a corner. The billboard simply read, SHUT UP AND SHOP. But that's the subject of another essay.


text:
New Dan's Papers Podcast: Who's Here in The Hamptons
Meet Dan Rattiner, the founder of Dan's Papers, a name synonymous with the Hamptons then and now.
You can get to know Dan weekly on his latest venture, as the famous column, "Who's Here in the Hamptons" becomes a podcast!
Each episode you will meet a new guest, some well known, others with interesting careers and stories, authors, musicians, restaurateurs, some characters and some behind the scenes people who live, work and play in the summer paradise of the rich and famous.
On the premiere podcast, Dottie Herman, CEO of Douglas Elliman, shares her inspirational story of success and credits Dan for helping her on the way. We learn how she overcame odds to become dubbed by Forbes as the richest woman in the world.
On episode two, we meet author and dentist Dr. Alisa Kauffman who shares her secrets on how she turned the world of geriatric dentistry into a new trend of making house calls and since COVID-19. She practices in New York and of course the Hamptons!
Upcoming guests: Authors Alan Furst and Brooke Foster, and James Giugliano Hamptons Realtor and star of the docudrama Million Dollar Beach House on Netflix.
Whether you are taking a walk, or staying home, you can listen to "WHO's HERE IN THE HAMPTONS" right to your mobile device or computer or wherever podcasts are heard.
Find the podcast at podcasts.schnepsmedia.com/podcast/dans-papers/
For more entertainment coverage, visit longislandpress.com/category/entertainment
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