This topic contains 1 reply, has 2 voices, and was last updated by Navneet Khanna 3 years, 4 months ago.
I am having difficulties finding my soulmate. If and when will I get married? For the last 3 years, everything in my life is at a standstill and no improvement in career or personal life.
There are two things which are delaying marriage in your horoscope. I presume this is a female horoscope. First conjunction of Jupiter and Rahu which is known as Guru Chandal dosha, and second is bad placement and weak 7th house lord Mercury. Mercury is combust and placed in the 12th house. Jupiter the karka for marriage in a female chart is weak as it is with Rahu. Wear Pukhraj 6 ratti and above in Gold on your right hand Index finger on Thursday Morning.


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Q: Exchange 2007 Open Relay Apparently our domain has been spamlisted, and a check has revealed that we're an open relay.
Internally we have just one mail server, Exchange 2007.  No edge transport.
Send connector is configured with Address Space *, cost 1; FQDN same as our MX
Default Receive Connector is same FQDN; authentication is basic only, permission groups are anon, exchange users, exchange servers, legacy exchange.
I don't know how to troubleshoot beyond this.

A: In Exchange 2007/2010 you have to manually enable a receive connector to allow permission for open relay.
Run this against your default send connector (the one that accepts from public address space):

Get-ReceiveConnector "Your default Receive Connector" | Get-ADPermission -Identity "NT AUTHORITY\ANONYMOUS LOGON"

If that comes back with ExtendedRights including "ms-Exch-SMTP-Accept-Any-Recipient" then you have an open relay. You need to remove this permission ASAP using Remove-ADPermission

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Is the IRS Still Levying People Who Owe Back Taxes? Yes...sometimes.
Is the IRS Still levying people who owe back taxes? A crazy question - right? Well in the age of a much more austere IRS it's not a silly question at all. The IRS budget has been shaved by 17% since 2010 with more reductions possibly to come(?). With a bigger population now and more IRS headaches to solve including scams, identity theft and the administration of the ACA, their reduced budget gets spread pretty thin. From our vantage point, the biggest reduction of levies and garnishments has come from the Automated Collection Systems of the IRS (ACS). Levies from ACS have become an endangered species of sorts even when someone receives a form CP504 like this.
On the other hand, it's Revenue Officers (R.O.'s) - those folks assigned to your tax problem case locally - who are issuing most of the levies and garnishments these days. Generally, it takes a $250,000 plus liability to get a R.O. assigned or possibly a lot of un-filed returns and economic activity (big 1099's, etc.). Revenue Officers initiate contact to you and/or your tax professional with a business card drop-off and/or other correspondence. R.O.'s truly intend to levy UNLESS you propose an alternative resolution like Offer in Compromise, Currently Not Collectible or Installment Agreement.
Government hasn't been exactly predictable lately :) One never knows whether IRS enforcement could increase or decrease. Private tax collections is underway but it seems to be an ineffective alternative to the IRS. The private guys lack enforcement power like levies and the public has been so inured to phone calls from IRS scams - they quite possibly might ignore them (they should).
Against the general trend of less enforcement on back taxes, passport holders who owe more than $50,000 to the IRS can get their passports revoked (unless they are in a payment plan or an Offer in Compromise).


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Fatal Car Accident Kills Sun City Woman
41-year-old Crystal Stevens, of Sun City, was struck in a tragic pedestrian accident that occurred on December 15, 2011, around 11:30 p.m. on McCall Road near Sherman Road in Menifee. According to the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's department, Stevens was walking on McCall Road when she was struck by a car.
Stevens suffered life-threatening injuries and was immediately transported to Inland Valley Regional Medical Center for treatment, where she was pronounced dead a day later.
From the present information, it appears that the reckless driving and irresponsible actions of the motorist led to this serious car wreck that claimed one life. If the motorist is determined to have been at fault in this case, then he could be held responsible for pedestrian's wrongful death.
Meanwhile, the victim's family members should consult with an experienced Riverside County pedestrian accident lawyer who would help them obtain timely compensation to cover funeral and burial costs, loss of future earnings, loss of love, care and companionship, and other accident-related damages.
Our personal injury law office sends sincere condolences to Stevens' family members and friends.
Teen Suffers Broken Leg in Menifee Truck Accident
A 16-year-old Menifee resident suffered a broken leg in a truck accident that occurred on December 13, 2011, around 5:47 p.m. at Encanto Drive and McLaughlin Road, east of I-215 on the border of Perris and Menifee. According to sheriff's officials, the teenager was walking north on Encanto Drive when a northbound full-size Dodge truck being driven by a Nuevo woman hit him.
The teenager suffered a broken leg and was immediately transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. From the present information, it is unclear what caused this major truck accident that left one person seriously injured.
Since it is a pedestrian accident, the motorist's negligence or reckless driving could have been responsible for causing the accident. If it is found that the driver was driving inattentively, then she may be held liable for this accident.
Meanwhile, the victim's family members should immediately seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County truck accident lawyer who would educate them about their legal rights. The injured victims' family may file a personal injury claim to obtain compensation to cover treatment, medical and hospital costs, and other accident-related damages.
Our personal injury law office hopes that the injuries suffered by the teenager do not prove fatal.
Elderly Motorist Injured In Lake Elsinore Bus Accident
Margaret Birch, 75, suffered serious injuries in a serious Lake Elsinore car accident that occurred on November 29, 2010, around 3:00 p.m. According to California Highway Patrol Officer Ron Thatcher, Birch pulled her minivan in front of a school bus when the collision occurred. The impact of the car crash was so strong that Birch's car was pinned under the school bus.
Fortunately, all the 51 school students who were traveling in the bus escaped unhurt. Birch was immediately transported to Inland Valley Regional Medical Center in Wildomar to receive treatment for her leg injuries.
This accident is a good illustration of one of the main rules of the road: always watch out for traffic before entering an intersection or roadway. If you do not look for cross-traffic, you can possibly violate another motorist's right of way and cause an accident. Even worse, that motorist may be driving a larger vehicle—such as a school bus—placing you and your passengers in danger of serious injury or even death.
We sincerely hope and pray that Birch did not suffer any life-threatening injuries in this bus accident.
Indio Hit-and-Run Car Crash Kills Elderly Pedestrian
72-year-old Beverly Glass was struck and injured in a serious hit-and-run car wreck that occurred on October 12, 2011, around 3:30 p.m. on Interstate 10 (I-10) just east of North Indian Canyon Drive. According to the California Highway Patrol, Glass was trying to walk across traffic lanes when she was struck by a black, late model Volkswagon Jetta. The victim was thrown onto the shoulder of the freeway.
The car driver, who is believed to be a 25- year old woman stopped, talked to several witnesses, then got in the car and left the accident scene. The driver has not been cited as yet as the accident is still under investigation. Glass suffered serious injuries and was immediately transported to Desert Regional Medical Center for medical treatment.
From the available information, it appears that the car driver negligent driving and irresponsible actions contributed to this serious pedestrian wreck. Meanwhile, the injured victim or her family members should immediately seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County pedestrian accident lawyer who would educate them about their legal rights and options and would assure that the at-fault motorist is brought to justice.
The injured victim can also file a personal injury claim against the at-fault Jetta driver to obtain timely compensation to cover treatment, medical and hospital costs, and other accident-related damages.
Our personal injury law office sincere hopes that injuries suffered by the pedestrian heal soon and do not prove fatal.
Riverside County Motorcycle Accident Kills Motorcyclist
A 46-year old unidentified motorcyclist was killed in a fatal Riverside County motorcycle accident that occurred on September 27, 2010. According to the Moreno Valley Police, the victim was found lying seriously injured at the bottom of a ravine in Moreno Valley near Ironwood Avenue, approximately 90 miles north of San Diego.
An off-duty California Highway Patrol officer saw an injured man lying at the foot of a 20-foot embankment. The injured victim was then immediately rushed to Riverside County Regional Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries. Police do not know when and how this traffic accident occurred.
It is unclear what caused this fatal motorcycle accident. However, it cannot be ruled out that it might have occurred due to any mechanical failure or design issue. If it is found that this motorcycle accident occurred due to any mechanical or design issue then the automotive manufacturer might be held guilty for biker's death. Motorcyclist's family needs to consult an experienced Riverside motorcycle accident lawyer who could help them aware of their legal rights.
The victim's family might be eligible for compensation to cover the cost of funeral and burial, loss of future earnings, loss of love, care and companionship. We offer our deepest condolences to all those who knew and loved the motorcyclist for such a heart rendering loss.
Lake Elsinore Man Killed in Fatal Hit-And-Run Pickup Truck Crash
49-year-old John Cameron was killed in a serious hit-and-run truck accident that occurred on September 16, 2011, around 8 p.m. at Grand Avenue and Blackwell Blvd in the unincorporated area of Lakeland Village. According to Riverside County Coroner's office, a truck described by witnesses as a Ford F-250 traveling north struck Cameron and fled from the accident scene.
Cameron suffered life-threatening injuries and was immediately transported to Inland Valley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead around 8:45 p.m. Based on the limited information provided in the news accounts, the family of the deceased may be eligible for compensation. Leaving the scene of an accident is a serious violation under California law. California Vehicle Code 20001 (a) states: "The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident."
At this time, the deceased's family members should seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County hit-and-run pedestrian accident lawyer who would help them learn about their legal rights and options and obtain compensation to cover funeral and burial costs, loss of anticipated wages, loss of love, care and companionship, and other accident-related damages.
Our law office offers sincere condolences to all those who knew and loved Cameron for such a tragic loss.
Riverside County Motorcycle Accident Injures Rider
An unidentified motorcyclist sustained serious injuries when he lost control of his motorcycle and went down a road near Aguanga in Riverside County, approximately 88 miles from San Diego. This motorcycle accident occurred on Sage Road on September 6, 2010, around 2:30 p.m. According to California Highway Patrol officers, the motorcyclist apparently lost control and skidded off the right shoulder of the road.
The injured motorcyclist declined to go to a nearby hospital for treatment. His crumbled bike was later towed away to clear the road. California Highway Patrol officers are investigating the cause of this motorcycle accident.
If this traffic accident occurred due to the bad condition of the road or any mechanical failure, then the injured biker needs to know his legal rights from an aggressive Riverside County motorcycle accident attorney. The injured victim is eligible for compensation to cover his medical expenses, lost earnings, and pain and suffering, if this accident was not his fault.
Corona Freight Train Accident Injures Pedestrian
A young woman believed to be in her early 20s suffered serious injuries in a train accident that occurred on September 14, 2011, around 3:38 a.m. northwest of Magnolia Avenue and Neece Street in Corona. According to Sgt. Adam Roulston, the pedestrian suffered bumps, bruises, and a four-inch gash on one leg and was immediately transported to a nearby hospital to receive medical treatment.
There is limited information about the accident and there is a possibility that the train driver may be responsible for the accident. Did he ignore a signal? Was he distracted and did not notice the pedestrian? The injured woman should immediately seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County pedestrian accident lawyer who would educate her about her legal rights and options and assure that the at-fault train driver is brought to justice.
As for now, the injured pedestrian can file a personal injury claim against the at-fault train driver to obtain compensation to cover treatment, medical and hospital costs, loss of wages, loss of earning capacity, and other accident-related damages.
Our personal injury law office sincerely hopes that the injuries suffered by the pedestrian heal soon.
Pedestrian Struck in Victorville Train Accident
An unidentified 32-year-old man was struck by a BNSF train on September 8, 2011, around 7:41 a.m. near Bear Valley and Ridgecrest Roads, less than a mile west of Victor Valley Community College. According to San Bernardino County sheriff's officials, the pedestrian suffered major injuries.
The injured pedestrian was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center to receive treatment for the injuries suffered. From the present facts, it is unclear as to how this train accident occurred. Did the train driver ignore a red signal? Was he distracted that he did not notice the pedestrian? Or was it the man who failed to observe safety signals? Was he unable to calculate the distance between him and the approaching train? If negligent operation by the train conductor caused this train accident, then he could be held financially responsible for the injuries caused to the pedestrian. Investigating officers need to determine what led to this serious pedestrian wreck and who is at fault.
The injured victim should seek counsel with an experienced San Bernardino County pedestrian accident lawyer to obtain compensation to cover medical expenses, loss of wages, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation, and other related damages.
Desert Hot Springs Bike Accident Leaves Child Injured By Car
A 4-year-old child was seriously struck and injured in a Desert Hot Springs car accident on July 14, 2011, around 8:49 p.m. at Palm Drive and Dillon Road. According to Riverside County Fire Department officials, the kid was riding his bicycle when a motorist struck him at an intersection.
This news report offers very few details about what caused this injury crash. There are several questions here. Was the motorist speeding? Was he distracted or fatigued? Did alcohol or drugs play a part? Where were the parents of the child at this time? We trust that the investigating officials are looking into these and other issues in order to determine how or why this car collision occurred.
The injured child's parents should seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County bicycle accident lawyer to know about their legal rights and obtain compensation to cover treatment, medical and hospital costs. A child injury lawyer would assure that the at-fault car driver is apprehended and brought to justice.
Our personal injury law office sincerely hopes and prays that the injuries suffered by the child heal soon.
Pedestrian Injured In Riverside County Hit-And-Run Car Accident
A pedestrian in his 50s suffered serious injuries when he was struck by an unidentified SUV on May 18, 2011, around 12:35 a.m. in the Homeland area of Hemet. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the pedestrian was walking across Highway 74 when an SUV struck him. The SUV was described as a dark-colored Ford Expedition or Lincoln Navigator with chrome rims, estimated to be a 2002 to 2006 model. Riverside police are searching for the driver.
The pedestrian suffered major injuries and was immediately transported to Riverside County Regional Medical Center for medical treatment. It is absolutely inhuman that the SUV driver did not stop and fled from the accident scene, leaving the elderly pedestrian unattended.
Leaving the scene of an accident is a serious violation under California law. California Vehicle Code 20001 (a) states:
"The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident."
Morally, the SUV driver should have remained at the accident scene and waited until authorities got there.
The pedestrian's family members should immediately seek counsel from an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer serving Riverside County to learn about their legal rights and obtain fair compensation to cover treatment, medical and hospitalization costs, and other accident-related damages. A Riverside County pedestrian lawyer would assure that the at-fault SUV driver is apprehended and brought to justice.
Our sincere prayers go out to the injured pedestrian and we hope that he recovers quickly.
Pit Bulls Maul Baby, San Diego Mother Prosecuted for Neglect
Carrie McKinney, a 22-year old San Diego mother lost custody of her 7-month old baby boy and possibly will face criminal charges for neglect. Carrie left her baby boy strapped in a carrier on the floor at her friend's place in Riverside County with two dogs. The dogs, a 5-year old pit bull and an 8-month old pit bull mix both females, bit the boy in the groin area and ripped apart the baby's testicles. The baby has been admitted at Loma Linda University Medical Center for medical and surgical care and is with Child Protective Services. The owner of the pit bulls has agreed to euthanize the dogs.
Our office wishes the baby a quick recovery and a healthy life ahead. It is never advisable to leave babies unattended and the risk increases dramatically when there are dogs, especially dangerous dogs like pit bulls, or other animals around. Parents must be very careful when leaving their babies unattended, which can lead to serious and fatal injuries to their loved ones.
Driver Suffers Injuries in El Cerrito Bus Accident
An unidentified pickup driver suffered serious injuries in an El Cerrito bus accident that occurred on April 13, 2011, around 6:32 p.m. on Cajalco Road just west of La Sierra Avenue, in Riverside County. According to the responding California Highway Patrol Officers, a pickup truck driver crashed his vehicle into a school bus carrying 32 students due to unknown reasons.
The injured pickup driver was immediately transported to Corona Regional Medical Center for medical treatment. The California Highway Patrol now must determine what made the pickup driver crash his truck into the school bus. It does not seem that a defective road design or vehicle malfunction caused this accident. From the facts presented, it appears that the truck driver was either inattentive and driving negligently or ran a red light and violated the bus's right of way.
The injured victims should consult with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Riverside County to determine their legal rights and to obtain timely compensation to provide for treatment and hospitalization costs, loss of earnings, and pain and suffering damages.
We sincerely hope that the injuries suffered by the victim heal soon.
Elders Hit While Crossing Street in Palm Springs
87-year-old Robert Mathiasen and an 83-year-old woman were struck in a tragic pedestrian crash that occurred on February 24, 2012, around 7:28 p.m. in the 2000 block of North Palm Canyon Drive. According to Riverside County sheriff's officials, both the victims were trying to cross the street when they were hit by a northbound Ford Taurus.
The pair was immediately transported to Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment, where Mathasen was later pronounced dead around 9:18 p.m. The Taurus driver cooperated with the investigation.
From the present facts, it is unclear as to how this pedestrian accident occurred. Was the motorist distracted? Or was he speeding?
The victim's family members should immediately seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County pedestrian accident lawyer, who would educate them about their legal rights.
The victim's family members may file a wrongful death claim against the car driver to obtain compensation to cover funeral and burial costs, loss of love, care and companionship, and other accident-related damages.
Our law office sends sincere condolences to victim's family members. We also hope and pray that the injuries suffered by the female pedestrian heal soon.
Pedestrian Fatally Struck By Car in Riverside County
A woman was killed in a tragic pedestrian crash that occurred on February 26, 2012, around 6:21 p.m. at 7th Street and Grand Avenue. According to Riverside County fire officials, the victim was walking at the street when she was hit by a car.
The pedestrian suffered life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead at the accident scene. From the present facts, it is unclear as to how this pedestrian accident occurred. Was the motorist distracted? Or was he speeding?
Our law office sends sincere condolences to victim's family members.
Indio Pedestrian Fatally Struck by Motorcycle, then Car
44-year-old Brigitte Jasso was struck and killed in a severe pedestrian accident that occurred on January 26, 2012, around along the westbound lanes of Indio Boulevard. According to coroner's officials, Jasso was first struck by a motorcyclist and then by a black Ford Taurus while crossing a major street in that city.
Jasso sustained scrapes, bruises, and some broken bones after the initial motorcycle accident moments later, a black Ford Taurus struck and fatally injured the victim.
From the present facts, it is unclear as to how this pedestrian accident occurred. Was the motorcyclist distracted? Did the car driver see her?
Did anyone ignore traffic signals? These and several other questions remains unanswered as yet.
At this time, the victim's family members should immediately seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County car and motorcycle accident lawyer who would educate them about their legal rights. If negligent operation by any of the motorist caused this car accident, then he may be legally required to compensate the victim's family for the cost of treatment, and other related damages.
The victim's family members may file a wrongful death claim against the at-fault motorist to obtain compensation to cover funeral and burial costs, loss of love, care and companionship, and other accident-related damages.
Our law office sends sincere condolences to the victim's family members.
Pedestrian Struck in Lake Elsinore Car Accident
A woman was struck and injured in a severe pedestrian accident that took place on January 22, 2012, around 8:07 p.m. in Lake Elsinore. According to Riverside County sheriff's officials, the pedestrian was crossing a major road when she got hit by a white sedan struck along the 32600 block of Mission Trail, about a half-mile north of Corydon Road.
Deputies found the woman lying in the street and immediately transported her to Inland Valley Medical Center for treatment. From the present facts, it is unclear as to how this pedestrian accident occurred. Was the motorist distracted? Or was he speeding?
At this time, the victim's family members should immediately seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County car accident lawyer who would educate them about their legal rights. If negligent operation by the motorist caused this car accident, then he may be legally required to compensate the victim's family for the cost of treatment, and other related damages.
Our personal injury law office hopes that the injuries suffered by the victim heal soon and do not prove serious.
Woman Fatally Struck in Riverside County Pedestrian Accident
45-year-old Adeline Gonzalez was fatally struck in a tragic Riverside County car crash that involved an SUV, on January 16, 2012, around 6:06 p.m. along Mission Boulevard, about 100 yards west of Pedley Road. According to Riverside County coroner's officials, Gonzalez was struck by an SUV while she was crossing a roadway in the Glen Avon section of Jurupa Valley.
Gonzalez suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the accident scene. From the present facts, it is unclear as to how this pedestrian accident occurred. Was the motorist distracted? Or was he speeding?
The victim's family members should immediately seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County pedestrian accident lawyer, who would educate them about their legal rights. The victim's family members may file a wrongful death claim against the SUV driver to obtain compensation to cover funeral and burial costs, loss of love, care and companionship, and other accident-related damages.
Elderly Pedestrian Fatally Struck in Palm Springs Car Accident
An elderly pedestrian was fatally struck in a Palm Springs car accident that occurred on January 14, 2012, around 7:49 p.m. in Palm Springs. According to police, the pedestrian was struck by a southbound Kia Soul along South Sunrise Way between Camino Parolcela and Sunny Dunes Road.
The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and was immediately transported to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. From the present information, it is evident that negligent driving and irresponsible actions of the car driver led to this serious pedestrian accident.
At this time, the victim's family members should immediately seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County pedestrian accident lawyer who would educate them about their legal rights. If negligent driving caused this pedestrian accident, then the driver might be legally required to compensate the victim's family for funeral and burial costs, loss of love, care and companionship, and other accident-related damages.
Bicyclist Suffers Broken Leg in Riverside DUI Crash
A bicyclist was gravely injured in a serious Riverside DUI car accident that occurred on January 10, 2012, around 12:30 p.m. along the 300 block of East Seventh Street in San Jacinto. According to Riverside County sheriff's officials, the bicyclist was injured in a traffic collision by 31-year-old Timothy Christopher Jones.
The bicyclist suffered a broken leg and was immediately transported to the nearby hospital for medical treatment. Jones was arrested and booked for investigation of misdemeanor DUI.
Jones will most likely be found to have violated California Vehicle Code Section 23152(a) which states that "It is unlawful for any person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage and drug, to drive a vehicle." Under California law, it is also illegal to drive a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher.
The bicyclist's family members would be well advised to confer with an experienced Riverside County DUI accident lawyer who would educate them about their legal rights and options. The victim's family members may file a personal injury claim against the car driver to obtain compensation to cover medical, hospital and treatment cost, and other accident-related damages.
Our personal injury law office hopes that the injuries suffered by the victim heal soon and do not prove fatal.
Pedestrian Fatally Struck in Palm Springs Truck Accident
A pedestrian was hit by a truck in a crosswalk of a Palm Springs intersection at North Palm Canyon and Racquet Club Drives on January 5, 2012, around 8:04 a.m. in Palm Springs. According to the police, the pedestrian was struck by an Isuzu panel truck while walking across the crosswalk.
The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and was immediately transported to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
If the motorist is determined to have been at fault in this case, then he could be held responsible for this truck accident that killed a pedestrian. The victim's family members should immediately seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County hit-and-run crash lawyer who would educate them about their legal rights and options.
This lawyer may help them file a wrongful death claim against the truck driver to obtain compensation to funeral and burial costs, loss of anticipated earnings, loss of love, care and companionship, and other accident-related damages.
Our personal injury law office sends sincere condolences to the victim's family members and friends.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


1 p.m. March 20: Lecture and walk-through with "Reproductions" artist Brad Coleman.
11 a.m. Sunday: Opening reception for "Color It Orange," annual juried youth art exhibition from kindergarten through grade 12 with more than 600 pieces exhibited. Exhibit on display through March 20.
Glenn Ness and Scott Yeskel; Kay Bradner in the Center Gallery through March 31.
Featuring original paintings, traditional and contemporary, by 16 regional and international artists including new sea and landscapes by Alfredo Gomez, Teddy bear still-life by Lu Martin and contemporary figuratives by our newest artist, Gaylord Soli.
"Reflective Collections," a group show.
The gallery consists of 12 member artists and one guest. The featured artist is Walli Schauer.
6 to 8 p.m. Saturday: Opening reception for Tony Delap and Ruth Pastine. Exhibition through April 9.
Closing Thursday: "Art Squared," works created by local community members under the instruction of artists with Laguna Outreach for Community Arts.
International and contemporary artwork from all over the world, including an extensive collection of sculpture, fine art glass and works on canvas and paper, are featured.
"Back By Popular Demand," an exhibition of new paintings by Laguna Beach artist Sandra Jones Campbell.
Community Art Project presents "Selections from the Lang Art Collection," more than 40 years of collecting artwork from local artists. Through April 5 in the 2nd floor gallery.
6 to 9 p.m. Saturday: Reception for March featured artist Enzie Shamiri, Orientalist and portrait painter.
Paintings by the late Werner Luft on exhibit through March 31.
March: "Highlights from our collection of Early California Impressionists." Also featuring contemporary California artists David Chapple and Gerald Rahm.
Featuring a collection of 20th Century masters: Dali, Picasso, Miro, Vasarely and Erte.
Important historical paintings, concentrating on the early California Impressionists from 1890 to 1940, such as Guy Rose, Edgar Payne and William Wendt. Also featuring current plein air painters Macpherson, Hull and Cosby, and sculpture by Carol Alleman and Mark Rossi.
"Experi[mental]" — Latin American art on the cusp of contemporary, featuring Roberto Guerrero, Angel Poyon, Priscilla Monge, Luis Fernando Ponce, Jorge De Leon, Irene Pressner, Jaime Izaguerre, Karen Clachar & Jorge Linares.
6 to 9 p.m. Thursday: During Art Walk, live music and martinis.
During Art Walk, live oil painting demonstrations by plein air artists Eagle, Egan, Khristov, LaRock, Moore, Nowell, Sines, Wang and Wiederman and live piano.
March: 1940s to1950s Western and Sci-Fi movie posters.


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Obituary: Aaron Lee Davis
by Community Submission May 2, 2022 May 2, 2022
Aaron Lee Davis, 55, of Rhode Island Ave., Newport RI, passed away on April 14, 2022, in the loving arms of his wife, Soad (Mahir) after a heroic six-year battle with cancer (uveal melanoma). He was born on October 16, 1966, at Kent County Hospital, Warwick, RI. Besides his wife, he is survived by his parents, Asa S. Davis Jr., and Mary Dianne VanDemark; daughters Hannah (Bilokonsky), Alyssa, Kendra, and Camille; sons Salim and Jibril; and brothers Asa III, Aric, Drew and Christian. Family funeral services were held privately.
Two Celebration of Life events and memorial bike rides will take place in Newport, RI in July 2022 and in Paris France, in September 2022. Aaron was a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and received a Master's in Journalism from Columbia University. In his professional life, he was a corporate executive for American Power Conversion (VP of Channel Sales and Marketing) and Schneider Electric (Chief Marketing Officer). In his position at Schneider Electric, he lived in Paris, France. Over the years, in the U.S., he resided in Rhode Island, Maryland & New York. In his youth, Aaron was a standout baseball player and also wrestled and played basketball for Bishop Hendricken High School. He particularly enjoyed family and friend pickup basketball games. As a young adult, he developed a passion for cycling.
Aaron was a strong and avid cyclist who lived his passion without restrain, riding his two wheels in all corners of the globe creating and sharing lifetime experiences with his biking friends and communities. He had a great interest and extensive knowledge of History. Beyond dates and places, it's the human behavior, circumstances, strategical decision-making he was drawn to. When combined with a cycling adventure, the narration will have you at the edge of your seat waiting for punchline around the corner with the next pedal stroke.
At a young age Aaron developed a hunger for knowledge, and possessed an insatiable curiosity, a lifelong learner, no topic or subject was too small or dull. Quoting him…" curiosity is the greatly preferred use of your psychological real estate…." Throughout his executive career, he was and is remembered by his former teams, colleagues, and professional peers around the globe as passionate, intelligent, innovative and charismatic leader, implementing innovative approaches to international marketing. He will constantly challenge the status quo, provocative in a captivating, often humorous manner, and always with humility and empathy. His ability to inspire, challenge, engage and motivate each and every one defined his leadership.
When faced with the diagnosis of an incurable cancer, the display of Aaron's courage, grace, even humour, and positive outlook, as the disease progressed and during the hardest of time of medical procedures, are all lessons and inspirations he leaves us with. A resilient figure in the face of adversity. A true advocate for his ocular melanoma community, he was never shying away from a trial that could help move the needle. Always an example of Hope. May it be throughout his professional career, his cycling adventures, his travels around the globe, he touched so many lives with his kindness, generosity, inspirational optimism even when facing adversity, brightness, and love. He had a way of being that would put anyone at ease.
He will be unbearably missed, but his inspiration, his generosity, his passion, and love for everything life has to offer will live on in the hearts of many. He will always be remembered as a kind and loving husband, father, brother, son and friend and extended relatives and members of the Davis, Mahir, Dowdell, Lariviere and Carnevale families, personal friends, colleagues, and his cycling buddies.
A pure soul, a unique spirit. He was a gift to all of us that we will forever cherish. So grateful to you Aaron, today, tomorrow, and always. Ride on.
Donations can be made in his name the Ocular Melanoma Research Foundation www.justgiving.com/campaign/AaronDavis.
Source: O'Neill Hayes Funeral Home
Tagged: Newport, obituary
Community Submission
This content has been contributed to What's Up Newp. The views and opinions included within are not necessarily those of What's Up Newp, our contributors, or our advertisers. We welcome letters to... More by Community Submission


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Princes Wharf is a former commercial wharf on the Auckland waterfront, in Auckland, New Zealand, which has been redeveloped into a multi-story high-class mixed-use development and cruise ship terminal.

While generally considered a success in redevelopment, as is the close by Viaduct Basin, some critics have called its architecture 'urbanely sterile', while others have remarked on the restrictions private owners have placed on public access rights. Also criticised was the fact that many of the public facilities (like art galleries or markets) that were envisaged in the original plan change from a wharf to a new use did not materialise, and in the view of some, have instead seen the wharf become dominated by uses like car parking.

History

Working wharf

Plans for a new wharf between Hobson Wharf and the ferry terminal were made in 1920 by the Auckland Harbour Board, with construction commencing in 1921. The two-storey concrete structure was unique at the time in Auckland, as all previously constructed wharves utilised a single-storey shed design.

Princes Wharf was formally opened on 12 May 1929 by Earl Jellicoe. , the then-largest battlecruiser of the Royal Navy, berthed at the wharf for the commissioning, showing the strategic importance the British Empire attributed to the naval facilities of its colonies. During World War II, the wharf was placed under the control of the United States Armed Forces, and used to provide provisions to the Pacific Theatre of war.

After World War II, the wharf, and Auckland itself, gained in importance both as starting point and destination for an increasing number of ocean liners (especially in the early post-war years when long-distance air travel was not as established yet), and later on, cruise ships including the  and . In 1960, passenger services were moved from the neighbouring Queens Wharf to Princes Wharf, and in 1961 a dedicated passenger terminal was built on the wharf.

Redevelopment

In the early 1990s, plans were introduced to redevelop the wharf and add new functions to a site that had become under-used in some respects. With the new buildings designed to be reminiscent of a ship, the redevelopment of the wharf started in 1998.

The wharf now contains the renovated Overseas Passenger Terminal (berthing of cruise ships) of Ports of Auckland, a Hilton hotel, various restaurants as well as apartments, office space and a multi-story parking building. Princes Wharf also contains the largest apartment of New Zealand, a luxury residence built for one of the wharf's developers with 1,061 m2 of internal floor space and decks of  of deck space. However, a number of the hotel apartments - like many buildings constructed in the 1990s in New Zealand, are having weathertightness issues, and as of 2010, are undergoing substantial maintenance.

The development also contains first-floor viewing decks at the 'prow end' of the development, which are public space like other parts of the wharf, but have long been a matter of legal contention. The wharf developers and the Hilton hotel have repeatedly, and against legal orders, limited public access to this area (for example to use it for private functions), while officially claiming a need to act against vandalism and use by drug dealers. In the discussion about opening up more of the waterfront, the wharf has thus been cited as a negative example, touted by developers as providing more public access to the harbour, but now being all but privatised, as well as inadequate for the increasing demands of the cruise ship industry.

References

Hotels in Auckland
Wharves
2000s architecture in New Zealand
Auckland CBD
Auckland waterfront
Waitematā Harbour

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This weekend IK&P went supernova and broke through the one-million hit barrier, making it possibly the most read non-commercial website about inflatable kayaks and packrafts. Find a niche and they will come, as the bloke from WaterWorld is said to have said.
The last time I congratulated myself on being such an internet hit was in 2011 when I reached 50,000 hits. Back then visitors seemed preoccupied with sharks and shark attacks, as the all-time Search Terms table on the right shows. I always assumed the only reason they'd even stumbled over this blog was because they'd been lured in by my most read post: Walking with Sharks – about kayaking in Shark Bay, Western Australia with my Gumotex Sunny. At 380 hits or 5%, that was the top search term about actual IKs.
Interestingly, the top real search is now 'packrafts' which have caught on in the last few years, but the long defunct Gumo Sunny is still in the top five, who knows why.
The most read pages (left) apart from the front page is… SHARKS!! [Walking with…], followed by Packrafts (also walking with) and a few technical and boat review posts, plus my Bombard post. It took days to write that one.
Thanks to all you shark fans for visiting IK&P.
See you at two mil.
This entry was posted in Alpacka Yak, Cheap PVC 'slackrafts', Gear, Gumotex IKs, Gumotex Seawave, inflatable kayak sailing, Inflatable Kayaks, Packrafting, Scotland, Tech, Travel Reports and tagged alien shark invasion, apaddleinmypack, asharkinmypack, bikini babes attacked by sharks, how to survive a shark attack, I married a shark, Is that a shark in your pocket, kayaks ripped to shreds by mostrous sharks, loan sharks, red hot shark on shark action, rental sharks, shark attack kayak, shark attack!, shark attacks, Shark! Aah Haa Saviour of the Universe, sharks attacking everything and everyone, sharks for hire, sharks up my u-bend, they call me Shark, Walking with Sharks, you'll find no sharks here. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
< Voltar aos meus resultados filtrados
READY to learn: a guide to facilitating workshops on delivering HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights services for young people in all their diversity
Frontline AIDS
Title other languages
Prêts à apprendre: un guide pour l'animation d'ateliers de formation à la prestation de services en matière de VIH, de santé et de droits sexuels et reproductifs pour les jeunes dans toute leur diversité
Pronto para aprender: um guia de facilitação para seminários sobre como providenciar serviços de direitos e saúde sexual e reproductiva para os jovens em toda a sua diversidade
Utayari wa kujifunza: mwongozo wa kufanikisha mafunzo kuhusu haki za vijana kupata huduma za VVU na afya ya mapenzi na uzazi
Renton, Linnea
Luigi, Génesis
Frontline AIDS is committed to increasing the coverage, scope and quality of HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SHRH) programmes for those who need it most, including adolescents and young people, particularly those
most vulnerable to and affected by HIV. This includes work to educate and create greater awareness among people of their health needs, their rights and the duties of the public sector to provide for them. Frontline AIDS has a number of resources to support the delivery of this specific objective, including the original version of this workshop guide, published in 2015. The original version of this guide was produced under the Link Up project, which aimed to make a significant contribution to the integration of vital SRHR and HIV interventions for young people living with and at higher risk of HIV within programme countries. The original workshop was delivered to Link Up staff in Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Uganda. This version has been revised under READY, a portfolio of projects that specifically aims to advance the SRHR of adolescents and young people. Revising the guide in this modular format will enable it to be delivered in smaller, thematic sessions or in its entirety. This is intended to widen its potential use with frontline implementing partners and healthcare providers, supporting them to provide appropriate service delivery to adolescents and young people in their diversity, parents and caregivers.
IIEP
Sexuality education in Italy 2016-2020: a national survey investigating coverage, content and evaluation of school-based educational activities
Case Studies & Research | 31 Out 2022
Comprehensive sexuality education is an important means of promoting sexual well-being amongst young people and is key to preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, sexuality education is not currently included in the formal curriculum in Italian schools.


HaZamir, like all the programs of the Zamir Choral Foundation, embodies our vision of uniting the Jewish community and inspiring Jewish life through song.
Who's donating: Dawn Barclay from New City, NY donated. Thank you!
For more information and additional ways to give, please contact Jeffrey Nadler, Director of Development, at jnadler@zamirchoralfoundation.org or 212-870--3335.


text:
Is virtue its own reward, or do nice guys finish last?
Posted on September 16, 2020 by Salvageable
Yesterday afternoon I stopped at the bank on my way home from work. I put on my mask and got out of my car. A man who arrived in the parking lot just before me was getting out of his car; when he saw my mask, he realized he also needed to wear a mask and returned to his car. Closer to the door, I walked past a frail-looking white-haired woman with a cane. She was fumbling to get her mask adjusted. I could have gotten inside ahead of her. Instead, I waited at the door and held it open for her.
Two tellers were at their windows and there was no line. But one of the tellers was doing bank business on the computer and was not ready to work with customers. The woman I had allowed in front of me went to the other teller, and I waited in line on the red box, as the bank requires these days.
And I waited, and waited some more. The woman merely wanted to withdraw some cash from her checking account and also verify the balance in that account. But every step of this simple process took extra time, starting with finding her card and putting it into the banks machine. She had to take off her sunglasses, find her other glasses in her purse, and put them on. When the teller verified her balance, she asked also to confirm that another payment had already been processed. Even when she had gotten all the information she wanted and had received her cash, she continued to visit with the teller (who gently pointed out to her that other people were waiting in line). Still, she had to take the time to put her glasses back in her purse and put on her sunglasses before she left the spot in front of the teller.
I'm not complaining. I wasn't in a hurry. I felt sorrier for the man who could have been in front of both of us, instead of fourth in line. (Another woman entered the bank behind me before he arrived with his mask.) But I did reflect on the choice I had made, holding the door open for a frail white-haired woman when I could have been first in line instead of having to wait. It further happened that, the instant the woman left and I took her place with the one teller, the other teller finished his task and called for the next customer.
"Virtue is its own reward" came to my mind. In a fairer universe, some privilege or blessing would have come my way because I held the door for the woman and let her enter the bank first. My courtesy was not rewarded; my time was wasted standing in line at the bank because of my choice to let her go first. A second phrase later occurred to me: "nice guys finish last." Remembering that saying produced another rabbit hole to explore.
The saying is attributed to baseball manager Leo Durocher. I remember Durocher as manager of the Chicago Cubs, who for many years deserved their nickname of "America's Lovable Losers." Checking the Internet to see if Durocher indeed said, "nice guys finish last," I discovered several boring and pointless facts. First, the saying is a brief summary of a longer statement he made about nice guys playing baseball and how they rank in the standings. Second, he did not say it about the Cubs; he said it about the New York Giants while Durocher was managing the Dodgers in 1946. Third, the expression "nice guys finish last" is linked to copious literature about human relationships and dating, including many scientific studies seeking to prove or disprove the adage that "nice guys finish last." Connected to the saying and to the studies are observations that "nice guys" may be overlooked in the dating game, that "nice guys" often seem less assertive and confident and masculine than other guys, and that many men think they are "nice guys" when they are merely losers.
Not that any of this matters. More than anything else, I am flailing about, hunting for something to say on my blog, at a time when creative juices seem to have run dry. Not wanting to address the topics that preoccupy most of our minds (mine included) leaves me stuck in neutral, revving my engine at the red light, losing readers by my inactivity.
How is your day going? J.
Posted in curmudgeon	Tagged banking, baseball, Chicago Cubs, courtesy, dating, masks, nice guys	15 Comments
Ebony and Irony
Two dozen years ago Alanis Morissette had a hit song called "Ironic" which was annoying, for the most part, because most of the situations it described were merely contrasts of opposites, not ironic at all. Getting a free pass when you've already paid for a ticket—that, I will grant, is ironic. But rain on your wedding day? Where's the irony there? Meeting your dream man and his beautiful wife? Awkward, perhaps, but hardly ironic.
Here's some genuine irony for you. Imagine an author whose latest project is writing a book about depression. He wants to describe the condition, offer some helpful explanations of depression and some workable remedies, and—most important—make it clear that Christians can face depression in this sin-polluted world. Christians should not feel guilty about being depressed. (What a spiral into deeper darkness!) Christians should let no one tell them that, if they had more faith, they would not be depressed. Christians should stop expecting joy and flowers every step of the way. They should believe Jesus when he says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit… blessed are those who mourn… blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sale." Christians should rediscover the meaning of "the dark night of the soul," the time when faith grows strongest because it has no distractions from the power of God's promises.
So, this author tries to write. But the writing goes slowly, because… the author is depressed. COVID-19 shutdowns and mask wars on social media and the politicalization of every event under the sun has this author too discouraged to put into words his lessons on depression. He wants to address how physical challenges and mental challenges and emotional challenges and spiritual challenges can share responsibility for a person's depression; he also wants to discuss how the solution to depression includes physical factors and mental factors and emotional factors and spiritual factors. Maybe the July heat and humidity and clouds and thunderstorms are interfering with the author's creativity. Maybe the author needs to take a week's break from news sites and social media. Maybe some spiritual enemy wants to keep this book from being written. Or maybe, just maybe, the topic of depression is just too depressing for some authors to address at book length.
I had two dreams last night. In one of them, I was playing in the outfield for the Chicago Cubs. I was not in uniform and had not signed a contract with the team, yet there I was between center field and right field during an official ball game. Twice I had to field ground balls that had found their way past the infielders for a single. In the other dream, I was visiting an old flame. (I hope you know what that means; I'm in no mood to stop and define my terms.) To me, the visit seemed awkward and I felt that I should leave. But she said she was happy for me to be there and encouraged me to stay. Now that I am awake, the dream puzzles me. It would far better match my frame of mind, short-term and long-term, if I had wanted to stay and she was insisting that I leave.
We have passed the half-way mark of the eventful year 2020. I have the instrumental portion of Kansas' "Song for America" running through my head, which is a worthwhile soundtrack for this summer afternoon. The cats are resting; the house is quiet except for an occasional outdoor rumble. I hope that your day and your summer are going well. J.
Posted in My life, therapy	Tagged baseball, Chicago Cubs, depression, dreams, irony, old falme, summer, writing	24 Comments
The Chicago Cubs will be champions again
Posted on March 27, 2019 by Salvageable
Tomorrow afternoon the Chicago Cubs begin their season and their quest for another championship. They will get started in Texas against the Rangers. The roster has not changed much from the crew that won ninety-five games last year but stumbled in the playoffs. The biggest difference is that the players are healthier now, and they are determined to make their fans forget about last year by winning it all this year.
My parents were die-hard Cubs fans, and it was natural for me to follow in their footsteps. We listened to games on the radio back when the announcers were Vince Lloyd and Lou Boudreau. (My father was not fond of Jack Brickhouse, the television announcer.) I vividly remember the Cubs of 1969: Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Don Kessinger, Randy Hundley, Fergie Jenkins—they even had a pair of pitchers whose names were Hands and Fingers. The '69 Cubs were far ahead of the competition all season, only to be overtaken by the Miracle Mets in September. Many people in Chicago joked that the Cubs were going to move to the Philippines and call themselves the Manila Folders.
Gradually in the 1970s the Cubs lineup changed, as all professional sports teams must do. Players came and went: Rick Monday, Jose Cardenal, Bill Madlock, Rick Reuschel, Bobby Murcer, and Dave Kingman. Although they started some seasons strongly, the Cubs never put together enough wins to enter the playoffs in the 1970s or at the start of the 1980s.
This changed in 1984. Dallas Greene had been named General Manager of the Cubs, and he pulled together a championship-caliber team. He exchanged shortstops with the Philadelphia Phillies and persuaded them to toss in a young infielder, future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. Greene traded for starting pitchers Dennis Eckersley and Rick Suttcliffe, and the Cubs won the National League East Division. They were favored over the San Diego Padres, winners of the West Division; but after winning the first two games in Chicago, the Cubs lost three straight in San Diego, coming from an early lead to fall behind in each game.
The Cubs were expected to do well again in 1985, but injuries to their starting pitchers triggered a losing streak in May from which they never recovered. They returned to the playoffs in 1989 but were handled by the San Francisco Giants, who were on their way to an earthquake-interrupted World Series against Oakland. In 1994 the Cubs earned a Wild Card berth in a season that included record-level home run prowess from the Cub's Sammy Sosa and the St. Louis Cardinal's Mark McGuire, but they were beaten in the playoffs by the Atlanta Braves.
Hopes were high in 2003 when the Cubs won the National League Central Division. For the first time since baseball's playoffs involved more than the World Series, the Cubs won a playoff series, beating the Atlanta Braves. The Miami Marlins were the Cubs' next opponent. The Cubs were five outs away from earning the National League Pennant and a trip to the World Series in game six, played in Chicago, when the wheels fell off the cart. Surrendering eight runs in a disastrous eighth inning, the Cubs lost game six, the Cubs went on to lose game seven the next night, ending their championship hopes. They returned to the playoffs in 2007 and 2008 but failed to win a single playoff game either year.
In 2011 the Cubs organization hired Theo Epstein to handle the structure of the team. He came with a plan, warning fans that it would take several years to bear fruit. Before the 2015 season, Epstein hired Joe Madden to manage the Cubs and then signed free agent pitcher Jon Lester. The team came together during the course of the summer and won enough games to be one of the two National League Wild Card teams. The Cubs beat the Pittsburg Pirates in the single Wild Card game, then went on to beat the Cardinals before being swept for the pennant in four games by the New York Mets.
The year 2016 was magic for Cubs fans. The team dominated baseball all season, winning the division by a clear margin. In the National League playoffs they outperformed the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, bringing the first National League Pennant to Chicago since 1945. In the World Series they faced the Cleveland Indians. Trailing three games to one, the Cubs roared back to force a dramatic game seven in Cleveland in November. Despite several puzzling moves by Joe Madden, the Cubs jumped out to a five point lead. Four outs away from a championship, the Cubs allowed the Indians to tie the score. After nine innings the score was still tied. A rain delay allowed the Cubs to regroup, and they scored two runs in the top of the tenth. Although they allowed one run in the bottom of the inning, the Cubs managed to procure the final out. Early in the morning of November 3, 2016, the Cubs were finally world champions. Their previous championship had come in 1908, exactly 108 years earlier. There are 108 stitches in a baseball.
The Cubs returned to the playoffs in 2017, overcoming the Washington Nationals in a hard-fought series before bowing to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2018 the Cubs won 95 games but were tied with the Milwaukee Brewers atop the Central Division. Losing a single tie-breaking game to the Brewers in Chicago, the Cubs lost again the next night in a Wild Card game against the Colorado Rockies. This led to a long winter of discontent and a spring full of hope that this is the year the Cubs will return to their champion ways. J.
Posted in fandom	Tagged baseball, champions, Chicago Cubs	5 Comments
The celebrity roast of Nelson Mandela
My memory is not what it used to be.
Then again, it never was.
I wanted to write a post about something I saw on TV a long time ago and how it affected me. But when I started factchecking what I saw, it turns out that what I remember didn't actually happen. Some people would blame this on the Mandela Effect, saying it really did happen, but the lines of history have changed. Others would simply acknowledge that memory is not as reliable as we generally want it to be.
Here's what I remember: in the 1970s there were frequent television specials called celebrity roasts. These were staged like tributes to performers such as Bob Hope or Lucille Ball, but instead of honoring their careers and achievements, these shows made the honorees the brunt of jokes and humorous insults. The roasts were, of course, heavily scripted. The episode I remember honored Orson Welles. The reason I remember that episode is that, at the end, when the honoree got to stand and respond to all the evening's speeches, Welles deliberately jettisoned the script that had been prepared for him and gave sincere, spontaneous, and glowing tributes to all the entertainers who had just spent the hour insulting him. I would like to think that Welles' graceful and kind example helped me to mature at least a little bit, realizing that it is classier to be kind to others than to return insults with insults.
The Internet confirms that dozens of such specials were filmed and broadcast in the 1970s. Dean Martin was the host for all these roasts except the one in which he was honored, when Don Rickles hosted. Rich Little and Nipsey Russell were frequent speakers at these roasts. I thought I remembered Paul Lynde being on them often, but he only spoke at two roasts. In addition to the many comedians that were involved, occasionally athletes were honored. Two politicians—Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan—also received the gauntlet of the roast.
But although Orson Welles was a speaker at several of these roasts, he was never honored with a roast. My memory of his gracious kindness is a false memory.
Well, not entirely false.
A little further digging has shown that, on October 5, 1978, James Stewart was honored with a roast. Orson Welles was one of the speakers. When Welles rose to speak, he discarded his script and gave Stewart a heart-felt tribute based on memories of experiences they had shared. When Stewart had his opportunity to speak at the end of the event, he responded to Welles in the same spirit. It is possible that he also spoke kindly of the other speakers.
It is natural that, because of Welles' classy behavior at this roast, I would think of him as the featured star rather than merely one of the speakers at the event. This is why factchecking is important: human memory is quite fallible.
Here's another example: I remember hearing an exciting baseball game on the radio in 1984. The Cubs and the Cardinals were playing in Wrigley Field, and my parents and I were weeding the garden behind our house as we listened on a small transistor radio. The game was tied in the eighth inning, and the Cubs had put in their star reliever, Lee Smith, to preserve the tie. The pitcher was due to bat sixth in the bottom of the inning, so it seemed like a safe move to bring in Smith. (Baseball fans will understand the strategy.) But the plan backfired. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Cubs found themselves still in a scoreless tie, with the bases loaded, two outs, and their best relief pitcher coming to the plate. Relief pitchers rarely are called to hit. They are almost a certain out. And, indeed, Smith did strike out in that at bat. But not before Leon Durham stole home. Smith returned in the ninth to finish the game and earn the victory in a 1-0 game.
Last year I went through microfilmed records of old newspapers to find the description and account of that game. Most of it happened just the way I remember it. But Lee Smith was not the pitcher who came to bat with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. The pitcher's name was Warren Brusstar. And while Brusstar was a decent pitcher who won eight games and saved eight games in his three seasons with the Cubs, he was no Lee Smith.
Why would I remember Lee Smith coming to bat instead of Warren Brusstar? Because Smith was the star reliever for the Cubs that year; he was the kind of pitcher you would want to leave in the game to pitch the ninth inning. In fact, I have no idea why Smith did not pitch in that game. Maybe he was injured, or maybe he had pitched a lot the day before. But for many years, whenever I remembered that game, I had the wrong pitcher in mind.
Then again, it never was. J.
Posted in childhood memories, Uncategorized	Tagged baseball, celebrity roasts, Chicago Cubs, factchecking, James Stewart, Mandela Effect, memories, Orson Welles, television	6 Comments
Another post about baseball
Posted on November 3, 2018 by Salvageable
"I don't have to tell you that the one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has been erased like a blackboard, only to be rebuilt and then erased again. But baseball has marked time with America has rolled by like a procession of steamrollers. It is the same game that Moonlight Graham played in 1905. It is a living part of history, like calico dresses, stone crockery, and threshing crews eating at outdoor tables. It continually reminds us of what once was, like an Indian-head penny in a handful of new coins." W. P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe. The novel was made into a movie, Field of Dreams, in which Terrance Mann delivers a speech based on these words.
Baseball has always been a game of strategy as well as talent. From the competition between pitcher and batter to the alignment of fielders on the diamond, baseball players try to outthink the competition. The statistics of baseball have become ever more complicated, with technology assisting the measurement of the speed of pitches and of hit balls, launch angles, and other fine details of the game. Players and coaches study these statistics in an effort to improve. They also study the opposing players, searching for tendencies that can be exploited as weaknesses.
When I was in high school, I patterned my batting stance after Dave Kingman. Kingman played in the major leagues for sixteen seasons, including three with the Chicago Cubs. His stance at the plate was wide, with the distance between his feet greater than the spread of his shoulders. He had an upper cut in his swing long before people were discussing launch angles. In his career, Kingman hit 442 home runs. That's a lot. He also struck out 1816 times, also a lot. Sometimes he would hit the ball five hundred feet… straight up in the air, only to have it be caught in the infield not far from home plate.
Analysis of the 2018 baseball season shows that a higher percentage of runs scored was due to home runs than ever before, and a higher percentage of outs was due to strikeouts than ever before. It is as if every batter wants to be Dave Kingman. Forty years ago, not everyone wanted to be Dave Kingman. At that time I was taught how to modify my stance to drive the ball to right field or left field. The goal was to get a hit by putting the ball where the fielders were not close. In today's baseball games, many teams adopt "the shift" on defense. If they know that the tendency of a batter is to hit to the right side of the field, they put three infielders there and only one on the left. A good coach should be able to teach a good hitter to take advantage of the shift. I remember one game in the 2016 playoffs when Ben Zobrist ended a string of hitless at-bats for the Cubs team by bunting the ball down the third base line. The San Francisco Giants had to adjust their defense to account for this possibility; the Cubs responded with a string of hits, went on to win the game and the series against the Giants, to beat the Dodgers for the pennant, and to beat the Indians for the World Championship. It all came down to one bunt.
Pitching has changed in baseball. Pitchers go through such contortions to add speed or spin to the ball that it is rare for a pitcher not to need major surgery on his arm or shoulder before his career has ended. Batters have to adjust. They learn to react to the habits of a pitcher, seeing how he prepares for each pitch and guessing from those preparations what the pitch will be. Pitchers study the habits of batters, knowing which of them have a tendency to swing at pitches they cannot hit. New players have a brief advantage, since their habits have not been revealed. After a short time, though, new players have to adjust because the opposing teams have learned their habits.
As the Chicago Cubs use the coming months to prepare for the 2019 season, I hope they will adjust their thinking. Learn to hit the ball to the opposite field to compensate for the shift. Level the launch angle for contact with the pitch rather than trying always to hit a home run. Use the bunt and the stolen base to upset the rhythm of the opposition. Pitch more to induce weak fly balls and groundouts rather than trying to strike out every batter. Over time, good fundamental baseball always overcomes the latest tactic or gimmick. This matters, because the one constant through all the years has been baseball. J.
Posted in fandom	Tagged baseball, Chicago Cubs, Dave Kingman, Field of Dreams, sports, strategy	Leave a comment
The Chicago Cubs
Now that the World Series is under way, I will write about my favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs. They are not playing in this year's World Series, but only two years ago they won the World Series, ending the longest championship drought of any professional sport.
Around Christmas of 2016 I told my father that I hoped the Cubs would take after the (basketball) Chicago Bulls of the 90s who won six championships in the span of eight years. I hoped that they would not take after the (football) Chicago Bears of the 80s who assembled a talented team but only won one Super Bowl. I regret to say that, over the last two seasons, the Cubs have resembled the Bears more than the Bulls.
This year the Cubs won ninety-five games. That tied them for most wins in the National League, which is a good thing. They were tied with the Milwaukee Brewers, who—like the Cubs—play in the Central Division of the National League. Because they were tied, the teams had to play each other in one game to determine who would represent the Central Division in the playoffs. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies, both in the West Division, also finished the season with the same number of wins and also played one game to name the division champion. This is the first time that two extra games have been added to the schedule at the last minute to determine the championship of two divisions.
Because the Cubs won more than half the games they played against the Brewers this year, the tie-breaking game was played in Chicago. The Cubs lost that game 3-1. The Rockies also lost on the same day. This led to the Cubs and Rockies playing a game to determine the Wild Card team. Because the Cubs had the better record, that game also was in Chicago. The Cubs lost again, this time 2-1.
It is possible to win a baseball game 1-0. In fact, it happens quite often. Usually, though, when a team scores only one run, they lose the game. When Chicago's offense fails in the two most important games of the year, fans like me worry. Granted, they were one of the best teams all year long. Granted, they have been in the playoffs the last four years, making it to the pennant-deciding games three of those years. And granted, they have recently won a championship in memorable style. But champions cannot rest on their laurels.* Their fans expect them to succeed every year.
The Cubs have assembled a team with awesome talent. This season they had to contend with injuries and other distractions. They still did very well. But only one team can be a champion. Cubs fans waited 108 years to see the Cubs win a World Series. (They won the World Series in 1907 and again in 1908.) They do not want to wait another century for another championship.
A meme was posted on Facebook by a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. It depicted a "participation trophy" for the 2018 Cubs in the postseason. That was clever. It was also painful to see.
The bright spot is that the Cubs were beaten by the Colorado Rockies. There are ten teams in the National League East and West divisions, and now eight of them have blocked the Cubs from advancing in the playoffs. Aside from the Dodgers, who took the pennant from the Cubs in 2017, no National League team has stopped the Cubs in the playoffs more than once. Every time the Cubs faced a team in the playoffs more than once, the Cubs won the second time. (On the other hand, every East or West Division team that met the Cubs in the playoffs for the first time beat the Cubs—until 2017, when the Washington Nationals broke the pattern by losing to the Cubs.) So, according to that pattern, only Philadelphia stands in the way of a Cubs Championship in 2019.
Cubs fans have suffered from the slogan "Wait til next year" for most of our lives. The great players wearing Cubs uniforms today owe it to their fans to do more than participate. They are paid to be champions, and champions they will be.
*The expression "rest on your laurels" comes from the ancient Greek Olympic games. In the ancient world, winners were not given gold medals. They were given laurel crowns—C-shaped ornaments worn on the head, woven from branches taken from a laurel tree. Julius Caesar wore a laurel crown. So does the cartoon Little Caesar of the pizza chain. Laurel crowns dry up quickly. They become brittle and fall apart. Therefore, athletes need to go out and win new crowns. They cannot rest on their laurels. J.
Posted in fandom	Tagged baseball, champions, Chicago Cubs, participation, World Series	6 Comments
Cubs win!
The Chicago Cubs clinched their division by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals last night. Since the expansion of the major league baseball playoffs, few teams have managed to return to the playoffs the year after winning the championship. The San Francisco Giants managed a dynasty of sorts, winning three championships in five years (all even-numbered years). The New York Yankees are the last team to win consecutive championships, doing so in 1998, 1999, and 2000.
I have been a Cubs fan since childhood. We Cubs fans were known for our faithful endurance, supporting a team that had not won a championship since the Theodore Roosevelt administration, a team that had not even won a pennant since the year World War II ended. The victories of 2016 were deeply satisfying, as the Cubs dominated the opposition all season, winning more than one hundred games, and then proceeded to bring home the National League pennant. The World Series was hard-fought, memorable for all baseball fans. The championship was not decided until the seventh game of the series, and that game lasted ten innings, including a brief rain delay.
The Cubs' first opponent in the playoffs next month will be the Washington Nationals. Although the Nationals have never won a playoff series, I am concerned about the Cubs' chances due to an odd pattern in their post-season history. From the year teams had to win a playoff series to gain the league pennant until the Cubs' championship of 2016, they were in the playoffs seven times. In 1984 they came close to defeating the San Diego Padres for the pennant, but the Padres managed to win the series over the Cubs. In 1989 the Cubs returned to the playoffs, only to be defeated by the San Francisco Giants. In 1998 the Cubs and Giants were tied for the wildcard position and played a one-game extra game, which the Cubs won. However, afterward they were beaten by the Atlanta Braves. Do you see the pattern yet? Each time the Cubs were knocked out of the playoffs, they were beaten by a different team.
In 2003 the Cubs returned to the playoffs. They met the Braves again and won the series; afterward they had to face the Florida Marlins. The Cubs were within five outs of winning game six and the pennant when the team seemed to fall apart, yielding eight runs, the game, and (the next night) the series. In 2007 the Cubs were beaten three straight games by the Arizona Diamondbacks; in 2008, they were beaten three straight by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The pattern continued.
The Cubs were sold to a new owner, who brought in new management. The new management rebuilt the Cubs from the ground up. In 2015, they surged into contention, earning one of two wildcard spots in the National League. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the one-game wildcard playoff game, and then won a series against the Cardinals, demonstrating that they could not be stopped in the playoffs by a team in their own division. But when they played the New York Mets, the Cubs were swept in four straight games.
Seven different teams have stopped them in the playoffs: the Padres, Giants, Braves, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Mets. Three teams remain to be challenged: the Nationals, Colorado Rockies, and Philadelphia Phillies. In 2016, the Cubs were privileged to face the Giants and the Dodgers, teams that had stopped them before. But now they have to break their pattern completely by beating a team that has not threatened them in the playoffs to date.
On the other hand, the Cubs have a pattern of winning championships two years in a row—they did so in 1907 and 1908. J.
Posted in fandom	Tagged baseball, Chicago Cubs, patterns, World Series	3 Comments
Posted on August 17, 2017 August 17, 2017 by Salvageable
As we approach the end of the book in the World Civilizations class I teach, I invite students to name the earliest event they can remember happening that is in history books today. Students older than me frequently speak of the assassination of President Kennedy. Students of traditional college age used to mention the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, then the fall of the Berlin Wall. For several years the earliest event remembered by many students was the terrorist attack of 9-11. I discovered this summer that, for this year's incoming freshmen, the fall of the World Trade towers is a historic event; they cannot recall the day it happened.
I remember some events from my early childhood, but the first historic events I remember took place in the summer of 1969. Chief among those events was, of course, mankind's first visit to the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, while a third astronaut, Mike Collins, came along for the ride but continued circling the moon during their mission. I remember sitting in the living room watching the grainy broadcast of Armstrong climbing down the ladder and setting foot on the moon. I remember hearing him say, "That's one small step for [a] man—one giant leap for mankind." I remember the other details of the mission as well. It pleases me that my earliest historic memory consists of good news and high accomplishments, not an assassination or attack or accidental explosion.
I remember the Chicago Cubs were doing well in the summer of 1969; they seemed destined to enter the playoffs for the first time since they lost the World Series in 1945. I remember the heat of August as they began losing more games than they were winning. I remember my father's disgust after some of those losses. I remember the New York Mets passing the Cubs in the standings and taking their place in the playoffs. Reason to hope for success would not return to Cubs fans for another fifteen years.
I remember seeing my first hippies. They were a carful of people with long hair and brightly-colored clothes, shouting happily and waving to the little boy (me) standing by the street. I knew they were hippies. I had seen something on television about hippies and about a concert they were attending somewhere in the state of New York.
I didn't see the documentary movie about Woodstock until I was in college. They showed Woodstock on campus, and my friends and I went into a frenzy of celebrating everything sixties and hippie-related. A few years later I found the three-disc album from the concert in a record store and bought it and played it over and over. Yet a few years later, I bought the VHS package of the documentary, watching it every August. When those tapes were wearing out, I replaced them with the DVD package released for the fortieth anniversary of Woodstock—it contains several songs that were not included in the original documentary, including performances by Jefferson Airplane and by Janis Joplin.
Some five-year-old and six-year-old children today are going to remember the summer of 2017. It will be their introduction to current events that become history. I wish they could remember successes, accomplishments, and acts of human kindness. The summer is not yet over; we still have a chance to make history. J.
Posted in childhood memories, history	Tagged Apollo 11, baseball, Chicago Cubs, hippies, making history, the moon, Woodstock	8 Comments
World Series memories part three
Posted on February 19, 2017 by Salvageable
The Chicago Cubs won their last World Series 108 days ago.
If you follow baseball even with mild interest, you will remember last season when baseball announcers were obliged to mention, every fifteen to twenty minutes during every game, that the Cubs had not won a World Series in 108 years. Their last championship was in 1908, setting a record of futility for professional American sports teams that may never be broken. Their last National League pennant and World Series games happened in 1945. Most Cub fans had never seen a World Series game played in Wrigley Field. Year after year, faithful fans supported the team skeptics called "the Lovable Losers." In some ways, it was more painful to come close in 1969, 1984, and 2003 than it was to accept another losing season and move on to football in the fall.
The climb to a championship began when the Chicago Tribune Company sold the Cubs to Tom Ricketts. Ricketts then hired Theo Epstein to oversee the rebuilding of the Cubs. Epstein concentrated on acquiring young talent. The team in Chicago fared badly at first, while the future Cubs worked their way through the minor leagues. Then, one by one, they began appearing in Chicago. The new leadership traded experienced Cubs for prospects and projects. Epstein brought in manager Joe Maddon. He also signed expensive free agents John Lester and Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward. By 2016 the magic was ready to happen.
The Cubs had won the National League wild card in 2015, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates in a one-game play-off and then defeating the St. Louis Cardinals before being swept by the New York Mets. The four embarrassing losses to the Mets may have been one of the best things to happen to the Cubs; they energized them for the next season.
The Cubs roared off to a great start in April and never looked back. More than half their starting lineup was voted onto the All-Star team. The Cubs' only slump in the season came just before the All-Star break, but they were stronger than ever after that. They coasted through September, using extra pitchers to keep their starters from tiring. Then they met the San Francisco Giants in the playoffs. Giants fans thought that their team should be favored—they had won championships in 2010, 2012, and 2014, so it seemed that it was their turn again. The Cubs denied that destiny. Then they moved on to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers won two of the first three games against the Cubs, causing the Cubs batters to saw at the air chasing pitches the way they had done against the Mets a year earlier. In the fourth game, Zobrist turned the tide by laying down a perfect bunt. Somehow that was the crack in the dam which broke. The Cubs bats awoke, and they easily disposed of the Dodgers.
Their World Series opponent was the Cleveland Indians, who had not won a championship since 1948. The Indians' manager was Terry Francona, who had managed eight victories in World Series games with the Boston Red Sox without a single loss. The American League had won the All-Star game, giving the Indians a home field advantage. That ended up being an advantage for the Cubs. Their young power hitter, Kyle Schwarber, had been injured on the third game of the season. He missed the rest of the season and the first two rounds of playoffs due to surgery and recovery. Now doctors said he was fit to bat and run the bases; he just could not play a defensive position. American League ballparks allow one batter (called a designated hitter) to bat but not play a position, relieving pitchers of the obligation to bat. Schwarber was that designated hitter four times for the Cubs, helping lead the team to victory.
Even so, the Indians won three of the first four games against the Cubs. They needed only one more victory to become champions; the Cubs needed to win the next three games. Once again, pitchers for the opposition had been fooling the Cubs' batters, inducing them to swing wildly at bad pitches. But the Cubs had some good pitchers of their own. Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta held the Indians' offense in check while the Cubs recovered their ability to score runs. The fifth game was a 3-2 nailbiter, but in the sixth game the Cubs broke out early and maintained their lead for the victory. Admittedly, Maddon overused his ace reliever, Aroldis Chapman, a pitcher who regularly throws the ball more than one hundred miles an hour. Chapman prefers to pitch just one inning (usually the ninth), but Maddon brought him in earlier, which would have dramatic consequences in game seven.
Once again the Cubs broke out with an early lead, and all over the world Cub fans prepared to celebrate. Kyle Hendricks was pitching a gem of a game, but Maddon replaced him in the fifth inning to bring in Jon Lester along with catcher David Ross, who planned to retire at the end of the season. After Lester, Maddon brought in Chapman, and the Indians fought back. Chapman surrendered a game-tying home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, horrifying Cubs fans everywhere. (It was in the eighth inning in 2003 that the Cubs lost a big lead in a key game due to a freak circumstance which does not deserve to be mentioned.) Neither team scored in the ninth, bringing the game to extra innings.
Rain delayed the game, and Jason Heyward called a meeting in the weight room by the visitors' locker room. There he reminded his teammates that they were talented, that they had won games all year, and that they were capable of winning this game. A string of hits in the top of the tenth inning gave the Cubs a two run lead. They gave up one run in the bottom of the inning, leading Maddon to change pitchers one last time. Mike Montgomery threw two pitches. The second pitch was grounded to third base, where Kris Bryant, wearing a huge grin, captured the ball and threw it to first base. Anthony Rizzo caught the ball, raised his fists into the air in victory, and slipped the ball into his pocket.
One hundred eight days later, the joy has scarcely diminished. The players are gathering for spring training, preparing to battle toward a second championship. Chicago sports fans have high hopes, but also long memories. In the 1980s the Chicago Bears assembled a talented team of great personality who had a marvelous season in 1985, ending with the Bears' first Superbowl victory. The team should have been a dynasty, but they failed to return to the Superbowl. On the other hand, in the 1990s the Chicago Bulls also assembled a talented team of great personality, centered around Michael Jordan. His team won six championships in eight seasons. Cubs fans hope that the current Cubs will imitate the Bulls and not the Bears. Either way, the names will remain engraved forever in our memories. Bryant, Russell, Baez, Rizzo, Contreras, Schwarber, Fowler, Heyward, Zobrist, Arrieta, Lester, Hendricks, Lackey, Chapman, Montgomery, Edwards, Almora, Montero, and Ross: most of them are young as well as talented. Chapman and Fowler have moved on to other teams and Ross has retired, but the rest of them are back and ready to play again. On behalf of Cubs fans everywhere: Go Cubs, Go! Bring home another trophy! J.
Posted in fandom	Tagged baseball, champions, Chicago Cubs, World Series	Leave a comment
World Series memories, part two
Posted on November 12, 2016 by Salvageable
While the Chicago Cubs were becoming champions, life continued happening. I needed to go to work, teach classes some evenings, take part in church services on Sundays, eat, sleep, breathe, and all the rest. In fact, some unusual events took place during the same days that I was watching playoff baseball on television.
One Saturday morning I began to take a shower, and there was no hot water. The water heater was replaced less than two years ago, and I have had to relight the pilot light twice before, so I threw on some clothes and went outside to light it again. (Our water heater is in a closet that can be reached only from outside, probably to reduce the risk of a gas leak into the house.) Although I tried several times, I was not able to light the pilot light. Instead (this being a new heater), I received an error message—a light flashing seven times, which according to a sign on the side of the heater signified a "gas control or valve failure."
That sent me to the telephone. First I called the gas company, who assured me that the problem was inside the heater and not their responsibility. Then I called a plumber certified to work with gas lines. He said that he could replace the part, but he could not get it from the warehouse until Monday. He also suggested that I contact the manufacturer, since the heater should still be under warranty. After checking the warranty, I called the manufacturer and described the problem. After asking to be sure that the red light was flashing seven times, they said that they could send the part by overnight shipping, but not until Monday, since the warehouse was closed for the weekend. I called the plumber again and he promised to install the part, but he refused to schedule an appointment until I had the actual part at my house.
My family and I were taking fast cold showers. We were heating pots of water on the stove to wash dishes. Mostly, we were waiting for the repair. I stayed home from work on Tuesday. The part was delivered around ten o'clock Tuesday morning. I telephoned the plumber, who said he would try to get to my house that afternoon but might not be able to make it until Wednesday morning. I called him again around four to tell him not to try to make it any more on Tuesday, as I had a class to teach that evening. He finally arrived about noon on Wednesday. It took ten or fifteen minutes to replace the faulty part with the new part, and another fifteen minutes to complete the paperwork.
When I spoke with him on Wednesday, he asked me if I had drained the heater. When I said no, he asked me to do so while he was on his way to the house. I found a hose in the storage shed, attached it to the heater, and opened the valve. When I checked it a few minutes later, water was still coming out of the hose. I was about to go back inside when it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to turn off the valve at the top of the heater that brings water into the heater. Shortly after I did that, the heater finished draining.
Overlapping the drama with the heater was a second drama with a dishwasher. The weekend before the water heater stopped working, I decided that the time had come to replace the family dishwasher, which was no longer getting dishes clean. I checked prices and reviews online, then went to a store at the mall to order the best dishwasher I could afford. I ended up applying for a store credit card to get the benefit of no interest for a good number of months and then scheduled delivery and installation.
The truck came as scheduled, the workers came into the kitchen, and immediately one of them said, "We can't do this." The old dishwasher was too far from the sink; they didn't have the right connectors for our house. They left the new dishwasher in its box in the corner of the dining room and promised to return. After a few days, a phone call to the company verified that they had not scheduled a return visit. Such a visit was scheduled, but not until the Saturday one week after the water heater failed.
Moreover, the day before the water heater failed, our city services failed to pick up the recycling on our street, something they are under contract to do every fourteen days. I waited until Monday, and when they still hadn't come, I began contacting the company. Twice a day I was in touch with them, sometimes by telephone and sometimes through an online chat. Each of ten such conversations included a sincere apology on the part of the company and a promise to get the truck out to our street as soon as possible. I reminded them that I was one of fifteen customers who had been missed, but the one time that week a truck did come, the workers picked up only the recycling from two houses at the other end of the street. Friday afternoon I was told that they would probably wait until the next scheduled pick-up. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" she sweetly asked.
"I know this isn't your fault," I told her politely, but this is getting old. Is there any way I can file a complaint?" There was indeed such a procedure, which I followed. I never heard back from the company about my complaint, but the recycling did get picked up during the day on Wednesday. And they did come back again Friday as scheduled to take what little recycling we had generated in two days.
So all three of these problems were happening at the same time: no hot water for five days, a new dishwasher in its box in the dining room for nine days, and a recycling bin at the curb for twelve days. Was I complaining? In fact, I was not complaining. I figured that, as long as Murphy's Gremlins were busy at my house, they couldn't cause any trouble at Wrigley Field. The inconvenience was worth the reward. J.
Posted in fandom	Tagged baseball, Chicago Cubs, dishwasher, Murphy's Gremlins, recycling, water heater	Leave a comment


text:
September 21, 2018 September 21, 2018 David W. Jones
David and Jonathan – 1 Samuel 20
Read the Passage: 1 Samuel 20
David's Covenant (20:1–23)
Jonathan first appeared in the text of 1 Samuel in chapter 13 when he successfully attacked a Philistine garrison, which was a catalyst for a great victory for Israel. In 1 Sam. 14 Jonathan again attacked an enemy garrison, which led to another defeat of the Philistines. 1 Sam. 18–19 Jonathan appears yet again in the narrative, as he makes a covenant with David (cf. 1 Sam. 18:3) and serves as a buffer between David and Saul. After 1 Sam. 20, Jonathan only appears one other time in the Bible, at 1 Sam. 23:16–18, before his death is recorded at 1 Sam. 31:2. Today's passage opens with David informing Jonathan about Saul's latest attempt to kill him, and presumably the details of his flight to Ramah. It seems Jonathan was unaware of the details given in 1 Sam 19:9–24, as at first he expresses disbelief in David's account. This is surely because he was trusting in Saul's earlier oath not to hurt David (cf. 1 Sam. 19:6).
The fine details about the covenant between Jonathan and David were not explicitly stated when it is first reported in 1 Sam. 18:3; however, it was a covenant of friendship which would have entailed their seeking of each others' well-being. It is clear from Jonathan's earlier actions that he understood David would be king (cf. 1 Sam. 18:4), which he alludes to at 1 Sam. 20:13–15 and clearly states later at 1 Sam. 23:17 saying, "You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you." Saul, too, recognized this fact, although he rejected it (cf. 1 Sam. 18:8; 20:31; 23:17). Given David and Jonathan's covenant, which would be reiterated three times in this book (cf. 1 Sam. 18:3; 20:16–17; 23:18), Jonathan agreed to sound out his father to see if David's fears were justified. Their plan entailed David intentionally missing a monthly meal at Saul's table in order to provoke Saul to ask about his whereabouts.
In 1 Sam. 20:17–23 we learn the details of the plan that was agreed upon by David and Jonathan to test the validity of David's story. At 1 Sam. 20:16–17, they apparently renewed their covenant. The details of this agreement can be seen at 1 Sam. 20:13–14, as Jonathan alludes to David being king and asks that David be kind to both himself and his descendants. While Jonathan is later killed in battle, we see David keeping this covenant as he is pleased to provide for Jonathan's son Mephibosheth (cf. 2 Sam. 9:1–13). The plan suggested by Jonathan here entailed David hiding in a field, which is the same place where he had hidden previously (cf. 1 Sam. 19:3; 20:19). At this planned meeting Jonathan would pass along information about Saul's intentions concerning David via the shooting of arrows and his statements to a young servant who would retrieve the arrows.
Saul's Inquiry (20:24–34)
The narrative records that when David was absent from the king's dinner table, Saul assumed that David was ceremonially unclean (cf. 1 Sam. 20:26). In accord with Jewish ceremonial law, this would have prevented David from attending the feast. However, on the second night of his absence, Saul inquired as to David's whereabouts. When told by Jonathan that David was visiting family in Bethlehem, he was outraged. Saul's response betrays his growing mental and spiritual instability. Whereas Saul had tried to impale David with his javelin on two or three previous occasions (cf. 1 Sam. 18:11; 19:10), he now cast his spear at Jonathan, his own son. Note that Saul's statement at 1 Sam. 20:33 shows that he understood that David would be the next king. Needless to say, these events served to confirm to Jonathan the truth of David's perception of Saul's intent to kill him.
Jonathan's Warning (20:35–42)
With the truth of David's story confirmed, 1 Sam. 20:35–40 reports that Jonathan carried out the plan that he and David had decided upon at 1 Sam. 20:18–23. As they had earlier planned, so Jonathan shot arrows and told his young servant that the arrows were beyond the place in which he was looking—this being the signal that David was to flee. The young servant, we are told, was unaware of David's presence in the field (cf. 1 Sam. 20:39). The last two verses of this chapter give us additional information, as Jonathan and David meet for the second to last time (cf. 1 Sam. 23:16–18). Upon their meeting here David bowed to Jonathan in humble recognition that he was the prince. From this point forward, David would be an exile from the royal court, as Saul's persecution of him would increase until Saul's death at the hands of the Philistines (cf. 1 Sam. 31:1–6).
Given Saul's spiritual bankruptcy, irrational behavior, and hatred of David, how can we explain the godliness of Saul's son Jonathan and his love for David?
Have you ever had a close friendship like David and Jonathan? How many true friends do you have? What's the difference between a friend and an acquaintance?
Like Jonathan, would you be willing to show more loyalty to a Christian friend than to an unbelieving family member (cf. Matt. 19:29; Luke 14:26)?
Have you ever witnessed someone as irrational as Saul, who continued to oppose God despite his failing circumstances? At this point, could Saul have repented?
Since Jonathan was surely aware of his father's spiritual decline, as well as God's choice of David to be king, why do you think he didn't flee with David?
David and Jonathan
Previous David and Saul – 1 Samuel 18–19
Next David's Flight – 1 Samuel 21–22