What does Emerge have to do with ethics? The question came up today, because the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics is one of our major partners.
The answer can't be emphasized more frequently.
The whole point of Emerge is to dramatically address this core issue: We're at a turning point in history – we can do almost anything. What should we do?
That is the core question of ethics: What should we do?
Be thinking about this when you dust off your circus hat and visit our tent. Because we want to know what you think: what should we do?
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text:
«Ain't no sunshine» («No brilla el sol») es una canción compuesta e interpretada por Bill Withers en su álbum de debut, Just As I Am (1971). Publicada en julio de dicho año y producida por Booker T. Jones, alcanzó el puesto número 3 de la lista "Hot 100" de la revista Billboard. Está incluida en la lista de las 500 mejores canciones de todos los tiempos de la revista Rolling Stone, en el puesto 285.

Esta canción también fue grabada por Nancy Sinatra en 1973, para el sello disquero RCA. En 1971, el cantante Michael Jackson grabó una interpretación de la canción de Bill Withers para su álbum debut Got to Be There (lanzado a principios de 1972).

Referencias

Canciones en inglés
Canciones de 1971
Sencillos de 1971
Composiciones en la menor

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Olivet is een plaats (city) in de Amerikaanse staat Michigan, en valt bestuurlijk gezien onder Eaton County.

Demografie
Bij de volkstelling in 2000 werd het aantal inwoners vastgesteld op 1758.
In 2006 is het aantal inwoners door het United States Census Bureau geschat op 1778, een stijging van 20 (1,1%).

Geografie
Volgens het United States Census Bureau beslaat de plaats een oppervlakte van
2,6 km², geheel bestaande uit land. Olivet ligt op ongeveer 268 m boven zeeniveau.

Plaatsen in de nabije omgeving
De onderstaande figuur toont nabijgelegen plaatsen in een straal van 24 km rond Olivet.

Externe link

Plaats in Michigan


text:
The latest new cars
2016 Mini Convertible
2016-01-03 10:00:36.0 By Chris Greener The latest new cars
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Price: £18,475, on sale from Spring 2016
The new Mini Convertible will be available in Cooper, Cooper D and Cooper S variants when it arrives on the car market in March 2016.
Following 12 years of sales success, the Mini Convertible will move into its third-generation as the only premium soft-top four-seater convertible in the small car segment.
Select your New Car Discount today
The upgraded model is larger than the outgoing model, with the Mini Cooper Convertible and Cooper D Convertible both 3.82 metres long, with the Mini Cooper S Convertible 3.85 metres long. All models are 1.72 metres wide, 1.41 metres high and have a wheelbase of 2.49 metres.
© Mini
A brand new fully electric roof that is quieter and smoother than the previous model will feature on the upcoming model, as well as a fully integrated rollover protection system.
The roof can be opened and closed at speeds of up to 18 mph. The two operations are activated by means of a toggle switch on the front roof frame. When
There will be more rear space than ever before thanks to the increase in size, allowing for enhanced comfort levels and freedom of movement in all four seats. Luggage volume has also expanded by around 25 per cent compared to the outgoing model, with 215 litres available with the roof closed and 160 litres with it folded down.
The new model features a high level of standard equipment including a large central 6.5-inch screen infotainment display, MINI Connected, Bluetooth connectivity with USB audio, Rear Parking Distance Control and a Reversing Camera.
The new Mini Convertible's power is directed to the front wheels, with a six-speed manual transmission as standard. This will offer increased efficiency, optimised acoustic and vibration response and enhanced shift comfort, a gear sensor enables active engine speed adaptation for sporty shifting when accelerating and increased comfort when shifting down.
We can help you choose your New Car
The new model will also include a new MINI Head-Up Display, a system that projects driving-related information on to an extendible display in the upper area of the instrument panel.
Driving Advice
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Celia Oi
Change in sense of Nikkei Brazilian identity over time (Portuguese)
Former Director, Museu Histórico da Imigração Japonesa no Brasil
Defining the term "Nikkei" (Portuguese) Brazilian of Japanese descents (Portuguese) Japan's impact on the image of Nikkei in Brazil (Portuguese) Change in sense of Nikkei Brazilian identity over time (Portuguese) Nikkei community concentrated in São Paulo (Portuguese) Changing life styles of successive generations (Portuguese)
Transcripts available in the following languages:
(Portuguese) Well, with regard to the meaning and importance of the term Nikkei, I think that personally, within my life, I would single out two moments. Two or even three moments let's say. The first was when I entered college. There, in college, you end up having a greater consciousness of the fact that you have to become a part of society as a whole, and that you have to in effect be a Brazilian, right.
And I started college in sixty-eight, in the history program, and that was a very important period in Brazil, and throughout the world, which was the period of the student movement. And so there you had that thing, that preoccupation with wanting to be Brazilian. And you end up in conflict because in spite of wanting to be Brazilian, you have this Japanese face, and you're always being reminded of it. So, that was a very important moment for trying to understand these two sides.
And then, in the seventies, beginning of the eighties, when I started working as a journalist for a Nippo-Brazilian paper. It was a daily paper, with a lot of pages, and just one page in Portuguese, which was precisely a page that I did. And later on I worked for other papers, always ones focused on people of Japanese descent, talking about our community, about culture, etcetera. So, that was a very important moment in terms of Nikkei, in the sense of you in effect having the responsibility, as someone who works in the media, being responsible for relating news that is as close to the truth as possible.
And the third moment then was in ninety-eight when I came to serve as director of the Museum of Japanese Immigration. Which is another responsibility because suddenly you're in charge of preserving the memory of those Japanese immigrants. I have no idea in fifty years, or a hundred years, what will remain of the memory of our parents and grandparents. So, I think those were three very important moments, and the issue of Nikkei has always been at the center of my life.
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Ann Kaneko
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum.
Brazil identity nikkei
The Japanese society reacts to Nikkei living in …
Masako Iino
Gidra's Content
Mike Murase
Differing responses by gender to the Hapa Project
Kip Fulbeck
Defining "Nikkei"
Tamio Wakayama
Hopes everyone pursues their dreams regardless of race …
Jero (Jerome Charles White Jr.)
More interviews »
How to Conduct Your Own Interview
This guide will give you the fundamental knowledge you will need to conduct your own oral history interview.


Aha, I I see what the problem is.
I had tried using http and not https.
prompted for my sourceforge password (which didn't work apparently).
> > sure what I need?
> pages on sourceforge on how to check out the sourcecode.
> And I will tell you this once again: _read the subversion book_!
> are the same. Only for you and the project, these are different.
Next message: jackhab: "log on as different user"


text:
Chapter 12 – Yesterday & Tomorrow
Lunch was delicious as always, but Lauren had trouble concentrating on the food. On the walk over, she and Brent had decided to tell the girls together. Of course, she was never certain exactly how much Elise understood of such things. But perhaps that was a mixed blessing since Megan took the news particularly hard. In the end, her older daughter had understood far better than most teenagers would. She had, though, extracted Lauren's promise to come back to them as soon as she could.
She snuck a look at Brent as he talked with Elise about her pony. Of course, she was coming back here. Was it really less than seventy-two hours ago that she had stood in her office trying to memorize it? It all seemed so meaningless now. This was what mattered – her family. Grandmam. Her girls. And yes, him.
That had been the problem. Nothing was ever right without Brent by her side. Life was never complete. She was never truly whole. And tonight, she was going to tell and show him that.
She glanced over to the table where Simone and Jill were laughing and teasing their husbands. Though she could not hear what they said, the love they shared emanated from their faces.
She frowned as she pondered what Brent had said. She tried to think of even one couple among her friends who shared that bond. She could not. She knew that far too many of them were merely going through the motions. For the children. Financial reasons. Or only to avoid the 'scandal' of divorce.
Certainly she had never actually seen a couple like Simone and Samuel. Over a quarter of a century. And the happiness radiated in both their faces as they leaned towards one another, giggling like teenagers. Was part of that the depth of trust that Brent spoke about?
"Earth to Mom. Mum?"
Lauren turned back to Megan with a smile, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Did you say something?"
Her daughter shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Dad asked if you wanted to join us in the barn for a while. We're going to let Elise play with her pony."
Lauren returned the smile but shook her head, "How about I join you all later?" She glanced back to see Jill kissing her husband as she rose from the table and headed back into the kitchen. Simone began to collect the dishes off their table as her husband gave her round butt a light tap. "I have some research I need to do, actually."
Brent stared at her with his brows knitted together, but he just nodded as he bent to kiss her tenderly. "Alright, babygirl. Catch up with us when you finish your research."
"If the two of you don't mind, I'd like a bit of time," Katie stammered as she looked down at her hands that seemed to be trembling on the table.
"Of course. Is everything all right?" Brent asked.
The young woman looked up and gave a slight nod, but Lauren saw the tears glistening in her eyes. "I just need some time to think about some things, that's all."
"Sure, Katie. Take all the time you need. Take the rest of the day off. I'd like the chance to spend some quality time with Elise before I leave," Lauren answered. "Just know I am here if you need to talk."
Katie nodded her head as she stood, "Thank you, Dr. Masters. I may take you up on the offer…later." She walked over to Elise and used the picture cards and Makaton that the school had introduced to explain.
They had been lucky to find someone as dedicated and loyal as Katie. It was almost as if she loved her as much as they did. While she had not had any experience with young children, especially additional needs ones, Katie Alexander had impressed Lauren from the beginning. And when she came to the second interview in jeans and a t-shirt, immediately getting onto the floor with Elise, Lauren had known she had the right person for the job.
She frowned as she realized for the first time that as close as they had all become to Katie, she knew next to nothing about her background. Just that she was pursuing a Master's in Education and that she came highly recommended by her professors.
But her affinity for their child spoke of something more profound than just book knowledge. Did she have a brother or sister on the spectrum, perhaps? Was that why she was so good with Elise? Lauren's brows knit together more as she tried to think of a single time that Katie had mentioned her family. Or even her life before coming to Oxford. But she could not.
Katie rose and said her farewells with a solemnness that Lauren had not noticed before. She promised herself that even if the carer did not seek her out, she would take the time to do so herself. Lauren nodded her farewells as Brent collected their girls and disappeared into the bright sunlight with them, laughter echoing in their wake.
"I'm glad you have come to your senses, child," smiled Grandmam, who had been surprisingly silent for much of lunch.
"I never could keep my secrets from you." She reached across the table and covered her grandmother's hand with her own.
"No, child," the older woman smiled. "From the moment I held you, I knew that you were special. Perhaps the only good thing that Bridget ever did." Lauren saw more unshed tears in her grandmother's green eyes. "Promise me that you'll hurry back here to those babies and that man?"
"Of course. Just as soon as I speak with my colleagues, I will be back on one of Brent's planes one way or the other. You have my word on that," Lauren squeezed the hand that seemed colder than usual. "But between Katie and now you, I'm beginning to worry."
Her grandmother smiled and chuckled, "Nothing to worry about here, darling — just time. My old mind has been playing tricks on me. Thinking as us old people do of the past. My regrets. My failings. Most of all, your mother."
Her grandmother looked down at their hands joined together on the table, "I know that my daughter made some wrong choices, dear. But she wasn't a bad person. She loved you. In her own way. I'm not excusing what she did, child. I could never do that. But…"
Her grandmother paused, looking deep into her eyes. "She never meant to leave you with him permanently. It was just supposed to be a few months while she got settled. Built a new life for you. But things happened. Things that she had no control over. And months turned into years. Years into a lifetime."
"Don't let that be you, Lauren. Not now, not when true happiness is so close to hand. Promise me. Promise me that you will not allow that to happen to you."
Lauren was surprised at the strength of her grandmother's grasp as she clung to her. She studied the woman's face that seemed to have aged in just the short time they had been here. There were dozens of questions racing through her mind. Things she had always wanted to know but been too afraid to ask. She knew that this was it — her chance.
But she was not sure if she had the courage, the strength to face the answers.
Still, she had to know. Had to put some of her demons to rest. Otherwise, how could she truly move forward into the trusting, loving relationship that Brent spoke of? "Tell me, Grandmam," she barely managed to squeeze the words past the lump in her throat.
Tears spilled down the woman's weathered cheeks as she nodded. "Maybe I should have long ago. Perhaps if I had, all of this would not have happened. I don't know. I never will. But you're right. It is time. Time for the truth to come out."
Lauren did not push her as the tears tracked faster down her grandmother's cheeks to fall onto the top of their hands entwined together on the table. Old…thin-skinned, bruised, prominent veins, and wrinkled.
Lauren noticed for the first time the deeper wrinkles beginning to form around her own knuckles. The tiny lines and creases that were multiplying with the years. Time was passing. She, too, was not as young as she once was. The years ahead stretched out and whizzed by her in an instant as she waited for words that she knew might forever change their course.
"I know that you were never close to your father. James Masters was not the kind of man that knew how to show his emotions. If he even had them," Lauren saw her grandmother's throat constrict. "I don't mean to speak ill of the dead, but the truth is that people were never anything more to that man than his possessions. Just something to be owned and used."
"Your mother was just another of those things," she shook her gray-head. "I tried to tell Bridget. From the moment she brought that man home, I knew. What was a forty-two-year-old bachelor doing with an eighteen-year-old woman-child?"
"I don't have to tell you how futile it is trying to tell a teenager anything, especially one as bright and headstrong as Megan and her grandmother. Or you, child. The only difference is that you and my grand-daughter have far better taste in men than your mother did."
"But your mother was never anything more to James than a breeder. A sweet, young, virgin to bear his children and look good on his arm at the right sorts of events." Lauren was shocked at the bitterness and vitriol she heard in her grandmother's voice.
"In exchange, he gave your mother all the things that she had always wanted. And for a time, it was enough. She gave him you, and he gave her a diamond bracelet. He showed her a necklace and told her that she could have it when she gave him a son."
She shook her head, "But that is where the trouble began. Bridget had trouble conceiving again. One year became two, then three. And when she finally became pregnant, she lost the baby."
"Of course, to your father, it was his dynasty, nothing more. But to your mother, it was a baby. I don't know how much you remember those early years, but your mother truly loved you. She did her best. Spending as much time as she could with you, even though James insisted a 'lady' did not raise her own children. That was the job of nannies."
"Things began to fall apart then. Bridget was shattered by the miscarriage. She became depressed. Pulled away from you too, child." Her Grandmam sighed and looked down as more tears fell, "But she did her best even then. She brought me down to London from Loch Lomond so you would have more than just a cold nanny."
The woman's voice cracked as she whispered, "She took some pills. Too many of them. But not even that mattered to James. When he found out, he merely said, 'too bad the woman could not get even that right.' At least then he could begin again, try for a son with another wife." Lauren sucked in a deep breath. She could almost hear her father saying something like that.
"I tried my best, but I did not know how to reach her either, child. I tried," she shook her white head. Her eyes pleaded for mercy, for forgiveness perhaps. Lauren squeezed her hand tighter and nodded.
"Then, she met Antonio. Your father had dressed her up, forced her to smile as he put her on display at some polo match with all the right people. Tony was there, playing for the other team. Young, even more, stunning than Brent, and he was smitten. Love at first sight. He pursued your mother like James had…at least until she married him anyway."
"Your mother got pregnant again," she explained in another of those whispers. "But she knew the baby was not James's. It could not be. He had not touched her since the miscarriage. Damaged goods, he called her."
Her eyes met Lauren's, "Your father found out. He told her to abort it or get the hell out of his house. Bridget was more than happy to do the latter at that point. The problem was James would not allow her to take you. You were his child. His only child. Another of his possessions. And he did not allow anyone to take what belonged to him."
"The rest, you know. Well, sort of. What you don't know is how hard your mother and Tony fought for you. But James was sly. He played the wounded cuckold and loving father perfectly for the judges. He had lost his wife; he could not lose his only child. If they allowed her to take you to Brazil, he might never see you again, even for a visit. Oh, the man was as good an actor as he was a businessman."
"Time had moved on for your mother too. Three babies in five years as the divorce dragged out. Your father took great pleasure in denying her visitation with you, safely ensconcing you in boarding schools, while doing all he could to cause trouble between her and Tony. Without a divorce, she could not marry the man she loved, the father of her other children."
"In the end, they negotiated a compromise. James would sign the divorce papers if she granted him sole custody of you. But even then, Bridget fought for you, child. If she could not be there for you, then she demanded that I be allowed to be. It was not much, maybe, but it was the best she could do." The tears were flowing from both their eyes then — pooling on the table between them.
"Oh, Grandmam, it was more than enough. More than." Lauren choked on her tears as the depths of the truth finally was revealed to her. She could even sympathize with the woman, whom she had met only a handful of times before she and Tony had died in a car accident when Lauren was sixteen.
How many times had she felt torn between her daughters? Worried that she was shortchanging Megan's childhood because of the demands of her autistic sister? How must her mother have felt facing such an impossible choice? The welfare of one child versus the happiness of her husband and four others?
This conversation certainly cast new light on old wounds. "Thank you, Grandmam. I know that must not have been easy for you. But you're right; I did need to hear it."
"I should have long ago, child. It was just that you were so different from Bridget. So smart, and it seemed you had it all together. I was afraid that the truth would only hurt you. Drive a deeper wedge between you and James. He was, after all, the only parent you had."
"Then, of course, you married Brent and had the girls. I thought you were going to have the fairytale ending that your mother never did." Her grandmother sighed as she looked across the table, "Then the divorce. You don't know how many times I thought about telling you then. But I was afraid it was too late, that it might only hurt you worse."
"But time is running out, child." Lauren shook her head at her grandmother's words. The woman might be fast approaching her eighth decade on the planet, but she had always seemed immortal to her. Like the ancient goddess Morrigan, whom she had taught her about.
"Time may be running out for all of us, Lauren. So, it is even more important that you make the right choices now. I don't know if Bridget made the right one. I know that it weighed heavily on her for the rest of her life. That it marred even the happiness she had found with Tony and their sons."
She shook her head as she made the sign of the cross, "Sometimes I think we don't really get choices. That Fate forces us down paths. Sometimes hard ones. And all we can do is to make the best of it. But that is probably my stoic Scot speaking."
"But Fate must have thought he owed my Bridget something because he certainly sent her baby girl a man worth having." Her grandmother pulled her arthritic hand from hers and brushed tears from Lauren's cheek. "I know she'd want you to be happy, just like I do, child. That man loves you. He always has. And he's a good man too."
"You know that was my only other comfort. That Tony was the good man your mother deserved. But she could never let go of the past. The pain. You. I don't blame her for that. I can't imagine how much losing not one but two children must have hurt her. But by letting that pain control her, she could never fully give herself to her husband or their sons."
"I don't want that for you, child. Don't let your parents' mistakes keep you from the happiness you deserve. That that man deserves. Those girls too. It's time. Time to let go of the pain and hurt of a little girl — time to become a true woman. And embrace your destiny. Your calling."
"Time to truly return that man's love. The way he deserves." Grandmam nodded her head towards the closed kitchen door, "So, go find your new friends and figure out how to meet that man halfway."
There was so much more Lauren wanted to know – about her mother and parts of her past that she had blocked out. She had so many questions. For the first time, she also felt that time might be slipping through her fingers.
But, as always, Grandmam was right. She might not have all the puzzle neatly ordered into piles and the picture fully realized, but she had the pieces now. Well, part of them. More lay perhaps behind that door.
She wiped her eyes and went around the table to hug her grandmother tightly. "Thank you, Grandmam. Thank you for everything," she kissed that wet, wrinkled cheek.
The old woman reached up and squeezed her arm, "If you truly want to thank me, child, then get in that kitchen and find out what you need to know to bring happiness to that boy and you."
"I will, I promise. And we'll talk more when I get back."
Her grandmother smiled and shooed her towards her destiny, and hopefully, more pieces of that puzzle.
But Lauren froze just inside the large silvery and somewhat sterile-looking room. The two women that she had sought out were elbows deep in dishes and even deeper in conversation. Their laughter rang off the walls.
And she felt like an outsider. An intruder. It was not a new feeling, of course. Even growing up in those boarding schools, she had never fit in with the other girls. Being a science nerd had set her apart from peers more worried about fashion and gossip. She did not even fit in with the other 'smart' girls, whose interests ran towards the arts and languages.
Only her summers at science camp…with him…had ever felt right. Like she belonged. Lauren wanted to belong again. Wanted the picture of intimacy that Brent's words had planted in her fertile imagination. And these women might hold that key.
She bit her lower lip and cleared her throat, "Excuse me."
The women turned towards her, and she was relieved to see the warm smiles on their faces. "How can we help you, Mrs. Doc?" Simone challenged with friendly banter.
Lauren felt the heat rise to her face as she sought the right words to begin this conversation. But she could not seem to find them.
Jill smiled as she crossed the room to the shiny metal island that stood in the middle. She pulled three stools from the corner and arranged them around it. "I think a spot of tea might be nice, don't you?"
Tea was always the correct answer in her book. Simone turned back and opened the fridge, pulling out what looked like the most decadent chocolate cake she had ever seen. "While I was at the store today, I thought if Doc was right, about the end of the world shit, it might be the last chance we get for a long time to enjoy one of my Mississippi Mud Cakes."
Lauren had to agree as she took one of the stools, and the women finished preparing their desserts and drinks before joining her around the makeshift table. She moaned as she bit into the cake that Simone placed in front of her. "Ohhhhhhhhhhh."
"Almost as good as loud, wet, kinky sex, ain't it?" Simone teased.
Lauren inhaled deeply, grateful to the woman for opening the door to this challenging task. "It's good, but I'm not so sure it's 'that' good."
"Oh, anything, in particular, you want to share, Mrs. Doc?" chuckled her new friend.
Lauren turned to Jill, knowing that after so long living in England, the other woman might understand her dilemma. Jill smiled reassuringly, "If you want, it's really up to you. But trust me, what we say here, stays here. You have my word on it."
Lauren tried to think of the words to ask the question that was burning in her mind. Had been for over an hour now? Her bottom still stung, and she found herself shifting uncomfortably on the hard stool. She felt more heat flooding her cheeks as she dropped her eyes back to the cake. She took another huge bite for courage. But she could only manage to pull the handcuffs from her back pocket and lay them on the table.
"Now that's what I'm talking about, gurlfriend," Simone laughed as she brought another bite of cake to her lips.
Jill was more reserved, "So, have you tried them yet? If you don't mind me asking, that is."
"Yes, and no."
"What do you mean 'yes and no'?" asked Simone as she finished her cake.
Lauren brought another bite to her mouth as she tried to figure out how to respond. "Brent used them earlier," she managed to squeeze past the chocolate.
Jill nodded, "And what did you think? Like it?"
All she could do was nod her head, blush more, and eat cake as she concentrated on watching the spoon move closer to her lips.
"So, what's the problem then?" asked Simone.
"It's my turn tonight," Lauren whispered. Hopefully low enough that they did not hear her.
"What?" laughed the woman. "Your turn for what?"
Jill smiled wider, "I think I know."
Lauren looked up at her over the spoon and nodded her head just the tiniest bit.
"Then you want to talk to that one. I wouldn't know what to do if Samuel did give me the damned things. And trust me, even Doc's Ice Age would not be cold enough to freeze hell over, which is what it would take for dat to happen."
"That's the problem," Lauren admitted even more reluctantly. "I don't know what to do, either."
Jill nodded as she poured more tea into Lauren's cup. Lauren did not even remember drinking the first one. Or finishing off the whole piece of cake either. But somehow, she had.
"I might be able to help you out a bit with that one," Jill smiled. "But the thing to remember is…not everyone is into the same things. Your kink is not my kink is the saying in the lifestyle. Permit yourself to admit that, then go into it with an open mind and give it your best shot."
"So, how do I do that? Give it my best shot, that is. What do I do?"
Jill smiled even wider as she cut another piece of cake and put it on Lauren's plate. "Oh, so much. So many good things."
"I might have to make another cake," Simone giggled.
"Just make sure there is some whipped cream and chocolate syrup leftover," Jill winked at her.
Lauren was humming an old Dixie Chicks tune about cowboys as she emerged into the bright afternoon sunlight. Jill had been a virtual fountain of information about 'switching' as it was called. She and Simone had been full of information about everything to do with BDSM, which it turned out had more than one meaning. Bondage, discipline/domination, submission/sado, masochism.
Of course, they and their husbands were way deeper into it than she could ever see herself being comfortable going. The bondage thing had taken loads more trust than she had and the spanking too, the result of which forced her to scoot from side to side on the chair the whole time. But crops, clamps, paddles, and the rest was way more than she wanted or needed to know.
But she had gleaned a couple of workable ideas from Jill. A plan was coming together in her mind. Cumming together, she giggled as she lifted her face towards the warm sun. She did have to admit that the Texas weather in spring beat the British any day, every day.
But if Brent was right…hell, even if he was not totally correct, things were about to change. For everyone. And she had to do her best to make sure that word got out.
She headed towards the barn to meet up with her family. Hopefully, they were still there. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with the girls. A couple of days, four or five max, might not seem like much, but just like that afternoon in her office, she could not shake this feeling.
The sight? Or was she just spooked by Brent's theories and her findings? Either way, it was not something she wanted to think about: being trapped thousands of miles from her family as the world fell apart around them. For the first time, she understood the desperation that must have driven Brent to do what he did – kidnapping her. Though those words were a bit strong.
As she approached the coral, she saw Katie sitting on a blanket while Jill and Simon's children played nearby. The younger woman seemed to be fighting back the tears. Or perhaps it was the sun? But Lauren could not just walk past without checking on her, remembering her earlier promise to seek out the young woman without whose help these past few months would have been a disaster.
"Everything okay, Katie?" Lauren smiled as the woman shielded her eyes and looked up at her. There were definitely trails of tears running down her cheeks. Lauren did not wait for a reply, merely taking a seat next to her on the blanket and waiting as Katie seemed to collect her thoughts for a moment.
"What, did you miss Elise so much that you had to go and borrow other kids?" Lauren tried teasing to lighten the mood, but it only seemed to make things worse from the pained look on her friend's face. "Want to talk about it?"
Katie shook her head, "No, not really. But I have to anyway."
They sat in silence for a couple of moments as the children ran and played a game of tag in the open field. Lauren decided to wait the woman out. She understood how difficult it could be to find the right words sometimes. She had been mulling over the ones she would use with Brent tonight for hours. Maybe for seven years. At least in her fantasies.
"I need to go with you tomorrow," Katie finally broke the silence.
"What, Katie? What do you mean 'go with me'? To Washington?"
Katie nodded, staring off after the children. Lauren was not certain what to say. Katie was more friend than an employee, and while she would worry more about leaving Elise here with just Grandmam, Megan, and Brent, the look on the woman's face told her this was important. She wanted to demand an explanation, but sometimes it was necessary simply to trust people.
Or so it seemed she was learning. The question was…was it too late? She certainly hoped not. But that was another matter.
"Alright, then. Pack and be ready. Brent says that the plane from Morocco and Jason's will be ready by noon tomorrow. One will fly east to D.C. and the other west to California. Brent is hoping his brother will have made it to the extraction zone by then."
Katie nodded as she wiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "You aren't going to ask me why?"
"No, if you want to tell me, you will. But you have always been more than just Elise's carer. I like to think you are my friend. Maybe even the little sister I never had. Whatever your reason, if it upsets you this much, then I will do whatever I can to help. No questions asked," she reached over and squeezed Katie's hand on the quilt.
Katie's eyes swam with tears as she looked up and whispered, "I need to go back there to try and find my children. Before it's too late."
Lauren shook her head. If Grandmam's revelation had been shocking, it was nothing compared to this. Her mind raced with questions. Katie was so young. The very idea that she had a child, let alone children, left Lauren gobsmacked. But once more, she chose the path of silence, letting her friend's story unfold when Katie was ready.
"They are about the same age as those babies. That is why I came here to watch them play as I made my decision." Katie kept her eyes strictly on the playing children as more tears flowed unchecked down her cheeks.
"I am not who you think. What I seem," she sighed heavily, and her shoulders slumped as if the weight of life was just too much to bear. "I cannot tell you more right now. Maybe never. For this, I am truly sorry," she looked up at Lauren. "Just know that Katie Alexander cared very deeply for Elise, for all of you."
"But I believe that your husband is right. And if he is, then my children are in mortal danger. If the western flank of La Palma does collapse into the ocean, then their families will not have the time to get them to safety. I cannot take that risk with my babies any more than Dr. Jacobs could with you and his girls. I have to get back there. I have to try at least to save them. Please understand?"
Lauren felt her throat tighten. She could not begin to imagine the pain this woman felt. To have given up her children as her mother had was hard enough. To believe their lives were at risk must be even more overwhelming. Perhaps that was why Katie had come with them, but that did not matter right now. Her friend's pain did. "I do. I do understand."
Her throat tightened around the words as she realized for the first time just what risks she was taking. The same ones that her mother had when she left England to be with her lover. The same ones that this woman did when she entrusted the lives of her babies to strangers.
The cold hard truth was: if Brent were truly right, as much as she might not want to think about it, she might never make it back to this place. She might never see him or her children again.
Her heart burst. Her lungs froze like the ice that might one day soon coat much of this continent. Not even the hot West Texas sun could warm her as the panic began to build.
Lauren stood up quickly. She did not want to be rude. She wanted to stay and comfort her friend. But she could not. Not when she needed comforting herself. And there was only one place she could ever turn in times like these. Him.
She did have the presence of mind to mumble, "We can talk more on the plane tomorrow, if you want, Katie. But I need to go right now. I need to find Brent."
She fled as quickly as she could. She did not even have the will to look back to make sure that her friend was okay. She could not get to him fast enough.
Luckily, she found him in the barn just as he said they would be. Elise was still rubbing down the pony though she did not see Megan.
"What's wrong, babygirl? You look like you have seen a ghost," Brent said with a frown as she threw herself at him.
"Please, Brent, please just hold me. I need you right now," she buried her tear-stained cheeks in his soft shirt. She inhaled his clean, fresh male scent as she held tightly to him, her arms wrapped about his waist as if he were a buoy, and she was drowning. Which if he were right, might be the case, she shuddered at the thought.
"It's okay, sweetheart. I've got you. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise," he kissed the top of her head and held her even tighter.
She wanted so badly to believe him. But she knew, they had both learned that late December day: Mother Nature was more powerful than anything. Or anyone. Even their love.
But as scared as she was, she knew she would be on that plane in the morning. She had to be. She was the only one that could do this job. And she had to try. She had to give people the chance to keep their families safe, even if it put her own life and family at risk. That was what they did — their job.
One thing was for sure…she was not getting on that plane without telling this man everything. How she felt about him. The dreams she still held for them. Because if tomorrow never comes, she wanted him to know how much she loved him.


text:
Megumi Takamoto (高本 めぐみ Takamoto Megumi) es una seiyū japonesa nacida el 3 de octubre de 1985 en la Prefectura de Chiba. Ha interpretado a personajes como Winry Rockbell en Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Saito Himea en Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi y Ushio Kazama en Sasameki Koto, entre otros. Está afiliada a Sigma 7.

Roles interpretados

Series de Anime
 Cardfight!! Vanguard G como Hinako Miyamae
 Cross Fight B-Daman como Natsumi Inaba
 Deadman Wonderland como Mimi
 Dragon Collection como Ice Valkyrie
 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood como Winry Rockbell
 Hetalia The Beautiful World como Seychelles
 Hetalia World Series como Seychelles
 Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi como Saito Himea
 Jewelpet Kira☆Deco! como Saury
 Jewelpet Tinkle☆ como Alma Jinnai
 Jigoku Shōjo Mitsuganae como Serizawa Yuuna
 Love Get Chu como Momoko Ichihara
 Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai como Charlotte Blue
 Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza como María Yukinohara
 Ōkiku Furikabutte como Fukami
 Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne— como Kaoruko Jinno
 Rokujyōma no Shinryakusha!? como Harumi Sakuraba
 Saki Achiga-hen episode of side-A como Hina Yamatani
 Sasameki Koto como Ushio Kazama
 Sket Dance como Unyuu Mimori
 Sora no Manimani como Akina Kawamura
 White Album como Misaki Sawakura

OVAs
 Gente sencilla como Winry Rockbell
 Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi como Saito Himea
 Magi: Adventure of Sinbad como Sinbad (joven)
 Mahō Sensei Negima! : Primavera (Haru) como Chao Lingshen
 Mahō Sensei Negima! : Verano (Natsu) como Chao Lingshen
 Negima Mou Hitotsu no Sekai como Chao Lingshen
 Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Finale como María Yukinohara
 Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru como Kayleigh Glanzelius
 Tokyo Marble Chocolate como la amiga de Chizuru

Películas
 Fullmetal Alchemist: la estrella sagrada de Milos como Winry Rockbell
 Mahou Sensei Negima! Anime Final como Chao Lingshen

Drama CD
 Hetalia: Axis Powers como Seychelles

Música
 Interpretó el tercer ending de la serie Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi: Strawberry Eyes.
 Hasta el séptimo episodio inclusive interpretó el opening Nanairo Nadeshiko de la serie Love Get Chu. A partir del octavo, lo hizo en compañía de Ryōko Shintani, Yurika Ochiai, Azuma Sakamoto y Maria Yamamoto.
 Interpretó el ending de los episodios 20 y 23 A-LY-YA! de la serie Mahō Sensei Negima! junto con Yuri Shiratori, Ayana Sasagawa y Naomi Inoue.
 En el episodio 16 de la serie Sket Dance se escucha Gōka Kenran Yaba Yabasu! (Yabasu ver.), interpretada por ella.

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Megumi Takamoto en My Anime List
 Megumi Takamoto en Internet Movie Database

Seiyū femeninas
Músicos de la prefectura de Chiba


Patrick O'Dell's 'Epically Later'd' assumed the mantle of the 'skateumentary' after the demise of 'On Video' and has subsequently inspired a great deal of folk to take a more in depth look into the lives behind the skateboarders that excite them. New York's Ben Duffy is one of these and his latest piece, chronicling the life so far of LA native Anders Nordlow, is as touching as it is informative.
Like a great number of people Anders lives with autism and finds expression of himself through the time he spends on his board. A double ankle injury nudged him down a certain creative path and now he's pushing the boundaries of what is possible to incredible new heights.
If ever a video showed the strength one can achieve through skateboarding this is it. Watch it to see a man deal with his demons, watch it to see the love of a mother for her son or simply watch it for some bloomin' amazing skateboarding – just make sure you watch it!


When I started my kitchen reno back in February, I had planned on replacing my old fridge. If you read that post you knew that my reno deadline was my birthday. Well, it's my birthday (on Monday) and today I put the final piece in place.
Behold, my new fridge. I've waited 15 years to get a new fridge, so yeah, I'm pretty happy.
To celebrate my I'm not counting anymore birthday, I am giving one of you a gift.
These fit perfectly inside of the Ikea Verserum frame, which is what I have this one in.
Enter below. This giveaway is open to all and closes August 24th. Good luck.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, love the fridge and now your kitchen is complete.
Happy b-day. I waited 15 years for a new fridge too! Fun!
Well happy early birthday! The new fridge looks perfect there.
Mel, I already follow your blog through email. Are you on pinterest? There are a number of pictures there of all the work you've accomplished (you're very talented) but I wasn't able to find a board by you to follow.
Adorable Giveaway! Love your fridge too!
Happy Birthday! Thanks for the chance to win such a beautiful prize!
Happy Birthday Mel. Your kitchen looks great. Love the chalkboard wall and there is nothing like a new fridge :). I enjoy following you!
Happy Birthday! I've been established forever so this would be fun to have!
I waited a looooong time for new appliances and gradually got them. One by one. Congrats to you and a big old happy birthday!
Happy birthday! Love your new fridge!
Your renovations are an inspiration - my kitchen is truly an 'after' design now. I would love to win this and place on the new beadboard wall.
You know, the best birthday gift is the one you give yourself! Enjoy!!
Belated HAPPY Birthday--and thank you for the chance to win!
WooHoo! pretty excited about this one! If I win, I will order another one for myself! The fridge really compliments your kitchen! Love it. Happy Birthday!


Vivian Slaughter thought she'd never touch an instrument again. In 2011, when her former band Gallhammer, a grating black metal trio beloved in underground circles, released their last album, appropriately titled The End, she thought her career playing music was a thing of the past. But, seven years later, when the Japanese musician idly picked up a synthesizer that belonged to her husband and former Mayhem lead singer, Maniac, everything changed. That drive to create that she thought she'd lost came flooding back, and her connection to music was rekindled.
"I thought I couldn't make music anymore," says Slaughter, calling from her home in Norway, "but I was a little bit tired of doing nothing, so I decided to do something."
In her years away from making music, Slaughter (aka Eri Isaka) was busy being a mom to her four-year-old little girl, and focusing on work and family. She considered her break from metal as something of a long vacation, and getting back to the grind required taking a new kind of approach to the craft. Instead of heading to the practice room with her former bandmates, Lisa Reaper and Mika Penetrator (who left the band in 2011, prior to the release of The End), she was on her own, practicing the synth in the quiet and solitude of her basement in Oslo.
While the atmosphere was different, she enjoyed creating on her own time, working whenever she felt like it, and making music-related decisions by herself. Soon enough, she started piecing together songs, and spent August of 2017 working on what would become her first solo project, Viviankrist.
Slaughter's focus with Viviankrist (a recycled name from a former band in her teens) is quite a departure from Gallhammer's potent blend of crust punk, black metal and doom metal; the project focuses less on the simmering, guttural vocals she once displayed on influential albums like 2007's Ill Innocence, and more on the intricacies and nuance of noise. "I've always loved noise," explains Slaughter. "I grew up with it, because I am from Japan and there's so much nice noise music there. It isn't exactly electronic music. It was more like really strange Japanese avant-garde artists. So it's actually kind of natural for me to like this kind of music." While 70s and 80s arena rock like Queen and Judas Priest, and metal bands like Hellhammer and Amebix informed the direction of Gallhammer, these earlier noise influencers helped path the way for Viviankrist's already extensive catalog.
Since starting her solo project, Slaughter's released an impressive 24 EPs on Bandcamp that span the scope of early and modern electronic music. Her debut EP, Cold Sun, which took only three days to record, is an industrious ode to pioneer bands like Kraftwerk, Silver Apples, and contemporary electronic musicians like Aphex Twin. On "Sea of Cold Sun" and "Silver Mountain," the gritty, static waves of her Krog synthesizer is like an electronic punch in the throat. On "She Talks Too Much," you can hear her mastering the synth's multiple buttons and dials, mixing and looping a host of otherworldly sounds like an alchemist.
Following Cold Sun's release, Slaughter started releasing a few EPs a month as if on a deadline to make up for lost time. Some of her work is strictly improvisations, as on Free Improvisation Live Works I and II, where tracks go on for nearly 30 minutes. Others are darker in scope, like on Monotransporter and the Natt EP with their sterile, robotic loops and jutting industrial backbeats, or more melodic and upbeat, like on her ninth EP, Skog. Ideas for releases, says Slaughter, come in the form of images and are often motivated by emotions and nature. "I don't think so much about what I want to explain in the music," she says. "But I sometimes have an image like space or the forest. It's abstract, and sometimes it's a little bit emotional like anger or fear."
Fans of Gallhammer will be pleased to hear that she teams up with her former metal comrade, Lisa Reaper (who now has her own electronic solo gig called Risa Ripa), on four projects, including Tokyo and Oslo, where they collaborate and build upon half-finished tracks they send each other online. "We've worked a lot together and we know each other very well," Slaughter says. "Lisa and I met when I was 17, when I played saxophone in a free jazz/noise-style industrial unit. At the time, she was doing some strange stuff with a lot of different instruments and voices. She is the easiest person to work with for me."
On her fifth EP, released in September 2017, Slaughter collaborated with Goth Girl, a Canadian-based gender-queer artist whose own catalog mirrors the same love for harsh noise as Viviankrist. The two hooked up once they heard Cold Sun and immediately asked Vivian to collaborate. "They said my music was really interesting," says Slaughter. "I didn't know who they were, but I checked them out on the internet and I thought [their music] was so good, and I decided to collaborate with them." The 10 and a half minute track, entitled "Weathered Chain," is a pummeling and abrasive voyage through a nightmarish funhouse of scraping metal and demonic sound effects.
She even released a Christmas album, Vinterferie ("winter holiday" in Norwegian), last December, once the snow started falling in Oslo. A lot of her motivation stemmed from staving off the depressive, claustrophobic feelings that come with a Norwegian winter, or a "winter depression," as she calls it. While Oslo is known for its breathtaking winter landscapes and occasional church burnings, its proximity to the Arctic Circle means that many days have little to no sunlight.
"It's not complete darkness," explains Slaughter, "but it's really dark and there are really long nights. The sunshine is short in December, so it affects me a lot." With the constant darkness weighing on her soul, she recorded 60 songs between November of 2017 and February of 2018—and still isn't interested in slowing down.
She's already put out 13 Bandcamp releases in 2018—including July's Dance for Angry Mothers, arguably Slaughters' poppiest demo to date (and featuring her daughter on synths and percussion), and Sundust, a pulsating, psychedelic ride through the cosmos—with plans of releasing a physical album sometime later this year. She's also featured on an upcoming double CD, Earthen, for the UK-based industrial/noise label, Cold Spring, and she'll be playing a few live gigs in Oslo in December. Take that, seven-year hiatus.
As for Gallhammer, Slaughter hasn't laid her former band to rest quite yet, it's just on the backburner. "Lisa said that Gallhammer is not over, so maybe if we feel like it, we'll start Gallhammer again," she says. "But right now, we don't feel like starting Gallhammer. We're just enjoying what we're doing right now."
Stephanie Dubick is making noise on Twitter.


Can you use install any WP plugin on the free version of Wordpress?
I noticed that the dashboard is missing the plugins button so the obvious conclusion is that you cannot but I just want to make sure since I'm a noob at using both the self-hosted and the free versions of WP.
WordPress Plugin for Creating Contests → ← Are WordPress themes interchangeable with Tumblr themes?


text:
Q: react-native-material-ui throw an Unexpected token export I tried to use react-native-material-ui but got an "Unexpected token export"
I couldn't tell anything wrong with the statement...all the references are correct and the code format is correct too
Here is my package.json
{
  "name": "redux-test",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Test",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node server.js",
    "lint": "eslint src"
  },
  "keywords": [
    "react",
    "reactjs",
    "hot",
    "reload",
    "hmr",
    "live",
    "edit",
    "webpack"
  ],
  "author": "Mark Qian",
  "license": "MIT",
  "devDependencies": {
    "babel-core": "^6.0.20",
    "babel-eslint": "^4.1.3",
    "babel-loader": "^6.0.1",
    "babel-preset-es2015": "^6.0.15",
    "babel-preset-react": "^6.0.15",
    "babel-preset-stage-0": "^6.0.15",
    "eslint": "^1.10.3",
    "eslint-plugin-react": "^3.6.2",
    "express": "^4.13.4",
    "react-hot-loader": "^1.3.0",
    "react-router": "^3.0.2",
    "webpack": "^1.12.2",
    "history": "^2.0.0",
    "webpack-dev-middleware": "^1.6.1",
    "webpack-hot-middleware": "^2.10.0"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "axios": "^0.16.1",
    "css-loader": "^0.28.0",
    "google-map-react": "^0.24.0",
    "jquery": "^3.2.1",
    "paradux": "^1.2.1",
    "postcss-loader": "^1.3.3",
    "prop-types": "^15.5.8",
    "react": "^15.3.0",
    "react-bootstrap": "^0.30.8",
    "react-data-grid": "^2.0.30",
    "react-data-grid-addons": "^2.0.30",
    "react-dom": "^15.5.4",
    "react-mapbox-gl": "^1.9.1",
    "react-motion": "^0.3.1",
    "react-native": "^0.43.4",
    "react-native-material-ui": "^1.9.0",
    "react-pure-render": "^1.0.2",
    "react-redux": "^5.0.3",
    "react-tabs": "^0.8.2",
    "react-toggle-display": "^2.1.1",
    "react-tooltip": "^3.3.0",
    "redux": "^3.6.0",
    "style-loader": "^0.16.1"
  }
}

and here is the code
import { BottomNavigation } from 'react-native-material-ui';

and here is the error
    Uncaught SyntaxError: Unexpected token export
    at Object.<anonymous> (bundle.js:4554)
    at __webpack_require__ (bundle.js:556)
    at fn (bundle.js:87)
    at Object.eval (eval at <anonymous> (bundle.js:4548), <anonymous>:11:30)
    at Object.eval (eval at <anonymous> (bundle.js:4548), <anonymous>:77:27)
    at eval (eval at <anonymous> (bundle.js:4548), <anonymous>:78:30)
    at Object.<anonymous> (bundle.js:4548)
    at __webpack_require__ (bundle.js:556)
    at fn (bundle.js:87)
    at Object.eval (eval at <anonymous> (bundle.js:4014), <anonymous>:35:21)

Here is the code of react-native-material-ui/index.js
export * from './src/index';

and here is the react-native-material-ui/src/index.js
import * as COLOR from './styles/colors';

export { COLOR };
export { default as ThemeProvider } from './styles/ThemeProvider.react';
export { default as RippleFeedback } from './RippleFeedback';
// components
export { default as ActionButton } from './ActionButton';
export { default as Avatar } from './Avatar';
export { default as Badge } from './Badge';
export { default as Button } from './Button';
export { default as BottomNavigation } from './BottomNavigation';
export { default as Card } from './Card';
export { default as Checkbox } from './Checkbox';
export { default as Dialog } from './Dialog';
export { default as DialogDefaultActions } from './Dialog/DialogDefaultActions.react';
export { default as Divider } from './Divider';
export { default as Drawer } from './Drawer';
export { default as Icon } from './Icon';
export { default as IconToggle } from './IconToggle';
export { default as ListItem } from './ListItem';
export { default as RadioButton } from './RadioButton';
export { default as Subheader } from './Subheader';
export { default as Toolbar } from './Toolbar';
export { default as Snackbar } from './Snackbar';

Maybe version conflict with "react": "^15.3.0"?
Any idea?
thanks

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Configure clients to navigate through specific wan. Pfsense I have a machine with a pfsense running. It is configured with three ethernet cards.
LAN 192.168.2.1/21
WAN1 200.41.X.2/24
WAN2 200.41.X.3/24
ISP Gateway 200.41.X.1
This is a connection with 5 different IP addresses.
WAN1 and WAN2 are directly connected to my ISP router.
I need a way to configure some clients navigating through WAN1 and some through WAN2. I am new to pfsense so, please, if you can send me some examples to do this. I can add two squids if it is necessary.
Thanks a lot.

A: It's quite simple: just create a firewall rule on your LAN interface that matches the traffic desired (by client IP, perhaps), and then expand the "Gateway" section of "Advanced Features" at the bottom of the rule creation page and select your desired gateway for that traffic.
This technique is called "policy routing", and is present not only on pfsense, but nearly all other routing platforms as well.


The human race has had a long standing struggle with finding purpose and meaning in life. That struggle has now begun to creep into our businesses and organizations, big and small. The emergence of social enterprises and purpose led organizations all point to a paradigm shift in the world of business. The mad scramble to find purpose, sometimes retrospectively, shows the extent to which this has percolated in the minds of the top honchos.
Simon Sinek, best selling author and an inspirational model for leadership says: "People do business with those who believe what they believe. People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it". Articulating the 'why' of the business is treated as a top priority by startups and corporations alike.
Businesses that have stood the test of time have had to transform themselves more than once. Cutting costs and increasing output aren't sufficient factors for transformations. Existing for profits is not enough. Businesses have to evolve to send a message to their potential clients and employees about the purpose of their existence, and how they plan to positively impact the world around them.
Gone are the days when all an employee wanted was a salary with some perks. Achieving job satisfaction and being a world citizen are increasingly becoming the deciding criteria. People are much more aware of the challenges faced by humanity, and they want to be a part of the solution. A business that exists as a means to solving the world's problems, as opposed to just making profits wins hands down in attracting talent and clients alike. It is the transformation that businesses are having to undergo in order to retain their place of relevance in the world.
Unilever has committed to cutting its environmental footprint by half by 2020. Unilever's CEO Paul Polman elaborated about the effects of being driven by purpose. He stated how the company was receiving far more engagement and much more job applicants once people realize the magnitude of their commitment in contributing to a cleaner world. Great leaders have been able to ingrain their vision into the DNA of their businesses, inspiring and uniting employees by common goals and objectives. Whether is it outstanding customer service, or top notch quality of delivered work, or changing the way people do things, the founders and leaders of businesses have a responsibility to set the vision for their employees to follow.
Steve Jobs, who shaped Apple's strategy and made it into one of the most innovative and successful companies in the world, had the following purpose: "To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind." His vision shaped Apple's strategy in the early days and propelled it towards unprecedented success and popularity.
A great business is one that is able to integrate a strong business model and a robust strategy with an uplifting purpose. One way to think about this is that if the business model is like the body of a business and its strategy is like its mind, then purpose is like the soul of great business organization.


text:
BARtab » News
Fundraising by LGBTQ merchants yields mixed results
by Sari Staver
Daddy's owner Arlen Lasater holds the bat he keeps for protection as he stands outside his shop. Photo: Sari Staver
After several well-known LGBTQ-owned businesses launched successful fundraising campaigns, other businesses followed, with mixed results.
Two of the most successful were by South of Market's internationally acclaimed nightclub and cabaret Oasis (raising $268,000 in a 12-hour telethon) and the Castro's Twin Peaks Tavern (raising $110,000 through GoFundMe).
But when Arlen Lasater, the owner of Daddy's Barbershop in the Castro, launched its fundraiser the campaign fizzled, he conceded. As of May 3, 32 people have donated $3,650, barely making a dent in his ambitious $100,000 goal.
"It hasn't worked out so far," said Lasater.
Lasater, a 61-year-old gay man, was strongly opposed to asking the public for money, he told the Bay Area Reporter in a recent interview outside his 19th Street storefront. "I thought it sounded like begging," he said.
But his employees pushed the issue, he said. "Business was so slow that it was clear I had to do something if we were going to be able to stay open," he said.
So in mid-April, Lasater posted a GoFundMe to raise money for back rent while the shop was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now down to three barbers, Lasater said there isn't enough business to keep them busy. "I had just one customer myself today," said Lasater.
At age 46, after a successful business career, Lasater decided to go back to barber school. "I found out that I really love to cut hair," he said. "I feel lucky to have found a career I have enjoyed."
For several years, he worked at Joe's Barber Shop, now located on Market Street, but previously in the space above Daddy's. Once he had a large established clientele, Lasater thought the time was right to strike out on his own.
"We had three-hour waits for a haircut on Saturdays," said Lasater, recalling better times.
Even before COVID, business in the Castro was slipping, he said. At its busiest, five years ago, there were 17 barbers working seven days a week in the shop's nine chairs.
The name Daddy's was not a reference to the BDSM community, Lasater explained. When he was in barber school, Lasater was the oldest in the class, with some of the others still in their teens.
"By the end of the school year, all of the students, the staff, the owners, the teachers, everyone was calling me 'daddy.' And so, 'daddy' came into my head and Daddy's was born," he said.
Lasater is involved in the leather community, and has served on the board of directors of the Folsom Street Events, which produces the leather- and kink-themed Folsom Street Fair and Up Your Alley events.
A few years ago, Lasater asked himself if the boom years were over. After a handful of break-ins, Lasater started keeping a baseball bat nearby and wondered if the Castro had changed permanently.
"It's not news that the neighborhood has changed," he said, when many young tech employees moved to the city, driving prices up on rents and real estate in the neighborhood. "Gay people don't feel they have to live in the Castro any more. We can go anywhere."
The street crime and the people living in tents in the Castro didn't boost the neighborhood's reputation, he said. "If you're going to do business here, you have to take (the crime) as a given," Lasater said,
During a trip to Palm Springs a few years ago, Lasater saw that the city was booming. Lasater had seen "the writing on the wall" and decided to test the waters down there to see if a Daddy's might succeed.
So in 2018, Lasater opened a shop in Palm Springs and commuted back and forth as he watched the newer shop often booked solid.
"No comparison to what is going on" in the Castro, he said.
Although he hasn't made any formal announcements, Lasater plans to continue operating Daddy's in Palm Springs. But without money to pay the back rent, the future of the Castro location is in doubt.
"I don't see how we're going to be able to stay open," he said. "We have had a great run."
Auto Erotica owner Patrick Batt had success with his online fundraiser. Photo: Sari Staver
Modest campaign works
Other, more modest fundraising campaigns have worked.
For example, the vintage LGBTQ erotica and memorabilia store Auto Erotica had a crowdfunding campaign that quickly turned into a success, said owner Patrick Batt, a 74-year-old gay man, in an interview at the upstairs shop at 4077 18th Street.
After 25 years in the Castro, Batt's business suffered from the pandemic's stay-at-home orders. "We don't have an online presence at all," he said. Tourists, who make up a large part of his business, have not been traveling in the numbers once found in San Francisco, he noted.
Like Lasater, Batt was hesitant to launch a fundraising campaign, but a persistent customer talked him into it so he posted a GoFundMe campaign.
Batt set a goal of $16,275 to cover six months of rent, an outstanding bill, and fundraising costs. As of May 5, the store had raised $15,561. "The minute we hit the mark, the campaign will end," he said.
"I'm comfortable now," he said, that the business should be able to pull through the tough times, especially as people begin traveling again.
To Batt, Auto Erotica is much more than a shopping emporium. "I consider this a living museum of LGBT history," he explained. "I am optimistic that despite the neighborhood problems, our business will continue to thrive. There is such demand, and the shop is one of the few of its kind still around."


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Henoch-Schönlein purpura with intracerebral haemorrhage in an adult patient: a case report
Lazarus Karamadoukis1,
Linmarie Ludeman2 &
Anthony J Williams3
Henoch-Schönlein purpura is a small vessel vasculitis that affects mainly the skin, joints, gastrointestinal tract and kidneys. The central nervous system is also occasionally affected, although the majority of patients experience only mild symptoms such as headaches and behavioural changes. Intracerebral haemorrhage is a rare complication of Henoch-Schönlein purpura that so far has mainly been described in children and young adolescence.
We describe a 42-year-old man with Henoch-Schönlein purpura who developed an acute intracerebral haemorrhage that coincided with a reactivation of his vasculitis and the development of renal failure following discontinuation of steroids. In this patient, both the Henoch-Schönlein purpura and his neurological symptoms were successfully treated with intravenous cyclophosphamide and methylprednisolone, followed by a short course of oral cyclophosphamide and long-term oral prednisolone. His renal function also recovered sufficiently not to require renal replacement therapy.
The management of Henoch-Schönlein nephritis remains unclear, especially in the presence of severe complications such as intracerebral haemorrhage. We describe a successful outcome in such a patient.
Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is a small vessel vasculitis characterized by IgA1 deposition in the renal mesangium and in the blood vessels. It is seen most frequently in early childhood, although it can occur at any age [1, 2]. It is usually preceded by upper respiratory tract infections, having a peak incidence in the autumn and winter [1, 2]. In most cases it is a self-limiting disorder and tends to resolve within 1 month of presentation, although it can re-occur in a third of cases [1, 2].
HSP affects mainly the skin, joints, gastrointestinal tract and kidneys [1–3]. The severity of symptoms is usually worse in older patients, who tend to have more frequent skin, joint and renal involvement [2]. The central nervous system is also occasionally affected, although the majority of patients experience only mild symptoms such as headaches and behavioural changes [3]. More serious neurological complications are rare and include seizures, cranial or peripheral neuropathies, intracerebral haemorrhage and encephalopathy [1, 3]. We describe a man with HSP who developed an acute intracerebral haemorrhage that coincided with a reactivation of his vasculitis.
A 42-year-old man presented with acute onset of a vasculitic rash on his buttocks and feet, abdominal pain and arthralgia. This had been preceded by an episode of sore throat 10 days previously. He was found to be hypertensive with a blood pressure (BP) of 158/104 mmHg and he had marked peripheral oedema. He was not known to be hypertensive and he had no other past medical history. Urine dipstick was positive for 3+ of blood and 4+ of protein. His urinary protein to creatinine ratio (PCR) was elevated at 283. There was a significant increase of his serum creatinine from 108 to 152 μmol/l. He received three doses of intravenous methylprednisolone 500 mg, followed by oral cyclophosphamide 100 mg once daily and prednisolone 60 mg once daily. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and antinuclear antibodies were negative. A renal biopsy was performed which showed diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis with marked IgA staining compatible with Henoch-Schönlein nephritis (Figures 1 and 2). Over the following few days his serum creatinine increased to 300 μmol/l, but subsequently returned to 151 μmol/l. His rash and the other systemic features also resolved. In the absence of any crescents in the renal biopsy, the cyclophosphamide was discontinued and he was discharged home on oral prednisolone 50 mg daily. However, because of severe indigestion despite taking omeprazole 20 mg once daily, the prednisolone was reduced to 30 mg once daily soon after.
Glomerulus demonstrating increased mesangial cellularity and endocapillary proliferation.
Immunostaining for IgA.
Upon review 2 weeks later the patient's rash had returned and he remained hypertensive with a BP of 145/95 mmHg. He was therefore prescribed azathioprine 100 mg and ramipril 1.25 mg daily and the prednisolone was increased again to 40 mg once daily. Unfortunately he was again unable to tolerate the increased dose of steroids due to gastrointestinal side effects and the prednisolone was therefore discontinued.
One week later he presented to the accident and emergency department with sudden onset of a severe headache, right-sided weakness and expressive dysphasia, followed by a generalized seizure. He was hypertensive with a BP of 194/115 but with no papilloedema. Initial investigations showed a serum creatinine concentration of 438 μmol/l, haemoglobin of 11.2 g/dl, a white cell count of 10.9 × 109/litre, a platelet count of 2269 × 109/litre, prothrombin time of 14 seconds and activated partial thromboplastin time of 28 seconds. He was transferred to the intensive therapy unit where he was intubated and ventilated for 24 hours. A computed tomography scan of his head confirmed a large left internal capsule haemorrhage, but showed no mass effect (Figure 3). He was treated with four doses of intravenous methylprednisolone 500 mg and one dose of intravenous cyclophosphamide 750 mg, which was followed by oral prednisolone 40 mg once daily and cyclophosphamide 100 mg once daily. Although his dysphasia and weakness were improving, his renal function declined rapidly and he required haemodialysis.
Computed tomography scan of the head demonstrating left internal capsule haemorrhage.
The cyclophosphamide was discontinued 2 weeks later and the patient was discharged home on oral prednisolone 25 mg once daily. Four weeks after the acute admission he had made an almost complete recovery from the intracerebral haemorrhage apart from some mild dysphasia and his renal function improved enough not to need renal replacement therapy. One year later he remains well and dialysis-independent with a serum creatinine of 295 μmol/l, but has continued taking oral prednisolone 10 mg once daily, a dose which is gradually being reduced. His PCR has improved to 87 and urine dipstick has remained positive for blood 1+ and protein 1+.
Intracerebral haemorrhage is a rare complication of HSP that so far has mainly been described in children and young adolescents [3–9]. Apart from this case, there is only one other published report in an older patient, to the best of our knowledge [10]. Such patients may develop acute elevations in BP, and this is considered to be the primary mechanism of intracerebral haemorrhage [11]. However, other possible causes include the presence of cerebral vasculitis and the increased risk of haemorrhagic complications seen in patients with HSP. The increased risk of bleeding in HSP has been attributed to reduced levels of factor XIII [4] and prothrombin [5]. Other reported sites of bleeding in patients with HSP include the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, testicles and bladder [6]. Intracerebral haemorrhage in patients with HSP has been successfully treated in the past with surgical evacuation of the haematoma [7], steroids [8] or plasmapheresis if cerebral vasculitis is confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging [9]. The underlying coagulopathy should also be corrected [4, 5].
HSP nephritis may affect as many as 80% of adult patients with HSP and approximately 30% of them will develop chronic kidney disease [2]. Adverse prognostic indicators for progression of HSP nephritis are the presence of crescents on biopsy, more than 1 g of proteinuria per 24 hours and renal impairment on presentation [2]. The optimal treatment of HSP nephritis remains unclear, because of the lack of prospective randomized trials. Intravenous pulse methylprednisolone followed by oral steroids has been shown to be effective in the management of severe HSP nephritis [12]. Other possible treatment regimens for severe HSP nephritis include a combination of corticosteroids with cyclophosphamide, azathioprine or cyclosporin [1, 2].
Intracerebral haemorrhage is a rare complication of HSP that may be caused by acute hypertension, cerebral vasculitis, and the increased risk of bleeding observed in this disorder. Although our patient was severely hypertensive at the time of presentation, both the HSP nephritis and his neurological symptoms were successfully treated with intravenous cyclophosphamide and methylprednisolone, followed by a short course of oral cyclophosphamide and long-term oral prednisolone. His renal function recovered enough not to require renal replacement therapy.
HSP:
Henoch-Schönlein purpura
protein to creatinine ratio.
Saulsbury FT: Clinical update: Henoch-Schönlein purpura. Lancet. 2007, 369: 976-978. 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60474-7.
Kellerman PS: Henoch-Schönlein purpura in adults. Am J Kidney Dis. 2006, 48: 1009-1016. 10.1053/j.ajkd.2006.08.031.
Sevcan AB, Mesiha E, Necmiye T, Gûlhis D, Erden İlhan, Tansel E: Cerebral vasculitis in Henoch-Schönlein purpura. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2000, 15: 246-248. 10.1093/ndt/15.2.246.
Imai T, Okada H, Nanba M, Kawada K, Kusaka T, Itoh S: Henoch-Schönlein purpura with intracerebral hemorrhage. Brain Dev. 2002, 24: 115-117. 10.1016/S0387-7604(02)00015-3.
Clark JH, Fitzgerald JF: Hemorrhagic complications of Henoch-Schönlein syndrome. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1985, 4: 311-315.
Chiaretti A, Caresta E, Piastra M, Pulitano S, Di Rocco C: Cerebral hemorrhage in Henoch-Schönlein syndrome. Childs Nerv Syst. 2002, 18: 365-367. 10.1007/s00381-002-0584-1.
Altinors N, Cepoglu C: Surgically treated intracerebral hematoma in a child with Henoch-Schönlein purpura. J Neurosurg Sci. 1991, 35: 47-49.
Ng CC, Huang SC, Huang LT: Henoch-Schönlein purpura with intracerebral hemorrhage: case report. Pediatr Radiol. 1996, 26: 276-277. 10.1007/BF01372111.
Wen YK, Yang Y, Chang CC: Cerebral vasculitis and intracerebral hemorrhage in Henoch-Schönlein purpura treated with plasmapheresis. Pediatr Nephrol. 2005, 20: 223-225. 10.1007/s00467-004-1673-z.
Lévaif F, Szücs LH, Jászai Z: Cerebral hemorrhage and acute glomerulonephritis in Schonlein-Henoch syndrome in old age. Z Gesamte Inn Med. 1971, 26: 309-311.
Sang-Wuk J, Keun-Hwa J, Kon C, Hee-Joon B, Seung-Hoon L, Jae-Kyu R: Clinical and radiologic differences between primary intracerebral hemorrhage with and without microbleeds on gradient-echo magnetic resonance images. Arch Neurol. 2004, 61: 905-909. 10.1001/archneur.61.6.905.
Niaudet P, Habib R: Methylprednisolone pulse therapy in the treatment of severe forms of Schonlein-Henoch purpura nephritis. Pediatr Nephrol. 1998, 12: 238-243. 10.1007/s004670050446.
The Richard Bright Renal Unit, Southmead Hospital, Westbury upon Trym, Bristol, BS10 5NB, UK
Lazarus Karamadoukis
Department of Histopathology, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Great Western Road, Gloucester, GL1 3NN, UK
Linmarie Ludeman
Cotswold Dialysis Centre, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Great Western Road, Gloucester, GL1 3NN, UK
Anthony J Williams
Search for Lazarus Karamadoukis in:
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Correspondence to Lazarus Karamadoukis.
LK wrote the initial draft of the manuscript. LL provided the renal biopsy pictures and wrote the legends. AJW revised and help to write the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Karamadoukis, L., Ludeman, L. & Williams, A.J. Henoch-Schönlein purpura with intracerebral haemorrhage in an adult patient: a case report. J Med Case Reports 2, 200 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-1947-2-200
Renal Replacement Therapy
Intracerebral Haemorrhage
Oral Prednisolone
Proliferative Glomerulonephritis


text:
INRI è il secondo album in studio del gruppo musicale statunitense Psyclon Nine, pubblicato nel 2005.

Tracce

Formazione
Nero Bellum - voce, chitarra
Josef Heresy - sintetizzatore
Eric Gottesman - basso
Marisa Lenhardt - batteria

Collegamenti esterni


text:
Arro (korziško Arru) je naselje in občina v francoskem departmaju Corse-du-Sud regije - otoka Korzika. Leta 2008 je naselje imelo 75 prebivalcev.

Geografija
Kraj leži v zahodnem delu otoka Korzike 38 km severno od središča Ajaccia.

Uprava
Občina Arro skupaj s sosednjimi občinami Ambiegna, Azzana, Calcatoggio, Cannelle, Casaglione, Lopigna, Pastricciola, Rezza, Rosazia, Salice, Sari-d'Orcino in Sant'Andréa-d'Orcino  sestavlja kanton Cruzini-Cinarca s sedežem v Sari-d'Orcinu. Kanton je sestavni del okrožja Ajaccio.

Naselja departmaja Corse-du-Sud


This essay analyzes how political and ideological changes affect public bureaucracy and its relationship with civil society regarding different strategies of openness to participation. We suggest a theoretical-conceptual framework to discuss aspects of the political situation in Latin America. First, we discuss the changes that occurred over time, in the state-civil society relationship, which strengthen the latter and amplify a discourse for more participatory democracy. The focus is the role of the public bureaucracy in mediating the relations among the several actors in society, and we examine the way different political and ideological strands influence how open to participation the bureaucracy is in different periods. The literature review indicates two trends in the state-civil society relationship: technocrat and popular. These reflect the two main ideologies affecting the behavior of public bureaucrats when it comes to participation. We argue that in Latin America, although there is a swing around two different old-fashioned ideologies, both of them reinforce the centrality of the state and its bureaucracy. Therefore, dominant ideologies are not helpful in responding to the need for a deeper state-society re-articulation, which indicates the need and the possibility of building a new ideological approach.
Faria Zimmer Santos, Grazielli and Chies Schommer, Paula (2018) "Bureaucracy, Civil Society and Ideology in Latin America," Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance: Vol. 2 : Iss. 3 , Article 4.