Matt Said Jay Said 7-5-7

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal">Matt rhymes, Jay free verses, You just don’t get it. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Matt: I’m here you big stud! <br />Jay: You got me anytime you want me big boy! <br />Matt: Who you calling “boy” bud? <br />Jay: YOU! <br />Matt: I’m a grown-ass man.<br />Jay: You don’t act like. <br />Matt: That’s not the point! <br />Jay: Oh, okay. <br />Matt: Like you’re “Mr. Mature!” <br />Jay: That’s a great nickname for me. <br />Matt: Or maybe “Mr. NOT Mature” <br />Jay: Pffffffffffffftttttt! <br />Matt: See! <br />Jay: Oh hey! <br />Matt: What? <br />Jay: Bryan Fischer says Obama was photoshopped into the Situation Room Photo<br />Matt: Oh I know! What a moron. <br />Jay: RIGHT? You can’t trust people who spell Bryan with a “Y.”<br />Matt: Nooooo Nor people who add a superfluous “C” to Fisher. <br />Jay: Exactly. Can’t believe the cable channels haven’t called us on this one. <br />Matt: I know! We were there so we know Obama was in the room… <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBLXEFumGqNYHKyb3KtFDvyiNpbYTcuqHluQTGZGddU7WHpvE40DlyJ5SQl2pcHDq-k_GPL2PVYSQqrwI3UJLlo9nq15KYZ1Dd1uhcMSU-1sZwFTsLrPCTS0ah-Kq3gY0VjslHPPuwlIF/s1600/Obama+Situation+Room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBLXEFumGqNYHKyb3KtFDvyiNpbYTcuqHluQTGZGddU7WHpvE40DlyJ5SQl2pcHDq-k_GPL2PVYSQqrwI3UJLlo9nq15KYZ1Dd1uhcMSU-1sZwFTsLrPCTS0ah-Kq3gY0VjslHPPuwlIF/s1600/Obama+Situation+Room.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Jay: Just another example of us not getting our due. <br />Matt: All I get is “payment due!” <br />Jay: Hey-OOOOOOOOOOOOOO! <br />Matt: My pain fuels my humor. <br />Jay: That it does. <br />Matt: Happy people are never funny. <br />Jay: No, they’re too busy bragging about how happy they are. <br />Matt: So damn boring. <br />Jay: IKR? All that cheeriness gets old fast. <br />Matt: And, they can’t be great comedians, writers or poets if they’re happy. <br />Jay: Exactly! Nothing to push the creativity out of them. <br />Matt: Just happy little boring blobs is all they are. <br />Jay: Well, they can be potaters. <br />Matt: What are potaters? <br />Jay: Bad poets who think they’re good.<br />Matt: Do you know any potaters? <br />Jay: Jewel<br />Matt: Ohhhhh yeahhhhhhhh! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1NwCWenkz_bhCTJXvxsEJRQpfe5R24veX62DV5hrCkXDdYGTWUhh3nKD238G8LdI91RsyZadNOQ9cwqJdIzCI_Ta3VfJm7Prm_6ZD9Jyh-LEh5BrVAUhjmcA84szqUbIKaVog2_MTIjm/s1600/Jewel+Bikini+Nude+Cleavage+Hot+Sexy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1NwCWenkz_bhCTJXvxsEJRQpfe5R24veX62DV5hrCkXDdYGTWUhh3nKD238G8LdI91RsyZadNOQ9cwqJdIzCI_Ta3VfJm7Prm_6ZD9Jyh-LEh5BrVAUhjmcA84szqUbIKaVog2_MTIjm/s640/Jewel+Bikini+Nude+Cleavage+Hot+Sexy.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Matt: Speaking of bad poetry … <br />Jay: And we were<br />Matt: Sunday is <a href="http://www.dates.abouttravelingtheworld.com/special-holidays/national-bad-poetry-day/">National Bad Poetry Day</a>! <br />Jay: Well then! <br />Matt: Right??!! <br />Jay: All of our correspondents can record some poetry<br />Matt: It’ll be a beautiful thing. <br />Jay: And maybe some Tumbr poetry<br />Matt: And Facebook poetry<br />Jay: This is gonna be awesome! <br />Matt: And you know what else?<br />Jay: There’s MORE?!<br />Matt: Luis the Ice Man took the Oath and is an American! <br />Jay: He’s got to come on the show then.<br />Matt: He will! <br />Jay: Awesome!!! <br />Matt: Oh this is gonna be HUGE! <br />Jay: What a monster show! <br />Matt: I can’t wait! <br />Jay: Me either! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Be sure to catch “<a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/08/18/bad-poetry-in-motion">Bad Poetry in Motion</a>” on IWS Radio Sunday at 12 Noon ET!!! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div>

Matt Said Jay Said 7-5-7

Matt rhymes, Jay free verses, You just don’t get it. Matt: I’m here you big stud! Jay: You got me anytime you want me big boy! Matt: Who you...

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Book Talk and Review: A Country of Cities

<a href="http://www.artbook.com/9781935202172.html"><b><i>A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America</i></b></a> by Vishaan Chakrabarti<br />Metropolis Books, 2013<br />Hardcover, 252 pages<br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQINwRSkCBL-QAHqPJy5hPXedNlaYFOq8q77vN3IwDKezJgE4exJf-DaS_18pskaWKxVQQAZRrGTyY8e8hRCjqiCLfFKtAw9pm9Urn1ICIihWULPlzGf7ORyFI26-P_9XZUIMRzecgu-L/s1600/artbook_2273_30465543.jpg" /><br /><br />On Monday, Vishaan Chakrabarti gave <a href="http://cfa.aiany.org/index.php?section=calendar&evtid=5790">a book talk at the Center for Architecture</a> on <i>A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America</i>, published by Metropolis Books. The SHoP Architects partner and Columbia University professor presented the major arguments from the self-described manifesto, accompanied by illustrations from the book. Those in the full-house crowd left with a fairly good understanding of what Chakrabarti envisions for America: dense urban environments served by local and regional rail infrastructure. The basic treatise of the book is "it's all about density," based on the assertion that environmental sustainability and economic opportunities are greater in cities.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKjDZvWTLlOO8wzalvouEAwA9Krf7iYjHf8dHj86eDWs0cqCadPlX9_YYsvSBhbOfG6Kblfxd9Z0p8JWaVFp7vqiVDYOad1xDoPJitnjJFWu936FkQJ_bhhlFGSnJg2d86nYA9hPR49Bt/s640/vishaan-cfa.jpg" width="450" /><br />[Photo courtesy of Center for Architecture]<br /><br />For a city dweller, like me, who won't need much convincing that cities are better (healthier, more diverse, more interesting) places than suburbs, the book's value lies in how it convinces others of urban benefits and what it proposes for shifting the focus of American development, infrastructure, and subsidies from the sprawling suburbs and exurbs to compact cities. Attempts at convincing can be found in how Chakrabarti writes the book: "economics, environmentalism, joy; all under one umbrella that laypeople can understand" (to paraphrase what he said in the book talk). The accessibility of the text can be found in now only how he writes, but in what he references to help people understand his position.<br /><br />Most memorable is a discussion of an episode of <i>Bob the Builder</i>, which pits Bob and his 1-house-per-4-acre plan against an architect's city of towers for Sunflower Valley. Bob's winning scheme says a lot about what Chakrabarti calls the "American Scheme," in which the "American Dream" of opportunity has been replaced by that of home ownership and inefficient land use. Another way that the book is geared toward laypeople is through the illustrations. These are quantitative visualizations in most cases, yet many of the diagrams are more polemical (the sprawl-vs-city illustration below is a good example)—all of them do a good job of paralleling the text and explaining often complex concepts.<br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMrp7A9NL004rTeomW5qqXOs1cJP0tGmWiJvmEJm94ILFGlM1xftjxmQA-SeDGoXg-FLr8zaojogblYYGvbQIiuQRs3ybH8FrS8AGpSs8h8Nvm7FoBaudr9aaAluZEnfOsHrdW6ppEBbf/s1600/chakrabarti-hyperdensity-10-zoom.jpg" /><br />[Photo via <a href="http://places.designobserver.com/feature/a-country-of-cities-building-hyperdensity/37899/">Design Observer</a>]<br /><br />So what does Chakrabarti propose for enabling the shift from what he calls a country of "highways, houses, and hedges" to one of "trains, towers, and trees"? Following from his desire to make things understandable to a wide audience, he gives one of his proposals an acronym, ASIA (American Smart Infrastructure Act). (The irony of referring to the continent that is fast becoming the world's largest polluter is not lost on Chakrabarti, especially considering they are the most innovative corner of the globe when it comes to infrastructure.) His basic proposal reorients the subsidies that now are funneled into the suburbs so they serve cities.<br /><br />In order to achieve the magic density of 30 dwelling units per acre (what he considers the baseline for sustaining a subway), cities require decent public transportation, which in turn require subsidies; they also need affordable housing, not mortgage interest deductions for single-family houses. These are big ideas and bigger plans that require substantial political and economic muscle to implement. It's understandable that <a href="http://archrecord.construction.com/features/critique/books/2013/1308-A-Country-of-Cities.asp">one reviewer interprets the book</a> by the architect/academic/one-time developer/former director of city planning as "the groundwork for another career switch, into New York City politics."<br /><br />Speaking of NYC, underlying the whole book is the notion that the city, Chakrabarti's home, is the model for an American "country of cities." This arises from the numerous examples used throughout the book (many by SHoP Architects, like Barclays Center in Brooklyn and the East River Esplanade near the South Street Seaport) and the way many of the ideas seem rooted in the city's built environment and infrastructure. As someone who also lives in NYC—in Queens, rather than Manhattan—I can appreciate the positive qualities of the city, but I also find the massive inequalities and catering to the rich to be characteristics of the current NYC not worth replicating.<br /><br />That said, the core of Chakrabarti's book—that "hyper-dense" cities are environmentally sustainable, rich in economic opportunity, and full of joy—and the way he explains how to "make a good city" are general lessons that need to be told. Through his accessible text and illustrations the arguments for density go down easy and convincingly—good medicine for a sustainable and equitable future. <br /><br /><b>US: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935202170/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1935202170&link_code=as3&tag=aweeklydoseof-20" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/buy-from-tan.gif" /></a> CA: <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1935202170/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1935202170&link_code=as3&tag=aweeklydoseof-20" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy from Amazon.ca" border="0" height="28" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/buy-from-tan-ca.gif" width="90" /></a> UK: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1935202170/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1935202170&link_code=as3&tag=aweeklydoseof-20" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy from Amazon.co.uk" border="0" height="28" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/buy-from-tan-uk.gif" width="90" /></a></b>

Book Talk and Review: A Country of Cities

A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America by Vishaan Chakrabarti Metropolis Books, 2013 Hardcover, 252 pages On Monday, Vishaan...

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Kick-Ass 2: Still bustin' skulls

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>Kick-Ass 2</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/universal/kickass2/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>3.5 stars. Rating: R, for profanity, brief nudity, crude sexuality, plenty of violence and buckets o' blood</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • </b></span>Originally published in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 8.16.13</b></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sequels are <i>de rigueur</i> in the comic book world, even when the material doesn’t necessarily demand subsequent chapters. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7v0-v9_vq72Cn1Iw0ZFPJzE03mDC4L-Hxsj8cHHZKy4GJkXMuzb9Moq-Nj84ZqIxauw2IjwEGQjoSTAEn15xI3yX4FtLRYUw8Hlde0x8xqAUtkO43fhXVwG783Y-jiqALv8GKRSN6e4w/s1600/Kick+Ass+2+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7v0-v9_vq72Cn1Iw0ZFPJzE03mDC4L-Hxsj8cHHZKy4GJkXMuzb9Moq-Nj84ZqIxauw2IjwEGQjoSTAEn15xI3yX4FtLRYUw8Hlde0x8xqAUtkO43fhXVwG783Y-jiqALv8GKRSN6e4w/s400/Kick+Ass+2+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">It all builds to this: As Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) watches from the sidelines,<br />Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, center) confronts his wildly garbed arch-nemesis<br />(Christopher Mintz-Plasse) in anticipation of a true battle royale.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m pretty sure writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita Jr. never expected 2008’s <i>Kick-Ass</i> to be more than an eight-issue miniseries, although Millar did leave himself an out, with the aggrieved young snot Red Mist demanding revenge in the final panel, following his evil father’s quite fitting death.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the original series became a smash success, and director Matthew Vaughn’s <a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2010/04/kick-ass-quite-kick.html">2010 film adaptation</a> — which he co-scripted, with Jane Goldman — was one of that summer’s biggest surprises: a gleefully violent guilty pleasure that delivered the right blend of snarky humor and gory mayhem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No surprise, then, that Millar and Romita re-teamed for the seven-issue <i>Kick-Ass 2</i>, which kicked off in December 2010 ... followed by the five-issue <i>Hit-Girl</i>, which began last August; and the ongoing-as-we-speak <i>Kick-Ass 3</i>, which debuted in July. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No surprise, as well, that director/scripter Jeff Wadlow has unleashed a big-screen sequel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I approached this second movie outing with more than a little concern. Millar has a reputation for pushing the envelope of good taste — hell, he shredded the damn thing several years ago — and his comic book <i>Kick-Ass 2</i> is unforgivably mean-spirited, even given the violent realm within which his characters operate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately, Wadlow’s cooler head prevailed, and he recognized — quite correctly — that mainstream viewers wouldn’t tolerate casual rapes or the pointless execution of little children (a needless story element I suspect Millar would like to recant, in this post-Sandy Hook era). Indeed, Wadlow makes his point rather emphatically, when this film’s über-villain — Red Mist, albeit with a new <i>nom de bad</i>, and back for his predictable revenge — balks at the offer of killing a dog, insisting “I’m not <i>that</i> evil.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In yo’ face, Mr. Millar.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wadlow actually bases his script on elements from both the <i>Kick-Ass 2</i> and <i>Hit-Girl</i> story arcs, opening as our two triumphant heroes — Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Mindy Macready (Chloë Grace Moretz) — attempt to resume normal lives. For Dave, that means hanging out with best friends Marty (Clark Duke) and Todd (Augustus Prew), or watching TV at home with his father (Garrett M. Brown).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /> <div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Dave is the lucky one; he <i>has</i>a normal life. Poor Mindy knows nothing beyond the battle training developed during years under her late father’s guidance: a reprehensible upbringing that her new guardian, police detective Marcus Williams (Morris Chestnut) demands that she set aside in order to “enjoy” the calmer routine of life as a high school freshman.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obviously, Marcus has forgotten his own younger days. Mindy’s previous bouts with gun-toting thugs are nothing compared to the contemptuous belittling she endures at the hands of queen bee/varsity dance captain Brooke (Claudia Lee) and her apprentice bee-yatches.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps a quick recap is due, at this point. Dave and Mindy exist in a world very much like our own, albeit one that posits the irresistible notion that a few altruistic individuals, weaned on comic books, don homemade costumes and embark on ill-advised amateur crime-fighting careers. In one corner of this unspecified metropolis, Mindy and her father, as Hit-Girl and Big Daddy, took on drug baron Frank D’Amico; Dave, initially operating elsewhere, soon joined them as Kick-Ass.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the genius of Millar’s creation is that this obviously satiric premise, which the first film milked for plenty of snarky humor, is offset by real-world consequences. People die, and quite horribly; Dave nearly got killed himself, before developing reasonable physical skills. And bad things happened to good people, before Dave and Mindy finally prevailed against D’Amico, whose son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) had remade himself as Red Mist, in order to lure our heroes into a trap.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, so, the lines are drawn in this big-screen sequel. Dave, suffering adrenalin withdrawal, allies himself with a gaggle of copycat “heroes” who’ve banded together as a group dubbed Justice Forever, led by Col. Stars and Stripes (a gravel-voiced Jim Carrey). But try as he might, Dave cannot get Mindy to break a promise she made to Marcus, that she discard Hit-Girl’s purple wig and skin-tight uniform.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The seething Chris D’Amico, however, isn’t willing to call it quits. Assembling his own crew of “super villains,” he embarks on a highly visible campaign of death and destruction, hoping to lure Kick-Ass out of hiding. Actually, the not-terribly-bright Chris — who has re-christened his evil self under a name that cannot be mentioned in a family newspaper — has only one truly formidable ally, and she’s quite a scary monster. That would be Mother Russia, played to the ferocious hilt by Ukraine bodybuilder Olga Kurkulina.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This exaggerated nonsense is grounded, in great part, by Moretz’s persuasive performance as Mindy/Hit-Girl: still one of the most iconic young female characters ever brought to the big screen. On the one hand, Moretz’s Hit-Girl is a glibly profane, trash-talking force of nature, incredibly adept with her razor-edged swords and gymnastic grace; alternatively, she’s equally credible as the vulnerable Mindy, so easily cowed by her school’s Mean Girl pack.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At a particularly humiliating moment, our hearts simply break for poor Mindy; Moretz knows how to work the tremulous lips and shattered expression.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More crucially, she can make even the craziest dialogue sound reasonable. I’ve charted Moretz’s career ever since her breakout supporting performance in 2009’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2009/08/500-days-of-summer-charming-idyll.html">(500) Days of Summer</a></i>, and she just gets better. Her only problem here is that at (real world) 16 years of age, she’s rapidly outgrowing Mindy Macready’s essential “little girl” appearance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taylor-Johnson is fine, as well, as the far more “ordinary” Dave Lizewski (if the term even applies, in such circumstances). Dave’s biggest weakness remains a gullible tendency to be too trusting, too impulsive, and Taylor-Johnson continues to be a well-cast — and well-played — personification of this equally unlikely character.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carrey is hilariously gruff as the oddly formal Col. Stars and Stripes, who thinks nothing of beating goons to a pulp, but draws the line at taking the Lord’s name in vain. Of the various Justice Forever members, Donald Faison stands out as the hilariously named Dr. Gravity — whose “gravity weapon” is merely a dressed-up baseball bat — and Lindy Booth delivers plenty of perky charm as the scantily clad Night Bitch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mintz-Plasse is sputteringly over the top as the ineffectual Chris D’Amico: a numbnuts clown with few actual skills, who compensates by attempting to buy his way to evil success, with his late father’s ill-gotten gains. In a similar vein, we briefly meet Chris’ incarcerated Uncle Ralph, chillingly played by Iain Glen, a familiar face from HBO’s <i>Game of Thrones</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chestnut is the epitome of parental concern as Marcus, and John Leguizamo strikes a similarly sympathetic note as Javier, the one calming influence in Chris’ increasingly unhinged life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wadlow comes to us from low-rent teen efforts such as 2005’s <i>Cry Wolf</i> and 2008’s <i>Never Back Down</i>, neither of which set the world on fire. But he definitely understands the tone needed for this project, and he deftly handles the necessary blend of arch comedy and limb-severing carnage. You’ll love this film’s all-stops-out money sequence, superbly orchestrated by stunt coordinator James O’Dee, which takes place within and atop a speeding delivery van.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the other hand, Wadlow isn’t quite as methodical when it comes to maintaining his plot threads. Mindy demonstrates superb chops while trying out for her school’s cheerleading squad, but then nothing comes of this, aside from making an enemy of Brooke. And Mindy’s eventual “revenge” against Brooke and her fellow mean girls is atrociously dumb: a disgusting slapstick sequence better suited to <i>Bridesmaids</i> and its many imitators.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Worse yet, Todd’s ill-advised behavior, while trying to “fit in” with Dave’s newly revealed second life, feels half-baked and wholly unbelievable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So no, while this sequel remains a lot of fun — and is certain to please genre addicts — it’s neither as fresh nor as dementedly Out There as its predecessor. That said, this one definitely leaves room for another sequel ... and I’m certainly ready to see where Moretz’s Mindy Macready might go, from here.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><!--EndFragment-->

2013 Aaron Taylor-Johnson Chloe Grace Moretz Christopher Mintz-Plasse Comic book Donald Faison fantasy Jim Carrey John Leguizamo Lindy Booth Morris Chestnut Sequel Series Kick-Ass 2: Still bustin' skulls

Kick-Ass 2   (2013) •  View trailer   3.5 stars. Rating: R, for profanity, brief nudity, crude sexuality, plenty of violence and buckets o&#...

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Tough Week

Hello everyone, <br /><br />It's been a tough, tough week.  I hadn't felt well most of the week and had some tests done (Again, unrelated to Belviq).  I'm retaining a lot of water which is frustrating.  Hopefully we will have answers soon.  Meanwhile I am starting to feel much better.<br /><br />I've had to go off of what I call "roughage" for a few days - I had to go to a more soft, bland diet.  Unfortunately, there's not much health options in that area.  But, I managed very well.  <br /><br />Tomorrow I will be going to the beach with my best friend and just hanging out.  It's her birthday and I need a little R&R time so I am pretty excited.  Sunday I plan on just resting some more.  <br /><br />Hopefully by Monday I will be back full force on my diet again.  I will do a weigh in at some point next week and post it.  <br /><br />As with any and all diets, there are always road bumps.  This time, it was my health.  Something that I've had for about 5 years decided to act up.  Now that it's quieting down, I am hopefully good to get back on track!!!<br /><br />Thanks for being supportive.  I've missed hearing from everyone.   Only goes up from here right???  <br /><br />Have a great weekend!!

Tough Week

Hello everyone, It's been a tough, tough week.  I hadn't felt well most of the week and had some tests done (Again, unrelated to Bel...

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Funishment

Thought this line might come in handy to somebody...<br /><br /><br />"Hey, let's turn this punishment into a funishment and we'll have a spanking good time!"<br /><br />This came from the four year old this afternoon.<br /><br />Who wasn't in trouble.<br /><br />Who wasn't slyly fessing up to anything. <br /><br />Who is rarely spanked.  Mainly for stuff that could kill him.  You know, like seeing how far he can hang out of a second story window without losing his balance.<br /><br />You see though, I'm convinced the boy is a spanko.  His toys all spank each other.  And he spanks them when they misbehave.  I completely ignore it.  It's really no different than his friends' toys shooting and killing each other.  Only he doesn't shoot or kill... he spanks lol<br /><br />The word spank comes out of his mouth often.  It's pretty much never uttered by anybody else.<br /><br />He's got a sense of humor far far far beyond his four years. I'm certain he meant it exactly like we're all seeing it. <br /><br />Happy Friday y'all <br /><br />

Funishment

Thought this line might come in handy to somebody... "Hey, let's turn this punishment into a funishment and we'll have a spanki...

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Archidose Be Tumbling

I've taken the plunge and started a Tumblr blog that can be found at <a href="http://therealarchidose.tumblr.com/">therealarchidose.tumblr.com</a> (archidose was already taken). It's only been a few days, so I've yet to really define how I'll be using the platform. Right now it's a way to follow the numerous architecture, design, and other interesting blogs that use Tumblr—and to occasionally reblog—and create short content, such as the screenshot below. What it won't be is a syndication of A Daily Dose of Architecture; I'd rather create something new that takes advantage of the microblogging platform.<br /><br /><a href="http://therealarchidose.tubmlr.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDZC4oFs2vA5Z4XX_guXtqjrwYD6nwr6m1cqo5y0sFja2Hk4fdVAzr9Fdd3zQYCzNPaufjf5fefG_3243VkikWqfuXXes7wL60CVwkd2x1K1iDkHnwQp1f1FD1nCAOuwb2t_n-dE1P_Sz/s1600/archidose-tumblr.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://therealarchidose.tumblr.com/">Check it out</a> and feel free to follow.

Archidose Be Tumbling

I've taken the plunge and started a Tumblr blog that can be found at therealarchidose.tumblr.com (archidose was already taken). It'...

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It's the little things....

<span style="font-size: large;">Is there anything nicer than getting in to bed after it has been remade with clean sheets and covers??  Even better is doing it while wearing a fresh pair of pyjamas!</span><br /><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Other small pleasures in life include freshly baked bread with melting butter, a glass of warm milk when you cant sleep at night or best of all a shot a lemoncello after a tasty Italian meal.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">What's your small pleasures in life?</span></div>

It's the little things....

Is there anything nicer than getting in to bed after it has been remade with clean sheets and covers??  Even better is doing it while wearin...

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Xbox One: Thief Release Date and New Video

<div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:86b6bb0f-6b77-4882-864b-ab6b2bec615b" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Thief" rel="tag">Thief</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/XboxOne" rel="tag">XboxOne</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Playstation4" rel="tag">Playstation4</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/video+games" rel="tag">video games</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/console+gaming" rel="tag">console gaming</a></div> <div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q3QQHurZrrU?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><br><a href="http://www.thief4.com/" target="_blank">Thief</a> fans rejoice, there is now and official release date for the next installment of the game: 25 February 2014.  <br><br>I love the atmosphere of the new video.  Must admit, we are both really looking forward to this new Thief adventure.

console gaming PlayStation 4 Thief video games Xbox Xbox One: Thief Release Date and New Video

Technorati Tags: Thief , XboxOne , Playstation4 , video games , console gaming Thief fans rejoice, there is now and official release date ...

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A Powerful Tool in the Doctor's Toolkit - NYTimes.com

It was well past midnight and most of the patients had settled in. The hospital ward was quiet, except for "the howler."<br><br>The howler was a patient in his 30s who earned his nickname for his nightly bouts of yelling. This was in the early 1990s, during the peak of the AIDS epidemic. I was a second-year medical resident at Bellevue Hospital, in charge of the sprawling AIDS ward that night. Admissions were rolling in, one after another, each more feverish and emaciated than the previous.<br><br>This patient was already receiving hefty doses of pain medication, yet he kept screaming to the nurses about his pain. This went on, night after night, despite extensive medical evaluations to see if there were any missed explanations for his pain.<br><br>Nothing seemed to help, and the nightly yowling was agitating the other patients and driving the nursing staff to distraction. The head nurse paged me at 3 a.m. "You have to do something," she said.<br><br>I went to the patient's room. It was my fourth visit of the night, and the patient and I were both pretty exasperated with each other. He was sullen and cranky; I was exhausted and at my wits' end.<br><br>I pulled out a syringe and carefully drew up one c.c. of plain saline. "You know about Tylenol," I said, showing him the liquid-filled syringe. "You've heard of Tylenol #3. There's even a Tylenol #4. This" — and here I paused for dramatic effect— "this is Tylenol #5."<br><br>The patient stopped howling and gave me an interested look. Then he lowered his pajamas and allowed me to inject his gluteus maximus. Afterward, I pulled up a chair to his bedside and we waited together, allowing the minutes to tick unhurriedly by.<br><br>After what seemed like a mutually agreeable time, I stood up and bid him goodnight. The patient put his head to the pillow and promptly fell asleep. The ward was silent for the rest of the night.<br><br>I felt terribly guilty that I had committed an outright deception with this patient — something that is a true no-no. But on the other hand, it was the first night he got a full night of sleep, to say nothing of all the other patients on the ward and the rest of the staff.<br><br>When I related this story to Dr. Ted J. Kaptchuk, director of the program in placebo studies at Harvard, he gave a sigh of recognition. "We all have our moments of desperation," he said. "Usually around midnight."<br><br>Dr. Kaptchuk does not condone deception, but his research bears out that how caregivers present and administer treatments has a powerful effect on clinical outcomes.<br><br>Patients, for example, who received pain medicine directly from a doctor achieved better pain relief than patients who unknowingly received the same medicine, even at higher doses, automatically in their IVs. The rituals the doctor performs — drawing up the medication, visibly injecting it into the IV, discussing expected benefits — not to mention the attention and caring that comes with the presence of an actual human being — effected as much pain relief as doubling the dose of the medicine.<br><br>Placebos used to be thought of as psychological mumbo-jumbo more akin to hypnotism than real medicine. The biological breakthrough came in 1978, when researchers showed that not only was the placebo effect real, but that it could be reversed by administering naloxone — the chemical that blocks our endorphins, our natural painkillers.<br><br>Suddenly there was a plausible pharmacological mechanism for how placebos work and research in the field flowered. In June, Harvard Medical School and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation held an international medical conference devoted entirely to placebo science.<br><br>Dr. Kaptchuk describes placebos as not just the traditional sugar pill, but also "everything that surrounds a medical treatment": how caregivers describe the medication, how they administer it, the expectations they have for the medicine, their tone of voice, their strength of eye contact. In short, everything that doctors and nurses do in an interaction with a patient.<br><br>This is not especially surprising. Healers and shamans have known intuitively about the importance of this interaction since the dawn of time. Before we had developed treatments that could significantly impact the pathology of disease — antibiotics, chemotherapy, stents, organ transplants, transfusions — the "everything else" was the mainstay of medical care.<br><br>Doctors and nurses always feel a bit uneasy when it comes to placebos. Somehow it seems wrong, unethical, deceptive. But patients, it turns out, seem to be more flexible in their thinking. Studies have shown symptom relief even when patients are told they are getting a placebo; many patients are quite amenable to such "open-label" placebos. "If it gets rid of the pain," a patient once told me, "I don't care if it's a dill pickle!"<br><br>The ethics are evolving, but the general consensus is that transparency is the bottom line. What I did as a young — and desperate — resident wouldn't pass muster, because I deceived my patient about the medication. But if I'd told him that it was inert saline and if he was amenable to trying it, it could have been a reasonable treatment option. And it still might have helped him, especially if we had been able to have a detailed and compassionate conversation about his pain.<br><br>Dr. Kaptchuk thinks of placebo effects as just one of the many things in the toolkit of medicine. It would never be a substitute for appropriate medical care, but it is something that can enhance medical care greatly. Wise doctors and nurses already do this. They've found, usually just by personal experience, that their "everything else" — respect, attention, comfort, empathy, touch — often does the lion's share of medical care, no deception required. Sometimes the prescription is just the afterthought.<br><br><i>Danielle Ofri's newest book is "What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine." She is an associate professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine and has cared for patients at Bellevue Hospital for more than 20 years. She is editor in chief of the Bellevue Literary Review.</i><br><br><br><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/a-powerful-tool-in-the-doctors-toolkit/">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/a-powerful-tool-in-the-doctors-toolkit/</a>

A Powerful Tool in the Doctor's Toolkit - NYTimes.com

It was well past midnight and most of the patients had settled in. The hospital ward was quiet, except for "the howler." The howle...

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SWAC area localities benefit from state tourism grants

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtZ2ca0mg0HMaBCnQt-OopN7ox2YZ-30J6mlwIxalGw-R3DFxolNlBMMxOPnXy4nlEkL1PjOaRadaljl2OEQatafMSXjpZ_ZbC_NEtUSdBUPHJ1iOC0HR3bcAoOziAQuXIXFpfBiEhN04/s1600/LOVE+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtZ2ca0mg0HMaBCnQt-OopN7ox2YZ-30J6mlwIxalGw-R3DFxolNlBMMxOPnXy4nlEkL1PjOaRadaljl2OEQatafMSXjpZ_ZbC_NEtUSdBUPHJ1iOC0HR3bcAoOziAQuXIXFpfBiEhN04/s320/LOVE+sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>Staunton's Convention and Visitors Bureau</b> got the lion's share of Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Marketing Leverage Grant program for the Staunton-Waynesboro-Augusta County (SWAC) area, <a href="http://www.governor.virginia.gov/News/viewRelease.cfm?id=1941">announced on Thursday by Governor Bob McDonnell</a>, with $50,000 destined for use in tourism destination marketing, research, and planning.<br /><br />Tourism is a $20 billion a year revenue generator for the Commonwealth, generally providing 5:1 return in tax revenue and supporting 207,000 jobs. Dollars invested in tourism are proven to provide a 5:1 return in tax revenue for Virginia, and the grant awards and matching funds provide a stimulus to localities seeking to increase tourism visitation and revenue. <br /><br />Other SWAC localities receiving tourism grants are $3,466 to the <b>Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center</b> in downtown Staunton to increase bus tour business; $3,881 to the <b>Artisans Center of Virginia </b>for website development; and $5,000 to the <b>Waynesboro Tourism </b>for their Mountains to Main Street marketing campaign.<br /><br />Virginia's tourism industry is marketed as <a href="http://www.virginia.org/">Virginia Is For Lovers</a>, promoting love at the heart of every Virginia vacation.

Artisans Center Bob McDonnell Lynn R. Mitchell Staunton Convention and Visitors Bureau Staunton-Waynesboro-Augusta County Stonewall Jackson Hotel SWAC tourism grants Virginia Is For Lovers SWAC area localities benefit from state tourism grants

Staunton's Convention and Visitors Bureau got the lion's share of Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Marketing Leverage Grant program f...

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It's Getting Ridiculous

Jurisdictions all across the country are now pushing the SWAT button for ridiculous reasons.<br /><br /><br />If Police departments can't handle such trivial matters as serving an administrative warrant, code violations or checking the motherfucking license of a God Damn barber shop then they have no business being tasked with anything other than frequenting the local Dunkin Donuts.<br /><br />These are basic functions of a normal local police department.<br />When that is their first option then they have lost their legitimate purpose for being in business.<br />That is the bottom line.<br /><br /><br /><br /> <b> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/texas-swat-team-conducts-_n_3764951.html"> Texas Police Hit Organic Farm With Massive SWAT Raid </a></b><br /><br />A small organic farm in Arlington, Texas, was the target of a massive police action last week that included aerial surveillance, a SWAT raid and a 10-hour search.<br /><br /><blockquote>Members of the local police raiding party had a search warrant for marijuana plants, which they failed to find at the Garden of Eden farm. But farm owners and residents who live on the property told a Dallas-Ft. Worth NBC station that the real reason for the law enforcement exercise appears to have been code enforcement.<i> The police seized "17 blackberry bushes, 15 okra plants, 14 tomatillo plants ... native grasses and sunflowers," after holding residents inside at gunpoint for at least a half-hour, property owner Shellie Smith said in a statement. The raid lasted about 10 hours, she said.</i><br /></blockquote><br />Okra and Black berry plants, ten hours, gunpoint. Get that?<br /><br />Wait, it gets even better.<br /><br /><blockquote>Local authorities had cited the Garden of Eden in recent weeks for code violations, including "grass that was too tall, bushes growing too close to the street, a couch and piano in the yard, chopped wood that was not properly stacked, a piece of siding that was missing from the side of the house, and generally unclean premises," Smith's statement said.<i> <b>She said the police didn't produce a warrant until two hours after the raid began, and officers shielded their name tags so they couldn't be identified.</b></i> According to ABC affiliate WFAA, resident Quinn Eaker was the only person arrested -- for outstanding traffic violations.</blockquote><br /><br />My emphasis.<br /><br /><br />Let's see, massive ten hour SWAT raid with no fucking warrant until two hours after they first showed up in force with automatic weapons,hiding their identification and all they could find was some fucking Blackberry bushes, some Okra plants and some dude with traffic shit he hadn't taken care of.<br /><br />Someone explain to me why this couldn't have been handled by a couple of Sheriff's deputies.<br /><br />Oh wait, there were "reports" of a marijuana grow operation.<br /><br />I'll tell ya what, if there were actually any reports as they say, there will be documentation. Cops love to pull that bullshit. There will be a report written over this clusterfuck that will be a matter of public record that has to document the reason why they felt SWAT was their best option and some vague horseshit about "reports" of a marijuana grow had better have some credibility.<br /><br />If that documentation isn't forthcoming I do believe I would contact an especially vicious lawyer who has a hard on for cops and tell them to go to fucking town on these fucking clowns.<br /><br /><br />

It's Getting Ridiculous

Jurisdictions all across the country are now pushing the SWAT button for ridiculous reasons. If Police departments can't handle such tri...

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Teamster organizing victory in California

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSRA73viHAt9YFFQft77YntHHIokZyEVURpyv74TY2uMeBcRq0T-I4QWYLyiUYTyr4eO1AdPqNX17VABlEQJmGXfjaiCNz5Qjhb2mhW3lIPKjB6t3wKjE75KqhWBbrFsY6ahm0ocY92ZX/s1600/victory.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSRA73viHAt9YFFQft77YntHHIokZyEVURpyv74TY2uMeBcRq0T-I4QWYLyiUYTyr4eO1AdPqNX17VABlEQJmGXfjaiCNz5Qjhb2mhW3lIPKjB6t3wKjE75KqhWBbrFsY6ahm0ocY92ZX/s200/victory.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div>Please give a warm welcome to our 80 new brothers and sisters, drivers and mechanics at Waste Management in Carlsbad, Calif.! They voted overwhelmingly to join Local 683 in San Diego.<br /><b><br /></b>Todd Mendez,<b> </b>Local 683 secretary-treasurer, said the workers are seeking strong Teamster representation. <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The company treats their people bad. The supervisors bully their workers. We will work hard to negotiate a strong first contract that will help put a stop to the mistreatment that is taking place.</blockquote>Local 683 will also work to win the workers a strong pension plan, Mendez said.<br /><br />On July 13, Waste Management workers in El Cajon who belong to Local 683 overwhelming ratified their first contract, which provides solid pay increases and excellent benefits. The contract covers 190 workers who joined the Teamsters in March.<br /><br />The local is starting a campaign to organize about 100 workers at Waste Management in Oceanside. When Local 683 is done, they will represent 400 Waste Management workers at three locations in San Diego County.<br /><br />Bob Morales, director of the Teamsters Solid Waste, Recycling and Related Industries Division, said:  <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">We will continue to work hard to organize waste and recycling workers across the country so that they receive the fair pay, decent benefits and improved working conditions they deserve for the extremely difficult job they do.</blockquote>To our new brothers and sisters we say, Welcome to our great union!<br /><br /><br /><br /><!--EndFragment-->

Teamster organizing victory in California

Please give a warm welcome to our 80 new brothers and sisters, drivers and mechanics at Waste Management in Carlsbad, Calif.! They voted ove...

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Hearthstone: Closed Beta Begins

<div id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:bc97ee43-e814-4a76-94cf-a726a41d5ff7" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px"><div><object height="480" width="853"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/v/QdXl3QtutQI?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="//www.youtube.com/v/QdXl3QtutQI?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="853" height="480" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div></div> <p> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Hearthstone</font></a><font size="3"> is the trading card game from Blizzard which entered closed beta this morning.  No, I wasn’t lucky enough to get in the first round of testers.  Hearthstone is based on the lore and characters from The Warcraft mythology.  The closed beta does not have a Non-disclosure Agreement and thus testers will be able to share their experiences directly.  The game will be free to play when it releases but it will have a cash shop.</font> </p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:9125fd92-cf42-43ea-9639-699ab2049995" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Hearthstone" rel="tag">Hearthstone</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Blizzard" rel="tag">Blizzard</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/trading+card" rel="tag">trading card</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/beta" rel="tag">beta</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Warcraft" rel="tag">Warcraft</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/free+to+play" rel="tag">free to play</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/cash+shop" rel="tag">cash shop</a></div>

beta Blizzard Cash Shop F2P free to play Hearthstone Hearthstone: Closed Beta Begins

  Hearthstone is the trading card game from Blizzard which entered closed beta this morning.  No, I wasn’t lucky enough to get in the fir...

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Flurry of excitement as Governor visits Redskins training camp in Richmond

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikfcp2mrkunXbveAccTH2p8unTDZ3QnhwlFFt4C95ap03KIzKq6MbuHPiTItIrDr-Yf38KCTs3fSO1905gplBhGBG5d_XfdwoKbF6kS2cr78873Jox_I96gE3rm2PG9tJMpta-ClSQI6WF/s1600/Bob+McDonnell+Redskins+practice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikfcp2mrkunXbveAccTH2p8unTDZ3QnhwlFFt4C95ap03KIzKq6MbuHPiTItIrDr-Yf38KCTs3fSO1905gplBhGBG5d_XfdwoKbF6kS2cr78873Jox_I96gE3rm2PG9tJMpta-ClSQI6WF/s400/Bob+McDonnell+Redskins+practice.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Governor Bob McDonnell at Friday's last day of <a href="http://www.redskins.com/trainingcamp">Redskins Training Camp</a>.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJcU_p54lseWjf88E_Nvo_d-Rdf3ut9WYWi5m6aMQqt59Q-lplM5Z-a4brsuZYgaCzRhgLu5YEr-fjLkhy6S77jiUd7g8BGLlWmUHVMHIwAL5UUAcMd-HHMa-o6iACuA3lnZpvxtplOxR/s1600/Bob+McDonnell+Redskins+practice+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJcU_p54lseWjf88E_Nvo_d-Rdf3ut9WYWi5m6aMQqt59Q-lplM5Z-a4brsuZYgaCzRhgLu5YEr-fjLkhy6S77jiUd7g8BGLlWmUHVMHIwAL5UUAcMd-HHMa-o6iACuA3lnZpvxtplOxR/s400/Bob+McDonnell+Redskins+practice+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan and the Governor as owner Dan Snyder (center) looks on. General Manager Bruce Allen (not pictured) was also on hand to greet the Governor.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnE007ULl0_HurIzAwIXNL41wZQ-WMd4uzD1ocb5QAeD5FSYxEDq8ku57WTd0VHgpBDUJ3Xl8ERF1qmY3c7EEK6CvnYsgtpeghfRDWo3h8LMJeHkdO6OcmwHMvzOhqP1QQbQD-0dBNY5C/s1600/Bob+McDonnell+Redskins+practice+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnE007ULl0_HurIzAwIXNL41wZQ-WMd4uzD1ocb5QAeD5FSYxEDq8ku57WTd0VHgpBDUJ3Xl8ERF1qmY3c7EEK6CvnYsgtpeghfRDWo3h8LMJeHkdO6OcmwHMvzOhqP1QQbQD-0dBNY5C/s400/Bob+McDonnell+Redskins+practice+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Photos with a young Redskins fan.</i></div><br />Virginia's Governor Bob McDonnell made an <a href="http://trainingcamp.blogs.timesdispatch.com/2013/08/16/governor-makes-visit-at-redskins-camp-discusses-future-va-stadium/">unannounced stop at the Redskins Training Camp</a> in Richmond on Friday, causing excitement and a flurry of photos. Reporter Michael Phillips with the <a href="http://trainingcamp.blogs.timesdispatch.com/2013/08/16/governor-makes-visit-at-redskins-camp-discusses-future-va-stadium/"><i>Richmond Times-Dispatch</i></a> wrote:<br /><blockquote>Speaking with reporters, [McDonnell] praised the site and the team as being a business driver for the state.<br /><br />“When they approached us about looking at different sites, we said we didn’t want them going back to Carlisle, to Pennsylvania or someplace like that,” he said. “Our economic development people did a tremendous job putting together an incentive package to keep them here. And then we’ve got the long-term commitment of the Redskins to Virginia – $30 million of improvements in Loudoun County, Bon Secours teaming up with the Redskins to have the beautiful facility here – it means the Redskins will be headquartered in Virginia for a long time.”</blockquote>That's music to the ears of thousands of fans who have flocked to training sessions, interacting with players and coaching staff and enjoying fan gatherings in the Richmond area.<br /><br />At Fan Appreciation Day on August 2, when over 25,000 supporters lined up along the street and around the block, McDonnell expressed the excitement of Virginians at having the facility in Richmond. Commenting to the <a href="http://www.redskins.com/news-and-events/article-1/Redskins-Surpass-100000-At-Richmond-Camp/3122bd5e-bafb-4def-b1c7-350272f49ae2">Richmond Times-Dispatch</a>, he said:<br /><blockquote>"Richmond is Redskins Country! We knew Virginia loved the 'Skins, and today we can give 100,000 examples of just how much. Through the hard work of so many individuals from the Redskins to Mayor Dwight Jones and his staff to the great people at Bon Secours, the Commonwealth has won already, a month before the NFL season even kicks off,” said Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. <br /><br />“The Redskins have a world class training facility, Richmond is the place to be for football fans this August, and Virginia's long and important relationship with a storied NFL franchise has only deepened.<br /><br />"I hope fans have a great time today, and as Governor of Virginia, it's my pleasure to say 'Hail to the Redskins!’"</blockquote>As training ends, it's time for the 2013 season to begin. Hail to the Redskins!

Bob McDonnell Bruce Allen Dan Snyder Mike Shanahan Richmond tourism Virginia Virginia Is For Lovers Washington Redskins Flurry of excitement as Governor visits Redskins training camp in Richmond

Governor Bob McDonnell at Friday's last day of Redskins Training Camp . Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan and the Governor as owner Dan Snyde...

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World of Warcraft: Lack of Story Differences

<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Ts-7hld24Yg/Ug5dhpli19I/AAAAAAAADC4/g9BMYuFv0Wc/s1600-h/WoWScrnShot_081613_100355%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="WoWScrnShot_081613_100355" border="0" height="476" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-V7lTc1kDjDg/Ug5dioY2ieI/AAAAAAAADDA/RPIgTuQKbEE/WoWScrnShot_081613_100355_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" title="WoWScrnShot_081613_100355" width="844"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><font size="3">I have always been an Alliance player, ever since I first picked up the game almost five years ago.  Alliance is the natural fit for my personality and general life outlook.  However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been interested in the other side of the story.  Early on I tried playing the Horde but quite honestly, the character models spoiled my immersion in the game immensely.  Those early Horde characters have been scrapped and never brought back to life.  </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="3">Last spring I once again decide to experience the Horde story line and made the above Pandaren priest.  She dinged 61 this morning and I’ve got to tell you, there are almost no story differences.  Quests so far are all the same, wording changed but otherwise there is no story difference.  I am beginning to question long term viability of playing the Horde for story differences when there are none.  Now, his may change when my priest hits later expansions but I really doubt that right now.  </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="3">I don’t know how much play time my Horde priest is going to receive in the future unfortunately.</font></p> <div id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:c05f91a6-8cac-4b02-9186-43d2a1adc828" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" style="float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/World+of+Warcraft" rel="tag">World of Warcraft</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/WOW" rel="tag">WOW</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/MMO" rel="tag">MMO</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/video+games" rel="tag">video games</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/lore" rel="tag">lore</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Alliance" rel="tag">Alliance</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Horde" rel="tag">Horde</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/priest" rel="tag">priest</a></div>

Blizzard MMO video games World of Warcraft WOW World of Warcraft: Lack of Story Differences

I have always been an Alliance player, ever since I first picked up the game almost five years ago.  Alliance is the natural fit for my pe...

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Treadmills The Must Have Exercise Systems

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Ester Matthews</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>The Significance Of Exercise<br /> <br /> These present times are becoming more contemporary and high-tech every second, but the same cannot be said for health in general. If you would like your overall health to peak to desirable levels, though, then you have to exercise. Even in these fast-paced moments, you can inject health and fitness into your everyday life by acquiring a treadmill. A good place where you can get some beginner info on working out is a <a href="http://treadmillfitnessworkout.zohosites.com/home-training.html">treadmill review</a>.<br /> <br /> Benefits Of Treadmills<br /> <br /> Running, jogging or even just walking on a treadmill can really condition and strengthen your body in time. Such cardio-intensive exercise allows you to shed more calories compared to a cycling machine or most other gym workouts. There are numerous treadmill workout programs to lose weight, build muscle or simply boost stamina. It is the best gym equipment for fat people, athletes and those who want to keep a healthy and fit lifestyle.<br /> <br /> Know Your Treadmill Better<br /> <br /> Speed adjustment is a basic and fundamental feature on treadmills. Aside from speed adjustment, most models let you fine-tune their parts and features to help you achieve your workout goals quicker. Manufacturers create these treadmill variations to make your exercise session tougher and unique every single day.<br /> <br /> Latest treadmill models include built-in exercise programs. There's a program for weight reduction or endurance strengthening, which you can select before you begin doing exercises. You don't have to think about adjusting your speed and incline when you exercise because the machine does the modifications itself. You even have total control on how you want the adjustments to come, be it steady or in a set manner.<br /> <br /> Some workouts are meant to control heart rate together with a heart rate monitor. This monitor should be clipped to your body or held in your hand. Clipping your monitor to your body provides a better reading, though, something that treadmills of most recent make have in common. You'll like this feature if you are into monitoring your heart fitness level and exercise level in one.<br /> <br /> Spare yourself the hassle of inputting your own personal exercise settings by saving them in the treadmill's built-in memory. This is primarily useful if you share the treadmill with others. Modern treadmills also have the power to keep your exercise history and past fitness levels, great for pacifying your obsessive-compulsive side.<br /> <br /> Presently, the most high-tech treadmills include the technology called iFit Live. In this situation, you can prepare for an event without ever leaving the comforts of your own home. This type of technology lets you see how you fare with other people on different treadmills-maybe even across the world-but also exercising on the same course. Have an iFit Live-compatible treadmill and a steady Internet connection, and you can try this feature for yourself. Manufacturers understand mixing exercise with entertainment, so they placed full-color touch screens and music-playing capabilities on their treadmills to suit this requirement.<br /> <br /> The Treadmill Anatomy<br /> <br /> A treadmill consists of a wide conveyor belt controlled by an electric motor or flywheel of varying power. This belt moves backwards over rollers, so you need to move forward while adapting your walk, jog or run to correspond to the speed of the belt and prevent falling off. Because the belt stretches up to the frame of the treadmill, you're able to stay on it irrespective of your body weight. You may raise or lower the deck to the preferred incline position to simulate hill climbs found outdoors. This increases your workout's intensity level and adds variety.<br /> <br /> Because of the damping elements positioned beneath the deck, treadmills don't break down even when exposed to certain amounts of shock. A cushioned belt reduces the jarring effect on your feet while in motion; the tension in the cushioning can be modified for your comfort and ease and resistance requirement. You can say alot about the quality of a treadmill by looking at its motor, belt, deck, and rollers because these are the bare bones that comprise the equipment.<br /> <br /> Treadmill frames were created foldable or non-foldable. Go with the foldable units if you'll be working out at home. The running deck can be folded up to meet the treadmill arms. You might want to pay more for a sturdy foldable treadmill that lasts a long time. The non-foldable models are ideal for public use, like training studios, because they can deal with more frequent usage.<br /> <br /> Treadmills And Their Types<br /> <br /> Besides the number of features, there are treadmills intended for different user types and usage. Get your entire money's worth by selecting the treadmill that meets your own purpose and health goal. Bear in mind who will be employing the treadmill and their body weight as some treadmills aren't actually for heavier individuals. A person's height is yet another angle to look at when scouting for treadmills. Will the treadmill be used by one person only, or will it be a family affair? Choose a high-quality, durable treadmill in this situation even if it costs more.<br /> <br /> Bottom line<br /> <br /> Fitness enthusiasts will agree: a treadmill is an essential health arsenal in every single home. Just before rushing to make a purchase, give consideration to your health, fitness and durability needs, and also the features that you will use often. Also, measure the space available at home to place the treadmill and take into account the type of users and planned usage. Get the treadmill that matches all these requirements and suits your budget.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>Selecting the appropriate exercise system is generally a troublesome challenge. <a href="http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/5840350?articleid=5840350">ProForm product reviews</a> are excellent places to start with. Learn what others have said and you'll see that these machines are top of their class.</div><br /> </div><br />

Treadmills The Must Have Exercise Systems

By Ester Matthews The Significance Of Exercise These present times are becoming more contemporary and high-tech every second, but th...

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Clever Fitness Suggestions

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Stephen Sulaski</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>There are actually many tell-tale signs that reveal your present level of baby products. Your health and fitness stage is incredibly crucial that you your well being. Here's ideas to aid you establish a very good fitness regimen.<br /> <br /> If you can't like an actual exercising then you most definitely need to help you commence mission it increased. In case you are evading a workout than a lot more very likely than not you will be evading it reside are weakly at it. These techniques will probably push that you total brand-new ranges of physical fitness and health prestige.<br /> <br /> Primary bodybuilding exercises: To construct lean muscle, elevate a lot more pounds for fewer repetitions. Start off by selecting a muscle large group, for example chest. Instigate a warm-up set by lifting weights which are straightforward to help you lift. It is far better have to be able to accomplish 15-20 reps for your warm-up lbs. On ones own 2nd arranged, select some sort of fat for which it's possible to only comprehensive 6-8 representatives. Improve the weight by 5 kilos and repeat to your third set. Just check out for your <a href="http://freefitness-club.com"> free fitness club </a> .<br /> <br /> You will discover 3 factors to fitness that require to finish the same job in tandem to help provide you that has a healthy lifestyle. Each these must be handled and maybe they are mental wellbeing, diet regimen and training program. For those who only do the trick on people or two of you may in no way get for your plans. Just check out for your <a href="http://freeclubfitness.com"> free club fitness </a> .<br /> <br /> For you to ensure that you purchase good more than enough activity and additionally rest, modify your regime to get the job done just one number of muscle mass even though yet an additional is resting with the previous training session. During in this way, you will make certain involving ongoing regular exercising without strenuous or wounding a muscle mass. The adequate physical exercises get ripped lean muscle mass, nonetheless it takes time for success to point, so sticking on the regimen is usually a have to.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>Check your updates with <a href="http://free-homegyms.com"> free home gyms </a>, visit my website about <a href="http://local-gyms.com"> local gyms </a> and other accessories.</div><br /> </div><br />

Clever Fitness Suggestions

By Stephen Sulaski There are actually many tell-tale signs that reveal your present level of baby products. Your health and fitness stag...

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Living the union lifestyle

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="/images/Ashley_guest_blog" height="193" src="http://www.labor411.org/images/Ashley_guest_blog.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(194, 189, 189); font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; height: auto; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto 5px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="286" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ashley Beard-Fosnow and her family live the union lifestyle.</td></tr></tbody></table>Our good friends at <a href="http://www.labor411.org/411-blog/410-my-union-family" rel="nofollow">Labor 411</a> published this great post by Ashley Beard-Fosnow about living the union lifestyle. We liked it so much we're cross-posting it here:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">I did not grow up in an Union family. In fact, when I met my husband Clint ten years ago the only thing I knew about Unions was what I gleaned from the Disney film, "The Newsies." Since our fateful meeting, Clint has educated me on his job as an Ironworker, collective bargaining, and the Labor Movement. I have witnessed firsthand all of the benefits of being a member of a Union family.<br /><br />Clint is paid a living wage which is enough to provide for our family of five. We have wonderful health insurance which allows us to take our kids to the doctor when they are ill. Clint contributes to his Union retirement every week so that one day he will be able to retire with modest dignity. Thanks to the Union regulated safety standards and apprentice training, my husband does his incredibly dangerous job with as little risk as possible. We lead a simple, but happy life. I credit so much of our good fortune to my husband's Union membership. We believe that all working class families should have the right to organize and have the opportunities that we enjoy. We feel a connection and obligation to the Union community – we're all in this together!<br /><br />We have three small children. As they have gotten older, it's been important to us to "practice what we preach" in reference to living a lifestyle in solidarity with the Labor Movement and other Union families. We aim to live the Union Values we teach our children – be fair, share, stick together, be safe, etc. We believe one of the best ways to support other Union workers is to buy as many Union made products as possible while sticking to our tiny food and household budget. Each week, I compare the sale items in the grocery store and CVS ads to Labor 411's directory of Union made products. I try to reward companies who build the middle class with our patronage. Labor 411 is an amazing resource. I would not be much of a conscientious consumer without it. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Recently, my children chose to attend their first labor rally where we stood with striking fast food workers in Kansas City. It was a wonderful experience for our family. Clint and I used it as an opportunity to discuss current labor issues with our kids and meet other like-minded families. My greatest wish for my kids is that they grow up to be concerned, involved citizens. I hope they identify themselves as members of the Labor family and use the benefits of that association to make the world a better place.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Stay tuned for posts about Ashley's ideas for teaching Union values to children and running a labor friendly household on Labor 411 Blog. Ashley Beard-Fosnow is a Missouri housewife and mother of three. She received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of MO-KC. She loves books, organization in all things, and the thrill of a good deal. She does not love cleaning, diapers, or elaborate cooking. She also writes a Union-themed mommy blog at <a href="http://myunionfamily.com/">www.myunionfamily.com</a>.</i></blockquote>

Living the union lifestyle

Ashley Beard-Fosnow and her family live the union lifestyle. Our good friends at Labor 411  published this great post by Ashley Beard-Fosnow...

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More protesters arrested in Wisconsin for singing

<div class="tr_bq"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mEnI0MQezgQ" width="420"></iframe></div><br />Among the protesters arrested in Wisconsin by <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/06/scott-walker-still-kills-jobs-better.html" rel="nofollow"><strike>Job-killer </strike></a>Gov. Scott Walker's Capitol Police are children, grandmothers, journalists and military veterans -- because they express their disagreement with him.<br /><br />Since March 11, 2011, Wisconsin citizens came to the Capitol every weekday at lunch to sing civil rights and pro-union songs to demonstrate their disgust with Walker's union-busting, job-destroying, dissent stifling tactics.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.politicususa.com/2013/08/15/scott-walker-3-grannies-14-year-girl-arrested-singing-wisconsin.html" rel="nofollow">Politicususa</a><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Scott Walker has tried to squash these protests by arresting the singers, but their numbers keep growing. Walker then tried to arrest people for watching the singers sing, but he had to back off <a href="https://www.politicususa.com/2013/08/07/tourists-spectators-arrested-watching-wisconsin-protesters-sing.html">after a public outcry brought him unwanted national attention</a>. Now, his strategy seems to be that he will arrest the protesters and the journalists who cover the protesters. The Walker administration likely assumes that these protests will die out if journalists are too intimidated to cover them. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Apparently, Gov. Walker has never heard of the Internet. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">One of the most overlooked stories in the country right now is what is happening to the Solidarity Singers in Wisconsin. The arrests now total over 200, but the number of protesters continues to steadily grow every day. Scott Walker is another Republican who harbors presidential delusions, so he wants the protesters out of the capitol before the national media arrives to cover his 2016 campaign. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">When Walker busted the unions, the national media paid attention. When he survived the recall, they went away. However, the battle for Wisconsin did not stop when the national media left. The struggle is continuing on, and Scott Walker is willing to do anything, including stomping all over the constitution to silence these protesters.</blockquote><div>Journalist Matthew Rothschild, writing for <a href="https://www.progressive.org/walker-cop-nabs-me-for-being-a-reporter" rel="nofollow">The Progressive</a>, described how he got arrested inthe dragnet:<br /><blockquote>But the police officers said to stand back. I said I was a journalist, the editor of <a href="https://www.progressive.org/walker-cop-nabs-me-for-being-a-reporter" rel="nofollow">The Progressive</a> magazine. </blockquote><blockquote>“You can’t be here,” they said. </blockquote><blockquote>“I’m with the press,” I said. “I have a right to be here.” </blockquote><blockquote>Whereupon, without a warning that I’d be arrested, Officer S. B. Mael grabbed my hands and put them behind my back, cuffed them, and said, “Obstruction.” </blockquote><blockquote>“That’s ridiculous,” Block said, as she was put in the elevator. </blockquote><blockquote>“This is getting absurd, guys,” I said to the officers, who refused to engage with me. </blockquote><blockquote>They took me to the basement of the capitol, frisked me, and put me in a chair.<br />…<br />The police kept me in the basement of the capitol until all the protesters had left. They took down my name and Social Security number and address and phone number and employer (I reminded them I worked at The Progressive). </blockquote><blockquote>And then they hauled me off in a squad car to the Dane County jail just three blocks away, where I was frisked again, booked, fingerprinted, had my mug shot taken, and kept in a holding cell with three other inmates for an hour and twenty minutes before being released.</blockquote>Stay tuned.  </div>

More protesters arrested in Wisconsin for singing

Among the protesters arrested in Wisconsin by  Job-killer Gov. Scott Walker's Capitol Police are children, grandmothers, journalists and...

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Governor McDonnell tends injured Times-Dispatch reporter

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAatZKxHBtKKD2DEeMiWJeuJm_AFaRAWTG1KIc1cQtaNBFibN7EEHdRkm12i5LWrAaOJoQKsnxf4o3HSAONjndT6eFeDA_-WbO-wO8enap1o5q7dZzR1ekN3eqtN7YMP34iZonZIwXsxm/s1600/Bob+McDonnell+and+injured+reporter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAatZKxHBtKKD2DEeMiWJeuJm_AFaRAWTG1KIc1cQtaNBFibN7EEHdRkm12i5LWrAaOJoQKsnxf4o3HSAONjndT6eFeDA_-WbO-wO8enap1o5q7dZzR1ekN3eqtN7YMP34iZonZIwXsxm/s400/Bob+McDonnell+and+injured+reporter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Governor Bob McDonnell with injured Times-Dispatch reporter Rex Springston.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo by Mark Gormus with the <a href="http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/reporter-injured-while-covering-oyster-tour/article_d6d2324d-97b6-5549-85b9-75909b75b022.html">Richmond Times-Dispatch</a> </i></div><br />When Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Rex Springston passed out while covering a boat tour with Governor Bob McDonnell on Thursday, one of the first people to spring into action was the Governor himself.<br /><br />Springston, the newspapers environment reporter who was covering McDonnell's tour of an oyster shucking facility in the Northern Neck, had earlier lost his footing and fallen. He had broken his arm in the fall but didn't realize it at the time.<br /><br />Reporter John Hoke picks it up from there:<br /><blockquote><i>The tour included a boat ride to a nearby oyster ground. Springston said that when he jumped into the boat, he stumbled and reached out with his left arm to catch himself. </i><br /><i><br /></i><i>“He landed kind of funny,” said Todd P. Haymore, Virginia secretary of agriculture. “The governor caught him.”</i></blockquote>Even though his arm was hurting, Springston carried on with his interview of McDonnell. It was while reviewing those notes that he fainted and crumpled onto the floor of the boat and, when he came to, the Governor was leaning over and tending to him until EMTs arrived to take him to Rappahannock Hospital where the broken arm was discovered and treated.<br /><blockquote><i>Springston said the governor called him at home Wednesday evening to see how he was doing.</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>“I’m just glad Rex is doing alright,” McDonnell said in an email. “That was a frightening moment for everyone. It did give me a chance to use some of my old Army medical skills, but I think we both would have preferred to not have had that opportunity.”</i></blockquote>It's nice to see a human interest story and a <a href="http://bearingdrift.com/2013/08/15/bob-mcdonnell-isnt-in-the-washington-post-today/">break from the negativity</a>. Here's wishing a speedy recovery to Mr. Springston.<br /><br />Cross-posted at <a href="http://vapolitics.us/2013/08/governor-mcdonnell-tends-injured-times-dispatch-reporter/">Virginia Politics On Demand </a>

Bob McDonnell George W. Bush John Hoke Lynn R. Mitchell Northern Neck Rex Springston Richmond Times-Dispatch Virginia Governor McDonnell tends injured Times-Dispatch reporter

Governor Bob McDonnell with injured Times-Dispatch reporter Rex Springston. Photo by Mark Gormus with the Richmond Times-Dispatch When Rich...

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