text:
ANOTHER BIG BLOW TO OBAMA’S TYRANNY: Historic Midterm Wins for GOP and America in 2014

By Marcial Bonifacio

My friends and American countrymen, many say that the Republican victory in the 2010 midterm election was a referendum on the unconstitutional healthcare bill commonly referred to as “Obamacare”, which Obama signed into law in March of the same year.  As a result, Obama himself admitted the Democrats took a “shellacking” (  The following midterm election on the 4th of November of 2014 yielded results no less impressive for the GOP.

In their unseating of Democrats in North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa, West Virginia, Arkansas, Montana and South Dakota, the American people have clearly repudiated the policies of Obama (which he himself said were on the ballot) and his management (or mismanagement) of various controversial issues.  Among them are Obamacare, the Middle East crisis (ISIS in Iraq, Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, Syria’s civil war), the nearly 50 million people receiving food stamps, the pending scandals (IRS, Fast and Furious, VA), and immigration reform.  Also, it was just discovered that the chief architect of Obamacare, Jonathan Gruber, admitted to the necessity for a “lack of transparency” in passing the bill.  “Call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever,” stated Gruber, “but basically that was really, really critical for the thing to pass…”  That only adds insult to Obama’s disingenuous promise (made at least 36 times) that anyone can keep their current doctor, healthcare plan, or insurance, if they so choose (

Anyway, here are some noteworthy observations pertaining to the midterm election results.  In the House, the Republicans have gained twelve net seats, putting them in control of at least 246 seats.  They also won nine net seats in the Senate, which puts them at a total of 54.  Noteworthy is the Louisiana Senate run-off election, whereby Rep. Bill Cassidy defeated three-term Senator Mary Landrieu by a wide margin (56-44 percent).  Although such wins do not give Republicans the 60 votes to quash a filibuster or a two-thirds majority (67) to override Obama’s veto power, they do coerce the Democrats into a position to work in bipartisanship with Republicans, since the obstructionist Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (who has effectively stifled about 300 Republican bills from coming to a vote on the Senate floor) will be replaced by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.  Some Democrats may even become Republicans as my colleague at predicts Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia will do (

Aside from their victory in both houses of the U.S. Congress, the Republicans have also gained more than 330 seats out of 649 up for election in the state legislatures throughout the country, a number not seen since the 1920s (  Among the ten newly GOP-dominated chambers are the Colorado Senate, the Maine Senate, the Maine House, the Nevada Assembly, the Nevada Senate, the New Hampshire House, the New York Senate, the New Mexico House, the Washington Senate and the West Virginia House of Delegates (the first time in eighty years).  This places them in control of 68 of 98 chambers in all 50 states, which is a record high in the history of the Republican Party (

The gubernatorial races yielded Republican gains in the bluest of states in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Illinois (Obama’s home state), while retaining Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, Maine, and Kansas. Also noteworthy is Scott Walker’s re-election as governor in Wisconsin. Indeed, he has proven to be a formidable candidate, since his first gubernatorial win resulted in a recall election, which won him even more votes.  In Michigan, despite Gov. Rick Synder’s passing of a “Right to Work” law and staunch union opposition, Synder retained his position.  In Maryland (wherein Democrats outnumber Republicans and Independents combined), Larry Hogan beat the incumbent Democrat Martin O’ Malley.  In Texas, Greg Abbott beat Wendy Davis by nearly one million votes, while Davis’ state senate seat was won by a conservative female.  Such gubernatorial wins puts the GOP at 31 governorships.  However in 24 states, they control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislatures, while the Democrats dominate only 7 states (

In terms of the minority vote, Tim Scott was elected to the Senate in South Carolina, the first black American elected in a southern state since Reconstruction.  In Utah, Mia Love became the first black Republican female to serve in Congress.  In West Virginia, Shelly Moore Capito became the first female Senator, while Saira Blair was elected to the state house as the youngest female representative at the age of 18 years-old (  Joni Ernst became the first female Senator to win any public office in Iowa for governor, Senate, or House.  In New York, Elise Stefanik won in the House, becoming the youngest Congresswoman (30 years-old) ever to serve.  Has there been any acknowledgement by the Rev. Al Sharpton or the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) or Sandra Fluke or the NOW (National Organization for Women) of such racial or gender progress?  It seems they only represent blacks and women, who are Democrats or leftists.  So much for the fallacy of the “War on Women and Blacks.”

Finally, in spite of such wins for the GOP, the Tea Party has also made some notable gains.  Among them are Tom Cotton in Arkansas and Ben Sasse in Nebraska for the Senate.  In the House, David Brat of Virginia, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tom Emmer of Minnesota, Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, Jody Hice and Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, Alex Mooney of West Virginia, Gary Palmer of Alabama, and John Ratcliffe of Texas.  The reason these particular public servants are significant is because they are the ones who will keep the Republican Party in line with the principles of the Constitution and the vision of our founding fathers.

Anyway, give yourselves a big round of applause for such a historical victory.  All this goes to show that even under a tyrannical government as the Obama administration, the spirit of liberty and the will of the American people cannot be easily subdued. However, remember that this is only one step among several to restore our constitutionally limited government and the vision of our founding fathers.  Our focus now should be to ensure that our elected Republicans represent our conservative principles in legislation and resolve the current issues (e.g., Obamacare, immigration reform, tax reform, energy independence, unemployment).  If not, we should hold them accountable in the town hall meetings, on the telephone, and at the polls.  Let us all always remember what the wise President Ronald Reagan has said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction.  It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people.”  Therefore, my friends and countrymen, let us all take full advantage of the opportunity that this momentous occasion has brought forth.

Long live liberty!  Long live the U.S.A.!

Jen Baloloy
Jen Baloloy Looks like it went really well. Great to know people in the US used their heads in choosing the right people to run for the government. Heads up sa mga kababayan nating Pinoy hope we can do the same. I think it’s about time. Thanks for the info Marcial.
Jose Camano
Jose Camano I see it more as a rejection of his being soft against terrorists.
Isabel Juico
Isabel Juico Yes OBAMA!s true color has been seen from all the above mentioned … OBAMAdontCARE ESP for me in healthcare has been detrimental to the middle class & elderly… I worked w geriatric population recently for a month & majority were complaining that what used to be covered before no longer exists; END OF LIFE option is part of the plan offered & now the rest of the crisis we cannot pull out of … I voted straight Republican … REPEAL OR for me Replace OBAMACARE

Isabel Juico's photo.

Jose Camano
Jose Camano I have talked to an eye doctor who is not partisan and said that the Obama care has helped some of his uninsured patients avail of treatment because of this program. But I refused to join this debate on Obama care because frankly I have no time reading tons of documents about the program so I cannot make a judgment whether it is bad or good for the majority of Americans. So far, our medical expenses whether under the previous dispensation or under Obama did not change.
Noemi Montenegro
Noemi Montenegro · 11 mutual friends

RE: The Republican Party taking over the Senate & Congress ?? I think this kind of scenario is not something new. It has been happening since the time of Pres.RONALD REAGAN ??

This is not new. Look at this:

How often has the United States shifted back and forth between political parties? How long has one party held office? To gain some historic…
Marcial Bonifacio
Marcial Bonifacio Jen, America is certainly moving in the right direction, but there is still much work that needs to be done. For instance, the Republican Party needs to adhere to their conservative principles from which they have strayed.

In terms of Philippine politics, there is even more that must be done before Pilipinos can reap the fruits of progress. For example, they need an entire cultural revolution, which emphasizes personal responsibility, self-determination, long-term vision, and financial literacy. Education can resolve this, but also necessary is the adoption of an electoral college, which will help prevent the less competent, less qualified people like Manny Pacquiao and Benigno Aquino III from getting elected to high public office.

Marcial Bonifacio
Marcial Bonifacio Isabel, it is certainly a sad state of affairs when the people who most need adequate healthcare or medical attention must suffer the most. The “End of Life” option you spoke of reminded me of the “death panels” for which Sarah Palin was often mocked. It seems she knew more than liberals gave her credit for.

I completely support the repeal of the unconstitutional Obamacare law and replacing it with alternatives which conform to the free market system. However, I think it would be politically expedient for Republicans to dismantle it piecemeal. For instance, they can start by lifting the “medical device tax” or the individual mandate. When a Republican president is seated in the White House in 2016, then they can repeal the whole law, while putting all the alternatives immediately in place.

Marcial Bonifacio
Marcial Bonifacio Jose, notwithstanding the consistency of your personal situation, many have not been so fortunate. The Washington Times recently reported that some will see their premiums rise by as much as 78% :…/obamacare-sends…/…

Even the chief architect of Obamacare, Jonathan Gruber (who is currently under fire for his remarks calling the American voters “stupid”), admitted costs would rise for policyholders due to the “Cadillac tax” when he said, “We just tax the insurance companies, they pass on higher prices that offsets the tax break we get, it ends up being the same thing. It’s a very clever, you know, basic exploitation of the lack of economic understanding of the
American voter.”…/pelosi-cited-obamacare…/

Marcial Bonifacio
Marcial Bonifacio Noemi, the reference you provided was quite informative, and I cannot dispute such turnovers throughout the history of America. However, what makes this historical moment so unique is not just due to it being the largest Republican takeover of Congress since World War II. It was also the repudiation of the ostensibly ineffective and unconstitutional policies of the Obama administration. Although overreach and abuse of federal power existed in previous administrations, such a large degree of it is unprecedented. Also let us not forget that this is a historical moment for blacks and women in politics, which betokens America’s cultural advancement.
Marlene Damolo Howe
Marlene Damolo Howe Just reposting my post here to voice out my opinion. Thanks! 🙂

As usual, the liberal media did not cover the “unintentional” revelation of the Obamacare deception by its architect, Jonathan Gruber. Gruber has said in several occasions (5 videos so far have surfaced) that THE STUPIDITY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE LED THEM TO HIDE THE TRUE COST OF OBAMACARE AND PASSED IT THROUGH DECEPTION. As usual, Fox News is the only news channel that reports news as it happens. CBS aired it for only a minute while others are silent. The liberal media have been complicit in this deception of Obamacare from the beginning as they have been promoting this sham of a health care act. Obama’s signature bill is a HOAX from the get-go and now that the truth has been exposed, the media and the White House have been silent.

Prompted by his ego, Obama wants to leave a legacy where Hillary failed with her own Hillarycare, by hook or by crook! It was shoved down in people’s throats though polls after polls showed that people DID NOT and still DO NOT want it. Obama’s many lies eventually surfaced and KARMA gave him a severe and humiliating beating with the recent ignominious and historic defeat of the Liberal party. But Obama HAS NOT LEARNED HUMILITY because he is once again, going against his own rhetoric of upholding and protecting the constitution bypassing congress using an “illegal” executive power for mass amnesty for over 5 million illegal aliens. Obama refuses to follow and enforce the current immigration laws. Obama became a lawbreaker instead of a law enforcer with his wanton disregard of the constitution. TRUTH IS BUOYANT!…/obamacare-architect-grubers…

Marlene Damolo Howe
Marlene Damolo Howe Rodolfo Panizales, poverty is at the highest under Obama’s watch and labor participation is at the lowest because of his FAILED policies. People are struggling because there are not enough jobs to go around so they dropped out of the work force and collect ‘welfare” money though some don’t want to work by choice.

Obama touted the low unemployment rate counting on the naiveté of some people. What Obama does not tell the public is that low unemployment is a result when people stopped looking for a job because they are no longer counted in. Labor participation is the true gauge of how healthy or bad the economy is. One factor that contributes to low job participation is big companies are moving overseas because USA has the highest corporate tax in the world under Obama. Another factor is the Obamacare mandates that are stifling business growth. Businesses are cutting jobs and cutting hours because they cannot afford to pay all the mandates. Raising taxes in those who are working hard to make a living to pay for those who could not or don’t want to work is FAILED Socialism Obama policy. Obama imposes WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION by taking money from haves and gives to the have nots. This is part of his promise to “fundamentally” change America. Meaning, from CAPITALISM or FREE ENTERPRISE where DREAMS CAN COME TRUE into SOCIALISM where people are dependent on government hand out. This promotes laziness and mendicancy while those in power like Obama live the high life and enjoy the power they have on people. This is Obama’s ideology, same as his Kenyan father who hated America. And Obama followed the same path of racism and racial divide to “punish and humble” America for her past sins; slavery and colonialism.

Marlene Damolo Howe
Marlene Damolo Howe Slavery and colonialism were common practices since time immemorial. The Romans made slaves out of the Jews before the Biblical era. Conquest was a way of expansionism. The stronger tribes, kingdom or imperial countries, took control of certain countries and its people. Even the Native Americans had slaves in the past by conquering the weaker tribes. Before Anerica was formed, there were NOT ONLY black slaves but also white slaves of mostly Irish people called “indentured servants.” They also suffered discrimination like the black slaves. But while the rest of the world moved on, Obama has not! He is the most divisive president in the American history ever because he is RACIST and uses the “race card” to get what he wants. But people are now aware of Obama’s policies and therefore, sent him a clear message this past election. The ignominious and historic defeat of his party is a big time repudiation of Obama’s policies.
Shahnaaz Sayani
Shahnaaz Sayani Nice blog Marcial,very informative.Stupendous job!!
Marcial Bonifacio
Marcial Bonifacio Marlene, the revelation of the Gruber videos reminds me of the videos clandestinely taken by two young aspiring journalists. They revealed ACORN employees advising them on how to commit tax fraud by concealing their brothel business, of which the mainstream media seemed oblivious:

It looks like you saw Dinesh D’ Souza’s film, “America”, which I highly recommend to all Americans, especially liberals. I have read the blog of our friend, Perry Diaz, and am perplexed as to why he supported Ronald Reagan before and has supported Obama now ( However, I am also curious to know why such an informed American as yourself voted for an incompetent leftist as Obama. Did you simply underestimate his tyrannical intentions as president?

Marcial Bonifacio
Marcial Bonifacio Shahnaaz, I appreciate your kind words. Which part did you find the most interesting?
Shahnaaz Sayani
Shahnaaz Sayani Marcial I liked president Ronald Reagan’s words on freedom and your suggestion to see that our elected representatives resolve the current issues if not, they could be held responsible.
Marcial Bonifacio
Marcial Bonifacio Updates: This past Saturday (December 6), Rep. Bill Cassidy defeated three-term Senator Mary Landrieu by a wide margin (56-44 percent) in the Louisiana Senate run-off election. This not only yields one more Republican seat (now totaling 54), it will effectively deprive the Democrats of all U.S. senatorial seats (not to mention governorships) in all nine southern states in January of 2015.

On the issue of Gruber, he finally appeared before the House Oversight Committee to address his erroneous and deceptive comments about Obamacare. Here is the first part of the three-hour arraignment:

One thought on “ANOTHER BIG BLOW TO OBAMA’S TYRANNY: Historic Midterm Wins for GOP and America in 2014

  1. Pingback: Historic GOP Wins for 2016, Flipping the Blacks, and a Little on Trump’s Carrier Deal | Marcial's Law

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Bookin' It

So Many Books. So Little Time. Let's Review!

On the Second Day of Christmas…

The Write Stuff

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Hi everyone, and welcome to Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas Reader Appreciation Event. I have no idea who today’s author is, *whistles innocently,* but I hear this Jennifer Melzer person is giving away the first two books in her Serpent of Time series. You can find out more in today’s video.

With ten days left, after today, and still time to take advantage of Starla Huchton’s giveaway from day one, you can grab tons of goodies. It’s a great way to not only discover new books, but meet other readers, so I hope to see you there. You can find the event right here, just follow the link to join us for the all day, every day celebration, and feel free to share with everyone you think might enjoy a few free books in a variety of genres.

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Saturday, October 21, 2017

Pink on Parade 2017 @ Mt. Rubidoux

Everybody that I see HERE had fun. I were invited for this due to my job and so I invited my mom since we can bring a plus one. It is for a good cause. Trail itself is so pretty. Clean, organized and thoughtful volunteers. From cheering at every corner to free water as much as you can (though I do not recommend it if you're a real athlete, but I bet you know what not to do).
Freebies on right and left, Pen, Stickers, Calendars, Shopping bags, Toothbrushes, Free Blood Pressure Check up, and so much more! Afterwards, you can definitely have some food (purchased) like Tacos, Funnel Cakes, Huaraches (for this one we did and it was good!).
Mt. Rubidoux Trail, Perfect paved. You will not get lost (as our usual problem, LOL).
Plenty of people and dogs. Awesome view. Not too hard, just beautiful route.
Peak is where the White Cross is standing. Go to it not for religion purposes (but that's up to you of course), Enjoy your achievement :)

Saturday, October 7, 2017

M Trail Hike

Round Trip around 4 hours! It's a long way and a hot day. After multiple conversations with people hiking up and down like us where to go because there are so many trails, we found the M!
Got my mama and dog with me. Had to carry my dog many times since it's steep and again really warm. The last stop to M itself has no trail but just find your way to touch it like me :)
Above photo is the last resting place before hiking up to the M. Mama and Cosmo stopped here and just enjoy the view and a little shade from the rocks while I pursue reaching the mark. Pretty much this is the finish line. - Ootd
We went side track for 28 minutes. Saw the M after an hour 43 mins. Then touched the paint myself @ 2 hrs 28 mins.
Always find an easier route if you can. It's better to be slow and safe than fast then falling. There are lots of trails that leads to M. Most are newly made trying to make an easier trail rather than the steep one but then again experts prefer the shorter yet harder one.

Friday, October 6, 2017

Harvest Moon! On Top of Bump & Grind Hike (w/ Unfortunate Service Story)

Round Trip: 1 hour 58 minutes. This is my second trial for this hike, click here for the first one.
Reached the Peak 1 hour 2 minutes. Stay there for about 7 minutes then started going down without any breaks. We did going up maybe one to three times with couple minutes or so.
Bring water and hike at your own pace as I always say. This trail is steep and before starting you'll see where to go up top. Bring Flashlights! Be aware of the cyclists. Make way for people with a different pace than you are (never think they are better!). We just have our own journey so enjoy it.
If you want to see the Moon Rise like we did, start @ 1800 (6pm). It was beautiful.

Fortunately, It was actually the Harvest Moon going up :)
Casa Blanca (Mexican & Seafood):

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Edison Trail Hike

Round trip: 2 hours 10 minutes including lots of Side Tracks but couldn't find the 'M'.
Start: 9699 Box Springs Mountain Rd
Moreno Valley, CA

Better weather than yesterday (Two Trees Trail - September 30, 2017) but can't say better trail since I wouldn't know I just go. No shade all the way but pretty breezy since you're at the hills. Many poops of Horses and dogs since it's nature's trail.
After the second sign of Edison Trail we took left and stopped when saw the Horse Trails sign then went back. - Ootd
That's me kind of the other side trying to look for the 'M' but no luck.
Look how strong my parents are :)
And I thought they would've hate the hike all throughout especially papa since we have arthritis, lol.
@ 1236, 1 hour and 40 minutes later after running all trails I could see and finding some graffitis, I gave up looking so we went down.
My mom heading down fast while me and papa are at the back with me carrying my dog.

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Two Trees Trail Hike

2 hours and 17 minutes Round Trip.
You're done when you reached the road that leads to the Parking lot. Once you see the Yellow House, don't give up! You're almost there. Not for a beginner so do at your own pace. Drink water if needed and wear sun protection.
432 Two Trees Rd
Moreno Valley, CA
If you want to go further to reach the 'M' go for it. Look at the map up top or take the shortcut and park here for $5.00. We didn't because I don't want my mom to push herself too much and the heat is getting bad. - Ootd
5% Shade all throughout so Luxury Hikers, this is not for you.
On the way you'll see the Cassina Springs and the Fire Trail from Summer of 2017.
At the top, there's a little shed with table that you can rest and relax while you enjoy the peak of your hike.
9699 Box Springs Mountain Rd


text:
The Next Big Thing

15 Jan

next big thing

next big thing

The delightful and talented Emily Wheeler has just honoured me.  I’ve been tagged;  tagged for The Next Big Thing! How lucky that I have a W.I.P. So, what do I do? Why, reveal some intriguing facts about my forthcoming title: AND nominate five other worthy writers.

1. What is the working title of your book?

Fortunately, that’s been decided. But, I would like to keep it under my hat! Suffice to say that those who read the forthcoming review of  my sixth title, ‘Long and Short Australian Stories’ by Shelleyrae at Book’d out will find it out. 🙂 A hint: it has musical connotations.

2. Where did the idea come from for your book?

Well, it’s a collection of Short Stories and vignettes: and I guess I just take little bits and pieces out of life as I’ve seen it, either through personal experience or through the eyes of others, and work out situations that could result.

3. What genre does it fall under?

I’ve already spilled the beans: it’s a collection of Short Stories and vignettes. While romance figures prominently, there are several human interest tales: all set in modern Australia.

4. What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Impossible to answer, since there are just so many people to portray!

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Given its nature, that one is unanswerable. All I can say is, these are studies of relationships.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Along with all its stablemates: 25 Stories of Life and Love in Australia :A Taste of Life and Love in Australia: The Essence of Life and Love in Australia: Reflections of Life and Love in Australia: 60 Questions, Insights and Reminiscences: and Long and Short Australian Stories: this volume will be self-published. We like the total control this brings.

7.How long did it take you to write the first draft of your book?

I can give only an approximate answer: that being about six months. Winter ills slowed me down!

8. What other books would you compare your story to within the genre?

A tough question! People tell me my books fall into a different category to most. All I can think of is that, in common with the tales of James Herriot, they are mostly vignettes, and are relatively clean.

9.Who or what inspired you to write this book?

After a short break form writing, I decided to give it another go: thinking that it would be worthwhile to put together another collection. Several readers: Jeanette in particular: encouraged me greatly. As always, my husband and editor Ron supported me. Where would I be without him?

10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

The diversity of the book, both in content and structure, adds to its appeal. Although most tales are written in the normal way, some are set out as letters: a process which may well excite the reader’s imagination quite strongly.

Bloggers I am tagging.

They’re all awesome!

4 Responses to “The Next Big Thing”

  1. Rachael Johns (@RachaelJohns) January 15, 2013 at 11:50 pm #

    Hi Margaret – your stories sound fascinating. I admire ANYONE who can write short. And I hear ya on the ”about six months” thing. I think that’s about how long it takes me to write a novel, but then there are sick kids in their, school hols and editing previous book, so I’m not exactly sure. Good luck with it. x

    • Margaret Lynette Sharp January 16, 2013 at 3:35 am #

      Thanks, Rachael! Life can throw all sorts of interruptions at us, but we just keep on going. 🙂 Best of luck with your novels. x

  2. Lorelei Orion January 16, 2013 at 2:23 pm #

    Thanks for tagging me, Margaret! Looking forward to your next book.:)

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text:
Operational Systems and Equipment

Pampanito is a machine. The best way to preserve a piece of machinery is often to fully restore it and carefully operate it. For example, engines do not benefit from long periods of inactivity. The parts should be lubricated and moved. When electrical equipment is operated it warms up and the moisture is expelled. The most comprehensive method of restoring the submarine is to think of it as a series of systems. To restore a system is to deal with all of its components. There are limits, of course, dictated by the concerns of the Navy and the safety of visitors. There are no plans to propel Pampanito under her own power, for example. Even when Pampanito was seen operating at flank speed in the film Down Periscope, it was done with special effects and an underwater towing bridle. Further limits are set in the interests of visitor safety. It is not advisable, for example, to have a charged high pressure manifold that can be operated by an inquisitive ten year old visitor.

With all that in mind, many systems have been restored to operational condition. Four of the five diesel engines have been started and one is run for short periods of time a few times a year. The auxiliary systems have largely been put back on line, although they are carefully secured when not in use. For example, most of the hydraulics including the periscopes are operational, the Torpedo Data Computer, gyrocompass work. Food can be prepared in the galley, the fresh water system, heads and the sinks and showers amidships are all working. Much of the radio equipment is operational, etc.

We estimate that over 1/2 the equipment aboard has been restored, below is a list of significant equipment that has been operated during the museum era:

  • Fairbanks Morse 8 1/8, 10 cylinder main engines.
  • Fairbanks Morse 5 1/8, 8 cylinder auxiliary engine, including self-excited power generation.
  • Fuel transfer pumps.
  • Main ventilation blowers.
  • Trim and Drain system. Including vacuum priming system and all manifolds.
  • Aft battery blower.
  • One of two Hardie Tynes high pressure air compressors.
  • 3,000 lb and 225 lb air distribution manifold.
  • Main hydraulics including both DeLevalle IMO pumps, indicator and accumulator systems.
  • Periscope and Radar Mast hydraulics.
  • Bow Plane Rigging and Tilt hydraulics, including indicators.
  • Torpedo tube hydraulics.
  • Main induction hydraulic valve, engine exhaust hydraulics.
  • Rudder hydraulics and controls.
  • Trim and Drain system, including all three pumps and the manifold.
  • SV radar mast hydraulics.
  • All electrical power services (250 VDC, 125 VDC, 125 VAC, 6 VAC)
  • Forward and After Auxiliary. Distribution Panels, 250 VDC
  • IC Switchboard, including both 120 VDC, 120 VAC and 6 VAC distribution.
  • Lighting distribution system, including distribution panel, 120 VDC.
  • Emergency lighting system. The system is supplied a modern UPS over the original distribution.
  • TBL main radio transmitter including speech amplifier.
  • RAK and RAL main radio receivers.
  • SCR-624 VHF radio and LS-10 speaker amplifier.
  • Electronic Cipher Machine (ECM Mark II)
  • 1MC/7MC announcing system and alarms.
  • SV and SJ radar training mechanisms.
  • Torpedo Data Computer Mark III (TDC Mark III)
  • Arma Mk 7 Gyrocompass
  • Bendix Dummy Log, speed and distance.
  • Both GISR's (torpedo gyro setters), fully under the control of the TDC.
  • 20mm and 40mm AA guns.
  • Both of the galley stoves.
  • Fresh water system.

Copyright © 2006-2013, Maritime Park Association
All Rights Reserved
Legal Notices and Privacy Policy
Version 2.00, 11 Sep 2006


text:
The number of Australians living on the streets will be halved in the next 12 years, Prime Minister has asserted recently.

Launching the Government’s White Paper on Homelessness, “The Road Home”, Mr Rudd outlined the Federal Government’s plans for reducing homelessness in Australia by 2020, with specific goals to cut homelessness by half and provide accommodation to all rough sleepers who require it.

There are currently 105,000 homeless people in Australia, of whom approximately 16,000 are sleeping rough.

The White Paper allows for a significant injection of federal money, providing an additional $1.2 billion over four years, or a 55% increase in investment in homelessness.

It includes a commitment of $800 million over the next four years for new support services for homeless people and $400 million over the next two financial years for social housing, to house the homelessness.

The reforms aim to:

  • Help up to 9,000 more young people to remain connected with their families;
  • Help up to 2,250 more families at risk of homelessness to stay housed;
  • Provide day to day support to an extra 1,000 adults with mental illness;
  • Build up to 2,700 additional public and community houses for low income households who are at risk of homelessness;
  • Build up to 4,200 new houses and upgrade up to 4,800 existing houses in remote Indigenous communities;
  • Allocate aged care places and capital funds for at least 1 new specialist facility for older homeless people every year for the next four years.

Simon Turner

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Perfect for serving coffee or tea, this eclectic set of four spoons will add a touch of luxury to your table.

The set comes beautifully gift boxed and has two different styles of spoons, with two being finished in copper and two in a gold brass colour.

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text: This evening we watched La graine et le mulet , a French film (2007) directed by Abdellatif Kechiche (thanks to Béatrice O, who loaned us the DVD). Set in Sète, the film documents the life and times of sixty-something divorcee Monsieur Beiji, who loses his shipyard job and is determined to do his own thing by using his unemployment benefit to set up a dockside couscous restaurant on an old converted ship. He is helped to realise his dream by Rym, the daughter of his lover, a hotel owner, but he also needs the couscous-making skills of his former wife and the support of all of his children and in-laws. The actress playing Rym, Hafsia Herzi, turns in a brilliantly sultry performance and the scenes of couscous preparation – a sort of Algerian version of Babette’s Feast – are wonderfully realistic. The film is far too long (two-and-a-half hours) and its ending unsatisfactory, but the portrait of the simultaneous claustrophobia and solidarity of a close-knit immigrant community is compellingly and touchingly authentic.


text:
Quitting my Job

I have thoughts, but I’m so tired. People used to say I was eloquent, now I’m repetitive and boring. buffy just trying to keep from dying

I’m increasingly jealous of Ashley. Friday I overheard co-workers wondering how she handled the new kid because she has been with him everyday since I had surgery. My boss put me with him during his first week. Now everyone talks about how patient and calm she is with him. My boss works with her everyday, all day. She worked with me with another student before he became a 2:1. All of our students are 1:1, one adult staffed with one student. Some students are so violent that they need 2 adults with them all day to keep everyone safe. For 2 months, I worked with a student as a 1:1, while we got approval from the school district for a 2:1. For those 2 months, my boss worked with me every day. She trusted me not to react inappropriately to the kid. Now it is all about Ashley. My boss trusts her more. She is better than me. She got the promotion. She has a masters degree. She is fucking smart.

I worked with another kid for over a year straight. A lot of people couldn’t handle his constant screaming. They used to say they didn’t know how I handled him, just like they say about Ashley now. (Ha, I’m so emotional, I typed her real name, crap) Therefore, my boss and Ginny often asked my opinion on him. Now no one asks me about him. In fact, he is the one I think they’re screwing up.

Fuck this shit. I used to love my job.

I’ve thought a lot about quitting lately. I feel trapped because if I want to be a BCBA, I need thousands of hours of supervision. My job is the most practical way to do that and Ginny is willing to supervise me.

So, I stay. I don’t know how much longer I can handle this.

I don’t think I can take Barb’s job, if they ever give her the new position they keep promising. Ashley teaches 3 classes right now and does a stellar job. I can’t do better than she does. So, why try? Fuck her. Fuck this job.

I feel like I was more functional when I self-injured more often. I think I’ve deteriorated since I gave Ginny my blades. Perhaps cutting again is wise, at least until the meds kick in.

I don’t like the new BCBA. I don’t know her, but I don’t like the thought of her. They split the kids up differently. Therefore, I have to ask her things, not Ginny. I’m becoming more and more invisible and fucking useless here. No one would care if I disappeared. Ginny would care if I killed myself because she’d feel guilty. However, no one, including her, would blink if I disappeared.

I’m cursing a lot, not so eloquent. My mom used to say cursing was for people with small vocabularies.

Speaking of my mom, things are becoming more tenuous and combative. I KNOW that is my fault because I am irritable and rude.

Edited to Add: I started off this post thinking of POSITIVE thoughts in my head. I felt too tired to write them out, but then my mind started racing and the negative thoughts poured out. Strange how that works… It takes effort to form coherent, positive thoughts, but negative thoughts flow freely.

3 thoughts on “Quitting my Job

  1. Pingback: Success Equals Stress! | Masochist Musings

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Archive for the ‘france’ Category

SSPX Joins Crusade to Rehabilitate Templars

October 3, 2010

“The French historian Régine Peroud, who has already set right many of our misapprehensions about the Middle Ages. Now in The Templars she rehabilitates the devout Catholic knights, exposing ‘the incredible crop of fanciful allegations attributing to the Templars every kind of esoteric rite and belief, from the most ancient to the most vulgar. . . .’ As she rightly points out, the truth is accessible in archives and libraries: it is not impossible to uncover the facts. The result is an excellent, unadorned history that is a pleasure to read.”

This product was added to our catalog on Mar 4, 2010.


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Saturday, December 14, 2013

Recording: HSY

Artist: HSY

Song: Winter Circuit*

Recorded at The Drake Underground, December 12, 2013.

HSY - Winter Circuit

Full review to follow. Now experimenting with drumpad percussion, HSY was louder and more industrial than ever at this show — normally after an experience like this, you wake up with those weird bruises and scattered memories. But with HSY, you're not as afraid to remember what caused them.

* Thanks to Jude for passing the title to this one along.

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Scientists reveal mechanism behind mosquito-borne-disease 'blocker' used to fight viruses

June 15, 2017
This study found the introduction of Wolbachia bacteria (in purple) into insect cells, shown in the lower image, increased production of the gene Mt2, which reduced the ability of viruses (in blue) to reproduce. The new viruses produced were also less able to cause infection (shown as colorless viruses). Credit: Tamanash Bhattacharya

A new study from Indiana University may explain how a bacterium called Wolbachia prevents mosquitoes from transmitting deadly diseases such as dengue fever, West Nile virus and Zika.

Published today in the journal PLOS Pathogens, the study is one of the first to identify a specific biological mechanism that prevents mosquitoes infected with this bacterium from transmitting diseases to humans. It could also potentially open a path toward methods to block disease transmission without Wolbachia, an organism whose long-term effect on the environment is unknown.

"There's a real argument that some parts of the world are so strongly affected by these diseases that we need to try everything we can right away," said Irene Garcia Newton, assistant professor in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biology, who led the study. "But you've also got to remember that we're releasing insects into the wild that could potentially spread all over the planet very quickly, so it's important to move cautiously."

The use of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes to curtail the spread of human diseases—a method called "pathogen blocking"—has already been implemented in some parts of the world. This includes the recent release of these mosquitoes in Florida to block the spread of Zika.

The spread of other insect-borne diseases is also expected to rise significantly in North America over the next several decades due to environmental change, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other viruses whose transmission is blocked in Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes include chikungunya, yellow fever and West Nile.

To explore the biological mechanisms behind pathogen blocking, Newton and colleagues designed a model system consisting of Wolbachia-infected and the Sindbis virus, which is easier—and safer—to manipulate in the lab than infectious agents such as the Zika or West Nile viruses.

"We've got a lot of genetic tools for Sindbis virus and fruit flies," said Richard Hardy, professor in the IU Bloomington Department of Biology, who is a co-author on the study. "This means we're able to label different parts of the virus genome and track replication of its RNA inside the host insect."

This illustration shows how the transmission of Wolbachia bacteria (in purple) from fruit flies to mosquitoes appears to block the transmission of viruses (in blue) to humans. Credit: Tamanash Bhattacharya

Based upon a comparison of Wolbachia-infected versus uninfected fruit flies, the scientists found that flies with the bacterium produced significantly higher levels of Mt2, a gene that encodes a type of enzyme known as a methyltransferase.

They then used genetic tools to create two types of fruit flies: one that lacked this enzyme and another that produced unusually high levels of it.

The flies without the enzyme lost their ability to "block" the transmission of the Sindbis virus after infection with Wolbachia. The flies that produced high levels of the enzyme were resistant to the Sindbis virus—even if they weren't infected with Wolbachia.

"The fact that flies with high expression levels of this enzyme were protected against virus infection despite the absence of Wolbachia is very significant," said Tamanash Bhattacharya, an IU Ph.D. student who is first author on the study. "These results suggest that the methyltransferase Mt2 alone is sufficient to create a virus protection effect."

Moreover, this protective effect likely applies to the transmission of other deadlier viruses, not only the Sindbis . The lack of genetic similarities between viruses blocked by Wolbachia suggests that the bacterium blocks viruses through effects on the host.

There are a number of reasons scientists are interested in pursuing methods of pathogen-blocking without Wolbachia, Newton added. The widespread release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes could potentially trigger the rise of viruses resistant to the bacteria, for example.

There is also a lack of large-scale epidemiological studies to scientifically determine whether pathogen-blocking actually prevents outbreaks.

"Right now, we know only that mosquitoes infected by Wolbachia don't transmit diseases—but we don't really know how," Newton said. "If we don't understand the biological mechanisms behind pathogen blocking, we can't really know what will happen over the long term when we release these ."

Explore further: Mosquitoes infected with virus-suppressing bacteria could help control dengue fever

More information: PLOS Pathogens (2017). DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006427

Related Stories

Mosquitoes infected with virus-suppressing bacteria could help control dengue fever

May 30, 2017
Mosquitos infected with the bacteria Wolbachia are significantly worse vectors for dengue virus, but how to establish and spread Wolbachia in an urban mosquito population is unclear. A study publishing on 30th May 2017 in ...

Control strategy for Dengue, malaria increases risk of West Nile virus

July 10, 2014
Mosquitoes infected with the bacteria Wolbachia are more likely to become infected with West Nile virus and more likely to transmit the virus to humans, according to a team of researchers.

Infecting mosquitoes with bacteria so they can't infect us with viruses like Zika and dengue

May 23, 2017
Mosquitoes and their itchy bites are more than just an annoyance. They transmit dangerous viruses with deadly consequences – making them the most lethal animal on Earth. It's the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito ...

Inheritable bacterium controls Aedes mosquitoes' ability to transmit Zika

May 4, 2016
Aedes mosquitoes carrying the bacterium Wolbachia—found inside the cells of 60 percent of all insect species—are drastically less able to transmit Zika virus, say researchers at Brazil's Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) ...

Virus-resistant mosquitoes to be unleashed in Colombia, Brazil

October 26, 2016
Governments and philanthropists on Wednesday announced an $18 million plan to release mosquitoes resistant to Zika, dengue and other viruses in urban areas of Colombia and Brazil.

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A new study explores how herpes simplex virus might change when passed from one individual to another, information that may prove useful in future development of therapeutics and vaccines. This rare glimpse into a transmission ...

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October 20, 2017
In 2004, pneumonia killed more than 2 million children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. By 2015, the number was less than 1 million.

Newly discovered viral marker could help predict flu severity in infected patients

October 20, 2017
Flu viruses contain defective genetic material that may activate the immune system in infected patients, and new research published in PLOS Pathogens suggests that lower levels of these molecules could increase flu severity.

H7N9 influenza is both lethal and transmissible in animal model for flu

October 19, 2017
In 2013, an influenza virus that had never before been detected began circulating among poultry in China. It caused several waves of human infection and in late 2016, the number of people to become sick from the H7N9 virus ...

Flu simulations suggest pandemics more likely in spring, early summer

October 19, 2017
New statistical simulations suggest that Northern Hemisphere flu pandemics are most likely to emerge in late spring or early summer at the tail end of the normal flu season, according to a new study published in PLOS Computational ...

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October 18, 2017
A team of scientists has discovered new insights into the mechanisms of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, as well as two antibodies that block the virus' entry into cells. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National ...

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text:
Announcing the pre workshop masterclasses to @MedicineSocial

Greetings all,

There was overwhelmingly positive responses to our pilot event @SomeBythesea last year, but one of the key issues was how to bring some members of the audience up to speed prior to attending on the day.

Hence we listened and are thrilled to be offering 2 masterclasses at the same venue as the workshop, Amora Riverwalk, Melbourne on Friday 15th May 2015.

Each of the masterclasses will be for 4 hours and each capped at 20 participants. This is your chance to get hands on assistance and ideas from the experts!

Morning Masterclass 9.00am to 1.00pm

How to set up and run your own blog site

Dr Edwin Kruys (Doctor’s Bag) and Dr Helen Schultz (How Shrinks Think)

This 4 hour interactive workshop will have you setting up and posting in no time. Suitable for anybody who wants to start blogging, or is blogging but wants to learn how to improve or enhance what they are producing.

Topics include

  • Which platform to choose and signing up
  • Blogs that may inspire you
  • How to write a blog post
  • How to find your unique voice
  • How to attract followers and drive followers from social media to your blog (the mothership)
  • How to keep the momentum going.

Afternoon Masterclass 1.30am to 5.30pm

How to create your twitter profile and engage on social media

Twitter revealed_0_0_0_0

Ms Dionne Kasian-Lew (facilitator)

As one of our @SoMebythesea alumni, we are thrilled to have Dionne back to run an intimate 4 hour masterclass designed to help you create your brand, voice and gather momentum on social media.

Drawing from her experience from her book ‘The Social Executive’ and her international experience, Dionne delivers a 4 hour masterclass that answers:

  • How to get started and build your brand on Twitter
  • Where Twitter is placed and how it engages with other platforms such as LinkedIn
  • How to build a following and who to follow
  • The balance between creating and curating content for social media
  • Tips and tricks on Twitter

Fee for 4 hour class, materials catering and expertise $250 inc GST

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52 Weeks of Feedback

Feedback is an important tool for the growth of any writer. As I writer, I know how much I appreciate it, even just to know that someone has taken the time to read my words. Unfortunately, I feel that there is a general lack of feedback in the writing industry – we are simply too busy, too pressed for time to leave our thoughts behind. So, I have dedicated myself to 52 Weeks of Feedback (read the post that inspired the challenge).

Here is the challenge:

  • I will read and comment on a piece of writing every week for 52 weeks.
  • If it is a web article, I will leave a comment using the comment feature. If it is a magazine article, or I want to comment on a book, I will email that author my feedback (or find some way of contacting him or her!)

What I’m Reading

Week 1

Managing Distraction: How and Why to Ignore Your Inbox, by Katherine Ellison

Are Writers Just Content Providers?, by Christine Peets

Week 2

Back to My Roots and On to United States Masters Swimming Short Course Spring Nationals, by Katie Levy of Adventure-Inspired

Week 3

A Weekend of Projects – Part 2 (Pilot Mountain), by Erica Lineberry of CragMama

Writers: How to Keep it Fresh and Avoid Crunch, by Angela West

Week 4

Getting Outside During a Hard Pregnancy, Lindsey Wilson of OutsideMom.com

Week 5

Imagine: How Creativity Works, a book by Jonah Lehrer

Week 6

Learning to share in the backcountry, Tanya Koob at Family Adventures in The Canadian Rockies

Week 7

Running the Juan De Fuca Trail, Ross Collicut on PureOutside

Week 8

yoga june, Sam Peris on nu roots nutrition

Week 9

Thoughts on Adventure and Fatherhood, by Mark Stephens of AdventureParents.com

Week 10

The Most Depressing Thing Happening in Digital Right Now, by Mitch Joel

Week 11

Before They’re Gone: A Family’s Year-Long Quest to Explore America’s Most Endangered National Parks, by Michael Lanza

Week 12

Gym Class Heroes, Canadian Living (June 2012), by Jennifer Power Scott

Week 13

Alaska destiny discovered, by James Edward Mills on The Joy Trip Project

Week 14

Rainy Days Mean Fatter Journals, by the Writer’s Midwife

Week 15

Getting Out Alive, by Kim Kircher

Week 16

get over it! cycling to work begins again, by Kat Feeney of Kale Spa

Week 17

Finding Comfort in Unexpected (or Expected?) Places: the Value of Going Back to Our Roots, by Katie Levy of Adventure-Inspired

Week 18

Small Steps: The Delights & Difficulties of Hiking with Children and Making it Fun, by Brooke Stephens of AdventureParents.com

Week 19

Entering the Ironman Fold, by Jennifer Ward Barber

Week 20

Forever and a Day, by Kentucky Mountain Girl’s Blog

Week 21

A Look Back: Alone with My Thoughts in Denali, Katie Levy of Adventure-Inspired

Week 22

Are You Wasting Your time Guest Blogging?, by Dan Norris of Web Control Room on Problogger

Week 23

Finding Humility the Hard Way, by Jill Wheeler on Women’s Adventure Magazine

Week 24

Ill-Prepared Glacier Park Hikers owe their lives to rescue workers… , Tony Bynum

Week 25

Backpacking with a Baby, by Charlotte Watson on Birth Takes a Village

Week 26

It’s Time To Kill Multi-Tasking, by Jocelyn K. Glei on 99U

Week 27

Things I’ve Learned from Self-Employment – Part III, Marissa Krupa on The SpokenCoast Project

Week 28

The 6 Unique Traits of All Remarkable Writers, Demian Farnworth on Copyblogger

Week 29

My Love/Hate Relationship with Ice Climbing, Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Week 30

On Writing Reverse Bucket Lists and Remembering How Amazing You Are, Adventure-Inspired (check out my response here)

Week 31

How a Ski Accident Changed Our Lives, The Brave Ski Mom

Week 32

When What We Do Doesn’t Matter, The Bionic Chronicles

Week 33

Weekends Are For Amateurs, Will Gadd

Week 34

Emotional health and the outdoors, Robin Enright

Week 35

Freelancing for Free, Ann Friedman on Columbia Journalism Review

Week 36

Ian Brown: Why we are so drawn to the magnitude and beauty of mountains, Ian Brown in the Globe and Mail

Week 37

Metamorphosis (Or: Apparently My Body is Missing?!), on Mama Unabridged

Week 38

How Putting Performance First is Saving My Body Image, by Jennifer Ward Barber on Greatist

Week 39

No Girls Allowed: The #1 Reason You Weren’t Invited, by Gina Begin on Sierra Social Hub

Week 40

Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods, a book by Christine Byl

Week 41

Don’t Feel Guilty for Finding Meaning in Your Life, by Kim Kircher

Week 42

Are the Childless Necessarily Selfish?, Everywhere Once

Week 43

Adventure Is Not Just For Sexy People, Jennifer Davis-Flynne on Women’s Adventure Magazine

Week 44

Camping Courtesy: Nine Behaviours to Avoid in Public Campgrounds, Katie Levy on Adventure Inspired

Week 45

I became a mother, and died to live, Renegade Mama

Weel 46

No Regret Parenting, Brave Ski Mom

Week 47

The curse of Eve, Fresh Tracks

Week 48

You’re a stay at home mom? What do you DO all day?, Matt Walsh

Week 49

When We Were the Sea, by Niki Wilson on The Good from the Woods

Week 50

 A Poet in The Great Bear Rainforest, Lorna Crozier on Toque & Canoe

Week 51

The unexpected joys and wonders of travelling with kids, Bruce Kirkby for The Globe and Mail

Week 52

Is there a Cure for Re-entry Syndrome?, by Kim Kircher

6 thoughts on “52 Weeks of Feedback

  1. Michelle says:

    In an effort to do participate in the 52 weeks of feedback, I’ve also realized that it is time to broaden what I read. So while I haven’t heard anything back from the feedback that I’ve given, I have learned something new. Kinda cool

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Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Book Review: Hello, Bali by Giselle Shardlow, Illustrated by Emily Gedzyk

Hello, Bali: A Kids Yoga Island Adventure Book, Written by Giselle Sharlow and Illustrated by Emily Gedzyk
2014, 52p, Children's Picture Book
My Rating=4 Stars
Source: Received copy for an honest review

Say good day to the magical island of Bali! Join Anamika, one of the Yoga Kids, as she travels with her family to Bali, Indonesia. Surf like a surfer, dance like a Balinese dancer, and sit like a monkey.

The book includes a list of Kids Yoga Poses, Map of Bali, Basic Indonesian Phrases, and a Parent-Teacher Guide with tips on creating a successful yoga experience. This yoga book for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 2 to 5) is more than a storybook, but it’s also a unique experience for children.

This is a fun book!! Anamika is a yoga kid from India who is on vacation in Bali with her family. The story tells what they do and see, like surfing, swimming, watching shopkeepers, villagers, dolphins, farmers and much more. Then there's a simple yoga pose with a picture that shows how to do it. The poses match the story so children will feel like they're acting it out. This is geared towards children ages 2-5. Mine are much older than that but I still wanted to try it out on them to see what they thought. They felt that it was too easy for them but it was still lots of fun!

At the end is a list of the poses with key words, the name of the pose and the picture that demonstrates how to do it. If you're not sure exactly how to do a pose, you can visit their website to get descriptions of each one. There's also a page with Basic Indonesian which tells how to count from 1-20 and say some basic phrases ("Hello," "How are you," etc.). My only complaint is in this section. There's no pronunciation guide and I've never spoken Indonesian and have no idea how it sounds so that section seems useless to me. There's also a Parent-Teacher Guide which is a great resource filled with ideas on how to make the most out of this book.

The story is simple and the illustrations are bright and fun. If you're looking for a book that will get your young children moving without them even realizing it, then this is the book for you!

About the Author

Giselle Shardlow is the author of Kids Yoga Stories. Her yoga-inspired children’s books get children moving, learning, and having fun. Giselle draws from her experiences as a teacher, traveler, yogi, and mom to write the stories found at or on Amazon ( worldwide.

About the Illustrator

Emily Gedzyk is a world traveler who draws her artistic inspiration from the places she’s visited and the people in her life. She hopes to continue her journeys to new, exciting places and to teach everyone she meets that it’s never too early or too late to go out into the world on their own adventures. Her work can be found in our kids yoga books, Sophia’s Jungle Adventure, Luke’s Beach Day, and The ABC’s of Australian Animals.

sherry fundin said...

That is so darn cute. If I had a child I would want them to have it. I thinks teaching kids while they are having fun will benefit them in a big way. I had to check it out because of the fantastic cover.

Paij Slater said...

That is so cute. I think this is another one to get for nieces and nephews! Thanks for sharing :)

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you're reading...
Coaching, Personal Development, quotes, Retreats, Uncategorized

Go With the Flow

#BeHereNow #BodyMindSoul #personalPOWER #RaiseYourVibration #INnerAction #INspire #INbalance #personalcoaching #LifeCoach #merapiindah #kualalumpur

2016 misb GO flow

About dee777

teacher, trainer, graphic recorder, facilitator, graphic facilitator, coach, traditional malay martial arts guru

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Friday, 31 August 2007

John Gardner R.I.P.

John Gardner, who wrote the Boysie Oakes series and continued the James Bond series from 1981 to 1996, passed on August 3 from a heart attack. He was 80 years old.

Gardner was born Nov. 20, 1926 in Seaton Delaval, Northumberland. His father, Cyril Gardner, was an Anglican priest. During World War II he served in the Royal Marines. Following the war, he graduated from St. John's College at Cambridge and did postgraduate work at Oxford. He became an Anglican priest in 1953, but left the priesthood after only five years. He then got a job as drama critic for The Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald. His first book Spin the Bottle, detailing his experience with alcoholism, was published in 1963.

It would be his second book, however, that would set Gardner on the path to fame. Published in 1964, The Liquidator featured a spy like no other before. Boysie Oakes appeared to be the stereotypical, heroic man of adventure, something which to his employment by an intelligence agency. Unfortunately, Oakes is actually an unrepentant, inept coward who would rather spend his time at home. Gardner would write seven more Boysie Oakes novels.

It was in 1981 that Gardner was called upon by Ian Fleming's executors to write a new series of James Bond novels. Gardner had mixed feelings in writing new Bond novels, viewing 007 as Ian Fleming's character. In the end, he would ultimately write 16 Bond novels.

Gardner wrote several other novels, including several other series. He wrote two novels featuring Sherlock Holmes' archnemesis, Professor James Moriarty (he would have written more, but a fight with his publisher ended the series). He wrote five novels featuring Herbie Kruger, a large American in the service of British intelligence. Most recently he wrote five novels featuring Detective Sergeant Suzie Mountford, a London policewoman during World War II.

I must confess that I have not read a lot of John Gardner's books, but I have liked what I have read. Of the men who have written James Bond since Ian Fleming, I still believe he was the best. In writing the novels, Garnder used a style very similar to that of Fleming. With regards to his plots, he perhaps had more skill than Fleming. His Bond novels often feature double and even triple crosses, and often original twists involving the standbys of the Bond novels (power hungry madmen, assassins, and so on). I also enjoyed his Professor Moriarty books, which were an interesting take of the character (truly showing him to be the Napoleon of Crime). His books about Detective Sergeant Mountford are entertaining as well, capturing war torn London perfectly.

In fact, that is what I liked about John Gardner the most. He was an author who was able to play with genres. In his Boysie Oakes he almost parodied the spy genre, with a protagonist who was so cowardly he actually hired others to perform the assassinations assigned to him. In the Professor Moriarty and Detective Sergeant Mountford books he proved a master at atmosphere, capturing the spirit of both the late Victorian Era and World War II England. With his James Bond novels, he evoked Ian Fleming's novels while adding his own twists to the mythos. Gardner was definitely a master of the thriller genre. There weren't too many writers who could match him.

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😂Summer time: Despacito 🇮🇹❤🇪🇸

It is not even summer yet and I think we can officially declare “Despacito by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee as THE song of the summer of 2017. Unless you’ve been isolated in a remote location you must be familiar with this song:

It’s been played on radio stations all over the world several times a day and then, back in April Justin Bieber made it even more viral if possible by releasing his own version (even though he is not quite familiar with the lyrics still).

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Review: Amour Amour by Krista & Becca Ritchie (Kindle Unlimited)

Buy on amazon here:

Circus is family.

This book reminds me of that feeling you get when you see an aerial acrobats show for the first time, and you marvel at all of the feats that people can accomplish with their bodies.

This book manages to encapsulate all of the hard work, struggles, and the high-flying joy that comes with being a circus performer.

The romance between Nikolai and Thora evolves quite naturally from their innate chemistry, but the story is themed around the hard work, in both their romance and their careers in the circus.

I came away from reading this book with an urge to book myself onto an aerial hoop class.

You will love this novel, just sayin’.

M x

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Walsall player 53. Richard Davies

Richard Davies
Personal information
Full name Richard Peter Davies
Date of birth 15 May 1990 (age 26)
Place of birth Willenhall, England

Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Midfielder

Club information
Current team Chasetown

Youth career
?–2008 Walsall

Senior career
Years                                                         Team                                        Apps  (Gls)
2008–2010                                        Walsall                                             6       (0)
2009 →                                          Solihull Moors (loan)                       ?        (?)
2010–2013                                      AFC Telford United                       47        (4)
2010–2011                                   Chasetown (loan )                            26       (4)
2013 – 2014                                              Barrow                                      31       (2)

2014     ?                                            Chasetown                                             ?           ?

Richard Peter Davies (born 15 May 1990) in Willenhall He joined his hometown club as a youngster and came through the youth system to make his Walsall debut on 27 January 2009 in the Football League One clash with Swindon Town at the County Ground, which ended in a 3-2 loss. He was released by Walsall on 10 May 2010 along with six other players.
He joined AFC Telford in 2010 after he got released from Walsall FC. He then went and spent a long loan to Chasetown FC for a season. After spending a season long loan at Chasetown FC he got recalled for the play off semi-final against Nuneaton Town which they won. Following his good performance in that game he has became a first team player for the bucks, He scored one of his best goals vs Cambridge United in a 3-3 draw and was now a key player to AFC Telford in the Blue Square Prem.
In June 2013 he joined Barrow AFC in the Conference North after his contract was not renewed at Telford.( Strange how things change very quickly in this game we love)
He is the younger brother of current Bolton Wanderers midfielder Mark Davies.

Walsall player 36. Henry Beck

Henry Alfred Beck
Date of birth 21 February 1901
Place of birth Walsall Wood, England

Date of death 1979
Playing position Centre half, Right half, Left half

Senior career
Years                      Team                  Apps  (Gls)
Rushall                    ? (?)
1921                        Walsall                     3 (1)
Darlaston                  ? (?)
Cannock Town         ? (?)
Burton Town            ? (?)
1921-1927            Walsall                     40 (0)
Stafford Rangers       ? (?)
1928                       Barrow                      29 (0)
1929-1932            York City                119 (12)
1932-1933            Wrexham                 30 (2)
–                            Glentoran                  ? (?)
–                            Dudley Town             ? (?

Henry Alfred “Harry” Beck, also known as Harold Beck, (21 February 1901 in Walsall Wood, England – 1979) was an English footballer.Information  is very scarce…..


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Walsall player 157. Jean-Philippe Javary

Jean-Philippe Javary (born 10 January 1978) is a retired French professional footballer. He played in his homeland, where he started at hometown team Montpellier, as well as numerous clubs in England and Scotland. He was a midfielder.Born in Montpellier, France, Javary started his career with his hometown club Montpellier HSC as a junior, where he played nine Ligue 1 games during the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons He was offered a five-year contract at Spanish La Ligaside FC Barcelona, although the offer was later withdrawn, and instead joined another Spanish Barcelona-based clubRCD Espanyol in June 1998. He returned to France for a period on loan with Ligue 2 club ASOA Valence in the 1999–2000 season, where he played four games.
In January 2000, he joined Scottish Division One side Raith Rovers. He played 11 games with Raith during the latter half of the 2000–01 season. After one more game at the start of the following season, he was signed in August by English Division Two side Brentford for £150,000 by manager–chairman Ron Noades. He played only six games with Brentford, and another four with Plymouth Argyle in English Division Three at the end of the same season.
Javary moved back to Scotland and played a game on trial with Division One side Partick Thistle in October 2001, before he returned to Raith Rovers the following month. He played another seven games with Raith, before he moved back to England, with Sheffield United in Division One on non-contract terms in March 2002, and was given a two-year contract by manager Neil Warnock the following month. He was given a one-month loan spell at Walsall in January 2003, but was suffering from tonsilitis and never played a game. In July 2003, Javary was one of four senior players to be told he could leave the club by Neil Warnock, before he was released from his contract in September 2003; Javary decided to return to France. He played 14 games with Sheffield United, all but one in the league, and scored one goal against Watford.
After a spell with AS Excelsior in the French Réunion Islands, he returned to Scotland in January 2005 with Hamilton Academical again in Division One. He was released by Hamilton during the 2005 summer, after he had played 13 league matches, during which time he scored one goal against Falkirk. After his release he moved back to Réunion, again with Excelsior, and later moved on to FC Avirons.
In 2008, Javary moved to Australia to find an A-League team to continue his career.
Javary has also played for the French national sides from under 16 to under 19 level. He captained his country’s European Youth Championship side in 1995.

Senior career
Years                            Team                         Apps          Gls
1995–1998                   Montpellier                9
1998–2000                  Espanyol                      ?

1999–2000   Loan      Valence                        4
2000                               Raith Rovers             12
2000–2001                   Brentford                    6
2001                               Plymouth Argyle        4
2001                               Partick Thistle            1
2001–2002                   Raith Rovers               7
2002–2003                  Sheffield United         13               1
2003           Loan          Walsall                           0

AS  Excelsior                 ?

2005                              Hamilton Aca              13         1

AS Excelsior                     ?

Avirons  FC                        ?


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Tag Archives: old man logan

Logan? Yes, please.

So the new trailer for 20th Century Fox’s third Wolverine solo movie, Logan dropped today and it made my comic geek heart sing.

Yes, I know that this trailer bears little resemblance to Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s absolutely stellar limited series Old Man Logan in regards to the players in the story or its primary conflict, but seeing Hugh Jackman all scarred up and grizzled and the overall look of what they showed in the trailer nailed the attitude of the comic.

*This ain’t your granddaddy’s Wolverine, bub. This is granddaddy Wolverine.*

Maybe I’m a sucker for comics where characters get the ol’ Dark Knight Returns treatment. Hell, I really loved Spider-Man: Reign and some of my fellow comic fans have shunned me because of it. But this movie looks like it might be something special.

…Or it could be a steaming pile of shit like X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Guess we’ll have to wait until March to find out. But my fingers are crossed. Honestly, the Wolverine solo films have nowhere else to go but up.

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It all starts with a seed.

I have thought for a while as to what my first post should be about, that’s probably why it has taken me so long to start a blog. The past 4 odd years have raised many occasions I could witter on about, but I figured it should be about something that is important to me. So………….tomatoes!

My first experience of my granddads garden was as a kid coming to visit him and running up to the greenhouse to pick a ripe red tomato, biting into it and it being the epitome of freshness. So it only seemed right to attempt to grow some myself when I moved in, with some degrees of success and many occasions of plants falling over. I had no idea about taking side shoots out so I learnt quickly that I was out of my depth.

This year will be different though!

As I said, Gar-Gar (that’s my granddad), grew tomatoes, mainly Alicante and Moneymaker varieties, and as a result I get tomato seedlings growing as weeds within my greenhouse. Previously I would have pulled these as part of my weeding rituals but last year I grew 3 on, I had a cunning plan!

I grew them on, collected the vines of unripe green orbs at the end of September and stuck them next to my banana fruit bowl. Not to be able to eat the fruit, no matter how much I was tempted to taste my childhood. I let the tomatoes rot, much to the horror and disgust of any visitor that saw them and I now have what I call Gar-Gar seeds.Tom Seeds 1

Not that I have a competitive nature or anything, but as well as the joy of eating my own home grown food I also have a neighbour who gets extreme enjoyment out of comparing his garden to mine and pointing out all of the things I should be doing that I haven’t already.

I am currently awaiting the moment where he will ask me about them and see the look on his face when I declare “They are Gar-Gar’s toms”.

It all starts with a seed after all………………………..Jen x

Tom Seeds 4

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Monthly Archives: April 2010

oh dolly!

today i’m working my way through dolly: my life and other unfinished business.  dolly parton is such a joy!    she’s smart and funny and generous and brave.  she says things like, “it costs a lot to look this cheap.” … Continue reading

Posted in Listening | Leave a comment

my mother called me sliver

inspiration: etc. by sibella court. i am completely convinced that sibella assembled this book purely for my personal enchantment.  so many details seem as though meant just for me! she quotes jeanette winterson: “my mother called me silver.  i was … Continue reading

Posted in Nesting, Reading | Leave a comment

soft as chalk

oh! joanna. with your dresses, and your lipstick, and your sweet voice, ever so bravely stating your case. you are such a dear companion. there is a lovely performance by her here.   you must, must, must have this album. … Continue reading

Posted in Listening | Tagged | Leave a comment

What a magical fairytale-adventure-dream! I loved every minute of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. I loved Alice. She is beautiful and brave and curious. And her dress keeps changing and is the prettiest color blue… The visual imagery! The flowers, … Continue reading

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it’s in the trees…

May Sarton, in her “Journal of a Solitude,” writes, “Imitate the trees.” So deeply rooted. And the further down they grow, the higher they can gently reach. all photos found at we ♥ it

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Little Road

this makes me think of home: “little road, early summer,” by agnes pelton

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Hardcover | Out of Print | 128 pp. | 8.5 x 9.75 in | January 1982 | ISBN: 9780262181044
Paperback | $23.95 Trade | £19.95 | 128 pp. | 8.5 x 9.75 in | January 2010 | ISBN: 9780262514385
Paperback | Out of Print | 128 pp. | 8.5 x 9.75 in | April 1984 | ISBN: 9780262680417
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A Scientific Autobiography

Translated by Lawrence Venuti

This revealing memoir by Aldo Rossi (1937–1997), one of the most visible and controversial figures ever on the international architecture scene, intermingles discussions of Rossi’s architectural projects—including the major literary and artistic influences on his work—with his personal history. Drawn from notebooks Rossi kept beginning in 1971, these ruminations and reflections range from his obsession with theater to his concept of architecture as ritual. The book originally appeared as one of the landmark titles in the MIT Press’s Oppositions Books series, but has been out of print for many years. This newly issued paperback reprint includes illustrations—photographs, evocative images, and a set of drawings of Rossi’s major architectural projects prepared particularly for this publication—selected by the author himself to augment the text.

About the Author

Aldo Rossi was an Italian architect and architecture theorist and the author of The Architecture of the City (MIT Press, 1984) and other books. He was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1990.

“As nostalgia has swept the architectural community in recent years, one of the most Proustian design sensibilities to emerge has been that of Italian architect Aldo Rossi. The enfant terrible of Italy's 1960s Tendenza group, which fulminated against the modern movement, Rossi published influential polemics and kept an equally eloquent personal record in the form of notebooks, which MIT has published as the handsome A Scientific Autobiography...His own reminiscences convents and castles, the emotional pull of holy statuary, Melville's dramatics, an adolescent's fear of death, a young artist's ways with life fill his lyrical, erudite notebooks.”
“A document of architectural imagination rather than a merely autobiographical or abstractly theoretical text...Rossi allows his thoughts to roam freely from childhood memories to philosophical observations about architecture tout court...His own projects attempt, and his writings explain, the creation of a magic triangle whose sides are symbolic of life, death, and illusion.”
Kurt Forster, architectural historian


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The Fuss about Ligatures

I recently started working with an editor on a project. Scanning my document, I noticed she caught many of the typical errors: an extra space here, change curly quotes to hash marks for inches, change this word for that word. . . but what was this? She was circling all my ligatures!

“Turn ligatures off,” the comment said.

What? It must be a mistake! But then, further on in the document, I saw it again!

“What’s going on here?,” I wondered. I had been taught as a graphic designer that the use of ligatures was a mark of good typography. I decided to get to the bottom the issue.

First, let’s look at what ligatures are, and why they exist. Ligatures are combinations of letters, created as part of a typeface’s character set, to avoid collision of elements of letterforms and create more elegant transitions from one letter to the next. Some common ligatures are ff, fi, and fl:

Common Ligatures

Ligatures were popular for setting type in the 15th century, when metal blocks of letters were placed into tracks to compose a printable document. At this time, ligatures were a great time saver, allowing the typesetter to place a single “fi” block into the track instead of separate “f” and “i” blocks—a seemingly small act that made a difference in a book of say 50,000 words.

Later, with the invention of Sans Serif type (with letterforms that have less overlap), modern-era printing (which uses print plates vs. individual blocks of text), the typewriter (with forced equal spaces—monospacing—between letterforms and no ligature keys), and desktop publishing (a decendent of the typewriter, where ligatures are hidden as glyphs that require unusual keystrokes) use of ligatures began to decline. An article about ligatures on ilovetypography.com states that:

Richard Wendorf, in a 2005 lecture The Secret Life of Type, even suggests that the death of the ligature was brought about by a desire to reduce the number of type pieces, and was also influenced by the popular publisher John Bell (1745-1831), who abandoned ligatures.

So ligatures declined. But when did they become despised by editors?

A partial answer to this came when I was reading a follow-up comment to a blog entry about ligatures. The person had written:

A question that I have is what does the ligature actually do for usability. Is it to help the flow of reading, or is it just to make the text look better?

Another reader responded:

I know of no studies that have broached the topic of ligatures and readability. The ligature was used by ancient scribes to speed their writing; I don’t think the ligature is the product of a desire for improved readability; however, as Stephen Tiano writes below, perhaps they do perhaps inadvertently perform this function.

When I asked my editor about her ligature bias, she suggested that the ligature was a stylistic dinosaur that confused the reader, decreasing readability due to people’s relative unfamiliarity with these typesetting specialties.

When it comes right down to it, a well-designed paragraph of type should not call attention to individual letters or letterforms. Rather, it should be read effortlessly. In this vein, I considered that it is the task of the designer to determine if a font’s ligature detracts or adds to readability. Some fonts, like Adobe Garamond Pro, were created with readability in mind and have thoughtfully-designed ligatures that enhance the flow of text. Others, such as some sans serif fonts (to be honest, I couldn’t find a bad example—but I’m sure they’re out there), may be better suited to have ligatures turned off. Whichever route you select, take care that you use (or don’t use) ligatures consistently within a single document to avoid confusion.

As for the highly stylized, fanciful ligatures that exist in many faces: I would suggest that they are entirely appropriate in headlines or logotype, where we want readers to notice the beauty and style of the letterforms. Bookman, Mrs. Eaves, and Zapfino are examples of fonts that have exceptionally beautiful ligatures that the world deserves to see!

Are you a fan or foe of ligatures? Let us know! Leave a comment below.

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7 Responses to “The Fuss about Ligatures”

  1. johno Says:

    “…the ligature was a stylistic dinosaur that confused the reader.”
    What absolute nonsense! Pick up just about any piece of printed matter that contains extended text and you’ll see, at the very least, the standard ligatures like f+i and f+l, etc. As you demonstrated in your illustration, ligatures often prevent unsightly collisions, especially in f+i or f + another letter with an ascender.

    It might be that some find the now rarer “historical” ligatures (e.g. c+t) a little distracting; personally, I don’t find them to be at all distracting; but then that depends on the face. And, you’re right, in display settings and logotypes, ligatures can work well (depends of course on the context and the face).

  2. Bobbi Jo Woods Says:

    I myself don’t quite understand the negative feelings associated with ligatures. I rather like them… especially in materials for print and sometimes on the web. Sometimes I will use a drop cap on purpose though, in the case of a font that doesn’t emphasize them…don’t know if that is a different ball of wax altogether.

  3. textwrapper Says:

    Ligatures are that most elegant form of bondage.

  4. aaron kiersky Says:

    I agree with Bobbi, ligatures are very elegant when used, they look great, plus the purpose of them still holds true in our digital world. As stated in the article, for hand typesetters, having to grab only one cast letter is better than two, hence the ligature.
    However a point missed is the use of ligatures to kern text, allowing two letters that would usually have an akward spaceing between them, come a little closer, and even touch. The touching that happens by kerning properly is usually un-desirable, so a new ligature character is needed to allow for the proper spacing, but fixing the problems of letters running into each other.

  5. Raffy Says:

    It is implied that the late Evert Bloemsma had a problem with ligatures. If one reads the interview with him in Daidala, you can read his answers.

    According to him, ligatures are based on a certain limitation. For instance, like this blog mentioned, during the letterpress days, the letters that have to be kerned but not in an unstable look or with awkward spacing, plus, they have to save time. Another one is that the scribes have those ligatures since they need to write quickly.
    Since desktop publishing came, gone is the need for ligatures.

    The reason I’m not a fan of ligatures is that I consider that the typeface user will track type positively or negatively. If a ligature is there, the spacing would be awkward. It just takes a reader to judge that such results look ugly.

    For the type designer’s part, they must do some kerning fixes on problematic ligatures to fix their typeface in case the user tracks their typeface.

  6. Jeff Says:

    I’m not so concerned about the look of the ligature; I’m concerned with the spelling of British English words. I’m trying to figure out if, for example, the American English word “anemia” should be spelled, in British English, “anaemia” or “anæmia.” That is, have British typesetters abandoned ligatures, not because of the look of the print but because they seem old-fashioned or difficult for writers, editors, and desktop publishers to use (because the process for inserting them in various desktop word processing applications is not obvious).

  7. Michael Says:

    Ligatures reveal one’s awareness of fine taste and convey a sense of richness and substance in a text. It is entirely pedestrian to advocate removing subtle enhancements such as the ligature, unless of course one strives for commonality in their work. In deciding, one would do well to understand the difference between fine dining and simply eating. I’ll still pay any price for a fine quality bound book despite carrying my iPad with me when I travel.

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