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Our Courses

We offer a range of courses to suit your needs.  Click 'more course information' below to view further details.

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Our Team

Gill and Nicola are the course directors and are responsible for the organisation of the course and oversee all the 'behind the scenes' work. Over the duration of the course, you will receive support and feedback regarding the progress with your learning from one of our AMSPAR qualified mentors.

Our Mentors are: Drew, Liz, Sue and Maddy.

Gill Critchley

Founder and Director

I worked as a Medical Secretary for many years within the NHS having gained the City and Guilds / AMSPAR Diploma in Medical Terminology in 1991. I have also achieved the TEFL qualification (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and have taught Medical English to many foreign doctors and nurses. Read More.

Nicola Tunstall

My name is Nicola and I live in Cheshire with my partner, 2 young girls and my energetic dog! I qualified with First Class Honours as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2002 and spent most my 12 year Speech Therapy career working with Stroke patients either in the community or on a stroke unit in a hospital. Read More.

See a full list of our mentors here.

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Everything you need in one place

Level Two and Three students will manage their own learning inside their personalised Mediterm Account.

Sit end of module assessments and keep the papers so you’re prepared for the end of course exam.

Find out how you’ve done in your assessments and exam. Results are private, unless you chose to share the good news on your Social Media from here.

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URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000413.htm

Psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is a joint problem (arthritis) that often occurs with a skin condition called psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a common skin problem that causes red patches on the body. It is an ongoing (chronic) inflammatory condition. About 1 in 20 people with psoriasis may develop arthritis with the skin condition. Nail psoriasis is linked to psoriatic arthritis.

In most cases, psoriasis comes before the arthritis.

The cause of psoriatic arthritis is not known. Genes, immune system, and environmental factors may play a role. It is likely that the skin and joint diseases may have similar causes. However, they may not occur together.

The arthritis may be mild and involve only a few joints. The joints at the end of the fingers or toes may be more affected.

In some people the disease may be severe and affect many joints, including the spine. Symptoms in the spine include stiffness, burning, and pain. They most often occur in the lower spine and sacrum.

Most of the time, people with psoriatic arthritis have the skin and nail changes of psoriasis. Often, the skin gets worse at the same time as the arthritis.

Exams and Tests

During a physical exam, the health care provider will look for:

  • Joint swelling
  • Skin patches (psoriasis) and pitting in the nails
  • Tenderness

Joint x-rays may be done.

There are no specific blood tests for psoriatic arthritis or for psoriasis, but the doctor may test for a gene called HLA-B27.

Your provider may prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce pain and swelling of the joints.

Worse arthritis will need to be treated with more powerful drugs called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). These include:

  • Leflunomide
  • Methotrexate
  • Sulfasalazine

New medicines that block an inflammatory protein called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) are being widely used for progressive psoriatic arthritis. These drugs include:

  • Adalimumab (Humira)
  • Certolizumab (Cimzia)
  • Etanercept (Enbrel)
  • Golimumab (Simponi)
  • Infliximab (Remicade)

Very painful joints may be injected with steroid medicines.

In rare cases, surgery may be needed to repair or replace damaged joints.

Your provider may suggest a mix of rest and exercise. Physical therapy may help increase joint movement. You may also use heat and cold therapy.

Outlook (Prognosis)

The disease is often mild and affects only a few joints. In some people, very bad psoriatic arthritis may cause deformities in the hands, feet, and spine.

Early treatment can ease pain and prevent joint damage even in very bad cases.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call your provider if arthritis symptoms develop along with psoriasis.

Alternative Names

Arthritis - psoriatic; Psoriasis - psoriatic arthritis; Spondylitis - psoriatic arthritis

Fitzgerald O. Psoriatic arthritis. In: Firestein GS, Budd RC, Gabriel SE, McInnes IB, O'Dell JR, eds. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2013:chap 77.

Gladman DD, Chandran V. Management of psoriatic arthritis. In: Hochberg MC, Silman AJ, Smolen JS, Weinblatt ME, Weisman MH, eds. Rheumatology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Mosby; 2015:chap 122.

Husni ME. Psoriatic arthritis. In: Carey WD, ed. Cleveland Clinic: Current Clinical Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2010:1187-1189.

Review Date 4/28/2015

Updated by: Gordon A. Starkebaum, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Internal review and update on 07/24/2016 by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

Related MedlinePlus Health Topics

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“Hotel” Gardens in Paris

While in Paris in August, I stayed in an area called the Marais, which straddles the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. Scattered here and there, within easy walking distance, are buildings called “hotel particuliers,” many of which have large, imposing facades fronting on the street. For example, the Rodin Museum, subject of an earlier post, is housed in the Hotel Biron.

Behind their facades, most hotel particuliers have a courtyard, and sometimes, like at the Rodin, a garden behind the building.  Closest to our apartment was the Musee Carnavelet, two “hotels” that now serve as the museum honoring various periods of Paris’s history. Passing through the outer gates, I found a courtyard embracing a statue of Louis XIV, and the entrance to the museum. Cretin that I am, I breezed through the museum in record time, in search of the “garden” of the hotels, which I had seen in a book before I left home. Le voila!

Carnavalet Museum, Carnavalet gardens, hotel particulier, Marais, Paris

A view of the garden of the Carnavalet Museum in Paris, from above. The French do love boxwood parterres. There is a second, smaller vegetable garden area, in a different part of the site.

Carnavalet Museum, Carnavalet Museum garden, Marais, Paris

Summer annuals softening the boxwood parterre plantings.

I liked the way the summer annuals helped brighten up the otherwise very formal boxwood parterres. I’m not always a fan of a mix of really strongly-colored plants together – but in this case it worked.

This approach was also in evidence when – earlier in my stay – I visited the Hotel de Soubise during a walking tour of the Marais. Formerly the residence of French dukes and princes too numerous to count, it’s now the Museum of French history.  The courtyard, or “cour d’honneur,”  somewhat stark in the winter, sported brightly blooming swaths of summer annuals when I was there. The Verbena bonariensis was an especially nice addition.

Hotel de Soubise inner courtyard

The Cour d'Honneur of the Hotel de Soubise, with the ubiquitous yews and swaths of annuals

Hotel de Soubise courtyard, Paris, Museum of French History

Verbena bonariensis contrasting with other annuals in hues of yellow, red and orange

The one other “hotel” garden I visited was that of the Hotel de Sully (also in the Marais).

Hotel de Sully facade, Marais, Paris

A portion of the facade in the first courtyard of the Hotel de Sully, with beautifully intricate carvings.

Unlike the Soubise or Carnavelet sites, here I found no annuals to liven up the conical yews and boxwoods. But in their place, something even more interesting: in a classical formal garden, a freestanding stone lattice on the right side as you enter,  and a “sculpture” of a mole (or badger?) encased in soil. There was no sign or any kind of information about the piece, which I can only assume is temporary.

Hotel de Sully orangerie, Paris, the Marais, hotel particulier

The circular lattice and the earth-bound mole (?) in the Sully's orangerie.

For a look at another art installation in this garden, called “Bee’s Dance,” which apparently I missed (more’s the pity), click here. And be sure to explore these hidden gems if you’re in Paris in the spring, summer or fall! Next post – on to Oxford.

Explore posts in the same categories: landscape, photography, Travel

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6 Comments on ““Hotel” Gardens in Paris”

  1. Anita Mac Says:

    Very cool – I had no idea about the “secret gardens”.
    When traveling in South America, I marvelled at what was hidden behind the heavy doors of various establishments – I wonder if they had wonderful “secret gardens” too!
    Next time in Paris…..

    • Melissa Says:

      Anita, thanks for stopping by! I can also attest (in case you haven’t visited there) that in places like San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, there are lovely gardens behind the beautiful wooden doors we see on the streets – check out my post on Casa de Luna from last fall.

  2. Elizabeth Lynne Pou Says:

    Beautiful pictures, Melissa.

  3. Beautiful pictures. I so love Paris!

    I think the French do beds of mixed annuals better than anyone.

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From Meta, a Wikimedia project coordination wiki
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Incivility is behavior that creates an atmosphere of animosity and disrespect. Incivility is a source of conflict and a cause of wikistress.

The Wikipedia community has an informal hierarchy of core principles — the first being to strive for NPOV. The second simply demands reasonable degree of civility towards others. Even if "civility" is just an informal rule, it’s the only term that can apply, and it’s the only reasonable way to delimit acceptable conduct from the unacceptable. We can’t ask people to love, honor, obey, or even respect another, but we have every right to demand civility.

One essential definition of civility is to treat others as you like would have them treat you. However, in reality, it is not always enough just to treat people in the same way that you would have them treat you, because people may have different preferences for how they like to be treated. For this reason being civil relies on the use of empathy to realize that others may have different preferences of treatment than you do, and that a form of behavior that you might not personally find unpleasant could be experienced as unpleasant by others. Importantly, empathy includes the ability to realize that others may also have difficulties being sufficiently empathic, and that perceived lack of civility in others does not necessarily stem from bad faith, but could come from users having different norms of behavior or personality.

Incivility is a vicious cycle because people who experience uncivil behavior from others will usually retaliate, escalating and polarizing conflicts and threatening or impeding collaboration.

The problem[edit]

Wikipedia as a whole is not especially respectful of other contributors. This directly affects the quality of the community experience at Wikipedia. By hurting the community, the quality of articles is affected as well. This creates a cycle of incivility that reinforces itself, and in some cases conflicts between contributors over one article can expand to involve additional people and additional articles.

Petty examples that contribute to an uncivil environment

  • use of rudeness or profanity
  • racial, ethnic, and religious slurs
  • judgmental tone in edit comments ("fixed sloppy spelling", "snipped rambling crap")
  • belittling contributors because of their language skills or word choice
  • ill-considered accusations of impropriety of one kind or another

More serious examples include

  • personal attacks
  • lies
  • defacing user pages
  • unsubstantiated calls for bans and blocks

Incivility happens for example when you are quietly creating a new page, and another user tells you, "If you’re going to write a pointless page, could you spell-check it?" Escalation occurs when you reply, "Mind your own business."

This style of interaction between Wikipedians drives away contributors, distracts others from more important matters, and weakens the entire community.

When and why does it happen?[edit]

  • During an edit war, when people have different opinions, or when there is a conflict over sharing power
  • When the community grows larger; each editor does not know all the others and may not perceive the importance of each individual to the project—so they don’t worry about maintaining relationships that don’t exist. Reputation does not count as much as in a smaller community.
  • Sometimes, a particularly impolite user joins the project.

Most of the time, insults are used in the heat of the moment during a longer conflict. They are essentially a way to end the discussion. Often the person who made the insult regrets having used such words afterwards. This in itself is a good reason to remove (or refactor) the offending words.

In other cases, the offender is doing it on purpose: either to distract the "opponent(s)" from the issue, or simply to drive them away from working on the article or even from the project, or to push them to commit an even greater breach in civility, which might result in ostracism or banning. In those cases, it is far less likely that the offender will have any regrets and apologize.

It should be noted that some editors deliberately push others to the point of breaching civility, without committing such a breach themselves.

Why is it bad?[edit]

  • Because it makes people unhappy, resulting in discouragement and departure
  • Because it makes people angry, resulting in non-constructive or even uncivil behavior themselves, further escalating the level of incivility
  • Because people lose good faith, resulting in even less ability to resolve the current conflict—or the next one

General suggestions[edit]

Preventing incivility within Wikipedia[edit]

The "Civility Barnstar" is intended to reward users for civility. The aim is to award good civility, and not to just warn against bad civility
  • Prevent edit wars and conflict between individuals (constraints on editing are set by the project—essentially a community answer)
  • Force delays between answers to give time to editors to calm down and recover and to avoid further escalation of a conflict (protecting pages, or temporary blocks of editors in case of conflict)
  • Use positive feedback (praising those who do not respond to incivility with incivility)
  • Use negative feedback (suggesting that an editor involved in conflict should leave Wikipedia or simply allowing the editor to leave—whether or not that person was the offender or the one guilty of the offenses—in order to reduce the level of conflict)
  • Apply peer pressure (voicing displeasure each time rudeness or incivility happens)
  • Solve the root of the conflict between the offender and the other editor(s) or the community—or find a compromise.
  • Block certain users from editing specific pages that often trigger incivility
  • Create and enforce a new rule—based on use of certain words—that will allow temporary blocking or banning an editor using them more than a certain number of times
  • Request the use of real names to force editors to take responsibility of their behavior (although this is generally considered not desirable on Wikipedia)
  • Filter emails by the offender, or filter mail based on certain keywords and reject emails to the Wikipedia mailing list with those words
  • Decide that incivility and rudeness can’t be avoided in such a project, and accept their existence.

Reducing the impact[edit]

  • Balance each uncivil comment by providing a soothing or constructive comment
  • Do not answer offensive comments. Forget about them. Forgive the editor. Do not escalate the conflict. (an individual approach)
  • Ignore incivility. Operate as if the offender does not exist. Set up a "wall" between the offender and the community.
  • Revert edits with a veil of invisibility (&bot=1) to reduce the impact of the offensive words used in edit summaries (the comment box)
  • Decide that incivility and rudeness can’t be avoided in such a project, and accept their existence.

Removing uncivil comments[edit]

  • Strike offensive words or replace them with milder ones on talk pages (this is often seen as controversial, as is refactoring other people’s words)
  • Remove offensive comments on talk pages (since they remain in the page history, anyone can find them again or refer to them later on)
  • Revert an edit with &bot=1, so that the edit made by the offender appears invisible in Recent Changes (do-able on IP contributions, requires technical help for logged-in user)
  • Delete (entirely and permanently) an edit made by the offender (requires technical help)
  • Permanently delete an offensive comment made on the mailing lists (requires technical help)
  • Replace a comment made in an edit summary by another less offensive comment (requires technical help)

Management of incivility during the mediation process[edit]

Parties sometimes attempt to negotiate an agreement while one party is not ready to negotiate. For example, if the source of the conflict is a specific point in an article, dispute resolution may be impaired if discussion is still clouded by an uncivil exchange between both parties. It is best to clear up that issue as soon as possible, so disputants can regain their balance and clarity when editing.

Explain incivility[edit]

Some editors are badly shaken by uncivil words directed towards them, and can’t focus on the source of the conflict itself. It may help to point out to them why unpleasant words were used, and acknowledge that while incivility is wrong, the ideas behind the comment may be valid.

The offended person may realize that the words were not always meant literally, and could decide to forgive and forget them.

It can be helpful to point out at breaches of civility even when done on purpose to hurt, as it might help the disputant to refocus on the issue (controversial).

Rephrasing disputants’ comments[edit]

During the mediation process, a third neutral party is in contact with both disputants, ensuring communication between them.

The role of the mediator is to promote reasonable discussion between the two disputants. Therefore it is helpful to remove incivility voiced by User A, in rephrasing comments to User B.

For example, if User A and User B are flaming each other by e-mail through a mediator, it might be best if the intermediary turns "I refuse to allow Neo-Nazi apologetics to infest the Wikipedia" to "User A is concerned that you may be giving too much prominence to a certain view."

Rephrasing flames publicly exchanged before or during the mediation process[edit]

At the end of the mediation process, the mediator may suggest that the disputants agree to remove uncivil comments that have remained on user and article talk pages. The editors might agree to delete a page created specifically to abuse or flame the one another, and|or to remove all flaming content not relevant to the article discussion, and|or to refactor a discussion. This may allow disputants to forgive and forget offenses more quickly.

Similarly, the disputants might agree to apologize to each other.

Suggest apologizing[edit]

Mediation regularly involves disputes in which one party feels injured by the other. The apology is an act that is neither about problem-solving and negotiation, nor is it about arbitration. Rather, it is a form of ritual exchange between both parties, where words are said that allow reconciliation. In transformative mediation, the apology represents an opportunity for acknowledgement that may transform relations.

For some people, it may be crucial to receive an apology from those who have offended them. For this reason, a sincere apology is often the key to the resolution of a conflict: an apology is a symbol of forgiveness. An apology is very much recommended when one person’s perceived incivility has offended another.

If all else fails...[edit]

If an editor feels the need to be uncivil, he/she should do that elsewhere,[1] not on Wikimedia projects.

See also[edit]


text:
++ed by:

1 PAUSE user
1 non-PAUSE user.

John Beppu

Squatting::View - default view class for Squatting

  package App::Views;
  use Squatting ':views';
  our @V = (
      layout => sub {
        my ($self, $v, $content) = @_;
        "(header $content footer)";
      home => sub {
        my ($self, $v) = @_;
        "Hello, $v->{name}";
      _ => sub {
        my ($self, $v) = @_;
        "You tried to render $self->{template} which was not defined.";
      arbitrary_data => [ { is => 'ok' }, 2 ],

In Squatting, views are objects that contain many templates. Templates are represented by coderefs that will be treated as methods of a view object. The job of a template is to take a hashref of variables and return a string.

Typically, the hashref of variables will be the same as what's in $controller->v. This is important to note, because if you want a session variable in $controller->state to affect the template, you have to put it in $controller->v.

General Methods

$view = Squatting::View->new($name, %methods)

The constructor takes a name and a hash of attributes and coderefs. Note that the name must be unique within the package the view is defined.

This returns the name of the view.

This returns a hashref of the outgoing HTTP headers.

Template Methods

$content = $view->$template($v)

Any coderef that was given to the constructor may be called by name. Templates should be passed in a hashref ($v) with variables for it to use to generate the final output.

$content = $view->layout($v, $content)

If you define a template named "layout", it'll be used to wrap the content of all templates whose name do not begin with "_". You can use this feature to provide standard headers and footers for your pages.

$content = $view->_($v)

If you define a template named "_", this will act as a catch-all that can be asked to render anything that wasn't explicitly defined. It's like our version of AUTOLOAD.

NOTE: You can find out what they tried to render by inspecting $self->{template}.

This feature is useful when you're using a file-based templating system like Tenjin or Template Toolkit, and you don't want to write a template sub for every single template. Instead, you can make $self->{template} correspond to a file on disk.

$view->{$template} = \&coderef

You are allowed to directly replace the template coderefs with your own. The most common reason you'd do this would be to replace an app's default layout with your own.

  $view->{layout} = sub {
    my ($self, $v, $content) = @_;
    # ...

Squatting, Squatting::Controller


text:
Darkwater launches a new album “Where Stories End” on 15 October 2010

Darkwater was formed late 2003 in the western parts of Sweden. During the first years of existence they only did a few selected shows in Sweden while working on the material for their debut album. During summer and fall 2006, Darkwater recorded and mixed the album, and early 2007 a deal was inked with the Swedish label Ulterium Records.

Calling the earth to witness” was released in May 2007 and received extremely good reviews from all around the world. Darkwater’s perfect blend of melodic and progressive metal was something the scene was craving for, and while taking inspiration from bands like Symphony X, Dream Theater and Evergrey, Darkwater have for sure created a sound of their own.

In May 2008 Darkwater recorded and released a music video for the track “The play II” and in June they went did their first show in the US, at the Bay Area Rock Fest together with Liquid Tension Experiment, Jeff Scott Soto among others.

During 2009 the band parted ways with their bass player Karl Wassholm, and stepping in as bass player for the band is Simon Andersson [ex. Pain of Salvation].

In April 2010 Darkwater started to record their new album “Where stories end“. The famous Studio Fredman was chosen for the mix and mastering of the album, and during summer the album was completed. The band also recorded a music video for the opening track of the album “Breathe“.

With all the great reviews and response for their debut album, Darkwater surely felt some pressure to produce a great follow-up album, which they managed to do without any doubts. “Where stories end” is a master piece of melodic progressive metal, and will not leave any fans of the band or the genre disappointed.

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Open House

“Make Yourself At Home– Welcoming Voices in Open House:  If These Walls Could Talk” by Benjamin Filene is a chapter in the book Letting Go? which explores shared authority in history museums.  Open House, an exhibit at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, is a unique experience which allows visitors a window into the lives of one local house’s occupants.

Though the exhibit focuses on a single home, it is not a historic house.  It more resembles the period room type of exhibit in which the interior of the house is recreated at the museum.  The museum’s curatorial staff wanted to explore the lives of average residents in an average house in St. Paul.  The result is what becomes, in effect, the life story of the home, and it is anything but average.  By researching the various occupants of the house, which was built in 1888, it is made evident that every building has a history, and much can be gleaned from it.

The rooms of the exhibit represent different time periods of occupation.  Hidden among the everyday objects are reproductions of primary sources such as building permits, church records, and newspaper articles which offer a unique insight into the lives of the occupants.  In addition, snippets of oral histories can be heard throughout the exhibit by interacting with the features of the “house.”  For example, approaching a dingy set of work clothes hanging on the “porch”, motion sensors trigger a recording of Dick Krismer, a resident of the house who evidently worked in the stockyards, who explains pig slaughtering methods in 20 seconds of audio.  In the 1890s-themed sitting room, visitors can view magic lantern slides that trace the Schumacher’s journey from Germany to St. Paul, where they first built the house in 1888.

The curators have left the interpretation up to the residents.  Their stories speak volumes about the time period in which they occupied the house, keeping the curatorial voice at a minimum.  Traditional museum text on the wall, in panels resembling windows titled, “A Look Outside” offers context for the stories, relating it to larger external historical patterns.

Both an example of an engaging interactive museum exhibit as well as the new history, “Open House” was immensely popular.  Indeed, it features methods of museum work which are being integrated elsewhere.  Historic Locust grove, for example, is experimenting with voice recordings (in their case, voice actors) which are triggered upon entering a room.  Digital media therefore is becoming a larger and larger part of museum interpretation in the 21st century.

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text:
Tag Archives: Dale Irby

“The Heat” leaves me cold, as expected. The Arizona firefighter tragedy, and real heroes. And the teacher who wore the same outfit for 40 years

I knew better than to go see the Sandra Bullock-Melissa McCarthy buddy cop movie “The Heat.”
I really don’t like action movies, I knew this one would be stupid, and I really don’t even like Sandra Bullock that much (outside of her awesome performance in “The Blind Side.”)
But I was quasi-kidnapped; during our Baltimore trip last weekend the three guys I was with all decided that was the flick they wanted to see (reasonably asked my new wife: “That’s the movie three men in their 60s wanted to see?”)

So I sat through it, and as I expected, it was pretty bad. The story of the movie is that Bullock is a straight-laced, cocky FBI agent assigned to a case in Boston, where she’s forced to work with McCarthy, a foul-mouthed, awful-dressing, tough-as-nails cop.
In between, there’s a terrific collection of random bit players in the movie, including Tony Hale (from “Veep” and “Arrested Development,” the gym teacher from “Freaks and Geeks,” and others).

There were a few funny scenes, because sometimes McCarthy is so outrageous that you can’t help but laugh (hard to believe that the potty-mouthed McCarthy used to play sweet lil’ Sookie on “Gilmore Girls.”)

But mostly it was a predictable, one-note action flick that lowered my IQ a few points. I’m sure the film will make a ton of money, and the other people in the theater seemed to love it.

Maybe it’s me. Nah…

This next story cracked me up big-time. An elementary school teacher in Dallas named Dale Irby had nothing to wear on school picture day in 1973. So he came up with this (above left).
The next year, he wore the same thing, as a joke. And kept it going for 38 more years.

That’s right, Irby has worn the same outfit for his yearbook photo for 40 years, and now he’s retiring, and taking that sweet outfit with him.

I implore you to read this story and then check out the photo gallery through the years. As the great Tommy Tomlinson said on Twitter said, “it’s like a timeline of evolution.”

firefighter**Finally, the heartbreaking story out of Arizona about the 19 dead firefighters just continues to get sadder. The names of the men who were killed were released Monday, and predictably, all but one of them was under 40.

I clicked through this page of bios about them and it just breaks your heart. There isn’t enough money in the world to pay me to be a police officer or a firefighter; what these men and women do on a daily basis is mind-bogglingly courageous.

Nineteen dead. Just awful.


text:
Can’t Stop The Feeling

Dance Dance Dance …

Ok so it’s been 3 years since Justin Timberlake has released new music. And I honestly have been so busy with life that I didn’t realize it actually had been that long. Time flies. Also his last tour lasted like 2 years, 2 albums, and I went to three of his shows, so I needed a fangirl vacation. #25goingon80 #ImAnOldLady #IStillCreepedHisSocialMediasTho #CuzDuh

But when Justin Timberlake starts throwing out sneaky hints just a few days before dropping new music, the fangirl in me is all ears. Not to mention the cryptic pics of him in the studio with big names and good friends like Timbaland, Pharrell, and Little Big Town.

So here it goes … (Oh hey look we got a video!)

The song is called “Can’t Stop The Feeling” and is an original single from DreamWorks Animation’s “Trolls” movie soundtrack, which Timberlake has executive produced and will be voicing the character of “Branch.” (Soundtrack-September 23rd; Film November 2016.)

Where can you get it?

How great is this song?

The song was released Friday, May 6th at midnight, or so I thought. I think it was leaked earlier, but I didn’t listen because I didn’t want to risk getting a bad version and spoiling it for myself. Other than Justin’s few teases, I waited it out.  But then I saw people reacting to it and Justin responding before midnight and I realized it was up on Justin’s website with all the ways to find it. So I previewed it on Spotify (Cuz I was dying to hear it!) and I immediately started grooving. It is a true dance theme, feel good, happy song. You can’t help but be happy and dance along. So my next step- iTunes, #downloaded.

I really didn’t have any doubt that I’d love it.

It’s uplifting, and soulful, and the lyrics are magical. Justin’s vocals are on point. #ThatFalsettoTho and that funky guitar riff…yesss!!! If you think this song isn’t your jam, give it a second. It’ll get to you. The chorus is so catchy and so good! It’s for sure going to be the Summer of 2016 anthem. I can just see little baby Silas dancing with his daddy to this song as he awaits the “Trolls” movie!

Once again, you did it.

Welcome Home, JT.

Doing what you do best, creating epic music.

Fangirl Status: On

And so it begins, my friends. Get Ready.

*I do not take credit for any images, videos, or music used.*

Happy Birthday Justin Timberlake!

So I was trying to slowly make Sundays my third upload day but I kinda fell short yesterday. I wanted to post something yesterday in honor of Justin Timberlake’s 35th Birthday, because I mean what kind of fangirl would I be if I didn’t. And since he’s not on tour or putting out an album, my fangirl posts have been lacking. But I got distracted the whole day, and then Grease: Live was on and I was hooked for 3 hours. By the time I started on my post, my internet and my computer decided to act up and I was trying to post before midnight but it just was an ongoing issue. So end result it was a failed mission. I am not going to rule out making Sundays my third post day, but I’m just going to see if it’s feasible. I’ll test the waters a bit this month. We’ll use February as a trial month for that and see how things go. Any way I’m still posting the Justin Tribute today (which was meant for Sunday,) but I will also be posting a review of Grease: Live a little later on, as an official Monday post. It’s going to take some time, because I have a lot of thoughts going on in my head about that one! Spoiler Alert: I am currently listening to the original movie’s soundtrack because my obsession with Grease has ignited. Anyway enough rambling…

jt bday

Justin Timberlake has been my longest running obsession. I support him in basically everything he does, creatively. He is a true talent. [insert my cheesy instagram post]

***Some of my favorite JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE moments.***

Cry Me A River

What Goes Around…Comes Around

Tearin’ Up My Heart

 God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You

Take Back The Night

You Got It On

I Want You Back

This I Promise You

Do Your Thing

Comedy skits

Movie scenes

Strawberry Bubblegum

Let the Groove Get In

Losing My Way

Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)

I had these posters hanging on my wall!

Fashion Evolution

 Happiest of Birthdays JT.

Thanks for the memories!

Cheers to many more.

*I do not take credit for any JT images, videos, clips, songs, etc. used in this blog.*

13 Unanswered Questions; Fangirl Life

So as the cleaning out and reorganizing my bedroom is slowly coming to a close, I have to share with you my adorkable findings.

Here is a list of questions I found that the teenage version of me would ask none other than Justin Timberlake, if I got the chance. These questions are very talk show interview esque (because duh, #fangirl).

Judging by these questions I’d probably date this back to anywhere over 9 years ago, so I was still a teen (so cut me some slack! I know these questions/comments are lame, haha.)

*Cue the nostalgia….

Questions for Justin

  1. What nationality are you? I’ve read many different things. I know Timberlake is an Irish name? So?…

The man likes to drink, so I mean come on… Irish is a given, right? #ImIrishToo #ButNotMuchOfADrinker #SoTheresThat #Stereotypes 😉

*2015 Update: This question has always haunted me. I still don’t know the answer for sure.

2. Do you regret being a member of *NSYNC? Because you seem so almost aggravated when you get asked about the band. I mean speaking personally I grew up listening to *NSYNC, Britney, Christina. I was a 90’s kid and that would just break my heart if you regretted it. Because you guys as a group were a huge part of my childhood.

*2015 Update: HAHAHAHAHA (no but seriously sometimes this question still applies.)

3. How do you manage to stay so humble in this business, and with everything you’ve already accomplished? I mean you’re still young and you’ve already done so much; music, acting, a clothing line, restaurant, golf course, a fragrance. I mean many wonder if there’s anything you can’t do?

*2015 Update: Clearly I’m in awe of him, and maybe there’s some unintentional flirtation going on here. haha.

4. Do you no longer have a desire to make any new music of your own? I mean I know you’ve been working with a number of artists since your last album, but just for you personally, have you given any thought to touring again? Or is that just not a possibility anytime soon? I mean just lift my spirits, you will eventually be making a third record right?

*2015 Update: The pain that was those 7 Justin Timberlake music-less years. But if teenage Michelle only knew the whirlwind that was to come. 3 attended concerts and 2 albums later, I’m a solid believer he’s never going anywhere.

5. I know you meet a lot of people and a lot of fans, but is there any that you actually remember and truly value meeting? Or are they all just one big blur of fans?

*2015 Update: *Hint hint *cough cough, will you remember ME?

6. I know you’re very close with Ellen. How did you two meet, and what made you two become so close?

justin and ellen

*2015 Update: Gosh, I’m so nosy….although hey I’d still like to know. Although it seems his new bestie is Jimmy Fallon 😉 #ISupportThat

*FYI JT AND Ellen were on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last night.

And spoiler alert…it as EPIC!

7. I know you did a lot of work on SNL. What would you say was your most memorable memory from set?

*2015 Update: Dick in a box? No? Maybe? Yes.

8. How did it feel to win an Emmy? Was it more of an honor than a VMA or a Grammy?

*2015 Update: Seems like I’m trying to set him up here, haha.

9. Do you still keep in touch with the guys of *NSYNC?

rs_1024x759-130910055517-1024.Justintimberlake.JCchasez.joeyfatone.chrisKirkpatrick.lancebass.jc[1] d0be34997949ed92fd3586225283d319

*2015 Update: They do and I’ve seen the instagrammable pics and that makes my heart smile. 🙂

10. I read somewhere that you have 2 younger brothers is that true?

*2015 Update: (They are his half brothers.) *Hint hint, um can you hook a girl up? 😉

11. How did you learn of Michael Jackson’s passing? How did you feel? And did you reach out to the family at all? Or attend any memorials?

*2015 Update: Legend leading legend.

Oh and then there’s this too.

12. All relationships aside, how would you describe your perfect wife?

jessica-bie sans ring

Mrs. Timberake. The last stage of grief is acceptance my friends. 😉

*2015 Update: *Hint hint *cough cough…let’s get married. #SorryJess #ForgiveMe

13. Do you want kids in the future?

*2015 Update: (that’s a big fat YES)  BABY SILAS….OMG YOU ARE THE CUTEST!

Before I go…

Come on now, you didn’t think I’d leave you without a creepy photo shopped photo, did ya? Did I creep you out? Good. 😉

Love from a JT fangirl.

The Nostalgic Generation- 90’s Babies this one’s for you!

The reunion epidemic.

The Backstreet Boys

That Bogus 30 second *NSYNC reunion

The Spice Girls

Boy Meets World…Girl Meets World

Full House…Fuller House

The constant tricks of a F.R.I.E.N.DS. reunion

All making comebacks and bringing us back into a world we once treasured and still do.

Awesome? Or should we leave well enough alone.

Should stories be reinvented and revisited to fit current times or should they have ended where they did?

Just a memory.

Is this nostalgic culture hindering our plans to move forward?

 The 90’s kids have been labeled the nostalgic generation.

As a ‘91 baby, I can attest to that first hand.

The past decade has left such an imprint on my soul that it both excites and pains me to see something from that time.

Buzzfeed you get me.

Lisa Frank and Smackers lip products take on a whole new meaning to me now.

Back then they were just the cool fun thing, now they are the epitome of my childhood brought to the surface.164416_10200389704846400_855351744_n[1]

Because it brings me back there.

To something that has long since been over.

The simplicity of it.

The carefree nature of a child is untouchable.

The idea that the world is this open, honest forum to do with what you please.

This idea that you can be anything and everything you want.

No limitations.

No restrictions.

No time restraints.

No-one telling you, you can’t or you won’t make it.

Just dreams and awe.

And the possibility for anything.

The possibilities were endless.

One day maybe you’ll be a ballerina!

The next a teacher!

The day after that a ballet teacher!

The future was grand.

But now those 90’s babies are in their 20’s and the real world is kicking in and we are realizing it moves faster than we ever could have thought. And that maybe it’s not as nice as we thought either. That it’s going to take a little more than wishing on a star to make your dreams come true.

Enter the internet and boom…total chaos!

Growing up I never had a laptop. I was lucky I had a house computer.

But I would get yelled out for being on it for too long, because well you couldn’t get through to the house phone if someone was on the internet. Let’s hear it for dialup!

We didn’t have Facebook, or twitter, or instagram. We didn’t have ways of competing with our peers past the face to face contact we were forced to endure. Sometimes they were pleasant sometimes they weren’t. Some friendships last a lifetime, some don’t.

I didn’t even have my own cellphone until I got to high school, up until middle school I shared one with my mom! #firstworldproblems

It wasn’t until I was in high school that I even considered getting a Myspace.

And even then the thought of putting my life online creeped me out.

And yet a decade later here I am typing this to you, sharing my thoughts with people I don’t know.

Things really do change.

Now, if you’re not on all these platforms you’re somehow deemed irrelevant or let’s face it… a hermit.

I think change can be good, but it’s dealing with that change and accepting it that makes it hard for us to move on.

Because maybe we convince ourselves that the best years are gone.

When really we haven’t seen anything yet.

So it’s ok to feel nostalgic.

Just don’t allow yourself to dwell in it.

I really need to learn to take my own advice.

If you find yourself mourning the past, understand you’re not alone, we’re in this together.

Because there is always going to be a next chapter.

There are going to be new faces, new adventures, new locations, new things that are going to come in and out of your life.

Some may be easier to let go of then others.

Some may fight their way into your heart and stay for good.

But you will always have your memories no matter what. So take your real pictures along with your mental pictures and hold them in your heart. Because some moments you can’t catch on camera.

Because one day you’re gonna be telling your kids all about the 90’s and 00’s and maybe they’ll be into it.

And you can relive it with a fond memory with your feet rooted in the present. Because where you’ve been is important, but where you’re going is even better. Be present. And enjoy. And keep your fingers crossed for a real freakin *NSYNC reunion..(I’m never letting that one go!) 😉 #FangirlLife #SorryNotSorry

****Some pics of me in the 90’s with my best friend!****

Notice…my best friend dressed up as baby spice for Halloween…too bad I didn’t get a shot of her in her pleather shiny pink jacket.

Playing Dress Up. I was clearly getting married and she was my maid of honor. #goodtimes

Check out my paten leather BABY blue back pack…oh baby blue was a major thing! #IBlameJustinTimberlake

Fangirl Report…

I just have to share how proud I am of this man, of this creative soul. On Sunday night Justin Timberlake received the Innovator Award at the 2015 iheartradio music awards. As a fangirl of his for most of my life, I have always rooted for him to succeed. He always had something special about him. It’s an amazing feeling to see the world fully hopping on the Justin Timberlake bandwagon. I’d Justin-Timberlake-iheartradio-awards-2015[1]like to think I started the trend. 😉 After all I’ll tell anyone who will listen (and some who won’t) just how freakin’ amazing he is. I’m a walking spokesperson. This idea that so many people are finally understanding how I feel and are supporting him for his greatness, is a proud moment for such a big fan like me. But it wasn’t always this way. Back in 2002 when he decided to start a solo career, I remember being heartbroken yet completely thrilled. I was excited to see what he would do. And it began the road to something special. (You know I’m still holding onto my *NSYNC though, that fangirl life ain’t going NOWHERE!  #reunion #itllhappen #Icanfeelit)

People ragged on Justin often and his first mega performance was butchered in the tabloids, due to his untimely sickness. You guys remember this one right?

FYI I lovedddd this performance and still do, (Kevin Federline in the back??? ha #weird #awkward #itsbritneybitch)

And yet here he is two decades in the game and he’s a mega star. A pop music legend. He’s Justin-Timberlake-Michael-Jackson-movecompared often to the talent and the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) Mr. Michael Jackson, and that my friends is how you know you’ve made it. Justin Timberlake you are a creative genius who continues to prove your brilliance every time you take on a new project. Whether it’s creating an album, a film, or hosting SNL, you give it your all, and we thank you for doing so. We thank you for sharing your talent and your creativity with the world. And we thank you even more for making us laugh along the way. Always innovate, and we will always be here to watch you succeed like the boss you are. I think you have an incredible road ahead of you, and I think the best is still yet to come. I mean obviously…you haven’t met me yet. 😉 In the words of Michael Jackson when he received a prestigious award honoring his greatness; “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” I think it’s safe to say this holds true for Justin Timberlake too.

Justin looking sharp as usual. I adore this blue on him!

Look at them baby blue eyes sparkling.

2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards On NBC - Show

271F8C7500000578-0-image-m-95_1427688808137[1] justin-timberlake-iheartradio-music-awards[1]

2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards - Press Room

Justin’s beautiful, inspirational [and in typical Justin fashion; witty] speech:

But you know that last part was my favorite, how I cried so much, my heart was smiling.

“Lastly, you can’t have innovation without creation, so finally I want to thank my best friend, my favorite collaborator, my wife Jessica at home who’s watching. Honey, I can’t wait to see our greatest creation yet. Don’t worry, Daddy’s heading home right now to innovate by learning how to change a poopy diaper and get my swaddle on.”

Baby Timberlake is just a few days away!

P.S. Um Taylor Swift can we switch lives? Like what? They are besties….I need to get in there. Apparently they had a moment or a few moments…(a collaboration needs to happen!)

2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards On NBC - Backstage And Audience

2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards On NBC - Backstage And Audience images0M3DZYHB

And let’s just take a moment to treasure Ms. Taylor Swift’s red carpet look. Rocking a short, sparkly, yet funky LBD, curly locks and a smokey eye accompanied by a nude lip.

She looked flawless as usual.

Legs on legs… #workitgirl

**  I do not take credit for any images or videos used. **

Justin & Jessica; A love story.

Confirmation that Justin Timberlake is gonna be a DAD!

3_2287 3_2288

**First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage.**

So I told you guys I would touch upon this once there was actual concrete proof. Now I know there’s been photos of a very pregnant Jessica Biel out and about, so we all knew. But I wanted to hear it from Justin himself. We all know the Timberlakes are very private people, when it comes to their relationship. We barely see them together often, and when we do it’s adorable but subtle. Well justin-timberlake-16-660[1]except for those few times Justin mounted his wife for the basketball kiss cam. haha. Any how, we saw how private they’ve been, from when they started dating, to when they broke up to when they got engaged and married, to now that Jessica’s expecting. It’s not that they don’t share with us fans, but they do it on their own terms and it’s usually weeks and weeks after the rumors started. That’s why I’ve learned to just wait for their word, over choosing to believe the media. I can’t even count how many times Justin’s been reported cheating or they’ve been reportedly “splitting up” it’s just like ok enough get the story straight, don’t just make shit up. Ah gossip mags. Justin and Jessica are the classy cool “late for the party, make an entrance” type of people. 😉

But in all honesty as I get older I realize how much privacy is valued. Some things are sacred and that’s that. I think having this attitude will only help their marriage last. I mean it’s Hollywood, and marriages end every day. So I think they are playing this smart and doing what is best for their family. Now I need to address my Jessica jealousy. haha. Yes I wasn’t completely sold on the idea of her and Justin. But then again, I love him and I’d rather him just not be with any girl, except me. How’s that for rational? haha. No no no but let’s be serious, fangirls think like this, it’s just how it is. It’s crazy and weird and kinda creepy but we all do it, I’m lookin’ at you, yea you! But there’s always room for improvement in life,  as we grow older, we grow out of it. And I have. I will always fangirl for Justin,

Never Forget

Never Forget

but now I get to fangirl over him being a dad! I mean there’s something so amazing about this. Jessica seems really sweet and wholesome, she seems like she’s very in love with him, which we fangirls can only wish for. If he’s gonna leave us, it better be for someone who gets it, who gets what a guy he is! haha. Anyway I guess what I’m trying to say is I think I always pictured Justin with [BRITNEY SPEARS] someone like Cameron Diaz or Mila Kunis, that obvious goof ball type, but I think Jessica balances Justin out. And they make a beautiful couple. She is stunning. And she was Mary Camden on 7th Heaven so there’s that. Even though Lucy Camden was more my girl, I think my obsession with Biel’s movie  Summer Catch made up for that. Freddie Prince Jr. you stud you. 😉

Mr. Timberlake celebrated his 34th birthday January 31st. (Happy Happy Birthday J.T. Don’t worry I tweeted him and showcased it all over my social media accounts, I’m a bad ass fangirl like that.) And as his thank you to everyone he posted THIS beautiful gem!

“Thank you EVERYONE for the Bday wishes! This year, I’m getting the GREATEST GIFT EVER. CAN’T WAIT.#BoyOrGirl #YouNeverKnow #WeDontEvenKnow#WeAreTakingBets.”

A look at their history.

In January 2007, Timberlake began dating actress Jessica Biel with whom he had been photographed on multiple occasions. They became engaged in December 2011, and married on October 19, 2012 at the Borgo Egnazia  resort in Fasano, Italy after dating for nearly 5 years. On his 34th birthday, January 31, 2015, Timberlake announced that Biel was pregnant with the couple’s first child, over 2 years after the couple married.[-Wikipedia]

The Dating Life

The two broke up in 2011 for a bit

The mystery of the ring.

The mystery of the ring. Where is it?

Oh my GOD! That Ring! I knew it’d be gorgeous!

Engaged in December 2011

done jessica_stry_0[1]

Rehearsal Festivities

timberlake24f-2-web justin-timberlake-jessica-biel-honeymoon[1]

The Wedding

October 19, 2012

We’ve got the *N. Where’s the SYNC? Seriously though what was that crap? #LanceBass did it better.

Husband & Wife

Tanzania, Africa

Gushing to Ellen about each other after wedding!

Finally includes her in a speech…um damn right! (BOUT TIME)

Supporting Each Other

Justin’s Comeback Grammys

Justin visits Jess on the set of her new movie

Justin’s Rare instagram w/ Jessica

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” quoting the 1986 classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Shortly after this post, the baby rumors began.

*Jessica’s pregnancy style*[1] imagesVPL5S7XE jessica--a[1][1][1][1][1][1][1][1]

She looks amazing, she really does. And I’m so glad to see that she’s keeping her look comfy. I just think pregnant women should be comfortable, they are walking to two. No need to be wearing tight clothes and high heels. Jess keeps it real in sweats and flats most of the time.

Good for you girl, work it!

imagesHGCHOWWP o-JESSICA-BIEL-facebook[1]

So who do you think the baby will look more like, Justin or Jessica? And what do you think it is, a boy or girl? Either way the baby is going to be beautiful and have one hell of a great life. And is bound to be talented too! Best of Luck to the growing Timberlake Family. I cannot wait to see Justin pushing around a carriage! Our boy is growing up!

Jessica is said to be due in late March/ early April. I am sure when she has the baby it will be very private, and won’t be a while till we see pictures or know any details. Fingers crossed that we won’t have to wait too long. I’m really excited to see what it is! And what they name it!  Ahhhhh!!!! So exciting! Happy and Healthy Blessings to Jessica & Justin. Congratulations! Oh and if you’re looking for baby girl names, Michelle is a really good one, I can vouche for it, but only if it has TWO L’s. 😉

*Justin visits Jessica on the set on her new movie. Read More HERE.

*Justin wishes Jessica a Happy Birthday March 3! Omg these posts are so rare but they are a treat. 😉

jbiel bday

Jessica celebrates her 33rd Birthday with hubby and friends…Read more HERE[1]

Justin love, Happy looks good on you.

Happy Birthday Jess!

* I do not take credit for any images, or videos used. *

The “I Love You” Playlist

So…its February folks which means one thing… Valentine’s Day is approaching. The older I get the 4879480983_a4ff4495e8_zmore I’ve learned to appreciate this holiday. I realize that you don’t need to have a boyfriend, or a girlfriend. It’s a day of love, all kinds of love. And with that said let’s dive into some of my favorite love songs and the artists who give us all the feels that we just can’t quite explain. Music has a way of transcending the mind and the emotions we feel. Staying in with a special someone? Or maybe you’re having a girls night in with your best friends. Either way I’ve got a playlist to make your valentine’s day or night perfect, so enjoy!

40 songs that say “I Love You”

God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You– *NSYNC

I Thought She Knew– *NSYNC

This I Promise You– *NSYNC

Lovestoned– Justin Timberlake

Mirrors– Justin Timberlake

Until The End Of Time– Justin Timberlake

You Got It On– Justin Timberlake

Not A Bad Thing– Justin Timberlake

Just The Way You Are– Bruno Mars

When I Was Your Man– Bruno Mars

Give Me Love– Ed Sheeran

Thinking Out Loud– Ed Sheeran

Never Say Never– The Fray

Look After You– The Fray

Stealing– Gavin Degraw

Make It To Me– Sam Smith

Stay With Me– Sam Smith

I’ve Told You Now– Sam Smith

The Way You Do The Things You Do– The Temptations

Who’s Lovin’ You– The Jackson 5

You Are Not Alone– Michael Jackson

Speechless– Michael Jackson

Butterflies– Michael Jackson

I’ll Be– Edwin McCain

Missing You– Tyler Hilton

Use Somebody– Kings Of Leon

Bring It Back– Kris Allen

I Need To Know– Kris Allen

Leave You Alone– Kris Allen

Classic– MKTO

Clarity– Zedd (ft. Foxes)

Poison & Wine– The Civil Wars

All We’d Ever Need– Lady Antebellum

I Run To You– Lady Antebellum

Can’t Take My Eyes Off You– Lady Antebellum

One And Only– Adele

To Make You Feel My Love– Adele

Give Your Heart A Break – Demi Lovato

Love Me Like You Do– Ellie Goulding

Honeymoon Avenue– Ariana Grande

Those were some heavy “feels” huh?

*Yes there’s a lot of the same artists, but what can I say they own my iTunes. Beautiful voices, heartfelt lyrics, I’m a sucker for a ballad. Bruno, Sam, Justin, Ed we all get the feels from their music, don’t try and tell me you don’t!

*For any of my ladies out there who aren’t into the whole romantic love song playlist this Valentine’s day, that’s cool too. I got ya covered…check out my female empowerment playlist….HERE!

*I do not take credit for any images used*


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On this week’s Socially Decoded, Saint Steph Curry only has eyes for Ayesha, Donald Trump might have an entire cotton field in his basement, and Piers Morgan gets owned by Chrissy Teigen. Our Twitter trolls take on some of the week’s funniest and strangest social media moments.

If you’re new here, this video series features some of the funniest people we know sharing their wildest observations on current trending topics. This week, we are joined by Kayla Nicole, Ashlee Ray, Sasha Merci, The Dahlia Girls, Mouse Jones, and BlogXilla.

Don’t get offended, we’re just trying to make you laugh. This is Socially Decoded.

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3rd – M. Wilson 32pts

3rd – T. Chant

5th – P. Whitford

13th – C. Bailey

17th – not hit

2nd to 8th – T. Atkinson

2nd to 18th – O. Merritt

Thursday Stableford

9 hole

1st – B. Childs 22pts

2nd – A. Patterson 21pts

3rd – I. Todd 20pts

18 hole

1st – M. Pilmore 41pts

2nd – A. Varcoe 36pts

3rd – I. Todd 36pts

5th – C. Kuiper

16/02/17 – 18/02/17

March and April are going to be a very busy months out at the Millicent Golf course, with Pennants golf starting this week, the Millicent, Loxton, Blackwood tri series, the AGM is also just around the corner and the good Friday 4 ball Ambrose and Easter is not that far away, now is the time to start organising teams.

Last Thursday was one of those perfect day’s for golf, and scoring was always going to be high for the Stable ford competition and it was Keith Thrussell playing in the first group out on the course in the morning who set the bar very high, winning the front 9 hole competition with 20 points, Brian Duldig and Bob Childs did all the chasing but couldn’t catch Thrussell, finishing in second and third spots with 19 points. Thrussell tired on the back 9 holes and it was Mark Pilmore who flew home with 23 points to win the 18 hole competition and the day with 40 points, Duldig kept his good form going, finishing in second with 37 points while Dave Seymour had a splendid back 9 holes to finish in third with 36 points. The Nearest to the pin winner for the day went to Robert “Tank” Thompson, with a great shot on the par 3, 5th hole, which would have looked very good from the tee block, giving Thompson an easy tap in birdie.

Saturday was also a great day for golf, even with the wind picking up in the afternoon, good numbers greeted the starter for a stable ford competition and scoring was going to be high. In the A-grade it was Owen Merrett playing in the morning who took advantage of the calm conditions to win with a handy 37 points, Martin Cameron had his driver working well to claim second with 35 points and Ian Greenwood grabbed third with 34 points. In The B-grade it was Scott Lonergan who had a big day out, winning his grade and also having the best score of the day, finishing with a whopping 41 points, Dave Seymour has started to find some good form finishing second with 37 points on a count back from Peter Burchard in third also with 37 points and Chris Bailey also has a good round with 36 points. Nearest to the pin winners saw Cameron on the 3rd, Chis Bailey won the 5th hole, Greenwood hit the 13th, while Jamie Bellinger won the 17th, The B-graders left the 2nd shot to the 9th green free, while Paul Whitford grabbed the 2nd shot to the 18th green. Birdies paid out 2 balls to Phil Hunter, Brian Duldig, Bailey and Bellinger.

For all those that can’t get down to Blackwood for the tri series on the March long weekend, but would be keen for a day trip to Blackwood for the Sunday 12th March, Please let Martin Cameron know if you are interested. If there is enough interest we will look at a bus for the trip. Now is also the time to start organising your team for the Easter Good Friday 4 ball Ambrose event on 14/04/2017. Today is a stable ford competition as is Saturday’s competition.

M. P

Saturday Stableford

A Grade

1st – O. Merrett 37pts

2nd – M. Cameron 35pts

3rd – I. Greenwood 34pts

B Grade

1st – S. Lonergan 41pts

2nd – D. Seymour 37pts cb

3rd – P. Burchard 37pts

3rd – M. Cameron

5th – C. Bailey

13th – I. Greenwood

17th – J. Bellinger

2nd to 9th – not hit

2nd to 18th – P. Whitford

P. Hunter

B. Duldig

C. Bailey

J. Bellinger

Thursday Stableford

9 hole

1st – K.  Thrussell 20pts

2nd – B.  Duldig 19pts cb

3rd – B. Childs 19pts

18 hole

1st – M.  Pilmore 40pts

2nd – B. Duldig 37pts

3rd – D. Seymour 36pts

N. T. P

5th – R.  Thompson

09/02/17 –  11/02/17

Once again, we have been so lucky with the weather this summer, and last week was no exception, 30mm of rain one day, and then warm days for the rest of the week, it’s no wonder along with all our fantastic volunteer’s that the golf course is in perfect condition and only getting better each week.

With the temperatures hitting 41 deg last Wednesday and the promise of a warm day on Thursday, most players decided to hit the course early to beat the heat for the Stable ford competition and it was “Spike Warren” out in the first group of the day, teeing off just on dawn who continued his domination, winning the 18 hole competition and the day with an impressive 38 points. Mark Pilmore got up for second spot in a three way count back with 37 points from Phil Hunter and Andy Varcoe also with 37 points. The 9 hole competition was held on the back 9 holes for a change and it was Pilmore who had the best back nine finishing with 19 points to knock off the early morning group of Warren, Hunter and Varcoe all finishing with 18 points. Nearest to the pin winner on the par 3,5th hole went to Pilmore, playing in the last group of the day, and having the last hit in his group, was the only player to hit the green for the day, the managed to have a three putt.

Saturday was a perfect day for golf, and good numbers greeted the starter for a stroke round, with the weather and course in great condition it was going to take a great round to finish on the podium and it was the Father, Son duet of Bruce and Scott Packer who dominated the day. In the A-grade it was Scott Packer having the best score of the day with a fantastic round of 78-10-68, Terry Chant continued his good form of late to grab second with 74-3-71, while Ian Greenwood got up for third in a count back with 79-7-72 from Brian Duldig also finishing with net 72. In the B-grade it was Bruce Packer winning a count back from Glen Tilley after both players finished with 94-21-73, while Arch Sunderland finished close behind in third with 90-16-74. Nearest to the pin awards for the day went to Duldig on the 3rd, Jim Hyland 5th, Hyland also got his birdie putt to win 2 balls, Paul Whitford 13th, the 17th and the 2 shot on the 9th green was not hit so a win for the club, while Ben Golding won the 2nd shot to the 18th green. Birdies for the day paid out 2 balls to Chant, Varcoe and Hyland.

The first round of the Millicent, Blackwood, Loxton Tri series is only a few weeks away, with a trip down to Blackwood to start out title defence, as many players as possible would be great. Pennants golf is also about to start, with the A2 team having a bye first up and the handicap side travelling to Bordertown first up. Today is a Stable ford competition playing for the Summer Masters trophy, while Saturday is also a Stable ford competition.

Saturday Stroke

A Grade

1st –  S. Packer 68

2nd –  T. Chant 71

3rd – I. Greenwood 72cb

B Grade

1st – B.  Packer 73cb

2nd – G. Tilley 73

3rd – G.  Sunderland 74

3rd – B.  Duldig

5th – J.  Hyland

13th – P.  Whitford

17th – not hit

2nd to 9th – not hit

2nd to 18th – B. Golding

T. Chant

J. Hyland

A. Varcoe


text:
Vive la difference

A news story about a recent meeting on bioethics in neuroscience reports that brain abnormalities are, well, not that abnormal:

Judy Illes, a senior research scholar at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, said that she and others have found that 18 percent of healthy volunteers had some kind of brain anamoly. While only 2 percent to 8 percent have required clinical follow-up, these incidental findings have raised concerns among scientists who are using the newest technology to unravel the mysteries of the brain.

Ethical issues in neuroscience and neuroimaging research (often called ‘neuroethics’) are becoming increasingly important as previously expensive and exclusive scientific tools (such as fMRI) are becoming widely used.

One important issue of debate is the ethics of informing someone if a brain abnormality is detected, when they have volunteered to take part in a research study as a healthy participant.

Link to story from
Link to recent article on neuroethics from Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

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Kiddie psychopaths and the database nation

Gary Pugh, the director of forensic sciences for the British police has sparked controversy after he suggested that children as young as five who display ‘future offending traits’ should be placed on a DNA database so they are more likely to be picked up if they commit crime in the future.

Pugh is almost certainly talking about children who have what are known as ‘callous-unemotional’ traits, described somewhat less politically correctly as ‘kiddie psychopathy’.

These have indeed been found to weakly predict future antisocial behaviour, but the picture is more complex than it seems and, as we’ll see, they aren’t a good basis on which to base future crime fighting efforts.

Psychopathy describes a pattern of shallow emotion, low empathy and the lack of conscience for antisocial acts, with the ability to seem charming on the surface. Callous-unemotional traits describe something similar in children.

A recent study on the prevalence of these traits in children used a fairly typical definition:

1. Makes a good impression at first but people tend to see through him/her after they get to know him/her
2. Shallow or fast-changing emotions.
3. Too full of his/her own abilities.
4. Is not genuinely sorry if s/he has hurt someone or acted badly.
5. Can seem cold-blooded or callous.
6. Doesn’t keep promises.
7. Not genuine in his/her expression of emotions.

This traits have been found in much higher levels in children with conduct disorder. CD is a psychiatric diagnosis, but really just describes a pattern of quite severe antisocial behaviour.

These studies have also found that in children already displaying aggressive or antisocial behaviour, callous-unemotional traits are associated with more severe aggressive, antisocial behaviour in the future.

However, recent studies that looked at these traits in the general population found that these traits reliably, but only very weakly, predict antisocial behaviour during the following years

So, if you look at the population as a whole, you could say that these childhood traits are genuinely linked to later antisocial acts, but the overall difference between children with and without these characteristics is small.

In other words, if you put every child with these traits on a DNA database, you’re unlikely to see a significant increase in later crime detection as a result and you’ll have the DNA of a lot of children who will never get in trouble with the law.

Link to BBC News story ‘Police spokesman sparks DNA row’.

1 thought on “Kiddie psychopaths and the database nation”

  1. Perhaps there is a method to keep track of future politicians/govt. officials most prone to propose unrealistic policies. We just need to find the corresponding gene, right?

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Mises Wire

Kevin Gutzman: Thomas Jefferson—Revolutionary

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One game, two guys, three keys

Each Saturday, the staff will offer up the final word before kickoff with our three keys to the game. Site publisher Gabe DeArmond and staff writer Pete Scantlebury identify three ...

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PowerMizzou.coms all-Big XII offense

The start of fall camp is just days away now. The Missouri Tigers open the season with some questions, but also with a number of players who could contend for all-Big XII honors. The PowerMizzou....

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Tagged: Drugs

Crack Kills and Other Stuff You Already Knew

Are you paying attention to all this, Josh Hamilton?

Whitney Houston’s death — while not a surprise — is a sad story indeed.  In fact, anytime a colossal talent such as hers is lost to the underworld translates into a melancholy tale; but her spotlighted career the last decade and a half has been more than that.  It’s been a messy train wreck in slow motion.  I’ve just been waiting for it to stop.

Now it’s stopped.  For good.

Addiction ain’t no joke.  And it cares not who it destroys.  You can be the best singer in the world or the most talented athlete on the diamond.  It doesn’t care.  It will consume you if you don’t get help.

I only hope that people are paying attention.

With that in mind, Mr. Krause made me hip to one of Whitney’s lesser-known interweb gems.  Here, take a look for yourself: *Vid Link*.  (For some reason, all embedding of this video — and ones like it — has been disabled)  Make sure you pay special attention to Monsieur Gainsbourg at the 58 second mark.

Call me crass, but that’s a Whitney moment to remember.  She was hot.  She had the best voice on the planet.  And the entire world was at her service.  Yet none of the above was enough to slay the dragon of addiction.

The damn thing breathes fire.

Don’t hate me ‘cuz I’m right.

Use, Not Abuse

It’s pretty clear that the 30-year War on Drugs waged by the United States has been spectacularly unsuccessful at best and criminally wasteful at worst.  Within our borders, jails have become overcrowded with small-time offenders while the rate of new usage continues to increase.  Outside of these same borders, a new generation of druglords continue to show the world that Pablo Escobar was an amateur.

I guess the thing I’ve never understood is, why are drugs so bad?  Yes, I understand why abusing drugs is bad in the same way that I understand why abusing people or anything is bad.  But there’s a big difference between using and abusing.  I use alcohol in that I have a beer with dinner.  I don’t abuse it, though, because I know what the effects would be.  Plenty of people use marijuana in the same way and quite honestly, I trust them a lot more than I trust my alcoholic friends.

So why do we continue to demonize drug use even as we profit from it?  It’s the same thing with drug use in sports.  I don’t want to see guys abusing the stuff but if a small dose of some sort of PED from time to time can keep a guy healthy, why not?  We already know what kind of a toll the rigors of professional sports take on the human body.  And yes, the athletes know what sort of risks they face.  But why wouldn’t we do all that we can to ensure their health and safety?

Honestly, I’m tired of reading about A-Rod or Manny or Ryan Braun.  McGwire, Sosa and Bonds?  That’s something else.  That’s abuse.  But those other guys?  I really couldn’t care less.  If regulated use of PEDs could help players stay healthy, play until they’re 40 and enjoy life post-baseball, that just makes sense.  But, so does de-criminalizing marijuana and collecting taxes off of its sale.  I don’t expect to see either one anytime soon.

We Americans enjoy declaring war.  However, we only tend to make the declaration when the battle must be fought against an abstraction.  Declare war on Sudan for its genocide in Darfur?  Nah, too many bureaucratic hurdles.  Declare war on terrorism, as ill-defined as that term may be?  Sure thing.  Same goes for the war on drugs, still going strong after three decades.  Now aside from the fact that what is and isn’t classified a drug happens to be random at best, the whole idea bears some serious scrutiny since the rate of drug use has actually increased during this “war” according to the government’s own statistics.

What’s even more worrisome is the knock-on effects this abstract war has had on parts of American society.  No, I’m not talking about our abysmal rate of incarceration (although it is disgraceful).  I’m talking about something much more important, much more fundamental.  Something that should have been enshrined as an inalienable right in the Bill of Rights.  Beer-league softball.

Apparently over the past six years, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the office responsible for waging the “War on Drugs,” has played in the same Congressional Softball League as a team made up of players from drug policy reform groups.  And each season the ONDCP team has somehow managed to avoid playing the reform team, even when the schedule pitted the two teams head-to-head.

That’s right people, the drug war is slowly ruining our recreational softball leagues.  Luckily, there is a solution.  Declare war on the war on drugs.

Losing to the LOLstros

hunter pence LOLstros.jpgAs a proud paragon of Redbird loyalism, I still pompously refuse to forgive and forget the awful defeat handed to us by the Houston Astros during the 2005 NLCS.  That… was… awful.  I think I went on a two week bender.

I don’t remember.

But I do remember one thing: I do not like the Astros.  So you can imagine my grief, dear readers, as I watched their bid for an 0-162 season come to an end on Thursday… again, against the St. Louis Cardinals.

That one little win (their first win) is just that: one little win.  It doesn’t change the fact that the Astros suck.

So yeah.

And it’s times like these — when jaded, seething, vexed — that I turn to Japan… for a little glimpse of happy time:

Ah… nothin’ makes me smile like a psilocybin-fueled walking canine with a crowned doll head pushing doggie treats to unmonitored and impressionable little kids.

Happy Friday, Y’all!

*Special thanks to Shan for coining (and sharing) the term “LOLstros”, which is effing hilarious (and true). You can follow her on Twitter here: @Shan_Cake

Dazed and Confused

dazed_and_confused.jpgThe baseball season may be over but the wheeling and dealing is just beginning. Trades, pickups, moves. It’s like Christmas came a month early. However, one man seems to be doing a little more wheeling and dealing than everyone else. Well, maybe more of the wheeling after hitting up someone else responsible for the dealing.

Now, let’s see a show of hands for those of you who are surprised that Tim Lincecum likes to hit the reefer from time to time. Ok, Utah, you can put your hands down. Mormons don’t count in this poll. But as for the rest of the country, of course we all knew he liked to smoke. The dude looks like a smoker. He’s practically a dead ringer for Wylie Wiggins and he just has that look in his eyes.

Here’s the thing, though. Isn’t this just yet more proof that marijuana might not be as bad for you as DARE led you to believe? How many people do you know who are at the top of their game and like to relax with their close friend, Steve Green, from time to time? Half the NBA are regular smokers, Lincecum obviously likes it and how else do you think Steve Jobs came up with the iPod?

Take another look at that article. The thing I notice about the story is that Lincecum pulled over and “immediately complied with a request to hand over the drug and a marijuana pipe.” Compare that with a drunk who refuses to put down his beer and winds up taking a swing at the officer. I’ll take the pot head any day…..especially when he has a 2.90 ERA over 3 seasons.

The Filibuster

A sober Sidney Ponson can only mean one thing.. The guy must’ve
discovered another substance to abuse, evidently one that gives the
public the illusion he’s a moderate man while not enhancing his
performance [not just because it’s illegal but because, after all,
failure is the one thing he can accomplish at any level of
intoxication]. Is RSBS aware of his alternative to the booze? If so,
did he receive it from a certain former Texas teammate that sure as
hell had me fooled into thinking he sobered up [until the photographic
evidence emerged]?

Flair for the Dramatic
New York City

Josh Hamilton.jpgIn general, I try not to take anything too seriously. That’s just not how I am. Like the eponymous character from “The Big Lebowski,” I abide. But there are some things I take seriously. And addiction is definitely one of them.

Now, I’m a lucky guy. I don’t have an addictive personality. I’ve done my fair share of things I shouldn’t have done but I gave them up in a second with no cravings or anything. I guess I’m just blessed like that. However, that’s not how it usually happens. Addiction isn’t a one-time battle that you just suddenly win. It’s a daily struggle and what we’ve seen happen with Josh Hamilton is proof enough of that.

Imagine for a second being in a job like a professional baseball player. Yeah, you may love the game and you may be completely devoted to watching your team everyday but imagine going out on the field, day in and day out, warming up and knowing that every little thing you do during the game, every little mistake will be analyzed by thousands and possibly millions of people. And if you don’t perform to the tune of the big bucks you’re making, your team has no problem dumping you on the landfill of history.

I have rough days at work, days when I’m sick and tired of it but it’s nothing compared to the stress these guys are feeling. Why else do they try to find the latest edge, legal or not, and do whatever they can to keep it their own? And when that edge starts to wear, when it’s no longer enough, something has to be done to dull the anxiety, keep away the fear. It’s no surprise to me that athletes turn to a little booze or some pot and it’s definitely no surprise that, like brother Axl told us, “The little got more and more.”

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s easy to laugh at the antics of a Ryan Leaf or Sidney Ponson or tsk-tsk when it’s a story like Josh Hamilton and his backsliding. But I’m thinking that although I have no room to pull any sort of holier-than-thou card out of the deck, maybe it’s time we applaud Sidney for getting his act together and focus on what Hamilton has accomplished despite the inevitable setbacks he is going to experience. One day at a time.


text:
Sinatra and the Jack Pack

  • by Michael Sheridan, David Harvey
  • Narrated by Sean Runnette
  • 9 hrs and 12 mins
  • Unabridged Audiobook

Publisher's Summary

A New York Times best seller
Frank Sinatra desperately wanted to be part of John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s gang. He had his own famed "Rat Pack", made up of hard drinking, womanizing individuals like himself - guys like Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Peter Lawford - but the guy "Ol' Blue Eyes" really wanted to hang with was Lawford's brother-in-law, the real chairman of the board, John F. Kennedy.
In Sinatra and the Jack Pack, Michael Sheridan delves deep into the acclaimed singer's relationship with the former president. He shares how Sinatra emerged from a working class Italian family and carved out a unique place for himself in American culture, and how Kennedy, also of immigrant stock, came from a privileged background of which the young Frank could only have dreamed.
By the time the men met in the 1950s, both were thriving - and both liked the good life. They bonded over their mutual ability to attract beautiful women, male admirers, and adoring acolytes. They also shared a scandalous secret: each had dubious relationships with the mafia. It had promoted Frank's career and helped Kennedy buy votes. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had, over two decades, compiled detailed and damning dossiers on their activities.
From all accounts the friendship thrived. Then, suddenly, in March 1962, Frank was abruptly ejected from JFK's gang. This unique volume tells why. It will release shortly after a television documentary inspired by the book airs, is filled with a beloved cast of characters, and is the compelling, untold story of a tumultuous relationship between two American icons.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for listeners interested in history - books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times best seller or a national best seller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

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Book Details

  • Release Date: 08-15-2016
  • Publisher: Audible Studios


text:
Stuck between a rock and a rock continued……….

Lunch was DELISH 🙂  And I wonder why I’m fat.

okay where was I????

Oh yeah, I kinda got into the fact I’d have another girl to shop for.  So TheGrump got up the nerve to call and the first few times he just left a message but no return call.  He called one night and got a very shocked Fucktard on the phone.  He basically told her how he felt about the situation.  He felt that it was her fault for him not knowing TheDaughter and that he wanted a relationship with her and wanted to ease into getting to know her.  Problem is that the child had no idea about him and that she thought that Fucktard’s current boyfriend was her Dad, but she said that she would talk to her and ease her into this.  TheGrump seemed glad that he was going to get to know her and talk to her.  so a few months go by and nada, no call, no getting a hold of her.

In the mean time TheGrump asks me to do some research on this girl and check into retainer fees for attorney’s in her area and check out the court systems.  Good thing I’m a paralegal and know all this stuff.  Found out that her and the boyfriend have been to court about domestic disputes.  The BF had a few other things on his record.  Any attorney in the area wants between $3,000 and $5,000 to start a case for TheGrump.  He would also have to fly there which would cost around $800 to $900.  She doesn’t work anywhere and is receiving government help.  Has many addresses and P.O. Boxes over the past few years when doing a people search and found 2 other old phone numbers.

Finally around November or December TheGrump got in touch with her again.  She had not told TheDaughter about him and asked him to give up his parental rights to TheDaughter.  TheGrump was peeved by this and said no that he wanted to be a part of her life and knew it would be difficult in the beginning but that she deserved to know.  So she agreed and said to please give her a few days and she could talk to TheDaughter and she would let him talk to her next time he called.  So TheGrump being optimistic said okay and figured it would happen this way.  Well when he called back Fucktard put him on the phone with a little girl who he thought was TheDaughter.  She didn’t say much but she’s six so he didn’t really think much of it.  He got back on the phone with Fucktard and asked what size clothing TheDaughter wore and what stuff she liked because he wanted to get her christmas and birthday presents. He also asked for pictures and such.  She agreed she would send pictures and he gave her the address.

Near TheDaughter’s birthday in December right before X-mas we packed up a HUGE box of clothing, toys, cards, pictures of the family, and such.  Mailed it in time for her to get it before her birthday.  About two days before her birthday TheGrump called Fucktard to see if she got the package.  She said yes and that she realized that she had taken him away from his daughter all these years and that had lied to him and that the little girl he talked to on the phone was her cousin’s daughter and that she hadn’t told TheDaughter about him yet but that she promised that she would do this before her birthday and that he could call her back on her birthday and talk to her.  Let’s just say when he called her back on TheDaughter’s birthday the phone had been disconnected.  TheGrump was devastated.  He didn’t know what to do.

We have tried to find  a way to come up with the money to hire an attorney in Alaska but with 4 kids here and paying child support to Fucktard along with all the other bills we just don’t have 3 to 5 thousand dollars lying around.  My boss is an attorney but she can’t practice law in AK, so no help there.  And AK attorney’s are not as eager to give me a break just because I am a paralegal, although ones around here do.  After months passed and not being able to get in contact with Fucktard and not being so sure that the P.O. Box was any good, TheGrump asked me to write a letter to see if we could get a rise out of Fucktard.  So I typed a letter for him (from him) telling her that she had x amount of time to contact him or he would start the court process to file for custody.  Trying to bluff because we know we don’t have the money, but maybe it would put her feet to the fire.  I sent it certified mail and a return receipt.  after about two weeks there was no return I called her local post office and inquired on whether or not it was picked up and when they were going to do a second notice.  I did this knowing that in small towns word travels fast and they might mention to her that someone called.  Woo hoo it was picked up the very next day and signed for.  AH HA, now we know the post office box was still good, but would she take the bait.  Almost a month passed and we heard NADA, zilch, nothing………..

Around the second week of May TheGrump received a letter in the mail from the Tribal Council with an attached petition that Fucktard had filed asking them to help her with custody and adoption of TheDaughter.  It stated that they were going to meet to see if they would persue this issue for Fucktard and then let him know something.  The meeting was set for May 5th.  As of today we have heardnothing from them, even though I have sent them two letters from TheGrump asking them to update him on the status of this.  So now we’re in limbo.

Any advice?  Maybe I’ll set up a Fund 🙂

4 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. Rene
    Jun 29, 2006 @ 00:08:52

    Wow, tribal councils are a bitch to get around. They get really difficult when it comes to adoption and custody issues. In California they have dragged parents through the mud over this issue. You’ve been sending letters to the tribal council and they haven’t responded? There has to be a way through this mess to at least give him visitation. If this woman is going to hide through the tribal council, perhaps you need to go through the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Alaska. Why is this woman being such a pig?

  2. tia
    Jun 29, 2006 @ 12:43:24

    Whooaa!…… That sounds like a tough situation. Sorry, haven’t got a clue as to how to proceed…. but I hope it all works out for the best – aspecially for the little girl. I’m impressed with your attitude about the whole thing. hang in there.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday.

  3. Dayngr
    Oct 12, 2006 @ 19:43:48

    Try contacting state representatives in AK they may be able to be of assistance with referring you to someone who can help. The little girl has rights as an AK resident and should be allowed to know her father.

  4. Blogs, news and more!
    Jan 12, 2007 @ 15:06:55

    I am just amazed at how well you write! Keep-on going you are just so good… mary

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text:
Historically, whenever I've tuned in to the BBC it's been for something serious- a Jane Austin adaptation, documentary or special news program. I was surprised and delighted to discover Coupling, a half-hour sitcom centered around six thirty-something singles (three men and three women). Written and produced by Stephen Moffat and Susan Vertue, it widens the dating perspective of comedies like Bridget Jones to give both men and women a chance to laugh about why finding a match can be such a difficult process.

While tending to rely on stereotypes, it manages to remain fresh and funny with pithy dialog, playing with point-of-view and outrageous situations. My favorite episodes involve portraying the same event from several characters' perspectives. While I've always enjoyed British comedy a la Monte Python or Fry and Laurie, I've never experienced the sitcom side of things and Coupling was definitely a perfect first taste.

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