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Well, Kelly decided to throw in one more punch. He’s trying to make it very clear that I will not be starting college on this coming May 2nd but rather that I will be starting March 28th of 2012, if at all. I cannot express how extremely livid I am at the moment. Kelly is now claiming “I have no money, I have no money” yet again yet he continues to go karaoking (two-hour trip there and back each time) with gas up to $4+ and spends $15-20 on food. He always complains that he’s in pain yet he can’t NOT go karaoking to save money for the chiropractor. I knew this would be incredibly difficult and with his mommy starting to cut him short on everything, he’s feeling trapped. Puh-lease! He has more than enough money to get by with everything. It’s amazing that he’s whining that he won’t be able to go out every frickin’ day of the week when my mom and I NEVER get to go anywhere. He’s a real selfish s.o.b. and it’s quite comical that after I swore I would never go to college and I’ve finally turned around and changed my mind, he’s saying “absolutely not! I can’t afford that!” His mommy won’t help pay for college because I won’t go to a community one. I’ve already picked out the college, picked the course, and planned which Degrees I’m getting at what time. I knew that I could not count on him but still. Since he’s screwed up my life so badly (but not irreparably), the least he could do is pay for my college, right? Wrong. Kelly believes that he has absolutely no obligation to me. I’m just “collateral damage” because he hates my mom is exactly what he said. My dog is now collateral damage too seeing as he can’t spend five seconds with her anymore. My dog used to always get 97% more attention than me (the other 2% was a “hello” to my mom and a 1% of a “hello” to me once a week if I got lucky). That was even before any of this started. Now, there’s 98% for everyone else(mostly his mommy), 1% for mom(to settle the divorce), and 1% for my dog. Notice that I am not included in that. He does not say a word to me anymore unless I forcefully stand in front of his tv or catch him(by some miracle) not on the phone(1/200) or his computer(even slimmer). Strangely enough, I’m not getting overwhelmed. I know that I can talk to one of my mom’s friends at any time I need to(kind of like seeing a psychiatrist, only she’s more of a friend(it’s sad that I can’t talk to anyone close to my age about anything because the family friend I talk to is 60 and she’s the only one that understands me so far besides my mom)). You may be wondering what happened to Josh. Well, I honestly don’t know. He kind of just dropped out of the picture again. Josh has a tendency to do that whenever he can’t handle something. It’s kind of funny that he can’t handle his own life while I can handle mine, his, and any other so-called friends’ lives. Sure, I get stressed out and snap every so often, but the amount of times that happens are getting fewer. All I have to do is use logic. I know where I want to go in life, I know it will be hell to get there, and I’m accepting that I won’t have any help to do so. I more than likely will not have kindred spirits (thank you, Anne of Green Gables) to cross my path in life and to inspire me to keep moving forward. All I’ll have is me. Why? Because I’m different from other people. It’s called being a good person. You know, the way the Christians are supposed to behave. I don’t believe in “higher beings” anymore. It’s all science. I do believe that strange things happen for reasons and sometimes things can’t be explained (yet) but the outcome is always for the better, no matter what happens. As much as we’d like to change certain aspects about our lives, it’s not going to happen on the turn of a dime and we most definitely cannot change the past. We can forge a better future for ourselves though. The way I see my friend issue is that if my so-called friends cannot respect me, then there will be no one to disrespect me. I know I repeat myself sometimes on here when I blog but you know what? Repeating oneself helps remind oneself that everything is not completely hopeless. While everyone else has a god on their side, in my opinion I have something far better: faith in myself. ;p

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Notes from Slowtwitch

This is a pretty good thread:  Triathlon Training and Business School

Networking can easily turn into a massive BS useless time sink.

Networking is a sales process, except the currency you are measuring in is slightly different, but that’s it.

It’s not how much time you spend doing sales prospecting, its having a high impact funnel and having really high quality stuff fall out of the funnel and hitting your revenue targets. People network and do sales in completely stupid ways spending way too much time on useless connections/prospects.

Most of you guys have to treat your time like you money and not give it out and spend it on entirely useless things. The bulk of networking is useless (and I’ve done Semiconductor strategic marketing-product marketing-biz dev-alliance programs for 20ish years). Networks don’t last a lifetime no matter what some of you guys think. A network is only as good as how well you nurture it and keep it organic and alive with high impact contacts that can positively influence your path to success (or not in your company).

The bulk of people in your network are not today nor will ever be your friend. They are in your network because you can make them successful in their organization and you have them in your network because they can make you useful in yours. Some high impact ones, you “pay forward” and invest in, because they have the human qualities to be helpful to you in some future capacity. These are the the high impact network contacts that you keep alive like leaves at the end of your tree’s branches.

But just randomly wasting time with low impact stupid people is EXACTLY what most people get sucked into and then they wonder why they missed 7×1 hour of training this week. Well they wasted 7 hours with idiots instead of spending 7 hours at the pool, the track or on the bike. At the end of the week, they have no further impact in their network than having spent those 7 hours training. The trap people fall into is treating networking like a party/popularity thing. Networking is all about connections-follow ups and driving mutually successful outcomes. Follow ups are the key. Constant follow up and being in the face of the key people in the network, and not when you need them but when they need you as a path to when you need them because you know you will need the high impact ones at some point, so you are building towards that.

Guys who don’t have time wasting it on useless networking are basically stupid business school idiots not looking at the ROI of their own time while studying ROI and NPV’s in finance class……sheeeesh people they teach you all this shit in biz school and then you don’t even apply proper business strategy to your own personal brand/company and then you wonder why you can’t train? WTF are most of you learning in biz school if you don’t treat your own self as the ultimate business that you need to manage?

Sorry for the rant….replying in general to this thread. Pubes can take this rant up from here. I tried to do my best impersonation….he’s right though, biz school is not that tough and it actually does not take that much time if you are properly organized and use proper priority management (I say this as a squander time on ST on a Friday nite)

Second Post:

In my time I had some classmates that did some semesters full time and some part time (mine was 2 courses per semester, 3 semesters per year, 3 years, 2 courses advanced standing due to having an engineering degree coming in). It depend on the person you talked to. Some said the full time program was way harder, some said part time while working full time. To some degree it depended on what courses you had at a given time and which profs you had and how organized you could get with your group work.

I aligned myself with enough people who wanted to get the maximum marks with the minimum amount of input workload. We would divide and conquor wherever possible and if I could not get in with some of those people, I just took leadership of the group and said, “OK you guys want to get an A- with X amount or work or an A- with X/5 amount of work”. Most people were pretty open to getting the same mark with 1/5th of the work so they fell in line quickly and we had a no time squandering policy. But you really have to manage your groups with the no time squandering approach or group work grows to occupy every living hour of your day, evening and weekends. It’s the same in real world companies…..stupid people who have no clue how valuable their time is just give it away like it’s sunshine in Dubai in July!

In terms of networking etc, I’d really advise you to treat the entire thing like a sales funnel. Try to make sure you populate your funnel with high quality prospects. Don’t ignore low quality prospects, but don’t just give your time for free to people who have low influencer qualities in the world outside school.

My 2 cents is that networking is very temporal in nature. The guys who were useful for me in the aerospace industry, are largely useless to me in semiconductors and within that the wireless guys are kinds of useless in high performance computing who in turn are fairly useless in medical imaging….and so it goes. The most useful takeaway is your ability to build new networks fast and in an impactful way….and if you can do that without mortgaging your personal life, then to me, that’s the high bar that you’re trying to get to anyway.

I was just interviewing a guy and one of my peers asked the candidate who he knew in XYZ key target account companies. I jumped in and said, “I don’t care who he know, I want to hear his plan for how he will win over all these guy who we don’t know and he doesn’t either because that’s the holy grail we’re trying to get to”. Biz school is a low impact place to practice that for sure. Of course some may actually become useful in the near term!

In any case, sorry if I was being hard. Probably a bit over the top, but it really is not that hard to train for half IM’s….run 20-40 min every day all the time, do two really hard 40 min swims, bike for commuting if you can, and get a hard 3 hour bike ride in on the weekend one day and a hard 70 min run with 8×6 min hard 2 min easy as your bread and butter run and don’t get fat and you’re set. I think you can do it with focus.

Here is my plan for you to get the full MBA experience:

  1. Every morning wake up 40 min earlier than you would and cram in a 30 min run
  2. 2x per week at lunch time, hard 40 min swim. Don’t sit around having lunch with other people at least on those days. Just pick the days and make it non negotiable.
  3. Networking Events, take whatever time is the max time allocated and invent an excuse to cut in it half and bolt out early or arrive half way in….whatever works. Have a plan that you want to accomplish XYZ objectives in that 50% time. Cut your losses on bad conversations and move one. Free up that 50% of time and get more course work/studying done than peers squandering time doing nothing at the networking
  4. Group work and described above….take the leadership role on time allocation, objectives and work to be done. If you see the group squandering time on low impact stuff, get them on track. People hate it initially, but they love it afterwards, when they are all in the pub and everyone else is still stuck doing case study stuff they will love you. After a while people will be competing to get into your group. That’s really what you want to get to, when all the all stars in your class are striving to get on your team and then they are working with and for you with the same mindset.
  5. Get 7-8 hours of sleep every nite no matter what. Drop what ever you are doing 8 hours before you have to get up and leave it unfinished. It sounds short sighted at first, but if you set a deadline to get to sleep you will squander less time before that. Then the next day you are more rested and will get more done/asborbed in class on account of being alert. One of my classmates was an engineering physics student with top marks in our undergrad and a multiple time olympian and Commonwealth games champion in shooting. He needed sleep to perform at shooting, but he said only stupid people sacrifice sleep because they think they are getting more work done. I tried it for a semester at age 19 and was sold….carried it forward to grad school.
  6. No caffeine after 12 noon. This will help the sleep side too.
  7. Learn to read, synthesize and write really fast. The faster the better. This is your friend in biz school
  8. Practice your presentation skills. A great presentation can up your marks big time over a bad one for the same input work….this allows you to work less before and get the higher mark because you influenced the markers better by picking the influencing talking points
  9. Everything you do, ask yourself how you can do it faster for the same outcome

On the tri front, jog everywhere on campus! Free additional training. OK I spent too much time on that, but if it helps just a few people and allows you guys to train or have more time with families or girlfriend/boyfriend all the better

Third Post:

I think there are two types of networking. One is with prospective employers, one is with classmates. We can agree to disagree that both can be done more effectively with less time in. It’s not like I have never gotten a job before or closed big deals for my company or myself. People do networking with no plan, they waste time with the wrong network, and inside the network they are trying to build, they have no idea how to stand out in their network from others and most importantly get the message across on how they will make the other party successful. So yeah, no surprise, it’s a massive time sink for most with poor results. Even if you are working full time and going to a part time MBA you still need to network, either inside your company to keep your job and move ahead or outside your company to change careers and get a new job. Part time MBAers are constantly networking too. Just because they have a job at the moment has nothing to do with their need to network for the future. But like any endeavor in life where people are time crunched, there are always reasons/excuses why they are time crunched. In reality everyone gets 168 hours in a week. I told my employees at work to NOT WORK HARD because it is a stupid end game and both us and the competition have 168 hours in a week and eventually we both run out of hours. Working smarter as a team with priority management will defeat the competition. It’s the same thing in networking. Everyone has 168 hours. How can you get the most results with your time?

Maybe I had an advantage coming from engineering school into business school. Business school, everyone runs around with some badge of honor about how much time they put in because frankly the stuff is not that hard so if you just grind through more volume you get higher marks. Engineering school, you’re mainly either right or wrong. The volume is high, but the speed and accuracy with which you can go through the volume is dependent on how smartly you can grind through….not brute force grind like biz school. So in engineering school, the guy getting 90’s who is in the pub most nights and plays varsity sport is kind of glorified. And a lot of tech companies give glory to that. I think it was Netflix that said, “Oh, so you overachieved working only 20% of the time, congrats we give you a promotion and more responsibility….oh you, work 60 hours per week and are dropping the ball on multiple front, but generally do a good job….sorry, thanks for your work, but here is your severance package”.

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The WWE Gets Its Start Pt. 2 #TraditionallySouthside

So, you are probably wondering about the title – where the WWE got its start? I promise that I will get to that in this post. But once again I am amazed at the faithfulness of our covenant-keeping God who is willing to use people like you and me and Jacob (yes, we need to include ourselves in the same category with a man like that) to accomplish His purposes. As we conclude our story today, I want you to notice something about this covenant that God made with Jacob – it is completely unconditional. You go back and read it. No “ifs” are added. It’s a done deal. So, when the dream is over and Jacob wakes up, he realizes what has happened, and he worships God for the first time in his life. He memorializes the place. He names it Bethel, which means “house of God” because he recognizes this is a special place. Then Jacob did what so many of us do when we encounter God for the first time. He sang, “I surrender all,” right? Or “Just As I Am?” Or maybe he put his all on the altar of sacrifice? Look at the story again in Genesis 28:20-22. He at least made a commitment, right? Nope. He made a deal with God. He said, “If you will be with me and take care of me, and give me food and clothes, and bring me back to my dad’s house, then you will be my God.” That’s right. God made an unconditional covenant with Jacob, and Jacob made a deal with God.

And nothing much changed in his life. Jacob continues on his journey, and he marries and has lots of children and becomes very wealthy through his scheming, and understand, God continues to bless because the covenant is unconditional. Remember the point of all these stories – even when we are not faithful, God is. And when Jacob realizes that it is time to return home, he is still the man that he has always been. He’s afraid. He’s afraid of his father-in-law, so he sneaks away. And even after Laban reveals to Jacob that God is supernaturally protecting him, Jacob is still afraid. When he hears that his brother is coming to meet him, he sends gifts ahead hoping they might appease his brother’s wrath. Then he sends all of his possessions ahead including his servants as a barrier hoping that by the time his brother works his way through them – interpret that however you think best – his anger will be satisfied. Then he puts his own family between him and his brother while he stays on the far side of the river. A plea for mercy? Maybe. An act of cowardice? I think so. But God used this time alone with Jacob so that the man can get the full benefit of the blessing.

You see, it’s one thing to meet God, and that’s what happened to Jacob at Bethel. He met God. He heard from God. He developed a head knowledge of God. He told God, “Okay, God. If you do all these things for me, then we’ve got a deal.” And God held up His end of the bargain. Now, read this carefully, folks. It was time to pay the piper. God had come to collect. You might not like this kind of language, but when you make a vow to God, He expects you to keep the vow, and so now, instead of just meeting with God, Jacob has an encounter with the living God. Look Genesis 32:24 very closely. In my Bible, it says that he wrestled with a Man, capital M, until the breaking of a day. Now lest you think that the capital M is just a man-made thing, look down at v. 28, and read that Jacob “struggled with God” and at v. 30 where it says that he has “seen God face to face.” If that doesn’t convince you, look at Hosea 12:3. Understand, this is God in the flesh, and He has come down to meet with Jacob.

Now, don’t get caught up in the details. Yes, God could have beaten Jacob in this wrestling match in a heartbeat. That’s not the point of this story. The point is in Jacob at some point recognized that he was wrestling with God, and he was willing to struggle with God all night long knowing that He could kill Him instantly. In the midst of the struggle, something happened to Jacob. Jacob was transformed by his encounter with God from a coward to a warrior. In fact, the change was so drastic, so apparent that the Lord changed his name from Jacob, “heel-grabber,” to Israel which means “he struggled with God and men and has prevailed.”

But there is more evidence of his change. Look down to chapter 33. Instead of sending his family before him to meet his brother, Jacob is changed into the leader God intended him to be. No longer afraid, he boldly goes out to meet his brother, Esau. No longer arrogant, he bows himself to the ground 7 times demonstrating his humility. But let me show you a little bit more of the contrast brought about in this transformation. After his encounter with God at Bethel, he walked with arrogance. After wrestling with God at Jabbok, he walked slowly and with a limp. Could there be a spiritual implication? I think so. When we truly encounter God, we find ourselves broken and humbled. Encountering God changes us forever. For Jacob, he became Israel, no longer a deceiver, now an overcomer. No longer a man afraid, now a man filled with courage. And for the rest of his days, we see a man becoming the man God always intended him to be. He fell down, again and again and again, but by God’s grace, he got up every time, and that is the key.

Listen to me. You may be just like Jacob, and the enemy is whispering in your ear, “You are no good. You are too sinful. You’ve messed up too many times for God to ever forgive you again. Just forget it. Stay down this time. Don’t even try.” Let me tell you something. Remember Jacob, and get up. Remember God’s grace, and get up. Listen to my voice this morning, and get up because my friend, God loves you and He is telling you to get up and come home today because His grace is amazing and His love is great. Get up, and let Him show you today.

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Saturday, 4 July 2015

Workshop updates

No Bookings available till September 2015........

Thought it only right that I let people know why there are no workshops in my diary for the next couple of months

Unfortunately in a week or so I am going for surgery and hopefully fingers crossed I will be back in business around six weeks after the Op .

Hopefully everything will be straight forward and I'll be back
on my feet and back soon to doing light duties.

I'll post as and when I feel upto it.

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World-class dining mingled with matchless service: Welcome to The Driskill Grill. Savor signature dishes, including dry-aged steak and sip a selection from our Wine Spectator-awarded list.

Hours of Operation:

Tuesday – Saturday • 5:30 p.m.–10:00 p.m.

For large party reservations, Email Us

View Our Menus:

Providing ample opportunities for convivial conversation, The Driskill Bar offers a unique collection of quiet nooks, intimate seating areas, private groupings of period furnishings and generous spaces. Patrons enjoy a relaxed atmosphere of overstuffed leather sofas, bracing spirits, fine wines and good friendships. With lively entertainment, The Driskill Bar offers a perfect setting for festive gatherings.

Hours of Operation:

Monday & Tuesday • 2 p.m. – Midnight

Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday • 12 p.m. – Midnight

Friday & Saturday • 12 p.m. – 2 a.m.

Happy Hour:

Sunday – Wednesday • 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Thursday – Saturday • 4 p.m.– 7 p.m.

View Our Menus:

In the citizen-owned era, The Heritage Society founded the 1886 Lunchroom, successfully operated and staffed for over 20 years by members. Stocked with recipes from the hotel's past (including a stint by Neiman Marcus culinary director and "duchess of Texas cuisine" Helen Corbitt), and their own family histories, the ladies of the Heritage Society operated a venue that to this day is known as "Austin's socializing parlor." Paying homage to the city and Heritage Society's roles, the 1886 Cafe & Bakery opened on July 4, 2002.

Today, located at the bustling corner of Sixth and Brazos streets, the 1886 Café & Bakery remains a respected establishment and favorite Austin bakery for many. The social gathering place for locals and out-of-town guests alike look here for delicious traditional Texas comfort foods that combine time-honored Texas traditions with contemporary preparation. 1886 Bakery, with Executive Pastry Chef Tony Sansalone at the helm, features an incredible array of scratch made pastries and Austin's finest cakes.

Hours of Operation:

Sunday – Saturday • 6:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

View Our Menus:

Executive Pastry Chef Tony Sansalone and his outstanding pastry team boast a long-standing reputation for creating some of Austin's most memorable custom-crafted cakes. From personalized birthday cakes to custom wedding cakes, the culinary artists at 1886 Bakery specialize in creating one-of-a-kind masterpieces that enhance any special occasion.

Discover the wide range of cakes available to you from 1886 Café & Bakery. Peruse our listing of some of the most delicious and unique celebration and wedding cakes Austin has to offer. Whether you are looking for a traditional vanilla cake, or something decadent like chocolate mousse cake, 1886 Bakery is sure to have something to suit your taste buds.

We invite you to stop by for a visit to watch our talented chefs in action through our bakery window.

Bakery Hours:

6:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Bakery Phone Number:

(512) 391-7169

For receptions, social events, bridal or baby showers, birthday parties and group dinners, our legendary hotel has the perfect setting for your private dining needs. Plan an intimate dinner party in the unmistakably Texan ambiance of The Driskill Grill, or host a casual gathering with a touch of timeless charm from our 1886 Cafe & Bakery.

Speak with our Events Team today to start planning your memorable experience at The Driskill.

Call Us: +1 512 391 7143 | Email Us


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Theoretical Archaeology Group conference (TAG2016) theme – “Visualisation”

This year the Theoretical Archaeology Group conference, TAG 2016, will be hosted by the University of Southampton, 19th-21st December; another significant event to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Department of Archaeology. The overarching theme for the conference is “Visualisation”.

What is Visualisation?

Most dictionary definitions focus on notions of image and picture making.  Strictly defined in modern terms, visualisation means to form a mental image of something invisible or unseen. However, a richer interpretation of visualisation is to regard it as a means of making something, or phenomena, perceptible or comprehensible to the human mind. This broader conception of the term allows for wider and more nuanced connotations (e.g. imagination and conceptualisation) and other mechanisms for receiving impressions or conceiving representations of things. It also makes it clear that visualisation is neither passive nor neutral and draws attention to human variability in perception; teaching, learning and translation are also implicated.

This broader reading of the meaning of visualisations is implicitly recognised by many in the visualisation community who are compelled to differentiate their version of ‘visualisation’ using prefixes such as “artisitic”, “scientific” and “interpretative”.

Our first question for TAG 2016 Southampton is therefore “what does visualisation mean to you?”


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Posts Tagged ‘drum practice’

Practice Routine That Still Works – a Great Drumming Article!

I have read many drum articles suggesting ways to practice and this is one of my favorites. If you’re not familiar with Carl Albrecht and his work, I suggest reading up on him. He breaks down the practice routine into 5 key areas of study to help the growth any drummer.

Click the picture below to pull up the article… Enjoy!!

Drummers Practice Routine

As always, contact me with any questions. I look forward to seeing you at Drum Lessons!!

Mr. Brett

Brett Frederickson – DrummersRule! Drum Lessons

602-843-3114 |

Brett’s Top 10 Tips When Practicing Drums!

Practicing drums can be a struggle and feel boring at times. In fact, most drummers will sit and jam with an iPod for an hour, and call it a good “practice”. The truth is, practicing your technique and jamming are two totally different things. So how do you get the most out of your practice times? Note: Practicing doesn’t make perfect – Practicing RIGHT makes perfect.

1.  Use a Practice Pad

Use a practice pad! Believe it or not, it is essential for developing strong stick control. I recommend you spend 50% of your practice time on a drum pad, playing drum rudiments and working on endurance. A practice pad helps eliminate distraction and will force you to stick to your drum rudiments, and be more creative.

2.  Count Out Loud

We have all heard this is a good thing to do, but not until I was trying to learn more difficult beats and rhythms did I find how helpful it was!. Counting out loud is a great way to check and see if you are playing things right. If you are counting and your playing doesn’t line up – you will know immediately that something is wrong.

3.  Use a Metronome

Use a Metronome! Regardless how long you’ve been playing, a good drummer will practice with one. Taking the time to learn how to use a metronome is essential when it comes to practicing. It will help make you a consistent drummer, which is key if you’re looking to land gigs or be asked back to play. Because it forces you to play on time, you will see just how good you really are. Another idea is to listen to your favorite tune and use the tempo from that song.

4.  Slow it Down

When you start to learn something new, always start slow. Even if you think that you know the beat already, play it slow just to make sure that you are doing it right. Once you know that you are doing it right, then you can start to speed it up. Trying to play too fast at first will ultimately slow down your progress.

5.  Practice, Don’t  Play

Dedicated “practice” time should be focused. You should never jam or play things you have already mastered during this time. This is a mistake that we all have made. It is extremely important to stay on task during any formal practice time.

I have seen students who don’t follow this simple principle and as a result have been working on certain beats for months. They come into lessons week after week without making any real progress.

6.  Be Open to All Styles

Try to find different styles of songs you are not used to; or find songs that are above your level of playing. Listen to larger variety music. Playing along with these songs will force you to be more creative and make you step out of your comfort zone. An example, if you want to increase your speed , try playing along to some faster music.

7.  Get Creative with the Sticks and Surfaces You Use

To increase you speed and control, try playing on different surfaces with bigger sticks. Instead of playing on a practice pad, try drumming on a pillow. This will give you a lot less bounce, forcing you to build your finger and wrist muscles faster. Also, go out and pick up a set of thicker sticks. If you use 5a’s, try practicing with 2b’s, or if you use 2b’s, try using marching band sticks. Do this for a week and go back to your smaller sticks; you will be very surprised at the results! If you are unsure how the thickness and weight of drumsticks make a difference, do some online research for drum articles for more information.

8.  Have a Routine

Ideally you want to practice everyday of the week, but at very least you want to get in to any form of routine. This will help you learn at a steady pace – spending more time advancing your skills instead of re-practicing things that you’ve already mastered.

Inconsistency will make it harder to remember everything you’ve practiced. You might still know a few of the things, but ultimately you will have lost much of what you worked on. As drummers, we are trying to build muscle memory. Practice and repetition is key to achieving this.

9.  Good Posture is Key

This may seem odd, but it is extremely important that you sit up straight during a practice or performance. Not only is this better for your body, but it also helps you stay more focused on what you are doing. You’d be surprised how much easier everything seems when you are in the “ready position” with your back straight and your arms loose and ready. Have those close to you to help keep you in check that you are practicing good posture when sitting at the drum set.

10.  Make it Fun – Let’s See You Smile!

Forcing yourself to practice is the worse thing you can do. Instead, find a way to practice so you enjoy it. Chances are if you accomplish more objectives. It’s always important to end practices on a good note. Overcoming small obstacles is a great way to wrap things up and give you that added confidence to take your playing to the next level. In drumming and in life, confidence based on your accomplishment is everything.enjoy what you are doing, you will do it more often and with more determination. Look at your practice time as a challenge.

Brett Frederickson – DrummersRule! Drum Lessons
Call or Text today at 602-769-2075 or check us out online at
Come see why our students keep coming back… We look forward to seeing you!!


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Welcome to Dubai Sustainable Tourism

The UAE is striving to develop and boost its rich resources and expertise in the international energy markets and enhance its leading role as a world center for renewable energy research and development.

His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The President of the UAE.

Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) initiative has been established to enhance the sustainability of the tourism sector and for contributing to the broader clean energy and sustainable development targets that Dubai has set out to achieve.

DTCM has developed a sustainability strategy, roadmap and a holistic approach to ensure the continual development of sustainable tourism which will be implemented through the DST.

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Whatever situation I am to be content

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. Philippians 4:10-12

The last thing we in the US are expected to be is content. We are a nation that always wants more. We are never to be satisfied with the status quo. We are constantly told we can never be too rich or too slim. We are supposed to grab all the gusto and claw out way to the top while we are grabbing. Always moving never still stay connected 24/7.

A friend buys a new house and we start looking for one bigger. The neighbors get a new Lexus and we start looking at Mercedes. Or maybe we get a new computer and within days something faster comes out we want that. We have the old IPhone and we want the new one. Old IPad, no I want the newest one. We spend so much time wanting more or newer we never appreciate what we have.

We do the same with people. We are moving up we need new friends that go with our new status. That husband or wife we had in the lean times just does not make a good impression with my new co-workers so out they go, time for a newer younger spouse. And on and on we go, always looking for something or someone better.

We become so focused on what we don’t have that we lose out on enjoying what we have. Not being content causes us to be unhappy but even worse we lose our joy. We tend to associate contentment with complacency. One can be content with what we have now and still be open to new things. Paul was content when he had abundance and he was content when he had little.  Why? His contentment came from Christ and not worldly things.

When our contentment is based on things we will never be satisfied. Things break, the loose their luster and there is always something better coming along. But, if our contentment is based on our relationship with Christ then we have something that is eternal. There will never be anything better or newer and it will never lose its luster.

We can be content with our current station because that is where God needs us to be. Maybe our house is not as big as our friends but just maybe there is a neighbor that needs to hear about Christ. We may not be the boss but maybe a co-worker needs a Christian friend to pray for them.

I know it is hard but we all need to be like Paul, content in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in.

Have a blessed day,

About dwwork

The name of this blog is taken from 1 Peter 3:13 - “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience. This verse became special to me over ten years ago when I was asked to teach an adult Sunday school class on Christian apologetics. This interest grew over the years to the point that I took some graduate level classes in apologetics. I think the best way to be prepared to give and answer to everyone who asks is to know scripture. It is my hope that through these short devotionals the reader will become more familiar with each verse. I have tried when possible to make them personal hoping in some small way to show that God’s word written over two thousand years ago is still relevant today. In the writing of these short devotionals I have been able to better understand how God’s word impacts my life. It is my hope that you too will come closer to our Lord Jesus and develop a closer relationship with Him. Finally, if the reader finds anything in conflict with scripture please let me know. God’s word is the final authority always overrules anything I might write. David
This entry was posted in Bible, Devotional, God. Bookmark the permalink.

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Serving you is what we do best
Enjoy great selections in store and online.

Wedding Toasting Glasses Mercury Glass

There is only 1 item left in stock.

Wedding toasting glasses with the illusion of mercury glass. Your going to love this set. Bride class has a veil attached and Grooms has a Bowtie. Toast your beautiful day with these exquisite glasses. Accents with silver.


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+ Using Gestures to Learn Math

other topics: click a “category” or use search box

Gesturing can perhaps help students develop new ways of understanding math.

For a long time scholars have known that movements help retrieve information about an event or physical activity associated with action.

An article by Susan Goldin-Meadow, Susan Wagner Cook and Zachary A Mitchell in Psychological Science is the first to show that gestures not only help recover old ideas, they also help create new ones.

The article, titled “Gesturing Gives Children New Ideas About Math,” provides information that can be useful for teachers, say the experts.

Lead author and psychologist Susan Goldin-Meadow says,

“This study highlights the importance of motor learning even in nonmotor tasks, and suggests that we may be able to lay the foundation for new knowledge just by telling learners how to move their hands.”

For the study, 128 fourth-grade students were given problems of the type 3+2+8=___+8.

None of the students had been successful in solving that type of problem in a pre-test.

The students were randomly divided into three instruction groups.

  • One group was taught the words, “I want to make one side equal to the other side.”
  • The second group was taught the same words along with gestures instantiating a grouping problem-solving strategy — the silent demonstrater’s  V-shaped hand indicating 3+2, followed by a fingerpoint at the blank (group and add 3 and 2 and put the sum in the blank).
  • The last group was taught the words along with the gestures instantiating the grouping strategy but focusing attention on the wrong numbers — the silent demonstrater’s V-shaped hand indicating 2+8, followed by a fingerpoint at the blank.  The experimenter demonstrating did not explain the movement or comment about it.

All of the students were given a test in which they solved new problems of this type.  They then explained how they reached their answers.

Students who repeated the correct gesture during the lesson solved more problems correctly than students who repeated the partially correct gesture; but the latter group of students solved more problems correctly than students who repeated only the words.

The number of problems children solved correctly could be explained by whether they added the grouping strategy to their spoken repertoires after the lesson, Goldin-Meadow said.

Because the experimenter never expressed the grouping strategy in speech during the lesson, and students picked it up on their own as a new idea, the study demonstrates that gesture can help create new concepts in learning, the researchers feel.

“The grouping information students incorporated into their post-lesson speech must have come from their own gestures.  Children were thus able to extract information from their own hand movements.  This process may be the mechanism by which gesturing influences learning.”

More research is of course needed.  But this is an idea worth trying in classrooms and at kitchen tables!

sole source: online article from Science Daily on 2/26/09.  www.sciencedaily.com .  Drawn from an article by Goldin-Meadow, Wagner Cook and Mitchell in Psychological Science, “Gesturing Gives Children New Ideas About Math.”

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Apple Really Sells a Lot of Ebooks!

If we know that Amazon is the leader in sales of digital books, we know less than Apple arrives just behind, far ahead of Kobo and the other players.

I found figures that show the number of ebooks sold by the major American digital book actor.

As I do not think I have published them previously, I think it is interesting to comment them here:

First of all, I would like to point out that these numbers are for one year, between spring 2016 and spring 2017, and for a handful of countries.

It is worth noting that there are over half a billion ebooks sold in a year. In my opinion, we must not be far from the billion, if we count Europe and Asia.

Then, if Amazon is first, Apple holds a huge market share for a company that does not offer a reader and has more or less stopped innovating in ebook reader.

The surprise comes from Kobo, which holds only 2% of the market while the company is well established in Canada. We see that it is under tough competition from Apple, but also from Barnes & Noble.

Again, this is a surprise, as the Barnes & Noble Nooks reader has not been updated since 2015. However, it is clear that users are satisfied and always use them.

Now, it would be really interesting to have the same figures for Europe because I think Apple has a much less favorable position.

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My best friend is a crabby bitch

18 Jan

with a secret past, a fear of strange men, and a snack-stealing habit. She’s an approximately 4-year old mutt that we adopted from New Leash on Life 3 years ago. She’s some kind of pit-bullesque dog.75 pounds of love. Mostly for me. She still follows me around like a little puppy, and mourns when I leave the house if she’s not in her crate. I think she’s gorgeous and she thinks I have thumbs and can give her food, and praise and love. Right now, I think she’s mad at me because I haven’t been able to take her for a walk in weeks. I tell her that I miss it more than she does, at least she gets to go for walks with other people. I don’t. I don’t know that she has any idea what I’m saying.

She’s not the most exuberant waggy happy dog (that’s our other one), but she’s my girl. I wish she could tell me what happened before she came into our lives. Why her hackles rise and she cowers when a man in a hood walks towards us. Why she still inhales her food after years of steady meals. Why she snores like a 90 year old man. Why she makes that same fantastic moan when she settles into bed that her predecessor dog used to make (but that our other dog doesn’t make).

Sweet Ms. Lo

She’s chewed through pretty much every toy we’ve ever given her, but a friend gave her one of these and it’s been a huge hit.  I’ll be sure that she always has one to chomp. And plenty of kisses and treats.

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Tag Archives: continuity of land

It’ll take many industries to make a new one.

1.  Natural Bridge Construction

2.  Sanitary Landfill Technologies

3.  Methane Gas Harvesting

4.  Ecological Education Centers for Schools/Universities

Name this New Multi-Billion Dollar Industry.

Every industry needs a name.  This one will require special construction considerations,  Federal and State permits, and designs that totally contain and monitor the decomposition processes of waste and resulting methane gases. This industry will be about the evolution of waste management and environmentally-friendly, attractive reuse of the air spaces over existing highways.

1. The Natural Bridge Construction Company

Doing Construction over America’s Busiest Highways. To have the lowest impact on the flow of daily traffic will require new construction techniques. New industries can be spawned just from this requirement alone.

A Platform for Methane Containment and Monitoring. No methane can be allowed to seep into the aquifers around these ecology sites, plus all the methane gases need to find a channel and a containment area for harvesting. Because the bridge essentially will hold everything about 18 feet above that  well-traveled roadbed, there will be more opportunities for control than in any landfill constructed today.

2.  The Optimization of the Sanitary Landfill

The basics of an energy hill and an Ecology Mountain.   Methane containment is older than the hills.  Methane (CH4) gas is a key critical compound for the incubation of life. It is a simple compound with a volatile history.  Today the focus is on its contribution to greenhouse gases.  Although methane gases are harvested throughout the world, very few of these sites have become labs and retreat centers for students and faculty.  All of these sites, besides being natural walkways, could lead to a deeper insight into the very nature of the tetrahedral molecular shape of methane and a deeper understanding of the nature of chemical bonding.

3.  The Optimization of Methane Gas Harvesting

New Models in San Antonio and Sioux City.    Methane is a “junk gas” in every sense.  It is now getting captured and used and herein are de facto promises to become an important industry unto itself.   More to come…

Simple ideas can start new industries.

Consider healing the scars of a most beautiful face.

How so? Drop us a note, and be part of it!


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Price of Brent crude oil below $67

17:10, 08 December 2014

The price of Brent crude during trading in London fell below $67 a barrel by midday on Monday, with January futures contracts dropping by 3% to $66.95 per barrel, according to Russian information agency TASS.

Against the background of the sustained decline in oil prices, the dollar exchange rate against ruble on the Moscow Stock Exchange on Monday increased by RUR 1.22 rubles, to RUR 53.73 RUB to the dollar, and against the euro by RUR 1.25, to RUR 65.9 to the euro.

Falling oil prices are the main driver for the current ruble trajectory, according to market analyst Ivan Kopeikin.

"The Brent price has already dropped below $68 per barrel amid unsatisfactory data from China,” Kopeikin said on Monday.

“Chinese oil imports have slightly increased in volume, but in monetary terms have declined to $16.42 billion, [down] from $17.05 billion a month earlier."

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8 common man-friendly measures in Modi government's first rail budget

ET Online|
Updated: Jul 08, 2014, 05.04 PM IST
From bullet trains & better food to modernisation of stations, we take a look at eight measures in Gowda's budget that will bring cheer to common man.
From bullet trains & better food to modernisation of stations, we take a look at eight measures in Gowda's budget that will bring cheer to common man.

Has Modi's first rail budget taken right steps to get railways back on track?
  • Yes
  • No
  • Can't say
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government's maiden railway budget proposes to introduce a slew of passenger-friendly measures, aimed at benefiting the commuters in the long-run and improving the overall experience of travellers.

From bullet trains and better food to modernisation of stations and revamped ticket reservation system, we take a look at eight measures in Railway minister DV Sadananda Gowda's budget that will bring cheer to common man.

1) Bullet trains & High speed rail network: Introduction of bullet trains starting off with the Mumbai-Ahmedabad sector and an ambitious plan to have a Diamond Quadrilateral network of high speed rail connecting major metros and growth centres are on the anvil.

Gowda said that the Indian Railways will launch high-speed rails to connect major cities. "We will raise train speeds between several cities to 160-200 km/hour," Gowda promised. "Railways will spend Rs 100 crore for high speed trains between metros," he said.

"We will have a diamond quadrilateral network of high speed trains," he said. Promising to ensure better rail connectivity in the country, Gowda said, "The government needs Rs 9 lakh crore for funding Diamond Quadrilateral."

The Rail Budget has identified nine sectors in this regard that includes the prestigious Delhi-Agra rail line and the busy Delhi-Chandigarh and Mumbai-Ahmedabad sectors.

Besides, the speed of trains is to be increased to 160-200 km in the Delhi-Kanpur, Nagpur-Bilaspur, Mysore-Bengaluru- Chennai, Mumbai-Goa, Chennai-Hyderabad and Nagpur-Secuderabad sectors.

2) Ticket reservation system to be revamped: Stressing on revamping the reservation system, Gowda said, "The railway reservation System will be revamped into next generation e-Ticketing system." "Ticket booking through mobile phones and through post Offices will be popularized," he said.

"The Indian Railways will improve the system capabilities in e-ticketing to support 7200 tickets per minute as against 2000 tickets per minute and allow 1,20,000 simultaneous users at any point in time," Gowda said.

Gowda added that the facility of Coin Operated Automatic Ticket Vending Machines will be experimented. He said, efforts will also be made to provide facility of buying platform tickets and unreserved tickets over internet. "Parking-cum-Platform Combo Tickets will be launched to facilitate the passengers and to save their time," he said.

Gowda added that online booking facility of railway retiring room will be extended to all the stations during the course of the year. "The Indian Railways is expanding the scope of online booking for people to book a Train, book a Coach, book a Berth and book a Seat in Chair Car," he said.

3) Better catering and food: In order to improve the quality, hygiene of on-board catering services and to provide variety, the Indian Railways proposes to introduce pre-cooked (Ready-to-eat) meals of reputed brands in a phased manner.

To bring perceptible improvement in the catering services, Gowda proposes to introduce Quality Assurance Mechanism through Third Party Audit by NABCB certified agencies.

He said, in addition to the third party audit, a system of collecting feedback through IVRS mechanism, from the travelling passengers on the quality of food served, will be launched shortly. "If the service is not to the standards set, especially in hygiene and the taste, severe action would be initiated against the vendors including cancellation of the contract," Gowda said.

Indian Railways will also set up food courts at major stations to provide the option of ordering regional cuisine while onboard, through emails, SMS and smartphones, etc. A pilot project will be started shortly between New Delhi-Amritsar and New Delhi-Jammu Tawi sections.

4) Modernised Stations: Giving priority to amenities on stations, Gowda emphasised better facilities and proposed to develop ten major stations in the country to global standards.

"We will provide Wi-Fi in A-1 and A category stations and in select trains," he said. "There will be large scale integrated computerisation of Indian railway systems," he said. "Digital reservation charts at stations will be introduced," he added.

"We will outsource cleaning activities at 50 major stations. There will be 40% increase in allocation for cleanliness," Gowda said. "Bio-toilets will be increased on trains.

5) 58 new trains to be introduced 11 existing trains to be extended: The new trains will include five Jansadharan Trains, five Premium Trains, six AC express trains, 27 express trains, eight passenger trains, two MEMU services and five DEMU services this year.

Gowda also proposed to extend the run of 11 existing trains. Gowda said these services would be meeting the demand surges which manifest themselves on special occasions.

He said that special trains would continue to run to meet the holiday and festival rush including services for Melmaruvathur, Velankanni, Jhalawar etc.

6) Safety measures: Emphasising the need for safety in Railways, Gowda said, "Over Rs 40,000 crore is needed for improving rail safety."

"Rs 1785 crore will be allocated for road under bridges and over bridges. Unmanned crossings are being examined," Gowda said. "Ultra sonic devices to detect rail fractures and automatic closing of doors both in mainline & suburban coaches are being looked at," Gowda added.

"17,000 RPF constables will be available for trains. Coaches meant for ladies will be escorted," Gowda proposed. "Boundary walls will be built around stations through the PPP mode," he added.

He said, in order to ensure security of ladies travelling alone, special instructions are being issued for their safety in each class of travel. With the induction of women RPF constables, coaches for ladies will be escorted. Additional care will be taken for ladies travelling alone in all classes.

7) Office on Wheels: Focusing on providing better facilities to business travelers, Indian Railways proposes to provide workstations in select trains on payment basis. A pilot project will be launched by this year.

To begin with, following initiatives will be taken up: Mobile based Wakeup Call System for passengers, Mobile based Destination Arrival Alert, Station Navigation Information System, Extension of Computerized Parcel Management System.

8) Tourist trains: Indian Railways plans to take up Eco-tourism and education tourism in North Eastern States. Gowda said that Special Pilgrim Circuits like Devi Circuit, Jyotirling Circuit, Jain Circuit, Christian Circuit, Muslim/Sufi Circuit, Sikh Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Famous Temple Circuit have been identified.

wda proposes to introduce specially packaged trains for these circuits. He said, private participation in this area will also be encouraged and some trains for pilgrims and tourists are intended to be introduced in short run also.

One tourist train will run from Gadag to Pandarpur via Bagalkot, Bijapur and Solapur covering the pilgrim and tourist places of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Another such train will start from Rameshwaram covering pilgrim and tourist places like Bengaluru, Chennai, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Haridwar.

He said, he also plans to run a special train featuring life and work of Swami Vivekananda to inculcate good moral values and propagate the teachings of Swami Vivekananda.

Also Read

Rajasthan government to soon notify openings for 1.08 lakh government jobs

No identity cards for Rohingyas: Government

Karnataka wants good governance and not goonda governance: Amit Shah

Karnataka government not to reissue solar tender

No plans to withdraw or amend AFSPA: Government

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Posts Tagged ‘Social Security Administration’

No Check For Grandma? Where’s the Social Security Trust Fund?

In Economy, Obama Administration, Social Security on July 18, 2011 at 3:39 am

President Obama is threatening Social Security checks may not go out in August because of his dispute with Congress over raising the Debt Ceiling.

As pointed out in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal editorial page, how can this be possible when Social Security has a Trust Fund? [1] The Social Security Administration (“SSA”) website reports an impressive Trust Fund balance of $2,669,215,081 as of June 30, 2011 [2].   What happened to your money?

Haven’t we been told by the editors of the New York Times, Paul Krugman and others that the Trust Fund is solid as a rock and people are “peddling nonsense” to imply otherwise?

Back in 2005, the New York Times said:

“At a recent press conference, Mr. Bush exaggerated the timing of the system’s shortfall by saying that Social Security would cross the “line into red” in 2018…. If you had a trust fund to pay your bills when your income fell short, would you consider yourself insolvent?”

“In suggesting that 2018 is doomsyear, [Bush] is reinforcing a false impression that the trust fund is a worthless pile of I.O.U.’s – as detractors of Social Security so often claim.” [3]

Just last year, the Times’ strongly opinionated columnist Paul Krugman opined:

“So where do claims of crisis come from? To a large extent they rely on bad-faith accounting. In particular, they rely on an exercise in three-card monte in which the surpluses Social Security has been running for a quarter-century don’t count — because hey, the program doesn’t have any independent existence; it’s just part of the general federal budget — while future Social Security deficits are unacceptable — because hey, the program has to stand on its own.”

“It would be easy to dismiss this bait-and-switch as obvious nonsense, except for one thing: many influential people — including Alan Simpson, co-chairman of the president’s deficit commission — are peddling this nonsense.” [4]

How can Mr. Krugman and the New York Times editors square their confidence in the strength of the SSA Trust Fund against President Obama’s “I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3”?   Is the President just playing a game or is the Trust Fund really empty?

The possible absence of Social Security checks results from an unusual structure.  If you have a private sector pension or 401(k), your retirement funds are set aside in a segregated account and the funds are invested in stocks and bonds.

The Federal Government receives payroll and regular taxes every day and makes accounting entries for Social Security receipts vs. Social Security payouts.  SSA built up an excess of payroll tax receipts over payouts as working Baby Boomers paid in for decades.  This accounting entry comprises the Trust Funds. [5]

The issue with August’s Social Security checks is the Trust Fund is not invested like a normal pension.  Every dollar of Trust Fund surplus is invested in US Treasury obligations, meaning the Trust Fund was already spent for the general use of the Federal Government. [6]  Despite New York Times claims to the contrary, the SSA Trust Fund holds $2.7 Trillion in IOUs.

US government debt has traditionally been such a safe IOU it was called the “risk-free asset” back when I took Finance classes.   Still, even before the current Debt Ceiling controversy, trillion Dollar annual deficits led ratings agencies like Standard & Poor’s in May 2009 to issue warnings about a possible downgrade of US debt. [7]

Grandma’s Social Security check could be held up not only in August but again in the future after the current Debt Ceiling crisis is settled.  The SSA Trust Fund is simply a very large claimant on future tax receipts of the US Treasury.  The New York Times misunderstood how safe the Trust Fund supposedly is as we now have the spectacle of an American President threatening Social Security payments may not be made on account of the supposedly separate matter of the federal budget deficit.  There is no lockbox; there is no firewall between Social Security and the overall budget.  SSA is not quite “separate”; it is linked to the overall fiscal health of the US government.

Ida May Fuller with the first Social Security check. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

[1] pg. A12, 7/16/11 print edition or

[5] Technically there are two Trust Funds: Old Age Survivor (retirement) and Disability.


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  • Available Models

Polaris recommends that all riders take a safety training course. Do not attempt maneuvers beyond your capability. Always wear a helmet and other safety apparel. Never drink and ride. ©2017 Polaris Industries Inc.


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Rachel Parris: Keynote (3 stars)

This article is from 2017.

Rachel Parris: Keynote

Austentatious cast member digs deep for a rousing motivational speech

Rachel Parris has been invited back to her alma mater of Loughborough Academy. There she will give a speech to teenage girls taking flight from the education system and starting the rest of their lives. Keynote follows the thought processes of the Austentatious cast member, as she considers how to approach the lectern. It's a tightly structured and well thought-out hour, with meditations on both the foolishness and unparalleled excitement of youth, all the anxieties those years bring and how the pursuit of happiness is never ending.

Parris mixes things up throughout the hour; her interactions with tonight's audience and her use of visuals complement rather than distract from the show. The musical numbers are hit and miss: the plodding 'Adele-style ballad with a twist in the lyrics' is certainly forgettable. A sexed-up Rihanna parody is much better, especially as Parris comes across so clean cut and well behaved. It's a persona that also makes her anecdotes about sexting and dalliances with MDMA genuinely relatable. We've all been out of our depth socially, sometime or another.

'Life is weird, and so are you', she offers. Take your time, work things out and follow your dreams: Rachel Parris' practice run is going well and a rousing Keynote awaits.

Pleasance Dome, until 28 Aug, 8.20pm, £8.50–£11.50 (£7.50–£10.50).

Rachel Parris: Keynote

The award-winning musical comedian as seen on Austentatious, The IT Crowd and Murder In Successville presents a collection of songs, stories and stand-up.

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Derek Walcott, Caribbean poet and Nobel laureate, dies

Poet Derek Walcott, here in Italy in 2008, was called a "true son" of St. Lucia.

Story highlights

  • Derek Walcott's epic poem "Omeros" was his most lauded work
  • Nobel committee: "West Indian culture has found its great poet" in Walcott

(CNN)Derek Walcott, the Caribbean poet and playwright who won the 1992 Nobel Prize for literature, died Friday.

A native of St. Lucia, Walcott was 87. His publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, said he died after a lengthy illness.
    "In him, West Indian culture has found its great poet," the Nobel Prize committee said in a statement at the time it honored him.
    The committee described Walcott's verse as "melodious and sensitive," recognizing him "for a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by a historical vision, the outcome of a multicultural commitment."
    The news of his death prompted mourning on social media and in his home of St. Lucia.
    "We're saddened to hear of the passing of Derek Walcott (1930-2017)," said on Twitter.

    Western canon and Island influences

    The Poetry Foundation, in a capsule biography, said Walcott's work resonated with "Western canon and Island influences, sometimes even shifting between Caribbean patois and English, and often addressing his English and West Indian ancestry."
    His much-lauded epic poem was "Omeros," which the foundation bio called a "reimagining" of "the Trojan War as a Caribbean fisherman's fight."
    "This is a work of incomparable ambitiousness," the Nobel committee said of the 1990 poem.
    The Cultural Development Foundation of St. Lucia said family and friends were with Walcott when he died and called him a "true son" of the island nation.
    "He was very vocal about the island's culture and heritage and its preservation and his love for Saint Lucia and the Caribbean was evident in his numerous mentions of 'home' in his work," the foundation said.
    Walcott self-published his first book, "25 Poems," when he was 18, it said.
    Other works included "Three Plays: The Last Carnival; Beef, No Chicken and a Branch of the Blue Nile" (1969)," Dream on Monkey Mountain and Other Plays" (1970), "The Joker of Seville and O Babylon!" (1978), "Remembrance and Pantomime" (1980), "The Isle Is Full of Noises" (1982) and "The Odyssey: A Stage Version" (1992).
    Asked in a 2007 National Public Radio interview about how he grew to love poetry, Walcott said he was inspired by his father, who wrote poetry, encouraged by his mother and captivated by his land.
    "But also the country that I was coming from, the island I was in, hadn't been written about, really. So I felt that I virtually had it all to myself, including the language that was spoken there, which was a French Creole, and a landscape that was not recorded, really. And a people. So it was a tremendous privilege to want to record all of that," he said.


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Japan: China 'escalating' tensions over disputed islands

Pentagon pauses patrols in South China Sea
Pentagon pauses patrols in South China Sea

    Pentagon pauses patrols in South China Sea

Pentagon pauses patrols in South China Sea 02:24

Tokyo (CNN)Japan scrambled warplanes on Thursday after four Chinese coastguard ships and a drone aircraft entered territory it claims around disputed islands in the East China Sea, according to Defense Ministry officials.

Tokyo said it was the first time Beijing has used an unmanned aircraft in the long-simmering dispute over the islands, called the Senkaku by Japan and the Diaoyu by China.
Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said use of the drone aggravated tensions inflamed by what Japan says are a record number of scrambles by its Self-Defense Force aircraft in response to Chinese incursions in the last fiscal year.
    "China is escalating the situation unilaterally, and this is totally unacceptable," Inada said at a press conference.
    A picture released by Japanese coast guard shows a drone over a Chinese coast guard ship which Japan says was it its territorial waters
    Japan responded with two F-15 fighter jets along with two early warning aircraft, according to the defense minister.
    The Senkaku/Diaoyu chain lies almost 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) southwest of the Japanese capital Tokyo.
    Although the islands are uninhabited, their ownership would allow for exclusive oil, mineral and fishing rights in the surrounding waters.
    Though claims to the island chain date back centuries, the most recent round of tensions began in 2012, when Japan nationalized the islands to ward off a planned sale to Tokyo's then-governor, a hardline nationalist apparently hoping to develop the islands.
    The plan sparked massive anti-Japanese protests across China, and Chinese Coastguard vessels and fishing boats began plying waters around the islands.
    In 2013, China declared a formal Air Defense Identification Zone covering airspace over the islands and overlapping with airspace claimed by Japan. The ADIZ declaration required airlines flying over the waters to first notify China.
    The move prompted an outcry from Japan and the United States, but a US report last year suggested that it was not being fully enforced.
    According to Tokyo's figures, however, China has not been shy in sending its ships and planes into areas claimed by Japan.
    For the fiscal year that ended March 31, Japan said it scrambled aircraft a total of 1,168 times, or on average, a little over three times per day.
    Chinese incursions were the reason for 73% of those missions, while Russian incursions accounted for 26%, Japan's Defense Ministry said in an April report.


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ECE3 Book Club: Chapter 2, “Inclusivity”

by Beth Bedore

Image may contain: food

Considering that the latest meeting of Editors Kingston twig took place on Valentine’s Day, we had an impressive turnout of eight editors eager to indulge their love of language before any other possible indulgences! The discussions were so animated, at the inaugural meeting of the Editing Canadian English book club, that we nearly forgot to take a break, even though an ample supply of heart- and maple leaf-shaped sugar cookies and other goodies beckoned throughout.

The third edition of Editing Canadian English, published in hardcover by UBC Press in 2016, was also recently released as an ebook. Lee and Elizabeth d’Anjou kindly brought hardcover copies of the first and second editions to the gathering, providing a visual history of the evolution of this flagship publication of Editors Canada.

As soon as Ellie Barton had finished our introductory housekeeping, a thoughtful conversation began of where Editing Canadian English fit along the style-guide/reference-book continuum. Subtitled “A guide for editors, writers, and everyone who works with words,” the book is, we concluded, a great complementary reference to the mainstream style manuals, but does not supersede them by any stretch of the imagination.

The Canadian version of the English language certainly has its quirks and editorial niches, and it’s in the specifics of these that ECE3 really shines. Spelling is the most obvious example, but editors can find guidance in ECE3’s pages on specifically Canadian language issues from the use of the metric system in recipes to the capitalization of government organizations to the styling of parliamentary documents in a bibliography. A lively discussion revealed a range of opinions on how necessary the non-Canada-specific aspects of the book are and how many of its book’s topics warranted an entire chapter.

A lengthy exchange on the benefits and pitfalls of plain language launched our exploration of Chapter 2, “Inclusivity,” with some chuckling at the reference to “plain language evangelists.” The subsequent discussion ranged widely, and included concerns about the feasibility of reference and style guides keeping up with rapid changes to terminology showing linguistic sensitivity toward people with disabilities, individuals who identify as LGBTQ+, and other groups.

While the plan had been to discuss Chapter 4 (“Compounds and Hyphenation”) as well, Chapter 2 monopolized most of the evening, leaving only time for a quick exchange of opinions on the maddening issue of hyphenation. Several of us noted that they found the ECE3 chapter on the issue especially handy.

Ultimately, most participants agreed that ECE3 has done well with staying current and even anticipating future developments, and is a commendable addition to any Canadian editor’s toolbox.

*Photo credit: Beth Bedore

Conference 2018: Bridging Communities—Bringing together communication-related professions Elizabeth d’Anjou reminded everyone about the Editors Canada webinar programme; upcoming titles include “How to Handle Digital Photos” and “Getting Your Self-Published Client to a Finished Product.” She also put in an early plug for the national Editors Canada conference, which will be held May 25–27 in Saskatoon. The theme is “Bridging Communities: Bringing Together Communications-Related Professions.” If you’ve been to a national conference, you know the experience is both invaluable professionally and a whole lot of fun. There is nothing quite like spending a long weekend with 200+ other people who get what you do!

Stephanie Stone announced that next month the twig would begin charging non-members $5 to attend meetings. The idea has been discussed for several months and found widespread support among both members and non-members. (All visitors will be welcome to attend their first meeting for free.)

Coming Up Next

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, March 14.
Programme TBA. (Watch this space!)

Join Us!

We meet at the usual place and time:

Ongwanada Resource Centre, 191 Portsmouth Avenue

7 to 9 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30)

Light refreshments

All welcome.

Editors Canada members: free

Non-members: $5 (visitors may attend one meeting for free)

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text:
Soap Box

My very own cute little soap box!

I hate hospitals

Posted by eemilla on April 25, 2009

Earlier this week my husband received a call from his step-father that his mother was in the hospital on a ventilator.  For the past several years she struggled with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and on Thursday morning she took her last breath.  It seems so strange to think that she will never make another smart ass comment with her dry sense of humor, or open her arms to hug my neck (or tell my husband to hug my neck for her as her normal phone ending).  She was a strong willed and highly opinionated woman, and when her symptoms first arose a year or so before our wedding she promised she would be there with us in Key West and would be walking.  She did just that, and it really seemed that she had kicked its ass.  However, it wasn’t finished (nor is there a cure) so we leave again to attend her funeral and say good bye for now.  Barbara, I’m sorry that you didn’t get to hold any grandchildren, and I hate that I won’t be able to enlist your painting skills on our next round of home improvement.

I cannot stress enough the importance of a living will or an advance medical directive.  Barbara was about ten years from retirement age, and shit happens indiscriminate of age.  It is heart-wrenching to see someone on life support; with all the stress everyone is under in these situations it just make sense to have the patient make the decision for how they want to treated ahead of time.

One Response to “I hate hospitals”

  1. Beth said

    I am so sorry about your husband’s mother. My condolences to both of you and to all your family.

    And you are so right about the Living Will. My mama, who died of ALS, had one and it was a blessing in the end. That being said, I must admit that I don’t have one. But my family knows my wishes.

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