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Great writing, vivid scenarios, and thoughtful commentary ... the stories will linger after the last page is turned. -- Publisher's Weekly, on Captive Dreams

Monday, February 18, 2013

Boskone 50

Back from Boskone.  Boston was snowed up, but not impenetrably so.  I am told that a week earlier was a different story, but that is ever a risk for a con in mid-February in Boston.  On the waterfront.  The Westin was its usual self, with the additional twist that its main restaurant no longer served dinner.  Well, it was pricey-plus.  But the "pub" is not large enough to handle the dinner crowd.  Fortunately, I didn't care, since I was staying in a different hotel entirely.

The first thing, which the Incomparable Marge encountered because she checked us is, was that the woman at the check-in desk was from Phillipsburg NJ, across the river from Rath O Flynn.  Well, sez I when apprised later of the happen of this stance, I have on several occasions on the road encountered the diaspora of the Lehigh Valley.

Which means that the last thing, which we encountered in the elevator on the way out, was two other people in the elevator who came from Easton PA.  And which the woman used to work out at the Y with the Marge.  And which the husband went to school with my brother and worked with my father.  Statisticians love sh*t like that.  (One time, I co-taught a lead auditor course in Detroit, and one of the students turned out to be a second cousin on my mother's side.)

Boston maintains a highway system second to none, which means it comes in second place to no system at all.  The basic idea is that everyone coming in from the west, which is pretty much everyone not already in New England, is funneled into a single highway.  On a toll road.  A five hour drive from Pennsylvania spent a disproportionate amount of those hours on the last stretch of road from the end of the Mass Pike to the destination.

I had an 8PM panel and was just barely in time for it.  The Marge dropped me off at the hotel and zipped off to check into our hotel across the highway, where she had the aforementioned experience.  It would have been within walking distance had it not been for the cold.  The thermospatial effect ensures that distances increase in inverse proportion to the temperature.
+ + +

1. The Singularity: There Can Be Only One.

No, I don't know why the title, but Vernor Vinge (who was GoH) and others discussed whether or not the Singularity would happen.  Vernor believed in the Rapture of the Nerds, but three of the panelists, incl. yr. obt. svt., were skeptical in one measure or another.  The Skepticism of the TOF was founded on three things: history, mathematics, and philosophy.  (A fourth objection: that the nature of the singularity is plastic -- is it the speed of technological change?  the transformation of human nature?  what? -- but that is really a second philosophical point.

The historical objection is that the technological singularity has already happened, ca. 1870-1920.  By 1920, all the elements of the modern world were in place.  We had cars, radios, airplanes, etc.  Our ancestor from 1870 would have been astonished to be dropped into the world of 1920; but a man of 1920 would have taken the world of 1970 in stride.  Planes had lost their propellers.  Radio had gained picture tubes.  Cars were faster.  But technologically at least, it was all recognizable.  Lasers had been described in a paper in 1910.  Punched cards had been used to compile and summarize the 1880 census.  Panelists and audience members waved their iphones about in refutation; but really, there was wireless telephony by 1920 and the idea of knowing what was shaking in far-off places was an old hat by then.  Remember, the contention is not that there was no change after 1920, but that it was not as revolutionary.  In 1870, the average person had no idea what was going on elsewhere.  Google is faster, sleeker, more ubiquitous, but the idea of easy access to remote knowledge was no longer a pipe dream for those with radios.

The mathematical objection is the non-physical realization of a singularity.  Limx→0(1/x) is a mathematical abstraction.  It is a calculation of a final cause and does not actually exist in the universe of discourse.  More finitely, the value 0 does not exist in the open interval (0,1) although one may approach it infinitesimally.

As for the philosophical objection, see the novella "Places Where the Roads Don't Go" in the collection Captive Dreams for a discussion of mind uploading and artificial intelligence and "Hopeful Monsters" for a case study in genetic enhancement.

2. After the End of the World

This ran from 9-10PM and was sparsely enough attended to suggest that the apocalypse had actually happened and the few survivors had come to the panel to get pointers.  Asked to name our favorite failed apocalypse, after the Mayan Calendar thingie, the Y2K millennial panic came up as well as the usual religious ends of the world.  We absolved the Mayans of any such foolishness -- I didn't bother to remind anyone that the end of the Long Count really was supposed to be marked by catastrophe: the Water Age, the Fire Age, the Jaguar Age, and so on.  But when it was mentioned that despite the failure of Miller's multiple apocalypse forecasts, the 7th Day Adventists were still around, I noted that the same peculiarity affected Paul Ehrlich.  We noodled around different apocalypses: zombies, nuclear war, plague, aliens, economic collapse, all the usual funandgames.

3. Reading, Autographing, Yacking

The next day, I gave a reading and some people actually showed up.  One segment from "Places Where the Roads Don't Go" and one segment from "Shipwrecks of Time."  There was modest business at the autographing table, but I'm beginning to think that anyone who wanted my autograph has gotten it by now.  I had a good crowd at the Kaffeeklatsch table and we discussed many things in response to sundry questions.  How did I hook up with Niven/Pournelle?  What got me started in writing?  What's next from the puissant pen of Pennsylvania?  That kind of stuff.

4. How to Tease Your Data and Not Have it Bite You

I changed the title to "Spanking Bad Data Won't Make Them Behave."  We got through half the slides, about what I expected: When Measurements Go Bad, When Samples Go Bad, and part of When Models Go Bad.  The usual complications regarding operational definitions, data coding, sampling, and the applicability of specific models.  It comes as a shock to many to realize that there is no such thing as the speed of light: only the results of applying a particular method of measurement.  Heinlein's dictum that a fact is self-demonstrating is self-demonstrably false.  A fact has no meaning in the absence of a theory.  It has not probability of occurrence absent a model.  (I can get whatever probability I want through a judicious choice of models.  And as the Unabomber pointed  out to his students at Berkeley before he entered on his more explosive career, with seven Xs you can fit any finite set of data on Y, as long as you can play with the coefficients.)

5. Scientists Look at Science Fiction

This was a panel in which half the members were not scientists, which mooted the topic somewhat.  The discussion converged on the depiction of scientists and the scientific endeavor, where SF prefers the lone genius and the breakthrough discovery while the Real World™ prefers incremental and parallel discovery by an intercommunicating scientific community.  I cited the near simultaneous discovery of the phases of Venus by no less than four astronomers (Lembo, Harriott, Marius, and Galileo, all in the same month.) or that an observed fact had to yet be interpreted: the Airy disks seen around stars were initially supposed to be actual apparent diameters (which put a limit on how far away the stars could be) rather than light scattering in the atmosphere (which meant the stars could be really far away).  Also coming in for hits was the notion that a scientist was ipso facto an expert on any field of human endeavor, when in fact he is often at a loss even in other branches of his own science, let alone in other sciences, or even in history, philosophy, art, etc.  Fiction may be excused somewhat for simplifying this complexity, but that is precisely the criticism of science fiction: that it is not true-to-life.

  1. I would have enjoyed your "debunking" of the coming singularity. I think you're right about the singularity having already happened, and for the same techno reasons you cited.

  2. I've never heard the proposal that 1920 was the point of singularity, but it definitely makes sense the way you put it. And as for our next apocalypse date, I believe it's supposed to be sometime in 2020, as predicted by Jean Dixon. The next one I may give credence to is written in the Talmud to be 6000 years after the creation of Adam, putting it at 2240 (?).

    P.S. Isn't Boston great? The only place I've been in America where you can hail a rickshaw. But alas, they're not captained by 10 year olds around here.

  3. Great stuff.

    It's not just Science Fiction that promotes the lone hero genius model of science, it seems pretty ubiquitous among almost everybody who doesn't actually do science. Might have something to do with the news needing to stick a mic into somebody's face, when, in truth, it would be a 100 somebodies. Thus, a Sagan or a Dawkins can become famous simply for saying stuff reporters can report - and at the same time reinforce (with varying degrees of intent) the lone genius scientist idea.

    As for Boston, even GPS doesn't seem to work there - my last visit, we circled around downtown as the little blue 'you are here' arrow wandered through buildings and across parks. I found this illuminating and in conformity with my experiences (WARNING! F-bomb dropped!): Not that New York is flawless by any means, but you can get places.

  4. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "there is no such thing as the speed of light". Do you just mean that we can't perfectly measure it, or are you making a deeper statement? (Apologies if you've addressed this before, I just started reading recently.)

    1. How do you "perfectly" measure anything when any value is defined by the method of measurement used to obtain it, and different methods will in general give different results? When we measured the coefficient of friction of an aluminum can, much depended on the method used: the inclined plane methods or the flat plane method. Both were ASTM-approved, but they might give different results. I have seen two dial indicators, both calibrated to NIST standards and both giving identical values on gauge blocks, produce values differing by several thousandths of an inch on actual product. (And become the source of complaint between the manufacturer of the part and the customer.) In another case, the producer and customer of the aluminum measured the 'earring' of aluminum in cup-making by measuring the maximum and minimum cup heights around the circumference. One reported (M-m)/M and the other reported (M-m)/m. Which was more 'perfect'?

      Hence, there is no such thing as X independent of the method used to measure and report X. Just as there is no probability of X>k independent of the model assumed for the distribution of X.

    2. Well, but friction is different. The coefficient of friction is basically an attempt to represent non-scalar information in a scalar quantity, and so can't possibly fully represent the data. The speed of light genuinely is a scalar quantity and so could, in principle, be represented fully as a single number (with units, obviously). There'll always be some experimental error preventing us from fully discovering it, but that's different from a case like friction where there genuinely is no correct answer.

    3. Of course, it can be represented as a single number; but the physical process by which that number is produced must be specified. Even so simple a thing as a thickness or a length is dependent upon the instrument, the technician, and the circumstances of its use. Measurements do not exist in some pure Platonic world of forms, but in the messy empirical world of Aristotle. The must be abstracted from the empirical.

    4. But, philosophically, are we saying that light in a vacuum has no fixed speed, or merely that that fixed speed is unknowable via science? Philosophically, it might be possible (but I think not) to conclude that light in a vacuum *must* have a fixed speed. How does philosophy answer the assertion that the speed of light in a vacuum is a fundamental constant? No, it's not, because we can never measure it absolutely, or, yes it is because the math requires it?

      Using *science* as understood today, we of course can't even say light in a vacuum has a fixed speed, except within a range of accuracy and - the point you're making - a specified method of measurement. But that's different than saying light has no fixed speed, which seems to me to be a philosophical position.

    5. Right, but the speed of light isn't itself a measurement. It can be measured, and those measurements are defined by the method, but the speed of light itself isn't. There is an objectively correct answer, even if we can never discover it.

    6. One small nit to pick.

      The speed of light can be measured by some methods. (The earliest method used the moons of Jupiter, with Earth's orbit as a baseline. Later methods used light of known wavelength with a fixed path, I think.)

      And it can be predicted from the results of Maxwell's equations. (Using electrical/magnetic constants measured in a labratory as inputs...) Maxwell's equations predict the existence of self-sustaining waves of electro-magnetic energy. They travel at a speed predicted by the permittivity of free space to electric fields, and the permeability of free space to magnetic fields.

      As TOF says, both methods depend heavily on the accuracy of a measured value. Either for the distance/time ratio of a wavelength of light, or the two constants describing the behavior of electric/magnetic fields in free space.

    7. Right, but that's still just saying that we can't precisely figure out the correct value, not that there isn't a correct value.

  5. I wish I'd known you were in Boston, I'd've bought you a drink. I agree with your point on the singularity, I've made similar arguments myself, though with the more nebulous "WWI era" as the terminal point (given revolution in military technology that came about during the Great War). My father (a child of the depression) has no trouble dealing with smart phones. I think his grandfather would think of them as magic.

  6. Also, as regards the GPS comment about Boston, it's hilariously true. A few months ago my brother & I headed down to Tufts to pick up a slightly used laptop for our mother (Christmas present). And the way in seemed to take us a long way off the direct route (going by the map), so we elected to get back to the highway by going directly towards it, which is where everything went horribly awry. It tried to send us the wrong way down a one way street, and when that didn't work attempted to do the same thing repeatedly as we hit one one way after another. All running the same way. When we finally hit a left we could take it terminated in an intersection, with three one way streets dumping into it. I became half convinced at that point that half of Medford's residents were people that just gave up trying to escape.


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Live Dealer Roulette

Live Dealer RouletteMore and more online casinos are starting to offer live dealer roulette as something different to the existing roulette games that they have on their sites. Live roulette games are played in exactly the same way but with the wheels being spun by a live dealer rather than it just being an animation. When you place your bets chips will be placed on the table. These live games are very popular with players and there are a number of reasons for this.

Playing with a live dealer makes the casino experience more real and more like you are playing in a land based casino. You will be able to watch the wheel spin and the ball land in real time. Even if the dealer is not actually located in a real casino, the set where they are being filmed will be decorated to look just like a real casino.

There may be higher table limits on live dealer games. This will appeal to high rollers who at the time may be frustrated by the limits that are put on casino games online. However, the minimum bets that can be placed are still quite low so they appeal to all players regardless of their budget. There should be information provided about the minimum and maximum bets that can be placed before you start playing.

Live Dealer RoulettePlayers have the chance to interact with the dealer which is another feature that is very popular. This can make the game seem more social which can be something that is lacking in online casinos. All of the dealers that are used for live dealing are very experienced and professional and this can be very enjoyable to watch.

Live dealer roulette comes with all the advantages of playing at an online casino such as being able to play from the comfort of your own home, but it really does feel as if you are playing in a real casino. It combines the best of both worlds to give players the very best casino experience.
You can see this video for more….

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description: Wide crawl of the web for April 2017
publisher: CommonCrawl
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Monday, January 19, 2015

Jim Croce and Cannabis

Jim Croce's wife and musical collaborator Ingrid describes evenings with Jim passing a joint around with friends, trading songs and stories in the 2012 biography I Got a Name: The Jim Croce Story.

During one such session, Jim treated the group to his song "Careful Man," with a cigarette dangling from his lip:

I don't gamble, I don't fight,
I don't be hangin' in the bars at night,
Yeah, I used to be a fighter but
Now I am a wiser man.
I don't drink much, I don't smoke,
I don't be hardly mess around with no dope.
Yeah, I used to be a problem but
Now I am a careful man.

The Pennsylvania-born Croce was a working man's poet, and a master of the long phrase, penning lyrics like, "'Cause I got them steadily depressin' low-down, mind-messin', workin at the car wash blues" or "And the roller derby program said that she was built like a 'frigerator with a head." The artist remains current: a character on Amazon TV's Transparent "married" Croce at the age of 4; his song "Operator" was heard on the show's pilot program.

After Croce died in a tragic plane crash in September 1973, small amounts of marijuana were found on two of the other passengers. Ingrid had to sue for insurance payments the aviation company tried to deny her because pot was on the plane. She won, and now works as the chef of the San Diego eatery Croce's (pictured) where great music and a delightful atmosphere are to be found. Last Saturday, it was Jazz Brunch with the splendid guitarist Patrick Berrogain.

Croce's death came months after his song "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" hit #1 on the US charts, and one day before his single "I Got a Name" was released.  In "Hard Time Losin' Man,"  Croce displayed his wonderful sense of humor, singing:

Friday night, feelin' right
I head out on the street;
Standin' in the doorway
Was a dealer known as Pete.
Well he sold me a dime of some super fine
Dynamite from Mexico
I spent all that night
Just tryin' to get right
On a ounce of oregano.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Modern Marijuana Family

Tonight's Modern Family had a cute plot about the low-class marijuana dispensary owners who move next door to the uptight Claire and her doofus hubby Phil (pictured).

After their neighbors park a monstrous boat in their driveway against city code, Phil and Claire attempt to break (unleaded) banana bread with them and convince them to launch the vessel elsewhere. When negotiations break down Phil resorts to bringing his father to camp out with his RV on the street.

The plan backfires when Phil's dad (Fred Willard) and his senior buddies start partying with the offending neighbors. The next morning, the boorish boat owner buries the hatchet with Phil, only to find out Claire has "narced" them out. The episode might have been titled, "Can't we all just get a bong?"

Marijuana has popped up before on the show, as in this clip.

UPDATE 2/15: The Wall Street Journal has taken notice.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Queen Latifah Portrays Empress Bessie Smith

This is what I call near-perfect casting: Queen Latifah (pictured) playing Bessie Smith in the HBO biopic Bessie, to air this spring.

Born to a large, poor family in Tennessee, Bessie joined a traveling minstrel show at age 14 and was mentored by Ma Rainey. She was soon performing on stages all over the country as The Empress of the Blues. "She was unquestionably the greatest of the vaudeville blues singers and brought the emotional intensity, personal involvement, and expression of blues singing into the jazz repertory with unexcelled artistry," writes PBS on their Ken Burns Jazz page.

“Bessie Smith smoked ‘reefers’ throughout her career, as did many others in the music industry,” wrote Buzzy Jackson in A Bad Woman Feeling Good. “[S]he was more than merely famous, she was a living symbol of personal freedom: she did what she liked; she spoke her mind, no matter how outrageous her opinion; she flouted bourgeois norms and engaged in alcohol, drugs, and recreational sex.”

In 1933, Smith recorded “Gimmie a Pigfoot” featuring Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden. In the last verse, instead of asking for a pigfoot, Smith sings, “Gimmie a reefer”:

Queen Latifah (aka Dana Owens) has graced the airwaves, films and TV since her groundbreaking 1989 debut All Hail The Queen set the standard for female rappers, and paved the way for future women in hip-hop to make their way onto the charts. Her standout performance in the 2002 film adaptation of Chicago earned her nominations for an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a SAG Award. Her jazzy The Dana Owens Album was nominated for a Grammy in 2005, the year she hosted the awards show.

In 1996 she was arrested with marijuana and a gun in her car. The CHP officer who made the stop "asked Miss Owens if she had been smoking and she said yes."

Latifah was first offered the role of Bessie 22 years ago when she a "full-on rapper" who didn't know who Smith was. Now she says she identifies with her. "I know what it's like to play through the pain, to keep your head immerse yourself in music," she said.

Monday, January 5, 2015

What Were the Addams Family Smoking?

From my youthful TV watching, I seem to recall Morticia (Carolyn Jones) and Gomez (John Astin) of "The Addams Family" (1964-66) smoking regularly from a Turkish hookah. One researcher claims the hookah was scrubbed from later re-runs, but someone's made an animated GIF of the puffing pair, and this clip has survived:

Based on a series of New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams that debuted in 1938, the TV series is enduringly popular in reruns; an animated series (starting with an appearance on Scooby Doo in 1972) followed, as did two films and a musical.

Despite being offbeat and morbid, the Addams Family were loving and accepting. Just like pot smokers.

A hookah also appeared regularly on the TV series Bewitched from the same era, smoked by Endora and Dr. Bombay.


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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

phlly soul

I was interested in to make collection those kind(phlly soul) of records before, but then I was really into roots reggae music, so I couldn't buy those records.It was long time ago.
Now I am interested in to listen philly soul again. Probably it will be my second record collection.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Cool finder - report 2

I bought a pair of earrings fromJeremy Dane Studio Glass.
His works are very modern and simple, cool look.
I want to have those sushi plates one day..

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The mauveis sang

I watched a movie called "Mauveis sang(Bad blood)".
It is a french 80s movie.
The movie doesn't look like 80s film -Kind of dark, interesting cinematography, mysterious love story.
The main charactor is working on the street, his father is killed by someone.
He and his father's friends commit a crime, and then he met a girl(Juliette Binoche) who loves his father's friend, he is falling in love with her.
The main charactor has a girlfriend too.
It is interesting about friendship of the main charactor and the mysterious girl.

It remind me Wong Ka Wai's chinese movie called "In the mood for love".


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Game Cards

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Tooxclusive | Download Nigerian Songs & Videos

Prince Boom – Your Body f. Sean Tizzle

Posted by Tyler on November 16, 2013 in AUDIO · 19 Comments

PrinceBoom..Your.Body.Artwork PrinceBoom - Your Body [Artwork]

Young hit-maker Prince Boom who is currently in the U.K recruits Sho Le crooner Sean Tizzle for his debut producer’s single titled ‘Your Body’. Boom creates a afro-pop master-piece that posses magic and demands attention for one’s auditory system nonetheless the banging cut is lifted off the host’s forthcoming debut album which will feature a number of heavyweight artistes from different genres across the world. The video for the song which was shot in London is expected to be premiered anytime soon. Enjoy!!! ”

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best toys for 5 year old boys

5 year old boy doing loopie eyes

2017 Best Toys for Boys 5 Years of Age   Whether a young man is a LEGOs fan, adventure-seeker, creator or all the above – the list of the top 10 toys for 5 year old boys should help to find just the right “must-have” gadget or plaything. What’s here: On this page are the …


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Welcome! Today 04 30 2017

Puppy Pictures

Featured Subcategories
23 May Little Pug

19 Adorable Pug Puppies Make Your Kids Smile

Pugs have a wrinkled face, flat nose and a helical tail. And a brilliant short fur that can be seen in different colors. Pug has a polygonal body.  ...
30 April Cat and Golden Retrievers

20 Pictures Of Golden Retriever Puppies That Will Brighten Your Day

Most people think golden retriever puppies are most adorable puppies in earth. 20 Pictures Why Golden Retrievers Are The Best Dogs Ever...
20 April Awwww!

The Cutest Beagle Puppy Pictures Ever

Everyone loves dogs, but beagles have a special place in my heart. Beagle puppies have a shy face and lovely paws. Everyone wanna pet that cute little puppies.  ...
17 April Puppy is Sleeping

Pitbull Puppy Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith In Pitbulls

Pitbulls are dangerous dogs! But, education begins at a puppy. You must to learn how to train your pitbull puppy before you adopt a pitbull....
14 April Family Photo

16 Cute Husky Puppy Pictures

Husky puppies are one of the coolest animals. Also they are cute.  If you look this image gallery, you want a husky immediately.  ...
1 April Curious Puppy

11 Adorable White Puppy Pictures

Who does not love this puppies? Everyone loves puppies because they are so cute....


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Dodge d-800 heavy truck

Price: US $500.00 Item location: Battle Creek, Michigan, United States
  • Condition: Used
  • Make: Dodge
  • Model: Power Wagon
  • Year: 1972
  • Mileage: 15,000
  • Engine size: 413
  • Drive type: RWD
  • Vehicle Title: Clear
  • Want to buy? Contact seller!

1972 Dodge Power Wagon

Ok same truck here just ebay didn't think it should be in the "other" category jerks!

1972 Dodge D-800 Heavy truck. 413 big block motor, manual transmission. I drove this truck to my shop two years ago but haven't driven it since. The starter needs to be rebuilt, the brake master cylinder needs to be replaced, the clutch slave cylinder needs to be replaced, she needs a little work. The cab has rust holes on the driver side floor pan and the door rocker is rusted pretty good. Truck used to be a firetruck and still has the front mounted pump that is driven off of a front drive shaft. This truck has a lot of potential just not something I have the time for anymore. Plan on bringing a semi drop deck or semi wrecker to pick it up as it is a big truck with a 30,000GVW. Any questions or need more pics just ask.


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1963 VW Beetle Herbie Fully Animatronic Volkswagen Love Bug Movie Car HE MOVES!

Price: US $10,500.00 Item location: Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
  • Condition: Used
  • Make: Volkswagen
  • Model: Beetle - Classic
  • Year: 1963
  • Mileage: 2,500
  • VIN: 5400965
  • Engine size: 1650
  • Number of cylinders: 4
  • Transmission: Manual
  • Drive type: RWD
  • Interior color: Burgundy
  • Options: CD Player, Sunroof
  • Vehicle Title: Clear
  • Want to buy? Contact seller!

1963 Volkswagen Beetle - Classic

Up for sale is my 1963 VW sliding ragtop Herbie. Almost everything on this car is less than 5 years old. Motor is a 1650 single carb, single port motor with electronic ignition and brand new alternator. I specifically had the mechanic build me this motor because I wanted a trouble free motor that needed almost no adjusting. My wife would often drive it and I wanted a car that was very reliable. I've put about 3000 miles on this motor and it's been wonderful.
This is a true sliding roof rag, not a graft on like a lot on ebay. Paint is in great shape with just a few small dings and hairline scratches. Front disc brakes recently installed so the car stops on a dime. This was the expensive front brake kit, with pads you can buy at any auto parts store (they are from a vw rabbit). They don't have to be special ordered.
This Herbie has ghost flames! Nobody notices them at first and then BOOM, people get excited and see the flames. They really add a nice touch.
Rear sway strut braces were also installed so the car turns with more stiffness. Herbie has a CD player installed with front stereo speakers and a sub woofer in back. Herbie also has front seat-belts installed for safety.
The car has been coated in POR 15 both inside and out and sound proofing material has been laid down under the carpet throughout the car. It is about 25 percent quieter than a normal Volkswagen beetle. Body is straight and floor pans solid with no rust.
This is one of roughly 25 fully animatronic Herbies in the world. About 5 years ago an engineer and Herbie expert, built kits for Herbies and I purchased one. It cost me over $2500 for the kit. Herbie's eyes move back and forth, his head lights come on, his blinkers come on, his windshield wipers move, his horn honks, his hood goes up and down and he PEES ON PEOPLE. That's right, by his back tire is a copper tube and with the touch of the remote you can make Herbie pee on people just like in the movie! His animatronic kit runs on both a program or remote. These kits were only made one time and very very rare. You are the hit of the car show!
Car runs and looks great and is sold as is. Please view my videos to see both the animatronic kit and a nice walk around of the car. Let me know if you have any questions.


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Aug. 21st, 2005 @ 12:12 am Hypocritical society.
Current Music: don omar - pobre diabla (regeaton)
For a while I have heard about the shootings around the city where mostly black people have die. You can hear different opinions, some good, but the majority sin for being naive. They cannot see or don’t want to see the real problem and who is the real responsible.
Some say, let’s hired more policemen (done), solution= No really. Let’s do racial studies and fuck black youth, after all, this is the community involve, solution= NO, and stupid. Let’s shot down the flow of guns from US; solution= Good try, but not even close.
First, you are looking at the symptoms of the problem, the police don’t want to recognise it, yet, but you don’t need to be a genius to see it is drug related. Even if you capture the killers (it doesn’t matter from which ethnic group), you are not attacking the real problem. WE ARE THE REAL PROBLEM. We all who consume and/or allow the consumption of drugs are the real responsible; with punishing the dealer you don’t solve the problem, eradicating the buyer would be a better solution.
I am not a religious man or product of idealism, I just like straight things; if as society or individuals we want to fuck our future with drug, so, be it; but stop saying is somebody else fault.
I am not black and I am trying to defend them, they are the main group involve because they are one of the most marginalized communities and their own members don’t work together; the Canadian Government has part of the responsibility by his failure on integrating this community.
Many have closed their eyes and ears, but this is just the beginning, I know from first hand what is to live without feeling secured: watching your back all the time, being afraid to take public transportation, hiding your money, don’t being able to come home late; built bigger fences, walk you mom and sisters to the bus’ stop, etc, etc,. Believe me, you don’t want it. You have tow options: keep saying is somebody else fault or do the right thing.
Like in many things, we don’t need to change the world, if we change, the world will change, as simple as that.

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Friday, June 7, 2013

Lovin' the Weekend Blog Hops: June 7-9, 2013

Welcome to Lovin' The Weekend Blog Hops with your co-hosts:
Karen from Tots and Me, Rena from An Ordinary Housewife and Angie from Snack Cups and Smiles.

Thank you to every one who has stopped by, whether this is your first visit or you have been a faithful ongoing participant!

Please make sure to welcome our new co-host and visit her blog.
I'm sure she'd love to meet you!

We would love for you to stop by each of the co-hosts and follow us, then feel free to add your links to any or all of the following linkies.

 We also randomly choose a Featured host each week from the Lovin' The Readers linky. This week we are featuring Lisa from Lisa Newlin -Seriously?! A Humor Blog.

Lisa Newlin - Seriously?

Here's what she has to say:
Lisa is a humor blogger who plays an unconvincing lawyer in real life.  She shouldn't be allowed around sharp objects, anything breakable, or anything with carbohydrates.  She prefers dogs over most people, and food over most everything.

She blogs for fun and because strange and funny things always happen to her, whether she wants them to or not. So in 2011, she decided to cash in on her ridiculous life by paying for domain space and writing a free blog that no one pays her to write.*

*Lisa obviously doesn't understand the meaning of "cash in."
Her blog, will make you feel better about your own life"

Don't forget to link up to the Lovin' the Readers Hop if you would like a chance to be a Featured host next week. Please comment with a way to contact you, especially if there is not an obvious way mentioned on your blog. We would love to include a little write up about you and your blog in the next week's Lovin' The Weekend Blog Hop post, including a link to your blog. And you will get to include the linky codes on your blog. Sound fun? We're looking forward to getting to know our readers better.

Here's how this blog hop works. We would appreciate it if you would follow Tots and Me, An Ordinary Housewife and Snack Cups and Smiles. And please don't forget to visit our Featured Host. If you no longer have GFC please follow in some other way. After that there are three different linkies you can link to. Whichever one you choose to link to, please grab that button and share it on your blog (the codes are on Tot's and Me's sidebar). We'd love it if you could tweet or in some other way share about this blog hop, the more people who know about it, the more potential visitors and new followers of your blog. We'd love to meet some new friends this weekend.

Some people are more interested in just increasing their numbers, while others really want people who appreciate their blog and want to keep up with their posts. So, there are two separate blog hop linkies.

The third linky is for you to link up your giveaways.

If you are interested in increasing the number of followers to your blog via GFC, Linky Followers, email, Twitter, Facebook or Google+ link up here. We will follow you back if you follow us (just note which one you are linking to):

Tots and Me

If you are interested in gaining followers to your blog who will read and comment and truly find an interest in your blog, link up here:

Tots and Me

If you have family friendly giveaways to link up, here's your spot. Please make sure to include an end date for your giveaway.

Tots and Me

We are so glad you stopped by. Please leave a comment if you link up and we will be sure to stop by and follow back.

Don't forget to check out my "Blog Hops" page for other great blog hops!!

  1. Thanks for hosting kewkew! I wish you and your family a wonderful weekend.

  2. Thanks for hosting, have a great weekend!

    ¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
    (¸.·´ (¸.·`¤... Jennifer
    Jenn's Random Scraps

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I love to read your comments, so please leave me one if you have the time.

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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Go Xerox Canada. I knew my hometeam can get it right for school boards!

As usual I can find neat stuff at the Death of The Copier:

How come I only hear about the really neat stuff in Canada, or the UK or Australia or Europe? Probably because I can't read Chinese or Japanese.
Finally, Good News Around a School Board and Xerox:
"The Niagara Catholic School District Board handles 53 elementary schools, eight secondary schools, six adult education sites, and a central office.

The District is required to hold records for 55 years.

Noticing that file space was dwindling, and as part of Canada's Eco-Schools Initiative, the board reviewed the current process and looked to support Green initiatives.

They settled on an ECM solution composing of software Xerox hardware. From this article:

'...These combined systems gave the district that ability to automate leave-of-absence approvals, substitute teacher scheduling, HR documentation, and payroll steps -- without all the paper or wasted time. For example, processing a teacher leave-of-absence request once took threes pieces of paper and a lengthy approval process. It's now simply done online in about 30 seconds and approved in minutes...'

The new system has reduced fuel consumption, reduced paper consumption and saved $38,000.00 per year by publishing the newsletter online."

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Touhou Wiki

Th9 udmyyo.rpy

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this wiki
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Th9_udmyyo.rpy(file size: 22 KB, MIME type: unknown/unknown)
Warning: This file type may contain malicious code. By executing it, your system may be compromised.

There is no description yet. Add a description.

Appears on these pages

  • Replay:Pilpsie

    Embodiment of Scarlet Devil Easy Replay - 1,939,820 - MarisaB - C - 0.105% A pure pacifist...

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Chat and travel with fun!
26 years old, Angers, France

About me

Fb: cris passet
I'm someone who likes to enjoy every moment, which is good living and open to the world ^^

Want to see the world in all its forms, cultures, traditions, way of life.

People who know me will tell you that i'm not someone who puts his head for nothing, i live to meet people and always smiling ;)

Just a few more things about me

  • Sexual orientation: Heterosexual
  • I speak: English, French
  • I'm looking for: Friends, Adventure, Soulmate, Job
  • Smoker: Sometimes
  • Drinking habits: Yes
  • Education: No answer

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The Tow411 is a community of towing and tow truck enthusiasts sharing reviews, news, photos, events, recoveries and much more.

If you have any questions or comments, please respond within the posts or on the Contact us page.

We have  a sponsorship program and will serve relevant and non-obtrusive ads on our various Tow411 sites.

If you would like to promote your product, company or service on our sites, please contact us for information.

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Mezco Reveals Summer Lineup

Mezco Toyz has introduced the Dark Knight, Wonder Woman, and Catwoman Key Ring Mez-Itz as part of their 2012 Summer Exclusive lineup. The 6-inch Dark Knight Mez-Itz Mega Scale Batman is based on Batman’s look from Christopher Nolan’s film trio and features a  cloth black cape. The 6-inch Metallic Wonder Woman Mez-Itz, the first female character in the DC Universe lineup, features sculpted hair, a metallic finish, and a rope Lasso of Truth. The Catwoman Key Ring 2-inch Mez-Itz features the feline fatale villain and a sturdy metal clasp. All Mez-Itz feature five points of articulation.

Other new products include the the Glow-in-the-Dark Mumm-Ra and Decayed-form Mumm-Ra two-Pack, the Metallic Earthworm Jim Action Figure, and the Living Dead Dolls Resurrection Set: Series 6.

Based on the original animated series, Mezco’s 14-inch Mumm-Ra features eight points of articulation and a cloth cape and bandages. The summer exclusive features a glow-in-the-dark blue skin and comes with a Decayed Form Mumm-Ra, showing him in his natural, decrepit state.

The Metallic Earthworm Jim Action Figure comes with a game-accurate plasma blaster and a special metallic-finish ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit. The 6-inch scale Earthworm Jim features eight points of articulation. This edition comes with an alternate “bendy” unsuited worm body and a special “groovy” head sculpt.

The Living Dead Dolls Resurrection Set: Series 6 features Demonique, Blue, Schitzo, and Ms. Eerie. All four feature glass-like eyes. Each member of this limited edition quartet of the damned comes with its own death certificate and is entombed in its own coffin. All of Mezco’s Summer Exlusives will be available on their new website and at San Diego Comic Con at booth 3445.

This post was originally written by Ali Mierzejewski and published by For more news, visit, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.


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Putting TRAC to Work
  News Organizations
Huffington Post
August 10, 2010

Obama End-Run Amnesty Claim Is 'Nuts,' Immigration Official Says
By Andrew Becker

Meanwhile, criminal immigration prosecution and deportation levels under the Obama administration rival or surpass those during the Bush era, according to recent reports by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. Republicans have nonetheless blasted the White House for being lenient on illegal immigrants and lax on border security. Figures posted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Homeland Security Department arm that detains and deports immigrants, show that the agency's removal numbers for the first nine months of Fiscal Year 2010 are down by nearly 9,000 compared to the same time period last year. TRAC notes in its report that delays in recording can result in preliminary FY 2010 figures missing some cases, making comparisons between 2009 and 2010 year-to-date unreliable.

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, Syracuse University
Copyright 2011
TRAC TRAC at Work TRAC TRAC at Work News Organizations News Organizations


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New York plane crash WW2 aircraft in Hudson River

A vintage World War Two aircraft has crashed in the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey.

The plane - a single-seater P-47 Thunderbolt - went down two miles (3.2km) south of George Washington Bridge.
Divers later recovered a body - believed to be that of the pilot - from the submerged plane.
The cause of the crash has not been confirmed, but engine failure has been cited as a possible cause.
The plane was one of three that flew from an airfield in Farmingdale, east of New York City.
They were taking part in shooting a promotional video to mark the 75th anniversary of the American Airpower Museum.
The two other aircraft - a P-40 and a plane taking the photographs - returned safely to the airfield.
Scuba divers recovered the body of a 56-year-old man three hours after the crash. New York police identified the man as William Gordon of Key West, Florida.
source =

Air Charter


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Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki

Growl (ROC)

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This article is about the Autobot Micromaster. For the Decepticon Micromaster, see Growl (Decepticon).
Growl is an Autobot Micromaster from the Return of Convoy portion of the Generation One continuity family.
G1Growl Autobot cardart

C'mere and I'll show YOU where to stick your childlike and precious and suchlike!

Growl is a member of the Military Team. He is presumably childlike and precious and suchlike.

Return of Convoy

  • Military Team (Micro Transformer team, 1991)
    • Japanese ID number: C-363
    • Accessories: Micro Trailer #3
G1 Growl toy
Growl is identical to the Decepticon Military Patrol member Growl, transforming into an armored jeep of undetermined model with a roof-mounted cannon, which can be used as an arm-mounted (non-firing) weapon in robot mode. He was only available in a complete set with his teammates Bombshock, Dropshot and Tracer, as well as Micro Trailer #3.

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10 Ways To Hem with Your Serger

After hitting publish on yesterday's Hemming With your Serger post, I realized that I had opened a can of worms. I loved getting all of the messages and notes from my readers who had NO IDEA they could do a blind hem using a flatlock stitch. Here's a quick follow up, here are 10 different ways you can hem using your serger or a serger/sewing machine combination. I'm sorry that I don't have the time this week to run down mini tutorials for all these.

Blind Hem
is used for hems on all different weight fabrics, it works great on textured knit fabrics because the stitches do not show

Eased Hem used on medium weight to heavy weight fabrics for flared bell-shaped hem

Fishline Hem is used to add firmness and body to light weight fabric ruffles and flounces. Most often used to create a special effect in evening wear.

Fringed Hem uses a decorative flatlock stitch for detailing on scarves, linens, and shawls.

Lettuce Hem is and edge finish with a fluttering touch.

Overlocked and Blindstitched Hem reduces bulk by using an overlocked edge rather than hem table or double folded hem.

Overlocked and Topstitched Hem is similar to above but includes topstitching as a detail

Rolled Hem is used to finish the edges of light weight fabrics- scarves, ruffles, table linens, and some garments. (Silks, sheers, broadcloth, etc)

Shirt-tail Hem is used to prevent rippled edge on curved shirt hemlines

Sport Hem is used as a decorative application on fleece and sweatshirts or t-shirt fabrics

What are your favorite uses for a serger?

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Traveling Luck for Bellamy Church (historical), Virginia, United States

United States flag

Where is Bellamy Church (historical)?

What's around Bellamy Church (historical)?
Wikipedia near Bellamy Church (historical)
Where to stay near Bellamy Church (historical)

The timezone in Bellamy Church (historical) is America/Iqaluit
Sunrise at 06:12 and Sunset at 19:54. It's Dark

Latitude. 37.3983°, Longitude. -76.5661°
WeatherWeather near Bellamy Church (historical); Report from Williamsburg, Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport, VA 26.6km away
Weather :
Temperature: 24°C / 75°F
Wind: 0km/h North
Cloud: Sky Clear

Satellite map around Bellamy Church (historical)

Loading map of Bellamy Church (historical) and it's surroudings ....

Geographic features & Photographs around Bellamy Church (historical), in Virginia, United States

a building for public Christian worship.
populated place;
a city, town, village, or other agglomeration of buildings where people live and work.
Local Feature;
A Nearby feature worthy of being marked on a map..
building(s) where instruction in one or more branches of knowledge takes place.
an artificial pond or lake.
a burial place or ground.
post office;
a public building in which mail is received, sorted and distributed.
a barrier constructed across a stream to impound water.
a place where aircraft regularly land and take off, with runways, navigational aids, and major facilities for the commercial handling of passengers and cargo.
a structure built for permanent use, as a house, factory, etc..
a building in which sick or injured, especially those confined to bed, are medically treated.
a large inland body of standing water.
a high conspicuous structure, typically much higher than its diameter.
a structure erected across an obstacle such as a stream, road, etc., in order to carry roads, railroads, and pedestrians across.
a land area, more prominent than a point, projecting into the sea and marking a notable change in coastal direction.
second-order administrative division;
a subdivision of a first-order administrative division.
a body of running water moving to a lower level in a channel on land.

Airports close to Bellamy Church (historical)

Felker aaf(FAF), Fort eustis, Usa (36.8km)
Newport news williamsburg international(PHF), Newport news, Usa (37.5km)
Langley afb(LFI), Hampton, Usa (48.9km)
Norfolk ns(NGU), Norfolk, Usa (70.3km)
Norfolk international(ORF), Norfolk, Usa (80.1km)

Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners.


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Traveling Luck for Plaza Hotel, Texas, United States

United States flag

Where is Plaza Hotel?

What's around Plaza Hotel?
Wikipedia near Plaza Hotel
Where to stay near Plaza Hotel

The timezone in Plaza Hotel is America/Cambridge_Bay
Sunrise at 05:22 and Sunset at 18:44. It's Dark

Latitude. 31.7592°, Longitude. -106.4888° , Elevation. 1134m
WeatherWeather near Plaza Hotel; Report from El Paso, El Paso International Airport, TX 15.3km away
Weather :
Temperature: 8°C / 46°F
Wind: 4.6km/h North/Northwest
Cloud: Few at 25000ft

Satellite map around Plaza Hotel

Loading map of Plaza Hotel and it's surroudings ....

Geographic features & Photographs around Plaza Hotel, in Texas, United States

building(s) where instruction in one or more branches of knowledge takes place.
an area, often of forested land, maintained as a place of beauty, or for recreation.
a building for public Christian worship.
Local Feature;
A Nearby feature worthy of being marked on a map..
an elongated depression usually traversed by a stream.
populated place;
a city, town, village, or other agglomeration of buildings where people live and work.

Airports close to Plaza Hotel

El paso international(ELP), El paso, Usa (15.3km)
Biggs aaf(BIF), El paso, Usa (18.7km)
Abraham gonzalez international(CJS), Ciudad juarez, Mexico (19.3km)
Condron aaf(WSD), White sands, Usa (84.4km)
Holloman afb(HMN), Alamogordo, Usa (163.7km)

Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners.


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Sunday, April 29, 2012

Olive Gourmet - Burjuman Centre

Scrumptious and healthy lunch from Olive Gourmet. The Zaatar & Labneh Manaeesh was served fresh from the oven with a generous amount of stuffing. The bread was soft and every bite was a delightful explosion of creamy cheesiness.

The Baba Ghanouj was a perfect 10 and the Falafels were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside bursting with flavour just the way it should be, unlike the usual hard and bland ones served in most places.

The 'Plat De Jour' or the dish of the day, which was not from the menu and was not entirely what we  were expecting, how ever was a delicious combination of lamb, potato and peas cooked in to a creamy curry served with long grained ghee rice. For some reason the signage portrayed at the entrance made us expect a platter of grilled lamb & chops.

The restaurant is located right next to Burjuman metro station with outside seating and is an ideal spot to watch the world go by.

Party of 3 :
Zaatar & Cheese Manaeesh AED 10
Baba Ghanouj AED 14
Falafel AED 18
Plat De Jour AED 24
Large Water AED 10

Bill AED 76
Discount on Traveller Card (AED 18)
Total Bill AED 58

Offer on Traveller Membership Card :
Buy a Main Course and receive a complimentary Main Course of equal or lesser value.

Cuisine         : Lebanese
Location       : Burjuman Centre, Bur Dubai
Contact No. :  04 355 8013

*Team Traveller UAE

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West 63rd Street in New York City was once part of an old Indian trail that eventually became Broadway and is now the gateway to the Upper West Side. It is sandwiched between Central Park West and the large campus of Lincoln Center, with its iconic concert and opera halls. Hotels on the Upper West Side tend to eschew the cookie-cutter for the original and quirky, and West 63rd Street has two very different lodgings. Within a few blocks, there are a number of equally eccentric places to stay.

Empire Hotel

Just across the street from the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, (lincolncenter.org) the Empire Hotel (empirehotelnyc.com) at 44 West 63rd Street is convenient for those going to concerts or for strolls in Central Park. The hotel provides old-fashioned luxury as a throwback to the grand days of travel when velvet tufted love seats and zebra-covered poufs signified the height of elegance. The Empire offers a fitness center, spa, rooftop dining and deluxe rooms and suites. Location is the mantra in New York City, and the Empire has it. The hotel is a few blocks from the upscale Time Warner Center shopping mall (shopsatcolumbuscircle.com), in between a multiplex movie theater, independent film center and Lincoln Center's Film Society. Opera, ballet, symphony and live theater are across Columbus Avenue, and the park is a quick hike up the street. The area is crammed with eateries, from the acclaimed Per Se (perseny.com) to the Italian fusion Lincoln restaurant (lincolnristorante.com) to sushi bars and bistros along Broadway.

West Side YMCA

The West Side YMCA (ymcanyc.org/west-side) at 5 West 63rd Street has hostel-style single and double guestrooms. It is a longtime fallback for budget travelers who want to be steps from Central Park, just across the street, and within hailing distance of cabs, buses, subways or a short walk to major New York City attractions. Guests have access to the 65,000-square-foot fitness center in the Y, with two swimming pools, saunas, steam rooms, racquetball, squash, handball and basketball courts, aerobics classes and a weight training center. The rooms have bunk beds, air-conditioning and TVs, and there are separate shared bathrooms for men and women.

Inn New York City

Just a few blocks from West 63rd Street is one of Manhattan's more unusual hostelries. The Inn New York City (innnewyorkcity.com) at 266 West 71st Street has just four floor-through suites in a restored 19th century townhouse. The inn is a bed and breakfast with a full kitchen in each suite for those who prefer to make their own coffee. The Vermont Suite has a private entrance; the Library Suite -- the largest -- has a complete library with a working fireplace; the Spa Suite has its own Jacuzzi and sauna; and the Opera Suite is diva-ready with a private terrace, baby grand piano and 12-foot ceilings. Warm up in your hotel room and then stroll down to the Metropolitan Opera for a few high Cs.

Hudson Hotel

The Hudson Hotel (hudsonhotel.com) at 356 West 58th Street was designed by Philippe Starck and is one block from the Time Warner Center at the southern entrance to Central Park. The Hudson is a modern boutique hotel with frescoes by Francesco Clemente, a trendy restaurant that manages to be a boarding school refectory mixed with an old-style automat, and a bar with an illuminated glass floor. The rooms are inspired by sailing yachts, in keeping with the Hudson theme. The hotel has a fitness center, business center and laundry and you can walk to Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall (carnegiehall.org) and the Hudson River, easily viewed form the hotel's private rooftop garden, the Sky Terrace.

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  • NA/AbleStock.com/Getty Images

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  1. Attribution: Jleon; License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
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  5. Attribution: John O'Connell; License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
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According to the Ecuador Tourist Board, the upper Amazon basin is one of the most biologically rich places on earth, home to thousands of orchid species, macaws, howler monkeys and river dolphins. A river cruise allows nature-lovers to see the remarkable flora and fauna of the remote rain forest. Numerous travel companies offer river cruises in Ecuador, all of which are conducted on the Manatee Amazon Explorer, a riverboat that cruises through four protected areas in northeastern Ecuador: the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Yasuni National Park, the Panacocha Protected Forest and the Limoncocha Biological Reserve.

The Manatee Amazon Explorer

The Manatee Explorer, a motor river yacht, accommodates a maximum of 30 guests in 14 double cabins, as well as a crew of 12. The cabins are all air conditioned and feature hot running water and a private bathroom. The riverboat has a bar, saloon and a dining room, and a main deck and sun deck for taking in the scenery. Passengers also have access to a laundry room and a reading room. The Manatee Explorer is equipped with canoes and fishing gear, and guests may borrow rubber boots and rain ponchos. The riverboat has a casual atmosphere with no dress code.

A seven-day journey on the Manatee Amazon Explorer begins in Coca, which you can reach by flying from Quito, Ecuador's capital. From Coca, take a 90-minute motorized canoe ride to the Napo River port to board the riverboat and head downstream. Continue along the Napo to Nuevo Rocafuerte, a town on the border of Ecuador and Peru, then venture down the Aguarico and Lagartococha rivers through the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, which is a habitat for pink river dolphins, macaws and toucans. On the fourth day of the journey, the Manatee Explorer will turn and head upstream to Yasuni National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and home of the Waorani culture. The next destination is the Panacocha (translated as "Piranha Lake") Protected Forest, a biological corridor connecting Yasuni and Cuyabeno. Spend the final day of the river cruise in Limoncocha Biological Reserve, which boasts more than 400 bird species.

Activities and Excursions

The Amazon Manatee Explorer hosts naturalist guides who will provide you with binoculars and offer informative discussions about the wildlife of Ecuadorian Amazonia. Wildlife-viewing is the major focus of the week-long itinerary, with complimentary early morning bird-watching outings available daily. Throughout the trip, you will spot wildlife during motor canoe and traditional canoe trips. You also have the opportunity to view nocturnal species during various night excursions. Highlights of the daily activities and excursions include swimming or canoeing in an oxbow lake, then looking for giant otters, jaguars and caimans in Yasuni National Park; walking and swimming in Panacocha followed by lunch in a rustic jungle camp; and a day dedicated to meeting and learning about an indigenous Amazon community with a visit to a local school. The final day of the cruise is dedicated to the Limoncocha Biological Reserve, where you will fish for piranhas and see the parrot clay licks in the tropical rain forest. At this remarkable spot, you will watch flocks of colorful parrots descend on exposed clay surfaces, which they lick to counteract the toxicity of ingested seeds.

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By Judy Bird

Jodie Woodward of George Gordon First Nation is gearing up for the educational trip of a lifetime. The third year Indigenous Studies student at the First Nations University of Canada will be embarking on a trip to Brazil from July 29 to August 16 to learn about the Kayapo, an indigenous tribe living in the rainforest of the Amazon.

Woodward first learned of the Kayapo tribe during a university class. “I learned about natural resources extraction, exploitation, governmental policies, and also the negative effects of exploitation, what it has on the local Indigenous people. I learned about the rights that Indigenous people have; they don’t have hardly any rights in South America,” she said.

The Kayapo are being threatened with pollution, hydroelectric dam projects that would flood their land, illegal land sales that allow cattle ranching on their traditional lands, and illegal logging. Despite these challenges, they have managed to maintain their traditional way of life largely because they remain isolated from the outer world.

During her three weeks in Brazil, Woodward will be staying at a research staying, and spending every day with the Kayapo.

“I’ll be learning about their culture, about forest ecology, and about the negative effects with this development,” said Woodward.

Along with being a university student, Woodward was the Vice President of the U of R Indigenous Student Students’ Association in 2013-14 and the President in the 2014-15 year. She’s also a single mother of an 8-year-old boy, and the caregiver for her 9-year-old nephew and 12-year-old niece.

She has family in Fort McMurray and spent her summers there, and can relate to what the Kayapo are facing in their struggle.

Brazil Woodward Tar Sands Healing Walk

Jodie Woodward (right) carried a sign during the Tar Sands Healing Walk in honour of her late uncle who started the walk. Photo courtesy Jodie Woodward.

“I’m pretty familiar with the negative effects of resource extraction and sharing and also to the treaties,” she said.

Her late uncle started the Tar Sands Healing Walk. Woodward took part last year, holding the flag in honour of her uncle during the final quarter of the walk.

“Just seeing all the negative effects, the air quality, there’s no grass whatsoever, it’s really devastating walking in what is supposed to be land. It was pretty traumatic. I’ve seen the negative effects of deforestation so I can only imagine what the rain forest will actually look like and the impact of it,” said Woodward.

The course, titled Brazilian Amazon: Environmental Conservation and Indigenous Peoples, is offered through the University of Maryland. Because it’s not part of her regular degree program studies, Woodward has had to raise the funds, about $10,000, just to cover the cost of tuition, airfare and immunization. She has received support from her mother, and fundraising help from her professor at FNUniv, Dr. Andrew Miller.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said her mother, Roxanne Woodward. “She has always had an interest in our own First Nations culture and traditions, and for her to be able to have the opportunity to learn another tribal custom’s traditions, for me, it’s for her to gain knowledge. The more knowledge that you gain, the more that you have capabilities to open doors to whatever you want to pursue.”

“It’s a chance to build a special kind of rapport with another Indigenous community that’s struggling against a similar set of choices,” said Dr. Andrew Miller with FNUniv.

“They are far away but some things are similar. They are a people that have a great deal of natural resources that are not under their control to a very large degree, and they have persisted to the present because of their isolation. However, the modern world is coming knocking, and is finding ways to use those resources whether they like it or not and whether they benefit from it or not. They have, in the last few years, made a great deal of press for themselves by taking a very strong stand against development and they’ve become masters of using media, using video and audio recordings to reach out to the world and say ‘these are the things that are happening to us’. There are things to learn there,” he said.

Woodward has raised most of the funds for her trip, but is still accepting donations for her airfare and other expenses. Anyone who would like to assist with her funding can email her at

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By Mervin Brass

It was a very beautiful and humbling evening for First Nation women from across Saskatchewan.

Last night in Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan First Nations Women’s Commission held the inaugural Strength of our Women awards.

More than 50 women were nominated in 12 different categories that ranged from outstanding achievement, arts and entertainment to matriarch.

The theme for the evening was the missing and murdered indigenous women issue that has become a focal point for the Saskatchewan First Nations Women’s Commission.

“The gala was very beautiful and it shows the strength of our women,” said Eleanor Sunchild, the recipient of the law and justice award. “It was really nice that they focused on the missing and murdered indigenous women topic because it is so prevalent in our society.”

The winners of the other awards include Sheryl Kimbley for arts and entertainment, Cece Baptiste for business, Karen Rabbitskin for culture and spirituality, Dr. Kim McKay-McNabb for education, Jessica Gordon for environment, Shannon Gatrell for health and wellness, Mary Lou Gloria Chocan for leadership advocacy, Shana Pasapa for Sports, Valyncia Sparvier for youth, Sharon Venne for lifetime achievement.

The matriarch award was given out to the following grandmothers; Lucy Favel, Rose Chief, Yvonne Benjoe, Therese Seeseequasis, Iva Margaret Geddes-McNabb, Irene Naytowhow, Clara (Gopher) Myo, Virginia Pechawis and Eldeen McKay.

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The Story Never Ends in the Middle by Titilope Oyegbile

Categories: Christian Living,Self Development

There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.
Philippians 1:6 (The Message)

mind_feedersIt was a different morning yesterday while I was prepping my daughter for school- just because the TV was on.  Normally we do not let the kids watch any shows on week days, but somehow they got watching – Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory by Leapfrog® while I made breakfast and packed up the lunch box. It’s been one of the best playing DVDs lately as my daughter is actually learning to read.

So it was almost time to go and I sat down for a few minutes – then I heard from the show – The Story never ends in the middle! Whoa!  My spirit jumped at it- and I shouted it out loud!  It seemed like that was all I needed for this time of my life.  Not following the story, nor caring what led to the statement, I said it over and over and immediately made it into a prayer.  The kids watched me as I went “crazy” with this statement.

From a simple kid’s DVD – God spoke right to me and gave me the word I needed.  There were a few things that I’ve tried to work on in the past months and it seemed like it wasn’t coming through and I was at a point that I wanted to put them away and move on………but that was the middle of the story. Immediately I heard that statement from my kid’s show – I received a lift, a new fire and an inner strength and I just knew that was God talking to me.  He met the need of my spirit from a simple kid’s show.

Hmmn, so where are you friend?  You know it’s the middle of the story – I just want to say to you – THE STORY NEVER ENDS IN THE MIDDLE.  This great God who made you has great plans for you and even for that very matter that seems has come to a halt; I want you to know that the story never ends in the middle.

It’s not yet time to move on – it’s time to speak to the situation, work harder at it, believe in it and most importantly wait on God concerning it because  there are new chapters and episodes  ahead in the story and when the story ends it will end beautifully and in your favour.

Titilope (Titi) Oyegbile writes from Milton-Ontario- Canada. You can check out her blog at

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Zubik: Papal parody at CMU 'crossed line'

| Wednesday, May 1, 2013, 12:02 a.m.

A Carnegie Mellon University student's march across campus, half naked and handing out condoms while dressed in mock papal finery from the waist up, “crossed over the line,” Bishop David Zubik said on Tuesday.

Zubik, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, said he contacted university officials last week when someone sent the diocese photographs of the young woman, whose pubic hair was shaved in the shape of a cross.

The photos were taken when the College of Fine Arts hosted its fourth annual spring carnival parade, the Anti-Gravity Downhill Derby, on April 18.

Zubik said Carnegie Mellon officials promised to respond.

“The most important thing is that we all learn a lesson from this. This is a teachable moment,” Zubik said, adding that he would be equally dismayed had an incident involved a Jewish Star of David or a Muslim crescent moon.

“This is a respected university, and they've been a good neighbor,” Zubik said.

By Tuesday afternoon, university officials had not released the identity of the student and would say only that an inquiry is under way.

“We are continuing our review of the incident. If our community standards or laws were violated, we will take appropriate action,” said spokesman Ken Walters.

No reports or complaints about the incident appeared on the campus police log for that day. Photos on the Downhill Derby Facebook page show male students wearing only fur thongs during the 2012 parade.

Told that photos of this year's carnival showed the semi-nude woman cavorting in a mock gondola with two other students — one dressed to parody an altar boy and the other a gondolier — Zubik said he was unaware of the other players.

“What bothers me is, it seems there is less and less appreciation of the sacred,” he said.

Few students taking a break in the afternoon sun on the Oakland campus on Tuesday complained about the parody.

Allison McKnight, a senior computer science major from Gibsonia, saw the parade and “thought it was a little weird.” She said some of her friends thought the young woman went too far and others “said that's just CFA” about the art department in the College of Fine Arts.

“People are into their personal freedoms, expressing their personal freedoms and taking a stand,” said Joell Weil, a sophomore musical theater major from Seattle.

Jason Lewis, a sophomore in theater design, said any sanctions against the woman “would be incredibly unfair.”

“If no one ever poked holes in political correctness, we'd still have segregation,” said fellow sophomore Camille Rohrlich of Paris.

Amy Costello, a staff minister with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon, was at a prayer shack on the lawn, a place where students can stop to pray. She said she wasn't aware of the incident.

“I know some people have had negative experiences with religion, but that seems a forceful way of expressing it,” Costello said, suggesting that public nudity laws might apply.

The Catholic League, a New York-based national Catholic civil rights organization, urged the university to take action.

“We would like to see that Carnegie Mellon not tolerate this. You can't expect that there's going to be no sanctions whatsoever,” said league spokesman Patrick McNamara.

Debra Erdley is a Trib Total Media staff writer. Reach her at 412-320-7996 or derdley@tribweb.com.

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Connellsville studies possible revenues sources for 2014 budget

| Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013, 8:39 p.m.

Connellsville Councilman Brad Geyer said Wednesday he hopes after a fourth budget meeting planned for Monday that council will have a proposed balanced budget to present at its regular meeting on Nov. 20.

On Wednesday, council along with Mayor-elect Greg Lincoln and Connellsville City Treasurer Judy Keller met for a third time to go over budget figures.

Revenue coming into the city was examined and adjusted during the hour and half meeting.

Changes were made to the biggest revenue source, the real estate taxes.

Real estate taxes are made up of three parts in the budget: the current year levy, the prior year levy and the delinquent levy.

The current year levy, which is the money the city expects to collect for the year, currently remains the same as this year at $959,516.42. As of Nov. 13, the city received $893.385.97.

Geyer, who is the city's director of finances, said that number could change if council votes to increase the millage rate.

Prior year levy, which is the money the city processes right after the Christmas holiday, was reduced from $30,000 to $25,000. It was budgeted this year for $30,000, but the city had only received $14,078.73 as of Nov. 13.

“I don't think we'll get $30,000,” Keller said. “Maybe $25,000 might be more realistic.”

The delinquent levy, which are the late taxes collected by the tax-claim office for the prior year and earlier, was raised from $120,000 to $125,000. This year, $120,000 was budgeted and the city has received $128,211.10 as of Nov. 13 and received $138,640 in 2012 when the city only budgeted $120,000.

The earned income tax, the flat rate of one percent of an employee's earnings collected by the Southwest Regional Tax Bureau, was reduced from $550,000 to $500,000 for next year.

In 2011, the city budgeted for $570,000 but only received $422,374.17; $550,000 was budgeted in 2012, but the city only brought in $367,579.36. In 2013, the city again budgeted $550,000 and as of Nov. 13 it has only received $347,247.89.

Keller said a check for $18,000 will be deposited in a couple of days for the earned income tax and the city will be getting only one more check from the SWRTB to be deposited on Dec. 15, but she doesn't know what amount that check will be.

“It's not coming in at any great amount,” Keller said, suggesting council look at the past few years of actual money coming into the city and determine an average and set the anticipated earned income tax around that figure rather than estimating the city will receive $44,000 per month.

“We'll set it at 500 ($500,000) for now,” Geyer said. “We still have time to look through this.”

Other changes made to the budget on the revenue side included reducing the anticipated amount of the residence tax and per capita tax for the current year from $12,000 to $11,000 and increasing the prior year residence tax and per capita tax from $1,200 to $2,200; reducing the anticipated mechanical device tax from $31,000 to $20,000; raising the cable television franchise revenue from $110,000 to $115,000 because rates will be raised next year; and reducing the sale of property and supplies from $15,000 to $5,000 because the city only sold between seven and eight properties, but Geyer and Councilman Gregory Rich agreed that it was a practice they want to keep going next year.

Geyer said there is still research that must be done on some line items in the budget including donations, school board reimbursements and the business privilege taxes, however, he said he thought they were close to having all revenues and expenditure totals finalized.

He said at Monday's budget meeting any necessary changes can be made in order to have a proposed budget ready for Nov. 20.

Mark Hofmann is a staff writer with Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-626-3539 or mhofmann@tribweb.com.

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Panthers Insider: Pitt embraces underdog role in NCAA Tournament

| Monday, March 17, 2014, 10:21 p.m.
Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review
Pitt's Lamar Patterson celebrates with Tailb Zanna during their defeat of Wake Forest in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday, March 13, 2014, at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.
Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review
Pitt's Talib Zanna dunks over Virginia's Mike Tobey in the first half of their ACC Tournament semifinal Saturday, March 15, 2014, in Greensboro, N.C.

Pitt is aware a No. 9 seed can make a Final Four run in the NCAA Tournament.

Wichita State did it last year — at the expense of the Panthers — after a 73-55 win over Pitt in a West Region second-round game in Salt Lake City.

“I definitely think it's good to see that it can happen,” Pitt sophomore point guard James Robinson said. “We've got faith in ourselves, faith in our coaches. We're going to take this one step at a time and just battle this thing out.”

Whether the Shockers, who went on to beat No. 1 Gonzaga next, can serve as inspiration for the Panthers is another story. Pitt must accomplish a first under Jamie Dixon: Beat a higher seed in the NCAA tourney.

The No. 9 Panthers (25-9) will get their chance against No. 8 Colorado (23-11) at 1:40 p.m. Thursday in a South Region second-round game at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.

“Just being in the tournament is inspiration enough for us,” Pitt senior swingman Lamar Patterson said. “We know what we have to do. We have to go out there, play solid and get Ws.”

That's been a problem for Pitt in recent years in the NCAA tourney.

Six times in its past 11 appearances, the Panthers lost to a team that reached the Final Four: Wichita State last year, Butler (2012), Villanova '09), UCLA ('07), Oklahoma State ('04) and Marquette ('03). Only Oklahoma State and UCLA, both No. 2 seeds, were higher seeds than Pitt.

“Last year, Wichita State did a really good job,” Pitt senior center Talib Zanna said. “We can make a run in the NCAA Tournament. It's a matter of coming together, playing good defense and playing the way we did at the beginning of the season.”

Dixon embraced Pitt's underdog role after watching the NCAA selection show but knows the Panthers must get past Colorado before they worry about the next game, likely against No. 1 Florida.

“We'll be focusing on Colorado here. That's the No. 1 thing,” Dixon said. “We've constantly talked to our team about what we could become.”

Dixon said at the start of the season that he thought Pitt could win the ACC. The Panthers' 16-1 start was sabotaged when sixth man Durand Johnson was lost to a knee injury, and the Panthers struggled over a stretch where they lost six of 10 games.

“Where we're going to be was always out in front of us,” Dixon said. “To me, that was the carrot that we had to focus on. Obviously, we had to readjust when Durand went down. But our goals didn't change.”

Now Pitt has to beat the odds. Since the tourney expanded in 1985, No. 9 seeds are 68-72 against No. 8 seeds and 7-62 against No. 1 seeds.

“Some people care about the seed. I think the seed doesn't matter,” Zanna said. “It's whoever has the heart to come out and dominate and play like they want it the most. That's who's going to win the tournament.”

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Education icon honors library

| Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013, 9:54 p.m.

LONDON — Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who was shot in the head last year for advocating education for girls like herself, honored her own weapon of choice on Tuesday: the book.

The 16-year-old, who was hospitalized in Britain with gunshot wounds caused by the Taliban, was chosen to deliver the opening speech for a public library in Birmingham, England, that is being touted as the largest in Europe.

In a warmly received address outside the new 10-story building, whose more than 1 million books include a collection of the first folios of Shakespeare's works, Malala declared that “books are the only weapon that can defeat terrorism.”

She also delivered an affectionate salute to “Brummies,” as residents of Birmingham are known, for their support in the months after her shooting, when she was flown there for specialized surgery.

After her attack, Malala was brought to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth hospital for surgery that enabled her to recover all her faculties. Five months later, she resumed her schooling, this time in Birmingham, where she now lives with her family.

She has become something of a celebrity, and a spokeswoman for girls' education in countries like Pakistan where there are powerful forces against it. In July, she celebrated her 16th birthday by delivering a speech on the subject to the United Nations in New York.

Speaking of Birmingham on Tuesday, she said: “It was here that I found myself alive after my shooting, and when I was discharged I was introduced to a new society which is different from Pakistan. People tell me they have read hundreds of books, even children of 6 and 7 have read more books than me.”

She vowed to read thousands of books, saying, “I will empower myself with knowledge.”

Her address closed with a heartfelt appeal to “not forget that 57 million children are out of school” and called on her audience to “speak up for the children of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan who are suffering from terrorism, poverty, child labor and child trafficking. Let us help them to read books and go to school.”

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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Celebrating the Little Things--Monday, April 18

Today has been the best day of motherhood so far, full of lots of small victories.  I feel like I am finally getting the swing of things.  There was nothing eventful about our sleep last night, which is good news.  All three of us were awake and moving around by 8:30.  Our morning routine as of last has been Jesse jumps in the shower while I feed Jackson, then I jump in the shower while he takes care of burping and diaper duties.
Here are the successes of the day:
  • Jackson ate well every 2-3 hours.  I pray he is regulating and finally getting on his own routine.  He ate from 8:40-9:00, 10:30-11:00, 1:00-1:30, 3:15-3:45, 5:45-6:15, 7:30-7:40, and 8:45-9:05.  Only one quick snack the whole day!
  • Jackson has a belly button!  While it is slightly bittersweet to know that his last remaining visible connection to his mommy is gone, I feel so much better now that he doesn’t have disgusting, rotting skin hanging off of his body.
  • I drove to Babies-R-Us.  I know this is silly, but I haven’t driven in over a week (as advised by my OB).  I was nervous to go out on my own since I’ve been getting a little dizzy and tired when we’ve gone out.  I felt completely normal and walked at my regular pace.
  • I bought a Moby wrap.  We have an Ergo carrier but it is not recommended for infants.  I love the idea of baby wearing and I desperately want my two hands back but Jackson likes to be in our arms.  The wrap was really easy to put on but I think I should have made it tighter.  I was able to walk around, type, and read all while wearing Jackson.  He slept so peacefully for an entire hour curled up against me.
  • Dinner was fantastic.  Jesse prepared baked potatoes, chicken, and salad.  Jackson actually stayed in his bassinet without fussing throughout our entire dinner.  Best of all, I was able to semi-comfortably sit at the dinner table.  I am still taking Tylenol, but I have felt okay all day.
  • The cats are finally comfortable with Jackson.  Cowbell slept at our feet the past two nights (just like she always did).  Mr. Nibbles will curl up on the couch beside me even when I’m holding Jesse.  Neither cat has done anything more than sniff Jackson, but they aren’t hiding in another room or running everything he makes a sound.
  • I shaved my legs and painted my toenails.  I have been admiring the bones in my feet all week.  Keep in mind my feet have been so swollen that I haven’t seen my ankles or toes the past few months.  I certainly haven’t been able to reach my feet to paint my toenails.  I can almost wear my wedding/engagement ring, but not quite yet.  I got it on earlier but had a bit of a panic attack that someone was going to have to cut it off of me.
Showing off the Moby Wrap

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After three years of planning, design and production we’ve finished and installed a 4oo foot long mural for NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center located in beautiful Pacific Grove, California. Working with scientists at the lab we came up with a theme based on the changing critters of the California current. I designed and drew the 32 panels that surround the building. Roberto Salas and the fastest brush in the west, Guillermo ( AKA Memo) Jauregui, painted each six by eight foot panel down in San Diego. They used acrylic paints on unwoven fabric that was later adhered to the concrete walls of the lab.

Check out the o-fish-al NOAA website about the mural at NOAA plans to produce a lot more educational outreach material so stay tuned for more developments.

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All artwork on this website © Ray Troll 2015. Contact the artist directly for permission/usage fees.


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SUNSHINE Awards Organization Announces Father Richard Ho Lung of Jamaica To Receive The 2016 Nelson Mandela Human Rights Achievement SUNSHINE Award

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The SUNSHINE Awards Organization announced in New Jersey that Father Richard Ho Lung has been nominated and will receive the 2016 Nelson Mandela Human Rights Achievement SUNSHINE Award for his unselfish commitment to humanity and human development.  This inaugural presentation will be made at the 28th Annual SUNSHINE Awards scheduled for Saturday October 15, at the AXA Equitable Center 787 Seventh Avenue at 51st Street in New York City.

The SUNSHINE Awards Program was founded 28 years ago to recognize excellence in the performing arts, education, humanity, science, and sports of the various Caribbean countries.  Over the years, the program has expanded in depth and breadth with a global view including countries from Africa, South America, Central America, Europe and India.

In 2014, following the death of Nelson Mandela, the Chairman and Founder of the SUNSHINE Awards Program, Gil Figaro, Sr. wrote the Mandela family and the Board of Directors of the Nelson Mandela Foundation in South Africa, on behalf of the SUNSHINE Awards Organization requesting approval to name a SUNSHINE Award in honor of Nelson Mandela. Dr. Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool wrote the criteria or requirements that an individual or group or organization must meet in order to be considered for the very special Award. The requirements were accepted and approval was granted in that same year.

Father Richard Ho Lung who was born to Chinese parents. In 1959, after completing his undergraduate studies he joined the Society of Jesus, the most respected of religious orders and certainly the most intellectually acclaimed in the Roman Catholic Church. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1971 and founded the “Missionaries of the Poor” in 1981 in Kingston, Jamaica

Father Ho Lung found himself surrounded by desperate poverty in Kingston where the poor suffered greatly, had a strong sense that God was calling him to respond to their cry and to be with them in their suffering. He believed that God was calling on him to be his helper for the poor.  In 1980, Father Ho Lung made the difficult decision to leave the Society of Jesus, which he loved, and founded a religious community of men who dedicated their lives to the service of the rejected and the destitute. In light of his unselfish commitment to humanity Father Ho Lung was selected to receive the Nelson Mandela Human Rights Achievement SUNSHINE Award, using a rigid set of criteria by a group of historians and researchers, led by Dr. Liverpool.

Contacted in Jamaica by telephone, Father Ho Lung said, “I felt humble yet joyful for the community. God has bless us once again in our service of the poorest and most destitute of people.”

Dr. Harold Robertson, former Consul General of Trinidad and Tobago and diplomat who was instrumental in securing Nelson Mandela’s Foundation approval to name a SUNSHINE Awards in honor of Nelson Mandela said, “The Nelson Mandela Human Rights Achievement SUNSHINE Award is presented to an individual who exhibits the sterling qualities of servant leadership, compassion and statesmanship in the service of humankind which were the hallmark of Nelson Mandela. This year’s recipient is an outstanding example of the personification of these qualities and is richly deserving of the honor.”

Gil Figaro, Sr, Chairman and Founder of the SUNSHINE Awards said, “This inaugural presentation in honor of Nelson Mandela is to remind individuals, organizations, and even societies about the difference that Nelson Mandela made in people’s lives. He inspired the underprivileged, and demonstrated that courage, commitment and determination are necessary for victorious outcomes. I congratulate the first recipient of this very special award, Father Richard Ho Lung. I pray that he will continue to make a difference in our world with his God-given gifts and abilities.”

The 28th Annual SUNSHINE Awards Program is sponsored in part by United Airlines, “the preferred airline of the SUNSHINE Awards Program,” Alizé, National Staffing Associates, All Star Motors and Essex County Towing, and Trini Breakfast Shed. Tickets can be obtained on the SUNSHINE Awards website at or by calling 201-836-0799. The SUNSHINE Awards Program is hosted by the Caribbean’s funniest comedians, Errol Fabien and Nikki Crosby.

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