text:
Monday, July 21, 2014

Preaching the Mystic Vision of Saint Paul

Last Sunday the Revised Common Lectionary reading from the epistles was Romans 8:12-25. I picked it up at 8:9. I wanted to share with my congregation the importance of having a mystic vision. I began my sermon by saying:

“I would describe what we just read as part of a mystic vision. I believe Paul was a Jewish mystic. What I mean by that is that he put a priority on direct experience of God. Mystical awareness is an awareness of the Divine pervading all reality that is generated through direct encounter with God. Later in this letter at the conclusion of a section where Paul expounds on redemptive history he exclaims, “For from God and through God and to God are all things" (11:36). That is a mystic vision of reality. He didn’t get this simply through the Hebrew Scriptures, though there are hints of it there, but he came to this through his own direct experience of the Divine.”

I think most Christians today have very inadequate conceptions of God, which make it difficult for them to think of God in such an all-inclusive, universal, non-dual sense. Many Christians, I think, imagine God as a person much like themselves only bigger and greater—all-powerful and all-knowledgeable.

A mystic vision does not deny that God relates to us personally, but God cannot simply be designated a person. At the very least God functions as a person in the way God relates to human persons, but God is certainly more than what we mean when we use the word. Unfortunately, much Christian language and hymnology contributes to the confusion. For example, when we sing, “God in three persons, blessed Trinity.”

But if we take Paul’s mystical vision seriously, then besides exercising the qualities or attributes of personhood, God is also the very source of life that interacts, intersects, and pervades all reality. Everything is connected and everything participates in the ebb and flow of the Divine Life.

I said to my congregation on Sunday,

"We might even think of the universe in all its dimensions being the body of God. That analogy breaks down, however, because God is conscious within that body at all points and in all parts. The Divine consciousness is always present. As the Franciscan mystic Richard Rohr likes to say, there is no circumference, there is only the center and God is at the center. Every point is a center point where God is, where God dwells in full consciousness. If you could somehow magically travel to the farthest reaches of the universe which is still expanding by the way, God would be consciously present there in God’s fullness.
My sense is that all consciousness from the consciousness of a dolphin to the consciousness of an infant to the consciousness of an Albert Einstein is all connected to the Divine consciousness. In Psalm 139 the psalmist expresses this sense of God’s inescapable presence. God is everywhere anyone and anything will ever be.

The Divine indwells each of us. As Christians, we (along with Paul) identify the Divine with the Christ, because this is the way we know God—through the Christ image. You may have noticed in this passage that Paul uses the terms “Spirit of God” and “Spirit of Christ” interchangeably. As Christians we know God through the Christ, and we know the Christ through the historical Jesus, or more accurately through the sacred tradition of Jesus that has been passed on to us.
Sisters and brothers, this is where language simply breaks down. Language can’t carry all the meaning. This is why God language is always symbolical language. We have to use symbols and metaphors and images to speak of God and even then we can only approach a particular aspect of God through the symbol, metaphor, or image. God of course is so much more.”

So much of the spiritual life is about awareness—becoming consciously aware of what already is—so that we can live into that reality, so that we can become who we already are, namely, the beloved daughters and sons of God. I pointed out to my congregation that this is all gift,

“Did you do anything to earn your place in life? Your very existence and your emergence as a human being from development in the womb to birth to infancy to childhood and even to where you are now has been pure grace. There were many factors over which you had no control whatsoever: your place in history, your genetic constitution, your parents or care givers, etc. At some point you began to exercise some responsibility for your personal development, but you didn’t earn your place in the world. Life has been given to you.
It’s the same in our connection with God. You are a child of God not because you believed or did certain things. It’s pure grace. But once you become aware of who you are and how connected you are to everything else, you become responsible to participate in the process of becoming like the Christ within you.”
I went on to contrast “life in the Spirit” with “life in the flesh” as two different ways to live rooted in awareness and unawareness. I also emphasized that life in the Spirit engenders hope that this world can be transformed (8:18-25).

I said,
“The Divine within will never lead us to withdraw from this world into our own exclusive tribe or colony or group where we care only about our kind of people, and where we just wait for God to take us out of the world. This is why Rapture Christianity is so toxic, because those who embrace it tend to abandon care and compassion and a sense of responsibility to this world which God loves and wants to transform.
God loves this world and is at work in this world and we are called to participate with God. If Jesus and Paul and the early Christians were right about how much God loves and cares for this world, then the Spirit will always lead us into this world with all its suffering and injustice and oppression where we can be the body of Christ, where the Spirit can flow through us to touch and minister and heal and care for this creation.”
I am convinced that a mystic vision is the hope of our planet. I hope more Christian ministers will proclaim it and Christians will embrace it.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

What Would Jesus Say to Shawshank Redemption's Samuel Norton?

The Shawshank Redemption is at the top of my all-time great movies list. It is punctuated with great lines and saturated with rich spiritual symbolism. The warden, Samuel Norton, is an icon of toxic Christianity.

The warden presents himself as a socially respectable, church-going, Bible-quoting Christian. It becomes clear, however, from the moment he appears in the story that his Christianity is in name only. His faith has holes in it larger than the one Andy Dufrense chiseled through his cell wall.

When Andy and the other prisoners first stand before the warden, immediately the warden’s self-righteousness dominates the scene. When one of the prisoners asks, “When do we eat?” the warden has him beaten. Holding out a Bible, he says to the captives, “Trust in the Lord, but your ass is mine.”

Contrast the scene above with the one in Luke 4 where Jesus, in the synagogue at Nazareth, applies Isaiah 61 to his understanding of his mission:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

In one scene, the warden enters Andy’s cell and lays hold of Andy’s Bible. Andy and the warden quote Scripture verses back and forth as if in a Bible ping pong match. The warden does not open the Bible, which is a good thing since the rock hammer Andy uses to tunnel through his cell wall is hidden inside.

When the warden hands the Bible back to Andy he says, “Salvation lies within.”

Does salvation lie within the pages of Scripture? Yes and No. Much depends on what we focus on in the Bible, how we apply what we focus on, and why we do what we do.

In healthy versions of Christian faith the Bible is employed as an instrument of liberation and transformation. In the hands of Christians like warden Norton it is used to clobber our LGBTQ sisters and brothers, and to oppress women, keeping them “in their place” under the authority of men.

For Jesus, compassion always trumped blind obedience to Scripture. Love of neighbor, which included both the oppressed and the oppressor, always claimed precedence over biblical prescriptions and precepts. Jesus clearly read his Bible with a bias toward love. Thus he knew which Scriptures to accept and reject, to obey and disobey, to submit to and to ignore and dismiss.

For example, Jesus completely ignored the laws of clean and unclean in Leviticus 13 and 14 pertaining to leprosy when he touched and healed the leper in Mark 1. (“Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him . . . Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean!”)

Also, when Jesus allowed a woman “who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years” to touch him, he clearly dismissed Leviticus 15:25. (“If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days . . . all the days of the discharge . . . she shall be unclean.”)

Jesus completely reversed the laws of clean and unclean in these situations: Instead of Jesus being rendered impure by an unholy touch, the “unholy” touch resulted in the leper and the woman being healed and made whole.

Jesus refused to allow Bible literalists to tell him who he was or what he could and could not do.

Now back to the warden’s interchange with Andy, which ends with the warden quoting John 8:12:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Of course, the warden does not have the foggiest notion what that verse really means. The warden walks in darkness and is about as blind and un-liberated a person as you would ever find. But he thinks he is a Christian.

Religion can easily become a cleverly disguised way of protecting the ego—a way for us to feel secure, superior, safe, and in control. Jesus saw right through this.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus enjoyed hospitable table fellowship, not with the moral majority, but with the immoral minority? The gatekeepers were invited, but they didn’t want any part of those Jesus kept company with. The religious officials were not comfortable around Jesus, while many “sinners” were drawn to him.

Those who thought they could see were actually blind, while those who knew they were blind found spiritual sight.

What would Jesus say to warden Samuel Norton? Perhaps what he said to the religious leaders in John 9 when they asked him sarcastically: “Surely we (the religious elite and gatekeepers) are not blind, are we?”

Jesus said:

“If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

Is there a bit of Samuel Norton in all of us? I suspect there is. If we are certain that we see, then we are probably blind, and our sin (our illusions, ego defenses, false attachments, addictions to power, control, etc.) remain.
Healthy religion and authentic spirituality have nothing to do with being correct or citing Bible verses. Nor is it about wearing the right badges or shouting the right pledges. There is no “Roman Road” or “Four Spiritual Laws” that lead to salvation. There are no five steps, or six principles, or seven habits for highly spiritual people.

What we Christians have is Jesus. And the real test of genuine faith is whether or not we have the passion and will to imitate him—to love the way he loved.

There are two dramatic scenes that I like to imagine represent the outcomes of these two different approaches to Christianity (or religion in general):

Scene 1: When the warden’s money laundering is exposed and the authorities come to take him into custody, he looks over at a message hanging on his office wall about God’s righteous judgment coming soon. Next, he pulls the trigger that ends his life.

Scene 2: On a night of heavy thunder and rain, Andy crawls through the hole he has patiently dug month after month, year after year from inside his cell. He reaches a pipe barely large enough for a human body, full of sludge, which eventually empties into a creek beyond the prison fence. With the storm as a cover, he busts through the pipe, crawling through the sludge. When he eventually “dumps” into the creek, he rips off his prison clothes in a moment of jubilation celebrating his new found liberation.

Andy’s experience can be our experience when we follow Jesus into a larger world beyond the prison walls of Bible worship and toxic religion—a world permeated and pervaded by love of God and love of neighbor.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

When Prejudice Disguises Itself as Holiness

Prejudice disguises itself as holiness when passages such as Romans 1:26-27 are employed to clobber LGBTQ persons. The text reads as follows:

“For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.”

Here is the problem with turning Paul into an anti-gay proponent: Paul, along with most ancient moralists, would have regarded same sex relations as an expression of excessive or exploitive sexual behavior by heterosexuals. It is not likely that he would have had any understanding at all of same sex attraction as a sexual orientation set early in life. Paul’s knowing about sexual orientation is about as likely as his knowing of atoms and electrons as basic elements of our universe. He would have been totally unaware of the distinction between sexual orientation, over which one has no choice, and sexual behavior over which one does. Paul and everyone else in his day most likely believed that everyone was “straight.” The idea of sexual orientation or the possibility of a same-sex committed relationship were not even on their radar.

If one applied the same reasoning that Paul employed in Romans 1:26-27 to what we know today, then one could very well argue that for same-sex oriented persons to have sexual relations with persons of the opposite sex would mean acting “contrary to nature”—contrary to one’s unchangeable basic sexual orientation.

It is common for anti-gay proponents to argue that gay marriage denies the natural order. This is such a weak and misguided argument. It certainly sounds lame when Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians 11: “Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is degrading to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory?” Does nature really teach that? Are families who have children through adoption (rather than through procreation) perverting the “natural” order of things? Is my Down Syndrome daughter sinful because she has an additional chromosome with the resulting consequence of limited mental ability? Her state is definitely not “natural.”

But let's come back to the likelihood that Paul would not have had any understanding of sexual orientation as an unchangable state. An example of how limited knowledge impacts the meaning of Scripture (both the original meaning intended by the biblical writer and our assessment of its relevance) is the way the Gospel writers understood and attributed diseases like epilepsy, psychological disorders, and even birth defects and disabilities to the work of unclean spirits or demons. They simply didn't know any different.

Another example is the way ancient people conceived of the earth as the center of the universe and the way biblical writers believed in a three-tiered cosmology consisting of God’s heaven above the dome of the sky, the earth in the middle, and sheol (the abode of the dead) below the earth.

In holding to these beliefs they were simply echoing the common beliefs of their time and culture. They did not have available the accumulated knowledge we have access to.

But just for the sake of argument, let’s suppose that it could be proved that Paul did know something about sexual orientation and still condemned same sex relations. Would that settle the issue? Does that mean that God is against such relations?

I have spent my life studying the Bible and it is central to my faith, and one thing that has become crystal clear to me is that the biblical writers got some stuff dead wrong. They certainly got God wrong when they imagined that God wanted Israel to utterly destroy any group of people who got in their way of taking possession of the promised land.

Did God really command Saul to kill even the women and children of the Amalekites as the Bible says in 1 Samuel 15:1-3? (“Thus says the Lord of hosts . . . Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox an sheep, camel and donkey.”) Is this the God of Jesus who tells us to love our enemies, to pray for them and do good by them? I don’t think so.

Some biblical writers were wrong in believing that women were inherently and morally inferior to men and incompetent to lead as 1 Timothy 2:11-14 teaches (“I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.”)

And let’s be honest about biblical sexual mores: They were all over the place. Polygamy (many wives) and concubinage (a woman living with a man to whom she is not married) were regularly practiced throughout the Old Testament without a single word of condemnation by any biblical writer. Not a single judgmental word.

Why not? Because patriarchy dominated in ancient Israel. Even Genesis 2:24 (“Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”) which Jesus referenced in his argument against divorce was never understood in Israel as excluding polygamy. They believed a man could become “one flesh” with more than one woman, through the act of sexual intercourse.

Consider the following sexual mores found in the Old Testament (almost always favoring male power and dominance):

  • Prostitution was considered quite natural and necessary as a safeguard of the virginity of brides and property rights of husbands (Gen. 38:12-19; Josh. 2:1-7).
  • A man could not commit adultery against his own wife; he could only commit adultery against another man by sexually using the other’s wife. And a bride who was found not to be a virgin was to be stoned to death (Deut. 22:13-21).
  • When a married man in Israel died childless, his widow was to have intercourse with his eldest brother (serial polygamy?). If he died without producing an heir, she turned to the next brother, and if necessary to the next, and so on. Jesus mentions this practice without any criticism (Mark 12:18-27).
  • I suspect many Christians would be surprised to learn that the Old Testament nowhere explicitly prohibits sexual relations between unmarried consenting heterosexual adults, as long as the woman’s economic value was not compromised.
  •  And of course there were those practices considered taboo: sexual intercourse during the seven days of the menstrual period was strictly forbidden (Lev. 18:19; 15:19-24); nudity was forbidden (2 Sam. 6:20; 10:4; Isa 20:2-4; 47:3); and semen and menstrual blood rendered all who touched them ritually unclean (Lev. 15:16-24).

Does the Bible present a clear sexual ethic? Obviously not. Any honest and sincere interpreter of Scripture who is truly interested in truth should concede this.

And what contemporary Christian would argue today in favor of slavery even though there are clearly some biblical passages that condone and support it? Most interpreters (even those who believe in biblical inerrancy) understand that there is a deeper tenor and ethos of Scripture that emerged from Israel’s experience of the Exodus and from the life and teachings of Jesus, namely, that God identifies with the outcast and marginalized, and God’s passion is to liberate the oppressed.

The same logic should be applied to the handful of biblical texts that condemn excessive and exploitive same-sex behavior and say nothing about committed same-sex relationships.

So why do many Christians today reject what we know about sexual orientation and insist that the Bible is clear and right when condemning same-sex relations? I believe their biblical literalism and their deluded concept of holiness are nothing more than a cover for their entrenched prejudice and fear that they are unwilling to acknowledge.

Every interpreter and faith community must pick and choose which texts will have authority in their lives and communities. The question is not: Do we pick and choose? We all do. The more pertinent question is: What will guide our picking and choosing?

I would advocate that we use reason, common sense, our best sense of what is good, right, just, fair, and loving, and the clear and obvious themes that dominate the Jesus tradition in the New Testament through which Christians should filter all other Scripture.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus says nothing about same-sex relations or relationships?  Jesus, like everyone else in his era, would not have had access to the knowledge we possess today about fixed sexual orientation. Still, Jesus does not utter a single word of judgment. What Jesus does condemn, however, are attitudes and actions rooted in prejudice, greed, and intolerance, and he exhorts us to treat others the way we would want to be treated.

I believe all sexual mores should be critiqued by the love ethic of Jesus. Such a love ethic is mutual, caring, loving, and non-exploitative. Jesus challenges both heterosexuals and LGBTQ persons to question their sexual behavior in light of fidelity, honesty, responsibility, and love—that which is truly in the best interest of the other person.

I believe that Christians who condemn LGBTQ persons are not only misinterpreting Scripture and standing on the wrong side of history (like the pro-slavery Christians once were), they are in my opinion betraying the very one they call their Lord.

I suppose we all (I’m certainly no exception) have called evil good in order to justify some bias that we pass off as holiness. We all have blind spots. However, growth in spiritual awareness, sensitivity, and compassion exposes them.

Christians who condemn LGBTQ persons pursue a false holiness they can measure, mandate, and control. They are not interested in the holiness of grace—grounded in honesty and humility and expressed through faithfulness and forgiveness.

The blindness of Christian pro-slavery advocates was eventually exposed. I am hopeful that the day will come when Christian anti-gay proponents will either acknowledge their blindness or else their anti-gay bias will be exposed as non-Christian.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Is On the Wrong Side of History

The church I pastor  (Immanuel Baptist Church, Frankfort, KYis affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a group that broke away from the fundamentalist dominated Southern Baptist Convention in 1991.

Cecil Sherman was the first Executive Coordinator of CBF and I distinctly remember the story he told to a small group of pastors that met with him in 1992 who were in much prayer and thought about leading their churches out of the SBC to be part of the new organization (CBF does not call itself a denomination, but it clearly functions as one).

Dr. Sherman told us that he was part of a group called “the Peace Committee” formed at the height of the controversy, which (in theory) was to be a safe place where moderates and conservatives could try to work out some of their differences and coexist. Sherman made, I thought, a generous offer. He said to the conservatives, “Let the moderates have Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville and one other school of your choosing and you can have the other four theological schools [that included Southwestern Theological Seminary in Texas, the largest seminary in the world at the time]. We each can do theological education our way.

Prominent SBC Pastor Adrian Rogers, who was also on the Committee said, “We don’t want four of the seminaries, we want all six of the seminaries.” It was that spirit that drove moderate Baptists out of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Last year our church discovered that CBF has a restrictive hiring policy that is condemnatory toward the LGBTQ community. The Coordinating Council adopted this policy in October of 2000, but our church leadership only became aware of it last year. On the CBF website the policy is titled: “Organizational Policy on Homosexual Behavior Related to Personnel and Funding.” It reads as follows:

As Baptist Christians, we believe that the foundation of a Christian sexual ethic is faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman and celibacy in singleness. We also believe in the love and grace of God for all people, both of those who live by this understanding of the biblical standard and those who do not. We treasure the freedom of individual conscience and the autonomy of the local church, and we also believe that congregational leaders should be persons of moral integrity whose lives exemplify the highest standards of Christian conduct and character.

Because of this organizational value, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship does not allow for the expenditure of funds for organizations or causes that condone, advocate or affirm homosexual practice. Neither does this CBF organizational value allow for the purposeful hiring of a staff person or the sending of a missionary who is a practicing homosexual.

The church I pastor is a welcoming and affirming congregation. We not only welcome LGBTQ persons as members into our fellowship, we welcome their service and leadership (no position of leadership is closed to LGBTQ members). For obvious reasons we found the CBF hiring and funding policy deeply offensive.

In October of 2013 I sent a letter with the unanimous consent of our deacon body to the new Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter. It read:

Dear Ms Paynter,
Congratulations on your new position as CBF Executive Coordinator. I wish I did not have to correspond with you on such a serious matter, but I must.

Our church recently became aware of the CBF organizational policy on homosexual behavior related to personnel and funding that was adopted in October 2000. We are a welcoming and affirming congregation, and find this policy very disturbing.

The policy “does not allow for the expenditure of funds for organizations or causes that condone, advocate or affirm homosexual practice.” Our church would come under that ban since we affirm the LGBTQ community as equal members. The policy justifies this on the basis that “congregational leaders should be persons of moral integrity whose lives exemplify the highest standards of Christian conduct and character,” obviously judging  homosexuals as persons lacking in moral integrity and high Christian conduct and character. We do not believe sexual orientation in and of itself says anything about a person’s “moral integrity” or “Christian conduct and character.”
It was the unanimous decision of our deacon body that I write and express to you our concerns. We have two important questions, the answers to which will determine the level of our continuing support of CBF.

First, is this policy being currently implemented? Secondly, is there any formal discussion going on (committee, group, etc) that could lead to a change in this policy?

If there is I would be glad to be part of that discussion. I believe that change best comes from within, rather than without.
Your response to these questions would be much appreciated.
Grace and peace,
Chuck Queen, Senior Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Frankfort, KY

The letter was sent and we waited. No response. Did the letter get lost? The letter was sent a second time. In July of 2014 we are still waiting for a response.

It took the Southern Baptist Convention a long time, but finally in 1995 the denomination formally apologized for its support of slavery and racism. For many years the SBC stood on the wrong side of history.

I wonder how long it will take the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship to realize that with regard to our LGBTQ sisters and brothers it is on the wrong side of history. How long will it take for them to apologize for their condemnatory policies toward our LGBTQ sisters and brothers?


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Type: response

text:
Sep 04 2006

Malawi Bound

Category: Uncategorized<ADMINNICENAME> @ 4:12 AM

I’m leaving for 15 days in Malawi on Monday, partly to get a look at how food-security issues are handled in this southern African country, where famines have reoccurred since the mid-1800s. Malawiâ€™s corn harvest is expected to be its largest since 2000, because of better weather.

That should ease pressure on food supplies but there is continuing concern over low productivity in agriculture. One of the reasons for my visit is to meet with ordinary farmers to better understand efforts to improve food output. The work is part of a continuing project of mine on the political economy of African agriculture, which has been funded in part by the German Marshall Fund.

In todayâ€™s SF Chronicle I have a short analysis of the current problems in the Congo, where a second round of U.N.-sponsored elections are set for late October.

I donâ€™t like what the UN is doing in the Congo and think the elections should be postponed, with a new slate of candidates drawn from civil society, not the ranks of war lords and despots (the current contenders).

Sep 01 2006

Category: Uncategorized<ADMINNICENAME> @ 10:31 PM

â€œEvery African is an unconscious aristocrat.â€
Cheikh Anta Diop

Sep 01 2006

Back to Africa

Category: Uncategorized<ADMINNICENAME> @ 10:24 PM

Barack Obamaâ€™s visit to Kenya has provoked some productive soul-searchingamong the citizens of Africaâ€™s greatest under-achiever. Obama, the only black U.S. Sentator, is the son of a Kenyan economist whoâ€™s never lived in Africa. His frank talk, coupled with his efforts to deepen connections to people with a shared heritage, provides a model for a different kind of foreign assistance to Africa.

Aids continues to dominate media attention of Africa, as illustrated by a front page story in the Aug. 29 issue of the New York Times, which centers on Bill Clintonâ€™s effective efforts to reduce the costs of HIV/AIDS drugs.

« Previous Page

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-17
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for April 2017
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Nakia Burrise on "Hart of Dixie" (2013)

Nakia Burrise (Tanya, Zeo-Turbo) made a brief appearance on the CW drama "Hart of Dixie" in last night's new episode, titled "Family Tradition." The episode finds main character, Dr. Zoe Hart (series star Rachel Bilson), coming to terms with family issues of her own. During the episode, she has an encounter in her office with the Pritchett sisters, who arrive with the sheriff telling Zoe of a medical emergency, caused when Patty is run over by Prizzi. Burrise appears as Patty in the extended sequence, which finds Zoe witnessing the bickering between the two sisters, only for them to end up apologizing and turning their anger on Zoe for calling them crazy. Nakia Burrise is the second PR alum featured on the blog for appearing on "Hart of Dixie." David de Lautour made a guest appearance on the series last season.

 photo hartdixie-3x6-nb1_zps0ab48bbd.jpg  photo hartdixie-3x6-nb2_zps2bfdcdab.jpg
 photo hartdixie-3x6-nb3_zps0d389da2.jpg
 photo hartdixie-3x6-nb4_zps14d6bf45.jpg  photo hartdixie-3x6-nb5_zps06b587d3.jpg
 photo hartdixie-3x6-nb6_zps563e8b3d.jpg
 photo hartdixie-3x6-nb7_zps60cf17d5.jpg  photo hartdixie-3x6-nb8_zps42e17ff9.jpg
 photo hartdixie-3x6-nb9_zps60024d83.jpg
 photo hartdixie-3x6-nb10_zps0033b2c6.jpg  photo hartdixie-3x6-nb11_zpse810cd6b.jpg
 photo hartdixie-3x6-nb12_zps5458c77b.jpg

Season 3 of "Hart of Dixie" airs on THE CW

Previous Nakia Burrise posts


text:
Barbara J Lapp Lutcf

Business Insurance

Nationwide Business Insurance in Lancaster, Pennsylvania From Barbara J Lapp Lutcf

Barbara J Lapp Lutcf has the local knowledge and versatile insurance products to customize coverage for any small-to-medium-sized company in Lancaster. That said, even small businesses can have big business insurance needs. Liability, asset protection, commercial auto, employee insurance and other risk management tools apply to more than just the Fortune 500. Our agents have plenty of experience working with companies in virtually every Lancaster industry, from food and beverage to auto repair, as well as more niche markets. Barbara J Lapp Lutcf can help your business understand how various coverage options work within your specific industry.

More than just the industry, business insurance policy options are likely to be affected by the company’s size, age, and location. Not to worry, our agents know the risks facing your business. Barbara J Lapp Lutcf has the local knowledge to identify and explain how a particular location impacts a company’s risk profile—regardless of whether or not you hung your shingle near our office.

By partnering with Nationwide, it’s easy to build a policy that manages the company’s risk. In fact, with Nationwide’s On Your Side® Review, business owners know that their coverage is keeping up with their evolving insurance priorities. Flexible billing and payment options, as well as Nationwide’s Business Banking, can also manage the financial side of your business.

Give Barbara J Lapp Lutcf a call at (717) 299-1363. We can find a policy for your company quickly and confidently over the phone, or we can schedule a time to talk about your policy in person.

Read More... Read Less...

Get an Insurance Quote

Get a Quote
  • Mon: 9:00 - 4:30 Evening By Appt.
  • Tues: 9:00 - 4:30 Evening By Appt.
  • Wed: 9:00 - 4:30 Evening By Appt.
  • Thur: 9:00 - 4:30 Evening By Appt.
  • Fri: 9:00 - 4:30 Evening By Appt.
  • Sat: Closed
  • Sun: Closed
(717) 299-1363      MAP & DIRECTIONS


text:
Showing posts from October, 2006

Got Edge?

I mean Edgy. I mean Edgy Eft. Get it.

I followed the EdgyUpgrades document from the Ubuntu Wiki and all it took to upgrade my Dell laptop from Dapper to Edgy was one command:

gksu "update-manager -c"
I call this painless. Everything seems to be working just fine after the upgrade. Haven't had time to play with it at all -- in fact, I don't even know how long the upgrade process took, since I left after I started it.

Proposal for Testing Tools Panel at PyCon07

Following Titus's example with his Web Frameworks Panel proposal for PyCon07, I proposed a Testing Tools Panel. And yes, I expect the author of twill to participate and take questions :-)

I created a TestingToolsPanel page on the PyCon07 wiki. Please feel free to add your own testing-related topics of interest and/or questions for the authors. If you are a testing tool author, please consider participating in the panel. You can leave a comment here or send me an email (grig at and let me know if you're interested in participating.

Here's what I have so far on the Wiki page:

I maintain a "Python Testing Tools Taxonomy" (PTTT) Wiki page.

Here are some of the tools listed on the PTTT page:
unit testing tools (unittest/doctest/py.test/nose/Testoob/testosterone)mock/stub testing tools (python-mock/pmock/stubble)Web testing tools (twill/webunit/zope.testbrowser/Pamie/paste.test.fixture)acceptance testing tools (PyFit/texttest/FitLoader)GUI testing tools (pyw…

"Agile in action" photostream

From a blog I read with pleasure, Simon Baker's "Agile in action", here's a link to a Flickr photostream that shows in my opinion what agile is all about: collaboration, camaraderie, short, having great fun and producing great software in the process. Stevey, I can tell you've never been part of an agile team in your life -- otherwise why would you be so bitter and cranky about it?

The 90-9-1 rule and building an open source community

Jakob Nielsen talks about the 90-9-1 rule in his latest Alertbox newsletter: "Participation inequality: encouraging more users to contribute". Simply put, the rule states that in a typical online community, 90% of the users are lurkers, 9% are occasional contributors, and only 1% are active contributors. This should be interesting for people trying to build and grow open source projects. Nielsen has some suggestions to offer on how to overcome this "participation inequality". Read the article for his suggestions.

Here are some of my own observations and lessons learned from various open source efforts I've been part of (many of them are things I've tried to do on the Pybots project):

How to build an open source community

* Blog, blog, blog
* Send messages to mailing lists related to the area of your project
* Write extensive documentation, make it easy for people to join
* Create a project repository (Google Code)
* Get help from early adopters, involve them…

Let's celebrate Roundup by turning it into the official Python bug tracker

Richard Jones just posted a note about Roundup turning 5. What better birthday gift than turning it into the official Python bug/issue tracker. Readers of Planet Python certainly know by now that there are 2 issue trackers in contention: JIRA and Roundup. Unless people step up to volunteer as admins for maintaining a Roundup-based Python issue tracker, the PSF will choose JIRA. I walked the walk and volunteered myself. I know there must be other people out there who would like to see a Python-based project be selected over a Java project. Any takers? Send an email by Oct. 16th to infrastructure at stating your intention to volunteer. All it takes is 8 to 10 people.

Pybots news

I'm happy to report that the Pybots project continues to gain momentum. In raw numbers, we have 8 buildslaves running the automated tests for 17 projects, and also testing the installation of 18 other packages. Pretty impressive, if I may say so myself. This table is copied from the main page and shows the current setup:

Builder nameProject(s) testedPre-requisites installedOwnerx86 Red Hat 9Twistedsetuptools, zope.interface, pycrypto, pyOpenSSLGrig Gheorghiux86 Debian Unstabledocutils, roundupN/ASeo Sanghyeonx86 Ubuntu DapperparsedatetimesetuptoolsMike Taylor (Bear)x86 OSXvobject, zanshinsetuptools, zope.interface, TwistedMike Taylor (Bear)x86 Gentoopysqlite, Genshi, Trac, feedvalidatorclearsilver, pysqliteManuzhaiamd64 Ubuntu DapperMySQLdb, CherryPyN/AElliot Murphyx86 Windows 2003lxml (dev, stable) Bazaar (dev, stable)libxml2, libxslt, zlib, iconvSidnei da Silvax86 Ubuntu BreezyCheesecakesetuptools, nose, logilab-astng, pylintGrig Gheorghiu
Some more projects and buildsl…


text:
Agrarhof Website and Webhosting Information

We found that the organization hosting is Hetzner Online GmbH in Nürnberg, Bayern, Germany.

A more detailed IP address report for is below. At the time you pulled this report, the IP of is and is located in the time zone of Europe/Berlin. The context of is "Agrarhof" and could reflect the theme of the content available on the resource. More IP details of are shown below along with a map location.

IP Address of Agrarhof is
IP Address:
Host of this
Organization:Hetzner Online AG
ISP/Hosting:Hetzner Online GmbH
Postal Code:90455
Local Time:04/30/2017 08:57 AM Reverse IP | Websites on the same Webhosting

Map location for | Agrarhof Whois

Recommended Articles Based on Your Search

Top of the Page


text:
Saturday, August 27, 2011

Preparing for 1.8 (Edited)

Hi everyone,

I relized that I haven't posted for a while. I've been too busy preparing for school and making videos, and of course... Minecraft. Which is what I'm going to be talking about (Surprise).

1.8 is coming out very soon, most likely early next week. From Notch's livestream and a video of someone filming 1.8, we know most of what will be in the new update. One of those features is the creative/surivival option. Wouldn't be great if Ops were to be able to have the creative mode while non ops got regular survival? I doubt that's going to happen (perhaps with a Bukkit plugin). But if there isn't a way to do half and half, I will probably stick with survival mainly becase the whole reason there is non-ops is so that they don't go on a lava/TNT spree. But, I am hopeful that a plugin will come along that enables a half and half funtionality.

Bukkit is usually good about updating very quickly (Example: They launched a version for 1.7 is just 15 min.!). But, with 1.8 being such a big update, they might be a day or two. So, if they are not quick, we will play on a regular Minecraft server for the time being (Read: No Mods). So don't come on the server and expect Bukit right of the bat.

That's all I really have to say. Just wanted to let you know. Here are the videos I was talking about from earlier.

PAX Livestream (With Notch playing + It's 52 min.)

An HD Look at the New Update (Only 3 min.)

- Aidan

Edit: I have figured out that ops will be able to switch between creative and regular survival mode. Thanks to Notch for adding this. It's just what I needed!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

I'm Back!

Hello everyone,

I am on the way home from Alaska and I think the server's down. I don't know how long it's been down, but I'll ask someone soon.

The new contest started yesterday and this week is aircraft week. Build the best aircraft of any size or type. I look forward to many awesome entries. See my other post for more details on the contest.

- Aidan


text:
Jul 17, 2010

Another Great Speech Therapy Session

We had a great second session with Pam today. I feel so fortunate that she agreed to see Ainsley. One wonderful thing about Ainsley is that she learns quickly and remembers. It was clear right away that she remembered the games we played with Pam the week before.

One game/activity was to say the animal sound for each animal on the pages of a book. Ainsley can't even come close to making animal sounds so past efforts trying to to get her to do so were completely unsuccessful. Basically she wouldn't even respond so I stopped trying because I knew it was hopeless. Pam noted that she would verbally "shut down" when asked to make sounds/say words she knows she can't. With Pam the goal (for now) is just to make the sound she can, which is kind of an "Ahhhh. " Ainsley knew that is was okay to make the sound "her way" and so she did, OVER AND OVER and OVER AGAIN. Pam would clap every time. It's goes like this:

Pam: "What does the cat say?" (pointing to the picture)
Ainsley: "Ahhhh"
Pam: "Yea!" (with clapping)
Pam: "What does the dog say?" (pointing to the picture)
Ainsley: "Ahhhh"
Pam: "Yea! (with clapping)

This repeats through the 10 or so pages and then she starts the book over again as many times as Ainsley maintains interest.

Pam had her listening to her own voice using a tube and stethoscope and suggested making a whisper phone using PVC pipe, which we did and Ainsley LOVES. The idea is that listening to the voice draws attention to what the child is saying. And it's fun and encourages a kid to use her voice. Great ideas, huh?!

The other activity she did was have Ainsley call toy animal figures to her. Each time Ainsley called them with her voice the animal would come a little closer until it eventually reached her. Then Ainsley gets the animal, and gives it to me and into a pile it goes. She loved this game and again the goal is increase vocalization and use of the voice. The activity makes using the voice fun and therefore encourages more use of the voice. Such a simple idea, yet it works. I think we've made more progress in the weeks we've been working with Pam than years of traditional therapy. Although to be fair, Ainsley didn't have use of her vocal cords for her first two years.

It's amazing to watch Ainsley be so incredibly vocal during the hour that we are there. And it has carried over at home. In addition it seems like all the practice is paying off. She's starting to make some consonant sounds. She can't make them on demand, but it's great to see the beginning of her using her lips and tongue to change sound. Even though she uses her vocal cords to produce intonation, she's never used her lips and tongue.  Pam observed her eating. She gave the suggetion of allowing her to dip a tube into her "tastes" of food in order to get her chewing because it's during chewing that kids make sound and figure out that moving the jaw changes sound. Ainsley isn't ready to chew real food, but she can chew on toys. So we're going to be pushing the chew toys. And we've actually seen Ainsley start to close her mouth rather well around a spoon over the last few weeks so we're going to try to push feeding a little harder again.

Of course the progress toward true speech will likely be slow. Ainsley does have a malformation of her cerebellum and a trach. I'm under no illusion that it will be easy. But I have more hope than I've had in a long time. We will still be working on sign language and using an AAC device. It may be years before she can be understood by the average person. But honestly I'd be happy if she could verbally answer yes and no questions and say a few words. At least for now.

  1. Pam sounds like a neat lady who is really aware of her patients and their needs. Glad to hear Ainsley is making progress. She will be heard and understood, someday! : ) Take care.

  2. Congratulations!
    you really are doing a great job.I'm a spanish pediatrician treating patients like your daughter.
    I think that your blog could be also very helpful for spanish families with tracheostomised children.
    Thank you very much for share with us your loved family and all the knowledge required to care these children (that is not available in medical books!!)


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
search > Ajman dating > Ajman men seeking women

Posted: Thursday, 9 February 2017, 16:20

Hey guys calls only please!!
Candy0528616332 is an Escort lady, explores in all centigrade of massagne and sex services, for In and Out calls, Oil body to body massage,anal,69,Anal,Sex cum,Golden showers,Brown shower,French kiss,Blowjobs and Happy ending these are services given to all my clients in all cities of UAE.... Give it a time and you testify my paramount results guys hoops!! (+971528616332 pls calls and Whatsapp for location .....

Poster's age: 22

• Location: Ajman

• Post ID: 9972642 ajman is an interactive computer service that enables access by multiple users and should not be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider. © 2017


text:
Thursday, June 30, 2011

Weakest among all @ Animal Kaiser kingdom

This is the animal who have the lowest health ever...
~ Farhan Azyumardhi Azmi

This animal's Best Attack (T) at lv.5 damage is 5000 but with one attack the blue coralis die,because his health just 1000
~ Nur Reza

This animal can used just by Animal Kaiser Master.This animal will not die when attacked by Indian Elephant's Worst Attack (T) at lv.1 because damage is just 900
~ KeJo Chandra

True,I think this is the most noobest Animal XD.. I saw a video on Youtube when a Machine lion attack it with Miracle,its has only 900 damage lol
~ Chua Ming Han

It's from Malaysia and have Poison and Curse...
~ Yokke Putra

True. that animal has strong strenghht but if you look in the othher side the health is low
~ Brian De Ocampo

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Full disclosure:  I’m doing this as part of a series for BookRiot.com, and I’m entering Book Riot’s START HERE Write-In Giveaway.

I’m also doing this because Catherynne Valente is one of my favorite writers ever, and I want to share the love.

Cat Valente is one of the most poetic modern writers I’ve ever come across.  Her work is dense with imagery, fascinating characters, and world-building that I can only aspire to.  She draws from mythologies all over the world and takes a careful mortar and pestle to them, keeping the flavor, but altering them to suit her stories.  My first exposure to her work was in an anthology called Ravens in the Library, and while there are big names aplenty in that lovely charity work, it was Cat Valente’s short story ‘The Ballad of the Sinister Mr. Mouth’ that I remember best.  I read the story in a breathless state of wonder, and ended up weeping at the end of it.  It wasn’t necessarily a sad story, but it touched me in that artist’s place and managed to lay me raw.  Since then, I’ve been buying everything she writes, in hardcover.

The woman is incredibly prolific.  She writes short fiction, poetry, and novels.  I’ve decided to recommend one of each.

1)  Short Fiction – Silently and Very Fast

This novella is up for a Hugo this year, and I can see why.  It’s a gorgeous dreamscape that slowly shows you its underpinnings until you realize you’ve been reading a treatise on how we may treat other forms of intelligence, how the human race may slowly become redundant, how the smallest of families can protect themselves in such a world.  Both plot and prose are artfully constructed.

2)  Poetry – Mouse Koan

This one is available free on Tor.com, and is well-worth the read.  It starts out with a bit of humor, a bit of the start of the universe, and then focuses down on a particular part of our universe.  The imagery – I can’t say enough about it.  This is brilliant modern poetry, and it’s available for free, people.

3)  Novel – Palimpsest

Now, Ms. Valente has written many novels, and they’re all worth mentioning.  This one, however, grabbed me by the shirt collar and dragged me into its world, hauled me along with characters I cared about desperately, and made me believe in a central concept I would have laughed at if introduced without the supporting language.  I wept at the end of this book, and came out of it gasping for air – hell, gasping for more of Cat Valente’s fiction.  It was nominated for the Hugo for 2011.  Read this book.

I could recommend more – her Orphan’s Tale duology, her Fairyland novels, her Tales of Prester John series – I could go on forever, or at least until I ran out of her work.  But these are good places to start.

And a quick reminder – my own Kickstarter is running, at about the halfway point timewise.  Please take a look, and pledge and repost if you can!


text:
Latest News

Arts and Letters alumna builds international banking career

Author: Dorothy Wallheimer

Categories: Alumni, General News, and Internationalism

When Linda Wilbert Parish enrolled at Notre Dame in fall 1973—the year after the University first admitted women—she was one of only about 400 female students on campus. Since graduating in 1977 with a degree in American studies and foreign languages, Parish has built a career in the banking industry that has taken her around the world. From an internship at Goldman Sachs, she has worked her way up to her current position, senior vice president at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Read More


text:
June 2013
The Business of Farming

Keeping Records on Family-Owned Timber

Many small farmers and homeowners own small parcels of timber on their land. After the April 2011 tornados, hundreds of acres of timber were blown down. A significant amount of this timber was harvested and sold. As economists, we received numerous questions asking how these timber sales were supposed to be reported on individual tax returns. Our answer generally was "It depends."

Woodland property may be taxed under one of three tax classifications:

Personal property,

Investment (income-producing) property or

Business property.

These classifications depend on how you use your timberland, the reason you purchased the land and what activities happen on your timberland. Since so many of the questions we received after the tornadoes were from homeowners, small landowners and farmers, we will focus in this article on their needs. If you are in the commercial timber business, there are many publications specific to your needs.

Normally, the first question from farmers and small landowners is "Where do I report the sale of timber?" Generally speaking, gains from sale of personal property are taxed as capital gains like stock sales.

The next question generally is "What is my basis (cost) in this timber?" Taxpayers don’t want to pay taxes on the gross dollar amount of the timber sale if there are costs they can deduct from the sale.

To determine the cost of your timber, you need to know the planting costs, maintenance costs and costs associated with cutting your timber. Here are a couple of questions any farmer or small landowner should consider discussing with your tax advisor.

First, let’s consider the cost of the timber when you first became the landowner.

When did you inherit or purchase the timber? How many years ago was this?

Is the timber part of a farm or a separate plot of land?

In either situation, was there an appraisal done on the value of the timber when you inherited or purchased the property?

Next, let’s consider the costs of planting and maintaining your timber.

For farmers, were any of the costs associated with timber deducted on prior year tax returns? Timber planting costs include site preparation, seedlings, consulting forester’s fees and others. Timber maintenance costs include a wide variety of potential costs including tree trimming and other costs incurred in keeping your timberland in good shape.

Unfortunately, many small farmers and landowners cannot answer these questions due to poor records. If they spent $10,000 in planting costs 15 years ago, they either no longer have the documentation to prove the expenditure or to determine whether this $10,000 was previously deducted on their tax return in prior years.

Our best recommendation for these types of questions is to begin a diary or journal for your small timber holdings. Use this diary to write down everything you have done to your timber holdings. If you spent money, make a note of how much, the reason for the expenditure and the vendor you paid. If you have more than one plot of timber land, note which parcel the money was spent on. Also, make a note whether this expense was deducted on a tax return and what year.

Over time, this journal or diary will become more and more valuable to you. Take pictures or draw maps of your plot and tape them in your journal or diary over the years. A simple journal or diary like this could have saved farmers and small landowners significant taxes since the April 2011 tornado.

Finally, it will be time to harvest and sell your timber because (a) you want to or (b) because you have to due to storm, fire or tornado damage. This journal will help determine your investments or costs in your timber that have not previously been reported on a tax return. These costs may have been incurred over 5-25 years.

In addition to prior year costs, you have current year timber costs. You will have the costs associated with cutting and selling your timber in the current tax year. Putting these prior year and current tax year costs together will form your cost basis for your timber sales.

Timber can be considered as a long-term investment or simply as a cost to improve the look of your farm or personal property. In either case, make sure your records are adequate.

For additional information on timber sales, we invite you to visit the Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s website at www.aces.edu and type "timber sales" in the search window. There are many excellent articles on ACES’s website that you may find interesting. A little research and a talk with your tax advisor this year may save you thousands of dollars in taxes for future timber sales.

For more information about farm management and financial analysis, please contact your County Extension Coordinator or an Extension Specialist: North Alabama: Holt Hardin, 256-574-2143 or Robert Page, 256-528-7133; Central Alabama: Jamie Yeager, 334-624-4016; Southwest Alabama: Steve Brown, 251-867-7760.


text:
Saturday, August 29, 2009

More on athletic balance....

How to use power curves to help determine athletic strengths and weaknesses

One of my key objectives as a coach is to address and rectify the athlete’s weaknesses with respect to the demands of their event.

The first step in addressing is assessing, i.e. determining where the athlete is physiologically weak. I use multiple means in making this assessment, including laboratory testing (which I have written about at length) along with field data, which will be the focus of this article.

One of the key principles within my training philosophy is that of athletic ‘balance’. This is no doubt, at least in part, bred from the testing that I have performed on a wide array of athletes of different events of different duration. In all cases, the general ‘athleticism’ of these athletes shines through, to some extent, irrespective of their specific event.

This is more than just platitude. In the communist GDR for example, all athletes from marathon runners to Olympic lifters to 1500m swimmers, first had to pass a ‘general athleticism test’ in order to be considered for the sports schools that would enable them to eventually practice their specialty. The criteria for a male 13 year old was as follows (Arbeit, 1997):

• Height: 1.71-1.76m
• 30m sprint: 4.0s
• 3x hop: 6.0-6.4m
• Ball throw (165g): 54-60m
• Shot Put (3.0kg): 9.0-9.5m
• 1500m Run: 4:40-4:50

My first personal ‘aha’ moment on the notion of athletic balance came ‘way back when’ during my college days. Our sports science class represented a cross section of elite athletes from a wide variety of sports, ranging from body builders to tennis players to swimmers to distance runners. It is an understatement to say that I was frequently surprised by who ‘topped the charts’ in the various physiological tests. Our body builder had the highest VO2max, a pro skateboarder topped the pull-up test and, just as surprisingly, when we took to the track for running field tests, our elite 10K/marathon runner came in top 3 in running tests of ALL DURATIONS, ranging from a 5K time trial down to a 60m dash!!

This pattern has since been confirmed as I’ve gone about my business as a coach of elite and AG swimmers and triathletes.

World class 1500m swimmers will beat National class 100m ‘specialists’ in a 100m race. Likewise, world class Ironman triathletes have surprisingly high 5sec power numbers, beaten perhaps by equally world class road and track cyclists, but certainly equal to or better than a Cat 2 ‘specialist’ sprinter (incidentally, the use of my inverted commas is an attempt to convey my view that a Cat 2 racer shouldn’t be a ‘specialist’ at anything, but rather should continue to focus on general development, but that is the subject for another blog…)

So, second to my central job of getting my athletes fit enough to train, my next job is to make sure that the training is focused on long term athletic balance, which will eventually lead to the athlete fulfilling their potential in their most genetically appropriate event. Of course, this implies that I have some idea of what ‘ideal’ balance is.

First of all, let’s throw out the epitome of athletic balance by looking at world best powers over each duration (Wilson, 2004):

Of course, despite the importance of balance that I have outlined, we wouldn’t expect a world class Ironman to also have world class anaerobic capacity. While the general shape of the curve will be the same for all athletes, parts of the curve will be warped to favor the athlete’s strengths/primary event. For example, below I have overlayed actual power data from a world class Ironman athlete with that of a similarly world class male road cyclist.

The differences are evident. While both have very strong curve ‘ends’ (in fact their maximal power is separated by less than 100W and their 4hr power by 12W!!), the difference in the middle of the curve is obvious. The anaerobic capacity of the road cyclist shines through in a significantly higher curve in the 1-20min time frames. This is the result of an athlete with very good basic strength and endurance specifically preparing for the decisive demands of their event.

On the flip-side, while not as obvious on this curve, as the duration increases, a trend is evident, the Ironman athlete loses very little power, while the road cyclists curve is on a steeper descent. Again, the result of an athlete with very high levels of strength and endurance (at least to the 4hr mark), developing the economy and lipolytic capacity to prepare specifically for the demands of their event.

If you look at the curves above, you will notice that beyond the 10 minute mark, the curve drops at a pretty steady rate (with the exception of the 30 minute point for road cyclists which falls within the range of TT performance and is therefore typically stronger than the other points). Beyond 10mins, the curve drops in a pretty linear fashion. Practically, then, the ‘steepness’ of this descent can be quantitatively defined. In fact, several coaches have developed rules of thumb that assess an athlete’s endurance via their fatigue rate. You may be familiar with Jack Daniels 2.2+10s rule, which implies a fatigue rate of 10% as the distance doubles. Joe Friel suggests a fatigue rate of 5% as the duration doubles in the Triathlete’s Training Bible, while George Dallam introduces a similar concept by looking at individual fatigue curves in Championship Triathlon Training. Based on the numbers that I have seen, here are my own rules of thumb regarding the gradient of this fatigue curve:

• Athletes with very strong endurance or who are long duration specialists, exhibit fatigue curves of ~6%. In other words, as the distance doubles, athletes with strong endurance lose ~6% of their power.

• Balanced athletes with average levels of endurance or mid-duration specialists (Time Trialists, Olympic Distance Triathletes etc.) exhibit fatigue curves in the realm of ~8%.

• ‘Top end strong’/Anaerobic athletes exhibit fatigue curves of 10% or more.

These numbers imply steady-state endurance (@ ~60% VO2max) of 90minutes+ for anaerobic athletes, 3hrs+ for mid-duration specialists and 12hrs+ for long distance/IM specialists.

Delving into this fatigue curve in a little more depth, from the database of field data that I have collected on a large number of top AG and pro athletes, I have compiled the following ‘ideal’ power-duration curve for (male) Ironman athletes.

The first number on each point represents the power duration (in minutes, for example, 0.1=6 seconds), while the second refers to the % of max power held for that duration.

So, using these numbers, in a basic development sense, if an athlete lacks the strength/power to hit max power numbers better than 4x their 2hr numbers, strength/power may be limiting. On the flipside, if an athlete is unable to hold 1/4 of their max power for a 90min session, endurance may be limiting.

Following this basic assessing and addressing of the foundational qualities, consideration can be given to specific development towards the athlete’s event. In the world of Ironman racing, this means both training to hold progressively higher % over longer durations and, just as importantly, since this is a long term project, identifying the % that they will realistically be able to hold for the next race.

For an elite Ironman competitor, this may be 21% of their maximal power, for a fit but not fully ‘Ironman developed’ athlete, it may be closer to 18%. For a novice athlete with a longer race duration, still working on basic preparation, it may be closer to 15% (lower than their ‘basic training’ intensity!!)

Ironman athletes are fundamentally, strong, fast, fit athletes (who are powerful but shy of world class short duration power) who then lay down ~6,000 hrs of specific endurance training to increase their economy, their fat oxidation and the consequent power that they can hold over the tail end of the curve by 15% or more.

In terms of development then, rather than focusing on a particular event, an athlete with a young training age is better served focusing on one of 2 general athletic weak points. Put simply, if you lack the ability to put out 4x your 2hr power in a maximal effort, focus on the strength end of the curve. If you lack the ability to hold 22-26% of your max power for sessions in the 60min to 4hr range, focus on the endurance end of the curve.

I find the power-duration curve to be a very useful ‘check-in’ tool with the athletes I work with. I hope you also find some value in this approach.

Train Smart,

steve said...

over 500w for 10min who is that fabian or indurain? I read that floyed best 5min power was around 475-480?

Alan Couzens said...

Hey Steve,

It was Indurain. Floyd says he went 460W for 10 in his book.

Scott said...

Hi Alan,

Great article. Great to see someone finally getting out of lactate testing box.

Scott McMillan

Alan Couzens said...

Thanks Scott.

I still use lactate testing quite a bit but for athletes training with power, the sheer amount of field data often proves more reliable.


text:
Tuesday, January 31, 2012

5 year old analyzes logos

Cincinnati, Ohio-based identity designer Adam Ladd asked his 5-year-old daughter her impressions on some popular logos. Watch it here.
Unbearably cute (and perceptive!) and for some reason made me cry. :-)

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Contemporary Days: The Designs of Lucienne & Robin Day

Am still deep in textile work this wknd.
Found this film by Design Onscreen on Vimeo:
Contemporary Days: The Designs of Lucienne & Robin Day.
(Was played at the IDS on Friday night)
Really great.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Good design for the masses

"I like the idea that people might not be able to afford a painting for the wall but can have a fabulous pair of curtains."

Lucienne Day

Inspiration for Textile designs

I've been working on some textile patterns the last couple days.
Can't show any sketches cuz the project is secret for now but can show you some of my inspiration.

Calyx by the incredible Lucienne Day
A big hit at the Festival of Britain 1951.
The abstracted flowers were inspired by Paul Klee.

Perpetua also by Lucinenne Day
So great.

By Terence Conran (yep Sir Terence) + David Whitehead 1950
Am off to Zab's launch at MADE.
Please note I posted the incorrect time in last post.
It is today 3-6pm.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Cozy snowy day in Toronto

One of my fave Toronto cafes: Luna cafe at 181 Dovercourt Rd. (at Argyle)
Is it not cozy looking?
Taken on serene walk back home from the Y.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

What a lovely night

Salon night with some of my favourite designs gals
Lynda, Kim, Janet, Jennifer, Donna + Colleen

What a lovely night it was.
ps. Donna brought that great bouquet from a shoot earlier in the day. :-)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

This is tomorrow

Creative Morning Two!
Looking forward the danishes + coffee...

Zab + The Parkdale Wallpaper Company

My friend Zab who has long worked as a typographer + graphic designer has recently started an exciting new venture: The Parkdale Wallpaper Company.

Her new company produces gorgeous custom wallpaper designs - many with a strong typography vibe to them - which will appeal to design nerds everywhere.

Recently Zab created a custom skin for her iphone with her new company logo on it.
How great eh?
The "5" design gives you an idea of what the wallpaper will look like...
but to see it in person.... you'll have to come to Zab's launch.

Zab is launching her line during Toronto Design week
Sat January 28th
1-3 pm
867 Dundas Street West
See you there.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

"Work is the process of turning ideas into objects or acts"

(In other words... Get it outta your head and onto the paper)

Friday, January 13, 2012

It's been a full week....

Looking for Geek?

copyright Alanna Cavanagh 2012

If you are.... I've got the person for you.
Robyn Harrison is my Go to Geek for all my tech issues.
She specializes in Apple Computers and can do everything from setting up your printer to installing a new hard drive to giving you private lessons on any Apple product. She's also friendly, affordable and does housecalls.
Highly recommended.

ps. Robyn is also a talented photographer which you will see from her website. :-)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

If ya wanna know what's on my mind... check my Pinterest boards

I'm working on a bunch of illustration assignments this week so won't have much time to blog.
In the meantime if you wanna know what juicy things I'm thinking about you can always check out my Pinterest boards!
Here are a few faves this week.

Pinned onto "Books to Order":

The new tome on Alexander Girard by Todd Oldman.
Girard is best known for the bold colourful textiles that he created for Herman Miller - and he has long been a Total Mentor. Todd Oldman is a Mentor too. :-)

Pinned onto "Inspiration":

These adorable Stag + Hedgehog lampshades by UK based Lush Designs.
(Discovered thru Living Etc magazine)
Lush design = Marie Rodgers + Maria Livings. They seem like my kind o'women! Hilarious.

Pinned onto "Funny Writing":

Yep two.
I find this to be quite true...

See you in Pinland!

Images from weekend

Liz + Steve who I don't get to see near enuf!

Fun party at Ghislaine's new house (Quite SIGH worthy)

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Sketch: Semiotics professor

Spotted at the Manulife Centre Dec 31st 2011.
Looked very french.

Monday, January 2, 2012

A Few Favourites of 2011

1. Favourite tool: My new iPhone.

2. Favourite Shop/ Rebrand: The Bay!

With CEO Bonnie Brooks at the helm (plus her staff - including the fabulous Arren Williams - yes editorial bias here!) the store has become the epitome of "Cozy Canadiana cool".
I just love all the new products inspired by the iconic striped blanket.

A new book on the Hudson's Bay Co book published by the very styley publisher Assouline.

A cute tee created in collaboration with Shared.

*The Bay's new Bannock restaurant + Foodwares market are also fantastic.*

This is the dining area in the new Foodwares market.
Love that Wall mural.
Again very Cozy Canadiana Cool.

3. Favourite new Style icon :
Rooney Mara

Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in the Girl with the Dragon tattoo.

Very kick ass.
I predict she will inspire the return of short hair.

4. Favourite novel: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.

5. Favourite design book: Fornasetti by Patrick Mauries

6. Favourite New Social media gizmo: Pinterest!

A fabulous way to categorize all the great stuff that comes flooding at us on a daily basis.
Their Alexa Rating is now at 209. (!!)
hmm might need to buy some stock when it goes public.... :-)
If you haven't discovered it yet check it out here.

I had lots more faves... will post in the weeks to come.
Happy New Year Everybody.

Inspiration: Unzipped

Over the holidays I rewatched one of my favourite docs: Unzipped.
The doc follows designer Isaac Mizrahi as he plans his fall 1994 collection.
Directed by Douglas Keeve.

Very inspirational + a great peek inside the creative process.

Isaac Mizrahi drawing + deeply focused. I LOVE this photo.

In his Manhattan apt kvetching to a friend and freaking out re: his upcoming show. (Classic creative person!) Decor note: Love the salon wall!

One of my favourite people in the doc is Issac's producer Nina Santisi. (Above in headset) She is so grounded, organized + supportive - ie. what every zany creative person needs! When Issac's show is a success she is the first person he calls. Significant.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Photos from Xmas in Chicago

Off we go.
I love Porter Airline's branding which was created by former Wallpaper editor Tyler Brulé and his firm WINKREATIVE. Who knew you could make a raccoon look sophisticated?

The exterior of our hotel: The James. I loved their graphic + interior design as well!
(Ofcourse that's why I picked it!!)
Look at that great sideways sign. :-) Very welcoming.

Gorgeous lobby. :-)

(my bed at home feels very small now....)

Loved this cozy reading /dining nook + this unique liquor cabinet based on an old steamer trunk.

Chicago skyline!

The famous Marina City also known as the corn cob buildings. :-)
Designed in 1959 by architect Bertrand Goldberg.

First dinner = Chicago Deep dish pizza. Boy was it deep...

The "Chicago Picasso" in Daley plaza.

Chicago is jam packed with incredible public art. This is due to the fact that the city passed a law stipulating that 1.33% of the cost of constructing a building must be devoted to original artwork.
As a result a walk in the Loop area = bumping into incredible pieces by Picasso, Chagall, Miro + Calder. (!!)

The Four Seasons mosaic by Marc Chagall in Chase Tower Plaza.
Dedicated in 1974.

Some close ups.

Christmas eve dinner at mk.

5 stars!
They made the most fabulous cocktails and the decor was to die for.

Here is my cocktail called Holiday Smash .
(My company at the table was smashing too - Groan!)

Thanks so much to fellow blogger Heather Retke for recommending mk + many other great spots.

A trip to Millennium Park

Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate aka the Bean.

Frank Gehry's amazing Pritzker bandshell.

A trip to the Chicago Institute of Art

Love love this piece by Toulouse Latrec - especially that ghostly women' face.

Ofcourse many folk lining up to photograph the Institute' most famous piece: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by George Seurat.

*Curmudgeon Note*: When I witness scenes like this it always makes me think that John Ruskin would be rolling in his grave! The Victorian Art critic despised the camera and feared that the invention of it would lead to people focusing on capturing the moment for the FUTURE rather than LOOKING at what was in front of them in the PRESENT.
I heartily agree.

This was my favourite piece in the Institute's collection:
Green and White my Ellsworth Kelly. Love.

Perfect ending to trip:
Cozy flight home with red wine + latest issue of Canadian House + Home.
Loved this interview with Jenna Lyons of J. Crew (Total mentor!!) written by the lovely Catherine Sweeney. Thanks Kim. xo


text:
Heating, genitals homes with their own custody

Опубликовано в The strategy of building a house написал admin

Nowadays, the wood became selfsame popular, thanks to special systems, equally distributing heat (EGC). Opredelennye problems may grow in the delivery of fire. Bodoni condensation boilers and het pumps, solar collectors and achieve maximal efficiency when workings together with surface het systems (palisade or storey). In add-on, we should famed block that the fireplaces and solid refueling boilers should be regularly remote bloodless or shlak. E.g., a roadblock to gas heating of crotch houses wicker process notable just the absence of gas cheeseparing the domicile meshwork and the inability to cater gas pipes, but besides the obstruction of a technological nature (coerce on the concluding legging is too low). About owners use electricity to het your habitation, but she unbroken departure up, so thither comes to the bow the fiscal question. Otoplenie genitalia household flack requires the incessant mien of occupants, or without the seasonable cargo of firewood or woodwind pellets into the furnace flaming goes out, and the home begins to sang-froid. Snachala should regulate what rather fire you het the house, and this should be a start, choosing equipment. This besides applies to unanimous refueling boilers. But latterly, nerve-racking to competitiveness, manufacturers of self-colored fuel warming systems, autosampler, and meliorate the fire give devices. Mozhno last that the easiest to observe are the warming systems run on natural gas and current, as they are fully machine-controlled and demand no manual shipment topliva. The electrical system from this stand - the better. We volition try to address all aspects of their private home heating rukami. When choosing a warming ticker (oestrus ticker with snort men) for heating of genitals houses should besides take into account the effectuation of pricy and clip-consuming study (dig expectant pits). Early warming systems, because of the mechanical leave-taking in them, ask periodic inspection. In furnaces and boilers pauperism to adapt the burners. For woods, biomass and char is besides requisite to offer store place. Upstanding fuel boilers lock with high efficiency jointly the radiator at gamey temperatures (90/70 degrees). Pose heating systems command primp-scheming a net of channels and farther mounted in the walls. Therein attentiveness, it is commodious electrical heating systems - they virtually do illustrious inevitably to observe. Too, this obstruction may be the heights cost of het rabot. Thanks to them, the fuel can be pissed at least, for example, two or three times a week. But not decent good to get the heating, whether an average solicit range or complex heating equipment - to do a full choice - because of its consequences (fiscal and including) the owner of the family testament flavour a age. It is identical expensive and time-consuming workings. Authoritative agent for heat of crotch homes with their own custody is the efficiency.

Similar Posts:

  • Warming, secret homes with their own hands The electrical scheme from this stand – the outdo. For respective het of crotch houses are victimized limpid fire, liquified petroleum or natural gas, its whole forms: woodland (and its desolate in the mannequin of pellets), snow, ember, biomass (peat, reed), likewise as renewable electricity and born zip (domain, water, sun). If the territory is
  • Warming, genitalia homes with their own men In improver, we should famous block that the fireplaces and self-colored refueling boilers should be regularly removed blanched or shlak. Pri pick of heating system of a secret household, the significant character acting by the complexity and be of initiation. For example, a roadblock to gas heating of secret houses can answer famous lonesome the
  • Warming, crotch homes with their own men Air heat systems command plume-designing a net of channels and advance mounted in the walls. Mozhno terminated that the easiest to maintain are the het systems run on natural gas and current, as they are amply machine-controlled and involve no manual load topliva. It is rattling expensive and metre-consuming workings. Allowance of the burners in
  • Heating, genitals homes with their own hands Crucial factorization for heat of individual homes with their own men is the efficiency. We uncoerced try to destination all aspects of their genitalia habitation het rukami. Airy heating systems need primp-designing a web of channels and foster mounted in the walls. Cabling and initiation of safety devices are renowned complicated and clock overwhelming oeuvre,
  • Warming, genitals homes with their own manpower To increase the efficiency of the temperature core. Mozhno last that the easiest to well-kept are the het systems working on gas and current, as they are fully machine-driven and involve no manual loading topliva. Esli crotch habitation use liquefied petroleum gas or fluid refueling, it raises the doubt of reposition. Opredelennye problems may grow

Комментарии закрыты.


text:
Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Opposition To Alaska 2008 Ballot Measure 1 To Establish Gaming Commission Beginning To Build Out Of Fear It Will Backdoor Casino Gambling

The battle between the two opposing forces behind Alaska 2008 Ballot Measure 1 is now being fought on the pages of the Anchorage Daily News. Representatives of these forces have each published an opinion column outlining their respective positions on the issue.

Before we continue, here's the specific language of Ballot Measure 1, along with the official statements of support and opposition.

- Full 24-page Text of 05GAM2 Initiative
- Statement in Support of 05GAM2 Initiative, authored by Darwin A. Biwer, Alaskans for Gaming Reform.
- Statement in Opposition to 05GAM2 Initiative, co-authored by Jim Minnery of the Alaska Family Council and Debbie Joslin of Eagle Forum Alaska.

Both columns were published by the Anchorage Daily News on August 19th, 2008. Darwin Biwer of Alaskans for Gaming Reform leads off with his column entitled "Measure enhances gaming oversight". Biwer stresses that the intent is to consolidate enforcement and create a common regulatory body to reduce workload on other enforcement agencies. Here's the crux of his justification:

...numerous problems plague Alaska gaming, including misuse of gaming funds and collusion in awarding prizes. Oversight and reporting of activities are spotty, and so is accounting of revenues from cruise ship gaming. Most importantly, there is a growing illegal gambling problem in the state.

Right now, Alaska lacks consistent rules and oversight to ensure the legal games are fair and clean. Enforcement of gaming laws is divided among a hodgepodge of agencies. An understaffed Charitable Gaming Division of the Department of Revenue is responsible for monitoring gaming activities. But enforcement of gaming laws falls to local law enforcement agencies and the Department of Public Safety. If they find violations, it's up to the Department of Law to prosecute.

Ballot Initiative 1 would consolidate all gaming oversight into a single Alaska Gaming Commission to make enforcement more efficient and allow the other agencies to pursue their primary responsibilities.

Jim Minnery of the Alaska Family Council fired back the same day. In his column, entitled "Gambling invites unwanted problems", he characterizes the initiative as a "trojan horse". Here's the most pertinent part of the column:

Here's why the Trojan Horse analogy works. Those pushing this measure have tried to expand gambling in Alaska legislatively and they've failed each time. This effort, they insist, is simply about enhanced regulation of current charitable gaming activities.

They state that Ballot Measure 1 will "only create a Gaming Commission" and that the "initiative, in itself, would NOT increase gambling in Alaska". Sounds a bit defensive doesn't it? If that truly is the case, why does Ballot Measure 1 say that "The Alaska Gaming Commission is established for the purposes of generating revenue for the state" and that the commission will have the ability to authorize gaming activities"?

They claim that the "will of the people, not the Legislature, would decide what gaming activities would or would not be authorized." Really? Three members of the seven-person commission will "constitute a quorum for the transaction of business." And what is their business? Having "the authority to allow games of chance, such as lotteries and casino games, in the future." How do three people represent the "will of the people"?

Public comments posted to this column do not indicate that Minnery is very persuasive on this issue. In addition, I believe Minnery is using the "slippery slope" theory. Although the language may be a bit murky, I'm not convinced that Alaskans for Gaming Reform are trying to use this to backdoor casino gambling into Alaska. Besides, Alaska Natives are already free to set up casinos on their own lands, so how would this measure stop them from doing so? This is probably the first time I've disagreed with Jim Minnery on a social issue, but I just don't see that much of a problem, although I am concerned about the murky language.

But the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner has also weighed in, applying their editorial muscle against Ballot Measure 1 as well. In their editorial column entitled "Gambling with gambling", they oppose it primarily because they don't believe voters can read it and understand just what they're voting for. Here's an excerpt:

Ballot Measure 1 would establish a seven-member commission to decide which forms of gambling ought to be allowed in Alaska. The commission would be appointed by the governor, insulating it somewhat from public opinion, but that’s not a fatal flaw; the state has many such commissions that work well.

Ballot Measure 1 also should serve as Exhibit No. 1 in the case against making complicated laws via the initiative process. Consider section 5, titled “regulations,” which purports to outline where gaming activities may be conducted but contains layers of exceptions and conditions. The language comes as close to incomprehensible as anything one will find in Alaska law, in part because its effects appear to depend on whether voters later pass another initiative on video lottery terminals.

How can Alaskans be expected to figure out what’s being proposed here? This is why we have a Legislature — to do the difficult work of analyzing such proposals before they become law. Voting for this measure would be an ill-advised gamble.

Public comments in response to this story are almost equally split. However, most of those who support Ballot Measure 1 do not want casino gambling, but only want a state lottery or participation in the multi-state Powerball lottery.

I don't believe Alaska will be hurt by a Yes vote. Even if this commission is created, it will report to the governor, and the governor could always override its actions. We will retain the capability to prevent this commission from backdooring new forms of gambling into Alaska against our will.

  1. well very interesting i really liked the post keep up the good work :)

  2. Bennie - thanks for your response. :-D


text:
In The News

All news

Guilty Plea in Drunk Driving Vehicular Manslaughter Case

Albany County District Attorney David Soares

Press Release

 March 16, 2017

 Guilty Plea in Drunk Driving Vehicular

Manslaughter Case

ALBANY, NY – District Attorney P. David Soares announced today that JESSICA BELLEROSE, 41, of Troy, pleaded guilty to (1) Count of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class C Felony, (1) Count of Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony, and (1) Driving While Intoxicated, a Misdemeanor, before the Honorable Thomas A. Breslin in Albany County Supreme Court this morning.

On October 11, 2016, at approximately 6:43 P.M., BELLEROSE recklessly drove a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix while intoxicated on Alternate Route 7 in the Town of Colonie.  BELLEROSE passed multiple vehicles, eventually sideswiping a Subaru in the right hand lane.  BELLEROSE then drove into the center median and her car became airborne.  Upon landing, the vehicle crashed into the front driver’s side of another car being driven in the westbound lane by Paige Ahearn, age 18.  The crash killed Paige instantly and caused injuries to the passenger in that vehicle.

Blood test result revealed that BELLEROSE was operating the vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .14 percent.  BELLEROSE also admitted to drinking throughout the day.

BELLEROSE faces up to 7 years in State Prison when sentenced on May 11, 2017.

BELLEROSE will also be ordered a term of 3 years of Probation upon release from custody with the requirement for installation of an Interlock Ignition Device.  BELLEROSE will also be ordered to repay restitution, pay fines and surcharges, and be subject to a driver’s license revocation for a minimum of 6 months upon release from custody subject to Department of Motor Vehicles guidelines.

Vehicular Crimes Unit Bureau Chief Mary Tanner-Richter and Assistant District Attorney David Szalda are prosecuting this case.

For more information please contact Cecilia Walsh at (518) 275-4710 or [email protected]


text:
ETA Hand2Mind

You Can Count on Rekenreks

Friday, March 4, 2016

Seuss Week and Currently

Join me in the awesome, Farley's Currently.  See below to find her blog.
Oh Boy It's Farley
We had a week long celebration of Dr. Seuss!  1st Grade loves Dr. Seuss.
On Mixed up Monday, we created and wrote about a mixed up animal or character that would fit well in a Seuss book.  We also, pretended to be doctors (which Seuss technically was not), and performed surgery on various parts of speech such as verbs, adverbs, nouns, and adjectives.  We dressed up like doctors to do the activity, of course.  Thanks, Kim Bearden for the inspiration in this activity!!!
 My daughter demonstrating what my students wore.
On Top Hat Tuesday, we read The Cat in The Hat and made paper top hats that discussed the plot of the story.  Below is an example of what I used to do- now I changed it to plot as we really needed work on understanding problem and solution.   I also enjoyed dressing up as the Cat in the Hat....because I could.

On Wacky Wednesday, we wore silly socks, read Seuss books and created silly rhymes.  Then I stayed extra long after school- cleaning up and working on taming the paper monster that was living in my drawers.  It is sooo much better now!  I walked out to my car around 7 p.m. and saw this....nothing but my car.  I thought it was funny so I took a picture.
On Theodore Thursday, we read biographical information about Theodore Geisel (Seuss' real name) and read his first book And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street.  Below it shows an activity I used from someone's blog (too long ago to remember who) where the kids silently figure out which star belly sneetch was their sum match.  It was fairly tricky for them doing it silently but most got it.
On Funny Food Friday, we watched a short video of the read aloud, Green Eggs and Ham. The kids ate green hardboiled eggs with Sam I Am apple juice.  We also discussed how characters change and used a character mapping page to demonstrate that information.

  1. Hi Amy! Like you I need to keep up with my grading! My school recently changed policies about grades and I need to keep up with that too. I love Dr. Seuss and I love the activities you did this week! So much fun!
    Magically in First

    1. Thanks so much. Yes, we also have a slightly new/different policy where a certain amount of proof is required for report I am trying to get better at being on top of that stack of grading I always seem to have. Good luck to us both! :)

  2. I'm staring at a giant stack of papers right now, hoping they will be magically graded by someone else!


text:
News | Projects | Articles | Photo | About

Rhaos project is named for 'Random chaos'. It started in 2012. Rhaos music is based on mathematical methods of determined chaos modeling mixed with conventional music rules and performance habits.

[2013-07-07] Classic Radio Rock

Download mp3
Rock for classical radio. A rock tune is used with CMix algorithm: each note determines the classical music track and the length determines the length of this track played. Also, some special patterns of tracks are used. Len: 02:52

[2013-07-02] Classic Radio Sextet

Download mp3
This composition was created by a specially designed CMix algorithm, which allows to mix randomly selected audio segments of random length and random position.

Composition consists of six tracks of random classical compositions segments from my library of 5000 most known classical tracks by 150 most known composers. You can see the list of composers used here.

Idea of composition was influenced by John Cage - Imaginary Landscape No. 4 for 12 radios. I created the algorithm and the composition in the Hospital of Civil Aviation in Moscow.

Here you can see how the composition was created by robot. Len: 03:02

[2013-07-01] Classic Radio Evolution

Download mp3
Composition consists of a single track of cross-faded random classical composition segments of random length (CMix algorithm used) from my library of 5000 most known classical tracks by 150 most known composers.

All 150 composers were sorted by birth year and then for each of them 1-2 compositions were selected, depending on how much composer is known.

So, first segments are from the most old composers and the last are from the most contemporary. You can see the list of composers used here. Len: 08:53

[2012-11-05] Western Train Suite

Download mp3
Western Train Suite consists of 7 short parts: Magic, Fast, Slow, Fast, Dissonating, Slow, Magic. This is the result of adding a new function of creating multi-part compositions in QGen2 generator.

You can see the sheetmusic of this piece here.

You can see description of QGen2 algorithm used for generation here

Since the Emerald train I also added some general functionality (punctum rhythm of dotted crotchet and a quaver, reprises inside a piece and some bug fixes).

Watch with piano visualization (MIDITrail) here.

Library: Piano in Blue. Len: 06:56

[2012-10-10] Emerald Train

Download mp3
I made a huge amount of upgrades to the QGen music generation algorithm during the last month (new dissonance detection and resolution, diatonic movements, new alterations filter, new arpeggio algorithm, new tempo robot, envelopes and many more. The result is Emerald Train. I am planning to write new article about the algorithm.

One important innovation is that now algorithm does not need any human editing even at the start and at the end of the piece.

Also, I decided to remove Train to Saint Petersburg and Train in the Mirror from public access, because they are very similar to other pieces. If you need copies, please write me and I will send you the links.

Library: TruePianos. Len: 08:25

[2012-09-21] Train to the Sky

Download mp3
In Train to the Sky I added culmination detection, arpeggio, close voice movement, long note locks and many other less important features. You can see description of QGen algorithm used for generation here

Library: TruePianos. Len: 10:00

[2012-09-16] Everybody Needs At Least One Train

Download mp3
In this composition I added chromatic turns and introductions. They are added only in specific conditions, including number of moving voices, direction of voice moves, length of notes, interval size and other.

Library: TruePianos. Len: 08:15

[2012-09-14] Last Train Home

Download mp3
In Last Train Home I use some new ideas on melody separation and pausing. It makes music more phrased.

Library: TruePianos. Len: 09:34

[2012-09-12] Rainy Train

Download mp3
I continue my experiments with random mixing, which started with City project.

Now I control the randomness with the standard quartet and polyphony classic music rules.

Library: TruePianos. Len: 09:26

[2012-08-30] Lost City

Download mp3
In this tragic music there is no place for popular music beauty. It shows the real picture of the lost city with its hopelessness and weird consequences of fast leaving the city. The city is full of the past and reminiscence.

This atmosphere was inspired by the Pripyat city.

Watch with piano visualization (MIDITrail) here.

Library: TruePianos. Len: 08:37

[2012-08-29] City of Debris

Download mp3
This composition is about Moscow, about its poor design and big money.

Library: TruePianos. Len: 08:30

[2012-08-28] Burning Down City

Download mp3
The city is burning down and not much is left.

Watch with piano visualization (MIDITrail) here.

Library: TruePianos. Len: 08:44

[2012-08-27] Under the City

Download mp3
Imagine you are under the city, several meters under the ground.

Library: TruePianos. Len: 08:29

[2012-08-26] Eastern City

Download mp3
My brother says it is about some polish city, not eastern one :)

Library: TruePianos. Len: 08:05

[2012-08-25] Gentle Killer City

Download mp3
City is comfortable and diverse. City gives us bread and circuses. But City does it in a very intence manner, so that we cannot help going nervous and crazy.

Library: TruePianos. Len: 08:40

You can contact me by email: rualark at gmail.com

If you have problems viewing this site, please see mirrors here.

The script ran 0.01 seconds