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NEBECE Conference

The North East has the worse education indices in the country. It has the lowest enrollment rates, the lowest completion rates and yet the worse teacher-student ratio.  The region’s performance in the NECO and WASC as well as JAMB has been at the bottom of the national ranking. Consequently, it has the least number of admissions to tertiary institutions. By the same token, it has the least number of graduates per population in the country.

This poor educational performance is partly responsible for also the high youth unemployment situation in the region. It is also implicated in the worse poverty incidence in the country.

Both unemployment and poverty are key factors in the growth and flourishing of the Boko Haram Insurgency which has devastated the region, making the situation worse. Social infrastructure such as schools, markets, factories, etc have been destroyed. As a result, more youth have been thrown out of employment. Many people have lost their means of livelihood.  Both of these have increased poverty and unemployment. School enrollment has further deteriorated due to long close of schools, destruction of education facilities and the killings of both teachers and students by the insurgents. The abduction of students, particularly the female student of Chibok, has brought a set back in girl child education as both parents and children fear about more abductions.

Given this,it is imperative that a multi-pronged strategy is needed to reboot and accelerate the educational progress and development of the region. As part of this effort, CITAD in collaboration with  Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola (MAUTECH)  is organizing the first North East Books and Education Conference and Exhibition (NEBECE).

Contribute to reviving education in the region

  1. Provide a platform for stakeholders to deliberate and strategize on revamping education in the region
  2. Raise awareness on reviving reading culture which is critical to education progress
  3. To provide an opportunity for states governments in the region to explain to donor organizations the specific problems they have in addressing education issues
  4. Promote book trade and publishing in the region as part of the effort to revive education
  5. Harvest ideas on addressing the myriad of problems of education in the north east

Forms and Format

The North East Books and Education Conference and Exhibition (NEBECE) will hold for three days and will consist of the following complimentary events and activities:

  1. Conference on Education
  2. Book and other educational products Exhibition
  3. Literary Events
  4. Student Creativity Competition

Conference Theme

The theme of the conference is Education in the Northeast in the Context of Reconstruction, Rebuilding and Resettlement in the Region

Conference Sub-themes

The sub-themes of the conference:

  1. The State of Education Infrastructure in the North East
  2. Tertiary Education and Pipelining in the North East
  3. Tackling the Problems of Basic Education in the North East
  4. Girl Child Education in the Context of Post Insurgency
  5. The Place and Role of Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education in Rebuilding of the North East
  6. Teacher Production Capacity in the North East
  7. Gender, Education and Cultural Issues in the North East
  8. Understanding and Overcoming Poor Performance of North East States in National Examinations in the North East
  9. Impact of Insurgency on Education in the North East
  10. The Digital Divide and the Education Sector in the North East
  11. The Place of Religion in Education in the North East
  12. Religious Education and Religious Education institutions in the North East

Conference Structure

The conference will consist of plenary, parallel sessions and flying shop sessions. A side of the Opening session, there would be five other plenary sessions, two on each date. Together these plenary sessions will allow the lead paper in each sub themes be presented at the plenary while other papers would feature at the parallel panels.The flying shopping sessions will have state and other agencies show case their work. However, instead of them making presentation to at either panel or plenary session each showcase presenters will stay in one place and a small group of say 10-15 at the time would be his/her shop and listen to the presentation for 10 minutes and move to the next showcase and each group will go round as many showcase stands as possible.

Key Note

Mal Adamu Adamu, Ministry of Education

Lead Presentation

It is proposed that lead presentations would come from the following:

  1. Garba D. Azare, Teacher Production Capacity in the North East
  2. Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi (NITDA), The Digital Divide in the Northeast and its Implications to the Education Progress on the Region
  3. H. Bobboi, UBEC Contribution to Revamping Education in the North East
  4. Prof Hauwa Biu, The Northeast Development Commission: Education Intervention in the Region
  5. Sadiqque Abubakar, The Poor Performance of the Northeast in National Examinations: Evidence from NECO
  6. Prof Abubakar A. Rasheed, The State of Tertiary Education in the North West
  7. Sulaiman Elias Bogoro: An Overview of Tetfund Intervention in the North East
  8. M. Kazaure, The Challenge of Technical and Vocational Education in the North East
  9. Asmau Joda: Addressing Girl Child  Education in the North East
  10. Saudatu Mahdi : Mainstreaming Gender Issues in Transforming Education in the North East
  11. Impact of Conflict in the Education Sector in the Northeast by Prof Rabiu Mohammad
  12. Can we create our own Silicon Valley in the Northeast?  Kole Shettima
  13. Politics and Education Development in the Northeast  by Prof Jibrin Ibrahim
  14. Reviving Public Libraries in the Northeast by Dr.  Musa Auyo
  15. How to Address Almajiranci in the Northeast
  16. Addressing Child Health as Key to Enhancing Educational Performance by Hussaini Abdu

  1. Northeast Development Commission
  2. All ministries of Education of the states of the North east
  3. Donor organizations and international development partners
  4. SUBEB from all the six states of the North East
  5. Universities in the North East region
  6. State and national legislators
  7. Books Publishers across the country
  8. Major bookshops and booksellers
  9. Civil society organizations
  10. Community Organizations
  11. Professional Associations
  12. Students
  13. Media organizations

Organizing Partners

  1. Northeast Development Commission (NEDC)
  2. Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola
  3. Channel Television (media partners)
  4. Peace Air (Travels partners)
  5. Daily Trust (print media)

Supporting Organizations

  1. Federal Ministry of Education
  2. Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund)
  3. National Teachers Institution (NTI)
  4. Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)
  5. National Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
  6. All state governments in the North East
  7. National Universities Commission (NUC)
  8. USAID
  9. MacArthur Foundation
  10. Action Aid International (Nigeria)

Host State

Adamawa State


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text: @article {2015, title = {Threats and opportunities for freshwater conservation under future land use change scenarios in the United States}, journal = {Global Change Biology}, volume = {20}, year = {2013}, month = {01/2014}, pages = {113 - 124}, abstract = {Freshwater ecosystems provide vital resources for humans and support high levels of biodiversity, yet are severelythreatened throughout the world. The expansion of human land uses, such as urban and crop cover, typicallydegrades water quality and reduces freshwater biodiversity, thereby jeopardizing both biodiversity and ecosystemservices. Identifying and mitigating future threats to freshwater ecosystems requires forecasting where land usechanges are most likely. Our goal was to evaluate the potential consequences of future land use on freshwater eco-systems in the coterminous United States by comparing alternative scenarios of land use change (2001{\textendash}2051) withcurrent patterns of freshwater biodiversity and water quality risk. Using an econometric model, each of our landuse scenarios projected greater changes in watersheds of the eastern half of the country, where freshwater ecosys-tems already experience higher stress from human activities. Future urban expansion emerged as a major threat inregions with high freshwater biodiversity (e.g., the Southeast) or severe water quality problems (e.g., the Midwest).Our scenarios reflecting environmentally oriented policies had some positive effects. Subsidizing afforestation forcarbon sequestration reduced crop cover and increased natural vegetation in areas that are currently stressed bylow water quality, while discouraging urban sprawl diminished urban expansion in areas of high biodiversity. Onthe other hand, we found that increases in crop commodity prices could lead to increased agricultural threats inareas of high freshwater biodiversity. Our analyses illustrate the potential for policy changes and market factors toinfluence future land use trends in certain regions of the country, with important consequences for freshwater eco-systems. Successful conservation of aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services in the United States into the futurewill require attending to the potential threats and opportunities arising from policies and market changes affectingland use.}, keywords = {conservation, freshwater biodiversity, land use modeling, scenarios, Water quality}, doi = {10.1111/gcb.12383}, author = {Martinuzzi, Sebasti{\'a}n and Januchowski-Hartley, Stephanie R. and Pracheil, Brenda M. and Peter B. McIntyre and Plantinga, Andrew J. and Lewis, David J. and Radeloff, Volker C.} }

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Fantasy Movies: Pacific Rim Thoughts

Giant robots vs. giant monsters. Even with a semblance of a story! Who knew?
Guillermo del Toro’s big budget love letter to Japanese monster movies and seemingly every anime about giant robots (Gundam, Evangelion, etc.) was one of my most anticipated movies of the year. I have to say, when I found out it came in number 3 at the US box office, I was not really surprised. Why? Because over the years I’ve always found movie goers to be more interested in the “sure thing.” Adam Sandler is a sure thing. You know what you’re going to get with him (Grown-Ups 2 was number 1). Any kind of sequel is going to have some steam behind it if the predecessors were good (or not). So Pacific Rim was a risk. Actors that most US audiences wouldn’t be familiar with, an unproven franchise, and some tepid reviews probably weighed down what should have been a mega hit. To hear that the movie made 100 million dollars in China alone gives me hope for a sequel or at least other film-makers taking risks as del Toro did.
Hey, stay on your side of the bridge, buddy!
 So what makes this different from any other generic robot movie? Well, Transformers it is not. While I tend to take the Transformer movies for what they are, basic popcorn movies, Pacific Rim transcended what was a basic popcorn movie for me. The visuals, simply put, were amazing. The acting was solid. I mentioned to a friend after watching it, that I almost felt like I was watching a 80s movie. A really good one even.
What stood out to me about this big budget movie that most audiences may have expected to be lifeless and cold based on the trailers?
1. Rinko Kikuchi-There are several reviews mentioning how Rinko’s portrayal of newbie Mako Mori made the movie. In a rare instance, a Japanese female was allowed to carry the main narrative arc of an action movie. This is probably the first time I can think this has happened. Which is one reason people like it so much. Mako isn’t a typical female character. Or even a typical Asian one. She is her own person and wants to get revenge on the kaiju that destroyed her childhood and left her homeless. The arc is simple, but effective. del Toro giving the reins to Kikuchi will make this movie a cult classic for years to come I believe. She delivers on every level. Is it Oscar worthy? No, but it’s a great effort for what I imagined would be a pretty stereotypical character.
Mako proves herself. Kikuchi shows she can carry a mainstream action movie.
2. The Comic Relief-The comic relief in this movie was primarily in the hands of Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day), Dr. Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gorman) and Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman), who all did a good job of being funny without being cheesy. I find most comic relief in action movies is anything but funny. Their scenes got a chuckle out of me every time, something rare for an action movie to do. Charlie Day especially shines as a sort of punk rock scientist obsessed with kaiju so much he has tattoos of them. I thought that was a nice touch to his character. Perlman’s portrayal of Chau is probably one of the coolest comedic characters I’ve seen in quite some time. I could definitely see Perlman playing the role again if they plan to do a Pacific Rim 2.
Not pictured: fancy, jingling shoes.
3. The Action-This is the main reason anyone would and should go see this movie. The action is simply incredible. I saw this in 3D IMAX and I’m glad I did. It didn’t really feel like a 3D movie, which I think was a big credit to the overall movie. Meaning I didn’t feel distracted by the 3D elements as I often do in other movies.
The robot designs were cool and the kaiju looked exactly like some kind of nightmarish demon sea-creatures and not just some thrown together crap. Whoever designed these robots and monsters did so painstakingly and it shows.
The sounds of metal crashing against monster skull were also amazing. I felt like this was a movie that had tons of special effects but they didn’t look hokey or just splatter all over the screen. I could actually see the action instead of the shaky cam “what the hell is happening” style that many directors like to use.
Sorry, I’m a bit lost. Where is the airport?
Overall, I felt this movie delivered in a big way. I’m not entirely sure I want to see a sequel even. I want to see Hollywood try to take risks more often by creating new intellectual properties. While Pacific Rim borrows heavily from Japanese cinema (especially Godzilla), it does so in a way that doesn’t feel hacky or a poor imitation. I hardly ever get excited by remakes. So I hope the international success of Pacific Rim spurs it to become a sleeper hit and that more studios take a shot at new IP for action movies.
That’s my hope. Pacific Rim gets a recommendation from me. If you didn’t see it in theaters, definitely check it out on DVD.
My next entry will be about fantasy writing, primarily Phil’s Rules for Fantasy Writing. These aren’t any rules I think others should follow, but just what works for me. Check it out next time!
 I’m no Brandon Sanderson, but I can balance his massive book on my head!
Until next time, remember all fantasy, all the time!

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Car Windows & Luchadores

Mar 17, 2017    03:15:13

The Wrestling Insomniac

21 episodes out and still going strong. Ronnie joins Mike and Aaron this week as they talk about Impact still not making an “Impact”. Smackdown hits and misses. The guys really aren’t caring for Raw. Is the Broken Universe better off on the Indy scene instead of the hands of WWE? Lucha Underground hitting Netflix.

Stay tuned after the end credits for a little Behind the Gorilla treat. What gets edited out? Listen and find out!

You can get in touch with the show directly @1000holdspod or our facebook group - Podcast of 1000 Holds.

You can support this show by visiting our merch store or by leaving us an Apple Podcasts review. Also, feel free to get in touch with us by sending us an e-mail.

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Forget Kyrie Irving’s fourth-quarter heroics, Shane Larkin’s scrappy play and Daniel Theis’ alley-oop dunk. The best moment from the Boston Celtics’ 97-90 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday came from Guerschon Yabusele.

That’s right, the French Draymond Green stole the show at TD Garden after draining the third 3-pointer of his NBA career.

After hitting the shot in the second quarter, Yabusele proceeded to do one of the more unique celebrations you’ll see all season. Check this out:

Ah yes, the “archer dab.”

The rookie forward’s hilarious move went over well with his teammates, especially Terry Rozier, though they likely won’t attempt to replicate it any time soon.

We don’t blame you, Terry.

In addition to being entertained by Yabusele’s celebration, center Al Horford also was happy to see his teammate make the most of his opportunity.

“I loved it,” Horford said, via MassLive’s Jay King. “Thought it was great, very happy for him.”

Let’s hope Yabusele gets enough minutes going forward to show what else he has in his bag of tricks.

Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images


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The Dressing Room – Color Blocking

So we’re back from LA.  The drive down was beautiful.  I’ll say it again… I LOVE the California landscape.  I can’t wait to do to a Trippin – LA post.  I have some great photos to share.

For today, I’m taking a departure from Wishlist Wednesdays and FINALLY doing a Dressing Room post.  Sorry I don’t have more close ups of my outfit, but you get the gist.

I’ve been wanting to put together a color blocking post for the longest time!  Certain colors color blocking combinations I’m in love with, others not so much.  I love that for this Spring bright and bold colors are still trending, but so are pastels.  And depending on your mood you can go fierce or romantic.  I really like the bold orange and purple combination (see my pre-pregnancy colorblock outfit while on vacation last summer here), but unfortunately I haven’t found any maternity bottoms in either color.  Another trend that I really love at the moment is colored jeans and fortunately, they have cobalt blue maternity jeans at the Motherhood Maternity (along with kelly green) stores (couldn’t find my exact pair online).  In my opinion this color along with red are the “safer” and neutral options when tackling this trend.

I could have gone classic with a white t shirt or put together an outfit that was bright and vibrant.  I opted for an outfit that was bright and vibrant, which is perfect for Spring, especially on a gray (so not the weather we were expecting in LA).  I neutralized the outfit a bit with neutral colored accessories such as a black cardigan, taupe purse and bronze sandals.  If I wasn’t walking around a lot and wanted to dress up the outfit, I’d put on my nude LK Bennett pumps, carry around a nude clutch, wear a statement necklace, swap the cardigan for a blazer, and put my hair up in a bun.

Me and my belly on Rodeo Drive

Shirt:  Forever21
Cocoon Cardigan:  Forever21
Pants:  Cobalt Blue Indigo Rein Maternity Jeans (similar here)
Shoes:  Naya Sister in Silver (last seen here)
Purse:  H&M
Bracelets:  Forever21, Santee Alley, Portugal
Necklace:  Ebay

Arm candy.  Adding more color to my outfit.

Best accessory of all?  The mister with his colorful outfit – yellow Nike frees, jeans, and a colorful bright Barcelona T-shirt (not pictured).

“Beverly Hills.  That’s where I want to be. Living in Beverly Hills.”

Stay tune for more color blocking dressing posts.  I’m going to try to do a remix styling post with these pants.  Plus I’ll have an upcoming post styling a vibrant yellow blazer I purchased at Zara’s!

The Dressing Room – Pinch of Color

Not a punch of color but just a pinch.  Lately my wardrobe consists of basic neutral stretchy cottons, so I’ve been trying to add a little bit of color to brighten my outfits up.  Usually my accessories brighten up the outfits, like the Proenza Schouler inspired Old Navy purse in this lookbook.

Besides basic knits another must have in my closet right now especially during this pregnancy are blazers and cardigans.  Luckily, I have a ton of those even if I can’t close them right now.  😦  I start with a base layer such a tank top or a tshirt, then add a blazer or cardigan.  This helps create vertical lines and creates somewhat of an illusion of a smaller belly.  Plus you don’t see those expanding hips as much.  I wear cardigans and blazers with everything lately, even my dresses.

Top:  OldNavy (similar here)
Pants:  Jeggings from Target (got these a while ago)
Blazer:  Mossimo suit jacket from Target (got this a while ago too)
Boots:  BCBG (last seen here)
Purse:  OldNavy
Ring:  Forever21
Watch:  Swatch
Bracelets:  Forever21, Portugal, and Morocco
Necklace:  H&M (similar here)

Love that everything is dark and the neon yellow just does enough to bring the outfit to life.

Forever21 pyramid bracelet, swatch watch, rosary bracelet from Portugal, and bracelet from Marrakech souk vendor

Love adding statement necklaces to my outfits these day since I’ve been wearing a lot of basics.  That along with a pinch of color help transform an outfit from drab to fab!

I was definitely feeling this outfit, especially the purse and my necklace.  I went to the supermarket to grab a couple of things wearing this outfit and the cashier said I was really rocking my outfit.  Not sure if he saw my expanding belly but continued to say I looked fabulous.  Ha!  Still got it at 5 months preggers.  Just kidding!

What are your illusion styling tips?  Any tips for a pregnant woman?


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Criminal Justice Reform and Gun Violence

By Joan Neal
August 31, 2015

The country may be reaching a tipping point for criminal justice reform. Both on Capitol Hill and on Pennsylvania Avenue, a steady drumbeat for some kind of reform is likely to reach a crescendo as early as September when Congress returns from their August recess.

The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Representative Robert Goodlatte (R-VA), took up the issue just before they adjourned in order to address such bills as the Youth Promise Act co-sponsored by Reps. Bobby Scott [D-VA] and Walter Jones [R-NC], the Safe, Accountable, Fair, and Effective (SAFE) Act co-sponsored by Reps. Bobby Scott and James Sensenbrenner [R-WI] and the Smarter Sentencing Act co-sponsored by Reps. Bobby Scott and Raul Labrador [R-ID]. All of these bills have Senate cosponsors as well. Before leaving in August, Chairman Goodlatte announced his plan to introduce bipartisan legislation to the floor of the House, and Speaker John Boehner expressed his commitment to bring such legislation to the full chamber for a vote.

Similar efforts are in the works in the Senate. Sens. Dick Durbin [D-IL] and Mike Lee[R-UT] introduced theSmarter Sentencing Act, which proposes the reduction of some mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenses; the Second Chance Reauthorization Act cosponsored by Sens. Robert Portman [R-OH], Marco Rubio[R-FL], Kelly Ayotte[R-NH] and Patrick Leahy[D-VT]; the Record Expungment Designed to Enhance Employment (REDEEM) Act cosponsored by Sens. Cory Booker [D-NJ] and Rand Paul [R-KY],and the Corrections Oversight, Recidivism Reduction and Eliminating Costs for Taxpayers (Corrections)Actcosponsored by Sens. John Cornyn [R-TX] and Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI] to reduce the size of the federal inmate population. There are other bills that have been introduced as well. Sen. Chuck Grassley [R-IA], Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, generally a critic of sentencing reform, has been working with a bipartisan group of senators since early August and is said to be poised to bring a bill that reduces the number of federal prisoners and the cost of running federal prisons, to the full Senate chamber for a vote in September.

President Obama has called for a major overhaul of the federal criminal justice system, commuted the sentences of 47 inmates serving long prison terms for non-violent drug offenses and is said to be prepared to make other changes by executive order.

As unlikely as it may be that this dysfunctional Congress can do anything productive, it seems that the stars might just be aligned to actually pass significant criminal justice reform legislation by the end of this year.

Gun Violence Prevention

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for gun violence prevention legislation. While Sen. John Cornyn [R-TX] introduced an NRA-endorsed bill to reward states that submit more information to the federal background check system about residents with known mental problems, it is much narrower than the measure expanding background check requirements for private and gun show purchases, which the Republicans and the NRA defeated in 2013. Sadly, nothing more is happening on this issue now nor is it likely to happen during this term.

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sensorimotor control

This image shows a self-reconfiguring modular robots scheme.

Self-Reconfiguring Modular Robots Can Merge, Split and Heal While Retaining Full Sensorimotor Control

Researchers have developed modular robots that can become independent robotic entities by merging and splitting. This ability allows the robots to autonomously alter their shape to suit the task at hand. The system is also able to retain sensorimotor control during alteration and self heal by removing or repairing specific parts.... Read More...


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Done is Better than Perfect | New Quilters

Done is Better than Perfect

This morning I saw this very sad post in a quilting group I belong to on Facebook:

“I placed a post back last month about the lack of motivation in quilting. I have just lost the desire. I now have figured it out. By looking at your post I’m just not any good. Even you beginners are making quilts that I would not dream of attempting. I have been at it three years joined a guild and I still am no good.  I have lots of stash that might be up for sale.
Just feel so worthless.”

Do you ever feel like this quilter — that your quilting isn’t good enough to spend your time on, or to show to the world? I hope you don’t. But if you do, I’d like to suggest being extra kind to yourself and your quilting this year, and banishing the word “Perfect” from your quilting vocabulary.

Here’s the reply I wrote to the sad quilter’s post:

“I have been quilting for many years and still would not call myself a good quilter. I keep quilting because I love fabric and because it’s fun. I long ago decided not to worry about all the many, many quilters who do it better than I do. I hope you can find a way to get back your love of quilting. I’ll bet that anyone who ever got a quilt from you thinks it’s a treasure and doesn’t even notice any imperfections in your quilting.”

And here are some of my favorite reasons to keep quilting in 2017:

  1. Having FUN. Because what’s more fun than playing with fabric and thread?
  2. Creating something with your own hands and your own ingenuity.
  3. Giving something unique and personal to family or friends.
  4. Contributing something useful to a charity like Quilts of Valor, which gives quilts to wounded soldiers, or one of the many charities that provides quilts for children in need.
  5. Taking a break from housework, or office work, or yard work, or any kind of work!
  6. Taking part in the worldwide community of people who share your love of quilting.

If you think of any I’ve missed, please leave your idea in the comments.

Wishing you a year of happy quilting in 2017.

Learn to Quilt... and Love it!

* 6 fun and easy quilt patterns
* 3 preprinted quilt labels
* 4 bonus quilt block guides
* 2 bonus quilting needles

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 12 comments


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Five years of NHS Health Checks - have you had yours yet?

County leading way in NHS Health Checks

Just six months ago Marion Evans would be the first to admit she was a little on the heavy side. But it wasn’t until she took up an invitation for a free NHS Health Check that she realised the shocking truth – she was suffering from a silent but deadly killer.

Not only was her blood pressure dangerously high, she was told her BMI made her officially obese. The combined conditions put her at a high risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Marion is fortunate enough to live in Oxfordshire where, since 2013, a total of 95,485 residents have taken up an invitation to have an NHS Health Check - a service funded by Oxfordshire County Council’s Public Health team which is celebrating five successful years this month.

The NHS Health Check, which is one of the largest public health prevention programmes in the world, has had impressive results in the county. They are designed to spot early warnings of stroke, kidney and heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and dementia.

They are available to anyone aged between the ages of 40 and 74 who has not  been diagnosed with a pre-existing cardiovascular condition.

A total of 190,000 invitations were sent out in Oxfordshire, with an average uptake of 50.4% over the last five years. And, according to figures released by Public Health England today, Oxfordshire is second in the South East of England for the percentage of the eligible population to have received a check.

The emphasis now is on getting more people to take up their NHS Health Check invitation, particularly men and those from ethnic minority groups.

Dr Eunan O'Neill, public health consultant at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We’re delighted with the level of engagement and participation from Oxfordshire residents in having their NHS Health Check over the last five years, but we want to see more people taking up their invitation for a check.

“They are a brilliant way for people to get an overview of their general health and a fast, effective method of finding out if there are some simple things they could be doing to improve their long-term health and well-being.”

Who has been helped and how

In five years since the NHS Health Checks have been commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council, it shows that:

  • 1,357 people were informed they were Type 2 diabetic – often a dangerous condition that can be controlled and even reversed through diet. Left unchecked it alters your blood sugar levels and can cause serious problems with eyes, heart, nerves and circulation.
  • 3,494 people were told they were on the threshold of developing Type 2 diabetes
  • 900 people were diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease - a kidney condition where there is usually no symptom. Left unchecked it leads to leg swelling, feeling tired, vomiting, loss of appetite and confusion. Complications may include high blood pressure, bone disease or anaemia
  • 26,422 people were given advice about their weight
  • 21,173 people were informed they had high blood pressure
  • 9,072 people were given smoking cessation advice
  • 8,426 people were advised to increase physical activity
  • 4,522 people were given advice on lowering alcohol consumption

Take Marion's word for it

For Marion Evans, her NHS Health Check was just the wake-up call she needed. The 55-year-old mum of two from Didcot now feels like a new woman.

Hear Marion's story

NHS Healthcheck Audio Quote

Her health check results, feedback and advice prompted her to join a weight loss club, be more active and reduce her caffeine, salt and alcohol intake. Now she’s ditched 22lbs and feels fantastic. She’s also significantly reduced her chances of dying from a preventable condition.

Marion, is now urging others to follow her lead. She explained: “I had no idea that my blood pressure was so dangerously high. I had no symptoms and can see why it’s branded the silent killer. My results scared me.

“I didn’t want to go on medication, so with my doctor’s agreement I attended a 12-week slimming class and changed some of my bad habits. The result is that my blood pressure is now within a healthy range.”

And she added: “Don’t ignore the invite for an NHS Health Check from your doctor’s surgery. It’s quick and simple and nothing to be afraid of.”

What are NHS Health Checks and how to get one

The County Council-funded NHS Health Checks are designed to spot early warnings of stroke, kidney and heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and dementia.

They are available to anyone aged between the ages of 40 and 74 who has not already been diagnosed with an existing cardiovascular condition. They don’t cost you a penny and you will be invited to have one oncer every five years. Your GP surgery will automatically send out invitations, but if you haven’t had one contact your surgery and make an appointment.

The check will take around 20 to 30 minutes:

  • You will be asked some simple questions about your family history, whether or not you smoke and how much alcohol you drink

  • Your height, weight, sex, ethnicity and age will be recorded

  • Your blood pressure will be taken

  • A simple blood test will check your cholesterol level

  • Your body mass index (BMI) will be calculated. BMI is a measure of whether you're a healthy weight for your height.

  • Your level of risk of developing a cardiovascular condition (i.e. stroke, kidney and heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and dementia) will be calculated

An NHS mini-health check session at the Kassam Stadium recently saw 248 Oxford United supporters have their health assessed.

The awareness-raising exercise carried out by the County Council’s Public Health showed just one in 10 supporters who took the check got a clean bill of health.

Eight in 10 got an ‘amber’ rating and 10 per cent were shown the ‘red card’ - meaning a follow-up GP appointment was strongly advised.

Dr O'Neill said: “You may already know that you should be exercising more, or that you shouldn’t be drinking so much alcohol, or that you understand smoking is putting you at risk of cancers and lung disease.

“By having a health professional giving you frank advice on how to make changes and where you can access help could save your life.”

“A health check means you are more likely to be diagnosed with a disease early on and you will receive expert advice or clinical support to help reduce health risks or manage a condition."

For further information about free NHS Health Checks visit: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/nhshealthcheck


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Ram Unveils Updated 2014 Power Wagon

RM014_047TF II

By Aaron Bragman

Ram is introducing the latest version of an iconic name in pickup trucks, unveiling the 2014 version of the Ram Power Wagon, a highly off-road capable 4x4 based on the brand's 2500 crew cab pickup. This upgraded Power Wagon features a significant amount of unique equipment for 2014 which includes a new frame, an all-new coil-link rear suspension, and a brand new high-tech 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 (which offers cylinder deactivation). The Power Wagon will also be available across three trim levels — Tradesman, SLT and Laramie — with varying levels of standard and optional equipment.

As noted, the only engine offered will be the 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 making 410 horsepower and 429 pounds-feet of torque, featuring a unique engine calibration that will enhance "off-road maneuverability and finesse," according to Ram. The 5.7-liter Hemi is no longer offered. This means that throttle response when in low range is softened and idle speed increases by 100 rpm for better control on steep ascents and descents. Power is sent through a standard 66RFE six-speed automatic transmission with a part-time, lever-operated Borg Warner BW 44-47 transfer case.

The front and rear axles are from American Axle Manufacturing, with the fronts continuing with a 9.25-inch ring gear, while the new rearend ring gear is 11.5 inches (with thicker axles shafts as well). Axles gears remain 4.10:1. All Power Wagons will continue to offer front and rear locking differentials, as well as swaybar disconnects.

The Power Wagon's off-road capabilities are legendary with 14.5 inches of ground clearance, thanks in large part to a 2-inch lift over the standard Ram 2500 HD and 33-inch tires. Brakes, steering and frame details are unchanged from the normal Ram 2500 HD (which now offers the 50,000 psi strength steel), and the front suspension features an all-new high-movement joint (called Articulink) and a sway-bar disconnecting system for additional flexibility, axle articulation and off-road prowess.

All Power Wagon models will receive a 12,000-pound Warn winch behind the front bumper, and front and rear bumpers will be chrome. The 2014 Tradesman will have a monochrome package, with black accents for the grille, fender flares and other trim pieces. A Power Wagon decal will spread across the tailgate. Moving up to the SLT will be the largest change, with wild graphics decals, one of four colors for grille inserts, more Power Wagon decals, LED headlight accents, two-tone paint and black fender flares. Finally, the Laramie trim will feature a standard upscale leather interior, chrome grille and headlights, and painted fender flares. In all, 12 different paint colors will be available on the Power Wagon, depending on trim level.

The 2014 Power Wagon will go on sale later this year. Pricing for the Power Wagon Tradesman starts at $45,690; the Power Wagon SLT starts at $50,340; and the Power Wagon Laramie starts at $56,015.

To download the complete press release, click here. And don't miss the new video Ram Truck produced, detailing all of the 2014 Ram Power Wagon changes (see below).

Manufacturer images

RM014_071TF II

ET014_047EP II

RM014_080TF II

RM014_070TF II

I have to admit! That is the best looking, and best, meanest and most incredible HD truck out there now! I WANT ONE NOW!! if they only still made them in reg cab! but that will not stop me! My next truck is a new PW!!!

What's going on at Ram ? This has to be one of the sweetest trucks . Time to get the candles out , dust off the old romantic records and talk to the wife .

Looks really nice. But why chrome bumpers on an off road warrior?
Also, the gear housing is most likely the lowest clearance, and there is no way it is 14.5" with 33's

Sweet! If only my income could accommodate me.
I had hoped they would've announced a diesel option...say the Cummins 8 cylinder. Still, awesome truck. Great job Ram.

Seems like they have a nicely sorted package here. I'll forever be priced out of this level of new truck, luckily the used market is a few years away. Will be interesting to see how many are sold, and what sales goals are.

you can really see the Daimler influence on these vehicles!

Just like the dimaond cutter, you know saw it coming.

The 2014 RAM Power Wagon DDP Diamond Cutter Edition is going to make you feel......

THE BANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like everything about it except the Raptor styled splash graphics on the bed.

Since it has MDS and the 6th gear I believe is a freeway friendly .63, (while most other Rams have a .67 top gear) would think 4.56 gears would not hurt mileage. Four wheelers are gonna want them.

Hope the "splash" stickers are an option.

So what does Chevy have to compete?

Dear GM, Don't even think of bringing your whimpy Z71 to the party.

2014 RAM Power Wagon
with the legendary 6.4L HEMI

What is the Diamond Cutter Edition?

What is "THE BANG" all about?

Bang? That's the sound of your Power Wagon's broken connecting rods banging against the oil pan.

More like Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang...

RAM is years ahead of any other competitors.
Specially with all axles suspension components.

Still not a fan of the coils in the rear.

Wonder if a person can do something about that aftermarket?

Yes . You can replace them with wooden blocks.

Millhouse, The 2014 Ram Power Wagon Diamond Cutter Edition is going to make you feel THE BANG!!!!!!!!!!

Article states "Axle gears remain 4.10:1". You might want to adjust that as previous gears were 4.56

4.10 is new for this truck.

cool truck

If they want more articulation, make those libks longer. They can change where they moint to the frame.

@HEMI 6.4: how can anybody take you serious? You post a link to a wrestling video, which we all know is fake, on a site talking about trucks.

so papa jim, did GM ever fix those rod ratios on their engines?

I hear people going on about using 350 rods in a 400 with custom pistons, because the stock 400s low deck and long stroke leave short piston rods, that have a nasty ratio that wastes energy cause there is so much load on the cylinder walls. What is it, replace a 5.5" rod with a 5.75" one?

No matter to me, my stock 273/318/340/360 and maybe hemis are 6.123 rods, while it's a big deal for a Chevy guy to get a 6" rod.

It's a damn shame, they stroke a 350 to get 383 inches, when I can make 391/406/416 from a 318/360/340, and not have to do a bunch of grinding for crank to cylinder wall thickness. and limited on stroke cause of where the cam sits in relation to a small Chevy, and I still have better rod ratios!

GMs on the local track sure need alot of help, so they dont blow up. So we see them blow alot.

This has to be the ugliest truck on the market today. What's up with the FAT PIG NOSE SNOUT?
The worst thing for Fiat fans is that this truck is in Fiat's hands now which means it will get even uglier with each design.

"...throttle response when in low range is softened and idle speed increases by 100 rpm for better control on steep ascents and descents."

The smart guys at Fiat came up with an electronic nanny, a way to keep typical RAM fans from getting stuck--or losing the whole shebang--when they're out in the woods trying to act like country boys.

What will they think of next!!!

Power Wagon 1500
Power Wagon 2500

Would love to see Ram expand the Power Wagon trim to 1500 series trucks. 1500 a bit less extreme than Ram Runner.

This truck is awesome, take the graffics off though and it would be perfect, black bumpers might look good too.

"gorgeous wheels"......hahaha..... just was a set of these on Honda CRV this morning. Honda called, they want their wheels back.

I would love it too. Even with 5.7 HEMI and 8 speed.

Apparently some people didn't bother to read the press release...

The saw-tooth graphics on the truck are exclusive to the SLT trim level. The Tradesman and Laramie trims are mono-tone paint, AKA no graphics. Furthermore, it wouldn't surprise me if even on the SLT trim level you can opt to delete the graphics when ordering.

Nice truck. I wish Ram would have stuck with the 5.0L Cummins because it would have been perfect for this truck. Not sure about all the stickers and inner grille color though. Other then that, I like it.

Whoa, look at the picture of that straight axle hooked up to all the components of the multi-link coil suspension. I sure hope someone doesn't get to thinking that is the whole axle. Maybe they can consult a Volkswagen enthusiasts club on the matter to differentiate what parts is the axle and what is suspension. Who am I kidding, they call the whole thing axle.

Looks better then a Ford or GM HD front end...lol

Behold. The King of Product Packaging. Good job Ram.

OINK, OINK....sure it does...haha

You better let it go fanboy.

"Don't worry about what he says because quite frankly he is not the brightest bulb on the house. He likes to quote unrepeatable source like some dumb sh!t Volkswagen enthusiasts like they know what they are talking about when clearly they don't."

Below is the full Volkswagen AG press kit broken down into multiple sections with over 150 photos.
The press release, while applicable to the Golf V in general, does contain model specific details for the German market, so expect some detail changes on North American specification models.

Golf V Part V: Chassis and ProductionGolf V Indepth - Chassis and Production
Sep 23, 2003
Source: Volkswagen AG

Call VOLKSWAGEN AG HEADQUARTER and leave your BS UNREPEATABLE SOURCE to yourself fanboy.

There's absolutely no way that truck has 14.5" of clearance, at least not under the diffs. 33" tires, or even 35s won't give that much clearance. The running ground clearance on that is probably right around 10". And what's with the 1490 pound payload in a 3/4 ton truck? It's a good thing they ride well empty, because with that limited payload they always will be; it's less than other brands' 1/2 tons. Even a Raptor is over 900 pounds with over 11" of suspension travel.

Swing arm SFA!! The prefect HD and off road set up! Ford and Dodge have it, Chevy doesn't.

@ Alan: "And what's with the 1490 pound payload in a 3/4 ton truck?"

What's with a 3/4 ton payload in a 3/4 ton truck? Good question.

Few things, first that is one ugly truck (badass but ugly). Fast and furious called and want their painted grill and graphics back, sure hope that is an option. Headlights look like Chinese ebay knock offs, but that is all aesthetics and won't change the performance.

Two, does anyone else think the head of engineering Kevin Mets looks like the late Dr. Spengler (Harold Ramis)?

Three, why can Dodge build this but make their half tons so week at any sort of off roading (more than parking in a grassy spot)?

Still a badass truck regardless, well played Dodge, well played.

Only a 12k winch? I would get a 15k+ winch for this heavy whale. Get this thing sunk in mud and I don't think that 12k winch will do much.

They all better start working on getting their prices down as they are pricing everyone out of the market.

To many people are now taking out 72 month and yes even 84 month loans on vehicles and trucks now days. People have been stretched to the max already and something has to give soon.

Sooo Volkswagen makes Ram's axles and suspensions? Wow I did not know that. I hope you guys don't get mixed up on what parts are suspension and what is the axle. Oh waite, it's the all new suspenso-axle. It's new and high tech, the other Ford and GM guys wouldn't understand.

Hilarious, F'ing hilarious.

I am glad to see another person on this thread posting B-S on the 14.5" of ground clearance. I ran 33" tires on my Jeep TJ and never came close to that much ground clearance, but I will admit that the 33X9.50 BFG AT/KO measured out to be just to be 32 4/5" in height and not the 33" on sidewall.

Those "splashy" graphics are a huge shame and would encourage me to look for an older model, but these bad boys are hard to find in good shape on the used truck market, I might as well suck it up and start being really nice to my wife so I can get less flamboyant Laramie model. I guess in the end, she can pick the color as long as it is either flame red or black clear coat.

@ Alan: "And what's with the 1490 pound payload in a 3/4 ton truck?"

What's with a 3/4 ton payload in a 3/4 ton truck? Good question.

That's not what 3/4 ton means, at least not in the last 50 years. Heck, my '78 F150 SC had a 1600+ payload. Most 3/4 ton trucks have at least 2000 pounds.

This truck in tradesman will be worth a look, especially if they take 20-25% off sticker like they do their other trucks !

Alan, than what's the point in calling it a 3/4 ton if it doesn't mean anything? Also, you're Raptor example, is a 1/2 ton truck that can't even haul 1/2 ton. They both make sacrifices in their ability to be a truck so they can offroad better. A regular 2500 has a higher payload rating

Whhhaaattt? Only 1,490 lbs payload and 10,800lbs towing. I didn't read that part the first go round. Oh that's some bull. C'mon Ram! Well scratch this truck off my list since it doesn't meet my needs. I was sure hopping it would.

Also, the Raptor super cab has a payload of less then half a ton, but the crew cab has a payload of over half a ton. Either way, either Raptor payloads meet my needs either.

Good looking truck other than the graphics. Hope it isn't standard on the SLT trim.

Needs bigger and better tires.
@John - anyone who actually spends time offroad and uses a winch will have snatch blocks. Experts recommend having at least 5. Add to that tree straps, rated chain, and other assorted gear. I'd also carry extra cable.
The Power Wagon's cargo capacity (like the Raptor) is down rated due to different springs to allow for better articulation.

The 6.4 PW does not run the 4.56 gears of the previous truck.

I hate the Kill Bill/PUSSYWAGON graphics, but a Tradesman version would be cool...too bad the payload rating is so low.

...also it could be that they are real chromies (hard to tell from the picture), but if the wheels have those retarded plasti-chrome covers like they're putting on pretty much everything nowadays, you can FORGET IT. Those things pretty much instantly disintegrate off road and have no business on a truck that will see actual trails.

@ ALL1: What do you haul in the back of a pick-up that you need more than 1,500 lbs of payload capacity? What truck do you even own anyways?

This is the truck I have been waiting for. A truck of all trucks. A 392 HEMI over 400 horses under the hood. This truck is going to pull my 7,400 lb 24'tow hauler almost anywhere I want to go.On road and off road. With all my gear in the Ram boxes. Impact gun for tires etc.. compressor, high lift jack, all my winch accessories, cold beer, fishing rods and rifles. I was dead set on a Laramie but this SLT is nice. Tells all other trucks to go big or go home.lol I will definitely be buying a 2014 Power Wagon A.S.P. I will keep you all informed on it's ability.

The comments to this entry are closed.


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Horsefield tortoiseA run-away tortoise spent at least FOUR DAYS roaming Wrexham woodland.

RSPCA Cymru was alerted after a member of the public found the female Horsefield tortoise in woods adjacent to their Linden Grove property in Llay on 20 March.

However, local residents had spotted the animal four days previously – before the tortoise was later safely collected by a member of the public, and the RSPCA was notified.

RSPCA Cymru is now appealing for information which could help locate the tortoise’s owner, or explain how she ended up in the Llay woodlands. There was no microchip found for identification.

A reminder has also been issued about the importance of ensuring animals are microchipped and their enclosure is always secure and appropriate for the species – should this tortoise have escaped, rather than been deliberately abandoned.

The tortoise initially spent time with a local resident who was experienced in caring for them as pets – and they confined and cared for the animal, before she was collected by the RSPCA and taken into the charity’s care.

She has now been transferred to specialist RSPCA facilities in Nantwich for further rehabilitation – where she is undergoing a course of treatment, and has inflamed eyes. She, more positively, is eating well.

Anyone with information related to the tortoise is being urged to contact the RSPCA’s inspectorate appeal line.

RSPCA animal collection officer Ann Lloyd Williams said: “It isn’t clear whether this tortoise escaped, or was dumped in the woodland.

“It has now emerged she was spotted by members of the public over four days before being collected – so we know she had been away from home for a while.

“We’re very grateful to the experienced member of the public who took in the tortoise, before we arrived and transferred her for vital rehabilitation.

“Rehabilitation for the tortoise is ongoing. She’s eating well, but is quite poorly and has inflamed eyes.

“The RSPCA is keen to decipher what happened to this tortoise – and whether an owner is looking for her. Posters have been put up locally, and our inspectorate appeal line can be reached on 0300 123 8018.

“An incident like this can also act as a reminder as to the importance of secure, appropriate accommodation for animals like tortoises being kept as pets. We also recommend that owners have their tortoises microchipped by an exotics vet, so that they can be reunited if they are lost and are found.”


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Ergodyne Announces Gel Knee Pad Updates and Additions

St. Paul, Minn. — Ergodyne has announced today a major refresh of their ProFlex® Gel Knee Pad Series as well as the addition of two new models: the ProFlex® 344 Broad Cap Injected Gel Knee Pad with Articulating Straps and the ProFlex® 349 Broad Cap Lightweight Gel Knee Pad.

"Our new enhancements and additions make a great knee pad line even better," said Andy Olson, senior product manager. "Workers who ‘stand’ on their knees all day will no doubt dig the benefits of our sturdier, more supportive designs."

Ideal for any and all kneeling workers, especially those who move around frequently on their knees, select models are available beginning mid-October through the end of the year at all authorized Ergodyne distributors. For more information, visit  or Call 800.225.8238 // +1 651.642.9889.

©2013 Tenacious Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. All Wrongs Reversed.

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Essemtec to Highlight Real Turnkey Solutions at IPC APEX 2011

Essemtec will highlight its Real Turnkey Solutions concept in booth #773 at the upcoming IPC APEX exhibition, taking place April 12-14 in Las Vegas. The single supplier concept guarantees maximum performance at minimum support and service requirements.

Essemtec's Real Turnkey Solutions concept is like a modern smart phone for electronics production: machines, software, know-how, education, support and service are all supplied from one manufacturer. The advantages of this concept include perfect fit of machines and modules, maximum performance, maximum uptime, and minimum effort for support and service.

Essemtec, the Swiss manufacturer of production systems, supplies Real Turnkey Solutions for SMT electronic manufacturers, subcontractors and developers. A selection of the most advanced products for production and prototyping will be exhibited at the upcoming IPC APEX exhibition in Las Vegas.

A must-see is Cobra, Essemtec's latest automatic SMD pick-and-place machine. Cobra can assemble all of today's SMD packages on one single machine. It features high flexibility in combination with high speed. The machine is operated by ePlace, the new fully graphical user interface invented by Essemtec. Visit booth #773 and experience the new simplicity of machine operation and electronics manufacturing.

Visit Essemtec in booth #773 at IPC APEX at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from April 12-14, 2011.

About the company:
The Swiss machine manufacturer Essemtec is a market leader in manufacturing flexible production systems for industrial users. Essemtec has been developing, manufacturing and marketing equipment and machines for all processes in the electronics industry since 1991: printers, dispensers, pick and place and soldering systems. Manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic systems are available. The range of products also includes transportation and storage systems, as well as software solutions for planning, simulation optimisation and documentation of manufacturing. All Essemtec systems are optimized for maximum flexibility. The user can switch from one product to another in no time, thus making maximum use of the available production capacity.

Essemtec - Be more flexible.

Contact: Florian Schildein
Phone: +41 (0)41 919 60 60
Fax: +41 (0)41 919 60 50

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New Churchill Documentary to Air on PBS and at STL Screening

Bringing the timeless lessons of history to a new generation is a key focus of increased educational outreach and a new documentary by the National Churchill Museum (NCM) on the campus of Westminster College. The documentary, “Winston Churchill’s Epic ‘Iron Curtain Speech’: History Alive Today,” will air on Nine PBS on Sunday, September 1, at 4:30 p.m. and Friday, September 20, at 9:30 p.m. #ChurchillNine

A screening will be hosted at the St. Louis Public Library’s newly renovated Central Library in downtown St. Louis on September 18 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public though registration is requested. Local students are invited to attend.

“Churchill was a man of three centuries – born in the 19th, active as inspirational war leader in the 20th but whose action and decisions continue to influence our lives today, in the 21st. His speech delivered here in Missouri in 1946 is emblematic of how the man could sum up an era in a single delivery in a speech at Westminster College in 1946,” said Rob Havers, executive director of the National Churchill Museum.  “His predictions for the future set him at odds with the majority thinking of the time, but later proved to shape the narrative and realities of the Cold War,” added Havers.

Long time St. Louis business community leader Richard J. Mahoney was inspired to create this documentary to share the important lessons of Churchill with a new generation.  Mahoney is a Churchill Fellow and member of the NCM Board of Governors. The film was brought to life by local producer/director, John Stephens, President, Pulse Productions, Inc.

“Leadership in any generation requires intuition, courage and excellent communications skills, which is what we want the younger generations to reflect on as they see this film.” said Stephens, who himself was inspired by his late father’s Churchill book collection and the way in which his father shared the lessons of Churchill.

The film provides a history of Churchill’s life and features the museum as well as the art in the surrounding area, including “Breakthrough” created by Edwina Sandys, Churchill’s granddaughter, with eight panels from the Berlin wall, and a bas relief sculpture of Churchill as he delivered the memorable “Iron Curtain” speech created by Don Wiegand, a St. Louis artist of national and international reputation. The timeless Churchill leadership style and quotes are highlighted and discussed in today’s context.

The documentary will serve as a rallying point for increased educational outreach programming – both in classrooms throughout the state and on-line. A new on-line exhibit will be launched later this year.

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Evansville Woman Accused Of Defrauding Grieving Family

Sep 11, 2019

Caroline Marie Rich, 37
Credit VCSO

Police have arrested an Evansville woman accused of defrauding a family grieving the loss of a child.

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office says deputies arrested 37-year-old Caroline Marie Rich for allegedly defrauding more than $18,000 that was meant to cover burial and memorial expenses for the deceased child.

In a news release, the sheriff’s office says Rich worked as a family service counselor at Alexander Memorial Park for the family of Oliver Dill.

The boy died in July after accidentally being left in a hot car on the USI campus, and Rich was working on contracts involving the purchase of burial plots and headstones.

The sheriff’s office says Dill’s parents and grandparents had paid about $19,000 via PayPal and personal checks to Rich with the belief that she would transfer the funds.

But the Dill family began receiving invoices indicating about $18,000 was still owed.

Investigators say Dignity Memorial, which owns Alexander Memorial Park, began an internal investigation which showed Rich had apparently kept all but $1,000.00 of the money paid by the Dills.

Rich was arrested on Fraud and Theft charges.


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15 days are still left to end the FY 2016-17, and the Income Tax department of Karnataka and Goa region has already crossed its tax collection annual target. The target set was ₹85,478 crore, and the department has already collected ₹86,229.50 crore.

Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Karnataka & Goa, Nutan Wodeyar, called it a ‘historic achievement’ and stated that the growth rate of this region is 22.4 percent which is way higher as compared to 11.8 percent, the national average. Bengaluru is third following Delhi and Mumbai in terms of income tax collection amount, Wodeyar added.

Post demonetisation, this can be seen as taxpayers’ willingness to comply with the financial regulations and pay their taxes on time.

Interestingly, this is also the top region in the country where undisclosed income was found as well as admitted by the taxpayers, reported the Times Of India. ₹4828 crore was recovered as undisclosed income, and taxpayers admitted ₹2135 crore as an undisclosed amount.

"We have searched 73 groups, issued 328 search warrants and seized Rs 132 crore in 2016-17 as against Rs 54 crore the previous year," the Deccan Chronicle quoted Director General of Income Tax (Investigation), K&G, B.R. Balakrishnan, as saying.

Various financial policy changes and the IT raids post demonetisation can be seen as one of the reasons for the record breaking tax collection. Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Biswajith Jha, stated that ‘fear factor’ after demonetisation announced on November 8 can be partially responsible for it. However, it is difficult to assess that demonetisation is the only reason of higher tax collection.


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The income gap between less-educated Black and White working-class men is the same now as six decades ago. But high-income Black men with college degrees are swiftly closing the economic divide with their White counterparts, according to a new study reported in the University of Chicago News.

University of Chicago’s Kerwin K. Charles and Patrick Bayer of Duke based their study on federal earnings data from 1940 to 2014.

Mass incarceration rates, the two economists said, have driven down the median income of Black men over the past 50 years. At the same time, the disappearance of manufacturing jobs has lowered the earnings of less-educated men across the board and particularly Black men.

“Now education is more and more a determinant of who’s working and who’s not,” Bayer noted. “The labor market for low-skilled workers has basically collapsed.”

At the highest income levels, African-American men are narrowing the gap with high-income White men through education.

“That black men who are at the top of their group in terms of skills are doing ever better shows that the opening up of colleges and the opening up of occupations to African-Americans had a marvelous effect,” Charles said.

SOURCE: University of Chicago News

We’re On A Path To Growing Inequality, Experts Respond To Startling Wealth Gap Between Minorities & Whites

Despite Strides, Black Women Remain At The Bottom Of Income Gap

Celeb Pics Of The Week 9/18 – 9/24: The Obamas Dedicate Smithsonian African American History Museum; Regina King Slays The Emmys & More!
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Project Steps into Virtual Reality Storytelling

By training, most reporters are not designers, programmers or landscapers, but walk into any digital newsroom today and you’ll see writers doing mockups on InDesign and tweaking code in the CMS.

Now journalists might become architects of fully-immersive, virtual reality experiences that take audiences straight to the scene.

Gannett Digital and The Des Moines Register shared their summer experience in the ONA panel “Virtual Reality Storytelling” on Friday.

In the Midway, they also demonstrated their Harvest of Change project working with Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset priced at $350.

virtual reality at ONA

From left: Amalie Nash, Dan Pacheco, Anthony DeBarros at the panel.

Through the narrative of four farm families, three journalists reported on the effects climate change brings to the agriculture business.

The team collaborated with 3D artists to render the Dammann farm – located in Page County, Iowa – and recreate the environment in a virtual reality experience to tell the story through videos and data visualization.

Once on the Dammann farm, users can walk around and interact with the different elements of the story — interviews, informational videos and aerials of the farm.

To get the proportions and distance of everything as accurate as possible, the team sported GoPro cameras and Google Glass for first-person perspective walk-throughs.

According to the company, the project took about three months from May through July and cost under $50,000. Gannett says audiences have been responding well to the story.

Dan Pacheco, the journalism innovation chair at S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, came on board this summer as Gannett Digital’s innovator in residence to work on the project. There is huge potential for virtual reality experiences even outside journalism, he says.

“When the next great Lexus car comes out or some kind of hybrid or even Tesla, these brands can begin to stop telling people about how cool their cars are. They’re going to say, ‘Jump inside. Take it for a virtual test drive.’ People will do that,” Pacheco said.

Anthony DeBarros, director of interactive applications at Gannett Digital, thinks virtual reality is a natural next step for storytelling.

“I think as journalists we always want to be sure we’re not being left out of a medium,” DeBarros said. “It’s really just the very beginning of this medium, but we wanted to start to see what are they possibilities and how do we tell stories in a non-linear way using this.”

One frequently asked question the team receives is why they chose to focus on “a desolate farm.”

DeBarros shared what their virtual reality producer responded to a reporter: “For this first project, we could have gone to a rodeo. We could have gone to Mardi Gras. We could have gone to the end zone of a NFL game and done something that would be spectacular at that kind of level.”

“But again, we brought this back down to local journalism, which is where ultimately within our company it’s going to have to live and where it’s going to really grow up from,” DeBarros said.

Though exciting, experiments need, well, experimenting. It’s too early to tell how newsrooms will begin to incorporate virtual reality storytelling in their reporting. They may follow the template of The Register, or they may not go there at all.

It all depends on the kind of story outlets want to tell, and, as always, just because a tool is new and shiny doesn’t mean it’s the right tool.

If you plan on taking the plunge, here are some tips from Pacheco on how to get started:

  • Download Unity3D. It’s a free, open-source software you can use to build your virtual environments. Available for Macs and PCs.
  • Don’t think about it as something you have to do with Oculus Rift. Start with the 2D experience, which you can still embed onto webpages.
  • Consider more accessible and affordable options, like the Google Cardboard app, for a bite-size virtual reality experience on your smartphone.
  • Visit for notes from the Friday session with Dan Pacheco.
  • If you missed Gannett at the Midway, you can still explore the story in 2D with their download.


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Ingesting is something that we all must do to stay alive and we do it at least three times every day. We stay in a world high are so many options and no one but ourselves are responsible to get the foods we consume.

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In this composition I will compare the differences among eating well balanced meals instead of not healthy foods. 1st I’m gonna discuss the healthy foods. The 2 areas of healthy food I’m likely to talk about will be the benefits and taste. The Benefits of eating healthy foods are which our bodies stay healthy, keeps you full and satisfied for a longer time during the day, providing you more strength through out your day and in the long run keeping us out of the doctor’s office.

In the event that you’re trying to lose weight consuming healthy foods is a learn to lose weight. The flavor of well balanced meals is more fresh and if you prepare it very well the taste will certainly satifa you but it can sometimes lack great taste if you don’t discover how to prepare it. Second I’m gonna discuss the benefits and style of the not healthy foods. There is no benefit of consuming food that isn’t healthy for you. When we consume foods that have no benefits we all end up with all kinds of health problems just like diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and being overweight Which usually all can cause high medical bills.

The flavor of these kinds of food may tastes better at the moment because of all the things that are in them and might cost cheaper so it turns into easier for all of us to consume. Over time we are responsible for what we eat and the choices of foodstuff we acquire but we have to all consider the benefits it will eventually make or perhaps not generate.

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Deputy Chairman of the board

Rohan J. Hoare

Dr. Hoare is the President and CEO of EndoStim, a company developing a novel treatment of gastric reflux disease. He has extensive experience in the neuromodulation industry, including spinal cord, deep brain, vagus nerve, occipital and esophageal stimulation. Previous positions include President, Neuromodulation at LivaNova (formed by the merger of Cyberonics and Sorin Group) and Chief Operating Officer at Cyberonics. Prior to this he held numerous leadership positions at St Jude Medical culminating in President, Neuromodulation Division. Early in his career Rohan was a consultant with McKinsey & Co., a premiere management consulting firm. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University where he was a Fulbright Scholar.


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Enchantmints Reviews

Mixing beautiful art in delicate shades of color with beloved musical tunes, every Enchantmints Musical Treasure Box is a artistic treat for the eyes and ears! Made to be cherished for many years to come, Musical Treasure Boxes are ideal for keeping jewelry, collectibles, photographs and precious mementos.

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KyLOC - Customer Discussion Area

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organizational patches

From:  MSG Corp WAARNG
Date:  4/12/2007 10:31:09 AM

Agree-This is a problem in my state as well. We can not support our soldiers unless we request funding from CIF to go out and locally purchase. Also we have had problems with organizational patches. The warehouse does not want to purchase for the units any more.


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changcoverFinalAs Chang puts it in Guardian: “Economics, as it has been practised in the last three decades, has been positively harmful for most people.” !! And he adds “Economists are not some innocent technicians who did a decent job within the narrow confines of their expertise until they were collectively wrong-footed by a once-in-a-century disaster that no one could have predicted.” Far from being an inward-looking, hermetic discipline, economics has been a hugely powerful – and profitable – enterprise, shaping the policies of governments and companies throughout much of the world. The results have been little short of disastrous” . A great book, a must read, for all thought leaders. Ha-Joon Chang, Prof at the University of Cambridge,  is one of the leading heterodox economists and institutional economists specialising in development economics . See more here.

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Tomorrow’s Leaders Selfless and Ready to Collaborate ?

colabbeesConventional wisdom holds that winning, whether in business or life, is a zero-sum game: One wins and the other loses. Yet when surveyed about the ideal modern leader, 64,000 people in 13 countries–from China to Canada–wished their leaders were slightly less polarizing and more collaborative. This desire for a more inclusive and flexible leader is a reflection of an increasingly social and transparent economy, says  author John Gerzema one of the coordinators of a recent survey on the subject in Fast Company. When asked of today’s challenges, 70% of people feel the world is becoming less fair, while 85% feel there is too much power in institutions. On a personal level, people feel greater skills in engaging others are necessary for career management. 84% say that “today a successful career requires greater collaboration and sharing credit with others.” And 77% believe “it’s more important to be practical than stick to one’s ideologies.” Read more  here. The idea of more collaborative behaviors  amongst leaders , companies and brands – and the emergence of new species in the business ecosystem- was first suggested in the book “Nice” Capitalism (2008) by Costas Kataras, together with related findings from Game Theory on collaborative behavior, including the so called Prisoner’s Dilemma and the work by Robert Axelrod  as in his book “The Evolution of Cooperation” (1984). See more here.

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Corporate sustainability was less sexy in 2012 ?

It was an odd year for green business, and it began with some mixed signals about how far companies were coming on sustainability. A GreenBiz report indicated that progress had slowed or even regressed, but MIT and BCG also declared that sustainability had reached a “tipping point” with more companies putting sustainability “on the management agenda.” Your comment ? (The full article at HBR, at : http://blogs.hbr.org/winston/2012/12/top-10-sustainable-business-st.html )

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The Internet destroyed the middle class ?

ImageJaron Lanier is a computer science pioneer who, according to SALON, has grown gradually disenchanted with the online world since his early days popularizing the idea of virtual reality. “Lanier is often described as ‘visionary,’ ” Jennifer Kahn wrote in a 2011 New Yorker profile, “a word that manages to convey both a capacity for mercurial insight and a lack of practical job skills.”

Raised mostly in Texas and New Mexico by bohemian parents who’d escaped anti-Semitic violence in Europe, he’s been a young disciple of Richard Feynman, an employee at Atari, a scholar at Columbia, a visiting artist at New York University, and a columnist for Discover magazine. He’s also a longtime composer and musician, and a collector of antique and archaic instruments, many of them Asian.

His book continues his war on digital utopianism and his assertion of humanist and individualistic values in a hive-mind world. But Lanier still sees potential in digital technology: He just wants it reoriented away from its main role so far, which involves “spying” on citizens, creating a winner-take-all society, eroding professions and, in exchange, throwing bonbons to the crowd.

This week sees the publication of “Who Owns the Future?,” which digs into technology, economics and culture in unconventional ways. (How is a pirated music file like a 21st century mortgage?) Lanier argues that there is little essential difference between Facebook and a digital trading company, or Amazon and an enormous bank. (“Stanford sometimes seems like one of the Silicon Valley companies.”)

Much of the book looks at the way Internet technology threatens to destroy the middle class by first eroding employment and job security, along with various “levees” that give the economic middle stability. Read more at SALON here.

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In a volatile business climate, companies can gain advantage by learning from nature’s rules

ImageGood business is fundamentally about seeking out opportunities for value creation, not about trying to get something for nothing. As our social, economic and environmental landscapes become ever more volatile, business approaches need to adapt and evolve to optimise the opportunities for value creation. And, in the words of environmentalist Paul Hawken, “business and industry is the only institution that is large enough, pervasive enough and powerful enough to lead humankind out of this mess”. Therefore, the re-evaluation and transformation of our business paradigm is fundamental to the successful evolution not only of business, but of our species as a whole. In times of pressing challenges, in this “perfect storm” of social, economic and environmental volatility, it requires great courage to break rank from a paradigm that is ingrained in our business mindset. Transformational times call for transformational change. See more on this interesting read here.

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The Role of Philanthropy within a Social Welfare Society.

Image Following-up the successful developments of the 2012 conference on the role of foundations during the current crisis, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) in collaboration with the EFC is pleased to announce that its second annual international conference is scheduled to take place in Athens on 27-28 June 2013. Discussions will focus on the topic: The Role of Philanthropy within a Social Welfare Society.  If you want to learn more about the event, use the form below.

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Ethics and Globalization

petersonThe Peterson Institute held a significant and path-breaking all-day conference on “Ethics and Globalization: The Tradeoffs Underlying Our Policy Choices” on January 7, 2013. The program featured a distinguished group of economists, philosophers, political scientists, and policymakers engaged in an interdisciplinary discussion of fundamental issues underlying economic policy decisions. Participants addressed the challenges of considering duties to domestic versus global welfare, balancing economic goals between generations, expecting ethical duties from private actors, and reconciling global governance and local accountability. http://www.iie.com/publications/papers/ethics_globalization_conference_ebook.pdf

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Rustic Maple Coasters

Nick's Drawings

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So you just crawled home from a long hike, and you're tired and thirsty. Mix up something tasty and sit back! These coasters are sourced from lumber in the Appalachian mountains and then milled, carved, and etched by The Rugged Lab
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pure FORESHADOWING (nifra_idril) wrote,

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Gods, Love, and Sidearms. (Mythomania, baby)

Smallville is basically formed on the idea of dueling pairs: of light twins and dark twins.
This idea is underscored even in the sets that it gives its two main locations: cool tones for Metropolis, warm tones for Smallville. In this way, the Manichean impulse toward the inevitable struggle between good and evil that rules all comic book descriptions of Superman and his Luthor is carried through, into a much more complicated medium. However, to fully realize the potential of this twinning motif, Smallville uses it over and over again.

The notion of dualism is, naturally, extended into the idea of split personas -- public masks, and private lives, which is (of course) the main theme of the mythos from which our show is formed. We have two characters (Clark and Lex) who we *know* will be living double lives in the future, but who *now* must contend with the dualistic sides of their personality.

Lex lives a double life as a public figure (mayor/president of lexcorp/president) and as an archnemesis to Superman. He maintains an (at times) dubious public persona, but the depth of his involvement in crime is kept secret -- if it wasn't then how the hell could he become president? Clark's double life is a rather obvious one -- that of Superman and Clark Kent, of course.

So you have these two figures who separate their Godheads from themselves -- Superman and Luthor, vs. Clark and Lex. Their violence and primacy is separate from their mundane existences. So they are primarily dualistic personalities. Now, going with that -- Smallville is attempting to establish a parallel wherein they are the Cain and Abel paradigm. Which is another form of dualism, but I won't go directly into that, yet. With these two boys we have a variety of instances wherein they are splintered, twinned, and doubled.

Additionally we are given several characters who act as good twin/bad twin -- you have Jonathan Kent and Lionel Luthor, who certainly share a bond and could be seen as two aspects of the same figure; good father and bad father. And then there's Chloe and Lana -- who AlMiles have said combine to create Lois Lane, so basically they've acknowledged that these two girls are two faces of the same person, much like the above.

Now what does all of this mean on a weekly level? How does Smallville work it into the story lines of it's episodes? Well, first it parallels the two boys -- giving them a single Janus-faced father, if you decide to amalgamate Lionel and Jonathan into the overall archetype of Father; wise, powerful, loving and terrifying. *And* it puts them (Clark and Lex) into similar situations, showing again and again their similarities -- but further than that, it gives both of them alter egos at the start of Season 3. Clark has Kal, and Lex has Louis.

With both of these half-selves that the boys have they have forcibly separated from themselves the negative aspects of their personality. What is significant for the way that their lives will progress is how they choose to deal with these phantom selves.

Lex confronts his phantom self in a physical battle -- he attempts to tangibly destroy it, and in doing so, he refuses to acknowledge it. He doesn't re-integrate it, he remains incomplete, and refusing to deal with all of the implications of this splintered self. And in this way, he is left vulnerable, as he is never complete -- there is an argument to be made here that this is why it is, then, that this negative side of him ends up gaining the upper hand in his psyche.

If we were to treat this as myth, then we could say that Lex's attempt to kill Louis as a repudiation, and that by repudiating Louis he turned Louis into a whole other being -- a seperate self, who then combats Lex all over again, slowly grappling with him as a shade or ghost that haunts him, and eventually triumphs at the close of the series.

As Season 3 progressed, Lex was broken down further and further -- already not a complete whole, he was 'shattered' by the events of the season. If one were to read even more mythology into it, it could be said that his vulnerability (created by the exorcism of his literal demon) is what lead to the invasion of insanity. It's as though Louis -- his negativity -- stood as gatekeeper to his soul, and in his stead there came a steady flood of other demons, all at the behest of the Terrible Father Figure.

On the other hand, we have Clark, who does not go into physical battle with Kal, his phantom double. Clark, instead, chooses to incorporate Kal into his full persona -- in fact, at the end of Pheonix he verbally acknowledges that Kal is part of who he is. In his behavior throughout S3, we see Kal peeking out time and again. This makes Clark stronger, a complete and *whole* person, and therefore not as vulnerable as Lex to the whisperings of his shadow self.

I see Superman as Clark's Godhead. Superman is the divine within Clark -- the sublime that cannot be recognized within his aspect of mundanity (the reporter guise). He is the every-man and the godlike all at once, so I would say that Superman is part of Clark's singularly dualistic persona.

Ultimately, though Lex and Clark are two divided personalities, they are also two parts of the same whole. Even if you don't ascribe to the fanon romantic relationship, they are certainly two of a kind -- sons with destinies, and as we see them move toward their futures we also see them become one another's doubles, and phantom selves. Clark is Lex's conscience, as his own atrophies and falls away, and Lex is Clark's muderous impulse. It is Lex who keeps Clark honest -- as Lex posits during Talisman -- and Clark who will keep Lex from taking responsibility for his actions.

All of this discussion of Clark and Lex as one another's phantom doubles, or shadow selves, serves only to underscore that their desire for one another -- desire to kill, or fuck -- comes from a place much deeper than betrayal, or hurt. It comes from a primal desire to merge (as Clark did with Kal) or destroy (Lex and Louis), and the reason that ultimately neither of them can prevail is that for the both of them to go on as a balanced pair (an equatable equation, really) is for them to remain s they are; as matched set, two faces of the same divinity -- the god of Metropolis, both kind and cruel, fickle and perseverant, wholesome and jaded.

It means that those who serve Lex serve Clark, also -- as do those who work with Clark and Superman. It means that Mercy Graves is a priestess of Clex and so is Lois Lane. Clex, like Kali Durga in India, is the god of love and war. A god who creates, and who destroys, and what is interesting about it is that Lex is the creative aspect of their whole, while Clark is the destructive one.

They are an inversion of one another, and in all honesty, at the core, they carry out one another's deepest held fantasies. Who they are to one another -- their opposition -- is what creates the men we know, the men we find so endlessly interesting, and nothing else. And this is why -- this ever so fragile balance that exists between the two -- they *can't* just forget the past, and move on to the future. If they did that, they would almost cease to exist.

But, even if Clark and Lex could go on from a merging, their divinity would disappear. They would become only their mundane selves, without the powerful godliness that defines them.

To become the domestic lovers that so many slash fans would want, they would have to be *only* that. They would have to forsake, for lack of a better word, their greatness. An easy analogy to make would be that of Achilles, told that if he goes off to war his name will be remembered for centuries to come, but if he stays home he will be loved. He chooses to go to war, just as Clark and Lex do. War is the way they love each other, in the end -- through their violence to one another they provoke that which is sublime in the other. Each blow is a caress, each bullet is a kiss, each plot is an elaborate way of saying 'I love you', if viewed in this context. Their tenderness is transmuted into violence, and so one must view their violence as tender.
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