The following are multiple choice questions (with answers) about astronomy.

Kirkwood gaps are observed in the main asteroid belt including at the position(s) where:
A. asteroids would orbit with a period half that of Jupiter
B. asteroids would orbit with a period twice that of Jupiter
C. asteroids would orbit with a period twice that of Mars
D. A and B
Answer: A<|endoftext|>1. What is the fear?
      1. Idea of what is next pertaining to the person in leadership
      2. For the organization, again the person in leadership. Did I leave it in good health? Cash reserve?
      3. The successor – burden of the responsibility “Can I rise?”
      4. ‘I’m afraid to communicate my interest.’
    2. Possible solutions
      1. For the leader “Leaving the organization”
        1. Find people or organizations that have done it well.
    3. Transition committee
    4. How to prepare: pensions, consultants, financial plans
      1. For the Successor
        1. Mentoring is Key (not the same as coaching
          1. Structured opportunities for learning
          2. Cultivates leadership
          3. Mentorship is organic
          4. Mentors Values are in line with the organization’s values
          5. Reciprocal
          6. Time is varies with all mentors
          7. Look for similarities in career path, values and authenticity
“Every single word you say is being listened to.”

  1. What is the torch?
    1. Be honest about what the torch is. Be honest about what you are handing down and what the next leader is inheriting.
    2. Build in an interim period of time for that person.
    3. Overall flexibility - doesn’t have to be the exact same torch. Talk about it, discuss it.
    4. Are you ready to hold the torch? Do you have a strong foundation within the organization? Do you share the same goals? Know your truth and be ready for an honest answer.

  1. Legacy change and transition (or lack there of)
    1. There is funding for succession planning/training through conferences, professional development, staff/development grants, part of the organization’s strategic plan.

  1. Reassessing challenges, seeking renewal/rejuvenation
    1. Limited resources and constraints
      1. Can be assets too, leading to creativity
      2. Necessitate fostering relations with advocates in community
    2. Balance in work vs personal lives (or lack thereof)
      1. Sacrifices
      2. When do the challenges motive/hinder you?
      3. When do you walk away?
    3. In the arts, people more personally motivated
      1. Build in personal time away, time for self, time to "veg out"
    4. Lack luxury of self-assessment
      1. Allowing others to understand our work/art
      2. Not as valued in society
    5. Gender difference?
      1. Work in arts similar to energy of parenting

  1. Remembering the 'WHY'
    1. The work, the art that is created
      1. Touching people in ways other fields cannot
      2. The immediacy, unknowing of beginning and end, is exciting
    2. Collaboration --> Engagement
    3. Keep asking, always important
      1. This was a calling
    4. Keep in mind perspective of audience.
      1. Our work is meant to be shared.

  1. Actionable items
    1. Work with/for like-minded people/organizations
    2. Seek/exercise strong leadership
    3. Work with more diverse team, w/ different skill sets, different backgrounds
      1. Stay open to all perspectives (incl. international)
    4. Civil discourse = In-person meetings
      1. "Interdisciplinary collaboration" involves groundwork

  1. Fostering our successors, the next generation
    1. Provide part-time positions/ internships
    2. Welcome back those who have left
      1. Not losing to for-profits
    3. Take the time to fine right match
      1. Needs to be mutually beneficial

What resource systems currently exist within the API theatre community and beyond?
  1. Mentor/Mentee programs and relationships - menthes can seek advice
  2. Community partnerships - can help with developing plays and new work
    1. Examples from the group
      1. Service organizations
      2. LGBT community organizations
      3. Latino community groups
      4. Immigration policy advocates/lobby groups
      5. Hmong community: elders, community organizations
  3. Theatre Education - learning/passing on oral histories
    1. Example given: Apollo Theatre (NYC)

What are the obstacles we face when we want to ask for help?
  1. Afraid to ask for help - feeling too timid / fear of rejection
  2. Not knowing what to ask for specifically
  3. Thinking beyond the API community
  4. Not knowing the timetables to do strategic outreach
  5. Lack of capacity
    1. Implementation tools for executing outreach effectively
    2. Access to physical space
  6. The time and money involved in the development stage / under-resourced
    1. Cost of making art
    2. Value of goals
    3. Finding Grants
    4. Pro bono work can be endless
  7. Realizing the need of building a community audience
    1. Lack of responses from leaders
    2. Burning out resources
    3. Need more knowledge of resources
    4. Disconnect between theatre world and outreach world
  8. Theatre may not be of importance to communities we are reaching
  9. Ignorance / structural racism - What do I have to learn?
    1. Bias in representation

How can we help each other in the API theatre community/network?
  1. Build a transparent process system
    1. Artist exchanges
    2. Touring writing lab
  2. Centralized resource guide of all the information about all the organizations involved with CAATA - a guide of what everyone has to offer
  3. Strengthen CAATA’s publicity and marketing
  4. Tapping into the national network of arts presenting
    1. Getting around competition vs. community support
    2. Create Top 5/10 list(s) of college/arts presenters around the country - empower the touring artists who can compile this list
  5. Building smaller convenings to strengthen infrastructure
  6. Successful artists/administrators as consultants to CAATA to share best practices
    1. “Partnership tank”
    2. Take responsibility to bring in others’ best practices
  7. Existing resource: Next Generation Emerging Arts Leaders - Monthly curated conversation and conference calls
  8. Schedule “work nights” instead of conference calls or meetings via Google Hangout or Skype
  9. Find funding source for prep time

Additional Questions/Concerns/Comments:
After mini-discussion report-outs, during reconvening of large group
  1. Training people who end up leaving
    1. Paying people what they are worth
    2. Welcome former employees to come back
    3. If there was a perfect nonprofit structure, what would it look like?

Session Evaluation: After reviewing all four small group discussions, all attendees continued the conversation by adding to certain topics and evaluating the session as a whole.

The extended amount of discussion time was a plus and should be kept regarding the session. Some things that could be improved upon or implemented for next time include the following:
  • Track the conversation, perhaps on the CAATA website.
  • Establish more national work group session to get the assignments done, instead of relying on people to do work in-between meetings.
  • Talk about structural issues within organizations
  • Integrate opportunities for participants to suggest questions and topics of discussion.

Survey Results:
Out of 13 survey responses completed and turned in

Under 30: 7% (1 response)
30-39: 46% (6 responses)
40-49: 7% (1 response)
50-59: 15% (2 responses)
60 and over: 15% (2 responses)
decline to state: 7% (1 response)

Asian/API: 15%
Black: 7%
Caucasian: 7%
Chinese American: 15%
Filipino/Filipino American: 23%
Japanese/Japanese American: 15%
Korean American: 15%

Under 40:
Asian/API: 28%
Chinese American: 14%
Filipino/Filipino American: 28%
Korean American: 28%

40 and over:
Caucasian: 20%
Chinese American: 20%
Filipino/Filipino American: 20%
Japanese/Japanese American: 40%

High School: 7%
BA: 46%
BFA: 7%
MA: 15%
MBA: 7%
MFA: 7%
PhD: 7%

Under 40:
High School: 14%
BA: 42%
MA: 14%
MFA: 14%
PhD: 14%

40 and over:
BA: 40%
BFA:

1. What is the fear?
      1. Idea of what is next pertaining to the person in leadership
      2. For the organization, again the person in leadership. Did I leave it in good health? Cash reserve?
      3. The successor – burden of the responsibility “Can I rise?”
      4. ‘I’m afraid to communicate my interest.’
    2. Possible solutions
      1. For the leader “Leaving the organization”
        1. Find people or organizations that have done it well.
    3. Transition committee
    4. How to prepare: pensions, consultants, financial plans
      1. For the Successor
        1. Mentoring is Key (not the same as coaching
          1. Structured opportunities for learning
          2. Cultivates leadership
          3. Mentorship is organic
          4. Mentors Values are in line with the organization’s values
          5. Reciprocal
          6. Time is varies with all mentors
          7. Look for similarities in career path, values and authenticity
“Every single word you say is being listened to.”

  1. What is the torch?
    1. Be honest about what the torch is. Be honest about what you are handing down and what the next leader is inheriting.
    2. Build in an interim period of time for that person.
    3. Overall flexibility - doesn’t have to be the exact same torch. Talk about it, discuss it.
    4. Are you ready to hold the torch? Do you have a strong foundation within the organization? Do you share the same goals? Know your truth and be ready for an honest answer.

  1. Legacy change and transition (or lack there of)
    1. There is funding for succession planning/training through conferences, professional development, staff/development grants, part of the organization’s strategic plan.

  1. Reassessing challenges, seeking renewal/rejuvenation
    1. Limited resources and constraints
      1. Can be assets too, leading to creativity
      2. Necessitate fostering relations with advocates in community
    2. Balance in work vs personal lives (or lack thereof)
      1. Sacrifices
      2. When do the challenges motive/hinder you?
      3. When do you walk away?
    3. In the arts, people more personally motivated
      1. Build in personal time away, time for self, time to "veg out"
    4. Lack luxury of self-assessment
      1. Allowing others to understand our work/art
      2. Not as valued in society
    5. Gender difference?
      1. Work in arts similar to energy of parenting

  1. Remembering the 'WHY'
    1. The work, the art that is created
      1. Touching people in ways other fields cannot
      2. The immediacy, unknowing of beginning and end, is exciting
    2. Collaboration --> Engagement
    3. Keep asking, always important
      1. This was a calling
    4. Keep in mind perspective of audience.
      1. Our work is meant to be shared.

  1. Actionable items
    1. Work with/for like-minded people/organizations
    2. Seek/exercise strong leadership
    3. Work with more diverse team, w/ different skill sets, different backgrounds
      1. Stay open to all perspectives (incl. international)
    4. Civil discourse = In-person meetings
      1. "Interdisciplinary collaboration" involves groundwork

  1. Fostering our successors, the next generation
    1. Provide part-time positions/ internships
    2. Welcome back those who have left
      1. Not losing to for-profits
    3. Take the time to fine right match
      1. Needs to be mutually beneficial

What resource systems currently exist within the API theatre community and beyond?
  1. Mentor/Mentee programs and relationships - menthes can seek advice
  2. Community partnerships - can help with developing plays and new work
    1. Examples from the group
      1. Service organizations
      2. LGBT community organizations
      3. Latino community groups
      4. Immigration policy advocates/lobby groups
      5. Hmong community: elders, community organizations
  3. Theatre Education - learning/passing on oral histories
    1. Example given: Apollo Theatre (NYC)

What are the obstacles we face when we want to ask for help?
  1. Afraid to ask for help - feeling too timid / fear of rejection
  2. Not knowing what to ask for specifically
  3. Thinking beyond the API community
  4. Not knowing the timetables to do strategic outreach
  5. Lack of capacity
    1. Implementation tools for executing outreach effectively
    2. Access to physical space
  6. The time and money involved in the development stage / under-resourced
    1. Cost of making art
    2. Value of goals
    3. Finding Grants
    4. Pro bono work can be endless
  7. Realizing the need of building a community audience
    1. Lack of responses from leaders
    2. Burning out resources
    3. Need more knowledge of resources
    4. Disconnect between theatre world and outreach world
  8. Theatre may not be of importance to communities we are reaching
  9. Ignorance / structural racism - What do I have to learn?
    1. Bias in representation

How can we help each other in the API theatre community/network?
  1. Build a transparent process system
    1. Artist exchanges
    2. Touring writing lab
  2. Centralized resource guide of all the information about all the organizations involved with CAATA - a guide of what everyone has to offer
  3. Strengthen CAATA’s publicity and marketing
  4. Tapping into the national network of arts presenting
    1. Getting around competition vs. community support
    2. Create Top 5/10 list(s) of college/arts presenters around the country - empower the touring artists who can compile this list
  5. Building smaller convenings to strengthen infrastructure
  6. Successful artists/administrators as consultants to CAATA to share best practices
    1. “Partnership tank”
    2. Take responsibility to bring in others’ best practices
  7. Existing resource: Next Generation Emerging Arts Leaders - Monthly curated conversation and conference calls
  8. Schedule “work nights” instead of conference calls or meetings via Google Hangout or Skype
  9. Find funding source for prep time

Additional Questions/Concerns/Comments:
After mini-discussion report-outs, during reconvening of large group
  1. Training people who end up leaving
    1. Paying people what they are worth
    2. Welcome former employees to come back
    3. If there was a perfect nonprofit structure, what would it look like?

Session Evaluation: After reviewing all four small group discussions, all attendees continued the conversation by adding to certain topics and evaluating the session as a whole.

The extended amount of discussion time was a plus and should be kept regarding the session. Some things that could be improved upon or implemented for next time include the following:
  • Track the conversation, perhaps on the CAATA website.
  • Establish more national work group session to get the assignments done, instead of relying on people to do work in-between meetings.
  • Talk about structural issues within organizations
  • Integrate opportunities for participants to suggest questions and topics of discussion.

Survey Results:
Out of 13 survey responses completed and turned in

Under 30: 7% (1 response)
30-39: 46% (6 responses)
40-49: 7% (1 response)
50-59: 15% (2 responses)
60 and over: 15% (2 responses)
decline to state: 7% (1 response)

Asian/API: 15%
Black: 7%
Caucasian: 7%
Chinese American: 15%
Filipino/Filipino American: 23%
Japanese/Japanese American: 15%
Korean American: 15%

Under 40:
Asian/API: 28%
Chinese American: 14%
Filipino/Filipino American: 28%
Korean American: 28%

40 and over:
Caucasian: 20%
Chinese American: 20%
Filipino/Filipino American: 20%
Japanese/Japanese American: 40%

High School: 7%
BA: 46%
BFA: 7%
MA: 15%
MBA: 7%
MFA: 7%
PhD: 7%

Under 40:
High School: 14%
BA: 42%
MA: 14%
MFA: 14%
PhD: 14%

40 and over:
BA: 40%
BFA: 20%
MA: 20%
MBA: 20%

Education Based on Race/Ethnicity:
High School
Chinese American 100% ← based on one response
Asian/API 33%
Black 16%
Filipino 16%
Japanese/Japanese American 33%
Chinese American 100% ← based on one response
Caucasian 50%
Filipino American 50%
Korean


The following are multiple choice questions (with answers) about high school macroeconomics.

Which of the following choices is most likely to create the greatest decrease in real GDP?
A. The government decreases spending matched with a decrease in taxes.
B. The government increases spending with no increase in taxes.
C. The government decreases spending with no change in taxes.
D. The government holds spending constant while increasing taxes.
Answer: C<|endoftext|>With only 5 amateur fights under her belt in 2009 Yolanda Ezell went to the USA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS representing Ca., and brought home the Bronze medal!  She then went on to win the DESERT SHOW DOWN WORLD TITLE BELT, 2 time California GOLDEN GLOVES Winner, USA NATIONAL GOLDEN GLOVES Bronze medal by beating the girl that was ranked number 1 in the Nation in the first round of the national tournament.

Yolanda broke her thumb in that first fight of the tournament but continued the tournament taking home another National Bronze medal.

End of 2011 while ranked 3rd in the nation as an amateur boxer Yolanda decided to turn professional relocated to Las Vegas to train with the legendary Boxing trainer and mentor Floyd Mayweather Sr.  She won her PRO debut with a stunning 21 second Knockout in the first round ...

As a model seeking to keep fit and healthy, Yolanda always looked for energizing ways to exercise.  So, when a modeling friend mentioned that she boxed as part of her workout regimen, Yolanda was intrigued.  At the time, this friend appeared on a cable TV show called the "Perfect 10 Model Boxers".  A quick call to the recruiters and one team work-out-later, and Ms. Knockout was part of the troupe and well on her way.

Since boxing is a sport that encourages discipline and inspires confidence -- key traits that Yolanda took with her from her careers as a model and corporate executive - it should come as no surprise that she turned her can-do attitude into a triumphant formula for boxing success.

The natural athlete (who won college scholarships in cross country and tennis) began boxing semi-professionally several years ago after being discovered by celebrity boxing trainer David Paul.  He stated that her skill level accelerated faster than anyone he had ever trained before.

Beauty, brains, and brawn .... a powerful combination, indeed!

But how does she deal with naysayers, those who believe boxing should remain a male-dominated sport, or that women's can't be feminine and still be good at boxing?

Yolanda says, "Personally, I believe that you can be girly and still be really tough.  A lot of times when female athletes get into sports, they feel like they have to do it like a boy, dress like a boy and be the opposite of who they really are.  I like dressing like a girl.  Once after an amateur fight, I took my helmet off, and heard an official say, "Does she have makeup on?  And I said, "Yes, I'm a girly girl and smiled.  Just because I"m tough, does not take away from me being girly.  I won, by the way!"

Yes, she's beautiful women, a KNOCKOUT, indeed.<|endoftext|>Bucket List

Menstuff® has information on Bucket List.

Here are 5 things you may regret at the end of your life, from a nurse who works with the dying.

If you had a crystal ball to see what you'd regret as you were dying, would you make changes now?

You might think watching people die would depress a person. It actually taught her how to live.

Bronnie Ware spent years as a palliative care nurse, helping patients be as comfortable as possible in the time just before their deaths. She compiled their stories and the most repeated regrets she heard them utter in their final days.

Shared originally on her blog, " Inspiration and Chai," here are the top five regrets, with quotes from her blog as she recorded them.

Regret #1: I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

Look at yourself in the mirror. Are you living your best life right now? What's stopping you?

Regret #2: I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

Your office desk looks like instant stress before the workday has even started. (Editor: The way I've heard it is 'I wish I had played more." This is probably number one on men's list. Working hard to provide so that I can live a more leisure life when I retire caries a lot of regret, if I live long enough to retire. Health issues and having less money than I thought I would have interrupt a lot of those "want to do" things on your bucket list. Travel, sports, you name it. And part of that drive 'to have things' - that new boat, all those toys that sit in the garage, the latest trick skies, another gun or hunting bow. A garage, basement and attic filled with stuff you haven't used in years, and maybe never actually used more than once. And someone is going to have to go through it all when you die. If you're reading this, it's not to late to change. Do it.)

Regret #3: I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

What if getting the words out is essential to your growth as a human?

Feelings aren't just useless emotions. Expressing them can be the first step to self-actuating and becoming a newer version of yourself.

"Many people (Editor: Especially men. The number 1 cause of die is heart desiease. The number 1 cause of heart disease is stress. The number one cause of stress is represed anger. Expressing if safely is an important beehavior to learn.) suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming." — Bronnie Ware

Regret #4: I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Is there someone you treasure who you haven't spoken with in much too long?

They're so important to us and somehow we think that "life" getting in the way is a good enough reason to go without seeing them.

"Everyone misses their friends when they are dying." — Bronnie Ware

Regret #5: I wish that I had let myself be happier.

If you didn't wake up joyful today, why not? What can you do to change that?

Who was the last person you belly-laughed with? Call them. Right now.

Were there any regrets on this list that felt familiar to you? Others that you didn't see listed?

These are five universal wake-up calls we all need to be reminded of. There's no shame in tagging all the friends you need to call when you share this.
Source: www.upworthy.com/here-are-5-things-you-may-regret-at-the-end-of-your-life-from-a-nurse-who-works-with-the-dying?c=upw1&u=07fa0e7f2d23f338b4a3b29d16b2a71a4c4e496b

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Menstuff® Directory
Menstuff® is a registered trademark of Gordon Clay
©1996-2019, Gordon Clay<|endoftext|>Wouldn’t it be great if on Christmas Eve, after hearing a noise, the  parents quietly wake up the rest of the family? They tip-toe through the house and then, from a hiding place, they 'Sneek a Peek' and watch Santa put the presents under the tree, eat the cookies, drink the milk, read their Santa letters and anything else that is a tradition in their home.

His specialty is home visits; when he enters a childs home it is always a special time.

What is 'Sneek A Peek'???

Note: The above service is anytime after 10 pm on Christmas Eve

Don't wait in long lines at the malls, when you can have a Real Bearded Santa come to your home,organization, or office party and you can take all the pictures you want. You can also surprise the children and everyone when the Real Santa arrives, then they can take their own pictures!

The magic begins...

How big is the North Pole cookie jar???

Now smile for Santa.

Time for a little nap.

Prancer asking for a treat.

Elf Jonah sometimes helps Santa for special events

Sometimes a child j-u-s-t doesn't want to pose for a picture with Santa, but other pictures are possible and the family of this youngster was delighted with the picture below.<|endoftext|>From the practice room to the concert venue

A preliminary study

Elena Alessandri, Christian Lars Schuchert, Ruta Lasauskaite Schüpbach
This study explored how discrepancies between the practice and the concert settings influence musicians’ preparation and delivery of performance. We interviewed four experienced music students prior to and after a solo concert to gather insights on their

 is 87; Pakistan fared worse than India at 146 while Bangladesh ranked at 148.
The top 5 countries in the list are-
1. Sweden
2. Belgium
3. Denmark
4. Norway
5. Germany
Source- Live Mint

Download success!

Leave a comment
<|endoftext|>With only 5 amateur fights under her belt in 2009 Yolanda Ezell went to the USA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS representing Ca., and brought home the Bronze medal!  She then went on to win the DESERT SHOW DOWN WORLD TITLE BELT, 2 time California GOLDEN GLOVES Winner, USA NATIONAL GOLDEN GLOVES Bronze medal by beating the girl that was ranked number 1 in the Nation in the first round of the national tournament.

Yolanda broke her thumb in that first fight of the tournament but continued the tournament taking home another National Bronze medal.

End of 2011 while ranked 3rd in the nation as an amateur boxer Yolanda decided to turn professional relocated to Las Vegas to train with the legendary Boxing trainer and mentor Floyd Mayweather Sr.  She won her PRO debut with a stunning 21 second Knockout in the first round ...

As a model seeking to keep fit and healthy, Yolanda always looked for energizing ways to exercise.  So, when a modeling friend mentioned that she boxed as part of her workout regimen, Yolanda was intrigued.  At the time, this friend appeared on a cable TV show called the "Perfect 10 Model Boxers".  A quick call to the recruiters and one team work-out-later, and Ms. Knockout was part of the troupe and well on her way.

Since boxing is a sport that encourages discipline and inspires confidence -- key traits that Yolanda took with her from her careers as a model and corporate executive - it should come as no surprise that she turned her can-do attitude into a triumphant formula for boxing success.

The natural athlete (who won college scholarships in cross country and tennis) began boxing semi-professionally several years ago after being discovered by celebrity boxing trainer David Paul.  He stated that her skill level accelerated faster than anyone he had ever trained before.

Beauty, brains, and brawn .... a powerful combination, indeed!

But how does she deal with naysayers, those who believe boxing should remain a male-dominated sport, or that women's can't be feminine and still be good at boxing?

Yolanda says, "Personally, I believe that you can be girly and still be really tough.  A lot of times when female athletes get into sports, they feel like they have to do it like a boy, dress like a boy and be the opposite of who they really are.  I like dressing like a girl.  Once after an amateur fight, I took my helmet off, and heard an official say, "Does she have makeup on?  And I said, "Yes, I'm a girly girl and smiled.  Just because I"m tough, does not take away from me being girly.  I won, by the way!"

Yes, she's beautiful women, a KNOCKOUT, indeed.<|endoftext|>Bucket List

Menstuff® has information on Bucket List.

Here are 5 things you may regret at the end of your life, from a nurse who works with the dying.

If you had a crystal ball to see what you'd regret as you were dying, would you make changes now?

You might think watching people die would depress a person. It actually taught her how to live.

Bronnie Ware spent years as a palliative care nurse, helping patients be as comfortable as possible in the time just before their deaths. She compiled their stories and the most repeated regrets she heard them utter in their final days.

Shared originally on her blog, " Inspiration and Chai," here are the top five regrets, with quotes from her blog as she recorded them.

Regret #1: I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

Look at yourself in the mirror. Are you living your best life right now? What's stopping you?

Regret #2: I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

Your office desk looks like instant stress before the workday has even started. (Editor: The way I've heard it is 'I wish I had played more." This is probably number one on men's list. Working hard to provide so that I can live a more leisure life when I retire caries a lot of regret, if I live long enough to retire. Health issues and having less money than I thought I would have interrupt a lot of those "want to do" things on your bucket list. Travel, sports, you name it. And part of that drive 'to have things' - that new boat, all those toys that sit in the garage, the latest trick skies, another gun or hunting bow. A garage, basement and attic filled with stuff you haven't used in years, and maybe never actually used more than once. And someone is going to have to go through it all when you die. If you're reading this, it's not to late to change. Do it.)

Regret #3: I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

What if getting the words out is essential to your growth as a human?

Feelings aren't just useless emotions. Expressing them can be the first step to self-actuating and becoming a newer version of yourself.

"Many people (Editor: Especially men. The number 1 cause of die is heart desiease. The number 1 cause of heart disease is stress. The number one cause of stress is represed anger. Expressing if safely is an important beehavior to learn.) suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming." — Bronnie Ware

Regret #4: I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Is there someone you treasure who you haven't spoken with in much too long?

They're so important to us and somehow we think that "life" getting in the way is a good enough reason to go without seeing them.

"Everyone misses their friends when they are dying." — Bronnie Ware

Regret #5: I wish that I had let myself be happier.

If you didn't wake up joyful today, why not? What can you do to change that?

Who was the last person you belly-laughed with? Call them. Right now.

Were there any regrets on this list that felt familiar to you? Others that you didn't see listed?

These are five universal wake-up calls we all need to be reminded of. There's no shame in tagging all the friends you need to call when you share this.
Source: www.upworthy.com/here-are-5-things-you-may-regret-at-the-end-of-your-life-from-a-nurse-who-works-with-the-dying?c=upw1&u=07fa0e7f2d23f338b4a3b29d16b2a71a4c4e496b

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Contact Us | Disclaimer | Privacy Statement
Menstuff® Directory
Menstuff® is a registered trademark of Gordon Clay
©1996-2019, Gordon Clay<|endoftext|>Wouldn’t it be great if on Christmas Eve, after hearing a noise, the  parents quietly wake up the rest of the family? They tip-toe through the house and then, from a hiding place, they 'Sneek a Peek' and watch Santa put the presents under the tree, eat the cookies, drink the milk, read their Santa letters and anything else that is a tradition in their home.

His specialty is home visits; when he enters a childs home it is always a special time.

What is 'Sneek A Peek'???

Note: The above service is anytime after 10 pm on Christmas Eve

Don't wait in long lines at the malls, when you can have a Real Bearded Santa come to your home,organization, or office party and you can take all the pictures you want. You can also surprise the children and everyone when the Real Santa arrives, then they can take their own pictures!

The magic begins...

How big is the North Pole cookie jar???

Now smile for Santa.

Time for a little nap.

Prancer asking for a treat.

Elf Jonah sometimes helps Santa for special events

Sometimes a child j-u-s-t doesn't want to pose for a picture with Santa, but other pictures are possible and the family of this youngster was delighted with the picture below.<|endoftext|>From the practice room to the concert venue

A preliminary study

Elena Alessandri, Christian Lars Schuchert, Ruta Lasauskaite Schüpbach
This study explored how discrepancies between the practice and the concert settings influence musicians’ preparation and delivery of performance. We interviewed four experienced music students prior to and after a solo concert to gather insights on their experience of and strategies used to cope with the change from the practice to the concert environment.
Discrepancies between the two settings posed challenges


The following are multiple choice questions (with answers) about professional law.

A doctor is charged with the murder of his wife. The prosecution alleges that he murdered his wife by giving her a massive injection of succinylcholine while she was asleep. Succinylcholine is a drug used in small quantities by anesthesiologists as a muscle relaxant. The prosecution claims that the fatal dose given to the wife so totally relaxed her lung muscles that she suffocated. During the trial, a toxicologist, who had no previous knowledge of the case, sat in court and heard all of the evidence about the wife's death and autopsy. As part of the doctor's defense, his attorney calls the toxicologist to give his opinion on the cause of the wife's death. May the toxicologist so testify?
A. Yes, because he can identify the data upon which his opinion is based.
B. Yes, because an expert may base his opinion on facts made known to him at the trial.
C. No, because he has no personal knowledge of the wife's death.
D. No, because the cause of death is an issue to be decided by the jury.
Answer: B<|endoftext|> a lot of arm tackles. They did this despite losing their best lineman to an injury on the first drive of the game.

Flozell Adams and Ramon Foster played light years better than they did against Baltimore. In fact, the right side of the line was largely responsible for the improved play of the unit. The lead-footed duo consistently got to linebackers for the first time all year. Their combination blocks have turned into straight double teams in the past, with neither of them ever climbing to the second level.

On Sunday this wasn't an issue, as one of the two always seemed to be plodding into a linebacker. The best example of this was on Mendenhall's long second-quarter run, where Adams and Foster performed a textbook combo block to spring Mendenhall. Adams may have had a couple of breakdowns, but nowhere near what he had last week, and less than his season average.

Word of Muth punching bag Jonathan Scott was not his usual revolving door self, either. He may have played the best of any of the Steelers offensive linemen (wow, that looks weird in print). The Steelers ran mainly to the right, but this week Scott was much better at cutting off backside penetration. This allowed for a lot more cutback opportunities for Mendenhall.

I don't want to downplay the Big Jon's contributions in the running game, but what was most impressive to me was his improvement in pass protection. I don't know what Scott did to play better. His technique didn't look noticeably different, except that he was sustaining his blocks a lot longer. Perhaps Jonathan Scott is the Mark Sanchez of left tackles.

The remaining two Pittsburgh linemen were not as effective. Chris Kemoeatu played poorly from the first series of the game. He was asked to pull twice on the first drive for Pittsburgh and tripped both times. It got better from there, but not much. Kemoeatu just didn't seem to play with his typical sense of urgency. His strengths -- finishing blocks and effective pulling -- weren't as prevalent in this game, while his weakness -- poor pass blocking -- remained. After playing well last week. this is a step back that the Steelers may not be able to overcome against the Packers.

Once Maurkice Pouncey went down with an injury, the Steelers turned to Doug Legursky. I've been a fan of Legursky's all year. He's filled in at all three interior spots and always acquitted himself well. He's even been used effectively in goal-line situations. It turns out a little Legursky goes a long way.

The Marshall product looked like a different player this week. He looked flustered and overmatched throughout the game, and it looks like he has really short arms (I couldn't find the measurement). The problem with that is that he has to play nose to nose with everyone and can be thrown off of blocks more easily. To get away with short arms, even on the inside where arm length isn't as necessary as it is at tackle, you have to have great grip strength, which Legursky seems to lack. A lot of players have overcome short arms by being better in other areas. Last Sunday, Legusrsky didn't show that ability, but with the increased reps he will get in practice over the next two weeks, he will certainly have an opportunity to hone his craft.

A couple of weeks ago, when I did a mailbag article, I got a question about pass protections with pullers. I didn't answer it then because it seemed like something that deserved more attention than I could give as one answer among money. Luckily, the Steelers provided a perfect example of this type of play. On the first drive of the game Roethlisberger hit Heath Miller for a diving catch inside the 10-yard line. The play was overturned, but that doesn't diminish the scheme of the play; it diminishes the perception that Roethlisberger played an amazing game.

The Steelers motioned into what was basically a Weak I-formation. They faked a weakside power, a play they ran effectively the first time they played New York, and threw it over the top. By faking a play that the Jets had undoubtedly been preparing for early in the game, they got the most bang for their buck.

As a game goes along, the game plan gradually loses traction. You stop worrying about stuff you've prepared for and start worrying about stuff that is hurting you. The Steelers were able to use currency they had built up from the previous game to take an early advantage. Plus, the play was designed to go to a player aligned like a fullback, and defensive secondaries lose those guys a lot.

Figure 1: Power Pass

Of course, the key to any shot play (a play where you know you're going to take a shot) is protection. Here the Steelers had to pull someone create the illusion, which is always difficult on pass protection. Pittsburgh solved this problem by keeping two tight ends and a running back in to block (one of the tight ends released eventually).

They faked Power to the left, meaning the puller is the right guard Foster. The running back is also going to the left, since that is the direction of the fake. Because the play fake necessitates two guys going to the left, the Steelers slide everyone else to the right. This means that the pulling guard and running back are responsible for any C- and D-Gap rushers to the left. The rest of the offensive line simply has the gap to their right; it is actually a really simple protection.

Flozell Adams does something on the play that seems small but is actually very smart. He is supposed to slide to the right, but he notices a three-technique inside. Instead of immediately sliding out, he takes a small step inside and offers hand and body presence until the center, Pouncey, can get to the three-techniques. Adams accomplishes this by keeping his eyes outside so he can still pick up any rushers that threaten his gap. It's a little play that goes a long way in locking up the protection.

Next week the plan is to watch some Packers games and try to break down the matchups up front for Pittsburgh. In doing that, I'll try to explain some things that the guys I played with and I look at when we watch film. It should be fun.

Posted by: Ben Muth on 27 Jan 2011

47 comments, Last at 10 May 2011, 1:48pm by loopslike

by Billy B (not verified) :: Thu, 01/27/2011 - 4:13pm

I've been a big fan of this column all season, but this week's effort is bewildering. The column starts by claiming that Roethlisberger had a lousy game and the reason the Steelers won is because of their offensive line. Unfortunately, neither half of this argument is defended very well.

No evidence is offered for why Roethlisberger had a lousy game. A vague mention of yards per attempt is mentioned, but it isn't clear what this means. Is he claiming that Roethlisberger's 7 yds per attempt is lousy? I think that would be a difficult argument to win.

I appreciate the insight into how well the O-line played in comparison to previous games, but how is this related to Roethlisberger having a lousy game? The explanation of the one play was very informative as usual, but I am completely bewildered how this relates to the central argument of the article. How does this play "diminish the perception that Roethlisberger played an amazing game"???

In summary, how do the arguments in this article represent the "real story" more than the conventional wisdom that the Steelers running game was surprisingly effective and that Roethlisberger made plays when he had to? Perhaps this article just needed a good editor to help the lazy writing get out of the way of the insightful analysis.

by bravehoptoad :: Thu, 01/27/2011 - 4:37pm

I don't believe he's trying to prove that Roethlisberger had a bad game; he's taking it as given. That's not unreasonable at a stats site, since his stats for the game were terrible. His 52% completion percent, 2 INTs, 35.5 QB rating, and -37 DYAR for the game seem conclusive enough.

by Nate Dunlevy :: Thu, 01/27/2011 - 4:41pm

Or

 a lot of arm tackles. They did this despite losing their best lineman to an injury on the first drive of the game.

Flozell Adams and Ramon Foster played light years better than they did against Baltimore. In fact, the right side of the line was largely responsible for the improved play of the unit. The lead-footed duo consistently got to linebackers for the first time all year. Their combination blocks have turned into straight double teams in the past, with neither of them ever climbing to the second level.

On Sunday this wasn't an issue, as one of the two always seemed to be plodding into a linebacker. The best example of this was on Mendenhall's long second-quarter run, where Adams and Foster performed a textbook combo block to spring Mendenhall. Adams may have had a couple of breakdowns, but nowhere near what he had last week, and less than his season average.

Word of Muth punching bag Jonathan Scott was not his usual revolving door self, either. He may have played the best of any of the Steelers offensive linemen (wow, that looks weird in print). The Steelers ran mainly to the right, but this week Scott was much better at cutting off backside penetration. This allowed for a lot more cutback opportunities for Mendenhall.

I don't want to downplay the Big Jon's contributions in the running game, but what was most impressive to me was his improvement in pass protection. I don't know what Scott did to play better. His technique didn't look noticeably different, except that he was sustaining his blocks a lot longer. Perhaps Jonathan Scott is the Mark Sanchez of left tackles.

The remaining two Pittsburgh linemen were not as effective. Chris Kemoeatu played poorly from the first series of the game. He was asked to pull twice on the first drive for Pittsburgh and tripped both times. It got better from there, but not much. Kemoeatu just didn't seem to play with his typical sense of urgency. His strengths -- finishing blocks and effective pulling -- weren't as prevalent in this game, while his weakness -- poor pass blocking -- remained. After playing well last week. this is a step back that the Steelers may not be able to overcome against the Packers.

Once Maurkice Pouncey went down with an injury, the Steelers turned to Doug Legursky. I've been a fan of Legursky's all year. He's filled in at all three interior spots and always acquitted himself well. He's even been used effectively in goal-line situations. It turns out a little Legursky goes a long way.

The Marshall product looked like a different player this week. He looked flustered and overmatched throughout the game, and it looks like he has really short arms (I couldn't find the measurement). The problem with that is that he has to play nose to nose with everyone and can be thrown off of blocks more easily. To get away with short arms, even on the inside where arm length isn't as necessary as it is at tackle, you have to have great grip strength, which Legursky seems to lack. A lot of players have overcome short arms by being better in other areas. Last Sunday, Legusrsky didn't show that ability, but with the increased reps he will get in practice over the next two weeks, he will certainly have an opportunity to hone his craft.

A couple of weeks ago, when I did a mailbag article, I got a question about pass protections with pullers. I didn't answer it then because it seemed like something that deserved more attention than I could give as one answer among money. Luckily, the Steelers provided a perfect example of this type of play. On the first drive of the game Roethlisberger hit Heath Miller for a diving catch inside the 10-yard line. The play was overturned, but that doesn't diminish the scheme of the play; it diminishes the perception that Roethlisberger played an amazing game.

The Steelers motioned into what was basically a Weak I-formation. They faked a weakside power, a play they ran effectively the first time they played New York, and threw it over the top. By faking a play that the Jets had undoubtedly been preparing for early in the game, they got the most bang for their buck.

As a game goes along, the game plan gradually loses traction. You stop worrying about stuff you've prepared for and start worrying about stuff that is hurting you. The Steelers were able to use currency they had built up from the previous game to take an early advantage. Plus, the play was designed to go to a player aligned like a fullback, and defensive secondaries lose those guys a lot.

Figure 1: Power Pass

Of course, the key to any shot play (a play where you know you're going to take a shot) is protection. Here the Steelers had to pull someone create the illusion, which is always difficult on pass protection. Pittsburgh solved this problem by keeping two tight ends and a running back in to block (one of the tight ends released eventually).

They faked Power to the left, meaning the puller is the right guard Foster. The running back is also going to the left, since that is the direction of the fake. Because the play fake necessitates two guys going to the left, the Steelers slide everyone else to the right. This means that the pulling guard and running back are responsible for any C- and D-Gap rushers to the left. The rest of the offensive line simply has the gap to their right; it is actually a really simple protection.

Flozell Adams does something on the play that seems small but is actually very smart. He is supposed to slide to the right, but he notices a three-technique inside. Instead of immediately sliding out, he takes a small step inside and offers hand and body presence until the center, Pouncey, can get to the three-techniques. Adams accomplishes this by keeping his eyes outside so he can still pick up any rushers that threaten his gap. It's a little play that goes a long way in locking up the protection.

Next week the plan is to watch some Packers games and try to break down the matchups up front for Pittsburgh. In doing that, I'll try to explain some things that the guys I played with and I look at when we watch film. It should be fun.

Posted by: Ben Muth on 27 Jan 2011

47 comments, Last at 10 May 2011, 1:48pm by loopslike

by Billy B (not verified) :: Thu, 01/27/2011 - 4:13pm

I've been a big fan of this column all season, but this week's effort is bewildering. The column starts by claiming that Roethlisberger had a lousy game and the reason the Steelers won is because of their offensive line. Unfortunately, neither half of this argument is defended very well.

No evidence is offered for why Roethlisberger had a lousy game. A vague mention of yards per attempt is mentioned, but it isn't clear what this means. Is he claiming that Roethlisberger's 7 yds per attempt is lousy? I think that would be a difficult argument to win.

I appreciate the insight into how well the O-line played in comparison to previous games, but how is this related to Roethlisberger having a lousy game? The explanation of the one play was very informative as usual, but I am completely bewildered how this relates to the central argument of the article. How does this play "diminish the perception that Roethlisberger played an amazing game"???

In summary, how do the arguments in this article represent the "real story" more than the conventional wisdom that the Steelers running game was surprisingly effective and that Roethlisberger made plays when he had to? Perhaps this article just needed a good editor to help the lazy writing get out of the way of the insightful analysis.

by bravehoptoad :: Thu, 01/27/2011 - 4:37pm

I don't believe he's trying to prove that Roethlisberger had a bad game; he's taking it as given. That's not unreasonable at a stats site, since his stats for the game were terrible. His 52% completion percent, 2 INTs, 35.5 QB rating, and -37 DYAR for the game seem conclusive enough.

by Nate Dunlevy :: Thu, 01/27/2011 - 4:41pm

Or maybe it was patently obvious to most people that he played poorly.

Honestly, the only thing that requires explanation is the over the top defense of a badly played game by Roethlisberger.

No, the article claims to have special insight into why the play of the O-line explains why Roethlisberger had a bad game. I was very intrigued by this claim and wanted to see the evidence. All I got was one play diagram that had no bearing on Roethlisberger's play.

by loopslike :: Tue, 05/10/2011 - 1:48pm

dental lab
Ben Roethlisberger is one of the best player of this team. His dribbling is really awesome. I like his game-play so so. But in that day his luck was very bad. So we can not blame him for this. It was bad luck.

by Ben Muth :: Thu, 01/27/2011 - 5:59pm

Basically, I think Ben's stats should speak for themselves. The reason I think the o-line diminshes Roethlisberger's case is that this came should've been far


The following are multiple choice questions (with answers) about prehistory.

Like the urban centers of the Indus Valley, Teotihuacán appears to have been:
A. equipped with sophisticated plumbing and cooling systems.
B. subject to constant outbreaks of plague and disease.
C. surrounded by an enormous agricultural hinterland.
D. planned and built on a grid pattern.
Answer: D<|endoftext|> units) with green shoulder plates(showing that they were medics) walked out, put the body in a black bag, and threw it uncerimoniously into a side hatch on the vehicle.

  The house they had surrounded was supposedly harboring one a jedi, a fugitive from the Imperial law. The soldier, who was a captain in rank (judging by the dark blue stripe on his left sholder) took his position by the door and signaled the soldier with the ram. The door was knocked inward, and the soldiers rushed in. A boy, no more then sixteen years old, turned and ran for the back door. A soldier turned his head slightly to the captain. It was impossible to tell his expression behind the blood red colored visor of his mask, but the captain knew he was asking for aproval to fire. He nodded, and the soldier opend fire. Three flat, echoing bangs sounded, and the boy's back seemed to twitch. He looked as if he could continue running, but he fell forward, his breath gasping, and quick.  Another shot rang out, and a girl, beautiful by the standards set in the captain's mind, fell to a heap on the dirt floor.
  Yelling troops stormed inward, aprehending a woman, who was kneeling by the boy, screaming. They grabbed a man, tall, and sunburned from working in the harsh sun, and a crying boy, no more then six years old. They had every right to shoot these people on sight, but they were requested alive, if possible. The capives were handcuffed, the strong magnest holding their hands together, and bags were placed over their heads. The were shoved into the back of the waiting vehicle, harneses closing over their chests, necks, and legs. The bodies were bagged, and put in the compartment with the other corpse.

  Another sucsessfull bust, the captain thought to himself. He and his squad got into the vehicle, and headed back to base.

Re: Empire Rising (fan fic)

(ok, Im doin it again. Time for more...)

   It had been two hours, and his hand still hurt. The bleeding stopped, but pain and bleeding did not always go together. Jakob curled his fingers into a fist, and winced. He tried to heal it, or at least stop the pain, but he wasnt the best when it came to healing, he left that to Kirah. But now she was dead. The farmer who was harboring him was out tending his livestock, and gatering water from the evaporators.
   He came back through the door, and sat down, turning on a small holo-projector. It was rather cheap, and as a result, the image was blue and flickery. A woman was standing, holding a datapad. At the end of the newscast,(which was mostly local news, and some major events) the reporter looked up, seeming to stare at the farmer for a moment and said " Earlier today, local police forces raided a house harboring a Jedi. One of the suspects was killed as he fled, and the Jedi was unable to draw her weapon, and was executed on the spot. There were no police casualties. This is Jana Eclise, Tatooine news department, signing out. Long live the Empire."

The farmer, who had seen Jakob's outburst earlier, looked at him. "You knew her, didnt you?"Jakob looked up, his fist still dully aching, and spoke "Yes." He had known her rather well, considering that they had only realy began their relationship three months ago. They had both been Jedi, trained in the temple at Coruscant. He had seen her then, as a custom, their training had started at the age of ten, and took over nine years. He was around fourteen when he had first seen her, and sixteen, when the massacre began. Some had escaped, using trasports, some had even stowed away, and stolen vehicles. He was boarding his transport, when he saw her, sitting in the corner, scared. They all were, the soldiers that were seemingly sworn to protect and serve them had just killed them. He had went, and sat by her, she was the only familliar thing in the ship.

  They had left the transport on a beautiful continent called Alderann, and got on the next available one, which stopped on Tatooine. They had lived in a small, abandond hut for two and a half months, and Jakob found that  he was in love. What was the point of following the rules of an order which had been utterly destroyed? He had been happy. Then, just two weeks ago, a local, who had seen the small, but conspicous hilt of a blade. The man was a store owner, a very nice man, but he was suffering from poverty, as were so many on this continent. He was in need of credits. He turned them in.

  At midnight, Jakob was shaken awake, Kirah was looking out a small hole in the wall. Jakob, only half awake glanced out, and felt as if he had just had ten cups of recaf. Out side their hut, the small structure with a protuding ledge for a table and a small bed, made with sewn together robes and filled with sand, was a Imperial assault vehicle. It was capable of bringing ten heavilly armed commando units, with all available equipment to battle. Jakob knew that it was holding at least fifteen Imperial Civil Police units. They had ran, both in dirty tunics and pants. Jakob had lost track of Kirah quickly. He couldent turn back and look for her, there were soldiers after him. Eventualy he had found this farmer, who, knowing the risk had taken him in.

Two hours ago, Jakob had felt it. He and Kirah were close, very close for that matter, and they could at almost any moment, know the basic emotinal standing of the other. He had felt a death. He was still angry, and he wanted revenge.

(please, if you like it, or dont like it, or have any questions/ suggestions tell me)

Re: Empire Rising (fan fic)

interesting, ill definitely like to see more.

4 (edited by Adeptus_Astartes Tuesday, October 16, 2007 1:26 pm)

Re: Empire Rising (fan fic)

(heres some more. Btw, im going to make more, in the same sort of.....er....i dunno, i think you know what I mean though)

  ICP 1897-262-3894 (called 94 by his peers) stood in his personal quarters, being a captain had advantages. It was small, but better then staying in the main barracks chamber. He had a small cot, a bedstand with a light, and a table with two chairs. He also had a foot locker, containing his few personal effects. But something was wrong here.

  There was a new footlocker on his table. He opend the footlocker. Inside was a new set of armor. It was black, like his own, but there were definite physical changes The helmet was different, instead of the T-visor, there was a sort of x shape. The belt area had a skirt, which was black, like the armor, with dark red trim. There was a small datapad in the case as well. He put on the armor, and looked through the data pad. It had complete schmatics, and a small read me file. He put on the armor, and felt the familiar tingle on the back of his neck as the armor's neural probe found its way into the spinal uplink port on the back of his neck. The suit went through its booting proces, and the smal figure in the lower left of his H.U.D blinked to blue. "All systems go" 94 muttered to himself. He looked in the bottom of the footlocker, there was a small cylender in it, it looked almost like a jedi's weapon. He pulled it out, and activated it. The tube telescoped quickly, the ends bulging slightly. They began to glow with a blue enrgy. He recognized it from his stun-stick. He grinned to himself

(The system didnt need to link to move, or function, it just allowed the user ( as long as he/she had a spinal uplink.) to interface with the systems easily. armor is above, minus the cape. The staff looks like one of the things used by Greivious's body guards. Stun-stick is like a nightstick, with a stun feild.)

(please, as always exuse my atrocious spelling, as i have no spellcheck.)

Re: Empire Rising (fan fic)

(double posting, an author's best freind,)

  Jakob's hand was better, still a little sore. He wasnt sure where she was when they had killed her, but he knew how she thought well enough to assume that it had been a city. The closest to them was Mos Eisly. He

 units) with green shoulder plates(showing that they were medics) walked out, put the body in a black bag, and threw it uncerimoniously into a side hatch on the vehicle.

  The house they had surrounded was supposedly harboring one a jedi, a fugitive from the Imperial law. The soldier, who was a captain in rank (judging by the dark blue stripe on his left sholder) took his position by the door and signaled the soldier with the ram. The door was knocked inward, and the soldiers rushed in. A boy, no more then sixteen years old, turned and ran for the back door. A soldier turned his head slightly to the captain. It was impossible to tell his expression behind the blood red colored visor of his mask, but the captain knew he was asking for aproval to fire. He nodded, and the soldier opend fire. Three flat, echoing bangs sounded, and the boy's back seemed to twitch. He looked as if he could continue running, but he fell forward, his breath gasping, and quick.  Another shot rang out, and a girl, beautiful by the standards set in the captain's mind, fell to a heap on the dirt floor.
  Yelling troops stormed inward, aprehending a woman, who was kneeling by the boy, screaming. They grabbed a man, tall, and sunburned from working in the harsh sun, and a crying boy, no more then six years old. They had every right to shoot these people on sight, but they were requested alive, if possible. The capives were handcuffed, the strong magnest holding their hands together, and bags were placed over their heads. The were shoved into the back of the waiting vehicle, harneses closing over their chests, necks, and legs. The bodies were bagged, and put in the compartment with the other corpse.

  Another sucsessfull bust, the captain thought to himself. He and his squad got into the vehicle, and headed back to base.

Re: Empire Rising (fan fic)

(ok, Im doin it again. Time for more...)

   It had been two hours, and his hand still hurt. The bleeding stopped, but pain and bleeding did not always go together. Jakob curled his fingers into a fist, and winced. He tried to heal it, or at least stop the pain, but he wasnt the best when it came to healing, he left that to Kirah. But now she was dead. The farmer who was harboring him was out tending his livestock, and gatering water from the evaporators.
   He came back through the door, and sat down, turning on a small holo-projector. It was rather cheap, and as a result, the image was blue and flickery. A woman was standing, holding a datapad. At the end of the newscast,(which was mostly local news, and some major events) the reporter looked up, seeming to stare at the farmer for a moment and said " Earlier today, local police forces raided a house harboring a Jedi. One of the suspects was killed as he fled, and the Jedi was unable to draw her weapon, and was executed on the spot. There were no police casualties. This is Jana Eclise, Tatooine news department, signing out. Long live the Empire."

The farmer, who had seen Jakob's outburst earlier, looked at him. "You knew her, didnt you?"Jakob looked up, his fist still dully aching, and spoke "Yes." He had known her rather well, considering that they had only realy began their relationship three months ago. They had both been Jedi, trained in the temple at Coruscant. He had seen her then, as a custom, their training had started at the age of ten, and took over nine years. He was around fourteen when he had first seen her, and sixteen, when the massacre began. Some had escaped, using trasports, some had even stowed away, and stolen vehicles. He was boarding his transport, when he saw her, sitting in the corner, scared. They all were, the soldiers that were seemingly sworn to protect and serve them had just killed them. He had went, and sat by her, she was the only familliar thing in the ship.

  They had left the transport on a beautiful continent called Alderann, and got on the next available one, which stopped on Tatooine. They had lived in a small, abandond hut for two and a half months, and Jakob found that  he was in love. What was the point of following the rules of an order which had been utterly destroyed? He had been happy. Then, just two weeks ago, a local, who had seen the small, but conspicous hilt of a blade. The man was a store owner, a very nice man, but he was suffering from poverty, as were so many on this continent. He was in need of credits. He turned them in.

  At midnight, Jakob was shaken awake, Kirah was looking out a small hole in the wall. Jakob, only half awake glanced out, and felt as if he had just had ten cups of recaf. Out side their hut, the small structure with a protuding ledge for a table and a small bed, made with sewn together robes and filled with sand, was a Imperial assault vehicle. It was capable of bringing ten heavilly armed commando units, with all available equipment to battle. Jakob knew that it was holding at least fifteen Imperial Civil Police units. They had ran, both in dirty tunics and pants. Jakob had lost track of Kirah quickly. He couldent turn back and look for her, there were soldiers after him. Eventualy he had found this farmer, who, knowing the risk had taken him in.

Two hours ago, Jakob had felt it. He and Kirah were close, very close for that matter, and they could at almost any moment, know the basic emotinal standing of the other. He had felt a death. He was still angry, and he wanted revenge.

(please, if you like it, or dont like it, or have any questions/ suggestions tell me)

Re: Empire Rising (fan fic)

interesting, ill definitely like to see more.

4 (edited by Adeptus_Astartes Tuesday, October 16, 2007 1:26 pm)

Re: Empire Rising (fan fic)

(heres some more. Btw, im going to make more, in the same sort of.....er....i dunno, i think you know what I mean though)

  ICP 1897-262-3894 (called 94 by his peers) stood in his personal quarters, being a captain had advantages. It was small, but better then staying in the main barracks chamber. He had a small cot, a bedstand with a light, and a table with two chairs. He also had a foot locker, containing his few personal effects. But something was wrong here.

  There was a new footlocker on his table. He opend the footlocker. Inside was a new set of armor. It was black, like his own, but there were definite physical changes The helmet was different, instead of the T-visor, there was a sort of x shape. The belt area had a skirt, which was black, like the armor, with dark red trim. There was a small datapad in the case as well. He put on the armor, and looked through the data pad. It had complete schmatics, and a small read me file. He put on the armor, and felt the familiar tingle on the back of his neck as the armor's neural probe found its way into the spinal uplink port on the back of his neck. The suit went through its booting proces, and the smal figure in the lower left of his H.U.D blinked to blue. "All systems go" 94 muttered to himself. He looked in the bottom of the footlocker, there was a small cylender in it, it looked almost like a jedi's weapon. He pulled it out, and activated it. The tube telescoped quickly, the ends bulging slightly. They began to glow with a blue enrgy. He recognized it from his stun-stick. He grinned to himself

(The system didnt need to link to move, or function, it just allowed the user ( as long as he/she had a spinal uplink.) to interface with the systems easily. armor is above, minus the cape. The staff looks like one of the things used by Greivious's body guards. Stun-stick is like a nightstick, with a stun feild.)

(please, as always exuse my atrocious spelling, as i have no spellcheck.)

Re: Empire Rising (fan fic)

(double posting, an author's best freind,)

  Jakob's hand was better, still a little sore. He wasnt sure where she was when they had killed her, but he knew how she thought well enough to assume that it had been a city. The closest to them was Mos Eisly. He took a small bag and lied down on the cot the farmer had provided, he was asleep within the minute.

  When he woke up it was midnight, he took a small amount of food, and filled his canteen. He placed all of these in the bag he had taken earlier. Next, he took a small scrap of paper, and put it where the farmer or his wife would be sure to find it. He took


The following are multiple choice questions (with answers) about high school microeconomics.

Which of the following is most likely to result in a shift to the right in the demand curve for orange juice?
A. A bumper crop of oranges in Florida
B. A decrease in the price of Tang
C. Expectations of lower future prices for orange juice
D. Expectations of higher future income among juice drinkers
Answer: D<|endoftext|>Islamisation”, often going further than his party’s point of view. Bolkestein had departed to the European Commission in 1999 and since then Wilders had become more and more dissatisfied with the course of the VVD. Confronted with the success of Fortuyn and radicalised by 9/11, Wilders wanted his party to become a hard right force which could radicalise the political environment and cut off any competition from the right. The leadership however, wanted the party to remain on the centre-right, dedicated to the European Union (EU) and coalition politics.

In 2004 Wilders was expelled after leaking his own internal memo calling for a more right wing course and subsequently refusing to promise to restrain himself.8 He remained in parliament as an independent, with hate speech against Muslims and migrants as his trademark. From 2005 onwards he headed the parliamentary fraction of the newly established PVV.

The social context within which this occurred was very turbulent. The years following Fortuyn’s murder saw massive anti-war demonstrations and union mobilisations against pension reforms. In 2005 62 percent of the Dutch electorate rejected the EU Constitutional Treaty, despite (and partly encouraged by) a fierce “Yes” campaign by the government, the union bureaucracy, NGOs, the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) and the Green Left. Only the anti-neoliberal Socialist Party (SP), the far left and Wilders had campaigned against.9 Consequently, approval rates for the government hovered between 15 and 20 percent, and the next general election showed strong political polarisation.10 On the right, Wilders had been the most extreme representative of Fortuyn’s politics and won the fight over his heritage. In the 2006 national elections he won nine seats and his far-right competitors none. Meanwhile, on the left the SP obtained a historic victory, gaining 25 seats.

Disillusionment followed the failure of mass demonstrations to change government policies and all eyes turned to the parliamentary scene, with especially high expectations in the SP. But in the following years it was not the left, the social movements or the unions that set the tone of debate: it was Wilders, often leaving the rest of the political landscape confused and disorientated.

The politics of the PVV

Taking a lead from Fortuyn, Wilders has been pushing for a rightward shift by channelling general discontent towards an agenda of authoritarian neoliberalism and Islamophobia. His politics are a combination of aggressive verbal attacks on “the left elite” (specifically the social democrats, but more generally the whole political establishment, the media and intellectuals), concealed neoliberalism and rampant Islamophobia dressed up in a post-9/11 world view.

Wilders argues that Islam is a monolithic political ideology, inherently opposed to “Enlightenment values”, poised at world dominance and about to take over Europe. Here he takes the American political scientist Samuel Huntington’s prediction of a developing clash of civilisations to a new level. It is not only that post Cold War international politics is supposedly driven by cultural and religious conflicts: according to Wilders an existential battle between the West and Islam is nearing the end phase. Speaking at the Hudson Institute in New York in 2008, he told an enthusiastic crowd:

I come to America with a mission. All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic. We might be in the final stages of the Islamisation of Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The United States is the last bastion of Western civilisation, facing an Islamic Europe.11

Wilders is an avowed supporter of Israel, which he sees as the crucial external frontier. For him, parties like the PVV form the last line of defence against a fifth column of Muslims. The only way to win would be an Israelification of Europe, treating Muslims as second-rate citizens and a permanent threat to “our way of life”. He has argued for a “raghead-tax” (a thousand euro fine for wearing the hijab, described by him in a speech in parliament as “making the polluter pay”),12 proposed that the Dutch army fight “street terrorists” (ie youth of Moroccan descent) at home instead of in Afghanistan,13 and wants to abolish the first article of the constitution which declares all citizens equal and replace it with one identifying the “Christian-Jewish and humanist” tradition as the dominant culture.

Around these policies Wilders has built an international network, ranging from American neoconservatives and evangelicals to members of the armed settler movement and high officials in Israel, with the more traditional extreme right parties from Europe uncomfortably in between. Most of his funding comes from the United States, where Daniel Pipes of the Middle Eastern Forum boasted of having raised “an amount of six figures” for Wilders.14 His American speaking tours have functioned as an ideological ice-breaker for a new radical right in the US, going much further with his Islam-bashing than most American politicians and institutions dare to go.

Wilders’s social-economic policy is intentionally fuzzy, combining hard liberalism with more social measures, supposedly aimed at defending the “hard-working Dutch”. This has caused some commentators to describe Wilders as “culturally right wing, but socio-economically left leaning”. This is spectacularly mistaken. Coming from the VVD, Wilders has neoliberalism ingrained in his DNA. In his “Declaration of Independence” of 2004 he wrote that the welfare state, regulation and taxation need to be cut down to create a more corporate friendly environment.15 He has always stood for economic liberalism with a typical do it yourself, middle class twist to it. By “hard-working Dutch” he does not mean working class; he means the ideal of the self-made entrepreneur. Tellingly, the new candidates for the provincial elections in March were described by one journalist as “tie-types”, pro-business and keen on countering any formal obstructions to building projects and entrepreneurial initiative.16

The so-called social shifts Wilders has made were intended opportunistically to broaden his electoral base. In the run-up to the 2010 general election he made promises to resist the raising of the pension age and cuts to social security. The first he abandoned just hours after the election results had come in, and the second when he was able to become junior partner to the most right wing government in Dutch history. Put to the choice, Wilders has consistently opted for neoliberalism, from furthering the privatisation of the health sector to dismantling rent control in the social housing system.17

This commitment to neoliberalism has only occasionally led to an upset among his voters. In October 2010 bus drivers in The Hague were enraged after the PVV discarded their earlier promises and supported the privatisation of public transport in the political capital.18

There is nothing left wing in Wilders’s politics. He is a power-politician who is more willing to lie about his real nature than any other representative of the mainstream right. The main reason he has got away with this deceit is his effective use of racism as an electoral battering ram, which he has managed to connect very explicitly to social issues. Since the onset of the economic crisis he has been insisting on the necessity of saving billions of euros by cutting “costs of mass migration”. He has pleaded among other things for limiting social security to non-Western migrants, minimising judicial aid to those having lived in the Netherlands for longer than ten years and forcing immigrants to pay for their own integration and language courses.

This racist scapegoating has functioned as a very effective lightning rod for class anger, deflecting it against migrants. The result has been that a large part of the social base of the PVV believe that they stand to benefit from the repressive and racist measures, even if in practice it means a continuation of the ruling class neoliberal onslaught. The elements of racism and neoliberalism are present in all mainstream parties, but the way Wilders takes this to new extremes and combines it with aggressive anti-establishment rhetoric has made him a dynamic political force that differs fundamentally from the rest of the political spectrum.

Characterising Wilders’s new radical right

The rise of Wilders is not an exclusively Dutch phenomenon. The last two decades have seen the rise of new, more aggressive right wing political forces, ranging from Forza Italia to UKIP to Jobik. All these formations defend an extreme form of neoliberalism and a return to authoritarian politics and police-state methods, and fully identify with the “war on terror”. In most of the cases they use Islamophobia as a way to give their programme a popular base, sometimes also engaging in anti-Roma or even anti-Walloon agitation in the Flemish case. They all harbour authoritarian, racist and anti-democratic politics that call upon forces outside of the established institutions.

But there are also important differences, especially in strategic orientation. Roughly three currents can be distinguished. First of all there are euro Nazi parties like the Front National and the British National Party. They bind together an older cadre hardened by fascist politics with an electoral strategy aimed at creating local strongholds. Second,

Islamisation”, often going further than his party’s point of view. Bolkestein had departed to the European Commission in 1999 and since then Wilders had become more and more dissatisfied with the course of the VVD. Confronted with the success of Fortuyn and radicalised by 9/11, Wilders wanted his party to become a hard right force which could radicalise the political environment and cut off any competition from the right. The leadership however, wanted the party to remain on the centre-right, dedicated to the European Union (EU) and coalition politics.

In 2004 Wilders was expelled after leaking his own internal memo calling for a more right wing course and subsequently refusing to promise to restrain himself.8 He remained in parliament as an independent, with hate speech against Muslims and migrants as his trademark. From 2005 onwards he headed the parliamentary fraction of the newly established PVV.

The social context within which this occurred was very turbulent. The years following Fortuyn’s murder saw massive anti-war demonstrations and union mobilisations against pension reforms. In 2005 62 percent of the Dutch electorate rejected the EU Constitutional Treaty, despite (and partly encouraged by) a fierce “Yes” campaign by the government, the union bureaucracy, NGOs, the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) and the Green Left. Only the anti-neoliberal Socialist Party (SP), the far left and Wilders had campaigned against.9 Consequently, approval rates for the government hovered between 15 and 20 percent, and the next general election showed strong political polarisation.10 On the right, Wilders had been the most extreme representative of Fortuyn’s politics and won the fight over his heritage. In the 2006 national elections he won nine seats and his far-right competitors none. Meanwhile, on the left the SP obtained a historic victory, gaining 25 seats.

Disillusionment followed the failure of mass demonstrations to change government policies and all eyes turned to the parliamentary scene, with especially high expectations in the SP. But in the following years it was not the left, the social movements or the unions that set the tone of debate: it was Wilders, often leaving the rest of the political landscape confused and disorientated.

The politics of the PVV

Taking a lead from Fortuyn, Wilders has been pushing for a rightward shift by channelling general discontent towards an agenda of authoritarian neoliberalism and Islamophobia. His politics are a combination of aggressive verbal attacks on “the left elite” (specifically the social democrats, but more generally the whole political establishment, the media and intellectuals), concealed neoliberalism and rampant Islamophobia dressed up in a post-9/11 world view.

Wilders argues that Islam is a monolithic political ideology, inherently opposed to “Enlightenment values”, poised at world dominance and about to take over Europe. Here he takes the American political scientist Samuel Huntington’s prediction of a developing clash of civilisations to a new level. It is not only that post Cold War international politics is supposedly driven by cultural and religious conflicts: according to Wilders an existential battle between the West and Islam is nearing the end phase. Speaking at the Hudson Institute in New York in 2008, he told an enthusiastic crowd:

I come to America with a mission. All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic. We might be in the final stages of the Islamisation of Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The United States is the last bastion of Western civilisation, facing an Islamic Europe.11

Wilders is an avowed supporter of Israel, which he sees as the crucial external frontier. For him, parties like the PVV form the last line of defence against a fifth column of Muslims. The only way to win would be an Israelification of Europe, treating Muslims as second-rate citizens and a permanent threat to “our way of life”. He has argued for a “raghead-tax” (a thousand euro fine for wearing the hijab, described by him in a speech in parliament as “making the polluter pay”),12 proposed that the Dutch army fight “street terrorists” (ie youth of Moroccan descent) at home instead of in Afghanistan,13 and wants to abolish the first article of the constitution which declares all citizens equal and replace it with one identifying the “Christian-Jewish and humanist” tradition as the dominant culture.

Around these policies Wilders has built an international network, ranging from American neoconservatives and evangelicals to members of the armed settler movement and high officials in Israel, with the more traditional extreme right parties from Europe uncomfortably in between. Most of his funding comes from the United States, where Daniel Pipes of the Middle Eastern Forum boasted of having raised “an amount of six figures” for Wilders.14 His American speaking tours have functioned as an ideological ice-breaker for a new radical right in the US, going much further with his Islam-bashing than most American politicians and institutions dare to go.

Wilders’s social-economic policy is intentionally fuzzy, combining hard liberalism with more social measures, supposedly aimed at defending the “hard-working Dutch”. This has caused some commentators to describe Wilders as “culturally right wing, but socio-economically left leaning”. This is spectacularly mistaken. Coming from the VVD, Wilders has neoliberalism ingrained in his DNA. In his “Declaration of Independence” of 2004 he wrote that the welfare state, regulation and taxation need to be cut down to create a more corporate friendly environment.15 He has always stood for economic liberalism with a typical do it yourself, middle class twist to it. By “hard-working Dutch” he does not mean working class; he means the ideal of the self-made entrepreneur. Tellingly, the new candidates for the provincial elections in March were described by one journalist as “tie-types”, pro-business and keen on countering any formal obstructions to building projects and entrepreneurial initiative.16

The so-called social shifts Wilders has made were intended opportunistically to broaden his electoral base. In the run-up to the 2010 general election he made promises to resist the raising of the pension age and cuts to social security. The first he abandoned just hours after the election results had come in, and the second when he was able to become junior partner to the most right wing government in Dutch history. Put to the choice, Wilders has consistently opted for neoliberalism, from furthering the privatisation of the health sector to dismantling rent control in the social housing system.17

This commitment to neoliberalism has only occasionally led to an upset among his voters. In October 2010 bus drivers in The Hague were enraged after the PVV discarded their earlier promises and supported the privatisation of public transport in the political capital.18

There is nothing left wing in Wilders’s politics. He is a power-politician who is more willing to lie about his real nature than any other representative of the mainstream right. The main reason he has got away with this deceit is his effective use of racism as an electoral battering ram, which he has managed to connect very explicitly to social issues. Since the onset of the economic crisis he has been insisting on the necessity of saving billions of euros by cutting “costs of mass migration”. He has pleaded among other things for limiting social security to non-Western migrants, minimising judicial aid to those having lived in the Netherlands for longer than ten years and forcing immigrants to pay for their own integration and language courses.

This racist scapegoating has functioned as a very effective lightning rod for class anger, deflecting it against migrants. The result has been that a large part of the social base of the PVV believe that they stand to benefit from the repressive and racist measures, even if in practice it means a continuation of the ruling class neoliberal onslaught. The elements of racism and neoliberalism are present in all mainstream parties, but the way Wilders takes this to new extremes and combines it with aggressive anti-establishment rhetoric has made him a dynamic political force that differs fundamentally from the rest of the political spectrum.

Characterising Wilders’s new radical right

The rise of Wilders is not an exclusively Dutch phenomenon. The last two decades have seen the rise of new, more aggressive right wing political forces, ranging from Forza Italia to UKIP to Jobik. All these formations defend an extreme form of neoliberalism and a return to authoritarian politics and police-state methods, and fully identify with the “war on terror”. In most of the cases they use Islamophobia as a way to give their programme a popular base, sometimes also engaging in anti-Roma or even anti-Walloon agitation in the Flemish case. They all harbour authoritarian, racist and anti-democratic politics that call upon forces outside of the established institutions.

But there are also important differences, especially in strategic orientation. Roughly three currents can be distinguished. First of all there are euro Nazi parties like the Front National and the British National Party. They bind together an older cadre hardened by fascist politics with an electoral strategy aimed at creating local strongholds. Second, there are violent street movements like the EDL and those we have seen in Russia and other Eastern European countries. Third, there are populist racist parties like the PVV and UKIP, which retain a purely electoral strategy and try politically to distance themselves from the fascist elements within the extreme right.

It is important to note how these currents are cross-fertilising. The rise of Islamophobia and the electoral success of far right forces have given confidence and