James Yon of Orlando always enjoyed making people laugh. He was working at a theme park when a friend persuaded him to try stand-up. They wrote five minutes of material, and Yon practiced his routine for months to prepare for an open-mic night at a local Bonkerz comedy club.
"I ended up doing very well, so well that I actually killed at an open mic. And from that point on, I was hooked. It was a drug," Yon said. "I needed to do that again. And again. And again. So that's how I began."
At the time, Yon said, he and his wife had two kids, with a third on the way. You can imagine his wife's surprise when he announced he wanted to pursue comedy full time.
But Yon said his career took off quickly, and now, comedy has become a family business. His wife books the shows and helps him write the script for his brand-new TV show on Dish Network called Viral Breakdown, in which he shares humorous commentary on Internet videos. The couple now have four children, and on the weekends, the whole family is often together, wherever Yon happens to have a show.
"It's great because we go to these nice places, casinos, resorts and whatnot. They take such good care of my entire family," Yon said. "My kids think we take a bunch of vacations throughout the year."
To get to where Yon is, up and comers need a comedy scene to hone their craft. They need stage time and venues in which to present their material and polish their routines in front of an audience.
It's something comedian Mike Di Tommaso said is lacking in Seminole County, compared with the bustling scene in New York. Di Tommaso, who has been in the business for 20 years, started his career there by performing at open-mic nights. He now routinely travels across the country to New York and Los Angeles for shows.
Di Tommaso moved to the Sanford area in 2011, but he said he doesn't do much locally and that, in his experience, there isn't much in the area for established comedians.
"Years ago I was doing a lot of church work here; I don't know if it's the recession, but I think because of the recession a lot of people just stopped hiring comedians. It's a luxury," he said.
These days, Di Tommaso is traveling most weekends to do shows. He said, at this point in his career, when he's doing hour-long shows and performing at casinos in the Midwest, searching for clubs in the area just doesn't work for him.
However, venues such as Holly & Dolly's in Casselberry are working to establish more of a comedy scene in Seminole County. For the past four months, it has been offering an open-mic night every other Sunday.
"We try to get the comedians to promote themselves to bring people out. Our regular crowd generally will stay for it," owner Biff Kaminski said. "They've had some good nights and some bad nights. I'll admit - it's hit or miss."
But soon, Holly & Dolly's may be the go-to venue for comedy in the area.
In May, Holly & Dolly's hired comedian Jersey to perform at a birthday party for one of its owners. Kaminski said Jersey was onstage for almost two hours and had the audience in the palm of his hand the whole time.
Jersey's manager and comedy producer, Gus Zuniga, saw something special in Holly & Dolly's. He said he believed it had the audience and atmosphere that could successfully host a show once a month.
Holly & Dolly's inaugural comedy show will be on July 27. There will be no cover charge, and Jersey will be the headlining comedian. Zuniga and Kaminski said they plan to host a show, free of charge, on the last Saturday of each month.
Zuniga said the comedy scene in the Central Florida area is spread out and that many comedians in the county travel to Orlando to perform. By working with Holly & Dolly's, he's hoping to help establish more of a comedy scene in Seminole County, which will be a boon for comedians and audiences in the area.
"A good thing about bringing comedy to Seminole County is that [comedians] are going to have a venue for them to perform at as well," Zuniga said. "We definitely want to grow that into something big."
He said having a venue like this one allows up-and-coming comics to shine as well.
Zuniga said, typically, one starts off doing open-mic nights - a learning ground for new comedians. There, they usually have about five minutes on stage to practice in front of an audience and get comfortable on stage, not only with their material, but also with holding a microphone, interacting with audiences and learning how to grab their attention.
If a comedian does well on stage during an open-mic night, it may lead to an opportunity to perform during a guest spot, have eight minutes on stage during a comedy show or maybe to be a host, the first one on stage who introduces the acts for the night,China shoes manufacturer who typically gets a few minutes on stage to help warm up the crowd.
Featured comics typically go on for about 25 minutes as a sort of opening act for a headliner, who may be on stage for about an hour or more.
"There are comedians who need stage time to make it to the next level," Zuniga said. "They may be doing open mics all the time, but getting a stage show with people like Jersey that have been headlining for a while is good for them."
Zuniga said it takes a collaboration between comedians, promoters and venues to create a successful scene. In addition, he said, venues need to be dedicated to working to make comedy thrive.
It's a formula that the Why Not Lounge in Altamonte Springs has down to a science. Justin Williams, director of entertainment for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Howard Johnson Plaza and Why Not Lounge, said it has been a venue for Bonkerz Comedy Club for the past two decades.
Williams said at the Why Not Lounge, the focus is on entertainment. Whereas most places are set up to be a restaurant or bar, he said, his venue is set up to entertain, and the bar and restaurant accommodate the entertainment.
Click on their website www.beralleshoes.com for more
information.
2013年7月17日星期三
2013年5月15日星期三
Stringent checks are conducted on all cufflinks
Wholesale Fashion Supplies, the name synonymous to stylish accessories has added new designs of cufflinks to its product catalogue. Cufflinks supplied by Wholesale Fashion Supplies are crafted by expert designers who have a keen sense of fashion and create impressive and aesthetically appealing accessories.
Talking about the manufacturing techniques used, a senior executive from Wholesale Fashion Supplies stated,"Modern technology as well as systems are used by us to ensure that accessories are well crafted and have an excellent finishing. Raw materials sued for creating the cufflinks are carefully sourced in order to ensure that they are of the highest quality. Use of good-quality raw materials helps in making the product durable."
Efficient production management and development of accessories in adherence to defined industry parameters helps in ensuring that the items are suitable for a global market. Excellent distribution network established by Wholesale Fashion Supplies ensures that clients in all parts of the world can be catered to.
Speaking about the delivery services provided for the accessories purchased, a senior official from Wholesale Fashion Supplies commented, "Premium quality packing materials are used to wrap items like cufflinks while shipping them across." Skilled packing personnel at Wholesale Fashion Supplies ensure that the cufflinks are not damaged in any manner while being delivered to the client.
Stringent checks are conducted on all cufflinks being sent to clients to ensure that they match the required standards of quality. Wholesale Fashion Supplies is also counted amongst the renowned fashion jewellery manufacturers and earrings exporters. If you are looking for stylish costume and fashion jewellery, wholesale prices and collection offered by the manufacturer will be a sheer delight for you.
Wholesale Fashion Supplies manufactures and supplies a variety of accessories ranging from bracelets, bangle, cufflinks, dog tag to fashion jewellery and acrylic Demi Parure. Being one of the reliable fashion and costume jewellery manufacturers, Wholesale Fashion Supplies ensures all deliveries are made in a timely manner. Fashion accessories are also customized by Wholesale Fashion Supplies in order to meet the requirements of the clients. Global delivery services are provided for all fashion accessories by Wholesale Fashion Supplies.
It all began with Rene Lalique, an artist who revolutionised jewellery-making and who, as early as 1885, started to create unrivalled Art Nouveau works of art in his own name, before going on to become a master glass-maker in the Art Déco movement.
Lalique's work came at a time of intense artistic movement in France, which can only be compared with the Renaissance period in Italy.
There was a very special kind of creative energy at work, which left Paris almost breathless, carried along on a wave of artistic feats and technical innovations.
It was in the midst of these turbulent times that Lalique, guided by his craft and his boundless imagination, started to work on his first piece of jewellery.
What was most important to him was the design, the force of the lines and the strength of contrasts.
As a result, he created his first piece by freeing himself from the boundaries previously imposed by the nature of the materials.
He chose materials for their strength, their colour or their texture, regardless of whether they were precious or not, and he drew his artistic inspiration from them.
He created artistic pieces, blurring the boundaries between fine jewellery and costume pieces, mixing ornamental stones with gold or ivory and enamel with precious stones.
Lalique Jewellery is a living representation of a return to mythology, to the four elements of water, air, earth and fire.
According to Suen Jewellers Sdn Bhd founder and managing director, Lee Sze Suen the Sacred Fire Odyssey is an ode to mythological goddesses and creatures, fauna and flora.
"This collection pays homage to Vesta, the phoenix-woman, mythical goddess and guardian of the sacred fire.
"The dragonfly, the nymph with a body of fire, marches proudly beside her, all ablaze as she captivates us," said Lee.
Mother-of-pearl, lacquer, diamond, gold and crystal are all blended with boldness and passion to create these emotive pieces of jewellery for the Lalique Sacred Fire Odyssey.
The pieces really come to life, as precious stones are suspended in pendants and dragonfly wings flutter gracefully.
The vivid colours of the various materials provide the details in the story of these "living jewels".
Talking about the manufacturing techniques used, a senior executive from Wholesale Fashion Supplies stated,"Modern technology as well as systems are used by us to ensure that accessories are well crafted and have an excellent finishing. Raw materials sued for creating the cufflinks are carefully sourced in order to ensure that they are of the highest quality. Use of good-quality raw materials helps in making the product durable."
Efficient production management and development of accessories in adherence to defined industry parameters helps in ensuring that the items are suitable for a global market. Excellent distribution network established by Wholesale Fashion Supplies ensures that clients in all parts of the world can be catered to.
Speaking about the delivery services provided for the accessories purchased, a senior official from Wholesale Fashion Supplies commented, "Premium quality packing materials are used to wrap items like cufflinks while shipping them across." Skilled packing personnel at Wholesale Fashion Supplies ensure that the cufflinks are not damaged in any manner while being delivered to the client.
Stringent checks are conducted on all cufflinks being sent to clients to ensure that they match the required standards of quality. Wholesale Fashion Supplies is also counted amongst the renowned fashion jewellery manufacturers and earrings exporters. If you are looking for stylish costume and fashion jewellery, wholesale prices and collection offered by the manufacturer will be a sheer delight for you.
Wholesale Fashion Supplies manufactures and supplies a variety of accessories ranging from bracelets, bangle, cufflinks, dog tag to fashion jewellery and acrylic Demi Parure. Being one of the reliable fashion and costume jewellery manufacturers, Wholesale Fashion Supplies ensures all deliveries are made in a timely manner. Fashion accessories are also customized by Wholesale Fashion Supplies in order to meet the requirements of the clients. Global delivery services are provided for all fashion accessories by Wholesale Fashion Supplies.
It all began with Rene Lalique, an artist who revolutionised jewellery-making and who, as early as 1885, started to create unrivalled Art Nouveau works of art in his own name, before going on to become a master glass-maker in the Art Déco movement.
Lalique's work came at a time of intense artistic movement in France, which can only be compared with the Renaissance period in Italy.
There was a very special kind of creative energy at work, which left Paris almost breathless, carried along on a wave of artistic feats and technical innovations.
It was in the midst of these turbulent times that Lalique, guided by his craft and his boundless imagination, started to work on his first piece of jewellery.
What was most important to him was the design, the force of the lines and the strength of contrasts.
As a result, he created his first piece by freeing himself from the boundaries previously imposed by the nature of the materials.
He chose materials for their strength, their colour or their texture, regardless of whether they were precious or not, and he drew his artistic inspiration from them.
He created artistic pieces, blurring the boundaries between fine jewellery and costume pieces, mixing ornamental stones with gold or ivory and enamel with precious stones.
Lalique Jewellery is a living representation of a return to mythology, to the four elements of water, air, earth and fire.
According to Suen Jewellers Sdn Bhd founder and managing director, Lee Sze Suen the Sacred Fire Odyssey is an ode to mythological goddesses and creatures, fauna and flora.
"This collection pays homage to Vesta, the phoenix-woman, mythical goddess and guardian of the sacred fire.
"The dragonfly, the nymph with a body of fire, marches proudly beside her, all ablaze as she captivates us," said Lee.
Mother-of-pearl, lacquer, diamond, gold and crystal are all blended with boldness and passion to create these emotive pieces of jewellery for the Lalique Sacred Fire Odyssey.
The pieces really come to life, as precious stones are suspended in pendants and dragonfly wings flutter gracefully.
The vivid colours of the various materials provide the details in the story of these "living jewels".
2013年5月8日星期三
The team has marketed itself relentlessly abroad over the years
It’s hard to imagine anyone replicating Sir Alex Ferguson’s remarkable 26-year career as manager of Manchester United, which has included 13 Premier League championships, two Champions League titles and a top-three finish every year since the Premier League started in 1992. Off the field he did even more, transforming Man U from a regional doormat into a sports and economic powerhouse with 650 million fans in more than 100 countries and a market value of $3-billion.
So when the 71-year old Scotsman announced plans on Wednesday to retire as the club’s manager at the end of the season, the news shook the soccer world and beyond, and sparked an outpouring of praise. British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed him as “a remarkable man in British football who has had an extraordinary, successful career.”
Sepp Blatter, the head of FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, said on Twitter that Sir Alex’s “achievements in the game place him without doubt as one of the ‘greats.’ ”
The team has marketed itself relentlessly abroad over the years, going on annual tours in far-flung countries and pushing its brand relentlessly worldwide. Today the club pulls in more than $500-million annually from several sources of revenue, and manages to turn a profit despite rising costs. And its famous red-and-yellow logo can be found on T-shirts, jerseys, coffee mugs, caps and scarves in 130 countries. The club’s global reach is so broad it signed a sponsorship deal last month with a Vietnamese bank that plans to offer Man U credit cards to the club’s roughly 25 million Vietnamese fans.
The club and Sir Alex have been so successful that he was the subject of a recent Harvard University study on management styles. “Football management,” he told the Harvard researchers, “in the end is all about the players. You think you are a better player than they are, and they think they are a better manager than you are.”
Sir Alex, who was knighted in 1999, said he plans to remain with the club as an ambassador and a director after the team’s last away game on May 19. (On Monday, Man U will celebrate its championship parade in Manchester, having sewn up the League title weeks ago.)
“The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “It is the right time. It was important to me to leave an organization in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so.”
Few would argue with that. He arrived at Manchester in 1986 after a string of success in the Scottish leagues, inheriting a group of players who hadn’t won much and seemed more interested in drinking than playing. That didn’t suit the driven Glaswegian, who grew up in a rough part of town and mixed his soccer-playing with apprenticing in a typewriter factory and running a pub. He promptly introduced a new training regimen, discipline code and youth program that ultimately developed future stars such as Ryan Giggs, Mr. Beckham, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes.
By 1992, Man U was a contender and part of the new English Premier League, a group of 20 clubs that broke away from the Football League. The EPL soon became the most popular league in the world and lured top players with exorbitant salaries. And Man U became the star attraction, as Sir Alex won a series of titles that bolstered its fan base and it coffers.
“Ferguson’s luck was to become a great manager at the start of the Premier League,” said David Boyle, a soccer writer and researcher based in London. “Manchester United has utterly been transformed.”
Sir Alex hardly mellowed with success. He gained a reputation for criticizing referees and opposing coaches, players and the media. He refused to speak to any reporter from the BBC for seven years after the network broadcast a documentary alleging his son had exploited the family name to bolster his career as a player agent. The feud ended in 2011 after a meeting with senior BBC officials.
The fiery manager also became famous for his rants at players – which came to be called the “hairdryer treatment.” He also never shied away from cutting loose even good players if he decided they no longer had the team mentality. And he kept winning and reinventing the club as other teams, such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, rose and fell. When American Malcolm Glazer, owner of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, took control of the club in 2005, much to the anger of many supporters, Sir Alex held firm and won still more championships.
A bronze of Sir Alex stands in front of the club’s famous stadium, Old Trafford, and his name is emblazoned across one of the stands.
The question now is whether Sir Alex’s successor can fill his shoes. Man U’s shares fell more than 5 per cent on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday before recovering somewhat by the end of trading. Sir Alex’s replacement is expected to be his friend and fellow Scot David Moyes, whose contract as manager of Everton ends this season.
So when the 71-year old Scotsman announced plans on Wednesday to retire as the club’s manager at the end of the season, the news shook the soccer world and beyond, and sparked an outpouring of praise. British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed him as “a remarkable man in British football who has had an extraordinary, successful career.”
Sepp Blatter, the head of FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, said on Twitter that Sir Alex’s “achievements in the game place him without doubt as one of the ‘greats.’ ”
The team has marketed itself relentlessly abroad over the years, going on annual tours in far-flung countries and pushing its brand relentlessly worldwide. Today the club pulls in more than $500-million annually from several sources of revenue, and manages to turn a profit despite rising costs. And its famous red-and-yellow logo can be found on T-shirts, jerseys, coffee mugs, caps and scarves in 130 countries. The club’s global reach is so broad it signed a sponsorship deal last month with a Vietnamese bank that plans to offer Man U credit cards to the club’s roughly 25 million Vietnamese fans.
The club and Sir Alex have been so successful that he was the subject of a recent Harvard University study on management styles. “Football management,” he told the Harvard researchers, “in the end is all about the players. You think you are a better player than they are, and they think they are a better manager than you are.”
Sir Alex, who was knighted in 1999, said he plans to remain with the club as an ambassador and a director after the team’s last away game on May 19. (On Monday, Man U will celebrate its championship parade in Manchester, having sewn up the League title weeks ago.)
“The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “It is the right time. It was important to me to leave an organization in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so.”
Few would argue with that. He arrived at Manchester in 1986 after a string of success in the Scottish leagues, inheriting a group of players who hadn’t won much and seemed more interested in drinking than playing. That didn’t suit the driven Glaswegian, who grew up in a rough part of town and mixed his soccer-playing with apprenticing in a typewriter factory and running a pub. He promptly introduced a new training regimen, discipline code and youth program that ultimately developed future stars such as Ryan Giggs, Mr. Beckham, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes.
By 1992, Man U was a contender and part of the new English Premier League, a group of 20 clubs that broke away from the Football League. The EPL soon became the most popular league in the world and lured top players with exorbitant salaries. And Man U became the star attraction, as Sir Alex won a series of titles that bolstered its fan base and it coffers.
“Ferguson’s luck was to become a great manager at the start of the Premier League,” said David Boyle, a soccer writer and researcher based in London. “Manchester United has utterly been transformed.”
Sir Alex hardly mellowed with success. He gained a reputation for criticizing referees and opposing coaches, players and the media. He refused to speak to any reporter from the BBC for seven years after the network broadcast a documentary alleging his son had exploited the family name to bolster his career as a player agent. The feud ended in 2011 after a meeting with senior BBC officials.
The fiery manager also became famous for his rants at players – which came to be called the “hairdryer treatment.” He also never shied away from cutting loose even good players if he decided they no longer had the team mentality. And he kept winning and reinventing the club as other teams, such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, rose and fell. When American Malcolm Glazer, owner of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, took control of the club in 2005, much to the anger of many supporters, Sir Alex held firm and won still more championships.
A bronze of Sir Alex stands in front of the club’s famous stadium, Old Trafford, and his name is emblazoned across one of the stands.
The question now is whether Sir Alex’s successor can fill his shoes. Man U’s shares fell more than 5 per cent on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday before recovering somewhat by the end of trading. Sir Alex’s replacement is expected to be his friend and fellow Scot David Moyes, whose contract as manager of Everton ends this season.
2013年4月22日星期一
The proposal immediately drew fierce opposition
Airline passengers will have to leave their knives at home after all. And their bats and golf clubs.
A policy change scheduled to go into effect this week that would have allowed passengers to carry small knives, bats, and other sports equipment onto airliners will be delayed, federal officials said Monday.
The delay is necessary to accommodate feedback from an advisory committee made up of aviation industry, consumer, and law enforcement officials, the Transportation Security Administration said in a brief statement. The statement said the delay is temporary, but gave no indication how long it might be.
TSA Administrator John Pistole proposed the policy change last month, saying it would free up the agency to concentrate on protecting against greater threats. TSA screeners confiscate about 2,000 small folding knives from passengers every day.
The proposal immediately drew fierce opposition from flight attendant unions and federal air marshals, who said the knives can be dangerous in the hands of the wrong passengers. Some airlines and members of Congress also urged TSA to reconsider its position.
The delay announced by TSA doesn’t go far enough, a coalition of unions representing 90,000 flight attendants nationwide said Monday.
“All knives should be banned from planes permanently,” the group said in a statement.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who opposed the policy, said TSA’s decision is an admission “that permitting knives on planes is a bad idea.” He also called for a permanent ban.
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., another opponent, said he will continue to push TSA to drop the proposal entirely.
“People with radical ideas can use everyday objects to cause great harm,” Markey said. “If there is an opportunity to decrease risks to Americans, we have a duty to protect our citizens and disallow knives from being taken onto planes.”
The proposed policy would have permitted folding knives with blades that are 2.36 inches (6 centimeters) or less in length and are less than 1/2-inch (1-centimeter) wide. The policy was aimed at allowing passengers to carry pen knives, corkscrews with small blades and other small knives.
Passengers also would have been be allowed to bring onboard as part of their carry-on luggage novelty-sized baseball bats less than 24 inches long, toy plastic bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks and two golf clubs, the agency said.
Security standards adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency, already call for passengers to be able to carry those items. Those standards are non-binding, but many countries follow them.
The proposal didn’t affect box cutters, razor blades and knives that don’t fold or that have molded grip handles, which are prohibited.
Passengers were prohibited from carrying the small knives onboard planes after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Some of the terrorists in those attacks used box cutters to intimidate passengers and airline crew members.
It’s unlikely in these days of hardened cockpit doors and other preventative measures that the small folding knives could be used by terrorists to take over a plane, Pistole told Congress last month.
There has been a gradual easing of some of the security measures applied to passengers after the 9/11 attacks. In 2005, the TSA changed its policies to allow passengers to carry on airplanes small scissors, knitting needles, tweezers, nail clippers and up to four books of matches. The move came as the agency turned its focus toward keeping explosives off planes, because intelligence officials believed that was the greatest threat to commercial aviation.
And in September 2011, the TSA no longer required children 12 years old and under to remove their shoes at airport checkpoints. The agency recently issued new guidelines for travelers 75 and older so they can avoid removing shoes and light jackets when they go through airport security checkpoints.
A policy change scheduled to go into effect this week that would have allowed passengers to carry small knives, bats, and other sports equipment onto airliners will be delayed, federal officials said Monday.
The delay is necessary to accommodate feedback from an advisory committee made up of aviation industry, consumer, and law enforcement officials, the Transportation Security Administration said in a brief statement. The statement said the delay is temporary, but gave no indication how long it might be.
TSA Administrator John Pistole proposed the policy change last month, saying it would free up the agency to concentrate on protecting against greater threats. TSA screeners confiscate about 2,000 small folding knives from passengers every day.
The proposal immediately drew fierce opposition from flight attendant unions and federal air marshals, who said the knives can be dangerous in the hands of the wrong passengers. Some airlines and members of Congress also urged TSA to reconsider its position.
The delay announced by TSA doesn’t go far enough, a coalition of unions representing 90,000 flight attendants nationwide said Monday.
“All knives should be banned from planes permanently,” the group said in a statement.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who opposed the policy, said TSA’s decision is an admission “that permitting knives on planes is a bad idea.” He also called for a permanent ban.
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., another opponent, said he will continue to push TSA to drop the proposal entirely.
“People with radical ideas can use everyday objects to cause great harm,” Markey said. “If there is an opportunity to decrease risks to Americans, we have a duty to protect our citizens and disallow knives from being taken onto planes.”
The proposed policy would have permitted folding knives with blades that are 2.36 inches (6 centimeters) or less in length and are less than 1/2-inch (1-centimeter) wide. The policy was aimed at allowing passengers to carry pen knives, corkscrews with small blades and other small knives.
Passengers also would have been be allowed to bring onboard as part of their carry-on luggage novelty-sized baseball bats less than 24 inches long, toy plastic bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks and two golf clubs, the agency said.
Security standards adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency, already call for passengers to be able to carry those items. Those standards are non-binding, but many countries follow them.
The proposal didn’t affect box cutters, razor blades and knives that don’t fold or that have molded grip handles, which are prohibited.
Passengers were prohibited from carrying the small knives onboard planes after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Some of the terrorists in those attacks used box cutters to intimidate passengers and airline crew members.
It’s unlikely in these days of hardened cockpit doors and other preventative measures that the small folding knives could be used by terrorists to take over a plane, Pistole told Congress last month.
There has been a gradual easing of some of the security measures applied to passengers after the 9/11 attacks. In 2005, the TSA changed its policies to allow passengers to carry on airplanes small scissors, knitting needles, tweezers, nail clippers and up to four books of matches. The move came as the agency turned its focus toward keeping explosives off planes, because intelligence officials believed that was the greatest threat to commercial aviation.
And in September 2011, the TSA no longer required children 12 years old and under to remove their shoes at airport checkpoints. The agency recently issued new guidelines for travelers 75 and older so they can avoid removing shoes and light jackets when they go through airport security checkpoints.
2013年4月9日星期二
The attacks hit the global travel market
"The story as it unfolded, if considered by film producers, would have been dismissed as totally unbelievable and not suitable for something on a TV or film set," Fergal Foley BL, prosecuting, told Judge Carmel Stewart.
He said the investigation involved "the most amazing piece of police work" in bringing the thief, 48-year-old Martin Ryan, before the court.
Ryan of North William Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty on the morning of his trial at the Circuit Criminal Court to trespass and theft of a quantity of jewellery in Stillorgan, Dublin, on April 21, 2010.
He had 71 previous convictions dating back to 1980, which included burglary and road traffic offences.
Judge Stewart imposed a two-year sentence with the final six months suspended on strict conditions. She also imposed six months of supervision with the probation service.
Garda Michael McCarthy told Mr Foley that a local businesswoman had asked one of her newly appointed staff to return to her Stillorgan home and get her laptop. The young woman was provided with the house keys and codes to the alarm.
She had trouble turning off the alarm and ran out on the street to seek help. She waved down a passing car and asked the driver for assistance.
Mr Foley said the driver of the car, Ryan, "very helpfully" came into the house and deactivated the alarm.
US internet entrepreneur Peter Cobb has some simple advice for anyone thinking of starting their own e-commerce site: do a financial projection then double your expenses and cut your revenue in half. If you still have a profit you probably have a workable business model.
“You can guarantee there’s going to be curve balls,” he says. “There will be obstacles pop up that you can’t even imagine and so you need to build an organisation that is nimble and not afraid of change and can react in a timely manner.”
For Cobb, the founder of online luggage business, the unexpected was the 9/11 terrorist attacks a couple of years after he and his partners started their business. The attacks hit the global travel market hard and hence the demand for luggage. Fortunately, the site had already started moving into everyday items such as brief cases, handbags and backpacks.
“One of the very first things we did, and it wasn’t really done at the time, was customer reviews and testimonials,” says Cobb. Reviews were an innovation when the site launched in 1998 and gave the site a competitive advantage – a factor Cobb says every e-commerce site needs to be successful. The site now has a vast archive of customer reviews – 2.5 million at last count.
Cobb says one of the keys to the site’s success has been its 'drop ship model'.It doesn’t buy, store or even handle any product. Instead, it shows the bag ranges from various manufacturers. When customers order from the site,sends the order to the bag manufacturer, which ships the product direct to the customer.
This means can have 55,000 different styles of bag on its site and better cash flow because it’s not buying stock up front.
The company also changes pricing on its goods as often as every six hours as it responds to prices offered by competitors – something that is not possible for bricks and mortar retailers with physical price tags.
Pinny Gniwisch, another US web entrepreneur who will be appearing at the conference, also cites flexibility as a key to a successful e-commerce site.
“If we weren’t innovative and quick and nimble we wouldn’t have survived,” says Gniwisch, who founded online jewellery retailer. “We changed the tyres as the car was moving and that’s the lesson for a successful online company – that things change so quickly that either you adapt or you die.”
Ice, which turns over around US$40 million per year, has been quick to jump onto the latest communication trends, such as blogging and its own Youtube channel. Most recently it has created an app that lets users take a picture of the finger then see how a ring would look on it.
Gniwisch says entrepreneurs need to understand the language of the web, which is different to the offline world.
“That language is about conversation and the ability to talk to the consumer in a human way – that’s one thing we’ve learned over the years,” he says.
Consumers can talk to the site’s customer services people on Ice’s Facebook page and a shopper can, for instance, send pictures of her daughter’s prom dress and ask for recommendations about jewellery to match. “Our agents are trained in a way so they act more like your best friend who you would go to for advice than a company that is trying to sell you something,” says Gniwisch.
He said the investigation involved "the most amazing piece of police work" in bringing the thief, 48-year-old Martin Ryan, before the court.
Ryan of North William Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty on the morning of his trial at the Circuit Criminal Court to trespass and theft of a quantity of jewellery in Stillorgan, Dublin, on April 21, 2010.
He had 71 previous convictions dating back to 1980, which included burglary and road traffic offences.
Judge Stewart imposed a two-year sentence with the final six months suspended on strict conditions. She also imposed six months of supervision with the probation service.
Garda Michael McCarthy told Mr Foley that a local businesswoman had asked one of her newly appointed staff to return to her Stillorgan home and get her laptop. The young woman was provided with the house keys and codes to the alarm.
She had trouble turning off the alarm and ran out on the street to seek help. She waved down a passing car and asked the driver for assistance.
Mr Foley said the driver of the car, Ryan, "very helpfully" came into the house and deactivated the alarm.
US internet entrepreneur Peter Cobb has some simple advice for anyone thinking of starting their own e-commerce site: do a financial projection then double your expenses and cut your revenue in half. If you still have a profit you probably have a workable business model.
“You can guarantee there’s going to be curve balls,” he says. “There will be obstacles pop up that you can’t even imagine and so you need to build an organisation that is nimble and not afraid of change and can react in a timely manner.”
For Cobb, the founder of online luggage business, the unexpected was the 9/11 terrorist attacks a couple of years after he and his partners started their business. The attacks hit the global travel market hard and hence the demand for luggage. Fortunately, the site had already started moving into everyday items such as brief cases, handbags and backpacks.
“One of the very first things we did, and it wasn’t really done at the time, was customer reviews and testimonials,” says Cobb. Reviews were an innovation when the site launched in 1998 and gave the site a competitive advantage – a factor Cobb says every e-commerce site needs to be successful. The site now has a vast archive of customer reviews – 2.5 million at last count.
Cobb says one of the keys to the site’s success has been its 'drop ship model'.It doesn’t buy, store or even handle any product. Instead, it shows the bag ranges from various manufacturers. When customers order from the site,sends the order to the bag manufacturer, which ships the product direct to the customer.
This means can have 55,000 different styles of bag on its site and better cash flow because it’s not buying stock up front.
The company also changes pricing on its goods as often as every six hours as it responds to prices offered by competitors – something that is not possible for bricks and mortar retailers with physical price tags.
Pinny Gniwisch, another US web entrepreneur who will be appearing at the conference, also cites flexibility as a key to a successful e-commerce site.
“If we weren’t innovative and quick and nimble we wouldn’t have survived,” says Gniwisch, who founded online jewellery retailer. “We changed the tyres as the car was moving and that’s the lesson for a successful online company – that things change so quickly that either you adapt or you die.”
Ice, which turns over around US$40 million per year, has been quick to jump onto the latest communication trends, such as blogging and its own Youtube channel. Most recently it has created an app that lets users take a picture of the finger then see how a ring would look on it.
Gniwisch says entrepreneurs need to understand the language of the web, which is different to the offline world.
“That language is about conversation and the ability to talk to the consumer in a human way – that’s one thing we’ve learned over the years,” he says.
Consumers can talk to the site’s customer services people on Ice’s Facebook page and a shopper can, for instance, send pictures of her daughter’s prom dress and ask for recommendations about jewellery to match. “Our agents are trained in a way so they act more like your best friend who you would go to for advice than a company that is trying to sell you something,” says Gniwisch.
2013年4月6日星期六
who is secretly taken away at night
THERE are very few historical fictions on the African continent,
especially Nigeria. There is now a gradual or total loss of the
stimulating ambience of folk or oral narratives in which young ones get
firsthand historical re-enactment of the founding of their race. This is
further compounded in Nigeria with government’s anti-intellectual
stance with the non-teaching of history in schools. Indeed, all the
great empires and kingdoms stand to be forgotten with the general
populace none the wise for it.
But U.S.-based Nigerian, Nike Cambell-Fatoki has in part rescued from the ashes of forgetfulness the history of one of Africa’s great kingdoms with her new novel Threads of Gold Beads. Her restoration effort on the kingdom of Danhome, with its famous Abomey capital, is a worthy literary enterprise that traces the Republic of Benin back to its ancient roots before and during the French invasion that routed the kingdom and left it in ruins.
But it is not all about the ancient history of Danhome that she has recounted. Campbell-Fatoki has also told love stories, of a king’s love for Amelia, his precious daughter, which endangers her life; how an entire kingdom also falls in love with its princess and how she becomes the army general’s wife. It’s also the story of a mother’s love for her only daughter, who soon inherits the burden of a falling kingdom and her personal odyssey through thick and thin to survive and how she reincarnates into her own mother’s former existence and then finds what she had lost to war and the vagaries of life.
Campbell-Fatoki’s Threads of Gold Beads, relates the life of the last great king of Danhome, Gbenhazin. Soon to-be-king, but he must remain on the outskirts of the capital and must not live in the same palace as the reigning king. At the death of Glele, an elaborate coronation ceremony is held to install King Gbehanzin, who is secretly taken away at night from his palace on the outskirts of Abomey. With the support of Kamlin, the Kpojito, one of the former wives of the late king, Gbehanzin is able to ascend his father’s throne in spite of opposition against him from other princes.
He proves a great king like his ancestors but the advancing French did not please Gbehanzin; it eventually led to war that was to ruin a great African kingdom just like many others in the hands of European encroachers.
Largely from oral accounts, historical records and creative ingenuity, Campbell-Fatoki is able to fictionally reconstruct the kingdom of Danhome, the only kingdom that had a standing a female army in the world; called ‘mothers’, they functioned as the secret service that protected the king, his household and other high-ranking officials.
Amelia, the king’s favourite princess, is a young woman whose destiny is closely intertwined with that of Danhome kingdom. Her mother, Ajoke, was abducted from Abeokuta in one of Danhome’s wars of conquests. She is adopted by Gbehanzin’s mother, a woman who must suffer pariah from the kingdom she gives an heir out of a custom that forbids the heir-apparent’s mother to live once she has discharged her fateful duty of siring the king-to-be. Having survived her ordeal, she surfaces to claim a place in the king’s heart and ensures Gbehanzin marries Ajoke.
Eventually, the army general Dossou, marries Amelia, the love of his life from childhood. But by then, the forces of disintegration have set in. Danhome is at the verge of collapse. While Dossou is gone to war, Amelia’s mother and grandmother, the king’s mother, summon her and task her to leave the kingdom at once with the king’s recade, his symbol of power, to neighbouring Abeokuta to seek refuge at the court of Alake of Agbaland. Gbehanzin and his entire palace officials, wives, children and army flee into the forest to wage a gorilla war against the French. Not even having to sacrifice his own mother to the gods is able to save Danhome from collapse.
The journey through the unknown jungle proves a test of great proportion for the newly married woman. She arrives with her brother, Dare, the son of the woman with whom Ajoke was carried off into captivity years back. A combination of incidences and Amelia unknowingly finds self in the care of her mother’s sister, Madam Titilayo. From here, life takes a new turn; she gives birth to Dossou’s son but forces around her connive to deny her the joy of motherhood until much later when she reunites with Dossou, again at the verge of marrying another man.
Indeed, Campbell-Fatoki’s Threads of Gold Beads is a great historical account of a kingdom at its twilight, a kingdom with a great culture, a kingdom that celebrated Africa’s quintessential virtues and vices. In telling Danhome’s story, Campbell-Fatoki has told the story of old Africa and its glorious and sometimes inglorious ways. Essentially, it’s also a story of Africa’s collision with the West and how the continent emerged worst off and broken under superior firepower. It’s also the story of the regular intrigues in a typical palace, how a favoured child falls on the wrong side of things. It’s also a story of redemption or reuniting of blood relations previously violently separated – Ajoke’s daughter, Amelia, reunites with her lost aunts, Madam Tilayo and Jumoke, Ajoke’s half-sisters.
But Campbell’s story reads false in a particular respect. Dossou and Amelia’s love seems too modern; their courtship and even after is not exactly reflective of love relationship in old Africa, with its strictness and non-contact of the sexes, even when betrothed. It’s a love that is acknowledged rather than expressed. Theirs is too expressive and not particularly true of the timeline being recounted.
Also, the first person narrative format is suspect for a non-literate person like Amelia. Campbell-Fatoki could have chosen to write the story otherwise. But overall, Threads of Gold Beads is a great creative effort for which the author is to be commended.
But U.S.-based Nigerian, Nike Cambell-Fatoki has in part rescued from the ashes of forgetfulness the history of one of Africa’s great kingdoms with her new novel Threads of Gold Beads. Her restoration effort on the kingdom of Danhome, with its famous Abomey capital, is a worthy literary enterprise that traces the Republic of Benin back to its ancient roots before and during the French invasion that routed the kingdom and left it in ruins.
But it is not all about the ancient history of Danhome that she has recounted. Campbell-Fatoki has also told love stories, of a king’s love for Amelia, his precious daughter, which endangers her life; how an entire kingdom also falls in love with its princess and how she becomes the army general’s wife. It’s also the story of a mother’s love for her only daughter, who soon inherits the burden of a falling kingdom and her personal odyssey through thick and thin to survive and how she reincarnates into her own mother’s former existence and then finds what she had lost to war and the vagaries of life.
Campbell-Fatoki’s Threads of Gold Beads, relates the life of the last great king of Danhome, Gbenhazin. Soon to-be-king, but he must remain on the outskirts of the capital and must not live in the same palace as the reigning king. At the death of Glele, an elaborate coronation ceremony is held to install King Gbehanzin, who is secretly taken away at night from his palace on the outskirts of Abomey. With the support of Kamlin, the Kpojito, one of the former wives of the late king, Gbehanzin is able to ascend his father’s throne in spite of opposition against him from other princes.
He proves a great king like his ancestors but the advancing French did not please Gbehanzin; it eventually led to war that was to ruin a great African kingdom just like many others in the hands of European encroachers.
Largely from oral accounts, historical records and creative ingenuity, Campbell-Fatoki is able to fictionally reconstruct the kingdom of Danhome, the only kingdom that had a standing a female army in the world; called ‘mothers’, they functioned as the secret service that protected the king, his household and other high-ranking officials.
Amelia, the king’s favourite princess, is a young woman whose destiny is closely intertwined with that of Danhome kingdom. Her mother, Ajoke, was abducted from Abeokuta in one of Danhome’s wars of conquests. She is adopted by Gbehanzin’s mother, a woman who must suffer pariah from the kingdom she gives an heir out of a custom that forbids the heir-apparent’s mother to live once she has discharged her fateful duty of siring the king-to-be. Having survived her ordeal, she surfaces to claim a place in the king’s heart and ensures Gbehanzin marries Ajoke.
Eventually, the army general Dossou, marries Amelia, the love of his life from childhood. But by then, the forces of disintegration have set in. Danhome is at the verge of collapse. While Dossou is gone to war, Amelia’s mother and grandmother, the king’s mother, summon her and task her to leave the kingdom at once with the king’s recade, his symbol of power, to neighbouring Abeokuta to seek refuge at the court of Alake of Agbaland. Gbehanzin and his entire palace officials, wives, children and army flee into the forest to wage a gorilla war against the French. Not even having to sacrifice his own mother to the gods is able to save Danhome from collapse.
The journey through the unknown jungle proves a test of great proportion for the newly married woman. She arrives with her brother, Dare, the son of the woman with whom Ajoke was carried off into captivity years back. A combination of incidences and Amelia unknowingly finds self in the care of her mother’s sister, Madam Titilayo. From here, life takes a new turn; she gives birth to Dossou’s son but forces around her connive to deny her the joy of motherhood until much later when she reunites with Dossou, again at the verge of marrying another man.
Indeed, Campbell-Fatoki’s Threads of Gold Beads is a great historical account of a kingdom at its twilight, a kingdom with a great culture, a kingdom that celebrated Africa’s quintessential virtues and vices. In telling Danhome’s story, Campbell-Fatoki has told the story of old Africa and its glorious and sometimes inglorious ways. Essentially, it’s also a story of Africa’s collision with the West and how the continent emerged worst off and broken under superior firepower. It’s also the story of the regular intrigues in a typical palace, how a favoured child falls on the wrong side of things. It’s also a story of redemption or reuniting of blood relations previously violently separated – Ajoke’s daughter, Amelia, reunites with her lost aunts, Madam Tilayo and Jumoke, Ajoke’s half-sisters.
But Campbell’s story reads false in a particular respect. Dossou and Amelia’s love seems too modern; their courtship and even after is not exactly reflective of love relationship in old Africa, with its strictness and non-contact of the sexes, even when betrothed. It’s a love that is acknowledged rather than expressed. Theirs is too expressive and not particularly true of the timeline being recounted.
Also, the first person narrative format is suspect for a non-literate person like Amelia. Campbell-Fatoki could have chosen to write the story otherwise. But overall, Threads of Gold Beads is a great creative effort for which the author is to be commended.
2013年3月24日星期日
This is the kind of stellar deal I was looking for
It's been a year since my last Spanish class, and while I attempted to
take classes twice a week while I was working at an office job in
Barcelona last year, the attempt lasted little more than a month. The
job proved to be too unpredictable as far as hours were concerned, and I
could rarely make it to class by the 7:45pm break, let alone the 6:30pm
starting time.
So now that I am working mostly from home and can manage my own time again, I am back in the classroom 2 hours a day, four times a week, practicing the subjunctive tense and common phrases I don't use but should. The bad thing about reaching a level of proficiency where you can handle basic communication (as long as it doesn't get too technical) is that you tend to get stuck at that level. I'd like to be able to have a phone conversation where I don't have to process what the person has said until after they hang up.
But I didn't have much money to spend. I've attended five different schools over the course of three and a half years and none of them were cheap. Sure, some schools are cheaper than others, but I don't have the 100+ euros per week that even the cheapest courses charge. Somehow, in my search for discounted Spanish class, I came across a course advertised as "nearly free Spanish lessons" at a well-known language school in Barcelona's centre, International House. (In fact, I likely typed that exact phrase into my preferred search engine, so kudos to the SEO manager, your search terms work).
This is the kind of stellar deal I was looking for: 40 euros for eight hours a week for three weeks. I had to take a verbal test for placement to sign up, with no guarantees the class would be held. But here it is, the end of the second week and I am more than happy with my cheap-o class. It is a teacher-training course, so a new teacher rotates from the back of the classroom every 20 minutes or so. Some of them are good, some of them suck, and honestly, if I were learning some of the things they cover for the very first time, I might be a bit lost. But it's all review for me and if I don't like a particular teacher, I just tune out for 20 minutes until the next one takes the front of the class.
And finally there is me, the perfectionist, who won't speak if she doesn't know the correct way to say something. Which, of course, isn't a good thing and I should know that making mistakes is just part of learning. Which is why I am back in the classroom, to try to push through some of that.
But at least I can pride myself on a good accent. One big secret to sounding more fluent (perhaps more fluent than you actually are) in any language is to imitate the accent. While my limited vocabulary clearly shows I'm not a native speaker, no one can ever place me as an American.
So now that I am working mostly from home and can manage my own time again, I am back in the classroom 2 hours a day, four times a week, practicing the subjunctive tense and common phrases I don't use but should. The bad thing about reaching a level of proficiency where you can handle basic communication (as long as it doesn't get too technical) is that you tend to get stuck at that level. I'd like to be able to have a phone conversation where I don't have to process what the person has said until after they hang up.
But I didn't have much money to spend. I've attended five different schools over the course of three and a half years and none of them were cheap. Sure, some schools are cheaper than others, but I don't have the 100+ euros per week that even the cheapest courses charge. Somehow, in my search for discounted Spanish class, I came across a course advertised as "nearly free Spanish lessons" at a well-known language school in Barcelona's centre, International House. (In fact, I likely typed that exact phrase into my preferred search engine, so kudos to the SEO manager, your search terms work).
This is the kind of stellar deal I was looking for: 40 euros for eight hours a week for three weeks. I had to take a verbal test for placement to sign up, with no guarantees the class would be held. But here it is, the end of the second week and I am more than happy with my cheap-o class. It is a teacher-training course, so a new teacher rotates from the back of the classroom every 20 minutes or so. Some of them are good, some of them suck, and honestly, if I were learning some of the things they cover for the very first time, I might be a bit lost. But it's all review for me and if I don't like a particular teacher, I just tune out for 20 minutes until the next one takes the front of the class.
And finally there is me, the perfectionist, who won't speak if she doesn't know the correct way to say something. Which, of course, isn't a good thing and I should know that making mistakes is just part of learning. Which is why I am back in the classroom, to try to push through some of that.
But at least I can pride myself on a good accent. One big secret to sounding more fluent (perhaps more fluent than you actually are) in any language is to imitate the accent. While my limited vocabulary clearly shows I'm not a native speaker, no one can ever place me as an American.
2013年2月20日星期三
Boasting of proven performers and exciting youngsters
While the obvious reason for this non-stop supply of 'super quicks' is the fast and bouncy wickets Down Under, it has perhaps also got to do with their basic nature. Aussies are aggressive and spirited sportsmen who don't yield easily, two qualities that go into the making of a fast bowler. Even during their recent decline, Australia kept churning out quality pacers.
Ironically, very few Australian fast bowlers have done well in the subcontinent, unlike the West Indian pacemen of yore who would succeed on any wicket.
Lillee, for example, managed just three wickets in three Tests in Pakistan during the 1980 tour. The failure of Aussie fast bowlers on unhelpful wickets has largely been responsible for Australia's poor record in India. The exception was the 2004 tour, where McGrath, Jason Gillespie combined beautifully to help the Aussies breach the 'final frontier' after 35 years.
Boasting of proven performers and exciting youngsters, the present Aussie pace attack is one of the best to have toured India. It has the potential to match the exploits of the 2004 batch, which relied on frustrating the Indian batsmen to procure wickets.
If this attack fails, Australia would be left searching for answers, because their spinners aren't likely to do what Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar did to India. Even though the conditions may not aid their art, this bunch has plenty of firepower to blow up the fragile Indian batting order, and reopen the wounds of India's 4-0 rout in Australia on their last tour.
Cricket Australia's recent implementation of the 'rotation policy' may have come under criticism but it has helped this group stay fresh and eager to hunt.
It would be a huge relief for these pacers that they won't have to bowl to the likes of likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, two batsmen who have tormented Australia for more than a decade. They would also hope that the two others from that awesome bunch in the Indian team, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, continue to fight their own demons.
Amongst the youngsters, the Aussies will be a little wary of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, two men who can make them slog for long hours in the field. They would need plenty of perseverance and willpower to keep bowling under a hot sun on unresponsive wickets.
The biggest test would come in the first Test in Chennai, where they would encounter stifling humidity. Kasprowicz' match-winning spell in Bangalore in 1998, when he took five for 28 to win Australia the Test, should serve as inspiration.
The 'pace party' will be led by 31-year-old left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson, who has picked 21 wickets in the six Tests he has played in India. Whether Johnson turns out to be average or brilliant depends more on him than the conditions. On a good day, he can run through a side, but when off-colour, he struggles with his line and length.
Partnering Johnson would be Peter Siddle who made merry against India at home in 2011-12. Siddle made his debut in India in 2008, bagging Sachin Tendulkar's wicket as his first Test scalp. Since then, Siddle has flowered, showing an ability to swing the ball at high pace.
The other three fast bowlers in the Aussie armoury are all young, inexperienced but full of talent and raw pace. Their performance, when confronted by conditions alien to them, would be the yardstick by which bowling coach Ali de Winter, who has filled in the big shoes of McDermott in that position, would be judged.
Mitchell Starc boasts of speeds that can touch 150km/hour, and is probably the best left-arm fast bowler in the world right now. He could leave India bleeding with his lethal, full-length deliveries that remind one of the 'Sultan of Swing' Wasim Akram.
The ultra-quick James Pattinson has played just seven Tests, but an average of 22.09 while taking 31 wickets reflect his talent. Jackson Bird is a bit of an unknown commodity but Matthew Hayden feels he could be the star of the tour.
Much of the success of this Aussie pace attack would depend on how well they are able to reverse the ball and also on how quickly they come to terms with low, slow tracks.
Ironically, very few Australian fast bowlers have done well in the subcontinent, unlike the West Indian pacemen of yore who would succeed on any wicket.
Lillee, for example, managed just three wickets in three Tests in Pakistan during the 1980 tour. The failure of Aussie fast bowlers on unhelpful wickets has largely been responsible for Australia's poor record in India. The exception was the 2004 tour, where McGrath, Jason Gillespie combined beautifully to help the Aussies breach the 'final frontier' after 35 years.
Boasting of proven performers and exciting youngsters, the present Aussie pace attack is one of the best to have toured India. It has the potential to match the exploits of the 2004 batch, which relied on frustrating the Indian batsmen to procure wickets.
If this attack fails, Australia would be left searching for answers, because their spinners aren't likely to do what Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar did to India. Even though the conditions may not aid their art, this bunch has plenty of firepower to blow up the fragile Indian batting order, and reopen the wounds of India's 4-0 rout in Australia on their last tour.
Cricket Australia's recent implementation of the 'rotation policy' may have come under criticism but it has helped this group stay fresh and eager to hunt.
It would be a huge relief for these pacers that they won't have to bowl to the likes of likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, two batsmen who have tormented Australia for more than a decade. They would also hope that the two others from that awesome bunch in the Indian team, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, continue to fight their own demons.
Amongst the youngsters, the Aussies will be a little wary of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, two men who can make them slog for long hours in the field. They would need plenty of perseverance and willpower to keep bowling under a hot sun on unresponsive wickets.
The biggest test would come in the first Test in Chennai, where they would encounter stifling humidity. Kasprowicz' match-winning spell in Bangalore in 1998, when he took five for 28 to win Australia the Test, should serve as inspiration.
The 'pace party' will be led by 31-year-old left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson, who has picked 21 wickets in the six Tests he has played in India. Whether Johnson turns out to be average or brilliant depends more on him than the conditions. On a good day, he can run through a side, but when off-colour, he struggles with his line and length.
Partnering Johnson would be Peter Siddle who made merry against India at home in 2011-12. Siddle made his debut in India in 2008, bagging Sachin Tendulkar's wicket as his first Test scalp. Since then, Siddle has flowered, showing an ability to swing the ball at high pace.
The other three fast bowlers in the Aussie armoury are all young, inexperienced but full of talent and raw pace. Their performance, when confronted by conditions alien to them, would be the yardstick by which bowling coach Ali de Winter, who has filled in the big shoes of McDermott in that position, would be judged.
Mitchell Starc boasts of speeds that can touch 150km/hour, and is probably the best left-arm fast bowler in the world right now. He could leave India bleeding with his lethal, full-length deliveries that remind one of the 'Sultan of Swing' Wasim Akram.
The ultra-quick James Pattinson has played just seven Tests, but an average of 22.09 while taking 31 wickets reflect his talent. Jackson Bird is a bit of an unknown commodity but Matthew Hayden feels he could be the star of the tour.
Much of the success of this Aussie pace attack would depend on how well they are able to reverse the ball and also on how quickly they come to terms with low, slow tracks.
2013年2月16日星期六
The Spanish agency has to wait until the trial
Spain's sports authorities have vowed to maintain their campaign to end the country's reputation for widespread doping as the long-awaited Operation Puerto trial reaches its midway point.
Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and four other defendants are facing charges that they endangered the health of cyclists by allegedly helping them to cheat through blood transfusions. But anti-doping watchdogs are also interested in the large amounts of evidence not being presented at Madrid's Criminal Court.
Spain's anti-doping agency says it will follow the World Anti-Doping Agency's lead by also requesting that the court finally hand over the more than 200 blood bags discovered in police raids in 2006 so they can be analyzed and help identify athletes who doped.
"When the trial finishes, this is not over. We will go to work," Ana Munoz, the head of Spain's anti-doping agency, told The Associated Press. "I am very aware of the doubts that exist abroad about Spain's anti-doping fight. I spend 80 percent of my time trying to change this image, not just with words, but with acts."
The Spanish agency has to wait until the trial is over to request the evidence since it was founded in 2008, after the police investigation began.
For years Spanish courts have denied WADA access to this evidence that could possibly open a floodgate of doping suspensions and reveal to what extent doping practices have spread beyond cycling and into other sports.
The Italian Olympic Committee, one of the trial's other plaintiffs, was the only sports body able to get access to some samples, leading to doping bans for Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde and Italian cyclist Ivan Basso. The other 50 cyclists implicated, including two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, have never been punished.
The trial is limited to the health risks involved in blood transfusions because doping was not illegal when the police began their investigations in the operation that Fuentes supposedly masterminded. Spain has since strengthened its laws and an even tougher anti-doping law is working its way through parliament.
The decision now resting in the hands of presiding judge Julia Santamaria on whether or not to release the massive hold of evidence to WADA and its Spanish counterpart could go a long way to improving Spain's image as a country that is lax on fighting the use of performance-enhancing drugs and procedures.
Any refusal would be a huge blow to Spain and Madrid in particular as it seeks the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games, in the hope of providing a boost to the country's weakened morale and slumping economy.
WADA president John Fahey said earlier this week that if the bags were not released a "monumental cloud" of doubt would remain over "hundreds of athletes in Spain."
The president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, shares WADA's concern.
"We hope along with the rest of the sports world that the conclusions that come out of the trial serve to clear up and investigate the indications of past doping," Blanco said.
Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and four other defendants are facing charges that they endangered the health of cyclists by allegedly helping them to cheat through blood transfusions. But anti-doping watchdogs are also interested in the large amounts of evidence not being presented at Madrid's Criminal Court.
Spain's anti-doping agency says it will follow the World Anti-Doping Agency's lead by also requesting that the court finally hand over the more than 200 blood bags discovered in police raids in 2006 so they can be analyzed and help identify athletes who doped.
"When the trial finishes, this is not over. We will go to work," Ana Munoz, the head of Spain's anti-doping agency, told The Associated Press. "I am very aware of the doubts that exist abroad about Spain's anti-doping fight. I spend 80 percent of my time trying to change this image, not just with words, but with acts."
The Spanish agency has to wait until the trial is over to request the evidence since it was founded in 2008, after the police investigation began.
For years Spanish courts have denied WADA access to this evidence that could possibly open a floodgate of doping suspensions and reveal to what extent doping practices have spread beyond cycling and into other sports.
The Italian Olympic Committee, one of the trial's other plaintiffs, was the only sports body able to get access to some samples, leading to doping bans for Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde and Italian cyclist Ivan Basso. The other 50 cyclists implicated, including two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, have never been punished.
The trial is limited to the health risks involved in blood transfusions because doping was not illegal when the police began their investigations in the operation that Fuentes supposedly masterminded. Spain has since strengthened its laws and an even tougher anti-doping law is working its way through parliament.
The decision now resting in the hands of presiding judge Julia Santamaria on whether or not to release the massive hold of evidence to WADA and its Spanish counterpart could go a long way to improving Spain's image as a country that is lax on fighting the use of performance-enhancing drugs and procedures.
Any refusal would be a huge blow to Spain and Madrid in particular as it seeks the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games, in the hope of providing a boost to the country's weakened morale and slumping economy.
WADA president John Fahey said earlier this week that if the bags were not released a "monumental cloud" of doubt would remain over "hundreds of athletes in Spain."
The president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, shares WADA's concern.
"We hope along with the rest of the sports world that the conclusions that come out of the trial serve to clear up and investigate the indications of past doping," Blanco said.
2012年8月8日星期三
Tattoos are OK but hear these words of wisdom
OK, kids, sit down and let’s talk. I’ve changed my mind about tattoos. What? No, I’m not kidding. I accept that they’re an important fashion statement for your generation, no less than bell-bottom jeans and platform shoes were for mine. Of course, you can change clothes a lot easier than change — you’re right, I digress.
Let me offer some advice. If you survive your rebel-without-a-clue years, you’ll have decades of get-togethers with extended family who’ll remind you of all the stupid things you did when you were younger. Don’t make it worse by indelibly stamping stupid on your skin. This won’t happen if you follow some simple guidelines about what kind of tattoo you get and where on your body you put it.
First of all, forget tattoos that involve a boyfriend or girlfriend. He or she may seem like “the one and only,” but odds are he or she will become “the one of many.” Just ask Angelina and Billy Bob. Have I mentioned that tattoos don’t come off as easily as platform shoes? Oh, that many times, eh?
The only safe tattoo with a named individual is immediate family. You can count on your mom and me, but that’s about it.
Beware of tattoos involving popular culture. Robert Pattinson and Katy Perry will get wrinkled and unpopular, but your tastes will change long before that. I once thought “Billy Jack” was the greatest movie ever made, and Robert Palmer and Eddie Money were cooler than Elvis. Now one is dead and the other has a dead career. The movie? Cliche wasn’t a word before “Billy Jack.”
Eventually, a Grateful Dead skull starts looking like a regular skull, and you don’t want to spend a lifetime explaining you don’t have a thing for pirates. As my tastes evolved, shelving my vinyl discs was easier than having a tattoo removed, which is not so easy. What’s that you say? Oh, sorry, I’ll stop mentioning that.
Steer clear of the latest rage in tattoos. Trust me on this: In twenty years, there will be millions of middle-aged, balding, potbellied American men, their biceps tattooed with barbed wire that looks as fashionable as a mullet.
Let me offer some advice. If you survive your rebel-without-a-clue years, you’ll have decades of get-togethers with extended family who’ll remind you of all the stupid things you did when you were younger. Don’t make it worse by indelibly stamping stupid on your skin. This won’t happen if you follow some simple guidelines about what kind of tattoo you get and where on your body you put it.
First of all, forget tattoos that involve a boyfriend or girlfriend. He or she may seem like “the one and only,” but odds are he or she will become “the one of many.” Just ask Angelina and Billy Bob. Have I mentioned that tattoos don’t come off as easily as platform shoes? Oh, that many times, eh?
The only safe tattoo with a named individual is immediate family. You can count on your mom and me, but that’s about it.
Beware of tattoos involving popular culture. Robert Pattinson and Katy Perry will get wrinkled and unpopular, but your tastes will change long before that. I once thought “Billy Jack” was the greatest movie ever made, and Robert Palmer and Eddie Money were cooler than Elvis. Now one is dead and the other has a dead career. The movie? Cliche wasn’t a word before “Billy Jack.”
Eventually, a Grateful Dead skull starts looking like a regular skull, and you don’t want to spend a lifetime explaining you don’t have a thing for pirates. As my tastes evolved, shelving my vinyl discs was easier than having a tattoo removed, which is not so easy. What’s that you say? Oh, sorry, I’ll stop mentioning that.
Steer clear of the latest rage in tattoos. Trust me on this: In twenty years, there will be millions of middle-aged, balding, potbellied American men, their biceps tattooed with barbed wire that looks as fashionable as a mullet.
2012年5月27日星期日
Clint Eastwood's Daughter Burns $100K Handbag In Artistic Photo Shoot
Francesca Eastwood and celebrity photographer/boyfriend Tyler Shields desecrate luxury handbag for the sake of art
Clint Eastwood's daughter is getting some decent publicity for her upcoming reality show, thanks to the artistic destruction of a luxury accessory.
Francesca Eastwood, the 18-year-old star of the new E! reality show Eastwood & Company, recently partook in a photo shoot with her boyfriend, 30-year-old Tyler Shields, which is bound to get some attention. The visual project was based around the idea of obtaining a specific Hermes Berkin handbag that retails for about $100,000, and setting it ablaze, with photographic evidence depicting the deed.
Shields, who's known for his art that sometimes focuses on luxury items being ravaged(including Christian Louboutin shoes, which usually retail for more than $1,000), unveiled the photos during the opening of his Mouthful exhibit, supporting the anti-bullying campaign Love Is Louder in Los Angeles, according to The Daily Mail.
The photos show the posh handbag being pulled in a tug of war, sawed in half with a chainsaw, then lit on fire, all in the name of art. A line on the photographer's website, TylerShields, describes the motive: "Destruction is a beautiful version of freedom ... Would you want this bag? Are you sad to see me destroy it?"
At this year's Arqtiva British Academy Television Awards on May 27, the likes of Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt, Emilia Fox of Silent Witness, Celebrity Juice's Fearne Cotton, and Aussie actress Melissa George walked the red carpet.
Award presenter Joanne Froggatt's outfit details were shared via Twitter. Joanne went for a classic red carpet look with her green Alberta Ferretti peplum dress. The gown had a flattering silhouette for Joanne, if a bit safe. Annouschka jewelry and Christian Louboutin heels completed her attire.
Emilia Fox wore William Vintage for the occasion. Emilia looked elegant in her glittering gold top and champagne ball skirt. Her earrings looked too heavy for her refined outfit, but she did complete her look with lovely hair and make-up.
Melissa George attended the 2012 British Academy Television Awards in fine form. Melissa was easily best dressed in her floral Armani Prive pleated gown.
Unfortunately for Fearne Cotton, her vintage dress was not much of a style hit. It's possible that Fearne's cape-sleeve gold dress looked better in person, but as for the photographs, there was too much of a gold foil quality to the dress. Fearne added a 1920s inspired hairstyle, red lips, and metallic heels.
The SAS training course is a personal protection program run by members of the Special Air Service, Scotland Yard's personal protection squad, and MI5. The course is considered to be challenging both physically and mentally. It gives training in key survival skills such as sensing anything unusual in the surroundings, driving under pressure, developing a relationship with the hostage-taker, and stealthily passing messages in code.
The training is routine for royals, VIPs and even high profile persons working in dangerous countries. In fact, when Prince William was 16-years-old he took the course. He was trained to handle a submachine gun and even bundled into a vehicle in a mock ambush.
Apparently, Prince William and Kate Middleton have made several visits to the Special Air Services (SAS) headquarters in Hereford to be trained in the event of terrorists trying to abduct them. William and Kate were being schooled in survival skills, handling guns and prepare for all eventualities.
Clint Eastwood's daughter is getting some decent publicity for her upcoming reality show, thanks to the artistic destruction of a luxury accessory.
Francesca Eastwood, the 18-year-old star of the new E! reality show Eastwood & Company, recently partook in a photo shoot with her boyfriend, 30-year-old Tyler Shields, which is bound to get some attention. The visual project was based around the idea of obtaining a specific Hermes Berkin handbag that retails for about $100,000, and setting it ablaze, with photographic evidence depicting the deed.
Shields, who's known for his art that sometimes focuses on luxury items being ravaged(including Christian Louboutin shoes, which usually retail for more than $1,000), unveiled the photos during the opening of his Mouthful exhibit, supporting the anti-bullying campaign Love Is Louder in Los Angeles, according to The Daily Mail.
The photos show the posh handbag being pulled in a tug of war, sawed in half with a chainsaw, then lit on fire, all in the name of art. A line on the photographer's website, TylerShields, describes the motive: "Destruction is a beautiful version of freedom ... Would you want this bag? Are you sad to see me destroy it?"
At this year's Arqtiva British Academy Television Awards on May 27, the likes of Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt, Emilia Fox of Silent Witness, Celebrity Juice's Fearne Cotton, and Aussie actress Melissa George walked the red carpet.
Award presenter Joanne Froggatt's outfit details were shared via Twitter. Joanne went for a classic red carpet look with her green Alberta Ferretti peplum dress. The gown had a flattering silhouette for Joanne, if a bit safe. Annouschka jewelry and Christian Louboutin heels completed her attire.
Emilia Fox wore William Vintage for the occasion. Emilia looked elegant in her glittering gold top and champagne ball skirt. Her earrings looked too heavy for her refined outfit, but she did complete her look with lovely hair and make-up.
Melissa George attended the 2012 British Academy Television Awards in fine form. Melissa was easily best dressed in her floral Armani Prive pleated gown.
Unfortunately for Fearne Cotton, her vintage dress was not much of a style hit. It's possible that Fearne's cape-sleeve gold dress looked better in person, but as for the photographs, there was too much of a gold foil quality to the dress. Fearne added a 1920s inspired hairstyle, red lips, and metallic heels.
The SAS training course is a personal protection program run by members of the Special Air Service, Scotland Yard's personal protection squad, and MI5. The course is considered to be challenging both physically and mentally. It gives training in key survival skills such as sensing anything unusual in the surroundings, driving under pressure, developing a relationship with the hostage-taker, and stealthily passing messages in code.
The training is routine for royals, VIPs and even high profile persons working in dangerous countries. In fact, when Prince William was 16-years-old he took the course. He was trained to handle a submachine gun and even bundled into a vehicle in a mock ambush.
Apparently, Prince William and Kate Middleton have made several visits to the Special Air Services (SAS) headquarters in Hereford to be trained in the event of terrorists trying to abduct them. William and Kate were being schooled in survival skills, handling guns and prepare for all eventualities.
2012年4月12日星期四
Visitors drawn to town where Titanic's dead are buried
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Among the graves of Fairview Lawn Cemetery, there is one that was a magnet for bouquets and weeping girls in the 1990s. The name on the tombstone: J. Dawson.
Jack Dawson, you will recall, is the name of the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1997 film "Titanic." And this cemetery is the final resting place of more victims of the Titanic than any other.
Now, with the movie's re-release in 3D and the upcoming 100th anniversary of the disaster, keepers of the cemetery expect more flowers, love notes and more weeping — though James Cameron, the film's director, has said there's no connection between his Jack Dawson and the J. Dawson buried here.
This is a place that has a deep connection to the tragedy. Halifax is 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) west of the spot where the ocean liner hit an iceberg; the ships bringing bodies back to land arrived starting late in April. Families came to claim the remains of their loved ones, and funerals and memorial services followed. Altogether, 150 of the Titanic's dead are buried in three cemeteries.
Gerry Lunn, curator of Halifax's Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, said this city was in mourning for months after the disaster, with much of its downtown draped in black bunting. "This was not just a one-night story," he said. "It may have been for the ship and the victims, but for Halifax this story went on for months and months and hasn't ended to this day."
On April 15, the anniversary of the sinking, a candlelight procession will be followed by an interfaith memorial service at Fairview Lawn; flares will be set off at the time the ship began sinking; and the Nova Scotia provincial government will tweet the Titanic's final emergency messages.
The Five Fishermen Restaurant and Grill — housed in the building where a funeral home handled the bodies of wealthier victims such as millionaire John Jacob Astor — is offering an April menu inspired by the Titanic's first-class fare.
And the maritime museum is mounting an exhibit of pictures and stories of the 150 Titanic victims buried in Halifax graveyards — 19 in the Catholic Mount Olivet Cemetery, 10 in the Jewish Baron de Hirsch Cemetery, and 121 in non-denominational Fairview Lawn.
Among items on display in the museum's permanent collection is a Titanic deck chair given to the minister who performed services on one of the ships that recovered bodies. The most touching artifact is a pair of shoes, donated to the museum by a descendant of a Halifax police officer. They belonged to the nameless child who came to symbolize the many children who died aboard the Titanic.
In 2002, Canadian researchers identified him as a 13-month-old Finnish boy, Eino Viljami Panula. But in 2007, DNA testing determined that he was in fact a 19-month-old English boy, Sidney Leslie Goodwin, who died with his entire family, including five siblings, as they were sailing to a new life in America.
The child's headstone remains among the nameless ones at Fairview Lawn, each inscribed: "Died April 15, 1912." The bodies were numbered as they were picked up; the numbers appear on the headstones of the known and unknown victims.
That the J. Dawson buried here is not the character in the movie did not stop the flow of mourners, said cemetery tour guide Blair Beed, a Halifax historian and grandson of an undertaker's assistant at the funeral home.
"After the movie I saw fathers with their daughters standing here crying. For two or three years that lasted. Instead of spring break fathers would bring their daughters here to see J. Dawson," he said.
The real J. Dawson, or Joseph Dawson, shoveled coal in the bowels of the ship and didn't win his Titanic ticket gambling as DiCaprio's character did.
"It wasn't until after the movie came out that we found out that there was a J. Dawson gravestone," said the film's producer, Jon Landau, in an interview.
Whoever J. Dawson was, "He received more notoriety decades after his death than he ever would have had in life," said Lunn, curator of maritime museum, which saw its attendance more than double, to 250,000, in the year after the film opened.
The headstones are assembled in the shape of a ship. Among them is that of John Law Hume, violinist in the band that played on as the Titanic sank. Somebody recently left a little replica of a violin by his gravestone.
Beed said it's not just teenage girls who choke up in the cemetery.
"All of a sudden seeing the names on the stones, they are emotional, men and women. It's like 'I've heard this story all my life and here are the remains and here are the names.' It's 121 in this cemetery and it's four rows. And all of sudden the story is real," Beed said.
Jack Dawson, you will recall, is the name of the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1997 film "Titanic." And this cemetery is the final resting place of more victims of the Titanic than any other.
Now, with the movie's re-release in 3D and the upcoming 100th anniversary of the disaster, keepers of the cemetery expect more flowers, love notes and more weeping — though James Cameron, the film's director, has said there's no connection between his Jack Dawson and the J. Dawson buried here.
This is a place that has a deep connection to the tragedy. Halifax is 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) west of the spot where the ocean liner hit an iceberg; the ships bringing bodies back to land arrived starting late in April. Families came to claim the remains of their loved ones, and funerals and memorial services followed. Altogether, 150 of the Titanic's dead are buried in three cemeteries.
Gerry Lunn, curator of Halifax's Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, said this city was in mourning for months after the disaster, with much of its downtown draped in black bunting. "This was not just a one-night story," he said. "It may have been for the ship and the victims, but for Halifax this story went on for months and months and hasn't ended to this day."
On April 15, the anniversary of the sinking, a candlelight procession will be followed by an interfaith memorial service at Fairview Lawn; flares will be set off at the time the ship began sinking; and the Nova Scotia provincial government will tweet the Titanic's final emergency messages.
The Five Fishermen Restaurant and Grill — housed in the building where a funeral home handled the bodies of wealthier victims such as millionaire John Jacob Astor — is offering an April menu inspired by the Titanic's first-class fare.
And the maritime museum is mounting an exhibit of pictures and stories of the 150 Titanic victims buried in Halifax graveyards — 19 in the Catholic Mount Olivet Cemetery, 10 in the Jewish Baron de Hirsch Cemetery, and 121 in non-denominational Fairview Lawn.
Among items on display in the museum's permanent collection is a Titanic deck chair given to the minister who performed services on one of the ships that recovered bodies. The most touching artifact is a pair of shoes, donated to the museum by a descendant of a Halifax police officer. They belonged to the nameless child who came to symbolize the many children who died aboard the Titanic.
In 2002, Canadian researchers identified him as a 13-month-old Finnish boy, Eino Viljami Panula. But in 2007, DNA testing determined that he was in fact a 19-month-old English boy, Sidney Leslie Goodwin, who died with his entire family, including five siblings, as they were sailing to a new life in America.
The child's headstone remains among the nameless ones at Fairview Lawn, each inscribed: "Died April 15, 1912." The bodies were numbered as they were picked up; the numbers appear on the headstones of the known and unknown victims.
That the J. Dawson buried here is not the character in the movie did not stop the flow of mourners, said cemetery tour guide Blair Beed, a Halifax historian and grandson of an undertaker's assistant at the funeral home.
"After the movie I saw fathers with their daughters standing here crying. For two or three years that lasted. Instead of spring break fathers would bring their daughters here to see J. Dawson," he said.
The real J. Dawson, or Joseph Dawson, shoveled coal in the bowels of the ship and didn't win his Titanic ticket gambling as DiCaprio's character did.
"It wasn't until after the movie came out that we found out that there was a J. Dawson gravestone," said the film's producer, Jon Landau, in an interview.
Whoever J. Dawson was, "He received more notoriety decades after his death than he ever would have had in life," said Lunn, curator of maritime museum, which saw its attendance more than double, to 250,000, in the year after the film opened.
The headstones are assembled in the shape of a ship. Among them is that of John Law Hume, violinist in the band that played on as the Titanic sank. Somebody recently left a little replica of a violin by his gravestone.
Beed said it's not just teenage girls who choke up in the cemetery.
"All of a sudden seeing the names on the stones, they are emotional, men and women. It's like 'I've heard this story all my life and here are the remains and here are the names.' It's 121 in this cemetery and it's four rows. And all of sudden the story is real," Beed said.
2012年3月31日星期六
Holy Week starts with labyrinth walk in Concord
In advance of the solemnity of Holy Week, a labyrinth walk answers this fast-paced world’s challenge to make time for quiet, meditative moments of prayer and reflection. All are invited to walk the labyrinth on Saturday, March 31, in the Parish Hall at Trinity Episcopal Church.
The labyrinth, a winding one-way path which leads into and back out of a central space, offers a type of body meditation which parallels the inner journey of prayer and reflection. Religions around the world have used labyrinths for ages (for a history of labyrinths and their symbolism, visit www.labyrinthos.net). Taking a labyrinth walk, steeped in the history of pilgrimage and renewal, is a modern revival of an ancient spiritual custom; Christians in the Middle Ages would walk the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France as a safe alternative to making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In recent times, a replica of the Chartres labyrinth was laid in the floor of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco where the Canon Lauren Artress further developed its use as a spiritual tool. The pattern painted on canvas that will be available for us to use at Trinity is of this same Chartres design.
Trinity parishioner Shirley Blancke will give a brief introduction to the history and purpose of the labyrinth at 11 a.m. in the Parish Hall, followed by an opportunity to walk, or drop in anytime from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 31. Remove your shoes and enjoy a self-guided walk. For those who are unable to walk, finger labyrinths and online
The labyrinth, a winding one-way path which leads into and back out of a central space, offers a type of body meditation which parallels the inner journey of prayer and reflection. Religions around the world have used labyrinths for ages (for a history of labyrinths and their symbolism, visit www.labyrinthos.net). Taking a labyrinth walk, steeped in the history of pilgrimage and renewal, is a modern revival of an ancient spiritual custom; Christians in the Middle Ages would walk the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France as a safe alternative to making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In recent times, a replica of the Chartres labyrinth was laid in the floor of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco where the Canon Lauren Artress further developed its use as a spiritual tool. The pattern painted on canvas that will be available for us to use at Trinity is of this same Chartres design.
Trinity parishioner Shirley Blancke will give a brief introduction to the history and purpose of the labyrinth at 11 a.m. in the Parish Hall, followed by an opportunity to walk, or drop in anytime from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 31. Remove your shoes and enjoy a self-guided walk. For those who are unable to walk, finger labyrinths and online
2011年8月1日星期一
A place to worship and to rejoice
Dancing barefoot, with teeth gleaming between stretched, smiling lips, the women fill the church with cries of unabashed joy. Drummers accompany the ululation, harmonizing with the sound of a dozen children clapping along, partly in time.
After years of seeking shelter for their spiritual community, the tiny congregation of St. Gebriel Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has found a home and, in that, cause for celebration.
The pile of shoes at the front door of the Hammonds Plains-area church grew from 8 a.m., when communion, song, and worship began. Socks and skin sank into the sanctuary’s red carpet where the congregation had set up about two dozen plastic or well-worn upholstered chairs, their bare feet an homage to the Old Testament story of God telling Moses to remove his footwear before entering a holy place.
Each person in each chair has his or her own story. But collectively, they represent the narrative of many immigrants who came to Canada hoping for a new life still grounded in the faith and culture of their homeland, said deacon Les Zewdie.
"Most immigrants (from Ethiopia) when they come . . . they are shocked and they don’t stay in Nova Scotia because (there) is no Ethiopian Orthodox Church or community (and) then they just run to big cities to see their culture," the deacon said.
"So one of the things we (asked ourselves) is how are we (going) to help immigrants to stay. So one of the things is what you see today. When they see this (place), they are spiritually happy."
Sixteen years ago, Zewdie came to Nova Scotia from Ethiopia’s capital city of Addis Ababa. His network of Ethiopian friends here grew as he connected with those who shared his faith and his words.
English is the second language for most of those who call themselves part of this congregation of about 30 parishioners. Zewdie and a bishop led the sermon and songs in Amharic, the language most commonly spoken in the eastern African country and something Zewdie said parents in the church want their children to be able to speak and understand.
Edgewood-Oxford United Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. Mena, both in Halifax, used to give them a place to come together. But sharing space meant that the Ethiopian congregation had to limit their time for worship, which can easily run from 8 to 11 a.m.
The congregation was too small to afford to build a church of their own, so Zewdie approached the Nova Scotia diocese of the Anglican Church to see if they had any vacant buildings.
"We heard from them that they really longed for a home to call their home," said Rev. Tammy Hodge.
So she and the congregation at St. Nicholas Anglican Church in Upper Tantallon donated their former place of worship.
After years of seeking shelter for their spiritual community, the tiny congregation of St. Gebriel Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has found a home and, in that, cause for celebration.
The pile of shoes at the front door of the Hammonds Plains-area church grew from 8 a.m., when communion, song, and worship began. Socks and skin sank into the sanctuary’s red carpet where the congregation had set up about two dozen plastic or well-worn upholstered chairs, their bare feet an homage to the Old Testament story of God telling Moses to remove his footwear before entering a holy place.
Each person in each chair has his or her own story. But collectively, they represent the narrative of many immigrants who came to Canada hoping for a new life still grounded in the faith and culture of their homeland, said deacon Les Zewdie.
"Most immigrants (from Ethiopia) when they come . . . they are shocked and they don’t stay in Nova Scotia because (there) is no Ethiopian Orthodox Church or community (and) then they just run to big cities to see their culture," the deacon said.
"So one of the things we (asked ourselves) is how are we (going) to help immigrants to stay. So one of the things is what you see today. When they see this (place), they are spiritually happy."
Sixteen years ago, Zewdie came to Nova Scotia from Ethiopia’s capital city of Addis Ababa. His network of Ethiopian friends here grew as he connected with those who shared his faith and his words.
English is the second language for most of those who call themselves part of this congregation of about 30 parishioners. Zewdie and a bishop led the sermon and songs in Amharic, the language most commonly spoken in the eastern African country and something Zewdie said parents in the church want their children to be able to speak and understand.
Edgewood-Oxford United Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. Mena, both in Halifax, used to give them a place to come together. But sharing space meant that the Ethiopian congregation had to limit their time for worship, which can easily run from 8 to 11 a.m.
The congregation was too small to afford to build a church of their own, so Zewdie approached the Nova Scotia diocese of the Anglican Church to see if they had any vacant buildings.
"We heard from them that they really longed for a home to call their home," said Rev. Tammy Hodge.
So she and the congregation at St. Nicholas Anglican Church in Upper Tantallon donated their former place of worship.
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