Jurgen Klopp has earned a wonderful reputation across European football for the superb work he has done at Borussia Dortmund, who have been transformed from a middle-of-the-road team to Bundesliga winners and Champions League finalists. His colourful and charming personality on and off the pitch, in addition to his preference for his team to play enterprising football at all times, has won many plaudits from those who believe the 47-year-old is destined for bigger and better things. Klopp has remained loyal to the Dortmund cause ever since major European clubs began to show interest in his services, but the team’s struggles in 2014/2015 and the potential for more of his prized assets to be sold in the summer may make him seek a new challenge elsewhere. The club’s recent announcement that Klopp is to leave the club on July 1st has put a number of clubs on red alert, with Klopp unlikely to be short of potential suitors who will offer an opportunity for him to prove himself in another country.
As the pressure on Manuel Pellegrini continues to increase, the news that Klopp will be available in the summer has made him favourite to move to Manchester City. The defending Premier League champions have been nowhere near their best this season, and while they exited the Champions League at the hands of Barcelona in consecutive seasons, their poor recent form has seen them drop from second to fourth and now face a fight to hold onto their top four spot. Klopp will undoubtedly be on top of Manchester City fans’ wanted list for the top job if Pellegrini is inevitably sacked at the end of the season, but his claim that he is not motivated by money may not fit in with the considerable wealth at the Etihad Stadium. Furthermore, it is believed that the boardroom, particularly executives Ferran Soriano Txiki Begiristain who was both previously at Barcelona, have placed Pep Guardiola as their number one target, so it remains to be seen if Klopp is prepared to play second fiddle and move to a club where he was not their first choice.
Another manager who finds himself under pressure is Carlo Ancelotti, who has come under heavy criticism for the club’s recent wobble in La Liga and the Champions League. Although Real Madrid remain in contention to win back-to-back titles, the manner in which they have led their lead slip and allowed Barcelona to take control has not gone down well with the board and fans, with their fans showing their displeasure following the 2-1 defeat in El Clasico. Their poor performance in the second half of their first-leg draw at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Quarter Finals is further proof that Ancelotti is struggling to get the very best from his players, with rumours of a managerial change at the Bernabau increasing even further. Klopp would undoubtedly be on the shortlist to take over the reins at Real Madrid if Ancelotti is disposed of, with his preference for a high pressing game and attacking football likely to suit the club’s demand for an entertaining style of play.
Although Barcelona are in a strong position to potentially win the treble (La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League), there is no guarantee that Luis Enrique will remain at the Bernabau next season. The 44-year-old has slowly, but surely, got to grips with managing a club he represented as a player for eight glorious years, but while Los Cules have enjoyed a superb run of form by winning 31 of their last 35 fixtures in all competitions, the upcoming presidential election may prove to be pivotal. Former president Juan Laporta is strongly backed to reclaim control at Barcelona, and it is believed that he will target a top quality manager to lead a period of dominancy for the club. Although Guardiola and Jose Mourinho are rumoured to be his main targets, Klopp would most certainly be a shoe-in at Barcelona where he would inject more pace into their attack – something which Luis Enrique has been criticised for by preferring a slower build-up – and potentially make them more solid in defence.


text:
Deputies look into animal welfare case in Wright Twp.
Updated: Wednesday, April 24 2013, 12:03 AM EDT
WRIGHT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Ottawa County deputies are investigating the welfare of horses rescued from flood waters in Wright Township.
Last Thursday, the Sheriff's Office received a complaint about horses on a property on Cleveland Street caught in rising water from torrential rains.
A deputy made arrangements to get the animals to dry ground, and sent a veterinarian to check them out.
A dead horse was also found on the property, so the Sheriff's Office opened an investigation.
It will be handed over to the prosecutor once it is complete.

domain: law


text:
If you’re concerned about the indoor air quality in your home in Las Vegas, you may be surprised to learn that many household products contain high amounts of VOCs. The first step to improving the indoor air quality in your home is to better understand what VOCs are and how they could be negatively affecting your home environment.
What Are VOCs and Where Do They Come From?
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gases that are emitted by a variety of sources. Common household products that contain high amounts of potentially harmful VOCs include:
- Building materials like plywood, glues, and particleboard
- Personal care products like hair sprays and perfumes
- Cleaning products like cleansers, disinfectants, and aerosol sprays
- Home improvement products like paints, varnishes, and paint strippers
- Craft supplies like permanent markers, modeling cement, and spray adhesives
When VOCs enter into the air, they can transform into a gas or vapor form. The particularly concerning attribute of volatile organic compounds is that they do not leave your environment once you stop using products that contain them.
How VOCs Can Affect Your Health
VOCs include a variety of different chemicals that could have a negative impact on your health. Potential short- and long-term health risks associated with volatile organic compounds include headaches, chest congestion, breathing difficulties, sore throat, fatigue, nausea, loss of coordination, and eye irritation. VOCs put family members with lung sensitivities at a greater risk of serious health issues.
What Levels of VOCs Are Considered Dangerous?
Volatile organic compound levels in the air of a home can range in severity. Higher levels of VOCs are considered to be more dangerous to human health because they contribute to poorer indoor air quality. Of course, minimizing your exposure to harmful VOCs is important, but that undertaking is sometimes easier said than done.
A major indicator for the presence of higher levels of volatile organic compounds within a home environment is the health symptoms that surface. When VOC levels are heightened, you or your family members may experience aggravated health symptoms like the ones mentioned above. If you feel that your health is being affected by poor indoor air quality, you should consider testing the air in your home for contaminants like VOCs and other pollutants. Numerous types of air quality monitoring devices can quickly test for different contaminants within the air.
How Long Do VOCs Remain in the Air?
When volatile organic compounds are introduced into a home environment, their chemicals are dispersed throughout the air through a process referred to as off-gassing. These chemicals can be emitted for quite some time and linger on surfaces like floors, furniture, and countertops. The off-gassing dispersion of VOCs could remain within the home for days, weeks, and even months. The exact length of time that volatile organic compounds will remain within the airspace will largely depend on:
- The concentrations levels that have been released
- How efficiently the home is ventilated
- How much airflow there is
How Are Volatile Organic Compounds Measured?
Having the ability to measure different pollutants such as VOCs inside your home can be extremely beneficial. Indoor air quality monitoring and testing devices measure the presence of contaminants through various methods, and some are designed to work through smart devices for greater convenience. The results of these tests will measure VOC contaminations over time, which can be useful for helping you keep track of the activity of pollutants within your home.
Steps You Can Take to Reduce Exposure to VOCs
Keeping your family safe is a top priority, and there are several steps you can take to reduce exposure to VOCs within your home. The simplest way to prevent volatile organic compounds from being released inside your home is to refrain from using products that contain them.
Consider replacing bleach-based cleaning products with natural alternatives. Before purchasing new cleaning products, research what harsh chemicals they may contain. If you’re planning to touch up walls, purchase low-VOC paints. Make sure you don’t allow smoking inside or near your home, as smoke contains many pollutants. Minimize the use of scented products like candles, aerosol sprays, and plug-in deodorizers.
Of course, preventing complete exposure to VOCs may not always be a possibility. If you suspect the presence of VOCs within your home environment, make sure your home is well ventilated. You can open windows or turn on your exhaust fan when you’re using products that emit VOCs. Refrain from storing opened containers of paints or other VOC-containing products inside your home. Then, throw away empty containers instead of storing them in your garage. Just remember to follow your local safety disposal ordinances.
What Are SVOCs and How Do They Differ From VOCs?
A subgroup of volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds feature a higher molecular weight than VOCs. Homeowners can be exposed to SVOCs through multiple avenues:
- By breathing air polluted with airborne particles
- By touching surfaces coated with SVOCs
- By ingesting dust contaminated with SVOCs
- By consuming foods containing SVOCs
Since they have slightly lower volatility concentration levels than VOCs, semi-volatile organic compounds may be somewhat less toxic than VOCs. SVOCs are not as easily dispersed through the atmosphere as their VOC counterparts, either. In most instances, semi-volatile organic compounds make their home on top of furniture and other surfaces. SVOCs can remain on surfaces for a long period of time, and simply eliminating the sources of these contaminants may not necessarily ensure that they won’t continue to pollute your indoor air. These substances are slowly released from their sources over longer periods of time. Common sources of semi-volatile organic compounds include cookware, fire retardants, and pesticides.
How to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
To limit your exposure to volatile organic compounds, research any products you purchase to make sure they contain low amounts of VOCs. If possible, consider purchasing products that contain only natural ingredients.
If air quality is a concern for you, there are several additional steps you can take to promote a cleaner, healthier environment. First, make sure you replace your AC unit’s air filters at least once every few months to prevent dust and dirt particles from re-circling throughout your home. Then, consider investing in an air purifier. An air purifier uses a series of filters and internal fans to remove potentially harmful pollutants like pollen, dust, dirt, and bacteria from the air. It then circulates cleaner air back into the room. This purifying process repeats several times an hour to promote healthier indoor air quality.
Finally, have your air ducts cleaned by a professional air conditioning company at least once every two years. This will prevent contaminants like dust mites and other particles from being dispersed throughout your home environment through your air conditioning unit.
Contact Your IAQ Experts
Have questions about your indoor air quality in Las Vegas? Contact the experts at The Cooling Company for more information. Dedicated to excellent workmanship, we specialize in quality heating and cooling repairs, installations, maintenance services, and ductwork services.

domain: health


text:
BRAVECTO® Chewable Tablets for Small Dogs 250mg (4.5kg-10kg)
- Product Details
This is a prescription item and will be sent once a valid prescription has been received and approved by our vet.
Bravecto for Dogs: Bravecto Small Dog (4.5 - 10kg)
These Bravecto Chew Tablets are for the treatment of tick and flea infestations in dogs. Provides 12 weeks of flea and tick protection with just one treatment. Once used, it starts killing fleas within 2 hours, kills over 98% of fleas and 100% of ticks within just 12 hours.
It is available in
- Singles or packs of 2 chewable tablets.
Administer in or around the time of feeding. Bravecto is a chewable tablet and is well accepted by most dogs. If the tablet is not taken up voluntarily by the dog it can also be given with food or directly into the mouth.
Bravecto is safe for puppies aged 6 months or older an can be given to breeding, pregnant and lactating dogs.
Ordering prescription medication is easy
Follow these simple steps
- Get a prescription from your vet
- Place your order with us
- Add a prescription and tell us about your pet
- Our vets will double-check your order & once approved, your order will be dispatched within 2 working days.


Churches have a vital role to play in tackling Britain's housing crisis, according to a new report.
There is a widespread recognition that the UK has not built enough houses for its growing population for many years, and that many provided for low-income families are of poor quality.
Produced by Housing Justice and the Centre for Theology and Community, Our Common Heritage says that churches can work with housing associations to provide land for social housing, help meet the spiritual needs of residents and lobby on housing issues.
The report says that more than five million people in the UK live in housing associations – private, not-for-profit organisations aimed at providing low-cost housing. Churches were deeply involved in the movement from its beginnings in the 19th century. However, the report says that the Church's significance "lies more in its ability to highlight new problems and shape the agendas of Government", adding: "The Church was able to play this role because it was part of those deprived communities – present and engaged – and therefore more fully aware of the reality of poverty than many others at the time."
The report says that house prices almost doubled in the ten years after 2000 and rent rises have also put pressure on affordability. It calls for a "radical change" to how the housing market operates. "Homes and neighbourhoods are more than simply assets to be traded," it says. "They are gifts from God, and they also have a significance which is bound up with the story and history of the people who live in them."
David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, said: "If there is one issue that requires a concerted and cooperative approach to address, it is the housing crisis. Churches and housing associations are present within almost every community and occupy unique spaces within them. By bringing together our assets and skills, churches and housing associations can go further in creating lasting change in our communities."
Ven Rachel Treweek, Archdeacon Of Hackney and Bishop-Elect of Gloucester, said: "I have seen at first hand what the Church can do in partnership with others: how it has been at the heart of initiatives which have secured a Living Wage for low-paid workers, challenged exploitative lending and supported ethical alternatives.
"I believe the Church can have the same transformative impact on the issue of housing, if we are willing to work with people of good will far beyond our walls. This report has an important part to play in turning that vision into a reality."


It is a handmade Flinstones Themed Wooden Robot from what we call ‘rubbish’ and throw away every day.
It is created from pieces of pallet wood. Arms are movable and connected by chopstick. Other parts and all robot`s parts are made out of trash, like screws, pieces of old electric appliances, nails, etc. some part are moving. The black fringe is made from felt off-cuts.
I called him Fred.


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Situated within a 17-minute walk of Odessa Theatre of Opera and Ballet and 1.5 km of Duke de Richelieu Monument, Timo provides rooms with air conditioning and a shared bathroom in Odessa. This property is located a short distance from attractions such as Odessa Archaeological Museum. Set in the Primorsky district, the hostel is within 3 km of Port of Odessa.
At the hostel, all rooms are equipped with a wardrobe. Certain rooms come with a kitchen with a dishwasher. Guest rooms will provide guest...s with a fridge.
Hiking is among the activities that guests can enjoy near Timo.
Speaking English, Moldovan, Russian and Ukrainian, staff will be happy to provide guests with practical guidance on the area at the reception.
The Odessa catacombs is 10 km from the accommodation, while Odessa City Garden is 900 metres from the property. The nearest airport is Odessa International Airport, 7 km from Timo.
|28 L\'va Tolstoho Street, apt. 2|

domain: travel


text:
Title: Small Days and Nights
Author: Tishani Doshi
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publisher’s Blurb: A captivating and clear-eyed story of two sisters caught in a moment of transformation, set against the vivid backdrop of modern India.
The protagonist, Grace Marisola, gets dropped into unforeseen circumstances. Understandably, it’s hard to know what to do when recalled from the US to oversee the cremation of her mother, and finding out the family secret is an older sister with Down’s Syndrome who has been institutionalized Grace’s entire life.
But even under those circumstances, plans arise and actions take place. The book suffers from not knowing what it wants because Grace doesn’t know what she wants. Is it divorcing the husband she left behind in the US? Remaking family connections? Taking care of her sister for the rest of her life?
Things happen to Grace, she doesn’t happen to them. There’s no core to her. Small Days and Nights suffers from a sort of malaise. There’s nothing wrong with the book, exactly. Neither is there something right.
I often overthink my reviews as I try to pin down what I want to write about. Lots of books offer plenty of opportunities to dig in and do the analysis I love. Doshi’s book wasn’t one of them.
But I would be remiss if I didn’t write about how her language often captivated me. For instance, “Mornings at the beach can arrive like a whore, in a jangly too tight dress at the end of a long and sleepless night.”Or, “The heat of summer is behind us but the days still feel bedraggled and worn.“
The beauty in that language and those images make promises the book doesn’t live up to.
Random thoughts about the madcap year that was 2019 reading. Some events were so glorious as to be unrecognizable as anything I’d ever dreamed could happen to me. Others predictable and necessary (day job). In addition for my own blog, I now write for Hugo award-winning fanzine Drink Tank, and M. Todd Gallowglas’ Geek’s Guide to Literary Criticism.
In Toni Morrison’s Beloved Paul D’s story about learning to read and being beaten for it just leaves a hole in my heart. He kneels on the ground with a bit in his mouth and notices the rooster named Mister doing whatever he wanted.
“I was something else and that something was less than a chicken sitting in the sun on a tub.”
I’m not qualified to review Ta-Nehisi Coates’ We Were Eight Years in Power. How does one speak to a tragedy caused by differences in pigmentation?
“Barack Obama [governed] a nation enlightened enough to send an African American to the White House, but not enlightened enough to accept a black man as president.
Trump, more than any other politician, understood the valence of the bloody heirloom [slavery] and the great power of not being a n*****.”
As Kameron Hurley’s The Geek Feminist Revolution brought me to myself in 2018, so too did Feminisms and Womanisms edited by Althea Prince & Susan Silva-Wayne. The taste of seminal feminist works from Emma Goldman, Simone de Bauvoir, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem made it easier to understand big parts of my life.
It is truly amazing how long we can go on accepting myths that oppose our own lives, assuming we are the odd exception.” – Gloria Steinem
The need to be noticed and liked, the need to be listened to and accepted, the need for encouragement and praise; all became sources of shameful, rather than normal, neediness in my mind. Especially the need for affection.” – Nancy Graham
Susan Sontag’s essay on women and aging made me want to throw the book across the room in a fit of rage.
The rules of this society are cruel to women.” – Susan Sontag
Stealing: Life in America by Michelle Cacho-Negrete, sent to me for a review by Adelaide Press. Her essays are powerful as she relates the stories of a life lived right, doing everything she was supposed to do and still needing to steal food to feed her children. Her triumph over that and the particular experiences of being “other” really sang to me.
Stopwatch Chronicles, M. Todd Gallowglas’ collection of flash fiction bowled me over. He is sharp, witty and fun. His insights are dead on and I love his wordplay. Ditto Bard’s Cloak of Tales.
The Killing Light, the triumphal conclusion to Myke Cole’s Sacred Throne trilogy. I’ll just quote myself here, “Heloise remains the hero we need for today..”
How Fiction Works by James Wood . I will forever be grateful for the phrase “flaneurial realism.”
Literary Theory by Sarah Upstone – this little book packs a lot into it and is one of my go to reference books.
The Art of Fiction and Moral Fiction by John Gardner
“… in order to achieve mastery [they] must read widely and deeply and must write not just carefully but continually.”
“… the temptation to explain should almost always be resisted.”
“Art, in sworn opposition of chaos, discovers by its process what it can say. That is art’s morality.”
“…art can at times be baffling …”
Wizardry & Wild Romance by Michael Moorcock. Each reading enriches my understanding of the genre I live and breathe.
Better Living Through Criticism by A. O. Scott. Scott’s commentary helped give voice to the questions I’d been asking about what criticism is and why it has value. His outstanding thoughts on art and criticism as a conversation resonate deeply. As does his insistence criticism is a way to seek out the excellent as a foodie demands excellence from their favorite chef or restaurant.
“… our understanding of art emerges from our experience of it.”
Writing for Drink Tank led me to works I might never have read. Chris’ unbounded knowledge of books and themes kept me busy.
Challengers of the Unknown by Ron Goulart led me to one of the cheesiest books I’ve ever read. (Drink Tank#414)
Before the Golden Age edited by Isaac Asimov, From the Earth to Around the Moon by Jules Verne, and First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells were fodder for thought about Antique Space. (Journey Planet/Drink Tank Crossover)
Title: The Killing Light
Author: Myke Cole
Publisher: Tor.com Publishing
Publisher’s Blurb: Heloise and her allies are marching on the Imperial Capital. The villagers, the Kipti, and the Red Lords are united only in their loyalty to Heloise, though dissenting voices are many and they are loud.
The unstable alliance faces internal conflicts and external strife, yet they’re united in their common goal. But when the first of the devils start pouring through a rent in the veil between worlds, Heloise must strike a bargain with an unlikely ally, or doom her people to death and her world to ruin.
I was provided an Advanced Reader’s Copy by Tor Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
“But I am thine Emperor, and the harder the step, the closer it taketh thou unto me. –Writ. Lea. IV.2.” (p. 167)
In The Art of Fiction, John Gardner writes, “The primary subject of fiction is and always has been human emotion, values, and beliefs.” (p. 14) and “The writer must enable us to see and feel vividly what his characters see and feel …” (p. 44)
Any writer who can make the reader feel great anxiety for his characters and drive them to tears in relief has most definitely met the criteria set forth by Gardner. That Myke Cole’s writing kept me fully engaged and emotionally involved says something about the great talent he has for telling a story.
There’s a thread running through The Killing Light about men and how they must be treated by women. Repeatedly a female will say something like, “Everything with men is a great care.” (p. 46)
Heloise was never meant to be and do all the things she does in The Sacred Throne trilogy. She was meant to be a young woman who marries the man her parents have chosen for her and to settle into the role of home keeper, as women in her village have always done.
But we don’t always get to choose the shape our life takes and who we fall in love with. The best we can hope is to be gentle with ourselves when we are tested. This is part of the story Myke Cole tells with Heloise, how she must accept and come to terms with herself, and her evolving beliefs and leadership skills.
Her world is one in which only hetero normative standards are accepted. In Book 1, The Armored Saint, she finds herself in love with her best friend who not only doesn’t reciprocate those feelings, but is horrified by Heloise’s feelings. Shortly after this reveal, Basina is killed and that death haunts Heloise more than anything else through the series.
Cole portrays her struggle with tenderness, and introduces Xilyka from one of the Traveling People clans who join Heloise’s army. Xilyka becomes one of Heloise’s bodyguards, never leaving her side. It is in the most tender moments we see Heloise began to overcome her fear of being a lesbian, and of driving Xilyka away.
In one such scene, Heloise’s father, Samson, has arranged a private place with hot water so Heloise can bathe after many weeks on the battlefield, stuck in the war machine. At this point, the agoraphobic leader trembles in abject terror at leaving the machine which has protected her and allowed her to become the leader she is. Samson the loving father tries to coax her out. Xylika literally rides to the rescue, leading Heloise in her machine behind the screen and bathes her tenderly. Cole does not ignore the sexual tension such a situation would create, but neither does he dwell on it. His deft writing shows us the normality of two people getting to know each other, carefully exploring the beginnings of a physical relationship.
At the other end of the spectrum, there is Onas, a 16-year-old boy from a different Traveling People clan who also becomes bodyguard, and tries to assert his authority over Heloise as potential husband. This does not go well. Heloise is exhausted, she doubts her moral imperative to be leading this fight, is grieving for the many deaths caused in this war, and is in despair over having to re-evaluate the values she was taught about the Emperor and the Order. She literally has no energy to put into this boy’s demands for romance.
Onas keeps pushing. Heloise side steps, telling him when the war is over, she will think about it. He sees what’s going on with Xilyka, which infuriates him and makes him push even harder. Then, the unthinkable happens and Onas’ mother, the leader of his clan, dies in battle. Onas blames Heloise for his mother’s death.
It becomes too much for him to bear when they stumble upon a band of the Order whose leader has killed so many, and Heloise refuses to let anyone kill Brother Tone. She recognizes Tone can provide entrance and information into the Emperor’s city and palace that will prove useful. Onas throws a teenaged temper tantrum and runs off taking other disgruntled fighters with him.
This is not unusual behavior. Boys have been conditioned to believe that their wants and needs take precedence over a girl’s. So it is with Onas and Heloise. Despite the many stupid reasons he throws at her as he storms away, the one he cannot voice is he expected her to fall into his arms and she did not. All logic does not penetrate.
Onas is not the only male in this story who treats her as less than because of her gender. Sir Steven, leader of the Red Army which falls in with Heloise and her villagers, treats her with great disdain both because she is young and, more to the point, a woman. During a council at which he has commanded Heloise attend, she questions him. Obliviously he says, “This is my punishment for taking a council of war with a girl.” That word, that attitude, meant to demean her in the presence of other leaders has exactly the opposite effect. She draws herself up and asserts her authority as the one who has killed a devil and therefore, has more expertise on this subject than Sir Steven.
When they reach the capital city, Steven’s attitude has changed and he treats her as equal. He has seen her leadership grow, witnessed her wisdom. It is her determination to get through, and her insistence on continuing to fight when too many have died and others have given up, which leads Steven to fight more equitably alongside her.
Even Brother Tone who for two books did everything he could to kill Heloise and her village because of her questions regarding the Emperor’s governance comes to accept, and follow, her leadership.
In one of the pivotal scenes of The Killing Light, the reveal literally drives Tone to his knees, and makes him question everything he has ever believed. He becomes vacant and only continues the fight at Heloise’s insistence. His knowledge is the key which will lead to stopping the war between Devils and humankind.
Tone goes from murderous devotee to thoughtful follower, all due to Heloise’s mission to settle things once and for all. Most of the characters, male and female evolve, becoming more self-aware and thoughtful about their actions and the effects those have on the bigger picture.
Teenaged Onas is not completely immune to this, but his maturity will come only through time. Myke Cole’s writing shows he’s attentive to what makes the most sense for the entire cast, including keeping Onas true to his male teenaged arrogance.
The Killing Light is the satisfactory and logical ending to this trilogy. Heloise becomes what she’s destined to become after all the pain and death she’s been witness to. Heloise remains the hero we need for today.
The original tells of Orpheus and Eurydice and the story of her death, but focuses on Orpheus and his efforts to locate her and bring her back to the world of the living.
Sarah Ruhl‘s Eurydice focuses on what happens to Eurydice in the Underworld.
She dies on her wedding day, kidnapped by the Lord of the Underground who promises her a letter from her dead father.
She arrives, confused and with no memory of life among the living. Her father, who has never forgotten her, finds her and together they rebuild her memories.
Meanwhile, Orpheus tries everything he can think of to get to the Underworld to rescue his beloved wife. His music makes the gatekeepers weep, and he is let in to bargain for her return. There’s a condition for her departure, Orpheus mustn’t turn back. Turning in response to hearing his name called, Eurydice is sent back to the Underworld, where she dies a second time.
San Jose’s City Lights Theatre Company’s bilingual performances in American Sign Language and English provided an exquisite twist to the usual theatre production. Each character was portrayed both by an English and an ASL speaker. The ASL actors made it a sort of play within a play, interacting with their English speaking counterpart and each other. CLTC’s intimate setting is a perfect place to see small productions like this.
It’s been about a week since I attended and I’m still struggling with how to write about it. The theme of love, both filial and romantic made me tear up in unexpected ways. As did themes of memory and communication. To be loved that much, to be cared for that deeply, to be led back to memories and learn better communication … I found it moving, unsettling, challenging, and thought-provoking.
Most memorable for me is Lauren Rhodes as the English speaking Eurydice, whose shouted, “I’m very angry at you!” made me proud. Women are so rarely allowed to show their anger, that to allow Eurydice to express hers is a high note. It’s one that sticks with me even now.
And I must mention Erik Gandolfi (English) and Dane K. Lentz (ASL) who perform the Lord of the Underworld with unhinged glee. Gandolfi’s costume in the underworld features a school boys’ uniform with short pants and a bright red jacket. The eerie little boys’ voice made this performance all the more chilling.
After Orpheus loses Eurydice the second time, he stands at the threshold to the world of the living expressing his anguish and grief. In a cross talk dialogue, he says, “Your timing was always off! I would tell you that if you didn’t come in on the downbeat, you’d lose everything.”
Meanwhile, Eurydice stands in the Underground shouting, “I’m sorry!”
Stephanie Foisy (ASL) added a poignant dimension to the already distraught Orpheus, portrayed by the English speaking Robert Sean Campbell.
As I left, tears in my eyes and my heart filled with unprocessed emotion, I walked past a table with pieces of paper and pens made available for anyone who wanted to write a note to someone who’d died. It occurred to me that I didn’t really get to say a proper goodbye to the friend I’d known for over 30 years who died from cancer nearly five years ago. So I stopped and wrote a little note to him.
Out into the bright Sunday afternoon light, I tried to make sense of how such a performance could have a profound effect on me. A week later, I’m still sorting it out but no longer hurting as deeply as I was then. Emotions wax and wane, it’s their nature. We just gotta hold on for the roller coaster ride.
Title: Alexander Hamilton
Author: Ron Chernow
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publisher’s Blurb: Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow presents a landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father who galvanized, inspired, scandalized, and shaped the newborn nation.
Title: Alexander Hamilton & the Persistence of Myth
Author: Stephen F. Knott
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Publisher’s Blurb: …explores the shifting reputation of our most controversial founding father. Since the day Aaron Burr fired his fatal shot, Americans have tried to come to grips with Alexander Hamilton’s legacy. Stephen Knott surveys the Hamilton image in the minds of American statesmen, scholars, literary figures, and the media, explaining why Americans are content to live in a Hamiltonian nation but reluctant to embrace the man himself.
“The image of Hamilton fashioned by Jefferson and his allies has endured and flourished, and the Hamilton of American memory is a Hamilton who championed privilege and who was a foe of liberty.” (Knott, p. 26)
Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton and Stephen F. Knott’s Alexander Hamilton & the Persistence of Myth offer a unique insight to both the man, and the legend of the man.
And while I have pondered long and hard about how to write about Hamilton without turning into a Thomas Jefferson bashing machine, it is difficult to talk about one without the other. Thanks to Jefferson and his network of devoted mouthpieces, Hamilton’s reputation remains in tatters centuries after the founding of the US.
That it took a musical based on Chernow’s book to address, and repair, Hamilton’s reputation is a statement on how deeply entrenched lies and rumors become. It’s also a statement on how easy it is to believe the worst in people instead of looking for the best.
Not that Hamilton was a complete paragon of virtue, and could, “at moments of supreme stress, … screw himself up to an emotional pitch that was nearly feverish in intensity.” (Chernow, p. 115) It is hard to imagine how a man with such an towering intellect could have so many blind spots, and be so stupid.
Soaring blind spots seem to go hand in hand with towering intellect. Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and James Madison, all seemed to be intimidated by Hamilton’s intellect. “The byzantine, interrelated nature of his programs (e.g. central banking, professional standing military, international trade with Britain) made him all the more the bane and terror of his opponents.” (Chernow, p. 349)
Nuance, and the lack of understanding thereof, is the two-edged blade of smart people everywhere. It’s baffling how so many around us just don’t understand what we think is an easy idea. “… things were so blindingly self-evident to Hamilton that he was baffled when others didn’t grasp them quickly – an intellectual agility that could breed intolerance for less quick-witted mortals.” (Chernow, p. 119)
Knott picks up this thread, “At bottom, Jefferson could not countenance the fact that an immigrant upstart without the appropriate pedigree … dared challenge him.” (Knott, p. 11)
Jefferson presented the image of a down-home gentleman farmer who understood the agrarian slave-holding farmers of Virginia. He came from wealth, owned property and was a slaveholder. That the bastard child of poverty from the island of Nevis in the Caribbean should rise up and challenge him was more than Jefferson could tolerate.
As is also sometimes true of very smart people, Hamilton was not a crafty plotter and “often could not muzzles his opinions.” (Chernow, p. 176) The myth which has stuck to Hamilton most is that the people are a “great beast,” not to be trusted with direct democracy.
Hamilton was right, but there’s a nuance long missed by his detractors. Trusting a mob mentality to make sensible decisions, especially those involving running a government is a bad idea. As individuals, we are smart and sensible. Of course we know, individually, what we want and need from our government leaders. Put us in a big group and mob mentality takes over, and no one has a good idea, not even what’s for dinner.
This myth about Hamilton continues to live because of he understood the unruliness of a mob. On this point, he was accused of hating all people, especially the less-privileged and standing for something like a monarchy in America. Lesser minds were too busy making up lies and spreading gossip to try to understand the nuance in Hamilton’s statements.
He wasn’t against a democracy per se, he was against allowing the unruly mob have such power. Among other political factors, this is one of the reasons we’re stuck with the electoral college. How else to avoid the mistakes of mob rule?
In the late 18th century it was impossible to believe the republic would ever be big enough, educated enough, and sensible enough to have good decision making processes. Women read? Slaves freed and owning land? Hah, never happen.
Except Hamilton sort of expected it, even if he couldn’t get past the hypocrisy of being white, educated, (male), and marrying into money. His heart and ideals were in the right place, though. His background prepared him well to understand why paying and supplying the militias was important. He championed a standing professional army, precisely because farmers arriving on the field of battle with a pitchfork were woefully unprepared for the rigors of professional fighting.
Hamilton even understood the need for a centralized federal bank for economic stability. (And that’s all I’m qualified to recount because the only thing I know about banking is there are too many fees.) He was, according to both Chernow and Knotts, an economic genius. Well, they’re not the only ones, economists over the centuries have sung his praises too.
But these lofty ideas were held in contempt by those threatened by his enormous mind and his exceptional work ethic. I can understand his disinclination to pander or be less forceful when expressing ideas. We just want to get stuff done and don’t have the energy to play the political games at which others are so good.
And those blind spots? How about Hamilton as participant in the nation’s first sex scandal? For over a year, Maria Reynolds, and her husband, caught Hamilton in their thrall and blackmailed him. “Quite understandably, [there were those who] could not conceive that someone as smart and calculating as Hamilton could have stayed as long in thrall to an enslaving passion. Hamilton could not have been stupid enough to pay hush money for sex, [they] alleged, so the money paid … had to involve illicit speculation. In all fairness, … it is baffling that Hamilton submitted to blackmail for so long.” (Chernow, p. 530)
And Hamilton, rather than quietly admitting it and moving on, wrote volumes to be published in newspapers describing every sordid detail. Career was the motive for this, not worry over his marriage to Eliza and their family. After the affair, Hamilton never strayed far from his family, remaining close by until his death.
Which, of course, leads to the duel with Aaron Burr. Hamilton, “born without honor, was exceedingly sensitive to any slights to his political honor.” (Chernow, p. 237) Born without honor, meaning born of suspect parental lineage. Believed to be a bastard, the quickest way to get him riled up was to mention this.
“[Burr] was a chameleon who evaded clear-cut positions on and was a genius at studied ambiguity.” (Chernow, p. 192) He was an opportunist, and could figure out endless ways to profit from any political wrangling surrounding him. Further, Chernow writes, “… Burr was a lone operator, a protean figure who formed alliances for short-term gain.” (p. 421)
He was bent on revenge for Hamilton’s part in Burr’s ostracism from the Jefferson administration and losing the governorship of New York because Hamilton was freely quoted as saying Burr wasn’t fit for office. Hamilton can hardly be blamed for Jefferson dropping Burr from the ticket as VP. The quote about not being fit for office, that part was true.
Weehawken, NJ on July 11, 1804 lives in infamy as the place Burr shot Hamilton, thus ending the career and loving marriage of Alexander Hamilton who only ever wanted to see the US become a strong nation. Burr’s life ended that day too. “…Hamilton committed his last patriotic act, for he ensured that Aaron Burr would never again be a viable player in the politics of the early republic.” (Knott, p. 1)
But, Hamilton’s legend lives on. Depending on the era, he’s been seen as selfish and elitist, interested only in money and power. Depression-era scholars and politicians blamed the Depression on Hamilton, despite being dead for 125 years.
Even his scandalous affair made an appearance during the Clinton impeachment hearings in 1998 when his team presented “a thirty page brief to the House Judiciary Committee citing Hamilton’s affair with Maria Reynolds and the reluctance of Congress to pursue the issue after concluding it was a private matter.” (Knotts, p. 225)
The profound effect Hamilton had on government is immeasurable. Chernow’s nearly 800 page biography follows Hamilton from Nevis to his rise in US politics and his death at the gun of Aaron Burr. Chernow admires Hamilton but doesn’t let that get in the way of the facts as presented.
Stephen F. Knott also admires Hamilton and defends Hamilton against the scurrilous myths which continue to be taken as truth. Between the two, Chernow and Knott present an interesting and entertaining read of a man too intellectual and uncompromising for the likes of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Aaron Burr to respect.
Chernow has the best last word, “Any biographer foolhardy enough to attempt an authoritative life of Alexander Hamilton must tread a daunting maze of detail.” (Chernow, p. 733)
Title: Shadow Ops: Breach Zone
Author: Myke Cole
Publisher: Ace (now Penguin Random House)
Publisher’s Blurb: In the fight for Latent equality, Oscar Britton is positioned to lead a rebellion in exile, but a powerful rival beats him to the punch: Scylla, a walking weapon who will stop at nothing to end the human-sanctioned apartheid against her kind.
When Scylla’s inhuman forces invade New York City, the Supernatural Operations Corps are the only soldiers equipped to prevent a massacre. In order to redeem himself with the military, Harlequin will be forced to face off with this havoc-wreaking woman from his past, warped by her power into something evil…
Shadow Ops: Breach Zone is book 3/3 in the Shadow Ops series
This series is a mess. At first I thought it was because Mil SF isn’t my thing. But then I like John Scalzi’s writing just fine.
Because I enjoyed Cole’s Sacred Throne trilogy so much (third one due in October, 2019) I had hopes for Shadow Ops. What I will say, emphatically, is Cole has grown a great deal as a writer. Heloise is the hero we’ve all been waiting for.
To recap, Control Point saw Oscar Britton make some of the most bone-headed, selfish decisions ever in the history of everything. It’s in this book that Scylla is unleashed on the world. We know in no uncertain terms, she is the most dangerous and evil creature in this world, and Britton has freed her for his own selfish reason.
Book 2, Fortress Frontier, introduces us to Alan Bookbinder, a Pentagon paper-pusher who Manifests a power no one else has and is sent to the Forward Operating Base in the Source until everything goes to hell and he ends up the commanding officer. Oscar Britton is a bit player.
And now we come to Book 3, Breach Zone. It’s all come together, in one big horrifying pornographic death frenzy in Manhattan. Harlequin, a secondary character in the previous books who’s always played it by the rules, because rules are what separate the good guys from the bad, is put in charge of the defense.
Now Brigadier General Bookbinder is stuck on a US Coast Guard cutter, whose lunch is getting eaten by water goblins and leviathans, has to find his way to Harlequin’s base of operations to use Bookbinder’s unique magical power.
Oscar Britton doesn’t show up until very late in the book, still being let off the heinous thing he did in book 1. The epitome of the misunderstood hero. The monster he unleashed is leading an army of monsters to demolish Manhattan. Scylla wants to start the new world order.
And just to make sure we understand why this is personal for Harlequin, intermittent flashbacks from six years before set the scene. The romantic scene, of course.
All the complicated politics weight in. Street gangs, loyal to no one scoff when asked to join the good fight. Politicians and career officers want to use force against everything. And, in typical fashion, only Harlequin and those on the front lines actually understand why fire power won’t work, only magic will.
There’s barely any mention of the Indian part of the Source, and Bookbinder’s experiences trying to save the US FOB. Murica is truly on its own.
Then, buglesblaring, Oscar Britton arrives, makes a pretty little speech and everyone shows up to fight and save the day. Peace, justice and the American way.
Or something …
Sacred Thrones is light years better from this. I’ll call this a cautionary tale about back catalogues. Cole’s worth reading, but this series isn’t.
Title: Literary Theory: A Complete Introduction
Author: Sara Upstone
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publisher’s Blurb: Literary theory has now become integral to how we produce literary criticism. When critics write about a text, they no longer think just about the biographical or historical contexts of the work, but also about the different approaches that literary theory offers. By making use of these, they create new interpretations of the text that would not otherwise be possible. In your own reading and writing, literary theory fosters new avenues into the text. It allows you to make informed comments about the language and form of literature, but also about the core themes – concepts such as gender, sexuality, the self, race, and class – which a text might explore.
“… criticism, then, is where we find the interpretation of literature. Theory, in contrast, is where we find the tools to facilitate that interpretation.” (p. xii)
This little book is packed with literary theory goodness. In 260 pages, Sara Upstone covers 19 different schools of theory. And while I don’t always agree with her assessments, or placement of movements within theories, Upstone’s overview is a great place for anyone to start learning about Literary Theory.
Having this at my fingertips has helped me figure out how Modernism and/or Post Modernism might apply to N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy, an exercise assigned by my mentor. If Modernism is trying to make sense of the chaotic changes in a book, then The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate offer a lot to be interpreted through that lens. People of the Stillness must make sense of their new world as the rift and the coming of a Fifth Season wreak havoc.
Further, if Post Modernism is the questioning of reality itself, The Broken Earth Trilogy again offers an opportunity for that interpretation. Is Alabaster turning into a Stone Eater a reality? How it it possible he was taken into the middle of the planet by a Stone Eater and lived to come out the other side?
Mind you, these are just notions I’m playing with as I explore what both Modernism and Post Modernism mean to a critical reviewer and whatever book she happens to be reading.
My biggest quibbles with Literary Theory: A Complete Guide have to do with the dates used to place each school in a context. I will grant that cultural anchors must exist in order for events to have a context within the greater stories. However, as a person with a background in history, I also know that dates aren’t hard and fast. World War I may be marked as beginning the day Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, but that’s not really what started it all.
I mention this only because I want to caution readers not to get stuck on the dates Upstone uses as absolutes. Surrealism, sequestered in the Modernism school of theory, had its precursors in authors like Arthur Rimbaud and André Breton.
And while I’m at it, if anything, Surrealism belongs with Post Modernism if we are to take the definition of Post Modernism at face value.
But, those are of little import when it comes to the actual information contained within this small volume. It’s best to consider the essence of the overviews of each school of theory. And by all means, we should give consideration to our own thoughts about what we’re reading.
Sara Upstone’s Literary Theory: A Complete Introduction has earned itself a permanent place on my reference shelf. If, that is, I can ever get it to leave my desk.

domain: library


text:
January 30, 2014
IN RE IMPRELIS HERBICIDE MARKETING, SALES PRACTICES AND PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION MDL No. 2284
E.I. DUPONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY THIS DOCUMENT APPLIES TO GREENER, et al., No. 2:11-cv-7599
GENE E.K. PRATTER United States District Judge
Plaintiff Pilgrim Village Associates has moved to extend the deadline to opt out of the class action settlement recently approved by this Court in this matter. Pilgrim Village claims that its failure to file an opt-out form by the specified deadline as required by previous Order of this Court was the result of excusable neglect. Defendant DuPont argues that Pilgrim Village’s failure to timely request to opt out of the settlement was not excusable. The Court agrees that Pilgrim Village could and should have complied with the Court’s Orders with respect to opting out of the settlement and will therefore deny the motion.
Pilgrim Village Associates is one of 29 plaintiffs in the matter of Greener v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., Civil Action 11-7599, who filed an individual complaint charging DuPont with a variety of products liability claims with respect to DuPont’s Imprelis herbicide. DuPont answered that Complaint in August, 2012. A few months later, Class Plaintiffs in this multidistrict litigation filed for preliminary approval of a classwide settlement of Imprelis claims against DuPont. See In re Imprelis Herbicide Mktg., Sales Practices, & Prods. Liab. Litig., 11- 2284, Docket No. 117. Very shortly afterwards, counsel for Pilgrim Village mailed Pilgrim Village a letter instructing it to fill out and sign an opt out form. See Def.’s Opp., Ex. 1. In February, 2012, before the settlement was preliminarily approved, counsel for a number of individual plaintiffs filed a “Notice of Intention to Opt Out of Class Action Settlement” that listed Pilgrim Village among those plaintiffs who intended to opt out of the settlement. See In re Imprelis, Docket No. 154.
On February 12, 2013, the Court preliminarily approved the class action settlement, and specifically ordered that:
Any Settlement Class Member may opt out of the Settlement by following the “Exclusion” procedure set forth in the Long Form Notice and the Settlement Agreement. All Settlement Class Members who do not opt out in accordance with the terms set forth in the Settlement Notice and the Settlement Agreement will be bound by all determinations and judgments in the Action. Any Class Member who wishes to opt out of the Class must do so in writing by mailing a request for exclusion to the Claims Administrator. Any such request must be postmarked no later than the Opt-Out Deadline, June 28, 2013. The request to opt out must be signed by the Class Member seeking to opt out and must set out the Class Member’s first and last names (or company name), valid mailing address and functioning telephone number.
Id., Docket No. 160, ¶ 8. The Settlement itself provided that DuPont could terminate the agreement if “in its sole discretion, DuPont believe[d] that the number of Opt-Outs was unsatisfactory.” See id., Settlement Agreement and Release, Docket No. 118-1, § IX.A. Three days after the Court preliminarily approved the Settlement, counsel for Pilgrim Village again mailed an opt-out form to their client and instructed it to fill out the form. Counsel for Pilgrim Village also received a Long Form Notice from the court-appointed claims administrator, which included opt out instructions consistent with the Court’s Order. See Def.’s Opp., Ex. 4.
Throughout this time period, counsel for Pilgrim Village, on behalf of all of their Imprelis clients, corresponded with DuPont’s counsel regarding site inspections of their clients’ property.
In July, 2013, counsel for DuPont notified counsel for Pilgrim Village that it would not pursue site visits at that time for properties whose owners had successfully opted out of the settlement. In that letter, DuPont noted that “[a] number of your clients have claims pending in the Imprelis Claims Resolution Process and many of these clients have also requested to opt out of the proposed settlement.” See Pl.’s Mot., Ex. F. In a follow-up letter, DuPont counsel stated, “DuPont is willing to continue with property inspections for any of your clients who wish to continue in the Imprelis Claims Resolution Process. . . If your clients . . . wish to proceed with inspections in the Claims Resolution Process, please let me know and I will arrange for a DuPont arborist to visit their properties.” See id., Ex. H. In the correspondence discussing clients who had opted out, no particular clients were mentioned by name, either by Plaintiffs’ counsel or DuPont’s counsel. See id., Exs. F-I.
On August 7, 2013, the court-appointed claims administrator submitted to the Court a list of class members who had submitted opt out requests. See In re Imprelis, Docket No. 184. Pilgrim Village did not appear on this list. At the final fairness hearing, counsel for DuPont stated that DuPont agreed to accept all late or incomplete opt-out forms up to the date of the hearing, but expressly stated that DuPont would not accept any opt-out forms past that date, and in its Order granting final approval, the Court approved the list of opt-out class members, including those who had submitted untimely or incomplete forms as of the date of the final fairness hearing. See id., Docket No. 244, ¶ 12.
Following settlement approval, the Court asked the parties to provide a list of all cases pending in the MDL and to indicate which cases/claims were resolved by the class settlement. See id., Docket No. 245. Counsel for Pilgrim Village filed a list of clients who they contended had opted out of the settlement, including Pilgrim Village. The Court then asked counsel to clarify a number of discrepancies between the lists submitted by individual plaintiffs’ counsel and the opt-out list of record. Shortly thereafter, on November 20, 2013, counsel for Pilgrim Village submitted, for the first time, a signed opt-out form for Pilgrim Village. The instant motion followed.
Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6(b), “[w]hen an act may or must be done within a specified time, the court may, for good cause, extend the time . . . on motion made after the time has expired if the party failed to act because of excusable neglect.” The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has “recognize[d] that deadlines are an integral component of effective consolidation and management of the modern mass tort class action, ” but has cautioned courts not to ignore equitable considerations in favor of “rigid and unquestioned adherence” to such deadlines. In re Orthopedic Bone Screw Prods. Liab. Litig., 246 F.3d 315, 316 (3d Cir. 2001). Courts in the Third Circuit consider four factors in assessing the issue of excusable neglect:
1) the danger of prejudice to the nonmovant; 2) the length of the delay and its potential effect on judicial proceedings; 3) the reason for the delay, including whether it was within the reasonable control of the movant; and 4) whether the movant acted in good faith.
Id., at 322-23 (citing Pioneer Inv. Servs. Co. v. Brunswick Assocs. Ltd. P’ship, 507 U.S. 380, 395 (1993)). The determination of whether a party’s failure to meet a given deadline is excusable “is at bottom an equitable one, taking account of all relevant circumstances surrounding the party’s omission.” Pioneer Inv. Servs. Co., 507 U.S. at 395. “Where those equitable powers are exercised in the form of case management decisions in a complex class action, ‘district court discretion is at its greatest.’” In re Ins. Brokerage Antitrust Litig., 374 F. App’x 263, 266 (3d Cir. 2010) (quoting In re Vitamins Antitrust Class Actions, 327 F.3d 1207, 1210 (D.C. Cir. 2003)).
1. The Danger of Prejudice to the Nonmovant
DuPont argues that its ability to terminate the agreement based on an unsatisfactory number of opt-outs was an essential term of its agreement, and that opening the door to this Plaintiff (and potentially to other opt outs after the time has passed for opting out of the agreement) would deprive DuPont of a key contractual right. Pilgrim Village counters that allowing one additional opt-out is hardly likely to prejudice DuPont, especially since there are no other pending motions for extension or similarly situated class members who would be likely to come out of the proverbial woodwork should the Court grant its motion.
If Pilgrim Village now is allowed to litigate its claims against DuPont, DuPont will suffer prejudice insofar as it will have to defend against one more plaintiff than would be in litigation if the Court enforces the opt-out deadline against Pilgrim Village. Such prejudice has been recognized as a basis for questioning tardy opt-out efforts, even where the prejudiced party is a sophisticated litigant. See In re Diet Drugs (Phentermine/Fenfluramine/Dexfenfluramine) Prods. Liab. Litig., MDL No. 1203, 2009 WL 3444763, at *3 (E.D. Pa. Oct. 23, 2009) (“We find that Wyeth will suffer prejudice if plaintiff’s late opt-out request is permitted. Wyeth will be forced to litigate an additional case that . . . it had thought would be part of the settlement class.”)
In evaluating a late opt out issue in another MDL, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the defendant that “determin[ing] ahead of time whether the settlement would resolve most of the potential claims” was an important part of the defendant’s bargain in accepting the settlement and that this bargained-for benefit would be upset by later allowing late opt-outs, even when there was no concrete evidence of other potential late filers waiting in the wings. See In re Diet Drugs (Phentermine/Fenfluramine/Dexfenfluramine) Prods. Liab. Litig., 92 F. App’x 890, 894 (3d Cir. 2004). The Diet Drugs court noted that the district court had found that the plaintiff’s claim in that case of attorney negligence as the excuse for the party’s tardiness was “neither unique nor compelling.” Id.
Pilgrim Village attempts to distinguish its motion by arguing that its situation is unique and compelling, in that DuPont knew of Pilgrim Village’s intent to opt out all along and treated it as if it had opted out. According to Pilgrim Village, DuPont must have known of its intention to opt out because Pilgrim Village had filed a lawsuit independent of the pending class action suits, and it joined in a notice of intention to opt out prior to the Court’s preliminary approval of the settlement. Pilgrim Village also argues that DuPont treated it as an opt out when DuPont failed to schedule a site inspection after telling Pilgrim Village’s counsel that site visits would not be scheduled for plaintiffs who had opted out.
DuPont counters that many plaintiffs who filed individual lawsuits chose not to opt out of the settlement, that correspondence referring to Plaintiff’s counsel’s clients generally did not put DuPont on notice that Pilgrim Village specifically opted out or reflect any acknowledgment by DuPont of Pilgrim Village’s opt-out status, and that other plaintiffs listed on the same notice of intent to opt out ultimately did not opt out of the settlement, giving that “notice” filing little weight. DuPont also notes that any failure on DuPont’s part to inspect Pilgrim Village’s property is more a reflection of the large number of participants in the claims resolution process than an actual acknowledgment that Pilgrim Village opted out of that process.
DuPont’s interpretation of these facts is reasonable. At most, DuPont had notice that Pilgrim Village was likely to opt out. Nothing presented by Pilgrim Village shows an actual acknowledgment by DuPont that Pilgrim Village opted out. On the contrary, the correspondence from DuPont regarding site visits states that “[a] number of your clients have claims pending in the Imprelis Claims Resolution Process and many of these clients have also requested to opt out of the proposed settlement, ” not that all of them had opted out and certainly not that Pilgrim Village, in particular, had opted out. See Pl.’s Mot., Ex. F. Moreover, in August of 2013, the Settlement Claims Administrator filed a list of all class members by name who had opted out, and that list did not include Pilgrim Village. As DuPont points out, and as the Court has seen through objections to the settlement and other correspondence directed to the Court, there are many class members who at various points in the process have expressed dissatisfaction with the claims resolution process but who chose not to opt out of the settlement, thus demonstrating that dissatisfaction with the settlement is not the equivalent to opting out of it.
Pilgrim Village is not, therefore, as unique as it would have the Court find it to be. On the other hand, it is the only class member so far to ask for an opt-out deadline extension after final approval of the settlement. Ultimately, however, in balancing the impact of one class member’s request for relaxing a deadline against the Defendant’s bargained-for certainty, the potential for future requests from similarly situated class members, and the cost to DuPont of continued litigation against an additional party, this factor weighs in favor of DuPont.
2. The Length of the Delay and its Potential Effect on Judicial Proceedings
Whether Pilgrim Village delayed for five months or two months is a matter of debate between the parties. The opt-out deadline was originally set as June 28, 2013. DuPont, however, agreed to accept all opt-out requests filed as of the date of the final fairness hearing on September 27, 2013. Pilgrim Village filed its opt-out request on November 20, 2013. Under any scenario, of course, Pilgrim Village’s opt out was materially delayed. However, given that an appeal of the final settlement approval is pending and discovery is not yet underway in the Individual Plaintiffs’ cases, Pilgrim Village’s delay is unlikely to have a tangible effect on the proceedings in this matter, aside from necessitating this motion practice.
3. The Reason for the Delay
This factor weighs heavily against Pilgrim Village. Pilgrim Village claims that it failed to file a timely opt-out form because it believed that DuPont understood its intention to opt out. As previously discussed, however, the evidence presented by Pilgrim Village does not show understanding on DuPont’s part that Pilgrim Village had opted out. Indeed, as early as August, 2013, it was clear that DuPont did not consider Pilgrim Village to have opted out. Certainly, the list of opt outs filed by the Claims Administrator did not include Pilgrim Village. Despite this clear indication that there was no “understanding” regarding Pilgrim Village’s opt-out status, Pilgrim Village did not send in a signed opt-out form until the Court specifically pointed out the discrepancy between the opt-out list and a list of cases furnished by Individual Plaintiffs’ counsel in response to this Court’s Order requesting a comprehensive list of cases resolved by the Settlement.
In the primary case on which Pilgrim Village relies, a court relaxed an opt-out deadline for a particular plaintiff in large part because that plaintiff’s delay was due to a lack of notice of a deadline. See In re Ins. Brokerage Antitrust Litig., 374 F. App’x at 266. That fact pattern is not applicable here. Correspondence between Pilgrim Village and its counsel shows that not only was counsel aware of the need to comply with the timing requirements contained in the Court’s Order of February 12, 2013, it communicated that requirement to Pilgrim Village multiple times. There is no question, then, that Pilgrim Village had actual notice of the settlement and of the need to file an opt-out form by the specified June 28, 2013 deadline. Given that, Pilgrim Village’s expressed reason for not filing a timely opt-out form – that DuPont understood that it meant to opt out of the settlement – rings hollow.
In other cases excusing a late filing, the plaintiff had, during the opt-out period, expressly communicated a desire to opt out of the settlement. See, e.g., In re Four Seasons Secs. Law Litig., 493 F.2d 1288 (10th Cir. 1974) (finding excusable neglect when plaintiff had submitted, during the opt-out period, a letter stating that if a revised release was not acceptable, plaintiff opted out). Again, the cited case involves facts not present here. While Pilgrim Village was included in the “notice of intent” to opt out filed on the docket, some class members included in that filing chose not to opt out. In addition, that notice was filed even before the settlement had been preliminarily approved and before the Court entered an order providing explicit instructions for opting out.
Pilgrim Village was represented by counsel before, during, and after the opt-out period. Counsel for Pilgrim Village received all of the court filings in this case, including the Order providing explicit instructions for opting out. Once those instructions were clearly delineated in a court order, those same counsel managed to either file opt-out forms or to successfully convey the importance of filing such forms to several other clients. See In re Diet Drugs, 92 F. App’x at 895 (finding significant the fact that “the record shows that [plaintiff’s] counsel was aware of the deadline and filed timely opt-outs in other cases”). Counsel also received the opt-out list filed in August, 2013, from which Pilgrim Village was missing. Nevertheless, it still took more than three additional months and a direct inquiry from the Court to spur Pilgrim Village to send in a signed opt-out form.
To the extent that Pilgrim Village’s delay is attributable to counsel’s failure to act, a client is “accountable for the acts and omissions of [its] chosen counsel.” See Pioneer Inv. Servs. Co., 507 U.S. at 397. Thus, counsel’s choices or conduct as a reason for Pilgrim Village’s delay is not a justification that will excuse Pilgrim Village.
Armed with knowledge of how to opt out of the settlement, counsel familiar with the procedure who on more than one occasion provided explicit instructions and attempted to facilitate compliance with opt-out procedures, and ample notice, Pilgrim Village’s reason for not timely mailing a signed opt-out form is difficult to discern. Indeed, other than an objectively unreasonable belief that generic communications with DuPont conveyed its intentions, Pilgrim Village does not seem to have any reason for failing to comply. Thus, this factor weighs against a finding of excusable neglect.
4. Whether the Movant Acted in Good Faith
DuPont speculates that the delay in sending in an opt-out form could be the result of gamesmanship, as discovery in related cases pending in state courts commenced once the opt-out period ended, giving Pilgrim Village a chance to wait and see how things developed in those cases before filing the instant motion. Pilgrim Village merely states that it believed in good faith that DuPont knew all along of its intentions. Even if this belief was unreasonable, the Court has no reason other than mere speculation on DuPont’s part to doubt Pilgrim Village’s good faith. The Court is not prepared to adopt such a cynical view. However, the Court observes that “good faith” includes demonstrable respect for the Court’s case management orders, deadlines, procedures, and decisions. Pilgrim Village has demonstrated insufficient respect in that regard and may actually stand as a problematic example for others. This factor, ultimately is at most, from Pilgrim Village’s standpoint, neutral.
Evaluating all of the factors discussed above, the Court will deny Pilgrim Village’s request for an extension of the opt-out deadline. Pilgrim Village cannot dispute that it had ample notice of the settlement’s terms and of the procedures required for opting out of the settlement, and it has presented no compelling reasons for its failure to honor the Court’s instructions. DuPont bargained for certainty and would be prejudiced both by having to defend against an additional party in the ongoing individual lawsuits and by the potential for other similarly situated class members to challenge the opt-out deadline. Finally, as is appropriate in making an equitable determination such as this one, the Court takes into consideration the fact that denying this request will not leave Pilgrim Village empty-handed. Because Pilgrim Village previously submitted a claims resolution form, it is entitled to participate in the Class Settlement and to recover damages through the claims resolution process.
For the foregoing reasons, Pilgrim Village’s motion is denied. An appropriate Order follows.


27 Aug – The lead stars of "Man of Steel" Henry Cavill and Amy Adams are the latest string of celebrities taking on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on the set of the sequel, "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" while wearing their respective characters' costume.
According to The Wrap, during the challenge, Adams who was previously nominated by her fiancé Darren Le Gallo to do the Ice Bucket Challenge nominated six of her siblings to take on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
In the meantime, Cavill sat there stoically and calmly as bucket after buckets of ice cold water were poured onto him while Adams was poured with only one bucket of ice water.
Cavill is by far the celebrity that has endured the most amount of icy water for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with a total of five big buckets drenching him, proving that he is indeed a 'man of steel'.
Adams and Cavill are the latest stars to join the ALS fundraising campaign that helps raising awareness for ALS also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
"Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" will be released in cinemas in Malaysia on 25 March 2016 and in Singapore on 5 May 2016.
The film is directed by Zack Snyder, starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Tao Okamoto, Holly Hunter, and Scoot McNairy.


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Lewis Hamilton and Takashi Murakami team up once again for a limited edition drop with +44, honoring F1 in Las Vegas. This exclusive collaboration blends Hamilton's racing zeal with Murakami's artistic ingenuity, creating a visually dynamic collection that encapsulates the thrill of high-speed racing and avant-garde creativity. The TMKK x +44 Las Vegas collaboration is poised to be a sought-after collector's gem, embodying the seamless fusion of sports and art.
Here is a look at some of the pieces:
View the full collection here

domain: sports


FAA has moved from Prescriptive to Performance Certification
Key to new Standards is ASTM International consensus
FAA accepts 2nd Iteration of Acceptable Means of Compliance
In perhaps the most dramatic change in AIRCRAFT CERTIFICATION, an international team, industry, academics, FAA,EASA, Transport Canada, the UK Civil Aviation Authority and most of the globe’s CAAs, worked together to revise the Part 23 Airworthiness Standards: Normal Category Airplanes. Equally rare, the leading CAAs issued virtually the same regulations contemporaneously.
In fact the process was slower than most FAA rulemakings. Once promulgated, implementation by industry and the FAA required considerable time to prepare the users and FAA staff- quite a challenge. The reason for this deliberation? The transition from the old prescription certification approach to performance analysis required a major transformation in perspective and personnel. In a simplistic summary, if a Part 23 TC application includes new design or materials or other innovation, the FAA will not go through a complex, slow rulemaking exercise, but rather seek standards from the industry group ASTM International. Once that technical, highly competent standards organization reaches a consensus, the FAA will review and them issue the AMOCs.
New ASTM Standard to Support Technology, Design and Safety of Small Airplanes
Here ,the work product came from Committee F44 on General Aviation Aircraft. Committee F44 meets twice a year, usually in April and October, with members attending three days of technical meetings. The Committee, with a membership of approximately 250, currently has jurisdiction over 30 standards. F44 standards will be published in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Volume 15.09. F44 has 5 technical subcommittees that maintain jurisdiction over these standards
The key to making the performance-based airworthiness determination is the Alternate Means of Compliance:
The FAA has signed off on a series of Part 23 aircraft standards developed through the international government/industry standards body, ASTM International, marking another step in the evolution of the light aircraft certification process.
In the newly released notice of availability (NOA), the agency outlined 35 new and revised consensus standards that are viewed as acceptable means of compliance. The NOA was the second that the agency has released in support of new performance-based standards for Part 23 aircraft; it released the first in May 2018.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), which was deeply involved in the rewrite of Part 23 to provide for a consensus-based approach to developing performance-based standards for new aircraft and products, lauded the release of the NOA, saying the accepted consensus standards will encourage safety and innovation, as well as developments in advanced air mobility.
“We applaud the FAA’s work to accept the latest set of important means of compliance standards,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. “Going forward, the FAA needs to continue working to improve and standardize the acceptance process because it will support a regulatory environment that advances innovation and development of safety-enhancing technologies. This effort is about being future-ready for the opportunities that await this vital and vibrant industry.”
The standards cover a range of areas, including simplified loads criteria, fuel and energy storage and delivery, and safety assessment of systems, as well as methods of addressing high-intensity radiated fields (HIRF) and indirect effects of lightning, GAMA said.
An ASTM International committee on general aviation aircraft involving more than 400 industry and government representatives from around the world developed the standards. Work is ongoing on other areas of certification and is particularly important as new forms of aircraft, such as eVTOLs, continue to be developed.
“This recognition of updated and new standards demonstrates how the collaborative relationships between authorities and industry enable equipage of safety-enhancing and innovative technologies into general aviation in a timely manner,” GAMA said.
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Bay Area gets over $45M to modernize public transit
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Bay Area is getting over $45 million to modernize public transit.
An official from the Federal Transit Administration was in San Francisco Monday to make the funding announcement.
Over $21 million will be going to Muni to replace aging diesel buses with new hybrid vehicles. Muni says that will save about $200,000 per year in fuel costs.
"They're going to be 30 percent more fuel efficient and they're going to emit 90 percent less particulate matter, 40 percent less nitrite oxide and nitrogen dioxide and 30 percent less greenhouse gas," SFMTA Vice Chairman Cheryl Brinkman said.
AC Transit is getting over $7 million to upgrade its fare collection machines. BART will use its $3 million to install real-time bus and rail service information at its stations.
Overall, California is getting $126 million.
BART, muni, ac transit, local news
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- 7 On Your Side: The dark side of green lighting
- Stockton port officials happy to receive Google barge
- Senate blocks change to military sex assault cases
- Oakland mayor to deliver State of the City address
- Oakland teen accused in AC Transit fire in court
- Batkid was scheduled to appear at Oscars
- Bryan Stow attackers charged with federal crimes
- Some have privacy concerns with wearable technology
- Isaiah Washington returning to 'Grey's Anatomy'
- Wheel of Fortune is coming to Northern California!
- roundup: Nob Hill gas leak; Scam warning
- weather: Bay Area weather forecast for Friday
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Japan: Haneda and Narita airports expanding, joining open skies accord
A turning point for the Japanese aviation policy. An „open skies“ agreement has been signed with the United States allowing closer cooperation of the aviation market. Haneda and Narita airports expecting passenger growths expanding their capacity.
Japan opening its skies
Including the US, Japan has already signed the „open skies“ accords with 10 countries and regions. It allows for a closer cooperation of the airlines allowing them to bring more traffic to and from Japan. More tourists are expected to be visiting Japan as the agreement makes it easier for lowcost airlines to enter the Japanese market.
Japanese authorities now intent to sign additional agreements with Asian countries. Their main focus is now on South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. AirAsia X, the Malaysian budget airline is opening a Kuala Lumpur – Tokyo connection in December, ticket prices are starting on 5,000 yen.
Haneda and Narita airports increasing capacity
To accomodate the expected increase in passenger traffic, Tokyo's airports Haneda and Narita are working on increasing their capacity. It is due to these limitations that they are not yet included in Japan's „open skies“ accords. Tokyo International (HND) airport is to open a new international terminal. Narita International (NRT) reacted by adding more takeoff and landing slots reaching an annual maximum of 220,000.
Source: The Mainichi Daily News
Jiří Parimucha, Nov 5, 2010
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Reducing SDoH Disparities in Medicaid with Social Support Solutions
Papa and Meridian Michigan discuss how their partnership has helped reduce social drivers of health disparities and drive health equity. Watch the full webinar to learn more.
Improving Lives and Health Outcomes
Hear how Florida Blue partnered with Papa to improve members’ quality of life and health outcomes, offering companion care to address Social Determinants of Health in our on-demand webinar.

domain: medical


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Black Eyed Susan Seeds Planting
Edward R. Forte
October 16, 2021
Find mixtures for your region, or for special uses such as dry areas, partial shade, attracting animals, low growing, and more. .
How to Grow Black-Eyed Susan Flowers
I dig this kind of rough and tumble adventure, partly because so much of it is spent outdoors, leaving me exposed to the elements.My eyes were peeled, scanning the roadsides and the fields, the highway medians and the drainage ditches, searching for flowers and plants that I could identify.Lest you think poor R. hirta got in a bar fight and wound up with a contusion to her ocular space, let’s set the record straight:.Black-eyed Susan is named not because of a propensity to fight other plants, but because of her dark central cone that is surrounded by brightly colored, petal-like rays.Part of their widespread distribution is due to their eagerness to spring up from seed, but their iconic appeal doesn’t hurt either.Throw in their willingness to grow just about anywhere there’s sunshine and a checklist of beneficial aspects, and you’ve got a nice plant for any landscape.The state flower of Maryland, black-eyed Susan has a mounding habit, growing to 2 to 3 feet tall, and can be annual, perennial, or biennial, depending on the variety and where it is grown.This guy deserved to at least have a flower named after him; when his home was burning down in 1702, the 71-year-old was standing on the rooftop of a nearby building, shouting orders to the town citizens extinguishing the flames.The roots have been boiled and strained to aid in treating colds and intestinal worms (yuck), while the dried flowers can be used in much the same way.And just as humans enjoy the beautiful, bold flowers, butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects are also attracted to R. hirta.You’ll also spot sparrows, cardinals, nuthatches, and my personal favorite, the chickadee, devouring these seeds.The poor land daisy is of vital importance to local environments and is an absolute necessity in any pollinator garden.If stretches of your property that fit the minimal needs of this flower are available for planting, then give it a shot en masse.It’s suggested to wait until well after the cold weather is gone for the season before directly sowing seeds outdoors, ideally when the soil temperature has reached about 70°F.A few coworkers have told me that their own directly sown seeds take a year before they bloom, and they are trustworthy folks.I wouldn’t know because I can be a tad impatient and tend to sow my seeds a bit earlier than I’m supposed to… but I can certainly attest to Rubeckia’s aversion to frost and cold!A thriving root system typically reaches depths of six feet or more, and they are far happier when in the ground than in almost any container.Many gardeners find this plant to be quite resilient and able to be grown in most any condition, including salty soils, making them a good addition to coastal landscapes.I favor the properties where the seeds are free to go wild, but not every homeowner sees an informally planted swath of black-eyed Susans as desirable.In this case, gardeners will want to remove the seed heads before the flowers dry completely in late summer or fall.I tend to leave my perennials standing over the winter for a variety of reasons, and black-eyed Susans respond well to this kind of treatment.Companion plants for this garden favorite are almost too many to list, but a few ready and reliable choices include zinnias, globe thistle, sedum, perennial hibiscus, echinacea, joe-pye weed, and ornamental grasses.The yellow and golden colors look nice near shrubs with darker foliage, like smokebush and elderberry.If you move around a fair bit like I do, having a trustworthy flowering friend that can follow you almost anywhere is the next best thing to keeping a permanent garden.Try the stunning African daisy, a great annual with a variety of colors to choose from, and don’t forget about the awesome landscape grasses that are a match made in heaven for black-eyed Susans.Product photos via Garden Safe, Safer Brand, Outsidepride, Nature Hills Nursery, and True Leaf Market.
How to grow Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) from seed – GrowIt
Black-Eyed Susans belong to the genus Rudbeckia, which contains over 25 species of flowers.Most of these species will produce flowers with yellow petals and dark black centers (and very showy).Materials Required Now that you have stratified seeds (or are preparing to Winter-Sow), you should gather the following materials: Pots – this can be a common seed starting six-pack, or even just use an old plastic container with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage.Remember that most Black Eyed Susan seeds need a cold treatment, or should be winter sowed.Some Rudbeckia seeds germinating after a long winter (with too much water apparently).Mist the seeds with a spray bottle, or pump sprayer – taking care not to wash everything out.Germination should occur once temperatures are reliably above 50F at night (if winter sown).Often, I will transfer seedlings to large pots (4″ square or round) to grow them to a larger size.Here is a short video I made some years ago on how I plant my seeds – hope you enjoy!The EASIEST way to Save Black Eyed Susan Seeds!Also, studies have shown that Black-Eyed Susan seeds should be cold stratified or winter-sown to achieve a high germination rate.The seeds from all Black-Eyed Susan need to go through a winter in order to achieve a high germinate rate.Black Eyed Susan seeds typically need 30 days Cold Moist Stratification to break dormancy.I’ve generated the table below to show how many days are recommended for cold stratification, as well as their growing characteristics.If you winter sow Black Eyed Susans you can disregard this table (as long as temperatures dip below 40F at night (5 C) ).Just make sure you winter sow by January, or by February if in colder zones.Common Name Species Name Moisture Height Bloom Size Seed Planting Depth Stratification Bloom Time Perennial black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia Fulgida Dry-Medium – Well Drained 3 ft (1 m) 3-4″, 7-10 cm 0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) 30 days Mid-late summer Sweet Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia Subtomentosa Dry-Moist – Well Drained 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) 3-6″, 7-12 cm 0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) 30 days Late Summer Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia Hirta Dry-Medium – Well Drained 1-3 ft (30 – 100 cm) 2-4″ 5-10 cm 0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) 30 days Summer Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia Triloba Dry-Moist – Well Drained 3-6 ft (1-2 m) 1-3″, 2-7 cm 0-1/16″ (0-1.5 mm) 30 days Late Spring-Late Summer.You just plant them as you normally would, but keep them in a covered plastic container, or dome with holes poked in for air movement.The other way to cold stratify seeds is to simulate the cold/moist winter by placing them in the refrigerator.When the forecast calls for sunny days or hot weather, I will spray water on them until the soil is black/moist, and the pot feels heavy.You can transplant your seedlings in the summer – just know that it may require supplemental water for several weeks if it is in an area prone to drought.And in the 3rd year of life, you will be treated to a massive display if planted in the flower’s preferred conditions of full sun and well drained soil.This primarily arises from people being unfamiliar with, or not performing a cold stratification/winter sowing of Black-Eyed Susan Seeds.Joe Foster Hi - I grew up outdoors in nature - hiking, fishing, hunting. .
Rudbeckia Hirta Seed
Flower seed | black-eyes susan.Sow the Rudbeckia Hirta seeds into the loosened soil and rake in. .
How to Grow Black-Eyed Susans
Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), also known as coneflowers or Gloriosa daisies, make up a family of about 30 species of flowers, all native to North America.They’re prized in the garden for their bright yellow-orange, daisy-like flowers with the characteristic brown or black middle.When left to their own devices, the plants self-sow prolifically, and will likely return even if they grow as annuals in your area.If storing indoors, place the seeds in a baggie with 1 tablespoon of moistened potting mix and put them in the refrigerator for 12 weeks prior to sowing.Place seeds in a light starting mix and cover them with 1/16 inch of soil.Place the seeds in a labeled bag and store them in the refrigerator or plant them directly in the garden in the fall.Most black-eyed Susans grow between 2 and 3 feet tall and wide, although some have a compact or even vining habit.Avoid using overhead sprinklers, which can promote disease, and opt for drip systems and soaker hoses instead.Deadhead plants to promote more blossoms and cut them back midsummer if they start to become straggly.Try giant coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima) a very large variety that grows up to 6 feet tall. .
Growing Black Eyed Susan Flowers
Growing Black Eyed Susan Flowers Perennial, Rudbeckia Hirta Native to North America, Black Eyed Susan plants are prolific wildflowers that have become popular in the home flower garden.Propagation of Black Eyed Susan Plants: Black Eyed Susan are grown from seed.If started early in the spring, you may get blooms the first year.Black Eyed Susan seeds can be directly seeded into your flower garden as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring or later in the summer or fall for flowers next year.How to Grow Black Eyed Susan: Black Eyed Susan are very easy to grow.Established will grow in thick clumps, and usually will not need weeding. .

domain: agronomy


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It's finally Friday and that means the whole weekend to "play." What I mean by play is for all of us who enjoy this hobby and what I like to call art (as well), we get the weekend to create our projects and learn from others on our blogs. Hence..."play time." :)
Anyway...last night, I put together a quick card which I am calling it "Happy Birthday Luv."
|I used pop up glue dots to raise the heart.|
|And...again here, used the pop glue dots to raise the heart. I actually layered the heart here.|

domain: artistic


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Rectangular mahogany cabinet, the upper part is made of mahogany, the base is made of skirting board. It opens through two doors in the front that reveal three drawers on top of each other.
England, late 19th century
H: 34.5 - W: 29.5 - D: 20.5 cm
Results : Limited to subscribers

domain: design


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Three cases of catastrophic injury to children, three defendants asked to pay:
- Freak accident in school parking lot “foreseeable”. According to a Los Angeles jury, it was reasonably foreseeable that an ailing parent driving a disability-converted van with hand-controlled accelerator and brakes would lose control of her vehicle and jump the curb at full speed, killing first-grader Jordan Sandels in the company of her father at Encino’s Lanai Road Elementary School in 2005. Aside from the many and baffling supposed lessons of the resulting $10 million verdict for school grounds planners (always build lots big enough that parents won’t have to park off-site?), a highlight was the jury’s finding that the parent behind the wheel was only 20 percent to blame and shouldn’t have to pay anything [LA Times via Handel on the Law]
- Destroy evidence, then win $41 million from second defendant. Joseph Provenza, 13, was catastrophically burned in 2001 when he “jumped a 15-year-old Yamaha motorcycle resulting in a crash and post-crash fire” [Bowman & Brooke summary] The plaintiff’s father, himself a plaintiff in the suit, later admitted that he willfully removed and discarded a bypass wire from the motorcycle before Yamaha’s investigators could see it because he thought the evidence of modification might interfere with his son’s lawsuit, and either he or members of the legal team removed or modified other relevant equipment on the vehicle. A judge dismissed the claims against Yamaha, citing willful and pervasive spoliation of evidence as well as lack of candor in discovery responses on the issue. The family then proceeded to trial against a Wisconsin clothing manufacturer which it argued should have made its garments flame-retardant because they were promoted for use with motorcycles, although federal law did not and does not require flame retardance in such garments. The jury awarded $41 million; a defense lawyer says the jurors were never allowed to learn about the hot-wire modification, though it was the cause of the accident, or the subsequent spoliation. [Las Vegas Review-Journal, Janesville (Wis.) Gazette; Carcione law firm (also of Romo v. Ford Motor fame)]. More: BrooklynWolf.
- Schools sometimes responsible for injuries after school hours.The South Main Street Elementary School in Pleasantville, N.J. had long preannounced a 1:30 p.m. early dismissal on a certain day in 2001. Third-grader Joseph Jerkins was allowed to leave, in accord with school policy for youngsters whose families had not requested that they be released only into adult custody. Two hours and twenty minutes later, while playing with a friend, Joseph ran into the street and was struck by a car and horribly injured. The family said it had not been adequately informed of the early dismissal. A trial court dismissed the suit, but the New Jersey Supreme Court, announcing a new duty of care for school districts, ruled that the family could sue on the grounds that the school’s policies should have restrained the boy from leaving. The district settled for $6 million. [AP/Philly.com; NJ Principals and Supervisors Association]


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A biopic about Jose Hernandez and his path from a farm worker to becoming an engineer and an astronaut. A tale of perseverance, community and sacrifice to accomplish a seemingly impossible dream.
Jose Hernandez’s story is certainly one made for the movies. The son of a migrant worker, he became one of the chosen few allowed to enter NASA’s astronaut program. Ultimately assigned to the STS-128 mission, he spent nearly two weeks in space on the International Space Station. (To put this into perspective, only 372 Americans have been in space.) To be selected as an astronaut is an exceptional event for anyone but Hernandez’s story is distinctive in terms of the many financial and social hurdles he had to overcome.
Based on Hernandez’s memoir, Alejandro Marquez Abella’s “A Million Miles Away,” recounts the engineer’s story in an inspiring if pedestrian way, a film that hits all the expected biopic beats in the safest way possible. Though not as calculated and sanitized as other genre entries from 50 – 60 years ago, this is a movie that takes very few chances, leaving us to wonder if Hernandez is, in fact, as saintly as portrayed. Still, there’s no denying the power of its theme of tenacity and perseverance.
Beginning in 1969, we see the Hernandezs traveling up and down the California coast during harvest season, going from one farm to the next to help bring in crops. Jose understands his parents’ struggle, recognizes they will not get ahead and determines he wants more in life.
Naturally curious and tenacious, Hernandez (Michael Pena) crosses paths with a teacher who encourages him to follow his dream of being an astronaut. He does so but, of course, this does not happen overnight. Getting a degree as an engineer, he lands a job at a private firm and then meets the love of his life, Adela (Rosa Salazar), who he marries after a long courtship. Raising a large family slows things down, but Hernandez keeps his eyes on his prize.
Inspirational films have their purpose as it’s good to be reminded that hard work and a sense of determination does pay off. To its credit, “Miles” is not as heavy-handed as the recent “The Hill” and other faith-based dramas and there’s no question that Pena’s presence – one of our most likable actors – helps keeps us involved. Still, as bland as it is, Hernandez’s story is inspirational and as rendered here, could provide the proper impetus for future star rangers to follow their own dreams.


Brent Ackley and George Vondriska teach you how to install weather stripping into a 1956 Chevrolet 150. They walk you step by step through the entire process, demonstrating each of the essential classic car maintenance tips and techniques you’ll utilize, including pulling and/or tapping the plugs into place and using weather strip adhesive to keep the lining secure.
Mike Phillips of Autogeek.com stops by the garage to visit Dennis Gage and demonstrate some great new ceramic glass coating that is designed to repel water. As with any surface enhancement product, its success depends on the correct preparation. Phillips demonstrates how to machine prepare the surface of the glass to achieve a surgically clean…Watch Now >>
In the second phase of the cleanout process, Craig and Aaron Hopkins remove the windshield from a 1967 Chevy Chevelle. They teach you how to properly disengage the trim clips so as not to destroy the molding, and they use a reversible, double-bladed glass removal tool to slowly and carefully pry the windshield out of…Watch Now >>
Classic Car restoration is an exciting and hard working project. In this video, Brent Ackley shows you how to approximately position the points on a classic car’s engine, safely use the dwell meter and adjust the points for the perfect distance. One of the techniques can be done individually while the other needs a partner.Watch Now >>