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Wike's Supporters Groan, Warn Of Impending Defeat In 2019

Wike's Supporters Groan, Warn Of Impending Defeat In 2019

Being an open letter from supporters of Nyesom Wike who feel used and abandoned, after the 2015 election.

It is with humility and high regard attached to the Office of the Governor that I, on behalf of the Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Community based Organizations (CBOs) and other voluntary Organizations that supported and worked for the Peoples' Democratic Party PDP and your Governorship aspiration in 2015, bring our feelings and concerns to your esteemed person and office.

May we first and foremost commend your Excellency for your sterling performance and respectability you have brought to the office of the Governor and Rivers State. You have performed exceptionally well and beyond our imagination under the depreciating economy within a space of two and half years you took the mantle of leadership of Rivers State. We, therefore, have no regret whatsoever for endorsing, supporting and working for your victory in 2015. Infact, your achievements and accomplishments so far is our vindication and evidence that we made a good choice in you in 2015.

May we also seize this opportunity to extend our felicitation to you on your recent conferment of the prestigious award of the United Nations Global Settlements Outstanding Contribution Award by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at the UN headquarters in New York, United States of America. For us, the award is well deserved and merited for your giant strides in the development of Rivers State. We think this award should be dedicated to God and your supporters who sorted you out as a good material and voted you in as the Governor of Rivers State, without it the award wouldn't have been.

Again, we salute you on your impressive outing at the Chatham House, UK's world address with topic: Defining Development for Rivers State and Steps to Sustainable Implementation. There is no doubt that you have, in all these, brought reputation, distinction and splendor to Rivers State and indeed Nigeria. Being satisfied with your performance so far, we hereby endorse you for a second term. Congratulations, your Excellency.

We condemn in explicit terms the unwarranted attack on your convoy on Saturday November, 11 2017 at Waja junction of the Trans – Amadi Road, Port Harcourt by the men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) attached to the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, while you were on projects inspection on that day. The attacks on you, our dear Governor are unbecoming, and we call on president Muhammadu Buhari to call these agents of confusion to order before they bring his government and our democracy to its knees.

You as a responsible Governor have no issues with President Buhari, the Commander-in-Chief, unlike Amaechi, so laying a siege on the state by the men of SARS and other security agents, harassing you and the good people of Rivers State is uncalled for, grossly irresponsible and totally unacceptable. We call for a stop to this childish and unpatriotic behaviour of the security agents in the interest of peace and stability in the state. Security organizations are respected institutions that should not be allowed to be manipulated by a single individual no matter his or her status in the society.

It will be recalled that in 2013, there was a sharp division in the political firmament of Rivers State. This division was occasioned by the political feud between the former president of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and former Governor of Rivers State, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and of course your humble self.

The great and the sole political party in Rivers State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was torn apart and divided into two by Amaechi's inordinate ambition of becoming vice president under Buhari's presidency. Those who believed him, Buhari, Dakuku and APC followed them and pitched their tents in the new party. Those of us who believed in you, Jonathan and PDP remained in the party to rebuild it. The crises and the division created the worst political situation we had never witnessed since the creation of Rivers State in 1967.

There was unprecedented and unwholesome political mayhem in the State. There was rancor, mistrust, suspicion, high propaganda, hot arguments, bosh lies, blackmail, character assassination, intimidation, fighting, killings etc as never seen before in the State.

We, the members of NGOs, CBOs etc that pitched tents with you and the PDP took the bull by the horn and weathered the storm. We worked tremendously and excellently for you and the PDP and we won. We on our own, printed and produced banners, posters, handbills, fliers, T-shirts, face caps, press releases etc. We hired taxies for meetings and buses for campaign.

Barr. Nimi Walson Jack was our coordinator and he saw our efforts. He acknowledged that we did excellent work and spent money. He advised us to tabulate our works and expenses and email them to him or submit by hand to his secretary. We went to business centres and did as he directed. That was another cost or expenses. After all that, nothing has happened. No one appreciated or rewarded our efforts in any form till date.

Meanwhile, in all the meetings we had with Barr. Walson Jack and his committee at the New Rivers Vision Campaign Office, not even sachet water was offered or a dime given to us. Except one day they announced to offer us N1,000 which many of us objected and declined to accept in the sense that the amount was not up to the money we hired a taxi to the meeting that day let alone the previous expenses.

We did all these for the love we had for you, Jonathan and the PDP. It was our resolve then that no other political party other than PDP will be allowed into Government House in 2015, and it was so. We saw Amaechi's affront then as a challenge to Rivers People and we rose to the occasion. It was our hope that when you settle down and your government stabilized that you would invite us for a thank you meeting and pat us on the back for the job well done. But sadly two and half years now, we have not seen such action from you or any other person. We disagreed with some of our members who said that we were short charged, used and dumped. We know that you are not a “use and dump” politician, but a humane leader who cared for his followers. Maybe this might be an oversight that ought to be looked into now.

I personally met Barr. Nimi Walson Jack, our coordinator in his office on two occasions to inquire from him why no one talked to us and promises unfulfilled. He told me point blank that he had finished his assignment and handed over shortly after your inauguration. He said if you, our dear Governor want to do something for us that you will reach him, and that it is not his business to pester you to do something for us. He, then advised me to write to you if I so wished and submit to the security at the gate, and that you read all your mails. That precipitated this communication or communiqué.

Remember your Excellency that a labourer deserves his wage. A man who worked well should also eat well. A man who conquered victory should have contents or particles of victory on his dining table with smiles caressing his lips, but instead what we have are contents or particles of failure, hunger and anger. If a man is appreciated for the good work he did today, he will be spurred to do more tomorrow.

We appeal to you, our dear Governor to look into our complaints compassionately and encourage us to do more exploit in 2019. We need to be compensated, motivated and sense of belonging given to us in this government we chose and worked for its success. We need a Special Adviser on civil society to coordinate the activities of our NGOs, CBOs and other civil society groups in Rivers State. As a matter of fact, electioneering season is fast approaching, how do we go to the field at that precarious time with hunger and anger? How do we deliver in 2019?

Our so-called political leaders, particularly those from Ikwerre axis are not helping matters neither. They are self centered. They are neither accessible nor approachable. Call them on phone, they will not answer. Send them text, they will not reply, and ask for little favour, they will not grant you. What manner of leaders are they? Infact, it is a curse to queue behind such leaders in the same party. Their behaviours and attitudes are generating anger and hatred for your government.

What break the camel's back and fueled the anger in the minds of your original supporters was the awesome and over whelming reception you and the PDP accorded to APC, Amaechi, Dakuku and Buhari's supporters who worked for them and against you, Jonathan and the PDP in 2015, and returned to PDP in just 2017. The massive reception was held at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt. We drove down there to see the miracle, we were dumbfounded and speechless. The leaders returned home with fat envelopes as transport fares. Whereas those of us who spent our money, time, risked our lives and worked for the victory of the PDP in 2015, are yet to be appreciated and compensated. It seemed we have been snubbed, sidelined and ditched.

Sequel to this, many of our members are grumbling and some are threatening to defect to APC, if defection is the salt in the political soup in Nigeria and a source of reward and recognition. It became imperative for me to bring all these to your knowledge on behalf of our members for urgent remediation and integration into this government of ours.

A stitch in time saves nine.

Prince Ogbuehi, on behalf of Wike Supporters Groups 2015

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Monday, January 31, 2011

Reba McEntire Blogs With Update

Reba has been keeping fans updated lately through her official blog.  You can read her most recent post below and read back on her other posts HERE.

Update: Good news!!  I’m on my 2nd lesson for Spanish!  That still doesn’t make it right for someone to come up to me and start speaking perfect Spanish and expect me to understand them, okay!!!!????  This will take a little longer than I expected but what I’m very surprised about is, I love it!!!  I’m having a great time learning!

On another note, I’ve had this week off reading and enjoying life!  Mama gave me a book about Rhett Butler’s family, fiction of course, but being a huge fan of “Gone With The Wind”, I’m loving every minute of it.  I also finished a book Chris Rich had recommended to me entitled,  ”A Reliable Wife”.  I have to say I like reading about Rhett better.

We’re taping the video for “If I Were A Boy” this week so keep your fingers crossed for all of us that it goes smoothly and as planned.  Then we’ll be in Florida for three shows with George and LeeAnn.

Hope to see you all soon,

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Tolly Dolly Posh Fashion
Lost Shapes x TDP
Browsing Tag

blogging q&a

Blogging Tips & Q&A with Taylor McClure

By August 1, 2013 Fashion

Last month’s advertiser Taylor from Somewhere Over The Runway is here to tell you her blogging tips and what her fashion sense is all about!

blogging tips q&a somewhere over the runway

What inspired you to start your Blog?: I was inspired to start my blog as a new way to explore the fashion world and to give me something to do all summer!

Why did you choose Fashion as a topic?: I chose Fashion as a topic because Fashion is pretty much what interests me, and I wanted to be more involved in the fashion world.

What are you top tips on starting a Blog?: My top tips on starting a Blog are probably to be yourself, enjoy blogging, keep everything organized, and do different types of posts.

blogging tips q&a somewhere over the runway

What are your Blogging Targets for this year?: At the end of this year, I’m hoping to have a more developed blog that is very unique and different from all the other Fashion/Beauty blogs!

Who are your favourite fellow bloggers?: My favorite blogs are probably Atlantic-Pacific, your blog, Tolly Dolly Posh Fashion, of course, That’s Zoe, and Take a Lovely Look.

What trend are you most looking forward to this summer?: My favorite summer trend so far has been peplums. I don’t really think this is a trend, but I’m always obsessed with polka-dots as well!

Where’s your favourite place to grab a bargain?: My favorite place to get a bargain is definitely Forever 21! Their items are surprisingly okay quality, but they have super-cute, trendy items for a very inexpensive price.

What’s your favourite beauty product you have ever bought?: My favorite beauty product is  the Maybelline BB Cream. It’s fabulous!

blogging tips q&a somewhere over the runway

Who is your favourite beauty brand and why?: My favorite beauty brand is also Maybelline because it’s inexpensive but their makeup is good quality!

What’s your personal style and what do you do to work it?: My personal style is probably very girly or preppy but sometimes I like to wear kinda punk inspired items. (Like my Dr. Martens) It all really depends on my mood.

Make sure to check out Taylor’s blog by clicking the links:
Somewhere Over The Runway
 // Twitter // Instagram

Lots of Love… Tolly Dolly Posh xx

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Blogging Tips & Q&A With Flora Pick

By July 9, 2013 DIY & Lifestyle, Fashion

One of last month’s advertisers, Flora from Pretty Little Things To Do, to be precise is here to talk to you about her blog, fashion and all things lifestyle! Take it away Flora!
(Images courtesy of Flora Pick)

What inspired you to start your blog?: Probably reading successful blogs like ‘A Beautiful Mess’ by Elsie Larson. I saw how big something relatively easy to make could become, I think I just thought: ‘if she can do it why can’t I?’. I guess that another aspect of my inspiration was my ambition to become a journalist. It’s been my dream job for quite some time and as I’m still too young to work I wanted to come up with a way of sharing my views easily.

Screen Shot 2013-07-09 at 11.20.52

Why did you choose fashion and lifestyle?: I chose my blog to mainly focus on fashion and lifestyle because those are the kind of things that interest me and they’re already big parts of my life. Fashion is just so fun to write about because there are so many different looks, styles and opinions and it’s constantly changing.

What are your top tips for starting a blog?: I know that this is what every blogger says, but it’s important: Blog about what you love. There’s no point in forcing yourself to write about something that doesn’t interest you, you want something you can stick with. But always think: people visit their blog for a reason, what’s the reason they want to visit my blog? Their are so many blogs on the internet that it’s hard to get noticed but if you are unique people will listen. Also, have a design you love because it will draw your readers in. My final tip: Network! Make friends with other bloggers on Twitter, Facebook, Email- whatever! Most bloggers are friendly, just like you Tolly!

What are you’re blogging targets for this year?: To write posts more often- currently I’m too lazy, include more of my own photography- again, the reason I’m not doing that is my own laziness. Pay to get my blog professionally designed- I’ve found someone but just need to decide what I want and save up and learn html coding- I think it will really help me to develop my blog.

Who are your favourite fellow bloggers?: You (Tolly) obviously! You were one of the first bloggers I made proper contact with. Kat – I know Kat (distantly) in real life. She’s friends with my mum and her blog is probably one of my favourites ever. Florence – I haven’t actually made contact with Florence yet but I recently discovered her blog and I love it! Blossom – Blossom is a wonderful new blogger who is just starting out!

What trend are you most looking forward to working, this S/S 13?: Definitely belted vintage dresses, they are something that I would love to wear anyway so I’m pleased designers have put this style on the catwalks.

Where’s your favourite place to grab a bargain and why?: New Look because it’s not just good for on-trend styles but also for simple wardrobe bases. It may seem weird but I can never go into a shop without picking out a nice vest top (yeah, kind of odd) and new look just have loads of cute things like that. As I’m 12 and pretty much broke all the time I find It’s the best place to get fashions that fit my budget.

What’s your favourite piece of clothing you have ever bought?: Even though I didn’t strictly buy them myself (they were an amazing present from my mum) I’d have to say either my jack wills playsuit or leggings. I honestly don’t have many expensive clothes but the ones I do have I wear all the time. The playsuit is white and lacy and just a really cute thing to throw on on rare sunny English days. And the leggings work in loads of different ways whether it’s casual or dressy.

Who is your favourite lifestyle brand and why?: My favourite lifestyle brand is definitely Hambledon. They are a relatively small business run from a shop in Winchester very close to where I live and sell all sorts of cute stationary, make-up and (admittedly expensive, but gorgeous) fashion. I could pretty much make up my whole wish list out of stuff found in this shop. If you are down south make sure you visit it!

What’s your personal style and what do you do to work it?: I’d probably say that my personal style is a bit quirky, eclectic but a bit preppy. I love chunky knitted jumpers, shorts, and brightly coloured tights/ weird leggings. I also like to accessorise- I own a ridiculous amount of hats, and hair stuff. I love my massive- and I mean massive- red bow hairband because it goes with anything in a sort of weird way!

Follow on Twitter too!

P.S Tomorrow (July 10th) is my (TDP’s) feature in Girl Talk Magazine! I’d love if you could pick up a copy! Make sure to tweet me a picture too! Thanks guys!

Lots of Love… Tolly Dolly Posh xx

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Blogging Tips & Q&A: Sarah from Friday Is Forever

By February 21, 2013 Beauty, Fashion

My second Fashionista of February, is going to answer some questions for you today. The stunning Sarah from Friday Is Forever, will be talking about her blog and a few things about Fashion! Here we go…!

1.    What inspired you to start your Blog?: I’ve been blogging in one way or another since I was 13 – But over on LiveJournal! I joined a community years later where members used to share what we’d bought recently, and loved it! Then I started coming across blogs outside of LiveJournal and had a whole load bookmarked. Then one boring christmas eve, I just started one up on a whim, and I haven’t looked back since!

2.    Why did you choose fashion?: I guess it came naturally to me – I only really became interested in fashion around the ages of 18-19 and I’ve been finding myself since then. I’m 24 in a couple of months and I still don’t really think of myself as having a particular style – I just wear what I like, and I like to document it and see the changes!

3.    What are you top tips on starting a Blog?: I’m not sure there are any tips that I can give! I like blogs with personality though, where I can really feel like I’m getting to know the writer and can associate with them. I tend to avoid blogs that are so far out of my depth and reality , with the exception of a few.

4.    What are your Blogging Targets for this year?: I don’t really set targets. I’m a full time student so the blog is not my main focus, though you’d sometimes think it with the amount of time I spend on my blog in relation to my studies (oops)! Perhaps reaching 2,000 followers would be a good target, that’d be awesome.

5.    Who are your favourite fellow bloggers?: There are LOADS, but a few are: Sparkly Vodka, Nubby Twiglet, Jemima & Ted, Dainty Dresses, Belles Boutique & Stephanie Dreams.

6.    What trend are you most looking forward to working, this S/S 13?: Monochrome and stripes, definitely. Two of my favourite styles anyway, always have been!

7.    Where’s your favourite place to grab a bargain and why?: I have to say, Primark! Their stuff might not last forever, but every now and then theres a gem that looks like it could’ve been bought for four times the price.

8.    What’s your favourite piece of clothing, accessory etc that you have ever bought?: Probably my old yellow Karen Millen coat. I’d never previously, or since, bought anything from there but I’ll always love the bright colour and structure of this jacket. I also have an amazing military jacket from Zara with huge angled shoulder pads that seriously wouldn’t look out of place in a music video. (Image from Friday is Forever)

9.    Who is your favourite designer and why?: I don’t really have many designers who’s work I follow, but I’ll always be a lover of borderline gothic Ann Demeulemeester who really pushes the boundaries of aesthetics.

10.   What’s your personal style and what do you do to work it?: As aforementioned, I’m still not sure I really have a style! I suppose its girly, with a little bit of grunge. I’ll always be a ska kid at heart!

Thank you for those great answers Sarah! Just so you can get a feel for Sarah’s blog, here is a screenshot:

Picture 1

Are you a reader of Sarah’s Blog? Did you find this useful? Make sure to leave a comment!

(If you’re a blogger (Fashion/Beauty/Lifestyle) and you would like to answer some questions like this, make sure you Contact me. Or, click here to book your space and to advertise your blog at the same time!)

Lots of Love… Tolly Dolly Posh xx

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Q&A with Ring O’ Rosie!

By December 27, 2012 General

A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing on YouTube and found a channel which was done by, ‘just your normal girl’, and it made me realise that you don’t have to have the fancy cameras etc, you can just sit at home, and put your point across. So I got in contact with Rosie from Ring O’ Rosie & JustYourNormalGirl, and asked whether she could do some questions for anyone who was thinking of starting a blog, or YouTube channel. Now, I could’ve done this myself, but I wanted to get fellow bloggers involved so here goes…

1. What inspired you to start a YouTube Channel & Blog?: I had watched comedy videos on YouTube for a long time and then moved onto hair tutorials. I remember watching a fishtail braid video continuously until I had it perfected, from there I knew I wanted to create my own channel. When I looked at other videos I felt that I wanted to show my point of view and wanted to be part of the same community.

2. Why did you choose Fashion?: Fashion has always been a love of mine even though I’ve had some fashion disasters in my past! For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to combine a bright green velour tracksuit with a red top and not forgetting a cherry red body warmer!

3. What are your top tips on starting a YouTube Channel?: YouTube is all about fun, it shouldn’t be taken seriously, the minute you feel pressurised to make a video then it’s not enjoyable. Communicating with your subscribers is key and you can make some great friends through it. You don’t need an amazing camera to start, most people start with a webcam or bad quality (I still use a webcam). Please do not go out and buy an expensive camera before you start, its better to know you love it first before making that commitment. You may get hate comments but you will stop caring when you realise how lovely 99% of YouTube is.

4. What are you top tips on starting a Blog?:Blogging in my eyes is much harder than making videos, you have to be dedicated and put in a lot of time, something that I struggle with. Try to include photographs that you have taken yourself and take them in the morning to make the best of natural lighting.

5. What are your 2013 Blogging Targets?: For 2013 I would love to be blogging regularly, its more my challenge for over summer when I’ve finished studying though. I have followers on my blog and I feel I’m currently letting them down for being so inactive, so I’d love to surprise them with a great relaunch.

6. What’s been your favourite trend this year?: 6. Tartan is a love of mine, I’m joint at the hip with my green tartan scarf and yes I had to buy it in red aswell. Leather sleeves is also something I love, I recently brought this jacket from River Island and its my staple for this winter.

7. Where’s your favourite place to grab a bargain and why?: I love looking around charity shops and car boot sales however they require a lot of patience, in terms of high street shops New Look has alot to offer but is sometimes overlooked.

8. What’s your favourite piece of clothing, accessory etc that you have ever bought?: My disco pants from American Apparel, they are incredibly comfy and so flattering. I also love my Leigh jeans from Topshop, a massive turn around for someone who last year was against any form of trousers.

9. Who is your favourite designer and why?: From a designer point of view I would say Victor and Rolf, as they have incorporated typography into their work which is an artistic love of mine. However in terms of ready to wear fashion I take more inspiration from the way people mesh different items together, the combination of brands creating one whole look.

10. What’s your personal style and what do you do to work it?:
My style has changed a lot recently as I have grown up, I tend to go for pretty blouses instead of the egdy grunger feel I used to go for.

Thanks to Rosie for those great answers, and I hope they have answered anything you guys wanted to know! Here’s a few pictures of what she gets up to on YouTube & on her blog…

Youtube Channel: JustYourNormalGirl

Blog: Ring O’ Rosie

Watch out for more posts in 2013 which involve fellow bloggers!

Lots of Love… Tolly Dolly Posh xx

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Monday, June 6, 2016

Kalen Artinian's "The Indestructible" (2016)

By Kalen Artinian

This is a short film that was brought to my attention the other day and I am glad that I was given a chance to watch this. This takes me back to my High School days where I was not the bully or necessarily bullied, however I did witness some of the cruel things that happened to other people. Part of that is the reason I chose to work in the field where I could help troubled kids get over passed trauma and abuse.

“The Indestructible” dives right into character development and you learn a lot about the main characters in a relatively short amount of time and Kalen Artinian does a great job of telling the story about a kid that is seemingly lost in his own world while still seeing the fucked up environment he is living in. This story is about as close to reality as it explains the fucked up truth about today’s society especially in the High School setting.

You should really give this film a look and support Kalen as he progresses in his film career!


text:
You are hereGeorge Soter Memoirs (1) / What I Remember (9): Effie's View

What I Remember (9): Effie's View

Transcript of Effie Soter’s Memories
As Told to Tom Soter

Although I did not start a memoir project with my mother, Effie, she did, at times, recall her life. What follows are some of her memories. For more information on Effie, see "Not Me, Kid," at

MOMMY DEAREST, ESQ. (1997 recollection}
Q: Tell me about your mother, how you got along with her.

ES: Not so well, really. I mean, we were not friends.

Q: Why? Is that because you didn’t grow up with her, do you think?

ES: That may be one reason and the other reason was that she was not really interested in the family; she was more interested in running my father’s business, you know, having dates with lawyers and so forth. She was never home. We never saw her. And she spent her afternoons, early evenings, having beer with lawyers. And the thing to me, now that I think of it, was amazing, she hardly finished grammar school and yet she was able to do legal work—because my father had property, houses-that was the income that we grew up with, rentals and my mother was in charge because my father was gone all of the time. She was in charge of dealing with the houses; renting them, repairing them, all those things. With no education, which was amazing—she hardly finished grammar school, you know?

Q: Why do you think she was so good at it?

ES: She was smart and she liked it. She didn’t like so much housework, we had a maid and my grandmother was there when she was there. And housework, forget it, she was pretending she was always sickly, she had a stomach problem.
Mary Hartocollis, Effie's mother, in the 1950s.Mary Hartocollis, Effie's mother, in the 1950s.

Q: How did she get along with your father? They were married, was it a marriage of convenience or what was the deal? Was it arranged?

ES: I don’t know, I guess. In those days, you know, you didn’t date, it was a long time ago and she lived in Maine with my grandfather and grandmother.

Q: How did she meet your father?

ES: In Maine. He wanted to finally take a wife and they told him there was a Greek family in Maine, that’s where Xanthe was born. But I don’t think she was ever in love with him and besides, he never stayed long enough in the house in Greece. But then after they got married they came to Greece and they stayed with my grandmother, grandfather and my father decided to go back to the States. He never liked to stay in Greece. He came back and a year or so later my mother went to the States where Peter, Billy, and Stella were born. And they left me with my grandmother, grandfather. I didn’t see them for six, seven, eight years. And as a matter of fact, when I went to grammar school to enroll, my grandfather took me and they asked me my name and I gave my grandfather’s last name as my name. And my grandfather thought it was funny and interestingly, he let it go, Mandripelis instead of Hartocollis. And this went on for a year or two and then my father came and when he saw the papers (laughs)…

Q: He wasn’t happy.

ES: Oh, he went and changed it right away and I became Hartocollis instead of Mandripelis.

Q: How about in later life, you and your mother? Did you get along when you were married?

ES: Not really. I mean, I never had too much – I don’t know, respect for her. I didn’t care for her too much. My grandmother had raised me so I was more fond of my grandmother. I found my mother sort of a flirt, she loved to flirt with men and I found her sort of shallow, you know what I mean? I mean you couldn’t talk to her about anything.

Q: She was not interested in much.

ES: No, she was interested in real estate, she was interested in men, but she didn’t read. She wasn’t educated, she had just finished grammar school. I’m sure she had never gone to high school and yet she must have been intelligent, she was able to deal with lawyers, do legal work and everything, with no education. But I was never that close to her, I was close to Xanthe, her sister, who she wasn’t that much older than I was, but in any case, we were very close. And with my mother, forget it.

Q: Why do you think Xanthe was so much more interesting to you?

ES: She was closer to my age, she liked the same things I liked, you know, and she wasn’t interested in real estate the way my mother was, and men. My mother liked flirting.

Q: Sisters, yet they were so different.

ES: I don’t know, 15 years makes a big difference.

Q: Why was there such a big age discrepancy?

ES: They had other children in between. They died, all of them. There was a son who died and there were two other sisters. They were all working in factories in Maine. And then Xanthe was the last one, she was the youngest and that was the end. My mother was the oldest, there was a brother who died, there were two older sister who also died and then Xanthe was the youngest.

Q: What did the other two sisters die of?

ES: TB, I think, one and the other one probably from venereal disease or something, I don’t know. She liked men.

Q: But even when your mother was older, when she came and stayed with us at the house, you weren’t too fond of her.

ES: No, I never cared for her. I found her very shallow.

Q: What about her relationship with your father? Were they close?

ES: My father liked her very much but the only thing is they never lived long enough together, you know? They were always apart.

I REMEMBER PAPA (1985 recollection)Effie's father, with grandchildren.Effie's father, with grandchildren.
My mother-in-law was staying with us at the time and my father-in-law and so we had the dinner and my father’s there and he says, “Who cooked the meal?” I said, “I did.” “You can’t cook a meal, you lie.” I said, “I cooked the meal.” He said, “You can’t, you’ve gone to college, you can’t cook a meal. Your mother-in-law cooked it, you’re lying to me.” And I said, “Father, I cooked the meal.” He says, “No, it’s impossible. People who have gone to college cannot cook.” Another thing about my father, we were in Worchester and I decided I was going to be honest. Father objected to smoking, he didn’t like people who smoke. He gave a car to Billy to stop smoking. But I was smoking, I say, I’ll be honest with him and I’ll tell him that I’m smoking. So I said, “Father…” I didn’t say ‘dad,’ you know? “Father, I smoke.” He looked at me, he says, “What did you say?”I said, "I smoke." He said, "You lie. None of my children smoke,” and he got up and left the room. And he never accepted it, never. You know, and every time I tried to say something he says, “None of my children smoke, I don’t know what you're talking about.” In front of him I never smoked, never.

I have to tell you one more thing about my father. George and I got married, we lived in Chicago and we got married in Brooklyn. We had a big, formal wedding in Brooklyn. We got all these presents from the relatives here and friends and millions of presents. And we lived in Chicago so we couldn’t take them with us and we left them for the basement, you know, they had a private home in Brooklyn, my mother and father. We left them there and I get a letter from Stella and Stella says, “Effie, take your wedding presents real fast because they’re disappearing. They’re going away. Whenever there was a wedding, father will go down in the basement, pick up one of the presents and we’ll give it away." So I called him up and said, "Father, what are you doing?" He said, "I paid for the wedding, so I can do what I want with the presents."

Peter, Effie, and Stella, 1999Peter, Effie, and Stella, 1999ALL MY SIBLINGS (1997 recollection)
Q: What about your siblings?

ES: When Stella came here, she didn’t care for it. She said, “If you give me all the property in Greece, I’ll go back to Greece and get married there and stay there.” The other two, Peter and Bill said, “That’s silly, why should we give her the property? It belongs to all of us.” But I persuaded them, this is what Stella wanted, let her have it. We’re here in the States, we don’t need the property, let her have it. So she got everything. The house became a high rise. And then there was another house down in the country where I grew up, they sold that one, Taki did. She got the house in Athens, a beautiful house, a one-family house where we grew up and other buildings we owned. It was a lot of property and a lot of money and I didn’t get a thing.

Q: Do you regret it that Taki took all that property and just turned it into busses?

ES: Who cares? I don’t know, what can I do? If we had the property, we probably would have sold it and invested, I don’t know.

Q: How did you get along with your brothers and sisters?

ES: Fine, they liked me and I was the oldest sister, I was the smartest one. Peter and I were the smart ones; I say smart because we were number one in school, both of us. Stella and Billy were the playboys and I remember having to tutor Stella and so forth and so on because she wasn’t that good a student and Bill was worse. But Peter and I got along every well because we were interested in the same things. We liked books, we liked reading, we were not too much interested in outside life, you know? But we were very close.

Q: And how did he meet Pitsa?

ES: Well, he came here and he went to Topeka. I don’t remember now; he met her in Topeka or he met her in Greece, I don’t remember. But anyway, they were in Topeka together, and they got married.

Q: Did you get along with Pitsa?

ES: Yeah, I mean we’re not bosom friends, but fine, no problem, you know? What I know is that I found her a little hard, you know what I mean? And there was Maria, forget it, we never had anything to do with each other.

Q: How about Maria; how did Billy meet her?

ES: Bill didn’t like education. Peter and I were the ones who liked school. Bill liked sports and he liked girlfriends. So he came here, he didn’t want to go to school the way we did, go to university or anything and he started working at my father’s place. My father had a restaurant or whatever they’re called, those luncheonettes or whatever. And then when we got married, George Shoral opened a restaurant in Pittsburgh and they asked Bill if he wanted to go and run it. So he said, “Fine.” He didn’t like Brooklyn anyway, so he went to Pittsburgh to work. He became friends with George Shoral, our best man, and he stayed in Pittsburgh working there in the restaurant; he bought it, I think the restaurant was his. And he met Maria , she was the Miss Greece of Pittsburgh, a beauty contest. And he met her at some dance there and they got involved and they got married and he gave up the restaurant and went into real estate.

So, what was it like for you coming to New York after being in Chicago? Was it a big change? George told me that when you were coming to New York you were concerned because you didn’t know anyone but also you had stayed in hotels whenever you came here and you thought it would be very expensive to come to New York.

ES: Maybe. I don’t remember.

Q: Do you remember when you first came, raising the kids? When you first had Nicky, what were your experiences?

ES: Having Nicky was in Chicago and it was all right, I don’t remember any difficulty. And then here we had a maid.

Q: You had all the different maids, right? I remember we had a maid named Mary. Effie and Anthe.Effie and Anthe.

ES: Yeah, right.

Q: And then your friends here, you knew Bunny and Irma; did you know them from the park or how did you know them?

ES: From the park. We met in the park and then when George thought of opening Greek Island, Bunny was involved. She had money and she loved everything Greek, you know? She liked Greek things. And so she became a partner. George hated her, he couldn’t stand her. Even today he never wants to talk about her. And anyway, that’s when we got Irma working for us. During the day I was doing the books, the paperwork. And Bunny was very active but she and George couldn’t see eye to eye in a lot of things, couldn’t get along.

Q: In what, the way the business was run?

ES: Yeah, everything, everything.

Q: But George doesn’t like working with a partner, does he?

ES: Apparently.

Q: He likes to be the one to call the shots. Well, how about with Joe LaRosa?

ES: I think that Joe LeRosa asked for a lot of money when he quit, he sold his share of Greek Island and that upset George. And it wasn’t fair, really, under the circumstances. He did get a lot of money.

Q: Where did you find Mrs. Theodore?

ES: Anthe. Because Mrs. Theodore was married to a Greek. Anthe is the one who introduced Mrs. Theodore to us, so she was very nice.

Q: How did you know Anthe, where did you meet her?Stella, 1955Stella, 1955

ES: Through Stella. Stella and she were at school together in Greece, in grammar school and high school. And then Anthe came here and went to an institute called the Polytechnic Institute to be a civil engineer, and married Teni and stayed here. Anthe’s brother was a very, very close friend of my brother, Peter. He was a lawyer and they were friends. I don’t know what happened, he's still alive, but they used to see each other more. Anthe was always bossy and so forth, but they were friends. Then when we came here, we revived through Stella, I think, the friendship. And she used to come with Teni to take you out, the boys—you and Nicky—out for walks and to the park and so on and so forth. Teni was very fond of children. The only thing is I have to laugh, you know, one time Anthe called me at the office, at work. She was talking about Teni and said he wasn’t very attentive and so forth and then she told me something that I’ll never forget, she said that she never had sex with Teni.

Q: Why didn’t she?

ES: Because she wanted to be like brother and sister, she didn’t want sex. And never slept with him She said, “Let’s be like brother and sister.” And then she had this cousin, her second, third cousin had married this woman and they had two daughters, two children and Anthe and Teni used to take the kids, the girls everywhere. And then as they grew older, of course, Teni got involved with the oldest one. And I remember it was very funny, her mother called me, her mother, the girl’s mother, Rita. Rita was a friend of my mother’s. So she called me and she said, “Did you hear the news? My daughter’s involved with Teni. What would you do if this happened to your daughter?” I said, “I’d jump out the window.” (laughs). My advice to her. Never talked to her again.

Q: Then he got her pregnant.

ES: Right. Rita had married Anthe’s cousin and they had those two girls and since she had no children, they used to take them out, they used to bring them to the house too, Riverside Drive and take them for walks and everything. And then he got involved with the older one and Anthe called me and she said, “You know, I think he has the girl in a house in New Jersey, as a mistress.” He rented a house, she lived there, she left school or whatever she was doing. Anyway, and then they went to South America to get married. And he got a divorce, Anthe finally gave him a divorce. The only way she would give him a divorce, if he signed everything to her. So this house that she has in was theirs, was Teni’s. He signed it over to her and everything they had, all the property in Greece and everything, he signed over to her so that he could marry the girl. Now Anthe says that she has signed the house to his sons—she has no children anyway, she never got married again.

Q: But George didn’t keep up very many of his close friends after he got married, right?

ES: We moved from Chicago so all these people from the University of Chicago went to various places; we couldn’t see them so we had to make new friends when we came here.

Q: And most of the friends came through work? You met Carol through work.

ES: Yeah, or through the park, when I went to the park. Like Bunny, for instance, we met each other when we were at the park together, with children playing. And then Philippe Chang, I met his mother, Denise, there and I felt sorry for her. She had all these kids and no husband, really. I used to bring Phiippe home because I felt sorry for her; she had to go home to a messy house. We had a maid but she didn’t. A messy, small house, so I said, "I'll take Philipe and I’ll send him home around six."

Q: Do you remember the apartment at 420 Riverside Drive?

ES: Um-hmm.

Living room at 404 Riverside Drive.Living room at 404 Riverside Drive.Q: What did you think when George wanted to move?

ES: Well, we needed more space, we thought, because his mother and father were coming.

Q: That’s when you moved from the first floor to the seventh floor. Because his mother and father died… We moved to 404 in 1966.

ES: And they died…

Q: They died before that. You moved from the first floor, that was small, to the seventh floor, 7C.

ES: The larger place. And then we moved to 404. It was an improvement, too; it was supposed to be one of the nicest buildings in the area. And the thing to me that was still fascinating is that we were the second tenants from 1909 or something, you know? In that apartment, that is.


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gambling on your good luck

good bones project update:

Remodeling a house has all the thrills for me that many people get from a trip to Las Vegas.

The first time I walked by this backdoor (before I owned it), I was sure that behind this piece of plywood was a perfectly good door.  I can't explain it, I just knew.  I could imagine a number of scenarios for why it was there.  Dog scratches because some poor pooch had been locked on the back porch and bored out of its mind showed its frustration.   A domestic dispute when some meat-head tried kicking down the door and failed.  A burglar perhaps.  As far as the door is concerned, the worst case scenario would be cracks in the lower panels which looked perfectly fine from the other side.

One day, even though it's the backdoor and low on the priority list while there are a million other things to scrape, patch, and paint, I had a head of demolition steam going and walked by it.  In my best Dirty Harry impersonation, I wielded a crow-bar and asked myself if I was feeling lucky.

Well, do ya punk?

Damn straight!

It looks to me like the door had a slender kick guard at one point.  There are some shallow grooves along one part of the door under the knob, probably from the adhesive of the kick guard.  The panels have splitting paint and lots of dirt, but otherwise look great.  Yay!

It's a small thing, but these are exactly the kind of gambles you take when you buy an old house.  You look over the surface and guess that whatever is underneath is something you can handle - you can patch, paint over or replace. And whatever it is, hopefully it's something you can afford - physically, mentally and financially.  Happily, I cashed out on this one.

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Top Necessity Of Money Quotes

Browse top 20 famous quotes and sayings about Necessity Of Money by most favorite authors.

Favorite Necessity Of Money Quotes

1. "Isn't it crazy? Rich people in the United States don't even know how to use money properly."
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
2. "Acting is the easiest money you'll ever make in your life, and directing is probably the hardest money."
Author: Charles S. Dutton
3. "To get rich, you have to be making money while you're asleep."
Author: David Bailey
4. "It affects every aspect of our lives, is often said to be the root of all evil, and the analysis of the world that it makes possible - what we call 'the economy' - is so important to us that economists have become the high priests of our society. Yet, oddly, there is absolutely no consensus among economists about what money really is."
Author: David Graeber
5. "The hidden economy [is] fed not by money and greed but by love, pure and simple. You see the best and truly golden opportunities do not arise to benefit oneself, but in order to benefit others."
Author: Etienne De L'Amour
6. "He was a successful general because he knew men. He knew that all men will go to hell over three things: alcohol, money . . . and sex. This fellow apparently hadn't. Better for him if he had!"
Author: Ford Madox Ford
7. "When I see people laughing at ideas and companies we have backed, I smile. It means we are going to make a lot of money on that investment."
Author: Fred Wilson
8. "The necessity arising from a want of specie is represented as greater than it really is. I contend that it is by the substance, not the shadow of a thing, we are to be benefited. The wisdom of man, in my humble opinion, cannot at this time devise a plan by which the credit of paper money would be long supported; consequently, depreciation keeps pace with the quantity of the emission, and articles for which it is exchanged rise in a greater ratio than the sinking value of the money. Wherein, then, is the farmer, the planter, the artisan benefited? An evil equally great is the door it immediately opens for speculation, by which the least designing and perhaps most valuable part of the community are preyed upon by the more knowing and crafty speculators."
Author: G. Edward Griffin
9. "People get old, get sick and die. Or they die suddenly. Or their deaths drag on forever. My friend Tory is dying a slow, excruciatingly painful death of bone cancer. Eight friends have died of breast cancer. Polar bears are dying. Honeybees are vanishing. The oceans are drying up. There is a part of me that wants my money back. That wants to say, 'I didn't sign up for this. I don't like the way this whole thing is set up and I won't participate in it."
Author: Geneen Roth
10. "Men have become the tools of their tools. Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul. Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind."
Author: Henry David Thoreau
11. "These fond parents were not blind to the value of education it was that they realized only its external value. That is to say, they could not look beyond the fact that education enabled folk to get on in the world so far as the acquisition of rank, crosses, and money was concerned.Certain evil rumours had arisen regarding the necessity of learning not only one's letters, but also various branches of science which until now had remained unknown to the world of Oblomovka; but, as I say, the good folk of that place had only the dimmest, the remotest, comprehension of any internal demand for education, and therefore desired to secure for their little Ilya only certain showy advantages, and no more--to wit, a fine uniform, and the getting of him into the Civil Service (his mother even foresaw him become a provincial governor!)."
Author: Ivan Goncharov
12. "The highest pay cheque my mother ever received funded the building of a nursery school in Shepherd's Bush - the school cost well over three times the money she donated to the making of the film 'The Palestinian.' Unsurprisingly this always goes unmentioned in the press."
Author: Joely Richardson
13. "I really did go back to Dresden with Guggenheim money (God love it) in 1967. It looked a lot like Dayton, Ohio, more open spaces than Dayton has."
Author: Kurt Vonnegut
14. "We didn't have a whole lot of money when I was growing up either. I would always ask for magic books or magic tricks for my birthday or for Christmas and the rest of the year I either had to mow lawns or find part time jobs to help supplement the cost of doing magic."
Author: Lance Burton
15. "Seems like it's going to be really hard to make money at it, and, therefore, really hard to get any great games done. Much like Flash games, the audience is huge, but the content isn't likely to be good enough to have people pay for it."
Author: Mike Wilson
16. "She hated to admit that money was the most serious difficulty. Knowing full well that it was important, she nevertheless rebelled at the unalterable truth that it could influence her actions, block her desires. A sordid necessity to be grappled with."
Author: Nella Larsen
17. "My dear," said my mother suddenly, "take the money and run on. I am going to faint." This was certainly the end for us both, I thought. How I cursed the cowardice of the neigbors; how I blamed my poor mother for her honesty and her greed, for her past foolhardiness and present weakness! We were just at the little bridge, by good fortune, and I helped her, tottering as she was, to the edge of the bank, where, sure enough, she gave a sigh and fell on my shoulder. I do not know how I found the strength to do it all, and I am afraid it was roughly done, but I managed to drag her down to the bank and a little way under the arch. Farther I could not mover her, for the bridge was too low to let me do more than crawl below it. So there we had to stay--my mother almost entirely visible and both of us within earshot of the inn."
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
18. "We all have choices. (Astrid)No we don't, princess. Only people with money and influence have choices. For the rest of us, basic necessity dictates what we have to do to survive. (Zarek)"
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
19. "I just can't get excited about money as a motivation in a film. It leaves me cold."
Author: Simon Beaufoy
20. "We're very near a certain point where money doesn't mean anything... They say: How much money is this going to cost? This is really a totally meaningless concept. Money determines less and less our reality. Money is not constant factor, it's simply a process dependent entirely on acceptance for its existence. We already see situations without money, and I think that we're coming closer and closer to it."
Author: William S. Burroughs

Necessity Of Money Quotes Pictures

Quotes About Necessity Of Money
Quotes About Necessity Of Money
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Today's Quote

The man can neither man, nor retain, one moment of time; it all comes to him by pure gift; he might as well regard the sun and moon as his chattels."
Author: C.S. Lewis

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Do you know that feeling of being watched? That feeling when you’re completely alone, but you’re afraid to turn around?
Only you and the familiar clang of the air conditioner turning on are present in your room from night to agonizing night… But you can simply sense something is there?
It seems as though only yesterday your mother and father would check your closet for monsters and assure you that the Boogeyman was not beneath your mattress. But sometimes… Sometimes it feels as though such creature can actually exist. As if you were to look into your closet, something would jump out at you, or if your feet overhung your bed, something may claw at your ankles.
But all of that is just your imagination. Right? Nothing of such horrors truly exists. It’s all in the movies. You really mustn’t let your mind wander, for there are dark places of the mind that should be left unexplored. But… There always is a possibility, isn’t there? Who’s to say no one is to spring from your closet once you shut your door for the night? Who’s to say you won’t hear that faithful whisper in your sleep before being plunged into a world of red?
The fact of the matter is: No one really knows.
Such things happen.
It’s November now. November 1st. It’s exactly two days, five minutes, and 48 seconds since my sister has died. HE told me to keep track. I must not disobey. You, reader, must know that fear in it’s purest state really does exist, and once uncovered, it can only be relived over… and over… and over…
But I must get back to the point. You see, it was not always this way.
Mom and dad weren’t always so angry. Sister was still alive.
And I never used to shake this badly.
HE’S coming for me, so I must write this quickly. I haven’t more than a day left, but you must know what happened.
My time may be cut short, for HE told me not to tell. HE made me lie and say that I did in fact see the imaginary man that indeed was HIM creep through our backyard, break the glass that HE had scratched through, and how the imaginary man that was HE did in fact kill my sister.
If I had known HE’D come for me only three days later, maybe I would not have lied to the reporters. If they had seen what HE did to her, they’d have to believe such a crazy thing! No killer tears out their victim’s throat with their bare hands. But… HIS voice… The shrill, quick whisper HE spoke in chills my bones to this very moment.
“Shhh…” HE’D speak in a tainted tone, a mumbled stutter, but still all the most haunting. “D-D-D-on’t t-tell…” and with his featureless face with none other than a smirk on his lipless, pencil scratched mouth, HE raised HIS curved, bony finger topped with a near foot long claw to HIS mouth, and wiped away my sister’s blood.
Three days. That’s how long it took for HIM to find us. Only three days. It was innocent! We never meant to find him!
Such things happen.
Sister and I were only taking a walk, just like usual. When we heard the oddest of crunching noises, we just had to investigate! It was far too uncommon to see an animal of any decent size in these woods to miss an opportunity like that!
But what we found was much more… extreme… than any animal we could have imagined. We should have never gone off the trail that day.
Sister and I, we would have never seen HIM. I knew something was wrong when my heart began to race. I knew something was wrong when the water of the creek we followed turned a tint of red. My heart is beating fast now. It’s thumping harder than three days ago when we saw HIM hunched over the girl HE had captured.
Sister and I stumbled backwards in shock and utter disbelief.
First thought: This is not happening.
Second though: Maybe it didn’t see us.
Both my thoughts were suddenly disproved as the creature I now know as HIM, slowly turned HIS head to us. And began crawling towards us. Sister and I were both paralyzed in this impossible grip of fear, unable to move anymore than the quick glance we exchanged which I was certain would be our last. HE looked… Smooth. No features, nor clothes on HIS body. HE walked in a jolted, uneven motion on all fours, using the back of HIS hands, where HIS wrists touched the ground, instead of palms to support HIMSELF. HIS claws of one hand were twisted in the dead girl’s hair tightly, making her neck bend at an unnatural angle. The unbearable stench of death filled my lungs.
HE moved right to my sister, that same lipless grin stretched across HIS blank face, and raised a single set of claws. Too petrified to do anything, I sat in agonizing disbelief as HE began to stroke my sister’s hair slowly, nearly getting HIS claws stuck in between strands. HE spoke to me the first time in the same muttering, aching whisper HE did three days later, when the girl in HIS rust color claws was my sister’s long, blond, beautiful hair…
“S-Sh-Shhh… D-D-Don’t t-tell…” And with that, HE dragged away the limp, lifeless body of the girl, and my sister cried. Oh well…
Such things happen.
We didn’t tell anyone what had happened that night. We just… couldn’t disobey HIM. Mom and dad screamed at each other that night. I don’t know why, for it was so rare of them to fight. They screamed at each other every night since we saw HIM. Even after sister died. Last night… heh… last night, Dad pushed Mom down the stairs. They were… talking… no, arguing… about sister.
The police never found sister’s body.
HE took it. Now I realize that my sister lays next to the dead girl we had seen HIM take in the forest three days ago.
Or… What is left of her, that is.
The past two nights, I’ve awoken abruptly between the early hours of two and four a.m. My disturbance of sleep is unknown why, but… What I awoke to every time shook me worst than the last.
The first night it was nothing more than the hint of a voice from the back of my mind. I brushed it off quickly, and attempted to fall back asleep. The voice in the back of my head grew louder and more and more distinct. It was the voice of HIM. HE was… Saying… something. It was muttered and distorted and not comprehendible, but somehow… I knew the words HE spoke meant something. I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night.
The next night was no different. I awoke unexpectedly and with the same discord whisper deep within my ears. Only one thing had changed. The skin on my ankle had been completely torn open, a sloppy “W” etched into my flesh. My sheets around my feet were soaked in blood, and the familiar reek of death filled my room. The whispering had grown louder, words becoming more clear, and I could pick out a few “The”’s. Only then did it occur to me now what sister had bags around her eyes. Only then did it occur to me why she had a bandage wrapped around her ankle, and had blamed it on a “simple sprain.”
HE marked her.
And I was next.
I’m running out of time. I have less than an hour left before the exact minute three days ago my sister was killed. I know I’m next, I can already hear faint hints of HIM scratching at my window.
My screen just torn a little.
The whispering is coming back again. I… I can hear it clearly now. “THE WHISPERER”, it mutters. It makes sense now. I know what HE is called now.
Heh… Dearest reader…
Lock your windows at night. Don’t let your feet hang of the edge of your bed.
And do not go into the woods.
THE WHISPERER will find you. For now you know what fear truly is.


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Saturday, May 21, 2005

Deceptive Art

WARNING: This blog entry was imported from my old blog on (which used different blogging software), so formatting and links may not be correct.

NetBeans logo on a T-shirt
Check out the image on the T-shirt on the right (I snagged it from
Lukas' blog).
The T-shirt is for their NetBeans 4.1 release party. Look closely at the logo - they've constructed
"4.1" using little NetBeans cubes. But look closer - the "4" is an impossible geometric construction!

I've been reading an interesting book lately:

Masters of Deception
by Al Seckel.

Well reading is the wrong term - it's really an art compilation with page upon page of reproductions
of famous "deceptive" art by artists like Escher and many I had never heard of.
I was amazed by the breadth of creativity in this area.

One really interesting image he included is a painting by Sandro Del-Prete.
This image has the property that the interpretation of the contents really
depends upon your experience (which is probably true for most pictures, but more so here).
I've reproduced only a small fragment of it - click on the small image on the left to see the real image.
Nearly all kids who see the picture see dolphins. Most adults see, well, something else...
From the book:

This image was displayed in an illusion exhibit gallery at the Museum of Science in Boston. When asked if there was any controversy about displaying this image, the curators replied that once a group of nuns had objected, but had quickly silenced when told that one's perception is based upon past experience.

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Patton Oswalt 2016Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor, known for roles such as Spencer Olchin in the sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy in the film Ratatouille and playing multiple identical brothers on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Oswalt was born January 27, 1969, in Portsmouth, Virginia, to Carla (née Runfola) and Larry J. Oswalt, a career United States Marine Corps officer.

He was named after General George S. Patton. He has one younger brother, Matt Oswalt, a comedy writer best known for the YouTube web series Puddin’. While he was a military brat, his family later lived in Ohio and Tustin, California, before settling in Sterling, Virginia.

Patton Oswalt Tickets 2016 & Dates


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Cruise ship passenger dies after falling from ship’s balcony

Posted on July 3, 2013 • Filed under: Caribbean, Cruises, Tourist Dies

According to, during a seven-day Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Magic, 39-year-old, Chris Carter, accidentally fell from his cabin balcony and landed on an open deck area three decks below. Tragically, the guest died on Tuesday morning. According to witnesses who were on the balcony with him at the time, the guest was sitting on the balcony railing and accidentally fell. Read article

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European air traffic controllers postpone strike scheduled for October 10, 13′

Posted on October 4, 2013 • Filed under: Europe, Travel Aviation

(EFE). – The European air traffic controllers have postponed sector strike scheduled for October 10 to protest against the measures proposed by the European Commission (EC), which it claims will lead to the loss of 10,000 jobs, reported the European agency Eurocontrol. Read Article

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Thick Indonesian haze moves into southern Thailand

Posted on June 25, 2013 • Filed under: Thailand, Tourist Warning, Travel News

Xinhua news reports that heavy haze from Indonesia, which has already expanded to Singapore and Malaysia, is now across Thailand’s southernmost part, affecting the daily lives of local residents, Thai News Agency reported on Tuesday. The smog-seasonal atmospheric pollution, caused by the burning of large-scale rice fields and forests in Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, has caused very low visibility of only 300-400 meters in Thailand’s southernmost Narathiwat province. Read article

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Vietnam: Tourism officials to confront rampant tourist scamming

Posted on June 7, 2013 • Filed under: Tourist Scam, Vietnam

According to, Tourist-support centres and tourist police may be needed to prevent tourists from being overcharged, robbed and swindled by local services. A proposal to this effect was made yesterday by tourism experts nationwide who said the scams were the main reason for a decline in foreign tourists. Le Thanh Dung, deputy chairman of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province said the prices of services at hotels and restaurants had risen unreasonably. And, he said, more tourists were becoming the victims of swindling. Read article

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text: BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Tracey Segarra - ECPv4.4.5//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Tracey Segarra X-ORIGINAL-URL: X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Tracey Segarra BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC+0:20170708T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC+0:20170708T210000 DTSTAMP:20171213T110239 CREATED:20170531T182750Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170531T182750Z SUMMARY:"Now You're Talking" presents - Celebrations! DESCRIPTION:Break out the confetti\, alert the media – we are celebrating the one-year anniversary of this groundbreaking live storytelling show featuring true stories told by ordinary people. And what better way to honor the occasion than with six compelling\, hilarious true tales ripped from the memorable celebrations in our storytellers' lives. The bookstore only accommodates 50 people so reserve your seat early. Admission is free\, but generous tipping ($20 recommended) for the storytellers is encouraged! URL: END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR


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Friday, May 27, 2011

Kabocha Soup

I notice many soup recipes instruct us to cook the ingredients for awhile, transfer to a blender to make the soup smooth, then return to a pot on the stove to heat.  I had an idea: why not blend all the ingredients together, then simply heat and serve?  This soup involves roasting the squash first, but then the soup comes together very quickly.

If you can't find kabocha, butternut squash will substitute just fine.  The two have a similar flavor and texture.  This soup is velvety smooth, and the peanuts, if used, add a nice crunchy contrast.

Kabocha Soup

1 kabocha squash, about 2 pounds
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons reduced fat peanut butter
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder, or more if desired
Dry roasted peanuts for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Poke holes with knife all over squash and place on foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake one hour and ten minutes or until knife inserts easily into squash.  Set aside until cool enough to handle, then scoop flesh into blender and discard skin.

Add all remaining ingredients except peanuts to blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into large saucepan and place over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with peanuts, if desired.  Makes 3 1/2 cups or 4 servings, each about 3/4 cup with 1 point plus.

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Friday, October 30, 2009

Heaven's to Betsey...

Oh my, this one's a doozy. Katie suggested that I take on Betsey Johnson this week for Frugal Friday. I love Betsey's style, but putting together an outfit was harder than I anticipated. And at over $500 (I think...I had a hard time tracking down prices), her outfit is certainly on the pricey side. All I can say is Betsey, you've got some crazy looks going on. I think her stuff is better taken one at a time than all at once. (Blue tights and red shoes? Very Superman!) I'm afraid it's a TOTC fashion fail. But hey, at least I found a $3 belt!

The scoop:

And since I'm a glutton for punishment, I tried again. What do you think...any better?

More stuff:

1 comment:

Katie said...

Tracy, I think you did a great job. Betsey is one tough designer to "knockoff" (so to speak). I really like the first outfit, actually....

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The EPGAP Project

The Income Project (International Service)

The aim of the project is to try improve the income of local crafts communities in the Bolgatanga area, who are disadvantaged and sometimes disabled, and who in many cases earn only a pittance from what they make. The main communities that we deal with are Vea, Zaare, Yikene, Yebongo and Sumbrungu. These groups are predominantly but not exclusively basket weavers. Other groups include smock makers and jewellery makers. We organise and provide various forms of training; including product diversification, capacity building, business skills and other various forms of support. The training in particular helps the artisans diversify their products and gives them the skills to pass on the other generations. Providing the beneficiaries with business acumen helps them to market their products to the best of their ability and boost their sales. We also educate the craftspeople about Fair Trade, giving them the knowledge to to enable them to get the best deals for themselves.

We also organise the Bolgatanga International Crafts and Arts Festival (BICAF), which we created back in 2013. This is an opportunity for the artisans in the surrounding areas, including beneficiaries of the Income project, to showcase their work. It aims to expand the outreach of their products, not only to increase their sales throughout BICAF but also hopefully create returning customer’s. Previously vendors have included smock makers, basket weavers, leather workers, painters and jewellery makers, amongst other things. It is also our responsibility to promote the festival; through flyers, social media, adverts, trailers and radio, as well as encouraging vendors to attend. We are also responsible for preparing the small details and ensuring that everything runs smoothly.


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Home » Blogs & News » Crafts » DIY Liberty Luminaries

DIY Liberty Luminaries

DIY Liberty Luminaries
Category: Crafts
Author Name:
Views: 31784
Synopsis: This easy, beautiful craft will come together in MINUTES and look beautiful for years to come.

It is that time of year again! The time for cookouts, big exploding fireworks, and (of course!) celebrating our beautiful nation. Fourth of July is not like Christmas. You can't find decorations in every store you walk in or music blaring for 3 months surrounding the holiday. It just isn't as easy or as big of a deal as some of the other holidays, but our nation is no less important.

My husband is a soldier and every day I am grateful for our nation and the men and women that help make it what it is today. Our country is making great strides, and as always, I am proud to be an American. This is why I decided that I wanted to do a great craft that I could bring out year-after-year without breaking the bank. Alas, luminaries came to mind! I don't know if you remember, but I did a really fun Halloween Luminary a few years ago...and it was wildly popular. I posted to a few different blogs, had it on Pinterest (over 5,000 repins), and just this blog showing how it is made has over 14,000 views. I wanted to do something similar, but for the Fourth of July- and easier!

Voila! Look at how cute they turned out, I just love them! Now that you are inspired to do this yourself, (if you have 15-30 minutes free) let me tell you what you need and how to accomplish it!

What you'll need:

  • Decals from Trading Phrases! I made THIS design. I chose our Scarlet Red #31 for the stripes, Dusk Blue #51 for thestars, and also White #10 for some more stars. You can view all of our colors HERE
  • Mason Jars. I purchased mine a year ago from Walmart, but you can find them all over.
  • Tea lights. Regular ones will work, I used those last time, but last year I found electronic ones at Costco. I couldn't pass them up, so that is what I am using.
  • Scissors.
  • Optional: Frost spray paint that I found at Lowe's. Home Depot should also have it.

How to make your own

  1. Collect all of your materials together and cut apart your decals.
  2. Plan out how you'd like them to look. I was actually going to do this project three ways: regular decals on the jars, frosted, and also painted with decals removed (like a stencil). Unfortunately, my third method didn't pan out and I had to wash the jars and scrap that idea. I ended up with regular jars and frosted jars. Honestly, if I were to do it again...I'd still probably do both. I like the way they aren't all the same.
  3. Now to actually make them.... apply your decals how you'd like on the jars. For the stripes, I applied three stripes to each jar starting at the center and then wrapping it both ways to meet at the ends. These were the most tricky because I'm a little bit of a perfectionist. For the stars, simply scatter them how they look best to you and apply. I applied them one at a time for convenience. If you are just applying decals you are now DONE! Just add your tea lights and enjoy your handiwork!

4. OPTIONAL: Frosted glass. If you like the frosted look, you may now take the jars you'd like frosted and put them into the box the jars all came in (this is to keep the spray from getting anywhere but the jars). Then, spray all around the jars and make sure it is all covered. I coated the jars 2-3 times.  Let them dry and you are done!

5. Add your tea-lights and wait for the sun to go down. Another option is to put them in dark rooms in your house. I photographed ours in the bathroom (I was too excited to wait) and they are really eye-catching. They put off beautiful shadows!

What do you think? I love that you can take it out every year or even peel up the decals and do something different with your jars for the next month! Another girl at the office recommended putting glitter or stars inside the jars too for a really festive look!

About the Author

Samantha Vargo

Samantha is a lady of many talents. When not playing with fun fonts and designs at Trading Phrases she enjoys the outdoors immensely- with her husband, their  6 year old daughter, 1 year old son, & 7 year old Siberian Husky go on many adventures hiking, kayaking and exploring what they can in Ohio. She also loves pizza.

Related Items

DIY Stars Decal Pack
DIY Stars Decal Pack

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Copyright © 2008-2017 Trading Phrases


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Welcome to my blog Traditional WoodWorks

The purpose of this blog is to provide a resource tool for traditional woodworking practices, projects, tips and tricks.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Updated Stanley 45 list

Here is my updated picture with the addition of my new, old, irons.

"Measure your output in smiles per board foot"

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Bungendore Bridle Trail, Wungong Park

This 3.2km bridle trail in Bungendore Park leads through an area of natural Jarrah-Marri bushland. This park has a wide variety of flora and fauna, including endangered species of cockatoo, including Baudin’s, Forest Red-Tailed Black, and Carnaby’s.

 About the Trail |  Need to Know

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Bungendore Bridle Trail

Bungendore Bridle Trail

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Tag Archives: instantpot

Tuscan White Bean Stew

This is a hearty and tasty dish sure to please a wide variety of eaters.  The flavours aren’t too bold but it’s definitely not bland.

This is going to be my lunch for the week.  I’ve continued to eat like a nutritarian but being an emotional eater and a food addict I slowly put on some pounds over the years and was struggling to get rid of them.  I discovered Bright Line Eating and after doing that for a little over two months I’ve lost a nice amount of weight and am feeling very much in control of my eating.

My success has been in planning and prepping my meals for the week and not deviating from the plan.  This has kept me sane and I easily turn down anything that’s not my food because it’s not on my plan.  I know it sounds too good to be true but that’s how my brain works and I don’t need any willpower most of the time…it’s automatic.

I hope you enjoy this recipe if you try it.  To keep the stove free while making other food for me and the family I made this one in the instant pot.

Tuscan White Bean Stew

2 onions, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1.5 tsp rosemary

1.5 tsp basil

2 bay leaves

2 cubes salt free veggie bouillon

1 large can diced tomatos

3 cans white beans, drained

2 zucchinis, chopped and steamed

1 lb fresh spinach
Set the saute setting on the instant pot to low. Add the onions, carrots, peppers and celery and sautee with water until tender. Throw everything else into the pot except the zucchini and spinach.
Close the instantpot and set to chili/beans and adjust cooking time to 15 minutes. After the pot stops, let sit for 10 mins then release the pressure.
Add in the zucchini and the spinach and stir to combine well.


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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Poll Results: Inconclusive

Last week, I tried an experiment. Victorysabre, a stalwart member of the Transformers Club, tried to do a poll asking about what type of toy/character the club ought to do for their next exclusive. Unfortunately, the poll only allowed people one, and only one, choice among eleven different options. With so many choices available, so many of which seemed very similar to each other, this could hardly hope to yield a meaningful result. Having admitted this inadequacy in the first attempt, I thought I might try the same poll over here, where I would be able to allow members to choose more than one choice if they wanted to. I left a link to this new version in the thread containing the original poll, hoping that interested members would give it a look.

Unfortunately, my results are no more meaningful than the original version.

There are several possible reasons for this. One is that the thread containing the poll was moved from the forum in which it was originally created to the "Feedback" forum on the club site. This is actually where such a thread should go, but it doesn't get quite as many members to visit it (at least, anecdotally speaking). The thread was also "stickied," which is to say that it was given a mark to ensure that it would remain at the top of that forum. This is actually intended to ensure that the thread isn't lost, but it's my feeling that it has the exact opposite effect. I know that I tend to ignore stickied threads, mostly because they stay at the top long after any new information has been added which would make them relevant. It may also be that the original thread had simply run its course, and no one cared about my continued attempt.

In any event, there are only 4 responses (hardly a representative sampling), and all but four of the elevent choices got exactly one click. Of those four, two got two clicks, and two got no clicks.

There's simply not much I can report on the basis of such information, except perhaps that polls are perhaps not a productive endeavor for this blog at the moment. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on what might be more useful, please feel free to share them by clicking the "comments" link.

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Tuesday, September 25, 2007

A photo selection for you:)

At long last I'm getting around to putting up some photos from my trip to Prague. As the weather would always seem to have it, there were buckets of rain coming down today, but I still persevered and drug my computer to school hidden in a plastic bag so it wouldn't get wet. I had it in it's case as well, but it just didn't seem quite secure enough for me. Well, without further ado, let me get along to the photos:

These first few photos are all pictures around Old town in Prague. The first is of a church or something, in one of the squares, the next one is of Wenceslas Square. I thought that one was really cool. There were a bunch of emo kids sitting around the base of the statue of Wenceslas. They're taking over the world...Then there are couple with the Charles Bridge.
And here are some pictures of my main distractions for the Prague Reality Czech weekend! How cute are they!

As you can see, Jack and I were pals!

It was sad to have to leave everyone, but it was really nice to hang out. Here are Joseph, Crystal and I enjoying a ride on public transport in Prague:

Life does continue to go on in our nice sleepy little town of Cheb. Last weekend our friends Che and Crystal came over for the afternoon and we went hiking on Zelena Hora (Green Hill). There is a watchtower on top of the hill that gives a view of Cheb and the surrounding areas. From one side you can look over into Germany as well. It was pretty cool to hang out up there.

When we were hiking up to the tower I also found an old German Cemetery. I always enjoy checking out cemeteries and this one was very nice and simple:

And now I'll leave you with one last photo that I found to be particularly profound...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What fun pix, Sarah. And the commentary that went with them was fun, too. Take care. Love ya. Jan


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Monday, February 6, 2012

Publishing 101

Well, I had planned a nice blog with pictures, talking about the family trips over the weekend, but the computer that contains said photos, has decided it doesn't want to connect with the internet. In this era of technology, it would be so nice if all forms decided to work equally. Instead, they seem content to each have their own peculiarities and refusals. Therefore, I am picture free at the moment, and words will have to suffice.

The topic heaviest on my mind at the moment, is clearly publication. I'm trying to do my research and decide which option is the best, but it's a tricky sort of thing. This is largely due to the fact that:
1) I love "real" books that you can hold in your hands and feel and smell. Sure, it's nice to have the ease of carrying all your books in one place, and being able to still highlight, underline, leave notes, etc. it just isn't the same as having a paper copy.
2) I like having my hand held. It's nice having someone to take care of things. I would love to put my book/books out there, and know that they are in capable hands that understand the system and will see to it that it/they are run through all the proper circles. I realize this is a fairy tale approach, and until you actually achieve success the publishing companies don't go out of their way to take care of you even if they do agree to put your words in print, but things like taxes self promotion and paying taxes always scare me.
3) There is still a part of me that says self-publishing is a cop out. Anyone can self publish. And I have read the results of that truth. They aren't pretty. There is a stigma there, and it's hard for me to get around it.

So, while it seems that the fastest, most efficient, and most likely way to turn a profit is to self-publish, I'm still sitting here and twidling my thumbs. I've found numerous sites that can make this sort of publication a reality quickly. The one my husby set before me today has some initial fees, but the writer recieves 100% returns. That sounds pretty good to me, and the fees are not unreasonable. They provide the option of buying a print set as well, and have various helpful tools available at a decent price. Other sites allow you to do all the publishing elements for free (naturally providing extra services for sale) but they take a small cut of the returns.

I'm also torn on the topic of self-promotion. My blog, which I do adore, has a fairly microscopic readership. According to the "official following," I can only claim ten, and when I check where my stats come from, they're connected to sites that look pretty bogus if you ask me. So how do I take what little I have, and turn it into a fan club that will actually buy my books and bring me a profit? The topic of "twitter" has come up as well. I'm still having trouble figuring out the exact point of "tweeting." And again, how do you get people to read what you have to say if they don't know you? That's the big mystery. While all the people who follow me on Instagram think my photos are lovely, they're all people I know. I use facebook as a place to keep up with family and friends. I haven't the foggiest idea how to turn it into an actual social network that allows for business opportunities. Clearly, marketing has never been my strong point. That's part of the reason I finished my university education and got a job working in a lumber mill. Yup, I've got lots of life experiences, but how do I get people to care?

Oh the dilemmas. If anyone out there has thoughts, input, advice, a willingness to open up some dialogue, I would be more than grateful for comments and things to consider. Thanks.

1 comment:

John Weirick said...

Thanks for sharing. Also, thanks for visiting my page [] to see photos of David West and brothers!

One of the most helpful leaders I've come across in the books/publishing/social media marketing is - might be some useful insight to consider.


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Sunday, January 20, 2013

A New Year

So last year I wrote up a bunch of goals for 2012. I thought I might go back and reread them as it is January again, and then I realized just how depressing that would be. They were pretty good goals, as I recall. And I didn't do any of them. Naturally, there are plenty of reasons for that. We bought a store, which sorta changed everything. All the same, I can't help but be a little dissatisfied with my performance over all.

I'm not sure I really want to set a whole lot of visible goals for myself this year. We still own a store. It takes up at least 75% of my time. There is no way to work around that. However, I do want to do better with certain things this year. I want to remember that living is still the most important part of life. It is crucial to find a way to live well, even in the midst of working for success.

Being a business person is still not the core of my being. It won't ever be. But it is the life I have now, so it's time to make the most of it. We are currently in the midst of a massive makeover project on the shop. My sweet husband has been working tirelessly to find ways to dress the place up, and searching for new inventory to make it a place we can really enjoy spending time in, rather than being filled with left overs from the previous owners, and a style that clearly reflects that it was founded in the 80s. This breath of fresh air has the potential to invigorate us and our customers in this new year.

Besides seeking to be more driven in business, it is essential that I find more ways to connect with people. Sure, I spend all day chatting with customers, but it just isn't the same as spending quality time with people. Hopefully we will find more ways to engage with friends in the area, as well as maybe getting to know some new people. A girl's got to hope.

I did join up with the Portland Bloggers list, and I would really like to attend some of their meetings this year. It would be good to network with other people in Portland, as well as having a chance to keep my writing skills in focus.

So here's to hoping that this year will be more successful, social, and balanced than the last one. Happy 2013, all :)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

good luck for 2013 :-) Lisa


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Friday, August 23, 2013

The Gift of English

When I stop and think about it, being a native English teacher really is a unique situation. While I generally think it is unfortunate that most English speakers don't learn other languages, the truth is that we have been given a gift that we scarcely realize. We speak the international language that is desired in every country, and this simple fact can make all the difference.

Over the past week or so, I have journeyed back to the city where I taught for three years in the Czech Republic. Cheb is a smallish town of about 33,000 (according to Wikipedia) and it is all easily walkable. Again, I would have some great pictures to post, if only... Anyhow, the first time I went back I visited another teacher who has been there for 8 years, and is about to return to the US in a couple of weeks. While I was there with her, she was in the process of saying goodbye to friends and former students, and I tagged along with her.

When I was there teaching, I didn't think about how unique our situation was. It didn't take long for a large portion of the community to know us. Whether we were in grocery stores, cares, or on the street, we were recognizable as "the Americans." We had a certain position that was respected, and curious at the same time. We were allowed a level of freedom that most other language speakers would not have. For instance, if a German person came to teach in a medium sized US town, few people beyond that person's students would know who he/she was. They might be noticed for their accent, but that is about all. And the likelihood of them forming friendships with their students, and spending time with them outside of class would be slim to none.

I am not trying to say that we native English speakers are in any way better than speakers of other languages, only that we have been given a tremendous opportunity to see the world, and be welcomed into a global community. It makes me wish more of us were willing to go out of our comfort zones and be changed by the beautiful people and cultures at the world has to offer. I am so thankful to have been, and through my husband to continue to be, a part of the Czech culture. To anyone out there who has the freedom to pack up their lives and see the world, I say, go, teach, and I so doing, learn.

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