Friday, the12^th, 10:00 am. PlayDay at Fellowship Bible Church. This is not an official LML activity, but all are welcome. The church has a nice playground in the back of the church. FBC is located on N McCann (north of the loop) across the street from the post office. Feel free to write or call if you want more specific directions. We play for about an hour and a half; then have lunch at the pavilion. Bring your own picnic lunch.

Monday, the 15^th, 10:00 Walk-n-Talk at Julieanna Park. Come alone or bring strollers or bikes for the kids. I've heard it has a nice walking trail, and I'm looking forward to exploring a new park! Check your email later for an exact meeting place.

Friday, the19^th, 6:30-9:00. Girls' Night Out (well, In). Brand new member Jennifer Mauldin has invited us to her house for an evening of relaxation, sharing, and showing off! A lot of us have pet projects and handicrafts that we love to relax with, but it is so hard to find time for them with kids around! Well, this is your chance to have some time set aside just for that! And some sweet fellowship too! So if you have a current project that you'd like to work on please feel free to bring it (I'll be bringing my appliqué Christmas stocking); otherwise, just come hang out with the girls and bring you're favorite snack to share. Directions to Jenn's will come later in email.

Thurs, the 25th, 9:30. Coffee Break! Join us at Glory Bee Bakery for coffee and treats. The coffee and desserts are great at this place, and kids are welcome!

Fri, the 26^th. Let's go to the zoo! We've been longing to go see the monkeys and lions all summer, and it has just been too hot! We're hoping it will have cooled off a little by this time. We will meet to caravan/carpool at the Longview Public Library, leaving at 8:30. We plan to be home in time to pick up big brothers and sisters at school.

Monday, the 29^th or Tuesday, the 30^th Book Club dinner and movie. We've been reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It is long, but fun and a pretty easy read. Even if you haven't read the book, join us for the movie! You will laugh and cry! Specifics on the day and time will come later.

TOMORROW, September 6, some of the original writers and members of Kearny Street, including Al Robles and Lou Syquia, will be coming together for a night of poetry and community.

The event is FREE, and goes from 7-9pm at the Manilatown Center, 868 Kearny Street, San Francisco.

If you haven't already seen it, tomorrow will also be the last day to check out the Manongs of Manilatown exhibit:

Check out the rarely seen photographs of Filipino elders in Manilatown and the historic International Hotel while listening to the unheard stories of Al Robles, founder of the Manilatown Senior Center and inspirational poet through an audio installation.

Visit the Manilatown Foundation website for more information.

30 August 2008. The University of the Philippines' official choir, UP Concert Chorus staged its UPBEAT4, the KORUS WAY at the Engineering Theater, Diliman, Quezon City. Professor Jai Sabas-Aracama, Artistic Director and Conductor, sang Ryan Cayabyab's Salamat sa Iyo, UP. Rycel Joy Cabugwas was the pianist. I was there with Patrick Nogoy SJ and UPSCAns Patricia Fernandez and Jaafgie Garcia.

Salamat Sa Iyo, UP (Ryan Cayabyab):

Bohemian Rhapsody:

The Fajardos have put more than 200,000 miles on it in 17 years, he said.

"The motor in there is a 2004 Ford 302 crate motor," Fajardo explained. "All the running gear and everything's brand new, so it drives like a new car."

It'll be one of the cars on display there.

Auf dem Programm steht das Deutsche Apothekenmuseum, Schlossbesichtigung, am Abend die Schlossbeleuchtung mit Feuerwerk (gibt´s wohl nur 3x im Jahr) und die Übernachtung im Tannhäuser-Hotel im 4-Frau-Zimmer an. Der Rest wird sich noch finden, Stadtführung, Shoppen, Eiskaffee, Flussfahrt, Prophetenweg ... Pilger-Tour ist es ja leider keine *schnüff*

Koffer ist soweit gepackt (bis auf genau dieses eine Tshirt, das gerade noch trocknet), die Reisepillen liegen parat, der Sekt ist kaltgestellt ^^, die Katze wird von der Nachbarin "outdoor" versorgt und Lily wird die Ruhe sicherlich genießen :mrgreen:

Sonntag abend wollen wir wieder zurück sein und den Montag hab ich mir noch als Urlaubstag gegönnt - man wird ja nicht jünger 8)

It’s time for Tempe’s annual Way Out West Oktoberfest, celebrating this traditional German festival Arizona-style.  Wear your lederhosen or your shorts & flip flops. Dance the polka, or do the chicken dance.  Eat some German Bratwurst, sauerkraut and strudel, or have some pizza. Drink traditional Oktoberfest beer direct from Germany or have a good American brew!

It’s all there at Tempe’s Oktoberfest from October 3rd to 5th. Three stages of entertainment - polka, mainstream contemporary and family. Plus a ton of kid’s activities in Kinderfest - arts & crafts, painting the Hansel & Gretel castle, carnival games, clowns, face painting, inflatables, rock climbing wall and carnival. It’s fun for the whole family!

And, in the tradition of Oktoberfest (it began as a wedding), we invite you to renew your wedding vows at the Polka Stage on Saturday.

Not your ordinary Oom-Pah!

October 3-5, 2008
Location: Tempe Beach Park
80 West Rio Salado Parkway,
Tempe 85281 (Rio Salado & Mill, Tempe)

FREE Admission

Hours: Friday 5 pm to midnight; Saturday 10 am to midnight; Sunday 10 am to 6 pm

For 36 years running, Way Out West Oktoberfest has been produced by Tempe Sister City volunteers to raise money for international student/teacher exchanges and humanitarian projects with Tempe’s seven sister cities. Funds raised at Oktoberfest send a group of educators and high school students abroad each year. Funds also support humanitarian projects, like water wells in Timbuktu, Mali.

For more: www.wowoktoberfest.com or call 480 491 FEST.

Source

 York Food Festival

19th to 28th September 2008

Parliament Street and St Sampson's Square

9am - 5pm

Come and meet BBC Radio Humberside’s Resident Celebrity Chef as he demonstrates his brand new seafood recipes created especially for the Yorkshire and Humber Seafood Group.

Nigel will be attending this fantastic festival on 19^th to 21^st September where you are welcome to taste these new recipes and pick up a free recipe card to recreate the dishes at home.

You’ll find Nigel at the Yorkshire and Humber Seafood Group stand within the market in Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square.

For information about other events that Nigel will be attending visit www.nigelbrownchef.co.uk/Events.html

It was raining really hard. Everyone was soaked to the skin. But once La Princesse started to move I don't think there was one person who regretted braving the elements to see the huge, mechanical creation. All I can say is WOW!!! I can't wait for tomorrow. 

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."  

Maya Angelou

Want to find out more about the mysterious Monarch Butterfly?  Don't miss Majestic Monarchs, an annual event at Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory, running this year from September 6th to 14th.  At this event, visitors will learn about the life cycle of this beautiful butterfly and participate in a Monarch Butterfly tag and release program.

After purchasing a tagged Monarch Butterfly for $7 (taxes included), families will release it to resume its migration to warmer climes in Mexico.  This tagging event helps Monarch Watch, a research program at the University of Kansas, keep track of the Monarchs during their yearly migration.  Families can check if their Monarch Butterfly made it to Mexico by going to  Monarch Watch, a website where the tags of Monarchs found overwintering in Mexico will be posted.  

For more info on this event: Majestic Monarchs

To learn more about the Monarch Butterfly and its annual migration, click here.

Click here to watch a video on the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory.

© 2008 Trips with Kids - Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.

Speakers: Joey Altman, Zoi Antonitsis, Tyler Florence, Jonathan Gold and Scott Hocker

Monday, Spetember 8, 2008/ 6:00 PM

Miss Pearl's Jam House, One Broadway

Next to the Waterfront Hotel

Jack London Square, Oakland, CA 94607

Student Tickets just $20.00!

7:30 - Doors Open
8:15 - 8:45 - July Skies
9:00 - 9:30 - Gareth S. Brown
9:45 - 10:30 - The Declining Winter
10:30 - Late - Colour DJs

Light House is located two minutes walk from the train station and a stones throw from the bus station. It's also easily accessible by car and has free on-site parking.  For those you travelling from Birmingham, the last train from Wolverhampton runs at 22:59. 

[googlemaps=http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Chubb+St+(Light+House+Media+Centre)&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=11.905102,39.550781&ie=UTF8&ll=52.593664,-2.118473&spn=0.011941,0.038624&z=14&iwloc=addr&output=embed&s=AARTsJpdX82FeGgfW3W6n_ySFqYWRucpbA&w=425&h=350]

If you have any queries, please email us at colourpromo[at]gmail[dot]com. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Amazing Letter From a Local Wasillian Who Knows Sarah Palin Well.

From: http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-reform-candidate
Submitted by Michael Wrightson on Sept 1, 2008

ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a “babe”.

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is “pro-life”. She recently gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn’t take positions; she just “puts things out
there” and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She’s smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s
surplus, borrow for needs.

She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t
fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to
nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
•“Hockey mom”: true for a few years
•“PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
•“NRA supporter”: absolutely true
•social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
•pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
•“Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
•“Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
•political maverick: not at all
•gutsy: absolutely!
•open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
•has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
•”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
•fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
•pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
•pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla’s history.
•pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “Bad things happen
when good people stay silent”. Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bump me out
of. I don’t belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can’t recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall–they are
swamped. So I can’t verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my “about 5,000″, up to 9,000. The
day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s.