This pumpkin animates on rezzing, and loops with a short peek and a bigger peek at intervals.

Available now at my Linji and Tiny TAMA stores.

Thank you to everyone who has come to see or has purchased from me at the Jewelry Expo! Today is the last day of the show and there are some cool things all over the place. Please come see me at my The Oh! Factor-booth 68.

~elfa and namaste

Wolle: Online Linie 11 Farbe 47 zitronengelb

Verbrauch: 190 g / Nadeln: 3,25

begonnen 5.10.- beendet 9.10.

gestrickt nach dieser Anleitung "february lady sweater"

http://www.flintknits.com/blog/?p=151
allerdings mit dünneren Nadeln und anderer Wolle und das ist dabei rausgekommen ...

 ein süsses Babyjäckchen in zitronengelb.

Das dicke Paket ist schon gepackt und wird heute weggeschickt

My plan is to encourage people to participate in my fit for charity project. I made a hyped up on adrenalin video about it --> here

Pleh I had big plans to write all this out.. but .. honestly I'm tired and don't feel like it.

Summary, I'm trying to raise money for Room to Read, it involves providing books, learning and education to kids who might not otherwise have the joy of literacy. So I'm combining some things I love, kids and the fun of introducing the world of reading to them, helping people, and fitness. For every Km you or someone you know (me perhaps) runs, someone (yourself or coworkers friends etc.. definitely hit up the boss ;) I did) pledges to contribute $1 or more per km... so far I have 6 people who have committed to participate by running and two who are matching my pledge.

As I said in my email, any support is appreciated... just $1, $5, $100 or even just positive words of encouragement. I'm excited, this is the first time I have ever tried anything like this and I would like to do the best I can. Will you help me?

Hugs to all!

Back in 24 ;)

Links:

Room to read www.roomtoread.org http://www.roomtoread.org/

Nikeplus nikeplus.com http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?locale=en_ca

Workout Dump www.workoutdump.com http://www.workoutdump.com/user/magdalicious

Facebook Cause www.facebook.com http://apps.facebook.com/causes/124178?m=304accd2&recruiter_id=19835741

The picture above was before the effects of the open bar took hold on me. :-) Anyways, I'm looking forward to Bright Pink's other upcoming events:

• 10/23: Robert Rodriguez Fall 2008 Collection Showcase and Cocktail Reception at Neiman Marcus (737 N. Michigan Avenue). Donations to Bright Pink will be accepted at the door
• 10/25: "Eyes Wide Open" masquerade event at the Crimson Lounge (333 N. Dearborn). Masks are required for entry and can be purchased at the door for $20

The PTA at the kids school in Beijing recently ran a clothing drive for the children of Tibet. Have our PTAs in our local NJ schools ever considered running a drive of some sort for local children in need? I recall lots of wrapping paper fund raisers, etc, but what about something really meaningful? Sounds like a job for Jersey Girl!

John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Proverbs 8:1 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

In Jesus letter to the seven churches, all churches are told; He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Those that are of God hear his voice.

Jesus message unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans:

When we don't listen and rebel against the Lord, we become deaf to the voice of the Lord.

But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

Proverbs 8:2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.

John the Baptist called on people to repent of their ways and prepare for the coming of Jesus in Matthew 3:3:

Prophecy fulfilled:

Proverbs 8:3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.

Jesus is the door. There is no other way to enter heaven:

Proverbs 8:4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.

Jesus' sheep hear his voice:

Proverbs 8:5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

Putting the Proverbs in order:

In Proverbs 1: 21-23, Wisdom is crying out to the simple, the scorner, and the fool, but when they didn't listen, the scorner met his destruction. Now, Proverbs 8:5 Wisdom is only crying out to the simple and the fool. Hebrews 12:7 ask the question:

Answer to the question asked in Hebrews 12:7: At this point, Proverbs 8:5, wisdom is no longer crying out to the scorner. Only to the simple and the fool. In John 8: 43-44 Jesus rebukes scorners that seek to kill him and let's them know who THEIR father is.

Proverbs 8:6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.

Proverbs 8:7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

Mark 7: 21-23 tells us that wickedness comes from within, so our most important stewardship is our heart:

Proverbs 8:8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.

All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;

There is nothing froward or perverse in them. God does not temp man with anything that is forward, perverse, or evil. James 1: 13-14 makes it clear that no man is to say that he tempted of God with evil:

Proverbs 8:9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

Friends, family members and even adversaries that don't understand, usually try to make it difficult on a person that tries to find the LORD, and tries to leave the sinful lifestyle. It's been my experience that these mockers usually never ask, "What's right with you?" They usually ask, "What's WRONG with you?" That type experience is actually anticipated in I Peter 4:3-5:

Note: Six things on this list.

Proverbs 8:10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.

Proverbs 8:11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

Job's endless search for wisdom contrast the search for precious jewels:

Proverbs 8:12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

prudence: 6195

pru·dence -

Pronunciation: \'prü-d^ən(t)s\

Function: noun

1 : the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason 2 : sagacity or shrewdness in the management of affairs 3 : skill and good judgment in the use of resources 4 : caution or circumspection as to danger or risk.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

There are seven verses that start with the words: The fear of the LORD

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.

Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

Proverbs 6: 16-19 warns us of the seven abominations to God. A proud look, which is first on the list, refers to pride and arrogancy:

froward: 8419

fro·ward -

Pronunciation: \'frō-(w)ərd\

Function: adjective

1: habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition 2: archaic : adverse

3: deceitful

There are seven things that Peter asks us to add to our faith. As an exorcise, let's see if we can memorize these:

1 - add to your faith virtue

2 - add to virtue knowledge

3 - add to knowledge temperance

4 - add to temperance patience

5 - add to patience godliness

6 - add to godliness brotherly kindness

7 - add to brotherly kindness charity

Proverbs 8:14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

Counsel is mine; It was prophesied that Jesus would be called Counsellor.

and sound wisdom:

I am understanding;

I have strength.

Proverbs 8:15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

Proverbs 8:16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

Princes, rulers, nobles, and all the judges can have no power at all, except it were given them from above:

Proverbs 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

Matthew 6: 31-34 states the importance of Proverbs 8:17 and tells us to seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness:

The LORD is my shepherd:

It will be very important to have faith in this matter during the end times. Satan will play on our fear, hopelessness and despair and will try to force us to receive his mark:

If you are around during the time of Revelation 13:16, no matter how hungry you get, do not go the way of Esau and sell your birthright for bread and pottage of lentils like Esau did in Genesis 25: 29-34.  Jesus message to unto the angel of the church in Smyrna:

Proverbs 8:18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.

Proverbs 8:19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

Proverbs 8:20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

Proverbs 8:21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

Proverbs 8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

Before his works of old: On the first day God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

On the forth day, God created the sun and the moon:

Light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second or 700 million miles an hour. At this rate, we are only 8.5 minutes from the sun. Scientist predict that is the sun were to go out suddenly, that we will still have sun light for 8.5 minutes, then every living thing on earth will be dead within four hours. They don't take into consideration the light that was here before the sun. On the third day all vegetation grew without the sun.

Proverbs 8:23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

In the beginning was the Word:

The Word was made flesh:

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one:

Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending:

The first and the last:

Proverbs 8:24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

Proverbs 8:25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

Proverbs 8:26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

In the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth;

Proverbs 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

Isaiah prophesied about Jesus:

Proverbs 8:28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

Proverbs 8:29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

Proverbs 8:30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

Proverbs 8:31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

Worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Proverbs 8:32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

Proverbs 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

In Jesus' letter to the church in Sardis, they are told to be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain:

Watching daily at my gates;

Make sure you are at the right gate:

Proverbs 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

Proverbs 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

There will come a time in the last days that those that worship the dragon and the beast will seek death, but they will not find it:

Both me and Mlle de Villeneuve would like to thank you for contributing to the success of our auction. The winners have received manuscript and drawing by now and are very happy with our work. Which, of course, makes us happy!

The secretary of the Lions Club in Morpeth has kindly provided us with a presentation showing the extend of the damage. It's a *.pps and has been virus-checked, so feel free to click (hosted on my personal website).

As you can tell, the money really went where it's needed. If you'd like to make a donation to the floods fund as well, you should now head to the

WEBSITE OF THE MORPETH LIONS CLUB

for further information. You'll be helping people who help themselves and each other. That's a rare thing to find these days. Hat tip from our part to the people of Morpeth, and kudos to you, dear friends, for your generosity.

I've put quill and ink aside and returned to my trusted friend with the keyboard. "The Radiant Boy" will be out soon, and there are an estimated 4093468049684906830 edits for "The Purser, The Surgeon, The Captain And His Lieutenant" waiting for me.

Oh, and before I forget: Readers of "Lieutenant Samuel Blackwood (deceased)" might be glad to hear that Mr. Leigh and Mr. Meadows will return next year for one more adventure.

Emma xx

PS: The online shop on my website is currently undergoing some changes. Should you encounter any problems, please drop me a line.

Full text:

I'm just simply overwhelmed with all this apocalyptic global disaster talk, aren't you? I mean, come on all ready, we all agree that the sky is falling, now can we talk about something less stressful like whether or not young celebrity starlets are too skinny?
Seriously, going green is so 5 minutes ago. Yes I heard that Leonardo de Caprio is like the green machine but he's like, ugh, 40 or something isn't he?
So what does sustainability mean anyway? Isn't it just a code word for liberal environmentalist?
Sustainability involves two basic ideas:
1) supply
2) demand
It is an economic idea which has been used, possibly misused at times, by well meaning environmentalists who obviously had an agenda other than socio-economic stability.
This clarification is vital for communities, especially communities that don't know that a growing economy is not always best. A growing economy in America has time and again meant more debt. That's why we are trillions of dollars in debt! This past year the US economy was the biggest it has ever been, trillions of dollars in debt! Most the world's billionaires live here, but we are still in the red trillions of dollars and growing. See how growing doesn't sound so nice when it's debt.
Solution, stop extending our burden of debt, and get on a payment plan that is sustainable. Sustainability! If we decide to go down the responsible road that our troops are paying for with their youth, then we ought to make the sacrifices necessary to welcome them home to a country that is strong and secure in our economy.
Are you willing to match the sacrifice of our soldiers minute for minute, dollar for dollar?
Sub, the 3e sustainibilty group, is dedicated to home grown local solutions that build regional trade. This means freedom from our dependence on foreign oil, foreign products, and foreign wars. I believe in a capitalist free market where government lifts taxes while still regulating safety standards. Tulsa, we don't need the government to tax anybody, cause we are going to love our neighbors as ourselves and create jobs for our troops when they finally get home.
Sustainabilty is as patriotic as it gets.

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Wallstreet...NOOOOO!!!
Um, aren't there like millions of baby boomers who kinda have all their retirement wrapped up in the stock market? I was gonna ask our Economic team about this but they all just moved to Iraq; they said the US economy just couldn't compete with the stability and growth of the Iraqi markets! Talk about outside the box, Iraq is on a better projection for growth and infrastructure development than these United States of America.
If you keep your eye on the economy, and you probably do if you're reading this blog, you're familiar with the bad case of economic hiccups we got after 9/11. And now we just belched and hiccupped at the same time, economically that is. So it is no wonder that our eyes have turned to the government and the Federal Reserve to bail us out of our debt.
The problem is, our government is trillions of dollars in debt itself. A global economy means markets around the world now have the hiccups too.
I guess Americans better look to themselves and their neighbors for help. In fact, that's probably what we ought to do all the time. What will we do if the present global food crisis becomes inflamed by global stock markets, plus soaring energy prices, plus company lay-offs, plus inflation, plus whatever this next year's Katina will be because of our crumbling infrastructure.
3e's economy group knows our vulnerability lies not in global arenas, but in local communities. Strong neighborhoods prepare for tough times when things aren't so bad. They pool their resources to buy solar panels and wind generators for when the price of oil, gas, and coal energy is too expensive to heat their homes in the winter. Econ will work to build up neighborhoods through local business people, who make sacrifices with the community, because it is their home too.
Econ returns to that American tradition of making sacrifices at home when our troops are abroad, sacrifices when our neighbors fall on hard times, and sacrifices for our children's future. We need to start counting our blessings, knowing that there is still time to invest in building a strong vibrant Tulsa community.
When the federal government cuts funding for schools, we need a financial strategy already in place so we don't lose the arts, vo-tech, and extra curricular sports in our schools.
When the government taps out Social Security, we need a financial solution that we trust will provide for our parent's and grandparent's well-being.
We don't have time to point fingers at wallstreet, the federal government, predatory lenders, and sub prime home buyers who should have been more responsible with their money.
If we prepare now, Tulsa will not be diminished by global economic instability. Econ is right now building a team of concerned citizens who refuse to let our quality of life suffer because of corporate greed. Change is coming, not from Washington or from Wallstreet, but from right here in the heart of Oklahoma, Tulsa, my home, our home.

(3e Tech group and conferences help charities integrate technology)

Full text:

Silicon Green Country; for those of you who don't know, that's Tulsa, Oklahoma. I'm swimming in the green goo of my Matrix pod cause Tulsa is the most futuristic tech metro on the planet. Sure my neighbors holster their shotguns in the rear cab window mount of their Ford F-150 pick-up, but their kids write HTML, live on twitter, and make jokes about how many software engineers it takes to screw in a lightbulb...none, it's a hardware problem.(thnx marcush$crc;ricoh;com)

So what are the specs of 3e Tech?
-an intel.legent core of tech slaves who network, plan, and play with bringing charities into the 21st century, or at least into the late 1990's.
-a monthly gig(1.6ghz), of tulsa geeks who meet to brainstorm innovative apps for charities, interact with real charity clients(pro bono), and plan for the big conference
-network global interface with gurus from all over the stratosphere competing for a cause, in the Olympics of Technology, or TechnOlympics. Check out www.givecamp.org

If you just got a twitter in your pants while reading that, it's probably a mobile notification from everybody your following tweeting about how excited they are about 3e Tech.

I always wonder what percentage of the homes on this planet have something in them from IKEA. Of course who's to say there isn't an intergalactic franchise out there somewhere, it's not beyond the unimaginable.

I know that there isn't a room in our house that hasn't got something from IKEA in it. Take my office for instance. I am sitting in my IKEA cream swivel chair, at my glass 'scripted' IKEA desk, underneath 2 IKEA glass shelves and between 2 IKEA white book cases. That's before I even turn around to face the set of IKEA glass topped drawers behind me, which sit underneath 3 IKEA orchid canvas prints. I hasten to add that the other rooms in the house aren't quite so Swedish in their design and I have never had anyone come to visit and have them ask for a yellow bag and a tape measure at the door.

It's actually quite incredible if you think that the shop, founded back in 1943 by Inggar Kamprad, a 17 year old Swedish boy  who started off by selling pens, watches, jewellery and nylon stockings, has since gone on to become the world's largest furniture store, with 120,000 employees based in more than 29 countries, selling just under 11,000 products.

Incidentally the name IKEA is an abbreviation for "Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd" which is the initial letters of his first and last name, the farm where he grew up and the town he lived in.

Despite claiming that the reason you can never find a member of staff is so that the prices can be kept low, IKEA must surely be making more money per second than their customers can pocket the free pencils. But that said, it is unofficially the world’s largest charitable organization, so can be forgiven for mercilessly emptying out our bank accounts time after time.

I have to say I do love IKEA. There's no where else quite like it. There's certainly no other shop that has the power to convince me that I simply have to have something, that half an hour before I never even knew existed. Every time I go there I spot another weird and wonderful gadget designed to save me time and space. I discover a new and improved way to arrange my clothes, display my books and stack my spices and I always find a new range of crockery that's just crying out to be bought.

It's the sort of shop where you go with the intention of buying some bag clips and a couple of candles and then somehow find yourself coming through the checkout (or should I say slinking through, while silently praying that your credit card can take the battering) with a Billy Book book case, an assortment of glasses that you have no place to store, a single mattress, a new bathroom sink, 8 large wicker baskets that will now need filling and a ceiling light. One that comes in a box the size of a pack of cards and requires an advanced diploma in origami  to put together.

The fact that all of these flat packed and bulky items are highly unlikely to even make it into your car is neither here no there, unless of course your small 4 door hatchback has somehow  magically metamorphasised into a horsebox whilst you have been shopping. Then again, I have seen someone squeeze a single mattress into a Mini Cooper before and we once fitted an entire kitchen into our 7 seater, so the impossible it seems, can sometimes be done.

For all these reasons above I have to say that I also hate IKEA. OK, so maybe not hate. I could never hate it, I just wish that I had more resistance to the hypnotic hold that it seems to have over me once I walk underneath the blue and yellow flags.

On so many visits I have walked the entire way through the store (few people dare stray off the arrows and cut through the displays), written endless lists on multiple bits of paper and spent hours agonising over what will go where. Then I reach the warehouse and find that, surprise surprise, 10/15 items on the list are currently 'Out of Stock'. Worse still there is no known delivery date and I am not allowed to reserve whatever it is I need when it arrives.

A classic example is when I brought the desk that I am at now. There was only 1 of the leg supports (I needed 2) left in the store. I ask you, why 1? Do they sell many tables without legs, or legs without tables? Why did someone else only buy 1 leg? It took 2 more trips to the store before the elusive leg finally appeared and my desk, which was wedged up on a bedside table, stopped wobbling.

Still can't complain, where else allows you to kit out a whole house in around 4 hours.

That's allowing 30 minutes to pick out the items you want from the catalogue, an hour to find them as you slowly walk behind other people 'display shopping' at a snails pace, another 30 minutes struggling to get the flat pack boxes off the top shelf in the 'help yourself' warehouse and then the final 2 hours, stuck in a queue waiting for your 'too big to carry' items to be wheeled out from within the belly of the IKEA beast.

Of course this estimated time doesn't allow for the additional 3 hours that you will later spend driving back to the shop, to buy the bag clips and candles that you forgot to buy the last time. Then queue up for that all important screw that happened to be missing from the original bookcase. The one that is now in several unusual looking pieces and is scattered across your living room floor.

Arhhh, what a store. You've got to love the way they just make you keep coming back for more.

: : : : : : : : : : :

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There are a lot of exciting solutions out there in the wheat fields of education, employment, and ecology just waitin to be harvested. How is 3e possibly gonna use its resources to efficiently deal with them all in a genuine and loving way? Great question!
Well, I asked our team of sociologists this question and their answer was, polygamy.
That's right, a single solution, embodied in a single organizational team is just not what the doctor ordered. Of course, our culture is resistant to this idea, with the exception of a few fundamentalist latter day saint communes, but our team lives in the world of outside of the box solutions.
You can either say, "A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush." In which case, you'll always end up with one bird. Or, you can hollar at your friends to come get these two bush-hiding birds. This serves two purposes
1) entertainment as you watch your friends try to catch birds in the bushes
2) you can catch more birds
Don't think that #1 is just a joke. When charity teams work together, and light-heartedly struggle toward nearly impossible goals, which charity work is all about, it becomes less like martyrdom and more like a marriage.
Married life is tough work. It takes openess, honesty, trust, and the ability to laugh at your mistakes.
So we want to create a marriage of 3 partner teams here at 3e:
1) Technology aka "tech"
2) Economic aka "econ"
3) Sustainability aka "sub"
Each team will have a core brain of directors, a monthly meeting for body members, and network conferences to connect with industry gurus from around the region and the world.
The only question now that we are struggling with, which I've posed to our team of marriage counselors, is who will wear the pants in the relationship?

Paul Caron at TaxProfBlog looked at Biden's tax returns.  His income seems to be limited to his  Senator's pay, his wife's teaching pay and some book income.  But outgo matched income.  They save about 8% of their income in 3 credit unions.  They own no interest-bearing stock outside of retirement accounts (which aren't reported)  But he gives only minor amounts to charity.

The average American gives 2% to charity.  Christians, especially Evangelicals, are called on to give 10% to their  church and more beyond, although most fall within the 5% of the Obamas.  The Bidens manage just a few hundred dollars and a quantity of goods that falls below the legal limit required for itemized declaration. (That $995 in 2007 included only $595 in cash - more in line with previous years.)

Just because you don't give to charity doesn't mean you're a bad leader.  But the habit of giving of your money fosters a self-giving attitude.  I worry about whether he'll look out for my interests if he's stingy with his assets.

ISTANBUL, October 9 (Compass Direct News) – A Pakistani pastor and his family in Punjab province have been living in fear for months after death threats from a murder suspect and repeated attacks on their house by police squads.

Pastor Christopher Manzer, 55, of Jhugian Baja Singh, told Compass by telephone that a Muslim man blames him for the loss of his wife and unborn baby and has enlisted extremist Muslim groups to mount a wave of attacks on him.

“I’m a Christian pastor, and in Pakistan you know it is a trend to hurt the Christians,” said Manzer, pastor of Pentecostal Church of Jesus Disciples, by telephone from Jhugian Baja Singh, 26 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of Lahore. “Most Christians are suffering very much.”

Mohammad Nawaz considers the pastor responsible for his divorce and the subsequent deaths of his ex-wife and unborn baby following an abortion. Nawaz’s uncle, a man identified only as Makha whom Nishter Colony police are seeking in connection with the murders of two Christian men in the past three months, has called the pastor twice telling him to leave town or die.

Manzer said he received the first death threat from Makha on Sept. 21, and then again on Saturday (Oct. 4) at 7 p.m.

“Be careful, I’m going to kill you – you have only a few days left in the world … your days are numbered,” Makha told Manzer on the phone last month.

“He is still receiving death threats,” said Shahzad Kamran of Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan (SLMP). “Makha is giving life threats to Pastor Christopher and telling him to leave the area and go to another place, otherwise they we will kill him and his family. They are afraid.”

Seeds of Grudge

Nawaz and the daughter of a member of Manzer’s church converted to Islam in order to elope, hoping that Islamic law would shield them from their families, who were opposed to their marriage.

Convinced that his daughter, Sana Bibi, had been kidnapped, Anwer Masih sought help from Manzer and others to get her back. Soon after Nawaz and Bibi were married, Nawaz became increasingly Islamic in his views, prompting her to seek help from her family to find a way out of the marriage.

Manzer stepped in to help reconcile Masih to his daughter, forgive her and take her back. On July 16, 2007 she filed for divorce, which was approved on March 28. In January, Nawaz had opened a dispute case against Manzer and Masih. A Pakistani court dismissed the case.

Bibi returned to her Christian faith and practices with the encouragement of Manzer. On April 7, however, members of the Liberty police station in Lahore broke into Manzer’s house, kicked him and beat him with sticks for an hour, verbally harassing him and his wife as well as their four children, ages 8 to 21.

Manzer was able to identify the police station because of the van that officers drove and parked near his house. The officers handcuffed him and took him to his church, where believers were gathered for a prayer meeting, and continued to beat him.

This was the first of five beatings and arrests by officers of police stations from other townships around Lahore. Each time friends came to Manzer’s rescue with a bribe, police relented and claimed to have caught the wrong man. The pastor said that paying police to keep them from beating him has exhausted his and his parishioners’ finances.

He said the beatings, which occurred twice in the middle of the night at his home, twice at the church and once at the police station, took place between April 7 and July 5. On two occasions Manzer was able to identify the responsible police station as Model Town Lahore.

The police station of his area, Manga Mandi, supports the pastor but cannot take action against other police stations, a station officer reportedly told the pastor.

On Aug. 26, Nawaz opened a second court case in a First Incident Report (FIR) at Manga Mandi police station against Manzer, Masih and seven other individuals, accusing them of forcibly entering his house in January, physically attacking him and his family and kidnapping Bibi. He further claimed that they threatened to kill him and stole 10,000 rupees (US$125) and gold objects.

“It is a fabricated story,” said Kamran of the SLMP.

Masih told SLMP staff, “Nawaz has relations with some Muslims who support him; he already has implicated us in a false case of quarrel … Now he again implicated us in a murder case of my daughter.”

In May, about five months after Bibi left Nawaz, she was admitted into the hospital with a high fever. She was treated by a midwife but died on May 27. SLMP staff confirmed that she had been pregnant and had had an abortion. According to her medical report, she died due to septic shock.

Manzer said Nawaz enlisted the help of extremist Muslims and his uncle out of anger over his ordeal and because Manzer was acquitted in the first court case against him in January.

“When Muslim groups saw the local police’s good behavior toward me, they approached Liberty and Model Town Police Stations in Lahore to take action against me,” he told the SLMP. “Police from both stations raided my house unlawfully.”

The pastor bears marks of the torture he underwent, while both his wife and eldest daughter have undergone psychological treatment after the attacks on Manzer in their home.

The first hearing in the case opened against Manzer, Masih and the other community members is scheduled for Oct. 19. Manzer said his faith has imbued him with a deep sense of charity toward Nawaz.

“We are praying for protection from God, and that God blesses Nawaz, because I am thinking of him,” said Manzer. “I don’t want to do anything to Nawaz, because I love him.”

Report from Compass Direct News

The tip jar at one of my local coffee shops.

In case you can't read it: "Please tip! We are trying to raise $700 billion dollars to help rich people."

In addition to catalogs, I'm receiving a complement of materials from three phone companies, two television companies (including a barrage of information from the one I ALREADY SUBSCRIBE TO), and three coupons from a certain big-box bedding store.

Then there are offers from lawn care companies, maid companies, security companies -- none of which I use. There's an ad from a company that will relieve my baldness; I'm not even going gray, and my husband has an, if anything, TOO full head of hair. One persistent insurance company mails me weekly. One catalog wants me to buy tacky junk; another is full of tempting goodies that, nevertheless, I'm unlikely to buy. I'm offered laser vision correction, dolls and a mailing that said, "Welcome to the one magazine for women over 40 who love to act their age." That's so nice for them, but I'm not going to be "over 40" for another five years.

This week I've received a half-dozen political calls and a letter from my daughter's horseback-riding nonprofit asking me to donate "Just $100, $500 or $1,000." "Just" a thousand bucks? Whoa!

The level of waste is exhausting, and the level of need from all these charitable organizations is depressing. In the past, I've donated smaller amounts to a variety of charities, but each one then mails me several times a year -- and the environmental organizations seem to create the most waste.

This week, the level of junk mail seems to have subsided; it's been about three months since my GreenDimes subscription began, so perhaps that is making a difference.

As for the donation requests, fortunately, the election will soon be behind us. As for nonprofits, in the future, I'm thinking of choosing an organization or two and making more significant contributions.

Please share your suggestions for keeping needs and junk to a minimum.

Harvest pick-ups again today! We parked the Charity Shop van at home last night to make it easier to get to Queen Elizabeth High School in Gainsborough at 8.00 am. As usual they had a huge amount of produce for us. Another school brought some produce during the morning, and we picked some more up at White's Wood Lane School in the afternoon. Our store is now getting filled ready to be sorted out for the food parcel distribution at Christmas and throughout the year. We also had jobs to do in the office and in town, preparation to finish off for Sunday worship, and I'm writing this in the office while finishing things off for the weekend.

Starbux / WENN

In light of the terrible plane crash that left Travis Barker and DJ AM badly burnt and four others dead, Barker's Famous Stars and Straps clothing line is producing exclusive T-shirts in memory of the former Blink 182 drummer's personal assistant Chris Baker and security guard Charles Still. The shirts were designed by pro skater and Famous team manager Felix Arguelles and Famous art director and artist Maxx "maxx242" Gramajo. All the proceeds from sales of the shirts will benefit the memorial funds set up for Chris Baker and Charles "Che" Still. A source tells PEOPLE, "Everyone that is a part of the Famous family are really close, so Chris and Che were brothers to everyone. The shirts were made to honor them and support their families." The memorial T-shirts will be available exclusively at Famoussas.com and at The Fast Life store in L.A.

Fact is, I've learned so well how to be poor that the global financial crisis isn't affecting my lifestyle a whole lot—I've been surviving on next to nothing for so long that it doesn't much matter if the world around me is a thousand times as wealthy as I or twice as wealthy as I: 1,000 times nothing = two times nothing. I'm far enough under the radar that I have to scrounge and hustle for every scrap in any event.

I like to quote the line from my favorite movie, The Princess Bride, in which Westley points out that being prepared for the worst is good preparation indeed:

"We know the secrets of the fire-swamp. We can live there happily for some time, so whenever you feel like dying, feel free to visit."

Once one has become a survivor, one knows that survive is what one does. And one has a leg up on anybody who hasn't yet become a survivor.

Right now I'm being kept alive by a charity program through a non-profit hospital system. The meds to keep my nearly-49-year-old body alive cost roughly the same as the meds to keep my 80-year-old father's body alive. He has Medicare and nearly no retirement, thanks to the steel industry having gone bust in the '80s. I've never been quite sure how they've done it, Mom and he, all these years, but I do know that the foundations of my own compulsive thrift were established at my mother's knee.

The way things are going, Medicare and Medicaid and the like will be defunct in 17 years when I reach 65 and am theoretically old enough to benefit from them; I haven't earned enough in my lifetime ever to draw from Social Security.

At this point, my life, I have it on good authority from smart cardiologists, is imperiled if I skip even a day's dosage of Plavix. I don't know what I'd do if the healthcare system on which I depend ever went belly-up. I just hope the end would be quick and painless. I am uninsurable by pretty much any reckoning these days: I suspect that more conditions pre-exist in me than don't. (About the only thing that hasn't affected my ancestors or siblings, knock wood, is the C-word.)

I don't appear to be as poor as I am, thanks mainly to my educatedness and my ability to barter. I am told that the education provides me with "cultural capital." Culturally, from a global perspective, I am in the upper echelon of the élite, with my master's degree and my prodigious ability to articulate myself. Economically, I am unquestionably poor, or at least impecunious: I doubt that my income will reach $1,000 this year. Heck, it'll probably not reach $500, at the rate I've been going.

But I know the secrets of the fire-swamp.

It's an odd paradox, this living-between-the-worlds that I do. I'm a fine illustration of the notion of the "shabby genteel." Because I have mastered the earnest, "emo," spiritual hippie persona, I can pass myself off as being a lot more honest than I really am: in my day-to-day affairs, I do in fact put a high premium on honesty, integrity, authenticity, congruence. But the fact is that collection agencies call me all the time, and not without justification. I almost never answer them.

One collection agent even said to me once, about my Sears credit account, "But you promised!" She was right: I had. And then I defaulted on the account. Not on the whole thing—I had paid on it until I went under, and then Sears refused to budge even a little bit in helping me out: rules were rules, and they reserved the right not to meet me any part of the way, let alone half. So they inflexibled themselves out of ever getting another cent out of me on credit. I've not shopped at Sears since then, nor do I ever intend to. And K-Mart pretty much lost me in the merger, to boot. Too bad—I unashamedly bought most of my clothes there for years.

I really don't want to get started on my the saga of my grad-school loans: I knew, when I graduated, that I would be in debt to the Feds for the rest of my life for those, but at the time I expected my life to be much shorter than I expect it to be now, at least if my medical charity holds out. I've been in default for so long on those loans that I'm probably a criminal by any definition of the word at this point. Pretty sad for someone whose master's-degree program started out as being ministry.

I'm more or less alienated from my folks right now—not by any dislike for them so much as because I can't seem to have a conversation with them any more without feeling lousy about myself, so I just avoid the Near Occasion of Teenage Angst Revisited. By all rights I should probably be disinherited, because I'm no longer any such thing as a Good Son. But I suspect, because equity is a value in my family, that I will probably have some kind of modest inheritance when their time comes. I fully expect that the entire thing will be garnished by the Feds, which is actually fine with me—I don't begrudge any of my creditors what I promised I'd give them. I just don't have it to give yet. When I do, I don't mind giving it. Why should I? The Feds paid for two of the best years of my life: that grad-school experience was particularly exhilarating, and I am grateful for it. My hopes for the job market after I graduated, at which time we were a nation at war and No Child Left Unregulated was an entrenched institution, had just been spectacularly exaggerated.

I don't know what I am—an honest man or a scoundrel of the first water: cases can be made for both. I like to think that I am pretty practiced at the "fearless moral inventory," as they call it in Twelve-Step programs. Yet the fact is that I will sign on any dotted line if it means I get a crack at having my life saved in the ER, even if I haven't a clue if or when I'll ever have the means to do it. What kind of life is that, if I would lie to save it? I don't know. What I do know is that if I die, there is no chance that anybody will ever get a cent out of me, so all other things being equal, I'd rather stay alive, thanks.

As a child, I read (repeatedly!) I.G. Edmonds' account of the renowned judge Ooka of Edo (old Tokyo), who determined, on one occasion, that a certain thief was an honest thief, for he only stole enough rice to feed his family for the next day.

Anybody who knows me knows that I am not an extravagant man: I really do live on next to nothing, and I ask little, materially, of life. I scrounge and scavenge and recycle and jury-rig and make do. I entertain myself on the cheap—usually for free—all the time. (My greatest guilty pleasure is dollar books from reduced racks.)  I'm really quite conscientious for a scoundrel.

It's difficult for me, when asked to provide proof of income, to imagine what they could possibly want out of me: I haven't made enough money from any one source to acquire a 1099 for years, let alone a W-2. I make so little that I can't even prove how little I make without asking enquirers simply to take my word for it. The world doesn't have a context for the likes of me: one who is poorer than lots of street-junkies yet blogs from an air-conditioned bedroom office with a reliable roof over it.

So I don't know what to say. I assume that my sordid past as a liar and a thief will catch up with me sooner or later—and probably before I manage to win any super lotteries—and meanwhile, I continue to skulk around in plain sight yet largely under the radar, because, just as databases aren't set up to render my surname as two words with its two capital letters (hence "LeFey," not leafy or leffy), my life doesn't compute. It's not so much that I set out to be a hustler: I didn't. I'd like to become an honest man again. I just can't see how to have it both ways, and I'm not ready to die for it quite yet.

And at this point, I can't see the justice in slamming me for a few thousand dollars while robber barons are tap-dancing away to the tune of billions. So I live this precarious existence on the lam... in plain sight.

Back in August Kendrick Imports gave the Blue Bird Young Stars football team in Hazyview South Africa a new football strip. Since then we have been working towards getting some more equipment for the team by asking big Brands if they would like to help.

[caption id="attachment_136" align="alignnone" width="320" caption="Blue Bird Young Stars in Action"][/caption]

Through Adam, who works for Tesco and has a contact in Lucozade, we have been given training bibs and water bottles that we will take to the team in December when we next visit. The team are going to be so excited when they get these, so a big thanks to Adam and Lucozade.

[caption id="attachment_135" align="alignnone" width="240" caption="The Lucozade kit"][/caption]

We are also in communication with Gola at the moment and hope that they will donate some trainers for the team as well, they are certainly very interested in the project. During the next few days we will be contacting South African Airways to try to get a larger luggage allowance as all of this kit is going to exceed our allowance!! Fingers crossed on that one!

The Blue Bird Young Stars deserve our help as they are a bunch of young boys who have a passion for football. The 3 coaches work hard with the youngsters to give them a real interest that gives them a focus and keeps them away from crime.

If any-one would like to help with this project, the team still need a range of other kit including balls, whistles, pumps for the balls, training cones etc. Please contact us on +44(0)845 475 1281 if you would like to get involved.

]]> http://riversniffers.wordpress.com/?p=205 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:03:03 +0000 riversniffers http://riversniffers.pl.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/sheesh-mahal-charity-nights-twickenham/  

The Seesh Mahal has been one of Twickenham’s best curry houses since the 1980’s.

To quote from the toptable restaurant review site:

“This cosmopolitan Bangladeshi restaurant on Twickenham's London Road is renowned for its sleek styling and fresh, authentic food. The dining room at the Sheesh Mahal – with caramel-coloured leather booths and natural timbers – is unashamedly chic, and the traditional menu has a modern twist. Ideal for dates, discreet working lunches and stylish celebrations”

Since February 2007 the owner Monaf has been helping a local Breakthrough group raise valuable funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer

Jane Cox, a local supporter for Breakthrough organises the curry night on the last Wednesday of every month.

The evening costs just £15 a head and includes pappadums and chutneys, assorted starters, various main courses and all the sundries. A glass of house wine/beer or soft drink is also included.

The menu is varied every month giving the opportunity to try different dishes. Some favourites have been the excellent Chicken Shamee kebab for starters, chicken minced with ground lentils, herbs and spices served with fresh green salad. Fish Bhuna is always popular as a main course . On a recent evening Monaf produced a lamb served straight from the cooking pot at the table, a chef’s special not normally on the menu

The service is smooth and the staff friendly. Additional drinks can be purchased, choosing from Indian beers or from an excellent wine list

A great evening, eating excellent authentic food at a great price in a stylish restaurant, all the while raising funds for Charity. Monaf just covers his costs, and the majority of the money goes to Breakthrough. The restaurant proudly displays a certificate presented when the first £1000 had been donated and they are on the way to the second.

It has to be better than running a marathon!

If readers of Riversniffers would like to more information and/or to attend on any particular last Wednesday in the month, please contact Breakthrough Breast Cancer organiser Jane on 07770 440390.

N.B. Regulars of the Breakthrough Charity Curry Night voted along with many other diners to help the Sheesh Mahal win Best Restaurant in Richmond Borough by the Guardian News Group.

Sheesh Mahal              19-21 London Road, Twickenham, TW1 3SX

                                    Tel: 020 8892 3303