Last Year is still kicking ass on this year. The signs in 2007, even 2006 were Far better than the first two weeks of 2008. Either kids are not as creative, or the sign police think very sign is a threat to national security. Maybe they are just not getting on Tv , Try harder !

STILL absent were any Obama or McCain signs, WHERE the MILF  signs about Satrah Palin? Guys get Creative ,do you need a tutorial on how to evade Sign Police?? Come on, Hold up your end.

 Now there are two WAZZU flags, one more would have equaled your point total against Cal. Good thing Cal didnt show up with 66 flags. Even saw one K-state flag. 

Remember these are the signs that I could see, On TV, if you saw any other good ones, pass em along!  Here is the list:

1. Shame -U loves Kirk's Mystic Tan- what is Shame U?
2. Butt Noor
3. thUgs
4. No Hurricane can destroy the swamp
5. Straght Talk Express: U have no chance
6. The only Hurricane that conquers Gators is IKE.
7. Purpose in Life: to be on Sportscenter
8. Stafford Throws like a girl
9. Everyone Supports Phlorida Neutrality
10. Hurrican Forecast: rainey all day
11. Marry me Chris
12. Lee Corso for Prez
13. Tom Merloa for President
14. Tebow Sneeze = cat is Hurricane ( ??)
15. Erin Andrews is my Hero
16. Holla Vitty
17. Tebow for President
18. Matthew Stafford throws Like Me
19. Gators ( heart ) Kirk

 Last weeks signs: http://footballjesus.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/best-sign-at-republican-convention-msnbc/

Atlanta: http://footballjesus.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/best-signs-seen-on-espn-college-gameday-atlanta/

My first try was at Arata Fruit, which was a gamble as they are only open for a bit each summer.

But I found:

So I headed over to Farmers Daughter, hoping they were still open but knowing that they tend to close up shop in early September.

From there, I heading just across the street to TK's Bes

t. Bingo! They told me that they'll stay open for another 8 weeks, but I couldn't help but notice that their selection is dwindling. Currently they have just a few of the Chinese eggplants and various p

eppers that they are so well known for along with a smattering of fruits from other local farms. But I did get my peaches!

Now I just need to figure out how to make a similar pork chop recipe on the grill. With the temperatures hitting triple digits pretty early today, there is just no way the stove is going to be used for dinner!

16th Street Mall in front of a historic building built in 1906.

سۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah Most-Compassionate, Most-Merciful

Perception is a facinating and yet one of the least understood subjects, of which, even having  studies it for many years,  I can say I have only scratched the surface. The reason why its such a vast subject is because of its deep impact on every aspect of our lives. In other words, who we are is based on how we see ourselves, in ither words we are not who we are per say, but how we perceive ourselves. A person may be kind and generous, but people around him have for many years referred to him as being miserly, this persons self-perception may not be a true reflection of his real-self. Thus self-perception entirely governs our actions, and anything that entirely governs our actions is essentially us. Thus we are how we see ourselves.

In realtion to the material and spiritual world, the question of perspection becomes even more important because if we do not see reality as it truely is then we have to wonder in what reaity we exist. As human beings there are two components to us, a meterial and a spiritual and both need to be satisfied to an extent. The material relates to our bodily needs, the spiritual to our hearts needs. As Imam al-Ghzali said, "The labour of the heart is the remembrance of Allah". In other words the only purpose for which ones has has been created is to ascertain meaning, which ties into the fact that a verse of the Quran is called an "ayat", or sign, and signs allude to meanings. As a Moroccan scholar once said, "The universe is set up as signs contained in images". Hence, everything we see in God's creation from a flower, to the sky, to colour, to trees, to galaxies and stars all mean something. As Allah says:

وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا لَاعِبِينَ

"We created not the heavens, the earth, and all between them, merely in (idle) sport" (Qur'an, ad-Dukhan 44:38)

Everything has meaning, and everything relates to one thing, which is as a sign of the existence of Allah, and everything testifies to the existence of His Divine Unity, of His Oneness because everything is in consonant with that singular reality, al-Haqq. That there is only One God, La illaha illal la. Hence, the height of perception is not to see the creation of God, but to see signs of His existence through their medium. As believers we do not believe in secondary causes, in other words, we do not say the knife cuts or the fire burns, but that those things contain properties by the power of Allah that enable them to perform their function. Thus true perception relates to the Qadr of Allah, of relating everything we do, see, feel, thing, hear and understand solely to His power. In this regard the prophet (s) prayed, "O Allah, show me reality as it truly is". In other words the prophet (s) wanted to bear witness to reality, to al-Haqq as it was and not to attributes anything false to Allah. Allah reminded him of this truth when He said:

فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ رَمَى وَلِيُبْلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلاء حَسَناً إِنَّ اللّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

"It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah: when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah's: in order that He might test the Believers by a gracious trial from Himself: for Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things)". (Qur'an, al-Anfal 8:17)

Here Allah is teaching us that whilst He has given us the means by which we exist on this earth, in reality every action has its determinate cause with Allah, and the action in itself cannot guarentee an outcome but that the outcome is entirely in His Hands. Thus, for the true believers, the path to their achievement of taqwa is to constantly remember Allah in all of their actions, when they see, they do see with the material eye but with their inner-sight.

Referring back to the statement that the universe is set up as signs contained in images. One that mediates on this statement will realise its prfound truth from if we pause reality by taking a snapshot of the creation of Allah, those images that He has created convey to us much more than what we are actually physically seeing. Thus you will note that for almost all of the posts I write there is some image that is used to refer to the text.

What does this picture convey. A starry night taken on long exposure, or an allusion to another world? It depicts beauty which is something both physical and spiritual. Who created this beauty? So we are caused to reflect. Reflection within humans has been created by Allah. And yet one needs an external stimulus to reflect on its meaning internally which means what is out there relates to what we have inside of us, which means the One that created the universe also created humans to be able to understand that physical universe, and understand the meaning contained within it. Unless we were able to detects all these themes in this simple picture, it would just be a picture, an image that had no meaning. But it contains a multitude of meaningm the purpose for which is, as Allah says is certainty:

وَكَذَلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ

"So also did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, that he might (with understanding) have certitude". (Qura'an, al-An'am 6:75)

Thus perception relates to reality which relates to seeing the Qadr of Allah in everything, which relates to meaning, which relates to certainty, yakin. And yakin relates to faith, to emaan, and it is emaan that we are constantly seeking to increase. Thus one pah to increasing ones emaan is through reflecting constantly on the meaning behind why Allah has created what He has, why He has placed us in this time and not in another, why He has given us these particualr set of experiences in our lives. All of it relates to shaping our perception of how we see reality, in order that we may become accustomed to seeing and living in a world of meaning, in a world of spiritual ideas, and meta-physical concepts, so that we may break the inclination of the self to gravitate towards material objects.

The main reaons for this is that one of the main purposes for Allah sending the final messenger (s) was to purify His House, the Kaa'ba and rid it of its numerous idols. People that used to at one time wroship the One true God began to substitute in His place idols which they began to assign to Him. Although today one may not keep an idol in ones House, that idol may still reside in ones heart because of our love for material things. Thus we see that material things have power, and their acquiring may hold us in good sted with Allah. But Allah cares not for the attainment of these objects, object whom people begin to worship rather than the one that created them. As Allah says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوْ أَنَّ لَهُم مَّا فِي الأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُ مَعَهُ لِيَفْتَدُواْ بِهِ مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَا تُقُبِّلَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

As to those who reject Faith,- if they had everything on earth, and twice repeated, to give as ransom for the penalty of the Day of Judgment, it would never be accepted of them, theirs would be a grievous penalty". (Qur'an, al-Maida 5:36)

Thus as Allah is saying here, that of no effect is it to spend a lifetime acquiring material wealth when in fact not even the whole of the wealth of the world twice over could save a person. That for a person to spend their life acquiring wealth for its own sake is akin to rejecting faith. For those people that seek to justify seeking a life of accumulating wealth need only refer to the example of the prophet (s), if indeed they are truthful in their claim.

Thus we conclude this post by way of introduction to the important of acquiring perception through sincerely seekig noe other than Allah, and not placing anything else, not any pursuits before Him whilst thinking they will save a person on the final day. Insha'Allah what I would like to deal with in my next post on perception are some metaphysical concepts so that we begin to become tuned into this other world we have been referring to. One of these concepts is love. For when a person percieves the world through the filters of love and compassion ones reality is considerably altered, as is ones actions. And finally, in relation to this, I will remind us of one of the most important verses in the Quran that feature quite considerably in these posts:

يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ

إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail,

But only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart. (Qur'an ash-Shu'ara 26:88-89)

•06 Ramadan 1429•

]]> http://justmeandmyblog.wordpress.com/?p=402 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:45:25 +0000 Dana http://justmeandmyblog.wordpress.com/?p=402 I've never believed in signs. Symbols of fate that lead you in a certain direction.

Until now.

A friend of mine was deliberating over whether to end our "relationship" or not. Having nearly decided to do so, he went into a store. Over the speakers, came "our" song...

He decided to leave things for now.

If it only gives a little more time, I am grateful.

~thanks Gary!

10. Your dad works out in the garage...naked.

Photo Credits

The district court granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss, ruling that the resolution passed by the LCRA was not a final decision entitled to judicial review nor was it a decision that determined the legal rights, duties, or privileges of any person. The plaintiffs’ alleged harm resulted from the Board’s denial and not from any action taken by the LCRA, and the LCRA lacked the authority to grant or deny the permit. None of the entities or individuals in their official capacities – other than the City – made the final decision to deny the sign permit. 

On appeal, the Eighth Circuit reversed and remanded, finding that the district court erred in dismissing the complaint for failure to state a claim as the plaintiffs had alleged a valid claim under § 1983: that the LCRA violated their constitutional rights to free speech and due process, and the LCRA was clearly acting – or purporting to act – under color of state law. Notwithstanding its lack of actual authority, the LCRA took steps, under the color of law, in purporting to deny the permit, and infringed upon the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights.

Neighborhood Enterprises, Inc. v. City of St. Louis, 2008 WL 3981584 (8th Cir. 8/29/ 2008 )

The opinion can be accessed at: See http://www.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/08/08/073673P.pdf

Learning body language is a science. Like every other science it can be learnt. Let me tell you about it. Have you ever gone to meet someone and got bored after sometime and wanted to walk away? You would find your legs turning towards the exit automatically. If the other person is a good student of body language, he/she will understand that you want to leave. In context of dating, it is important to learn body language basics to find out how your date is responding.

Signs that show disinterest by your date-

Arms crossed in a defensive posture

Turning his/her body away from you,

Inattentiveness to what you are speaking,

Minimal physical contact,

An occasional yawn and

Very little eye contact

These are signs that your date is not interested. As one gets uninterested in someone, one tries to move away and reduce contact. If during a date, you read any of these signals what should you do? Best is to wait for some time and then ask the honest question - are you feeling uncomfortable, let me know. If yes, lets stop here. Ask honestly, so that you get an honest answer. Sometimes, the answer will be not what you expect, but body language is a sure way to find the real state of your date's mind.

Signs that show interest by your date-

Increasing physical contact

Deep interest in what you are saying

High level of eye contact,

No sign of hurry, and

Active participation in conversation

These are signals that your date is very interested in you. As anybody gets interested, he/she wants to increase intimacy and come nearer. These physical signals say that loudly. There will be no yawns. The eyes will be shining and there will be a smile on the face. When you spot these signals, be sure that the other person loves to meet you and be with you. If you are equally interested, respond similarly and take that date forward to another level.

During dating, many times, people want to act nice and are not honest enough about their true feelings. Body language tells you what is the truth.

Leafs trade pick for Rangers’ Hollweg
Ottawa native Bell signs with Senators
Sens trade up to select Karlsson at 15

Notice the gloves - it's 80 degrees.  Notice the video camera with the handpainted sign back there that says "Camera"?  This guy has been irritating me since 2005.  2005!  Does he go home every afternoon and review his videotapes to see who's doing what?  The school crossing guards AREN'T COPS!  They are Joe Schmo with apparently too much power!  (An aside - reminds me of the time about 15 years ago when a particular grocery store clerk was trying to NOT sell my friends and me some beer and we were over 21 - one friend informed the 18-year-old pimply faced cashier that she was "abusing her power as a cashier."  Yeah!  You tell her!)  The sign sometimes has other stuff on it but someone must have told him to tone it down.  I'm just sorry he wasn't wearing his cowboy hat today.

On the subject of signs - I'm not even sure about this one.  Well, the second one, anyway.  City Council has voted (I think this was final) to put a referendum on the ballot in November to allow the public to vote on whether or not the City should allow alcohol to be sold on Sundays in bars/restaurants that buy a special Sunday license.  I may need to give up the defensive gardening idea (even though it's lettuce-planting time) and rename this "Fighting to survive in the Bible Belt while still clinging desperately to my liberal ideals."

Here's a truck with giant signs on either side of it parked in the Hardee's parking lot at the corner of Irby and Second Loop today - here's side 1:

Okay - have they not heard of proofing before you paint?  Is "incease" somehow related to "decease"?  Jeez!  Here's side 2:

I'm really not sure what the Little Theater has to do with the liquor sale referendum (and I'm not sure this makes any sense whatsoever even if you added punctuation), but they are putting on Jesus Christ Superstar starting next week, I believe.  Mom's helping with costumes.  Still not sure about the big uproar, though, and how exactly that ties in with City Council and the possibility that you might be able to go out and get a beer on Sunday afternoon.

The "blue laws" still trip me up and I've lived here all my life.  Who is it going to kill if I buy a battery or a shirt before 1:30 p.m. on a Sunday?  Really, who?

This is the Mountain House in 1910 - click the image to see it larger:

The Mountain House is at the east end of Livermore/Altamont Pass in Alameda County at 16784 W Grantline Road, 4 miles W of Tracy and 6 miles E of Altamont Summit. Its origins stretch back to the gold rush days and are detailed in the July 2008 issue of The Traveler, the chapter's newsletter. Stop in, have a drink, and say hi to Josie and Sara.

Sick of seeing Plastic Signs up and down the highways, stapled to posts, at the entrance of your neighborhood? Well I believe we all are quite sick of it. If you see a sign in your neighborhood and it's not from or about your neighborhood, do us a favor and stop and throw it in your truck. These Plastic Signs are cheap and light weight. You can easily bend them and throw them in your garbage without taking up much space. Better to be pulled and thrown away now then blowing down the street, or in a neighborhood pond.

The area where I live, and I am referring to about a 150 mile radius, I have noticed the leaves changing colors.  Oh so pretty ~ Just dazzling with the reds, yellows, and hues of brown ~ heck ~ in some areas where trees are left because the local government was forced to leave parks, they have tours.

Something interesting has happened over the last three years ~ The mighty Oak Trees in some of these areas ~ the leaves are not changing colors at all; the leaves are just falling.  Strange isn't?  Even when there are drought conditions, the leaves have always changed colors before falling.  And on an Oak Tree no less ~ where the roots of these trees run deep into the ground and search out the water. 

I wonder just how bad the polluants and toxins are in the air and what the hell is in the ground water now ~~ or maybe it is another example of how the climate is changing ~~

What are the first signs??  Remember not all deserts were deserts.

What more could happen?  How many "storms of the century" are we going to see creep across the Atlantic Oceans? 

How prepared are we and what steps are being taken? 

The research on this is fascinating!  Yet no one seems to be trying to execute a mass answer to this ~ especially with all the good talk of "we care about the this and that".  LOL ~ but it is not really about the people is ~ though they are a person too.  Anyway, I digress, again, sorry.

Look up some information ~ but keep digging.  Don't forget about research into the number three. 

How neat is it one pole of the Earth is heating relatively quicker than the other??  (I would take a look at the winds, ocean current data available, and over the last two years how strong the typhoons have been in the southern part of the globe.)

Crossing, originally uploaded by Tokenhippygirl.

]]> http://20sk.wordpress.com/?p=143 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:05:27 +0000 20sk http://20sk.wordpress.com/?p=143


I've been meaning to get myself a Moleskine for ages now, they're cool little sketchbooks, now matter how overpriced they are! Anyway, I've got myself a few to take round the world with me, and this is the first.

I hate starting things like this, front covers and first pages! But I'd just had some Moo MiniCards delivered and this one seemed to fit on the front page nicely. Now there's only the front page to sort!

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First prize is a $1,000 software package!

Head over to the signweb website for more details and information about this contest.

Signweb.com 2nd Annual St Vehicle Graphics Contest

I recommend anyone using vinyl take a look at this article explaining the difference between the two types of vinyl.

SignIndustry.com Cast vs Calendered Vinyl