Datasets:

Qingyun
/

omnicorpus-cc-npmi

Dataset card Data Studio Files Files and versions Community

Split (1)

train · 500k rows

text stringlengths 203 413k
FLYING!!!! Today was an extraordinary day for me! I had the pleasure of flying to the CN tower by plane today, and it was like nothing I'd ever seen before! Sure, I've flown to other countries by plane before, but I'd never actually FLOWN one. Also, the purpose of the trip was to sight see, and I never realized that Canada was so beautiful! Our plane was a 4 seater; I'm not exactly sure what the model and type is. But I got to wear earphones and talk over the radio. There are a lot of checks and procedures that must be followed before a flight, and the weather is really important to fly a plane. We had to stay under the clouds so we waited until the skies cleared up. But the wait was definitely worth it! It was really fascinating to see how the pilot and dispatchers communicated with each other over the course of the flight! Since Toronto is so popular and has a busy airport, we often had to change altitude to accommodate the other aircrafts. For the most part, we stayed between 2000 and 3000 ft. The day was really picture perfect, clear and blue. I loved flying over Lake Ontario, and seeing all the ships sailing on the crystal blue waters. The entire time, I was so close to the ground that I could see the pools in people's homes and watch people run in the soccer stadium! As we flew over clouds, I could see the shadow of our plane and the ring of rainbow colours surrounding us, just for a few precious seconds before disappearing. Near the end I flew the plane, and it was unreal! I was so nervous! But it turned out well :) I'm still safe and sound haha. I'll be posting some pictures from my flight later, so stay tuned! I'll leave you with a favourite quote of mine: "Life's too short to experience as a spectator", go out there and try something new and exciting!
For the past few days, I have been sharing photos of the cards we'll be making in my Choose Your Own Adventure Card Class this Sunday. And, I have another one of those to share with you today. This one is another masculine card, and is made with the World Traveler Embossing Folder, Going Global stamp set, and a banner with a design from the Going Places Designer Series Paper: Again, this card is well-suited for many occasions -- I had Father's Day in mind when I chose the greeting, but this greeting could be used for other occasions, or of course, you could stamp an entirely different greeting on the compass. Hope you can come join the fun at class tomorrow. Please click Thanks for visiting my blog!
This blog is a continuation from: I forgive myself for myself to use emotions and feelings as the driving force - as energetic reaction - from which I will allow myself to become possessed into reactions towards another I forgive myself for accepting and allowing the building-up of dimensions within me - where I allow myself to see, or perceive something within my world, which will then be based on specific value systems, I have attached to it, triggering emotion and feeling energetic responses - instead of me realising that it is not me responding and directing myself within my world, but an automated system, linked to information of how I perceive myself , others and the world. I forgive myself for accepting and allowing this system as emotions and feelings to then become the highlight of my life - meaning where instead of realising that I have placed coping mechanisms to my world and people - I become obsessed with 'serving' these cycles between feelings and emotions. I forgive myself for accepting and allowing these energy systems to then become the directive principle of me, whereby I will names to these reactions, based on the values behind them, and will protect, justify and defend 'my emotions and feelings' - regardless of the reality of why and how these reactions exist as program language to automate me in my world, towards what I perceive are safe or acceptable ways to exist in a world that requires of me to outsmart and out manipulate others, so that I may succeed and perceive myself to be 'safe and happy' I forgive myself for accepting and allowing myself to program these energy reactions from childhood such as anger, sadness, joy etc - and throughout my life place conditions and trigger points around these systems, living my life to serve a system of survival. I forgive myself for accepting and allowing myself to perceive my world and others through these energy systems, where I will others who are different from me as either or bad - and I will make life decisions based on my emotion/feeling reactions to things/people - regardless of the fact that I am therefore a programmable program reacting to other programs with programs - and this I call Life. I forgive myself for accepting and allowing myself to characters and personalities according to my emotion/feeling reaction systems, whereby I will surround myself with things and people that allow me through perceptions to initiate and trigger my energy systems of happy/sad, good/bad, I forgive myself for accepting and allowing myself to fuel these energy systems - with other adaptive/evolved/responsive/backup energy systems - therefore tying myself into a infinity loop of energy reactions, dependent on more systems to keep me going, which is why are so difficult to over come, as the energy systems are self sustaining and always takes the person back to the same energy patterns, just with different words, places, ideas or experiences -for example: I forgive myself for accepting and allowing myself to use anger as a myself or others, to allow me to trigger the experience of happiness within me - this being an example of how I would manipulate life on this planet, to surround myself with people and things that allow ME, to avoid that which is unpleasant and that which gives me pleasure - not and realising that the physical reality, literally takes the brunt, the fall and the within a world system that uses the physical as consumerism to bring the human, 'joy and pleasure', to avoid negative energetic experiences. And in the case of a 'mass murdering set'; I forgive myself for then accepting and allowing myself to first trigger a picture of me being harmed or harming another who I perceived harmed me, into an of how I will 'stand up to this person', which then chemically-energetically triggers certain emotions/feelings - that I have already pre-programmed to drive me into action through emotions such as anger, resentment, etc - to ultimately experience my own contentment, joy, safety - instead of creating a world within and as me, that stand for stopping these energy based reaction os resentment and conflict - which includes and starts with as self - and only from there will each one stand as the principle of equality and oneness living, when we stop deceiving each others out of
(Pic: Joel returning home from a swim with the kiddos. We so love where we live...a community pool right behind our backyard, a park next to that, wide open spaces that the kids can explore, and of course being able to 'travel' by red wagon. :) ) So, I started to answer questions in the actual comment section of the last post, but do people really come back and look for answers to the questions they ask in the comment section? I do sometimes, if I remember. But, just thought this was easier anyway. First, let me just tell you that it happens so naturally and easily for me to wean my babies. I know that isn't always the case with some of you. I think that one reason is because of the way we schedule...sleep, nurse, eat, play instead of nursing right before sleep. I do nurse right before bedtime, but only at the bedtime time (our bedtime is set at 8pm). I also never use nursing as comfort. I know that it comforting, but what I mean is that when my baby falls down and hurts him/herself for example, I don't nurse the baby to comfort...I think that's another reason. My babies aren't used to being nursed for soothing or going to sleep. We soothe and comfort in other ways...and put to bed in other ways too. I know lots of you do the same (yay, Baby Wise...even if you don't agree with all that Baby Wise has to say, that scheduling is awesome in my opinion). Around 3-4 months of age, my babies have all slept through the night (for the most part). Our nursing schedule looked something like this: 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, 10pm. Obviously that wasn't set in stone, but it was always around those times, give or take an hour or two on either side. Not too long after this happens, the 10pm is able to be dropped. Around 6 months of age we start solids. After that, it doesn't take too terribly long until they drop the mid-morning feeding (10am) and the mid-afternoon feeding (4pm) and they are only taking 2 naps a day. So then they are just nursing right before mealtimes...the original 1pm feeding is pushed up to noon or so...they nurse and then eat lunch with the rest of the family. The original 7pm is pushed up to 5 or so and then they eat supper...you get it. Then I feed again at 8 when we put them to bed. Anyway, all of that to say, that's how we get from 6 feedings down to 4. Now, I never produce an abundance of milk at all...even at the very first when I'm nursing every 2 hours. It just doesn't happen. I've never been engorged or anything like that (I know...lucky). So, I just have a perfect amount I guess because my babies (after I figured out what I was doing wrong with the first two anyway) have done just fine with the amount I have. Once I go down to 4 feedings (or once they reach about the 10 month age anyway) and since they are eating normal food anyway, they still love to nurse, but it's not at all I guess as far as they are concerned. Some people stop nursing because they say that their babies are too distracted or not interested...usually around 9 months this happens. I remember this happenening a bit, when they just get old enough to be interested in what's going on around them. But, we always push through this, sometimes even doing things like going to another room or, if I'm here by myself, putting in a video or something so that the 3 older ones were still and quiet while I nursed. We just made it work. With the older three, I've always been pregnant already by the time they were a year old, so I was 'ready,' I guess you could say, to wean. It was still a bit sad, but I was ready and they didn't seem to miss it at all. But, this time really it was all about circumstances. We were so very busy running here and there and everywhere in the United States that it just happened naturally that I just wasn't able to nurse sometimes during the day (either the lunch or supper feeding was almost always dropped each day). It was a completely easy transition and Cass could've cared less. When we got back here, we went down to the 2 feedings. Once I go down to just 2 feedings, I really am hardly making any milk it seems to me. I joked around with a friend the other day...I'm sure Cass was like "Is this really necessary?" :) Ha ha ha. Seriously...I could tell she just really didn't care either way. But, I'm always pretty determined to at least do it until they are a year old. So, that's what we do. But, I'm sure that makes it easier too...that by that time, I'm pretty 'dry.' As far as 'Aunt Flo': I got a visit from her once between Grady and Hadley, once between Hadley and Eissa, and she never came between Eissa and Cass. But, strangely enough, after Cass she came very 'early' for me. Cass was only 3 months old when the uninvited guest arrived (I love that good ole Flo enables me to have children, but that's all I love about her). I know some women who breastfeed exclusively (and I mean exclusively...no bottle usage at all...we never used a bottle either) and get theirs back around 6 weeks (or earlier). Then I know some who never get theirs until after they stop breastfeeding...for a very long time. I had just stopped breastfeeding when I became pregnant with Hadley (Grady was 4 months old...you can read about that breastfeeding experience and get my take on having successful breastfeeding in general ). I was still breastfeeding and Hadley was just shy of 11 months old when I got pregnant with Eissa. I was still breastfeeding Eissa and waiting for the auntie when I found out I was preggers with Cass...Eissa was 8 1/2 months. It's interesting...and different for everyone. As far as the dress, Leah...I don't even own a full dress. I've always been a skirt girl. :) And Rebecca (in the comments section last post), do I know you? I just know several Rebeccas but I didn't think any of them had had a 3 child, so just curious. Also (total subject change here), coming soon...pictures of our house. Just took them today. Maybe the next post. Now, this was on a friend's blog today, so I thought I'd snatch it from her and leave you with this today. This has been a fave of mine for a while. I heard it for the first time when our friend came down to visit about a year and a half ago and left her Ipod Shuffle with me...such a gift that was. Thanks Wendy!! Seriously love this song!! It gives me chills every time too, Shelly. Every time.
It's that time of year when men's minds turn to the grill. (Insert Tim Allen manly noises here.) And, yes, I too will throw the typical meats on there. A big old ribeye. Burgers. Polish sausage. But I also use the grill for things slightly off the beaten path. Salmon. Veggies (especially squash). And perhaps more than anything, I love to grill cuts of beef that lots of people forget about: tritip, hanger steak, and flank steak. Here's a great rub you could use on any of them. (Or on the steak, or on the veggies, or on some chicken. You get the picture.) All it takes is three minutes or so on each side for perfect medium-rare. Serve it with a little salsa or nestle in tortillas and enjoy. Makes enough for a couple of pieces of flank steak. You can refrigerate any leftover rub. 4 tablespoons minced garlic 1/3 ground chile powder (preferably ancho) 1/2 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper 1 tablespoon kosher salt Mix ingredients until thoroughly blended. Rub heavily onto flank steak (about 2 tablespoons per pound of meat). Let sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before grilling.
We have made a couple of modest updates to the OE system to increase the functionality of our City and Zone search capabilities from within OE. Let's look at the city search improvements first: When you search for a City, we now tell you the Zone that that city is located in. Once you know the Zone the City is in, we can use that information to see what other customers are in that Zone as well. Once we know the Zone we want to have a look at, we use the Zone search to look-up the customers in that Zone. Notice that the Zone list first shows us the Active customers and their address. If we scroll down we will find that our Dormant Customers are listed in Yellow below the Active customers and they too are sorted by alpha. The idea here is to make it easy to look for prospects in the area you will be traveling in. The Inactive customers are prime hunting ground for new business. They purchased from us once, perhaps we can attract them again. As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me in the IT Dept.
Hello! Sorry for my absence. I thought I would have enough time to set up a couple of posts pre-loaded to share while I was gone on my short trip to Vegas... but that didn't happen, so here I am back in Hawaii with at least 1 card to share for now and some pictures of what's been keeping me busy. This card is a re-do that I got the idea for from Stamp Camp. The card slides open and reveals something hidden. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up and the inside is Dandelion Designs' Snowman. This snowman is so cute!!! I used it at Jean's make and take for her Candy Cane favor and I just had to buy it after that! I haven't been working on too much cards lately, but need to get back into gear, and in a hurry too... I have several projects that I need to finish in the next week and a half. The last couple of weeks, I've been working on this and I hope to be done by Sunday. Here's a sneak peak. You must be thinking... "What is this?" Take a closer look, I think you can guess. If you're interested, leave me a comment on THIS post by Saturday, 12/13/08, 11:59pm Hawaii Time and I'll have my other half choose one person randomly on Sunday, to be the receiver of one of one of these. Don't worry, it will be a completed one, not in pieces like this. I'll post the winner on Sunday afternoon.
I am a list-maker. I always have been. Maybe it's because I can't remember anything these days, but I just realized that I have a lot of lists going on right now. So I thought I'd make a list of my current lists: Things to clean/organize at home Classes I'd like to take Things I don't like about certain people (yes, it helps me be clear) Websites to visit when I get a chance (from radio or tv) Bible verses or stories I want to read Things to pack for England Things to pack in my carry on Old movies I want to see but haven't yet Things people like (for gift giving) Things to ask my pastor Things to take to my dads when I visit next Planet Earths (which ones I have and which ones I still need to record) These are just a few lists that I keep stored in my pda! There are more lists in my head and/or on paper that I make up and use everyday.
Painting a commission is special in many ways. First, most of the time, the painting is of something very meaningful or memorable to the one who has commissioned the painting. Now, I have to say that just knowing this makes me a bit apprehensive. After I get the painting started and it seems to be coming together, I get so much joy when it is time to present it to a patron. The following painting, "Tina's House" was commissioned by a longtime friend. She wanted three of these painted for her family. This is grandma's house where many memories were made. What could be more special? Thanks to my friend, Gina, for letting me paint these for you! Tina's House 11x14 oil on board by Judy Nocifora
I really hope this isn't true... Is there trouble in paradise for Johnny Depp and his longtime love, Parisian actress/singer Vanessa Paradis ? According to People magazine, the couple of nearly 14 years - who has spent much of their life together in the quiet Plan-de-la-Tour region of France, is on the verge of calling it quits now that they live in bustling Los Angeles. Johnny and Vanessa -- who have two children together (12-year-old Lily-Rose and Jack, 9) -- have not appeared next to each other on a red carpet for more than a year, and -- according to the mag -- some in the couple's inner circle say the duo has already severed their romantic ties. "It's so sad," an insider reportedly told People. The latest evidence pointing to a possible split? Sunday's Golden Globe Awards ceremony, where Johnny reportedly arrived solo, joined show host Ricky Gervais onstage for a presentation, and then left immediately. Additionally, Johnny raised eyebrows back in May when he promoted the fourth installment of "The Pirates of the Caribbean" film at the Cannes Film Festival alone, though the festival took place just miles from his and Vanessa's French estate. Prior to dating Vanessa, Johnny was linked to supermodel Kate Moss, as well as his former "Edward Scissorhands" co-star, Winona Ryder. Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Ascaris lumbricoides is a parasite. It is a helminth or more specifically a nematode (roundworm) that undergoes most of its life-cycle within the human body. Ascariasis is a type of roundworm infection that causes many problems in human beings. This type of round worm tends to inhabit the intestines of human beings, named . In other words, human beings are host to them. They stay in our bodies, mature and reproduce eggs to complete their life cycle So what is meant by parasitism? It is actually a symbiotic relationship between usually 2 organisms that are of different species where one will gain benefit while the other suffers. Ascaris benefits from the intestinal contents from human being while the host , human beings are being sacrificed of their nutrients and body fluids. The lifecycle of Ascaris Lumbricoides begins when a human ingests viable Ascaris eggs via contaminated soils or composts that may remain on unwashed hands, food, or particularized dust. When the eggs entered the human body, they enter the intestines and mature over a period of two months to become young adults. The adult Ascaris roundworm will remain in the small intestines where it can live for up to one year. In addition, the roundworm can migrate to the heart and lungs. During most of the adult life the female Ascaris roundworm lays eggs that are excreted in the feces of the infected human. Once the eggs are excreted from the human body they often remain viable for a period of several years waiting to infect another human and repeat the life cycle. Feces from a human infected with Ascaris often contain 10,000 viable eggs per one gram of feces, while the female roundworm can excrete over 200,000 eggs daily.
Today was a day in which I did everything in a very Papa way. I called my own dad, even, and chatted about the kids. I watched a football game with Sarah and Herc, and even though Sarah's black magic caused our team to lose, it was still great fun. Then I helped both of my kids fall asleep so Jaime could study. (I'm always tempted to say I put them to sleep. That sounds bad. Remind me to delete that from my vernacular. Along with Goddammit, that Viri has picked up from me. Bad habits surface with talking children...) My littlest one is asleep now, looking like the smallest Jedi. It is amazing to me how much love I have for my children. Even the thought that someone could not be near their children is shocking to me. I had a few hours away from them, enjoying myself and watching football, and I still missed them. I had to relate a few stories about them to Herc and Sarah. I should have mentioned the awesome little Jedi pajamas. The place we watched football today was an irish pub downtown, a fun little place. It made me want to listen to the Pogues, which I am currently doing. And I should rush off and make a new cd for the car before the little Jedi wakes up and demands boobs and justice. In that order.
David Baer, who teaches theology and philosophy at Texas Lutheran University, is interested in the fate of Hungary. He spent two longer periods in Hungary as a Fulbright scholar and is the author of a book entitled The Struggle of Hungarian Lutherans under Communism. He also has family connections that tie him to the country. His wife and two children are Hungarian citizens. He speaks Hungarian well. On January 17 Baer decided to write an open letter to Hungarian churches in which he expressed his worries about the general state of Hungarian democracy as well as his specific concerns about the new law on churches that makes the recognition of churches as such the prerogative of politicians. He sent his Hungarian-language letter to the Hungarian Lutheran Church, which decided to make it available on the Internet. It is a thoughtful letter. Baer is convinced that reviving the notion of the “third road” (the idea that Hungary’s future lies somewhere between modern capitalism and Soviet-type socialism) can only lead away from Europe. Baer’s sympathies used to lie with Fidesz, but today he is deeply disappointed in the Orbán government. He thinks very little of the new Hungarian constitution which “perhaps some consider to be the basis of Hungarian democracy, but then these people must realize that this specifically Hungarian democracy is contrary to basic concepts of western democracy.” In the West this “new kind of democracy is called Putinism.” At the end of his letter Baer asks the people who pin their hopes on Orbán in the name of national interest to reconsider their opinion about Hungary’s true national interest. The Lutherans made Baer’s letter public “in the hope of substantive and cultured discussion.” As far I could ascertain, Baer’s letter solicited only one answer: from Gyula Márfi, the Catholic archbishop of Veszprém, earlier Bishop of Eger. Márfi was appointed to his post in 1997 by Pope John Paul II, a post József Mindszenty held in 1944-45 prior to his appointment as prince primate of the Hungarian Catholic Church and archbishop of Esztergom. Márfi spent two years (1976-1978) in Paris where he received his “diplome supérieur d’études oecuméniques.” So, Márfi doesn’t even have the excuse of being totally ignorant of Western Europe. Of course, it is possible that while in France he met only arch-conservative Catholic priests. In any case, a few years back–as Zsófia Mihancsik’s footnote to Márfi’s letter reminded me–he delivered a ringing speech on the thirty-second anniversary of Mindszenty’s death about “Hungary that is suffering from an overdose of freedom,” in fact “is in life threatening danger” because of too much liberty. In the audience was the American ambassador April H. Foley. One can only hope that she didn’t understand one blessed word of Márfi’s sermon, unless, of course, the Archbishopric provided an English translation of the speech ahead of the event. Of course, if this was the case, April Foley shouldn’t have attended. Gyula Márfi, archbishop of Veszprém (magyarkurir.hu) Márfi’s letter is very long and I will not be able to do justice to it. In keeping with the Hungarian custom of telling one’s adversary that he is ignorant, Márfi writes that, in complaining about taking the right to decide on the status of churches away from the judges, Baer doesn’t understand the Hungarian situation. Because, according to Márfi, the so-called independent Hungarian judiciary is full of judges who served the communist dictatorship and took part in the persecution of Hungarian church leaders. Naturally, this is the figment of Márfi’s imagination. In fact, by the 1970s and 1980s the Catholic Church had a very cozy relationship with the Kádár regime. Most of the church leaders served as informers for the Ministry of Interior. Márfi also takes exception to Baer’s questioning of the current Hungarian government’s commitment to Europe. Again, he repeated, “as far as I can see, Mr. Professor, your knowledge of Europe is deficient and one-sided.” In Márfi’s opinion there is a “Christian Europe in hiding while there is a much louder, sharply anti-Christian and ultra-liberal Europe.” This Europe still recognizes “the Great Builder” but denies “the God of Jesus Christ and his Ten Commandments.” The leaders of this Europe are the ones who “overprescribe freedom which, similar to an overdose of medicine, doesn’t cure but poisons.” Europe today is a place where abortions are performed; it is the world of free love; a place of lesbians and homosexuals. Márfi goes further. This left-wing, modern Europe is actually “the Europe of former communists who are now capitalists; the Europe of freedom fighters who were formerly dictators; the Europe of such ‘modern people’ whose morality has proved to be obsolete and incapable of survival in the last two thousand years; the Europe of people who seem to be worried about the freedom of religion when in fact they persecute the churches.” After this outrageous description of today’s Europe, Márfi moves on to the defense of Viktor Orbán who is being shown as a martyr who was attacked in the European Parliament by “the followers of Mao Zedong” and “a pedophile who is trying to teach morals to a father of five.” Baer’s third sin is that he ignores the influence of the evil United States “in the Orbán affair.” If Baer thinks that this is a purely European question, he is wrong. Viktor Orbán doesn’t really have problems with the European Union but “with international capital” whose “owners” must be found somewhere around New York’s Wall Street. These “owners of capital” want to make individual states their slaves through their loans. These people try to influence elections and through their loans they make smaller countries their colonies. These capitalists are very angry at Viktor Orbán because “he enacted several laws adversely affecting the international financiers.” The Veszprém Archbishopric advertising Fidesz and the Orbán government’s New Széchenyi Plan The leaders of the European Union know full well that international financial circles are endangering Europe yet they are still willing to cooperate with them for financial reasons, out of fear, or perhaps for ideological considerations. “The situation is well known. It was this way two thousand years ago when the Rabbinical Council cooperated with Pontius Pilate. Pilate is still being applauded by all scribblers and pharisees. And naturally there are the false witnesses whose whole life consists only of lies and because they own most of the media … they exclaim ‘Crucify him! Crucify Viktor Orbán.'” And in case we have any doubt whom Márfi has in mind, he mentions Ákos Kertész and Imre Kertész, both of whom happen to be Jewish. This incredible description of the world by a Hungarian Catholic cleric ends with a quotation from David C. Korten’s 1995 book When Corporations Rule the World. It is a leftist critique of global capitalism, but I have noticed over the years that it is also a favorite book of the far right. And the Orbán government is passing on school after school to a Catholic Church whose leaders think like Archbishop Gyula Márfi. I’m really worried about the kind of education these children are receiving now and will receive in even greater numbers in the future.
Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases. ISBN: 9781933653730 \| 1933653736 Cover: Paperback Copyright: 3/1/2009 Play skills are life skills; as children develop them, they also learn important social skills that they will use throughout their lives. Teachers will find successful strategies for implementing changes in the classroom to enhance the environment for play and techniques to help support children's development. This is the revised edition of the well-respected and relied-upon handbook Pathways to Play. Play contains activity ideas that encourage play skills, checklists to help identify where children are having problems, specific teaching strategies, and assessment options. This new edition also examines how play theory translates into practice.
We went over to a friend’s place for a rooftop BBQ. Definitely some good times and some good stories. Glen, especially, has a way with stories. He tells them with lots of pauses for effect, repetition of key words or phrases, lots of touching and tapping to make sure you’re engaged in the story and lots of volume. The effect is only amplified when he’s completely drunk. We found out partway through the evening that the couple hosting are sponsoring a cat and her four kittens for the SPCA. There job is to get the cat and kittens used to being in a home. They’ve had them for all of a day, I believe. When we snuck into the bedroom to take a peek, two kittens were dozing in the carrier and two were feeding. One of the feeding kittens fell asleep on her mom, while one was very awake and ready to play.
Happy first day of school! Take some time between your new classes and studies to check out some of our book displays for the month. – Hillbilly Elegy / Appalachia – To support the One Book One DU Initiative for Hillbilly Elegy, September’s book display focuses on the Appalachia region. Novels, poetry, and nonfiction explore this important region’s culture, history, industries, and struggles. Affrilachian authors, a multicultural group that encompass many diverse viewpoints and lived histories in the Appalachian region, will be the focus of the display to boost their unique voices. The display includes works by Affrilachian poets, memoirs and stories of growing up in Appalachia, and books on the region’s history. Take a look through these books and start discovering this fascinating part of our country. – Latinx Heritage Month – Latino or latina? How about Latinx? Latinx is a gender neutral term for Latino/ Latina that allows for many groups of people to be included and represented. The month between September 15 and October 15 celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of Latinx people. In support of the Latino Student Alliance, this display explores books with uniquely Latinx themes. – DU Community Publications – DU’s faculty and staff are amazing! Check out what they’re publishing in their respective fields. You’ll find books on race, gender, economics, literature, and more! Find out more about these displays including book lists and our DVD display here:
It has lengthy been the aim of engineers to increase instruments that improve our skill to do paintings, raise our caliber of existence, or practice projects which are both past our skill, too damaging, or too tedious to be left to human efforts. self sustaining cellular robots are the fruits of a long time of analysis and improvement, and their power is outwardly unlimited. Roadmap to the Future Serving because the first complete reference in this interdisciplinary know-how, self sufficient cellular Robots: Sensing, regulate, choice Making, and purposes authoritatively addresses the theoretical, technical, and functional facets of the sector. The publication examines intimately the main elements that shape an self reliant cellular robotic, from sensors and sensor fusion to modeling and keep watch over, map development and course making plans, and choice making and autonomy, and to the ultimate integration of those parts for assorted applications. Trusted Guidance A duo of finished specialists leads a crew of popular foreign researchers and execs who supply specific technical experiences and the newest ideas to a number of very important difficulties. They proportion hard-won perception into the sensible implementation and integration matters enthusiastic about constructing self sufficient and open robot structures, in addition to in-depth examples, present and destiny purposes, and large illustrations. For a person excited about gaining knowledge of, designing, or deploying independent robot structures, self sustaining cellular Robots is the best source. Read or Download Autonomous Mobile Robots: Sensing, Control, Decision Making and Applications PDF Developmental Robotics: From Babies to Robots (Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Agents) Contributor word: ahead by means of Linda B. Smith ------------------------ Developmental Robotics is a collaborative and interdisciplinary method of robotics that's at once encouraged through the developmental rules and mechanisms saw in children's cognitive improvement. It builds at the concept that the robotic, utilizing a suite of intrinsic developmental rules regulating the real-time interplay of its physique, mind, and setting, can autonomously gather an more and more complicated set of sensorimotor and psychological functions. This quantity, drawing on insights from psychology, machine technological know-how, linguistics, neuroscience, and robotics, bargains the 1st complete evaluation of a quickly turning out to be field. Difficulties universal to photos and robotics are lined during this reviewed choice of papers written following a 1993 workshop. top specialists from either disciplines met to spot universal difficulties, to offer new ideas, and to debate destiny study instructions. issues lined contain robotic simulation utilizing snap shots workstations, simulation thoughts within the framework of teleoperation, direction making plans techniques, collision detection recommendations, experimentation utilizing digital truth, modeling innovations for computerized programming and for gadgets with curved surfaces, object-oriented implementations, a variety of features of robotic imaginative and prescient, and - in a paper that displays the essence of the workshop - the tough activity of designing a imaginative and prescient process for a family robotic. Family provider Robotics is a set of the newest technological advances in family provider robotics in 5 major components: robotic structures, manipulation, navigation, item attractiveness, and human-robot interplay. The publication allows readers to appreciate improvement s and practice them to their very own operating parts, including:Robotic applied sciences for assisted residing and aged careDomestic cleansing automationHousehold surveillanceGuiding platforms for public areas provider robotics is a hugely multidisciplinary box, requiring a holistic strategy. Robot 2015: Second Iberian Robotics Conference: Advances in Robotics, Volume 2 This e-book incorporates a choice of papers permitted for presentation and dialogue at robotic 2015: moment Iberian Robotics convention, held in Lisbon, Portugal, November 19th-21th, 2015. robotic 2015 is a part of a sequence of meetings which are a joint association of SPR – “Sociedade Portuguesa de Robótica/ Portuguese Society for Robotics”, SEIDROB – Sociedad Española para los angeles Investigación y Desarrollo de los angeles Robótica/ Spanish Society for examine and improvement in Robotics and CEA-GTRob – Grupo Temático de Robótica/ Robotics Thematic staff. Additional info for Autonomous Mobile Robots: Sensing, Control, Decision Making and Applications 3 Application examples In this section we present some experimental results of real-time stereo-visionbased obstacle detection for unstructured terrain. 3 m in front and on top of the vehicle, spaced 20 cm apart. 8 (a) Isodisparity profile lines generated from the disparity map using a LUT method. (b) A single isodisparity line (curved line), its reference line (straight) and detected obstacle pixels. (c) Detected obstacle points. (d) Obstacle map. the same vehicle coordinate system. A centralized triggering signal was generated for the stereo systems and other sensors to synchronize the data capturing. 8 RADAR-Based Augmented State Vector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Process Model . . . . . . . . . . 4 CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS The earlier sections have detailed many of the practical difficulties of visually based guidance and presented pragmatic techniques used during field demonstrations. To be realistic, autonomous vehicles represent a highly complex set of problems and current capability is still at the stage of the SAP/F “donkey” engaged in A-to-B mobility. To extend this capability, researchers need to think further along the technology road map [1] and tackle perception challenges such as: terrain mapping, detection of cover, classification of vegetation, and the like. Rated 5 – based on votes
Rellenong Bangus "You can't make me eat bang-gus, baby." That undying declaration greeted my sister when she told her then-fiance (now her husband) that she'll be cooking bangus for dinner. He, like my husband and many others out there, absolutely detest bangus (milkfish) because it's full of fine fish bones that even those with good eyesight can't get out entirely at times. Presenting my brother-in-law with boneless bangus will not work either. The moment he sees it's bangus and the milky flesh of it, he will reject it outright. But my sister made true of her claim when she said "I'll make you eat milkfish, baby, and you will like it!" My sister's secret? Rellenong bangus. Rellenong bangus is a special dish, which is actually stuffed bangus. However, preparing it is so time consuming that it is served only during special occasions. We used to spend about 3-4 hours to prepare and cook relleno until some innovative individual came up with a technique that lessened the whole prep time to nearly half. Let's talk about the ingredients first. 120 grams ground pork (preferably with 10%-20% fat) 1/2 cup finely diced carrots 1/2 cup finely diced potatoes 1/4 cup minced onions 1 tbls minced garlic 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce 1/4 pc of pork cube salt and pepper to taste 4 tbsp vegetable oil for cooking the filling Enough oil to deep fry your rellenong bangus. 1 tbsp calamansi juice (or lemon/lime) 2 tbsp soy sauce 1/8 tsp ground black pepper My parents and family maid used to prepare the fish by taking out the gills and internal organs out before beating the poor fish to death. This is to done in order to get the fish meat out so it can be prepped for relleno. The downside of this is that pounding takes 15-30 mins, and picking out the broken pieces of fish bones is around 30 minutes to an hour. You really have to pick through the meat as the fish bones have been reduced to bits. Nowadays, you can have your rellenong bangus prepped for you easily by your fish monger. Just tell them that you're using the fish for relleno and the will clean as well as remove the meat for you using a long, specially made spatula. I prefer to remove the meat myself, though, because: Every single bit of meat is carefully scraped off. You fish monger is busy, so he or she will just go and scrape away, not bothering to see all the meat is removed. I like the challenge. I want to do things by myself, and being 100% hands on with the bangus is a fulfilling task for me. SM Supermarket, however, has a policy of against prepping bangus for relleno, and I understand them. An inexperienced individual can push too hard and puncture the skin of the fish, causing the filling to spill out. Ironically, I punctured the skin of my bangus on the 3rd time I prepared bangus and not on the first. That's over-confidence for you. :P Please watch the video below how to remove the meat yourself. However, remember to bend the tail end first before you do so, not unlike what I did - broke the end bone when I was nearly half-way done with the scraping. Be careful to keep the head attached to the skin, this will be useful for excess filling and presentation. The skin should be marinated for at least 30 minutes. This will help the fish have some flavor since the skin can be eaten along with the meat. I boiled the meat in a pot filled with enough water to cover up the fish meat. You have the option of adding a bit of salt and a small knob or an eighth of an inch of crushed ginger. I boiled the meat for 15-20 minutes to get rid of the fishy smell, but you can also place the meat in a steamer for 30 minutes. Steaming will be better as you don't have to cope with the scum that will form with the boiling. Preparing the Filling for Rellenong Bangus Once the meat is cooked, let it cool to room temperature and carefully take out every single fish bone that you can find. It's easier if you got the meat whole as the fish bones are intact. If you're having problems, like I did, a magnifying glass from a neighbor or relative will be very convenient to use. Just pile a couple of heavy books and tape the handle of the magnifying glass on the top to keep it in place. Heat up a large pan and place 2 tbsp oil once the pan starts to smoke. Stir in the ground meat and stir fry until golden brown. Place the meat at the side of the pan then add in the remaining oil. Add your potatoes. Once the potatoes are crispy and light golden brown in color, add in your garlic, onions, and carrots. Stir until aromatic, then add your oyster sauce and pork cubes> Stir everything well, including the ground pork and fish meat to evenly distribute your seasonings. Add a touch of salt and pepper to taste if you prefer. Mix everything well then take the rellenong bangus filling out of the pan and into a bowl. Let it cool really well at room temperature so you won't cook the beaten egg that you will add later. Stuffing the Rellenong Bangus This is the next tricky part of preparing rellenong bangus since the wrong technique can: Give you a thin, or over-stuffed rellenong bangus Tear the skin Produce air pocket Once you're ready to stuff and cook your rellenong bangus, gradually add the beaten egg to the filling one tablespoon at a time until your filling is wet but not swimming in egg. The egg will serve as a binder to prevent your filling from going all over the place when you cut the fish later Use a teaspoon at first to fill up the bangus skin. Go slow and carefully at first since you have to push the filling right up to the bottom. You can try inverting the skin halfway, but that can be tricky. scoop out a filling and push it through the skin all the way down to the tail. Don't wait for the filling to collect at the top before you push it down. Stuff the bangus all the way up to the head, and sew the head to the skin if necessary, especially if the head is cut off the skin accidentally while stuffing. Cooking the Rellenong Bangus Fill up a large wok with enough oil, approximately 350ml - 500ml, depending on how deep and wide your pan will be. Heat up the oil and test by placing a bamboo skewer/bbq stick right down at the center of the pan. If you see the ends bubbling, the oil is just perfect for frying. Carefully, and gingerly place the rellenong bangus in the pan with the use of a pair of tongs and spatula. Be really careful as the skin can cause the oil to splatter. If your pan "spits" oil, don't be afraid to cover it as the bangus cooks. No need to cook it for too long; keep the flame in medium heat and cook until the skin is brown and crispy. If you are, just like my cousin, unreasonably and unusually afraid of oil splatters, then you can bake your rellenong bangus instead. Pre-heat your oven at 450 degrees F and place your rellenong bangus that has been previously basted with oil. This is better for individuals who must undergo a low-fat diet, or for individuals who cannot stand anything that is deep fried. Now, there are several things that can go wrong with frying your rellenong bangus: Your fish can stick. Unless you have a large non-stick pan, your fish will have the tendency to stick to the bottom of your pot. It happened to me earlier, and the result is a broken bangus skin with the filling spilling all over. I was impatient to get the fish cooked as my daughter was already screaming for food. If you don't have a non-stick pan, time the frying of your bangus as you would your fried daing. That may mean frying your fish in medium heat for 5-10 minutes per side, and yes that includes the upper and lower back if you are shallow frying. You're lucky if you can do deep fry as you only need 5-10 total until the fish skin is crispy. Your fish can be too big for your pan. I chose a large fish, thinking it will be our lunch and dinner and I don't have to prep that long just in time for us to eat. Turns out that my largest pan cannot accommodate my fish. The skin can break. You really have to treat your bangus with care. Remember that the skin has lost all its natural connection to flesh, so it's very elastic and very prone to breakage. Do not use sharp edged tongs, and only use a really flat spatula for turning and handling your fish. Needless to say, do not under any circumstances handle your fish unless absolutely necessary. You can burn your fish. Fish will stick if you cook it on low heat, hence the need for high temperatures. However, if you don't look at your fish closely, that high heat can be the death of your fish. Be careful when frying your fish and don't go anywhere unless your fish is cooked. And there you have it! Rellenong bangus is definitely exhausting to prepare, but it can be your family's favorite. Very few people are willing to make rellenong bangus, and mastering the skill to prepare and cook one is indeed worthy of praise. Written by Donna Marie
The English novel was first introduced in the 18th century. Henry Fielding was one of the fathers of the genre, who created consciousness among the readers and potential writers. He saw himself as an innovator in the long tradition of poets and dramatists of the past. In 1749 Fielding published The History of Tom Jones - one of the first English works of prose that was soon recognized as a masterpiece. Only a century afterwards, William Thackeray, the author of Vanity Fair, chose Fielding for his literary model. Thackeray is also known to have protested that Victorian novelists like him were not permitted to write with the openness that Henry Fielding had enjoyed in the 18th century. The Victorian novelist soon began to produce his own works in which it is conspicuous how extensively Fielding's example has contributed to his literary output and subsequently the formation of his own early manner (Johnson 1961; 100). The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1749) by He... English: First edition title page of Vanity Fair English: Portrait sketch of Henry Fielding Thus, after having read the two literary works picturing England of the 18th and the 19th century, the reader is able to easily notice certain similarities as well as differences between them. In literature, the ideal interpretation seems to be an interpretation that is able to account for every part of a piece of literature in its relation to every other part and to the whole. Unity is so usual a requirement in criticism of the novel that it can easily be considered a factor in comparing The History of Tom Jones and Vanity Fair. Fielding organized his work into separate books. "The eighteen books of Tom Jones fall into three groups of six each, centred respectively around the home, the road, and in London" (Sikorska 2002; 189). When reading the work, its rapid pace and large number of events may mislead the reader into...
I worry that I spend too much time talking about Tomatoes, but I’ve received two classic Tomato questions this week. Why do my Tomato plant flowers drop off and not set fruit? Why have my Tomato fruit gone black at the base? Lisa brought the fruit pictured into work. for the answers to both these questions. It turns out that I answered them both in February and it’s interesting to see how this newsletter has developed over that period. The pic is new, Lisa brought this Tomato into work and photographed it for me.
Taul is a multiple volunteer Surely you've seen Carol Taul's face before, if you don't know her personally. She's the first one you see when you walk in The Baldwin City Signal office, where she is the office manager and circulation director. She's also the first person you may see at Baker University basketball games selling tickets or at Baldwin High School events helping the Bulldog Booster Club and watching the games at both. There isn't a 4-Her in Baldwin that doesn't know her. The Signal is celebrating its first birthday today, and the staff sought the perfect person for the paper's weekly feature. Taul was an easy choice, because she's become such an important part of The Signal. She's a bonafide expert on Baldwin, although she was raised in Lawrence, but it's the nature of Taul to do what she does without bringing attention to herself. Taul could still be considered a newcomer to the city of Baldwin, but not the community. She's used to the country life and the dairy farm her husband Jimmie operated west of town from 1974 until 1995. The Tauls live on Fremont Street now, but they still have a herd of Holstein and a Brown Swiss, which are shown by their children Nickie, 19, and Katy, 15. She takes vacations to go to Holstein shows and serves as an adult advisor to the Kansas Junior Holstein members. Douglas County sports the largest 4-H dairy program in the state. A county-wide dairy project was started two years ago. "We are just getting it off the ground and it's fun to start from scratch," she said. "I like working with the kids involved." 4-H can occupy almost every night of the week. She's been a community leader for the Palmyra 4-H Club for at least 11 years. She's a member of the 4-H Kansas Dairy Action Team. She serves on several 4-H committees. "That's what it takes," Taul said of the time she dedicates to 4-H. "But I also enjoy it. Our friends are 4-H people. It's something our family can stay involved with together." Her involvement with 4-H started with her children 12 years ago when Nickie started 4-H. Katy is a freshman at Baldwin High School, and can be in 4-H another four years. Life can get a bit crazy before and during the Douglas County fair Taul could do all the preparation in her sleep. "She's an incredible encouragement to her family and her club and to the county 4-H program as a whole," said Kelli Ludlum, county 4-H agent. Ludlum said Taul was one of the first people she met when she started her position in June. "I am grateful for the fact that she is such a willing volunteer. She has a combination of ability and the willingness to share those abilities which is what makes her so special. "Her caring for people is the final added touch." In what little spare time Taul has, she collects Longaberger baskets and is an avid Jayhawk fan. On Sundays she sings in the church choir at Ives Chapel Methodist Church, where she is a part-time pianist and organist and a member of the Evening Circle United Methodist Women. Then, before she knows it, it's Monday again. If she's moving too fast for you to see her, stop by The Signal office, where it's not surprising that she is busy.
New Delhi: Delhi Monday celebrated Holi with the usual enthusiasm, men and women drenching one another with colour. Young revellers sprayed water guns and flung balloons filled with water at each other -- and strangers. People thronged Krishna temples across the city. "I don't play Holi much but I do go to temple and prepare special food for family," said Nishtha Gupta, 32, of Mayur Vihar in east Delhi. Families gave away sweets to neighbours. The most sought after delicacy was 'gujiya'. Police were on the streets in strength to check drunken driving and unruly conduct by Holi revellers.
Been absent for a while, I should really try to update this blog more regularly than in the spurts it receives. As per usual, this is older stuff, just trying to catch up. Practicing scales with Arrogath, an old character of mine. Gonna try and do maybe a crocodile study later and try out some different methods of making scales. This was all done by hand without using alphas and I think it looks a little unnatural as a result, albeit these scales are based on pangolins, not reptiles. A rough bust I sculpted live during the 3D Printer World Expo in Bellevue that I was invited to.
This was actually last week's AEP class letter. I am already losing track of the days! The kids spent some time having fun with U.S. specific holidays as well as holidays celebrated worldwide. Our format week-to-week is pretty consistent: sing ABC song have a grab bag with letter of the week items (H: hat, hood, heart, hair, head, hands, house, hammer, hippo, horse, hog) read "My 'h' Sound Box" book by Jane Belk Moncure practice letter writing and color a picture using the pages I created (H is for Holidays: Pre-K version or Kindergarten version) eat a snack (hummus and carrots) and read a book about a U.S. holiday craft time: craft: holiday collage. I printed off various U.S. holiday images for the kids to glue on their paper and then they filled in the collage with bits of holiday extras (ribbons, stickers, cards, etc.). letter collage using collage sheets I made (H is for Hearts - using heart stickers). Played Holiday Bingo. At home, I took Critter's papers, finished what I needed to with him, and continued work on his alphabet scrapbook. Here is what I came up with: The collage sheet - Critter loves blue, but there are a few hearts in there. The holiday collage sheet. Yesterday the kids learned all about the Letter "I" for Inventors and Immigrants (coming soon!). Next week we have off, but then the kids will come back for "J" is for Jazz.
As I said in my last post, before Christmas and in the last two weeks I spent some time on my favourite fabric websites and a few days later these arrived: Most of them have already been turned into lovely soft and snuggly blankets, all I need now is the sun to come out so I can take photos of them .... phew! And here is where I sin: M is for make I have also used the months of January to have a good clean-up in my fabric stash and use up all the fabric scraps, the result of which are lots of new crayon rolls and bibs (still to be finished). It's been a busy month! Now I just need more time to put them onto the website .... there definitely aren't enough hours in the day!
On Tuesday, October 21st, a 1930's Schooner called the Mistress sailed into Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The owners of the Mistress, Skip & Kathleen, were very gracious in letting our office take some photos of this marvelous boat. Yesterday, when I went out to take photos of their boat they decided to doll it up with their flags. However, in addition to their flags, they asked to borrow one of our Elizabeth City flags to have on it (which is in the middle, and you'll be able to see in the following photo). Click the photos to see them in a larger format! Or check out their sweet remarks about Elizabeth City on their
the book was a love story. . . The Remains of the Day ) certainly was (however I never really like films of books, as screenwriters don't ever seem to interpret novels in the same way as I do) (with the exception of Jean-Dominique Bauby's Le scaphandre et Le Papillon ) altho someone who used to figure largely in my life assured me it was a historical novel upon rereading, either I've aged and now see/read/experience it differently (and in the case of this book, can't get Stephen Fry's Jeeve's out of my inner ear) (which doesn't help matters) or I'm not as great a believer in "love" as I used to be not for myself at any rate (I'm kidding)(about the sniff) partly I'm not hugely bothered, since my experiences of the emotion haven't proven exactly positive, but partly I am bothered because I can't imagine spending the rest of my life alone however, I have more important things to worry about right now (which is perhaps why I'm distracting myself with the above notions) - I've recently mislaid my tweezers and there is an impending risk of this:
Pixar has done it again! From Andrew Stanton, the director of Finding Nemo, and co-written with Jim Reardon (another Simpsons' alumni) comes the story of a robot who may not know the meaning of the word persistency, but he sure embodies the spirit. It is 700 years into the future. Our hero is the last of a series of robots powered by the sun who is charged with cleaning Earth of its pollution in order to eventually welcome back the human population which has left the planet. His daily routine is fairly simple: pick up garbage, place it in his belly compartment to form small cubes and place them in an orderly fashion (forming most of the skyscrapers on the planet). But after 700 years of solitude, WALL-E has become extremely curious, picking up simple objects and collecting them in his shelter where he protects himself from dusty storms. But one day, his life changes as an advanced verification robot by the name of EVE (as you've guessed, a "female" robot) to find out if the planet is habitable. Of course, their encounter causes WALL-E to fall head over heels for EVE, even though she doesn't understand his intentions. When EVE returns back to her spaceship with a perfect little green plant that WALL-E uncovered, he follows her to an orbiting spaceship on the border of our galaxy and together, they will try to convince their human counterparts to make their way back home. This film is such a breath of fresh air. As opposed to Stanton's Nemo, much more colorful, alive and very talkative, this film presents a skillful color palette of the mood and settings needed for the scenes and also of Earth's destiny, how we've destroyed our planet by taking too much for granted and leaving our survival in the hands of machines (pay attention because this film pays tribute to one, if not The, greatest science-fiction film of all-time). The film has very little dialogue, and most of it is composed of electronic whizzes, squeaks and purrs (designed by Ben Burtt, who voices WALL-E and we must thank for the Star Wars films). The genius of the film though, is that dialogue is not necessary, as their emotions and the way they address each other show their emotions perfectly as their messages transcend through, so adults will enjoy this film as much as kids will. It is funny how humans are presented in the future, seen as they've lived for so long in an low-gravity environment, they're confined to electronic reclining chairs and grown so fat you can literally put any fast food label combined with Wal-Mart shopping. It is joyful to see the world through the robots' eyes because it is much easier to read their emotions than humans, and they probably control them much better which is cheerful because it keeps with the spirit of Walt Disney. This is a great animated film and a fantastic science-fiction flick as well. Rumor has it that Disney might make a push for this film for the Best Picture award come Oscar season. If that would be the case, I'm not sure it would help or hurt it's chances in the Animated Film Feature category, but I can easily say that unless another animated film surprises us by year's end, WALL-E will win the category by a landslide. It might compete in the Sound categories, the music categories as well. I'm also predicting an Original Screenplay nomination for this film, seeing as how this is the most refreshing animated features of the year. I won't go as far as putting it up for Best Picture, because we still haven't seen most of the films which will compete in this category, but it will probably make my top 10. P.S.: Before the film was presented, there was a Pixar short called Presto that was presented. It gives a great laugh, and it will remind you that if you possess an animal, try to be nice to it.
Bestest Friend and I are in the middle of a blog project. Each day of the month we will post a picture on a pre-determined theme and write a little something about it. The theme for the sixth day of each month is "Sky." Thursday mornings are like a religion around here. Neither of us has anything on the calendar until 11:00 in the morning, so the morning begins with Dr. BB getting up on his own (no alarm), making and tea, and then, just as everything is ready, he comes in to wake me up. It's usually the only day of the week, weekends included, where an annoying buzzing doesn't wake us up and it's precious and treasured and non-negotiable. We have a relaxed, quiet breakfast, the cat usually gets cuddles and brushes and some time with her , and all three of us are better off for having that time together. So, yes, it was 8:38 before I managed to outside to take a picture of the sky. I know you had been awake for hours and probably had actually done some substantive work before I was even out of bed this morning. But you know what? Nobody can take away my Thursday morning worship. To see what Bestest Friend wrote about the theme of the day, check out her blog, Too Legit to Quit.
MORRIS ON THE MOVE - ST. PAUL SAINTS Alumni and guests are invited to attend an alumni gathering on opening night of the Saint Paul Saints at the CHS Stadium! Thursday, May 18, 2017 CHS Field 360 Broadway Street Saint Paul, MN 55101 5:30–6:30 p.m. Pre-game meal (BBQ style theme) 7:05 p.m. Saint Paul Saints vs Gary South Shore Railcats Ticket includes game admission and a pre-game meal in the Craft Beer Corner located inside CHS in the left field corner.
"Let Not Your Children & Wealth Divert You From The Remembrance of Allah, You Will Be A Loser" Bismillah wa -Alhamdulillah wa Salaatu wa Salaam 'alaa Rasulillah 'amma ba'd Muwahhideen Publications has organized a LIVE tele-lecture on Thursday 2nd January 2014 with Ash-Shaykh ‘Abdul ‘Azeez Ibn Yahya al-Bura'ee (May Allah Preserve Him), from the well-known mashaayikh and senior scholars of Yemen. The Shaykh was labelled, the insightful criticizer, by his Shaykh, the reviver of our time, ash-Shaykh Muqbil Ibn Haadee al-Waadi’ee (rahimahullah), and what a befitting name it is for Shaykh 'Abdul'Azeez, who is known for his deep insight into the religion and its intricate affairs, jazaaAllahu khayran. This event will be broadcast LIVE in Masjid Ibn 'Abbaas, Tobago, two masaajid in Trinidad, Masjid ul Khaleefah and Masjid us Sunnah, and five masaajid in the U.S. Masjid Al-Bukhaari, Florida, Masjid Ibn 'Abbas, Georgia, Masjid Nur Allaah, New York, Masjid as-Sahabah, Ohio and Masjid Tawheed, Michigan. This lecture event will be translated LIVE into English In shaa Allah. Tune in via PalTalk in the Room: Muwahhideen Publications Mixlr ID: MPUBS (
According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in 2015 they released over 36,000 convicted illegal immigrant criminals. Since 2010, at least 124 illegal felons have gone on to commit 138 murders. The Center for Immigration (CIS) Studies nabbed this information from ICE. ICE had reported this to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but the names of these murderers will not be released at this time. CIS director, Jessica M. Vaughn, said this, “The criminal aliens released by ICE in these years – who had already been convicted of thousands of crimes – are responsible for a significant crime spree in American communities, including 124 new homicides. Inexplicable, ICE is choosing to release some criminal aliens multiple times.” In fact, 75% of illegal aliens that commit a crime are released. Many of them have committed dozens of crimes knowing that they probably will not be held in custody or deported. In 2014 alone, 30,558 illegal immigrants that had committed a staggering 92,347 crimes were set free. The uproariously senseless Californian murder of Kathryne Steinle was all over the news for a day or two, but then it just faded away. An illegal that had been arrested seven times shot her down. A law that would have prevented these murders was voted down by the Democrats. To them, future voters are more important than Americans lives. Just a month ago, a 60-year-old Ohio woman was slain by an illegal alien after an attempted rape of a 14-year-old girl. Juan Razo was also charged with kidnapping and burglary. He plea bargained to a life in prison ruling. Last December, 40-year-old illegal alien Michael Rodriguez Garcia was convicted to four life sentences in an Alabama prison for the rape and sodomy of two children. On October of 2015, 34-year-old Marco Hernandez Ramirez – an illegal alien from Guatemala – was sent to prison for 40 years after killing a couple along with their 5-year-old daughter in a car accident. Blood alcohol content was not released. Last summer, an illegal alien that had overstayed his visa was convicted of murder in a drunk driving accident. This was the 4 DUI since 2000. He was in U.S. custody several times and then released. In that same summer, Mauricio Hernandez was sentenced to 50 years for the rape and murder of a baby. Back in May of 2015, a Mexican illegal alien, Bernabe Flores, was convicted of rape and sentence eight years. This is just a few of the tens of thousands of vicious crimes committed on Americans by illegal aliens. They all could have been prevented if the law as it is written was followed. The CIA stated that ISIS plans to cross the Mexican border. They also know that approximately 10% of the Syrian refugees will be an ISIS supporter. The Obama Administration and his Democrat troglodytes will never pass a law, or follow a law that may make illegals leave feel uncomfortable at the cost of American lives.
I am saved by the blood of Christ. He is my Lord and Savior. I love being a wife and stay at home Mommy. My husband and I own titled land in Scotland and are legally Lord and Lady Breland. I have been blessed by our Holy Father in ways I could only imagine! I drink Diet Dr. Pepper everyday ( A lot of it LOL) I adore pearls;hounds tooth; Fleur de Lys; the color red; cooking; entertaining; and interior design; Alabama Crimson Tide Football; The Saints; Coach purses; touring vineyards and themes (everything must have a theme) I admire Audrey Hepburn; Coco Chanel; Princess Grace; and Vivien Leigh. All truly great women and above all else, true ladies. I long for days of grace and elegance. When the written word was an art and good manners were the mark of sophistication.
There was another Glasgow Dog Training Club pool party at Allers Farm Kennels on Saturday, and our two Beagles were booked in for a slot. As usual Beanie got the lion’s share the swimming time, while Biggles hung around at the side of the pool and amused himself with one of the toys. This next clip is my favorite of the whole bunch. Look how affectionate Beanie is as she rests her sweet little head on Susan’s arm as she’s swimming. The truth of the situation becomes apparent by the end of the video though! Yep, it’s all about the piece of sausage in that tennis ball. The power of the sausage also motivated her to do a few dives into the water from the ramp. OK, it’s not exactly a triple backward somersault with pike, but it’s a big deal for a little Beagle who wasn’t keen on water until fairly recently! By now Biggles had grown tired of the pool toys, and was getting bored. He tried nibbling on the poles and nets in the corner, but I pulled him away. He tried to chew on my camera case sitting on the floor, but again I caught him in time and pulled him away. Boredom turned to frustration. As I readied the camera to film another Olympic diving performance from Beanie, Biggles saw that my attention was diverted and made a grab for one of our towels. He got it, and as he pulled it away he saw that it was covering an even greater treasure – Susan’s shoes, and inside them, socks! Our sock-crazed little boy thought it was Christmas all over again and lunged straight for them. They might have been a lowly cotton/polyester mix, but to him they couldn’t have been sweeter if they’d been made out of month-old sausages that had been left out in the sun. But then fate dealt him a cruel blow – his lead was just fractionally too short to reach them. It was truly a tragedy of Big Les proportions. Unfortunately you can’t actually see any of this happening on the next clip, but you can certainly hear our Biggly Boy’s desperate cries. Finally, here are a few shots I took of the park session on Sunday with Beanie: Kirby and Beanie agree to disagree on the course the chase should take So Beanie and Skye (The Yeti) join forces for a bit of bum biting A “Condor” moment with a tasty stick A great chase with Bonnie (a pal from the previous day’s swimming) Perhaps Beanie could do with a breath-freshening mint? You tell her Bonnie!
I love books and have a great habit of collecting them. Many different kinds of books. My Ball Blue Book canning books are some of my favorites. I have three of them and they are used many times throughout the year. The edition on the left was published in 1937, the middle in 1963 and the one on the right in 1999. I have used recipes from all three books many times. Most of the recipes are still basically the same as well as recommended procedures. The two oldest books were passed down to me from my Mother. Fresh peaches ready for canning In between canning and freezing vegetables, I'm still skirting wool, getting it ready to send to the processor. My friend Shane was here yesterday and we made progress. I should have it all done by the end of the week and delivered. Freida's fleece -spring 08 This beautiful variegated fiber belongs to a lovely ewe named Freida. She's a Maine mutt. She's five different breeds and a lovely old gal. I do not breed her but keep her for her fiber each year. The photo really doesn't do the fiber justice as far as the gorgeous colors. This will be spun as a two ply worsted weight yarn. It's incredibly soft and several friends have made wonderful sweaters with this yarn. I'm going to make one someday :)
Well here it is Saturday morning and I'm in front of the computer, pajama clad of course with my M&M's and coffee, thinking about how Im approaching my dreams and goals. I wonder how you approach yours? Do you think about them momentarily and then dismiss them or do you carefully plot out a plan of attack? They are a very big part of who you are. Do you realize that? I've been doing a ton of research lately on goal setting and planning and I've come to the conclusion, you probably have too, that there just isn't enough time in the day too accomplish everything! Right? Nope, we are wrong about this one. All those amazing people we look up to have the same amount of time as you and I. Shocking but true! The problem is being organized and prioritizing mixed with a bit of "I can-do-it-ness". Its the bad "O" and "P" words. So Ive decided to put together an online class, "Designing Your Life on Your Terms". The class will be in late Spring. I hope you will join me.
I was home alone on Friday night - Dave and Stanley were both off in the woods for the the opening weekend of deer hunting (look for lots of venison posts coming soon!). I didn't know it was possible to overdose on broccoli, but I guess I was wrong. The local brasicas and other cold weather veggies have been just gorgeous this November. It's been really mild with just enough frost to make the broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, Brussels sprouts, and spinach nice and sweet, but not too cold to kill them. The farmer's market has moved indoors for the winter, but you'd never know it was winter by the look of the produce. Everything is just vibrant. I've been feeling like I can't get enough of these deep green vegetables, so I decided to take advantage of being home alone by gorging myself on broccoli. I steamed it with a little local spinach, then then tossed it with local sunflower oil and hickory nuts, and topped it with grated 2 year aged cheddar. Totally locavore - totally delicious! It's hard to see how big this bowl is, but it's pretty big. It was just so good, I ate all of it. I can't say enough about the sunflower oil. Its got a really nice nutty flavor - "the olive oil of the Midwest" they call it, and I can't argue. The hickory nuts are delicious too, and the cheese gave it all a really nice tang. A few hours later, my stomach started hurting. At first I thought I had some sort of food poisoning, but after doing a bit of Internet research I decided that what I was experiencing was in fact heart burn: a really intense pain starting in my stomach and branching up into my chest. I'd never had heart burn before this, but now I have a much greater sympathy for people who suffer from in on a regular basis - it was terrible! I tried to go to bed early, but it just made the pain worse to lay down. I finally fell asleep sitting up in bed. A few hours later, I was fine. The funny thing is that the only reference I could find online about heartburn and broccoli is that broccoli is one of those foods that cause heartburn, or even that it can help cure it. Broccoli can cause gas, but that wasn't my problem. I guess eating too much of anything is a bad thing. I should have known that, but really? broccoli??
⤿ Since this was a long weekend, I figured I would have more time to find a recipe. I wasn't sure what to make: I had a craving for raspberries, but also for chocolate, and I didn't want to make a loaf of raspberry- only bread. I wanted to add chocolate, but I also knew it wouldn't come out looking that great with the chocolate hemorrhaging all over the raspberries. And white chocolate, which would have looked better, suddenly didn't appeal to me a whole lot (and I'm not sure I'm allowed to eat it). What I had a lot of in the fridge was carrots, and my mother had never had carrot cake. Plus I could always add chocolate chips to the mix. That was a win-win: my chocolate cravings would be satisfied, and I might make my mother change her mind about carrots in desserts. ⤿ I chose to make several little cakes because they're cuter and easier to eat and you don't need a knife. I'm bad with knives. I can't cut straight, and I end up messing up my cakes more often than not. Without further ado, here's the carrot cake recipe. ✻ Mini Carrot Cakes ✻ Makes 5 small pie-sized and 8 or 9 cannelés-sized cakes 3/4 cup vegetable oil 2/3 cup brown sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1/3 tsp grated nutmeg 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup grated carrots a few squares of baking chocolate, cut up into small pieces ⤿ Combine oil, sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat well. ⤿ Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. ⤿ Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix well. Add vanilla extract. ⤿ Fold in grated carrots, praline and chocolate, without over-stirring. ⤿ Pour into pans. ⤿ Bake for 20-25 minutes if you used tart pans and 15 if you used cannelé pans, or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean. ⤿ I made two extra mini cakes for Brent who gets here on Thursday after a three-flight adventure. I'm a little jealous that he gets to fly to Reykjavik; I'm sure the descent into Reykjavik is worth it. In anticipation of his arrival, I listened to his old band's demo over the weekend. Enjoy with a good cup of coffee to complement the cinnamon and chocolate taste. I've been on a diet for three weeks now. It can be frustrating at times, even though the diet my nutritionist put me on isn't strict at all. I just have to weigh my food and I still get to eat 3 squares of dark chocolate a day! Mornings are tougher because 30 grams of bread doesn't get you too far. I'm lucky that she allowed me to bake once a week provided I stick to my habit of using less sugar.
We used to have one dog and one cat, but now we have dogs and a cat. Too many, and yet it has opened my eyes. I used to think one owner one dog. Not any more. Now I think dogs' personalities only blossom -- they only really become full dogs -- when they can socialize and play with other dogs, and curiously they become more interesting for their owners then too. Here are our four dogs: This is Rita, a foundling of nine years ago from San Antonio, Texas. Click on the image to see it larger. This is happy our sweet Mexican mutt just under one year old. She was dumped as a puppy in the market in Coatepec, but my wife rescued her. Click on the image to see it larger. This is Cosi our other lovable Mexican mutt about one year and four months old. A neighbor rescued her as a puppy and then gave her to us. Click on the image to see it larger. There was an incredibly sad weak street dog, so thin and weak we thought he would die. But we fed him outside our gate. The idea was that maybe we could get him healthy and then give him away. After about one week of care I took the picture you see on the left. The weather turned cold and we started to cover him at night -- then, finally, we started to let him sleep on the porch. We called him Giaco, pronounced "Jocko" and short for the famous sculptor Alberto Giacometti. The sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, 1951, and our dog Giaco's namesake. , healthy and happy again. Giaco got to be a really nice and pretty dog. We kept him. He is our fourth dog. But enough is enough, don't bring puppies or needy dogs to our doorstep. And this is Louie, our cat a foundling from San Antonio, Texas, and now five years old. And you may as well see a recent photo of Esther, my wife, and me with Pico de Orizaba looming in the background. For more about this picture click Most of the above photos came either from . At least one cast of the Giacometti dog is at My next post will be soon and will feature part two of dogs in art.
South Carolina.......heading North We left Florida yesterday with 3 packed cars headed North.....First stop, the Lovejoy family in Columbia, South Carolina. We feel like family here and had a lovely day visiting with Ben and Kelly. Duncan and Cameron are already up in the Northeast and we'll see them in Boston. We all enjoyed relaxing a bit before we begin our very long drive north tomorrow to attend the Northeast Unschooling Conference. Broc won't be joining us this trip but will be doing some work in the Carolinas while we go play with some of our unschooling friends and enjoy a bit of conference magic. Aren't these the prettiest eggs? They are from Kelly's chickens and are all shapes and sizes. She has a chicken house that I wouldn't mind living in! We'll be back here in about a week and then will be traveling to Asheville, North Carolina to stay for an entire month. I usually wait to post pictures of a conference when it's over and then have so much to saw that I end up not posting at all. So this time, I'll try and take the time to document a bit as we go along...... Good intentions and all that :-) We'll see how it goes......Tomorrow night we'll be in Frederick, Maryland.
We had a very wet day in New York yesterday. It rained all day long. With the weather being so wet, everyone wanted to be inside, that made for long lines and waits. I never saw so many people and umbrellas before in my life. We went to Macy's, the Empire State Building, Trump Tower Building, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, FAO Schwarz toy store and the Saint Patricks Cathedral. All of the stores were wall to wall people. We ended the day by having dinner at Buba Gump's. Of course we all had Buba Gump Shrimp! I really don't like New York, but I'm not a city girl. I'm not much for crowds and shopping. I really liked seeing the famous Rockefeller Christmas tree, the Saint Patricks Cathedral and Times Square. Ryan walked me out in the rain to see the New Year's Eve ball!
Chimp Haven vows to fight for Kermit's Community Chimp Haven to Fight for Welfare of Rescued Chimpanzees KEITHVILLE, La. – The Chimp Haven Board of Directors made a decision to fight the ruling of a Texas judge that granted a motion for summary judgment, filed by Primarily Primates Inc., that would send six chimpanzees back to the San Antonio facility. On Friday, March 14, 2008, Chimp Haven filed a motion for a new trial. Sarah, Keeli, Ivy, Sheba, Harper and Emma were removed from Primarily Primates in November, 2006 at the request of the Texas State Appointed Receiver and transferred Chimp Haven where they could receive the care and housing they needed. The chimpanzees were reunited with their family group immediately and have enjoyed expansive enclosures, intensive care, a well balanced diet and health care at Chimp Haven. “Chimp Haven stepped forward to help these chimpanzees in need, and we will not turn our back on them now” said Dr. Linda Brent, Chimp Haven President and Director. “Our only goal has been to ensure the best future for the chimpanzees.” Primarily Primates was seized by the Texas State Attorney’s office on October13, 2006 on allegations of mismanagement of charitable funds and animals living in substandard conditions. Chimp Haven was asked to accept the chimpanzees since they were in need of medical attention, had inadequate housing and immediate intervention was required. In April, 2007 the Texas Attorney General settled the case against Primarily Primates. Primarily Primates was joined by Friends of Animals, who funded their legal battles. They subsequently sued Chimp Haven for return of their “property”, alleging that the transfer was temporary. Chimp Haven, however, accepted the lifetime responsibility for the chimpanzees, including all the costs of their transportation and care. Primarily Primates will not agree to an independent assessment of what is in the best interests of the chimpanzees. “They are doing so well here physically and socially, and are in a group where the youngsters have adult role models and the older females have companions. It would surely be detrimental to them to be moved again after all they have endured”, Brent said. Chimp Haven would like to thank the public as well as the animal welfare agencies and organizations for the tremendous outpouring of support. To help keep the Keithville Krewe home at Chimp Haven, visit our website for details. for video, pictures and information on how you support Kermit's Community (aka Keithville Krewe) and prevent them from returning to Primarily Primates.
Home Everyone else on the street that day saw a lunatic wearing strange brass goggles, swinging an invisible sword through the streets of downtown Seattle. But Jacob recognized what the man was really doing—playing a game in augmented reality. Offered his own goggles by the game’s creator, Jacob enters a city he thinks he knows, but the skyscrapers have been replaced with towering monuments to Victorian architecture. Airships float between the buildings, and enemies ranging from steam powered bunnies to clockwork werewolves lurk in every shadow. Some enemies, however, aren’t creations of the game at all. Every player is racing toward the same goal, which some will use any means to attain. Those who fail, get nothing. The victors, however, get their own stake in the very heart of the game—a place called Steam Whistle Alley.
I decided to freshen up a little red table that has sat in the corner of my daughter's room holding multiple plastic bins full of Barbies and the stuff that goes with them. I liked the red color but it didn't really go with anything in my daughter's room so I decided to give it a coat of white paint. I used a can of spray paint instead of paint & a brush. I hear you gasping but hear me out: these new spray paints aren't the paints of old, they do much more and can sometimes look even better than surfaces painted with a brush. I say sometimes because you do have to follow the instructions on the can and know what you're doing. The main reason for going with spray paint was that his little table had so many details I thought it would be simpler to spray. I chose lacquer because it's glossier than regular spray paint. Here is a before: You can see the unpainted new top my husband had to install. The table was very simple to spray paint although I did have to Kilz the top. It was absorbing way too much paint and not giving the lacquer look until I applied the Kilz. Here is the result: Although I liked the red, I really like the white too. One thing I have to do still is to protect the top so the paint won't chip off as the kids have their tea parties etc. Pretty cute, don't you think?
You may have noticed the past few months I've traveled more and more outside the midwest for work. This is going to continue. And it is reaffirming the fact that I am through and through a midwestern girl. This week in Rhode Island after unit after unit continued to follow the norm and be extremely rude, I had to take a breathe between each unit to collect myself before my next beating. Let's be real: a person can only take so much. The only word I think comes close to explaining my frame of mind right now is overwhelmed. Extremely. With all parts of life: professionally and personally. I have my life planned out to the moment and there doesn't seem to be a moment of downtime until at least the end of next week. The week in Long Island was the same as all the others: twelve hour days, not very nice people (although from my experience New York takes this to another level). All I wanted to do was go home...exactly when New York got hit with the Noreaster or whatever they called it. Southwest canceled all their flights. I got a new one with a connecting flight. It's just overwhelming. The light in the tunnel has been Hilary, my co-worker based in LA. We struggled to get through the week with calls and text messages to each other. We'd complain and end up talking about almond champaign. To quote one of my emails to her "Vendormate=Death". After everyone boarded my first flight out of NY we sat down to hear the pilot inform us that we were in a quite extensive line to be deiced. this was my view for 1+ hours Then we took off. And this is what I saw. I realized I missed my connecting flight and while I was bummed, I was still happy just to get out of NY. Then! It turned out the plane I was on (and extremely delayed) was the one I was booked on for Chicago! I didn't miss my flight!!!! I'm trying to focus on that experience. After we rose through the slush, waiting, and bumpy clouds. The sun was waiting.
Our holiday was a fortnight in The Netherlands. As it was all spent in Holland (Nord or Zuid) I feel quite at liberty to interchange the country name but before I get any criticism I am quite aware of the difference between the county and country! A fortnight in The Netherlands was just what the doctor ordered ... and in our house, exactly what the doctor booked and organised. Somehow holidays have always been my husband's job to plan and execute: as usual, it was excellent. Holland, of course, means cycling. Cyclists get priority at most junctions, which is fantastic if you are on one (and really not too obstructive if you are in a car!) We hired bikes on two days: once to cycle across the dunes near where we were staying (which was about as hilly a cycle-ride as you can get there) and once to visit the windmills near Kinderdijk. This is a World Heritage Site and there is a point where you can see 19 windmills at once. They are obviously old and one has been turned into a museum. I would never make it as a miller myself, with all those steep stairs, and it must have been so noisy to live there when the sails were turning. Still, I can't get away from the ingenuity of the Dutch to shift so much water around, up and over the dijks they built to reclaim land. Having watched Coast last night I gained even more insight into their engineering prowess and massive land reclamation. How long will they win the battle against the sea? The prospect of them losing is too horrific to think about, for the loss of land, life and livelihood would be immense. Cycling does give you a different perspective on the countryside you are in. Much of it seemed to be fields (bordered by canals rather than walls or fences) and most of the wildlife we saw - and smelt - was cows. Perhaps the most amazing moment was when we found a pair of coots with their newly hatched young on a nest island in a canal. As we stood and watched we saw the chick leave the nest, and we could hear cracks as one of the other eggs broke open. Driving would never have allowed us to view such a miracle. Cycling did bring problems with it too. Not least is my ability to wobble (I had to concentrate very hard when we cycled on a bridleway between two canals: I was petrified I'd fall off and into one of them!) My son and I are unused to cycling for long distances and became a little saddle sore. And it was just a little embarrassing to be pedaling away like mad only to be gracefully overtaken by a couple in their seventies... And of course there was the burning ... but that is tomorrow's post...
I'm enjoying my last day off from work during the Christmas holiday, and after all the delicious holiday meals, I've been ready to get back to my normal, more healthy eating habits I have been trying hard to follow for the eight months or so. When Travis and I came back to B'ham, we brought a big sack full of potatoes and sweet potatoes from the garden Travis planted at mom and dad's last summer. He has really gotten into gardening the past couple of years and has been gardening at mom and dad's during the summers while he was still in college. He planted several varieties of potatoes last summer, and we are still working our way through the harvest's bounty this winter. There are SO MANY varieties of potatoes (including purple) that you will never have the opportunity to see and try if you only shop at the grocery store. It was so cold and windy outside today, that I decided I wanted something warm and hearty for lunch. With a handful of Travis' potatoes I whipped up a batch of Winter Rainbow Gratin from Heidi Swanson's cookbook Super Natural Cooking. It hit the spot, and is a good step back to healthier ways. 3 tablespoons clarified butter or olive oil 4 small purple and/or red potatoes, unpeeled and cut into wedges 1 large red-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-in chunks 4 young carrots, cut in half lengthwise if thicker than your thumb 4 green onions, trimmed Fine-grain salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 apple or pear, unpeeled, cored, and cut into 6 wedges 1/2 cup whole-grain bread crumbs 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 375 and position rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the butter in your largest ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. In a single layer, add the potatoes, shallots, sweet potato, carrots, and green onions and toss to coat. Try not to overcrowd the pan, or the vegetables will steam and not brown. If you don't have a big enough pan, split the ingredients between two pans. Saute over medium-high heat for 15 minutes, shaking the pan a couple of times along the way. The vegetables should start to brown a bit and be tender but not mushy. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with a generous dose of salt and pepper. Stir in the apple wedges. If you don't have an ovenproof skillet, transfer the ingredients to an ovenproof baking dish or casserole. Sprinkle with all the bread crumbs and half of the Parmesan cheese. You don't want to stir at this point; rather, let the crumbs and cheese perch right on top of the vegetables so they'll get nice and crunchy. Place the uncovered skillet in the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes, tossing the vegetables with a metal spatula about halfway through. The potatoes and carrots should be golden, crispy, and caramelized where they touch the pan and soft and tender inside. When everything is carmelizzed and fragrant, remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Serve straight from the skillet. Serves 4 to 6. Enjoy!
Well this is my first ever post. I have been checking out blogs for about two weeks now and have seen so many wonderful homes, gardens, and plenty of wonderful creations. There are so many talented people out there. Wanted to share a project I finished a couple of days ago. I started out with an old chair I had laying around and almost tossed in the trash. But....I just can't seem to throw out much. LOL !!! Please excuse the pictures. I haven't figured out how to flip them yet (I'm not too good with the computer.) I took off the chair's seat and painted the rest of the chair a soldier blue color. When it dried, I sanded it down and rubbed on a colonial walnut stain and finish. For the seat, I cut a piece of this wonderful cutter quilt that I bought at a recent flea market for only $1. It is in pretty rough shape, but is so beautiful and I figured I could get some good use out of it. Here is the finished product. I think it turned out perfect. Have a wonderful Tuesday!
This is the variable DC power supply circuit. This power supply has regulated output, can be adjusted from 3 to 25 volts and the current output is limited to 2 amps as shown, however it may possibly be improved up to 3 amps or more by applying a smaller current sense resistor (0.3 ohm). Voltage regulation is controlled by 1/2 of a 1558 or 1458 op-amp. The 1458 may be substituted in the circuit, but it is suggested the supply voltage to pin 8 be limited to 30 VDC, which can be achieved by adding a 6.2 volt zener or 5.1 K resistor in series with pin 8. The 2N3055 and 2N3053 transistors need to be attached on proper heatsinks and the current sense resistor must be rated at 3 watts minimum. The maximum DC supply voltage for the 1458 and 1558 is 36 and 44 respectively. The power transformer ought to be capable of the preferred current while keeping an input voltage at least 4 volts higher than the expected output, but not surpassing the maximum supply voltage of the op-amp under minimal load conditions. The power transformer shown is a center tapped 25.2 volt AC / 2 amp unit that will deliver regulated outputs of 24 volts at 0.7 amps, 15 volts at 2 amps, or 6 volts at 3 amps. The 3 amp output is acquired utilizing the center tap of the transformer with the switch in the 18 volt position. All /parts should be available at Radio Shack with the exception of the 1558 operational amplifier. 3-24V / 3A circuit source page: A power supply is a device that supplies electrical energy to one or more electric loads. The term of "power supply" is most commonly applied to devices that convert one form of electrical energy to another, though it may also refer to devices that convert another form of energy (e.g., mechanical, chemical, solar) to electrical energy. A power supply may be implemented as a discrete, stand-alone device or as an integral device that is hardwired to its load. In the latter case, for example, low voltage DC power supplies are commonly integrated with their loads in devices such as computers and household electronics. More explanation about power supply can be found at This is the tutorial about "How to build an AC to DC power supply ". The video tutorial covers the basics of diodes, bridge rectifiers, and how to build simple unregulated AC to DC power supplies than can handle a few mA up to several Amps.
Wow Noah is eight today! At eight, we see all the signs of Noah trying to navigate the world around him. He is teaching us how to be better parents and we frankly, are making all our mistakes on him. Yet, I can see his resilience and determination. We found an old gingerbread house kit the other day that he begged to open. After letting him try his hand in unsuccessfully icing the pieces, I told him I didn't think he could build it. He said to me, "No, I never give up." And then went on to somehow get the house to standing. Noah, we love you. You are the life and activity of our family, and your brothers could not look up to you more. Happy birthday Noah bear!
Well, it had to happen, didn't it? Al Qaeda have mastered the art of remotely detonating a bomb located in a terrorist's rectum. Said terrorist managed to pass magnetometer tests to get close to his intended target Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, head of Saudi Arabia's counter terrorism operations. The Prince was only slightly hurt but the room they were in was trashed. Abdullah Asieri: Explosive terrorist The implications for air travel are immediately obvious. Anyone who has a metal replacement joint, eg a new hip, can tell you that they aren't generally detected at airports. The flesh around the metal masks it quite effectively, although hand wands can sense it. At the very least a procedural change will be required. At high altitude even a small explosion breaching the aircraft's skin could be enough to crash the vehicle. It seems that Abdullah Asieri shown above was body-packing about a pound of C4 and the electronics necessary for remote detonation. A more intensive security screening, perhaps involving sniffer dogs, would have detected him. But there are worse possibilities. With the assistance of medical personnel, and it seems Al Qaeda have such people in their ranks, it would be possible to introduce several pints of a liquid explosive into a plastic bag in a human colon via the anus. This is what 16 ounces of nitroglycerine did to an aircraft fuselage in a controlled detonation... Using a timed chemical detonator the liquid explosive would be practically undetectable. Probably the only reason Al Qaeda have not yet done this is, ironically, it would cause too few casualties - only the occupants of the aircraft would be killed, and probably out at sea where there would be little prospect of addition damage on the ground. Perhaps they are waiting until they can bring down several trans-atlantic aircraft at the same time. This strikes me as being one of those situations where there will be a major attack and then the authorities will say they knew it was a possibility but the public would never have accepted the intrusive nature of the precautions that would have been necessary to prevent it. I wonder how long colonoscopy will add to your check-in time.
I got these special clients who love fishing so much. We prepared the concept and props quite serious, we even checked the location twice before the shooting day. Tangselians, can you guess where? As some of my other sessions, my favorite time to shoot is early in the morning. Can you see that beautiful light… You can create whatsoever in post production process, but nothing can beat the original one! Client : Rahma’s Family Location : BSD, South Tangerang Hit me here whenever you want a session with me 🙂 Cheers!
c.1951 BSA 123cc Bantam D1 Project Registration no. RVX 364 Frame no. to be advised Developed from the pre-war DKW RT125 and announced in 1948, the Bantam became a top seller for BSA, in excess of half a million leaving the Birmingham factory before production ceased in 1971. Originally of 123cc, the engine grew first to 148cc and then to 172cc. Plunger rear suspension became available as an option in 1950, as did battery electrics powered by a 6-volt Lucas alternator, direct lighting having been relied upon hitherto. Apparently original and un-restored, this plunger-suspended Bantam D1 was acquired circa 18 months ago and is offered for restoration. Sold strictly as viewed, the machine comes with four old tax discs, the most recent of which expired in January 1963. Saleroom notices The frame number is 46940 The engine number is 45200YD (overstamped)
Portrait of D.B. McKay. \| Click on photographs to enlarge them. A couple of articles in the the other day about minor mysteries surrounding some Bay area personalities brought to mind a collection at Lighthouse Books, ABAA. 10 children on a buggy. the legend of a seven-foot man who used to fish off the St. Petersburg Pier for years. John Barry was getting the lowdown on a box of papers from Cuba about , the founder of Ybor City. Both were dealing with different parts of the colorful tapestry that is Tampa Bay's history. D.B. McKay was no less a personality was in the region's past. He served two terms as mayor, was owner and publisher of , a bank director, a founder of the University of Tampa, and argueably one of the area's most influential people. Longtime history buffs delighted in his Pioneer Florida page in the Sunday , a feature he began in 1949 when he was appointed historian for Hillsborough County. The stories from the newspaper feature eventually were collected and published as a three-volume set called . There is a set at Lighthouse Books, ABAA. Nine men in suits. But it is a collection of ephemera and photographs relating to McKay that has us intrigued. For one thing, there is the photograph – a portrait of the venerable gentleman puffing a cigar and reading a newspaper, presumably . Inscribed in the lower right corner is the legend "Gerald B. Smith, Tampa. 34." It is unclear whether that is a reference to 1934. If so, McKay would have been about 66. His second term as mayor would have been over. He would have been serving as publisher of Two other photographs in the collection beg explanation as well. One shows 10 children on a one-horse carriage in front of a house, perhaps sometime after the turn of the century. McKay and his wife, Aurora, had 10 children, according to a typewritten sheet in the collection. Perhaps this is a photograph of the McKay children. Birthday cake for D.B. McKay's 90th. The other picture shows nine men dressed in suits standing in front of cabbage palms. Eight of the men sport handlebar moustaches. The clean-shaven man holds a cigar. This photograph appears to be a copy of a dilapidated original. Neither photo has identification of the people shown. Other ephemera in the collection includes a handwritten poem about a fruit stealing blue jay, an anecdote about a fruit canning project gone awry and a typewritten article entitled "Thank You, Friends," apparently written after the publication of the volumes. And there are other assorted items. One photo, though, offers no mystery at all. The legend on the back proclaims that it is D.B. McKay's 90th birthday, and pictured with him are seven children, apparently his grandchildren. The children are identified with family names Ott, Burnette, Manry and Guyton.
Connection with nature is one of our most effective healing activities. And if we heal ourselves, we start to heal the world. So how to build a culture of empathy with nature? Here is a lovely extract from Aldous Huxley's ‘For example, how early do you start your science teaching?’ ‘We start it at the same time we start multiplication and division. First lessons in ecology.’ ‘Ecology? Isn't that a bit complicated?’ ‘That's precisely the reason why we begin with it. Never give children a chance of imagining that anything exists in isolation. Make it plain from the very first that all living is relationship. Show them relationships in the woods, in the fields, in the ponds and streams, in the village and the country around it. Rub it in.’ ‘And let me add,’ said the Principal, ‘that we always teach the science of relationship in conjunction with the ethics of relationship. Balance, give and take, no excesses - it's the rule of nature and, translated out of fact into morality, it ought to be the rule among people.’ And as James Lovelock reminds us, we need ‘to renew that love and empathy for nature that we lost when we began our love affair with city life.’ Here are some ideas to build on. Comments welcomed. Build a truly holistic education – one that helps us understand that we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves – the whole universe. Teach basic ecology from a very early age – to learn to value biodiversity in all species. Don’t teach our different subjects in isolation – The Hindus draw no clear division between the economic or political and the religious or cultural facets of life. The body and mind are in the service of the heart. In the same way Hinduism teaches that politics and economics are rooted in and guided by religion and culture, and ultimately by spiritual experience. Alastair McIntosh holds a vision for a spiritually rich and holistic education. In his book he imagines a life-long curriculum of organic food and biodiversity, energy alternatives and respect for all, healing skills incorporating not only the most advanced scientific advances but also the spiritual healing principles, of poetry and story. There would be the study of conflict resolution and how to eliminate the causes of war. And the kids would have fun and play in tree houses. McIntosh’s wish list is long but the spiritual message is clear. Such an education is about ‘building of community as right relationship between soil, soul and society, powered by the passion of the heart, steered by the reason of the head, and then applied by the skilled technique of the hand.’ ( Promote and support Green political parties and encourage a more holistic political agenda – our politics needs to build a wider vision, where humanity is seen not as simply inhabiting an environment there for our own use, but as being interconnected with the rest of the natural world, and in a spiritual as well as material sense. (see Jean Hardy: A Wiser Politics) Question modern farming practices – and encourage minimum eating of fish and meat – promote vegetarianism. Promote films that inspire us with the wonders of nature. Support organisations working for the protection of nature – Friends of the Earth, Woodland Trust, etc. Feed the birds – learn all their names, listen to their songs. Join bird organisations (in UK The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) Grow plants – anything - however small the patio or yard or garden. Make this a family activity - take on an allotment or join a community garden. Grow vegetables for the dinner plate – they taste so much better, and are healthier. Always buy organic. Be outside in the open whenever possible – encourage outdoor play and recreation in safe spaces. Walk in the countryside – in all its forms – woodland and forest, mountain and river, allow plenty of time to be still, to look and to listen and to just “be” a part of the wonderful natural world around us. Feel the sacred and the spirit in all living creatures. Hold or watch and contemplate the “life” in inanimate objects such as stones, water. For those many of us in towns, take a daytrip by train or bus to the countryside beyond, and use the local parks. Visit the seashore and cliff tops, – rock pools and sand dunes – watch birds at the edge of the shore – walk barefoot in the sand. In fact walk barefoot wherever possible – because as Alastair McIntosh has said, we ‘tread on the earth so much more gently barefoot.’ Read and study the English Romantic poets, who understand their own place within nature.
#NaNoWriMo : Story for the Day: The Missing Grimalkin In honour of Mo-vember, my writing partners Upon reaching the ports at Marridon, Edvin had not left the wharf when he discovered that he was a Grimalkin. The ancient family of knights and lords whose banners were seen waving from the high veranda of the Chambers were now become his livery. His documents had said it was so, but he had thought it his arrival should excited little more regard than that of a yeoman might, but upon reaching the steps leading into the capital, Edvin was stopped by a small, round man with a large moustache, black suit and tall hat. Edvin bowed and had been prepared to pass on but the round man claimed that he was sent to the docks to retrieve him. he had been the Steward of Lord Jamesin Grimalkin, his late master, and had been given direction to meet his master’s long-absconded son at the pier before the Chambers on this very day and at this very hour. How the instructions could have been so exact from one passed nobody knew, but as the directions must be followed and the lord’s lost son present, the master just have been aware of his son’s whereabouts more than his son had been of his father’s. The Steward was obliging and therefore Edvin did not refute. He was pleased to belong to them, pleased that he should have been greeted with so cordial a welcome, pleased to be led to his new –or was it old- home, but his pleasure ceased when everyone around the docks and the adjacent trading district began to gape at him. They remarked the Grimalkin Steward, wearing his fine tailcoat, silver watch chains leaping from every pocket, silver-rimmed monocle, white spats, with the Grimalkin livery embroidered into his cuffs and lapels in the true Marridon style, and then they gawped at Edvin, their eyes growing wide at such a formidable prospect. His immense stature, broad chest, powerful arms and legs recommended his strength and prowess though he was shrouded in a long hooded frock. He wondered if anyone was able to see his gruesome features in the protective shadow of the hood and cowl. The manner in which the citizens of Marridon approached and accorded him inquiring looks forced him to raised his hand and hold the bottom of his hood tight in his hand to guard them from seeing beneath. Everyone else was so captivated by him, Edvin wondered at the Stewards apparent indifference to his dress. He seemed only to be satisfied that the documents were in order and had nothing further to say at present other than a complacent “This way, Milord.” Edvin tried not to seem bemused or amazed by the wonders Marridon had to offer, as he must have been there in his young life. Mechanical contrivances billowing clouds of steam was a wonder to anyone who had been absent from his home for thirty years, but he must learn to brook these inventions and check his astonishment: he would be confined to an estate and hopefully forced into a life of business and seclusion until the next advancement in his new life should be shown to him. He disregarded the unwelcome attention he was incurring by walking beside the small Steward and asking him as many questions as was possible without betraying his ignorance of Marridonian affairs. “Pardon me, sir,” he said, endeavoring to hide his Galleisian lilt, “but where are we going?” “To your father’s estate by and by, Milord,” said the Steward in a dulcet voice. “But first, you are to be presented in the Marridon Chambers. Your seat has been empty for some time, Milord. Your own excellent father knew that you should return to reclaim your rightful place as master of the Grimalkin line.” He made a triumphant gesture and smiled. “Glad I am to see that my master, even in his days passed, was never wrong. The estate was signed over to you on his deathbed. Glad I am that you came as soon as you did.” Edvin felt awkward and ashamed. “When did my father die?” “My master had been gone not these two months, Milord.” Edvin’s heart sank in his chest. To be claiming the position and rank of a man so recently deceased and to do so while there might be others who could rightfully take his place was an unfathomable wrong. He stopped as they came to the Chambers entrance and felt unequal to presenting himself as the new reigning lord of the Grimalkin line. Though he had lost his own title and prosperity by the war in the south, he could not justify his reconciliation to such consequence by taking the same from another. The true Grimalkin son might yet be alive, and even if he were not living might have a close relative to which all their lands and heraldry might be bequeathed. It was a sorry office, one that Edvin should not like to perform. He could not be in the Chambers; he was no politician. He only knew how to defend and how to be gentle, and here being laid before him were prospects of business and bustle when he had been used to study and swordplay. He did not want this; he only wanted to fulfill his duties to the Duchess and receive his charge, and he therefore resolved to quit the Chambers and Grimalkin estate as soon as was possible. The Steward misconstrued Edvin’s pause of reflection for one of sudden grief. “There there, Milord,” he said in a soft accent. “Take heart knowing that your father entrusted you with everything. From the moment that you went to fight in the wars of the south, he knew that you would learn everything you needed to know on the field for the Chambers.” The comment was meant to appease but it had only succeeded in making Edvin feel even more dejected and culpable. He was somewhat relieved that the Steward could not perceive his aggrieved countenance beneath the darkened auspices of his hood. It should only show himself to be anguished for one reason when he was truly vexed by another. The round little Steward sidled his new master, look him carefully by the elbow, and pulling him along said, “I’m sorry to hurry you, Milord, but the Duchess herself is waiting. She’s been rather anxious to see you.” The Duchess: there was a title to revive him. He shook his head to rouse him from his musings, paused to recollect, nodded to the Steward and followed him up the winding steps toward the Chambers entrance.
Jessica Jones season 2’s the first Netflix series to be directed exclusively by women Jessica Jones continues to slay, both in front and behind the camera. Executive producer Melissa Rosenberg announced at Transform Hollywood that all 13 episodes of season 2 will have female directors. Rosenberg revealed that at first she had only planned to increase the number of female directors involved in Season 2, but when she discussed hiring female directors first with her production staff, an unnamed colleague suggested hiring exclusively women to direct. Related: Who Is The Marvel Superhero Jessica Jones? The show has received widespread praise for its writing, strong female heroes, and female friendships. ---
That's A Novel Idea and Find Your Next Book Here 1 book I read: 2 words that describe the book: 3 settings where it took place or characters you met: The Hebrides, on the Isle of Skye - This is the location of the Ramsay family's summer home and the place where the entire novel unfolds over the course of several years. There's really not much else to say about the Hebrides besides showing you a picture: Gorgeous, isn't it? Sigh... Lily Briscoe - Not a member of the Ramsay family, Lily really is the main character in this novel. She begins a shy young painter who takes too much to heart the ramblings of Charles Tansley that women shouldn't be painters. She spends most of the novel doubting various things, most often her abilities. There's an idea for a painting bouncing around in her head for a decade, and the painting finally is finished at the end of the novel. Mr. Ramsay - A rude, self-centered man, he worries too much of his legacy and his impact in the world. He takes out his insecurities on his wife and children, bullying them into submission. He also is very much a modern character who questions Victorian practices and ideals, but only when they serve him. 4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it: I liked, as always, Woolf's writing. She's one of those writers who could compose a sketch on grass growing and make it beautiful. There's no one that compares to her in my book. I liked Mrs. Ramsay's character. She's kind and hopeful, buoying up her husband and children when necessary, and protective of the children's innocence. She has a very Romantic view of the world, appreciating beauty and believing it should be preserved. I liked Woolf's experiment with the second section, showing the passing of a decade. It's a tough section to slog through if you're not paying attention, but the payoff is great. I greatly disliked Mr. Ramsay's character. He reminds me of all those overbearing, chauvinistic patriarchs that are represented in history and literature. He really had no redeeming qualities to him, in my opinion. 5 Stars or less for your rating? I'm giving the book 5 stars. This is a classic everyone should read. The Whys and Wheres: Read 'n' Review Challenge; Take Another Chance Challenge #3 - 100 Best Books
It's a tradition to send flowers on an anniversary right? So this card qualifies as a traditional card with a twist. Traditional flowers non-traditional DP. The DP is from the Basic Grey paper pad. As you can see it is sort of the reverse of the card from a couple of days ago only more flowers. I was only going to use one flower but I got carried away and in the end I liked it better. You got to love those Michael's wedding flowers, they come in so handy. Add the green rhinestones and you have it, all done. Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by.
Earthquake Bay Area March 23 2015 The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred in Northern California on October 17 at 5:04 p.m. local time (1989-10-18 00:04 UTC). The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park approximately 10 mi (16 km) northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of the San Andreas Fault System and was named for the nearby Loma Prieta Peak in the Santa ... The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, also known as the Napier earthquake, occurred in New Zealand at 10:47 am on 3 February, killing 256, injuring thousands and devastating the Hawke's Bay region. 10 interesting facts on the cause, deaths, damage etc. of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile, the most powerful in recorded history. I was up in the Bay Area in the fall and people love talking about real estate just as much as they like talking about the latest startup. Housing values in the Bay Area make Southern California look affordable. The median price for a sold home in San Francisco is $1.2 million. And the market ... Latest Earthquakes World Wide Today Complete Worldwide List And San Francisco Bay Area Earthquake Swarm Migrates Toward The Major San Francisco Bay San Ramon Earthquake Swarm Jay Patton Online 2014 South Napa Earthquake Wikipedia Sorry, but nothing matched your search terms. Please try again with some different keywords.
DAY SIX: Sept.2, 2006 Lorraine flew home to Kelowna this morning. Before Doug took her to the airport he dropped the rest of the team in downtown Yellowknife for a couple of hours to explore and shop for souvenirs. We left town after lunch to drive out to Rae-Edzo. Along the way, we stopped and climbed up on the rocks to have our photo taken by Doug, next to an inukshuk which was there already. Arriving in Rae at the garage, we found the doors locked so we spent the next hour or so tracking down the keys, and also having the opportunity to drive through the community once again and take photos. We were approached by a very famous local artist by the name of Archie Beaulieu, who wanted us to vaccinate and deworm his thirty-three sled dogs. He brought us some of his very valuable prints to show us, and several of us ended up purchasing a print to take home. He is an amazing artist and we felt very privileged to be able to meet him and purchase a signed painting. He cut us a good deal on the paintings in exchange for helping him with his dogs. Unable to find any more dogs to operate on, we packed up our equipment and drove home to Yellowknife, and to bed before midnight for the first time all week.
The subject finally changes for the White House… Why the IRS should have flagged some of the groups applying for tax-exempt status… The Obama-Christie embrace, Part 2… Obama delivers remarks from the Jersey Shore at 1:30 pm ET… McCain in Syria… Why you might want to buy 2016 stock in Scott Walker… Weiner to debate (while Quinn won’t)… And what you might have missed over the long Memorial Day weekend. President Barack Obama speaks in honor of Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on May 27, 2013. The subject finally changes for the White House: The good news for any White House or campaign under siege is that, eventually, the attention always turns to something else. And that appears to be true for the two-week focus on the IRS/Benghazi/leak controversies that had been rocking President Obama and his administration. Before the long Memorial Day weekend, the subject already turned to the president's highly scrutinized national security speech and the Senate Judiciary Committee's passage of the bipartisan immigration legislation. Then over the weekend, Obama traveled to Oklahoma to deliver remarks on the tornado that devastated the community there. And today, he heads to New Jersey to speak on the state’s recovery after Hurricane Sandy (more on that below). Make no mistake: The three controversies aren't going away for the White House; congressional Republicans will guarantee that, and the RNC today takes further aim at the IRS controversy. But the white-hot focus on them has gone away -- that is until any other damaging detail, especially one that's linked to the president or his top staff, surfaces. Why the IRS should have flagged some of the groups: Speaking of the IRS controversy, yesterday’s New York Times made an important point: Many of the groups that were targeted in their applications for tax-exempt status SHOULD have been flagged. The controversy, of course, was that the criteria used by the Cincinnati office were conservative-sounding terms, not liberal-sounding ones as well. “Representatives of these organizations have cried foul in recent weeks about their treatment by the I.R.S., saying they were among dozens of conservative groups unfairly targeted by the agency, harassed with inappropriate questionnaires and put off for months or years as the agency delayed decisions on their applications. But a close examination of these groups and others reveals an array of election activities that tax experts and former I.R.S. officials said would provide a legitimate basis for flagging them for closer review.” The reason: “I.R.S. agents are obligated to determine whether a 501(c)(4) group is primarily promoting ‘social welfare.’ While such groups are permitted some election involvement, it cannot be an organization’s primary activity. That judgment does not hinge strictly on the proportion of funds a group spends on campaign ads, but on an amorphous mix of facts and circumstances.” Meanwhile, NBC’s Lisa Myers reported on “TODAY” that critics are howling that IRS official Lois Lerner -- who’s on administrative leave after invoking the Fifth Amendment -- is still getting paid. The Obama-Christie embrace, Part 2: Immediately after Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast, President Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie embraced each other -- and that embrace helped both men politically. For Obama, receiving words of praise from arguably the country’s most recognizable governor (as well as the keynote speaker at the GOP convention!) undercut the Romney/Republican message that the incumbent president was a divisive figure. For Christie, his poll numbers skyrocketed after Hurricane Sandy, even among Democrats in the blue state of New Jersey. And the two men reprise their embrace today, as Obama visits the Jersey Shore, where he will speak at 1:30 pm ET on its recovery after Hurricane Sandy. Once again, the two men standing together helps both of them, at least in the short term. For Obama, the trip allows him to talk about the economy, the importance of government assistance after a disaster, and bipartisan cooperation. For Christie, the visit only benefits him as he seeks re-election in a state Obama won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2012; in fact, 42% of Obama voters are already supporting Christie’s re-election bid, per an NBC/Marist poll from earlier this month. Long term, Christie’s appearance with Obama could be a problem (remember Charlie Crist?), but first thing’s first for the New Jersey governor -- he’s up for re-election this year. McCain in Syria: On “TODAY” this morning, NBC’s Richard Engel covered Sen. John McCain’s trip yesterday to Syria. “Sen. McCain crossed into Syria from Turkey, accompanied by the Free Syrian Army -- the rebel faction he wants the U.S. to support with arms and a no-fly zone. (Washington already supplies the Free Syrian army with food and medicine.) McCain met with Salim Edris, the Free Syrian Army's general commander, who spoke exclusively to NBC earlier this month.” Engel adds, “Idris is a moderate, and the McCain trip, in part, seemed aimed at highlighting him as moderate partner in a conflict where White House officials have suggested there's no one it trusts enough to fully support. Instead the White House is pushing for a negotiated settlement and a U.S.- and Russia-backed conference in Geneva next month.” Why you might want to buy 2016 stock in Scott Walker: Remember when we told you last Thursday not to lose sight on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) speech in Iowa? The Hill: “Walker gave a well-received speech to the Iowa Republican Party Thursday night, and many in the state say he would bring some strong assets to a presidential run. While the beltway presidential buzz has focused on Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Walker’s admirers say his record as a conservative warrior, folksy Midwestern demeanor and big fundraising connections could make him a contender.” And here was Walker’s speech in the Hawkeye State, per NBC’s Alex Moe: “We should look to our states, to our governors, to our state legislative leaders to show the pathway we take not only in our states but in our country to move forward,” the Wisconsin governor told more than 600 people in attendance at the annual Polk County GOP dinner. “Optimism, relevance, and courage I think are the three keys to success in 2014, 2016 and beyond.”
With great power comes great responsibility. With great race comes great recap. Take a seat, because this is definitely longer than Melbourne’s. Before the race began, the traditional drivers parade was damped by a bit of rain, with Daniel even complaining the weather was giving him a runny nose. But weather conditions changed a bit and on the outlap, Daniel was asked to not give away details on how he felt the track. That meant a lot about how strategy was going to play a part on the race. By the formation lap, all cars spotted the green of the inters, except one. Carlos Sainz went with slicks in a track that was fairly damp, specially on the grid, but the rest of the track seemed pretty dry. Lights went out and on turn 3, Daniel went over Kimi Raikkonen and moved up to 4th. Right away, Virtual Safety Car deployed by a strayed Lance Stroll on the gravel, the first OUT of the race, still on lap 1. Mess came back again on lap 4, when a safety car situation was underway after Antonio Giovinazzi hit again the barriers on the pit straight, almost in the same area where he did the day before. All Top 5 took it to pits and made the change to slicks. In fact, everyone made it into the pits, since the queue by the Safety Car was taken into the pit lane to allow the straight to be cleaned up. During the safety car, Bottas lost a few positions after a spin that made him drop to 12th, allowing Daniel climb up to 2nd behind Hamilton, with Fernando Alonso now on a surprising P6. When there’s greens again, Max passes Kimi for 3rd. And then he goes 2nd, passing Daniel who now was fighting against both Ferraris behind him. Daniel started losing ground on Verstappen, reporting understeer, but he wasn’t the only one with issues, Kimi was also suffering from lack of power, particularly on turn 12. After multiple laps like this, Seb does a pass on his own teammate and starts to catch up on Dan. And this is when a BIG action moment for all kicks in. The fight for 3rd saw a result we didn’t wanted, with Daniel failing to block Vettel and losing the position, but it was a great fight. First, the German went outside at turn 6, when attempted again wheel to wheel on turn 7. A bit of contact and not only a little smoke out of the tyres, but Daniel’s suffered a bit extra and the red marks on his supersofts was nowhere to be seen. It was a clean overtake, proof of great race craft by both drivers. After that, Daniel started loosing ground on Vettel too (or was Seb gaining to get closer to Max?), but Raikkonen couldn’t catch him either. Max entered pits for a new set of supersofts after locking up pretty badly and losing 2nd to Vettel. Daniel followed up soon. After a bit more pitstops, top 5 were HAM, VET, VER, RIC and RAI. That’s when the fight for the final step of the podium began between teammates, with only 5 laps to go. It was fairly close, but Daniel couldn’t find a way past and had to settle with 4th. Now, needless to say, the covering maneuvers by Max and the way that Dan tried to create or find a hole where to go through was one of the most exciting things we had seen since that fight Dan had with Vettel earlier this race. And while he couldn’t finish in front of both men, this result is more than what Red Bull were expecting. Besides some cool silverware, Max also took home the Driver of the Day. On the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award, Red Bull Racing took 3rd and 4th with 2.60 and 2.66. --- “I’d have loved to have made it more of a battle. I feel like we got close but suffered a bit with the tyres. Even with DRS I didn’t get into a good place to pass. I thought about diving down the inside but it was wet and didn’t want to risk it.” – Ricciardo “I don’t think there was much more I could do with what I had. It was close but not close enough.” – Ricciardo “This [result] is condition dependent. We are still 45 seconds off the win. We still have work to do. It’s a good result for the team third and fourth but there is pace to find.” – Ricciardo “I have mixed emotions, it’s obviously disappointing to miss out on the podium as it was so close today but as a team it’s a good result to finish third and fourth. I lost a lot of time in the first stint as I struggled to keep my front tyres alive and that pretty much put us out of a podium position. After the first pit stop I had good balance and speed which meant I could claw some time back and close the gap to the leaders. Towards the end of the race I could see that Max was struggling with his tyres but as soon as I got close to him I also began to struggle with mine.” – Ricciardo “The team let us race but even though I was in the DRS zone I was not really close enough to pull off a convincing move. I had a look but the inside lines were still quite slippery into the hairpin and I was honestly never really close enough to make a move stick. It was also quite noticeable that the DRS effect is far less on the cars this year which didn’t help. As a team we should be pleased with the result and we learnt a lot today but we still have some work to do to close the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari.” – Ricciardo “We made the right calls today strategic-wise. We got ahead of the Ferraris but didn’t have pace to stay there. The guys raced really well, raced hard and it’s great to be on the podium.” – Christian Horner “It was straight racing today between them. They’ve demonstrated they can race hard against each other and we’ll probably see more of that through the season. A fantastic drive from Max from where he started today. Both have driven extremely good races today.” – Christian Horner ---
I realise that my work could be considered to be formulaic, as I have quite a systematical approach to the work I'm currently doing. I don't want things to get boring, or have all the pieces looking too similar, so I'm trying to push one element each time I work, meaning that each painting has more individuality. In the piece I was working on last week, I used more embroidery than I have in others. In my next piece I'm thinking of adding a continuous line drawing made with wool, as an extra layer between the background and the painted face. Today I was painting a new work, and rather than layering one drawing and one block of text over the painted motif, I repeated each layer twice. Below is a photo of the piece so far. I still need to embroider the canvas to bring the face back through, as the marker pen layers dominate it. That being said, I'm happy with this so far. I'm actually quite impressed with what I accomplished today. I really wasn't feeling in the mood, but one of my friends suggested that I just get started and see how it goes. I ended up finishing the bulk of the painting. The background was the only part I'd already done, and all that's left now is the embroidery layer.
These two pups- Bliss the blonde one and Spirit the black - joined my household four years ago almost to the day. They have brought me lots of laughter and help me structure my day since they require a lot of walking and tons of attention, particularly when I'm trying to enjoy my morning coffee with toast... Like all my dogs - they have learned to love toast. They nudge me when they hear the toaster pop up and come running when they hear me cutting bread - what a pair! These two brothers and litter mates are enthusiastic, silly and love to play. The picture of them being held is when I first saw them at eight weeks old - and chose them from the four remaining puppies from an 11 puppy litter... poor mum - she was a busy dog. The second (at the top) is of the two pups in my pasture when they are about 10 or 11 weeks old and just beginning to know their new world. Many people ask where their names come from. While Spirit isn't uncommon for a dog, Bliss appears to be out there. Their names occurred to me when I was in Newfoundland, where I travelled the day I chose them, (or perhaps they chose me)... I'd been pondering names and was nearing the end of my two week vacation in that amazing island province. I was so ecstatic about that adventure that I spread my arms out wide on one of the glorious beaches near Wesleyville and turned in a circle saying out loud "I'm so filled with spirit and bliss..." and then I paused. "That's their names," I yelled out loud to the universe - fellow walkers on the beach thought I was a tad weird I figure from the strange looks I got. Of course I meant the puppies... and so when I went to pick them up a couple of days later, I told their breeder. Her daughter had named Bliss BamBam after the Flintstones boy - yes that cartoon character. The pup got the name for his cowlick that runs from close to his eyebrows to the base of his head - actually he has different coloured and textured fur all down the centre of his back to his tail. But Bam Bam was a bit much for staid old me. It turns out the dogs are well named. Bliss is exactly that - full of the love of life and every possible adventure there could be for a dog... I think he has ADD - his attention span is that of a gnat. Spirit on the other hand tends to be more thoughtful. But he's not had the same experiences as his brother so now he's the one leading the adventures when we go off the property into the bush or fields... Bliss has become a bit more prudent since his two run-ins with porcupines recently and last year's wild goose chase where he nearly drowned. He stays closer to me when we walk off the property - most of the time. Animal scents though can send both into a frenzy of running and typical Labrador Retriever coursing back and forth. Spirit usually walks behind me on the property, unless he smells adventure - meaning a squirrel, a coyote or deer that demands chasing, though often I suspect that their nosing in the long grasses is more after a mole or a mouse than anything particularly large. Still, they are great pals - for each other and for me. They're the first puppies I've had in about 25 years. All the others have been rescues. More about them and some later images of Spirit and Bliss at play in another posting. By the way, I've tweaked some of the settings on this blog so anyone who wishes can post a comment and/or become a follower. Just click on the word comment which is underlined or on the word Followers and the "widgets" or "gadgets" - that's computerspeak for us non-tekkie types - will tell you what to do. This is a learning curve for me - and you'll likely see changes daily for a while. I'd love to hear if you have some suggestions or ideas... and I'm going to be posting images and stories about some of my friends animal companions as well... Hope you enjoy all this!
Nashville “outlaws”, Humps and the blackouts… live at Hoss’ Deli Newport News VA This slideshow requires JavaScript. Good day to the blog world! I am back in action! Kick starting my return, I interviewed traveling favorites Humps and The Blackouts at Hoss’ Deli in Newport News, VA. I was ecstatic to finally have the opportunity meet with these “outlaw” musicians, while they were in town visiting from Nashville, TN. I actually had the opportunity to see them live three times in one week, each experience being different (dare I say better?) than the previous experienced. I believe that the varying factor in each performance was the audience. The latter two shows, I noticed in both instances that the audiences’ electrical presence certainly charged a heavy hitting musical output from the band. Considering that through out the week the band had many guest performers and line up alterations, one could still sense a unique presence that was a constant. Perhaps that was the outlaw spirit that emanates and defines their sound so well. Watch out guest Drummer “Big Country”… I think I may have overheard a plot to kidnap you and take you to Nashville…
When we first became involved with horses we knew very little about them. We did know that horses were herd animals but we had no idea how important this is to them. By the time we decided to bring Bob home from the boarding stable we knew that we needed a buddy horse for him and so we got Wyatt. Bobby was a sociable, but dominant horse. Wyatt on the other hand didnt much like people but he had little interest in being the herd leader. Wyatt was my horse. I did know that he had run his former owner out of the paddock; that he would bite at the first opportunity; that if you put a saddle on him and rode there was a good chance he would lie down and roll to get you off his back. There is a saying, that before you can be a horse person you have to be bitten, kicked and thrown. Wyatt had those things covered for me in the first 6 months. We also learned very quickly that Bob and Wyatt did not like to be separated even for a short time. We became familiar with the term herd bound. We also started to learn a lot about how to deal with this issue. It took us over 3 years to find the real key. We had to become a herd of two with our horse. To do this we had to learn to communicate in a natural way with our horses. That is using methods that are natural for the horse. With this fundamental tool we work on the four pillars of trust, confidence, respect and leadership. It took me 3 years to get what I call a herd bond with my horse. There is no doubt that an experienced and knowledgeable horseman could have achieved this in a much shorter time.
Three inauspicious cardboard boxes stuffed in a suitcase, and hidden in a Mexico City closet for over 70 years was revealed as a treasure trove of photography in 2010. ‘The Mexican Suitcase’, as it was called, refers to three boxes containing organized 35mm film rolls that were smuggled out of France at the beginning of WW2, likely by the Mexican ambassador. Within the boxes was 126 rolls of film (about 4000 photos) from three of the most important photojournalists to cover the Spanish Civil War; Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and David ‘Chim’ Seymour. These three young and idealistic photographers entered Spain in 1935/6 to document the terrible struggle between the elected Leftist government, and the forces of General Francisco Franco, who was backed by a coalition of monarchists, capitalists, the Catholic church, and Fascists. Hoping to sway international opinion through their photography, Capa, Taro (Capa’s lover), and Chim took dramatic photos which changed the course of photography, if not the war. With the mantra ‘if the photo isn’t interesting, you’re not close enough to the battle’, these three were intimately involved with the Republican soldiers fighting against the Fascist-backed rebellion. The three photographers weren’t the only foreigners helping the Republicans via media accounts; luminaries such as Ernest Hemingway, Paul Robeson, Pablo Neruda, and George Orwell (who actually took up arms, and wrote ‘Homage to Catalonia’ about his experiences in the war) felt the urgency of fighting the European tide of Fascism which arose in the 1930s in Italy and Germany. A 1935 Harley-Davidson VL with Bosch headlamp, and a very worried partisan fighter, keeping an eye out for Heinkel bombers ‘loaned’ by Germany to Franco’s forces [Gerda Taro]The Republican soldier riding the motorcycle was photographed by Gerda Taro (the nom de plume of Gerta Pohrylle of Germany), who was hiding in the forest during an aerial attack by German Heinkel He51s during the battle of Navacerrada Pass, between Madrid and Segovia, early June 1937. This very battle is the setting for Ernest Hemingway’s ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’, in which a journalist/Hemingway stand-in, Robert Jordan, is an American who travels to Spain to fight fascism. About 2800 Americans (the ‘Abraham Lincoln Brigade’) did so, although I doubt any brought their motorcycles, as there was an official US embargo on providing any material aid to the Spanish, and some of the Americans were prosecuted after returning to the US. Ernest Hemingway in Spain, photographed by Robert Capa The Harley Davidson looks to be a ‘VLD’ model of 1932-’36, their 74cubic inch sidevalve roadster, hardly suited to the kind of off-road work used in a military campaign… but of course, private motorcycles were pressed into service during war in Spain, and shortly after, the rest of Europe. The Harley has a German Bosch headlamp, which may have been a convenient replacement for the original item, after damage. No other modifications appear to have been made to the bike; Spain had no time to make specialist war equipment or even paint military machines drab or camouflage. In his leather jacket and boots, plus beret and goggles, the rider could be any of us on his Harley, out for a spin in the woods. But the look of anxiety on his face, keeping his hands on the ‘bars, means our rider is ready to hightail it at the first sign of an incoming plane. A second photo of the Harley-Davidson rider [Gerda Taro]Gerda Taro was initially linked professionally to Robert Capa, with her photos being released under a Taro&Capa byline, but she struck out on her own after refusing Capa’s marriage proposal in Spain. Her photos of the bombing of Valencia, and her reportage from Brunete, were her most celebrated work, but she was killed in an automobile/tank accident during the Battle of Brunete, shortly after the photos in the Mexican Suitcase were taken – she was 27 years old. She was the first female photojournalist to cover a war, and the first to die in the process. Gerda Taro and Robert Capa in Spain [Chim]Robert Capa survived his time in Spain, and went on to photograph WW2, embedded with American troops, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Dwight Eisenhower. He founded the Magnum Photo agency in Paris in 1947, with Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Vandivert, David Seymour, and George Rodger, and became a celebrated and successful photographer for magazines around the world. Although he swore off war photography after WW2, he was lured by the French war in Indochina (Vietnam), and secured a job reporting there for Time-Life magazines. He was killed after stepping on a land mine in 1954; he was 40 years old. A Gerda Taro photograph of Spanish children playing with a bombed-out motorcycle in 1937 David ‘Chim’ Seymour (born Dawyd Szymin in Poland) was sent to Spain on assignment by Regards magazine in 1935, and remained covering the war for 4 years, before escaping with Republican refugees to Mexico aboard the SS Sinaia in 1939. He entered the USA that year, and joined the US Army after Germany invaded Poland, his birthplace, in 1939. He was a photographer for the US military, and was naturalized as a US Citizen in 1942, the same year his parents were killed in a Nazi concentration camp in Poland. After the war, he photographed the plight of poor children around the world for Unicef, and founded Magnum Photos with Robert Capa in 1947, becoming president of the group when Capa was killed in 1954. He was killed by machine-gun fire in Egypt while covering the Suez Crisis in 1956 – he was 44 years old. Contact sheets from the Mexican Suitcase, showing Spanish refugees on the move [Robert Capa?] The World’s #1 Vintage Motorcycle Site We encourage you to Share our Reports, Analyses, Breaking News and Videos. Simply Click your Favorite Social Media Button and Share.
Another great day. Took the dogs to the park, got a load of pictures. A couple of birds on the fence at the end of the garden. I think there's a blackbird and a cardinal, but the glare from the sun messes up the colours somewhat. Another RPG character based on my desk junk. Pretty fun to do. I got Monster Manual 2 through today. Very nice. And a good inspiration book, too!
Police: Suspect discharges handgun inside a home during robbery RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — An armed robbery and burglary suspect is behind bars after entering a home through an open window, according to Sgt. Palmer. On May 16, the Reno Police Department responded to a residential burglary involved a suspect who was armed with a handgun. When police arrived on scene, the victims reported that the suspect, John Jackson, 30, entered into their home through an open window and confronted the residents with a gun. Jackson demanded property from the victims while pointing a gun at them threatening to kill them. One of the residents inside the home attempted to tackle Jackson, during the robbery Jackson then fired a shot striking a window. After taking items from the victims, Jackson proceeded to steal a vehicle from the home and fled the scene. No one was injured when Jackson fired a shot into the air. Police say the stolen vehicle was abandoned near the scene. With the assistance of the Regional Crime Suppression Unit, officers were able to locate the 30-year-old and take him into custody without further incident. Jackson was booked into the Washoe County Jail on two counts of burglary, five counts of assault with a deadly weapon, child abuse and neglect, felony domestic battery, ex-felon is possession of a firearm, and discharging a weapon into a structure.
Of modest height and questionable posture (above) this small giant never fails to lift my soul while simultaneously often moving me to tears. Did you know Franz Schubert's friends affectionately/teasingly called him the little mushroom? Was it his small stature in combination with his large mop of hair? Here are Franz's glasses. I love how they can be fixed at the back of the head to stay in place, which must have been handy during extra animated performances.
Yesterday the pair slightly grew against a backdrop of positive data on French and Italian manufacturing production volumes. Then unfavourable macroeconomic data was released in the US: the small business optimism index dropped to 97.9 points, and new non-farm payrolls reduced to 5.03 million. Today, market participants are waiting for the results of the Eurogroup meeting that will be held at 19:30 (GMT+2). The meeting will cover the questions related to the Greek situation and possible solutions to the Greek current economic crisis. Market participants do not hurry to open big volume positions ahead of the Eurogroup meeting. Support and resistance levels Bollinger bands are not producing any clear signals on the H4 chart. The MACD histogram is situated in the negative zone and is moving along the zero line. Thus, MACD is indicating relative market calmness. Resistance levels: 1.1340, 1.1360, 1.1400. Support levels: 1.1300, 1.1270, 1.1220. Selling positions should be opened with the nearest target at about 1.2220 after a powerful resistance level at 1.1270 has been broken. Consolidating above a level of 1.1340 will signal a beginning of an ascending movement. In this case, bulls will attempt to assault a level of 1.1360. Vadim Smarzh Analyst at LiteForex Investments Limited --- ---
Well, Henshaw went home last Wednesday night along with Hilde. I hope poor nervous Henshaw has settled in at home and is not too frightened. His new dad seems very kind and patient so I am sure it will work out. Lots of holds this week! Holds were put on Harry, Sally, Smitty and Crunchy. Crazy Crunchy's applicant was approved and he is going home tomorrow night. A woman put a hold on Harry and decided, with reservations, to also put a hold on Sally as she did not want to see the two separated. However after giving it more thought she elected to only adopt Harry so the hold on Sally has been pulled. The application for Harry was approved and he is going home tomorrow night as well. The application for Smitty is being processed. The applicant for Corey was notified by the Shelter but he has yet to supply any of the required paperwork. Perhaps we will get him a home with his brother Moe after all. This weekend is the Adoption Event at PetSmart. Several of us will be there with dogs and additional visiting cats. Dogs will be on hand both Saturday and Sunday from 12:30-3:30pm. In addition four cats will be spending the day with us and two cats will move in to replace Henshaw and Hilde. Let's hope we find some forever homes for these dogs and cats! Two new cats arrived on Sunday...Snowdrift and Travis. Both are very shy and will need some time settling in. Snowdrift is a young male who is gray and white. Travis is also a young male and is a gray tabby. Only one opening on the May schedule...the morning cleaning on Saturday, May 31. Please let me know if you are available. Look ahead to June as the schedule is filling up! Here is Snowdrift and Travis:
“And it is not for a man that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a veil or by sending a Messenger to reveal by His command what He pleases. Surely, He is High, Wise.” Allah the Almighty raises His Chosen Messenger(s) in every era. The sublime purpose is to guide and lead the people in the Straight Path of Divine Favour. To teach them wisdom and judgement, Allah, thus, reveals His Words to His Chosen Messenger(s) and the miraculous power of the Almighty is experienced by the Prophets and other Messengers in countless ways. The shadow of Divine Mercy and Grace protects the Messengers from harm in the complex contingencies of their everyday lives. The great blessing of Divine revelations and guidance with which the Messengers are invariably blessed with, point to their Divine nearness, help and succour. Truth seekers know that the Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) had left a graphic portrait of aspects of Divine revelations as he experienced it. Indeed it would be spiritually uplifting and intellectually enlightening for common folks like us to look for similarities in the experiences of Divine revelation by claimants to this august office. Today, we have thus an extraordinary opportunity: to see and bear witness to the magnificent, living reality of Divine revelations! For, we are living in the times of a Messenger of Allah in the personhood of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius who is a recipient of this uncommon and precious privilege of Divine Mercy. Alhamdulillah Rabbul Aalameen! It is astonishing to note that there are remarkable similarities between the Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian and his spiritual progeny, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius, although their times are separated by a century or so. In this article, we discuss one such similarity. Mukarram Zafrullah Domun Sahib, who at one point of time in his life led the Jamaat-e- Ahmadiyya Mauritius as its National Amir for almost a decade, had written a personal, comprehensive and scholarly testimonial to the truthfulness and veracity of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) and his claims. This document is an authentic, living testimonial/record of an intimate witness to the phenomena of Divine revelations descending upon the Imam of the Age. It touches upon, and captures the essence of, the experience of Divine revelations descending upon Hadhrat Khalifatullah Sahib (atba) in the early days of the Divine Manifestation. We reproduce below extracts from this document and also, place before you, similar extracts from the writings of the Promised Massih (as) pertaining to the experience of Divine revelations. It is, of course, for the discerning readers to read and reflect upon and derive appropriate conclusions from here. Zafrullah Domun Sahib records in his official Declaration: During the course of those conversations I understood that he was receiving several revelations and that through the dreams, visions and revelations we were being told about matters of which we knew not . Our attention was being drawn to several verses of the Holy Quran, to known and unknown ahadiths , to several prayers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), to prayers, the source of which we were unaware of, and also to extracts from the Promised Messiah's books or from his malfoozaaat. At the same time we received long texts on particular topics pertinent to spiritual understanding and elevation: what is Islam, what is the meaning of God being close to man, zikr , tawhid , the condition of humanity, international current affairs, religious reform, the necessity of revelation, and many others. I have to confess here that later on we became aware that many of the texts received already existed in one form or other in some books or articles but we were not aware of them when they were being received. As far as we are concerned many of these materials were new to us and they were spiritual delights. These revelations were sometimes received in English or in French or in Urdu or even in Arabic or Persian or sometimes even in our local dialect Créole but most of them were in French or English. Whatever was received in Urdu or Arabic or Persian was followed by a translation so that we might understand the message….” Now, it would be interesting to observe the experience of the Promised Massih Hadhrat Ahmad (as) on the matter: “During the process of writing Arabic, hundreds of complete sentences descend upon my heart, either in the form of verbal revelation or in the form of a writing on a paper which is shown to me by an angel. Some of these sentences are verses of the Holy Qur’an, or similar to them with minor modification. Sometimes I only find out later that a certain Arabic sentence that had been revealed to me by God was in fact present in a certain book. God, being the Lord of everything, has the authority to reveal to my heart a fine sentence from some book, or an exquisite verse from some book of poetry. So much for Arabic, but even more surprising is the fact that I receive revelations in languages like English, Sanskrit or Hebrew, with which I have no familiarity whatsoever. Some specimens of these were included in Baraheen-e- Ahmadiyya. God, in Whose hand is my life, is my witness that this is how He has been dealing with me. This is one of the signs pertaining to matters of the unseen that continue to be revealed to me in various forms. My God cares not if any phrase that is revealed to me happens to figure in some Arabic, Sanskrit or English book, because for me it is a matter of the unseen…” -[ Nuzul-ul Masih, Ruhani Khasa’in, vol. 18, pp. 434-436; Essence of Islam, vol. V, p.157]
This recipe comes from "Moosewood Restaurant: Cooking for Health" @2009, pg 44. I love making ginger tea in the morning before my 7:30 yoga class, especially in the winter. It warms me up. I am hoping Mike will give it a try. Serves 2, Yields 2 cups, Time: 10 Minutes Claire gave me this cool container. Keeps my tea warm. Can be served hot or chilled. 1 rounded T. grated peeled ginger root (Note: I also add turmeric) 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 - 2 T honey In a small sauce pan, bring the grated ginger and water almost to a boil, then cover and steep for 5 minutes. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain the ginger tea, pressing the liquid out of the grated ginger with the back of a spoon. Stir together the OJ, lemon juice, honey and ginger tea. Reheat for a hot beverage, or chill and add ice.
The Chofetz Chaim grasped the gevir’s hand and began to cry. “This hand,” he sobbed, “gives tzedakah with such devotion, yet is mechalel Shabbos…” The tzaddik held onto the hand and wept bitterly until the man himself started to cry. “Rebbe,” he finally managed to utter, “I give you my word that I will keep Shabbos, but I ask that you allow me to push it off for one week more due to an important assignment I must complete.” Hearing the man’s words, the Chofetz Chaim responded emotionally, “My child, if the Shabbos were mine, I would forgive you and permit all that you desire, but the Shabbos belongs to the One above, the King of all kings, and I cannot grant even one moment of Chillul Shabbos.” The heartfelt words spoken by the Chofetz Chaim worked their intent, as the man began to keep the Shabbos holy in all earnestness. Preparatory measures undertaken in honor of Shabbos entail not merely physical exertion; on erev Shabbos we are obligated to do a cheshbon hanefesh – an accounting of our deeds of the week coming to a close. It was that first Friday, in the week of the world’s creation, that witnessed the first man on earth manifest his vulnerability to sin even before his first day on earth was done. His Creator’s intent to punish him with extinction did not sit well with the Holy Shabbos – and she promptly intervened on Adam’s behalf, objecting to the first passing of human life marring her day. Hashem gave validity to the grievance and spared Adam’s life. Since it is in the nature of mortals to memorialize a day when one was miraculously saved, we were commanded to keep the Shabbos holy – the day that saved the life of the first man on earth. (Ohr HaChayim) The bride and groom are absolved of all their sins on their wedding day and are granted a fresh start. Shavuos, a time for renewal of our vows, commemorates our “wedding” at Kabbalas Torah and is hence an exalted time for teshuvah – as significant a day as Yom Kippur, when our transgressions are forgiven. Shavuos is also considered to be a Yom HaDin b’ruchnios. On Rosh Hashanah the fate of mankind – who shall live and who shall die – is decided for the coming year, whereas on Shavuos our spiritual vitality and our soul’s life energy are adjudicated – who will merit divine assistance in learning and in the performance of mitzvos and maasim tovim. (Yismach Yisrael) The esteemed Rebbetzin Malka, mother of Reb Shmelke of Nikolsburg and Reb Pinchas of Frankfurt, two Torah giants and tzaddikim, was known to say: “I have two sons, one who never says krias shema at bedtime (Reb Shmelke never went to bed), and one who doesn’t say birchas hamazon for he doesn’t wash for meals (Reb Pinchas was known to hardly eat). Reb Shmelke spent his nights learning Torah and would conquer his fatigue by keeping a basin of water handy. When tiredness overwhelmed him, he would rest his head on the water and soon feel refreshed and ready to pursue his study. Late one night, after having been overcome with unbearable fatigue, the tzaddik lifted his head after briefly dozing, only to find that the candle’s flame had gone out. Not wanting to disturb the sleeping occupants in the house, Reb Shmelke stepped out onto a terrace that faced the street below, hoping to catch sight of a means of rekindling his flame so that he could carry on with his learning. No sooner did he begin to scan the dark outdoors than an outstretched hand holding a lit candle offered him the relief he sought. Back in his room, immersed in his studies once more, a thought suddenly washed over him. How was it possible for anyone to have literally extended him a helping hand from the ground below? (The house he lived in at the time was situated on an upper level.) So troubled was he by the mystery that he began to fervently pray that Heaven reveal to him who it was that had offered him the flame. He agonized over the concern that its source may have been an impure one.
I’ve always loved postage stamps. When I was little, I used to collect them. Last year, I bought a bunch on Etsy – thought making an art journaling page for AlphabeThursday was a perfect way to use some. Although many of these stamps are listed as blue, they look purplish to me. There are many profiles and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, for Canada, Great Britain and Australia. Here’s a little history that I didn’t know: At the signing of the Treaty of Paris, after the Seven Years’ War ended in North America (1763), France ceded all North American land to Britain except Louisiana. British imperial control of Canada did not end until 1867, which was called Confederation. Following Confederation, the Dominion of Canada remained part of the British Empire and was constitutionally subject to imperial control until the enactment of the Statute of Westminister in 1931. Hence the British queen on Canadian stamps! (information from My favorite stamp of all these is the Canada 15, “Canadian geese.” What’s yours? and see what other bloggers have chosen for their Letter P!
'Everything is good' about Sault's Porco, says Saginaw GM Sault Ste. Marie native Nicholas Porco, in action with the Saginaw Spirit. Saginaw Spirit first rounder Nicholas Porco isn’t putting up big points as a 16-year-old Ontario Hockey League rookie. But there is no reason for worry, according to Saginaw general manager Dave Drinkill. Porco, a Sault Ste. Marie native who Saginaw took with the fourth pick of the first round at the 2017 OHL draft, has suited up for 36 games for the Spirit thus far in 2017-2018 and has modest totals of 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points. But in the words of Drinkill, “everything is good” regarding Porco, who is a 6-foot, 170-pound left-winger. “I know his numbers aren’t where any one wants them and from the outside looking in they don’t look great but Nicholas is developing and playing the right way,” Drinkill relayed to Sault This Week. Porco’s progress is noticeable, said the Saginaw GM. “Nicholas is playing good minutes for a 16-year-old; he has just had some bad luck and is snake-bitten but it is coming for sure,” assured Drinkill. “I don’t get worried about numbers on a 16-year-old player,” Drinkill added. “It’s all about adjustment to the league and getting ready for the years down the road.” With some of the best young 16-and-17-year-old talent in the OHL, Saginaw headed into play this week tied for fifth place in the tough Western Conference, sporting a respectable record of 24-18-4, good for 52 points.
I have been working on several projects at once... two of them I can't show yet, as they are for Terri's "Kitchen Swap" and since I just sent the boxes out on Friday (and my Partners live in Australia), I don't want to show you what I made until they get their packages! You'll just have to wait... dum, da, dum-dum; dum da, dum-dum... dup, ta da da, dum, dum, dum! (Yeah, VERY few would recognize that as the "Jepoardy" music... but it was.) I've also been working on the Friday Block Party pieces, the Norcal BOM, finishing the QA BOM from several years ago,on working on the pillows for the kids... and on Marjory's Quilt. Marjory lives in Scotla nd, and I'm making her a quilt to go in her "new" bedroom. She lives in a wonderful flat quite near Arthur's Seat in Edinburg. I can show you a picture of the block that makes up the quilt. There are 12 blocks in the quilt and the soft pink is repeated in the sashing between the blocks. I'm thinking of green cornerstones for the sashing... making it a bit like a "journey" quilt as well. I really like the pale greens in this quilt and I think the lavender center block really ties it all together. The block is called "Bradford's Beauty", it is a straightforward, traditional block, and I used Bonnie Hunter's excellent scrappy tutorial to help with the construction. Bonnie gave her quilt three borders with 4Patch cornerstones, and I think I'll do the same. Of course, I'll send Bonnie a picture of my variation when I'm finished. I really like the Fuschia patterned fabric that Sheila picked out. I added the lavender print to the centers beacuse that is Marjory's favorite color. I was actually a bit surprised that Marjory had chosen a dark pinky-red and pale green for her window seats instead of her favorite blues and purples, but it made it easy for me to find lots of good greens from my stash to use in her quilt! I'll show more pictures later... I have to go mow some more of my yard! Spring really does make the grass grow, doesn't it?
Q. In Turkey you lost pace from free practice into qualifying and then more in the race. Can you explain why that was? Felipe Massa: Well, the reason is that the temperature increased a lot from the free practice to the race and in qualifying. And we had not enough downforce on the car, so for sure having a bigger rear wing on the car was the right direction for qualifying and the race. So the temperature increased a lot and it made a big difference to the tyres, and we were losing massively in sector one where we needed the downforce - although we were not losing so much on the Friday and the Saturday morning. So we understood almost 100 percent the problem, but it was too late to change. Here for sure we are going to start in a different way. Q. The team understands what happened in Turkey, and there are a lot of tweaks and updates on the car. How optimistic are you that you can be fighting at the front this weekend? FM: Well I am optimistic. I think we can really have a competitive car. I think what we showed in Turkey was not really what we could have shown at the end of the day, which is why I am quite optimistic that maybe we understood the problem in Turkey so we can bring the best performance to this weekend, and have a much better car as well. Q. It is quite cold here in England. In some races you have struggled with the prime tyre which has a higher temperature working range, do you expect a similar case here? FM: Yes, I think if it is cold it will be a problem for everybody. So with a very high working range tyre, which we have here, when it is cold we know it is very difficult to make it work. So when it is cold it will be a big problem for many teams. Q. If we don't come back to Silverstone, how much will you miss the track? FM: It depends how the next British Grand Prix is going to be, and how is the track. If it is a great track, maybe we are not going to miss it so much. If it is a worse track than here, then everybody will miss Silverstone. We need to wait and see how the next solution is going to be – but for sure it is a very important race. Q. How much are you being informed by the team about the latest developments in the FIA/FOTA battle and regarding Ferrari’s entry? FM: I follow everything that happens. So, I am together with my team and I know the direction of the team and I agree with them. So whatever they decide to do, I will be a Ferrari driver. Q. Could you explain why it is so difficult for big teams to catch two independent teams like Brawn and Red Bull Racing? FM: Well, first of all Brawn is not a small team. So everything they put in this car was coming from Honda, and they had a lot of money. Many people say that Brawn started from zero and had fantastic success, but that is not true definitely. They were the first ones who started to build this car with a massive amount of money. And secondly the rules change was a big impact for some big teams, especially Ferrari and McLaren who were fighting until the very end of the championship. So, I think if you see how we started the championship and how we are now, we made a big step forward even compared to the teams that were already in front of us at the beginning of the championship. So I think we are doing a good development, working very well with the development of the car, but for sure the gap was too big at the beginning of the season. Q. If the gap was too big then it means that you cannot reasonably beat Brawn this season. So how do you approach each race? FM: Let's try to win as many races as possible – or be in the best position possible. What can you do? Sitting on the floor and crying will not change anything. We need to work, so we are working. We were already working many months ago, we made a big step forward, and we will keep working and see where we can arrive, so that is what we want to do. Q. So how big is your frustration then? FM: Well, at the end of the day when you come into the weekend and you know you have not the car to win the race, but you know you took the best out of the car – and drove 100 per cent to get the best position possible with that car....for sure it is frustrating not being able to win the race, but you feel happy because you know you did everything you could. So, we have so many ways of working, and we are professional. We know our possibilities, and we know the success will come with the work. Q. But Red Bull Racing is far behind Brawn, so is Brawn unbeatable? FM: They are not far away. Q. They seemed to be in Istanbul? FM: Not far away. They are not far away, when they are one tenth slower or two tenths slower that is not far away. Q. But do you think Brawn is killing the spectacle? FM: Well, for sure people at home prefer to see a big fight for first position. But I cannot say that. They did a good job. They were clever to work on this car, so as I said we need to work to improve the situation. That is it. Q. Do you think this Ferrari still has the potential to win a race this year? FM: I think so. I think we have potential. As I said, looking at the development we did from the beginning of the season to now, for sure it is always easy to see the result at the end of the day, and easy to say whatever we want. If you look at the facts – we made a big step forward and I believe that we can improve even more, and we can arrive to the point to win some races. And I hope!
There are a few more broadcasters I'd like to salute before bringing this occasional series to a conclusion. Gearing up to do my own podcasts (well, I've bought the microphone, anyway), I thought I'd attend a bit more carefully than normal to Russell Davies's regular BBC Radio 2 show this week (access it on the Radio 2 website ). Not that I don't enjoy it on a regular basis anyway, but as such a range of music and artists is included, I thought I'd pay a bit more attention to the links, to see just how he squeezes them all in and makes them seem of a piece in my personal quest for the secret of Broadcasting Man's Red Fire. If you have read earlier entries in this series then you may remember that got over the problem of selecting records by calling his 1970s show for Radio Clyde Serendipity with Sykora: provided some associative process, however tenuous, could be cited then just about anything went. Which, following my own paperless trail, reminds me that Bob Holness of British TV quiz show Blockbusters fame actually hosted a programme of that title - I mean Anything Goes - on the BBC World Service. It enlivened many a late night/early morning for me when I was working as a security guard in the 1980s - though Holness's task was rather easier as the show was wall to wall listener requests, and even spoken word recordings, pastoral-tragical or whatever, were permitted. Oddly, though, he chose Duke Ellington's Things Ain't What They Used to Be as the theme rather than the Cole Porter song suggested by the programme title, much as eschewed Thanks for the Memory and chose Nelson Riddle's arrangment of Time Was for his programme. Odd, that: is it about not being in thrall to one song, or prohibitive costs for regular use of particular songs? I think in Gregg's case it was about the title being foisted on him, and his shaping the programe, over time, to reflect his own particular enthusiasms (and how do I know that? Because I've now read his autobiography, which I'll discuss in the next entry). What? No, that was a different Things ... And made different again when recorded by Max Bygraves. What? You haven't? Oh, but you must - at least once, anyway: Incidentally, isn't fate cruel? Cameras aplenty to catch Gillian Duffy's reaction to Gordon Brown's post-interview comments but why was there no snapper on hand to capture Joe Brown's face when first presented with this other timeless Lionel Bart lyric below? Jellied eels, jellied eels, Wobblin' abaht like wonky wheels A missed opportunity indeed - although this earlyish photograph, presumably intended to radiate mean, moody magnificence, seems also to carry a flavour of the thoughts which may have rushed through his head at that moment lost to history: Ditto whoever was first exposed to that bannister/canister rhyme in the title song of Oliver: Bart is another candidate for arraignement in my Crimes Against Songwriting court. Which leads to a further association: I read and greatly enjoyed Saul Chaplin's autobiography a few years ago, but the single piece of information which has lodged firmly in my mind ever since concerns the reason for his admiring Bing Crosby. It is simply this: that Crosby accepted without complaint or questioning a composition he was handed entitled Zing a Little Zong. Anyway, back to the ostensible subject. Based on Russell Davies' links for the current show (transmitted on Sunday May 2nd at 9pm BST and available online until the next show is trasmitted), herewith my summary of his rationale for choosing each track. Mel Tormé — One Morning In May Because it's May. Billie Holiday — That Old Devil Called Love Because 2nd May is birthdate of lyricist Doris Fisher. Spike Jones and His City Slickers — You Always Hurt The One You Love Because this is another Doris Fisher lyric and Spike Jones died on the 1st of May. Matt Dennis — Mountain Greenery Because 2nd May is the birthdate of Lorenz Hart and anyway 1st May is mentioned in the lyric. Ella Fitzgerald & Chick Webb — A Tisket A Tasket Because 2nd May is the birthday of Van Alexnder, a white bandleader now in his nineties who sold arrangements to Chick Webb including the above, which was recorded on Alexander's 23rd birthday. Dean Martin — At Sundown Because this is an example of a later Van Alexander arrangement as an antidote to "Ella's juvenilia" (No additional May connection proffered on this occasion). Matt Monro — Try To Remember Because 2nd May 1960 was the night before the opening of The Fantasticks. Harry Belafonte & Odetta — The Hole In The Bucket Because it's from a 2nd May 1960 Harry Belafonte concert at Carnegie Hall. The Spirits of Rhythm — Nobody’s Sweetheart Because scat singer Leo Watson died on May 2nd 1950. Thereafter we're told "So much for May 2nd, which if nothing else has been a good excuse for staving off thoughts of May the sixth and the ballot box" - ie the imminent UK general election. Li’l Abner Original Cast — The Country’s In The Very Best Of Hands Because despite appropriation by various political parties "songs go better in fantasy elections in Broadway musicals." And because lyricist Johnny Mercer's biographer Gene Lees died recently (actually in April). Perry Como — One More Vote Because this film song is "a stylised form of a hustings speech of the mid-forties." Thereafter we're assured us we won't return to this topic. Frank Sinatra — Let’s Get Away From It All Because this provides an opportunity to hear a lyric by Matt Dennis who sang Mountain Greenery earlier. Oh, and, er, the orchestra leader is Billy ... May. Tina May — When In Rome Because - in Mr Davies' final, impudent flourish - "Let's stay May-minded to the very last." To lay bare the rationale for inclusion like this, shorn of almost all of Russell's comments, is, it must be admitted, grossly unfair: as with the other broadcasters mentioned in this series, his linking comments display a breadth of reference and an ability to make associative leaps which extend far beyond the chronological coincidences cited above, which are merely a mildly amusing extra. Interesting, too, that like Ken Sykora, Benny Green, Hubert Gregg and Ian Whitcomb, he is also a musician, which may have helped foster the catholicity of taste on display; the programme's subtitle is "The art, craft and inspiration of the popular song" - which may not quite be Anything Goes, but just about. The show appears to be scripted, but he has a real gift for succinct, accessible phrasemaking. It's different from Hubert Gregg's conscious stylisation, more like ordinary speech - but in a more compact, vivid form than the unscripted alternative, just as a current advert on British television for some kind of wonder yoghurt (or some such) boasts of its invigorating effects with the slogan: "You - but on a really good day." Lorenz Hart, for example, is summed up as "Pint-sized genius of the lyric and tragical boozer" and we're told Spike Jones is "well known for taking the sweetest rose and crushing it till the petals fall - with a thunderous crash." These brief quotes don't do justice to his links, where four or five interconnected ideas may whizz by in the transition from one record to another. So let's take the preamble to You Always Hurt ... After That Old Devil Called Love finishes playing, we are told, among other things, that Alison Moyet's pop revival is now twenty five years old; that Russell has been reading The Tin Pan Alley Song Encyclopedia, "one of those books that are there to be disagreed with," which omits that Doris Fisher song but includes You Always Hurt the One You Love, described in the book as a "fatalistic ballad" and recorded by the Mills Brothers and others including Brenda Lee, Al Martino and Ringo Starr, "which, " Russell says, "suggests a certain breadth of interest in this song." That is the authentic Davies note: waspish understatement in a slightly raised voice, inviting you into the joke. Leading into the Spike Jones remark already quoted, he then goes on to point out that there is no built-in protection for compositions against "uprincipled rogues" - such as Jones. As I am revising this piece a few hours before this particular edition of the programme will no longer be accessible, I hope I won't be causing too much offence by including , for purposes of study, a sendspace link for a clip from the programme lasting about a minute where you can hear the above linking material being delivered in a fashion which is musical in itself. a performance - odd interview clips I've heard reveal someone more tentative - but as with Hubert Gregg, it's the right performance for the context, and in Russell Davies' case he fairly rattles along, a raised eyebrow here, the ghost of a wink there, as there is always so much to impart with what I can only describe as a kind of trademark measured zest. And although the programme has been shunted from the 2pm slot which it had occupied since the days of Benny Green, in favour of something rather less interesting (to me, anyway), and although I'd rather it were back in that slot, maybe there is a sort of justification in having something so pleasing just at the hour when some of us may need diversion from thoughts of the working week.
Captain Thomas Dyer, as Admiral Nimitz's intelligence officer, was directly involved with the interception, decryption, and subsequent intelligence information reporting which led to the shootdown and death of Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. His efforts led to the breaking of the Japanese merchant shipping and transport code and the main Japanese weather code. From February 1946 to June 1949, Dyer was assigned to the Naval Security Station, 3801 Nebraska Avenue, Communications Support Activity in Washington, DC (precursor to the Naval Security Group) as chief of processing and technical director. In 1947, he was designated the first (?) Navy Special Duty Officer (Cryptology). Dyer was a leading member of the Navy contingent that joined the fledgling Armed Forces Security Agency in June 1949 and, along with Captain Laurance Safford, was in charge of all daily AFSA operations. Taken from the National Security Agency website.
I was in town today for my book club plus a myriad errands, which included fresh tomatoes from the Hmongs at the farmers market. I realized that I had about 45 minutes to spare. I had queried on Facebook for places to buy cheap cotton. I remembered that someone had suggested Mill Ends. With time to spare I came away with ten pounds of cotton at $1 a yard. I cannot wait to start my next rug! I'll be back in town tomorrow for a haircut, to pick up a donated loom to our guild and to see if the folks at the cooperative extension can help us find what's eating our potato plants. Ian's relocation program is now up to 6 packrats and 9 squirrels, but I don't think either of them can eat nightshade plants. They've asked me to bring digital photos and samples of the damage. They also suggested that I go out in the middle of the night and see if I could find munching insects. I'm still recovering from the night I went out twice with camera and flashlight, to no avail. We are so excited to see these ripening tomatoes. We have another month of growing season and might actually have tomatoes enough to preserve. I'm holding my breath because tomatoes are also nightshade plants, and if it turns out the potatoes are being eaten by insects, these guys are next in line. How did anyone ever homestead here and thrive? And then there's this - someone some- where left the gate open. These fellas are walking down our road just past our gate, so not where they're supposed to be. Oh boy, is someone in trouble - somewhere. That driveway? It's a house for sale that apparently is hot because there are a half dozen cars checking it out a day, at least that we've seen. Just mosey on by boys, nothing to see. And there they go - up Steve's driveway. He had some bales of hay leftover from decorating last Halloween. Total cow bait. What was he thinking??
Well, 21 yesterday now as I was too tired to finish this post last night! I'm talking about son number 2 - Michael 'we have names, mother!' My sister, Anne and I were both in hospital about to give birth at the same tine - she in Scarborough, me in Winchester trying to hang on a bit longer as Michael was a bit too keen to get out into the big wide world. We gave birth within 12 hours of each other and I have to say, both these little boys have a lovely nature so I have to think the planets were nicely aligned at the time. Michael is on the left, Harry on the right, fresh, clean and shiny straight out of the bath in their matching jim-jams. Those were the days when I could wear horizontal stripes!! Michael and I are off for a gay day in York today to get him a birthday present but I wanted to make him something as a keepsake. Ben (my eldest) didn't want any crochet in his house, thank you very much but I think Michael will appreciate my efforts and I am sure he will put this to good use as a picnic blanket. I couldn't get it finished in time for the big day but they are off to Scotland with their Dad tomorrow so that should give me plenty of time to get it done I used old jeans, some old shirts - two of which Ben and Michael wore when they were very, very little boys, some liberty fabric that Michael mentioned liking and some bits of crochet and knitting - lots of different textures but a mainly blue and white theme. I used the red to cheer it up a bit. I was a bit worried about tackling this many different weights and textures on my machine and had a few hairy moments with the the bobbin - don't you just hate it when the machine gives that little hiccup as you start to sew which invariably means it's about to cotter up and get your knickers in a knot? After much cursing and re-threading it was purring away quite happily - not sewing anything but purring away! Thank goodness it has a self threading needle thingy otherwise it might have been heading out the window! Now get thee to the kitchen to run the dishwasher for the third time and wash up all those champagne flutes! and I'm sorry but I didn't get chance to go shopping for Winter woollies and it's still raining (typical - just pegged out a whole lines of clothes!!)
We had a busy valentine weekend around here...... Started off with Annalise making her own Valentine Cards for her class. I cut them all out on the Cricut Expressions and she assembled, wrote the names, and signed them all and then decorated them! I always give her the choice to make them or buy them, and she has always made her own! More pictures tomorrow.......bed time!
Here’s what’s going on: Discovering the World of Low-Weight, High-Rep Shoulder Exercises I used my free trainer session with Richard, my gym’s trainer to discuss my utterly unresponsive shoulders. Richard is the most magnificent older man I’ve ever met. He’s either in his late fifties or early sixties. He’s totally ripped. I think I have a new role model. Richard is fairly unemotional in his demeanor. He listens and diagnoses very quickly. He said that he once had a similar problem getting his shoulders to grow. His present shoulders show no evidence of this problem. He suggested that two things were likely at fault. The first was that the blood vessels running into shoulders were relatively small and until the shoulder started getting more exercise, they would remain small, and hence the muscle would have trouble. The other is that my triceps were more developed than my deltoids (this is a sad commentary on my pathetic shoulder muscles, as opposed to any notable development of my triceps or any other muscle at all in my body) and were probably doing a share of the work. His solution—low-weight, high-rep lateral raises, depicted below: The goal is to get to three sets of fifty using five-pound dumbbells. I did two sets of fifty with him day before yesterday, broken up by some shoulder presses using ten pound dumbbells in sets of ten. It’s truly humbling to know that five pound dumbbells can totally kick my ass if I do enough reps. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am a genuine geek, in case you were wondering. No one will ever mistake me for an athlete. I was the kid who got beat up every day in the seventh grade. Kirk and Briggs can confirm this. They were there. I had to break my first set of fifty into two sets of twenty-five. The second had to be broken up into fives and tens. He patiently waited while I worked my way through. He said I’d feel it the next day. I felt it a little yesterday morning, but by night again, I was quite decently aware. I’ve been sorer, but I can tell the strategy had a new and different impact. I’m definitely going to work on this for a while. I Need to Grade Again 'Tis the season! Fa-la-la-la-la! I Started Work on Rewriting My Proposal It took two days, but this is the revision chart. The only thing left to figure out is what the lit review should look like. I'll spend some time there tonight. I’m Getting to Know My Camera I discovered that in addition to having a receptor for an external flash, my camera has a built-in flip-up flash. If I get a telephoto lens, it will be very viable for everyday uses. I've also been learning that minature photography actually has many problems of focus. Look at this photo of this grill ornament Craig gave be a few days ago. It never really dawned on me that focus could be complex in photographing a small object, but here, the focus is clearest on the dials and on the little hook on the lid. I'm realizing that in macro photography, you have to put a great deal of attention to how you focus in composing your picture. I need to work on packing the equipment and figuring out how I'm going to tote it all around Tel Aviv.
Its been a good week! My favorite day was Friday. In the morning we went to the San Nicholas Chapel, and by we I mean me and Elder Torion, because we had done splits the day before. We went to the San Nicholas Chapel because on Friday we had interviews with President Andrada. I met up with Elder Daclag and we did our weekly planning there at the chapel, until it was time for our interviews. Elder Daclag was first so I played the piano while I waited, then I went into the interview. It was great! I love President Andrada, he has such a strong spirit and is definitely inspired of the Lord. After the interview we went back here to Banna for our tracting. We went out when we got back and taught the Augustine family first. They are two girls, recent converts, fifteen and thirteen, with a father and mother who are still not baptized. And had a good lesson there about enduring to the end. Then we went to Jan Jan. He's a 12 year old boy that is investigating the gospel. He's so cool. He reminds me of Neal a little bit. He is always at his uncle's house and their family is cool. The father, Brother Joen is the second councilor in the branch presidency. Then we gave a member training lesson to the Marcos family, so we just taught them about how to share the gospel, and then we went to the Contawi family. They're returning less actives and they are so nice. They kind of remind me of the Gibsons. Just younger (: They fed us dinner and I don't remember any of the names and then we went home and planned! Its so fun to get to teach the gospel to others. There is such a strong spirit that comes into your life as you testify to others of the simple truths that you know. I love this gospel so much. I got to see General Conference this Sunday, well the Sunday morning session at least, and it was so uplifting! I love getting to listen to the words of the prophets! There was one insight that really hit me while listening to the words of President Eyring, that I want to share with all of you. He talked about his father, and the testimony that he had. How he had an absolute conviction that the Gospel was true, and was practiced at listening to the Spirit. But his highest position in the church was a High Councilor. I'm sure that at times he was tempted to pity himself because of that. I'm sure his desire was strong to serve the Lord, and he may have felt higher callings could have helped him give greater service. But what I'm sure he didn't know, is that while he was living every day, he was raising an apostle. His every action word and deed contributed to who Elder Eyring is today. In my life, and maybe in yours as well, we question the Lords plan. It may come from a righteous desire, but what we need to always remember, is that the Lord's Plan is so much greater than our own. That our job is not to try and be a space ship, if the Lord has called us to be a truck. As we follow the Lord's plan for us, and trust in him, no matter what happens, we will find so much peace and joy that come into our lives. I know that this Gospel is so true. There is nothing like it, and the happiness it brings is real. Always remember that. I love you all and have a great week! I hope you like my pictures, and I hope you keep living the dream! This is our Zone right now. They're pretty cool. This is me with our BML. Everyone's always asking about the apartment (who knows why) . :) So here it is!
Time to live according to my purpose! We are taught to look for happiness in things and people. We are indoctrinated to seek peace in what we are doing, rather than in who we are! Most of us are trained to be dependent, irresponsible,expecting others to create our happiness. We live according to roles,as opposed to purpose. (from the book Tapping the Power Within) I love Tapping the Power Within, the truth in those pages speak to me especially on this journey! It proved to me that it is right on the money in an encounter I had yesterday. Taking the advice from my ladies I decided that I would open up a bit, feel the fear and do it anyway and walk the talk! I'm having a conversation with a newly found friend and I started getting anxious based on where the conversation was headed. Then it dawned on me, how on earth can we expect other people to to be responsible for our happiness, it really is quite irresponsible of me to give away my power like that. My happiness depends on me so if I am in situation that is not to my liking I have a choice to leave, to make another choice. What I have learnt is that it is up to me to walk with a full cup! what that means is that I cannot turn up broken, needy, dishonest and the lot and expect someone else to fix that and "make" me happy. I attract to me that which I am, I truly believe that, so show up like that and that is what I will attract. So my responsibility is to work on me and show up without putting the responsibility of my happiness in someone else's hands. Its my responsibility! The other thing I have learnt is looking to get happiness from things is also crazy making behaviour, it's my ego running amuk! Things are nice and great, I love nice things, but I have learnt that depending on it solely is setting up myself for short term pleasure. So what did I learn today? It is MY responsibility to honor myself and my life.If you are sitting around waiting for anyone to save you, to fix you, to even help you, you are wasting your time because only you have the power to take responsibility to move your life forward. The sooner you get that, the sooner your life gets into gear.
We are moving house at the end of the month to a new location that is much closer to our work and babysitter and just about everything else. Right now we live about 6 miles outside the town where we work is a pretty nice community but gas prices are going up here and it's getting difficult for us to afford to stay. The rent at the new place is only a bit more and we will have about twice as much house including some really cool options for gaming space. We plan to finish up a couple more projects tomorrow and play a game or two of AE Bounty while we pack but that will be the last game and set of projects that we plan on doing until we move so I will have perhaps a post or two more between now and the end of the month. I also have one more "Maxed Out" game report to write which I hope to get done soon. We are all really excited about the new location and our new game space!
Yesterday I managed to finish painting my second piece of furniture which is a writing bureau. I didn't go in the shop with the intention of buying this but when I saw it I just loved it, I did need something for the corner of my dining room with storage and this was perfect. I chose a pale grey for this which is called light rain, it is very light and I was expecting a darker shade based on the sample piece in the shop. The next shade up in this paint was too dark though and I didn't want it looking drab. So as you can see a very pale colour, my walls are a soft white but the bureau is not very different from them. I had thought about painting the inside but decided against that as I intend this will get a lot of use I think the finish that is already on will probably be more durable. I gave it a good clean and added a bit of paper but not on all of the desk as it has a leather inset which you can't quite see in the photo. While the colour is not quite what I imagined I am happy with it, it was quite battered before I sanded and painted it so now it does look like new on the outside at least. I intend to keep a lot of my craft stuff in here as it has nice deep drawers and there is a bag of crochet hooks and wool on the floor beside it in the picture that will be going in the bottom drawer! Here is the before picture, it was a lovely colour wood but in such a state it couldn't have been left as it was. There were notches in the top that had to be filled and chips and dints everywhere. I was going to spray the handles silver, but as the colour is so pale I am leaving them black as they stand out well on the new colour. I am happy that this is another piece of furniture that has been saved and we didn't go and buy new. My only worry is that as more people do this the second hand shops are starting to put up the prices which may mean that some people think what is the point when you can buy new cheaper. In a lot of cases yes you can but it is mass produced, often poor quality and the furniture which is already out there is being discarded. I hope the trend to upcycle continues, it is sad to think of all those items that are going to waste. The two pieces of furniture I painted over the last two days both came from St Lukes Hospice Shop I also got the lamp which is on top of the bureau, so the purchases also contributed to charity.
Today, somehow, I made it to work. Normally, that's not at all a remarkable feat, but after taking a four-day, 2,3000-plus mile road trip out to Minnesota for the Eagles-Vikings wild card game Sunday, the fact that I'm still alive is a minor miracle in and of itself … literally. On the way home, we almost nailed a deer on Route 80 in Ohio that just decided to run out in the middle of the highway. But lucky for you, the few readers that actually make it to this little site, I'm here to recount one of the longest, most insane road trips of my life. It all started on Friday night. After returning from work, I headed to upper Bucks County to meet Toonces and silver fox at Toonces' dad's house to embark on our trip. The three of us unloaded the ungodly amount of shit that silver fox inexplicably had in his car, loaded up our supplies—which consisted essentially of clothes, a container of peanuts, a bag of soft pretzels, cds and some other stuff to play with. We were in a for a long, long ride. Leaving some time around 8 p.m., the 1,153-mile quest through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and ultimately into Minnesota began. We headed up 476, with silver fox at the wheel, Toonces as navigator and myself in the back. We were ready to go and all sorts of pumped about it. Moral was high and our mission was clear: Get to Minny in one piece. As we got to route 80, it didn't take long for us to hit our first setback. Unbeknownst to me, silver fox had been going quite fast as we approached a rest stop somewhere in the eastern half of Pennsylvania. But silver fox saw the dreaded site of flashing lights in his mirror, and minutes later, we were stopped on the side of the road as an officer issued a ticket to silver for going 92 in a 65. Now, there's two ways to look at it, the negative view and the positive view. The negative view is that this trip was off to a rough start and doomed from the beginning. The positive view was we got the ticket out of the way nice and early, and things could only go up. We chose to look at it in that light, meaning spirits were still quite high and our quest was still on full board. The rest of PA was kind of a blur. I was supposed to be sleeping in the back so I'd be ready to drive when it was my turn. You see, we had a nice system of one person driving, the passenger staying awake to keep the driver company and conscious, and the person in the back getting some shut-eye to be well-rested for his turn to drive. However, things didn't always go according to play, especially at the beginning. I was too amped to sleep, however, sleep would come eventually. The trip out PA was unspectacular but efficient. I went to Penn State, so there were no great sights to behold or new things to encounter for us. It was the same old same old. But once we hit our first rest stop in Ohio, our excitement built yet again. We stopped to fill up, re-energize and switch drivers … and once we pulled in, we saw a white van filled to the brim with Eagles fans. They, too, were heading out on ground, and this pumped us up even more. The feeling was that there would be a ton of Eagles fans out there, what with the non-sellout and cheap tickets. Essentially, our thought that we would not be alone was confirmed early in the trip, and we couldn't wait to get to Minnesota. I've driven through Ohio and a portion of Indiana a couple times before in my life to catch some Notre Dame games with my cousin. Having done that, I know that driving through Ohio sucks a big, fat donkey dick. Luckily for me, I slept quite a bit of the way through that awful, awful drive. At some point in Indiana, it was my turn to take the wheel, which made me very happy, seeing as the speed limit is 70 in the Hoosier state. At this point, we were many hours into the trip and delirium had set in a bit. The entire way, we could not get the Ting Tings song "That's Not My Name," out of our heads, even though we didn't hear it once on the radio and none of us had the cd. Don't judge us. That's a catchy tune and you all know it. Anyway, we were flying through Indiana, seeing Eagles fans occasionally in other cars, giving waves, fist-pumps and beeps, keeping morale high. The three of us were snapping odd photos, talking nonsense and singing along to the music like it was our job. We made it through Indiana when it happened: Illinois. Ugh. Let me be the first to say that route 80/90 or whatever the hell it is in Illinois is in the worst shape going west of any road I have ever been on in my life. For nearly the entire stretch, the right lane is filled with potholes the size of craters in long, car-tearing stretches. It's like driving through an obstacle course. Pretty disgraceful actually, and certainly not safe—especially when you consider that it is a fucking toll road. I was blown away by just how horrible of a condition this road was in. It made 76 and 309 look like the Mona Lisa of roads. Horrible. And another thing … Illinois' toll system is out of control. You know how in PA and Ohio and Indiana and Jersey and New York and every other freaking state in the world you stop at the first toll booth to get a ticket and then pay at your exit? Well, in Illinois, there are no ticket booths. None. You're just driving along the highway when out of nowhere, a toll booth pops up. It's not a booth to get a ticket. It's a booth where you pay a sum that is a complete surprise, since you have no ticket telling you of the price. It's outrageous. And they are all over. After paying an 80 cent toll, minutes later, you're paying another. Then another. Then another. And they just pop up out of the blue. It's pretty fucking stupid if you ask me. At one, so distraught by the condition of the road, I mentioned the potholes to the toll taker. He laughed and responded, "Yeah, it's like …" and made his impression of a bumpy road. This made me laugh. He seemed like a good guy. Anyway, driving through Chicago was quite an odd experience. Having never been west of South Bend in my entire life, it was a completely new experience for me. Chicago is incredibly spread out across this highway, and I was blown away by the amount of Spanish radio stations. There are Hispanics in the Midwest? I had no idea. Chicago was pretty cool-looking, but I was glad when we finally got through and out of Illinois. Besides the scenery of the Windy City, the trip through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois was boring as hell, with nothing but flat landscapes all around. Next up was the state most notorious for its cheese, Wisconsin. What I noticed most about Wisconsin was a seemingly lack of any attractive women on the ride. It was more of the same in terms of flatness most of the way, but there were some cool landmarks and odd rocks to keep us interested. Also, there seemed to be much more trees, which is a plus. Then we stopped at a gas station in Wisconsin to refuel. When we walked in, we were mesmerized by the endless supply of liquor and beer right next to the sodas and energy drinks. Like the rest of the Midwest, you can purchase alcohol at any local convenience store. This is awesome and once again reaffirms, Pennsylvania has the gayest liquor laws in the entire country, if not the world. Seeing as we were on a mission, we restrained ourselves from loading up on alcohol. We did get a nice laugh when we heard the cashier speak. She sounded exactly like every character in "Fargo." Those people out there talk funny as shit. Finally, we made it through Wisconsin and some time in the early afternoon entered Minnesota. About 20 miles or so from Minneapolis, we set up shop, got a hotel room and waited for Sunday to come. Naturally, we did this by eating and getting drunk. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express that was right in the middle of some shopping centers and eateries. For lunch, we headed to a place called Ray J.'s, a bar and grill. Now, let me tell you something, these people can eat and it's no wonder why. The temperatures in Minnesota did not leave single digits while we were there, and I can honestly say, it was the coldest place I've ever been in my life. Eating and drinking is probably the only way to stay warm. We ordered some burgers and silver fox had some chili while Toonces and I ordered a thing called beer cheese soup. It is exactly what it sounds like: melted cheese in stew form with some beer in it. Amazing. After filling up on food, we picked up a case of beer and settled into our hotel room. Immediately, we began drinking, playing drinking games and watching the Cardinals manhandle the Falcons on our hotel television. It was getting pretty rowdy and we were getting steadily drunker when we decided to head back to Ray J.'s, take some shots and watch some football. Well, that turned into a shitshow and a half. It was snowing outside, we were drunk and we were about to get drunker. Not only do these people eat like champs, they drink like champs. We ordered a round of beers and shots of bourbon. The beers were bigger than a souvenir cup at any sporting event, and the shot was more like a shot and a half or two. As we downed some beers, we became louder and louder, urging silver fox to hit on the waitress and calling a pink-shirt wearing Minnesotan names at louder and louder volumes. No altercation ensued, seeing as Minnesotans are honestly the nicest people I've ever met in my life, but we, nonetheless, were acting like our typical Philadelphia selves. These people must have thought we were nuts. After extending our stay at Ray J.'s a little too long, we went back to the room, drank some more and played poker as we watched the Chargers edge out the Colts. We were rowdy and drunk, leaving a warpath of a mess in our wake, and immediately after Darren Sproles ended the game, our drained bodies collapsed. When we awoke on Sunday morning, the temperature outside was -1 degrees. We ate our continental breakfast, with silver fox wearing a Phillies hat and Toonces in his Donovan jersey, and a kind Minnesotan asked about being Eagles fans. He was amused and stunned that we had driven some 18 hours to go to the game. He wasn't the last. After showering and recovering, we checked out and took off for Minneapolis. I had the unlucky fortune of being the driver the short distance to the Metrodome. The reason it was unlucky was because silver fox's windshield wipers weren't working correctly, leaving me with limited vision through the salt, dirt and precipitation from the road. However, we made it one piece with the intention of walking around. Then we got outside the car and felt like our faces were going to fall off. Minnesota is ridiculously cold. They have a dome there for a reason. It hurts to be outside it is so cold. So, we set up shop at Hubert's Bar & Grill right across the street from the Metrodome. Once we entered, the bar had a strong contingent of Vikings fans, but the place was also packed with Eagles fans. It was a thing of beauty. Here we were, 1,100-plus miles away from Philadelphia, and it looked like we were in downtown Philly scanning areas of the bar. Eagles jerseys were everywhere, and when I was on the phone with a friend, "Fly Eagles Fly" engulfed the bar, along with a rowdy Eagles chant. It was glorious. However, despite a few boos when the song and chant was going on, the Minnesotans in the bar were nothing but generous. Never a bad word, never a derogatory statement. Nothing. They were nice and talkative and endearing. It was strange to say the least. We watched the Dolphins get taken apart by the Ravens and chatted it up with some Birds fans. The thing that was odd to me was the number of Eagles fans I met that were not from Philadelphia. There was a guy from Canada, originally from Arizona, who rooted for the Eagles. Then there was a group from Illinois donned in green. I was a little taken aback that there were people out there that supported Philadelphia even though they had never lived in or near the city. I just assumed everyone hated us. Apparently not. After a few hours at the bar and a mountain of fried food in our stomaches, we entered the Metrodome and found our seats. Now, I have to say, it's easy to see that the Metrodome is an older facility. The corridors were not all that wide, the screens weren't playing the early game at all, and the replay screens in the stadium were tiny—nothing like the behemoths at the Linc. Also, there seemed to be no energy in the pregame from the Vikings fans. It was like walking around at a funeral, not a playoff football game. We were there nice and early, talking to some people who were stunned we'd travel so far to support our team. Minnesotans don't seem to live and die with their teams quite like us Philadelphians. Eventually, we met up with a couple of friends who flew out and watched warm-ups. There were Eagles fans littered throughout the entire stadium. An entire section right where the Eagles entered the field was loaded with Eagles fans. It was a sight to behold. David Akers was killing the ball, nailing a 62-yarder with ease, and things were really beginning to take shape as the stadium filled. A kind Vikings fan, with a Corona in hand, politely asked us if we'd trade Andy Reid for Brad Childress. Apparently, Minnesotans don't care of Childress all that much. Later, I'd see why. Literally all over there were patches of Eagles fans. Finally, it was time to begin the game. I have to say, the Vikings do a good job in providing a solid atmosphere. The guy who looks like a Viking and is one of their mascots was tremendous. He drove out of the Viking ship tunnel on a Harley to amp up the fans and does a hilarious job of dancing in one end zone between quarters as the cheerleaders dance in the other. Thumbs up to that guy. Thumbs down to that annoying horn they blow though. That thing is pretty cool, but the Vikings played it every time a player walked out for warm-ups. It got old pretty quick. But come game time, none of that mattered. The Eagles fans were pumped as hell, and after hearing a horrible rendition of the National Anthem by Taylor Hicks, it was time for kickoff. I have to say, being in a dome is ridiculously loud. I couldn't hear myself think at times. If there was one in Philadelphia, you'd honestly have to wear ear plugs to the games or else your eardrums would explode. It's that loud. However, what I noticed is that Vikings fans only get amped for the first three plays the opposition has the ball on each series. After that, they're quiet as a mouse. And the enthusiasm from the Minnesotans is nothing compared to Philadelphians. Not once did I hear a Vikings fan curse, freak out or yell scathing remarks to any other player or fan. In fact, the worse thing anyone said to us wasn't even bad. We were sitting on the end of a row, seats 1, 2 and 3, and a guy came up to us and said, "I used to like Philadelphia until a guy up there said he was going to stab me in neck." Sounds about right. Now, you all know what happened in the game. It was a tense battle between two defenses that were playing great and two offenses that were streaky at best. I'd just like to point to some things in the game. First off, all three of us, and every Eagles fan, were going nuts at that game. It had the atmosphere of a home a game at times. And when Asante returned that interception for a touchdown, it was pandemonium for us Eagles fans. But when Adrian Peterson busted that third-and-one play for a touchdown, things looked grim for us. The Eagles were moving at will and controlling the ball, yet the Vikings had a lead. And to make matters worse, one Vikings fan from across the row came over and stuck a high five in our face. He didn't mean to be menacing it seems, but we were pissed. When Asante returned the pick, we went right back at him in an aggressive manner, all three of us sticking our hands in his face. Had we done that in New York, we would have been beaten. Same thing if a Vikings fan had tried that in Philadelphia. In Minnesota, nothing. We weren't even yelled at by anyone. Stunning. The game was physically draining for me. Throughout, it was close and almost too much to handle. Minnesota's run defense was everything it's cracked up to be. Those guys on the front four are beasts. The Eagles really got nothing going on the ground, but I gotta give Andy credit, he stuck with the run to stay balanced. On the flip side, the Eagles defense was outstanding, especially in the second half. The only player who had a bad game in my eyes was Sheldon, who had a pass interference penalty on third down that extended the drive in which Peterson scored, missed the tackle on Bernard Berrian that led to another Vikings touchdown on a play that he not only interfered with Berrian, but also missed the tackle, allowing him to get a huge gain, and then missed an interception that would have iced game even though it was thrown right to him. At that point, I lost my mind, yelling, "Catch the fucking ball, Sheldon!" and chased off a couple fans in front of me. Literally, they left. Whatever. Offensively, Jason Avant and Brent Celek really impressed me. The two got open, ran great routes and came up with huge catches. The offensive line played great on passing downs, and McNabb, despite holding onto the ball too long occasionally, played solid football. His interception was essentially a punt, and the fumble could have been avoided, but Jared Allen did beat Tra pretty easily on the play. Of course, Brian Westbrook was the star, catching that screen when Nick Cole almost knocked him over, then setting up his blockers and taking it to the house. Also, Akers was amazing, and Rocca did a great job punting. Kickers sure do love them some domes. It was a tremendous team effort. The Eagles, save for that one run, shut down Adrian Peterson, and after giving up some nice runs to Chester Taylor early, took him away too. That forced Tavaris Jackson to beat them, and that game made it abundantly clear that Tavaris Jackson sucks. He could be the worst quarterback of a playoff team I've ever seen. He honestly threw some of the worst, most off-target passes I've seen in my life. When the game was finally completely iced on the fumble by Jackson/Matt Birk, the celebration began. Vikings fans left in a mass exitus as Eagles fans stayed and celebrated. "Fly Eagles Fly" was heard all over, Eagles chants echoed in the dome and finally, it all culminated in a Giants Suck chant. It was glorious. On our walk out, the Vikings fan couldn't have been nicer. They all wished us luck in the rest of the playoffs, and kindly welcomed us into their home state. It was weird. No one seemed pissed. Disappointed, yes. But pissed, no. In fact, the only guy who seemed angry at all was the old security guard who told us all to leave after a few fans started chanting Vikings Suck during the Giants Suck chant. Other than that, the people were incredibly nice. I really don't have one bad thing to say about Minnesota and its people other than the fact it is pathetic they couldn't sell out a home playoff game. But they were generally nice people. I felt completely out of my element. But it was a pleasant experience all around. What was not pleasant, however, was the return trip to Philadelphia. What a bitch that thing was. We started out by stopping at Taco Bell to get some food. Bad idea. Silver fox's car is going to smell like stale farts and cigarettes for months. I mean, we destroyed that car with nuclear farts, and his incessant smoking only added to the aroma. We also stopped at a Target to pick up some CDs, which of course included the Ting Tings so we could play that song out on the trip, which we did. Honestly, don't judge us. It was a long fucking trip, all right? We also picked up an air freshener, which proved useless, and some other CDs. The best was certainly the Nick Swardson comedy album. That guy is funny as hell. The return trip was not nearly as fun as the ride out. I did get first shift of sleeping yet again, but the thing was just painful. I don't remember any part of the trip being fun, and numerous times, all three of us struggled to stay awake. We had to stop many more times to get coffee/fuel/air. It was horrendous. Then, in Ohio, we almost crushed some deer, which would have been deadly. It was the trip that just never seemed to end. We left Minnesota somewhere around 9 p.m. Sunday and I got to my parents' house in Bucks County a little before 4 p.m. Monday before finally heading home a little after 7 and returning to my house around 7:55. I hated every second of it, but it was well worth the trip. To take in that game in a foreign stadium was a ton of fun, especially with all the Eagles fans out there. It was one hell of road trip, and we have some nice photos of our shenanigans, like me hitting silver fox in the head with a chair and Toonces pulling the covers out from under him, and it's an experience of a lifetime. Having said that, I don't want to get inside a car for a long, long time. And fuck the Giants. For real.
Oh, like a spring breeze. Like a huge gasp of warm ocean air. Like a nap on a blanket in the fresh green grass. I ran across an illustration by Fumi Mini Nakamura in the new Nylon magazine (which I am, by the way, gushing over) and it stopped me right in my hurried flipping tracks. So, I went hunting this amazing artist this morning. I found her. Miss Mini has a wonderful that you should visit. And she even has a , which displays the lovely art that was shown in Nylon. I am enthralled. What lovely colors. What sweet faces. Her style is ....... well, its quite refreshing (if I may use that very overused word). And so is , by the way. I picked the latest issue up over the weekend and have just smiled all the way through it. It makes me feel young and fun, even though I'm not so young and fun anymore. I just want to buy some high tops and rock a cut-out swimsuit in neon colors.
I’m doing some ad hoc videos with people who interest me; those who have a good story to tell behind their business or career, people who juggle plurality in their working lives or who have reinvented themselves through their career. The first one is Giles Pearman. Giles is Group Director Of Marketing , the UK’s largest commercial radio group that owns stations like Classic FM, Capital FM, XFM and Heart. I met up with Giles last week in London’s Green Park to find out how he juggles his multiple brand portfolio and to discover how his passion drives all he does. In the video interview you’ll hear: how he made the career transition from marketing ice cream to radio. the importance of loving the brands he works on to go the extra mile. how he has to be ‘jack of all trades’ to understand the different touch points for the consumer. How marketing is understanding who your target audience is and super serving them. The importance of instinct and keeping his feet on the ground to ensure he preserves a real-life take on things. Here’s the interview below (with Buckingham Palace and a few random pigeons in the background)
hi everyone, I've been busy creating lots of ACEOs. After doing my whimsical owls, I felt like drawing one of my girls, and stuck some kittens in there as well. It seems like I have done so many of these miniature paintings, that my larger work has suffered. It's been probably months since I painted an actual canvas. I think about it, then I postpone doing it, waiting for the perfect time. I guess since these ACEOs are only the size of a playing card, they are easier to find time to do. However enough is enough. Today I made myself get out a canvas and start a witch painting that I said I would do. Drawing the girl is no problem so far. It's deciding what to do with the background that always gets me. That was my problem with my older paintings, I just didn't know what to do. So, I will keep it simple this time. I am adding rust colors in the background for now, and see what happens. I can't believe a simple painting is causing me such stress, lol! You would think with all the mixed media workshops I have done, this would finally get easy, but that's not the case. I hear thunder in the distance, so I'm heading out to the grocery store and pick up some ju jubes. Maybe when I come back, I can be more clear about what to do next.... ps- for those of you wondering how Henry the rescue cat is from last week's blog, he is still hanging in there. He was able to eat himself for the first time, and they will be taking more blood work to see if he is getting better.
We're well into Spring Semester 2010 and the campus is bustling. Construction projects are moving along and productivity is at an all-time high. We have many great things happening and we don't want to leave you out. Find out all about it! New Developments New Teacher Prep Learning Community Gets Started Upcoming Events Designing Take-Home Writing Assignments: From Objectives to Assessment Please hold the date for a professional development opportunity co-sponsored by the AVID Program, General Education Committee, English Department, The CORE, Office of Instruction, and the IDEA Committee: Designing Take-Home Writing Assignments: From Objectives to Assessment A workshop presented by Ann M. Johns, PhD Professor Emerita, San Diego State University While the workshop is targeted toward faculty at both LMC and some of our local feeder schools, the entire campus community is welcome. Several of us have participated in her workshops on college readiness and freshman seminars and highly recommend it! Dr. Johns is engaging, knowledgeable and inspiring. PTEC To Host Open House and National Conference During the same week, from April 28th-30th, PTEC and the LMC Foundation will be co-hosting the 8th Annual Pacific Process Technology Alliance Technical Trainers Conference at the Concord Hilton. This conference will highlight the unique needs of industry and education and the partnerships these needs create. The event will focus on how to best serve industry, educational partners and PTEC students through the continuing education of their teachers/trainers along with the sharing of best practices will be the focus of this event. LMC and Our Community LMC's MESA Students Visit Lawrence Livermore National Labs MESA is thriving at LMC! A recent fieldtrip to LLNL was written up in their newsletter: Giving promising students a seat at the table Students from the MESA program, accompanied by LLNL staff, stopped at the National Ignition Facility for a tour during their visit to the Lab last week. A group of students from Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) visited the Lab last week for tours of the National Ignition Facility, the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry and the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center. The visiting undergraduate students are currently majoring in engineering or science, and hail from colleges throughout California, including University of California, Santa Cruz; California State University, Chico; Los Medanos College; University of the Pacific; and San Jose State University. "This was the MESA students' first visit to the Laboratory and their chance to see some of the science and engineering disciplines they eventually might want to enter," said Steve Grey, LLNL's American Indian Program manager. The Laboratory is building a strong relationship with the program and recently attended their annual leadership conference. MESA is a nationally recognized, innovative program that encourages educationally disadvantaged students to prepare for and graduate from a four-year college or university with a math-based degree in areas such as engineering, the sciences, computer science and mathematics. MESA partners with all segments of California higher education as well as K-12 institutions. Through MESA, students develop academic and leadership skills, increase educational performance and gain confidence in their ability to compete professionally. MESA has particular interest in students from those groups with the lowest numbers advancing to four-year and graduate level programs. MESA has been named one of the most innovative public programs in the country by Innovations in American Government, a project of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Ford Foundation. "MESA organizations in two other states along with California are looking at forging a regional partnership that could include the DOE national laboratories," Grey said. The Director's Office of Strategic Diversity and the Lab's American Indian programs hosted the visit. Written by Linda Lucchetti CCC Culinary Program's Pittsburg Restaurant Now Open If you haven't had an opportunity yet, make sure to take a lunch break or dinner at Restaurant 615, right in our own area: 615 Railroad Ave in downtown Pittsburg. You may say - wait, CCC's in San Pablo - yes, you're right, but they have expanded to accommodate East County folks who want to explore their culinary potential. So if you're up for a real treat, mosey on down to Restaurant 615 - you'll be glad you did! CERT Class Completes Training In January, a new District CERT class graduated, including two people from LMC: student worker Reiko Kubota and Brentwood Center math lab coordinator Carol Love. There are now 15 of our LMC comrades ready and trained to assist in an emergency. Recent Accomplishments Men's Basketball Season Ends Friday Night overtime at Mendocino, blowout of Merritt at LMC, and the sweet, revengeful blasting of Napa Valley at home improved the Mustang's Bay Valley Conference record to 13-1 and a tie for first place. The league championship was then determined Wednesday evening - unfortunately Yuba College beat LMC thus we came close, but won't be going to the Northern California Conference finals. We end our regular season on Friday, Feb 19 at home against Solano. Ty "Three" Murray (Deer Valley) & Joe Simpson (Pittsburg) have been team leaders all season offensively and defensively. Our big guys, Corey Douglas (Castlemont) & Wes Hanspard (Oakland Tech) have continued to improve and lead us in rebounds and blocked shots. Eric Brown (Las Lomas) improved dramatically in all areas. Our bench players contributed on a regular basis and have always been "in the game" even while not on the court. This is a compliment to Coach Domenichelli and his staff. Bravo for a job well done! Brentwood News Brentwood Center Project in the News! College's Brentwood plans moving ahead written by Ruth Roberts The City of Brentwood has given the green light to Los Medanos College to pursue a land swap with a group of local developers for the construction of a permanent education campus on a 15-acre site near Marsh Creek Road. As part of the deal, the Contra Costa County Community College District will trade its 38-acres in the former Cowell Ranch location with Brentwood Commercial Partners, LLC, for 15 acres of developable land north of the same spot. Since the proposed new site is in the Vineyards Pioneer subdivision, the college will pay $1.6 million to the city to satisfy the affordable-housing requirements. The new satellite campus will include, among other features, labs, classrooms and counseling offices, but will not provide for athletic fields or a performing arts center such as those at the main Pittsburg campus. Aside from the obvious benefits to LMC, as well as Brentwood Commercial Partners, the establishment of a permanent college site is also a financial boon to the city. "There is, of course, great potential for economic rewards for Brentwood in terms of the jobs it brings to the community," said Brentwood Economic Development Director Casey McCann. "And the spin-off effect is that you have several hundreds of people coming to town and spending their money on supplies and food." "Having Los Medanos here in Brentwood has already been a true benefit to the community, and when the district told us last year that they needed a permanent site that their current location was not going to meet their long-term needs everyone at the city made it a top priority to help." The college's selection of the Brentwood site was the result of a lengthy search for appropriate properties in East County that could accommodate the district's requirements. The college district received 17 proposals for sites in Brentwood, Oakley, Antioch and surrounding unincorporated areas. "We believed this location was the best for our needs and we think this is a great opportunity for the college and the community," said Garcia. "We look forward to the process going through." Garcia added that he hopes to put the new property in escrow some time this summer pending the permit and application process and an evaluation of the existing Environmental Impact Report (EIR). EIRs were previously done on both properties, but whether the anticipated environmental impacts are consistent with the proposed switches has yet to be determined. If they are not compatible, further studies might be required. Regardless, said McCann, the move will be beneficial. Well see how it (EIR process) goes, but either way it is an exciting development for the city to have LMC commit to their future here with us, and we look forward to working with them. Employee Update A few new faces have joined us as of late. When you have a moment, stop by and introduce yourselves. A few familiar faces have decided to move onto a new phase in life. A giant THANK YOU for a job well done, for your years of commitment and dedication, for making this an amazing place to work and teach, and for creating opportunities for our students to make their career and educational dreams come true. Congratulations and bravo! Michael Becker, Technology Services Manager (promotion from DVC) Jeffrey Benford, Academic/Student Services Manager - EOPS (promotion) William Cruz, Manufacturing/Industrial Technology Assistant Professor Jamila Brown, Financial Aid Assistant II Allison Carlson, Math Lab Coordinator, regular classified from classified hourly Hamed Shahram, Science Lab Tech II (supporting Astronomy, Physics, Engineering and Environmental Science) Recently Retired or Retiring Soon Diane Jorgensen (Admin of Justice 12/09) Dorrie Fisher (Counseling 12/09) Jim Taylor (Building & Grounds 4/10) Kathy Willett (Biology 5/10) Olga Arenivar (Speech 5/10) Madeline Puccioni (Speech 5/10) Andy Ochoa (Welding 5/10
I cooked my food and I thought it turned out really nice. I am not a food picture taker. I just can't make it look like the food I see on blogs. For one thing, this took a long time to prepare and by the time I was finished with it I didn't want to fool with it anymore. My kitchen was a mess, and sweat was running down my back and I was ready to I do love it that my kids go crazy over something that has It got a little to brown but it was nice and crunchy on the outside but moist and flavorful on the inside. I got the recipe I still burned the heck out of my tongue, so it really retains heat. I made my dinner rolls, and they only ate 6 so you know what that means? I am going to have these things here calling my name. All week. I haven't been eating bread lately. You know that strawberry jam I made? Well, it goes really good with these rolls that are going to be shouting at me from the kitchen. My son, melted butter and put it on the outside when they came out of the oven. I can't tell you where the recipe is because it lives in my head. It is my all purpose dinner roll recipe that never fails. But, I don't measure anything. I will pay attention next time I make them and I will write it down so you can have it. I use it for cinnamon rolls and I ended up making two peach/blueberry pies. When I went to the store this morning they had blueberries in great big containers so when they start hitting our stores I buy them and start freezing and putting them in the freezer. So I had them sitting on the counter and I thought I would just add some blueberries to the peaches. My recipe is here I did do my photo op picture but the pie didn't look very pretty. I didn't feel like putting it into photo shop and doing all of that stuff so this was how it looked. My husband ate my photo op pie and made yummy sounds so I think that means it is a good recipe. He said he was going to request it at Thanksgiving. I am so glad I have peaches in the freezer. Blueberries too. Though one of the reasons I freeze blueberries are just in case it gets really hot and the hens need a bit of something to cool them off. :) It was a nice day, I hope your week is a nice week.
Cell is the basic structural and functional unit of life / all living organsims. When its time for development and maturity it undergoes Cell cycle. Cell Cycle: Each dividing cells passes through a cycle. The sequence of events a cell undergoes from the end of one cell division to the end of next cell division is called Cell Cycle. It may also be defined as those changes which occur during cell growth and cell division. The cell cycle involves two distinct phases as Interphase and Mitotis [M-Phase] The Need for New Cells 1.Growth 2.Replacement 3.Repair 4.Reproduction To divide, each new cell has to undergo a phase of GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT. It is after this phase that the cell attains enough maturity and can complete all metabolic processes that are necessary before entering the phase of cell division. This preparatory phase of cells is termed as Inter-phase followed by cell division MITOSIS. Mitosis: Body Cells are also known as Somatic Cells and the type of cell division seen in them is Mitosis / Homotypic cell division in which the number of chromosomes remains as their parent cell. i.e. for humans the body cells possess 46 chromosomes and during Mitosis the number of chromosomses in the newly formed daughter cells are also 46 Meiosis: Reproductive Cells are also known as Germ Cells. The type of cell division seen in them is Meiosis ( it undergoes 2 cell division i.e.First Heterotypic Cell division and Second Homotypic cell division). In Heterotypic Cell division the number of chromosomes becomes half i.e. it reduces. While in Homotypic Cell division the number of chromosomes it remains same. At the end of Meiosis the total number of daughter cells formed are 4 having haploid number of chromosomes. E.g. in humans the reproductive cells undergoes Meiosis. 46 number of chromosomes in the Germinal Epithelial cells undergoes first Heterotypic Cell division forming 2 cells having 23 number of chromosomes i.e. half than its parent cell. Then it undergoes Homotypic cell division with same number of chromosomes forming 4 daughter cells.
This reproduction of The Unfortunate Death of Major Andre hangs in the museum of DeWint House. The George Washington Masonic Historic Site at Tappan Committee has announced its plans to celebrate the birthday of Bro. George Washington next month. This of course concerns the historic property in Tappan, New York owned and operated as a historic site and museum by the Grand Lodge of New York. On Sunday, February 17, the committee will host a luncheon just around the corner at . The food there is excellent, and the cost per person is only $25. That will begin at 11:30 a.m. Only fifty (50) seats have been set aside, so make your reservations now. Leave me a note (not for publication) in the comments section, and I’ll reply with the contact info. Then, at 2 p.m., a performance will be staged in the Carriage House at the DeWint House grounds. Rendezvous with Treason: The Andre-Arnold Conspiracy Mr. Gary Petagine as Major General Benedict Arnold, and Mr. Sean Grady as Major John André present an interpretative performance of the infamous conspiracy between these two men. A major part of this story took place in Rockland County, ending in Tappan with the trial and finally the execution of André. Worshipful Brother and General George Washington used the DeWint House as his headquarters during the court martial proceedings, including the signing of the major’s death warrant. Mr. Petagine and Mr. Grady are Master Teachers for the Living History Education Foundation. Totally unrelated, but in other Washington New York news, click for an interesting announcement concerning many artifacts from the Revolution.
This yummy, crunchy salad came from my friend, Carol Nystrom. We had a cooking class recently and I taught several of my friends here in the valley about baking, and they in turn brought lots of good things. We had a blast and I think everyone learned something!! this salad is crisp and different and went perfectly with the Sausage-Leek-Artichoke quiche we made(It is in the blog also). The original recipe calls for Napa cabbage, but Carol says it is great with regular cabbage and could certainly be made, Using both mixed. Enjoy! 4 TBLS. butter or margarine 2 pkg. Ramen chicken noodles..... Lightly brown noodles in butter and cool. ADD NO SEASONINGS AT THIS POINT. 2 bunches green onions, chopped 1 Large head Napa Cabbage, or regular cabbage or the 2 mixed, chopped 4 oz. sunflower seeds 4 oz. sliced almonds scant 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 TBLS. good quality Balsamic vinegar 1 TBLS. soy sauce 1/2 cup Olive Oil 1 Pkg. Ramen seasoning from the chicken noodles above Heat all of the above EXCEPT OLIVE OIL in the microwave for about 1 minute. Cool 2 or 3 minutes and add olive oil. Chill in the refrigerator. Assemble salad.. Toss cabbage with noodles, green onions, sunflower seeds, and sliced almonds. Toss with dressing just before serving.
Local Government Matters is designed to help FCCMA members in their day-to-day work as public sector employers, and employees. A task force was established in 2011 and developed these tools. We often find ourselves defending the roles and work of cities and counties – and sometimes need help in doing so. The materials are offered as guides and ideas when you need assistance defending the valuable work and quality of life provided by Florida’s cities and counties. Jonathan R. Lewis FCCMA President 2011-2012 City Manager, North Port Randall H. Reid Task Force Chairman County Administrator Sarasota County Task Force Members: Brad Johnson, Bob Lee, Ph.D., Tracy Miller [toggle title=”Editorials on Public Service”] [/toggle][toggle title=”Posters and Art Work“]Consider honoring your public employees with art work. Below are links to examples of posters and post cards that can be used to paint a visual picture of the positive things public employees do every day to contribute to your community. Be creative! [/toggle][toggle title=”Videos“]Quality of Life Video Link to Florida League of Cities [/toggle][toggle title=”Additional Resources“]This section of Local Government Matters provides you with additional resources from FCCMA partners. Center for Local Government Excellence: Public Sector v Private Sector White Paper – COMING SOON

Subsets and Splits