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Lush Emotional Brilliance Make Up in Sophisticated
Lush released their Emotional Brilliance range quite some time ago now and whilst a few items did catch my eye, i never bothered to go out and try it. I'm sure you're familiar with the purpose of the range but if not the idea is that the make up is worn based on your emotions - in store they have a wheel that you can get a personal reading from in which you select three colours that you are most drawn to and these uncover a certain word/emotion that reveals a little bit about you or your current state of mind. Each emotion is the shade name of a product so it's all about wearing colours that reflect your mood.
I have the Sophisticated Cream Eyeshadow as mine was given to me in a goody bag i didn't get to choose my shade based on a personal reading it was just given at random so the emotion it's based on is pretty irrelevant as i think it's quite a stretch to call me sophisticated! However, the shade itself is right up my street - Sophisticated is a shimmering taupe shade; it's a really beautiful colour and as you may know I'm a sucker for neutral shades like this.
All their products are packaged in these small glass bottles which i really like; it's not the most practical because it would be more likely to smash if you dropped it but aesthetically it's very pleasing, i also think the simplicity of it all and the added tag around the lid gives it a handmade kind of feel to it. This has a doe foot applicator (i think all their products do?) which makes it super easy when applying the product to the lid.
As it's a cream it literally just glides across the lid and it blends out really easily; the pigmentation is really good as you can see from the swatch above that is literally just one sweep across the hand. This is one of those products that you can make work for you - it's a great everyday colour and it can also be made more intense for an evening look too. My personal favourite way to wear this is to use a big fluffy brush and blend it out so it gives the lid a wash of colour - pair it with mascara and tightline with eyeliner you have an instant edgy eye look, as it's only a wash of colour the shade isn't as intense as it looks in the bottle it's a bit more subtle but i really like how it looks and its such an easy look to create. You could just apply this to the lid and layer it up to get a more intense colour if you'd prefer that but remember to use it sparingly, a little bit does go a long way - i literally only need a small dot on each lid to get the look i like.
The staying power of this product is its only downfall; it does last well don't get me wrong but i find that it starts to wear thin and crease after a while (about 5-6 hours) - i don't know whether that's because i only apply a small wash of it to the lids but compared to other cream shadows I've use the staying power isn't as good but if I'm being honest i wouldn't let it put you off too much.
If i hadn't received this in my goody bag i probably wouldn't have ever tried it because the range is quite pricey but i do actually really like this and I've really been enjoying wearing it especially when I've got to hurry and do my make up quickly (this has happened to me a lot lately) it's the perfect way to get a nice eye look that looks like you've spent some time on it but its taken quite minimal effort.
Have you tried any products from the Lush Emotional Brilliance range?
Natalie xx
4 comments:
I always see these in Lush but I never fully understood what they were for. Might give them a try, they seem interesting!ReplyDelete
They are really nice :)Delete
Natalie xx
I've wanted to try something from this range for so long but have been put off by the price aswell, this shade looks gorgeous I'm going to have to treat myself to it at some point xReplyDelete
The price is a bit high i think but they are really good products and ive been enjoying using it :)Delete
Natalie xx
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text:
This 8% dry Saison is brewed with Wheat and 20% grape juice, fermented with champagne yeast & our special Instant Crush Brett. Same Procedure As Last Year pours a fruity, dry and festively high carbonated bubbly beer.
The final bottle will be wearing a festive crown on top of the popping cork, perfect for all kinds of celebrations and dinners for one.
Style: IPA, Dry Hopped
Country of Origin: Denmark
Brewery: To Øl

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Breakfast Meeting & an Evening with Nana Akufo-Addo NPP Presidential Candidate
The NPP (UK and Ireland Branch) invites you to the forthcoming Breakfast Meeting, reception, fundraising dinner dance, which will be held for Hon. Nana Akufo-Addo, the NPP Presidential candidate for Ghana Elections 2008, who is tipped to become the next President of the Republic of Ghana in January 2009.
The events will take place as follows;
Breakfast Meeting:
Date : Thursday 02 October 2008
Venue: Landmark Hotel
Time: 8.00a.m – 12.00noon
Fundraising Banquet:
Date: Friday 03 October 2008
Venue: Banquet suite, Landmark Hotel
Time: 6.30p.m – 1.00am
The theme of the event will be;
Ghana - We are Moving Forward
Hon Nana Akufo-Addo's address at these events will focus on 'How His Government Will Facilitate and Promote Trade and Investment in Ghana, How He Plans to Work in Partnership with Investor and Promote Transparency in the Public Sector'. Hon. Nana Akufo-Addo will reiterate his commitment to investors, investment and economic diversification and respect for law and order which must become the guiding principle in the life of every Ghanaian. He would also explain 'His Ghanaian Economic Empowerment Programme', especially for Ghanaians Living Abroad.
Participants will have an opportunity to have a personal discourse with Nana Akufo-Addo in a break out room in the course of these events.
Please call or send an email for further information and an events brochure which will detail out the programme of these events.
For further information please contact: Marlon Anipa 07930 427 314 [email protected] David Owusu-Yianoma 07961 138 848 [email protected] Matthew Kyeremeh 07956 364 811 [email protected] Jennifer Boadi-Amponim 07957 717 809 [email protected]
Looking forward to seeing you on the day
Yours sincerely,
Alex Dadey Chairman- Fundraising Committee Fundraising Committee NPP UK & Ireland Branch


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text: PUGET SOUND - OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS TRANSECT The goal of this survey was to image the structures that lie beneath the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains, and to see how they might control the seismicity of the region. This page contains initial results and some photos of fieldwork. Back to MT home page Updated June 27 1997


text:
depresleys is more than a band. It's a project. No, it is a lifestyle. A gravitational center, out of which, if you get sucked in, you will never escape. At least not unscathed.
What kind of black hole occupies the center of the depresleys universe is a mystery. We--the dp's--have tried to figure it out for years without success. All we know is that we've found some kind of source that keeps offering up inspiration and creativity enough that we've been able to get through the "less pleasurable" periods of our careers. And, after all is said and done, what's important, what we will leave behind, are the songs. We have accumulated quite a number... last time we counted there were 322 of them. 322 original dp creations that live and breathe and demand a life of their own. Perhaps that is the answer to the mystery? What has a stronger gravitational pull than art itself? It is a good answer. We like it.


text:
When someone says "pick a markup language," most people would immediately respond with "XML!", but there's an alternative out there. YAML is human-readable, easy to use, and overall quite fantastic.
This is a reprint of an article I wrote for Python Magazine as a Completely Different column that was published in the December 2008 issue. I have republished this in its original form, bugs and all
I hate markup languages. There, I said it. The first time I had the pleasure of "using" (being abused by) XML, I said to myself "there has got to be a better way of doing this." Well, after years of sticking with plain text ini files and custom syntaxes based off of using ''eval()'', I've come to not only use, but love, YAML.
YAML, or "YAML Ain't Markup Language", is "a human friendly data serialization standard for all programming languages." It has the advantage of leaning towards dynamic languages a la Python, Ruby, etc.
It is important to note that friendliness and readability are very core to the design of YAML. The number of format characters is very low and, like Python, YAML's markup can use whitespace to indicate scoping of items. Tabs are not allowed, so there is no chance for confusion about indention level. Additionally, the constructs within YAML such as mappings, sequences, and scalars all mesh nicely with existing Python data types like dictionaries, lists, strings, and integers. It's also fully unicode-enabled, which should make happy a lot of people who are normally worried about UTF-8.
What really attracted me to YAML are some of the key things that drew me to Python: cleanliness and approachability. Too often, I've had to deal with monstrous XML files for data passing or -- worse yet -- configuration and sometimes ini-style configuration files that simply don't scale, or communicate enough information. So far, I've used YAML in about six different projects with great success and found that it scales quite well while staying human-readable.
Syntax is Key
YAML, on its face, is amazingly simple. Take the code below, for example. Run through the pyyaml load function (more on PyYAML in a moment):
# YAML name: Jesse
This YAML will get the following Python dictionary:
>>> import yaml
>>> yaml.load("""
... name: Jesse
... """)
{'name': 'Jesse'}
This is a simple example. Line 1 of the YAML file, or document, is a simple comment. Note that there is a space character right before that # sign. The next line is a simple key value pair which, after being parsed, gets returned to us in a Python dictionary. Simple as pie!
A simple name-value pair is easy to do. Here is a document with some additional structures and details to try:
# YAML object: attributes: - attr1 - attr2 - attr3 methods: [ getter, setter ]
Here, we have defined a top-level entity named "object". This object has two block mappings related to it, ''attributes'' and ''methods''. The ''attributes'' mapping uses the more verbose YAML syntax for a list, in this case:
attributes: - attr1 - attr2 - attr3
In this case the YAML represents a key with a name of ''attributes'' while each item underneath it, prefaced with a "''-''", represents an item that will appear in a list as a value for that key. Here it is printed after a load:
{'object': {'attributes': ['attr1', 'attr2', 'attr3'], ...
The ''methods'' key uses YAML shorthand to accomplish the same thing. In my experience, non-programmers tend to understand the first method, "''-''" prefacing, a bit more than the second method. Both parse to Python lists:
{'object': {'attributes': ['attr1', 'attr2',
'methods': ['getter', 'setter']}}
I included both examples to illustrate a point. Most of YAML's syntax has two ways of achieving the same intended goal. There is the verbose, multi-line method, and the more compact method. Both methods are human-readable, so choosing one is a matter of personal preference.
As you can see, the most basic syntax is as follows:
dicts/hashes: key, value separated by a colon and space, e.g. ''key: value''; additionally, you can use ''{key: value}''
lists: dash followed by a space then the item, e.g. ''- item''; additionally, you can use ''[item, item, item]''
Strings do not require quotation. You can preserve line breaks with the ''|'' character; for example:
# YAML sonnet: | I wish I could write a poem but I can't
This would parse to:
{'sonnet': "I wish I could\nwrite a poem\nbut I can't\n"}
Trailing and preceding whitespace is trimmed out in the basic use case of ''|''. See the "Scalar indicators" section of the compact cheat sheet for modifiers to the ''|'' character.
Core to YAML is the concept of documents. A document is not just a separate file in this case. Instead, think of a document as just a chunk of YAML. You can have multiple documents in a single stream of YAML, if each one is separated by ''---'', like:
# YAML --- document: this is doc 1 --- document: this is doc 2 ...
Using an ellipsis explicitly ends a document. The nice thing about documents is you can treat them as different entities. Let's say, "people" and "cars" are in the same file. You can use them for a bunch of entities that look alike, e.g.:
name: SomeObject attributes: - attr1 - attr2 - attr3 methods: [ getter, setter ] --- name: MyPrettyObject attributes: - attr1 - attr2 - attr3 methods: [ getter, setter ]
which parses to:
{'attributes': ['attr1', 'attr2', 'attr3'],
'methods': ['getter', 'setter'],
'name': 'SomeObject'}
{'attributes': ['attr1', 'attr2', 'attr3'],
'methods': ['getter', 'setter'],
'name': 'MyPrettyObject'}
YAML also supports variables, or repeated nodes, which at first didn't click for me. The simplest explanation is that you define something as a variable by preceding it with ''&NAME value'' and you can refer to it with ''*NAME'' e.g.:
# YAML some_thing: &NAME foobar other_thing: *NAME
Parses to:
{'other_thing': 'foobar', 'some_thing': 'foobar'}
As you can see, the syntax is pretty simple. It's easy to represent information in a way that is both clear, concise and, well... fun. What's really cool is the fact it meshes so well with Python!
Note that fans of JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) will quickly realize that the concise-version of the syntax (e.g. using ''[value, value]'') looks a lot like JSON. In fact, for the most part, JSON is a subset of YAML syntax. With a little bit of additional pre-processing you should be able to pass your JSON off as YAML and vice-versa.
And with that, PyYAML
After reading the basic of the syntax, you're jazzed to get started with YAML, right? Well, getting started with YAML is only a single ''easy_install'' away. The **PyYAML** module is pretty much the de-facto parser and emitter for YAML. The core of the module is written in pure Python, but, as of version 3.0.4, it also supports binding to the high-speed LibYAML implementation written in C.
PyYAML is blindingly simple to use for most cases. To generate all of the output I've used in the article so far, all I used was:
import yaml
import pprint
for project in yaml.load_all(open('test.yaml')):
The ''load_all()'' function goes back to the "multiple documents within a stream" concept. In the case above I am assuming that there won't be just a single document. I am using ''yaml.load_all()'', rather than ''load()'', then iterating over the results. ''yaml.load_all()'' returns a generator yielding each document in the stream. The ''yaml.load()'' function accepts a string (Unicode or otherwise), or an open file object.
For many cases, you'll be loading a single document. You might use it for configuration loading:
configuration = yaml.load(open('test.yaml').read())
Of course, one of the other aspects to PyYAML is dumping Python data structures to a YAML file. Take, for example, Listing 1:
import yaml
mydata = {'person' : 'jesse',
'hobby' : 'python',
'employed' : True,
'limbs': {'arms' : 2, 'legs' : 2},
'family' : ['wife', 'toddler']}
print yaml.dump(mydata)
In this case, I am constructing a dictionary containing all of the data I want to include in the YAML file. Then I simply call ''yaml.dump()'' and the output of Listing 1 looks like well-formed YAML:
$ python Listing1.py
employed: true
family: [wife, toddler]
hobby: python
limbs: {arms: 2, legs: 2}
person: jesse
Additionally, PyYAML includes ''yaml.dump_all()''. It accepts a list of objects to serialize and writes to the target stream. Let's make Listing 1 handle a series of objects:
mydata = [ mydata for i in range(2) ]
print yaml.dump_all(mydata, explicit_start=True)
And our output is fairly obvious:
--- employed: true family: [wife, toddler] hobby: python limbs: {arms: 2, legs: 2} person: jesse --- employed: true family: [wife, toddler] hobby: python limbs: {arms: 2, legs: 2} person: jesse
By default, you don't need to pass additional arguments to ''yaml.dump()'' or ''yaml.dump_all()'', as you can see above. In the ''dump_all()'' example, I added the ''explicit_start'' argument. The dump functions support this flag, along with some others that you should know about, to control formatting.
The ''explicit_start'' argument adds the "---" string prior to the data structure being dumped. This allows you to dump multiple objects/documents to the same stream, say, an open file handle, without worrying about the document separators yourself.
Adding the ''default_flow_style'' argument changes the output from the default compact style of output, to the more verbose, "humane" output:
print yaml.dump(mydata, default_flow_style=False)
And the output:
employed: true
- wife
- toddler
hobby: python
arms: 2
legs: 2
person: jesse
You can also control indenting, width, and so on. You can also switch it to canonical mode, which explicitly defines the type of the value within the YAML:
print yaml.dump(mydata, canonical=True)
And the matching output:
!!map { ? !!str "employed" : !!bool "true", ? !!str "family" : !!seq [ !!str "wife", !!str "toddler", ], ? !!str "hobby" : !!str "python", ? !!str "limbs" : !!map { ? !!str "arms" : !!int "2", ? !!str "legs" : !!int "2", }, ? !!str "person" : !!str "jesse", }
Yes, I just jumped the tracks on that last one. YAML and PyYAML both support explicit type declaration within the YAML documents. This is obviously handy for inter-language data exchange, but, as you can see in the output, is not so good on the side of readability if you're a non-programmer. On the other hand, it allows for a nice segue!
=h=Turning the Awesome Up=h=
We have covered the basics of YAML and, by extension, PyYAML, but PyYAML offers some additional niceties for Python users. Obviously, these advanced features start to edge out approachability, but they are actually really useful.
In the last example of the last section, we turned on the ''canonical'' flag to the ''dump'' function, which caused it to spit out explicitly typed YAML. Each type was in the format of
. These are standard YAML tags, and they're fully covered in the spec.
Internally, PyYAML converts these tags to the expected Python types. ''!!null'' is ''None'', ''!!timestamp'' is ''datetime.datetime'', ''!!seq'' is ''list'', and so on. You don't need to explicitly put these in your YAML documents. In most cases the types are inferred from the document, but being able to explicitly define them is handy.
PyYAML can take the ''!!'' syntax a bit further though, and adds a series of Python-specific tags which are exceedingly useful. Each one of the Python-specific tags is prefaced with
. PyYAML defines explicit Python types such as ''float'', ''complex'', ''list'', ''tuple'' and ''dict''. In my opinion, the ''tuple'' and the ''integer'' ones are more useful simply due to the fact that ''dicts'' and ''lists'' can be derived from the YAML file itself.
However, PyYAML also offers "non-type" ''!!python'' extensions. These are referred to as "Complex Python Tags" and they allow you to add things to your YAML document such as Python modules, packages, class instances, and the output of a method call with a passed-in variable.
Say we wanted to have a YAML file which defined some number of variables, but then passed one or more of them to a given module's method. I wanted something to list the contents of my home directory on parsing:
# YAML directory: &DIRECTORY /Users/jesse contents: !!python/object/apply:os.listdir [*DIRECTORY]
And the abbreviated output:
{'contents': ['.bash_history',
'directory': '/Users/jesse'}
Virtually any function can be called this way. You can also pass in keyword arguments and other data as required. Calling a function, though, is rather easy. Here's an example YAML file which uses the PyYAML ''new:module.class'' tag to create a ''Queue.Queue'' at load-time with a defined max size:
qsize: &SIZE 10 queue: !!python/object/new:Queue.Queue {maxsize: *SIZE}
Which, of course, passes you back the correct class instance:
{'qsize': 10, 'queue':
In theory, and in my rather abusive practice, this would allow you to define a very rich configuration which constructed all of the relevant objects at parse-time to significantly alter the behavior of the application (or in my case, test) to which the YAML file was passed. One catch when you are using the ''!!python/object/*'' tag(s) is that the objects you are creating must be pickle-compatible.
For example, if you tried this:
# YAML threadpool: - !!python/object/new:threading.Thread target: myapp.myfunction
It would fail with an assertion error:
AssertionError: Thread.__init__() was not called
PyYAML is not calling ''__init__()'' when creating the object. Both ''yaml.load()'' and ''yaml.dump()'' are designed to work exactly like ''pickle.load()'' and ''pickle.dump()''. Objects must implement the pickle protocol.
YAML and, by extension, PyYAML, are incredibly useful if you want something easy on the eyes, easy to understand, and easy to use in a markup language. It's straightforward to customize, it's cross-language, and fundamentally simple. YAML is popping up in all sorts of places, such as the configuration settings for Google's AppEngine, and in Django, where it is used for a serialization format and to load data fixtures.
Obviously some of the advanced features of PyYAML are Python-specific, but the fundamentals make it an easy win for cross-language communication. Sure, XML does this, too, and there's support in every known language for XML parsing (including the stuff toddlers speak), but how readable is XML, seriously?
I do hope more and more people adopt this user-friendly format. It's simply great as a configuration language, and if you need to expose anything to humans and later serialize and deserialize it, just say "no" to XML.
The revolution will be readable.
- Python 2.5 or higher
- PyYAML - http://pypi.python.org/pypi/PyYAML/
Related Links
- YAML - http://www.yaml.org
- Compact YAML Cheat-Sheet - http://yaml.org/refcard.html
- PyYAML Wiki - http://pyyaml.org/wiki/PyYAML
- PyYAML Documentation - http://pyyaml.org/wiki/PyYAMLDocumentation
- Pickle Protocol - http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0307/


text:
Have been axes employed a lot more than swords as combat weapons in Medieval Europe, Middle East or Mesopotamia?
Query by ThumbWarDestroyer: Ended up axes utilised far more than swords as combat weapons in Medieval Europe, Middle East or Mesopotamia?
I know that offered their multipurpose nature as both equipment and weapons, axes were less difficult to come by than swords. But had been they utilized much more typically as weapons by the Medieval European or Mesopotamian or Middle eastern armies than swords had been?
Very best answer:
Solution by Will
Axes were far a lot more accessible and far a lot more employed. In a lot of societies, the sword was a mark of noble or knightly rank, and the frequent guy was forbidden by law to individual or carry one particular. It really is relatively, the medieval equivalent of "Impersonating an officer" is today. In addition, swords ended up relatively costly as effectively.
As a result widespread people would carry, axes, clubs, pikes or other weapons.
Give your answer to this question under!


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Thursday, June 28, 2007
More of This and That
I spent the afternoon playing cards with Tim and his friends. My partner and I actually won. We'd lost the last two weeks straight. Tim treated us all to KFC and had enough left over for me to bring home for dinner. No cooking tonight. They've invited all of us to a barbecue/pool (the water variety) party on the 4th (Independence Day here in case anyone doesn't know). Ray will probably beg off. The heat might be too much and he enjoys having the house to himself once in a while. It should be fun. I asked what I should bring and they said "just yourselves". So we will. Usually we drive to the next town north to see their fireworks but this year I think we'll just settle for our fairgrounds. We can see them from the house or very close to it.
Ray ended up in the emergency room yesterday. They kept him for a few hours and sent him back home. He saw his own doctor today, has a couple of new prescriptions, including one for valium. I'm hoping it will help keep his stress level down. It gets a little crazy around here, especially in the summer. Not just our kids, but the neighbors in and out all day long. Not much I can do about that unfortunately except try to keep the noise level down in the house.
The congestive heart failure diagnosis makes sense. It fits most of his symptoms. They're talking angina as well. It gets a little goofy though. They told him the congestive heart failure could be alleviated by cutting back on fluids. So he did. Last night, they told him it was angina which was due to dehydration. Now what??
My adoptive mom will turn 95 on July 25. I had a long phone conversation with my brother the other day. She'd been living more or less independently with my brother checking in on her every day (they're both in Albany, NY). He told me she'd been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. She's recovering from that but it appears she'll no longer be able to live by herself but will go into a nursing home. This is one of those times I wish I could be in two places at once. I can't.
Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She's a remarkable lady and up until lately was still doing fairly well, considering her age.
Elcie backed out of her dance performance tomorrow. She'd been reluctant to go to the program and kept coming up with mysterious ailments that disappeared once her bus left without her. Finally, she admitted she was uncomfortable with the whole thing but didn't want us to be disappointed or angry. Disappointed, yes. Angry, no. I hoped it would be something she'd enjoy. I'd already talked to her teacher. Neither of us wanted to have her back out and leave them stranded but they had enough kids to fill in.
Rochelle is out of summer school too. The bus kept leaving earlier and earlier. After she missed it 3 days running, we said enough. I don't mind a bus leaving late but early should never happen.
Other than that, not much is new. It's still hot (maybe not by Phoenix standards but we're in the mid 90's and climbing) and we'll hit the 100's by weekend.
Thanks to all for the comments. I notice my guest book is growing. Have a good weekend and take care everyone.
9 comments:
- Cecil said...
Ann, Sorry hubby is having problems..hope he feels better.. yes, we have a lot of fun as a family... lots of nutty fun! Have a good weekend and enjoy the 4th1
- Rositta said...
I know all about congestive heart failure, my Mom had it. She was also fluid restricted, it builds up in the lungs and swells the feet and ankles. I don't know what to do about the angina though. Valium kind of spaces one out though doesn't it? They put my Mom on small dose of Celexa instead, just a thought. Hope all goes reasonably well with your Mom though, I know how tough it can be. Thinking of you...ciao
- Susie said...
Bill's dad had CHF too. It was quite difficult to manage as he had several other issues with his heart as well.
Sounds like your summer is quite busy. It's been hot here too and supposed to get hotter. Good for the garden I guess.
- Diane J. said...
My Mama had CHF so I know what Ray is facing. It can be very hard to treat, unfortunately.
Hot and still needing rain here. Typical summer weather for Arkansas, as you well know.
Love and hugs,
- Bacchus said...
Thinking of all of you. I don't know how you do that heat. It hits in the high 80's here and I start thinking of moving to Alaska.
Too many years in the south and I have no tolerance for heat.
- Misspudding said...
Oh, Ann, I'm so sorry that you have to cope with two difficult things at once. I can't believe you're mom is 95. That's amazing!
Here's to hoping both her and Ray (and you!) take care of all of yourselves.
Hugs and much love from Seattle.
- Angel said...
((((Granny))))) Definitely keeping everyone in your family in my prayers.
Is there possibly anything I can do (all the way here in FL)?
- Puss-in-Boots said...
Hi Ann
Sorry to hear Ray is not so good...it must be quite a worry for you and yet you are so stoic about things.
Hmmm, into the cards, eh? What fun. Glad you had a win this time.
Take care of yourself.
- clairesgarden said...
school holidays have just started here, things get louder as the boredom starts to set in. . .
I hope Ray find a peacful place in his head he can hide out from the summer madness, I find my greenhouse does wonders. . .
many blessings


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xxxxxxxxxxx of Wednesday, 22 August 2018
Source: Graphic.com.gh
The extended family of the former United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan is in shock, following his death last Saturday.
Even though the late Annan was 80 years, his family said his death came to them as a shock since he did not show any sign of ill health.
The Head of the family, Nana Kofi Brewuo III, who is also Otumfuo's Tudwene, said the family was still in shock after learning of the sudden death of the global icon of peace.
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Apart from that he explained that the former secretary general was a global icon and, therefore, the family would need to do a lot of consultations before a date for his funeral could be announced.


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Monday, November 16, 2009
Hola Managua!
Dons Octavio, Julio and Dona Rouki explore the sushi boat at the Barcelo Resort.
I've landed in Managua where our host, Julio Peralta, has informed us that, once again, we're expecting: A) Riots, B) Revolution and maybe even C) Civil War.
When we were here last November, the elections had just passed, tensions were high and protests closed parts of the city around us, always threatening to escalate into something I hadn't experienced before. Turns out that the supreme court has decided that it's constitutional for the current president to seek re-election and that has the opposition a bit upset and ready to protest.
Interestingly enough, protests of this nature don't happen spontaneously and just erupt. Seems like they are well planned out so that the local citizens can prepare alternate travel routes or stock up on supplies. The protest is scheduled for Saturday outside of the mall where the barista championship will be held. Because of this, they've decided to cut the schedule short with the championship on Thursday and Friday so that on Saturday we can either head for the hills or watch Managua burn from our hotel vista. Either way, it beats another lazy afternoon in Baltimore.
Meanwhile, the hotel seems to have lost Scott Conary at the airport and Jose is scheduled to arrive the next evening. All in all, it just seems like another day for the traveling barista judges. Happily, the hotel pool is refreshing and there's lots of fresh fruit juices here in Central America.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Waiting To Be F24
Whole Foods Aged Coffees
Oh look: Roasted on October 2, 2009.
I'm driving around Baltimore seeking out coffee from local roasters and it's days like this that I really start to feel that "Smalltimore" is really "Sprawltimore" as there is no concentration of coffee roasters in one part of the city.
First, it's down to Highlandtown to pick up a coffee from Higher Grounds where the coffee had to be roasted that morning because it's still warm in my hands. Then, after a little sleuthing, it's over to Greektown where I've found the roast facility for Bluebird Coffee in an industrial complex that is both scary and the perfect movie location. Sadly, Bluebird is closed and it doesn't look like they keep any sort of regular hours making it near impossible to plan a visit for coffee.
And here's one from September...
However, Bluebird's website states that I can buy their coffee at the Whole Foods in Mount Washington, so off I go. Now, some of you in Baltimore may be asking "what about Zeke's?" that now famous, nearly ubiquitous Baltimore coffee roaster. Zeke's is located way over in Lauraville, which is a bit of a pain in the butt to drive to and since they're still at the Towson Farmer's Market on Thursday, I'll just go there.
My intent really is to go to the roasters themselves and ask them, much like I asked the girl at Higher Grounds, which coffee are they most excited about this week? Which coffee best exemplifies what they do? Whatever that coffee is (as long as it's not a blend or flavored), I'll take it. It's why I drove down to Highlandtown and Greektown and why I'll wait for the Zeke's guy to set up his booth in Towson.
Then there's the well-known Baltimore Coffee & Tea in Timonium. I've been going there for miscellaneous odds and ends for years but I fear going there because every time I leave I smell like chemical flavoring. In the showroom, they leave their coffees in open-topped barrels for all to see and they have a sea of flavored coffees, filling the space with the noxious aromas of inter-mingling hazelnut, peppermint and whatever ungodly chemical concoction people like having their coffee sprayed with. If only they had cap hop service...
Wow. May. Wow.
Figuring that I might as well go for it, I reluctantly head to Whole Foods. To be honest, in spite of my penchant for quality, I almost never shop at Whole Foods. I much prefer what's fresh and in-season at the farmer's markets to the rabidly overpriced, rich white suburbanite and sanitized experience that is Whole Foods. That's not to say that the stuff they sell isn't of decent quality but I have to be in a real pinch to go there.
And here's the reason why. Lameness. White Suburban Lameness. A visit to their coffee rack and they've got a selection of local roasters like Mayorga (DC), One Village (Philadelphia), Higher Grounds and Bluebird. On Bluebird's website they list a selection of single-origin coffees but at Whole Foods all they offer is blends.
Blends. The choice of Lame Suburban America, which really isn't a choice. Hell, I don't think these people can tell the difference between Dodge Podge and Shorebird blends. Arrgh - I'm not going to get into it but there are no single-origin coffees to choose from.
I'm about to consider a blend when I spot the roast date on the bag of Santa Lucia Estate Coffee: October 2. Please tell me that's October 2, 2009 and not earlier. It's the middle of November. That coffee is dead. I decide to check the other bags of coffee and it only gets worse. September 19th on a bag of Bluebird but the one that takes the cake and breaks the back is the bag of Higher Grounds Coffee dated May 2nd. I left empty-handed.
Glad that I went down to Highlandtown for my bag of Higher Grounds...
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Letting Your Chickens Run Loose
Kevin Shaar - from the Barista Del Mundo episode "The Wife Works In Town"
I just read an article that forecasts difficult times ahead for farmers and those of us who prefer thoughtfully produced food. Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farm in Virginia and featured prominently in Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma relates difficulties he's faced with neighbors, suppliers and even the government regarding his decision to raise farm animals humanely, feed them natural food, and raise them naturally.
A critic of Salatin's, who refused to sell him sawdust, criticized him stating:
"You let your chickens run loose. You abuse your cows because you don't vaccinate them. You don't want your cows taking antibiotics. I hate everything you stand for."
Wow. My first reaction was to compare Salatin's experience with that of our local farmers, such as David Smith of Springfield Farm, whose desire to build a farm store on his farms' property has been met with tremendous resistance and outright hostility by his neighbors - mostly ex-suburbanites who moved to Rural Maryland seeking the idyllic "farm life" but who would rather live near places that look like a farm rather than a real, working farm.
The problem we face here is that while we have farmers such as Joel Salatin, David Smith, Edwin Shank (The Family Cow Farm) and many others in each locale, we collectively face the industrial agriculture behemoth that is Purdue, ConAgra and Archer Daniels Midland - industrial corporations whose purpose is to provide as much food as possible at the lowest price and greatest profit margin. This has led to the confinement method of raising animals that most of our nation eats.
And, like any conglomerate, these corporations would prefer that all of us consume their products and not turn to small, local farmers like Smith, Salatin and Shank - who collectively, are a potential threat to their profitability.
Which makes it increasingly likely that these conglomerates will turn their machinery against us and begin spinning hype in the manner of the sawdust supplier above. That these natural methods of farming are actually "bad" for us and threaten our way of life.
A great example of the industrial agricultural machine and how it treats our American farmers was most apparent during our visit to Wisconsin in the Spring of 2008 when we visited Kevin Shaar and his family on their dairy farm. At the time, Kevin was 29 years old and had worked his farm for fifteen years. They owned a herd of mostly Holstein dairy cows (most milk production per day) with a few Jersey and Guernsey cows thrown in for good measure. Milk production is measured in pounds and for every 100 pounds Kevin and Mary produced the local dairy would pay them the commercial rate of seventeen dollars.
Span that out over a thousand pounds and they're being paid $170 per thousand pounds of milk, or $1,700 per ten thousand pounds of milk. Not too bad for a couple of days work, right?
Back then the price for a gallon of milk had doubled at the grocery store, Kevin's cost for feed had rocketed from $80 per bag to $200 per bag. His cost for fertilizer per ton had tripled, the cost of fuel hovered over five dollars per gallon and his price per one hundred pounds of milk had fallen from $20 to $17 per hundred pounds.
When I asked him if it was "sustainable", Kevin said that they needed to make over $20 per pound of milk in order to break even - meaning that for every pound of milk they delivered to the dairy, they were getting screwed and losing money. Perhaps a government can operate at a deficit, but real people cannot. Kevin's situation isn't an isolated one and is the classic example of how our industrial agricultural system has gone wrong.
It's ironic in the coffee business that so many of my colleagues give so much lip service to "the farmer" and getting the coffee farmer more yet so proudly champion the American industrial agricultural system that sticks our own American farmers in the neck.
The situation here underscores that we need to remain vigilant about our food supply and educate those around us about the benefits of natural farming practices. Letting chickens and cows roam on pasture and letting pigs forage is not a "bad" thing. It's what they were meant to do and that needs to be celebrated, not destroyed.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Let Them Eat Bread!
Damage. Done.
Today was baked goods day and I'm feeling slightly ill.
I spent the morning driving around the city picking up various baked goodies for evaluation this afternoon with Ilenia, Lamarie, Rebecca, Jeremy and Joy. Baguettes, croissants, conchas and more - all piled up with butter, butter and more butter.
First stop: Patisserie Poupon to pickup some croissants, almond croissant, chocolate croissant, chocolate chip cookies, brioche, walnut tart and apple tart.
From there I headed down to Fell's Point to pick up a baguette, croissant and almond croissant at Bonaparte Bakery, then over to eastern Baltimore's Pastelleria Vargas for some fresh out of the oven conchas.
With the truck filling up with buttery goodness, it was back to Hampden and across the street to Puffs & Pastries, where I planned to put Anisha's croissants head-to-head with Poupon and Bonaparte's, but she only had some over-proofed nuggets that they were about to discard. I tried one and even though it was yeasty, the butter still tasted good and I swiped a couple to use as a comparison.
Last stop: Woodberry Kitchen where Spike, Isaiah and I have been discussing the possibility of them baking baguettes for us. The baguettes Bev and Isaiah are producing are more like batards but the crust covering the bread is baked to deep golden perfection. It just looks intoxicating.
The question facing our crew was simple: which tastes best? The baguette would be tasted three different ways: plain, with butter (Trickling Springs Salted) and warmed strips dipped in hot chocolate (for a proposed Chocolat Chaud & Baguette breakfast offering). The majority of the crew loved the Woodberry baguette over the Bonaparte, except in the chocolate category where they felt the Bonaparte demonstrated the sweet complexity of the chocolate better. But plain or with butter, it was the Woodberry batard that won hands down.
In the croissant competition, the surprising votes went to the Puffs & Pastry sort-of baked in a jumble 'til golden thing-a-ma-bob. In a flat out taste challenge, it beat the rest- though some of them did note that they liked it better because it was so different than the regular croissant, which some of them found to be too plain (the notion of croissant, that is).
Almond Croissant - the majority chose the Bonaparte over the Poupon. More complex and subtle in flavor than the bold and astringent-finishing almond croissant from Poupon. There's something about their almond paste that ends sharply.
The rest of the samples didn't have challengers and were more to explore flavors and the possibilities. All of them liked the Vargas concha - which is something I'm dying to bring to the menu, whether brought in by a bakery like Vargas or Hermanos Navarro, or baked in-house.
What they didn't really get into was the apple tart from Poupon. They just didn't like it.
Oh well. Time for more exploration.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
The Saturday Cup Continues
The sunlight flows as the morning cupping gets underway.
We're back at the Towson espresso bar cupping coffees. This time we're cupping a couple of selections from Greencastle Coffee Roasters, whom we found after yesterday's lunch in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, a selection from Starbucks and a surprise reappearance of Aida's Grand Reserve from Counter Culture.
In support of our cupping efforts, I've decided to create a blog that will chronicle our cuppings and coffee tastings. Originally, we were compiling these notes in a separate database then realized that it would be better to share our thoughts candidly. The site is open for all to see: staff, friends, roasters, vendors, customers - whomever.
On the new website you'll find cupping notes for the past few sessions, back to our visit to the Counter Culture Training Center in Washington, D.C. However, I just decided to change the format with the 11/7 cupping. Now you'll get to see all of our tasting notes verbatim on a per coffee basis. From the flavors and aromas detected, to their likes and dislikes about the coffee, to their descriptions of the coffees and my thoughts on the coffee as well.
There are some brutally honest comments within the notes and if you're easily offended, I recommend reading The Coffee Review. The notes you will be reading are the exact notes that we will be using to evaluate the coffees and determine which of them we will order for service to our customers.
The Aida's Grand Reserve that hit the table today was a bit of a curve ball. It is the same bag of coffee from the DC cupping over a week ago - a coffee that many of them raved about. The coffee was kept in the bag at room temperature, with no method of preserving it beyond squeezing the air out of the bag. Did the coffee maintain its' zenith of dazzle or fizzle out completely? Find out now!
Friday, November 06, 2009
Touring The Family Cow Farm
The intrepid barista candidates of project hampden cross the vast expanses on a milkquest.
Crossing the soon-to-be-frozen tundra of the "west 40" pasturelands, I wondered just how we got here. Sure, the jokers of the group will suggest that we got there by car (minivan, to be accurate), but just how did we get here - visiting Edwin Shank and his collection of over two hundred cattle, several cats and an untold number of chickens?
It wasn't too long ago that I didn't even think about the milk we were using. It was whole or skim. Needed more? A quick call before midnight to the local distributor and a shipment would be delivered the next morning. Short by a gallon? No problem, they'll send a big truck to deliver it tomorrow.
Reflecting back it's amazing how little thought we put into what we consume. Whatever is there and readily available will suffice, especially if it's cheap. Cheap is good. Cheap is easy. Cheap leaves me with a little more cash to buy a new iPod.
Trudging across the uneven terrain with the cold, frigid air blasting across my face, I realized that this is where we belonged. Here, visiting the piko, or source of what we do.
I've starting using a phrase to describe what we do: Simple, but not easy.
Making coffee is simple. Very simple. Simply add hot water to ground coffee, wait a few minutes and et voila! It's done. But doing well and doing it thoughtfully is anything but easy. It's still simple, but it's very, very hard. Hence our trekking the two hours by car, into the Mennonite wildlands of Pennsylvania to visit a few cows chomping on grass in the middle of cold field, surrounded by cow pies.
It's too easy for a "barista" to sit at home and memorize details about the products they use. Grass-fed, hormone free, antibiotic free, organic, free-range, jersey, holstein, guernsey - blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Any monkey can sit around the house reciting spoon-fed information about anything. It's a whole 'nother thing to experience it and see it firsthand. It's how I learned about the products we use and it's how I want to impart our crew with their knowledge.
Having visited the farm, met the farmer, frolicked with the cows, toured the creamery and tasted the milks, I think it gives our crew a depth and understanding greater than merely reciting the label on a box of Horizon Organic Milk.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Adios Chemex 24
Kimmy and Lindsay working out the kinks.
It's been a long time coming and something I knew I should have done last week.
Today, I issued the order to kill our Chemex 24 Program. What we had once envisioned as the way to Chemex brew two servings of coffee at once had turned into a wild goose chase of poor quality, watery brews that just didn't satisfy. Different grind settings, pour amounts, pour times, brew times, stirring and more all resulted in just unsatisfactory coffee from a device that under 8 ounce and 12 ounce servings produced stellar results (depending on the coffee, of course).
We were a bit disappointed since Lindsay and Kimmy have been working so hard trying to make it work. Thanks though to Aaron Ultimo of Phildelphia's Ultimo Coffee for a Hail Mary phone call the other day in a desperate attempt to keep the Chemex 24 Program alive.
Farewell Chemex 24. Hello Chemex 12...
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
They Will Be...
project hampden: ready and waiting...
Over the past ten years, I've built out three shops (the original Jays Shave Ice, the second Jays Shave Ice and the Spro Espresso Bar) - well, four if you count the refit of JSI One to open the OnoGrill, and project hampden has by far been the most difficult. From interior designer lameness to contractor flakiness to city permitting delays to phone line problems - if there was a hurdle to be made, it popped up somewhere along the way. Nothing is simple. Nothing is easy.
When we started to get the ball rolling at the end of May, I figured two months would be ample time to get things off the ground, and with any luck, we could open August 1st. Under that plan, I would hire a crew of baristas by the end of June, train all through July, open August 1st and operate for about a month before I had to jet off to host the Western Canadian Regional Barista Competition and instruct at the Expo Especiales in Ibague, Colombia. We would be rolling, I would fulfill my commitments and all would be well in the world.
Once upon a time, a good friend asked me if I thought he should go into business for himself. I told him no. No because he wanted too many guarantees. He wanted everything to be planned out. He wanted his eyes dotted and his tees crossed. I told him "no" because no matter how much you plan, it all goes to hell and then what are you gonna do? You're up to your teeth in the muck and there's no turning back. Screwed or swim. Better to be a salaried employee working the grind for The Man than to actually try to be "The Man." Too many variables. Too much risk.
Ask anyone in business and they'll tell you - you could write the best business plan in the history of the world, but it all gets chucked out the window the day you start business. The plan and the reality can diverge greatly and may never meet.
Which has been the case with project hampden. It's gone off the rails, full speed ahead, quite a number of times. Delay, delay, delay - that just seems to be the Order of the Day. The key is remain flexible and go with the flow. I could gnash my teeth, curse the Gods of Kobol and rant and rave about the house, but it does little good. I could get on the phone and scream bloody hell to the bureaucrats in City Hall, but it would do nothing more than cause them to like me less and delay the project further. My friend asking about business likes to throw in my face some of the stances I've taken in the past but fails to realize that this is why I said he wasn't ready for business: business takes flexibility and very thick skin.
Very thick skin because everyone and your mother (including my own) will cast their questions at you. They think you're crazy. That you're going to go down in a ball of flames. That this idea will never work and why don't you just follow Starbucks. Better yet, go work for Starbucks. Truth is, I'm a raving lunatic who is wholly unsuitable for employment - that's why I have to run my own company: no one will hire me.
But one of the most difficult parts of project hampden has been conveying my vision and sensibility for the project. I'm in the "coffee business" and everyone "knows" what a good coffeeshop is all about. It's all about Free Wi-Fi, couches, earth tones, walnut cabinets and either the Starbucks or "indie" coffeehouse design. What "coffeeshop" isn't about is refinement, luxury and fine dining. Hell, it's barely about hospitality much less fine dining and finesse.
Because of this, I've heard all kinds of "suggestions" from flourescent lights illuminating the awning to more calls for free wi-fi to more syrups to interior design proposals that looked like they sat in the Roland Park Starbucks and took notes. Lots of average to mediocre "suggestions" that it's maddening.
Then tell these same people that you're looking do something refined and with finesse and they think you're an insane lunatic who's unsuitable for employment elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the delays keep pushing the opening further back. From October 1st to November 1st to "sometime before the end of 2009." Each day delivers another obstacle, another delay. But, truth be told, it's a good thing. Truth be told: even if project hampden were completed, equipped and fully-stocked today, we wouldn't be ready to open tomorrow. In fact, we couldn't open tomorrow even if I wanted to and our bank account demanded it.
For the past month, our crew of barista candidates have been busy learning the basics of our craft. They've been cupping, tasting and practicing brew methods and slowly learning the finer points of espresso making, but they're not ready yet. Like fine wine, they need time to mature. To hone their skills, develop greater command over the techniques and develop a flow. They need to "feel it" and roll with it. To paraphrase Jon Lewis: they need to Let It Flow.
Right now, they're like Luke Skywalker on Dagoba with Yoda: learning and exploring, yet not ready to take on Darth Vader. But soon, they will be.
They will be. Sometime before the end of 2009...
Monday, November 02, 2009
Eye of the Cam
Of course, back then I was shooting with a Canon EOS RebelXT that wasn't suitable for everyday shooting or a piece of crap Nikon LiteTouch point and shoot. That camera was the worst camera I ever owned. It couldn't lock focus, had terrible low light latitude and just was too damn slow in all aspects.
Since that time, I've acquired both a Canon G9 and Canon SD790is, which in addition to the Rebel is what has been fueling this blogs' images for the past couple of years.
Well, everything has gone to hell. A few months ago, the RebelXT decided to stop focusing so I sent that back to Canon CPS for a rebuild and haven't picked it up. Then, within a weeks' time both the screen on the SD790 broke, rendering it useless and the G9 just crapped out completely.
That G9 really is a pain in the butt because it freaked out and froze last October while visiting the Trinity Nuclear Site in New Mexico, forcing me to buy the SD790. Lame.
So at the moment, I am without a camera hence the iPhone images. Apologies, I am working on sourcing a new camera while I decide what to do about the G9.
Meanwhile I'm looking for a pocket-sized point and shoot with good resolution, good low light performance and quick focusing.
Better pictures will return because I don't like being bludgeoned by a lorry...


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U.S. 2010 dietary guidelines: Eat less, eat better
Ditch the empty calories, lower sodium intake, reach for water instead of soda, and for goodness' sake, eat at least a half plate full of fruits and vegetables a day. That's the mantra of the new federal dietary guidelines, released Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Updated every five years, the 2010 guidelines - which were supposed to be unveiled last year - contain many of the same recommendations as the previous version, including how much sodium and calories from fat to eat a day.
But, experts say, this time around the message is stronger and clearer:
Eat less and eat better.
"I love that the executive summary of the report says to enjoy your food," said Marion Nestle, a nationally recognized nutritionist, professor and author. "We should enjoy it."
Just not too much, because according to government statistics, about one-third of the adults in this country are obese. Poor diet and lack of exercise can lead to heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some types of cancer.
The nation's bad eating habits are putting Americans in jeopardy, said Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"The obesity epidemic carries a really steep cost," she said at a news conference in Washington, D.C. "About three-quarters of our health care costs are connected to chronic disease."
Nutrient-rich foods and an active lifestyle could turn the tide, she said. "A more healthy country is a more competitive and prosperous country."
The guidelines, aimed at adults and children 2 years and older, include 23 key recommendations for the general population and six additional ones for specific groups such as pregnant women.
Among the highlights:
-- Reduce sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams a day. Those who are 51 or older, suffer from diabetes or chronic kidney disease or are part of groups at high risk for hypertension, such as African Americans, should aim for 1,500 milligrams or less.
-- Limit saturated fats to 10 percent of calories; replace them as much as possible with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
-- Consume fewer than 300 milligrams per day of dietary cholesterol.
-- Consume as few trans-fatty acids as possible by limiting foods that contain synthetic sources of trans fats, such as partially hydrogenated oils.
-- Reduce the number of calories from solid fats and added sugars.
-- Limit refined grains, especially foods that contain solid fats, added sugars and sodium.
-- Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark green, red and orange, and beans and peas.
-- Whole grains should account for at least half of total grain consumption.
-- Dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese, or fortified soy beverages, should be mostly low- or fat-free versions.
-- Choose a variety of protein foods, which include seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Americans have to "pay attention to calories in and calories out, and the nutritional density of those calories, because not all calories are the same." He urged people to move away from sugar, sodium and saturated fat.
Some experts criticized the guidelines for not making specific recommendations about red meat, but the American Meat Institute applauded that move. "It is noteworthy that the government's previous recommendation that consumers eat 5 to 7 ounces from the meat, poultry and beans group will remain unchanged," the industry group wrote in a press release.
Nestle said she just has a couple of quibbles. The guidelines steer clear of actually naming bad-for-you foods, which would be helpful for today's busy consumer, and they use too many euphemisms. For example: grain-based desserts instead of cakes, cookies and pie.
She complained, "It requires a translator."


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Harvard Business School ranks as the best B-school on the planet, which makes it highly coveted by students around the world.
But since HBS admits only about 11% of applicants, it's crucial that you stand out from the crowd.
Stacy Blackman, founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting, which helps clients earn admission to top MBA programs, says HBS looks for 10 traits of ideal candidates, including initiative, integrity, and self-awareness.
Of those traits, the most important is high-impact leadership. Blackman calls it the "big kahuna" at HBS.
"When evaluating your leadership potential, the admissions committee will be looking for evidence that you have made a positive impact on the communities of which you've been a part, both personally and professionally," she says.
The committee understands that you're in the early stages of your career while in pursuit of an MBA, so they don't expect that you've "led an entire company or founded a not-for-profit," she says. They appreciate all types of leadership, be it running a student newspaper, advocating for a social cause, or taking on leadership roles in the workplace.
Still, you need to provide hard proof that you made a difference. It's not all about the scale of your achievements, Blackman says, but rather "the fact that you left indelible footprints."
"This makes perfect sense when you think about it, because your past leadership achievements are the best gauge of your potential for realizing your future ambitions," Blackman says.


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LinkWood™ is the next generation of timber products.
Made from timber direct from sawmills that is destined for scrap or low grade use. We source these boards, join them into Engineered Set Lengths, and machine them into high value hardwood products.
Reduces Waste Faster to Install Improves Finish Improves Durability
Bespoke or Project Volume Applications Architectural and Custom Profiles
The raw material for many timber products, used and specified as a responsible and smart supply source – offering significant finish, installation and maintenance benefits over standard timber lengths.
LINKWOOD PreCoat™
Factory applied pre-coats, anti-stain, treatments and primers.
Full timber surface coating by Vacuum, Flood or Spray coats. Selected surface coating by spray or brush systems. Specialist pre-coats – Fire Resistance/Flame Retardant, Termites, tannin/stain seal, preserves, oils.
LINKWOOD Protect™
Fully Finished in factory with either FeastWatson, Intergrain or Teknos finishes. 3, 5, 10 YEAR FINISH WARRANTY – because finishes are factory applied to specification. Providing timber that retains the design colour, lasts longer and is more easily maintained than clear finishes.
It saves waste, is faster to install, offers more consistent colour and wider choice, and requires less maintenance than traditional timber finishes.


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Keep your salty snack selection POPPIN' with Pringles, now part of the Kellogg's Family.
Salty snacks are by far the most popular items ordered at Convenience Stores, and among the most popular items at every daypart1.
With portable grab-and-go and pantry-stocking shareable cans, Pringles® has the sizes your consumers seek – along with a range of appealing flavors.
As the #1 warehouse delivered salty snack brand in Convenience2, Pringles® should be an essential part of your selection. STOCK UP TODAY!
2 Nielsen, Total US Convenience, YTD ending 6/9/12


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Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations
Uma forma simples e diferente para levar as alianças até ao altar:
{imagem de Kira Sugarman}
Branco Prata is a Portugal based event/wedding company! We do stationery & paper goods, photography, styling & flowers. Hotspot is our notebook, where we post, on a daily basis, the things we find more inspiring and specially the work we do! Welcome!!


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Law Firm SEO: Tall SEO Tails All Attorneys Should Know
Law firm SEO is a necessity for any practice. But how do can you tell the good advice from the bad? Read on for the top myths – and top tricks – for your firm.
Like most industries, that of SEO is filled with fact and fiction, which can be difficult for most to distinguish. However, law firm SEO is nothing to mess around with.
Since it's imperative to employ SEO strategy to get your firm's chosen content in front of its target audience, it's equally essential to understand what has been proven to work and what is simply myth.
Here are the top 8 ridiculous Law Firm SEO myths attorneys and law firms should NOT believe:
1. Bulk Up on Back Links Any Way You Can
Yes, this may have been true…once upon a time. However, the idea that all you need is more back links to outrank your competition is now fictitious.
Although high authority back links do remain an important ranking factor, as of late, the quality and type have been more scrutinized than the amount.
Quality back links are made when a query is answered by your website. As the name suggests, someone, usually forum posters or bloggers, links back to it.
Spam back links, on the other hand, use robots instead of actual people to generate links. Since search engines are becoming increasingly strict on domains with large numbers of junk back links, this will not do you or your business any good.
2. Spending Money On Search Engine Advertising Improves Your Organic SEO Rankings
Here lays the most common SEO conspiracy theory—that pair search or pay per click (PPC) helps bolster organic results.
Evidence shows that paid advertising does NOT positively affect organic search results. Major search engines, such as Google, Yahoo!, and Bing have all put systems in place specifically to prevent this kind of crossover.
The proof is evident that running a pay per click campaign for your firm's homepage is a huge waste of your time and money. In fact, no industry is more ripped off by these campaigns than plaintiffs' lawyers.
Consider this: "attorney," "lawyer," and "claim" are in the top 10 most expensive Adwords.
While pay per click campaigns can prove helpful, this only holds true when PPC is used to get traffic to landing pages geared toward a specific type of client or site visitor.
3. The More Times You Use a Keyword, the More Successful You'll Be
This may have proved true back in the day. However, the early 2000s are a thing of the past, and so is "Keyword Stuffing."
Keyword Stuffing, an SEO technique in which a web page is loaded with keywords in the meta tags or in content of a web page, could actually do much more harm than good.
For this myth, it's rumored that if you use a specific keyword or phrase a certain amount of times and in the right places, you would move up in rankings. However, unlike in previous years, this no longer works today.
Not only considered unethical, but the practice may also lead to a website being banned or penalized in search ranking on major search engines either temporarily or permanently. (Not to mention, a page that use keyword stuffing can ever appear spammy to users).
4. All You Need Is More Quality Content
High quality content does not necessarily equal higher website rankings.
It's simple—if SEO were that easy, the experts and SEO agencies for law firms would be out of work.
Although search engines are able to recognize this more quality content as better of better value to the user, there is much more that goes into attorney search engine rankings.
While it's fact that quality content is one of the major pieces, it's fiction that that's the only part to SEO success.
5. It's Impossible to Compete With High Domain Authority Results
Are you finding yourself obsessing over domain authority? Don't.
Even during competitive analysis, this myth has no substantial grounds. In fact, we don't even have strong evidence that there is such a thing as domain authority.
Loosely defined and defined differently by anyone that uses it, domain authority is really just a way of generalizing the potential of your internal links.
If there even is any data to suggest that domain authority exists in any meaningful sense, it is minimal, and it's likely that internal links are essentially as helpful as those that are external.
6. Domain Age is an Important Ranking Factor
Although some people swear by this myth and may even call it a more important ranking factor than links, the fact is that domain age has a very small impact on search results once you pass a couple of months.
Why Does Domain Age Seem Important?
Older domains are more likely to have accumulated links over time.
Additionally, they have been around long enough for more user data to be taken into consideration and their competition has more time to get punished or demoted for guideline violations.
In the end, when domain age seems of importance, it's actually just because stronger ranking factors have been influenced by the domain's age.
Although just having an old site won't benefit you, having a site that has proven itself consistently for extended periods of time definitely could.
7. To Boost Rankings is a Homerun Way to Grow Traffic
While it's important to improve your ranking potential with inbound links, relevance, purposeful content and numerous other factors, rankings are not the only way to increase traffic.
Traffic estimates for keywords can be incredibly inconsistent, and Google's keyword tool is a poor guide as well. Therefore, the only way to accurately estimate traffic is to buy PPC ads and pay enough to show up every time.
However, this is risky. Since it takes incredible resources to improve your rankings for competitive keywords, the results can leave you with plenty of wasted effort for just a single ranking.
Instead, in order to grow traffic, continue investing in promotion while producing content for relatively low competition keywords. Have a system that chooses keywords with relatively high traffic potential with little or no promotion for that individual piece.
8. Bounce Rate is a Ranking Factor
To simply denounce this myth: Google does not use bounce rate as a ranking factor. Nor do they use analytics data at all for that matter.
While there has been a lot of talk over the years about whether or not Google uses bounce rate as a ranking signal, this myth can be put to rest.
What other SEO myths have you stumbled upon in your experience with search engine optimization? Tell us in the comments!


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I asked my sister to come to my gym with a guest pass. She replied something to the effect of "I am in no shape to go to the gym". What? I thought you go to the gym to get in shape not get in shape to go to they gym! Upon further questioning and digging I uncovered the obvious - my sister is just not comfortable in the gym.
I have found that others feel the same. I certainly do not agree with this type of thinking but I do recognize that it exists and some people will simply not go to a gym or exercise class simply because they are not comfortable in that atmosphere.
Exercise videos are perfect for this type of person!
On the flip side, my wife loves to go to the gym but she is also a very busy person. Sometimes she just does not feel like packing all of her clothing in her gym bag and hauling it all day. Sometimes she just wants to exercise at home.
So what are the benefits of exercise videos and how can they help you lose weight?
· Exercise videos are usually led by world class instructors. These instructors are usually the top in their field. They have pioneered a system which more than likely has proven results.
· Exercise videos can keep you from getting bored in your fitness and weight loss routine. You can get an exercise video for aerobics, kick boxing, power yoga, step aerobics, basic training, and the list goes on. You can get them in a studio format, on a beach, by a pool, with beautiful scenery - No limits!
· You can perform your exercise routine on your schedule. You are not dependent on the gym hours or aerobics class hours. You may have a hard time fitting a 5:30 class into your schedule but you can always find time to play a recorded video at your convenience.
· Exercise videos allow you to work at your own pace. If you miss a step or are just not conditioned, you can rewind or skip a certain part of the routine.
· Most exercise videos are full of positive reinforcement and affirmations. It is good to hear success stories and "you can do it"!
· You can more accurately measure your results. If you are doing the same video for an extended period of time you will know if you have improved either in cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility, or strength. If you are doing a different routine in a regimented class sometimes it is hard to notice your improvements.
· Exercise videos are inexpensive. You can collect them and enjoy varied workouts and instructors for very low costs.
The key to losing weight is burning more calories than you consume. Exercise videos take care of the calorie burning part of this duo. The body was made to move! When you exercise and eat healthy the benefits are priceless! You feel great, are sick less often, have greater range of movement, less pain, and a better mental outlook.
· Pick an exercise video for your level of fitness.
· Pick a video that interests you and seems fun to you
· Share videos with friends for a varied experience.
· Set aside time to workout to your video. Make it a ritual.
· If you start getting bored with a routine - Find another one! But don't quit!
· Remember that moving the body is fun!
· Follow the instructions and warnings that come with the video
· Check with your doctor before beginning any exercise or weight loss program.
Exercise videos are a fun, inexpensive way to lose weight and get in shape. What a great way to have world class instructors helping you get in shape and lose weight all on your schedule!
Keep checking back. We may from time to time review specific exercise and fitness videos.
Stay healthy, keep the body moving and learn to enjoy exercise!
Wishing you the best of health and fitness,
Bill Herren
Bill Herren is the webmaster for weightloss-articles.com Everything weight loss related! Weight loss success stories, product reviews, exercise articles, weight loss recipes, and diet articles. All Free and all designed to help you lose weight!


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Today I worked my regular scheduled at work that I work when I have to go to school although I didn't have to go to school today. I did have to come home and start writing papers. I got 3 written and I'll write the last 3 tomorrow. I have tomorrow off of work!!
This afternoon I went for a 45 minute walk, which felt so good! It was supposed to be rainy today but it turned out being a beautiful day with sunshine!
I just got home from a 45 minute bike ride! I went to mapmyride.com and I believe my ride was just under 8 miles!! That's pretty awesome! So I got 1 1/2 hours of activity today. That's something to be proud of! I just love the way that I feel when I am active.
Tomorrow is weigh in, so I'm hoping for the best. Obviously, when I have more time, I will put in more time towards activity. So I'm hoping now that I am just about done with school I will be more motivated to get more exercise, like I did today!


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Welcome to the First Federal Bank of Louisiana website.
Since our founding in 1949, First Federal Bank has experienced dramatic change. We have grown from a single office savings and loan, serving Calcasieu Parish, to a major financial services company, providing financial solutions to individuals and businesses throughout Southwest and Central Louisiana. We are proud of our accomplishments and the things that make us unique, including our emphasis on customer service, technology and community involvement. Our success has been a collaborative effort, and I would like to thank our shareholders, our diverse team of employees and our Board members for their loyalty and dedication. Inspired by our history and vision of being the best we can be, we look forward to a strong future.
First Federal Bank has built a solid reputation on safe and sound practices and common sense lending. We are now servicing 4 generations of some families and it is very rewarding to help so many neighbors fulfill their dreams of homeownership and business prosperity, and we will continue to be involved in the communities that we've helped build. Banking at its center is about people and more than ever, it's important that we maintain connections with our communities, customers and one another.
If you're a customer of First Federal Bank, I want to thank you for your business and placing your trust in us. If you're not a member of the First Federal family, I'd like to personally invite you to join us and see how we can help you grow.
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Number 1 Killer of Women
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Each year since 2004, the Surgeon General has declared Thanksgiving to be National Family Health History Day. Over the holiday or at other times when families gather, the Surgeon General…Read more
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According to National Diabetes Prevention Program, people with diabetes are twice as likely as people without diabetes to die early. The good news is that by making smart choices in eating and physical activity,…Read more
To prevent type 2 diabetes, should you avoid eating starchy foods?
No. Starchy foods are part of a healthy meal plan for people with or without diabetes. What is important is the amount we eat. Whole grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice, and starchy vegetables like…Read more