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I haven't posted in a while for many reasons, some of those being that I've been busy and that I haven't felt up to it. I want to get back to it, and get back to posting things about New York, not just TV shows and actors who get me lots of views. So here's a start, I suppose. A great photo-blog complete with legos and new york. I'm a big fan of the taxi one and the Polish flag. Enjoy.
February 4, 2009
January 22, 2009
Lost Season Five: Death of the Flashback
So Lost last night was of course great and wonderful.
I was disappointed with the end of the second episode. I'm sorry but, "Then God help us all…" is not an adequate gasp-enducer. I KNOW that really bad things are going to happen if these people don't get back to the island. Start telling me what or why or when and I'll be excited. Thank you, Daniel. (you're so cute, btw).
I'm very sad to see the end of the flashback. I know they're not necessary or even possible at this point in the show, but I liked the old format a lot. It was nice for the island plot/characters to move along (usually slowly) while you got a closer look into their lives before the island. But alas, we know all of the (still living) characters pretty well by now. And flashbacks within time-travel is kind of pointless, yeah?
I think it pretty much goes without saying that my favorite moment BY FAR was Hurley hurling (ha!) a hot pocket at Ben. Seriously, I was drinking a Dharma-labeled beer at the time, and thought I might pee myself. It's happened before.
Here's how I feel about the characters at the moment:
Jack: Getting less pathetic than last season. Could've kept the beard, if he'd just trimmed.
Kate: Ugh, stop committing felonies all the time. Also, you know you want to get back with Sawyer, that is if he's not already doing Juliet.
Sun: That was pretty harsh what she did to Kate, but I have faith. Plus, if I lost Jin I'd be pretty passive-aggressive, too. It's either going to be really easy or really hard to get her to go back to the island. I have my theories…
Sawyer: Definitely more of a leader when stupid Jack isn't around. I don't know why he felt such a need to find a shirt. There's lots of speculation that he and Juliet are gonna get it on this season. More power to them if they want to, but I will do everything I can to stop it. Like teleporting to the island and totally cockblocking Juliet.
Juliet: I feel like she's not changing much. Sure, she's more assertive than when she came to the island, but at this point it doesn't seem like she's ever gonna get off. Although, if Ethan is back, does that mean Goodwin can be, too?
Locke: I feel about him a lot like I felt about former (!) president Bush. He's not intentionally screwing everything up, but he's gotten some really bad advice, and he's just not cut out to make important decisions. He's an overall good person. He's got a good heart, just follows that too much instead of his brain. I'm excited to see how his corpse convinces the Six to come back.
Hurley: COME ON MAN. I love him, he's great. But Ana Lucia specifically told him not to get arrested. Granted, Sayid told him to do the opposite of what Ben says, but not going back to the island didn't necessarily have to involve giving himself up to the cops. GAH.
Sayid: Still badass. Still not hot.
Daniel: He's making me more and more suspicious of him, which sucks because he's so darn cute. But he's apparently going to explain everything eventually, so I'll let him drag it out a little further.
I can't believe Jeremy Davies (the guy who plays him) is going to be 40 this year. I'd let him pass for 26. I'd also marry him.
Charlotte: I really don't like her at all. But I don't really want anything bad to happen to her because I know Daniel cares about her a lot, and she's apparently a big link in this whole crazy puzzle. However, either something bad is going to happen, or she's working on a sweet new mustache/chest hair statement.
Miles: Same. Go convince some more boars to drop dead so you can eat them.
Bernard and Rose: SHUT UP. I'm tired of them. Sorry.
Ben: are you good or bad?!?!? Just tell meeeeeeeeeee.
…um this post may or may not have been skewed by my boss being a dbag all day and me being in a bad mood. apologies.
Asleep on the Subway
There's this new site exclusively for photos of people falling asleep on the subway. Awesome.
I'm mostly posting this so that when I end up in one of the photos I can be all, "yeah, I was hopin' that guy would take a picture, so I made the best sleep-face I could…yeah…"
I hope people wills tart posting from places other than NYC. Other cities do have subways…right?
And I must say, there are an awful lot of E train nappers.
January 21, 2009
Fur hats
It seems like everyone's talking about Aretha Franklin's amazing/hideous/glamorous/sparkly bow hat. I get it, it's crazyawesome.
But all these folks seem to be overlooking a far more threatening look sported at yesterday's inauguration. One that is actually beginning to find its way to non-celebrity heads. One that may forever tarnish the sanctity of winter hats. Fur. Giant hideous fur. Listen, I'm no PETA advocate. I like animals a lot, and I don't like undue harm. But we have to eat. And I guess you can make an argument for having to be warm. I'm sure these hats are warm.
HOWEVER. There are lots of other warm things to put on your head.
Jay-Z can maybe pull it off, but ONLY because he's there with Beyonce. This hat sans Beyonce just looks dumb.
And if you think that these normal animal-y colored ones are bad…
Try the 80s hairband…headbands. Of fur.
Here's a random quote I found.
"Fur has been making a subtly growing comeback both among men whose goal is to be deviously provocative as well as avant-garde hipsters. While fur coats are still a long way from being acceptable to the mainstream, fur accessories seem to be undergoing resurgence in popularity. After Gucci's Fall/Winter 2007 collection included fur accented and even three-quarter length fur coats, other designers have followed suit. Hats and scarves make for opulently warm and luxurious pieces, and can even look good when worn the right way and by the right person. The danger, coming not only from being attacked by PETA supporters, is also inherent in that you can easily look like an eccentric throwback from Stalin's Russia or Daniel Boone."
Even people saying that these things are the new fashion are highlighting its risks. Although I'd like to add to Stalin's Russia or Daniel Boone:
January 19, 2009
Is ABC anti-Sawyer?
There's this thing on ABC.com called the Lost Showdown where there's a bracket system and you vote on 16 clips from the first four seasons. On Wednesday it'll be down to 8, and then I think it's like a week or so between voting times to narrow it down to the single best clip.
They're all really amazing clips, of course. And some of them are really tough to choose between. Did you cry your eyes out when Charlie put his hand up to the window to tell Desmond it wasn't Penny's boat? Or were you speechless when you finally found out how Locke was paralyzed? These are the questions we must answer.
I've come to believe, however, that whoever put together the brackets has it out for Sawyer and doesn't want him to make it past the first round. First, there are only two clips which feature him. He's in a couple more, but he's the main person in just two. Those are the scene where he and Kate finally get it on in the cage, and then when he whispers into Kate's ear and then jumps out of the helicopter. Both great scenes. But they're put up against Jack's "We have to go back" speech and the island disappearing, respectively. Now I love Sawyer, and of course voted for his clips, but I don't expect the rest of the Lost audience to do the same. I understand that "We have to go back" will probably make it a few more rounds, if not be the winner.
I just don't know why one of Sawyer's scenes couldn't have been against something with stupid Michael or something. I at least want him to make it past the first bracket.
Oh well. Go vote!
January 17, 2009
more celebrity doppelgangers
There are a bunch of posters up for Big Love right now. I think a new season starts next week. I've never watched it, but I've heard good things. All of the posters are split into four corners and have various characters in each one. One of them is the dude with the three wives. And one of them looks just like Cameron from House.
I'm pretty sure it's mostly how she looks in this specific picture, but this Ginnifer Goodwin keeps tricking me. She could totally be Jennifer Morrison. Look how similar their names are! And they're only a year apart in age.
This here is Ginnifer Goodwin and below is Jennifer Morrison.
They're both lovely girls.I guess Morrison does look a lot different when she has blond hair. But I like her better as Cameron when it's dark.
January 16, 2009
I used to feel sorry for Pigeons
By now everyone has heard about the crazy Hudson plane crash yesterday. I'd add more weight to this post if anyone were hurt badly, but it seems all's well, unless some mutations appear in any who were actually touched by the water.
Anyway, the appernt cause of the crash was birds. Now, I'm not saying it was necessarily pigeons, but for the purpose of my rant, they were pigeons. I originally wanted to feel bad for these birds who probably didn't intend to take down a plane by jamming engines with their bodies. But then I remembered an event from the other day which leads me to believe that pigeons are evil. And they probably meant to take down the plane.
Two days ago I was walking home from work. It was cold, but not as cold as today. I like to think I looked pretty good – nice boots, makeup not completely worn off, hair recently washed. As I rounded a corner I saw what could have been my future husband. Something like this only colder. And then I even had the pleasure of eye contact and a smile. Seriously, one of us was about to say hi, and then he was going to ask me to dinner and the stars were aligning such that we were on track to make gorgeous babies.
Then: Pigeon. I don't know where it came from, but before I could give this guy my best eye-flirt, all I could see was grey and white flapping. It came straight for me, and the progression of my face went from cute to this:
After re-gaining my balance (this thing actaually grazed my right shoulder, sending me hurling left to try to avoid it) I kept my head down and nearly ran the rest of the way to my appartment.
Well, at least I didn't end up looking like Fabio:
January 14, 2009
Best Survivor Contestant Ever.
Well, not yet. He has to get on there first.
But I can assure you he's lovable and entertaining.
Only a week until Lost's season 5 premiere.
Here are some things to pass the time:
cool countdown/quiz/interactive map
spoilers that I REFUSE to read.
and, my new homepage.
Benson and Stabler to the rescue
Okay, so I knowwww that I've already established my love of NCIS. It's the only crime show I've even considered watching on a weekly basis when new episodes come out rather than watching marathons on USA, TBS etc. Unfortunatly, new episodes are airing on Tuesdays, and I work Tuesday nights. Fooey.
However, it's hard to resist pretending you're on Law & Order when you and a friend in central park can so convincingly depict dead body/dead body finder and wait around for Benson and Stabler to come to the rescue.
I know that SVU isn't the only Law & Order (who could overlook Vincent D'Onofrio in Criminal Intent?). But it is my favorite, i suppose. I like the characters alright, I just couldn't tell you any sort of timeline about their personal lives. They're just there to solve the crimes and every once in a while Stabler mentions he has a family at home.
Mariska Hargitay is probably definitely the hottest detective on all of the Law & Orders. She's great, and I like Benson for the most part, except when she gets a little too attached to cases. I guess it's a common issue in that sort of job, but I never really feel like she has all that much emotion. It seems forced somehow. But I do like her, and her and Stabler together is pretty great. Hargitay really hasn't been in much. An episode of Seinfeld, an episode of Ellen, and what seems to be a full season of ER. Nothing upcoming, though. I wish she'd take a more sexy role in something, because the pantsuits just don't show her full potential. Also, long hair vs. short hair? Your thoughts?
Okay, I don't like to admit my love for Christopher Meloni, but he's definitely attractive. I think it's his personality as Stabler, though, that's the biggest selling point. He's such a badass, but sometimes has a softer side. I guess you have to in his job. Sometimes he gets a little too macho for my liking, but when you carry a gun around every day I think that's to be expected. Meloni has been in a few noteworthy movies, including 12 Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He also had a fairly main role in Oz. Did you know he did the voice for Spike on Dinosaurs?!! YES. He's made a few bad decisions, like Harold & Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay and Nights in Rodanthe. Not that I saw either of those. Hopefully his upcoming movies will be better, Dirty Movie and The Stepfather. One time on the show I saw him with his shirt off for an instant and noticed he had tattoos. This is what it is, though. It's nice, stylistically, I just think I'd be a little weirded out if I were ever doin' a guy and had jesus in plain view. Maybe that's just me.
In case you're interested, the second picture of him in Google Images is full-frontal of him in a prison cell. This was with moderate safe search on, too. I don't know what the context was, but seems like an interesting movie? show? Maybe that was from Oz? Hm.
But the best role he's ever played is clearly Gene in Wet Hot American Summer.
(mmmm beards)
And then there's Mr. Munch. Er, Detective Munch. Richard Belzer. I must say he's done a fine job of being the same character throughout his career. He's played Detective Munch on more than five different shows, starting on Homicide: Life on the Streets, and including Arrested Development, and The Wire. Oh, but don't forget Belzervision. He always looks so grumpy. So here's a picture of him with a puppy.
And of course, Captain Cragen, played by Dann Florek. He's a pretty lovable old guy. He never really gets angry, except when it's really important. He's been on a lot of crime shows, starting wtih Matlock. And the unforgettable Mr. Slate in The Flinstones. It appears that he has a wife. However, these pictures lead me to believe otherwise.
Just sayin'.
Chris North looks to be enjoying this, but Melosi just got caught in a man-twister and landed in awkward-city. Seems like he's at least trying to play along, though.
Odafin "Fin" Tutuola. What does that name mean to you? Nothing. Exactly. Because he's just always going to be Ice-T, no matter what weird character name he's given. And that includes T-Saint in Tank Girl, J-Bone in Johnny Mnemonic, and C-Note in The Heist. I sense an affinity for hyphens. He was also in Frankenpenis.
I saw an interview with him once about his character on SVU, and it really seems like he wants to be taken seriously as an actor.
My faaaavorite minor character is Dr. George Huang played by B.D. Wong. He's actually been in some pretty cool stuf, AND was Howard Weinstein in Father Of the Bride (parts 1 and 2)!! I'd let him plan my wedding any day. He also did the voice of the cockroach in Joe's Apartment, and 47 episodes of Oz. And according to imdb, he was one of the morphed faces in Michael Jackson's Black or White video. And he's completely adorable.
I'm going out on a limb here and assuming anyone cares about Dr. Melinda Warner played by Tamara Tunie. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Tunie is a great person and all, and she does her job as Warner well. But she's just not developed much. She's no Ducky. As far as her roles go, there's not much to speak of, although what seems to be a fairly lead role on As the World Turns. She does, however, fall into the category of totally hot if I could ever see her not in a lab coat.
And fiiiiinally, ADA Casey Novak played by Diane Neal. Novak definitely has a personality, but I find her a little bitchy. She's got good intentions, but I dunno, I guess I feel like Neal in real life is a lot more laid back, and it's hard for her to play such a by-the-books role. She's been in pretty much nothing I care about except for her recent performance on 30Rock as one of Liz Lemon's high school classmates in the episode "Reunion". A brilliant episode, I must say. And Neal played her part very well. She'll be in Dirty Movie as well. AND AND AND something called Your Presents Requested starring Melissa Joan Hart and JOEY LAWRENCE. Awesome.
I really love that the show is set in New York, because now I can figure out if I've been to this episode's crime scene, or how I would get there on the subway. Probably not something my parents would be too comfortable with, and I'm pretty sure SVU is most of the reason why they're afraid for me to live here. But man, if I get to meet Stabler, er Meloni, it'll all be worth it.


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A couple weeks ago I checked out a bike listed on Craigslist. It was Trek 700. I wasn't sure what style it was as the Trek 700 has gone from a road bike to a multitrack hybrid. It turned out to be the hybrid style. At the time I was looking for a road bike for me, or bike for my wife. For a 21″ frame it was too big for my wife, and not a road bike. Still I considered buying it as a Trek bike for $50 seemed like a great deal. That was until I noticed the read wheel was bent, and would probably need to be replaced.
Well the guy relisted the bike with a note about the wheel. But I kept thinking that for $50 it might be fun to play with. Then I came up with the idea that the bike might be converted into a cyclo-cross bike. That it might do well on the off-road duathlon next year. I swapped emailed with the seller trying to find a day and time when he was around that I might get over there to pickup the bike. It took over half a week, but I finally manage to get the bike. The shifters on the front are kind of goofy it little dials to show what gear you are in, and I hope to replace them. One thing I noticed after I got the bike home is that the forks seem to be bent back a little bit as if someone had collided with something. I think I can straigten them. It will be a project bike. I can't afford to build one of those cars from the Fast And Furious movies…well I actually I can…but I have better things to spend my money on. But a $50 bike is something I can play with. I am thinking of taking appart the rear wheel, straightening the rim, and then rebuilding it. It could be interesting. And if I can't get it straigtened, it probably need to be replaced anyway.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Take action for your world
Our world is under threat like never before. We need our global leaders to urgently make an Emergency Declaration for the Planet – one that can reverse the damage and restore nature. Join a movement of people calling for change and find out how you can reduce your own impact.
Join the fight for Scotland's nature
1 in 11 species in Scotland is at risk of extinction. Will you help us and give our nature a voice?


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At Holly Park, we take the health and safety of our pupils, staff, parents and other members of the community seriously.
Schools are responsible for day-to-day health and safety whenever a child is in the care of school staff – this includes school trips and clubs.
Every school has a health and safety policy.
At Holly Park in our parent and pupil questionnaires we ask our stakeholders what they think about health and safety at the school.
Governors discuss health and safety at governor Premises meetings and at Staffing and Pupil Welfare meetings.
At Holly Park we talk to the School Council regularly about health and safety.
At Holly Park we update our school risk assessments annually.
We also do an internal health and safety audit annually.
Keeping safe involves many areas:
- Safeguarding
- Online safety
- First Aid
- Site Security
- Attendance
- Recruitment of Staff
- Visitors and volunteers
- Behaviour/Anti Bullying
- Positive Handling
- Photographing and Videoing
- Whistleblowing
- Personal care
- Trips and Visits
- Transport
- Home Visits
- Managing Critical Incidents
All of these areas are covered in our health and safety policy, our safeguarding policy and many have a policy of their own.
The Tavistock gave this presentation about resilience. to parents.
A first aid company came in to teach all of our Y6 some basic first aid as we felt that this is an important life skill. The children learnt about how to bandage, how to stop a nose bleed and how to do simple resuscitation amongst other things. The children really enjoyed it. After School club have also done some first aid too.


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"Only two remain, the wretched woman and the Incarnation of Mercy" (St Augustine).
So many people today are 'CAUGHT'! The past week has been no exception: a sports person, a politician, a husband, a wife, an insurance executive and the UN peace forces. Human nature is prone to be 'CAUGHT'.


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I found Janet's course through a website, after looking at many others. Janet was the only one who responded personally to my inquiry. I am an advanced sewer, and I had a limited amount of time to perfect some specific skills and learn other advanced techniques. Janet helped me to identify new skill levels, and then work on these over the course of 3 months. Janet's workroom is fully equipped and she introduced me to some great gadgets that made sewing more efficient as well as more professional. Janet shared her larger network of contacts with me to build my awareness of expert websites and sourcing sites for materials. Most of all, Janet taught with humor and pleasure, making each day fun and full of surprises. I feel I can go out and begin my own dressmaking venture – and Janet continues to support my efforts. Janet inspired me!
~Marydean Purves, Dushanbe TAJIKISTAN
My daughter, Christine, took Janet's sewing classes. It really equipped her to study a pattern and learn some valuable techniques. I would have hovered over her work but Janet allowed her to be independent and work on projects that kept her interested in sewing. One year she made gifts for the whole family for Christmas! Students that have taken Janet's classes are confident seamstresses.
My daughter Kayla has taken several sewing classes from Janet. One year before Christmas Janet gave the girls in the class a selection of gifts to make for family members and friends. The projects allowed the kids to learn basic sewing skills while having a good time. During another class the girls made their own Halloween costumes. Kayla has thoroughly enjoyed her classes with Janet. Janet is patient and engaging. She makes learning fun for the girls.
I had absolutely no sewing abilities and was extremely intimidated by the entire process as well as the actual sewing machine. After just one lesson, I knew all the parts of the machine and was learning to read a pattern and sew. Janet is a wonderful teacher and has given me so much confidence and taught me in just a few weeks more than I ever expected to learn about sewing!
~Kelly Meyer
Janet Rocks! I have taken only three sewing classes and have already made an apron and a pillow sham. Janet has the patience to allow us to jump right into a project and knows how to move the class along, so we don't get side tracked. She is also very flexible and will cater the class to our liking. It has been a fun way to bring out the creative side of me again.
~Sheila Tyler
When I began Janet's class I didn't even know how to turn on a sewing machine and in five short weeks I've learned more than I could have imagined. I've completed several projects both in class and at home. I am quite comfortable in my ability to complete projects on my own, and that is something I thought would take years rather than weeks to learn. Janet is an excellent teacher and uses a variety of projects to teach different skills. Rather than just learning to sew a zipper, I made a pillow that contained a zipper. Having a completed project to take home and show off at the end of the class is much more fun than just learning the basic steps. I have completed the basic sewing class but am continuing on with more classes. I learned so much in those first five weeks that I can't wait to find out how much more I will learn in the next five! Thanks to Janet sewing is now easy and fun!
~Pam Soine
Janet modernizes the art of sewing, interrupts those confusing pattern directions, builds your confidence and makes sewing fun. I love taking classes from Janet!
~Sandi DeCamp
Janet is an extremely knowledgeable and patient sewing instructor. What I liked about the classes was she did not just randomly teach you skills, she instead used various projects to demonstrate everything and build upon each other. I also liked the fact that all of the tools you needed were available for use, the only thing I had to bring was the specific fabric/accessories for each project. In the end, I made a very nice apron, a zippered throw pillow, a buttoned pillow and a pair of pajama pants for my little girl…not bad for a 43 year old dad! Whether you're interested in learning basic or advanced skills, you can't go wrong with Janet!
Janet is an excellent sewing instructor. I hadn't tried to sew since high school. Janet has unique patterns that are designed to assist the newbie. Take a class with Janet and you will be successful. This is a skill that you will have both fun and reach new creative heights with. Thanks, Janet for bringing my creative juices to life!
~Judy Hall
Janet's classes are well organized and so informative. In the first series of classes I took, we FINISHED a fun project each class, while learning how to read a pattern, sew a button hole and put the button on — ON THE MACHINE — as well as how to put in a zipper. Janet is an expert, and can help you whether you are just getting into sewing, or have been sewing for a while and want to hone your skills. I highly recommend her classes. You will have a blast, and learn something every time!! I am now on my second set of classes, and I am so excited to see how my projects turn out!
~Michelle Full
My husband and I took Janet Schindele's Beginning Sewing class together. Janet was friendly, patient and supportive and we quickly learned the basics. The class size was small so we got individualized attention and enjoyed the class projects. I would recommend Janet's classes to anyone who wants to learn and have fun sewing. You will gain confidence and mastery as the lessons progress.
~Aimee Brown
This is the perfect start for sewing class! If you have little knowledge or no knowledge about sewing at all, I recommend this class. Janet is very patient, and folks out there interested in taking this class will understand that she needs to be! Her lectures are clear and easy to follow. I really enjoyed my beginning sewing class so much that I am going to continue learning!
~Gleidis Baldwin
Janet is an exceptional sewing instructor. Not only is she extremely warm, kind, and engaging, she is also very knowledgeable about every aspect of sewing. I was very intimidated by the sewing machine when I began, but her patience and encouragement helped me to overcome my fear and I was sewing actual garments in no time! Her pattern choices are excellent and it's such a great feeling to leave each class with a finished and wearable garment. For anyone wanting to learn to sew, or who might want to brush up on their skills, I would recommend Janet very highly. Quite simply, she is the best!
~Rachel Cole
Janet Schindele's sewing classes were very helpful. I took her Beginning Sewing Class I & II.
She was so patient & kind to me, for I was truly a beginner !
I also enjoyed meeting the other students ~~ fun seeing their creativity .
"Janet's classes are great for people who have never sewed or who are in the beginner level. Her classes cover it all: reading paterns, making buttons and buttonholes, attaching zippers, and getting familiar with your machine. Janet's class environment is supportive and fun. Recommend for anyone interesting in learning to or growing their skills in sewing clothes, bags, or pillows!"
~Allison Fultineer
"I have had so much fun in Janet's classes. Janet began with the very basics and has taught me new skills to sew on my own. Janet is always available to answer questions and is willing to share her knowledge over and beyond her classes. In addition, I have been very pleased with Janet's friendly and welcoming teaching style."
The beginners class is the perfect class to start with if you have no experience, like I did. Mrs. Janet was very patient with me and answered all my questions in a clear and precise manner. She is very warm and sociable and makes you feel completely comfortable. Her classroom is spacious and she has all the accessories needed to sew. Mrs. Janet has a very well organized class schedule and is very good at teaching different types of learners including visual, tactile and kinestetic. Her classes are very affordable and I learned so much from her. I now feel more confident than ever when sewing. Thank you so much Mrs. Janet!
~Tahlya Hinds
I really enjoyed taking Janet's beginner's sewing class. She was very upbeat, patient, and very knowledgeable. I went in with absolutely no experience and came out able to make things on my own. Janet was very friendly and I had a lot of fun! I look forward to taking the rest of her classes!
I have always been very interested in sewing and crafting. After buying my first sewing machine I was thrilled to find a class that could take a person with no working knowledge of sewing to reading patterns and making useful projects. Janet has been my sewing instructor for two consecutive sewing classes. She teaches in a clear and concise manner. I have found her classes to be very educational as well as fun! Under her instruction I was able to make a number of projects that built on the fundamental skills taught in her class. She is a very dedicated and warm lady who makes all of her students feel welcomed and accomplished. I would recommend her classes to anyone interested in sewing.
~Analisa Ruiz
I took a class from Janet through FRCC and learned the basic skills to read a pattern, install a zipper, sew long tubes for tying strings, and make a buttonhole. My confidence grew and my creativity demanded I try more and more complicated tasks. Janet tutored me in my home to talk me through and modify difficult instructions. Because of Janet, I was able to make an entire nursery of decor. My girls' nursery has valences, black out blinds with tie-backs, adorable crib bumpers, a crib skirt, and coordinating quilted comforters for their beds. Next on the list: Amy Butler's Honey Bun Poufs! I love sewing because I feel like I can make anything I want! Janet not only knows how to do everything sewing related, but she is also a great teacher. Her experience has helped her figure out the best systems, so she gave me suggestions for how to keep my patterns and sewing supplies organized so I could be more efficient, too. Her in-home classroom is a great example of how I want my sewing room to be. I am so grateful for Janet; she has dramatically improved my craft!
~Caroyln McKee
Taking sewing classes with Janet was not only informative but also enjoyable. I went from a woman who didn't know how to turn on the machine to a woman who's now on her third pack of 10 needles. Janet has given me confidence to sew- and boy am I! If you're looking for a great class that will teach you the basics and much more, I highly recommend Janet. You will walk away from her classes knowing you can do this and that it is enjoyable. Janet is personable, warm and sincere in her love of sewing and by the end of class you'll have the bug too!
~ Amy Jo Foth


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People often associate the dark with fear and ugliness. There can be beautiful things discovered in the dark. In dark times we discover our greatest strengths. The darkness brings sunsets, bright lights, and my favorite the moon. Here is my entry for this week.
On the Boardwalk
Views From The 13th Floor
Overcast Beach day And Beach Bar View
Trying to Capture the Moon
A Nightcap Before Bed – Rum and Coke


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Delirious Thong | Bare
Delightful? Yes. De-lovely? Yes. Then it must be Delirious, the fan-favorite collection that's a must for any well-stocked lingerie drawer. This lacy low-rise thong won't peek cheekily out of your jeans when you bend, and won't create any dreaded panty lines. The perfect underwear under just about anything.
Color: Bare
- 100% Nylon Pointelle Mesh - Low Rise Thong - Signature Pointelle Mesh - Lace Trim on Waist and Legs - 100% Cotton Crotch Lining - Imported - Hand Wash Cold
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A Recipe Fit for the Queen
Posted by James McIntosh Monday, 14th September 2015
Food history fascinates me. I believe that food, and cookery books for that matter, are historical narratives of a people in a place, at a time. They tell us so much about current social and economic factors, the availability of ingredients and wealth. In fact, food is the story of a people, on a plate. And one very special recipe that we may all take for granted is 'Polet Reine Elizabeth', also known by the common name of 'Coronation Chicken'.
Constance Spry, an English food writer and flower arranger, together with Rosemary Hume, a chef, who were both principals of the Cordon Bleu cookery school in London are both credited with the invention of Coronation Chicken. The recipe may have been inspired by 'Jubilee Chicken', a dish prepared for the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935. This was modified again in 2002 for the Queen's Golden Jubilee, with a new recipe called 'Jubilee Chicken' by Heston Blumenthal.
Not only did Constance have to worry about the stress of cooking for a young Queen on her Coronation day, she also had to look at the state of the country at that time. In response she created a deliberate and tactful compromise between the luxurious (due to the use of curry-powder) and the thrifty (as the country was still under post-war rationing). Chickens are simply poached, a complex sauce is made (a far cry from today's version with just mayonnaise, curry powder and raisins), which is used to "coat the chicken lightly".
The original recipe, as below, is somewhat different to what we know from sandwiches today and indeed that which many would make at home, as it does not contain raisins. I regularly make my own variant of Coronation Chicken, with the addition of mango chutney, using up any bits of leftover chicken after a roast. I just let the chicken cool down, mix up mayonnaise, curry powder and a dollop of mango chutney and place into an air tight container in the fridge and use in sandwiches or as an accompaniment to salads.
Poulet Reine Elizabeth
An extract from 'The Constance Spry Cookery Book' by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume
Published by J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd, 1956
The most exciting party was one given on Coronation Day, for which preparations were shared by the students and staff of the Cordon Bleu School in London and Winfield. This was a luncheon for the representatives of other countries invited by Her Majesty to be present in Westminster Abbey on the occasion of her coronation. It was held in the Great Hall of Westminster School. Sir David Eccles, the Minister of Works, paid us the unexpected compliment of asking us to undertake the luncheon, and then added 'and to serve it also". Although we were simmering with excitement, Rosemary Hume and I let days go by before we allowed ourselves to make real plans, feeling that perhaps Sir David, remembering the youthfulness of our students, might modify his ideas about what we could accomplish. But nothing so discouraging happened.
Once the plan was firmly established we concerned ourselves exclusively with our problems, which in brief were these. The luncheon was for about three hundred and fifty people, the largest party to be seated in the Great Hall, the rest in a house some distance away. By two o'clock the guests would be very hungry and probably cold. There would be people of many nationalities, some of whom would eat no meat. Kitchen accommodation was too small to serve hot food beyond soup and coffee. The serving of the food would have to be simple because all of the waitresses would be amateurs.
The menu chosen was as follows:
Potage de Tomates á l'Estragon
Truite de Rivière en Gelée, Sauce Verte
Poulet Reine Elizabeth
Cornets de Jambon Lucullus
Cherry and Walnut Salad
Galette aux Fraises
Mousse au Citron
Coffe, Petits Fours
Moselle Brauneberger '43
Champagne Krug '45
Coronation Chicken
Served cold
For 6-8 people
- 2 young roasting chickens
- water and a little wine to cover
- carrot
- a bouquet garni
- salt
- 3-4 peppercorns
- cream of curry sauce
- rice salad
- Poach the chickens, carrot, bouquet, salt and peppercorns in water and a little wine, enough barely to cover, for about 40 minutes or until tender.
- Allow to cool in the liquid.
- Joint the birds, remove the bones with care.
- Prepare the sauce given below.
- Mix the chicken and the sauce together, arrange on a dish, coat with the extra sauce.
(For convenience in serving on the occasion mentioned, the chicken was arranged at one end of an oblong dish, and a rice salad as given below was arranged at the other).
Cream of curry sauce
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 oz onion, finely chopped
- 1 dessertspoon curry-powder
- 1 good teaspoon tomato purée
- 1 wineglass red wine
- 3/4 wineglass water
- a bay leaf
- salt, sugar, a touch of pepper
- a slice or tow of lemon and a squeeze of lemon juice, possibly more
- 1-2 tablespoons apricot purée
- 3/4 pint mayonnaise
- 2-3 tablespoons lightly whipped cream
- a little extra whipped cream
- Heat the oil, add onion, cook gently 3-4 minutes, add curry-powder.
- Cook again 1-2 minutes.
- Add purée, wine, water and bay-leaf.
- Bring to boil, add salt, sugar to taste, pepper, and the lemon and lemon juice.
- Simmer with the pan uncovered 5-10 minutes.
- Strain and cool.
- Add by degrees to the mayonnaise with the apricot purée to taste.
- Adjust seasoning, adding a little more lemon juice if necessary.
- Finish with the whipped cream.
- Take a small amount of sauce (enough to coat the chicken) and mix with a little extra cream and seasoning.
This is an admirable sauce to serve with iced lobster.
Rice Salad
The rice salad which accompanied the chicken was of carefully cooked rice, cooked peas, diced raw cucumber, and finely chopped mixed herbs, all mixed in a well-seasoned French dressing.


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Health was one of the first things to go when Dylan got sick. But this is not going to be a poor-me post about how hard it was (for me) for Dylan to be sick. He is doing really well in the UK – maybe it's the cleaner air, maybe it's the calmer mum. I don't know. What I do know is that it it now time to move out of crisis-mode. We are no longer in crisis. Praised be the Lord.
Jacinta, in her former life, was a health & fitness enthusiast. She danced ballet 7 days a week during her Uni years (would have made sense to just study it, but she didn't really understand that was an option until too late), she taught creative movement as her first job out of Uni, then qualified as a Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor, then Pilates instructor, then opened a dance studio, then trained for a marathon, then went a bit nuts and needed some time out from everything. She sat on the bench of life feeling metaphorical, lamenting the side-effects of the assortment of medicine she needed to take, eventually she got off it all, joined a fancy gym, studied up on nutrition and the use of food as medicine. She got super fit and mentally stable, and then she got pregnant with baby no.1.
From that point all attempts to regain former glory fell short. Don't even get her started on how tough it got once baby no.2 got sick. Or how yummy all forms of calorie became. Very few people she has met in the past four years know the Jacinta who used to care about health and fitness. She feels sad about this, and after some soul searching has come to accept that the best course of action would be to deal with things head on, and that means dropping the rather tiresome third-person approach to the problem.
Yes, it's the start of the new year, and this is the time a huge number of chubbsters across the first-world start thinking about their fitness. I will join their ranks. I am no longer fit or smug enough to judge. I suppose that's a good thing.
The beauty of writing is that you can tell the story any the hell way you want. But I am into the non-fiction stuff, to a degree. At least to the point that I reckon if I'm going to tweak the story to the point that I don't look too bad at all, then what's the point? I think it's the honest truth that will be most helpful, in this specific case anyway.
(At this point Jacinta's husband walks into the kitchen and asks what Jacinta is doing. "Writing for fun" she replies. He drops the questioning at that and asks "Shall we make one of these Angel Delights?" They were bought to put in a care package to send to an expat Brit. They are not part of Jacinta's current eating plan. It is hard work for Jacinta to be Jacinta. Since she is writing on this very topic at this very time she has chosen to rise above it all).
Here and now, today, I am not happy with my current physical state.
– I would estimate I am 20lbs over my ideal body weight.
– My skin has been constantly badly blemished for about 24 months now.
– I got a really stupid stress-related haircut last year (you know, the drastic sort that you secretly believe will dramatically improve your life), and am still working through the aftermath (it was really bad, the hairdresser actually said "there, now you look like Rhianna!" As if that would be a good thing for me. For her it's great but for me, not so much. Coincidentally my Welsh middle name is Rhiannon).
– I am tired all day every day.
– Each attempt to get back into a workout routine has left me utterly exhausted and needing a minimum of three weeks' recovery.
– I am unhappy with my appearance and often revert to dressing to hide myself rather than wearing what I like. To add insult to injury I have been interviewed and professionally photographed for work-related things twice in the past two years.
Where I am now is at the point of being serious about making changes and this is what I've been thinking about lately:
– No matter how much I wish it weren't so, I cannot simply do what used to work for me and expect it to work for me now. My body has changed and now that I'm older and have had babies, I can't just throw myself into an insanely intensive exercise programme without hurting something. I need to start gently.
– I need to approach this holistically. The best season of super-fitness I have experienced was the one just before I fell pregnant the first time. I was practicing what I had learnt about nutrition, I was exercising regularly, I was looking after my spiritual health, and I was hitting a good balance with my social life (I'm usually pendulum swinging between extreme hermit-like solitude and being out every single night of the week).
I am going to stop there for tonight. I have want to discuss the infamous Maria Kang picture in a separate post but not time to write about that now. Just want to get this one out first in a throwing-the-gauntlet-down sort of way. I'm pumped. Mentally, not yet physically. Here we go!


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The Rachel Maddow Show, Transcript 05/18/10, 11PM Show
RACHEL MADDOW, HOST: Good evening, Keith. Are you having those like election night sweats that I'm having?
KEITH OLBERMANN, "COUNTDOWN" HOST: Yes, but I've got a topical that I
can use for that. It's available without a prescription.
MADDOW: I'm like flashing back to primary season in 2008 and being on
with you guys and everything. I'm just—I'm vibrating off my seat at a
height of about six inches.
OLBERMANN: You're getting into Matthews territory here. Maybe you
just—just want to calm down a bit.
MADDOW: I appreciate that. Yes. Thank you, sir.
OLBERMANN: See you later.
MADDOW: See you later.
We do begin tonight with Decision 2010 – primary night in
Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oregon.
In a massive upset in the Keystone State of Pennsylvania—Senator
Arlen Specter who has been in the United States Senate for 30 years since
1980, who left the Republican Party explicitly because he said he could not
win another Pennsylvania Republican primary has now lost a Pennsylvania
Democratic primary. He will lose his seat in the U.S. Senate.
The Democrat running for that seat in the fall will be congressman and
retired admiral, Joe Sestak.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: It's been a great privilege to
serve the people of Pennsylvania. It's been a great privilege to be in the
United States Senate. Thank you all.
MADDOW: Moments ago, the man who beat Senator Specter, Congressman
Joe Sestak, declared his victory to be a victory over the establishment.
REP. JOE SESTAK (D), PENNSYLVANIA SENATORIAL NOMINEE: This is what
democracy looks like.
SESTAK: A win for the people, over the establishment, over the status
quo, even over Washington, D.C.
MADDOW: With 89 percent of precincts reporting, Congressman Sestak
pulling in 54 percent of the vote compared to Senator Specter's 46 percent
of the vote. Joe Sestak will be facing Pat Toomey in November. Pat Toomey
handily won the Republican primary in Pennsylvania tonight.
Also in Pennsylvania, more big news: the Democrat in the race has won
the special House election—election not primary—for Pennsylvania's
12th congressional district. Now, this is the district previously
represented by the late Congressman Jack Murtha. Democrat Mark Critz
elected to do that seat despite the district having gone for John McCain
over Barack Obama in 2008. Even as the entire state of Pennsylvania went
the other way—and despite the National Republican Congressional
Committee dumping on the order of $1 million into the race to support their
candidate, Republican Tim Burns.
Over to Kentucky, Rand Paul has won the Republican primarily for
retiring Senator Jim Bunning's seat. Rand Paul is, of course, the son of
Congressman Ron Paul. He ran with plenty of support from the movement that
supports his father nationwide, as well as from the tea party movement.
Right now, in Kentucky, with 99 percent of precincts reporting, Rand Paul
has a big 59 percent of the vote while the Republican establishment choice,
Kentucky secretary of state, Trey Grayson, has 35 percent of the vote.
In the Democratic primarily for that Senate seat in Kentucky, it has
been a fascinating race. The "Associated Press" is now projecting that
state Attorney General Jack Conway has beaten lieutenant governor and
former Senate candidate, Daniel Mongiardo. With 99 percent of precincts
reporting in Kentucky, we're looking at 44 percent of the vote for Jack
Conway to 43 percent of the vote for Daniel Mongiardo.
Mr. Conway is considered to be marginally the more progressive of the
two candidates; also the candidate with more support from the Democratic
establishment in Washington. He will face off against Rand Paul in
November. And that is instantly one of the most fascinating races to watch
for November.
Over to Arkansas—incumbent Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln has
encountered sturdy opposition to her re-nomination from the Democratic
lieutenant governor of Arkansas, Bill Halter. In Arkansas right now, with
just 42 percent of precincts reporting, we are looking at a very close
race, Blanche Lincoln with 44 percent of the vote, Bill Halter with 42
percent of the vote.
But keep in mind, again, a majority of precincts not yet reporting in
Arkansas. We will be watching that as it unfolds. It's all very exciting.
So far, no precise measurements of turnout in these races. That often
doesn't happen on election night, but when we get solid turnout numbers,
those may be the best bellwether of each party's chances for the November
But I got to say, these races from Arkansas to Kentucky to
Pennsylvania—admit it, they're fascinating on their own terms even if
they signify nothing larger than themselves.
Joining us now from Philadelphia, NBC News correspondent and
Pennsylvania news veteran, Andrea Mitchell, host of "ANDREA MITCHELL
REPORTS" which airs on MSNBC every weekday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
Andrea, thanks very much for being here again.
ANDREA MITCHELL, "ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS" HOST: Thank you. My
pleasure. What a race.
MADDOW: How—it is an amazing race—how much of an upset is this,
this Arlen Specter/Joe Sestak result? Arlen Specter, obviously, in the
Senate for 30 years—but in Pennsylvania right now, how big of a surprise
does this feel like?
MITCHELL: It isn't that big of a surprise, because we saw this
coming, we saw how close this was, how—it was really difficult for
Democrats to accept Arlen Specter as a Democrat. There was a lot of
finger-pointing going on. White House officials here now are saying that
Joe Biden would have been here for him, and did everything that they asked,
did a lot of radio, did a lot of phone calls for him, would have campaigned
if they had asked.
Others in the Democratic Party structure in Philadelphia, and in the
state say that if the White House let them down, particularly the
president, not so much Joe Biden who, of course, is long known as the third
senator from Pennsylvania because of his proximity in Wilmington and his
roots in Scranton. That said, he was a longtime friend of Arlen Specter,
and they couldn't pull him over the edge and they couldn't pull him over
the top.
He was a converted Democrat, and Rachel, the campaign advertisements
were terribly effective. Ironically, the same political consulting firm
that would long done—has long—has always been with Ed Rendell, the
governor who tried so hard to get Arlen Specter reelected, re-nominated so
he could compete in the fall, that same firm did those devastating
advertisements for Joe Sestak, the same firm that twice elected him to
Congress. So, they weren't new to him, but the fact is they portrayed
Arlen Specter as a turncoat, as a George W. Bush Republican.
He argued as recently as today, that they distorted his actual voting
record, and even though Ed Rendell tried to tell everyone who could listen
and so did Mayor Nutter, that Democratic mayor of Philadelphia, that
Specter had delivered over and over again for Democrats when they were
mayors and when they were governors that he never said no to anything, even
as a Republican, that the Democrats wanted for this city and for this
state, that was not persuasive. It really is a verdict, an indictment of
what party bosses, leaders from the White House on down can do.
People are angry. They're frustrated. They're scared and they're not
going to listen to people. They're going to vote their own instincts, even
when they did not know very much outside his own district, about Joe
Sestak. He presented himself in a positive way.
And I think a real game changer was also the Specter campaign's false
move, I think, a poorly thought out move to do a negative ad against Sestak
about his military record. That's just did not go over well.
MADDOW: Andrea, let me interject with some news that we just received
from Arkansas. We're just being told that essentially there's a big mixed
message here. Blanche Lincoln has won in the Democratic Senate primary in
Arkansas, but she has not crossed the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid
a runoff with Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter. Right now with 43 percent
of precincts reporting, we're looking at a 44 percent-42 percent split with
Lincoln ahead of Halter.
But, again, what we're able to say is that it is looking like this is
going to a runoff election. Results at this point—I should be specific
are inconclusive at this point about this full-out win, but it looks
like there will be a runoff in Arkansas in that Democratic primary.
Back to the issue of Pennsylvania. We'll be talking about those
Arkansas results with Chuck Todd in just a moment.
Andrea, you talked about a little bit about the White House response,
some finger-pointing going on between forces in Pennsylvania and forces in
D.C. in terms of who did what and whether or not all the things that were
requested were actually delivered. Do you sense that the White House is
worried about its ability to deliver political help to endanger Democrats
come November?
MITCHELL: Well, they ought to be if they're not. And, in fact, we
looked at the results in Massachusetts, the results here. The bottom line
is that at 5:00 tonight, Chuck Todd, and we are going to talk to in a
minute, was on the air on "HARDBALL," which is widely watched here in
Pennsylvania. It's widely watched, of course, across the country, but
Chris Matthews has a very special role to play in Pennsylvania.
And what Chuck was reporting is that the White House really was
washing its hands of Specter and was feeling that Sestak could be more
competitive against Toomey. Chuck can speak for himself to what his
information was from the White House, but we were hearing this for days
that from the Obama team in the White House—not from the vice president
but from the president's team of political advisers inside the White
House, that they thought that Sestak was a more competitive candidate and
that, in fact—they were telling people here, don't expect the president
to come back in and do some Hail Mary pass for Arlen Specter, which most
people here think might have been effective, might have turned up the vote
here in Philadelphia because he did not get a big enough margin in
Philadelphia to overcome the deficit in the rest of the state.
So, the popularity of Barack Obama, who is popular with Pennsylvania
voters, just did not translate. The endorsement didn't work and there is
going to be a lot of finger-pointing here, because this team is going to be
behind Sestak. They're going to go up against Toomey, and Sestak has said
he will, you know, work—rather Specter has said he will work against
Toomey for Sestak, because Toomey is such a conservative Republican and
would not be good in Specter's mind for the people of this state.
That said, this party is going to have a rough time coming together,
because there's a lot of bad blood here in Pennsylvania.
MADDOW: NBC's Andrea Mitchell, joining us live from Philadelphia—
lemon, honey, and hot water would be my only advice here from New York.
Take care of that voice and thank you, Andrea.
MITCHELL: Thank you, Dr. Maddow.
MADDOW: Not that kind of doctor.
OK. Still ahead: our Decision 2010 coverage continues with the latest
from the Kentucky primary and the man who announced his candidacy on this
show, Rand Paul.
Also, we'll be talking about those results we have just had in from
Arkansas. It looks like it will be a runoff between incumbent Democratic
Senator Blanche Lincoln and her challenger, the Democratic lieutenant
governor of Arkansas, Bill Halter.
NBC and MSNBC political director, Chuck Todd, joins us next. Please
stay with us.
MADDOW: So, is the Rand Paul revolution part of the Ron Paul
revolution? If so, are national Republicans going to be as hostile to Ron
Paul's son as they have been to Ron Paul himself and his legions of
supporters? Rand Paul is the Republican Senate candidate now for the great
state of Mitch McConnell's Kentucky. Everybody freak out!
Chuck Todd joins us next.
DR. RAND PAUL ®, WINNDER, KY SENATE PRIMARY: The tea party movement
is huge. The mandate of our victory tonight is huge. What you have done
and what we are doing can transform America. I think—I think America's
greatness hinges on us doing something to save the country.
MADDOW: That, of course, is Rand Paul, son of Texas Congressman Ron
Paul, declaring victory for both himself and for the tea party movement
which he describes as huge, after his win in the Kentucky Republican Senate
primary tonight.
Joining us now for more on that race and the rest of tonight's very
exciting primaries: NBC and MSNBC political director, Chuck Todd.
Chuck, thanks again for your time.
CHUCK TODD, NBC & MSNBC POLITICAL DIRECTOR: It's primary night. It's
very exciting.
MADDOW: It's very exciting. I might possibly have been suffering
from a deficit of election news.
TODD: It is. In two weeks, it's another big one.
MADDOW: I know.
TODD: This is the biggest primarily night until the next one.
Remember those days?
MADDOW: That's exactly right. Well, I might—I'm worried I'm going
to build up antibodies with how excited I am tonight, but I'll try not to.
Looking at Rand Paul, it's hard for me to imagine how the Republican
establishment really closes ranks behind him and support him in November.
They say they're going to. Are they going to?
TODD: They have no choice. You know, I'm scratching my head on a
number of things on this Rand Paul story in this respect. Let's just take
Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell. Rand Paul has done something tonight that
Mitch McConnell has never done. Rand Paul got more Republicans to turn out
on a Republican primarily than any Republican in the history of Kentucky.
This is Mitch McConnell, this is the Senate Republican leader, and
this is who Rand Paul essentially defeated. And, you know, you saw a
statement tonight by Jim DeMint, who's sort of become very much a king-
maker as far as the tea party movement is concerned and some other folks,
you know, really excited about Rand Paul. And I think you're going to
start hearing some whispers about Mitch McConnell, and that's on the Senate
Republican side.
And then you got what happened in the special election in Pennsylvania
12th, and you got hand wringing going on among House Republican leadership
going, yes, how did they—how did we blow this, they're saying. How is
it that this district, when John Kerry to John McCain, this—President
Obama's approval rating in the district according to polls we've seen on
both sides in the 30s in this district—how is it that all of these the
wind at their back and they didn't come even that close? It would have
been one thing to lose a close election and say, well, hey, it's a Senate
Democratic race in Pennsylvania and that did it.
So, there's a lot of potential intra-party feuding that could go on
over the next couple of weeks, recriminations going, what's going on,
questioning on the Senate Republican side of Mitch McConnell's leadership
and then questioning on some of the House Republican leadership.
MADDOW: When you say there may be questioning of Mitch McConnell's
leadership on the Republican Senate side, whispers we're hearing now about
Mitch McConnell—do you mean that he may be in trouble in Kentucky in
terms of somebody challenging him or he maybe in trouble in the Capitol
building with another Republican senator challenging him?
TODD: I think he's got to—he's going to have to be more worried
about what's going on here in Washington, because you can look at
legislative strategy. What happened with financial regulatory reform? You
know, it was his strategy to say, you know what, we're going to skip the
amendment process and the committee thing. It's his political strategy—
we're going to go to the floor.
Well, guess what? If whatever their goals were, it ended up being a
bill they like even less, a lot of Republicans in the Senate Republican
Caucus, that's coming out of the Senate now than say they would have had
Bob Corker and some other Republicans who wanted to do some amendments in
the committee process.
So, he's going to get hit with political strategy, second-guessing
with what happened in Kentucky, and then, now, some legislative strategy
questioning with his leadership in the Senate. It's just—it's going to
be a tough time to be Mitch McConnell over the next couple weeks.
MADDOW: Chuck, briefly, let me get your take on Arkansas runoff
between Senator Blanche Lincoln and Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter.
What's the most important takeaway there?
TODD: That the third candidate got double digits. This is not—I
think a lot of—the, quote/unquote, "conventional wisdom" was, look,
Blanche Lincoln is going to come just short. She's going to be sitting out
Well, right now, with about half the vote and we're seeing the third
candidate is getting double digits, you know, there's a lot of ways to read
that. Maybe he's the de facto none of the above. Maybe he didn't like all
the attack ads.
Whatever you want to say, this could be a much more of a really toss-
up and a coin flip come June 8th than say some of the Washington Democrats
are trying to spin about Blanche Lincoln. And it's going to encourage
Now, there's a lot of fighting inside the Democratic Party saying, you
know, is this really worth $5 million, $6 million of labor spending all
this money, to beat up another—you know, two Democrats beating each
other up, all of this money being spent on a seat that hey might not be
able to hold in the fall no matter which one of those Democrats gets the
MADDOW: NBC and MSNBC political director, Chuck Todd—thank you
very much for joining us tonight, Chuck, and for talking me down
TODD: All right.
MADDOW: See you soon.
So, were tonight's results a bellwether for Republicans running this
fall? A spokesperson for the Republican National Committee—finally—
joins us live, next, as our Decision 2010 coverage continues.
Please stay with us.
MADDOW: Coming in to today's primary races, most of the focus of the
national media was centered on the Democrats, mostly the Senate race in
Pennsylvania between Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak now won by Joe Sestak.
But it's not like stuff was boring on the Republican side. In
Kentucky's Republican Senate primary, Rand Paul, son of Republican
Congressman Ron Paul, easily defeated his main opponent, Trey Grayson, who
Senate minority leader, former Vice President Cheney, and who the Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and the Republican Party establishment all
had lined up behind.
Then there was the Republican House primary in Kentucky's 3rd
district. The Republican Party establishment pick in that race was a
gentleman named Jeff Reetz. He was endorsed by the National Republican
Congressional Committee.
In that race, Mr. Reetz not only didn't win, he wasn't even the
runner-up. He finished a distant third. What happened there?
But perhaps the most important result of the night for the Republican
Party was the race to fill the seat of the late Democratic Congressman Jack
Murtha in Pennsylvania. This is a seat that Republicans thought they could
pick up tonight. And they spent a lot of money trying to do so, but within
the last hour, that race was called for the Democrat in the race, Mark
A failure acknowledged by the defeated GOP candidate, Tim Burns, just
moments ago.
TIM BURNS ®, PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: This is a
failure, but there are a lot of lessons to be learned here, OK? There are
a lot of lessons to be learned here.
MADDOW: Joining us now is a spokesman for the Republican National
Committee, Doug Heye.
Mr. Heye, thanks very much for joining us. Really looking forward to
having the chance to talk to you.
DOUG HEYE, RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Absolutely. Thank you for
having me.
MADDOW: So, when Tim Burns said tonight there are lessons to be
learned from that Pennsylvania 12th race won by the Democrat tonight, do
you think he's right? Do you think there are obvious lessons there?
HEYE: I think win or lose on any election, there are lessons to be
learned. And, you know, one of things we learned was the real structural
advantage the Republicans had. And you have to tip your hat or I would
have to tip my hat if I were wearing one, to Ed Rendell, who's very smart
of him to schedule the special election on the same day as the Democratic
primary in the Senate and governor's race. You know, when Monty Hall
chooses, you know, what's behind curtain number three, it's because he
knows what's behind curtain three.
And Ed Rendell certainly knew what the turnout that would happen for
Democrats today, and I think it was a smart move politically for him, but
we'll be in this fight again in November. And I think our chances are
really good there.
MADDOW: Now, this loss in Pennsylvania is the seventh straight
competitive special House race that Republicans have lost since 2008. And
it can't all be blamed on Ed Rendell, although it would be fun to try to do
that, especially in person with him.
Are you concerned about House Republicans overall in their momentum
heading into November?
HEYE: No, not at all. You know, we got a special election in Hawaii.
That's coming up this weekend, with Charles Djou, who's a really strong
candidate, and, you know, it's not just House races. We got Senate races
and we got Senate special election.
Obviously, all of America knows who Scott Brown is because of his
amazing come from behind election in Massachusetts, which was a special
MADDOW: Scott Brown's endorsement is not doing any help, though, in
Pennsylvania 12th today. That said, though, a lot of excitement on the
Republican side for the Rand Paul win, just because, if for no other reason
that it was a decisive win in the Kentucky Senate primarily.
Now, I know there's a lot—everybody has been having this discussion
about Republican establishment versus the sort of tea party and Ron Paul
Movement-supported candidacy there, but I want to ask you about the
possibility of the Republican establishment really coming together behind
Rand Paul for the fall. It's hard for me to imagine that, because I feel
like I've seen so much friction between the Republican Party and the Ron
Paul Movement in the past.
HEYE: Well, I can tell you, being at the RNC, there's no friction
with us with Ron Paul and his supporters. You know, we got a choice as a
party—we either grow or we die. And, really, Kentucky shows us a good
opportunity there with the decisive victory.
And I know I can't speak for Senator McConnell, but I know he wants to
win in November. And my guess is you'll see Senator McConnell and Rand
Paul at some kind of unity event in the next few days to emphasize that
they are campaigning together, and that this is a seat that we can win.
And one thing that really has been ignored over the past few weeks as
the Democrats really had that tough primary in Kentucky, is that Rand Paul
polled against both of them, whether it was Mongiardo or Jack Tough from
the old YouTube, Jack Conway, that he's polled ahead of them.
And so, he's in a strong position to win. Our party is enthusiastic.
And whether you talk about Pennsylvania, Kentucky or Arkansas, or even my
home state of North Carolina, Democrats are divided. They have runoffs and
primaries that just get right down the middle. And that's not good a
position for them to be in.
MADDOW: What was—what was the name that you just called Jack
HEYE: Jack Tough. If you go to YouTube and look up Jack Conway, Jack
Tough, somebody put out a pretty good web ad out there that I think your
viewers would probably enjoy. I know I sure did.
MADDOW: Are you endorsing that for the RNC?
HEYE: It's not ours. I'd love to know who did it because I thought
it was funny. And, you know, there were a lot of these—Lee Fisher just
had one of these videos come out that I think your network showed pretty
strongly. But Jack Tough is a good one that people should see.
MADDOW: You are the communications director for the RNC using that
nickname against him repeatedly on TV. I give you one last chance to
disown it, if you want to.
HEYE: No. I'm not disowning anything.
MADDOW: All right.
HEYE: It's a good web ad, and we think people should see it.
But I'll tell you one thing that I think is really important, and you
were mentioning this with Andrea earlier. We saw the White House really go
out of their way in the last day or two to distance themselves and really
trash Arlen Specter's campaign.
And as a Yankees fan, I'll tell you, it was deja vu all over again for
me. We saw them do it with Martha Coakley. We saw them do it to Craig
Deeds in Virginia. We saw them do it in New Jersey with Jon Corzine.
You know, in Washington, you sometimes say that the most dangerous
place to be is between a politician and a camera. But really, it appears
that it might be between Barack Obama and a bus if you're a Democrat
because he'll throw you under that bus if you're losing. And that sends a
strong message to candidates and their donors.
MADDOW: Well, linking about the splits between the parties. I think
everybody's looking forward to seeing what happens between Rand Paul and
Mitch McConnell. If there is going to be a unity event, I will owe you—
sometime in the next couple of days, I will owe you a beer and look forward
to buying it for you in person, Doug.
MADDOW: Thank you very much for your time.
HEYE: Thank you, Rachel.
MADDOW: Doug Heye is communications director for the Republican
National Committee. We finally got somebody from the RNC to come on the
show! Yes!
Still ahead, more election results. But first, "The Interview." The
man in charges of the government's response to the BP oil disaster in the
gulf, U.S. Coast Guard commandant—commandant, excuse me—Admiral Thad
Allen, will be joining us. We'll be talking about whether or not the
pictures that we have just started to see today, like this, of oil coming
ashore, are the first of many pictures like this, or whether there is an
end in sight. Please do stay with us. This is a remarkable interview.
MADDOW: The man overseeing the government's response to the BP oil
disaster, Admiral Thad Allen of the Coast Guard, has called this, quote,
"the hardest problem I've had to face." Coming from anybody else, that
would not raise an eyebrow. Coming from him, given what he's faced in the
past, eyebrows raised.
Joining is now is Admiral Thad Allen, the commandant of the U.S. Coast
Guard. He is Best known nationally for having taken over responsibility
for the federal response to Hurricane Katrina after the initial response
fell short.
Admiral Allen, thank you very much for your time tonight, sir.
ADM. THAD ALLEN, U.S. COAST GUARD COMMANDANT: Good evening, Rachel.
MADDOW: The images that we saw from South Pass today of oil on
marshland, pretty hard to stomach. Do you expect that more oil will make
landfall any time soon?
ALLEN: Rachel, I think it's likely. One of the difficult things
about the spill is it's not a large, monolithic spill. The oil has come to
the surface. Sometimes it's been treated with dispersants or in situ
burning or was mechanically recovered by skimmers. So rather than having a
very large, homogeneous spill, what we have is a very large perimeter with
concentrations of oil. That's bad in that it's a wide perimeter. It may
be good in that when it comes ashore, it's coming ashore in much smaller
quantities than a large spill would represent.
MADDOW: I know that BP is responsible for the spill in the first
instance, but you are the National Incident Commander for the federal
government here. You're overseeing the federal government's response and
BP's response. Do you feel like there is more that could be done that
hasn't been done? Are there any other resources or techniques that would
have a reasonable chance of containing this thing that haven't been tried
ALLEN: Well, I kind of divide the problem into two parts, Rachel.
The oil on the surface is something we know how to deal with and we've done
before. There've been a massive amount of resources that have been
gathered to deal with that. And they extend from central southwest
Louisiana all the way around now to Pensacola, Florida, and our planning is
extending clear down to Key West, as you noted earlier.
The other issue is the source of the discharge. That's what makes
this spill very, very unique. There's no human access at the point of
discharge. Everything we know comes back through remotely operated
vehicles and remote sensing. It's two-dimensional. Therefore, things like
trying to establish the flow rate become problematic. That doesn't mean we
can't or shouldn't do it, it just means it's a very different operating
environment from what—anything we've dealt before in spill response.
MADDOW: In terms of that flow rate, there has been some controversy
as scientists have said that there is—there may be more that could be
done to determine how much oil is leaking every day. BP has resisted
trying to put too many resources toward that, saying it wouldn't make that
big of a difference in terms of the response, anyway. It would essentially
be a distraction. What's your view about how important it is to understand
how much oil we're dealing with quantitatively?
ALLEN: Well, again, I think it's important to make a distinction
between the flow rate as it relates to the response and the need to
understand the flow rate and the overall magnitude of the spill. We
mobilized far more resources than the flow rate would indicate right now
because we are prepared for a worst-case discharge. So in that case, the
flow rate is not consequential to the amount of resources we've mustered or
However, in the long run, we start looking at natural resource damage
assessments, long-term impacts. We need to know how much total oil has
been discharged. And to do that, we have to have a better way of
understanding what is coming out through those leaks. To that end, we've
actually established a technical group with a peer review that's going on
right now. I've been consulting with Lisa Jackson and Jane Lopinko (ph),
other members of the administration, and we're bringing all best minds to
bear on how we can get a better estimate of what's coming out of those
MADDOW: When you were first appointed national incident commander
here, sir, you estimated the capping process, shutting down the point of
origin of the spill, would maybe take 45 to 90 days. You said that about
two weeks ago. Do you think that's an appropriate estimate? You think
that's what we're looking at in terms of getting that thing capped?
ALLEN: Yes, I believe the target date that's been established by P
(ph) is the 14th of August. And they have what they call a depth-to-time
chart where they plan out where they need to be to at a certain time to
meet that milestone. And right now, they are on target with their depth-
to-time chart. They are taking a pause right now because they have to
build casing on the way down to support the pipe before they go through
another section, and they're just below 4,000 feet below the sea floor
right now. But as they get further down, it becomes more difficult due to
the rock formations. But so far, against their timeline, they're on
MADDOW: In terms of the overall responsibility here and the direction
of the response, if BP wasn't doing something that you thought could
improve the situation—I'm not accusing them of doing that, but if that
were the case, could you compel them to do it?
ALLEN: That's a great question, Rachel, and the answer is yes. Under
the law, the federal on-scene coordinator—in this case, it's Rear
Admiral Mary Landry, who runs the area unified command down in Robert,
Louisiana, who reports directly to me. We have the authority to direct BP
to provide information. That is how the video was released today that you
MADDOW: Have you had any other issues of conflict with BP that you
can tell us about in terms of things that you'd like them to do that
they've been reluctant to do?
ALLEN: I think there's generally concurrence on the large-scale
issues. I think sometimes, the logistics of moving boats around—there's
so much activity going on on the surface and on the bottom with remotely-
operated vehicles, trying to get everybody cued up and do what you need to
do simultaneously has presented some logistics challenges. And I think
we've had to kind of centralize our approach to boom acquisition. I'd say
other than those two things, which are more coordination challenges, on the
big issues, they've been responsive.
MADDOW: Admiral Allen, your presence here and your role here is
something that has inspired a lot of confidence in a lot of Americans,
mostly because of what—we know the confidence that our leaders have put
you in you both after Hurricane Katrina and in this instance. I also know
that you are due to retire as commandant of the Coast Guard a week from
today, on May 25th. Are you planning on continuing your role in this
relief effort, even after the date which you're supposed to be able to
finally take a rest?
ALLEN: Well, Rachel, the 25th of May is actually the change of
command date for the commandant of the Coast Guard, and I'll be relieved as
commandant by Admiral Robert Papp (ph). My actual retirement date is 1
July because I was going to take leave. But that's under active discussion
right now, and I serve at the pleasure of the president and the secretary.
MADDOW: Admiral Thad Allen, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, thank
you for your service. Thank you for joining us tonight, sir. And best of
luck. We're all counting on you.
ALLEN: Thank you, Rachel.
MADDOW: Thank you.
As crude oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico and tar balls
start washing up on Florida beaches, guess who's stepping up now to make
sure that oil companies don't have to pay too much in terms of their legal
liability for this disaster? It's the same senator who called global
warming the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.
Joining us to talk oil culpability and the inimitable James Mountain
(ph) Inhofe is California senator Barbara Boxer. She's with us next.
Please stay tuned.
MADDOW: Imagine you're a shareholder in the giant oil drilling
company Transocean. Say it's April 19th. Transocean's the largest
offshore drilling company in the world. It's turning out billions of
dollars in profits every year. They've just finished drilling this gold
mine of an oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Happy days for Transocean
shareholders as of about April 19th, right? Then April 20th happens.
Transocean's $650 million Deepwater Horizon oil rig explodes. Eleven rig
workers are killed. Two days later, the rig sinks to the bottom of the
Gulf of Mexico with the well still spewing oil out of control.
Not good times to be a shareholder now, right? Actually, not right.
On Friday, this past Friday, Transocean held its annual shareholders
meeting in their corporate tax haven in Switzerland. You might remember we
fake-moved our show to Switzerland for the occasion. After that meeting
was over, Transocean made this announcement, an update for its
shareholders. Quote, "Shareholders authorized the board of directors to
make a cash distribution to shareholders of approximately $1.0 billion U.S.
dollars – $1 billion to Transocean shareholders. Happy days indeed.
That was this past Friday, 22 days after the Deepwater Horizon rig
sunk. As Transocean is busy handing out a billion dollars to its
shareholders in the wake of this enormous disaster, the company has
simultaneously been in court in Texas, arguing that its liability for the
disaster should be limited to $27 million. They need more cash to hand out
to the shareholders.
In Washington, Congress and the administration are still trying to
figure out, A, how this disaster happened, and B, how to make sure the
companies involved are not able to wiggle out of their responsibilities in
dealing with it. On the "How did it happen" front, today Interior
Secretary Ken Salazar testified before the Senate for the first time since
that April 20th rig explosion. It was the Interior Department's Minerals
Management Service, the MMS, that was supposed to be overseeing the
drilling. Secretary Salazar acknowledged today that MMS apparently was not
up to the task of doing that regulating, of making sure that all of the
rig's safety systems were working.
SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: Do you believe that Minerals Management
has adequately regulated blow-out preventers?
KEN SALAZAR, INTERIOR SECRETARY: No. The answer is no. I don't—I
think that there is additional work that should have been done with respect
to blow-out prevention mechanisms.
MADDOW: The Obama administration now taking steps to break up the
Minerals Management Service, something that maybe should have happened a
long time ago, like, I don't know, maybe when the whole MMS oil industry
regulators shtupping oil industry lobbyists scandal came to light? Maybe
that would have been a good time for the break-up?
In terms of the financial responsibility for the disaster, Democratic
senator Bob Menendez tried to move ahead on legislation that would raise
the financial liability for oil companies when spills happen. It would
raise the cap on their liability from $75 million—that's it? – to $10
billion. Mr. Menendez tried to pass that for a second time today. You
might recall the first time he tried it, it was blocked by Republican
senator Lisa Murkowski. Today, it was blocked by Republican senator James
Inhofe of Oklahoma. Mr. Inhofe's reason for objecting? He said that
passing this legislation would give big oil what they want?
SEN. JAMES INHOFE ®, OKLAHOMA: Big oil would love to have these
caps up there so they can shut out all the independents. If you raise the
caps right now precipitously to this height, you're going to help the five
big oil companies, including BP.
MADDOW: Big oil wants their liability raised, and if we pass this
legislation, it will prevent little mom-and-pop oil companies from getting
into the biz because, you know, they might be financially responsible for
these spills, and we couldn't have that! Taxpayers have to take care of
This is argument is so weird! I'm sorry! It's not all that
professional to note that, but it's weird. Mom-and-pop oil companies need
to get in there in order to compete with the big companies, and in order to
keep that room available to the mom-and-pop companies, we have to make sure
if they create giant spills that they don't have to pay for them? Really?
That's your argument? Really?
Companies that can afford to pay for these spills are companies like,
oh, say BP, and it now looks like the financial burden of this cleanup may
be the least of BP's concerns. Yesterday, eight U.S. senators, led by
Democrat Barbara Boxer of California, wrote to the attorney general, asking
him to open a criminal investigation into BP's actions. The letter to
Attorney General Holder reads in part, quote, "We request that you review
this matter with respect to civil and criminal laws related to false
statements made by BP to the federal government."
Joining us is Democratic senator Barbara Boxer of California. She is
chair of the Senate committee on environment and public works. Chairman
Boxer, thank you very much for joining us tonight.
CHAIR: Thank you very much for having me on the show, Rachel.
MADDOW: Senator, what makes you think that BP might have potentially
violated even criminal laws here? What are the false statements that
you're worried about?
BOXER: Well, with your permission, I want to be very precise here, so
I have them on this chart.
BOXER: What they said when they applied for the permit to the federal
government was, "In the event of an unanticipated blowout resulting in an
oil spill, it is unlikely to have an impact based on the industry-wide
standards for using proven equipment and technology for such responses."
So it was very soothing, and they basically said, No problem, we know how
to deal with it.
Then after the spill, listen to what they said. "All of the
techniques being attempted or evaluated to contain the flow of oil on the
seabed involve significant uncertainties because they have not been tested
in these conditions before."
So it's amazing. They were so sure of themselves. And then after the
fact, they admitted they weren't ready at all. So it seems to me we're
looking at a company that's already pled guilty to a couple felonies in the
past, one involving a situation in Texas where people were killed, and
another one in the Arctic. And now it seems to me that they made false
statements, and I think we need to go after that.
MADDOW: When the government received that application for drilling
that described proven equipment and technology, as you just said, for
responding to any disaster…
BOXER: Yes.
MADDOW: … shouldn't the government have looked into it and said,
Proven? Is it proven? Drilling at this depth, has it been proven to work
at this depth? Isn't this also a disastrous failure on the part of the
Minerals Management Service at the Department of the Interior to have had a
lot of skepticism about that initial application?
BOXER: Oh, I think it's a nightmare. And all you have to do is go
back to some of the exposes that some of the press have done on the very
cozy relationship that you've talked about a lot between the Mineral
Management Service and the very companies that they're supposed to oversee.
It's a nightmare. I mean, there were stories about parties and drugs and
everything else going along with it, that the oil companies were inviting
all of the people that oversaw them to these parties.
Now, it seems to me very clear that we have to separate out the
permitting process from the safety process. It cannot be in the same
agency. And I spoke with—today, when we had Secretary Salazar there,
who is really struggling, trying to get this thing right—he has stated
that there ought to be a separation of those two functions and have a
separate agency for the safety. But he talked about originally putting at
the MMS, the Mineral Management Service. I think it needs to be completely
separate. So we'll work together on that, he and I and others.
MADDOW: Should there be permits for deep water drilling at all? I
found myself thinking about this, not only in hearing that second admission
that you just read from BP, talking about how none of the spill response
technologies are proven at this depth, but also looking at Shell Oil
getting their final approval or trying to get their final approval to go
ahead with deep water drilling or—excuse me—with underwater drilling
off Alaska. They've been bragging about how they're going to pre-stage one
of those domes that didn't work in the gulf in case there's a spill up
there. They're going to pre-stage a response ship, which wouldn't have
helped with what happened in the gulf, and we wouldn't know if it would
work in the Arctic.
Should there not just be a moratorium on this until we feel more
confident in the technological response that the industry has been bragging
about until they're proven wrong?
BOXER: Rachel, in my mind, it's a pretty straightforward call. We
need a pause right now. And not only that, but members of my committee
were saying to the Council on Environmental Quality today, Nancy Suttly
(ph) – it's a very good person there—saying we don't even know how many
of these wells are out there right now that got the expedited procedure and
didn't have to do detailed environmental reports.
So I think there needs to be a pause in this area. And the truth of
the matter is, what we are putting at risk here is enormous in the Gulf
Coast region, more than 300,000 jobs, Rachel, related to fishing, tourism,
recreation. I can tell you, in my home state, where we have fought hard
for a moratorium—and thank goodness, we have one at the moment—if you
look at the number of jobs created by the oil companies versus the number
of jobs created in the tourism industry, recreation and fishing, there are
so many more in those other areas, rather than the oil companies that it's
very clear we need a time out.
Too much is at risk here. And I simply cannot believe some of the
comments that were made today by BP that they already were predicting this
wouldn't be a big deal. This is a big deal. Right now, there's an area
the size of Pennsylvania that is off-limits for fishing in the gulf. Right
MADDOW: Democratic senator Barbara Boxer of California, thank you for
joining us on this utterly infuriating issue tonight. I really appreciate
BOXER: Thanks.
MADDOW: As we're going out here, control room, do you guys have a
sound bite from—that we were going to use—that we have available and
we were going to use earlier about Hayward? I just want to go out with
this. This is BP's CEO doing an interview with Sky News today in Britain,
talking about his perception of the impact of this disaster. Listen to
TONY HAYWARD, BP CEO: The environmental impacts of this disaster is
like to have been very, very modest. It's impossible to say, and we will
mount as part of the aftermath a very detailed environmental assessment as
we go forward. But everything we can see at the moment suggests that the
overall environmental impacts of this will be very, very modest.
MADDOW: Very, very modest. Just like all that technology for dealing
with the response was proven and tested. We'll be right back.
MADDOW: Wow. A handful of primaries and a special election, and
boom, action! Tonight, we saw Arlen Specter lose the Democratic primary
for November's election, effectively ending his five-term Senate career
which dates back to 1980. Arkansas senator Blanche Lincoln faces a runoff
in her Democratic primary for Senate. Ron Paul's son, Rand Paul, wallops
the Republican establishment candidate in Kentucky's Senate primary. And
the special election for Jack Murtha's old House seat in Pennsylvania stays
Vice President, Joe Biden long deeply connected in Pennsylvania
politics, his office telling us tonight that Vice President Biden spoke
with his old friend, Arlen Specter, tonight after supporting him through
his race against Joe Sestak, the vice president also speaking also speaking
with the new Democratic congressman Mark Critz from Pennsylvania's 12
tonight, telling Mr. Critz he is ready to help him again when he has to
defend that seat in November.
That does it for us tonight. We will see you again tomorrow night at
9:00 PM Eastern. A live edition of "HARDBALL" with Chris Matthews starts
right now. Good night.
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Copyright 2010 Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by
United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed,
transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written
permission of Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark,
copyright or other notice from copies of the content.>


text:
Playing with Yarn
if you die in the middle of it.
-P.J. O'Rourke
This post will be something akin to a Random Friday. (It is Friday, right Jenn?) I had a great night last night playing with yarn, knitting, and books. In no particular order:
- I did get that Merino Style color card, as Rachel recommended. Oh, wait. I forgot to tell you that I returned the Rhubarb. I do want to brighten up my wardrobe, but that theory only works if you actually wear it, right? The new color of the day will be Tide Pool. It's bright turquoise, so it's bright and cheerful and will add fun to my wardrobe, but it will also match things I already own. A good combination.
- Speaking of that massive KnitPicks order, I spent some time figuring out what I had intended to knit with all the yarn I bought. A few were obvious; others I managed to narrow down to one or two, or three . . . time will tell. Time will tell.
- And my next personal Book-of-the-Month club selection will be from that order. I'm making the Rowena cardigan from Knit 2 Together in Ambrosia. Yum. 80% baby alpaca and 20% cashmere. It's a joy to work with, and looks great on US 5s, nice and even. And soft. Look: I swatched!
- But in the meantime, I also fulfilled the UFO Resurrection Challenge for January. I had some technical difficulties with the zipper concept for the Ribby Cardi, so I ended up finishing Branching Out. This is just a teaser - it will have it's own special post to follow.
- And also, I got a little distracted in the middle of my swatching. It's still (kind of) the Christmas season, right? Check out the contrast from last year. And do note the adorable irony of my mohair fuzzy mittens hanging on a California Fan Palm, the only palm tree actually native to California.
- It must be still some sort of giving spirit, because look at the great gift that just showed up at my door: A package from my aunt. Apparently she was cleaning her closets recently and came across some yarn she wasn't going to use. I am now the happy (and surprised) recipient of a bunch (maybe 800-1000g?) of a purple DK-to-worsted weight cotton. It's an unmercernized single ply with a thread plied around it, kind of nubbly. Something about it is saying Ballet T-Shirt to me.
- And . . . speaking of gifts, I forgot to mention my first finished object of 2007: The Hug, a scarf in an Old Shale variation in a brushed New Zealand mohair. I neglected to take a finished photo as, once again, I was in a mad dash to the post office. But it came out beautifully, everything it should have and was sent on it's way to a friend who could use a little warm and fuzzy at the moment.


text:
Microsoft makes SBS 2008 bits available to (some) subscribers
The RTM version of Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 is posted to Microsoft's TechNet and MSDN for subscribers. Some subscribers that is. A few subsets of that population still cannot access the software — all they get is greyed-out links. That's a buzz kill. Word has it that Microsoft is working on the issue.
Also, Action Pack subscribers, who got access to the premium edition of SBS 2003, will now only get the Standard Edition. The differentiator between standard and premium editions is the presence of SQL Server 2008 in the latter. And since Action Pack people already can get the database, why the shutout?
Registered partners can subscribe to Action Pack for $300 a year to get lots of not-for-resale software and other perks.