text:
TheFlyingBastardPosts: 787Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 3:17 am Gender: Male
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
RichardMNixon wrote:Purdy culurs
Thanks, that's a bit more understandable.
So what you're trying to say is that to make the water fully coloured, you need to spread around the Cs which, from far away, will make the water look uniform, but up close will show that the Cs are actually all over the place?
|Thu Aug 12, 2010 11:38 pm
LightPosts: 34Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:14 pm
Re: Sticky please: Science, layman and language
AndromedasWake wrote:This might seem mundane, but its fundamentally important to the Universe that this process has a definite direction, because this is the direction of the arrow of time.
...I got chills.
...and it's 1973. Almost dinner time. I'm 'avin 'oops.
|Fri Aug 13, 2010 12:29 am
RichardMNixonPosts: 1047Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:45 pmLocation: USA Gender: Pinecone
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
Anachronous Rex wrote:I would point to the misconception that evolution denotes improvement by standards we judge to be good.
Definitely a good point, I would also add that no modern species is "more evolved" than any other modern species. Humans aren't "further up" the "evolutionary ladder" than trout, we just evolved in a different direction.
Thanks, that's a bit more understandable.
Hurrah! I think that's about right. Make sure you get the causality right though. The Cs don't spread around in order to color the water; rather the water is fully colored because the Cs spread around. They spread around because it's entropically favorable to have more possible combinations.
The fact that colored water might look more "ordered" than wisps going everywhere isn't especially relevant except as an example that "looking ordered" doesn't mean it isn't entropically favorable. There are plenty of things that both look entropically favorable and still are entropically favorable, like explosions .
"When I come to my own beliefs, I find myself quite unable to discern any purpose in the universe, and still more unable to wish to discern one." ~ Bertrand Russell
"If we do not succeed, we run the risk of failure." ~ Dan Quayle
|Fri Aug 13, 2010 4:55 am
hackenslashPosts: 2439Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:43 pm Gender: Cake
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
Oh, and I thought I'd add this, originally posted at Ratskep, as a corrollary to AW's post about entropy, because it deals with Shannon entropy, a concept from information theory, and is also often falsely conflated with thermodynamic entropy:
hackenslash wrote:Psalm23 wrote:I'm not lecturing you on entropy, please calm down and put your knife away. :what:
Last edited by hackenslash on Sun Dec 19, 2010 3:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
|Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:03 am
OrkaneyPosts: 15Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:26 amLocation: Oslo, Norway
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
I thought this was going to be a list of misunderstood definithions and so on, I think most of us are capable of looking things we don't understand up. Anyway, my contribution would be:
of cells
of drums
and so on.
|Fri Aug 13, 2010 5:51 pm
AndromedasWakePosts: 598Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:38 pmLocation: Captain's Chair, League HQ Gender: Cake
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
RichardMNixon wrote:AndromedasWake wrote:A snow flake is highly entropic, but is it disorderly? Statistically yes
The water that formed it has its entropy minimised by the Sun. The Sun heats the oceans, which liberates vapour, increasing entropy. The vapour rises to meet with cold surroundings in the atmosphere, and warms it surroundings, increasing the entropy of the vapour/air system. The snowflake isn't any colder than its surroundings when it forms, it's just made of water, so at the equilibrium temperature it has lost enough heat to state change to a solid, whereas the air does not. The snowflake will not spontaneously give up any more heat in this state, it's at thermodynamic equilibrium with its surroundings. The water vapour that makes up the snowflake is warmer than its surroundings, and will perform work on them.
Therefore the snowflake has more entropy (less available work energy) than the water vapour from which it formed. The low entropy of the vapour is set by the Sun. Heat flow from the Sun to the ocean transfers work energy (order) decreasing the entropy of the ocean, which performs work on the atmosphere increasing its entropy. The atmosphere also performs work on space.
EDIT: I can see just how unclear this is reading it back after a coffee. What I am trying and failing to say clearly is that the water vapour leaving the ocean surface has more work energy in its surroundings than a snowflake does in its surroundings. So even though as you rightly pointed out, the formation of the snowflake results in a decrease in entropy (which is less than the increase of the system) the snowflake is more entropic (less able to do thermodynamic work) than the vapour just above the ocean's surface, which is able to give up heat to its surroundings.
(( "We are 'star-stuff'. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself." - Carl Sagan | Music! | Twitter - [ AndromedasWake | SiriusStargazer ] ))
|Sat Aug 14, 2010 1:10 pm
EpiphytePosts: 10Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 5:04 pmLocation: VA Gender: Pinecone
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
hackenslash wrote:In information theory, there is a parameter known as Shannon entropy, which is defined as the degree of uncertainty associated with a random variable. What this means, in real terms, is that the detail of a message can only be quantitatively ascertained when entropy is low. In other words, the entropy of a message is highest when the highest number of random variables are inherent in the transmission or reception of a message.
Thanks for the info. I didn't know this.
In Ecology we use the Shannon index to find species diversity.
|Sat Aug 14, 2010 3:47 pm
ProteusPosts: 84Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 8:55 pm Gender: Male
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
"Creationists, differentiate between operational science and origins science. Operational science is defined as science which deals with observable, repeatable, and testable phenomenon such as the laws of gravity, the structure of the cell, or chemical reactions. Origins science, on the other hand, deals with questions of an unobservable nature: hypotheses about events which only occurred once by their very nature, and which therefore cannot be repeated, tested, or observed."
"To help us understand that science has practical limits, it is useful to divide science into two different areas: operational science and historical (origins) science. Operational science deals with testing and verifying ideas in the present and leads to the production of useful products like computers, cars, and satellites. Historical (origins) science involves interpreting evidence from the past and includes the models of evolution and special creation. Recognizing that everyone has presuppositions that shape the way they interpret the evidence is an important step in realizing that historical science is not equal to operational science."
"Experimental scientists focus on a single (sometimes complex) hypothesis, and the main research activity consists in repeatedly bringing about the test conditions specified by the hypothesis, and controlling for extraneous factors that might produce false positives and false negatives. Historical scientists, in contrast, usually concentrate on formulating multiple competing hypotheses about particular past events. Their main research efforts are directed at searching for a smoking gun, a trace that sets apart one hypothesis as providing a better causal explanation (for the observed traces) than do the others. These differences in methodology do not, however, support the claim that historical science is methodologically inferior, because they reflect an objective difference in the evidential relations at the disposal of historical and experimental researchers for evaluating their hypotheses."
-Dr. Carol E. Cleland
"Evolution breaks down into at least three logically separable components: First, that life arose by chemical accident; second, that it then evolved into the life we see today; and third, that the mechanism was the accretion of chance mutations. Evolutionists, not particularly logical, refuse to see this separability."
-Fred Reed
"See evolution says we started of tiny and we're getting bigger, and better, and stronger, and smarter..."
-Kent Hovind
"The word, "evolution" simply means "change over time." But in the context of science, that word refers to an aspect of biology. Specifically, it is a process of varying genetic frequencies among reproductive populations; leading to (usually subtle) changes in their morphological or physiological composition, which,when compiled over successive generations- can increase biodiversity when continuing variation between genetically-isolated groups eventually lead to one or more descendant branches increasingly distinct from their ancestors or cousins. Or more simply, it is how life forms diversify via "descent with modification"."
-L. Aron Nelson
"People usually mean that we see changes within a kind but not between kinds; however, the important distinction is that we observe changes that do not increase the genetic information in an organism."
"...describes the variations that develop within a population, and includes speciation."
"Variation within a kind..."
"Microevolution refers to varieties within a given type. Change happens within a group, but the descendant is clearly of the same type as the ancestor. This might better be called variation, or adaptation, but the changes are "horizontal" in effect, not "vertical.""
-Institute for Creation Research
"Evolution involving small-scale changes, i.e. within the species level, occurring over a short period of time that results in the formation of new subspecies."
"Major changes occurred between these diverse life forms (i.e., fish changed to amphibians, amphibians changed to reptiles, and reptiles changed to birds or mammals)."
-Kent Hovind
"Kinds of life diverging and occasionally increasing in complexity through random processes down through time. The theory is that single-celled creatures gave rise to (possibly) multi-cellular marine organisms. Later fish evolved into amphibians, and then into reptiles which (possibly diverged and) evolved into the birds and mammals. Over the theorized millions of years the divergent complexity of life in nature has (apparently) increased in order, numbers and magnitude."
"In evolutionary biology today, macroevolution is used to refer to any evolutionary change at or above the level of species. It means at least the splitting of a species into two (speciation, or cladogenesis, from the Greek meaning "the origin of a branch")...or the change of a species over time into another (anagenetic speciation, not nowadays generally accepted)...[a]ny changes that occur at higher levels, such as the evolution of new families, phyla or genera, are also therefore macroevolution, but the term is not restricted to those higher levels. It often also means long-term trends or biases in evolution of higher taxonomic levels."
"Being random, mutations represent a loss of genetic information and they often result in a loss of specialization. Such mutations actually produce an organism that is generally weaker than the non-mutant, but in some cases a mutation happens to allow the mutant to survive an unusual situation because the mutants have lost something the situation targets for destruction."
"A permanent change, a structural alteration, in the DNA or RNA. In humans and many other organisms, mutations occur in DNA. However, in retroviruses like HIV, mutations occur in RNA which is the genetic material of retroviruses. In most cases, such changes are neutral and have no effect or they are deleterious and cause harm, but occasionally a mutation can improve an organism's chance of surviving and of passing the beneficial change on to its descendants. Mutations are the necessary raw material of evolution. Mutations can be caused by many factors including environmental insults such as radiation and mutagenic chemicals. Mutations are sometimes attributed to random chance events."
|Sat Sep 04, 2010 6:46 am
Aught3Posts: 4290Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2009 3:36 amLocation: New Zealand Gender: Male
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
Wanderer, there is no path, the path is made by walking.
|Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:05 am
ProteusPosts: 84Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 8:55 pm Gender: Male
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
Aught3 wrote:AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does my extreme use of color bother you?
|Wed Sep 08, 2010 12:18 am
MokyPosts: 175Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 4:41 am Gender: Female
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
@Proteus I love you. Except for the bright colors.
|Wed Sep 08, 2010 3:54 am
TheFlyingBastardPosts: 787Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 3:17 am Gender: Male
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
Moky wrote:@Proteus I love you. Except for the bright colors.
Why? I think they're FABTATHTIC!
|Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:08 am
WomblePosts: 216Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 1:04 pmLocation: UK Gender: Pinecone
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
If you are going to get creationists on their misconceptions you might have to go lower than the levels your talking about in this thread. Why? Because if they misunderstand even one of the fundamentals that the more scientifically literate take for granted then their understanding is just a giant house of cards. I'd put money on the fact that few creationists (this is out of the majority) rally get what science is about, and thats before i even tackle those that allege to be trained scientists that are proponents of it. So i've hit google and i've found this link for you on kids misunderstandings in science: http://homepage.mac.com/vtalsma/misconcept.html It seems to be a summary of other works on kids misunderstandings, and it's a nice accessible free format. If theres anyone that is intriuged by this topic and would like to read more i recommend this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Sense-Se ... 168&sr=8-2 if you are ordering it from elsewhere make sure it's the book you get and not the teachers resoure pack.
Periods of the Palaeozoic & Mesozoic:
Cambridge Ordinand Silently Develops Carbuncles at Permanent Trial by Jury for Creationists.
Made of naturally refined fissile Womblonium 232
|Tue Sep 21, 2010 6:56 am
FaithlessThinkerPosts: 618Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:41 am Gender: Cake
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
Womble wrote:http://homepage.mac.com/vtalsma/misconcept.html
Wow! A collector's item! Some of the childish misconceptions listed are also found in religions. Some are found in other fields like supernatural (ghosts and such), astrology, etc.
"It was my honest attempt to find a more pure form of God that made me realise that there was none."
|Thu Sep 30, 2010 4:49 am
WomblePosts: 216Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 1:04 pmLocation: UK Gender: Pinecone
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
anon1986sing wrote:Womble wrote:http://homepage.mac.com/vtalsma/misconcept.html
It's not surprising that those misconceptions are childish......as they're the misconceptios of children.
Periods of the Palaeozoic & Mesozoic:
Cambridge Ordinand Silently Develops Carbuncles at Permanent Trial by Jury for Creationists.
Made of naturally refined fissile Womblonium 232
|Thu Sep 30, 2010 4:49 pm
amanda morePosts: 2Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:03 am Gender: Female
Re: ** STICKY ** Science, layman and language
"How it is misunderstood by laymen.
What it actually means in science.
An easy definition for a regular person to correctly understand it.
And if possible, some examples and media."
I do kind of tire about discussions of terms in this fashion. There are technical terms and lay terms. Using the term in a lay fashion is not exactly incorrect. It is just English.
The language of science is - math. Is that bridge safe? (<only english) It will safely hold 20 tons. < primarily math
Why must we slave when talking to nonscience types to talk in their way- words? When they won't try to speak ours.
So this isn't exactly terms just very basic fourth grade or maybe eight grade math. I ask "Oh, you play the lottery- so if there is 100 million taken in the state takes in 50 million." "Yes, I knew the state kept money." "So, when you spend $1 on a lottery ticket the state keeps 50 cents, right?" It goes right over their heads. Why? Why can't they work to understand just a little of our method of communication. No, it isn't education. Even if they aren't science majors, they had math in eight grade. Is there a FMRI on why? I wanted to write a book on this phenomena but I can so far only describe. I can't find studies on the why. So, I suppose the word here is odds. There would be no Las Vegas if there wasn't a sucker born every minute.
|Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:28 am


text:
Packet needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 18 designs submitted by 9 freelance designers.
We are in need of a new website, for a brand new brand, VAR.ie
VAR.ie stands for Value Added Resellers, we basically sell trade only mail filtering and databackup along with various other solutions
Logo tag line
"The Channels Partner"
Websites we like
http://www.maildistiller.com/ ( the spam filtering we resell)
http://www.databackup.ie (another site we own)
Links to include
Home : White Label Backup : Mail Distiller : Products : Services : About us : Contact
We would also like drop down menus.
- must feature white label backup on the main page
- must feature mail distiller on the main page
- Item 1...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
You are hereHome ›
Narrow Search
Now showing results 1-10 of 39
Students will test various materials to determine if any can shield their "magnetometer" (compass) from an external magnetic field using their own experimental design. If no suitable material is available, they will devise another method to protect... (View More) their instrument. Includes background science for the teacher, worksheets, adaptations and extensions. Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are also identified. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $10 - $20 per group of students
Twice each day, once during daytime and once at sunset, students observe sky color, visibility, and sky conditions over a one week period. Each observation is recorded on a sky report form (included) for follow-up discussions and comparisons. This... (View More) lesson is one of four in the GLOBE program storybook entitled, "What's Up in the Atmosphere? Exploring Colors in the Sky." GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free
This science news story highlights Hubble's infrared image of the Horsehead Nebula. Students will discover why astronomers are interested in this nebula and how they study the nebula using infrared light. Star Witness News is a series of articles,... (View More) written for students, that are inspired by Hubble Space Telescope press releases. Supplemental education materials include vocabulary, discussion questions and answers, and identifies relevant English language arts standards. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free
This is a book about the importance of the Sun's energy as it relates to its impact on the Earth's environment. Learners will read or listen to a story about a young boy, Joshua, who finds out that the Sun provides the Earth with energy in the... (View More) form of light and heat, which is necessary for all forms of life, for maintaining Earth's environment, and for allowing humans to produce their own forms of energy. Additionally, an extension activity is included, Searching for the Sun, where learners can conduct a hands-on experiment observing how plants grow towards sunlight in order to make conclusions about why the Sun's energy is a necessary component for life. Reading and vocabulary activities are also included. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free per group of students
In this activity about spectroscopy, learners build a spectroscope, learn about graphing spectra, and then identify elements in gas tubes using their spectra. The activity concludes as learners graph the spectra of different materials. Essential... (View More) materials required for this activity include spectrum light tubes, the power source for spectrum light tubes, and diffraction grating material. (View Less)
This is a lesson about the electromagnetic spectrum. Learners begin by arranging a set of picture cards; in the discussion afterwards, this activity is related to the electromagnetic spectrum as an arrangement of energy waves. Next, using a... (View More) clothesline to model a logarithmic scale, they add in the electromagnetic spectrum. Finally, learners conduct several simple tests to detect other types of radiation. This activity requires access to a sunny outdoor location and the use of ultraviolet light-sensitive beads. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $1 - $5 per group of students
This is an activity about the Doppler effect. Learners begin by simulating the noise made by a passing siren. After learning that the change in pitch results from movement, they investigate the definition of frequency, calculate change in frequency,... (View More) and learn how this applies to light and the study of astronomy. This lesson requires a Doppler ball, also referred to as a buzzer ball. (View Less)
This is an activity about the relation between day length and temperature. In one team, learners will create and analyze a graph of hours of sunlight versus month of the year for a number of latitudes. In another team, learners will graph... (View More) temperature versus month for the same latitudes. The teams then compare data and draw conclusions from their analyses. (View Less)
In this hands-on activity, learners will build a solar cooker by lining a box with reflective material and adding a translucent cover. The cooker can be used to make food products. This activity recommends use of empty (clean) pizza boxes. This... (View More) activity requires a sunny outdoor location for an extended period of time. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $5 - $10 per group of students
In this lesson, learners will discover how certain snakes (pit-vipers) can find prey using a natural infrared sensor and will extend their understandings by exploring infrared technology applications. The lesson features background information for... (View More) the teacher, pre-requisite skills and knowledge for the student, a mini-exploration of infrared image technology, multiple image sets, assessment information, student worksheets, extension and transfer activities, and additional resources. This is lesson 2 on the Infrared Zoo website. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $1 - $5 per group of students


text:
Write a News Story
Meet a Pioneer Pilot
Amelia Earhart Home
Back to
Story List
Crash and Burn
By: Annisa R.
Virginia, Age 11
Amelia attempts to fly from Oakland, California to Howland Island. Lockheed Eletra got off to a bad start and crashed. Amelia or Fred Noonan were hurt. They took off June 1,1937 and flew to San Jaun Perto Rico. Amelia was off the coast of West Africa and went through a thick haze. Fred passed a note to Amelia telling her to south but she went north. Where are they now? You will find more about that @ 5 p.m.
Back to
Story List


text:
Our Fitness Blog
Three Fitness Myths That Women Should Ignore
As a woman, I know the pressure many of us feel to look amazing. We would do anything to have the perfect body. Many of us go after every fitness fad and hot new diet that comes along only to feel dejected and as if we will never achieve our dream body. The only way to ever achieve our dream body is through exercise, nutrition and hard work. There are many myths and fads out there that we need to ignore to get our self image up, which can help motivate us to achieve a more fit body.
We will take a look at some of these myths and ways you can dispel them.
Metabolism. Myth: if you do not have an amazing metabolism, you will need to starve yourself to lose weight. The act of starving yourself will actually make your body hold onto calories. You will be in survival mode and whatever little bit you eat will stay with you. Your metabolism will also slow as you eat less and cause you to actually gain weight. Of course, you should also try to reach for healthier foods and snacks. The nutrients you need to maintain or repair your muscles during your fitness routine is crucial. The better your body can cope with your workouts the more effective they will be. Good fuel = good workouts!
Cardiovascular Exercise: Myth: you can only burn fat through numerous hours of cardiovascular exercise. Cardio is an integral part of any workout, but it is not the most effective way to burn fat. If you do more than an hour of cardio without some type of fuel you may cause your muscle mass to break down and actually slow your metabolism. Also doing the same thing every day becomes boring, and your body becomes use to the motions causing your results to slow or even stop. You need a fitness routine that changes from day to day making you work different muscles in new ways.
Spot training. Myth: you only need to work out the areas you want to lose weight. Spot training never works. It is true that a specific area can become more toned as you work it out, but this will not affect the layer of fat on top of these muscles. The best way to achieve your idea of the perfect body is to work ALL your muscle groups, consistently change up your routine, and stick to a sound nutrition plan. You can do all the crunches you want, but this will not guarantee you a flat stomach.
You should remember there is not just one way to achieve the body of your dreams. However, this being said, you should not fall victim to the fitness and diet fads everyone swears by. There is no easy routine or magic pill to give you the body of your dreams. When you try so hard and never get the results you want it can be disheartening but do not give up hope. You have to stay motivated and put in the effort and hard work to reach your goals.


text:
Page content
School & Youth Group Lodging Options
Just as easily as they walked into the 18th century, your group can quickly and conveniently return to modern-day life in Colonial Williamsburg's comfortable lodgings. Our group-friendly hotels are the closest accommodations to the Revolutionary City and feature impeccable service, modern amenities, and recreational activities. Each hotel offers a variety of recreational options, an on-site gift shop, and nearby dining along with easy access to the town. Some include daily continental breakfast.
Williamsburg Lodge
The Williamsburg Lodge is newly renovated and expanded with southern hospitality and impeccable service. Learn More
Woodlands Hotel & Suites
The Woodlands Hotel & Suites offers unparalleled convenience located adjacent to the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center. Learn More
Governor's Inn
The most economical way to enjoy the values and amenities of the Colonial Williamsburg Hotels is to stay at the Governor's Inn. Learn More


text:
03 February 2012
Bayonne Ham Sandwich with Roquefort and Apple
A cold snap here has left Parisians shivering in their fashionable coats and reaching for their leather gloves. Yesterday the metro was slowed because of ice and people are generally at a lost as to how to keep warm. I am in my winter happy place. Ok, so it's in the low 20s and windy, but it's finally sunny! No rain boots, no more mid-season jacket. I finally have on my winter coat and the cute hat I bought in Bryant Park when I was in NYC over Christmas. When I wake up, the sun is rising and sending all sorts of beautiful colors across the sky. I'm onstage until the end of February and rehearsing two other shows. I play soccer every afternoon with kids I babysit for fun and exercise. Right now, life is good.
I've been trying to make all of my meals at home these days, even when they need to be simple and quick. When I absolutely have to eat on the run, I bring something with me. I gave up on buying sandwiches that are more expensive and not nearly as good as mine, and started having fun with all sorts of variations. This is one of my recent favorites.
Bayonne Ham Sandwich with Roquefort and Apple
French bread
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Two slices Bayonne ham or prosciutto
2 Tbsp Roquefort (or other blue) cheese
4 thin slices of apple (I used golden delicious)
fresh ground pepper
I know you all know how to make a sandwich, but just for the sake of being thorough...
Spread the mustard on the bread. Lay on the ham/prosciutto, Roquefort and apple slices. Grind pepper to taste. Close sandwich and eat!
8 comments:
- David Newhouse said...
Mmmmmmmmmmm! Hungry! Must make this incredible sandwich!!!!!!
- 03 February, 2012 14:59
- Rosa's Yummy Yums said...
Oh, what a fabulous sandwich!
- 03 February, 2012 15:12
- Hopie said...
Dad - Go for it! It's good stuff!
Rosa - Thanks!
- 03 February, 2012 17:00
- Olivier SC said...
Miam miam ! Je partage dans la Revue ce soir ;)
- 03 February, 2012 20:13
- Katharine said...
Drooling :)
- 04 February, 2012 03:42
- Gilles Desforges said...
Pour OlivierSC : tu connais Scoop.it ? Olivier y a placé ce billet ; juste pour le plaisir ! (http://www.scoop.it/t/blog4burma/p/1138517464/hopie-s-kitchen-bayonne-ham-sandwich-with-roquefort-and-apple)
- 06 February, 2012 19:43
- Hopie said...
Gilles - Non, je ne connaissais pas encore, mais c'est sympa de voir la revue comme ça ! Merci !
- 06 February, 2012 23:25
- I Wilkerson said...
I am not usually a sandwich person, but this looks really great. Now I can't wait for picnic season!
- 16 February, 2012 19:49
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
I partnered up with UncommonGoods to show some fabulous uncommon gift ideas for the botanical lover. The holidays are almost here and UncommonGoods has a lovely array of unique Christmas gifts to explore here. Naturally, when thinking of things a botanical lover would enjoy, I found intriguing items from the garden section here.
First up, I chose the vertical wall planter. I enjoyed picking out plants to tuck into the modern vessels. It's great that the vessels are attached with large magnets so you can easily remove them for watering and place them back up when done or to change up the design of the garden. What's also cool is that they can be hung on a fridge or a filing cabinet. I placed it in my little office corner which is now much more enticing for me to work on billing and my on-line holiday shopping with my own little vertical garden around me.
Next, these wall dot bud vases are a fun way to easily add a pop of botanical goodness to any room. I added them to my girls' room. They have a sleek modern feel but when paired with the preserved ferns, the modern turns delicate. They also hold water so I am excited to switch them out for fresh flowers once in a while if our garden is blooming or if we see a gorgeous bunch of flowers at the market.
This post is sponsored by UncommonGoods, an online marketplace offering unique designed and hand-crafted merchandise. All content and opinions are my own!


text:
I've got my plate full this month with clients and I wanted to start blogging about other companies that have got my respect, as well most of the industries as well. I am kicking off the new section to this blog entitled Link Building Companies, and it will showcase other great people who can get the job done right. First up is no stranger to the SEO and link building world and they go by the name of Link Fish Media. I always like to mention that this post was in no way paid for or suggested by Link Fish Media and is written out of respect for industry leaders who I think would be great to handle your campaign.
I first heard about the company through one of the owners, Julie Joyce, whom articles can be seen all over the web including Search Engine Land. It's always good to familiarize yourself with a company before making the plunge, and going with people who are loud in the community gives you the opportunity to make a smart decision. The other half of Link Fish Media brings another well respected member to the table…I'm sure most of you have heard of Jay Young. You may have seen him speak at SES London, or read something on the SEO Blokes Blog.
Link Fish Media handles all aspects of link building from the initial building blocks right up to getting your viral content linked all over the web. Remember that these two have years of experience and what I like most is they take a unique approach to your link building campaign, and not just some cookie cutter directory submission and social bookmarking. So if you're looking for professional link building then please get in touch with Link Fish Media.


text:
Prospect of the Week: November 13, 2013
We continue our Prospect of the Week award, an honor (virtually) given to one Tampa Bay Lightning prospect for their recent contributions on and off the ice.
The Prospect of the Week for November 4, 2013 is … Jonathan Drouin, C/W (Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL, CAN).
If there were concerns as to how the 18 year-old would take being returned to Halifax and fare without former teammate and current NHLer Nathan MacKinnon to play alongside of, they ought to be non-existent now.
After being hindered by some minor injuries in the early going this season and what amounted (for him) to something of a slow start, Drouin's gotten off to a hot start in November, registering six goals and seven assists in just four games. It was only a matter of time before Drouin earned our weekly honors and, though he has yet to win any of his league's weekly or monthly awards this season, we suspect he's on the cusp of earning one of those distinctions as well.
The 2013 first round draft pick had two goals and four assists last week, tallying one apiece against Moncton while netting a goal and setting up three others against Saint John last week. He is currently 15th in the QMJHL scoring race but has played in substantially fewer games (14) than all of those in front of him, between 6 and 9 games less than all but one player who has played only 18 games. At slightly over 2 per game, his 29 points put him only a hair off of average last season when he posted 105 in 49 games.
Drouin projects as an elite top-line winger at the NHL level. His playmaking ability and vision are exceptional; his control of the puck, particularly in tight on defenders and goaltenders is mesmerizing. Drouin may not have explosive speed but he's extremely shifty -- especially quick in his lateral movements -- and still moves up-ice very well. Often knocked for his supposed lack of size, he's got a compact frame at close to 6'0" and 190 pounds that he'll flesh out even more as a pro. Even now, he's strong on the puck and his skating ability makes him difficult for defenders to line up for solid contact.
We rank Drouin as Tampa Bay's No. 1 prospect ahead of goaltender Andrey Vasilevskiy and forward Nikita Kucherov.
2013-2014 Prospect of the Week winners:
November 4: Nikita Kucherov, FW, (Syracuse Crunch, AHL, USA).
October 29: Kristers Gudlevskis, G, (Syracuse Crunch, AHL, USA).
October 24: Henri Ikonen, W, (Kingston Frontenacs, OHL, Canada).
October 16: Nikita Kucherov, W, (Syracuse Crunch, AHL, USA).
October 9: Henri Ikonen, W, (Kingston Frontenacs, OHL, Canada).
October 1: Andrey Vasilevskiy, G, (Salavat Yulaev, KHL, Russia).
September 24: Adam Erne, W, Tampa Bay (NHL) and Quebec (QMJHL)
- 2049 reads
- Printer-friendly version


text:
Browse by Group
Group by: Creators Name | Item Type | No Grouping
Number of items: 2.
McQueen, D., 1999. Free press? You must be joking: how the British press is suppressed. Spectacle, 2 (2), pp. 47-62.
Watson, T. and Noble, P., 1999. Applying a unified public relations evaluation model in a European context. In: Transnational Communication in Europe: Practice and Research. International Congress, 1999, Berlin.
About the University / Courses / Academic Centres / Research / Academic Support / Facilities and Resources / Services to Business
Access for All / News and Events / Future Students / International Students / Current Students / Staff / Alumni


text:
Assignment Photography and Syndication
- My Favorites
- Scenes of New York
- Bicycles
- Florence
- Men Milan
- Women Milan
- Men New York
- Women New York
- Men Paris
- Women Paris
This entire site ⓒ 2005-2011 The Sartorialist. All of the photographs herein, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted by the photographer. No part of this site, or any of the content contained herein, may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without express permission of the copyright holder(s).
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
- said ... (12:28 PM) :
- said ... (12:36 PM) :
- said ... (12:56 PM) :
- said ... (1:02 PM) :
- Bronwen said ... (1:09 PM) :
- said ... (1:17 PM) :
- said ... (1:25 PM) :
- said ... (1:41 PM) :
- Faust Haus said ... (1:44 PM) :
- said ... (1:51 PM) :
- said ... (1:53 PM) :
- said ... (2:01 PM) :
- janvangogh said ... (2:11 PM) :
- said ... (2:20 PM) :
- said ... (2:26 PM) :
- whyioughtta said ... (2:58 PM) :
- said ... (3:11 PM) :
- said ... (3:35 PM) :
- said ... (3:42 PM) :
- said ... (3:49 PM) :
- said ... (3:49 PM) :
- said ... (4:00 PM) :
- said ... (4:08 PM) :
- said ... (4:09 PM) :
- said ... (4:17 PM) :
- Robert said ... (4:19 PM) :
- said ... (4:21 PM) :
- said ... (4:37 PM) :
- said ... (4:40 PM) :
- said ... (4:41 PM) :
- sina said ... (5:15 PM) :
- said ... (5:30 PM) :
- said ... (6:19 PM) :
- said ... (6:30 PM) :
- said ... (7:01 PM) :
- said ... (7:11 PM) :
- said ... (7:40 PM) :
- said ... (9:46 PM) :
- said ... (9:54 PM) :
- david said ... (11:30 PM) :
- said ... (12:00 AM) :
- said ... (1:17 AM) :
- said ... (1:29 AM) :
- said ... (3:20 AM) :
- said ... (3:44 AM) :
- said ... (5:05 AM) :
- said ... (6:34 AM) :
- tongue in cheek antiques said ... (6:58 AM) :
- said ... (7:31 AM) :
- said ... (8:08 AM) :
- said ... (8:37 AM) :
- said ... (8:41 AM) :
- said ... (8:43 AM) :
- Hong Kong Loudspeakers said ... (10:56 AM) :
- said ... (12:42 PM) :
- said ... (7:56 PM) :
- SwanDiamondRose said ... (12:17 AM) :
- said ... (11:02 AM) :
- said ... (12:51 PM) :
- said ... (10:33 AM) :
- said ... (6:20 PM) :
- mute-muse said ... (4:39 AM) :
- said ... (11:51 PM) :
- said ... (12:27 PM) :
- said ... (7:45 PM) :
- said ... (8:45 PM) :
- said ... (5:55 AM) :
- said ... (2:34 PM) :
- sarah skelton said ... (9:26 PM) :
- said ... (9:44 PM) :
I find the contrast with the bright boots just too much; they engulf the rest of her outfit which we therefore don't really notice.
There's something about the color of her boots.
I think it's a good mix of the colors she's wearing.
Love the boots with the tickets...how random that they are the same yellow.
Are those rubber boots? If she had a little more punk attitude (hair) this outfit would feel more deliberate.
ooh I like it! Very fun. I think the bright boots are balanced by the red bag. There are so many ways this outfit could have gone wrong but she pulled it off. Great coat too!
Where is her yellow matching raincoat?? Those boots are way too much-they don't work for me. A brown or black boot would have been lovely with her outfit! I think she looks comical.
i adore this outfit.
We always love those who share our sensibilities--I love the yellow boots. A European winter can always use a spot of color. I might have chosen a more classic bag color (too "ketchup and mustard" for me). But the whole look is fun and comfortable and the yellow boots make it exciting. What better for the Etro show?
I dont agree. I think that you see everything so clear, the gorgeous coat, the red bag, the yellow boots and her cute haircut. I love it!
Yesss!!!! Don't be afraid to punch that color!!! A woman after my own heart.
Every time I've tried bright colored shoes, they get dirty beyond repair the instant someone even looks at them.
Maybe yellow rubber won't be ruined quite as quickly... but I doubt it. Fun look based on throw-away, one-wear-only shoes.
Interesting combination but the boots are a bit too bright.
i completely love the boots, it makes her fly out at you, which is so important in cities with millions of people all wearing grey; very attractive-ATWR
ORANGE purse!
I love yellow accents! I agree with the previous poster that the contrast in this outfit is really strong, but I appreciate the boldness, especially b/c yellow in a booty is unexpected.
This is great, but I hope she never puts down that bag. The splash of bright red keeps her boots from being the sole focus of the outfit.
I love it. Especially with the red purse.
The only thing I'm not sure about is the bangs in the eyes. Looks crazy-making. I'd be scratching my face constantly.
Irinia Lazareanu is inspiring a generation of semi-blinded women! But still, she is quite chic.
A splash of extreme color is a welcome addition to a dark ensemble.
I don't like this at all. Seems so contrived.
It's like she took every single speck of color from her outerwear and included it somewhere in the outfit.
Even her hair color is in the jacket :-)
I like the tip of the red bag...or rather just a tease of the red bag.
i love how the coat and the pants are very understated in color. the bright yellow shoes really complete the outfit.
great photo!
love the boots! they make the outfit
I think the colours are lovely and that its great you noticed.
Ooh, color! I don't think I could do that myself but I am so happy that she is doing it.
I've made this same mistake of putting yellow on its own like this with black (everything else) and I also agree that the particular shade of yellow is too overpowering. The shoes become separated from the rest of the outfit. It just doesn't photograph well imo.
Very good!
i think her boots are chic. so much better than brown or black slouchy boots we see everywhere in nyc. i like the clean lines of the boots. they pop, and actually draw me in so i look at the rest of her outfit more closely.
i think its fine.. definitely bold but it works. I mean if she wore the yellow boots with "bright" clothes then she would probably look like a clown.
It's kind of like a palette when you've been painting a while. They bright colors were originally squirted off to the side, and the stuff you've mixed with them has now turned to different shades of mud.
I like it. It looks like she dipped her feet in yellow paint.
Sart, you just made me want to paint. Awesome!
Love the boots!
But the bag should be brown as the rest of the outfit!
Oy vey!
the pop touch for the perfect smart combination!
Great work
I love the yellow boots. They are the perfect contrast. It's like they are saying, "I'm excited for almost spring, and you should be too!" I love the little peek of red as well.
Also, is she wearing a blouse under her t-neck sweater, or could it be a scarf?
Final thoughts...let's not limit ourselves people, a touch of color is always good! She's perfect.
the boots distract me, but if you can pull it off, more power to you -- daring is more fun than not.
LOVE the coat tho, that's a great shape!
-robin in l.a.
great use of color. i love the shot of yellow injected w/ the browns
kudos to her for having the sheer guts to wear yellow boots. and they add a playful twist to an otherwise demure, classy ensemble... i'm a fan of those boots...and the coat...
i looooove the contrast of the yellow boot with traditional fall colours and tweed cape.
hmm. the color certainly is refreshing given the oh so grayness of the winter looks (i had to look at the spring archives to perk me up a little), but i'm not sure about the mix of textures. maybe if there was less texture going on, it would be better?
anyway, i hope the groundhog sees no shadow and we can see some blossoming spring color.
i think the boots are a bit to bright
Amazing, cape and boots - she looks like a superhero!
A M A Z I N G !!! simply perfect, great combination of color and proportion
yellow: look at the stars/they're shining for you/ and everything you do....
oh i LOVE it! so different, interesting, exciting! it feels like a modern update on the 70s color combo of brown with orange and yellow.
I love those boots!
a touch of green and should would go!
I love (LOVE!) this look. It's so great to see pops of color - especially taxicab yellow - with an otherwise sober outfit. Really fun, and really nice during the dark days of winter. The fact that she's adorable doesn't hurt, either.
Love this outfit!
I normally don't like yellow so much, but i was just thinking about yellow shoes the other day, and I just saw a cute yellow anonymous bag I loved and did not buy.
I think I am growing!
gorgeous Jacket, Yellow boots are made for walking.
she certainly dressed herself.. "differently"
and she really looks like a dutch singer/actress/tvwoman...
angela groothuizen
i say google!
I love the yellow boots. It works with her outfit perfectly.
You gotta smile when you see those boots. and the inclusion of a bright bag shows that this is part of her personality. Love it.
I'm sorry. She just looks too eccentric, and not stylish. Those boots and the red bag, combined with that jacket are just not good!
that is perfect. we really need that right now.
never seen an outfit that reminded me more of my apartment. all honey wood, caramel leather, bronze wrought iron and flashes of really great colors in terms of vases, pictures and pillows!
i could put her picture on my bookshelf!
Cool outfit. But she should have skippet the red bag, cause with the boots it's very ketshup and mustard..
I like the feeling of that she just put on her bright yellow boots, and do not look desperat. If she had had a "cool" haircut , she would have a very desperate look like; "I try to look very innovative and cool". But this is perfct. :)
she can really wear the coluors
I think the boots are hard to wear in that color but I have to admit she is brave and not everyone can carry it off so confidently.
does anyone kow the designer of that cape/coat? I've become quite in love with it...
i do like the colors, but let's be honest, it sort of screams, "quack, quack!"
absolutely wonderful. she stands out in all the right ways.
ahhhhhhhh . . .something about her outfit just screams - turn it off! the yellow boots have to go.
I don't understand why some people say black and brown don't go together. I think they look so strong together.
About the yellow boots, maybe if they were a mustard colour, which is in right now, it wouldn't have looked so "in your face". However, because they are that bright yellow it's putting people off.
I think that the boots are a really good choice they do drag you away from the outfit but it all goes so well, I think it was a good choice and she pulled it of well.
nice boots, I like it!
this outfit makes me seriously happy.
could be balanced better ... the proportions and hair.... but still
the boots..... amazing


text:
They don't make things like they used to. That's what Jackie Tennant may be saying these days as her truck's transmission passes a major milestone.
Tennant, 62, has been an owner-operator for 35 years. Throughout her 4 million miles or so of travel, she has gone through a lot of parts – tires, brakes, and even a few engine overhauls. But transmissions? Not many.
Tennant recently reported to Roadranger that her Eaton RTLO 13-speed manual transmission has surpassed the 2 million mile club. A very select group no doubt.
And not only has the transmission powering her Kenworth W900 tractor passed the test of time, its needed no major work to get there.
"Amazingly, I've never had to tear it apart once," she said. Since the transmission went into operation 15 years ago, Tennant estimates she has replaced brakes 15 times, changed tires about 23 times and had the engine overhauled twice. But the transmission keeps on shifting.
Tennant, who is leased to Intel Carriers in DeForest, WI, hauls refrigerated freight from the Midwest to Texas and Florida. Along the way, one thing is clear: the Eaton transmission has lasting power, and Tennant really knows how to shift.


text:
FLAT RATE SHIPPING - $299 for the first door - $35 for any additional door
The Rustic Series provides classic charm while bringing contemporary appeal to any home. The doors feature deep graining and panel profiles with a distinctly European architectual style.
Approximate Shipping Lead Times:
SLAB ORDERS (Door Only): 1 week (to ship out from our warehouse)
PRE-HUNG ORDERS: 3-4 weeks (to ship out from our warehouse)
This product is being shipped from our warehouse in Los Angeles, California. Please understand, that lead times stated above represent the date the products will ship out from our facility. Once the product(s) ship, a tracking number will be forwarded to you and the shipment can be tracked with the carrier. It will take a few additional days for the common carrier to deliver the product to you.
Read more: Shipping Policy


text:
Our program of African music, news, and politics happens to be the longest running African show in New York. Founded by Joe Mensah, the African Show was co-hosted by the legendary Babatunde Olatunji until this team handed over the show to current host Lawrence Nii Nartey in the late 1970's. Nii is exceptionally proud of the wealth of music that the African continent has produced and strives to present African music in all its variety, from traditional to popular, from West to East, from North to South. Over the years, guests of the show include: I.K. Dairo, E.T. Mensah, Tabu Ley Rochereau, Manu Dibango, Sam Mangwana, Nana Ampadu of African Brothers International, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Soukous Stars, Hugh Masakela, and Doudou Ndiaye Rose. The show also plays host to an annual festival of African culture around Thanksgiving time.
In All Languages


text:
Narine proves to be West Indies' silent menace
West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine may not command the headlines like Chris Gayle, but he proved to be just as deadly a force in the one-day series win over New Zealand.cricket Updated: Jul 15, 2012 22:44 IST
West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine may not command the headlines like Chris Gayle, but he proved to be just as deadly a force in the one-day series win over New Zealand.
Narine took two wickets for just 20 off his full quota of 10 overs on Saturday as the West Indies won the fourth ODI by 24 runs to guarantee an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
His heroics with the ball earned him the man-of-the-match award as he combined with Tino Best (4-46) to bowl out the visitors for 240.
Together they topped a superb century by New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor, who made 110 on his return from injury.
"I was doing it for the team," said the softly-spoken Narine. "It was the big game of the series and I knew I just had to do the job for the team again. We wanted to win on Wednesday and seal the series, but we ended on the wrong end, so it was very important that we rebounded today and finish off the job."
"Normally, when I go onto the field I look at the scoreboard and see what is required of me. Sometimes it requires me to be attacking, other times I just have to keep the pressure on. Today, I tried to keep my composure and build the pressure. We got wickets at key stages and the pressure mounted on them."
"There was a great deal of effort today. We had to dig deep to come up with this win, and that made it feel that much better. To win a series at home is special," he said.
"The batsmen played really well after we found ourselves in some trouble and that gave us something to bowl at. Tino kept running in and I knew my job was to remain accurate and build the pressure on the batsmen."
Narine came into the attack in the first power-play and his first spell went for just seven runs as the West Indies took control.
His first wicket was Kane Williamson, who bowed to the mounting pressure and was leg-before swinging across the line.
Late in the innings, Narine returned and forced Doug Bracewell into a desperate big hit which found the safe hands of Keiron Pollard at long off.
So far in the series, which concludes in St Kitts on Monday, Narine has captured eight wickets in four matches at an average of 14.87 runs per wicket, and an economy rate of just 2.97 runs per over.
First Published: Jul 15, 2012 22:42 IST


text:
Dear anybody that can or might help.
I am new to this site and am a new mac user. I came across an interesting website and cannot get into it. A message tells me that I am not authorised for access to the site and it carries a padlock icon. I have no knowledge of where this message comes from, it does not appear to come from the site although I am prepared to accept that the site might be suddenly out of bounds to everybody. It was mentioned on Richard and Judy ITV channel show this afternoon in connection with Ministry of Defence cold war bunkers coming up for sale. The url jumps to http://www.subbrit.org.uk:81/.cobalt...orbidden.html. There is probably some simple explanation but I am a bit paranoid as I was previously looking up maps of Iraq on a govt. Ministry of Defence website. Armed with this info can anyone help me out and let me know what they think happened? I would like to access Subterranea Britannica. Thanks.


text:
Grand Rapids Police Chief Kevin Belk Retiring
A news release issued by the City of Grand Rapids on Tuesday announced that Police Chief Kevin Belk will be retiring after serving the city for nearly 34 years.
Belk will end his service with Grand Rapids Police Department on Feb. 7.
Belk joined the GRPD in 1980 as a patrol officer. He became an investigator only two years later. Belk was promoted to sergeant in 1988, investigative supervisor in 1989 and deputy commander of the detective unit in 1993. Belk became captain in 1996 and served as commander of the Investigative Division until 2003.
When the previous police chief, Harry Dolan, retired in 2007, Belk was named Acting Police Chief. He got the job full-time in 2008.
In the news release, City Manager Greg Sundstrom spoke of Belk's service to the city:
Chief Belk has served in the Grand Rapids Police Department with honor and integrity. His exceptional leadership has led the Police Department into a highly-respected and professional department.
Of his time with GRPD, Belk said:
It has been a tremendous honor for me having been able to serve as a Grand Rapids Police Officer since May 27, 1980. Since that time, I have had the privilege of working with the finest people that anyone could meet. The men and women of the Grand Rapids Police Department are very dedicated and caring public servants who have committed their lives to the safety and security of the community.
Belk has been asked to continue serving a chief until his replacement is selected.


text:
ASHEVILLE – Atlanta residents Burton and Rebecca Posey were recently on their way home from visiting relatives in Virginia when they decided to make a stop in Western North Carolina's most populous city.
ASHEVILLE – Atlanta residents Burton and Rebecca Posey were recently on their way home from visiting relatives in Virginia when they decided to make a stop in Western North Carolina's most populous city.
The married couple, in their early 30s, were strolling near Asheville's historic shopping center, Grove Arcade, when Burton saw something that grabbed his attention.
Across the street, on the ground floor of the Battery Park Hotel, was a window sign for the Asheville Pinball Museum.
"When I saw it, I had to stop in," Burton said. "It's really neat. I'm glad that there's something around like this. Pinball machines are kind of magical. To me, they're like an amusement park wrapped into this little box."
Taking a quick break from playing such classic machines as 1981's Black Hole and 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Burton revealed that his interest stemmed not only from childhood nostalgia but also from the fact that he works as a video game developer.
"I get to do a lot of interesting stuff but nothing like this," Burton said. "These machines require a lot of craftsmanship. It's a blend of manufacturing and technology."
The museum only opened Aug. 30, meaning that the Poseys are not the only ones discovering it for the first time.
Given that there are nearly three dozen machines from various eras available for play, first-time visitors are sometimes overcome with a sense of wonder.
"I've seen grown men raise their arms up in almost praise to these machines," said T.C. Di Bella, a 46-year-old Enka Middle School teacher who owns and operates the museum. "Some of these machines, they haven't seen in 30 or 40 years, and they just get so excited."
The interactive museum, which allows visitors to play as many games as they'd like for a daily fee ($10 for adults, $7 for children 12 and younger), features pinball machines from as far back as 1950.
Above each machine is a small placard with information about it, including the year, manufacturer, number produced, designer and artist.
In many cases, the machines offer a glimpse into the pop-culture trends of the second half of the 20th century.
Big Chief, a pinball machine from 1965, reflects a time when cowboys and Indians were still popular, and 1970's Aquarius is a nod to the hippie era.
Some of the machines are based on such superheroes as the Amazing Spider Man and Superman, while others pay homage to rock stars (1976's Elton John-themed Captain Fantastic) and sports icons (1977's Bobby Orr Power Play).
Movie tie-ins were especially popular in the 1990s as evidenced in the Asheville Pinball Museum by the presence of such games as Jurassic Park and The Flintstones.
"It brings back a lot of memories," said Darryl Smutz, 67, of Richmond, Va., who recently visited the museum with his grandsons Tyler and Evan Moore, who live in Asheville.
Evan, 8, said that he and his 12-year-old brother had previously been to the museum with their mother and now wanted to show it to their grandpa.
"I like (pinball) because it's cool how you pull the (plunger) back and you hit the ball and then everything lights up," Evan said. "It's a lot of fun for kids, and it can be fun for adults too."


text:
We spend a lot of time scouring the world for compelling feature car material. So in some cases we might become too distracted with goings-on across the ocean and miss some of the relevant happenings occurring right here under our noses. In this case, it's at an outfit called EAS, which happens to be located nearly literally in our own backyard.
European Auto Source, EAS, has been doing business out of Southern California for five years, three of those in neighboring Santa Ana (about 10 miles or so from the ec offices). Its specialty is BMW tuning, most recently the 135i and E90-series M3. EAS is a development partner with various other aftermarket outlets, some of which we'll examine shortly, as well as sole distributor of Macht Schnell BMW performance products. The main focus is what the company calls "OEM plus" upgrades, a term we've used in the magazine before. That is, upgrades that are either available directly from the European market, generally special options or equipment that don't normally make the transition to the American market, or aftermarket performance upgrades, like the Macht Schnell brand, that emphasize function over form-or shall we say, function over "bling."
These two vehicles in particular showcase a good portion of what EAS has been up to lately.
supercharged And Ready To Rock
Like the E46 before it, the E90-series M3 has slowly begun to inundate the European scene, and let's face it, a lot of them look uninspiringly similar and are beginning to blend together. The EAS E92 remains distinctive for a couple of reasons. First is the color, the one-year-only Sparkling Graphite Metallic. This was replaced after 2008 by Space Gray, and unlike that color, which is really a true neutral gray, it has a bit of purple and blue mixed in to lend the overall appearance a sort of hue-shifting quality. Obviously this isn't the only car BMW sold wearing this paint, but it's rare enough to trick some people into thinking it's a custom treatment. And it still turns heads.
Strangely enough, the other notable feature is the car's relative absence of cosmetic modifications. Outside of maybe wheels, the trunklid is the only truly overt aesthetic mod made to the outside of this car. It's a piece drawn from the Ericsson line of aerodynamics from the Japanese high-end body treatment company Amuse. EAS staff admit the piece offers no weights savings, and they're not normally given to replacing parts strictly for appearance's sake. But we feel the lid complements the edgy lines of the E92 more effectively than the popular and vastly more ubiquitous "CSL-style" lids derived from the heyday of the E46.
Other more subtle exterior mods include "BlackOut" treated kidney grilles and fender gills, along with AngeliBright headlamp upgrades, which are themselves functional as they reportedly double the O.E. lamp haloes' brightness.
Aesthetic mods inside the cabin are just as sparse and subtly placed, chiefly the matte-finish 1x1 "checkerboard" carbon weave applied to the door panel and dash inserts, the steering wheel, and the center console.
Speaking of the steering wheel, it's a direct replacement unit from BMW Performance. Ergonomically shaped, it features a few electronic doo-dads like shift lights, oil and water temperature readings, and a lap timer. EAS has also placed its own signature gauge housing in the factory ashtray location, complete with Stri instrumentation reading boost, water and oil temperatures.
Boost? you'll be wondering. Boost indeed-the most recent addition to the EAS E92 is a VF Engineering Stage 1 supercharger system. This is fed by Macht Schnell scoops positioned stealthily behind the kidney grilles to direct air into the VFE induction system. The exhaust tract has been uncorked with a Macht Schnell X-pipe and high-flow catalyst setup, terminating in Remus mufflers and polished, logo-branded tips. The whole is made to work in harmony with custom GIAC software.
The chassis has been dropped over a set of matte-black VMR VB3 alloys, 19-inch's worth front and rear, using KW Variant 3 coilovers. The Variant 3s include fore and aft EDC code "isolators" to preclude factory electronic damping system fault codes, and although this negates the EDC's three-way adjustability, the coilovers themselves retain individual height adjustment and 14-way compression damping (though you'd have to physically get up underneath the car to make your adjustments).
On-road grip is maintained by Yokohama Advan AD08 rubber, measuring 265mm wide in front and 295mm in the rear.
Behind the mesh-style VMR wheels, the factory brakes have been swapped for race-bred AP Racing hardware: Six-piston calipers and 368mm slotted rotors in front, four-piston calipers and 356mm rotors in back. While Brembo seems to get all the press in the States, AP is big in Europe and a major supplier to top-gun competition series like F1, DTM, WRC, and LMS. These are hands down the coolest brakes we've seen on a new M3.
Electronic mods include the Mods4Cars remoteKEY module, a trick piece of circuit-work that allows operation of the power windows and sunroof using the key module, as well as the power folding mirrors. There's also a Macht Schnell TPMS emulator, which facilitates quick wheel/tire swaps without throwing the tire pressure sensors into a frenzy. The sole audio modification is a mObridge iPod integration kit, which expands on the somewhat lame OEM integration, expanding playlist capabilities with a larger data processor and providing charging capability for the iPod unit (not present with the O.E. setup).
A Braille "No Weight" lightweight race battery powers the system, sunk into the trunk inside the well where a spare tire might live. It is secured by a heavy-duty Macht Schnell anodized billet battery enclosure. While the tiny Braille wouldn't really hold up to frequent periods of inactivity, this setup is useful for the sometime track-day enthusiast looking for every bit of weight savings; the battery brace/battery combination saves some 40 pounds over the OEM power source.
Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive
4.0-liter V8, dohc, 32-valve. VFE Stage 1 supercharger system, Macht Schnell intake scoops, Macht Schnell X-pipe with high-flow catalysts, Remus mufflers, GIAC software
Six-speed manual, Rogue short shift kit
KW Variant 3 coilovers
AP Racing six-piston calipers with 368mm rotors (f), AP Racing four-piston calipers with 356mm rotors (r), stainless lines, Macht Schnell Line Lock kit
Wheels & Tires
VMR VB3, 9.5x19 (f), 10x19 (r) Yokohama Advan AD08, 265/30 (f), 295/30 (r)
BlackOut kidney grilles and fender gills, Angelibright headlamps, Ericsson trunk lid
BMW Performance steering wheel, Recaro Pole Position sport seats, Macht Schnell Floormount brackets, Macht Schnell gauge panel with Stri instrumentation, EAS matte-finish carbon trim, Macht Schnell battery bracket with Braille B2317 "No Weight" battery (r)
Peak Power: 610 hp
Peak Torque: 430 lb-ft *VFE data
EAS 135i
Drive it to the track, drive it back home
At the international 135i Coupe launch two years ago, the BMW 1 Series was nothing new to Europe. It had already been sold there going on three years in hatchback form. People over here though went batshit-crazy, partly due to sneaky advertising that touted the Coupe's advent as the "2002's second coming."
In our opinion, not so much; the new-generation 1 Series was marginally lighter and less expensive than a comparable 3 Series, and an out-of-the-box track-day weapon it was not. But there was little doubt it had great potential with a bit of post-factory tweaking, especially considering this launch marked the first time the 300-hp, sequential-turbo straight six would be implanted in a 1 Series platform, here or there.
GIAC Stage 2 software pushes boost to a max potential of 17 psi (stock is 7). To keep the engine running cool under such duress, the intake tract has been fitted with a Macht Schnell Dual Cone Intake, or DCI, fed by Macht Schnell intake scoops similar to those on the EAS M3. The augmented intake charge is expedited by a Macht Schnell intake charge pipe (providing a purported 50-percent flow increase over the cramped and kinked stock unit). Excess boost is expelled into the atmosphere using heavy duty Forge diverter valves, while the induction system is chilled further using a Snow Performance Stage 2 methanol injection kit with a progressive controller that ups the cooling effect as boost increases. Spray begins at 4 psi and moves quickly to maximum output at 7. An Evolution Racewerks Competition Series front-mount intercooler core is placed up front and low in the bumper to complete the forced induction efficiency mods.
On the engine's far side, Macht Schnell stainless downpipes evacuate the spent combustion gases. These units currently lack catalysts and are for the time being recommended for off-road (track) use only, although EAS says that pipes fitted with high-flow cats are currently being considered for development.
The exterior and interior are as understated as those of the M3. The former features BlackOut kidneys in front and smoked LED side markers. KW V3 coilovers drop the body over VMR VB3s, pretty much identical to the rollers on the E92. And as on the M3, these too are wrapped with Yokohama Advan AD08 rubber.
On the inside, the 135 is also fitted with a BMW sport wheel, Recaro Pole Position bucket seats trimmed in leather and Alcantara and attached to the floorboard with Macht Schnell floor mounts. The seatbelt interface is also fitted with a Macht Schnell Occupancy Sensor Emulator (as does the M3) to delete the annoying "please buckle your seatbelt" alerts. The back seat has been deleted entirely to save more weight and for future race harness provisions.
Electronics mods include the aforementioned Mods4Cars remoteKEY module, Macht Schnell TPMS emulator, mObridge iPod integration, and the MS battery enclosure/Braille battery sunk in the bottom of the trunk.
2008 BMW 135i
Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive
3.0-liter I6, dohc, 24-valve, turbocharged and intercooled. Macht Schnell intake scoops, Macht Schnell Dual Cone Intake, Snow Performance Stage 2 methanol injection kit, Evolution Racewerks Competition Series front-mount intercooler, Macht Schnell Intake Charge Pipe with Forge diverter valves, Macht Schnell stainless steel downpipes
Six-speed manual
KW Variant 3 coilovers
Wheels and Tires
VMR VB3, 8.5x18 (f), 9.5x18 (r) Yokohama Advan AD08, 225/45 (f), 245/40 (r)
BlackOut kidney grilles, smoked LED side markers
BMW Performance steering wheel, Recaro Pole Position sport seats, Macht Schnell floormount brackets, Macht Schnell battery enclosure with Braille B2317 "No Weight" battery (r)
Peak Power: 432 hp
Peak Torque: 453 lb-ft
*GIAC data, measured at wheels


text:
nucite needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 143 designs submitted by 49 freelance designers.
Scrolleo is a new service launching soon for eBay sellers. It allows them to cross-promote their eBay listings using an embedded scrolling gallery within their auction listings.
eBay sellers
We are completely open to your creative flair. We just have a couple simple things we'd like for the concept:
> emphasize the "e" in scrolleo
> keep the design crisp and clean
> deliver the design in vector format
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
A chest x-ray is an
Alternative Names
Chest radiography; Serial chest x-ray; X-ray – chest
How the test is performed
You stand in front of the x-ray machine. You will be told to hold your breath when the x-ray is taken.
Two images are usually taken. You will need to stand against the machine, and then sideways.
How to prepare for the test
Tell the health care provider if you are pregnant. Chest x-rays are generally not done during the first 6 months of pregnancy.
How the test will feel
There is no discomfort. The film plate may feel cold.
Why the test is performed
Your doctor may order a chest x-ray if you have any of the following symptoms:
A persistent cough
Chest injury
Chest pain
Coughing up blood
Difficulty breathing
It may also be done if you have signs of
A serial chest x-ray is one that is repeated. It may be done to look at or monitor changes found on a previous chest x-ray.
What abnormal results mean
Abnormal results may be due to many things, including:
In the lungs:
Collapsed lung Collection of fluid around the lung
- Lung cancer
- Lung tumor
Malformation of the blood vessels Pneumonia
- Scarring of lung tissue
- Tuberculosis
In the heart:
- Problems with the size or shape of the heart
- Problems with the position and shape of the large arteries
In the bones:
Abnormal results may also be due to:
- Acute bronchitis
Acute MI Acute mountain sickness Acute pulmonary eosinophilia (Loeffler syndrome) Adult Still's disease
- Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency Anthrax Aortic dissection Aortic insufficiency Aortic stenosis ARDS (adult respiratory distress syndrome) Asbestosis Aspergillosis Aspiration pneumonia Atelectasis Atrial myxoma Atrial septal defect
- Atypical mycobacterial infection
Atypical pneumonia Blastomycosis Breast cancer
- Bronchial adenoma
Bronchial asthma Bronchiectasis Bronchiolitis Bronchopulmonary dysplasia Byssinosis (cotton dust lung disease) Caplan syndrome Cardiac tamponade Cerebral abscess
- Chronic bronchitis
- Chronic glomerulonephritis
pneumonitis Coal workers pneumoconiosis Coarctation of the aorta
- Coccidioidomycosis
Diaphragmatic hernia Diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis Dilated cardiomyopathy Disseminated tuberculosis (infectious) Drug-induced lupus erythematosus Drug-induced pulmonary disease Echinococcus
- Emphysema
Empyema Goodpasture syndrome Heart failure Histoplasmosis; acute (primary) pulmonary
- Histoplasmosis
Hodgkin's lymphoma Hospital-acquired pneumonia Hypersensitivity pneumonitis Hypertensive heart disease Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Hypothyroidism
- Idiopathic cardiomyopathy
Idiopathic diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis Industrial bronchitis
- Infective endocarditis
- Inhalation anthrax
- Ischemic cardiomyopathy
- Left-sided heart failure
Legionnaire's disease
- Lyme disease
Malignant hypertension (arteriolar nephrosclerosis) Meningitis Mesothelioma (benign-fibrous)
- Mesothelioma (malignant)
Metastatic brain tumor Metastatic cancer to the lung Metastatic pleural tumor
- Mitral regurgitation
Mitral stenosis Mitral valve prolapse Mycoplasma pneumonia Myocarditis Necrotizing vasculitis Neuroblastoma Neurosarcoidosis Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Occupational asthma Patent ductus arteriosus Pericarditis Peripartum cardiomyopathy Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia Pneumonia in immunocompromised host Pneumonia with lung abscess Premature infant Primary alveolar hypoventilation Primary pulmonary hypertension Pulmonary actinomycosis Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis Pulmonary aspergilloma (mycetoma) Pulmonary edema Pulmonary embolus Pulmonary histiocytosis X (eosinophilic granuloma) Pulmonary nocardiosis Pulmonary valve stenosis Pulmonary tuberculosis Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease Q fever Renal cell carcinoma Respiratory distress syndrome (infants) Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) Restrictive cardiomyopathy Rheumatoid lung disease
- Right-sided heart failure
Sarcoidosis Senile cardiac amyloid
- Silicosis
- Skin lesion of histoplasmosis
Solitary pulmonary nodule (benign)
- Spontaneous pneumothorax
SVC obstruction Systemic lupus erythematosus Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma)
- Tension pneumothorax
Testicular cancer Tetralogy of Fallot Transient ischemic attack (TIA) Transposition of the great vessels
- Traumatic pneumothorax
Ventricular septal defect Viral pneumonia Wegener's granulomatosis Wilms tumor
What the risks are
There is low radiation exposure. X-rays are monitored and regulated to provide the minimum amount of radiation exposure needed to produce the image. Most experts feel that the risk is very low compared with the benefits. Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of x-rays.


text:
0 items
To determine your size measure the inside dimension across the chimney or appliance opening. Follow manufacturer recommendations whenever applicable when installing your chimney pipe. Never use a chimney that is smaller in diameter than the flue size of the appliance it is being connected to. If you would like some help to determine which size chimney vent system is best suited for you, contact our chimney professionals today.


text:
Influencer marketing is a form of marketing in which focus is placed on key individuals rather than the whole target market.
It identifies individuals with influence over potential buyers, and orients marketing activities around these influencers.
"we are on the cusp of a marketing revolution that is being led by you: the citizen influencer
Azeem Azhar: CEO PeerIndex
Social Influencer Marketing
Social Influence is not new; Social Influencer Marketing has been a tactic used in physical networking and consumer groups for many years but the emergence and popularity of Social Media and the development of Social Scoring tools such as PeerIndex, Klout and Kred allows brands to easily find Social Influencers and encourage them to promote their products and services to their networks.
Word of Mouth Marketing
In the physical world people recognise the phrase "Influencer Marketing" as "Word of Mouth Marketing". Word of Mouth Marketing happens when trusted peers recommend the products and services of people they know and trust (or when a company or brand offers them an incentive to recommend their stuff).
Social Influencer Marketing today differs in that the Social Influencer is well connected in the Social Media Networks. And the people in those extended networks trust the influencer and are likely to follow their advice when it comes to reviews and recommendations.
Social Influencer
The Social Influencers of the future will become sought after commodities by brand owners who will be willing to pay for their "influencing" services. It is easy today and will become even easier in the near future to find the Social Influencers in every walk of life and business niche. Even today it is easy to find social influencers using Social Scoring tools such as Klout and PeerIndex.
Peer Index Social Scoring
Social Scoring Platforms
There are many Social Scoring platforms but I will use PeerIndex for example purposes.
Your social Score is a relative measure of your online authority and your social score will reflect the impact of your social activities and the extent of your social capital and overall online reputation.
You cannot be an authority without a receptive audience.
A receptive audience is one that listens and is receptive to the discussions of members of the community. To capture this aspect, the PeerIndex Score includes an Audience score we calculate for each profile.
Return On Inluence
The phrase "ROI" is generally recognised as "Return on Investment" – however in the digital era it now has new meaning "Return on Influence"
I personally receive much Return on Influence (ROI) in the shape of a meaningful extended social network, more traffic to our website the Online Marketing Academy and a steady stream of new clients won mainly of the strength the content we write which is distributed widely and in turn positively impacts on search.
The term "Return on Influence" is described eloquently in the book of the same name by Mark W. Schaefer. Return On Influence is an excellent book, which incidentally was gifted to me by PeerIndex as a #PeerPerks. Click here to see if you are eligible to receive a free copy of Return on Influence by Mark W Schaefer.


text:
New York newspaper faces backlash after publishing map of gun permit holders
A local New York newspaper is drawing the ire of its readers after publishing an interactive map that shows the names and addresses of thousands of residents who have handgun permits.
The online map was published by The Journal News along with an article under the headline: "The gun owner next door: What you don't know about the weapons in your neighborhood."
The newspaper obtained, and then published, the names and addresses of pistol permit holders in Westchester and Rockland counties through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The article, in explaining the decision to publish the information, pointed to the school massacre in nearby Newtown, Conn., and the concerns of some residents about which of their neighbors might have firearms.
But readers swiftly condemned the move. They pointed out that the interactive map could make the gun owners a target, but also make clear to would-be robbers which homes do not contain a gun.
"Do you fools realize that you also made a map for criminals to use to find homes to rob that have no guns in them to protect themselves?" one reader wrote on Facebook.
"You have just destroyed the privacy of these law abiding citizens and by releasing this list, you have equated them to that of sex offenders and murders," wrote another. "These are law abiding gun owners, they are no danger to anyone except for criminals. And with this information you have made them targets for both criminals and anti gun lobbyist who i am sure are going to treat them like monsters."
The newspaper, in a written statement, defended the decision to run the names.
"The massacre in Newtown remains top-of-mind for many of our readers," the statement said. "In the past week, conversation on our opinion pages and on our website, LoHud.com, has been keenly focused on gun control.
"Our readers are understandably interested to know about guns in their neighborhoods. We obtained the names and addresses of Westchester and Rockland residents who are licensed to own handguns through routine Freedom of Information law public-records requests."
The map showed the locations of pistol permit holders -- though did not specify whether those shown actually owned a weapon. Since rifles and shotguns can be bought without a permit, that information was not included.
The newspaper separately noted that the reporter on the story "owns a Smith & Wesson 686 .357 Magnum and has had a residence permit in New York City for that weapon since February 2011."


text:
There's No Doubt taking care of two boys can be exhausting!
After an 11-year break, Gwen Stefani has reunited with No Doubt to release a new album, Push and Shove, in September. And the busy mother-of-two admitted in an interview with New York Magazine's Vulture that returning to her band was a "nice break" from being mom.
PHOTOS: Gwen Stefani's life as a mom
Since their last album, Rock Steady, in 2011, all the band members — Tony Kanal, Adrian Young, Tom Dumont and Stefani — have become parents. Stefani, 42, married Bush guitarist and lead singer Gavin Rossdale in September 2002 and welcomed son Kingston on May 26, 2006 and son Zuma on August 21, 2008. (She also released two solo albums, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004 and The Sweet Escape in 2006).
"I don't think [parenthood has] mellowed us out, but priorities have to change," Stefani told Vulture. "Before, it was unspoken that the band was the No. 1 thing; there was not a girlfriend or someone else that could be before the band. It wasn't even something we discussed, it just was what it was. But we're at a stage where we don't have to be like that anymore; we can kind of do this when we want to do it."
"Like today, for instance, I told them, 'I cannot do twelve-hour days anymore, stop it!' " she explained. "I just missed Kingston and Zuma going to sleep. But I get to talk to you, and it's actually a nice break — my kids are so much work," she said, laughing. "No Spider-Man for me tonight, but that's okay. I'll take a break."
The band hadn't intended to take such a long break from making albums together. "We were just burned out; we had toured so, so much, and it takes so much of yourself," Stefani explained. "I got married and decided I wanted to do a dance record, and I didn't ever expect for it to be what it was or for the No Doubt thing to be such a long break, but it was one of those things where you just had to sort of follow your inspiration.
"And then as soon as I was done with that last [solo] tour, I was done. I was like, Okay, I'm ready; I'm so ready for the No Doubt record. And then I got pregnant with Zuma [her youngest son], and it was really challenging to be pregnant and come off all the stuff I had done, and try to write. And that's why things got really delayed; it was like, impossible," she said. "I just couldn't do it; I had nothing left to give. And when I finally had [Zuma], we said, "Let's just go on tour and try to get inspired." And when we came off tour we wrote our first song."
No Doubt's sixth studio album, Push and Shove, will be released Sept. 25.
Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox!
Want stories like these delivered straight to your phone? Download the Us Weekly iPhone app now!


text:
LOS ANGELES � Gov.-elect Jerry Brown warned educational leaders on Tuesday to "fasten your seat belts" when he unveils his 2011-12 state budget proposal next month.
"It's worse than I thought," Brown said of the state's fiscal crisis during an education briefing at UCLA, one of a series of such sessions he's holding around the state. "It'll be a very tough budget."
Brown gave no specifics about the spending plan he plans to unveil Jan. 10, but said the state faces a $28 billion deficit and he plans to have budget agreements hammered out with lawmakers within 60 days. "I don't think we have a lot of time to waste," he said.
School district superintendents implored Brown to avoid further cuts in education spending and urged him instead to spread out the cuts more evenly across state agencies.
"We can't take any more cuts," said Bernie Rhinerson, chief district relations officer for the San Diego Unified School District. "We are at the cliff."
The state's K-12 and community college education budget has been slashed by $7 billion over the last three years. According to a Legislative Analyst's Office estimate, another $2 billion will be slashed from the 2011-12 fiscal year.
Education is the biggest item in the state budget, comprising 40 percent of state spending that includes both K-12 and higher education.
Brown noted that funding for some state services cannot be cut by legislative or judicial mandate. "When you sit at the table to carve it up, it's not an equal table because some people have greater protections," he said.
Spending on prison health care, for instance, will increase by billions of dollars because of a recent judicial order, Brown said.
School administrators offered several ideas, including legislation that would allow parcel taxes to be approved with a 51 percent vote instead of the current 55 percent threshold. Others asked for more flexibility in how school districts can spend state monies.
After Brown inquired about community college fees, California Community College Chancellor Jack Scott said any planned fee hike should be phased in slowly to avoid large numbers of students dropping out.
"If there is an increase, it ought to be gradual and moderate, and frankly, we'd like to be able to keep the money," he said.


text:
I had three mommy friends over for an afternoon of Easter crafting yesterday. It was raining cats and dogs and Raffi was teething horribly, even though I captured this one smile of his on camera. He was so clingy and tearful that I didn't manage to craft a single thing, besides frosting some chocolate cupcakes. But it was still fun having my girls over, and they managed to make a few things: Neli made brownie-filled eggs, Steffi made bunny bunting, and Dani took the chance to make finger puppets, although they didn't have an Easter theme.
I was close to tears by the end of it, only because Rafael was having such a hard time and there was nothing I could really do to comfort him. But besides that, it was so nice to have friends over, fellow mommies who understand about a crying baby and understand that sometimes you just need to take your baby to the bedroom even if you have guests over.
Afterwards we all agreed that we should get together for crafts more often, ideally once a month. It's so nice to sit around a table and talk, share, create.
I'm planning on making my bunny bunting and also some cupcake flags while Rafael is sleeping over the next couple of days, as it is the only realistic chance. I'll share them with you when they are done!
Have a beautiful weekend!


text:
When the State Department created its division for Middle Eastern affairs back in 1909, none of the original staff "could speak a Middle Eastern language or produce a contemporary map of the area." This anecdote, like many of the hundreds included in Power, Faith, and Fantasy, Michael Oren's history of America in the Middle East, is all too familiar. A hundred years have passed, and America is still looking for Arabic speakers to serve as diplomats, analysts, and spies.
Last month, the Iraq Study Group reported that only 33 of 1,000 workers in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad speak Arabic, just six fluently. These workers and the other thousands who plan and implement America's policy in the region will find Oren's book painfully educational. The repeated mistakes, the misconceptions, the illusions, and the naiveté of the last 230 years are all here.
In 1878, former President Ulysses S. Grant visited the Middle East with his wife, Julia. "I have seen more to interest me in Egypt than in any of my travels," Grant exclaimed enthusiastically. Julia was less impressed: "Egypt, the birthplace, the cradle of civilization—Egypt, the builder of temples, tombs and great pyramids—has nothing," she declared. Traveling to Palestine, she found Jaffa to be "a poor place and very dirty."
These two competing impressions keep cropping up throughout the book—and, more important, throughout history. Americans are fascinated by the Middle East but also alienated from it; they're lured by its mystique and strangeness but also repulsed by its habits. They desire relationships and commerce with its inhabitants but also want to educate and save them—from their bad manners, from their poverty, but most of all from their religion.
Clearly, the clash of civilizations didn't start in the last couple of decades but, rather, way back in the early days of the American enterprise. It was already at play in the telling meeting of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams with Tripoli's envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman (an encounter that Christopher Hitchens referenced here last week). "Every Mussulman who should be slain in battle [against the nations who do not follow the laws of Quran] was sure to go to Paradise," the envoy told the two future presidents.
It was also at play throughout the next decade, as generation upon generation of missionaries, pilgrims, and men of the cloth tried—and failed—to spread Christianity among the Arabs, or, for similar reasons and with similar results, to help the Jews re-inhabit Palestine. Last week, an Israeli official visiting Washington read this letter to his American counterpart; it was written in 1819 by Adams: "I really wish the Jews again in Judea an independent nation." This is an American former president speaking more than half a century before Theodor Hertzl published Der Judenstaat, his groundbreaking book envisioning the founding of a future independent Jewish state.
The details that are the strength of Oren's book are in the stories of Americans who traveled, fought, lived, and died in the Middle East. It is a transition from the evangelism of Christianity in the 19th century to the evangelism of Americanism in the 20th century and beyond. In both cases, Americans wanted to give more than the Arabs wanted to receive. In both cases, there was more failure than success.
In the late 1860s, a group of Civil War veterans who had gone to Egypt to help modernize the army ended up building a school system, intended to teach literacy and American ideals to the local youth. But Egypt today is still 40 percent illiterate, according to the U.S. State Department. Americans wanted to bring about change, but they hardly succeeded. "It will be years, perhaps generations," Oren quotes former President Teddy Roosevelt, visiting Cairo in 1910, "before Egypt is ready to govern itself" in a proper, modern way. The hundreds of nationalists protesting outside Roosevelt's hotel conducted "the first anti-American demonstration in the Middle East."
Were Britain, then ruler of the country, to leave Egypt prematurely, Roosevelt predicted, "Women would be denied the most basic rights." A century has passed, and "[a]lthough women in Egypt can now legally initiate a divorce without cause," says Human Rights Watch, "they must agree not only to renounce all rights to the couple's finances, but must also repay their dowries. Essentially, they have to buy their freedom." Egypt today governs itself well enough, but it is not a democracy, and it still suffers from many of the flaws Roosevelt detected, America's help notwithstanding.
But is it really up to America to save the Middle East—or is it just another region with which to keep commerce flowing and strategic interests defended? This was the question troubling Presidents John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson when they contemplated whether America should support the Greek (Christian) rebels against Ottoman (Muslim) rule back in the early 19th century—a dilemma that still looms large over American policy in the region. Is it really necessary for America to insist on democracy in Iraq, or can it make do with a friendly autocrat? Should it stand with the independent but rather shaky government of Lebanon or let the Syrians influence—and practically take over—the country, as long as it provides for stability?
Adams hesitated, because public opinion overwhelmingly favored Greece in its struggle for national and religious independence. Jackson, however, ruled that the national interest demanded that Washington favor the Ottomans, and he presented a treaty to Congress "to foster the intercourse between the countries." These dichotomies—idealism vs. realism, evangelism vs. commerce, fascination vs. repulsion—are the story of two and a half centuries of American policy in the region. "The debate over the essential nature of the Middle East and its relations with the United States," concludes Oren, "shows no signs of waning."
The book he has produced is not going to educate Americans about the Middle East. It is about America and its motivations—both public and hidden—and the repetitive nature of missteps driven both by ignorance and good intentions. So, it is a book that can only provide the very first step—maybe the most essential of steps—as America struggles to reshape its policy in the Middle East. Before being educated about the region and the forces that shape it, Americans must re-examine the forces that motivate America.


text:
|5 Tue
12:00 am
1:00 am
2:00 am
3:00 am
4:00 am
5:00 am
6:00 am
7:00 am
8:00 am
9:00 am
10:00 am
11:00 am
12:00 pm
1:00 pm
2:00 pm
3:00 pm
4:00 pm
5:00 pm
6:00 pm
7:00 pm
8:00 pm
9:00 pm
10:00 pm
11:00 pm
7:00 pm Beneficios y Pasos para Obtener una Licencia de Cuidado Infantil en el Hogar
Beneficios y Pasos para Obtener una Licencia de Cuidado Infantil en el Hogar
Feb 5 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
4Cs le da la bienvenida al taller informativo sobre cómo obtener una licencia pequeña de cuidado infantil familiar. Folleto
2018 Leadership Awards
October 10th, 2018 - 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
2018 Leadership Awards
Mary Elizabeth Griffin Children's Award, Karen Haas-Foletta will receive the Mary Elizabeth Griffin Children's Award from County Supervisor Dave Pine.
Mary Petsche Visionary Leadership Award, County Superintendent of Schools Anne Campbell will be presented with this award by Director of Early Learning Support Services with the San Mateo County Office of Education, Jean-Marie Houston.
Community Partnership Award, First 5 San Mateo County Executive Director Kitty Lopez will receive this award on behalf of First 5 San Mateo County from Silicon Valley Community Foundation Vice President and Director of the Center for Early Learning Avo Makdessian.
Leadership Event 6:30pm – 8:30pm, standard admission
VIP Reception 5:30pm – 6:30pm, includes a private beer tasting given by the in-house Master Brewer, a VIP tour of the Brewery (time permitting) and a special "grazing" menu of foods selected to complement the beer tasting.