text: TV 'Today's' Ticking Clock: Who Is Matt Lauer's Heir Apparent? 5:45 AM PST 11/6/2013 by Marisa Guthrie FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Kagan McLeod NBCU execs work to grow the "Today" show bench as "GMA" makes ad-revenue gains -- plus, surprising Q scores (sorry, Carson Daly) are revealed. This story first appeared in the Nov. 15 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Less than two years after a disastrous anchor transition on NBC's Today, the clock is counting down to the next one. And the debate over who might replace Matt Lauer, said to earn nearly $25 million annually on a deal that extends to early 2015, is as delicate as it will be public. The botched June 2012 changeover from Ann Curry to Savannah Guthrie might have torpedoed NBC News' reputation as the outlet of the deftly executed handoff, but it also has made NBCUniversal executives including CEO Steve Burke and News Group chairman Patricia Fili-Krushel determined to make the next one smooth and painless. "We hope that he wants to last out at least this contract on the Today show," Fili-Krushel recently told THR, adding that she'd "keep Matt Lauer as long as he wants to stay." But she also admitted the focus over the next two years is finding his heir apparent and that "expanding the family is the easiest way" to groom a successor but "not the only way." STORY: Top-Rated 'GMA' Faces 'Nightmare' Contract Talks Willie Geist, 38, joined Today more than a year ago as co-host of the 9 a.m. hour with Natalie Morales and Al Roker. Geist is well-liked at NBC News and MSNBC, where he continues to appear on the first half of Morning Joe. He and Meet the Press host David Gregory, who has filled in on Today, are the obvious in-house candidates to succeed Lauer, should he leave. And some suggest Gregory, 43, is better suited to Today than Meet the Press, which has endured ratings woes, falling behind ABC's This Week during the third quarter. CNBC's Carl Quintanilla also is said to be a contender. Data provided to THR by Q Scores, which measures audience sentiment toward stars, reveals that Geist and Gregory have higher positive ratings than Lauer; among adult women -- the key demographic against which morning TV ads are sold -- Gregory's positive Q Score stands at 18, compared with Geist's 14. Lauer this year dropped to a positive Q Score of 7, compared with 15 in 2012. Burke is said to have made Today a top priority. On Oct. 31, THR.com reported that the show's longtime entertainment booker, Melissa Lonner, will leave by year's end. And NBC News executives are looking at other possible changes. Today had expressed interest in Anderson Cooper for a role on the show. But Cooper, 46, is negotiating a new deal with CNN and will continue to anchor pieces for 60 Minutes, whose executives want him to do more. Ryan Seacrest, 38, the subject of much speculation last year, and Carson Daly, 40, who in September was appointed Today's digital host and social media correspondent, are considered long shots for an anchor position. (Among Lauer's morning-news colleagues, Daly is the most polarizing and has "the weakest emotional connection" to female viewers, notes Q Scores executive vp Henry Schafer.) Q&A: NBC News Chief on Ronan Farrow at MSNBC, Matt Lauer's Value and the Future of 'Today' For NBC News, the stakes could not be higher. In 2012, Today generated $515 million in ad revenue for the 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. hours, according to Kantar Media, the biggest moneymaker in the NBC News portfolio. But Good Morning America's ratings -- in September, GMA marked a full season as the No. 1 morning program among total viewers and the 25-to-54 demo -- spurred a shift in upfront dollars from Today to GMA, say buyers. ABC's ad-sales representatives naturally touted their show's top-rated status during upfront negotiations in the spring, while NBC reps stressed that their show was "stabilizing" after months of turmoil. "When the ratings story isn't good, they'll find other things to talk about," notes one buyer. "They might acknowledge it, but they'll never focus on the negative. They'll just change the conversation." But with the third hour of Today, NBC can achieve better pricing -- the main reason Today continues to command a bigger share of revenue. (Kantar Media estimates that GMA took in $318 million in 2012.) STORY: TV Ratings: 'Good Morning America' Tops 'Today' For First Full Season Since 1993 Lauer, 55, by all accounts is a valued member of the NBC News family whose skills as a probing interviewer and genial host are rare. He explored other opportunities during his most recent contract negotiations -- and was very close to jumping to ABC News, say sources there. Asked about his future on Today during the Sept. 12 unveiling of the show's new set, Lauer asserted that he is "more invigorated" by his work than he has been "in a long time." He could decide to stay. And NBC execs have been encouraged by improved ratings. For the first five weeks of the season, the demo gap between Today and GMA was 55,000 viewers compared with 189,000 at the same time last year. GMA also is in the middle of contract talks with its stars. But the days of the mega-salaried morning anchor are on the wane. And the trend toward the ensemble format -- pioneered by GMA and employed on Today -- in some ways has rendered the cast interchangeable. "They don't have anchors anymore; they just have movable parts," says TV news analyst Andrew Tyndall. "The 'team' concept is precisely that; nobody can get uppity." FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Marisa Guthrie email@example.com MarisaGuthrie


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Foreclosure Clean Out
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They are very efficient & professional. I have used their services twice now and have no complaints. Thank you Mighty Men! 😊
I've used them for multiple jobs, both personal and work related. Always fantastic work. Easy to work with and very prompt. Fantastic company!
Fantastic service. They came the next business day, first thing. The crew was in and out in 30 min, and gave me a more than reasonable price for their work. Definitely a friendly service, with convenience, and they cleaned up the area after the job. I would recommend them to anyone. Thanks for reading. - Blake.
Aaron and his team are great. Honest, efficient, on time and did great work at a great price. Look no further for your junk removal needs these guys are the best
I called Mighty Men to have a king size mattress removed and it was done immediately. Great prices, unbelievable service even in the Placitas area. If you have something you need removed please use this company. Excellent service and highly recommend.
Justin and Reggie did a fantastic job hauling off the brush and limbs on my property today. Will use them again in the future.
We are very happy with Mighty Men. Ralph came out right away and gave us a very fair estimate. The next day his team, Jason and Reggie, came to remove all kinds of stuff we "inherited" when we bought our house. Jason and Reggie were efficient and fast and careful as well. Very easy to work with.
Reggie and Justin did a 5 star great job. Very friendly and professional .
I had two large corroding metal water tanks removed by Justin and Reggie today. They were friendly and efficient and did a great job. Making the appointment was fast and easy too. I thought the price was rather high, at least for my budget, and it came out higher than the estimate. Otherwise, I would recommend them to anyone who needs this help.
Jack and Cameron arrived on time, were extremely friendly and worked efficiently. They even helped us load a few extra items that we discovered in the yard and swept the driveway, leaving everything nice and clean. I will highly recommend them and call them again as needed. Thank you, Jack and Cameron!
They answered the phone on the first ring, gave me a firm date and time immediately, and showed up exactly when they said they'd show up. The guys were super friendly, very clean, and worked quickly. Fairly small job done well. I will definitely call this company AGAIN! Thank you, thank you.
I wish I could give these gentlemen, Justin and Reggie, 10 STARS. They were awesome. They came in and took the items we had in the garage and swept it out afterward. They were gentlemen, very nice and respectful. I would highly recommend them to you should you need items removed from your property. Their contact info was passed on to family members who just moved and need items removed from their property.
I'm a 100% disabled veteran who had a great need to remove an old/dead/leaking hot tub from my back patio. Unsure about who to call for assistance, I wrote down a few numbers; "Mighty Men" was at the top of the list. I cringed as I dialed, expecting waiting lists and outrageous estimates. NOPE! In fact, Ralph gave me an EXCELLENT price and said a crew would arrive the NEXT DAY! They were actually about 10 minutes early (awesome!) and, with the tub already drained, it only took Justin & Cameron a few minutes to load it up and charge my credit card using Square. It was all so easy, I actually got to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing -- a rare treat, indeed. Conclusion: If you need something hauled away in the ABQ Metro area, call the people with the right equipment, price, and attitude: Call Mighty Men!
Unfortunately, there was a slight misunderstanding in regards to the service I expected. However, Ralph the owner was very professional and more than willing to make things right. He was prompt and more than fair. In today's business world that type of response is unusual and I greatly appreciated it. I would highly recommend them and use them in the future.
I flip houses and EVERY TIME, WITHOUT FAIL, Ralph and his team always do an amazing job! After they are done its like I'm walking into a brand new house and i can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Always friendly and professional. HIGHLY recommend.
These guys are fantastic. I got my quote same day, scheduled my removal for the next week. They were prompt and super efficient -- cleaned out my entire garage (cardboard boxes, plywood, broken furniture) in less than a half hour. Even better, they were super reasonably priced. I'm going to use them for every trash removal project.
We recently used Mighty Men junk removal to trash out a house. The house had more junk that you can ever imagine! This is one of the most professional businesses ive dealt with in this industry. Everything was done promptly and for a very reasonable price. They had the entire job complete in a day and i didnt even have a dumpster on site. If youre looking for junk removal then look no further! This is the company to use.
These guys were great! Their service was very professional, their scheduling was next day, and my junk is all gone! Thank you!
One of the best services of any kind that I've used in a long time! They were friendly and professional, showed up on time, and did an amazing job cleaning up and hauling off a really huge mess! The service was excellent and for a great price. I'll definitely use them again, should the need arise, and would recommend them to anyone!
Mighty Men is the best hauling company I have ever seen. Their promptness and courtesy is unsurpassed. What would normally be a headache becomes a quick and painless experience! Hands down the most friendly, professional, and hardworking business out there. I definitely will be recommending Mighty Men to everyone I know.
Excellent, professional service. Arrived promptly, offered a fair price & did the work quickly. Would definitely recommend!
I spoke with Ralph and was informed that he did not have an appointment available for about a week. Although he could not help me sooner, when I mentioned that I had called other companies for quotes he did not hesitate to speak well of the companies that I mentioned. I find that to be a refreshing and positive experience from any business. I believe that it shows Ralph to be respectable and that he also respects the abilities of others in his line of work. I am pleased to know that he is familiar with his industry and has the experience to know when to refer customers so their needs are met. He truly put me first even though I was not going to be a customer. I would definitely call again in the future.
Ralph and his team were fabulous to work with--on time, lightning fast, and courteous every step of the way. Our junk haul was quite large, and included everything from yard waste and loose junk to old furniture, but the Mighty Men were undeterred and had our whole yard and front porch clean by noon. I would highly recommend this business, and will not hesitate to call Ralph again if we ever find ourselves with too much accumulated junk!
If I could give 6 stars, I would!
We are working on remodeling our backyard and had a huge pile of junk to throw away. They came first thing in the morning before we had to go to work. The removed the entire pile, even took some junk we had lying around the house. The customer service is incredible!! Highly recommend them!
I lived out of state and had to find a team who could handle my parents estate. Met with mighty men after a couple of phone calls and felt they were the team that I could trust. Due to being out of town, I was able to trust the job to be done. I left the team in the house and came back to everything in perfect order. I would highly recommend mighty men to anyone in town or to those who may be out of town like I was. Very respectful and trusting! Thank you gentlemen!
Ralph and Cameron cleaned out my late uncle's house for my mom and me in less than a week. We live in other states and were only in town for 8 days. He understood our situation and was willing to adjust his schedule and start the same day. This family business really cares about the people they service. We received excellent service at a great price. I would highly recommend Mighty Men Junk Removal.
Call Mighty Men for an estimate they came right over and gave me a great price and in fact did the job right away! Can't thank them enough for their prompt response and the great job. Great job guys!
Justin and Reggie were very professional were on time brought down old fence and hauled away.
Extremely professional, efficient, and very friendly and courteous.
In the middle of a sad situation, Ralph and his entire team went above and beyond to assist us. My elderly mother and I were from out of state and had to deal with the estate of a relative. It appeared to be an overwhelming task -- until I contacted Mighty Men. They immediately took charge and made sure we had to do as little as possible. They did so much more than expected and never charged extra over the quoted price per load. They worked quickly and efficiently, were always prompt, and stayed in contact with us during our entire stay. Ralph even checked to make sure we had made it home okay. In this day of being treated like a number rather than an individual, this was a unique and rare experience. We selected Mighty Men, after checking a few other local companies, as their rates were the most reasonable and they had the most positive reviews. Well-deserved reviews! We will always be grateful to Ralph and his team for all their assistance and we would highly recommend them.
Professional stress free experience
We hired the mighty men junk haulers to help clear out my grandmothers house. They exceed our expectations! During a difficult time of losing a loved one and feeling overwhelmed Ralph and his team were professional and went above and beyond to help ease the burden of cleaning out her estate. These guys work hard and are compassionate with any situation! I would highly recommend anyone to hire them!
Professional,efficient, and very pleasant
I sent a message from the website, received a call the same day, had a quote, and an appointment! They cleared out old metal and an wrought iron storm door in an instant. I used the word efficient--it means "achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense" And that is what happened!
Couldn't be happier
I hired Mighty Men to clean out my garage and I couldn't be happier with the decision. They arrived (for both the estimate and the actual job) within 60 seconds(!) of the time they quoted me - you could set your clocks by these guys. It took them about 30 minutes to fill their first trailer load (which looked to be about 1/2 of the long, full-sized dumpsters). They opened each box and asked if I wanted to keep anything inside before tossing it in. They hit the dump and came back for another full trailer load, which took about the same amount of time to fill. My garage is finally accessible again after 35 years of accumulating junk. They swept up the garage, took the payment, and went on their way. If I could give 6 stars, I would!
Professional, great experience.
Used Mighty Men today and what a great job and experience. Thanks for your help, we definitely send referrals.
Electronic Organ Removal
Excellent job. Professional. Father son Team. Price was on point. Shop no further. Use these guys.
Old trampoline & backyard swing removal
Ralph & his son were more than GREAT! I wish I could give them 10 stars!! So polite, 20 mins early, and just overall, a great experience. Ralph removed our old trampoline that was broken and our backyard swing that was no good. They took everything apart and hauled it away in less than an hour!! I wish I had more stuff for them to take, because I wouldn't ever hire anyone else! BEST JUNK REMOVAL IN ABQ! Thank you Ralph!
Very good and efficient
These guys were the BEST!
I needed to have a huge hot tub removed from my back porch, I'd been contacting another (unnamed) company for over a month without ever being able to get calls returned. When I called Mighty Men one time they immediately scheduled me within the week, showed up on time, were kind, professional and very thorough! They even let me know I had a black widow infestation and recommended I get it taken care of-- very thoughtful. I would give them six stars if possible! I highly recommend them!
Goes the extra mile
We hired Mighty Men to clear out the office space of a law firm and they couldn't have done more for us. Because of issues with the building owners, we needed to readjust and reschedule at the last moment. In addition to working with our schedule the crew came out earlier than normal to help get us out under the time constraints we were facing.
great service
Friendly and thorough at a reasonable price
great work
Both Ralph and his son, Cameron did an excellent job on my yard and removing a bunch of trash and yard waste. They were timely and professional. I will use their services again in the future It was great to find someone who did exactly what they stated they would and finished the job quickly.
Wonderful people, wonderful service
This was a very easy process for us. They gave us a very reasonable price, and a very quick date to get the work done. We had a lot of yard waste and they cleaned up everything we asked for, plus a couple piles of leaves we had planned to do ourselves. They are incredibly friendly and professional! Definitely give them a call if you are overwhelmed with a project.
Will use again
I called and they were able to come pick up our stuff in an hour. They were very quick and friendly. I would recommend them to anyone and will definitely be using them again.
Fast and Fair!
Ralph, Cameron and Aaron arrived when they said they would and the three of them got to work tearing up a deck which was much larger than I described. They got the deck up in a couple of hours, cleaned up and were on their way to their next job! They are true "Mighty Men," honest and fair!
Arnold and his son are a great team. They showed up on time, even though our street was closed and had to detour. They worked really fast. They gave us a two to three hour window to saw up a hot tub and get it out of a house that had added a patio and it would not fit through the doors. They came in, cut it up, cleaned up after themselves and finished faster than the two hours. No messing around, got right after it and were extremely professional. Would highly recommend them to anyone needing junk removed. We gained a room back in our house. Thanks Guys you were awesome!
Thorough accommodations and excellent service. Complete professionalism
Ralph and Connor Apodaca provided excellent service and thorough accommodations. They were very efficient, also. Ralph and Connor were completely professional as they worked with me. I'm looking forward to recommending Mighty Men Junk Removal to my friends and associates. Thank you, Ralph and Connor!!
Mighty Men Junk Removal Review
Ralph Apodaca, and his young 19 year old son were very professional, hard working, and complete gentlemen. They showed up on time, hauled off all of the brush in my backyard, and charged me a fair price. They didn't complain about how much brush they had to haul or anything else. They just got the job done, and in a reasonable time, too. I would give them five stars out of five stars, and use them again anytime.
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As if Uncharted 3 weren't filled with cutting-edge CG technology already, the team decided to take things even further by crafting the game in stereo to run on 3D televisions. "That was a big change for us and posed an interesting challenge for all the departments concerned," says Keith Guerrette, lead visual effects artist.
One big concern was producing two rendered views of the scenes. "We questioned what we would have to sacrifice in order to maintain frame rates over 30 fps for both a left- and right-eye renders," Guerrette says. The programmers came up with solutions and optimizations so that certain images were processed just once rather than multiple times. For instance, each eye view was rendered at only half-resolution, so the same number of pixels were present but on screen there was double the number of polygons.
Also, the artists were selective about what would appear in 3D, and they used a lower level of detail for some characters and objects. "We automatically did that for foreground objects, so you had low-resolution meshes being rendered to achieve the 3D effect in frame rate," says Guerrette.
The artists admit there was a learning curve in setting the cameras for the 3D environments. To help eliminate the eye-strain complaint that plagues many stereo projects, the crew for the most part had the programmers use Drake's back as the convergence point for the left and right eyes, so anything in front of Drake was in the screen at all times. "As a general solution, that worked pretty well. Occasionally you would have some stuff sticking out of the screen and some unpleasant clipping, but because everything is moving quickly in the game, that is not something that would necessarily cause eye strain in the long term," adds Josh Scherr, lead cinematic animator.
And where they could, the artists would change the camera parameters to emphasize certain 3D moments. "We didn't want to make the 3D gimmicky; we wanted it to enhance the story," Scherr says.
While the developers did not have to concern themselves with compositing issues due to the stereo, they did have to change the way they created some of the effects, particularly particles, which are basically 2D cards floating in space (it becomes especially noticeable that they are flat within 3D). "For the fog, we traditionally do one bit particle with a cool material on it. We had to cut back and do some more layering due to the 3D," says Guerrette. "We were scared when we were first approached about doing 3D with particles because of that, but when we started to do tests and threw in fire and stuff like that, it looked pretty good. We were able to build the element and layer it with enough different elements that it was hard to tell we used 2D cards. That was a huge relief."
Nevertheless, the artists had a lot of happy 3D moments in the game that they swear happened by pure accident. For instance, the group points to scene in the chateau sequence during which a building falls down around Drake, and the hero must hang onto a wall as items fall around him. "We created that level before we actually got the 3D implemented, and when we turned on [the 3D], it was just so cool," says Guerrette.
"Things created in 2D became more awesome in 3D," adds Teagan Morrison, lead technical artist. "Yet, we didn't deliberately attempt to make things look cool in 3D. We just tried to make things look cool. 3DTVs are still gaining market share slowly, and we didn't want to spent too much time on something was only going to be a appreciated by a small percentage of the audience."Oh, but how 3D really took some scenes to the next level. Take the one where Drake is hanging out of the plane, for example. "When we played it in 3D for the first time, it blew my mind because there is so much depth to the plane itself," says Morrison. "All this depth and dynamics suddenly popped. It couldn't have turned out better if we had planned those scenes in 3D from the start."
Others agree. In fact, Naughty Dog received an International 3D Society Award for best 3D video game due to its effects in Uncharted 3. –Karen Moltenbrey


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Scenario: Your car is struck by another driver, who is at fault. His insurer pays for the repairs, but you believe that your vehicle -- since it has been in a wreck -- is worth less than it was before the crash.
Can you demand that the insurer compensates you for that diminished value?
Yes, but it can be difficult to prove. Diminished value can be part of a claim, but it is up to the claimant -- that's you, in the scenario above -- to prove that the value of the vehicle is diminished after the repairs have been completed.
Doing that may mean getting dealer testimony or an appraisal showing the value of the vehicle before the accident and after the repairs.
Our office, unfortunately, cannot force insurers to pay diminished value claims. You may need to seek legal advice to negotiate a settlement.
Friday, August 3, 2012
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Jungle animals, jellyfish and joy, oh my!
Pediatric infusion center's new murals are just what the doctor ordered
The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center's Pediatric Infusion Center walls have transformed into whimsical mysteries of the jungle and vibrant depths of the sea. Through the magic of local muralist Kent Peterson, the rich colors and imaginative illustrations bring joy to everyone who walks into the clinic.
"How the kids react when they see it is testimony to what a difference this kind of artwork makes," Peterson said recently, as he painted a thin black smile on a young chimpanzee.
Surprises for the children each day
Arriving after the children have left the clinic, Peterson worked late into the evening, leaving captivating embellishments for everyone to discover in the morning.
"I've gotten emails from the nurses and notes on the wall about how much they love it and how often the kids are commenting about it," said Peterson.
Peterson spent a little over a month on the project, beginning first with his under-water mural, which faces the infusion isolation rooms.
"Being isolated from the rest of the room can be very difficult, and the mural really helps draw the patients out," said Melinda Beckham, the center's pediatric charge nurse.
"My mom passed of cancer (brain) three years ago. Getting the chance to do something in a cancer-care setting was near and dear to my heart."
— Artist Kent Peterson
With a combination of acrylic, latex-house and artist paints, Peterson worked from the background forward, placing animals and critters as the intricate scenery emerged. For inspiration, Peterson used his electronic tablet to find photos of real jungle animals and sea critters.
"What he has done is spectacular," said Jeanine Stiles, the cancer center's associate director for administration. "His work really livens up the center for our pediatric patients, and makes it more kid-friendly."
Transformation from plain to alive with fun and color
Peterson's palette began with plain white walls, some of them cluttered with medical equipment. Now, visits to the infusion center offer patients and families medical help against a supportive backdrop of color to spark a rainbow of imagination.
Before setting to work in a smaller infusion area, Peterson asked himself, "What can we do to this room?"
Creating the feel of a real sea cove, Peterson painted a beachscape on the back wall and sea birds above each treatment bay.
"The idea was to tie it into the under-the-water theme," said Peterson.
"It's colorful and kids need to see themselves in this situation. They need to look at something happy," said Jesse Jam, 23, of Carmichael, who is being treated for a recurrence of leukemia after first being diagnosed at age 18. "Emotions are a big part of the treatment. Children need to find some color in it."
Peterson was delighted with the opportunity to share his work in a cancer-care setting for children. For him, it was more than another job.
"My mom passed of cancer (brain) three years ago," he said. "Getting the chance to do something in a cancer-care setting was near and dear to my heart."


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One man's paint: Could be another's pain
ADDRESS: 109 James River Road
SIZE: 1,943 fin. sq. ft.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Scottsville
CURB APPEAL: 8 out of a possible 10
LISTED BY: Jan Bloxsom, HasBrouck Realty, 295-4663
It's one of a seller's biggest dilemmas: whether to install new appliances, landscape, update a bathroom, or otherwise gussy up a place just before putting it on the market.
On the one hand, a fancy fridge or a slew of shrubs could enrapture buyers. On the other hand, however, the seller's taste in accoutrements could turn out to be a deal-breaker.
We've seen otherwise desirable properties languish because sellers paved a front yard for parking, converted a perfectly fine wood fireplace to gas, or built an oversized, inappropriate garage, cheesy storage shed, or expensive children's play equipment. While these "improvements" may suit the taste of the sellers, potential buyers with different sensibilities often find that the cost of undoing the improvement raises the purchase price beyond their budget.
This issue comes to mind because this charming house near Scottsville has been completely renovated, decorated, and landscaped by the current owner. Almost all of the decisions seem to be good ones, transforming a place he describes as "a shambles resembling a giant bottle of Pepto-Bismol, fit only for the mice who moved in and made a home" into a graceful, bright, and thoroughly modern farmhouse.
The house sits very close to the highway, but large trees and a picket fence– and the relatively light traffic on James River Road– mean that's less of a problem than it would be on, say, Route 20. The best thing about the house is the gorgeous exposed hardwood floors in every room except the kitchen and baths. The rich copper hues of the old heart pine provide a warmth that makes the dining room, for example– while awkwardly situated far from and unconnected to the kitchen– nevertheless warm and inviting. Adding to the cozy feel is a porch swing beside a welcoming red front door, working (gas) fireplaces in the living and dining rooms, and bright two-over-two windows in all the rooms except the bathrooms, where modern glass bricks provide light with privacy.
The systems are all new. Two heat pumps– one propane powered– provide air conditioning and heat, while electric baseboard units have been left in place for back-up. The metal roof is new, as are all appliances. Ceiling fans have been installed in every room, and closets have been added to the three bedrooms (and roomy cabinets in the dining room and master bath). For a house of this vintage, the amount of storage is a pleasant surprise. The master bath's skylight-topped whirlpool and rich cabinetry add a sleek touch of modernity to the otherwise period updates.
The owner seems to have spent as much energy and money outside as in: Several decrepit outbuildings were demolished (the best retained as a garden shed), and the original pump that provided water to the place was resuscitated to provide water for outside chores. The small .5-acre backyard has been cleared and planted with peony, hosta, and daylily beds, and a dramatic maple tree shades a new concrete patio and tiny fishpond.
The whole yard is fenced– across the back to keep a neighbor's horses at home, but on the left to shield a tranquil stand of pines that would be nice to see. Behind the pines on another neighbor's property, a weird collection of old UVA buses is really not as much of an eyesore as it sounds (in fact, we found them endearing in a kitschy way).
The only apparent problem in the house is the owner's decision to paint over wallpaper, not just on several walls, but on the ceiling of at least one upstairs bedroom. The agent assures us that before closing the owner intends to remedy the problem of cracking and wrinkling, but it nevertheless stands as a lesson to anyone preparing to put a house on the market.
Don't be in such a hurry to make "improvements" that that will cost you (or a buyer) more money in the long run– to undo or redo. It seems like a wiser course to save yourself the expense and hassle, and let the new owners make changes that suit their taste and budget.


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DUBAI (Reuters) - French oil company Total (TOTF.PA) still hopes to restart gas production at the Elgin Franklin platform in the North Sea by year end but it may not be possible until early next year, a senior executive said on Sunday.
The fields were shut after a gas leak in May and the company had aimed to restart production by the end of the year, but that may depend on whether British safety regulator the HSE is happy with the company's restart plan.
"We still have the objective of restarting the fields at the end of this year to the beginning of next year. But in between we will have to submit an HSE safety case," Yves-Loius Darricare, Total's head of upstream, told reporters at a conference in Abu Dhabi.
With UK gas demand typically peaking in January or February when heating needs are highest, the restart of Elgin Franklin before the end of 2012 would help boost supplies in the coldest mid-winter months.
The peak production capability for the Elgin/Franklin field is 280,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, 175,000 barrels per day condensate and 15.5 million cubic meters of gas per day (mcm/d), according to Total.
Reporting by Daniel Fineren; Editing by Susan Fenton


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When Middletown native Aaron Tveit first heard about the film adaptation of "Les Miserables," he heard Tom Hooper was directing and Hugh Jackman was attached. That was all the information he needed.
When Middletown native Aaron Tveit first heard about the film adaptation of "Les Miserables," he heard Tom Hooper was directing and Hugh Jackman was attached. That was all the information he needed.
"They weren't casting yet but I got the script anyway," said Tveit. "I was like, 'You know what, I'm gonna put myself on tape.' So I basically told my agents to send it somewhere."
He taped himself playing lead role Marius Pontmercy; the tape reached the casting director, who invited him to an hourlong session with Hooper. Then another session. Then stars started attaching themselves — Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried. It got a little tense but it worked out.
"I had tested for 'Graceland,' the pilot, and I found out Saturday that I got 'Graceland,'" Tveit said. "Then Monday I got a call about 'Les Mis.'" In one long weekend, the Middletown High School graduate, who has already starred on Broadway ("Catch Me If You Can," "Hairspray") and has appeared on a number of television shows and movies ("Gossip Girl," "Ugly Betty") had scored a windfall.
"By the time it rolled in I couldn't grasp what was happening," he said. "My parents were obviously so excited and proud, but they were rolling their eyes a little bit."
Tveit plays Enjolras, leader of the student revolutionaries in 19th century France. He sings quite a bit in the film ("Do You Hear the People Sing?," "One Day More," "ABC Cafe/Red and Black") and sports a mop of curly blonde hair.
Tveit first saw "Les Miserables" on a Middletown High School trip to New York City. Going in he didn't think he knew anything about the musical, but upon watching the epic, which initially ran for 16 years on Broadway, he realized the songs of "Les Miserables" were already ingrained into his mind.
"It's almost part of our American pop culture, in a way," he said.
Meanwhile, that pilot "Graceland" will begin this summer on the USA network. Tveit stars in that drama as a clean-cut FBI agent who is thrown into an investigation operation with DEA and U.S. Customs agents. But for now, "Les Miserables" takes the spotlight.
"It's been a surreal experience for me," Tveit said about the movie. "Everyone in the theater community is rallying around it. ... It's a testament to how great this film is. Sometimes you work on stuff and you know it's something special; we knew that in rehearsals early on."


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GCH CH Thaon's Mowgli
The Duluth Kennel Club is treating their Minnesota hometown to four all breed shows this week. Frank Sabella had the day one final on Thursday and a superb seven to choose from, the Golden Retriever, GCH CH Summit's Emery It's In the bag, the Afghan Hound, GCH CH Thaon's Mowgli, the Doberman Pinscher, CH Gallants First & Foremost V Ciden, the Norwich Terrier, the Brussels Griffon, GCH CH Knolland Amber Moon, the Dalmatian, GCH CH Folklore Celtic Crossfire Trail, and the German Shepherd Dog, GCH CH Babheim's Captain Crunch. His One/Two were the Afghan, Mowgli, and the GSD, Capi.
GCH CH Babheim's Captain Crunch
Mowgli and Capi would also be Helen Lee James' BIS & RBIS. Joining them in her day two final Friday were the above named Norwich & Dalmatian, the Rottweiler, GCH CH Ecko Ridge's Big Easy Fast And Furious, and the Shih Tzfive.u, Symarun's Look Alike. The two wins bring Mowgli's 2012 resume to six BIS.


text: This gallery showcases a collection for sale of over 1,000 vintage and antique textiles: embroideries, weavings, tapestries and kimonos from Japan, China and Europe. We have provided a wide range of styles and prices, to satisfy both the designer and collector. Our textile priorities are beauty, age, condition, and rarity. The gallery selection of Japanese textiles and kimonos is particularly strong. The LINKS section listing textile institutions and dealers, as well as the textile GLOSSARY are the most thorough that can be found on the web. New items are continually being added, so please check back periodically.


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Millions more Americans will now be able to engage in SMS inane babble and update the world on their lunch habits with the official launch of the TwitterPeek, a handheld device that does nothing but let you Twitter.
Unfortunately, UK Twitterers standing by to defend the honour of Stephen Fry and/or the baboon genus will have to remain either tethered to their PCs or endure the danger of having to speak to real people occasionally by using a half decent mobile.
Peek is pitching its TwitterPeek as the world's "first Twitter mobile device".
For $99, buyers get the device and six months of "unlimited Twitter service" before paying $7.95 a month thereafter.
Alternatively, they can cough up $199 and get unlimited Twittering for the lifetime of the device. Though presumably they are not actually predicting the lifetime of the device will be approximately 18 months.
They promise the colour screened, QWERTY-based device will deliver "a user experience far superior to SMS text messaging Twitter with a traditional cell phone."
Which may be true in one way. After all, who would want their microblogging to be disturbed by phone calls from their former non-Twittering friends, or by reading a long email, or even taking a picture of an interesting bird that has just landed in the garden.
Peek is selling the device via Amazon. So presumably those people who eschew "an expensive smartphone or dataplane" will have a PC and broadband. There's no word on who the service provider actually is.


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It's possibly the worst case of character profiling on record. But when we heard that hilarious comedian/actor Kristen Schaal was in "Dinner for Schmucks" we naturally assumed she was going to be one of the dinner guests. And not the cool kind.
After bumping into Schaal recently, we humbly apologize.
"I'm not a schmuck, believe it or not," Schaal roared at PopcornBiz. Well, it was a close to a roar as her distinctive voice allows.
In our own defense, Schaal has played up that particular part of her personality in her classic stint on the "The Daily Show" and as an unforgettable solo fan in "The Flight of the Conchords." But she assures us "you won't even see me at the dinner party" in her latest movie opening next month.
Instead she plays Paul Rudd's assistant, who pushes her boss to play the corporate game -- even if it means going against his principles by mocking schmucks at a dinner party.
"I eagerly want him to go to the dark side so that we can move up to the 7th floor," says Schaal.
To make up for our blunder, Schaal insisted that we write in our piece that she "misses" doing "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." And when we pointed out the truth, that she was hilarious in her correspondent duties on the show, she then insisted, "put that in there too."
Done. The slate is clean. On the off chance you're reading this Jon Stewart, bring her back on.
In the meantime, Schaal will continue to enjoy being one of the cool kids in a movie.
"It's refreshing to not be a schmuck in one of these films," she says.


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Taking Stock of Internet Stocks in 2012: And the Winner Is … AOL?
Back at the beginning of 2012, very few people would have picked AOL as the hottest Internet stock of the year.
And yet with only four trading days left, the New York-based portal is up 99.8 percent for the year, which is more than double the 49.4 percent rise in Amazon's shares for the year to date and slightly less than four times more than Apple's 28.4 percent.
I included AOL — which got its big lift via a series of deft financial transactions and other rejiggering of the business by CEO Tim Armstrong — in a group of 10 Web stocks, most of which saw decent rises since January 3, 2012.
After AOL and Apple, Netflix saw a 30.2 percent rise, followed by a 21.8 gain by Yahoo, which has only recently risen due to increased investor confidence in new CEO Marissa Mayer.
In contrast, Google — one of the Internet's most powerful players — only managed a 9.8 percent increase, which was still about double Microsoft's at a 4.2 percent bump.
That's a whole lot better than the trio of laggards that tanked in 2012. The best of the worst has been Facebook, which is down just 29 percent. That's a lot better than earlier this year, mostly due to increased investor confidence about its mobile prospects.
But nothing has been able to lift either Zynga (down 75.2 percent) or Groupon (down 77.6 percent) from the stock doldrums they have been caught in since their IPOs.
It's the mirror image to AOL's performance — a situation which could well change. After all, AOL dropped from $23.78 to $15.10 in 2011.
Here's a pretty comparison chart to look at:


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Osaka, 11 March 2014 - In 1960s Japan, vast amounts of industrial and hazardous wastes, illegal dumping, air pollution and water contamination resulted in environmental and public health crises. One well known example of this was the mercury contamination in the city of Minamata, where large numbers of people became seriously ill after eating contaminated seafood from Minamata Bay.
Much has changed since then. Today, Japanese cities such as Kawasaki and Kitakyushu, once heavily polluted by industry, now enjoy better air quality and suffer less pollution. Minamata has remodelled itself as an eco-city, receiving international recognition for its wide range of recycling and environmental programmes.
Now, for the first time, Japan's experiences and lessons learned in overcoming industrial waste challenges have been documented in a comprehensive report, which was launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today.
The report, The Japanese industrial waste experience: Lessons for rapidly industrializing countries, analyzes the Japanese case and highlights the potential relevance of the country's experience for sustainable development in rapidly industrializing countries. It finds that some of the approaches applied in Japan have already been echoed around the world.
It provides concrete examples - from both national and local governments, as well as the private sector - of how the industrial waste challenge was tackled in Japan, giving an insight into the historical developments and processes that led to dealing with industrial waste in a more sustainable way.
The country's experience shows that a mix of policies and initiatives helped it turn challenges into opportunities.
Regulations to hold waste generators responsible, voluntary measures for industries, market-based instruments to subsidize city-level action, and awareness-raising programmes were all part of the mix that helped change attitudes and practices in industrial waste management.
The main lesson learned in dealing with industrial waste can be drawn from the shift from end-of-pipe focused policies to preventive approaches and the introduction of the concept of reducing, reusing and recycling (3Rs).
As the Japanese experience shows, the measures needed to recover from pollution include not only environmental recovery, but also medical care and compensation for harm inflicted on people's health.
In light of the highly diversified types of industrial waste, Japan devised policies to hold industries responsible for waste treatment and disposal. Putting the private sector in charge of waste treatment and disposal has, over the years, created an established market and fostered waste businesses.
Another major lesson from Japan's experience has been that stimulating stakeholder involvement and raising environmental awareness is critical.
Market-based instruments have facilitated action by local communities to create integrated industrial waste management approaches at the city-level under the so-called eco-towns project, a government programme that was initiated in 1997.
By sharing Japan's experiences and lessons learned, the report aims to expand the policy options available to decision-makers in rapidly industrializing countries. Indeed, with many developing countries currently experiencing rapid industrial growth, finding solutions to industrial waste challenges is critical.
Moreover, with a unique insight into the history of other nations, today's developing countries now have an unparalleled opportunity to leapfrog unsustainable paths of industrial development, and in so doing, to provide models that other countries can follow.


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In Covering State Jobs Report, AP's Kravitz Ignores Job Gainers
In his Friday report covering the June state and local employment report released by Uncle Sam's Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Associated Press's Derek Kravitz told readers about the three biggest seasonally adjusted job-losing states (Tennessee, Missouri, and Virginia), but had nothing to say about states which gained jobs. This was a curious omission indeed, given that BLS told us that "nonfarm payroll employment increased in 26 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 24 states."
Only Kravitz knows why he neglected to tell us about the job gainers, but the list of the top eight states in that department should make readers wonder if the wire service reporter's omission was motivated by inconvenient (for liberals and leftists) likely explanations for the improvements in most of them (keep in mind that though it's not an apples to apples comparison, the economy as a whole added only 18,000 seasonally adjusted jobs in June):
One by one:
- Mentioning Texas might have made some people think of generally positive economic news from the Lone Star State in general under possible GOP presidential contender Rick Perry. Others may be aware of the Obama administration's EPA-led war on Texas, and wonder why it would be engaging in such an effort when the state, which has gained 144,000 jobs so far this year, is to a fair extent carrying the economy on its back.
- California had a good month, but compared to Texas, it's working off of larger base. The Golden State has picked up a total of 110,000 jobs since January, but that performance places it only 22nd in percentage employment growth.
- Michigan had a good June, and of course needs very many more strong months to make up for its eight years under Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm. The Wolverine State has a new GOP governor in Rick Snyder and a legislature which passed a fiscally conservative budget, getting it done before Memorial Day for the first time since 1981.
- June was the final month in the run-up to Minnesota's state shutdown battle. The rest of the Gopher State economy didn't seem to care much, did it?
- Ohio under Republican Governor John Kasich, who ousted incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland in November, is one of the states where contentiousness over public-sector labor relations reform has been greatest. The state's two-year budget effective July 1 closed a projected $8 billion budget gap without increasing taxes. The Buckeye State also "just so happens" to have picked up over 70,000 seasonally adjusted jobs this year, the highest 2011 percentage growth (1.42%) of any industrial state.
- Massachusetts had a good June and has had a pretty decent first half of 2011. It just may have something to do with the fact that the state, to the surprise of many, has worked on and actually enacted a degree of pubic-sector health care cost-sharing reform.
- Then there's Wisconsin, where Republican Governor Scott Walker took the most intense fire of any governor in recent history over his public-sector labor relations reforms earlier this year. The Badger State is in the midst of recall election campaigns involving state senators from both parties. Perhaps voters will notice that the state's economy under Walker has improved significantly, something which could be not said about the situation under his predecessor, Democrat Jim Doyle. Wisconsin employment grew by all of 12,000 seasonally adjusted jobs in 2010. So far this year, employment is up by 37,300, over triple the 2010 figure.
- Finally, there's South Carolina, where Governor Nikki Haley has been in a public battle with the Associated Press over its negative state economic reporting. Spin this, AP: The Palmetto State had the nation's fifth-highest percentage employment growth in June, trailing only much smaller, Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont, and South Dakota. And don't forget that the National Labor Relations Board has sued Boeing to prevent it from doing business at a plant near Charleston .
Despite the job pickups, the unemployment rate in most of the states listed above increased in June, as thousands of people who had been on the sidelines started looking for work again based on improved economic climates. One hopes that this bodes well for further job growth in these states.
As to the AP's Kravitz, it's awfully convenient for Democrats and the left that he neglected to relay the good news from states which are largely Republican-governed or have enacted public-sector labor relations reforms. His avoidance of South Carolina's emphatic, in-your-face result is also quite a coincidence. Did you just run out of space, Derek?
Cross-posted at NewsBusters.org.


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(CNN) -- The five-minute video opens with a man cruising along in his car, cracking open a bottle of what appears to be Beck's beer and taking a swig.
"We all know drinking and driving is against the law. You're not supposed to do that. But they didn't say anything about driving and then drinking," the man says to the camera. "You just have to be learned enough to understand the symbols of drunkenness."
The man, Richard Godbehere, posted the clip in February under the title "Let's Go Driving, Drinking!" to LiveLeak, a video-sharing site where users can vote on and donate to videos they like.
Even so, he appeared surprised when police showed up at his house in Kapa'a, Hawaii, to arrest him on charges of consuming alcohol while operating a vehicle and driving without a license.
"It's unbelievable," Godbehere told CNN. He says the video was meant as a parody. "There was no beer in that bottle." Godbehere is due in court in June, and police in Kaua'i told CNN the case will come down to whether a judge or jury believes him.
"Our traffic laws are in place for a reason, and Mr. Godbehere's blatant disregard for those laws is the type of behavior that won't be tolerated," said Kaua'i Police Chief Darryl Perry in a statement.
Social networks offer platforms for us to share everything on the Internet, from our relationship statuses to our political leanings and photos of our pets and children. But some people are discovering that what they share on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms constitutes evidence that can be used against them in a court of law.
One expert told CNN that anything posted online is material the government can use as evidence to arrest and charge a person.
"In criminal cases, almost all evidence is discoverable and police can obtain the evidence," said Bradley Shear, a Washington-area lawyer specializing in social media law. "It's just a matter of what hoops they have to jump through."
The government can subpoena deleted content from social media companies, as a judge did from Twitter for a case involving an Occupy New York protester in July 2012. But sometimes, law enforcement doesn't have to jump through any hoops to collect potentially incriminating evidence -- they just have to click around online.
"It's like that old saying," said professor Susan Rozelle, who teaches evidence and criminal law at Stetson University in Deland, Florida. "Don't put anything on your Facebook page you wouldn't tell your mother, or the local police department."
The most high-profile recent example of this was in Steubenville, Ohio, where social media played a role in the case of two football players who were found guilty last month of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl.
The girl didn't remember much of what happened when Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, sexually assaulted her at a party in August of 2012. Her family and law enforcement learned of the assault after cell phone pictures and videos, taken by partygoers, popped up on Facebook and other sites. One key piece of evidence was an Instagram photo of the two boys carrying the girl out of a house.
Mays, who shared photos of the girl naked and passed out, was also found guilty of disseminating a nude photo of a minor.
What the Fifth Amendment protects against is compulsory confessions. No one compelled them to take photos of themselves drinking and peeing.
The case caught fire on both conventional media and social media after a crime blogger and former Steubenville resident, Alexandria Goddard, uncovered some of photos, videos and messages posted online about the incident and accused the town of giving the boys preferential treatment because they played on the football team. Police denied the claim.
Just last month, two teenage girls were arrested and charged with intimidating a witness after police said they made threats against the victim on Twitter. Prosecutors have said they are considering additional charges against witnesses who refused to speak up. A grand jury will meet April 30 to hear evidence.
'... to whoever's vehicle i hit i am sorry'
Early on the morning of January 1 of this year, police in Astoria, Oregon, responded to a call about a hit-and-run on a residential street. There they found two cars had been sideswiped by an unknown driver, leaving behind a bumper cover and pieces of a taillight.
Later that day, an officer received a private Facebook message alerting her to a Facebook status update recently posted by Astoria resident Jacob Cox-Brown, 18. It read, "Drivin drunk... classsic ;) but to whoever's vehicle i hit i am sorry. :P"
Officers went to Cox-Brown's home and arrested him after finding a damaged vehicle missing pieces that matched those left behind at the crime scene.
In an interview with ABC affiliate KATU-TV, the owner of one of the damaged vehicles said what everyone watching the case was probably thinking: "Why would you post that? He basically just turned himself in."
Cox-Brown told KATU that his Facebook status update was "a big joke" and that he sideswiped the cars because of icy conditions. He is due in court April 22.
Shear, the social media law expert, said he would never allow a client to post anything like that online. But he argued that Cox-Brown's post alone would not be enough for a DUI conviction. Prosecutors would need additional evidence, such as a blood-alcohol-level report, he said.
"You want to focus on charging someone with something you can prove in the court of law," he said.
That may explain why police said Cox-Brown is charged not with driving under the influence but with two counts of "failing to perform the duties of a driver."
The Montreal Metro Drinking Marathon
A group of young partiers in Montreal gave authorities plenty of online evidence last month after a binge-drinking journey through the city's subways. The group participated in what they called the Montreal Metro Drinking Marathon, with plans to drink a beer at every station on the 30-stop Orange line.
They made it to 18 stations before losing focus, according to a post about it on Mook-life.com, a blog about youth culture in Montreal. "I guess alcohol got the best of us and we completely forgot what was going on at one point but in my opinion that makes us all winners!" said the March 25 post, which has since been taken down.
The group also posted photos, some with blurred faces, of members chugging beers on the trains and urinating at the subway stations -- both violations of city ordinances.
News sites republished some of the photos, and authorities took notice. Montreal police are now investigating the incidents and have asked for help in identifying the participants. A lawyer representing some of the partiers involved is negotiating with investigators, Montreal police said.
Canada and the United States have similar protections against suspects incriminating themselves while in custody, but voluntary gloating or confessions online are free game for law enforcement, legal experts said.
"What the Fifth Amendment protects against is compulsory confessions," Rozelle said. "No one compelled them to take photos of themselves drinking and peeing."
"The problem is that people don't realize that you can't take it back," added Shear. "It's almost impossible to unpost something."
When posting a photo is a crime
It's one thing to be arrested for posting a photo that shows you breaking the law. It's another to be arrested for posting a photo of someone else's handiwork.
In another case of social media consequences in Montreal, a woman was arrested earlier this month after she posted a photo on Instagram of graffiti she spotted on a city wall that depicted a high-ranking Montreal police officer with a bullet hole in his head. Jennifer Pawluck, 20, was accused of criminal harassment and intimidation, according to Montreal police.
"I think the person behind the artwork should be in my place ... all I did was take a photo," she told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Pawluck has not been formally charged but is scheduled to appear in court on May 24. A Montreal police spokesperson said there's more behind her arrest than just the posting of the photo, but declined to offer further details.
Legal experts say photos and videos, whether posted publicly online or obtained in a more discreet manner by the police, have to meet the same criteria: They must be authenticated, meaning the prosecutors must prove the images are what they seem and have not been altered or staged. And they can't be shown out of context.
"You can't just show a snippet that makes it seem worse than it is," said Rozelle, the Stetson University professor.
When the accused admit to posting the materials themselves, authentication isn't as much of a question. But in the cases of Godbehere, in Hawaii, and Cox-Brown, in Oregon, the incriminating posts put them in the awkward position of having to disavow their own words, experts say.
Either way, Rozelle says, criminals' trumpeting their crimes is nothing new.
"People have always said foolish things," Rozelle said, "but now they have the ability to say it louder and to more people."Lauren Russell, CNN


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Views: 875
As a mother of two I was careful to monitor for signs of religious influence and counter them with reason. Relatives and peers, parents of peers, attempt to brainwash kids when the parents aren't doing it. I also offered a lot of support to my kids' friends whose families were cramming religion down their throats.
I gave up a long time ago trying to reason with adults. If your brain is mature and you still hang on to this crap there is no hope.
"I think most of us don't waste time fighting the "god concept", too utterly ridiculous to bother with... but fighting the system associated with the god concept, that is where the interesting battle is."
That pretty much sums me up. I don't care about arguing about "reality" and evidence for god. I care about changing the system that favors Christianity in modern society over other religions, and that favors the religious over non-religious.
I find men to be more black and white in their thinking and more confrontational. That makes them really visible within atheism because they tend to be very vocal about debating with believers - and to be honest, they will debate with those of us non-believers who don't see things so black and white - and that can be off-putting. That kind of antagonism drives me crazy.
I don't care if an individual is sort-of-spiritual - or is even religious - if they are good people. I just want true secularism and religious equality and tolerance for all. I think men and women often have different approaches to and values about what is important about being an atheist.
Well, I've let go of delusions of secularity. I don't think faithers can put aside their religious principals when they're voting and participating in society, so I don't believe in secularity at all. I'm working on a completely changed society, atheistic in nature, no supernatural, no spiritual, evidence-based living.
One of the differences between males and females that persists in our society is that males, even today, achieve more education in the scientific fields. When you're trained within a scientific way of thinking, agnosticism makes no more sense than Santa or unicorns. Maybe it's because I live in Canada, but IMO we've gone WAY TOO far with our tolerance. We tolerate all kinds of bullshit from the right-wingers that cheat and lie to maintain their power over society.
I'm done with tolerance, it's time get the old boys club OUT of the picture. We need a change, a drastic one.
Forgive me for being argumentative, especially since you appeared to be agreeing with my previous point... but I think you missed my drift a little. :)
I do look forward to more conversations with you.
Thanks for being so amicable while trying to clarify your point. I probably did miss your drift a little - it's easy to do with a toddler tugging on my pant leg. I did think you were comparing men and women in the last sentence and I very much identified with that statement and tried to tie it into my response to the OP.
As for religious feminists. You're probably right. Many feminists probably are atheist (I've strangely never thought about it before). But I grew up with a liberal religious feminist as a mentor, so it's not impossible.
I can understand that being immersed in science would make you intolerant of non-evidenced based living. There are men and women who share that viewpoint. I think this type of forum favors that type of viewpoint. I do too - but I'm more tolerant of "harmless" unscientific thought (I realize that statement is a can of worms - I'm okay with horoscopes over not getting your kid vaccinated).
I'm a pragmatic person so I can understand giving up on belief in the possibility of secularity for the reasons you mentioned. But in my opinion secularism and tolerance is what is right, whether or not it will ever be possible in human society.
I'm in a tough place when it comes to generalising males and females. I was raised without any gender stereotypes, I was very athletic, and my external signs of femaleness were slow in coming, so I never considered myself male or female. I was always big and strong, so males were never a danger to me, yet, I see all the statistics of females being abused by males, specially males close to them, and it's what keeps me a strong feminist. Feminism will lose its necessity when the stats of females dying at the hands of their males are equalled in reverse. But in many ways, I've always behaved in quite male ways, I've studied sciences all my life, and chosen male jobs, and have absolutely NO desire to become a mother. In WWW conversation, I'm often mistaken for a male, because of my strong wording. I've never had any single outside force lead my life, other than the many many people with interesting tidbits who I've learned from. Learning is my favourite activity, debunking lies about science may well be my second favourite activity :)
So... as for a male and female approach to an evidence-based life, I am nostalgic about Madalyn Murray O'Hair. The 70s and 80s were better for women's lib that today. MMOH was an interesting, harsh, intolerant, entertaining person, she reminded me much of Julia Child!!! MMOH was the most visible person in the USA for atheists, but I'm Canadian, so I never knew her while she was alive. Today atheist leaders are all WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) males, they removed Gods, but there's still a lot of protestant world views left in the mindset of these 4 male atheist leaders. So with four "old boys club" leading the pact, it seems natural that there's a wave of support from like minded WASPy males within these forums.
As for tolerance, I've had my time. I suppose you could say I was tolerant from age 19 to 40. But I've reached a saturation point of watching an agenda of stupidity rule society, so yes, I've actually lost my tolerance. I've come to think of tolerance of intolerance as one of the greatest fallacies. Canada's probably the world leader in tolerating other cultures within our own boundaries, though internationally, our wing-nut right-wing political leaders behave in a very George Bush way and show extreme intolerance towards other country's cultures. My attitude is the reverse of my right-wing government's, make a firm cultural statement dismissing all things supernatural within our own midsts, but be tolerant between nations. The only country worse that the USA, Canada, England and France for international tolerance is Israel, they really take the cake as the most internationally intolerant nation.
Frankly if people want to live a theocracy somewhere on the top of Africa, let them be. But here, in my own country, I think we should be allowed to exclude certain problematic ideologies.
I came to feminism and atheism about the same time, as an undergraduate, mostly in my junior year. They were parallel processes. There was more of a dialogue about god on my campus. The feminism came from reading.
I'd like to know why skr-one human's lastest post is deleted.
I spent most of my life trying to talk sense to people, or at least to get them to lay off harassing me about my non-delusional mind. I never made much progress with any of that and just burned out from people screeching at me that I'm going to burn in hell. I AM an older woman, age 59, and my 90 year old mother and 92 year old aunt also atheist. They woke up to reality after being raised orthodox jewish. All my first cousins and many of my second cousins are atheist. My 55 year old sister is atheist. We're out there. ]
A difference I see between male atheists and female atheists is that males are more interested in discussing the topic, in philosophizing and debating. The women are more interested in discussing their lives. Family, work, interests. There's a new atheist group near me that I haven't gone to because every meeting is a Serious Topic for Discussion. The members are almost all male. I just want to live my time on earth and find some friends with similar interests to hang out with that aren't going to put god and church into every discussion.
Darwin was very racist and thought that black people were lower beings than europeans.
Darwin was a man of his own time, which was sexist, racist and a lot more things we hope to get rid of. It takes hard work to escape from prejudice, but I think he always tried to think outside the box - in his autobiography you can meet him as a kind person.
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
Quick post on a few random things ...
24 comments:
I'm a Game of Thrones fan too - watched all of season 1, and then read all the books. And even though the show is quite good, yet again, the books are even better! :)ReplyDelete
I'm with Kelsey on Game of Thrones - the show is great (and totally addictive!) but the books are even better. Very hard to put down :o)ReplyDelete
I'm rereading the first book, I read it in 1998 or something like that but I don't remember a thing. My DH and I just finished watching the first season, it was soo good! Enjoy!ReplyDelete
I'm with the other guys, Game of thrones is awesome but read the books they are even better!ReplyDelete
Cant wait to see the nightshade quilts :D
I am quite in agreement with you anout Hunger Games. I was so UBER psyched to go see the movie! I have not been to a movie in 2 1/2 years (Not a Twi-hard or a Potter fan) and then it was just kind of Oh, OK! Even my Ten year old son (who I made read the book if he wanted to go see the movie) said there was a LOT missing! Oh well!ReplyDelete
I LOVE the 'movement' that your quilt takes on BTW! I think the curved lines were brilliant!! :)
Love the quilting on that mini!ReplyDelete
GoT... love the show, but there are so many characters that I think I would hate reading the books. I'm usually a die hard read the books before watching the tv show/movie, but for that series (as for LoTR) I think I would just throw the book down in agony. :)
- AnonymousMarch 26, 2012 at 9:40 AM
I'm with you on the Tar Heels loss. Very bitter about it!ReplyDelete
John- Thanks so much for all the kind words on my mini! I'm looking forward to seeing your new quilt when the rain stops! TerriReplyDelete
You couldn't possibly be wallowing in UNC's loss as much as my husband and I are wallowing over Michigan State's and Marquette's losses ... especially since we went all the way to Phoenix to see them both get KILLED! Ugh. That is a beautiful quilt, though. : )ReplyDelete
Yup, definitely watching Game of Thrones--can't wait for the new season to start! I've read all 5 books, and I have to say that the show's first season stayed very true to the book, unlike other series *cough*TrueBlood*cough*. Enjoy your new obsession!ReplyDelete
Ooo, that mini is awesome! The colors are perfect :). And I totally agree about books almost always being better than movies...but I still want to see this one!ReplyDelete
oh my goodness! yes!! I love love LOVE Game of Thrones!! :) The HBO series is awesome, but the books (as is almost always true) are better. Although I have to say outside of the Lord of the Rings and perhaps Harry Potter book-to-movie "translations", Game of Thrones is pretty darn close to the original. If you're ever hunting for a book to read (based on your game of thrones/hunger games references above) you simply MUST read "The Name of the Wind" and "The Wise Man's Fear" by Patrick Rothfuss. BRILLIANT!ReplyDelete
Hi John, just found your blog, love it, though you might not like to see I'm from KANSAS!!! Yes, it is the birthplace of North Carolina basketball! Sorry, saw that on a shirt and it made me smile. I still love Roy, just not when we are playing his team. Anyway, keep quilting away. BTW, I recently visited Tula Pinks' mothers' quilt shop. She owns a shop in Northern Missouri, and there is a ton (go figure) of Tula Pink fabric, quilts, and patterns, it is a must visit if you are ever in the mid-west.ReplyDelete
My wife and I like Game of Thrones, but if you like it, you would probably love Pillars of the Earth, which was a similar (but better, I think) miniseries on Starz a couple seasons back. It's based on the Ken Follett novel, which was fantastic (and long). Highly recommend!ReplyDelete
Well you have nailed a few of my favorite things in this post. I love Tula Pink- I just finished a quilt with her Flutterby collection from days gone by. Second- I will be seeing the Hunger Games with my family this weekend. We have all read the series (might be a first that all 6 of us has read the same book). Game of Thrones is in our que to start soon! Plus I love the quilting on Terri's quilt- remarkable.ReplyDelete
Love the Game of Thrones. My husband and I watch them and we read (audio version while driving to and from work) the books before each season. The show is so true to the books.ReplyDelete
Really like the flock of starlings quilt, the quilting gives it movement.
Sorry Roy's boys had to lose but I'm so glad my Jayhawks won!!!ReplyDelete
I really dig that Flock of Starlings quilt.. The sort of random-ish quilt lines are so cool.ReplyDelete
- JacquelineApril 5, 2012 at 10:57 PM
Hi, just discovered your blog and I love it. You're very talented! Greetings from Australia! :-)ReplyDelete
Definitely agree with you on The Hunger Games. Really like the casting and the acting, but they left out a lot of the depth and history of the story. I am watching Game of Thrones. The book series are definitely worth the read. They've done a great job on casting that one as well and have stayed true to the story. Nice to see a fellow fan.ReplyDelete
My husband and I just finished Series 1. I must say that I am struggling with the sexism and violence in it. Can't say I would watch it ever again. I agree with the great look of the random quilting on that 'flock of starlings'.ReplyDelete
I just found your blog and love it!!! I actually have a pinterest board based on costumes from Game of Thrones which I just love. Please check it out, I hope you enjoy it.ReplyDelete
I LOVE Game of Thrones. Got me into the books which are awesome! Looking forward to Season 3 coming out....ReplyDelete


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Hey all,
Today I mistakenly ran rm -r on the wrong directory on a amazon cloud EBS instance - ubuntu 10.4 - ext3 file system. Shortly afterward the panic began.
Naturally we don't have backups of these files.
Is anyone aware of any tools or pointers that can help to restore these files?
I've come across http://extundelete.sourceforge.net/ but I'm uncertain if this is an appropriate solution for an amazon instance


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A Magnificent Crib!
This beautiful and classic Vintage Iron Crib with intricate detailing is the perfect top quality crib for your precious little baby. Skilled craftsmen have produced this iron crib entirely by hand using only the finest materials available. Its rounded ends accented with hand poured casting on front and sides, make this crib a real heirloom piece. With a simple timeless design and rock solid iron workmanship, you can be sure that this crib will look great in your darling's nursery for many years to come!
Shipping: FREE


text: This page is dedicated to raising funds for Nepal earthquake relief through VT Seva (http://www.vtsworld.org/DonateNepalEarthquake2015.htm). Please support this cause by purchasing the art work listed here. All the proceeds (100%) are donated to VT Seva to support Nepal earthquake relief efforts.$32 will be enough to purchase a tent and 5 blankets for a family effected by this terrible earthquake in Nepal.Photographs are taken by me whereas all the drawing are done my kids.Thank you.


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Everton completed a smash and grab job to claim 3 points in what was a pretty disjointed display by the Blues characterised by poor passing in the second period.
Everton opened up in a 4-2-3-1 system with Anichebe leading the line with Osman behind him, Barkley from the right and Arteta left side. The 3 attacking midfielders interchanged a fair bit with Arteta moving inside more as the game went on with Osman shifting to the right. Blackburn played more of a 4-4-1-1 with Hoilett playing through the middle off Jason Roberts. Injuries to Pedersen and Dunn would see Hoilett switch back to the flank midway through the first period.
Early exchanges
Our first half display was decent, with Arteta playing well and Barkley again carrying our main threat – the youngster had a productive first half and even though he was withdrawn early in the second half he still completed more dribbles and created more chances than his teammates
Passing game collapses
The second half was a horror show for the Blues. As the stats show below, we couldn't get hold of the ball and when we did our pass completion dipped. Blackburn made considerably fewer passes but made more of their possession than the Blues – their % of long balls was 3% higher than the Blues and they worked the ball into our box much quicker.
The Blues defence continued to drop deeper and deeper as the second period progressed – Distin made a huge 16 clearances but 50% of these surrendered possession to Blackburn. Our passing was increasingly poor – both Blackburn penalties came from passing miscues – firstly Barkley and then Cahill later on.
The Blues rode their luck to get 3 points here; Blackburn missed two penalties and also lost their 2 most creative players to injury. The positives where good defensive shifts for the team from Fellaini and Anichebe – who both won over 90% of their aerial duels supporting a defence that looked shaky with Jagielka again out of sorts. Osman was anonymous in one of his poorest games in a long time. Tim Howard will take the plaudits as he saved the Blues and buried the ghost of his nightmare at Ewood 12 months ago.
Ultimately last season we started the campaign battering teams with possession and getting nothing, so 3points and a clean sheet will do nicely although we certainly need to improve in terms of passing based on today's showing.


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A healthy recipe for you today! I'm not sure whether there is such a recipe of these baos, anyways I just created this without any reference. So be it....it"ll either turns out good or bad! And guess what?! These baos are well recieved!!!! I did it...LOL!!
The idea of using the whole wheat in baos is unsual but trust me, it's very nice indeed and most of all, it's healthy!
Have a look at it....they are not as smooth like the normal redbean baos just because of the wholemeal wheat flour, but they are soft and special...^^
The recipe:
300g bao flour
50g wholemeal wheat flour
8g instant yeast
70g castor sugar
5g ghee
150g water (may not use all)
red bean paste
- Mix all ingredients (except red bean paste) in a mixer knead dough till smooth at high speed about 5-8 mins.
** add water slowly until the dough forms and not sticky.
- Roll out dough into long strip, cut into small pieces about 30g each, then roll flat and roll up like a swissroll and keep aside.(shown below)
- Wrap in the red bean paste, seal tight and place on the prepared baking paper. Leave to rise for 30 minutes.
- Steam over hight heat for 5 minutes.
Below picture, after 30 minutes.
Below picture, after steaming.
Look at them, not bad huh?! The skin of these baos are very soft and fluffy as you can see from the last picture below. Well, I like this recipe very much, and hopefully I'm sharing the right one with you too.


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Available ebook formats: epub mobi lrf html
Neil Hunter is, in fact, the prolific Lancashire-born writer Michael R. Linaker. As Neil Hunter, Mike wrote two classic western series, BODIE THE STALKER and JASON BRAND. Under the name Richard Wyler he produced four stand-alone westerns, INCIDENT AT BUTLER'S STATION, THE SAVAGE JOURNEY, BRIGHAM'S WAY and TRAVIS.


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By Steve Ghiringhelli, Fort Drum Public Affairs Office
American Forces Press Service
FORT DRUM, N.Y. , June 23, 2011 – The day after announcing a drawdown of troops from Afghanistan, President Barack Obama visited Fort Drum to thank members of an Army division that was among the first to deploy units following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"I don't want to give a long speech, because I want to spend most of my time just shaking hands and thanking all of you," Obama told a small gathering of 10th Mountain Division soldiersJune 23, 2011, during his first official visit to Fort Drum.
The soldiers of 1st Brigade Combat Team, which returned earlier this year from its deployment to northern Afghanistan, sat in complete silence as they awaited the commander in chief's arrival at the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade dining facility. It was soldiers from the brigade's 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, who provided a quick reaction force in Afghanistan immediately following 9/11, ultimately helping to overthrow the Taliban-run regime that harbored al-Qaida terrorists.
Once the president was announced, he was introduced to the 150 soldiers by the brigade's commander, Col. Willard "Bill" Burleson.
"Sir, it's a great privilege to share these great soldiers here with you today," Burleson said. "They represent about 4,000 of the first elements of (last year's surge) in Afghanistan."
The president thanked Burleson for his hard work and leadership and then spoke about his decision last year to deploy an additional 30,000 troops into Afghanistan, calling it one of the toughest decisions he has made as president.
"The only reason I was able to make that decision was because I knew that we had the finest fighting force in the world, and that if I gave a command to our troops, they would be able to accomplish that mission," the president said. "The 10th Mountain Division … (were) the first folks to go in after that order was given.
"And that's not surprising," he added, "because you guys were also some of the first folks to go in right after 9/11."
During his televised address to the nation Wednesday night, Obama announced that 10,000 troops will redeploy to the U.S. this year and that a total of 33,000 -- roughly the number of troops sent to Afghanistan last year -- will return by next summer. As Afghan security forces move into the lead, the president said, American troops will continue steadily coming home until 2014, when the U.S. mission completes its transition from combat to support.
He also stated that it was time for America to rethink some of its national security policies, cautioning that the U.S. is in need of some "nation building" of its own.
"Already, this decade of war has caused many to question the nature of America's engagement around the world," he said during his primetime speech. "Some would have America retreat from our responsibility as an anchor of global security and embrace an isolation that ignores the very real threats that we face. Others would have America over-extended, confronting every evil that can be found abroad.
"We must chart a more centered course," the president noted.
Currently, the 10th Mountain Division's headquarters leads coalition forces in Regional Command - South in Kandahar, Afghanistan. In addition, three of the division's six brigades are deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom -- 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Brigade Combat Team and 10th Combat Aviation Brigade.
It brings the total number of 10th Mountain Division soldiers serving in Afghanistan to more than 10,000.
Meanwhile, the 10th Sustainment Brigade is readying to deploy to Afghanistan this fall.
Obama said his respect for the 10th Mountain Division's storied past goes back to his days at the U.S. Senate.
"I've always run into you guys -- and for some reason, it's always in some rough spots," he said. "You guys have always been there in the toughest fights. The fact that you are continuing, even as we speak, and that many of your comrades are there right now under some very tough circumstances, (demonstrates) your dedication and your patriotism."
In order to sustain their accomplishments so far in the war-torn country, the president assured soldiers that his plan to decrease the number of troops in Afghanistan would not be done "precipitously."
"Because of what you have done, areas like Kandahar are more secure than they have been in years," Obama said. "Because of you, we are now taking the fight to the Taliban, instead of the Taliban bringing the fight to us. Because of you, there are signs that the Taliban may be interested in figuring out political settlements.
"It's also because of you that we have a platform to be able to go after bin Laden and al-Qaida, and we have decimated their ranks," he said.
Obama said even with his planned drawdown, tough work lies ahead.
"The American people understand the sacrifices you are making; they understand the sacrifices that your Families are making," he said. "But there's still some fighting to be done. And frankly, the 10th Mountain Division is still going to be represented there until we have fully transferred to the Afghan military and security forces.
"You guys are the tip of the spear," Obama continued. "You guys are the ones that keep us safe each and every day. For all of the sacrifices you have made, I want to say thank you. For all of the sacrifices your Families have made, I want to say thank you.
"I have no greater job -- nothing gives me more honor -- than serving as your commander in chief. To all of you who are potentially going to be (deployed again), just know that your commander in chief has your back."
Before boarding Air Force One at Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield, Obama met privately inside the Rapid Deployment Facility with family members of fallen soldiers.


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Mandatory Flu Vaccine For NY Health Care Workers
State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., today released this open letter to health care workers in New York State: As health care workers, we share one of the proudest traditions of all professions: we put our patients' interests ahead of our own.
As a physician who spent more than 20 years working in hospitals, I had the honor of working side by side with other physicians, nurses, food service workers, technicians and transporters in the early and uncertain months of what would become the HIV epidemic, in those first confused days of the anthrax attacks, and when any new international traveler with a fever might have been carrying SARS. Never once, no matter what our private fears might have been, did we shirk from our duties or put personal anxieties ahead of the interests of our patients. We took the recommended precautions, worked carefully and cautiously, and gave our patients the compassionate and selfless care for which our professions and institutions are rightly given a special place in our society.
In furtherance of that tradition, on August 13th the New York State Hospital Review and Planning Council adopted a regulation recommended by the New York State Health Department making approved annual influenza vaccinations mandatory, unless medically contraindicated, for health care workers in hospitals, outpatient clinics and home care services. Legislation applying the same standards to nursing home workers has also been proposed. The new regulation will apply first to the routine annual seasonal influenza vaccine now available. With the recent FDA approval of the vaccine for novel H1N1 flu ("swine flu"), the regulation will also apply to that vaccine, just in time for the second wave of novel H1N1 influenza already returning this fall.
Questions about safety and claims of personal preference are understandable. Given the outstanding efficacy and safety record of approved influenza vaccines, our overriding concern then, as health care workers, should be the interests of our patients, not our own sensibilities about mandates. On this, the facts are very clear: the welfare of patients is, without any doubt, best served by the very high rates of staff immunity that can only be achieved with mandatory influenza vaccination – not the 40-50% rates of staff immunization historically achieved with even the most vigorous of voluntary programs. Under voluntary standards, institutional outbreaks occur every flu season. Medical literature convincingly demonstrates that high levels of staff immunity confer protection on those patients who cannot be or have not been effectively vaccinated themselves, while also allowing the institution to remain more fully staffed.
Throughout this fall and winter, more patients than ever may enter our hospitals and clinics without effective influenza immunity. Some will be too young or have other contraindications to vaccination or will have failed to receive vaccinations for a variety of reasons. Others will be too frail for vaccination to be effective. Large numbers of people quite clearly would like to take the new H1N1 vaccine as soon as it is available but will be denied that opportunity because they do not fall into one of the first prioritized groups. For all of these individuals, safety lies in being treated in institutions and by health care personnel with the nearly 100% effective immunity rates seen with other long-mandated vaccinations for health care workers, such as measles and rubella.
In recognition of health care's noble tradition of putting patients' interests first and understanding the need to keep our health care system functioning optimally during this challenge, federal authorities made a remarkable decision regarding the first groups to be given access to the new H1N1 vaccine. In addition to giving highest priority for the new vaccine to those who would receive the direct or personal benefit -- pregnant women, caregivers to infants, children and the chronically ill -- authorities declared that health care workers would also be given earliest access to the vaccine, ahead of millions of other individuals who have roughly equal or even higher risks of contracting H1N1 influenza with all the discomfort or worse that could mean for them as individuals.
Knowing that our privileged access to the new vaccine is earned not by our personal risk factors but by the special trust society places in us, then how can we as health care workers maintain that our cooperation in protecting the most vulnerable members of society is nevertheless optional? Without mandated vaccinations, many ethically troubling situations may occur. A health care worker unconcerned about "ordinary flu" might refuse the routine seasonal vaccine, but then expect to be in the front of the line for the "good stuff" – the new and strictly rationed swine flu vaccine. Institutions may find themselves short staffed and less than fully capable if their workers fail to get the seasonal influenza vaccine but then proceed to consume hundreds of doses of the new vaccine, therefore denying those doses to other groups. This scenario will certainly not achieve the staff-wide immunity levels needed to assure patient safety and optimal staffing -- the very reasons for which health care workers received their priority in the first place.
Influenza vaccination has saved thousands upon thousands of lives over the last three decades, and thousands more could have been saved if the vaccinations had been more widely used. This year, through effective use of vaccination, we have perhaps the best opportunity to save lives and keep our society and institutions running more smoothly than we have had in 50 years or more. This is not the time for uninformed or self-interested parties to attempt to pump air into long-deflated arguments about vaccine safety in general or to use a single 33-year-old episode to deny decades of safety and saved lives achieved by influenza vaccines prepared in the same way as this year's formulations.
The seasonal influenza vaccine has completed, and before its approval the new H1N1 vaccine also underwent, the most careful development, production and testing processes leading scientists, clinicians and public health authorities can devise. Approval of the H1N1 vaccine was based on the application of the same scientific standards and methods that we believe should govern all our health care practices. We, as health care workers, owe it to our patients and to society in general to demonstrate our confidence in those scientific standards. Even more importantly, we should reconfirm our noble commitment to the tradition of putting patients' interests first by supporting the mandatory influenza vaccination requirement.


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I have a problem. It's a good problem to have, but it's a problem nonetheless. I like to cast on for new things…before I finish what I am working on. Some of you may know this condition as 'startitis.'
I recently fell victim to this condition, even though I have something time-sensitive on my needles. But…you know…
I have always loved the Tallulah Shrug by Courtney Kelley in the November Knits book and have recently developed a love for our Magnolia yarn. It didn't take long for me to realize that the two would go together really well!
I happened to be walking though the warehouse looking for something else, when I looked to my right and saw a bag of Magnolia (5415 Pale Teal) that was whispering to me – 'Pssstt Claudine….over here. I would be the perfect color for a shrug.' I tried to ignore it, but the voice grew stronger. And before I even knew what was happening I had a bag of the yarn in my hands and was thinking about what size needle I would need.
The gauge on Magnolia is a little smaller than the recommended yarn, but it is a fairly easy pattern and futzing with the numbers didn't take too long. (Remember when you were in high school and said you didn't need to take algebra, because you would never use it in real life? Somewhere in the Midwest, my high school algebra teacher is jumping for joy!)
I would say I am about half way done with the body of the garment and am planning to work exclusively on this until it is finished (let's see how long that lasts), as it's going to be a great transition piece. I have a few dresses and tops that will look great under it and I can wear it into late fall and then bring it back out in the early spring. In fact, I haven't even finished this one yet, but am thinking about making one in another color and switching up the lace pattern.
Do you have something you love so much that you have knit it twice?
Knit on.