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J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Ron Darling and other riggers load nets full of balloons for the Republican National Convention festivities inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Friday.
A "salute" to oil baron David Koch. A fete bankrolled by casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. And gala bashes for GOP super PAC donors and bundlers featuring rock stars like Kid Rock and ex-Eagles guitarist Don Felder.
Those are only a handful of the big parties planned for Republican delegates, lawmakers and donors in Tampa starting this weekend. While some of the events are well advertised and open to the public, private schedules, prepared for GOP fundraisers and obtained by NBC News, show that this year's convention will once again provide a unique opportunity for lobbyists and big dollar donors to wine and dine lawmakers -- and press their agendas.
"It's a mega-fundraising, lobbying extravaganza. Everybody is in one place at one time," says Jack Abramoff, the onetime kingpin lobbyist whose 2006 conviction for corruption led to reforms aimed at cracking down on lobbyist influence peddling.
Abramoff, who was released from prison last year and will be attending this year's GOP convention as a commentator for "Inside Edition," said that, as far as he can see, lobbyists and their lawyers have merely figured out creative new ways to skirt the rules -- a point underscored by the dizzying array of parties all week in Tampa. "Nothing has really changed," he said.
Storm warnings notwithstanding, the action begins in earnest Sunday at 5:30 p.m. when one of Washington's biggest lobbying firms, Williams and Jensen (whose current clients include the American Bankers Association, Pfizer and Comcast, which owns NBC) hosts a kick-off reception and dinner for GOP delegates at a local eatery called Bern's Steakhouse.
Just a half hour later, another big D.C. lobbying powerhouse -- Fierce, Isakowitz and Blalock (current clients: the American Gaming Association, Ford Motor, J.P. Morgan and Time Warner Cable) -- hosts a dinner for the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee at the Tampa Museum of Art.
Then later in the evening, oil giant Chevron and Aflac, the insurance firm, are co-hosts of a "Two Step, Soul and Rock 'N Roll" party at the Historic Cuban Club; AT& T throws a competing party at Armani's Grand Hyatt; and the American Action Network, an "issues advocacy group" headed by former GOP Sen. Norm Coleman, teams up with Citizens United for a bash at Liberty Plaza.
But delegates may have to pace themselves. On Monday night, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce joins the Distilled Spirits Council for a "Celebrate the Spirit of Tampa" party at the Tampa Aquarium. On Tuesday, Barbour Griffith and Rogers, another of Washington's biggest lobbying firms (among its current clients: Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline and the country of Qatar) hosts the delegates at Stump's Supper Club with a party honoring its founding partner, Haley Barbour, who, after serving as governor of Mississippi and toying with the idea of running for president, has rejoined the firm.
The next morning, Restore Our Future, the Romney super PAC, offers a private briefing for its mega donors by Sen. Marco Rubio. And that afternoon, the Republican Jewish Coalition throws a "Salute to Pro-Israel Elected Officials at the Crowne Plaza, where the coalition's major bankroller, casino kingpin Adelson, is expected to make a grand appearance. (That's not the only Adelson presence at the convention. According to a report in Yahoo News on Friday, the YG Network -- named for House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor's Young Guns -- has named a "Woman Up!" pavilion for Miriam Adelson, the mogul's Israeli-born wife.)
Craig Holman, a lawyer for Public Citizen, a campaign watchdog group that plans to "bird dog" the parties , says that this year's convention is showcasing new ways that lobbyists are bypassing ethics rules. Those rules -- enacted in 2007 after the Abramoff scandal -- barred lobbyists from throwing parties honoring "a member of Congress." So this year's parties don't honor individual members; they honor groups of members such as "A Salute to the House and Senate Energy and Commerce Committees" being thrown by a new consulting firm called GOP Convention Strategies at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. ("It's a Home Run!" reads the invite.)
But perhaps the most conspicuous honoree is not any member or delegate: It's David Koch, the billionaire oil man who helps run energy giant Koch Industries. Along with his brother, Charles, Koch has emerged as one of the biggest and most controversial financiers of conservative advocacy groups that gave rise to the Tea Party and other GOP causes. On Thursday, Americans for Prosperity -- one of the Koch-backed groups that has announced it plans to spend $151 million on this year's campaign, including a new blitz of TV ads attacking President Barack Obama -- will sponsor "A Salute to Entrepreneurs Building America."
There will be two men honored at the event: Art Pope, the group's chairman, and Koch.


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Sorry for being a few days late on this one. The principal cast of Noah's Arc headlined a fundraiser for No on Prop 8 in Oakland. These are images are from Flickr user Jay Brahms' photostream and video of the event.
Doug Spearman, Darryl Stephens, Rodney Chester and Jensen Atwood also sat for a video interview with Clubrimshot's Joe Hawkins to discuss the importance of voter turnout to defeat the amendment that would overturn the right of same sex couples to marry in California. (Note: There are some problems viewing the video interview in Firefox and Safari.) Darryl Stephens, in particular, says he would like to use his official coming out as a platform to discuss important issues facing our community. Bravo.
Oh and a cookie for Rodney Chester who continues to encourage black gay men to become involved in issues affecting "our" community. Rodney probably meant to say "your" community, 'cuz, you know, he is still not gay.
Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom will be available in limited release on October 24. The proximity to the November election., plus the wedding-themed plot, makes this an excellent vehicle to combine promotion and activism on the marriage issue. Darryl Stephens graces the cover of the latest issue of Instinct and talks more about the movie and his decision to officially come out. Best of luck on the movie and thanks to the cast for bringing awareness to an important issue.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Campaigning against the influence of creationism in the UK Science Classroom
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TSA Agent Confiscates Sock Monkey's Pistol
SEATTLE - A cowboy sock monkey's tiny toy pistol was no laughing matter for the Transportation Security Administration.
A Redmond, Wash., woman says a TSA agent seized the replica weapon as she passed through the Lambert-International Airport in St. Louis. Phyllis May told KING she was "appalled and shocked and embarrassed" about the Dec. 3 incident. May has a business selling sock monkey dolls. She says she was on her way back to Washington state when a TSA agent went through her bag and found the monkey's two-inch toy pistol.
The TSA agent said she'd have to confiscate the toy.
The TSA issued a statement Monday saying that under "longstanding aircraft security policy, and out of an abundance of caution, realistic replicas of firearms are prohibited in carry-on bags."


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, Aug 10, 2011 / 12:57 am MT (CNA).-
The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers have notified Father Roy Bourgeois he will be dismissed from their order unless he renounces his "defiant stance" against Catholic teaching on the ordination of women.
Denver-based canon lawyer J.D. Flynn said the continuing disciplinary action against the excommunicated priest is about restoring justice and repairing scandal.
"The issue is that Fr. Bourgeois is in a position of public ministry in the Church. He is perceived to be speaking for the Church. When he says things which aren't consistent with what we know to be true, it can lead people into sinfulness," Flynn told CNA on Aug. 9.
"When the sacraments are simulated, we are all wounded by that," he added. "All of us in the Church suffer when we lose clarity about the sacraments and run into error. No priest should be permitted to lead us into error."
Flynn said the disciplinary action is "really about the Church trying to make clear that a person who is leading us into sinfulness is not acting as minister of the Church."
Fr. Bourgeois is a human rights activist who founded the group SOA Watch which monitors the U.S. government's training of military personnel in Latin America. He was excommunicated in 2008 for participating in an attempted ordination of a woman to the priesthood at a Unitarian church in Lexington, Ky.
Maryknoll superior general Fr. Edward M. Dougherty in a July 27 letter warned Fr. Bourgeois of his imminent dismissal on the grounds that he had shown "obstinate disobedience" to his superiors in violation of his oath about a "grave matter." The letter also cited his "diffusion of teachings" opposed to the "definitive teaching of John Paul II and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church as well as the "grave scandal" he has caused to the people of God, to the Church, and to many Maryknoll priests and brothers.
The order gave the priest 15 days after receiving the letter to renounce publicly his stand on women's ordination, or face dismissal.
Fr. Bourgeois' Aug. 8 reply said that Catholic Church teaching "excludes women from the priesthood" and "defies both faith and reason and cannot stand up to scrutiny." He said the teaching is "rooted in sexism," which "like racism, is a sin."
He said the instruction to recant is "telling me to lie and say I do not believe that God calls both men and women to the priesthood."
"This I cannot do, therefore I will not recant," he said.
Flynn defended Catholic teaching, explaining that the Catholic Church "holds definitively that ordination is reserved to men only."
"This doesn't mean that Catholic Church thinks that women are less, or that that they have less of a role in church. What that doctrine really means is that we believe that people are called to different roles in the Church, different kinds of vocations, but they are all equal in dignity. It's St. Paul's idea that there are many parts to the body."
"Women are called to many different kinds of ministry and service in the church and in the world, and so are men, but just as a man couldn't become a mother, which is perhaps the noblest vocation, a woman is unable to become a priest, deacon or bishop," Flynn added.
The Catholic Church ordains only men "because Jesus ordained men," he said. "We take seriously the idea that genders are different and have different roles to play in the Church."
He said that Jesus had "great love for women," but didn't ordain even his revered mother Mary.
"In following that example, we believe it was the intention of Our Lord to recognize the distinction between fatherhood and motherhood, between masculinity and femininity, to create men as deacons, priests and bishops in the Church."
Flynn suggested that American society in general rejects Catholic teaching on ordination because it confuses "equality in function with equality in dignity."
"We believe that for people to be equal they have to be able to do all of the same things … We've done away with the idea that people can have different functions and yet be equal in dignity and be equal in love of the Lord."
This results in the loss of the idea that some roles are reserved for women and some roles are for men.
Fr. Bourgeois' case will proceed to the Vatican where he faces formal removal from the priesthood, a process known as laicization.
As an excommunicated priest, he cannot be a minister of the sacraments and his participation in the life of the Church is limited, Flynn explained.
However, he is still a member of the Maryknoll order until he is dismissed and he is still recognized as a priest under church law.
"The process of laicization removes him from the clerical state, to clarify that he has no ability to exercise ministry in the Church," Flynn said.
Bourgeois' excommunication was a "medicinal penalty" intended to evoke repentance.
"When that didn't work, and only when that didn't seem to work, and Father perdured, did the Church begin the formal process she's using now, which is separating Father from the formal ministry of the Church," Flynn told CNA.
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"Caspa Narkz and BBA give a shout out to all the sexy moms better known as "MILFs." Not everyone is a MILF. There are certain criteria that a woman must meet. You know, the usual suspects: pretty face, thin waist, and a booty that brings out the Devil in every man. If you don't know what a MILF is, then we'll give you a clue in this video. If you can't figure it out by the end of it, you'd best get Google-happy."
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PATNA, India – Perched high on a rooftop amid the pollution and noise of a vibrant Indian city, a new kind of superhero listens for signs of the enemy.
His ears tuned to an array of elaborately curved trumpets, Bulgam Bhai strains to hear the ever-present danger and then pounces. When an Indian coughs, this jocular public health avenger — all candy stripes and waxed mustache –- appears in a flash with a potentially life-saving question:
"Has it been two weeks?"
A persistent cough of more than two weeks can indicate tuberculosis. An estimated 330,000 Indians die each year from TB, according to the World Health Organization, and more than 2 million become infected.
Bulgam Bhai –- his appetizing name means Mr. Sputum in Hindi –- is part of a delightful public service campaign to convince more Indians to visit a clinic or lab if their coughs turn pernicious.
Most cases of tuberculosis are easily curable. Bulgam Bhai's goal is to spread word f the ready availability of testing and treatment, says Dr. Sarabjit Chadha, project director at Project Axshya which created the engaging superhero. (Project Axshya is part of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.)
The Bulgam Bhai campaign ran on television and radio in 300 districts of 21 Indian states between February and March, with a potential audience of 234 million people, and was restarted again in July. A nationwide toll-free helpline received more than 1,600 calls during the ad's first 30 days on the air.
"The campaign was primarily focused on creating awareness about symptoms of TB (i.e. 2 weeks of cough) and the call for action (sputum examination) in the community," Dr. Chadha said via email. "Preliminary findings suggest that the campaign has been able to achieve the viewership. The response on the advert from the community including physicians has been extremely positive and encouraging."
India needs more such campaigns, which harness to the public good the infectious humor and imagination of an advertising industry that's usually devoted to selling products like cars and — much less delightfully — skin-whitening cream.
Bulgam Bhai couldn't come at a better time.
Even as tuberculosis rates are falling in India and across most of the world, Indian doctors this year announced the first cases of a TB strain that is totally resistant to all antibiotic treatment. Government officials first denied these reports, the Wall Street Journal reported last month, and later – quietly – confirmed them.


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Archive for Thursday, February 11, 2010
Leavenworth ready for Sampler Festival
February 11, 2010
As the 2010 Kansas Sampler Festival approaches, host city Leavenworth is ready to go.
"We're well on track. We could host the festival tomorrow if we had to," said Bob Topping, president of the 2010 and 2011 Kansas Sampler Festival Steering Committee.
At Monday's Leavenworth County Commission meeting, Topping gave a presentation about the progress of the 2010 festival, which will be Saturday, May 1, and Sunday, May 2, at Ray Miller Park on Fourth Street in Leavenworth.
The city will also play host to the 2011 festival, but for now, focus is on the premiere year, as plans for vendors, entertainment, food and infrastructure fall into place.
Topping reported that so far, the steering committee has received 250 registrants for exhibition booths. He said this number already exceeded what previous festivals had brought in.
Throughout the planning process, Topping said it was the steering committee's goal to make the festival special by generating new ideas that were unique to Leavenworth County. Some of those ideas include an author's tent, an artist's tent, a Leavenworth County tent, a beer and wine garden and tasting, four full-time stages with entertainment and wireless Internet access at the festival grounds.
Because the purpose of the Sampler Festival is to inform potential travelers about what there is to see, do, taste and enjoy in Kansas, several other Kansas counties and regions, in addition to the host county, will also have a tent displaying their area's attractions.
Even though booth exhibitors have been pouring in, Topping said food vendors have been "slow to sign up." So far, the food vendors include Becky's Bierocks, Big Dog BBQ, Blackbelt BBQ, Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch and Pachta Pork. There will also be novelties such as shaved ice lemonade, kettle corn, ice cream and popcorn.
Making all these attractions happen, Topping said sponsorships had also been trickling in. The steering committee has $20,000 in sponsorships.
"Local businesses are really stepping up," he said. "The budget is very sound."
While there have been no large surprise expenses, Topping said the increased vendor participation had allowed the festival to stay on budget.
One surprise, however, came from Kansas Speedway when it decided to move its spring race to the same weekend as the festival.
"This means lodging is spiking its rates," he said.
But even with that, Topping said he was sure the surrounding area still had plenty of hotels at reasonable rates available.
In addition to the race, there are several other local events that those attending the festival might also be interested in attending, Topping said. Those include Lansing's annual Lansing DAZE event, and the Carroll Mansion will play host to the annual herb market Saturday morning.
"These will be great events for the vendors and exhibitors," he said.
Topping also reported that the festival had about 25 percent of its needed volunteers.
"Our goal is 400, and we're in the 150 to 200 range right now," he said. "We're a little bit behind, but we're visiting several civic organizations (in the coming weeks)."
Commissioner Clyde Graeber asked Topping if there was going to be enough parking near Ray Miller Park to accommodate not only the vendors, but the festival visitors.
Topping said parking was looking good. He said 350 spaces had been offered by local businesses such as Danny Zeck Ford, Lincoln, Mercury Inc. and Walmart. The Veterans Affairs medical center across the street has donated another 350 spaces, as well. Topping said tractors and wagons were in line to shuttle people to the park, but he was still looking at bus options as other forms of shuttle.
Topping said the festival packet, given to each host-city as a guide of what's needed and what to expect, suggested 500 parking spaces.
"I've got 700 so far," he said.
The last few months will be used to tie up loose ends and refine festival plans, Topping said.
"I think we'll have more people (at the festival than usual) just because of the proximity to Kansas City," Graeber said. "Unless it rains that weekend, I think you're going to be surprised."
For more Sampler Festival information or to sign up, go online to kansassampler.org/festival.
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Multiplayer third-person shooter with RPG system and unreal abilities of the main vehicle of the game - gravitank. Enjoy addictive multiplayer with lots of tactical abilities!
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.


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After two decades together, sax player Kenny G. and Balynda "Lyndie" Benson-Gorelick are splitting.
According to People, the musician's wife filed for legal separation in Los Angeles Superior Court on January 9.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Celebs Who Moved To Splitsville In 2011
U.S. & World
Benson-Gorelick cited irreconcilable differences as the reason behind the split and is asking for full physical custody of their one minor child, Noah, 14.
The couple also has an adult child, Max.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood Dads & Their Adorable Little Ones!
According to Us Weekly, the saxophone player is reportedly worth up to $50 million and has high-power divorce attorney Laura Wasser on his side, while Benson-Gorelick has hired attorney Gary Fishbein.
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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood's Smokin' Hot Couples
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Top 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces
PLAY IT NOW: J.Lo & Marc Anthony Back Together For New Show 'Q'Viva! The Chosen'
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Community activists in Chicago have offered a $35,000 reward for any information that leads to the capture of the people responsible for shooting a 1-year-old child in the head during a drive-by shooting. The young boy, identified as Dejon Irving , was in a parked SUV with his mother and three others when a car pulled up next to them and opened fire. Around eight shots were fired and only Dejon was struck.
The child's grandmother heard the gunfire and rushed outside. She drove them to the hospital where Irving remains on life support. He is listed in critical condition while doctors try to save his life.
Authorities said they believe the shooters were targeting the boy's mother. They released a photo of the suspect's dark four-door sedan , hoping somebody will be able to identify whoever was behind the attack.


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Bionic bio-fan
"We can save the environment thousands of tonnes of CO2 every year with these fans," says Managing Director Peter Fenkl. His company, Ziehl-Abegg (Kuenzelsau), now presents a bionic bio-fan. The new fan consists of castor oil-based bio-polyamides. In addition to the CO2 saving, there are improvements in the load capacity, temperature resistance and long-term stability as well as the mechanical properties. Since the blade geometry incorporates knowledge from bionics, the fan is also quieter and more efficient – and therefore reduces electricity costs and noise emissions in operation.
This revolutionary design is used, for example, in refrigeration engineering (refrigeration chain for food to the supermarket), in heaters, heating pumps and for electrical cooling (computer centres, control cabinet cooling, inverter cooling). In keeping with its sustainable concept, the fan is 100 percent recyclable. Although the CO2-footprint is considerably minimised, it has benefits for appliance planners: The fan has greater chemical resistance and better low-temperature impact strength and withstands hot water and steam.
20 years ago "fair" coffee was just for bohemian types. Now more and more people are looking beyond the advertising claims at shipping distances and manufacturing processes. The bionic bio fan is similarly a pioneer in this sense even if the price is currently higher than for petroleum-based products. With equivalent performance data and dimensions to conventional fans there are no technical barriers. However the market needs attuning to this product and its positive environmental features.
In technical terms the bionic bio fan offers several benefits in addition to its environmental contribution: Unlike petroleum-based products it has very low water absorption and a considerably longer lifespan as well as better chemical resistance. "Ziehl-Abegg as a trendsetter in fan development therefore also wants to be a pioneer in the use of bio-polymers," says Managing Director Fenkl.
1. Bionics (less noise and less energy use)
2. Biomaterial in the fan (CO2-reduction during manufacture)
3. Bio-material reduces the weight of the fan
4. Bio-material has a number of positive characteristics
5. Wood is not a suitable substitute for fossil fuels
Lead Market Initiatives of the EU
The European Commission launched the Lead Market Initiatives (LMI) in 2007 and selected bio-based products as one of six target markets. The LMIs employ demand-orientated measures aimed at significantly increasing the potential and competitiveness of bio-based products.
Un-economical: The major obstacle for experts when questioned is the continued higher costs for bio-based products as compared to product alternatives so that the development of bio-technological production processes is generally un-economical.
Bio-based products have considerable potential for the reduction of production-related environmental impact, for improved health, as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-based raw materials and to ensure the international competitiveness of German and European industry through technology leadership. This potential however cannot be fully exploited at this point. Various obstacles stand in the way, e.g. absence of cost competitiveness to some extent, low acceptance in the processing industry, "time to market" dominance, biased regulations, relative favouring of energy- compared to material utilisation of biomasses. Tailoring support is made difficult because of the extreme heterogeneity of the products and the variety of potential application fields (including bio-chemicals, bio-lubricants and bio-plastics for packaging as well as for construction or the automotive industry).
High-tech-strategy of the German Government (2006)
The high-tech-strategy of the German Government is aimed at placing Germany at the forefront of the most important markets of the future. The plant as a supplier of raw material is one of 17 future-fields in which innovation strategies have been defined. In this context, by 2015 Germany aims to achieve pole position in Europe in plant biotechnology and plant engineering and to considerably expand the use of renewable and sustainable raw materials in the chemical industry.


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On raising a son on the autism spectrum, progressive politics, pop culture, and coffee addiction.
Monday, October 30, 2006
3:30 is the new 4:30
I'd foolishly been looking forward to this year's "fall back." For the past several weeks, in a radical departure from his summer sleep schedule, Bud has been sleeping in on school days, especially when the already dark skies were made darker by rain clouds. I was loathe to rouse him when he was sleeping so soundly (and when I could guess that he was in for a challenging day), and as a result we had more than a few mornings of rushing through the house in a frenzy to make it out the door on time. So, I thought, perhaps the time change would allow Bud's system to re-regulate to a more reasonable wake-up time and give us an opportunity to have a few leisurely mornings.
It re-regulated him alright.
Today our day started at 3:30 a.m., when Bud bounded out of bed with jet propulsion force despite the middle-of-the-night darkness that filled the house. It was clear from the moment he opened his eyes that he was up for the day.
I've been awake for 13 hours now and I'm still about seven hours and five projects away from falling back into bed.
I say we abandon this Daylight Savings business and start up a Nighttime Protection Program.
Anyone? Anyone?
11 comments:
Oh, I am right there with you. Charlie has been just beside himself with worry over what has happened with the world. Why is it dark at 4 PM??? Charlie equates all this with an approaching storm that he can't hear coming, but he sees dark skies and is upset.
The poor kid can't understand this, maybe we should move to Indianapolis, I hear that they don't do daylight savings time.
- October 30, 2006 7:46 PM
Roo was up at the same time as Bud this morning. Must be something in the air again. He went to bed at 7:00 pm tonight (the old 8:00 pm) and my fingers are crossed that I don't hear from him until at least 6:00 am. Hope we all get some sleep tonight!
- October 30, 2006 8:21 PM
And how!
DST is always a huge issue with my kids both at home and at school. And just about the time you get everyone in sync and accustomed to light/dark/and time, it's time to Spring forward.
There is presently legislation to make DST longer in North America. Oohhh Goody!
- October 30, 2006 11:07 PM
daylight savings time should be banished AND we should celbrate on those days that we no longer have it.
yup. that's what we should do.
- October 30, 2006 11:20 PM
- kristina said...
How about just the Sleep Protection Program!
- October 30, 2006 11:35 PM
- neil said...
We didn't fare too badly, M pretty much coped, though here we added the hour. But I felt a bit cheated as I could have done with a 'regular' nights sleep after supervising M's friend's sleepover on my own.
- October 30, 2006 11:47 PM
- Kev said...
We're going through it too. However, its the NT toddler thats out of schedule - Meg seemed to adjust pretty seamlessly this year.
- October 31, 2006 1:18 AM
- bethduckie said...
Al was bothered in past years, now he thinks its funny. Especially when his little clock, Tickety, to whom he is most attached, was showing the wrong time.
Wrong clocks are a source of hilarity in our house anyway- my clock is half an hour fast, the living room one a little slow... so DST is just another clock joke to be enjoyed.
- October 31, 2006 7:49 AM
No time change--one of the many, many things I loved about living in Okinawa. It made life so much easier for 2 years.
- October 31, 2006 8:16 AM
Indiana started DST this year.
- October 31, 2006 9:18 AM
- LITTLE MISS said...
you know what? I totally banished daylight savings time last year. (obviously it came back)
- November 01, 2006 7:20 PM


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By Karl R. White, Utah State University, Logan, Utah
Editor's note: In Texas we have made great strides implementing newborn infant hearing screening as a result of The Newborn Infant Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 1999. We thought you might be interested in knowing more about the importance of early hearing loss detection and intervention, as this program, like many others, will be scrutinized when budgets are drawn up in Washington DC and in Texas. If you have questions or would like to know more about this issue, please contact Karl White in Logan, Utah, at .
Hearing loss continues to be the most common birth defect in America. The Newborn Infant Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 1999 (as introduced by Representative James Walsh), was incorporated as Title VI of the Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations Act of 1999, and signed into law. This law has enabled federal funds for state grants to develop infant hearing screening and intervention programs. Congress also identified several specific goals to address the problem of hearing loss in children through the Children's Health Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-310), including early hearing screening and evaluation of all newborns, coordinated intervention and rehabilitation services, and ongoing applied research to better understand the learning and developmental needs of deaf or hard-of-hearing children.
Since 1999, the number of states requiring statewide newborn hearing screening by law or voluntary compliance has increased from 11 to 41 states and the District of Columbia. While progress is being made, there is still a long way to go. Only 67% of babies are now screened for hearing loss before 1 month of age (up from only 20% in 1999). To date, over half of the newborns who do not pass the hearing screening are lost to follow-up. Moreover, over half of the infants diagnosed with hearing loss are not enrolled in early intervention programs by 6 months of age.
Over the last three years, there has been more grant applications than funding available, which underscores the need to extend federal funding. Currently, 44 states and 3 territories (out of 50 states and 9 territories) have received HRSA competitive grants for the purpose of implementing statewide EHDI programs. Since these grants have only been operational for 6 months to 2 years, a dedicated source of funding is critical at this time to ensure that state programs become fully operational, successful and properly link screening programs with diagnosis, early intervention and the child's medical home.
Only 30 states have received CDC cooperate agreement grants over the last two years (15 states in FY2000 and another 15 states in FY2001) to assist them in developing strong surveillance and tracking systems. These systems are needed to ensure follow-up and coordination of early intervention services for young children identified with hearing loss. States also face multiple challenges in transferring information about children diagnosed with hearing loss among service providers, the state EHDI programs and early intervention programs.
Facts on Hearing Loss in Children
Everyday in the United States, approximately 1 in 1,000 newborns (or 33 babies every day) is born profoundly deaf with another 2-3 out of 1,000 babies born with partial hearing loss, making hearing loss the number one birth defect in America. (National Center on Hearing Assessment & Management website 2002, Centers for Disease Control website, 2002)
Newborn hearing loss is 20 times more prevalent than phenylketonuria (PKU), a condition for which all newborns are currently screened. (Grosse, 2001).
Of the 12,000 babies in the United States born annually with some form of hearing loss, only half exhibit a risk factor _ meaning that if only high-risk infants are screened, half of the infants with some form of hearing loss will not be tested and identified. (Harrison & Roush, 1996) In actual implementation, risk-based newborn hearing screening programs identify only 10-20% of infants with hearing loss. (Elssmann, Matkin, & Sabo, 1987) When hearing loss is detected beyond the first few months of life, the most critical time for stimulating the auditory pathways to hearing centers of the brain is lost, significantly delaying speech and language development.
Only 67% of babies are now screened for hearing loss before 1 month of age (up from only 20% in 1999). Of the babies screened, only 56% who needed diagnostic evaluations actually receive them by 3 months of age. Moreover, only 53% of those diagnosed with hearing loss are enrolled in early intervention programs by 6 months of age. (National Center on Hearing Assessment website, 2002) As a result, these children tend to later re-emerge in our schools' special education (IDEA, Part B) programs.
When children are not identified and do not receive early intervention, special education for a child with hearing loss costs schools an additional $420,000, and has a lifetime cost of approximately $1 million per individual. (Johnson et al, 1993)
National Recommendations on Early Hearing Detection & Intervention
The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, 2000) and U.S. Public Health Service's Healthy People 2010 health objectives (Healthy People 2010 website, 2002) recommend that all newborns be screened for hearing loss by 1 month of age, have diagnostic follow-up by 3 months, and receive appropriate intervention services by 6 months of age.
A National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Panel in 1993 recommended hearing screening of all newborns. The consensus report concluded that the best opportunity for achieving this goal is provided by the development of hearing screening programs for newborns in hospital nurseries or in birthing centers, prior to discharge. (National Institutes of Health, 1993)
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in 2001 concluded that universal newborn hearing screening does lead to earlier identification and treatment. However, there were not enough clinical studies of sufficient size and strength to evaluate long-term outcomes. While the preponderance of anecdotal evidence and clinical research indicates that EHDI provides substantial benefit, additional clinical outcome studies and clinical trials are needed. (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website, 2002)
Methods and Costs for Newborn Hearing Screening
Advances in technology for newborn hearing screening at most birthing hospitals have allowed for cost containment, with current charges ranging from $25 to $60. The cost of identifying a newborn with hearing loss is less than one-tenth the cost of identifying newborns with PKU, hypothyroidism, or sickle cell anemia, which are screened for in nearly every state. (Grosse, 2001)
Two types of electrophysiologic procedures are used to screen newborns singly or in combination:
- Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) are measured by placing sensors on the baby's head. Sound is then introduced to the baby's ears through tiny earphones while the child sleeps. A computer allows brainwave activity to be recorded to indicate whether the ear and auditory brainstem pathway are responding to sound. This test is painless and takes only about 5 minutes.
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) are faint sounds produced by most normal inner ears. The sounds cannot be heard by people, but can be detected by very sensitive microphones that are placed in the ear canal. During testing, a tiny flexible plug is inserted into the baby's ear and sound is then projected into the ear through the plug. A microphone inside the plug records the otoacoustic emissions that the normal ear produces in response to the incoming sound. Testing is also painless, takes about 5 minutes to complete, and can be done while the baby sleeps.
Benefits of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention
Infants identified with hearing loss can be fit with amplification by as young as 4 weeks of age. With appropriate early intervention, children with hearing loss can be mainstreamed in regular elementary and secondary education classrooms. (Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, 2000) Recent research has concluded that children born with a hearing loss who are identified and given appropriate intervention before 6 months of age demonstrated significantly better speech and reading comprehension than children identified after 6 months of age. (Yoshinaga-Itano & Apuzzo, 1998 and Yoshinago-Itano et al, 1998)
Even mild hearing loss can significantly interfere with the reception of spoken language and education performance. Research indicates that children with unilateral hearing loss (in one ear) are ten times as likely to be held back at least one grade compared to children with normal hearing. (Bess, 1985, Bess, 1998, and Oyler et al, 1988) Similar academic achievement lags have been reported for children with even slight hearing loss. (Quigley, 1978) Children with mild hearing loss miss 25-50% of speech in the classroom and may be inappropriately labeled as having a behavior problem. (Flexer, 1994)
Recent clinical studies indicate that early detection of hearing loss followed with appropriate intervention minimizes the need for extensive habilitation during the school years and therefore reduces the burden on the IDEA Part B program. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website 2002 and Ross 2001) In contrast, a 30-year Gallaudet study revealed that half of the children with hearing loss graduate from high school with a 4th grade reading level or less. (Gallaudet Research Institute website, 2002)
Bess, F. The minimally hearing-impaired child. Ear and Hearing, 1985; 6:43-47.
Bess, F., Dodd-Murphy, J. and Parker, R. Children with minimal sensorineural hearing loss: prevalence, educational performance, and functional status. Ear and Hearing, 1998; 19(5) 339-354.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/ehdi-programs.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program. What is EHDI? http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ehdi/ehdi.htm.
Elssmann, S.A., Matkin, N.D. and Sabo, M.P. Early identification of congenital sensorineural hearing impairment. The Hearing Journal. 1987; 40(9):13-17.
Flexer, C. Facilitating hearing and listening in young children. San Diego, CA: Singular; 1994.
Gallaudet Research Institute. Stanford Achievement Test, 9th Edition, Form S, Norms Booklet for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students; Washington, DC: Gallaudet University; 1996, http://gri.gallaudet.edu/Literacy.
Grosse, S. Cost comparison of screening newborns for hearing impairment and biochemical disorders. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Paper presented at the Newborn Screening and Genetics Conference, May 2001.
Harrison, M and Roush, J. Age of suspicion, identification and intervention for infants and young children with hearing loss: a national study. Ear and Hearing. 1996; 17:55-62.
Healthy People 2010: Volume II (second edition), http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/document/html/objectives/28-11.htm.
Johnson, J.L., Mauk, G.W., Takekawa, K.M., Simon, P.R., Sia, C.C.J. and Blackwell, P.M. Implementing a statewide system of services for infants and toddlers with hearing disabilities. Seminars in Hearing. 1993; 14:105-119.
Joint Committee on Infant Hearing. Year 2000 position statement: principles and guidelines for early hearing detection and intervention programs. American Journal of Audiology. 2000; 9:9-29. http://www.jcih.org/
National Center on Hearing Assessment and Management. http://www.infanthearing.org/
National Institutes of Health. Early identification of hearing impairment in infants and younger children. National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD; 1993.
Newborn hearing screening: recommendations and rationale. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD; 2001 http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/3rduspstf/newhearrr.htm.
Oyler, R., Oyler, A. and Matkin, N. Unilateral hearing loss: demographics and educational impact. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools; 1988; 19:201-209.
Quigley, S. Effect of hearing impairment in normal language development. Pediatric Audiology, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall; 1978.
Ross, M. Performance of hard of hearing children _ academic achievement. Our Forgotten Children - Hard of Hearing Pupils in the Schools, Third edition; Bethesda, MD, Self Help for Hard of Hearing People; 2001; 28-30.
Yoshinaga-Itano, C. and Apuzzo M.L. Identification of hearing loss after 18 months of age is not early enough. American Annuals of the Deaf. 1998; 143(5):380-387.
Yoshinaga-Itano, C., Sedey, A.L., Coulter, B.A. and Mehl, A.L. Language of early and later-identified children with hearing loss. Pediatrics. 1998; 102:1168-1171.


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When I browse multidisc albums located on a media server (Logitech Media Server v7.9), foobar2000 first shows all the tracks on the first disc, then all the tracks on the second one.
But when I download such an album in foobar2000 music folder, the tracks are displayed there in the wrong sequence: 1st track of the first disc, 1st track of the second disc, 2nd track of the first disc, 2nd track of the second disc, etc.
Because of this, listening to, for example, double-disc albums Armin van Buren becomes completely impossible.
To identify a disc, tracks of multidisk albums are labeled with a DISCNUMBER tag. Apparently, this tag is not taken into account when sorting tracks in fubar2000 music folder folders.
Is it possible to add this tag (as well as the CD tag sometimes used for similar purposes) to the algorithm for sorting tracks? Or, if the tracks are sorted by file name, append the disk number to the file name before the track number?


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When the Republicans clinched control of the U.S. House of Representatives tonight, California politics shifted south. San Francisco's Nancy Pelosi will no longer be House speaker -- nor will she be the most powerful Californian in Congress.
That title now belongs to Congressman Darrell Issa, who represents northern San Diego County.
What's the source of Issa's power? He is set to take over as chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. That committee offers him a perch to become chief investigator and antagonist of the Obama administration. Issa can make news with his subpoenas. He'll be at the center of the national story.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
The question is: How will Issa do in the spotlight? The last time the spotlight found him was during the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis. Issa was the biggest funder of the signature gathering effort to qualify the recall. He sought to run to replace Davis as governor, but his campaign imploded. He's also well known for using his fortune (from car alarms) to advance his political priorities. Look for that history to be revisited as Democrats fight back against his investigations.
As a primer on Issa, check out this 2003 profile from the LA Times.


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Model S Reservation Tally
Model S Reservation Tally
Just got my confirmation this hour: US Signature Series, sequence #393.
I sent a deposit on Friday July 22nd and received the following today-
US production General production sequence number-4,405
I sent a deposit on FRiday July 22, 2011
Regular production
Sequence number 4,405
Just (July 25th, 2011) got my reservation number P #411 for the Model S in Belgium, Europe. I guess I can expect delivery in Q2 2013?
Wow, a huge jump in Europe reservations. I wonder if this is a result of them launching the German translated version of the site.
Notice the dates. The last update for Euro general production prior to July 25th was June 1st! So only 61 Euro reservations in 2 months...
Good point.
Hey, I just saw the Tesla guys here in Raleigh today (they brought the Model S prototype down). They said that they only have about 50 Roadsters left to sell and that includes the demo models that they have been holding onto. So...if you want a Roadster, better reserve it really soon.
p 175
finally decided to make my reservation. July 25,2011 got the following email
Your Reservation Sequence number is 4,427 of the General Production reservation list. USA
Just received my confirmation!
Model S Signature
Canada (Vancouver)
Can I interpret that to mean that roughly 5% of the reservation holders asked for their deposit back? Meaning that some of us will move up one or two hundred slots in the list? Especially if they are getting the 300 mile battery. That margin of error may result in my car coming a couple of weeks sooner!
P 4,491 (August 2, 2011)
"Your Reservation Sequence number is 4,491 of the General Production reservation list."
I placed my reservation in Menlo Park on 8/1/2011, and was given reservation number 4,491 the next day. It will replace a 2011 MB E350 Bluetec Diesel that goes off-lease in Dec. 2012.
I can't wait to take my 16 y/o son to see what Tesla has done to the old NUMMI factory as we live in Fremont, and, of course, to test drive a Model S. Meanwhile, I'll be driving the roadster this Sat. to experience what it's like to drive an electric vehicle.
Besides doing my part to help end U.S. dependence on OPEC oil (by using a solar installation on my roof), I figure I'll save time wasted at the fueling station.
P.S. to MichicanModels: Why are you keeping track of "S" reservation counts? Are you a TSLA investor using this as one of your metrics to try to value the company?
@engle, There will only be 1,000 Signature vehicles produced. Some folks (like me) have already decided on the 300mi battery, but do not intend to upgrade to (S) until pricing is released, or until the reservation count for (S) comes very close to 1,000. It also let's me keep my $40K deposit a little longer.
I really appreciate Michiganmodels for keeping the tally. I tell others all the time, how strong the demand is for the Model S.
Interesting, just glanced at the % of total reservations which are S in each category. Outside the US the % is much higher.
MODEL S production
STATUS | Reserved
Still no update? =(
No new reservation holders have posted in a week.
I am hoping for a Signature update. Like David M. I am holding out for now (store rep estimated 90K price). I would like a price comparison of the production model with the options I want vs. the price of the Signature which is fully loaded. If it is large I will wait the extra 6 months. Rep also estimated that there were about 100 signature spots left.
We will see...
With the drop in the market, I expect very few new reservations and larger than desired cancelations next year.
I will also be thinking harder about the price differential than previously planned for signature versus standard series.
They originally had 1000 signature spots for USA. It is likely they will close the signature reservations three to six months prior to production initiation. There is no chance now of all 1000 being sold without major publicity and drivable high quality models. I think they would call them production intent models.
Good question. If I remember correctly we were discussing prices before any tax rebates.
I am P972. Northern Cal. I reserved about 2 years ago and my number hasn't change since then. Starting where I did I would not expect it to have changed too much with people switching to the S model, but would have expected some movement. So they must not have reassigned US numbers yet, correct? Getting more pumped each day to get my Tesla.
U.S. numbers have not been reassigned. According to Tesla, all of the 1,000 (S) customers will now be ahead of you (and I). But presumably some of the (P) customers with numbers lower than yours may have upgraded to (S). Bottom line - your additional wait (due to S deliveries) may only be 5 or 6 weeks. Insignificant, considering that you have already been waiting for 2 years. I've only been waiting 10 months, and it seems like it's been forever.
I was also told that the 300 mile battery models are being produced 1st. So regardless of your P#, if you are ordering a 300mile battery, you may get your Model S sooner than someone with a lower P# requesting a lower range battery option.
Yea. Elon just said on the quarterly conference call last week that they would do the Signature first, then the 300mi non-sig, then 240mi, then 160mi. But, he did say they would get to the 160mi cars by the end of 2012...so everyone that is currently reserved should still get in before 2013.
I think it has more to do with the order in which they are going to ramp up the production lines rather than just arbitrarily picking which cars they want to make first. Though I'm sure they are happy to do the highest margin models early on while they aren't pushing out very many cars each day.
Though I'm sure they are happy to do the highest margin models early on [...] (MTriantafelow)
I'm sure they are also happy to get those models with a) the least range anxiety and b) the greatest advantage over the competition to the press (and blogging owners etc.) early on.
only the ~4500 reservation holders in US can expect to get their Model S delivered before end of 2012, regardless of battery size.
Tesla announced dates for delivery of Model S to start by end 2012 for European left hand drive version (affects currently ~500 reservations). Customers in UK, Asia, Australia (right hand drive), and Canada have to wait even longer, right now counting another 300 reservation holders.
On the plus side, for us customers abroad the ordered battery size should have little or no impact on delivery date since all sizes of battery are already in production.
Right, I was only referring to US reservation holders. I suppose it wasn't fair to assume we are all U.S. residents here as there is only a U.S. and German site right now. My apologies.
Just got my confirmation: Canada Production #179.
Can't believe I have to wait 18 months, feeling like a kid waiting for Christimas to happen
On 8/10/11 I received my reservation number. It is:
• US general production (P)
• Reservation #4,562
My non-scientific scan of a few prior posts shows me that Engle posted the previous US update. On 8/2/11 his number was 4491. Coincidently, he also purchased at the Menlo Park store. That makes 71 reservations for general production in a week. The sales rate seems to be increasing.
After reserving the car my son and I took ride up to Tesla world HQ. Our interest gained us a tour of the facility. Very impressive!
mm, just passed the 6K mark, and I was wondering if you could give us a timeline for how long each 1,000 reservations (Total) took. Might give a robust indicator of reservation rate trends.
Right now, the pace is about 400 reservations per month. I would imagine the pace would pick up to 450/month by November. By next Spring, maybe 600/month. But that all depends on whether Tesla does any advertising in 2012.
I'm guessing that in Texas even letters are bigger?


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Take the greatness of PlayStation® on the go with the ultimate gamer's companion. This slim and sleek device also features high-precision dual analog controls for a more immersive gaming experience away from your console and TV.
Designed for Superior Gameplay
The slim, sleek, and light design of the PS Vita makes it comfortable to hold and the dual analog controls provide a deeply immersive gameplay experience.


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Safe Skies 228 October 2016 by Mike Gogulski
Posted in diary | Comments Off on Safe Skies 2
"Mommy, how high does the airplane go?"
"On a flight like this, maybe up to thirty-three thousand feet," I tell Casey.
Casey drags her My Little Pony suitcase .?"How high is that?"
"About six miles."
"How much is a mile?"
Casey is five, and curious?as we approach the ticket counter for her first airline flight. The line moves?quickly. Twenty minutes to?takeoff, plenty of time.
"Will I see clouds?" Casey asks.
"No, I'm sorry. I told you. You can't see anything during the flight." I shift my purse to get a better grip on my rolling suitcase.
"Aww," she says as we step up to the counter. I hand over our ID?cards. The ticket agent plugs mine into a?reader and checks my face against her monitor.
"DNA scan, please, ma'am," she says. I press my thumb to the terminal. "Thank you. And what's your name, little one?" she asks my daughter.
"Casey. I'm five."
"Delightful," says the ticket agent. "DNA scan, please, miss."?Casey thumbs the terminal, just like at school.
"Thank you. Okay, are you checking any bags today?"
"These two and my purse," I say, hefting my suitcase and handbag onto the conveyor. "Come on, Casey, put your suitcase up." She does, and the agent tags each bag with a sticker. My Little Pony whisks away at a few taps at a keyboard.
"All right," says the ticket agent, "I'm coding your pod routings to your ID cards. Pod Lounge B, follow the signs. And for you, Casey, here's a happy kitty sticker you can put on your pod! Have a great?trip!" She winks at Casey, who smiles at her sticker as we walk away.
Fifteen minutes until flight time. I used to hate flying. 9/11 and the fear everywhere, machine guns at the airport. Super-sensitive metal detectors, shoes and belts off, hassle and delay?at the checkpoints. The new system is so much easier.
"Mommy, can we get ice cream?" Casey asks.
"When we arrive. We need to get to our pods now." We're approaching Pod Lounge B.
"Do I have to go alone?"
"Yes, honey, but everything will be fine. I'll be right next to you.?It's?perfectly safe. You'll see," I tell her, smiling?and squeezing her hand. We step into Pod Lounge B behind a big family: grandmother, mom, dad, four young children.
Flying is so much nicer now without all the security stuff. The shoe guy?and the underpants bomber made?the government introduce tough screening procedures.
First were the terahertz nudity machines.?You could skip them, but they'd search?by hand. I didn't mind – better than being?fondled and having your?crotch?examined by?those cold blue rubber gloves.
Later the body scans were mandatory, along with the hand searches. Nobody liked that. Many quit flying altogether. More?airlines went bankrupt. Governments bailed them out. The vagina bomber came, and then the cavity searches. I always took the fast-acting tranqs the Bureau of Transportation Safety gave out in the security lines.
Then there was?Norman Greer. Militia. Veteran. He had C-4 in his hollow metal femurs. 523 people died that day.
"I don't wanna?go in the pod!" yells the youngest child. Casey looks nervous. Dad grabs a tranq off the wall, dials a dose and presses?it to the girl's neck. She goes limp, and mom and dad load her into her pod. They smooth?their daughter's happy puppy sticker over it?and feed in her ID card. A low beep, a green light, and they go to settle the rest of their family.
"Here we are, Casey," I say, approaching our own silver pods. I point to a spot on Casey's pod, under?the rim of the open lid. "Put your sticker on here."
Casey peels off the happy kitty sticker and smooths?it down. "Hop in."
Casey gets in the pod and lies down. "Will I dream, Mommy?" she asks.
"No, you'll sleep and Grandma will be there to give you a big hug."
"Okay," she says. I kiss her and close the pod lid. I push Casey's ID into the slot.?A green light, a beep, and I can hear the gas.
They say the pods freeze you to just above absolute zero. Nothing can explode when it's so cold, so there's no way to launch a terrorist attack. Luggage is handled the same way. Baggage and passenger pods are all racked into the planes by robot loaders. Very efficient,?much cheaper.
I get into my pod, gaze?at the happy kitty, and shut the lid. I push my ID into the slot overhead and breathe the gas.
* * *
Waking up from pod sleep is strange. It's hard to focus. Things sound odd?after the lid opens. I sit up and spot Casey's pod among the others, the happy kitty identifying her, rampant BTS eagle right beside. Groggy?passengers stagger from?the pod lounge toward baggage claim.
No sign of Grandma yet. Casey's pod is closed, so I walk over. Two more minutes, the display says. Suddenly, a scream.?Children's cries join in.
I see the happy puppy sticker. The little girl tranquilized in the pod lounge before we left. The lid is open. Mom?and the other children?scream?as they look inside, dad ashen, grandma agape.
Casey's pod beeps. The light turns green. I open it. She blinks at the light. We both start; a crashing noise behind us. The screaming stops. I lift Casey out of the pod and we walk toward?baggage claim to look for Grandma.
The screaming starts again. We glance back. The happy puppy pod fell?off the rack. A?thick, reddish goo flows out, pooling around the family's feet.
Ah well. There hasn't been a terrorist attack in?three years.
"Hey Casey! How about some ice cream?"
"Yeah! I want blueberry!"


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I was going to avoid this out of some misguided sense of decency, but who are we kidding? This is awesome:
Republicans around the country are responding to President Obama's reelection in a variety of ways — among them: anger, depression, finger-pointing. But nobody had the same reaction as Eric Dondero, a former Ron Paul aide who blogs at LibertarianRepublican.net. In a post yesterday, Dondero, reasoning that the only recourse to Obama's victory is "outright revolt," laid out the terms of the "personal boycott" against Democrats which he plans to maintain for the rest of his life and which he hopes his followers will as well. What does the boycott entail? Cutting all ties with Democratic family members, friends, and lovers; refusing to work for a Democratic boss; spitting on the ground when a Democrat talks to you; and possibly shitting on your Democratic neighbor's lawn, among other things:
Dondero, when posed questions by New York Magazine's Dan Amira, provided some doozy quotes. Enjoy.


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Also once I have reviewed all three products, I will have a baking set & Pillsbury product giveaway, sponsored by Pillsbury. So stay tuned!
So last week I received the 3 Pillsbury gluten-free doughs in the mail. It's been a busy week and I wasn't sure when I was going to get a chance to try them. If you've been reading this blog very long you know my husband Michael loves chocolate chip cookies. Today I thought I'd give them a whirl.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the plastic container of dough is how much it actually looked like MY cookie dough! Same color, similar consistency. I do recommend taking the dough out of the fridge and allowing it to come to room temperature before baking. It's much easier to handle that way.
The dough was very easy to work with and we got right around 2 dozen small cookies (about 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie). We baked them for around 11 minutes and allowed them to cool on the parchment paper for several minutes before trying them.
Really, I was skeptical. I honestly didn't expect these cookies to be ANYWHERE near as good as my homemade cookies. But in spite of my reservations, I really liked them. I mean I really liked them! I went back and looked at the ingredients and told Michael that I thought they must have borrowed MY gluten-free cookie recipe! The cookies are really good. Michael really liked them too (although he would NOT say they were better than mine... I think he was just being nice though! lol)
The cookies end up being a bit more greasy than the cookies made from my homemade dough, but I absolutely would not hesitate going out and buying this Pillsbury gluten-free chocolate chip cookie dough.
Charlie was really intrigued by the aroma of the cookies as they came out of the oven... I had to stop him from climbing on the table a few times.
UPDATED: 8/7/2013, 10pm
Jenny G. a reader on facebook requested the ingredient list on the cookies, which I meant to include in the post.
Ingredients: Brown Sugar, Rice Flour, Semisweet Chocolate Chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural flavor), Water, Palm Oil, Canola Oil, Sugar, Corn Starch, Modified Potato Starch, Contains 2% or Less of: Eggs, Modified Tapioca Starch, Salt, Baking Soda, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavor.
So overall, I'm really impressed with these cookies. They are crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. They are soft and have a chewy crumb. They were honestly much better than I thought they would be. And I kinda hate to admit they were just about as good as my homemade version. A neighbor stopped by to drop off a dish while these cookies were baking and she loved them too. She even took a few home with her... and she's not even gluten-free!
- Easy to make, you don't have to add ANY additional ingredients
- Resealable container, which makes the dough easy to save for later, you can easily just make a few at time, if desired.
- Tastes great! DOES NOT "taste" gluten-free!
- Would be great for parents to make with kids, super easy to assemble and bake.
- Perfect for travel or to make when visiting friends or family. Easy to suggest to friends & family to have for you when you come to visit.
- A bit more greasy than homemade gluten-free chocolate chip cookies
- High sugar/starch/calorie content -- but this is generally the case with just about any gluten-free processed sweet treat
Good job Pillsbury!


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This has been my favorite week. I liked the, well- the free motion, of the free motion quilting. I had to borrow a free motion foot while my fabric shop ordered one for me.
Not all my swirls and loops are great, but the thread color blends in for the most part. It's not detail that you really see unless you look for it. Overall, I am pleased with the quilting. I really have thought with each step, "I could ruin it all right here." Not a real positive way to look at it. Each step takes a good deal of time and is so important to the completed project. Since this is my first quilt, each step and was new, I was just so worried that this is where I could wreck it all.
Chloe helps me inspect. The front looks great...
but look what I find when I turn it over. There is a big gather at one edge. I spent yesterday evening ripping out stitches and smoothing things out. Today I am going to try to redo that area. I heard that the Amish women leave a error in their quilts so that they aren't perfect. I am one with the Amish gals right now.
week 1: selecting and preparing fabric


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Wow, looks amazing! Very nice job on the ice/snow
Siege of Inaolia, The first game from Riftwalker Ltd, intends to put survival games on the map by offering a refined and fresh experience in the form of a game that pays heavy attention to story as well as a high replay value by means of dynamic combat, a game that promotes skill over spam while remaining easy to pick up. Set in the Dark Fantasy world of Ilastria, a world plagued by wars and magic as well as the orcs and their kin, you control one of three unlikely heroes in their struggle to survive within the ancient fortress of Inaolia, a task that they soon come to learn, has the very fate of the world in the balance.
Wow, looks amazing! Very nice job on the ice/snow
Such Snow, Much Christmas, So Merry.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.
A few environmental screenshots showing off some of the particles and color correction within Alpha 4.


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Rankings For Best Internet Marketing Companies Under Different Categories
1st Globally
Yuen Long, Hong Kong
Our Hong Kong SEO expert team develops the most effective content strategies for all types of business companies. We have a proven track record in increasing search engine rankings.
2nd Globally
Unit A-B, 12/F, Hang Seng Causeway Bay Building, 28 Yee Wo Street
3rd Globally
Floor 23 Unit A25, Gold King Industrial Building,, 35 Tai Lin Pai Road, Kwai Chung, New Territories
4th Globally
Cyberport Phase 3
5th Globally
8/F., Guangdong Finance Building, No. 88 Connaught Road West Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Always Have A Plan B
We walked from Adelaide station to the little specialist sports shoes shop and bought a pair each of special walking shoes. The Cook has decided to start walking and Adolf's shoes were buggered, having done about 2,000 km over the last year or so. From there it was a short walk to the Adelaide Markets for lunch and a wander around before drifting back to catch the return train.
A couple of stations out from Adelaide an old joker got on with a mountain bike and stood next to where we were seated. Adolf noticed he had a couple of wooden walking sticks tied to the frame of his bike. Didn't think much of it until The Cook giggled and dug me in the ribs.
"Giggle giggle - what's that silly old bugger got walking sticks on a bike for? giggle giggle"
Quick as a flash, Adolf responded.
"In case the bike breaks down."
How good is this man Stewy
As for me, Mrs Gd thought here he goes again, but my little bro who happens to live 100 miles north, was a little more concerned, sufficiently so, that he rang about 30 minutes after full-time, the delay was due to bro, having to counsel his stock manager who was deemed the greater need, to check I hadn't had a brain haemorage.
I know all the SANZA refs are completely neutral but having a full bench of Aussies at the cauldron that is Suncorp to control possibly one of the more crucial games of the round robin, with probably the most compromised in the middle, was back to the very best of home ground advantage. Cripes even the very unbiased Aussie commentators and the Reds try scorer were waiting for Stupid Dickheadson to call the forward transfer or at the very least one of the "assistant Refs" on the touchline to yell " that was a tad forward".
I know, just read about it in the paper tomorrow but with all the travails that The Crusaders have delt with so well this very unusual year I feel with my modest opinion of right and wrong that that was almost a wrong.
Opportunity to rationalise.
As a volly in St J and the NZFS I see many areas for waste as each service make their reinstatement plans. Disfunctional management combined with serious "turf" protection will ultimately prevail unless someone bangs the necessary heads together.
Almost every serious incident will have Police, Fire, Ambulance all in attendance within minutes with zero assessment of need for any or all. With the Earthquakes and a couple of Pacific Tsunami we can add another layer of duplication in the form of Civil Defence.
First CD.
Initial response is completely beyond any capability for a meaningful input from the extensive network of local CD in the major events that have confronted Canterbury. Police Fire and Ambulance train and have systems in place to respond to incidents in minutes to make site safe and secure, save life, save property and mobilise any additional resources needed. Whereas CD spend hours just setting up a response team, head quarters and personel. Yes we need a CD structure to come into play if and when the Initial responders become overcome and it should be a function of regional Government not an adhoc local committee that will rarely be activated and therefore will struggle to make an impact or meaningful response when confronted.
Police Fire Rescue and Ambulance.
Would function with one Comms center, one command structure supported by operational management for delivery of each function in a co-ordinated response. Individual stations dont have to be necessarily integrated but there are substantial savings and efficiencies to be gained if that can occur.
Now would be a great time for management structures and assets to be reorganised in our region as the way forward for the next decades.
Dont let it slip away.
Subversive Leadership
Does this remind you of anyone in particular?
Obama's leadership model is the model of subversive leadership. Subversive leaders in democracies do not tell their citizens where they wish to lead their societies. They hide their goals from their citizens, because they understand that their citizens do not share their goals. Then once they achieve their unspoken goals, they present their people with a fait accompli and announce that only they are competent to shepherd their societies through the radical shift they undertook behind the public's back.
Emmerson At His Very Best
Monday, May 30, 2011
Socialists Commit Suicide
Around 1965 opposition to the way the cult gathered idealistic followers led to a move to California where the cult enjoyed significant growth and enjoyed support from leading Democrats,including VP Walter Mondale, First Lady Rosalyn Carter, Govenor Jerry Brown and the Lt Govenor.
Following this period of growth and integration that included cult leader Jones gaining administrative positions through patronage, the cult again garnered criticism from dismayed families who lost family to the cult that led to a move to Guyana in the mid 70s.
This Apostolic Socialist Cult exploded in the Guyanese jungle in Late 1978 when an attempt by Congressman Leo Ryan to investigate possible coercion to stay with the cult resulted in some of the members taking Ryan's repatriation offer, but became embroiled in a shoot out at the nearby airstrip.
Pastor Jones then led his followers in a mass suicide of over 900 followers taking Cyanide laced Coolaid, The Pastor died from a head shot that was ruled self inflicted
Are the members of NZ Labour in a similar journey to such a disaster in the jungle of NZ politics in 2011 with their disconnection from the mainstream as they flounder to gain traction for "their socialist utopia".
Dr Slash Marginalised
Mr Key said it was unacceptable that the proportion of working age population on benefits had increased from 2 per cent in 1970 to 13 per cent today.
The welfare system should send a clear message that if you could work and support yourself, then you must, he said.
The majority of New Zealanders will say to themselves:-
Why do we need Dr Slash when Mr Key is doing the job which needs to be done?
They are right. They don't need him and they won't vote for him.
You'd Be Nuts...
Heitiki tins are clearly branded as being from New Zealand - featuring a Maori woman on the label - and state the formula is "for super gene", although it is not clear where the product is made.
Kiaora's sole director is Tianxi Shao, but the company was not answering calls.
MAF director of compliance Geoff Allen said the ministry was visiting Kiaora's premises today.
If it was exporting infant formula, it would have to be a registered exporter and if it was manufacturing formula here it would have to meet further requirements, he said.
Kiaora was not on MAF's list of registered dairy exporters and this afternoon its website went offline..............The New Zealand Food and Grocery Council today backed her queries, and called for a full investigation by regulators......
....."Just recently there have been cases of Chinese firms attempting to create brands and copy products to align themselves with New Zealand's good reputation. Some companies have even deliberately copied New Zealand branded infant formula products, hijacked trade names and replicated websites."
Fonterra learned the lesson the really hard way. One can only hope the Gummint learned as well.
I don't really care what the protocols might be but on no account should any Chinese interests be allowed within a mile of New Zealand's dairy industry.
They simply cannot be trusted.
I don't mid if they want to buy and operate any number of farms to supply Fonterra or Tatua but processing and exporting?
Never, Jose. Not on your bloody Nellie.
Tory charity
My mate Cameron needs a push bike.
He has baited the Dalek so much that he has been called out and challenged to a bike race. Quite how Mallard expects to actually get on a bike again so soon after getting dumped and falling off his bike... ba da bish.. Did you see what I did there?
Mallard has invented some flimsy bullshit to excuse the counter challenge (a boxing match) so apparently a shooting match is on the card as well. Note to cat and baby bambi owners, you might want to make sure your kittens and other tiny harmless creatures are safe around August the 15th.
Mallard is obviously a spineless creature because as we all know while Cam is a fatty his arms are like angel hair noodles and I do not believe he could actually hold his arms up with the weight of gloves on, let alone actually flail around like a little girl slapping a wheel chair bound mouth breathing mentalist like Mallard.
Anyway, get over to www.gotcha.co.nz if you have a bike that can hold the big fella.
In residence
Having a look around the blogs and papers this morning I am heartened to see that not only has Labour still got no idea why we turfed them out but they seem intent on descending into a bacchanalian orgy of self abuse and self destruction that is not looking like ending anytime soon.
My mate Cameron has been picking on the weak and feeble minded again (more on that in the next post), Mallard has been dumped again and is now on some crazy journey to the nut house no doubt aided with some choice pharmaceuticals to help him manage the pain of his hurty knee.
Anyway, one more post and then I am off to plant out the rest of the pineapples and assorted bromeliads around the new palm garden.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Madam Hilary
My friends in ACT really really did not need this.
Everyone knows Dr Slash and Mr Burn and now there's Madam Hilary.
What is it with ACT people and lack of political judgement? Why do they get so wound up over ideology and policy that they leave their brains at home when they go to Wellington? First David Garrett and his lies to the courts and now this flannel headed fool who has lent part of her anatomy to the promotion of a brothel in the cradle of New Zealand's Presbyterian Church. One hopes she has not provided other anatomical promotions for the establishment's internal décor.
Has she introduced modern marketing techniques to this southern outpost of the oldest profession? Do they have a happy hour? Is there a frequent f****rs points programme? Perhaps the lucky dip – if your ball is drawn out of the bag you get a freeby on Friday. You've got to be in to win, you know. Has she negotiated a place in Winston's little golden book for pensioners? Let's face it, there's nothing better to prolong life than a free bus ride down to the local knock shop for a bit of heavily discounted poontang.
She might have disclosed her ownership of the building to the party's board but I'll bet pounds to peanuts they got the shock of their lives to find it is their number five list member who is batting her eyelids at this sordid clientele.
Adolf can think of nothing better to drive away the women's vote for ACT than this latest piece of blond stupidity. So, for Dr Slash to get his magical 15% party vote, Madam Hilary has successfully ensured he has to get 30% party vote from the male populace of NZ.
This evening's opinion polls are cold comfort for both National and ACT.
Forget about National's meteoric upward trajectory . It's the fate of its coalition partner which will be sending the frighteners through the party's hierarchy. Clearly Dr Brash's magnetic attraction for voters seems to have been an illusion. Four reputable polls now have him attracting no more electoral support than did Rodney Hide.
If ACT doesn't 'sort out its shit' pretty quick smart, National will be left up the creek without a reliable coalition partner on the right, a counterbalance for the Maori Party. On current polling there is a real chance ACT won't get enough party votes to gain even one list member.
I wonder how long Dr Slash and Mr Burn will hang around then.
A Thousand Words
A simple question
Worth 5 minutes
We have always relied on outside help to develop NZ but we are now at risk of being swamped by debt (compound interest), smarter foreigners and our own stupidity.
Our lifestyle has been based on the false premise that we really can afford it.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Destruction of Mallard?
Mallard issued a challenge to Whaleoil to participate in a bike race, to which Whaleoil accepted with the condition that Mallard agree to a boxing match some weeks after the bike race. Mallard declined on the grounds of medical conditions said to prevent him from engaging in contact sports.
Unfortunately for Mallard, various bloggers have noted said medical conditions did not prevent him from having a punch up in the parliamentary precinct and now, someone has brought to the public notice Mallards recent participation in various parliamentary rugby matches. Adolf is not aware of rugby suddenly becoming the preserve of the lame and infirm so it would appear Mallard is getting himself into some epic 'own goal' territory.
It will be fascinating to see how many examples of the phantom Wainuiomartion participating in activities other than lawn bowls or croquet are brought to bear on blogs and in newspapers and on TV channels over coming days.
I think Mallard has finally met his Waterloo.
This will be the greatest trophy ever to hang on the Whaling Wall.
Will we see Clare Curran taking the leadership of Labour in 2012?
Another Bullshit Headline
Defence jobs to fall by 500
But when you read the very first sentence in the article you find actually there is no reduction at all in Defence jobs.
There will be 500 fewer military staff in uniform by the end of the year, including personnel from the Linton, Waiouru and Ohakea bases, as the Government begins its civilianisation of the Defence Force.
It is simply that some of the jobs can better be done by civilians thereby releasing more defense personnel to be trained to kill the mofo enemy bastards - which is their real job.
As always, New Zealand's pathetic antique media can be relied upon to misrepresent.
Friday, May 27, 2011
There's A Small Dust Up......
Erstwhile and temporary party leader and climate change alarmist Malcolm Turnbull is complaining because someone (probably one of his own staffers to cause trouble) leaked a letter from the party whip, in which Turnbull is chastised for missing five important votes in the house.
Channel Seven News is huffing in self importance having established that party leader Tony Abbott missed four of the same votes.
Well here's a little news for the dead shits from the media. A backbencher's prime job and that of minor shadow ministers is to be in the house when a division is called. That's what he's paid for. The Opposition Leader often is away on other business, as he should be.
If I was Abbot's speech writer I would have had him on TV tonight reminding the Australian voter that Turnbull was thrown out because the party needed a leader who was more than Rudd's right hand man or Gillard's gopher.
A dose of reality
Heinz Cans 300 Jobs........
Well, maybe not all of them but clearly, a substantial number.
Remember when a few months ago Bill English was lambasted by Goff for suggesting Australian jobs might migrate to NZ?
What's the betting you don't see mention of this excellent news in your Antique Media?
Back off, Dude!!!!!
They'd Better Get Off Their Arses...Updated
Otherwise they'll have another 'mining' debacle on their hands. Today's digipoll gives them the message loud and clear. This is what happens when you mooch about and let the other side set the agenda. There's been zero effort to counter the Labour lies and propaganda. For fucks sake, folks - they are NOT ASSETT SALES.
Perhaps one way to beat the Kiwi dumbarse mentality so assiduously cultivated by Labour would simply be to open up these SOEs to partial purchase by the Cullen Fund and Kiwisaver fund managers, with no further private participation permitted. Then Labour could cop the blame for preventing ordinary Kiwis from talking a personal stake in these assets.
It's a pity one is unable to see the trend from the last Digipoll. If I can find it, I'll do an update.
Adolf had a bit of a chuckle at the preferred PM figures. The Harawira family will be laughing its collective evil arses off at the news that Hone has got more chance than Don Brash or of becoming Prime Minister.
The last herald Digipoll was taken in December 2010
Today's results, rounded, put:-
- National up ----- 2%
- Labour down --- 3%
- Greens no change
- Act up ---------- 1%
- NZF no change


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PHPFreaks.com has posted part one of a series of tutorials covering some of the basics of one of the more powerful features in any language - regular expression support.
Regular expressions (which will now be referred to as "regexes") are basically pattern matching inside of text. They use special syntax and concepts in order to obtain information from a string. Many programming languages have some sort of support for regexes, because of the sheer usefulness of them. Not only can patterns be used to validate that a certain pattern exists in a string, but they can also be used to physically extract matched portions and make them usable in your PHP code.
They look at some of the basics - example structure, metacharacters, greediness as well as include a brief comparison of PCRE versus POSIX versions. The tutorial is peppered with plenty of example expressions too, giving you a good idea of what you're working towards knowing.


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The blackjack table is very is to follow and by just playing a few hands you will feel comfortable enough with it in order to enjoy the rest of your time there.
One option for newbies is to play our free online games that we offer to you right here at Blackjack-St. or you could even download the free games that some of the online casinos offer as well.blackjack table Heck, why don't you do both. You can read more about what we offer and what you might look out for on our free blackjack page.
That is the general layout, now for what is on the table. Closest to the dealer you will see rows, upon rows of chips that are held by the dealer and are used when players buy into the game. The croupier will also use this area to stake the casinos winnings for each hand. The only other thing that is in front of the dealer is the white box that is used to house the dealer's cards.
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Rumi said it best: "Grief can be the garden of compassion." I spotted this quote as I sat in my garden grieving over the sudden death of our 26-year-old daughter.
Jogging with her fiancé in New York's Central Park on Memorial Day 2008, Lauren Nicole Zussman went into cardiac arrest. One phone call changed the life of a virtually happy family. It happened exactly eight years to the day after she almost died of an overdose of alcohol while vacationing at Lake Havasu.
Clean and sober, never wavering, this Ford International Model went on to just about become a poster child for the 12-step program. She was only four courses short of a life coach credential from New York University when she was unexpectedly taken away because of an unknown heart condition.
Temporarily, there is no value to life when you lose a child. I am now on the outside, looking into other houses filled with life and laughter. The ebb and flow of my realization of her death terrifies my soul. My thoughts weave back and forth between the awareness of life and death and a false sense of security. The conveyor belt of confusion, anger, sadness and dread continues on, as a quiet death within me permeates.
I speak to my daughter daily, if only in my mind: Soothing music, burning candles and the comfort of your maroon shawl surround my many sleepless nights. I turn to photographs and memories of you constantly. I fear that I will not bounce back to life as I have known it, but as time goes by your light overshadows the darkness of the hour. I can never see or touch you, but in my heart an imaginary cord will always unite us.
The time since Lauren's passing has given us periods of normalcy — although, as my husband has said, we have to create a new normal. I must have the courage to go on, not only for myself but, more important, for my family. We all wear a silver chain bracelet with "courage" engraved on one side and "Lauren 08" on the other side. Lauren's courage inspires us, and she would so not want us to suffer.
I hope that Lauren is with nature. She loved gardenias, trees and the ocean. She loved fairies, and we have a statue sitting in our garden of a fairy that looks a lot like her, reading a book. We also have a bird feeder, with hummingbirds flying to it daily.
I hang on to that imaginary cord, that rope, knowing that I will never relinquish it completely.
There are so many unanswered questions, but I do know one thing: There is no prescription for grieving.
Zussman, who lives in Newport Beach, is the author of "Throw Me the Rope: A Memoir on Loving Lauren." She can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
My Turn is a forum for readers to recount an experience related to health or fitness. Submissions should be 500 words or fewer, are subject to editing and condensation and become property of The Times. Email firstname.lastname@example.com. Read more at latimes.com/myturn.
Rumi said it best: "Grief can be the garden of compassion." I spotted this quote as I sat in my garden grieving over the sudden death of our 26-year-old daughter.


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If you are making small things like candy canes, doll fingers, small legs or arms for your dolls, there is a WONDERFUL tool that EVERY single crafter needs……It is called a "Turn It All" …..It is so great for crafting!!!! This can be purchased from http://www.primitivecupboard.com .....You can also get some hemostats! They are a doll makers best friend for turning those small parts as well ;)....……Another nifty little tool for crafting is a "Stuffing Fork"…… This can be purchased from http://www.barbarawillisdesigns.com/supplies.html Or you can do a search for them on eBay as well…..Sometimes you'll be able to find them!
Hope this helped you out :)
Bless you!!!!!!!!!


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CarLashes™ - Eyelashes For Cars
Description: CarLashes™ are flexible plastic eyelashes that are attached above cars' headlights; starting at $26.99/ pair, CarLashes™ are an adorable, affordable way to spread smiles for miles. CarLashes™ can easily dress-up any car (as well as many motorcycles and scooters) and are the perfect gift for spirited gals of all ages who want to add a little glam - or just plain fun - to their girly rides. CarLashes™ come in chrome, pink and frosted colors, as well as classic black. For those motoring mavens looking for some additional automotive bling, CarLashes™ now makes Crystal Eyeliner - a strip of light- and eye- catching rhinestones, - available in several head-turning colors, which retails for less than $20.
Price: $26.99 to $56.98


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Lilacs at the Arnold Arboretum
Best Lilacs for New England Gardens
Lilacs offer many opportunities to the garden designer. Plant a flowering hedge of the compact Syringa meyeri 'Palibin', or, for a striking accent, choose a standard form. Place a bench in the fragrant shelter of 'Miss Kim,' or bring a touch of New England tradition to a modern landscape with the great French hybrids 'Mme Lemoine' or 'President Grevy'. And remember that lilacs span a rainbow of colors, from rich reds, blues, and purples to romantic pinks, whites, mauve, and the delicate, creamy yellow of 'Primrose'.
The Arnold Arboretum's research and evaluation program includes an annual survey to determine the most successful lilacs for New England gardens. The best of the best lilacs, in our definition, should be highly fragrant, display many flowers at eye (and nose) level, resist mildew and leafroll necrosis, and produce new growth that does not obscure the flowers and enough suckers to replace old or injured stems. Ideally, the gardener should be able to find the perfect lilac in every flower color, for every season of bloom, in both single and double form.
The following lilacs reach peak bloom during New England's traditional lilac time-the second through the fourth week of May. This list includes only cultivars of Syringa vulgaris and the early flowering S. x hyacinthiflora, which have the general appearance of the traditional or common lilac.
Syringa vulgaris and Syringa x hyacinthiflora Cultivars
Key: single flowered (S); double flowered (D); high degree of fragrance
(F); early blooming hybrid (E)
|Henri Robert (D), Mechta (S)
|President Lincoln (E, S), Wonderblue (a.k.a. Little Blue Boy) (S)
|Sarah Sands (S), Albert F. Holden (S)
|Katherine Havermeyer (E, D), Lucie Baltet (S), Mme. Antoine Buchner (D), Maiden's Blush (F, S), Marie Frances (S)
|Primrose (S)
|Asessippi (E, F, S), Excel (E, F, S), Michel Buchner (D), Lilac Sunday (S)
|Krasavitsa Moskvy (D), Sister Justina (E, S)
|Arch McKean (F, S), Paul Thirion (D), Ruhm von Horstenstein (S)
Special Recommendation
Syringa x chinensis 'Lilac Sunday'
This new cultivar from the Arnold Arboretum was grown by our plant propagator Jack Alexander from seed supplied by the Beijing Botanical Garden. The pale purple flowers are fragrant, appearing in mid May, and offering an abundant display annually. Although the individual flowers are small, they are produced in panicles not only at the branch tips, like the common lilac, but also from the lateral buds. The plant has a graceful arching habit and is expected to attain a size similar to that of other cultivars of S. x chinensis, about 12 feet by 12 feet. Please visit the Arboretum during our annual Lilac Sunday festival to view this unique plant.
Ten Favorite Uncommon Lilacs
Though not necessarily rare or hard-to-find, the hybrids and selections of the species listed below have leaves, flowers, and fragrance that are quite different from the common lilacs. These plants offer adventurous gardeners the opportunity to break with tradition.
• S. meyeri 'Palibin'
• S. pubescens subsp. microphylla 'Superba'
• S. pubescens subsp. patula 'Miss Kim'
• S. pekinensis 'Morton' China Snow™
• S. 'Bailbelle' Tinkerbelle™
• S. (Villosae Group) 'Miss Canada'
• S. protolaciniata
• S. pubescens
• S. reticulata
• S. villosa 'Charles Hepburn'
Adapted from a brochure prepared by John H. Alexander III and Nan Blake Sinton, "Lilacs and the Arnold Arboretum," Winter 1990.


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Thursday, March 09, 2017
Searching Satellite Imagery
Last year Terrapattern released a visual search engine for satellite imagery. Terrapattern uses machine learning to find locations around the world which look very similar. This means that you can use Terrapattern to find other locations which share a visual resemblance to a chosen location. For example, if you click on a baseball field on the Terrapattern map you can find other locations which also have a baseball field.
Descartes Labs has now released their own visual satellite search engine which allows you to search for objects around the world. Geovisual Search works in a similar fashion to Terrapattern. To search for similar looking locations around the world you just need to click on an interactive map and the search engine almost instantly finds other locations around the world which look the same.
You can learn more about how Geovisual Search uses artificial intelligence to search satellite imagery on this Descartes Labs about page. In this initial launch Geovisual Search searches three different sets of satellite imagery; Landsat 8 (global), NAIP Aerial Imagery (USA) and PlanetScope (China).
Via: Google Earth Blog
Posted by Keir Clarke at 12:30 PM
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The current time of pandemic disruption and forced isolation was a new experience not only for the habitants of the Tri-City area. Foreigners who chose Tri-City as their place of residence also faced many new challenges. We are slowly coming back to reality, readapting to the new realities of life. In this very challenging time, there is an immense need for ideas and spaces that will allow the free contact and the reestablishment of relationships with self and others.
Project emiGRACJE is an innovative concept developed and designed for this purpose. It is dedicated for Non Polish and Polish women with or without migration experience who want to meet in a new, post-pandemic reality, experience being together in nature and make new connections: with their own physical bodies, as well as with other participants. Meetings will take place once per week, on Thursdays after 17.00 (exact time will be confirmed after the registration of participants). Workshops will last for 1.5–2 hours and will take place in a beautiful natural setting, at the Garden of Ethnography Museum in Gdańsk (Gdańsk Oliwa ul. Cystersów 19) for a period of 7 weeks, starting on Thursday, 18th June.
There will be an initial presentation meeting (which is virtual based and obligatory) on June 11, 2020 at 19.00 on the Zoom platform. Application form: here
Polskie odsłony butō (część I)
Magdalena Zamorska | TaniecPOLSKA.pl | 2012
Data publikacji: 2012-06-29