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What do you suggest doing when there are a few audience members chattering away and making a distracting buzz? Do you pause? That might provide an opening for additional chatterers to start up. Comment on it? Ignore it?Any time you're in a situation that requires you to step out of your presentation and confront an audience member, you risk derailing your planned mission, something I sense Vivian understands. At the same time, when you "have the floor" as the speaker, you're in control of the room and other audience members will expect you to manage the room and the audience to ensure that all can hear and enjoy your remarks. While your response will need to take many factors into account, try one of these subtle ways to bring the buzzing audience members back to attention:
- Wait for silence. Rather than shush the audience or ask for silence by yelling over the din, just wait quietly. This is especially effective at the start of a presentation, but you might also pause during a speech if the buzzing is especially distracting, and smile, looking at the chatterers until they realize they are the only people speaking. The rest of the audience will get what you're doing and wait with you, while coming to attention.
- Move toward the noise. One of many good reasons to stay mobile during a presentation is your ability to move into and out of the audience. You can move toward and stand directly in front of buzzing audience members while continuing your presentation, making eye contact with them until they turn quiet--they'll realize that you've brought the spotlight directly to them quickly.
- Have a funny line on hand that matches your remarks. Take the time to come up with a quick one-liner or aside that will let the entire audience know that you can hear the whisperers, and get them to be quiet at the same time. "I know this topic is controversial, but there's no need to whisper about it--I hope you all will be vocal when it's time for questions," or "People are really talking about this argument. People are even talking about it here and now," followed by a wait for a laugh, are two ways to handle it verbally.
What are you looking for here on public speaking and presenting? Share your question in the comments.


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MCLA MagazineAn open forum for all MCLA fans! Be sure your topic is not already covered by one of the other forums or it will be moved.
MCLA Magazine
Has any one not recieved their may issue of MCLA lax magazine. I usually get mine with in the first week of the month?
Bradley McDuffie
MTSU Lacrosse President
MTSU Lacrosse President
- Water Boy
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- Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:23 pm
- Location: Murfreesboro,TN
MCLA Magazine
I think they waited a bit longer for the Conference playoffs to end before they went to print. I bet they'll be arriving this week.
Tim Gray
Head Coach
Men's Lacrosse
Northeastern University
Commissioner PCLL
Head Coach
Men's Lacrosse
Northeastern University
Commissioner PCLL
Tim Gray
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- fourminmile
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MCLA the mag has great articles and is very well done. Is it ESPN the mag?? Absolutely not, but if you look at the contect and the professional production effort put into the magazine I challenge anyone to find me a better lacrosse publication that could be created for the MCLA.
- Veteran
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- Location: Florida
I still have not got my april or may, I have been very impressed with the few issues that showed up. I dropped an email there way inquiring about where they are, and still have got nothing back. I think that is the biggest issue this year is getting proper distribution in a timely manner.
They make excellent bathroom reading material.
They make excellent bathroom reading material.
Jon Carlson
SJU Alum 07'
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I ordered mine April 29 willi even get a may issue?
Thomas Turner #31
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I really like the mag and it has been more then interesting from a novelty standpoint. The league continues to grow and I would assume that subscriptions will as well. The format and layout is predictable, which is nice in many respects, but I would think they'll have to examine approach after this year.
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Same issue here, I just got April last week, March came late after I emailed some time into April. May has yet to show, I admire the guys for putting it together and it is a great publication, problem is I recieve it a month after the events being discussed have played out. I have heard that it is a "mail' issue. I hope they get those issues ironed out.
Same issue here, I just got April last week, March came late after I emailed some time into April. May has yet to show, I admire the guys for putting it together and it is a great publication, problem is I recieve it a month after the events being discussed have played out. I have heard that it is a "mail' issue. I hope they get those issues ironed out.
Ham and Eggs, a days work for a chicken. A lifes work for a pig.
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Anybody received a June issue yet? I've been looking forward to reading about the tourney in Texas and wonder if the mag is out yet, or simply very late?
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I haven't received a June issue yet but they did just send me an e-mail about an address change and quickly responded with a change confirmation.
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CSS Virginia
|CSS Virginia
|17 February 1862
|Scuttled by crew
|General characteristics
|3,200 tons
|275 ft
|38 ft 6 in
|24 ft 3 in
|6 knots
|320 officers and men
CSS Virginia was an ironclad warship in the service of the Confederate States Navy which fought in history's first engagement between iron-armored warships: the Battle of Hampton Roads, March 8–9, 1862 during the American Civil War. Previously, she was a steam-sail frigate named USS Merrimack, and still referred to by that name today.
Service as USS Merrimack
Virginia began life as the second ship of the United States Navy named Merrimack, and was launched by the Boston Navy Yard 15 June 1855, and commissioned 20 February 1856, Capt. Garrett J. Pendergrast in command.
Shakedown took the new screw frigate to the Caribbean and to western Europe. Merrimack visited Southhampton, Brest, Lisbon, and Toulon before returning to Boston and decommissioning 22 April 1857 for repairs. Recommissioning 1 September 1857, Merrimack got underway from Boston Harbor 17 October as flagship for the Pacific Squadron. She rounded Cape Horn and cruised the Pacific coast of South and Central America until heading for home 14 November 1859. Upon returning to Norfolk, she decommissioned 16 February 1860.
Merrimack was still in ordinary during the crisis preceding Abraham Lincoln's inauguration. Soon after becoming Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles took action to prepare the frigate for sea, planning to move her to Philadelphia. The day before the firing on Fort Sumter, Welles directed that "great vigilance be exercised in guarding and protecting" Norfolk Navy Yard and her ships. On the afternoon of 17 April, the day Virginia seceded, Engineer in Chief B. F. Isherwood managed to get the frigate's engines lit off; but the previous night secessionists had sunk lightboats in the channel between Craney Island and Sewell's Point, blocking Merrimack. On the 20th, before evacuating the Navy Yard, the U.S. Navy burned Merrimack to the waterline and sank her to preclude capture.
Conversion to an ironclad
The Confederates, in desperate need of ships, raised Merrimack and rebuilt her as an ironclad ram, according to a design prepared by Lt. J. M. Brooke, CSN. Commissioned as CSS Virginia on 17 February 1862, the ironclad was the hope of the Confederacy to destroy the wooden ships in Hampton Roads and to end the Union blockade which had already seriously hurt the South.
Despite all‑out effort to complete her, Virginia still had workmen on board when she sailed out into Hampton Roads, 8 March 1862, tended by CSS Raleigh and Beaufort and accompanied by Patrick Henry, Jamestown, and Teaser. Captain Franklin Buchanan, CSN, commanding Virginia, singled out as first victim sailing sloop USS Cumberland, anchored west of Newport News. In taking position, Virginia passed USS Congress and exchanged broadsides, suffering no injury while causing considerable damage. She crossed Cumberland's bow, raking her with a lethal fire, before finishing off the wooden warship with a thrust of her iron ram. Gallantly fighting her guns as long as they were above water, Cumberland sank taking one‑third of her crew, 121 men, and part of Virginia's ram down with her.
Virginia then turned her attention to Congress, which had grounded. Assisted by the lighter ships of the South's James River Squadron, Virginia opened fire from a distance, forcing Congress to haul down her colors. As CSS Beaufort and Raleigh approached Congress to receive the surrender of her crew, Federal troops ashore, not understanding the situation, opened a withering fire and wounded Buchanan, who retaliated by ordering hot shot and incendiary shell to be pored into Congress. The latter, ablaze and unable to bring a single gun to bear, hauled down her flag for the last time. She continued to burn until exploding about midnight.
Virginia did not emerge unscathed. Her stack was riddled causing loss of power and she was initially underpowered. Two large guns were out of order, her armor loosened and her ram lost. Nevertheless, she went on to attack USS Minnesota, but shallow water prevented her getting close enough to do her former sister frigate serious damage. Virginia anchored that night at Sewell's Point for repairs. Flag Officer Buchanan was taken ashore to the hospital and Lt. Catesby ap R. Jones, CSN, who had conned the ironclad after Buchanan had been wounded, assumed command.
Battle with the Monitor
On the following morning, Virginia returned to battle, but in the night the Union ironclad USS Monitor had arrived in the nick of time to defend the fleet in Hampton Roads. The ensuing inconclusive battle, the first ever fought between powered ironclads, revolutionized naval warfare. As Virginia steamed into Hampton Roads toward grounded Minnesota, Monitor moved out of the steam‑frigate's shadow to challenge the Confederate ironclad. Minnesota's commander, Capt. G. J. Van Brunt, described the ensuing action. "Gun after gun was fired by the Monitor, which was returned with whole broadsides from the rebels with no more effect, apparently, than so many pebblestones thrown by a child. After a while they commenced maneuvering, and we could see the little battery point her bow for the rebels, with the intention, as I thought, of sending a shot through her bow porthole; then she would shoot by her and rake her through her stern. In the meantime the rebel was pouring broadside after broadside, but when they struck the bombproof tower the shot glanced off without producing any effect."
Shortly before noon, a shot from Virginia struck Monitor's pilothouse driving dust through the eyeslit through which Lieutenant John L. Worden was conning the ship, and temporarily blinding him. Thinking that the pilothouse was seriously damaged, if not destroyed, Worden ordered the ship to sheer off to shallow water. At the same time Virginia headed back toward Sewell's Point.
Installation of a new ram and other repairs and alterations kept Virginia in drydock at Norfolk for almost a month. Flag Officer Josiah Tattnall, CSN, appointed 25 March 1862 as Commander of Confederate Naval Forces, selected Virginia as his flagship.
Final month
Virginia returned to Hampton Roads 11 April; under her protection CSS Jamestown and CSS Raleigh captured three Union transports. Strategic considerations precluded a second Monitor‑Virginia duel. Monitor's mission was to contain Virginia in support of General George B. McClellan's campaign on the peninsula, and Virginia safeguarded the important Norfolk area and the mouth of the James River. When forced to evacuate Norfolk, the Confederates tried to take Virginia up the James River, but her deep draft prevented it, so they destroyed her 11 May 1862.


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Exam 70-662: Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, Configuring
Exam 70-662
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Silvert's was established in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada in 1930. Silvert's began as a small town department store and by the 1960s had developed into a chain of department stores across southwestern Ontario.
Silvert's motto from its inception, of "customer service and quality," proved to be a guiding force in the company's destiny. With Silvert's motto in place, a strong customer loyalty was established and maintained. As Silvert's customers aged, their need for service increased. Clients began contacting Silvert's from Retirement and Long Term Care facilities demanding to know how Silvert's could continue to service them. It was at this time that Silvert's became aware of a special niche of people with special needs who had thus far been neglected. Styling considerations and the increased need for services had never been addressed.
Two issues came to the forefront. First, the need to develop a line of clothing that made dressing an effortless task instead of an impossible chore. Secondly, a service that enabled clients to shop in the comfort of their own homes or in Long Term Care facilities. The first issue addressed the need for a specialty line of clothing. Focus research groups were established, consisting of clients, caregivers and health care professionals. The net result produced a specialty line of clothing that incorporated comfort, ease of dressing, style and washability.
Silvert's responded to the demand for a personalized shop at home service by creating a catalogue mail order service. Over the years, Silvert's has continued to grow and develop its international catalogue mail order service. The need for at home shopping services has led Silvert's to address the E-commerce market for added convenience to our customers.
Silvert's is aware of the routine physical dilemmas faced by many in the daily chore of dressing. As a result, Silvert's design department continually consults with clients, caregivers and health care professionals to meet the daily needs of our customers.
Our design department has incorporated style with the need for ease of dressing. At Silvert's we are aware of the challenges faced by those with decreased levels of mobility, arthritis, scoliosis, podiatry concerns and incontinent issues. Careful consideration and awareness of these concerns keeps Silvert's on the leading edge and allows us to provide the best in products and services to our customers.
Silvert's takes into consideration the need for wash-and-wear garments. Customers do not need or want to spend time and money on dry cleaning. Fabrics are chosen for their level of durability because our products are often subjected to industrial washers and dryers. Styles are tested and retested to ensure maximum comfort and ease of dressing.
Silvert's has only become the largest supplier of specialty clothing by listening to our customers needs and responding to them.
The dictionary describes the word service as being, "a system or means of supplying or providing something useful or necessary to the general public."
At Silvert's we are committed to supplying our customers with the best quality styled products at the most reasonable prices. Our quality is backed by a money-back guarantee, which states, "If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, simply return it to us."
Silvert's is proud to offer an exciting, free colour catalogue with affordable clothing in an easy to use format, which is backed by unparalleled customer service.
Silvert's is the largest supplier of specialty clothing and as a world market leader, is dedicated to providing quality E-commerce service. Silvert's prides itself on its world wide availability. With 88 years of experience you can shop with confidence at Silvert's.
Silvert's is committed to giving our customers exceptional service, quality and value for their money. This commitment is backed by our unconditional money-back guarantee.
At Silvert's you can shop with confidence. Silvert's take pride in its 88 years of experience and its focus on quality customer service.
Silvert's is a proud member of the Direct Marketing Association. Silvert's is a proud supporter of the Alzheimer Society of Canada.
Step 1 of 3) Read the title/description of the BreastNest you're choosing to make sure you fit within its cup size range. Example: "Breeze D to DD Cup" fits a D and DD.
Step 2 of 3) With a flexible measuring tape, measure around your ribcage directly up and UNDER your breasts, making sure there's no slack behind your back.
Step 3 of 3) Based on your ribcage measurement, choose the Size below that fits within the range of the Band Size.
|Band Size
|28-33 in.
|34-38 in.
|39-41 in.
|42-50 in.
|51-54 in.
|55-61 in.
*XXXX-Large only comes in Breeze Original and Camisole Original


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Product photography and illustrations have been reproduced as accurately as print and web technologies permit. To ensure highest satisfaction, we suggest you view an actual sample from your dealer for best color, wood grain and finish representation.
Malbec is a traditional dark brown cabinet stain on Cherry that features significant red undertones. This finish is available in both Standard Sheen and Matte Sheen.


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The oil (urushiol) that causes the rash from
poison ivy, oak, or sumac can be spread to skin
Clothing and any other item that may have urushiol on it should be washed thoroughly. Pets who have been in areas containing poison ivy, oak, or
sumac should be washed with pet shampoo to remove any oil from their
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I have mentioned on the blog before that I recently moved to Massachusetts to work for Classic Elite Yarns.
The hardest part of moving, whether you are 5, 15, 25 or even older…is making new friends and leaving your old ones behind. Some of the best friends I had made in NYC (and even in life to date) are from my knitting group. Of course the common bond was knitting and yarn, but our friendships grew from there. Talk quickly turned from yarn to jobs, families and even romance. We also looked forward to seeing each other once a week to get updates on projects, as well as catching up with each others' lives.
A tradition in our group was that when someone moved away or had a major life event (such as a wedding or a new baby) we would get together and coordinate a group project - usually a blanket. When I moved, I was so busy with everything, it didn't occur to me that I hadn't gotten a blanket. Although I had been planning on moving away from the city for quite awhile, the amount of time from when I started interviewing for this job to my actual move date was quite brief. So even if they had wanted to make a blanket for me, they wouldn't have had the time.
One of the ladies from our group was passing through Massachusetts last week and stopped by for a visit. One of the first things she did was hand me a box. It was wrapped in simple brown paper with yarn wrapped around it. I KNEW what this was. (Full disclosure – I went back to NYC for a good friend's wedding 2 months ago and they had presented me with a card explaining that they were working on the blanket). I would like to say that I was a picture of patience as I opened the box, but I was more like a little kid at his/her birthday and just ripped into that paper. My wonderful friends had made me a blanket!
They made me a 64 Crayons using Liberty Wool. Apparently there was some discussion as soon as I accepted the job that they knew they wanted to make me a blanket and they wanted to use Classic Elite Yarns. The ironic thing was that we had just finished making a 64 crayons for our friend (whose wedding I went back for). I can only imagine how difficult it was for the people who were working on both blankets to not spill the beans to either of us!
There are so many great things about this blanket. The first, of course, is that it was made with love by people I love. I am sure it will keep me warm on cold New England winter days, but also warm my heart during those times when I am feeling lonely for my friends.
I also really love that they used Liberty Wool. Not only is it a tribute to my decision to work for CEY, it is a great yarn for a blanket. Liberty Wool is machine washable, so when a messy life moment happens, I don't have to worry about how to clean it. I can just throw it into the washing machine.
Another great thing about the use of Liberty Wool in combination with this blanket is that it will always go with whatever my décor is. There are so many colors, that they all work together, just like a great quilt would. For the time being, the blanket will be in my living room, but I feel that if I want to put it in the bedroom at some point, it would go with whatever is in there.
I know that this is an heirloom piece for me. And one I will forever more treasure! Thank you to my NYC knitting friends. It means more to me than you will ever know.


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The Cyber-state--you can call it the Web, the Net, Cyberspace, or the Electric Boogaloo, it's the network space that connects computers and information in the near future. The Avatar--that's the representation of your character as that character surfs the spaceways of the Cyber-State. The Toolkit--this gives you options on how to represent that Avatar in the Cyber-state. The abilities, class, and skills of the Avatar can be built using one or more of the options from the Toolkit.
Because when your character is crackin' into the big evil corps' network, she wants to look cool doing it.


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BUILD Conference "Shooting Range" Beta Availability
Arising largely from the work done on the upcoming "Goblin Harvest" release this app is now updated and available for beta testing at the BUILD conference (or to anyone possessing a motion enabled device*).
If you would like to lend a hand either drop me a line or add a comment below this post.
Shooting Range App for Windows Phone Mango
NB If you are not sure if your device supports motion – don't worry, this app will tell you!
- Smarten up the graphics and target positions in virtual space
- Provide a summary of each shootout
- Provide alternative targets & weapons
- Engage the radar to show targets and current scope of target range
- Increase target range size up to 360 degrees with advancing levels
- Provide "echo "for targets springing up behind you


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Honest work (14/09/17 19:23:49)
I saw Donald Trump on TV today. He was visiting Florida to show himself to the people who had been hit by the hurricane Irma. Nothing of the erratic clown here. He gave acknowledgement and praise to the rescue workers. And it strikes me: These days there are far too many people in the highest position who do not acknowledge the value of honest work and praise it as much as it deserves. And not only at the top. Routine work is looked down upon. Developing routines - the daily bread - takes resources from the posh research and is thus discouraged or sabotaged. Youngsters are discouraged to go for practical work; theory is much more fashionable.
With increasing sophistication of computer hardware and software we can see that a number of jobs will disappear. Banking has already disappeared in my country. Accounting can be done by subscribing to a cloud service. Self-driving cars are no more science fiction. Airliner piloting is now a brief education because the planes are self-driving. No need any more to fly by the seat of one's pants. I have noticed that landings nowadays are far softer than they used to be when landings were manual. A whisky distillery can make it with one single employee (in the control room).
So what are people going to do? How can we as a society give the young a meaningful life where they can do useful work and earn a decent living? How are we going to cope with illiterate immigrants with criminal attitudes and practices towards little girls? How can we facilitate a transformation of those theologies that preach God as a sponsor of murder and molestation?
Fruitful thinking can only be done by people who do not fear that discussions will limit their careers.
There is plenty to discuss.
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This is the new Swiftech Polaris 120 Heatsink and CPU cooler we will be reviewing today. This is an air-cooler that retails for about 60 dollars, making it Swiftech's re-entry into the mainstream air-cooling arena. It is compatible with every common Intel and AMD CPU socket on the market, which includes the new Intel Socket 1155 for the Intel's Sandy Bridge processors.
At it's budget price, the Swiftech Polaris 120 Heatsink has quite a lot of competition to contend with. We are going to see how it stacks up to other entry level, high performance AMD and Intel CPU Coolers in the market.


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| 11.2°C Belfast
Take That star Gary Barlow, actors Kate Winslet and Kenneth Branagh and the designer behind the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress have been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
Branagh's knighthood left his heart "fit to burst" while Winslet said her CBE made her "very proud to be a Brit".
The list, which sees the revival of the "working-class gong", showcases the best of British talent, with awards also going to actresses Jenny Agutter and Amanda Redman, and chart-topping choirmaster Gareth Malone.
The 2012 Birthday Honours list sees the reintroduction of "working-class gong" the British Empire Medal (BEM), revived by David Cameron in a reversal of John Major's decision to scrap it in 1991. Its return has allowed the honours system to step up its recognition of "hands-on" service to local communities and the Big Society, the head of the Civil Service said.
Barlow's OBE for services to the entertainment industry and to charity comes just days after he masterminded the triumphant diamond jubilee concert for the Queen at Buckingham Palace. He is also at number one with his jubilee anthem Sing and appears to have become the "go to" pop star for royal occasions.
The 41-year-old said: "Growing up, I never dreamt that one day I'd be getting one myself. I enjoy every minute of the work I do, with a lot of it being a reward in itself, so for somebody to decide I should get recognised for that is just amazing."
Creative director for fashion house Alexander McQueen Sarah Burton - who designed the Duchess of Cambridge's striking gown for the royal wedding last year - gets an OBE for services to the fashion industry.
Belfast-born Hollywood star Branagh joins the ranks of the great acting knights. The Oscar-nominated actor, director and screenwriter, recognised for services to drama and to the community of Northern Ireland, said: "I feel humble, elated and incredibly lucky."
Knighthoods also go to Royal Shakespeare Company artistic director Michael Boyd and Scottish opera director David McVicar, as well as songwriter and lyricist Richard Stilgoe and Carphone Warehouse founder and chairman Charles Dunstone.
Lord Archer's wife Dr Mary Archer, a champion of patient care and safety, is to become a Dame, along with Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid, who designed the aquatics centre at the Olympics Park, as well as former culture secretary Tessa Jowell, for service in support of the Olympics.


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Award Winning Music Production from Glasgow
Cult Recordings is an award winning professional creative music recording workspace, perfect for any creative music venture.
Cult Recordings has over over 15 Years of experience with producer and songwriter Alan Scobie, originally housed in the Former 'Pet Sounds' studio location in Glasgow that was the previous home of Wet Wet Wet. The studio relocated 4 Years ago to the creative Hidden Lane in Finnieston, Glasgow.
When it comes to building a first-class music production, we have everything you need. Whether you are a solo artist doing a one-song demo or a full band doing an entire album, Cult Recordings provides the tools and experience necessary to customize your project to your specific needs.
Over time Cult Recordings has evolved into a mixture of Modern and Vintage in terms of equipment and approach that has seen a diverse mixture of clients and produced award Winning albums that have won 'Best Album' in their categories and in a variety of genres.
Cult Recordings is a relaxed and extremely creative environment that takes pride in the level of support and expert advice that any artist or client receives.


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It looks like Al Gore is going to need every cent of the $300m war chest he's amassed for climate persuasion. Americans polled by Gallup for 'Earth Day' value "traditional", bottom-up environmental issues such as pollution and conservation as being more worrying than Global Warming. Remarkably, the level of concern about greenhouse gas emissions has barely wavered in a generation. Recklessness, or Huck Finn-style American common sense?
A third of Americans think "Global Warming" is a serious concern - a figure that's effectively unchanged since 1990, when the question was first asked. Ominously for the climate doom-mongers, it ranks 10th on a list of 12 environmental issues. OK, so what are Americans worried about?
Water pollution issues are three of the top four areas of concern, with over 80 per cent of people registering serious concern. Waste contamination comes third, and the loss of natural habitat for wildlife fifth, with 77 per cent expressing concern. Then there's rainforests (69 per cent), bio-diversity (68 per cent). Greenhouse emissions come in 10th - above urban sprawl and acid rain.
And when's the last time you ever heard anyone mention acid rain?
(If you add up the "great deal" and "fair amount" worrywarts, then Global Warming comes even lower, 11th out of 12th prompted issues).
An Inconvenient Flatline
Maybe Americans don't trust dodgy computer models, on which the predictions of global catastrophe are based? Or maybe polar bears just aren't cute enough? Either way, it can't be for lack of "awareness", as the mass media goes on about little else.
Top down vs Bottom up
But perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that traditional issues which affect one's children and family, such as pollution and conservation, are rated as more urgent. Grassroots, bottom-up environmental groups once built their support on bringing these issues into the media - before abandoning them in recent years for the "top-down" agenda of Global Warming. As Gallup shows, the groups have moved away from reflecting the everyday environmental concerns of citizens, onto an agenda largely been driven by a handful of scientists, expensively backed by powerful quangos. Perhaps if you're an NGO, this ensures a better Darwinian option for funding survival - but is this what citizens' groups are supposed to be about?
"And this is what it looked like before we built our data center..." Google gets into the Gaia spirit for Earth Day
Today's climate warrior will have performed a 180 degree turn from twenty years ago: rainforests are now being felled in the rush to create biofuels, a strategy which is causing the world's poorest people to go hungry, and toxic substances banned from the home are creeping back in. The justification for each move is CO2.
No wonder Greenpeace's co-founder Patrick Moore wrote recently that "the environmental movement I helped found has lost its objectivity, morality and humanity." Moore frowns on using the term "environmental" for the Global Warming campaigners. I can see his point.
Perhaps it's time hear from "traditional" environmentalism for a change, instead of its successor, the Carbon Cult?
Your mail, as ever, is welcome.®


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- EdinburghPermanent£25,000 - £35,000
Run the weekly and monthly payroll, ensuring all payroll requirements are met.
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Permanent opportunity
- EdinburghTemporary
Our client is looking for a Payroll Officer to start immediately within their Corstorphine based office. The role will support the Payroll Manager in all aspects of payroll.
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Payroll Officer - 3 months temp - Edinburgh
Urgent starting Payroll Officer - Paying £11 - £14
- EdinburghTemporary£15 - £20 per hour
** Urgent Payroll Manager - Temporary for 6 months**
Our client requires an urgent Payroll Manager. The role is based in Edinburgh and is for a minimum of 6 months.
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Temporary Payroll Manager - Not for profit - 6 months. Based in Edinburgh.
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September 22, 2011
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CONTACT: Richard Penny, (425) 352-3395, email@example.com
BOTHELL, Wash. – BOTHELL, Wash. – A group of 40 University of Washington Bothell alumni, students, faculty and friends spent several hours maintaining a section of the Sammamish River Trail in Bothell on September 17.
In partnership with City of Bothell staff, the university group removed invasive Himalayan blackberry from a 100-meter stretch of land along the popular regional trail between Blyth Park and 102nd Avenue Northeast in Bothell. The volunteers then replanted the area with native rose, Pacific ninebark and red-osier dogwood.
Many of the volunteers were students of the university's renowned conservation and restoration ecology program.
The activity was sponsored by the university's alumni council. According to council chair, Mary Howisey, "Volunteer service is one important way for our former students to stay connected with the Bothell community. Our students enjoy the benefits of living and studying in this growing college town, and we like to give back however we can."
About UW Bothell: The University of Washington Bothell combines the benefits of a small campus with the resources and prestige of a world-renowned university. Offering over 30 degrees, options, certificates and concentrations, its curriculum emphasizes close student-faculty interaction, collaboration among students, and hands-on learning.For more information, visit www.uwb.edu.
Photo Caption: UW Bothell alumni and students haul out a load of blackberries and weeds from the Sammamish River Trail.
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The Raspberry Pi foundation has started shipping units of the much-anticipated $35 Linux computer. The organization has already started handing out the first units and conducting educational seminars with students.
The Raspberry Pi foundation was originally established with the goal of producing low-cost computers that students could use to learn computer programming. The project later attracted the interest of Linux users and embedded computing enthusiasts. The launch product is a bare board that is roughly the size of a deck of playing cards with a 700MHz ARM11 CPU and 256MB of RAM.
Faced with overwhelming demand for the product prior to the launch, the Raspberry Pi foundation decided earlier this year to transition to a licensed manufacturing model. They partnered with Premier Farnell and RS Components, hardware makers that are going to serve as retailers for the first batch of units and then take over manufacturing for all subsequent production.
Manufacturing on the first batch started in January, but completion was delayed due to an issue with one of the components. The first boards arrived in the UK at the end of March, but couldn't be delivered right away due to compliance issues. The foundation finally announced on April 14 that deliveries have officially begun. A video that was published recently on the Raspberry Pi website shows founder Eben Upton hand-delivering a set of the $35 boards to RS Components. Consumers who ordered the board from RS and Farnell will reportedly receive updated delivery estimates soon.


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Rhode Island's socially conservative Republican Gov. Donald Carcieri has vetoed HB 7044/SB 2055, which proposed the addition of gender identity or expression to the state's hate crimes statute, reports EDGE Boston.
"Carcieri vetoed the measure because he said the law already addresses actions "motivated by racial, religious, sexual orientation, gender or disability prejudice." ... Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders encouraged LGBT Rhode Islanders to urge their legislators to override Carcieri's veto. 'It's a simple bill but critical for protecting transgender citizens from violence and harassment - protection all Rhode Islanders deserve,' said GLAD executive director Lee Swislow in a statement. Other LGBT activists criticized the governor's veto. 'The governor of [RI] has once again shown his disdain for LGBT Rhode Islanders, especially his utter lack of caring about transgender people who face immense harassment and violence based on how they present their gender,' said Susan Heroux of Queer Action. 'One wonders what the governor would do if one of his grandchildren turns out to be gay or transgender. Would he continue to not care about us?' The Family Research Council, however, praised Carcieri's actions."
House Speaker Gordon D. Fox, who is black and openly gay, criticized the governor's action but added "no decision has been made" on a veto override.
Carcieri's veto is just the latest entry to a long résumé of anti-LGBT actions. Last November, the governor received national attention after his mean-spirited veto of a bill that granted funeral decision-making rights to same-sex couples. Rhode Island's legislature easily overrode the veto.
The governor's term expires in January.


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Posted 8 years ago
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These jewelry are made of a set of 3 antique buttons. The nice thing is that I have kept the backs of the used enameled buttons. So, the jewelry, which are set in sterling silver, are very easy to bring back to their original state namely; antique buttons. (see photo 3).
These enameled buttons are images of flowers in blue and white on a white background. They remined me of the famous Dutch porcelain; the so-called Delft blue don't you agree?


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In the December 2018 Issue
The Holiday Experience
Give the Gift of Lasting Memories This Year, Plus a Few Extras
by Stephanie Kanowitz
Sure, good things come in small packages, but sometimes amazing things can't be contained. This year's gift guide shines some (holiday) light on experiences — memory-makers you can share and savor long into 2019 and beyond.
Of course, we still have plenty of tangible treats to wrap and hand over, too. And for the first time, we included a section with a few ideas for making a donation in someone's name — a way to reverse some of the negativity that seemed particularly pervasive in 2018.
However you choose to celebrate, we hope you and yours have a very happy holiday season!
In the June 2018 Issue
Sweat Equity
Upscale D.C. Properties Flex Their Muscle with High-End Fitness Facilities
by Stephanie Kanowitz
With almost 16,000 residential units under construction in the nation's capital as of August 2017, according to the Washington DC Economic Partnership's 2017-18 DC Development Report, developers are looking to flex their competitive muscles. For many, that means offering fitness facilities that go above and beyond the traditionally cramped room stocked with a treadmill and a few weights.
Condos, particularly new construction, are touting onsite gyms with top-of-the-line equipment such as Peloton bikes, yoga and spin studios, lap pools and group exercise classes to attract well-heeled residents with high expectations. What's more, gone are the days of relegating exercise areas to a building's basement. These amenities are front and center, with plenty of windows offering natural light and great views of the city.
In the December 2017 Issue
Season of Giving
From Cashmere to Avant-Garde Cooking, 2017 Gift Guide Has It All
by Stephanie Kanowitz
'Tis the season once again. And once again we offer some ideas to fit every budget and whim. Did you ever think of giving someone a bottle stopper shaped like a moose head? You have now. Looking for that perfect $16,000 bracelet? We found it. Want to dine with José Andrés? So do we — and we'll keep an eye out for our invitation. Thanks in advance!
From our Washington Diplomat family to yours, happy holidays!
In the December 2015 Issue
Retail Therapy
Mix of New and Old Stores Usher in Holiday Season
by Stephanie Kanowitz
It's the most wonderful time of the year to be in D.C. — and not just because the presidential election season is in full swing. Sprinkled among the capital's famed monuments and eateries is an impressive lineup of new stores that promise to raise Washington's status as a destination for more than politics.
CityCenterDC alone, for instance, continues to expand and is now home to 33 high-end retail locations, including Salvatore Ferragamo, Caudalie, Dior and David Yurman.
For this year's gift guide, we scoured this new shopping landscape for some of the best it has to offer, mixing newcomers with old standbys to create a gift list that speaks to D.C.'s style but caters to every price range. Happy holidays — and happy hunting.
In the November 2015 Issue
Cosmetic Sanctuary
Looking Good Is More Than Skin Deep, Even In Conservative Capital Like D.C.
by Stephanie Kanowitz
For many years, cosmetic surgery got a certain rap — usually bad, always concealed. People were outwardly disgusted by the idea of going under the knife to alter their appearance, but in reality, patients were flocking to clinics. TV shows such as "Nip/Tuck" helped bring the medical genre to water cooler conversations. Today, while cosmetic surgery hasn't completely shed its taboo status, seeking medical help to look better has become an accepted mainstay of our society.
Look at the statistics: In 1997, about 940,000 surgical procedures were performed. Last year, that number was closer to 1.8 million — an 82 percent increase, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. The top three most popular surgeries in 2014 were liposuction, breast augmentation and eyelid surgery, the society reported, and Americans spent $12 billion on invasive and noninvasive cosmetic procedures.
In the region that includes Washington, Virginia and Maryland, more than 312,000 cosmetic surgical procedures were performed in 2014, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
In the June 2015 Issue
Universal Craftsmanship
Iconic American Furniture Maker Reflects on International Influences
by Stephanie Kanowitz
Furniture maker Tom Moser prides himself on creating unornamented pieces derivative of 19th-century American primitive forms using hardy American wood, mainly cherry and walnut. But in talking with the 80-year-old designer — who recently reopened Thos. Moser Handmade American Furniture in Georgetown — a foreign influence becomes apparent. We sat down with him while he was in town for the reopening of his 5,500-square-foot showroom off M Street to find out where he finds inspiration after 43 years in the business, including about 35 years with a store in Washington.
In the April 2015 Issue
Party Pro
Veteran Event Planner Webster Offers Tricks of the Trade
by Stephanie Kanowitz
From the time she was able to help her father, a funeral director, straighten chairs, Lynda Webster was planning events. Today she runs the 20-year-old Webster Group, an event planning firm whose portfolio includes more than 600 events, some of which have been attended by ambassadors, foreign heads of state, U.S. presidents, military leaders, government officials and executives of Fortune 500 companies.
Webster, the wife of former FBI and CIA Director William Webster, got her professional start at the Willard InterContinental Washington hotel and also worked in marketing at the Watergate and the Four Seasons in Boston. Her shift to event planning came when the father of Queen Noor of Jordan asked her to handle an event by the nonprofit Save the Children. Since then, she has produced shows with Hollywood entertainers, events with the United Nations and been involved with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Her biggest event to date was the 2006 dedication of the Air Force Memorial, which 43,000 people attended.
In the December 2014 Issue
Shopping Capital
Washington Area Home To Holiday Gifts Galore
by Stephanie Kanowitz
When you live somewhere, it's easy to take the beauty of the place for granted. But the Washington area has no shortage of beauty — or shopping for that matter, from cosmetics and cookbooks to high-tech gadgets and high-end experiences. That's why we stuck to local businesses for this year's holiday gift guide, although a few chains pop up now and again.
So while you wait for the wearable Apple Watch to come out, don't miss out on the hidden gems sure to satisfy the technology wizard, spa lover, theatergoer or child in your life. Additionally, we feature staycation options to help you get (re)acquainted with the beauty that Washington tourists experience, rather than the meeting rooms and office buildings that its residents often see.
Happy holidays — and happy shopping.
In the April 2014 Issue
Designing a Dream
Washington's Seventh Annual Home Makeover Builds on Its Success
by Stephanie Kanowitz
How do you make a dream house even dreamier? Make it a DC Design House. As part of the seventh annual event, which raises money for Children's National Medical Center, some of the area's best designers renovate every nook and cranny of some of Washington's finest living spaces. This year's makeover is being done on an almost 8,000-square-foot stone colonial from 1929 formerly owned by Marshall B. Coyne, founder of the Madison Hotel, which is now the Loews Madison.
"This year's house had a great history, with 60 years in the same family, and how amazing it is to have the DC Design House at Marshall Coyne's home ... which was filled with his [art and history] collections," said Susan Hayes Long, chairwoman and corporate board member for DC Design House. "We love a home with local history, mystery or something unique."
In the March 2014 Issue
The Great Outdoors
Washingtonians Warm Up To Bringing the Inside Out
by Stephanie Kanowitz
With temperatures this winter hitting record lows, most Washingtonians are eager to escape the polar vortex of 2014 and welcome spring, which officially starts this month. And with thoughts of milder weather come daydreams of sitting outside, admiring budding foliage and maybe even rolling out the grill.
Outdoor spaces such as patios, porches, decks and terraces used to be crucial parts of a house in the days of sleeping porches and no air conditioning, said James F. Rill, principal at Rill Architects in Bethesda, Md. They're still essential in new ways.
"The hottest thing is connecting yourself to the outside and to nature," Rill said. "We've done houses that are more exterior space than interior space."
What form that connection takes can vary greatly based on personal preference, where a house sits and how much sun and breeze it gets. But the main focus is on creating an outdoor space that is comfortable.
"It's like an outdoor family room," Rill said. "It adds spatially because a porch [for example] can make the inside of the house feel bigger. It allows you another room that has another flavor."
In the December 2013 Issue
On the Holiday Hunt
Stores Galore Offer Bounty of Gift Options
by Stephanie Kanowitz
As the holidays approach, things on Capitol Hill start to wind down for recess, but the rest of the District is starting to pick up. New shops have sprung up throughout the D.C. metro area in the past year, providing lots of new, locally owned places to find great holiday gifts at a variety of prices.
"Whether I'm in Georgetown, Bethesda or Tysons Corner, I'm consistently surprised by how much is available," said Arnaud Guillois, press counselor and spokesman for the Embassy of France. "From large department stores to one-of-a-kind boutiques, the average Washingtonian is spoiled for choice — and that's a good thing."
If none of these ideas in The Washington Diplomat's annual Gift Guide crosses something off your list, see what the fates have in store for you and buy a D.C. Lottery ticket. The Holiday Bonus Bingo 2nd Chance Contest runs from Dec. 1 to Jan. 11, 2014. Anyone who buys a ticket during those six weeks will get instructions on how to play. Prizes range from a $100 Amazon gift card to $25,000.
In the June 2013 Issue
Up-Scale Perks
On World's Top Airlines, Sky's the Limit for Luxury
by Stephanie Kanowitz
They say it's the journey, not the destination. But when the journey involves air travel, those long security lines, layovers and delays sure make the destination look good. To make voyages more enjoyable — perhaps even relaxing — especially for first- and business-class passengers, many international airlines are offering amenities on par with those at five-star hotels.
"As an international airline, we put careful consideration into services which make our flights enjoyable for all guests across all cabins, particularly on the long-haul routes," said Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer at Etihad Airways, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates.
From fine dining and onboard sommeliers to private suites and massage chairs, here's a look at what paying premium prices buys you in the air.
Moving with the Times
D.C. Streetcars Resurrect Bygone Era of Transportation
by Martin Austermuhle
For a century streetcars crisscrossed Washington, D.C., ferrying residents, visitors and commuters from as far away as Cabin John, Md., and parts of Virginia to locations in Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Mount Pleasant, Capitol Hill, and the Navy Yard. By the time World War I began, more than 200 miles of streetcar tracks existed in the region, with 100 of those in D.C. alone.
But by 1963, that extensive network ceased to exist. Pressured by the ever-expanding use of the personal automobile and largely replaced by the more cost-effective public bus, the D.C. Board of Commissioners and Congress opted to tear up its tracks and sell off its streetcars. To date, the only reminder that streetcars ever ran in D.C. are small segments of rail tracks maintained for posterity's sake along two residential roads in Georgetown.
Now, though, D.C. officials are looking back as a means to move forward.
In the December 2012 Issue
Season for Sharing
'Tis Time to Give and Receive With Style and Creativity
by Stephanie Kanowitz
The Washington area is more than a nexus of politics and government. In recent years, it's become a haven for fine retailers and restaurants. It's a center of culture, education and entertainment. It's also home to some of the fittest, most health-conscious people in the country, attracting occasional thrill-seekers and exercise-devotees alike. In short, it has personality and style — and plenty of gifts to match both.
Each year, to ease some of the stress of the gift-searching season, we scour the region for ideas that appeal to all tastes and budgets, from a $15 towel, to an almost six-figure futuristic jetpack, to a down-to-earth shopping trip with one of D.C.'s top interior designers. They all add up to some happy, healthy holiday-sharing in the nation's capital.
In the September 2012 Issue
Beauty Unbound
Trendsetting Transplants Help Washingtonians Put Best Face Forward
by Stephanie Kanowitz
Beauty is like a fingerprint. Each person's is unique. So too is the way people see and practice it, providing plenty of clients for a multibillion-dollar industry here in the United States. But beauty isn't just an American obsession. To get a sense of how it is viewed and applied in other parts of the world, we spoke to five Washington professionals who received their training abroad.
In the June 2012 Issue
Extreme Mall Makeover
White Flint Redevelopment Aims To Bring European Style to Suburbia
by Veronika Oleksyn
The Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. Madrid's Plaza de Santa Ana. The Piazza Navona in Rome.
Not really what comes to mind when you think of American shopping centers.
But if all goes according to plan, Maryland's White Flint Mall, an aging concrete complex off congested Rockville Pike, could soon resemble these European landmarks. At least a little.
A sweeping redevelopment proposal for the 34-year-old institution envisions a mix of stores, residences, outdoor cafés and even a promenade in place of a strip of sidewalk where pedestrians currently fear being run over.
In the December 2011 Issue
The Perfect Present
Gift-Giving Made Easy With The Diplomat's 2011 Guide
by Stephanie Kanowitz
Photo: Fotolia
The countdown to Christmas morning and first night of Hanukkah is officially on. If you're still on the hunt for the ideal gift for your friends and family, we've got some ideas, from sweet cupcakes to a decadent $43,400 bracelet.
This year's gift guide is a little different from those of years past, though. Reflecting the eclectic shopping options in a city as diverse as Washington, more than half of the goods come from local, non-chain retailers, and not all big-ticket items are wildly out of reach, a nod to the continuing worldwide economic slump. So happy holidays — and even happier shopping.
In the December 2011 Issue
Seasonal Stress
To Melt Away Holiday Tension, Treat Yourself to a Spa Treatment
by Stephanie Kanowitz
The Thanksgiving leftovers may finally be finished, but the anticipation of the holiday season is just getting started. Traditionally a time of comfort and joy, all the stress associated with party hopping and pleasing family and friends can take a toll. If worrying about finding the perfect gift or the perfect outfit to bid 2011 adieu has you feeling more Grinchy than cheery, local spas and salons have just the pick-me-up you need to re-energize this holiday season.
Last Edited on January 17, 2019


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Our job is to keep your joints and muscles healthy and moving.
At American Health Network, our staff is dedicated and committed to providing the best musculoskeletal care available for people of all ages and all walks of life. Our doctors are all subspecialty trained from top fellowships in the country and are all experts in their field.
We specialize in joint restoration, joint replacement, tendon and ligament repair, repair of broken bones, and comprehensive spinal care. In today's competitive world, we understand that you have a choice in your orthopedic care and choosing the right surgeon can have a significant impact on your overall outcome.


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Description: What inspires you? Pin it down with Tres Chic Create a Style Board. A perfect decorative pinboard to keep all your inspirations, photos and keepsakes! Create your own, personalized board to keep in your roompin and re-pin magazine pictures, favorite photos, notes, party invitations and anything else that inspires you! Layer items in the pink, decorative frame for a unique look! The sturdy plastic frame holds it all in place. Includes pin board with frame, tacks, 25 frames and shapes, stickers, clear 3D stickers, sticky gems, memo paper and ribbons.


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Connecting your apps, files, PCs and devices to the cloud with SkyDrive and Windows 8
Many folks reading this blog are active users of SkyDrive and Mesh, both part of the broad set of Windows Live services (like Hotmail), and the Windows Live Essentials programs (Messenger, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Mail, and more). With their introduction and with Windows 7, we have talked about how these services really complete the Windows experience. As we developed Windows 8, we thought deeply about how these services can take an even more active role in completing the experience—offering a cloud service for each and every Windows 8 customer and all their PCs (and phones), should you choose to use it. In previous posts ( Signing in to Windows 8 with a Windows Live ID and Extending "Windows 8" apps to the cloud with SkyDrive ) we kicked off talking about cloud services, how you can automatically roam your settings to multiple PCs, and how applications can take advantage of this roaming. In this post, we will show you three cool things that you will get by choosing to sign up and use SkyDrive with Windows 8.
This post was written by Mike Torres and Omar Shahine , Group Program Managers for SkyDrive.
A few months ago we published our vision for designing personal cloud storage. While SkyDrive can store all types of files, the category of personal cloud storage is focused on the content that people create or capture themselves. Today we're going to provide an update on how we expect to deliver our vision for Windows 8 and simultaneously scale to meet the needs of billions of customers who will store hundreds of petabytes of data in our service.
We think what people want in personal cloud storage is a single drive that's available across all of their devices, tailored to the experiences they're using, providing instant, secure, and private access to their files, and sharing files and folders with people they choose. To bring this to billions of people, our approach is to seamlessly connect the files (and behaviors) that people have today on the PC with the app and device experiences that they will use in the future. Rather than using a patchwork of services, people can use one service to connect to their files – with no compromises. No copying files from one cloud to another just to share or collaborate. No converting files or having to switch to new apps. No searching across different storage areas to find files.
Delivering personal cloud storage for billions of people
Today we provide personal cloud storage for 17 million SkyDrive customers. These are active customers who use it every month to privately share photos and collaborate on Office documents. We currently store approximately 10 petabytes of user data (one petabyte is a million gigabytes, or a million billion bytes) and we expect to grow that beyond what some of the largest scale services on the Internet support today (for example, Hotmail stores over 100PB of user data, and since we share much of the same infrastructure, we have a lot of deep insights and knowledge about how to scale SkyDrive). These are important numbers for us. We aspire to be a service that people find useful and valuable on an ongoing basis, not just a service that people happen to register for when they get a new device.
Growing our infrastructure is one of many things we have been busy working on, but most important of these are our investments in sync and cloud scenarios for Windows 8, which will finally bring the DNA of SkyDrive and Mesh together into one service. Given our goal to be the world's hard drive, we will need to continue to build out the service, and you can expect our pace of improvements to continue through 2012.
This post will cover the ways that SkyDrive will evolve with Windows 8 from a website today into a true device cloud for Windows customers. We've organized the post around the three biggest things we're doing:
- SkyDrive Metro style app on Windows 8
- SkyDrive files integrated into Windows Explorer on the desktop, and
- The ability to fetch remote files through SkyDrive.com
We've also prepared a short video demonstrating these three concepts in more detail:
Download this video to view it in your favorite media player:
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SkyDrive as a Metro style app for Windows 8
Inside Microsoft, we've all been using Windows 8 on multiple PCs for some time now. We clean install Windows 8 on a new PC and sign in, and all of our settings, browser history, and customizations just show up. In addition, one of the most important steps we take to make a new PC "ours" is to copy over our personal files – like documents and photos. With Windows 8, we wanted to make sure that your files would be instantly available and up-to-date as you move between PCs – without configuring add-ons or using a USB drive.
One approach to building a modern device cloud is to build a set of proprietary apps that hide files from users. But because we are building a cloud that can store different types of data and lots of it, we decided to take a different approach. We designed a no-compromise cloud experience where enthusiasts will be able to control files the way they want, while others who are less familiar with the file system can still take advantage of the cloud simply by accessing SkyDrive through the apps they use every day.
Enter the new SkyDrive app. With the SkyDrive app, an early version of which will be available at Consumer Preview, we focused on two things: 1) designing a fast, fluid, touch-first version of SkyDrive that makes it quick, easy, and even fun to browse and access your files, and 2) making your SkyDrive available for use from any Metro style app via the file picker (open/save) and the new Share charm in Windows 8.
To build a SkyDrive experience on WinRT, we took an approach that we expect many web developers will choose to take on Windows 8. We built the entire app using modern web technologies like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5, and because of our recent updates to SkyDrive.com, we were able to use the same JSON APIs and JavaScript object model that the website uses. The only difference on Windows 8 is that we bind the results to modern controls that were built for touch. This is part of the reason it's so fast, and the touch behavior works so well (and works on Windows on ARM too). Over time, we fully expect the Metro style app and SkyDrive.com to "converge" on functionality so there won't be a question of which experience someone should use. When using Windows 8, the SkyDrive Metro style app will be the best way to browse and manage your SkyDrive.
One of the most powerful features in Windows 8 is the ability to integrate SkyDrive functionality across other apps using charms and contracts. SkyDrive is available as a file picker, so from any app you'll be able to open files from, and save files to your SkyDrive. If the app developer chooses, you'll even be able to save files automatically back to SkyDrive. Alternatively, if you're using a content creation app like a document editor, you'll be able to save files back to SkyDrive in any folder that you choose.
Together, this will bring a file cloud to every Metro style app, allowing you to open files in your SkyDrive and save them right back to your SkyDrive just like you would on your local hard drive. This will work with any app that supports open and save for documents and photos, and will be the first time anything like this has been possible without any setup or configuration. All you need to do is register your email address on a PC that's running Windows 8 and then, whenever you save files on SkyDrive, every Windows 8 device you use will provide seamless access to those files.
For app developers, this means that, so long as your app supports opening and saving documents and photos, it will automatically support SkyDrive without any additional work.
SkyDrive will also be available via the Share charm, which allows you to send documents or photos through the Mail app on Windows 8. With one tap, you will be able to choose to share files through SkyDrive instead of sending them as attachments, which means you won't have multiple copies of your files, each with their own set of changes. And of course, you won't be limited to the small number of attachments and total file size of most email services since the files are stored in your SkyDrive.
The best part about building this on the Windows 8 platform is that any Metro style app that enables its users to open and save files will get SkyDrive integration for free. Without adding a single line of code, users of the app will be able to access and store files on SkyDrive. So essentially, SkyDrive is one touch away from any Windows 8 app.
SkyDrive on the desktop
We're also bringing the power of SkyDrive to every Windows 8 desktop through Windows Explorer and to desktop apps like Office as well.
Since the start of SkyDrive, we've consistently heard from our most loyal customers that you want SkyDrive on the desktop, and we're happy to announce that we will be releasing a desktop app. The benefits are obvious: easy drag-and-drop upload and download support for SkyDrive, anywhere access to your data, offline access, and the power of Windows Explorer to manage your files and folders. All of these things will be available with SkyDrive on the desktop.
To start, we took what we learned from Mesh and FolderShare/Sync and built a very simple, highly efficient app. This app will be available with an installer that's less than 5MB and that takes about 10 seconds to install. You'll only need to install it once per PC, as SkyDrive will always keep itself up-to-date. Once installed, your entire SkyDrive will start syncing into the folder you choose (the default location is in a SkyDrive folder under your user folder: %userprofile%\SkyDrive\) and it will always be up-to-date with your latest changes. As you update files on your PC, they're uploaded immediately to the cloud–and as changes are made in the cloud or on another device, they'll sync back down to the PC. There's very little to manage or control and you won't be bugged with pop-ups or dialog boxes. You won't even need to know it's running, as we've also spent a lot of time on network efficiency and overall performance.
As an example, here's an image from Performance Monitor showing performance while a 500MB file is progressively uploading from the desktop to the cloud. You can see how little of the CPU is being used for SkyDrive during idle as well as for the file transfer halfway through (the blue is total CPU, the black is SkyDrive).
Of course, there are people who will use older versions of Windows for a while, so SkyDrive on the desktop will also run on Windows Vista and Windows 7. If you want to make sure your files come with you to Windows 8 and you're still running Windows 7, you'll just put them in your SkyDrive folder. This makes it easier to upgrade to Windows 8 or make sure you can access your files across all of your PCs.
SkyDrive for the desktop will also provide the ability to sync up to your available quota of storage (and the ability to unlock more), along with unmatched performance on your PC. Oh, and we will also have support for uploading large files (up to 2GB) through Explorer, another big request from SkyDrive.com users over the years.
SkyDrive on the desktop gives you a no-compromise cloud experience. Here are some preview images of SkyDrive in action on the desktop. The first one is the SkyDrive folder visible in Windows Explorer, and the second shows the entire Windows Phone camera roll synced automatically to the desktop:
Fetching files through SkyDrive.com
With SkyDrive in Windows 8, you won't just have cloud files synced to your PC. You can also turn your entire PC into your own private cloud, and use its terabytes of local storage to easily access, browse, and stream your files from anywhere by simply fetching them from SkyDrive.com.
When designing the new SkyDrive, we knew not everyone would want to put 100% of their files in the cloud just yet. People are selective, and while some will move all of their files into SkyDrive, others will want to start slowly and use SkyDrive just for roaming some important documents and pictures from their Windows Phone camera roll. Knowing that most people would still have files on a remote PC that weren't available through SkyDrive, we built a new feature that allows you to "reach across" the Internet to access any file, stream videos, or view photo albums from a remote PC that is running SkyDrive on the desktop. For any remote folder or file, you can also choose to "copy to SkyDrive," so that you'll always have it across your devices.
Internally we call this the "Forgot something?" feature. If you forget to put something on SkyDrive, you'll still be able to access it on your remote PC through SkyDrive.com. We've done special work to enable remote streaming of video, and we'll treat photo albums on your remote PC exactly as we do photo albums in SkyDrive, with the same beautiful full-screen viewer. We realize this is more of an enthusiast feature, as most people won't have an always-on PC at home, but for those who do, fetching files works like magic.
Here's how your remote PC will look in SkyDrive.com, and what it will be like to browse your Pictures folder remotely:
Of course, being able to remotely access a PC from a web browser has the potential to be abused. If someone has access to your account, without further protection, they'd be able to browse the entire contents of any SkyDrive-connected PC that happens to be online at that time. Naturally that isn't something we're comfortable with, so we've added another layer of protection for your remote PCs.
In order to access a remote PC, you will have to provide a second factor of authentication. This requires that you type a code that we send to your mobile phone or alternate email address in addition to having access to your account (if you're already on a trusted PC, you won't have to do this every time). This means that anyone wanting access to your remote PC would have to have access not only to your account, but also to either an alternate email or your phone (which they would need to physically possess). Here's a preview of this:
Two-factor authentication is required before you can connect remotely
We'll verify your identity using a code that we send to your phone in a text message
This is just the beginning
This is just a brief overview of some of the things SkyDrive will do to make personal cloud storage a seamless part of the Windows 8 experience.
Of course, you will still be able to access all of your files via SkyDrive.com from any web browser with one of the fastest sites on the web. You'll also be able to work together online from anywhere using Office and the Office Web Apps. We will continue to make SkyDrive available on the devices you use every day, like Windows Phone and others, so you can access your entire SkyDrive on-the-go.
Over the next several months you'll have access to all of the things we've discussed in this post. While there will be a lot more to say about SkyDrive as our story evolves, we hope a small peek under the curtain has helped get you excited for SkyDrive on Windows 8.
Mike & Omar (aka "Momar" around the office)


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Chickpea, chorizo & spinach stew
Nutrition and extra info
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal487
- fat33g
- saturates9g
- carbs27g
- sugars6g
- fibre8g
- protein23g
- salt3.36g
- 3-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…
- 1 carrot, finely diced
The carrot, with its distinctive bright orange colour, is one of the most versatile root…
- 1 celery stick, finely diced
A collection of long, thick, juicy stalks around a central, tender heart, celery ranges in…
- few thyme sprigs
This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 200g chorizo, diced
A coarsely textured, spiced pork sausage widely used in Spanish and Mexican cooking. It is made…
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
A fragrant spice which comes from the inner bark of a tropical tree. When dried, it curls into…
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
A spice that's central to Hungarian cuisine, paprika is made by drying a particular type of…
- 2 x 410g/14oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1-2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 400g bag spinach leaves, washed and drained
Used in almost every cuisine across the world, spinach is an enormously popular green vegetable…
Heat the oil in a large pan, then gently fry the onion for 3-4 mins until it begins to soften. Stir in the carrot, celery, thyme and bay leaves. Season, then cook for 2-3 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, chorizo, cinnamon and smoked paprika. Gently fry until the vegetables soften and the chorizo starts to release its oils and crisp up.
Stir in the chickpeas, vinegar and 150ml water, then bring to a simmer for 1-2 mins until the chickpeas have heated up. Add the spinach, then stir through the chickpeas until it wilts a little. Remove from the heat, season to taste, then serve warm with crusty bread.


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Room of Meditation by Rafael Hintersteiner
Rafael Hintersteiner Illustrates The Saint Francis Chapel Room of Meditation
Rafael Hintersteiner, the thinktank behind the highlighted design Rafael Hintersteiner's Saint Francis Chapel Room of meditation explicates, The Saint Francis Chapel does not meet the conventional principles of the design of a chapel. It is a small cubic room inviting to pause for a moment of remembrance. The relationship with nature associated with Saint Francis is not what the design of the chapel shall convey, but it is the simplicity and openness, the reduction to elementariness and the restraint of symbolism. A room of meditation was created: a room of possibilities which is open for everyone. The open ceiling shall guide the view beyond the everyday. Small candle niches link to the traditional mysticism in this sparse room. .
Room of Meditation by Rafael Hintersteiner Images:
End of the article, click here to go back to previous page, or alternatively go back to Designer Keep Magazine homepage.


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"A riveting account that reaches beyond the market landscape to say something universal about risk and triumph, about hubris and failure."—The New York Times
"[Roger] Lowenstein has written a squalid and fascinating tale of world-class greed and, above all, hubris."—Business Week
"Compelling . . . The fund was long cloaked in secrecy, making the story of its rise . . . and its ultimate destruction that much more fascinating."—The Washington Post
"Story-telling journalism at its best."—The Economist


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At the end of Kindertotenlieder 4, Oft denk' ich, the father could see his children "In the sunshine! The day is fine on those heights." It was the most optimistic part of the cycle. The alternate orchestras were gradually blending into one, bringing the singer along; the song ended in the tonic of a major key, and the lyrics were unmistakably positive, at least if you didn't get too obsessed about the "heights" also meaning "heaven" with all that that implied.
But recovery from such a trauma as the rapid, successive loss of two children cannot proceed in a linear way, so it is no surprise that the parent – if he wants to console his children in the sunshine on those heights and find resolution for himself – will be tested one more time. Mahler, who in the Kindertotenlieder proves himself as masterly in psychology and human nature as he was in music and literature – again intensifying the original Rückert poem far beyond its original state – knew this. For the parent to find resolution, he must pass through a storm. But this is no Beethovenian storm, especially not one with Disneyesque gods hurling lightning bolts at satyrs and drunken shepherds; no, this is a more serious storm, a psychological one. A Mahlerian one.
The storm comes on suddenly, with a downward, sinister motif that is repeated in all stanzas. The strings – muted throughout! – portray a downpour. The singer begins, and two things that will have the most important consequences are immediately announced. The more obvious one is a rhyming scheme based on an -aus sound. In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus: in succeeding stanzas this is replaced by Saus and then Graus, as if giving the storm a new, more savage face each time. But there is something else just as unsettling going on. As the singer enters after the continually intensifying orchestral introduction, note is first line in the first stanza: Wetter and Braus are on the same note, D. Peter Russell says, "The force of the storm accumulates throughout the introduction, and its noise and momentum are such that hen the singer first enters on a monotone, his weakness is tangibly felt." In the next phrase, Wetter and Saus are elevated a note, to E. In the third stanza, Wetter and Graus rise to a G. The effect is that of the storm – remember, it's both physical and psychological – whipping itself into a frenzy.
The physical frenzy, however, is nothing compared to what the parent is enduring. Don't forget what follows the "weather" idea: "In this weather, in this raging, I would never have sent the children out." It sounds for all the world not only like a self-reproach, but like an accusation against the mother: "I wouldn't have sent the children out, but you did!" (I've recently read that, in contemporary America at least, 75 percent of marriages that suffer the loss of a child end in divorce). The storm words also rhyme with hinaus in the very next line: "They have been carried out," in other words, to be buried. And there is one more -aus rhyme, but that is better saved for later.
The climax of the storm begins at the end of the third stanza. The entire orchestra – no alternate orchestras here! – rages, including the kettledrum and gong, and at this point it bears recalling how far we've come in this cycle, which began with a bleak contrapuntal dialogue between oboe and horn. The singer has elevated the storm note to a G, while simultaneously plunging to the psychological depths: "They have been carried out; I was not allowed to say anything about it!" It simply can't get any worse for him. These are the last words before what comes next, and is accompanied by the most ferocious music of the song and the cycle.
And then, Light. "…a wholly unexpected sound is heard – unexpected yet not unfamiliar, for we have heard it at a significant point in the first song: the chime of the glockenspiel. This time it rings out with distinct and particular brilliance, for its A is reinforced by an A on piccolo, harp and cello harmonic. The effect of this sound is instant and magical…"(Russell). The light begins to dispel the storm, and we sense that relief is in sight. But Mahler is not finished with us. The denouement of this climax, in which it seems that God himself is beaming the light that simultaneously dispels the storm and makes the parent whole again – is a lullaby. And this lullaby, complete with rocking cadences and consolatory, soothing effects, starts with the horrible words that began the song: "In this weather, in this rushing (Saus), this raging (Braus)." But now, instead of recriminations, these words are followed by Sie ruh'n, "They rest." it is as if the father was granted one last touch, and it is precisely here that the musical resolution begins, as Mahler makes us gradually approach the final modulation to D Major. Mahler has captured us. He gives us a flute line that makes me think of nothing but a child playing in a field, a butterfly overhead. Then, with the light shining all around, the parent begins the verse that will help us find resolution. In German it is so simple, so poignant, that I just have to quote it:
Von keinem Sturm erschrecket,
Von Gottes Hand bedecket,
Sie ruh'n, sie ruh'n
Wie in der Mutter Haus,
Wie in der Mutter Haus.
(Frightened by no storm, covered by God's hand, They rest as in their mother's house!)
Here is the final stroke, and we now see the genius in Mahler's plan: Not only are there rhymes between Braus, Saus, Graus, and hinaus, but all these awful words rhyme with the ultimate consolation, Mutter Haus. The final lines, this ultimate clincher, are Mahler's.
The lullaby fades, and with it does the harp, Mahler's symbol of light. It is getting dark now, but it is finally a benign darkness. Mahler announces it with a chorale-like postlude, an echo of the lullaby that is among the most beautiful of all Mahlerian melodies and we are transported by an unshakeable modulation to D Major. It is voiceless: The parent can say no more; it is all in "God's hand" now. A long, slow fadeout completes the song and the cycle. After listening to the Kindertotenlieder at least 80 times in the past two months, my awestruck shake of the head has become a part of whatever version is playing. In my opinion, this transporting passage is best realized not by Horenstein, Bernstein, nor Barbirolli, but by Wolfram Rieger, the accompanist on Thomas Hampson's piano version of the song cycles. The Kindertotenlieder are so subtle, so reliant on the "alternate orchestra" idea, that this piano version is not as effective as, say, Hampson's Wunderhorn disc. But at the very end, where there is nothing left but a fadeout, it is shattering. It is truly the sound of inevitability in music, like the final pieces of a great cosmic plan coming together. The genius, of course, is not Rieger's, but Gustav Mahler's.
There are many points left over from the lullaby alone. First, the words Gottes Hand bedecket. At first, I thought Mahler had missed an opportunity here. He had a choice of lengthening Hand or bedecket, and chose bedecket. At first I felt he should have lengthened Hand, as if to show how encompassing God's hand was. But now I agree: what's important is the protection that is being provided. Then, after the word bedecket, I wonder if was Mahler tempted to insert one of his signature luftpausen? The music seems to cry out for one. Perhaps he thought it would have been too rhetorical; we're at the point where we need simplicity, not melodrama. And finally, we have the Last Mystery of the Kindertotenlieder. It seems that in the composition sketch and the manuscript full score, Mahler wrote "Mutter Schoss" at the end: Mother's womb. It somehow was changed to Haus, "though probably not by Mahler," Mitchell says. Scholarly opinion is divided, and Russell says "the editor of the critical edition of the score thinks the change was probably not made by Mahler himself." Mitchell thinks that the imagery of the Womb is more powerful, but I think that the ultimate symmetry of rhyming the storm words with Haus is so fitting, so right, that I can't imagine it any other way. And seeing that the Kindertotenlieder were first published in 1905, Mahler had ample opportunity to revert to Schoss if he felt strongly about it. I wonder who actually did it? Max Puttmann maybe?
Why should we care about the Kindertotenlieder? For once I am not going to hide behind any qualifiers. Mahler's Kindertotenlieder – inadequately described by the overused word "masterpiece" – are a transcendent work, as echt-Mahlerian and ingeniously constructed as any of the symphonies. They might even be a symphony, as suggested in the introduction to this series. They stand at the end of the Wunderhorn period and as a departure in a new direction, toward Das Lied. He composed no further songs after these. But all that pales before the Kindertotenlieder's ultimate significance: the insight they provide into the mind of Mahler and his own view of human nature. Three songs were composed before his marriage, two songs after he became a father. While we are not completely sure which songs belong to which period, the attitudes toward life that they evoke will be seen in the later symphonies.
I've quoted much from Peter Russell's book, but perhaps the last word should go to Henry-Louis de La Grange. Schönberg, Henry-Louis de La Grange writes, "…observed that in fact Mahler's two 'saddest' works (apart from the Sixth Symphony) both end with a radiant vision of eternal life, without which this deeply mystical, if not conventionally religious, man would not have been able to bear the reality of human suffering. The principal message of the cycle lies in the disembodied tenderness of its conclusion, where Mahler seems to find a new answer to the metaphysical questions that had always obsessed him. The belief in eternal renewal and in the union of man with nature was one of the great revelations in this mature phase. It was only one transcendental step from these songs to the luminous melancholy of the Adagios of the last symphonies." It is on the Kindertotenlieder that this momentous step is based.
Copyright © Mitch Friedfeld, 2001.