text:
I am sorry this contest is only open to USA and Canada
I am cleaning out my stuff and I have an huge envelope of diecuts and stickers that I don't use and probably never will use. Instead of throwing them away I want to give my wonderful cyber friends a chance to win them. The diecuts are far from fancy I have had some of them since I started scrapbooking. They are all in usable quality (they are not bent or damaged).
Lot Includes:
4 photo frames
2 gray side mounts
3 vacation themed mats
14 diecuts (2 USA maps, 2 kites, bird, camcorder, jeep, 7 different colors/size cameras)
1 small file folder
2 stickers of fish (received at an exhibit at the fair)
To enter all you have to do is a post about where your family will be vacationing this summer or if your not vacationing this year, where is your favorite place to vacation. I will pick a winner Sunday night (May 4) at 8:00 Eastern Time. In ALL messages please put your name and email address so I can contact you.
Thank you for viewing my blog and good luck!!!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Blog Candy - Vacation Theme
Posted by ChrissyM at 5:22 PM 11 comments
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Birthday Balloons
Posted by ChrissyM at 5:43 PM 5 comments
Monday, April 28, 2008
Lady Bug Card
Posted by ChrissyM at 4:51 PM 3 comments
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Sunday Scrappin April 27
It's Sunday Scrappin once again. The days and weeks have been flying by lately. If you haven't checked out Sunday Scrappin I suggest you do, you will be glad you did. It's a wonderful group of crafters who share their TA Da's (Completed Goals) and their TA Do's (weeks goals). The great thing is there is no pressure if you don't complete the goals, and everyone in the group is very supportive.
TA DA's
I put all the pictures onto CD for my BIL and SIL from the kids birthday party last week. I made them a cute cover to hold the CD. I mailed the package out on Thursday and you will never believe what I did. I was so worried about the cover I forgot to put the CD in the cover. You will notice in the picture the CD is in the holder while I took it out to make sure the pictures did actually go onto CD and they were all flipped correctly and I forgot to put it back in the case. On the bright side they loved the case I made. LOL! http://chrissyscreativespot.blogspot.com/2008/04/cd-cover.html
This card I actually made last week but shared it this week (couldn't post until I gave it to my sister). I actually forgot to give it to her last weekend. I'm on a roll lately LOL! http://chrissyscreativespot.blogspot.com/2008/04/dog-sitting-thank-you-card.html
This card I made for DH just because http://chrissyscreativespot.blogspot.com/2008/04/just-because.html
TA DO's
I want to scrapbook at least 2 layouts this week
I have 2 birthday cards I need to make
I have a card idea that I want to make, it's for no particular occasion
Bonus Question Do you buy patterned paper just because you like it, or because you have something specific in mind? I am so bad with this, I tend to buy paper for no reason other then one day I'm sure I'll have a need for it or it's just so pretty. Another down fall of mine is if they have patterned paper on clearance I must have 4 sheets of each because I don't want to go to do a layout and think oh that paper I saw at X would be perfect to find out they no longer carry it. I'm sure when Jeff (my husband) sees this post he will have a comment for sure.
Posted by ChrissyM at 9:01 AM 6 comments
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Just Because
Card Recipe:
Posted by ChrissyM at 7:46 AM 5 comments
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Dog Sitting Thank you Card
Posted by ChrissyM at 3:23 PM 7 comments
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
CD Cover
Posted by ChrissyM at 4:30 PM 3 comments
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Sunday Scrappin April 20
It's Sunday so that means it's time to post my week's Ta Da's and week's To Do's. As I have told you before week after week Sunday scrappin is a wonderful group, you need to check it out if you haven't already.
This past week I didn't think I would get anything done craft wise because I was working overtime every day and then we went to CT for the weekend. We had a wonderful time in CT, our niece and nephew are to adorable, we will be taking many more trips to visit them. I am glad everyone is talking again and getting along, it's wonderful. Back on track - here are my Ta Da's for the week (I'm impressed I got these done).
My BIL and SIL loved and I can't stress the word love enough the scrapbook pages (I made 2 of each page 1 for them and 1 for us)
Ta Do's
Right now my Ta Do is to go to bed I'm beat (LOL)
Get all the birthday pictures from this past weekend onto CD
Mail a set of the pictures to my SIL and BIL
Make at least one scrapbook page
Bonus Question:
Where is your favorite place to get craft supplies? I really don't have a favorite craft store. I usually go to either Joann's, Michaels, or Joann's if they are having a sale then I love to go there especially if its a good sale.
Posted by ChrissyM at 3:03 PM 7 comments
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Last Page of the week
Posted by ChrissyM at 5:49 PM 3 comments
Monday, April 14, 2008
SIlly Faces
Posted by ChrissyM at 4:31 PM 7 comments
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Sunday Scrappin April 13
It's my favorite part of the week (well besides Friday at 4:30 when I get off from work). It's Sunday Scrappin time where you have a great opportunity meet other talented crafters and you post your Ta Da's (goals completed in the previous week) and your Ta Do's (goals you want to complete this week). It's a great group and there is no pressure. Check it out, you'll be glad you did.
My Ta's Da's:
First I want to say I'm a little upset on my Ta Do's for last week I mentioned I wanted to do a scrapbook page. I ordered the ink from Dell so that I could print out my pictures the ink came and then I misplaced it. I finally went to sit down the other night and do a page I had everything out and I couldn't find the ink. Jeff helped me look no where could it be found. Guess what we found today.....yup the ink.
It's that time of year where there is a birthday coming up every time you turn around, or an anniversary or something that you need a card for. So this past week I mad several more cards. I made my sister a Thank you card because she will be dog sitting this coming weekend but I can't post that one just yet. I have 2 to share: Get Well Card http://chrissyscreativespot.blogspot.com/2008/04/get-well-card.html
Thank you card http://chrissyscreativespot.blogspot.com/2008/04/get-well-card.html
My Ta Do's
This week will be a quiet week because I have to work overtime all week and then at the end of the week we are going to CT for our niece and nephews birhtday party.
This week's question:
What's your least favorite project that you've done lately, and why? My most recent project that I made and I am not liking is this card http://chrissyscreativespot.blogspot.com/2008/04/tool-box-for-father.html it could be the colors but I'm just not pleased with it at all. I redid the card in different colors and style and it is much better.
Posted by ChrissyM at 8:48 AM 4 comments
Friday, April 11, 2008
Thank you Card
Posted by ChrissyM at 6:46 PM 7 comments
Monday, April 7, 2008
Get Well Card
Card Recipe:
Posted by ChrissyM at 5:22 PM 8 comments
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Please help my sister
My sister (age 12) is getting into scrapbooking and cardmaking finally after years of trying. She has a scrapbooking poll up on her blog. Please go check her blog out and vote <---- click to go to her blog (you don't need to sign up or login to anything to vote). I greatly appreciate your support with this.
Posted by ChrissyM at 4:25 PM 0 comments
Sunday Scrappin April 6
It's Sunday Scrappin time once again! I love this group! It's a start of a new week and new craft goals. Sunday Scrappin is a wonderful group because on Sunday (or Monday if you didn't get to it Sunday LOL) you post your Ta's Da's (goals you accomplished in the past week) and you list your Ta Do's (goals for this week) and it helps to keep you focused and on track but if something comes up during the week and you didn't keep your goals there is no pressure and you don't get banned from the group. LOL! Be sure to check out Sunday Scrappin its a wonderful group.
Now on with the show. Last week I set a goal of making a card or two and I wanted to do a scrapbook card. Let's just say I made a card or two a day. I had to make 2 kids birthday cards one for a girl (that was cake being that I have a sister the same age as the girl and I'm used to making cards for girls) and a boy card (that was a task). Here are the links to my Ta Da's (sorry no scrapbook page :( but I made 9 cards
http://chrissyscreativespot.blogspot.com/2008/04/tool-box-for-father.html (this one I don't care for)
This weeks To Do's:
*I want to make a scrapbook page
*Maybe make another Mother's Day card similar to the one I made already but in a different color
*Make a thank you card for my sister who will be dog sitting next weekend while we go to CT for a weekend trip
This weeks Bonus question: What kind of projects do you do the most often?
It's that time of year where birthday's are popping up everywhere. I must say I do a lot of birthday cards and scrapbook pages. Then second to that would be scrapbooking our dog Buddy.
Posted by ChrissyM at 10:43 AM 7 comments
Saturday, April 5, 2008
More Boy Cards
Posted by ChrissyM at 6:00 PM 7 comments
Friday, April 4, 2008
Arte y pico
Posted by ChrissyM at 3:05 PM 4 comments
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Totally Cool Birthday
Posted by ChrissyM at 6:18 PM 6 comments
Tool Box for Father REDO
I was not pleased at all with the first card that I made. This is the type of stamp that is gorgeous has is and doesn't need all the pattern paper and bling. I kept thinking no way can I give that card to my father. So I have been doing nothing but thinking about this card...well okay I have been thinking of a card idea for a 10 year old boy also. I am pleased with the way this card came out, this one is a keeper.
Card Recipe:
Paper is from Colorbok Jewel Paper Pack
Stamps: SU For Father and SU Warmest Regards (no longer available - was a hostess set in 2006)
Posted by ChrissyM at 6:13 PM 3 comments
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Tool Box for Father
Posted by ChrissyM at 5:54 PM 4 comments


text:
Turn all sessions into live virtual presentations with a push of a button. Learn more
The conference apps your attendees want: Intuitive. Fast. Robust. Offline.
Products for Events and Associations
Conference Apps
Impress your attendees with intuitive conference apps that make building a personal schedule from thousands of sessions a breeze.
Online Itinerary Planner
Embed a visual itinerary builder into your website so attendees can easily build a personal schedule that seamlessly syncs with the mobile meeting app.
Lead Retrieval
Offer your exhibitors a simple lead retrieval solution so that you can focus your attention and budget on your attendees and the event experience.
Meeting Manager World Transplant Congress
Designed for Scientific and Medical Meetings of all Sizes
Features for Medical Meetings
- Easy data import from abstract vendors
- Thousands of offline abstracts and scientific ePosters
- Native app that fully works offline for sustainable events
- CME/credit unit tracking with API
- ACCME compliant advertisement options
- Secure member authentication using existing logins
- Data sync across different devices with cloud backup
- Unmatched global Boolean search
- Desktop itinerary planner for website integration
World Transplant Congress Success Story
At the World Transplant Congress (WTC), 7,000 surgeons and healthcare professionals gather to present over 3,000 research papers with cutting-edge advances in solid organ and tissue transplantation.
WTC selected EventPilot for its functionality designed for scientific attendees, ease of use, and the data import from a variety of abstract and registration vendors.
Customize and Configure to Your Unique Needs
Make Your App Stand Out
Unlike other event apps, EventPilot gives you the power to use your own designs to create beautiful conference app home pages. From custom list views to dynamic dashboard designs, your app will be as unique as your event.
Innovative Technology. Always on the Cutting Edge.
Indoor Positioning
Pinpoint the attendee's location indoors on custom geo-mapped floor plans of your vast poster or expo halls.
Visual Schedule
Allow attendees to build their personal schedule visually in a calendar view. Fast and easy to use with smart columns.
Automatic Timetable
Automatically integrate a visual timetable so attendees can maximize their time at your meeting and fill any schedule gaps.
Smart Timeblocks
Users can schedule hundreds of sessions and still keep track of everything in one calendar view.
Location Notifications
Send only relevant alert messages based on indoor location using iBeacon or outdoor using GPS.
Security and OAuth
Allow attendees to login with their existing username and password with your organization or via Facebook / Google.
Offline Abstracts
Search and browse thousands of research abstracts and scientific eposters offline conveniently within the conference app.
Slides with Notes
Increase retention by giving offline access to PowerPoint slides with slide-based note taking while protecting speaker's IP.
CME & Credits
Help attendees stay organized with built-in credit tracking that even works offline. API available for credit vendor integration.
Itinerary Planner
Integrate a full screen online planner into your existing conference website. Includes export to PDF and calendar applications.
Increase engagement and drive expo traffic with a customized QR-code based game or scavenger hunt.
Peer Finder
Connect with professionals based on expertise or location. Network using private in-app messaging.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Great White Christmas Debate
Have a Very Merry Something
Librarian Debra Hiett queried the Publib List:
My adult planning librarian wants to show the movie, White Christmas, pass out lyrics for a sing-a-long, serve eggnog, hot chocolate and snacks. She wasn't sure if it would be against library protocol, relating to a particular religion. I don't think White Christmas is a religious movie and told her to go for it! (we do have a movie license)
Have any of you been challenged for anything similar to this?
To which the Publib Chorus responds:
Nann Blaine Hilyard : Deb, I'd be more concerned that you have a public performance license to show the movie (or any movie, for that matter) than about the content – though White Christmas is about the secular holiday rather than the religious one.
Tom Cooper : White Christmas seems like a pretty secular movie-and the song, unless I'm mistaken, was written by one of our greatest Jewish-American songwriters, Irving Berlin. Kind of a multi-cultural package in itself. I wouldn't worry about it, but I don't know your community.
James Casey : And don't forget that Danny Kaye (Kaminsky) was among the most popular Jewish-American stars of all time. Although it is considered to be among the most famous Christmas movies, White Christmas is probably as much a Veterans Day film and generally appropriate for the November-December holidays. The hardened, super slick show business performers show their reverence and appreciation for their old commanding General suffering hard luck after WWII. There are plenty of unemployed Iraq-Afghanistan war veterans right now who might enjoy such a film where military service is shown affirmation and respect.
Darcey Mesaris : You do need a license to show White Christmas. I believe that it is covered by MPLC-unfortunately, you can't purchase a one time license from them, unless that has changed from the last time I checked with them. So, you would need to purchase a one year umbrella license.
Darcey Mesaris : I work and live in a fairly religious area of the country. We are showing Miracle on 34th Street , The Great Rupert and A Christmas Carol , with no objections from the community, at least no known objections at his point.
Steven M Grochowsky : So… *each* program held at the library must appeal to everyone?
S Epstein : I cannot speak to your library/regions policies or feelings about programming related to religion. If you town/board doesn't mind – it would not seem to be an issue. That being said, if your town'board is an area that is sensitive to such issues – you should be prepared with a response.
But the real reason I've replied here, is that I've read the other responses and I am stunned.
White CHRISTMAS is NOT secular!!!! Christmas is NOT, in any way under any circumstance a secular holiday! EVER.
As librarians – please, please, please learn and understand this for those who are NOT Christian and do not celebrate Christmas! – Of which there are multiple groups ALL over the country (Muslims, Jews, Pagans, Wiccans.)
Diedre Conkling : I think that it is not necessary to have every program for every group. I don't think that was the point. I think the point was that Christmas is a Christian holiday.
That is not necessarily a problem. It use to bug me that everyone seemed to assume that we all celebrate Christmas. I don't. It is not part of my religion. However, I have become more relaxed on a personal basis and just look at it as a folk or cultural holiday. I give my friends who do celebrate the season gifts (and I give gifts on the gift giving holy days in my religion) and I eat their goodies. So these days I am less frustrated when everywhere I turn people are wishing me a happy, merry, fun, etc. holiday or Christmas. Still, it should be recognized that it is a Christian holiday.
S Epstein : I did not say that. In fact – I said – check your local policy and do whatever you please 🙂
What I am saying is to remember what things are. Christmas is never secular.
If we start calling Libraries, bookstores – there will no longer be libraries. Librarians will be madder than wet cats when a library is called bookstore! Rightly so – imho. Not all places with books are the same thing.
Not all holidays are secular.
Pamela Johnson : Christmas is a cultural, rather than a religious, holiday for many, many people. In every public library I've worked in, we've had a tree and decorations for Christmas. Never once has a non-Christian complained about it. And I worked in one branch with a substantial non-Christian population. The only complaints I've had that relate to Christmas come from Christians who are offended because a member of staff wished them Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas.
Jesse Ephraim :
>Christmas is never secular.
Just to be accurate, it is, for many people. In fact, much of the imagery associated with it is pagan or secular in nature. The same is true of Easter. For example, I'm not Christian, but I celebrate Santa Claus Day and Easter Bunny Day. My home decorations (for both holidays) aren't religious at all.
How Christmas decorations are viewed by non-Christian patrons is another matter. I just object to saying that it is NEVER secular.
>Still, it should be recognized that it is a Christian holiday.
I'm going to play the devil's advocate here…
Many of the traditions, decorations, and means of celebrating Christmas have pre-Christian origins, and were absorbed into the Christian celebration as a means of making the process of Christianizing pagan cultures. Some of those things have been absorbed into secular society, now, and have been "reclaimed" by neo-pagans. The part of Christmas that is primarily Christian is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The rest of it came later, often from non-Christian or secular traditions.
It is a Christian holiday, but it is also a secular one.
Paula Laurita : If the neo-Pagans have reclaimed aspects of Christmas, that doesn't make them secular. It makes them religious.
My staff is still dealing with the fact that there is no tree until after Thanksgiving, with the understanding it stays up through January 6th. If we're going to have a Christmas tree it stays up ALL THROUGH Christmas. (Insert-evil-Catholic-plotting-to-take-over-the-world-laugh-here)
They now know that if someone mistakenly suggests having a Harvest Festival that I'm going to refuse to get nekkid, paint myself blue, and dance around a bonfire. I'm not that evil. They are more than welcome to do so if they can get the permits.
Joanna Price : Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ- it is not a secular holiday. It can be celebrated in a secular fashion (see: American consumerism), but that does not make it a secular holiday.
Mary Soucie : Since you have the license, I don't see it as a problem as long as it fits with your community. We decorate both our libraries with Christmas decorations and do not get complaints. We also decorate for Halloween and Easter and Mother's Day and Father's Day and Independence Day and….. I do think that you need to match programs to your community and certainly not every program will appeal to all patrons.
You can buy a one-time license through Movie Licensing but if you're going to show more the 3-4 movies a year, it usually makes sense just to get the annual license.
Christmas is both a Christian and a secular holiday. For Christians, it is certainly a religious holiday. For many non-Christians, it is a secular holiday and they just enjoy the other side of the season- the gift giving, cookie eating, Santa waving fun. For me, Christmas is very much a religious holiday. I have a Jewish friend whose mother-in-law goes all out with the non-secular part of Christmas from a trimming a tree to hanging stockings to Santa images everywhere.
I like Diedre's attitude of accepting the parts of the season that make sense and not getting upset if someone wishes us a Merry Something.
Kevin Okelly : I have been pleasantly surprised at how civil this discussion has been. It's a Festivus miracle.
I am trying to get people to call it Charles Dickens Day, without success. The modern Christmas celebration was invented by Dickens (with a little help from Prince Albert).
I expect my campaign to rename Christmas will meet with as little success as my campaign to get people to answer the phone by saying Ahoy-Ahoy like Alexander Graham Bell did.
jjohnson at worthingtonlibraries.org : Alexander Graham Bell AND Montgomery Burns…
Craig Haggit : Yes, the "fist-fights in the parking lot" won't come until the PLA Convention in March!
ALPL : I'll bring the wine and folding chairs! Screw cap wine only, we don't want pointy objects around.
Robin Shtulman : However we want to define Christmas or secular, or religious, or pagan, it is important to recognize that Christmas is not a universal holiday, and that not all of our staff or patrons celebrate it.
Whether you choose to offer Christmas themed programming should be driven by whatever your library's policies are. Some libraries embrace all holidays in a spirit of community education, some opt to observe no holidays in an effort to remain neutral. Do what feels right for your community, be responsive to your staff & citizens, and just know that everyone thinks differently and do what needs to be done to make members of your community truly welcome in your library.
Brock Peoples : This is a great answer to this discussion. (Also, as someone else has pointed out, bonus points to all for the civility!)
The town my district is located in decorates for Christmas, including a nativity set on public property. "What feels right for your community" would make us amiss if we ignored the holiday. It is always important, though, to realize that not everyone shares warm and fuzzy feelings about Christmas, or may have very different traditions from the rest of the community.
Bryan Bonfiglio : Ahoy-Ahoy! everyone.
Just to keep this going, here are some more interesting facts about the date of Christmas and how it was chosen based on similar pre-Christian celebrations. Enjoy!
Roman Pagan Religion: Attis was a son of the virgin Nana. His birth was celebrated on DEC-25. He was sacrificed as an adult in order to bring salvation to mankind. He died about MAR-25, after being crucified on a tree, and descended for three days into the underworld. On Sunday, he arose, as the solar deity for the new season. His followers tied an image of Attis to a tree on "Black Friday," and carried him in a procession to the temple. His body was symbolically eaten by his followers in the form of bread. Worship of Attis began in Rome circa 200 BCE.
Greek Pagan Religion: Dionysus is another savior-god whose birth was observed on DEC-25. He was worshipped throughout much of the Middle East as well. He had a center of worship in Jerusalem in the 1st century BCE. Some ancient coins have been found in Gaza with Dionysus on one side and JHWH (Jehovah) on the other. In later years, his flesh and blood were symbolically eaten in the form of bread and wine. He was viewed as the son of Zeus, the Father God.
Egyptian Pagan Religion: Osiris is a savior-god who had been worshipped as far back as Neolithic times. "He was called Lord of Lords, King of Kings, God of Gods…the Resurrection and the Life, the Good shepherd…the god who 'made men and women be born again'" 5 Three wise men announced his birth. His followers ate cakes of wheat which symbolized his body. Many sayings associated with Osiris were taken over into the Bible. This included: 23rd Psalm: an appeal to Osiris as the good Shepherd to lead believers through the valley of the shadow of death and to green pastures and still waters
Lord's Prayer: "O amen, who art in heaven…"
Many parables attributed to Jesus. Worship of Osiris, and celebration of his DEC-25 birth, were established throughout the Roman Empire by the end of the 1st century BCE.
Persian Pagan Religion: Mithra was a Persian savior. Worship of Mithra became common throughout the Roman Empire, particularly among the Roman civil service and military. Mithraism was a competitor of Christianity until the 4th century. Their god was believed to have been born on DEC-25, circa 500 BCE. His birth was witnessed by shepherds and by gift-carrying Magi. This was celebrated as the Dies Natalis Solic Invite, The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. Some followers believed that he was born of a virgin. During his life, he performed many miracles, cured many illnesses, and cast out devils. He celebrated a Last Supper with his 12 disciples. He ascended to heaven at the time of the spring equinox, about March 21.
The Babylonians celebrated their Victory of the Sun-God Festival on DEC-25. Saturnalia (the Festival of Saturn) was celebrated from DEC-17 to 23 in the Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor Aurelian blended Saturnalia with a number of birth celebrations of savior Gods from other religions, into a single holy day: DEC-25. After much argument, the developing Christian church adopted this date as the birthday of their savior, Jesus. The people of the Roman Empire were accustomed to celebrating the birth of a God on that day. So, it was easy for the church to divert people's attention to Jesus' birth.
Patricia Sutherland : I have to agree with the 'pick and choose' perspective on Christmas. After having lived in, and recently returned from, 4 years living in a conservative Middle East country, I am much more relaxed with how we 'celebrate' what are commonly thought of as religious holidays. Santa Claus, trees, decorations and 'Christmas Dinner' events dominated the retail and recreation scene once Eid Al-Adha was over.
The library is a place of inclusiveness and diversity. Holding Christmas-themed library programs shouldn't be an issue, but it would be great if we also recognized, and provided a learning environment, for other cultural-based and religious traditions as they occur throughout the year.
Just my two (Canadian) cents LOL
Helen Rigdon : I'm super happy to see that Festivus has made an appearance into this conversation. Now that's a holiday!
Per the fist fight viewing, I'll bring the cooler!
Party on!
S Epstein : First – let me say thank you to all of you who have written me off list with words of support and encouragement.
Second, let me also apologize to those of you who were supportive, and I snapped at a bit – while this is not excuse, it is explanation – I was snappish because…
Third, some people have saved their incivility for private. And to those of you – I say shame on you!
Last, I did not address the issue of if the program should occur or not – that is up to the library.
In this age where Wiccan programs are banned from libraries and jobs threatened if they are scheduled, programs led by Muslims are boycotted, snide comments made by library staff about Jewishish patrons — ALL of which I have heard about and witnessed in my state in the past year – I feel strongly that understanding of, respect for, consideration, and tolerance of religion are becoming more and more important.
I have attended Passover ceremonies – though I am not Jewish. I have celebrated Ramadan though I am not Muslim. I've gone to Maybon festivities though I am not Pagan.
These are not secular holidays simply because I, 5 others 10 others or 10k others celebrate them non-religiously.
I celebrate the 4th of July not because I am particularly patriotic – I'm not, but I LIKE picnics and days off! That doesn't and shouldn't change the reason for the holiday.
The fact that some people who are not religious still celebrate a religious holiday does not make that holiday secular. To claim that holiday as secular, when it is a religious holiday can be very hurtful to both those
who believe and those who do not.
I am not saying people shouldn't celebrate – I am saying it is important that people understand what things are, especially those of us who are looked to as knowledgeable.
Paula Laurita : Su, Let me say 'thank you' for reminding us all that there religious basis for a variety of holy days and just because I don't celebrate that aspect of the holy day doesn't remove it's meaning.
It reminds me of a friend who was upset that a rabbi, whom I worked with, gave me a Christmas present. (A lovely chi necklace.) He couldn't ever understand that the rabbi was respecting my faith. I would never give the rabbi a Christmas present, but did give him Hanukkah presents over the years.
Thank you again for reminding us that respect doesn't mean denial.
Theyer, Hillary : I was looking for the right words, and Pamela nailed it. I'm not religious anything, don't go to any church, and celebrate Christmas as a cultural holiday. My family's Christmas traditions came from the Catholic/Christian/Mormon backgrounds of my grandparents, but we celebrated with the tree, presents, candles, singing, Santa, big family meal, new puzzle out on the coffee table, schmaltzy movie on the black and white television, as a family gathering … I mix up particular early Christmas memories with Thanksgiving memories a lot, and usually try to remember if there was a tree in the background to sort them out.
We sang carols because they are beautiful songs, and singing together is fun. The tree is fun to decorate and smells good. I knew what the words to the carols meant, and of course knew the Christmas story, but the fact that we didn't pray or go to church didn't make a difference in celebrating. I also grew up with a bunch of friends with one Jewish and one Christian parent, and got invited to many Bat Mitzvah celebrations, First Communions, and such. I knew I was missing the religious part, but was taught well to sit quietly, respect the ceremony, follow the rest of the group for standing/sitting, and know I was there for my friend/relative to celebrate something important in their life.
Christmas is not a universal holiday. Neither is Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, etc. I married into a family with cultural ties outside the US, which makes Thanksgiving a non-issue as my side is the only side that celebrates it! The keynote speaker at the California Library Association convention made a great deal about arriving from Britain and watching us celebrate Independence Day (his words "get over it already!"). On the other hand, my English Grandmother couldn't comprehend I didn't have Good Friday off from school. I've worked places with and without trees, with and without decoration/program prohibitions. I used to worry about it, and now I don't. The only complaint I have gotten was for a Christmas puppet show, and the parent was of a religion that didn't celebrate holidays of any kind. She was upset that we didn't have anything for her child during school vacation, so I handed her the flyer for the "Winter" program where we read snow stories (in Southern California, which I think is a much stranger cultural clash, reading about sledding and such with kids who probably have never done that), and made snowmen out of cotton balls, etc. She was fine. I promised we would invite a puppet program that didn't tie to a holiday again, which we did. We offer stuff tied to holidays and stuff that isn't. I've worked with groups that pulled together a Vietnamese New Year Celebration (none of us were Vietnamese but our community was), Chinese New Year, Diwali, and Kwanzaa. What we didn't know we learned, and mostly people really appreciated the effort.
Jesse Ephraim : The Santa Claus figure was derived from a number of sources, including Saint Nicholas, Odin, Krampus/Black Pete, various European folk figures, Thomas Nast, Clement Clarke Moore, Coca-Cola, L. Frank Baum, and more.
We are way off the original subject by now, though, so we are probably all going to have to agree to disagree.
Joanna Price : The problem with this is as follows (I'll just be honest):
Considering Christmas as a secular holiday is a privilege that belongs to the majority of the United States, because the majority of Americans come from some form of Christian background. I'm not talking about one's parents, but 100 years ago, there were no atheists.
I come from a Jewish background, and my family doesn't celebrate Christmas because it's not a secular holiday– it's a holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Indicating that it's secular, e.g., not religious at all, doesn't alienate people who celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, and it doesn't alienate people who celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday. It alienates people who don't celebrate Christmas at all (i.e. me), because if you argue Christmas is secular, you argue that there's no reason why I shouldn't celebrate it (see: be "normal"). In fact there's a good reason why I don't celebrate it, and it's fairly disrespectful to argue that I should consider a holiday that belongs to another religion secular because of the discomfort atheists have with relating their Christmas celebrations to its' roots.
Now whether a public library should have Christmas programming or not depends on the community, e.g. who is paying taxes that keep the place open, and what their needs and expectations are. But don't call Christmas secular in order to justify having Christmas programming in your library. It's not only unnecessary, it's alienating.
John Wylder : But "Santa Claus" is just short for "Saint Nicholas," and even "Kris Kringle," as I understand it, is a corruption of the German for "Christ Child."
Xmas in the US has become a battleground of the culture wars, and I fear there is no longer any neutral or safe ground. Whatever you do will leave you open to attack from one quarter or another, whether you acknowledge the holiday or not, so make your decision and, if I can quote Martin Luther here, Sin boldly no matter what you ultimately do. Or, as my grandmother used to put it, "You pays your nickle, and you takes your chances."
Jesse Ephraim :
>I'm not talking about one's parents, but
>100 years ago, there were no atheists.
Sure there were. There were atheists in ancient Greece, even.
>my family doesn't celebrate Christmas
>because it's not a secular holiday– it's a
>holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ
What does Santa Claus, pine trees, gift-giving, elves, and reindeer have to do with Christianity?
>It alienates people who don't celebrate Christmas
>at all (i.e. me), because if you argue Christmas is
>secular, you argue that there's no reason why
>I shouldn't celebrate it (see: be "normal").
There are a number of holidays in the U.S. that I don't celebrate. I don't feel any pressure to do so.
>In fact there's a good reason why I don't celebrate it,
>and it's fairly disrespectful to argue that I should consider
>a holiday that belongs to another religion secular because
>of the discomfort atheists have with relating their Christmas
>celebrations to its' roots.
You can think of it in any way you like. The point is that it IS a secular holiday for many people, and not just atheists and agnostics.
If you want to talk about the roots of Christmas celebrations, they don't lie in Christianity. They are in the folk beliefs and pagan religions of Europe.
Bryan Bonfiglio : Agreed, perhaps not the best Website to quote from, but these facts are repeated and studied over and over in academic circles.
Wendy Wright : Remaining "holiday-neutral" may be less time-consuming for library staff, but consider all the extra circ. opportunities that themed displays offer. Holiday events and displays also keep the library looking "fresh" for regular customers. Why not promote as many diverse occasions throughout the year as possible? While events are not always feasible, a display costs little. I think the film event is a great way to generate a sense of fun and energy in your library, and would be tempted to have displays of other winter holiday materials up at that time if you are worried about any group feeling excluded.
Two ideas for non-religious themed displays or events at this time of year are the Winter Solstice and ancient Rome's Saturnalia festival. (Toga party, anyone?) I have two small children, and our family celebrates the Solstice rather than Christmas, but we would hardly expect Christians to suppress visible manifestations of their holiday! I've begun teaching my four-year-old Latin and have a foggy notion of using Saturnalia as a way of exploring ancient Roman culture next year while having lots of fun decorating and feasting. I suppose an elementary school library or homeschooling group would be more appropriate for this type of programming… But perhaps in a public library one Storytime in December could have a multicultural "Winter Festival" theme (Christmas, Chanukah, Diwali, Kwanzaa, Solstice etc.), with or without themed craft activities afterwards.
Any excuse for a celebration, I say!
TARDIFF, ANTHONY : Yes, I know that the Attis connection, at least, is problematic. Professor Andrew T. Fear of the University of Manchester wrote an essay called "Cybele and Christ" about the relationship between the old Cybele/Attis cult and Christianity. His conclusion was the opposite: that the Cybele cult was influenced by Christianity and that it developed, whether consciously or unconsciously, to be a pagan answer to the dominant religion of the time (Fear, A. "Cybele and Christ." In Cybele, Attis & Related Cults: essays in honour of M. J. Vermaseren, Brill, 1996). You can find a good portion of his essay at http://books.google.com/books?id=T1nmUY70OzEC&lpg=PA37&dq=%22Cybele%20and%20Christ.%22%20in%20Cybele%2C%20Attis%20and%20Related%20Cults&pg=PA41#v=onepage&q&f=false.
My undergrad is history, and while that does not make me an expert, it did teach me that history is rarely "pat." Our attitude towards history today seems often to be that it is in the past and so does not matter, unless we can bring up an oversimplified version to support a specific viewpoint. We tend to get a lot of sound bite history these days, History Channel history, "Everyone knows" history (e.g. "Everyone knows Columbus was trying to prove the earth was round"). Actual history is far more complex, nuanced, and, frankly, interesting than that. History once was, after all, the present, and is just as messy and fascinating as the present is today. So I am rather suspicious whenever anyone tosses off some "history" to justify a viewpoint, unless they really delve into it, show their research and their sources, and present a picture that is more than just a blurb.
Jennifer Armistead : Not to be nitpicky, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to argue with you that 100 years ago "there were no atheists." Right off the top of my head, I'm thinking of Robert Ingersoll, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Aphra Behn, Tom Paine, and I know there are many more. It's true that during the 19th century there was a surge in professed atheism in Western society, as shown in Without God, Without Creed by James Turner, but atheists and agnostics have existed probably since there were humans, and have been documented since early Greek civilization.
Sorry to go OT. Carry on!
Jeff Imparato : I'm sure it makes my Pagan friends happy when they see the Yule tree, decorated this time of year.
HARMON-MYERS Margaret : Aside from library involvement, I think there are differences between "celebrating", observing, or acknowleging . I am not religious but don't find offensive, nor would I try to restrict, the observation by others of any religious day. Christmas is not secular, per se, but it is a deeply entrenched part of our culture; for some it is strictly cultural, for some primarily religious, but one does not preclude the other and both deserve respect. And religious does not just mean Christian (Jesus' birth, etc.)
We have personal choice, and feeling offended is a choice. I don't want to deny the public arena to a component of our culture, our ethos, because people interpret or observe it in different ways. The library, as part of the culture, can bring the community together by having something like a giving tree which allows people to take a tag from it to purchase a toy or clothes for those in need. We can also welcome other community organizations to bring in something for display for visitors to enjoy, or ignore if that is their choice.
Rawles-Heiser, Carolyn : At my library, the only thing we do for Christmas is the Friends put out some pointsettias and we gather holiday kids' books–including all the holidays around this time of year. Oh, and we close on Christmas.
I do celebrate Christmas and I personally consider it a religious holiday.
However, looking at this from the persepctive of people who do not, think about what it is like to see Christams decorations, hear Christmas music, see Christmas ads and shows on tv, have stores full of stuff to buy, have Christmas activities at Scouts, school, etc. everywhere you go ad nauseum for at least 1/12 of the year. For those of us who do celebrate Christmas, it wears thin enough!
Think how nice it would be to go into one public place that is free of all of that and how much you would appreciate it. Think about how nice it would be not to have to tell your kids you are skipping storytime for a month to avoid Christmas programs. You would certainly feel a lot less marginalized. It seems to me that as one of the most inclusive and neutral institutions in our society, that is a valuable thing the library can provide.
Dohrn, Terry : Look up the definition of the word "Christmas". Almost everywhere you check you will find that the definition is some variation of "a celebration of the Christian Church commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ".
Merry Christmas! I love these discussions we have!
Debra Hiett : WOW!!!
I am astonished, pleasantly so, at all the responses my question generated.
So far, no one has stated they were challenged for showing the movie, "White Christmas."
Of course, that does not mean that we won't! If we are challenged or receive complaints I will let you know. We will show the movie, and had planned on showing the movie, and I will keep my fingers crossed. If we are challenged this group has provided me with lots of ammunition. Thank you for all your postings!
Chris Rippel : Dear Colleagues,
> 100 years ago, there were no atheists.
Actually, there were a number of atheists and agnostics 100 years ago.
The most famous American atheist at that time was Robert G. Ingersoll
(1833 – 1899).
I think there is evidence that more people and books 100 years ago than now
claimed Jesus was a mythical figure made up by early Christians.
Kevin Okelly : I don't know about "more than now," but the America of the past was certainly a much more religiously diverse place than people currently give it credit for being. As many of you probably know, a number of the Founding Fathers (e.g., Jefferson, Washington, Franklin) were Deists (i.e., theists who believed in a rather hands-off God and rejected the notion of the divinity of Christ.)
Sarah Howison :
>We have personal choice, and feeling offended is a choice.
Maybe this is off-topic, but this statement doesn't seem right to me. It takes the blame from the person who gave the offense and puts it on the offended party.
If someone makes a racist/sexist/off-color joke and it offends me, is it my fault that I am offended, or the fault of the person who told the joke? In a lot of cases, offense is not intended, but it does happen, and when it does, it's worth discussing. The idea that someone should "lighten up" or just "deal with it" (both comments I have received in the past) is…well, kind of offensive to me. 😉
No, a person doesn't have the right to go through life without being offended, but they do have the right to express their opinions, including whether something, be it a joke or a certain library program, offends them.
…But, that's just my opinion. I promise, I mean no offense. 🙂
Janet Lerner : Hello all,
I haven't worked in public libraries for over ten years, and can't believe that you're still cluck-clucking over Christmas.
No one except the profoundly mentally ill worries about this kind of stuff anymore.
Move on…
Diedre Conkling :
> It is sad to see that what was a very civil discussion with differing
> points of view is now leaving that realm and is on the verge, if not
> slightly beyond the verge (can something be beyond the verge?), of name
> calling and uglyness.
Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. It must be time to end the discussion.
Pamela Johnson : It's important to distinguish between offense intended and offense taken. Sometimes a comment is ignorant, but not unkindly meant. If you take offense at every ignorant but well-meaning comment that comes out of somebody's mouth, you do yourself as well as the other person a disservice.
Bridget Krejci : Can we please agree to disagree regarding Christmas and programing? We really do not need to hear everyone religions beliefs
S Epstein : WOW…. this was terribly offensive and insulting. Enough in fact to make me consider leaving Publib. I would prefer to not know this is the state of our profession. Or maybe we need to go back to a moderate list?
(Janet – I think an appology is due for calling people who have religious beliefs menally ill – which even if was not your intent – was the message.)
Darryl Eschete : All: I'd say this discussion has devolved to the point where it is all heat and no light. I'd also say that discussing it any further would be superfluous and that this will become more uncivil, now that this sort of door has been
Darrell Cook : Didn't get THAT message at all. Janet shouldn't have to apologize for anything. I don't think her post was any where near "offensive and insulting." Much less "terribly."
The only thing terrible here is the PhD's spelling.
Steve Benson : I didn't think it was offensive either — just stupid. This has been an interesting discussion ranging from the how-we-do-it to historical background. What is expected and welcomed in one local might get you run out of town in another. Doesn't seem as if the writer at issue is a part of the profession any longer. Her own words make this clear. Perhaps this is why she has missed the new tech innovation that librarian 2.0's know off — the delete key if you tire of a conversation.
Happy holidays everyone
Wylie, Alan : Could have done without the 'mentally ill' bit but i do tend to agree with her! Libraries closing or being privatised, redundancies galore and we have a long drawn out discussion about xmas!!!
Judy Anderson : I found it offensive that someone is using mental illness as an insult. That's grossly inappropriate. That calls for an apology.I also think some of the "older" librarians (meaning having been around a long time) forget that there are new people out there who haven't come across the issue before. And laws change constantly and there are trends that change constantly. My first job out of library school was as a director. These issues often aren't discussed in library school and people need answers.
It's also helpful to get the take and experience of wide range of people because you never know what will come up. Who would have thought that people respecting other religions (or those with no religion) and avoiding the violation of the first amendment would be considered to be conducting a war on Christmas. That's a relatively new topic.
And really, we are librarians. It doesn't seem appropriate for us to be insulting anyone for asking a question we've heard before. Isn't that kind of what our jobs are about, at least in reference?
(Side note. I don't think it was an attack on people of faith, but an attack on someone for asking what should or shouldn't be done about Christmas in libraries.)
John Richmond : Just back from Kansas for the Thanksgiving holiday, where I worshiped several immense turkeys and a few hams, besides. Though I saved my most rapturous rapture for pecan pie. (For some reason, none of my relatives was thoughtful enough to supply mincemeat this year, with or without real meat. Or unreal meat, I suppose.) So I am late getting into this, but I am reminded that just about the first post to publib I ever, well, posted–if not *the* first–had to do with Christmas, and I received MANY indignant comments from publib folks who were appalled–**appalled**, I tell you–to think that we had a *Christmas* tree in our library.I *tried* to explain that I was in East Texas, and that not to have a Christmas tree in the library's foyer would have been tantamount to committing career (my career, that is) suicide, but some still didn't get it. Ah, well. Back here, up north in Illinois–in East TX, usually pronounced "Ill-uh-noiZZZZZZ"–we still have a Christmas tree. We put it to good use, inviting the public to decorate the tree with mittens, gloves, scarves, and hats for child-size people, which we then deliver to a charitable outfit in the library district. Sometimes we call it an "angel tree," and I am mostly theologically mute on the subject of angels. Which probably is all right, as the fervor over angels seems to have diminished from what it was a few years back, when *everyone* was writing a book about angels.When I was in seminary, the "Advent police" sometimes came around to see if fellow seminarians were putting up Christmas decorations and listening to Christmas music in their rooms while the all-too-short season of Advent was upon us. That's a whole 'nother story….Shahin Shoar : Libraries have to have established practices in place when it comes to these things. Many academic libraries have done away with celebrating any holidays, religious or not, by decorating their buildings, desks, or rooms. Public libraries could do the same. However, since we are more and more a community center rather than just a place to read or check out items, we have to reflect what our communities expect or want. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging Christmas or any other holiday for that matter. Libraries often have educational and fun programming going on including history of different holidays. What should not happen is ignoring other holidays which means ignoring people in the community who celebrate holidays other than Christmas. Yes, academic libraries are over all of this, they serve a different clientele, we still serve little kids who get excited about little things like doing crafts and singing songs.
Best of PubLib Editor – Robert Balliot investigating the placement of an actual Christmas Tree at the New York Public Library.
Have a very Merry Something!
Please join us on BestofPublib Facebook
The Publib Archives
The Publib archives from the Webjunction listserve are available here: Archives
Archives compiled after Dec. 7, 2011 are available here: Archives
Please note: HTML is stripped out of archives. Please compose in plain text or richtext.
Filed under: Administration, Buildings & Grounds, Collection development, current topics, Ethics, Federal, History of Libraries, Holidays, Humor, Intellectual freedom, Interiors, Landscaping, Library Organization, Library Profession, Minorities, Public-academic, Questions unanswered, Research | Tagged: Christmas, public libraries | 2 Comments »


text:
Welcome to All States Materials Group
Unified Family of Companies
We believe that a group's strength comes not from its size but
rather from its ability to offer a stable environment that fosters
teamwork focused on a common goal. Our name - All States
Materials Group - represents the unified efforts of our family of
companies and their employees to offer high-quality products
and services at cost-effective prices.
>> Learn more about our Operations
Rich in Industry Experience and History
Headquartered in Sunderland, Massachusetts, we have over 50 years of experience in the heavy/highway construction industry. We have a deep pride in our history while continuing to build our capabilities in contracting and materials supply.
>> Learn more about our Company History
Diverse Offering of Products & Services
With operations located throughout the Northeast, we
provide a diverse range of services from road maintenance
and construction to bridge rehabilitation. Among the products
we offer are aggregates, bituminous concrete, and a full
range of liquid asphalts.
>> Learn more about our Products & Services
News and Announcements
"ASMG Sponsors
"Asphalt Rubber Adds Safety to I-91"
Featured Product
Fog Seals
· Seal and rejuvenate pavement
· Delay pavement oxidation
· Extend pavement life
>> Click here to learn more
Recently Completed Projects
Asphalt Rubber Stress
Full Depth Reclamation


text:
Chesterfield Road, Barlborough, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S43 4TX
Followers 0
Treble Bob in Barlborough has a beer garden. The pub has a car park, it has disabled facilities. Treble Bob is a family friendly pub. The pub serves food, it has an outside area. Treble Bob serves real ale. The pub has free WiFi, it is a member of Cask Marque.
latest pub news, offers & events
Beer Day Britain 2018
Happening on 15/06/2018 [Expired]
Friday 15th June marks the annual celebration of the nation's best-loved bevvy - real ale! So why not come down and join us in raising a glass of the good stuff and say #CheersToBeer!


text:
The latest edition of the Kardashians' collection for Bebe -- a 15 piece resort collection -- is hitting stores soon, but in a recent interivew, Bebe president Emilia Fabricant implied that the brand's collaborations with the three sisters Kardashian might be on the wane. As she told WWD:
"The sisters do still have relevance," said Fabricant, "but at Bebe we need to move with fashion and we want to be first in the fashion world with everybody else and not fall behind. We are definitely assessing the situation."
Needless to say, the comment certainly seemed to serve as an "oh snap"-esque implication that the Kardashian's "trend" value is dropping as their saturation within the fashion market rises (the sisters now boastseveral corporate sponsorships and a new boutique in Soho). The partnership with Bebe would be celebrating its first anniversary in February, as the collaboration was first unveiled at New York Fashion Week in early 2010.


text:
Some outfits are all about attitude, right? Somehow Dean pulls off a not-quite-right striped shirt, partly by keeping the rest of the outfit toned down. He pulls off a pointy receding hairline with a little bit of a bouffant... and those eyebrows. Just love his expression here. I reckon you should give that hairstyle a go- but how to get that much lift and retain that neatness?
Ok, ok, I admit it. I was in HMV, saw this album cover and just had to share. I wish I had the words 'pretty baby' floating above my head wherever I go. Perhaps I should go blonde again. Just listening to Dean Martin sing makes me feel even more slovenly for dressing in jeans.
Wow, the variety of readers that we get constantly amazes me! Thank's to EJ's wonderful post above I was made aware of ilovedinomartin. I loved reading through the Dylan Jones article on Dean Martin, especially the quote "His cool wasn't born out of arrogance; it was born out of indifference." I could not agree more. There were so many entertainers out there around the same time and subsequently who had to work so hard for the admiration that they received, Martin just acted how he wanted, when he wanted as it all came so easy to him!


text:
MotoGP - Argentina: Slicks and Shenanigans
There is always much to say of particular tracks favouring certain manufacturers, and with the second round of the MotoGP circus taking us to Argentina's tyre punishing Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo, a track historically favouring Japanese machinery, it appeared at first glance that the ball would be firmly in Yamaha and Honda's court.
But with less than ideal conditions during practice and a barely emerging dry line in qualifying; it was Pramac Ducati rider, Jack Miller who sat his GP17 on the top spot, stunning the damp crowds with a blisteringly hairy last minute lap during the final seconds of qualifying. A feat made even more impressive by his persistent choice of slicks over the wet tyres of every other rider on track.
Further rain was forecast for the race, meaning all riders were kitted out on the grid with wet rubber. All, however, but pole-sitter Miller, who gambled again opting for slicks, a gamble, that would define the Argentine GP start for all the wrong reasons.
But with the track surface drying quickly, and as the scheduled start edging ever closer, every other rider returned to the pits and fit slicks, leaving a perplexed looking Jack Miller sat all alone at the front of the grid. A surprise move which delayed the start even further, and earned all other riders a grid place penalty for the privilege.
The surreal starting grid of 23 booming MotoGP machines sat over 50 meters behind the start line was made even more bewildering as Marquez managed to both stall and bump-start his Honda on the fully-formed grid before riding the wrong way to retake his slot.
Once the lights finally went out, the cushion out front allowed Miller to retain control in the opening few laps, until he was hurriedly reeled in by a charging Marquez, who after inching out a two-second gap, was finally hit with a ride-through penalty for his earlier mischief on the grid.
This nightmare was compounded for the Repsol team, as teammate Dani Pedrosa ended his race with a high side crash after Zarco had nudged him wide in the opening lap.
The reigning world champ re-entered the melee in 20th place with the fastest pace on track and began to snake his way back through the field before a misjudging his line and clattering into the side of Aleix Espargaro, luckily both managed to hang on, but the move saw him have to relinquish the position.
With four laps to go, Marquez had made good progress and dragged himself onto the back wheel of Valentino Rossi, but in almost identical fashion, he once again went up the inside far too hot, and the pair collided. Both went wide, and Rossi was forced on to the wet grass and off his M1, while Marquez was able to stick to the track and continue.
In the closing stages, a top four of Miller, Alex Rins, Zarco and Crutchlow all stuck intently to each others sliding and smoking rear wheels, running in formation until Rins began to attack. The pair traded the lead on several occasions before the young Suzuki rider made the move stick, allowing him to lead his first ever MotoGP race, only to run wide a lap later and drop to fourth. However, a major moment for Miller at turn 13 saw Crutchlow take the lead, and sent the Aussie out of the fight into fourth position.
Zarco soon snuck past Crutchlow briefly, but a well-timed slipstream on the penultimate lap allowed the British rider to hold on and claim his third MotoGP win. An ecstatic Rins celebrated his maiden MotoGP podium in third behind Zarco, who equalled his best-ever finish, while Miller was forced to settle for fourth.
Marquez managed to cleanly pass Vinales the other Movistar machine on the final lap to take fifth, but was gifted a 30-second penalty for his clash with Rossi, which dropped his result down to 18th; interestingly, still a place higher than the number 46 rider managed to nurse his mud filled Yamaha home.
If this controversial round has shown us anything, it's that the Championship fires are now well and truly ignited, and the rivalries are already heating up. Crutchlow heads to Texas as the first British points leader since the 1970s, meanwhile, Marquez faces an uphill battle, and with his first zero of the year marked in dramatic fashion, will he produce some more magic in Texas?


text:
For many people, rolling around in bed sans clothes with Justin Timberlake or Mila Kunis is something they'd pay – rather than be paid – to do, but the stars of "Friends With Benefits" insist that even sex symbols get a little stage fright from their love scenes.
"I'm pretty self-conscious, I think, in general," says Kunis. "It doesn't help that I'm a female. I'm not the most comfortable, relatively speaking."
"As a juxtaposition to that, I'm extremely comfortable with Mila's body," deadpans Timberlake. But the star admits that, while acting out the comedy's tale of two friendly colleagues who agree to a sex-only relationship without the complications of romance, the more choreographed – and comic – the scenes are, the less embarrassing they become.
U.S. & World
"It's definitely less awkward when you're required to make them awkward," says Timberlake. "We wanted to use these scenes to break a little ground and actually put the banter in them, rather than in real life when awkward things happen when you're first getting intimate with a new counterpart. It's like 'If I didn't say that it happened, then it didn't happen.' But later on you talk about it, like, 'You remember the time when it was really awkward?' 'Oh, my God, thank you for saying that!' I think we wanted to use a lot of this movie to break a lot of ground. There's a lot in it that just feels more like how we see our generation, and a good way to empower that is to comment on how ridiculous some of it might be."
Their characters are kindred spirits whose ease with each other leads them to believe that their friends-with-benefits deal will remain uncomplicated, and the filmmakers saw that same instant ease with each other when Kunis and Timberlake first met to discuss acting together after only a handful of prior encounters at celebrity-filled functions.
"We have the same sense of humor, we realized early on," Kunis says. "I think the chemistry had a lot to do with the writing and I think that once we got comfortable with the characters it was easy to put that across onscreen. We became friends because we had two, three months of rehearsal, writing and rewriting, and you don't always get that. So you hope that somehow that translates to the screen. When you have a great time doing a film, you hope the audience has a great time watching it."
"We actually do have a lot in common, and we actually sort of bonded over a lowbrow sense of humor that we share," Timberlake explains. "But also we kind of grew up in the business, both of us. So we kind of share that and we're both pretty normal people when we're not working."
Kunis says that after signing on to the project, her eyes were opened to just how often a sexy-times-only agreement ultimately leads to love in real life. "I was interviewed by a reporter when I was doing press for 'Black Swan,' and she told me that her current husband started off as a friend with benefits," she says. "So it wasn't until then that I actually started paying attention to that idea. It's not as taboo. I think that our generation is a little more forthcoming, and I think females are embracing their sexuality, more so now than they were 30, 40, 50 years ago."
"Friends with Benefits" opens everywhere Friday


text:
Microsoft is back with the second version of its Windows 8 tablet and you'd be hard pressed to tell the Surface Pro 2 apart from the original. Starting at £719 it costs the same, too.
At 13.5 mm thick and nearly 1kg in weight it's a compact Ultrabook laptop but a chunky and unwieldy tablet.
A two-stage kick stand is the only new design feature and certainly helps with using the Surface Pro 2 on your lap and on flat surfaces if you'll excuse the pun. However, with no slimming down, this is still a device which in not suited to handheld use.
Surface Pro 2: build quality
Although the Surface Pro 2 is a bit of a beast, we can't really knock it on build-quality. The weight feels reassuring and the device is well put together and superbly finished.
While the Surface Pro 2 looks the same on the outside, it has one of Intel's latest Haswell chip inside. Benchmarks prove that it's a powerful computing device able to compete with the latest Ultrabooks.
Battery life of nearly 6 hours looping video over Wi-Fi is good but nowhere near the 75 percent improvement Microsoft touts.
It's perfectly feasible to do proper work on the Surface Pro 2 since it's running full Windows 8.1 Pro.
With a relatively small screen and attachable keyboard covers, things can get quickly get fiddly and awkward, especially if you don't use a mouse. Picking up and using the digital pen stylus is not overly efficient.
The Surface Pro 2 ships with the stylus included but no Type or Touch cover.
Surface Pro 2: not a tablet?
As much as Microsoft wants it to be, the Surface Pro 2 is not really a tablet. It's simply too big and heavy to use comfortably with one hand. If using it as a tablet is important you might be better off spending the money on two separate devices.
Especially when we tell you the 64GB model only has 27GB available. To get a 256GB or more, you'll have to spend over a grand and value starts to seriously dwindle.
If the tablet side of things is less of a big deal, you should consider a convertible which offers a better laptop experience.
With or without the docking station accessory, the Surface Pro 2 could serve as desktop replacement with its full-size USB port and Mini DisplayPort. Using it as a laptop, tablet and a desktop computer makes the most sense, but there are niggles and compromises in all modes.
With only a minimal upgrade and the same fussy form factor, the Surface Pro 2 will only suit a small amount of users. The high price to gain a decent amount of storage means you're likely to be better off with a convertible or a separate laptop and tablet. We award 3 and a half stars. See also: Top 8 best Windows 8 tablets: the best Windows 8 tablets you can buy in 2013.


text: This week we were told that, by the magic of a non-deficit-increasing wave of our President's hand, the minimum wage should be increased to $9 (a 24% rise from the current $7.25 federal minimum wage) and anchored to inflation going forward. The rabbit-holes of whether this is a good or bad thing run deep and in very different directions. However, in three short minutes, Milton Friedman provides some critically clarifying truthiness on the unholy coalitions between 'do-gooders', 'special interests', 'trade unions', and the vicious circle that this non-market-based decision will create. "Do-Gooders believe passing a law saying nobody shall get less than [a minimum wage] is helping poor people (who need the money). You're doing nothing of the kind. What you're doing is to ensure that people whose skills do not justify that wage will be unemployed." It is no accident that youth unemployment is almost double the overall unemployment rate. We never learn... and as Friedman concludes, "it is the exact people who the do-gooders are trying to help that are hurt the most - the poorest!"


text:
May 7, 2010
Contact: Hallie Lewis (859) 224-2848
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) board of directors has approved the funding of Dr. Heather DiMaio Knych and Dr. Mary Robinson for its post-doctoral research fellowship program. This commitment fulfills one of the main goals of the RMTC Drug Testing Initiatives Task Force, established in 2008 as a wide-ranging effort to improve drug testing and racing integrity.
The RMTC board committed $450,000 over three years toward the fellowship program. The University of California-Davis (UC-Davis) and the University of Pennsylvania have agreed to match the grant.
"This is another major step by the RMTC to implement the recommendations that I made at The Jockey Club Round Table Conference in August 2008 toward an improved drug testing program for U.S. racing," said RMTC Vice Chairman Alan Foreman. "We are beginning the process of developing our next generation of scientific experts in the equine industry who will be working with us on emerging medication problems. We hope the research of Drs. DiMaio Knych and Robinson will help us better regulate corticosteroids and shock wave therapy, which will be a major step in protecting the health and welfare of our equine athletes and the interests of the wagering public."
Corticosteroids and shock wave therapy can have significant analgesic effects and their misuse can put horses and riders at risk during training and racing.
Dr. DiMaio Knych DVM, Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology, has gained recognition nationally and internationally in the field of equine pharmacology over the past year. She oversees the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory's Equine Pharmacology Research Laboratory at UC-Davis and has published several research papers on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs in the horse. During the fellowship period, she will research the pharmacokinetics, clinical effects and biomarkers of corticosteroids in horses.
"Dr. DiMaio Knych's research will provide fundamental information that will become textbook material in equine pharmacology," said Dr. Scott Stanley, director of the UC-Davis Kenneth L. Maddy Laboratory.
Dr. Robinson will receive her V.M.D. and Ph.D. in Pharmacological Sciences from the University of Pennsylvania this month. She is graduating from the university's Veterinary Medical Scientist Training Program, which is a seven-year National Institute of Health-sponsored program conducted for outstanding students to acquire a Ph.D. in a basic science discipline and a veterinary degree. Dr. Robinson will be researching the detection of extracorporeal shock wave therapy usage in the racehorse using biomarkers at the University of Pennsylvania during her fellowship period. The Association of Racing Commissioners International's Model Rules currently prohibit the use of shock wave therapy within 10 days of racing; however, there is no recognized method of detecting its use at this time.
"The purpose of the program at the University of Pennsylvania is to encourage young, well-trained veterinarians to become involved in the racing industry's research and forensic program," said University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine professor Dr. Larry Soma.
The RMTC consists of 25 racing industry stakeholders and organizations that represent Thoroughbred, Standardbred, American Quarter Horse and Arabian racing. The organization works to develop and promote uniform rules, policies and testing standards at the national level; coordinate research and educational programs that seek to ensure the integrity of racing and the health and welfare of racehorses and participants; and protect the interests of the racing public.
For additional information, visit the RMTC website at rmtc.kinsta.cloud or contact Hallie Lewis, RMTC director of communications, at (859) 224-2848.


text:
You don't have to be a gearhead to jump – or run – into the world of heart rate monitors. Today's market offers a great selection of sleek and simple monitors that are easy to operate.
Why Buy a Heart Rate Monitor?
Incorporating heart rate training gives you more control over your workouts and can be a clutch training tool when it comes to making fitness gains and breaking through plateaus. A heart rate monitor can help you make sure you're hitting your target heart rate during a workout, or staying in a lower heart rate zone on an active recovery day. You can also use a heart rate monitor to work intervals of higher and lower intensity exertion.
Whether your running goals are fitness or race-performance related, a heart rate monitor can enhance your training. These nifty little gadgets are a much more precise way to keep track of your efforts than 'perceived exertion,' giving you the power to manipulate your workouts to achieve your goals.
Our Popular Models
If simple is your style, here are a few of our favorite basic heart rate monitors:
The Timex Easy Trainer offers a no-frills approach to heart rate training. All you need to do is secure the included heart rate monitor strap around your chest and press the red 'On/Off' button, and you're on your way. The large, easy-to-read display helps you keep track of your heart rate on your run, even in the dark thanks to the INDIGLO® night light. After your run, the Workout Review feature recalls activity time along with average and peak heart rates.
The Polar FT4 provides heart rate information, as well as an estimate of calories burned during a workout. This heart rate monitor also has a coded heart rate transmission, so it will correctly pick up your own heart rate even if your training partner is wearing a heart rate monitor as well. You can even set heart-rate-based target zones with visual and audible alarms, and choose from eight languages to display.
Track your heart rate and run in style with the sleek New Balance N4. Tune in to data on heart rate, calories burned, and time in heart rate zone to improve your performance over time. This monitor will even store the stats from nine runs, so you can check your progress from one week to the next.


text:
Afrika Coming to North American PlayStations
Publisher Natsume will handle distribution of the title. Afrika was released last August in Japan, and is expected to exclusively hit the PlayStation 3 this year in the States. Speaking of photography games, does anyone remember that old PC game where you took pictures of dinosaurs? I think it was called Dinosaur Hunter, but without the Turok; instead of slitting dino throat, you just took photos of them, and then ran away. I might be making this all up.
From The Chatty


text:
Tagged: Jim Davenport
Planes, Trophies and Automobiles
By: Noah
John Lennon
once said "life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".
It's a good idea to keep that quotation handy when you live in a world that
constantly changes on the fly, as those of us who work in baseball certainly
do. One has to keep life in perspective in the wake of impending rainouts,
back-to-back extra inning games, or the sudden realization that one of the
guests of honor at your 50th anniversary charity dinner is snowed in
at an airport in a state halfway across the country where it almost never
That's the
position in which we found ourselves last Thursday, fighting the ever more firm
reality that we would be without Will Clark, The Thrill, the man who we had
worked for over a year to secure, for the Hot Stove Gala. It was about 10:30 in
the morning, or about seven
hours before the doors were to open to the public
when we first found out. To quote the poet Robert Burns, "The best laid plans
of mice and men, oft go awry".
through some expert maneuvering and generosity from those involved with our
parent club up north, we were privileged to host two very entertaining substitutes
in Giants pitcher and former Grizzly Sergio Romo as well as longtime Giants
player and current front office member Jim Davenport. Coupled with Matt
Williams, Mark Gardner and Steve Decker, our guests were still treated to a
panel of world class players and personalities.
Of course,
there was also the Trophy. The real star of the show, the "big ticket" if you
will, may well have been the inanimate object sitting by itself on a black
tablecloth at the far end of the entry hall. Surrounded by more security than a
pop star, the golden circle of flags was a perfect centerpiece for this golden
anniversary event, and its presence lent a resplendent tone to the evening, one
that surely would not have existed without it.
meanwhile, made one of his biggest relief appearances to date. Pulled off a
commercial he was shooting in San Francisco that morning, he was whisked into
the backseat of the World Champions Trophy Truck and rushed to Fresno with
enough time to be debriefed about the event and grab a Starbucks before the
doors opened. His laid back and
easy-going personality helped him steal the
show, as he fielded question after question about his beard and his
relationship with off-color closer Brian Wilson, all with far more polish than
his 27 years would suggest.
Joining Romo
as a last-minute replacement was the 13-year Major League veteran, Davenport. He drove down from the Bay Area
on almost no notice as well, bringing his son with him. The Siluria, Alabama
native kept the mood light and jovial, charming the crowd by recounting stories
and cracking jokes about Romo's beard in his thick-as-taffy southern drawl.
certainly did his part, calling the airline from the tarmac in Dallas, trying
to switch his flight and find a way to Fresno. When he had exhausted every
possible option, he shot an apology video on his cell phone and emailed it to
us. He also agreed– when we finally got a hold of him again just before the
dinner began– to return to Fresno for a private reception for all of those who
missed him at Hot Stove. It was a classy thing for him to do, and we can't wait
to bring him back to where he began his professional career later this summer.
Romo and Williams both stayed to fulfill every last autograph and photo
request. In our world, where we are too often bombarded with stories of the
arrogance of some professional athletes, it was a welcome and truly touching
sight to see each and every one of our fans go home happy, in the wake of what
could have been a disastrous day. Thanks again to all our guests and the Giants
for making this a Hot Stove to remember.
Photos by Don Davis: Sergio Romo (top) and Jim Davenport entertain a crowd of nearly 1,000 guests at last week's Hot Stove Gala. Will Clark movie below.


text:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A coalition of Nashville poll watchers on Monday called for an audit of problems they documented with Election Day voting.
Tennessee Citizen Action organized the poll watching effort and its director, Mary Mancini, said that while some precincts were run effectively and smoothly, many were not.
The Election Protection Coalition command center fielded more than 600 calls reporting problems that included too few poll workers, poll workers who gave voters inaccurate information and polling places that ran out of provisional ballots and change-of-address forms.
In one case, a polling place at the Napier Community Center had more than 1,500 registered voters assigned to it. Long lines formed early while the five (and at one point six) poll workers struggled to keep up. But a polling place next door, the Napier Elementary School, had only 10 registered voters assigned to it, and the three poll workers there had almost nothing to do all day.
Davidson County Elections Administrator Albert Tieche did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Several of the coalition's 125 watchers said they ended up becoming unofficial poll workers to help the overwhelmed official ones.
Larry Sneed, who was at a polling place in North Nashville for about seven hours, said he assisted in filling out 20-25 provisional ballots because there were not enough workers. At another point, he was recruited to help operate the polling machines, when the sole trained operator became overwhelmed.
"I've never done it before. I'm not sure I was supposed to," he said. But he agreed to help out so that everyone could vote.
Several other watchers said the official poll workers were giving voters the wrong information and turning them away. For instance, several poll workers challenged voters' residency when the address on their photo IDs didn't match that of their voter registration cards. The photo IDs are supposed to be used to establish identity only, not residency.
Jane Mantey said a pair of young voters who were new to the district, but had registered, would have not been allowed to vote had she not been there. She said the pair brought in their photo IDs and voter registration cards but the poll worker told them to go home and bring a utility bill as proof of residency. Mantey intervened and the pair was allowed to vote after a call to the election commission.
Mancini said the Davidson County Election Commission failed in its mission of providing equal access to the election process so that all registered voters could exercise their rights to vote.
She said the coalition plans to ask state election officials to look into what went wrong on Election Day. Officials already are probing issues with electronic poll books during the August primary.


text:
Saturday, January 31, 2015 - No comments
Home is Where Your Tastebuds Sing
"You just can't find ________ (insert tomato paste/peppers/cheese) here like you can in my hometown."
This is probably the most common phrase I've heard as I've done interviews for my book about hometown longing. And with good reason. In the same way as poutine in British Columbia or pork barbecue in Minnesota "just aren't the same", transplants to "the big cities" are forever pining for "the food mom always made" and lugging favourite local staples home from wherever it is they come from. Any Turk knows that dried apricots should be from Malatya and garlicky mantı is best from Kayseri and no one stuffs grape leaves like old Aunt Ayşe back in the village.
In honour of the fact that one's palate is always longing for home, every year our city puts on a "Regional Delicacies Exhibition" - a conference-salon-turned-smorgasbord offering fare from most of our eighty-one provinces. Curious foodies and homesick "can't-find-this-anywhere" ingredient seekers converge on the fair to taste test and stock up to their hearts' content.
Not one to miss out on a morning of samples (who else used to love scoring "lunch" by hitting up all the booths at Costco?) and sure that I'd find useful information for my book, I headed down to the exhibition. I got to munch on hazelnuts from Trabzon (terribly expensive this year due to an early frost and a devastated harvest), clotted cream from Afyon, and my longtime favourite, mulberry pestil (like fruit leather) from Gümüşhane. And I may or may not have come home with a sack-full of goodies....
Here's a sampling of my "edible research" from that day.
"Eat honey, live longer."
Marmalades made from rosehip, hawthorn, and kızılcık, a relative of the cranberry.
"Sausages" made from mulberry and pomegranate fruit leather stuffed with walnuts. I'm a total sucker for this stuff.
Pots of pickled peppers.
A special variety of garlic native to my Turkish dad's hometown.
This guy was proud to tell me about all the varieties of roasted
chickpeas that come from Çorum.
The ballı susamlı fıstık (honey sesame peanuts - bottom right) are
a staple in our snack cupboard, but the honey poppyseed
chickpeas (bottom middle) were a fun new treat.
Spices and wafers from Kahramanmaraş. One of my good friends is from there, and I have no doubt she'll return home from winter vacation next week with several jars of fiery pepper paste (far right).
Pişmaniye - "Turkish fairy floss".
The name pişmaniye comes from the verb "to regret."
I understood why when I walked away from that booth with
strands of sugary goodness all over my black coat...
"Stinky cheese" from Erzurum.
Several packets of yaprak sarması (stuffed grape leaves)
found their way home into our fridge.
Spiced mean for dürüm kebap on the grill.
Peppers headed for the grill at the Hatay tent. (Having made several visits to the town in Hatay where this crew was from, this was a fun spot to visit.)
Katıklı ekmek - spiced flatbread made on a metal disc over the fire.
Wishing that, after all my "bits of this and that", I still had room left for lunch!


text:
This extension of an existing university and research building in Svalbard (Spitzbergen), in the very north of Norway was realised by the Oslo based Jarmund / Vigsnæs AS Architects MNAL. The construction which also provides new facilities for the Svalbard Museum is characterised by a faceted insulated copper-clad skin. Its shape is the result of climatic 3D simulations which have been undertaken in order to assure that the accumulation of snow would not create undesired conditions in front of doors and windows.
"In the process, the skin has been flexible to adjustments, both geometrical changes answering to the climatic studies and alterations of program. The building is elevated on poles to prevent the melting of the permanent frost – the only thing fixating the construction. The main structure is in timber, to facilitate on-site adjustments and avoid cold bridges. The outer copper cladding retains its workability even at low temperatures, thereby extending the construction period further into the cold season."
"An important consideration has been to create vital public spaces and passages in the building, an "interior campus" area providing warm and lighted meeting places during the dark and cold winter. The pine-clad spaces have complex geometry relating to the outer skin of the building- the effectiveness of the circulation is maximized but at the same time it offers varied vistas and experiences. The technical infrastructure is hidden in the tilted walls of the interior. The use of color has been a necessity in a natural condition where colors are scarce.
Both physical and virtual models have been important tools in the design process, while an accurate 1:50 construction model has facilitated work on site.
The Danish / Islandic artist Olafur Eliasson will provide an extensive glass installation on the main lobby window."
Design team: Jarmund/Vigsnæs AS Architects MNAL, Einar Jarmund, Håkon Vigsnæs, Alessandra Kosberg
Assisted by: Anders Granli, Nevzat Vize, Sissil Morseth Gromholt, Thor Christian Pethon, Halina Noach, Harald Lode, Stian Schjelderup
Client: Statsbygg / Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property
Project partners:
Structural: AS Frederiksen
Electrical: Monstad AS
Mechanical: Erichsen & Horgen AS
Landscape arch: Grindaker AS
Climatic: Byggforsk v/Thomas Thiis
to the Jarmund / Vigsnæs AS Architects MNAL profile @ Architonic


text:
Concerning the grade system of A.'.A.'. (or G.'.D.'.)
If a zelator has hit Chesed (in Yesod) does he swear the oath of the abyss before moving to Hod?
Or is it Binah in Yesod that he is hitting? The movement appears similar, not to mention the 3=8
makes me think of 8=3 or MT. I may be completely off track, but reading Liber 913 and it's assignment
to Zelator (Yet many references to it being the work of an exempt adept) makes me think so. I also recall that a Zelator cannot move to Hod without swearing it (I've also read things contradicting this as well, consider that Crowley saw MT's in everyday life who were non initiates, no formal oath I assume).


text:
The Daily IKN email digest, get all daily posts sent to you next day (& no ads)
The most visited IKN post this week is...
The Friday OT: George Thorogood & The Destroyers; Who Do You Love
Ignore today's cart-before-horse debate on the dollar and US jobs
Economies do not get stronger due to currencies. Ever. Economies do not get weaker due to currencies, either. One is a real thing that exists, the other is a medium of exchange and its flow from point A to point B allows us to gauge the relative strength or weakness of the two things at either end. There's this big mental image we're sold by the ignorant media show, one that the finance world conjures up of a scales-of-justice type weighing machine: You're presented with a country's economy on one side and the country's unit of currency on the other and told "this up this down". It's complete bullshit, because only one of those things is real and tangible, the other is a ghost. For sure the most persistent ghost of modern society, but it's still a ghost.
Falklands/Malvinas spy shock news thingy
PS: On the subject of spigots (but otherwise totally unrelated), here's hoping that those of you in families with kids enjoy this long weekend. SMBC understands why.
*or at least it ran until 2011, but the inference of ongoing is pretty clear.
Biiwii got you covered on the US BLS jerbs repert, here.
PS: This USD chart shows the main reaction and when it all boils down, it's the need-to-know:
Good Friday art
"In the first place, in 1950, I had a 'cosmic dream' in which I saw this image in colour and which in my dream represented the 'nucleus of the atom.' This nucleus later took on a metaphysical sense; I considered it 'the very unity of the universe,' the Christ!"
What volumes are telling us about juniors. And nice photos. And Pierre Lassonde.
Why you should read Louis James of Casey Research
We are preparing a more in-depth review of the base metal markets for our next issue of the International Speculator. However, I want to bring the matter to Casey Investment Alert subscribers' attention first, as I did with the "come hell, high water, or $1,000 gold" portfolio, because the markets could move significantly before the next edition. Here's our thinking on what to do now:
Clever traders may want to consider shorting copper and iron producers as well, but remember that you have to be right on the timing, not just the direction the stocks move. We have not found a suitable vehicle for recommending as a short position to our readers, but it's an idea for the pros to look into.
- Liquidate any pure industrial metals plays you may still have in your portfolio, unless they can profit at significantly lower prices.
- Hold on to base metals plays that have very strong precious metal components, such as XXXX and XXXX, as they have the potential to greatly outperform market expectations.
- Accumulate cash, wait, and watch for wholesale base-metal blood in the streets.
My thanks for the forward to A. Reader.
Chart of the day is...
Just for the record, regarding the cojones of President Ollanta Humala
UPDATE Thursday evening: And it's...Cateriano.
A Flash update...
...has just been sent to subscribers. Something for the (long) weekend, sir. Or madam.
Eric Coffin does Kitco
Gran Colombia Gold (GCM.to) 4q14 results
PS Apparently red dwarfs don't collapse. And apparently i'm a dumbass for not knowing that. Fair enough.
PPS: The morons coming over from CEO.ca this morning can now stop. Go back to the asslicker Humphreys at his Frank Giustra bankrolled sycophant entertainment site and stop bugging the people who have a freakin' clue about how they're being ripped off. Ignorance is bliss, so stay blissful.
Thanks for all the mails this morning
Whatever you wrote, it was kind of you to take the time.
The end of the line for IKN
Checking in on price forecasts and price action for nickel
First those forecasts:
Sep 26 2014: Nickel price to average $20,000 mt in 2015 on ore supply tightness: analyst
Dec 5 2014: Nickel prices should increase, economist says
Dec 31 2014: Mining in 2015: Nickel price promises much
Jan 5 2015: Nickel Outlook 2015: Deficit May Be in the Cards by Q2
March 2 2015: Nickel prices poised to "surge" in 2015: Royal Nickel CEO
March 3 2015: PDAC 2015: Major rallies anticipated in zinc and nickel prices
We could continue. Now the price chart for nickel:
And while we're here, an owl:
Thanks, owly.
The thought process behind offering you up a link to eight violin concertos by JS Bach
Repeating Reason
Torex (TXG.to) news and you
Security: Quiet and Well Supported By State and Federal ForcesThe community members that were abducted in the February 6th incident were returned to their families before the end of the month. The 'community police' are engaging in a process to achieve formal recognition from the State and Military authorities. When completed, this will provide them with more resources and training. The State Police and Military continue to effectively patrol the area and discussions have started and will continue over the next few months with the objective of formalizing a commitment for a permanent Federal and/or State security presence. In the meantime the area has remained quiet and construction activities have accelerated.
Biiwii today
A great little screed, entitled "Here's why it could get way better for gold". Excerpt:
"...while it has been a patience play for sure, a strong US dollar is one strong fundamental consideration in bringing on a new bull market maybe not in gold, but in the gold stock sector. That is because we are 100% focused on economic cycles now. Not some stupid blathering about a strong US dollar and the Fed's ongoing Kabuki Theater'will they or won't they raise the Funds Rate by a lousy 1/4 point'."I really do dislike the MSM's utter banality, it's just that I need them to gauge the psychological aspects of an overall plan that includes so much more than what the average TV star analyst puts out there, not to mention a good chunk of the mainstream financial services industry."
Ben Bernanke reaches the pinnacle of his career
He's started a blog. Go read it here, first entry's up already with great use of some cat GIFs as well.
You've come a long way, baby.
Luna Gold (LGC.to) 4q14
The IKN Weekly, out now
The Tekoa Da Silva files, Brent Cook edition
PS: Tekoa Da Silva had caught your humble scribe's beady eye as far back as May 2013, with this interview with Jon Case of Sentry.


text:
INDOFirmware.site – On this page, you will get the official link firmware Mito A270 Stock ROM ( Flash File ) on your Computer. The Firmware comes in a zip package, which contains Flash File, Free Flash Tool, USB Driver and Guide How-to Flash Manual.
Download Firmware Mito A270 Stock ROM (flash file)
- File Name : Mito_A270_SC7731_20151231_5.1_SPD.zip
- File Size : 668 Mb
- How to Flash : Flash with Miracle BOX, or Research DOnwload Tool [ Read Bellow ]
- Firmware Link : DOWNLOAD
Requirements to flash Mito A270
- A Windows PC
- USB Cable
- Research Download Tool, Multi Download Tool, Spreadtrum Flash Tool
- Spreadtrum Driver DOWNLOAD
- Mito A270 And Make sure the battery Capacity more than 50% to prevent Failed when Flashing.
Preparation Before Start Flashing
# Install Spreadtrum USB Driver and Make sure driver Installed Succesfulyy
# Extract Firmware Downloaded Please chek, the Extention must .pac to Flashing Using Research Download Tool or Multi download Tool.
How to Flash Mito A270 using Research Download Tool
- Open Research Download.exe
- Press the first gear button On Research Download Tool. This will open up a browse menu
- Browse Firmware file [ .pac ]
- Open Setting [ Gear ] Menu
- Untick Misc to Skip Flashing Misc File cause this Option Will erase Config
- After your done press the arrow like button. This will start the process and have it ready for your phone. Take the battery out of your phone now for at least 15 seconds. Place it back and plug in the usb while simultaneously holding the volume down button. You should see in research download that it has started
flashing You can let go of the volume key now When it is finished just press the stop button and
disconnect your phone
- Power On Your Phone Now Already Installed New Stock ROM
# Please Backup Your Data Phone before start Flashing Cause your Data Will be Erased After SUcces or Failed Flashing
# Cause of Failure : 80% Failed Flashing Cause by Hardware, or Driver not Installed Properly, You can confirm by looking at the device manager If still Yellow Driver Not Installed. Please try Disable Driver Signature on your Windows before Intalling Driver


text:
Monday, December 1, 2008
Monday, Dec. 1st, 2008 - Looking for inspiration
click on the image to enlarge
Copyright ©estandrea - All rights reserved
13 comments:
- Mim said...
inspiration will come!
- December 1, 2008 at 12:58 PM
- Cathie said...
Ms. Doodle needs to go outside today. I think Ms. Doodle should bundle up and dance in the snow in the moonlight -- marveling at the diamonds as they fall from the sky. Or, perhaps she could buy her Christmas tree, cup of hot chocolate in hand??
- December 1, 2008 at 1:00 PM
- Andrea and Kim said...
Miss Doodle, you are sure right...you gotta love the sketchbook. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you paint, but just paint. Maybe a brainstorming session in your sketchbook/journal will present you with a list of ideas, too.
Inspired or not, I think you are looking fabulous, Dahling! :)
- December 1, 2008 at 1:51 PM
- Unknown said...
Mim, thanks for the encouragement and we will count on it!
- December 1, 2008 at 2:10 PM
- Unknown said...
Cathie, yes that is what Ms. Doodle should do. Right now she's stuck inside but this evening she'll take in some fresh air and impressions:)
- December 1, 2008 at 2:11 PM
- Unknown said...
Kim, you are right, Mis sdoodle always looks good, even in her moments of blankness and doubt:), whereas on the secretary, doubt shows!:):)
- December 1, 2008 at 2:12 PM
- Cris, Artist in Oregon said...
Oh Miss Doodle I so identify with you right now. my canvas is blank too. I need some inspiration too. You put your all into your Secretary's show so now you need to find something else fun, But hey you do look fabulous like Kim said. :))
- December 1, 2008 at 5:47 PM
- Andrea and Kim said...
I suppose that showing of concern is apparent in even the best of us.
- December 1, 2008 at 6:58 PM
- soulbrush said...
let your mind fly miss d....to faraway places and exotic people...
- December 2, 2008 at 11:56 AM
- Unknown said...
- December 3, 2008 at 7:56 AM
Andrea open your notebook, get out your favorite pencil, then take the pencil line for a walk, lo and behold a Miss Doodle doodle
- December 3, 2008 at 11:19 AM
- Unknown said...
Thanks from Miss Doodle to you all for your inspiring comments! You are her muse:)
- December 3, 2008 at 12:14 PM
- human being said...
this is the calmness before the storm of creation...
- December 3, 2008 at 5:44 PM