text:
20 Exchange Place Trades for $152M
By Barbara Jarvie
June 14, 2004
NEW YORK CITY-A lot of developers are stealing the mindset of the film, "Field of Dreams," as yet another deal to convert Lower Manhattan office into residential use is announced. The 800,000-sf 20 Exchange Pl. was traded for $152 million to a joint venture comprised of Nathan Berman, Yaron Bruckner and Eastbridge NV. The bottom of tower will continue to be used for office space, while floors 16 through 57 will be converted to residential.
The law firm of Herrick, Feinstein LLP put the deal together with senior debt financing provided by Column Financial Inc., which is a division of CS First Boston. Senior mezzanine financing was provided by an affiliate of SL Green and junior mezzanine financing was provided by Prudential Real Estate Investors.
The Herrick team closed one of the most complicated financing deals that Ive seen in my 36 years in the business, notes Andy Singer, of Singer & Bassuk, which brokered the financing. Tenants at 57-story 20 Exchange Pl., which is located in the heart of the financial district, include the New York Transit Authority.
Berman and Bruckner closed another downtown deal this week--an enhancement to the Liberty Bond financing of 63 Wall St. Last December, the project received tax-exempt Liberty Bond financing from the New York City Housing Development Corp. for the residential conversion initiative.
The JV is converting the former headquarters of Brown Brothers Harriman, to a 475-unit residential building. To further enhance the Liberty Bond financing, Herrick conceived of an facility where the World-Wide Group, which is also one of the firm's developer clients, teamed up with Bank of America's Tri-Sale Mezzanine Fund to provide a letter of credit secured by a pledge of membership interests.
"There's little more satisfying than putting clients together to create a new line of business. This is as good as it gets," points out Carl F. Schwartz, chairman of the real estate department at Herrick, Feinstein. For it's part, the World-Wide Group notes that creating supplemental products contributes to the rebirth of the financial district, accoring to the company's Julia Hodgson.
© 2004 by GlobeSt.com


text:
Posts Tagged All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace
The Philosophy of Materialism
Posted by Kim Graae Munch in Computers, Materialism, Politics on November 17, 2013
All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace
The Bafta-winning film-maker Adam Curtis have made a documentary series called "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace", describing the philosophy of materialism. He says about the background:
"about how we have been colonised by the machines we have built. Although we don't realise it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of computers. My underlying argument is that we have given up a dynamic political model of the world – the dream of changing things for the better – for a static machine ideology that says we are all components in systems."
This is the best description of the materialistic problem of today, the film is pure art, making the viewers stop and think.
Adam Curtis shows how this "machine ideology" have entered the thoughts of man up through time, starting with ideas of the economic policies of Alan Greenspan and his fascination with the philosopher Ayn Rand; the "selfish gene" popularised by Richard Dawkins; the "self-organising" dreams of hippies in the 1960s; and utopian visions of the internet preached by cyber-nerds in Silicon Valley.
His point is not that computers are worryingly ubiquitous, or that machines are enslaving us, but that we have fooled ourselves into believing that every sphere of human experience – from the democratic nation state to the global economy and even the natural world – can be thought of like a computer, as an ordered network of millions of individually insignificant nodes (i.e. us) whose only achievable goal is to maintain order and stability within the system. Andrew Pettie
And, Curtis says:
"One downside of this machine organising principle," he says, "is that it undermines something really important: the old Enlightenment idea that human beings have the power and the imagination to change the world, to make it what they want and bend it to their will. [This] can be dangerous, but it can also be wonderful."
Wikipedia have a good article here.
The three documentaries are comprised of:
1. Love and Power.
This is the story of the dream that rose up in the 1990s that computers could create a new kind of stable world. They would bring about a new kind global capitalism free of all risk and without the boom and bust of the past. They would also abolish political power and create a new kind of democracy through the Internet where millions of individuals would be connected as nodes in cybernetic systems – without hierarchy.
The film tells the story of two perfect worlds. One is the small group of disciples around the novelist Ayn Rand in the 1950s. They saw themselves as a prototype for a future society where everyone could follow their own selfish desires.
The other is the global utopia that digital entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley set out to create in the 1990s. Many of them were also disciples of Ayn Rand. They believed that the new computer networks would allow the creation of a society where everyone could follow their own desires, yet there would not be anarchy.
They were joined by Alan Greenspan who had also been a disciple of Ayn Rand. He became convinced that the computers were creating a new kind of stable capitalism. But the dream of stability in both worlds would be torn apart by the two dynamic human forces – love and power.
2. The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts. This is the story of how our modern scientific idea of nature, the self-regulating ecosystem, is actually a machine fantasy. It has little to do with the real complexity of nature. It is based on cybernetic ideas that were projected on to nature in the 1950s by ambitious scientists. A static machine theory of order that sees humans, and everything else on the planet, as components – cogs – in a system.
But in an age disillusioned with politics, the self-regulating ecosystem has again become the model for utopian ideas of human "self-organising networks", with dreams of new ways of organising societies without leaders and in global visions of connectivity like the Gaia theory.
This powerful idea emerged out of the hippie communes in America in the 1960s, and from counter-culture computer scientists who believed that global webs of computers could liberate the world.
But, at the very moment this was happening, the science of ecology discovered that the theory of the self-regulating ecosystem wasn't true. Instead they found that nature was really dynamic and constantly changing in unpredictable ways.
But it was too late, the dream of the self-organising network had by now captured imaginations…
3. The Monkey in the Machine and the Machine in the Monkey. This episode looks at why we humans find this machine vision so beguiling. The film argues it is because all political dreams of changing the world for the better seem to have failed – so we have retreated into machine-fantasies that say we have no control over our actions because they excuse our failure.
At the heart of the film is Bill Hamilton, a scientist. He argued that human behaviour is really guided by codes buried deep within us – a theory later popularised by Richard Dawkins as the "selfish gene". It said that individual human beings are really just machines whose only job is to make sure the codes are passed on for eternity.
This final part begins in 2000 in the jungles of the Congo and Rwanda, where Hamilton is to help prove his dark theories. But all around him the Congo is being torn apart. The film then interweaves the two stories–the strange roots of Hamilton's theories, and the history of the West's tortured relationship with the Congo and technology…
The title is borrowed from a poem handed out on the streets of San Francisco in 1967 by the writer Richard Brautigan:
I like to think (and
the sooner the better!)
of a cybernetic meadow
where mammals and computers
live together in mutually
programming harmony
like pure water
touching clear sky.I like to think
(right now, please!)
of a cybernetic forest
filled with pines and electronics
where deer stroll peacefully
past computers
as if they were flowers
with spinning blossoms.I like to think
(it has to be!)
of a cybernetic ecology
where we are free of our labors
and joined back to nature,
returned to our mammal
brothers and sisters,
and all watched over
by machines of loving grace.Richard Brautigan
Problems of our economic and political systems of today
Other places with videos: topdocumentaryfilms.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Julian Ribinik is one of the top 10 New York wedding photographers and a multiple awards winner.
We are a husband and wife team who work both independently and together and we LOVE it!
We live in New York, but if you like what we do we will be anywhere you want us to be.
The wedding happens and goes away and the only thing you have at the end? Memories!
We might be your least expensive or most expensive purchase but we definitely will be the most treasured one.
Call us, email us, message us on Facebook, let's chat and create a love story like no one else did before…
We want you to look at what we do and who we are, chat with us and decide if we are the right match.
We are not for everyone… and actually, we are totally fine with it.
But if you think we are a good fit – you will get something very unique, because we are there to tell YOUR story.
You will have fun having us around.
We will talk you through it and guide you when needed. We will be invisible when needed as well.
The only thing we ask in return is… for you to trust us. Just relax and allow us do what we do best.
You will re-live the story of your gorgeous wedding day through our images and still get teary 10-15 years later.
That we can guarantee :)
Now, scroll down and look at all those AMAZING couples we have the honor to work with!
We are looking forward to meeting you both!
Sincerely yours, Julian and Evgenia.
« Older posts
© 2019 Julian Ribinik Wedding Photography


text:
Dear Em.
I have just received your letter and although I have just sent each of you a postal I am going to sneek a few minutes and answer a few question. You know this is the land of the (Manyanna) or tomorrow and if you let any thing go over for a minute, even, you are bound to keep putting it off. So you see I am going to keep up with you and go one better if possible. Now Em don't go to work and send a lot of candy that will cost more for postage than twice what the candy is worth. Don't get me wrong on this now, but you see it costs so much for the sending of it that it hardly pays. I am dissappointed myself to hear that our Henry went back on you like that, but never mind Em, you know I am very queer my self some times. Just tell him that I really want a picture of him, for he used to be good in taking me around with him to different places when I was a kid.
You bet I am looking forward to the time when I will wear those clothes and I am glad you mentioned the fact that Lena has taken care of them. I'll wear them out, looking at them I guess. We wear these clothes out washing them (All in the game you know.) I wish I could tell you how long it will be before we get home but I can tell you when it is said we will return. There is a lot of talk, that we will parade Oct. 12th in Boston. It may be sooner than that but, lets not kid ourselves will we Em. I bet you dread my pestering and teasing when I get home there. We'll have a great boxing bout if you will promise before hand not to make me laugh too hard. As for washing clothes, that's got to be part of the manual of arms now. They may have an event and give prizes, at the Armory, if so I'll bet right now that I won't be last, what do you say.
Say Pa is some sport what, and I sure do hope he has a pleasant and interesting trip. If he sees the West Pointers it will be as good as half the whole vacation for they are the finest type of physical development in the country. The papers sertainly told the truth when they spoke of our going on out post and patrol duty and I will say right here that paper notoriety is left intirly to the Ninth. We got some towels last week and I suppose it is the result of just such concert as you mentioned. I hope they get a lot of money, for you know we can always use that.
The woman who owns the house in which Mollie is to live, didn't change her mind any for Mary is a doll, not a child. I sent her a postal the other day, in care of Lena for I didn't know but what she had moved. I also sent one to the Higgin's and I guess they have both been received by this time.
It is great fun roaming in among the hills here, doing patrol duty, and really I never knew that I was so sure, yet light on my feet. We were given a can of tobacco and a plug of chewing yesterday, the first hand out since leaving Kansas City. I guess you notice that these letters are simply filled with the same kind of stuff every day, but I know you realize that news is very scarce in this part of the country, and also that a soldiers life is one tiresome thing followed by the very same tiresome thing one day after the other day. But then if it was not, every body would be a soldier.
Just up the rail road there is a house where we get our water from which flies "Old Glory", and as I looked up and saw it just now, it reminded me of the letter in which you said that Lena was going to keep our stars and stripes in the breezes until the boys come marching home.
Dear Em.
Although this is sunday, its the same old slogan "No rest for the weary." Up this morning at five and out on the tunnel again at twelve. In the mean time, I washed all of my clothes that I used since yesterday, which was, a suit of underwear, two pair of socks pair of breaches, pair of leggings, dish (the same one I took from 297) and bathe towel my bed cot. No sooner had I completed this than we had to stand inspection of every thing in our possession. Then I was handed a slip of paper with a list of 14 privates 2 corporals, draw rations and beat it. We havent got time to get lazy or sick here . I am tip top.
P.S. –I havent the time or material with me to write a letter. We had a N.E. boiled dinner today. I wonder how the table looks at home. Give my regards to Emma, and the Studleys. Is the pan under the ice chest emptied. Hope Pa enjoys his trip to N.Y. Give Mary my love. How are you all. I am glad to hear from Henry ever time you write.
Dear Lena,
I just sent Em's postal in but I am going to write this in hopes that the next visiting patrol that comes around will get this back in time to catch todays mail, so that the both of them will make a small letter. I am saving all the mail I am receiving and I hope to send it all home when we get back to Camp Cotton or what we call home. We just had a little target practice up in the hills and I hit a peice of grass, at about five hundred yards the first time I tried it and a telephone poll with pistol at about one thousand yards three times out of four. You see we can't use all the amunition we want to, for we are only issued 210 rounds per man and at inspection, if we cannot account for any that is missing we have to pay 2 ½ cents apeice for them besides a dose of 11/55 Texas. (get it) Gee but it would be great to have a little brush with some Mexicans but no such luck. (Part of the game) You would think we were pack mules if you could see us loaded down with amunition climbing the mountains. I got Berts card. How is the gas stove. I bet I could lift and put that piano any where you want it. How many brooms have you worn out? Oh for a strawberry short cake and one of your puddings. I suppose you havent used one yeast up yet well when I get home buy a ton of it, Im getting to like bread again. I bet Ive used 20 cakes of soap. As this is all I can think of I guess Ill stop.
© Copyright 2008 by Richard Landers, All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.


text:
(Ex VAT)
(Inc VAT)
Safe and Secure online shoppping
The Tamperproof Aluminium framed noticeboards use the same attractive display stitchbond fabric as our Resist-a-Flame® range but with a standard fibreboard core. The fabric is individually tested to BS5867 Part 2 2008; Type B curtains,drapes and blinds. These boards are for use in non-sensitive areas. For all other areas i.e. fire escapes, stairwells, lobbies etc see Resist-a-Flame® products. 2 locks per door with matching keys. Single door versions can be mounted portrait or landscape.
|Size (W x H)
|Single Door
|60 x 90cm
|Single Door
|90 x 90cm
|Single Door
|90 x 120cm
|Single Door
|120 x 120cm
|Double Door
|180 x 120cm
|Double Door
|240 x 120cm
Call Us: 01592 654 549


text:
Why MCLA
MCLA is full of diverse, talented, and creative faculty, staff, and students. Join our community and learn from our world-class professors, gain experience with internships, see the world with study abroad, and make life-long connections with our faculty, staff, and fellow students.
We strive to enroll qualified students from all over the country, who exhibit the potential for academic and personal growth, and will benefit from a liberal arts education.
- MCLA offers powerful results. Our alumni work in exciting careers all over the world and study at prestigious universities both here and abroad. Check out their stories.
- Our over 80 programs of study in the liberal arts, humanities, and sciences offer a varied and interesting education for the multi-faceted student.
- Our 13:1 student to faculty ratio and average class size of 18 allows for personalized and direct access to our amazing professors.
- With over 50 clubs, activities, and organizations and 13 Division III sports, there is always something to do and be involved in.
- A variety of study abroad, internship, service learning and research opportunities allow our students to gain valuable real-world experience.
- Our community is one of a kind. We are located in the city of North Adams in the beautiful Berkshires, voted one of the 15 Best Cities for Creative 20-Somethings by Mic.
MCLA operates on a rolling admission basis for both our Fall and Spring semesters. Our Early Action deadline is December 1st. To ensure the maximum amount of financial aid and scholarships, we encourage students to apply before our priority deadline of March 1st. Apply today!
Questions? Contact us!
800.969.MCLA 413.662.5410 email@example.com


text:
Interview and Review by Liza Perrat
Linda Kovic-Skow is the author of the French Illusions memoirs: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley and its sequel: From Tours to Paris. Today I'd like to welcome Linda to the Triskele Bookclub to talk about her writing of these fascinating memoirs.
But firstly, my review of French Illusions, which first appeared on Bookmuse:
French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley is the first of two memoirs based on the diary entries of the author, Linda Kovic-Skow. Back in 1979, when she was 21, Linda yearned to become a flight attendant. But this required speaking a second language, so she chose to learn French by becoming an au pair to a wealthy French family living in a château in the beautiful Loire Valley. Thrown in at the deep end, without knowing any French, Linda struggled to adapt to her new environment, not to mention certain difficult members of the family. And when she signed up for French classes at the university, and met another student, the handsome Adam, her life became even more complicated.
As an Australian living in France, I completely identified with the author's predicament. Arriving here to take up with the Frenchman I'd met on holiday in Thailand, without a word of the lingo, I too floundered with the language, customs and traditions, yet immensely enjoyed the food, wine and history.
I felt I was reading the author's diary entries a she was writing them, and as I accompanied Linda on her adventures and romances, I found myself sympathizing with her problems, and celebrating her triumphs.
By the end of the first book I felt I had truly come to know the author as a person; as she was then––a young girl struggling to find her way in a foreign country. Keen for more, I immediately purchased French Illusions Book 2, From Tours to Paris; which I also loved.
Highly personal and entertaining, as well as informational, I would recommend these stories for Francophiles and young girls thinking of becoming au pairs in France, or any foreign country for that matter.
Interview with Linda...
LP: Your story is very intimate and personal, so firstly, what decided you to write about your experiences?
LKS: In 2007 after my husband and I dropped our youngest daughter off at college, I went through a sort of mid-life crisis. I missed being a mom and I wondered how I would fill the void. Something was missing—but what? This prompted me to review what I like to call my "mid-life list." This is similar to a "bucket list," but instead of exploring things to do before you die, you refocus yourself, while you're still relatively young, and figure out the things you want to do in your fifties. My list was short.
-Learn to play the piano
-Travel to Africa to see the elephants
-Travel to Tahiti and see the island of Bora Bora
-Write a book
At the time, I didn't own a piano and, with two daughters in college, I couldn't afford a trip to Africa or Tahiti. What about the last item on my list? If I did write a book, would it be fiction or non-fiction? What genre would I choose? The answers to my questions came to me in the shower (which is where many of my ideas seem to materialize, strangely enough). I decided to hunt down my diary from my au pair adventure in France and compose a memoir. I'd told the story on numerous occasions, and the reaction from friends and family was often the same: You should write a book! Now, I finally had the time. It took me three years and countless hours to write the first book in the French Illusions Series, and a few more to write the second, but now I can scratch another item off my mid-life list.
LP: What kind of readership is your story aimed at?
LKS: The simple answer is adult women. Set in the beautiful Loire Valley, my memoir will remind older readers what it was like to be young, adventurous and filled with dreams. Younger readers will relate to the difficult decisions women make as they transition into adulthood. My hope is that both of these groups will come away from my book realizing it's not too late to create your own memories. Go out and explore the world. Life's for living, after all.
LP: You obviously kept your diaries, to write the books, but did you have to fill in many details from memory, or did you have everything written down already?
LKS: I have to admit writing my memoir was a lot more complex than I initially imagined it would be. My diary offered a great outline of the events, but I had to create the dialog from memory and fill in hard-to-find data on the Loire Valley, the Loire River and the town of Tours from 1979. Internet searches produced most of the information and travel books supplied the rest. From the beginning, difficult questions emerged, such as how to deal with the French sprinkled throughout the book, and whether or not to italicize my thoughts. Oh, and I really struggled with how much detail to include in my own love scenes. I wrote and then rewrote these scenes until I could read them without rolling my eyes.
LP: Have you been back to France since this time? If so, did you see it in a different light?
LKS: In the summer of 2001, my husband, my two girls and I spent a month traveling through France, Italy and Greece. It was a trip of a lifetime for all of us, and this time, I didn't have to worry about running out of money! After a brief visit to the Atlantic Coast, we traveled to central France and toured many of the towns and grand castles I'd missed during my first visit in 1979 and 1980. Each time, before we arrived at our destination, we would pull out travel guides and read the history surrounding the town or castle. It was a wonderful, magical experience for all of us. We stopped briefly in the town where I had been an au pair long ago, and my stomach clenched as memories surfaced. It was a relief when we moved on to our next destination.
LP: Have you kept up your French language skills? And if so, have they been useful at all throughout your life?
LKS: After I returned to United States in 1980, I took French Classes and joined conversational French groups so I could keep up with the language. Once I married and had a family, my priorities changed and I put aside my French studies. When I returned to France with my family in 2001, I noticed how quickly the French words returned. I still treasure a conversation I had with an elderly man in Paris as we discussed the merits of his beloved city. I'll never forget the look of admiration on my family's faces.
LP: Can you tell us about the publication of your books? Did you take care of all the publishing aspects yourself?
LKS: With French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley, I chose to publish my paperback through a self-publishing company. They helped create my book, giving me control over design, editing, and pricing while allowing me to retain all the rights to my book. Then, I contracted with an eBook publishing and distribution company to create my eBook, which I published using my own Limited Liability Corporation called Dreamland Press. They were a good match as well because they charged a fee to create the eBook, but they didn't take a percentage of the royalties.
This year, when I published my sequel, French Illusions: From Tours to Paris, and the French Illusions Box Set, the process moved along at a faster pace. I went directly to a formatter to create my eBooks and covers. Once I had the files, I loaded them onto the various sales platforms. For my print book, I contracted directly to a wholesale book distributer who offered print on demand.
LP: Have you any other memoirs, or fiction, in the pipeline?
LKS: There is nothing in the pipeline right now, but I have a few ideas for future books. Before my mother passed in August of 2014, I recorded four hours of her recounting her life story. She was born in the United States, but her parents took her back to Croatia as a young child, and the family endured enormous hardships during World War II. I think this would make a great historical novel. I'm also considering another memoir about my unusual childhood, something like "Growing up Linda."
Thanks so much, Linda for answering my questions and I wish you all the best with your writing.
Linda Kovic-Skow is a best-selling author in travel in France. Originally from Seattle, she currently winters in Gilbert, Arizona, and spends summers on a boat in the Pacific Northwest Waters of Washington and British Columbia. She earned an Associate Degree in Medical Assisting in 1978 from North Seattle Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Seattle University in 1985. She has been married for 30 years and has two daughters. An enthusiastic traveler, Linda also enjoys hiking, boating, gardening and socializing with friends. "French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley," was her debut memoir. The sequel, "French Illusions: From Tours to Paris," recounts the rest of her adventure in France.
Retail link: Amazon
Social Media Links:


text:
I am going into my sophomore year as an undergraduate and I would like to ask the more experienced folks a couple questions about learning math and related things. What are your experiences and advice concerning the following dilemmas?
Being limited to a rate of 4-5 courses per semester, I realize that I am certainly not going to be able to take all of the courses that I am interested in. I would like to get a build a broad and solid base of knowledge by studying all areas of math at least a bit, but this comes at a cost of being able to take the more advanced, deeper courses. My plan was to self-study measure theory/Banach spaces and topology this year so that I'll be able to immerse myself in the graduate-level courses, which I expect to be more challenging and interesting and rewarding. I was wondering if people had experiences/regrets/wisdom about whether or not this is a good idea? Do you think it's better to build up a broad foundation thoroughly or throw yourself beyond your comfort zone?
On a similar note, what is your advice concerning specialization versus developing a broad taste? In my very limited experience, I have enjoyed representation theory, algebraic number theory, and complex analysis a lot. But there are still so many areas that I've yet to sample: algebraic topology, differential geometry, more advanced real analysis, algebraic geometry, analytic number theory, combinatorics... What's a good balance between trying all the different fields of math and trying to quickly become an expert in one?
Stepping back a bit, let me pose this question for a broader context. I am rather interested in philosophy, psychology, computer science, physics, and economics in addition to mathematics. I would like to take courses in these subjects as well but I am worried that this will put me at a disadvantage should I choose to ultimately devote myself to math. To people who chose either path -- regrets? hindsight? And of course, to anybody -- opinions on this issue?


text:
Please could anyoone help me. I download JWNL mount the file system, have what I think are all the correct imort statements but I still receive errors when I call methods from the library. Is there anything else I should be doing?
Also could anyone point me in the direction of a piece of sample java code that finds a match from the wordnet thesauras for a given word?


text:
Monday, May 4, 2009
Cinco de My Oh My!
When I got out to our local Mexican restaurant I always order the same thing. It's a messy plate of beans, rice, tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and pounds of oozy, melted cheese. Probably not authentic in the least, but amazingly good. And what goes better with all that than a margarita?
Since my life motto is "Eat Dessert First," I thought I'd put dessert into the margarita. Or is it the margarita into the dessert? Either way, it's fabulous. You don't even need an ice cream maker to whip up a batch of this amazing treat. Just stir the ingredients together in a bowl, whip briefly with an electric mixer, then put in the freezer overnight. The alcohol content keeps the ice cream smooth.
Although this presentation of the ice cream was fun, I'd recommend serving scoops in small bowls, then sprinkling the top with your favorite coarse salt. The salt combined with the tequila and the cream is amazing. Really! If you eat dessert first, you might not even want to make it to the main meal.
Margarita Ice Cream
- adapted from Nigella Express
1/2 cup lime juice
3 Tbsp Cointreau or triple sec
2 Tbsp tequila
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Coarse salt for garnishing
1- Pour the lime juice, Cointreau (or triple sec), and tequila into a bowl and sti in the sugar to dissolve.
2- Add the cream and stir to blend. Softly whip with a handheld mixer or whisk until thick and smooth but not stiff.
3- Spoon into an airtight container to freeze overnight. Serve directly from the freezer; the alcohol keeps if from freezing too hard and it will melt quickly.
Makes about 1-1/2 quarts.
22 comments:
Sam and I have greatly been enjoying our little share of it. yum!
- May 4, 2009 at 8:59 AM
- MyKitchenInHalfCups said...
haha you mean you might not make it to the meal if you eat enough of this!!
This sounds like wonderful fun.
- May 4, 2009 at 9:16 AM
- NKP said...
I'm with Tanna, who needs dinner?
I would have these all night!
- May 4, 2009 at 9:24 AM
- Sarah said...
- May 4, 2009 at 9:53 AM
great motto; thats how i roll too!
- May 4, 2009 at 10:08 AM
great motto; thats how i roll too!
- May 4, 2009 at 10:08 AM
- Jennifer Jo said...
I'm on a roll and this fits right in! We made Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream on Friday, and I'm soon going to make Rhubarb Sorbet (need to buy the fresh ginger and some orange zest first), and now this. Thanks!
- May 4, 2009 at 11:03 AM
- Maria said...
Very refreshing!! And great presentation!
- May 4, 2009 at 11:22 AM
- Melinda said...
I think I would like this! I might need to taste test 2 or 3 first, to be sure.
So naughty but 'nice ice cream'.
- May 4, 2009 at 11:22 AM
- Johanna B said...
I've never had a Marguerita (and I lived in the Dallas/Ft Worth area for 12 years) but this recipe makes me want to try it right away.
- May 4, 2009 at 12:28 PM
- Mermaid Sews said...
I LOVE margaritas, and would love this if I could eat ice cream, sounds great.
- May 4, 2009 at 12:39 PM
- The Blonde Duck said...
It's just an excuse to eat tacos and drink down here--pretty much the same thing we do every celebration!
- May 4, 2009 at 1:52 PM
- Elyse said...
Oh Lynn, this ice cream looks fabulous. I love margarita flavor (and the drinks, too). I just love that you topped the ice cream with a sprinkling of salt. How delightful!!
- May 4, 2009 at 3:47 PM
- Diane said...
Looks absolutely wonderful!
- May 4, 2009 at 5:49 PM
- Debbie said...
Great idea for ice cream. My husband loves to make ice cream and experiment with different flavors. I'll have to show him this one!
- May 5, 2009 at 7:22 AM
- Sara said...
I have long wanted to make this ice cream. What am I waiting for? It looks amazing.
- May 5, 2009 at 7:44 AM
- Susan from Food Blogga said...
Cinqo de Mayo is BIG here in San Diego. But we're staying in tonight and avoiding the crowds. Wish I had some of your ice cream for dessert.
- May 5, 2009 at 8:57 AM
- Aimée said...
Ah I need a pint of this. Don't you know the Margarita is my favorite drink?
Come enter my Mother's Day giveaway!
- May 5, 2009 at 11:26 AM
- Abby said...
I'm not surprised the U.S. celebrates Cinco more than Mexico. Ha.
And what a neat recip - I have never heard of such!
- May 5, 2009 at 4:40 PM
- Manggy said...
A holiday made just for food?! Sign me up, then! :) And the ice cream-- yes please :)
- May 5, 2009 at 8:48 PM
- Lien said...
What a lovely idea to 'ice your drink' Looks great. Love that serving glass, very pretty.
My kind of line; Dessert first!
- May 6, 2009 at 12:10 AM
- Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...
Now that is one grogeous and creative dessert!
- May 7, 2009 at 4:14 AM


text:
Teeth Whitening
TeethWhiteningKits2You.co.uk are one of the UK's leading suppliers of teeth whitening kits, Crest Whitening Strips, gels and pens and are a brand you can trust.
All of our products use the same ingredients as dentists (we sell to dentists across the UK) but doing it at home is much more convenient and can be done for a fraction of the cost - and is just as safe.
All of our products are quality assured, manufactured in Europe and comply with all recent EU legislation. We are so confident that you will be delighted with your purchase that we offer a no risk money back guarantee.
Everything we sell comes with Free UK Delivery - no hidden costs when you get to our checkout. Approximately 90% of orders are delivered within 2 working days - see our terms and conditions.
If you're not sure what product you need, then use our Which Product to Use section which will guide you through the process and help you select the most suitable product for you.
Your smile is one of the first things that people notiice about you and most people are very aware of when it is not how they want it to be. Many people think that achieving the white smile they have always wanted is expensive – but it needn't be! Our products use the exact same ingredients that dentists use but at a very affordable cost. It is easy to do yourself at home and will give you the exact same results which you will be proud of and want to show off to everyone.


text:
I'd like to know your opinion about what kind of tablespace to choose for. Oracle documentation says about the advantages of locally managed tablespaces, like "simplified space allocation", "no need to coalesce" etc.
Have you used locally managed tablespaces before? What I want to know is: Locally managed tablespaces are ALWAYS the best choose? If not, in what situation is better to use dictionary managed tablespaces?
Please give me some "real life" feedback about it.


text:
Meeting the creators of Adult Swim's perennial late night favorite, Aqua Teen Hunger Force is almost as strange as seeing the show for the first time. CEO Scott Fry, VP of production Craig Hartin and animation director Todd Redner apply the type of consistent, dedicated deadpan that can only come with a decade of shared life experience. Clearly intelligent and antisocial in equal measure, this trio made for one of the most interesting, and infuriating interviews I have ever conducted.
Read on for the audio and an explanation of the madness.
A quick note before I give you the bullet points of the interview. As you will no doubt notice as the audio begins, I sound like a totally unprofessional dweeb. This is only half my fault. The interview time and place changed three times the day of and as a result I was a bit harried by the time I made it to the final location. When I asked my first question, a fairly simple intro designed to get everyone to describe their basic job, I was met with a deer in headlights stare that made me panic and think that I had just come to the wrong interview. After a few moments of speaking to the trio, I began to realize that this was just how things get done around William's Street Productions. None of the three seemed the least bit interested in actually answering any of my questions, instead they would dance around the point engaging in long and detailed tangents that, when listened to after the fact, actually work well to illuminate exactly how shows like Squidbillies, 12 Ounce Mouse, and Perfect Hair Forever came to be.
0:00-0:20 – The guys mess with my tape recorder.
0:21-1:145 – A basic description of organization of Radical Axis Studios and their methodology.
1:45-2:50 — The history of the studio.
2:50-3:45 –The ATHF terrorist scare in NYC.
3:45-4:35 — The writing process on each show.
4:35-5:05 – The rivalry between Radical Axis and Venture Brothers.
5:05-5:45 – The trio muse on a fictitious sequel to Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters.
5:45-6:45 — How the studio keeps costs low enough to enjoy such creative freedom.
6:45-7:40 – The zeitgeist grabbing qualities of Radical Axis shows.
7:40-9:20 – Developing the art style of each show.
9:20-10:30 – How the studio creates so many shows so quickly.
10:30-11:20 – The trio discuss new and continuing shows.
11:20-12:05 – The future of Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge.
12:05-13:20 – The future of other pilots included in the Adult Swim in a Box collection.
13:20-14:20 – The politics of their absurdist humor.
14:20-15:40 – Squidbillies merchandising and other merch.
15:40-18:20 – The most difficult part of running an animation studio.
18:20-19:15 – The trio discusses the long gaps between seasons.
19:15-20:20 – The challenges of running a studio out of Atlanta versus Los Angeles.
20:20-20:40 – More on the nonexistent ATHFCMFfT sequel.
20:40-21:45 – The "Sexy Men of Radical Axis Studios Calendar."
21:45-22:00 – A list of all of the studio's productions.
22:00-23:30 – The difference between an online show and a television show in approach and execution.
23:30-24:35 – The different animation tools used on each show.
24:35-25:50 – The production schedule for the different shows.
25:50-27:05 – The screenwriting process.
27:05-27:35 – "Adult Swim will never make another movie again."
27:35-29:15 – Final notes.


text:
Margaret Jull Costa has translated the works of many Spanish and Portuguese writers. She won the Portuguese Translation Prize for The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa in 1992 and for The Word Tree by Teolinda Gersão in 2012, and was shortlisted for the following books: The Relic (1996) by Eça de Queiroz, The Migrant Painter of Birds (2002) by Lídia Jorge, The City and the Mountains (2009) by Eça de Queiroz, and The Land at the End of the World (2012) by António Lobo Antunes. With Javier Marías, she won the 1997 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for A Heart So White, and, in 2000 and 2011, she won the Weidenfeld Translation Prize for, respectively, All the Names and The Elephant's Journey, both by José Saramago.In 2008, she won the Pen Book-of-the Month-Club Translation Prize and the Oxford Weidenfeld Translation Prize for The Maias by Eça de Queiroz. In 2015, she won the Marsh Children's Fiction in Translation Award for The Adventures of Shola by Bernardo Atxaga, and in 2017, with her co-translator Robin Patterson, she won the Best Translated Book Award for Chronicle of the Murdered House by Lúcio Cardoso. In 2013, she was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and, in 2014, was awarded an OBE for services to literature. In 2018, she was awarded the Ordem Infante D. Henrique by the Portuguese government.
She has translated the following books for Dedalus: The Adventures of the Ingenious Alfanhuí and The River by Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio, Lúcio's Confession and The Great Shadow by Mário de Sá-Carneiro, The Dedalus Book of Spanish Fantasy (with Annella McDermott), The Dedalus Book of Portuguese Fantasy (eds. Eugénio Lisboa and Helder Macedo), Spring and Summer Sonatas and Autumn and Winter Sonatas by Ramón del Valle-Inclán; by Eça de Queiroz: The Mandarin, The Relic, The Tragedy of the Street of Flowers, The Crime of Father Amaro, Cousin Bazilio, The Maias, The City and the Mountains, Alves & Co., The Mystery of the Sintra Road and The Illustrious House of Ramires. She is also editor and co-translator of the anthology Take Six: Portuguese Women Writers.
Take Six (Six Portuguese Women Writers)
The Adventures of the Ingenious Alfanhui
The Books that devoured my Father
The Dedalus Book of Portuguese Fantasy
The Dedalus Book of Spanish Fantasy
The Girl from the Sea (and other stories)
The Great Shadow (and other stories)
The Illustrious House of Ramires
The Mandarin (and other stories)
The Mystery of the Sintra Road
The Tragedy of the Street of Flowers


text:
Last week's New York City Teen Author Festival attracted 1,000 attendees to events featuring some 90 authors over the course of the seven days. Calling those numbers "pretty sweet," organizer David Levithan shared some photos from the diverse array of panels and other gatherings.
From l., Jennifer E. Smith, Melissa Walker, Bennett Madison, Gayle Forman, and Kristen-Paige Madonia were at the Mulberry Street branch of NYPL for the "I'll Take You There: A Change of Scenery, A Change of Self" panel, in which they discussed how plunging their characters into new places helps reveal the characters' true selves.
After the Scholastic YApalooza event, Jeff Hirsch and J.J. Howard signed at the Scholastic Store.
First-timer Tiffany Schmidt participated in the New Voices Spotlight at NYPL's 42nd Street branch, where she and three other authors shared five-minute readings from their work.
Later that afternoon at the NYPL, Lindsay Ribar, Jeri Smith-Ready, Jessica Spotswood, and Alexandra Monir spoke at the "Born This Way: Nature, Nurture, and Paranormalcy" panel, which explored issues of identity in paranormal and supernatural teen fiction.
At Soho's McNally Jackson bookstore, the so-called Mutual Admiration Society showcased authors Nova Ren Suma, Victora Schwab, Sharon Cameron, A.S. King, and Diana Peterfreund.
Rainbow Rowell, Kimberly Sabatini, and Barry Lyga were among the nearly 50 authors on hand for Books of Wonder's No-Foolin' Mega-Signing.


text:
Aren't we all trapped in our little 'prisons'? Jobs, relationships, daily routines. If we can't break free, it's time to decorate them
(Twitter, January 11, 2009)
An anthology of Indra Herlambang's writings. Yes, Indra Herlambang, the host of Insert in Trans TV. I once read his articles in a magazine and enjoyed it. When I found his book in Gramedia, I directly bought it. The book is about Indra's articles from Indra Herlambang's column in several magazines, i.e. Free Magazine, U Magazine and ME.
Indra divided his books into 4 chapters, the life style, the love, Jakarta and family. He started each article with a related tweet like I quoted above. He delivers his thought in a simple yet interesting way. Humorous and witty at the sametime.
I enjoy every article, every sentence and curious about the ending. Most topic are about everyday life. About facebook and why lately people tend to show off there, about his interview with Miyabi, about Obama, about the difference between twitter and the real birds, and many more, but the most touching part is about family. It seems that he is so close to his family. When he wrote about his family particularly his parents, I know it comes from heart.
Never thought that Indra's writings are so entertained. I finished this book in a short time. A perfect companion while sipping my caramel tea.
Kicau Kacau
Labels: books
4 comments:
- gerandis March 14, 2011 at 7:53 AM
owh, ini buku toh, aku pernah ngliat covernya via twitter, kirain ini buat pertunjukan teater ato semacam itu :D
udah pernah juga baca tulisannya yg tentang kicauan burung twitter, iya sih, tulisannya bagus juga
- YNa March 14, 2011 at 11:25 AM
saya baru tau klo Indra itu sering nulis artikel di media. tp suka sama pribadi dia yg apa adanya dan jg smart. pingin beli juga bukunya :)
- Ratih March 15, 2011 at 1:12 PM
always love Indra's tweet, humorous yet smart in 140characters. (yes I'm his follower :D)
tapi belum beli bukunyaa, hehe.. segera!
- riana March 16, 2011 at 12:28 PM
@Gerandis: Iya, bukunya ringan & menghibur, enak dibaca kalau abis capek berkebun, hehe...
@MbYana: Iya, Indra is good in writing. Tulisan2nya mencerminkan dirinya, sederhana & apa adanya.
@MbRatih: Wahhh...followernya Indra juga toh? aku selalu cekikikan baca tweetnya, simple tapi mengena..ayo segera ke Gramed atau mau pinjem? yuk ambil ke rumah ..:p


text:
KABUL (Reuters) - Shortly after Friba joined the Afghan National Police, she gave herself the nickname "dragon" and vowed to bring law and order to her tormented homeland.
Five years later, she is tired of rebuffing the sexual advances of male colleagues, worries the budget for the female force will shrink and fears the government will abandon them.
Women in the police force were held up as a showcase for Afghan-Western efforts to promote rights in the new Afghanistan, born from the optimism that swept the country after the ouster of the Taliban in 2001.
Images of gun-wielding Afghan policewomen have been broadcast across the globe, even inspiring a television program popular with young Afghan women.
But going from the burqa to the olive green uniform has not been easy.
In Reuters interviews with 12 policewomen in districts across the Afghan capital, complaints of sexual harassment, discrimination and bitter frustration were prevalent.
President Hamid Karzai's goal is for 5,000 women to join the Afghan National Police (ANP) by the end of 2014, when most foreign troops will leave the country.
But government neglect, poor recruitment and a lack of interest on the part of authorities and the male-dominated society mean there are only 1,850 female police officers on the beat, or about 1.25 percent of the entire force.
And it looks to get worse.
Friba, who asked that her second name not be used, says it all when she runs a manicured finger across her throat: "Once foreigners leave we won't even be able to go to the market. We'll be back in burqas. The Taliban are coming back and we all know it."
Conditions for women in Afghanistan have improved significantly since the Taliban were ousted. Women have won back basic rights in voting, education and work since Taliban rule, when they were not allowed out of their homes without a male escort and could be publicly stoned to death for adultery.
But problems persist in the deeply conservative Muslim society scarred by decades of conflict. The United Nations said this month that despite progress, there was a dramatic under reporting of cases of violence against women.
Some female lawmakers and rights groups blame Karzai's government for a waning interest in women's rights as it seeks peace talks with the Taliban, accusations his administration deny.
"We have largely failed in our campaign to create a female police force," said a senior Afghan security official who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject.
"Mullahs are against it, and the women are seen as not up to the job," he added, referring to Muslim preachers.
Almost a third of the members of the female force work in Kabul, performing duties such as conducting security checks on women at the airport and checking biometric data.
Friba sat in a city police station room decorated with posters of policemen clutching weapons to talk to Reuters.
"I am the dragon and I can defend myself, but most of the girls are constantly harassed," she said.
"Just yesterday my colleague put his hands on one of the girl's breasts. She was embarrassed and giggled while he squeezed them. Then she turned to us and burst into tears."
On the other side of Kabul, detective Lailoma, who also asked that her family name not be used, said several policewomen under her command had been raped by their male colleagues.
Dyed russet hair poking out from her black hijab, part of the female ANP uniform, Lailoma wrung her hands as she complained about male colleagues: "They want it to be like the time of the Taliban. They tell us every day we are bad women and should not be allowed to work here."
Male colleagues also taunt the women, she added, often preventing them from entering the kitchen, meaning they miss out on lunch.
On several occasions, male colleagues interrupted Reuters interviews in what the policewomen said were attempts to intimidate them into silence.
One male officer entered the room without knocking three times to retrieve pencils; another spent 20 minutes dusting off his hat, only to put it back on a shelf. The women switched subjects when the men came in.
Rana, a 31-year-old, heavy-set policewoman with curly hair, said policewomen were expected to perform sexual favors: "We're expected to do them to just stay in the force."
The raping of policewomen by their male counterparts "definitely takes place", said Colonel Sayed Omar Saboor, deputy director for gender and human rights at the Interior Ministry, which oversees the police.
"These men are largely illiterate and see the women as immoral."
Insecurity, opposition to women working out of the home and sexism deter many women from signing up, said Saboor.
But impoverished widows sometimes have no choice. A starting salary is about 10,500 afghanis a month ($210).
The Interior Ministry and foreign organizations responsible for training the women police - NATO, the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - say recruitment poses the main challenge to the force.
"It is just difficult. There is no real history of women in the police force, there is no precedent, even having an open space for women in employment is a challenge," UNDP Associate Administrator Rebeca Grynspan told Reuters.
A recruitment campaign of television adverts and posters has not produced the desired effect in a country where there are huge social and religious divides between the rural and urban populations. Even fewer join the national army, where some 350 women serve amongst 190,000.
"Much of the male leadership don't want to have anything to do with women in the ANP. Commanders want them out of their units," Saboor said, adding that having 2,500 female police officers could be realistic by end-2014.
Of those who join, few have prospects for promotion. They often find themselves in police stations without proper facilities for women, such as toilets or changing rooms which are vital for the many who hide the fact that they work from their families.
The sprawling Interior Ministry has only recently started work on installing toilets for women. "Ten years of this war have passed, and we're only now building them a toilet," Saboor said with a wry laugh.
For First Lieutenant Naderah Keshmiri, whose humble yet stern approach helps her pursue cases of violence against women, life as a policewoman means being undervalued.
"My male subordinates quickly became generals. But not me. Where's my promotion?" she asked in a UNDP-backed Family Response Unit, which she heads.
The UNDP has set up 33 of the units countrywide, which help increase female visibility in the ANP, with plans to more than double them by 2015.
A Western female police trainer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said policewomen are almost always passed over for promotion by their male commanders.
U.S. lawmakers are hoping to amend a defense bill by year-end to protect the rights of Afghan women during the security transition. They want to reduce physical and cultural barriers to women joining the security forces.
Ethnicity also plays a role: 55 percent of women in the ANP are ethnic Tajik, Afghanistan's second-largest ethnic group. Recruiting from the largest and most conservative ethnic group, the Pashtuns, is difficult.
The Taliban draw most of their support from the Pashtuns, who dominate the south of the country. Pashtun women make up only 15 percent of the force.
Hazaras, a largely Shi'ite minority who suffered enormous losses at the hands of the Taliban, are overrepresented amongst the women, making up 24 percent, according to figures from NATO's training mission in Afghanistan.
But many of the policewomen are wondering whether their force can survive.
Lowering her voice, Friba whispered: "As soon as the foreigners leave, they'll reduce our salaries. This will not happen to the men. Or perhaps they'll kick us out entirely."
(Editing by Michael Georgy and Robert Birsel)
Insight: Once a symbol of new Afghanistan, can policewomen survive?
This article
Insight: Once a symbol of new Afghanistan, can policewomen survive?
can be opened in url
Insight: Once a symbol of new Afghanistan, can policewomen survive?
Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Alexisbritodelgado News
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment


text:
EBC Brakes
Kawasaki ER-6N Brake Pads by EBC Brakes
Kawasaki ER-6N Brake Pads by EBC Brakes
Part Number Fits the following Kawasaki ER 6n models:-
Front : FA229HH / FA231HH
Rear: FA192HH
EBC Double-H™ Sintered Superbike Brake Pads deliver high performance and are well known as the EBC flagship sintered street sport brake pad. ECE R 90 brake safety approved and TUV tested, these ultra high friction HH rated brake pads remain a market leader above the rest as nothing else beats the performance of the Double-H™ Sintered Superbike Brake Pad.
Manufactured in the US in the state-of-the-art sintering plant in Ohio, Double-H™ Sintered Superbike Brake Pads perform well in all weather conditions be it dry or wet and have a high longevity lasting for many miles.
We took out several other particles which our competitors still use which caused massive disc damage and created our launch material.
- SB101C material
- Lowest BRAKE NOISE
- High HEAT CYCLING CAPABILITY
- Sintered copper alloy engineering
- Long lifetime and ultra high brake effect
- Gives perfect braking in any condition, dry or wet
- EBC Double-H pads are the grippiest street legal brake pads you can buy.
These pads benefit from the highest friction HH rating for maximum stopping power, made from sintered copper alloy like original pads for longer life and perfect braking under all riding conditions, wet, dry, hot or cold. The unique double segment vented design keeps the pads cooler and prevents pad drag and overheat or fade.
Delivery areas - We ship all across India. Delivery timelines may vary based on location and mode of shipping.
For International Shipping; please get in touch via email or phone. Shipping charges will apply based on the order.
Givi products can be shipped only within the South states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and the eastern states.
Share this Product
Have a Question?
Be the first to ask a question about this.


text:
Gov. Pat Quinn took the advice of good-government groups and vetoed a bill that would place extra burdens, and in some instances costs of up to $100, on people filing Freedom of Information Act requests.
House Bill 3796 cleared the General Assembly by wide margins in the rushed last days of the spring session. It would allow governments to identify certain requests as "voluminous," delaying them and charging between $20 and $100 for electronic data.
Quinn vetoed the bill Friday, stating that it penalized those "seeking to learn more about their government." His veto message was not posted to the General Assembly's website as of early Friday evening.
All but one of McHenry County's representatives in the House voted against the bill. which passed on a 77-36 vote. Two of the county's three Senators voted in favor of it, and Sen. Pamela Althoff, R-McHenry, was one of the bills' co-sponsors. It passed the Senate on a 49-1 vote.
Supporters, such as bill sponsor Rep. Robert Rita, D-Blue Island, said that governments need help because they spend too much time honoring excessive records requests meant to be a nuisance rather than legitimate requests for information. Althoff could not be reached for comment Friday.
But opponents, like state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, called the bill a "draconian step."
"It's important the public have full access to data from local governments. I think it's a terrible bill that will limit the ability of the public to know what's going on," McSweeney said.
The FOIA law already allows governments to impose restrictions on "recurrent requesters" and for requests that can be deemed "unduly burdensome."
Lawmakers could override Quinn's veto when they convene later this year for the fall veto session.
The bill defines a "voluminous request" as more than five individual requests for more than five different categories of records in 20 business days or less, or a request that requires collecting more than 500 pages. It also sets up a pay scale for electronic documents depending on file size. Public bodies will be able to charge up to $100 for 160 megabytes or more of documents in PDF format, or for four megabytes or more of non-PDF documents.
News media, academic and scientific organizations and nonprofit groups are exempt, but the vast majority of FOIA requests come from the public, according to state records. What's more, a meeting packet from one municipal or county government can easily run hundreds of pages long.
Watchdog groups trying to clamp down on Illinois' reputation for corruption urged Quinn to veto the bill. In an open letter to Quinn, Better Government Association President and CEO Andy Shaw alleged the bill "unfairly and unjustifiably raise significant barriers" to people wanting information to which they are entitled by law.
"The bill essentially taxes individuals for getting a municipality's electronic records – a charge that, on its face, is problematic because this is typically data and information that's already been paid for with tax dollars. Even if there were a need for such user fees, the proposed prices outlined in this legislation are onerous and bear no apparent relation to the real and much lower cost of producing electronic records," Shaw wrote.
But proponents are writing to Quinn as well. The Illinois Municipal League, which often fights for bills curtailing FOIA, called the bill common-sense legislation in its letter urging Quinn to sign it into law.
"This will help prevent a single FOIA requester from tying up the staff time and resources of a public body with an oversized request and will allow the public body to respond to all FOIA requesters in an effective and efficient manner," Executive Director Larry Frang wrote.
The Citizen Advocacy Center also opposes the bill, which Executive Director Maryam Judar said "significantly curbs the ability of the public to monitor government activity." Judar said the new provision in essence will create a catch-22 for record seekers – people who ask for multiple documents in one FOIA request to avoid running afoul of the "recurring requester" provision will now run afoul of the "voluminous" one.
"Citizen watchdogs who use FOIA to keep their government accountable will be hampered between these two different designations ... requests often do require more than five categories of records within a 20-day period. This is effectively going to shut out a means we have of keeping government accountable in Illinois," Judar said.
A 2011 investigation by the Northwest Herald revealed that many local governments pay lobbyists with tax dollars to fight for legislation curtailing open-government laws and oppose legislation strengthening them.
State lawmakers in the wake of the arrest and impeachment of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich significantly strengthened a FOIA law that critics long alleged was one of the nation's weakest and easiest to abuse. Efforts have been made in every spring session since to pass laws peeling back the changes, often led by local government lobbying groups.
While Rita and others say FOIA abuse is a problem that needs to be stopped, McSweeney said he doesn't buy the argument that abuse of FOIA is widespread.
"I think it's isolated, and I don't think everybody else should be punished for the nuisance actions of a few who aren't acting in good faith," McSweeney said.
About this series
"No More Excuses" is the Northwest Herald's ongoing series about the public's right to know in Illinois.
On the Net
You can read the text of House Bill 3796 at www.ilga.gov.
You can learn more about the Freedom of Information and Open Meetings acts at http://foia.ilattorneygeneral.net.
How they voted
In the House, Rep. Tim Schmitz, R-Batavia, voted yes, while Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake, Jack Franks, D-Marengo, Barbara Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake, and David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, voted no.
In the Senate, Sen. Pamela Althoff, R-McHenry and a co-sponsor of the bill, voted yes, as did Sen. Karen McConnaughay, R-St. Charles. Sen. Dan Duffy, R-Lake Barrington, did not vote on the measure.


text:
Payments are accepted through Etsy's Direct Checkout and Paypal. We also accept Etsy gift cards.
Due to the custom nature of our items and fast production times, cancellation of an order must be made within 24 hours of your purchase, preferably same day. If an order cancellation request is made after 24 hours and before 48 hours, the order will have a 20% restock fee therefore only being refunded 80% of the total purchase price. No requests for cancellations will be honored after 48 hours.
Any coupon code must be used at the time of your purchase.
***PLEASE take note of the current production time in each listing BEFORE you order so you can allow the time needed to receive your order by clicking on the "Shipping & Policies" located within every listing. This is also noted in the shop announcement. Your purchase receipt will also give you a ship by date.***
***Make sure your shipping address is correct before ordering! As a seller, we are only provided one address as submitted by yourself when you order and do not know if this is correct or not. It is the buyer's responsibility to ensure the shipping address provided is correct. Once your order is shipped it is out of our hands and contact will need to be made with the shipping carrier by yourself if this needs to be changed after shipping.***
FEDEX Home Delivery/Ground - Approx. 3-5 business days (generally 1 week)
USPS Priority - Approx. 2-3 business days
USPS Priority International - Approx. 6-10 business days
***These are in addition to production times and vary depending on location of where it's being shipped.***
PLEASE NOTE we do not work for the delivery services and only use their services. Therefore we are not responsible for non-delivery of items once they leave our possession. We are happy to help guide you to resolve this issue, but cannot be held accountable.
INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: We currently accept orders to ship to the US only. Any additional customs, taxes, or fees you will be responsible for.
We are located in the Pacific Northwest and our pick-up time for packages via any carrier is 4pm PST where we are located. All packages expected to ship on a generated ship-by date will have a shipping notification with tracking number sent to you by the end of that day, which could mean you don't see it until as late as 8pm EST that same shipping day.
EFFECTIVE 01/2018: All orders placed on a Sunday may not ship until the Monday following your estimated Friday ship date on your receipt. (Etsy automatically groups all Fri/Sat/Sun orders as one ship date for a Friday.)
With every order you will receive a purchase confirmation from Etsy that will provide an estimated latest ship by date based on the listing production time. IF THIS DATE DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU PLEASE MESSAGE ME IMMEDIATELY. If I do not hear from you I will assume you understand the production time as stated in the listing and elsewhere when you ordered.
>>> PLEASE NOTE: Shipping via FedEx or USPS to Alaska, Hawaii or an APO address will have additional costs. Please contact me BEFORE purchasing if this will be the shipping destination. Not doing so may result in a delay of your order until proper postage is obtained. FedEx also does not ship to P.O. boxes and providing this as a shipping address may also result in a delay to your order. <<<
>>>>>Once your package is handed over to the shipping carrier it is literally out of my hands as to what happens from there including any updates to their tracking systems. I am not liable for anything after it is showed as being received by the carrier, but am happy to check on it if it appears not to have been received by them in a timely manner after being left in their possession. If you do not receive your item in a timely manner (generally one week from the date of shipping) and it can be verified as not yet delivered through tracking verification, I will gladly see what I can do to remedy the situation, but unfortunately delays do happen with carriers in transit with unexpected things out of anyone's control. From experience, tracking information does not always update in a timely manner, especially during the holiday seasons so please be patient.<<<<<
Most packages will be shipped via FedEx to bring you even better shipping rates. Shipping time via FedEx can be 3-6 business days IN ADDITION TO the production time stated in each listing. An upgrade for a faster shipping time is available through USPS Priority Mail with a shipping time of 2-3 business days IN ADDITION TO the production time stated within each listing.
Ordering multiple items may make for longer turn around times to complete the order so please allow an additional couple of days past your ship date (no more than a week). If the production end time is close to a date you need your item please message me BEFORE YOU ORDER as I can let you know if I most likely can accommodate your shipping request and let you know the best way to order to receive it the quickest.
I know you are anxious to receive your item and I try my hardest to get it to you as fast as I can, but please keep in mind that all items are custom made to order. Business days are Monday-Friday for shipping and do not include Weekends or Holidays. Insurance is included in the shipping price up to the amount provided by FedEx for Home Delivery/Ground Shipping (for USPS up to the Priority Mail amount). A tracking number will always be provided via email notification at the time your item is shipped.
Items will be packaged securely; however, if it is received damaged, please contact me as soon as possible. I do not expect you to be stuck with a damaged item and will do what I can to help you.
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Unfortunately, I cannot accept returns or exchanges on any items due to allowing the many customizations we offer with regard to colors, sizes, and personalization. PLEASE make sure of your selections and that information provided is correct when ordering as we no longer offer our re-do fee to correct these. A new order will need to be placed if selections are wanting to be changed or information wanted on a sign was not submitted at the time of the order as all listings have a clear "How to Order" section to help ensure all information is received. If it is a spelling error submitted incorrectly by yourself, please message me to see if it is something that can be remedied without re-ordering. Everything will be handled on a case-by-case basis at our discretion taking into consideration all circumstances. In the rare event a return is allowed at our discretion, no shipping costs will be refunded or paid for by the shop. Approved returns must be postmarked within 48 hours of notice by us. If it is an error on our part we will always remedy the situation as quickly as possible.
Due to offering many customizations (color, size, names, etc.), as well as our quick production turnaround times by starting the sign creation process the day after an order is placed, a cancellation of an order must be made the same day as ordering. No cancellation requests will be honored after our allowed times regardless of the circumstances including requests to ensure delivery before posted production times as the production dates are noted clearly in many areas throughout our shop and listings. If an order cancellation request is made after 24 hours and before 48 hours, the order will have a 20% restock/service fee therefore only being refunded 80% of the total purchase price. No order will be cancelled after 48 hours.
I would NEVER send out a damaged item or subpar sign, but damage can and does occasionally happen in the shipping process along with other bizarre things. PLEASE INSPECT YOUR ITEM IMMEDIATELY UPON DELIVERY and contact me within 24 hours of delivery if something has happened to your item during shipping as there is a limited window with the shipping carrier to file a damage claim. If it is more than 24 hours since delivery of having the item and you contact me about damage, I cannot be responsible for replacements or reimbursement due to obvious circumstances having it in your possession for that time period. ***You will be required to send me a picture for damage claim purposes before a new item is made and sent, or a refund is given if made within the 24 hour delivery window.***
We do not provide lifetime replacements or re-do's for your signs. You are responsible for care of your sign once delivered intact. If an item is damaged before/during/after an event due to mishandling, there will be a minimum $10 fee to replace anything due to whatever the situation and circumstances are. Please contact me to see what we can do, if anything.
For all communication please message us via Etsy as that will be the quickest way to communicate. Email is only used for sending files that may be needed for an order and therefore only checked occasionally and may not be responded to immediately. For the protection of both buyer and seller no phone call communication will be used. I try my best to promptly respond 24/7, but sometimes it may take a little longer for response times especially on non-business days as life outside of Etsy does happen. Please allow me the courtesy of responding in a timely manner based on this before negative action is taken due to an issue that may arise regarding your order. Kindness goes a long ways regarding communication etiquette. :)
We truly love and appreciate our customers and will go above and beyond for you in return for kindness, patience, and a bit of understanding that life happens unexpectedly. 💕 Here are some important tid-bits we've learned from our years of Etsy selling experience:
- Contact about any issues with your order must be made within 24 hours of delivery. This includes any damage as these will not be taken into consideration for remedying after you have personally had possession of your package for 24+ hours.
- Please store your items in a normal room temperate environment. As these are wood products, excessive cold or excessive heat may cause damage.
- All signs come with a protective wrap to keep them clean until use, but allow you to see any errors or damage. Keeping them in this protective wrap will not harm them.
- We do not offer lifetime guarantees for items under any circumstances so please take proper care and use common sense.
- Keep in mind that once a package has movement on its tracking number, that we no longer have any control of it, nor do we have any more information than what you also have. If there are issues with packages saying they are delivered and were not, please call the carrier with your tracking info to let them know this as expecting us to call them on your behalf will not help expedite this issue as do not know your personal delivery location (your house porch, apartment, work place, etc.) and questions regarding this will often be asked by the delivery service to help determine what happened to your package. This happens for an unknown reason occasionally and from personal experience the package will show up within 48 hours. If you let us know that this happened and you have already contacted the delivery service, we are happy to see what we can do to get you a replacement if needed.
- Please keep in mind that there are many variables to consider on your item as it is a wood product and wood can vary in many different aspects with regards to imperfections, wood grain, and knots. Each item is unique in its own way, but will always be inspected for damage to avoid any kind of cracks, not necessarily knots and other wood traits. We cannot take requests for specific wood grain patterns or wood looks regarding saturation or other qualities.
- Vinyl application is done here in the Pacific Northwest, which means that even though it is perfected before being packaged and shipped, there may be an issue with climate control during shipping that can cause a rare defect, which is why we request to please contact us within 24 hours of delivery and having the item in your possession.
- Please understand that issues and mistakes can happen and if something you ordered was not correct or received damaged please let me know and give me the opportunity to help you before leaving a negative review. We are a small family shop, not a large corporation, and are more than happy to remedy issues if we can. I want you to love your purchase and your experience with my shop so that you will return to my shop in the future, but also understand everyone's artistic style is different so please have a happy heart and an open mind.
Every order receipt has a latest ship by date automatically generated based on the listing production and shipping times. Please check your order receipt and any previous messages with me before messaging about when your item will ship as the more messages that need to be re-confirmed with regards to when your item will ship, the more time it takes away from finishing your item. Every item is shipped when stated so if it is past the ship date (for example, the next day, not the day of), then please message me after the latest ship date. If anything causes a significant delay with the shipping date of more than 24 hours you will hear from me immediately, though this is an extremely rare situation. Thanks for your patience and understanding!
I try to describe my items as accurately as possible, but please note that every item will be unique due to one-of-a-kind wood that is used for each and every listing. Wood surfaces are prepped as much as possible, but can have various knots and imperfections giving it a unique rustic look. No requests for a certain look of wood can be accommodated.
Please read all item measurements that may be listed to make sure you are aware of the size or quantity you are purchasing. All items are within 1/4 inch of measurements.
All signs are made strong and secure. However, please keep in mind that all of my items are handmade and should be handled with special care. I am not responsible for damage due to misuse or lack of following any provided care instructions. I will never ship out a damaged product so if your sign is received as damaged please contact me as these items are not always handled with great care by those who are handling the physical shipping after it leaves my care.
I do not automatically send "previews" or "proofs" due to the handmade nature of each sign as these are not accurate in regards to colors or final placement on the wood as there may be a slight placement adjustment due to any wood imperfections at the time it is made. If one is requested an additional charge may be asked, as well as this may cause a delay.
All custom orders will be subject to a custom order fee. If you are requesting font changes, layout changes, or a completely new design, please contact me prior to ordering as these need to be approved before ordering and may delay your order if it is placed without communication about such things beforehand.
All guestbook alternatives are constructed using high quality REAL wood. We use a solid piece of edge glued pine wood with keyholes for hanging flat on any surface (total thickness of 3/4 - 1 inch)
There are NO PAGES as these are fun alternatives to a traditional guestbook. Each guestbook is made using high quality sign grade vinyl to allow a cleaner crisper look, and to allow us to offer these at a more affordable price and with a quicker turnaround time. Please be assured using vinyl (versus paint) does not compromise the quality of the guestbook. All wood pieces are unique in the grain appearance and texture they present giving it a natural rustic look. No grain requests can be honored.
Sharpie brand markers are generally recommended due to various colors and tip sizes giving a variety of options, but a number of other paint pens also work well. We recommend trying out any markers on the back of your guestbook before the event.
As these are meant to stay indoors out of the elements it is not necessary to seal it again after signing, but if you choose to do so we recommend using a spray-on non-yellowing clear coat.
We do offer rush orders on a limited basis. Please check the listing below to see if a rush order is currently available at this time.
Everything we create is custom made-to-order so there are many opportunities to personalize and change designs and sizing. Please message us before ordering if you are unsure if a customization is possible.
Current production times are posted under the shipping section of each listing and generally posted in the shop announcement. This does not include shipping time. These change throughout the year and will increase during Spring/Summer months. Please message me if you are concerned about receiving your item before a certain date if you are close to these dates BEFORE you order. Thank you!
Please keep in mind that stain appearance can vary based on wood grain and saturation for each individual piece. Photos may show different variations of a stain color due to this and other factors such as lighting, where the picture was taken, etc. Please refer to the stain sample in each listing picture for the most accurate stain color. We DO NOT fully stain the back of any sign the way that the full front is stained to keep costs down and a lighter coat is applied to the back as most signs are generally used on an easel, against something that doesn't show the back, or decorated with flowers or leaves. If you wish to have the back completely finished with stain the same as the front, please message us prior to ordering for pricing.
Jun 2, 2020
Fast shipping and great quality!! Love this seller!! My daughter loves the signs!
May 29, 2020
This was perfect for my wedding and house, a beautiful accent to my rustic lifestyle!
Oct 15, 2019
Absolutely marvelous work!! The wood is even more beautiful in person, the lettering is perfect, and the whole thing was packed so securely I think someone could have thrown it and not damaged the signs! I'm beyond happy, and can't wait to use these at our wedding. Thank you!


text:
Finally, I'm ecologically responsible. Hey, for years I've been looking directly up the long noses of the recyclers, the "green" folks.
Finally, I'm ecologically responsible.
Hey, for years I've been looking directly up the long noses of the recyclers, the "green" folks. They hated me back when I used to hunt. They hated me when I bought a 6-cylinder 4-wheel drive pick-up.
But I been thinking about it, and I realize that I no longer have to bear the insultingly superior looks of those guys who take a cloth bag to the grocery store.
You know why?
Because I live in a tenement, the "greenest" form of housing ever devised.
How "green" is my tenement?
Check it out.
Were any trees cut down to build my tenement?
Yeah. About 105 years ago. Those trees would be dead now, anyway. At least I think so.
And don't forget that my tenement doesn't have a big, wasteful yard. You open my front door, you're standing on the sidewalk. This means no wasteful irrigation, no petroleum-based fertilizers and no run-off of murderous pesticides into local waters.
Sure, maybe I drive a big vehicle, but I LIVE in the city where I work. My commute takes three minutes. If you own a car the size of a toaster oven, but you drive 20 miles one way to work, you're still doing more damage to the environment than I am.
Television? I have one, but it's not one of those huge, wasteful big screens that use more power when they're off than mine does when it's on. You put a big screen in my small living room, you'll get radiation burns sitting on the couch. I got a phone, too. One phone. It's in the kitchen. Not to worry, though, you can hear it ring in every room. Hell, in the summer, when my windows are open, you can stand on the sidewalk and hear my phone ring.
Got bathrooms? Me too. I have one. I bet you have 1.5 bathrooms, don't you? Just so you can waste more precious water.
Is your single family home new? Great. They cut down half a forest just so YOU could have a new home. Doesn't make any difference how much you recycle, you're still a serial tree-killer. I bet you have a fireplace, too.
Do I have heat? Yup. Two space heaters. One in the living room, one in the parlor. In the winter, except for Christmas week, I close off the parlor. How's that for energy efficient?
How many people live in your house. Two? Three? Four?
I live on the second floor of a three-decker with eight occupants, all of us sharing the same tiny piece of land, all of us needing no new trees to be killed.
If you live in the suburbs and you want a loaf of bread, you've got to drive, like, three miles, right? That's a waste of gas, my would-be green brother.
At the corner of my street, there's an aptly named corner store. I need a loaf of bread, I walk to the corner. On my feet! It's the green thing to do and walking is good for your heart.
Do you belong to a gym? Sure, and you DRIVE there to exercise, don't you?
Not me. I get plenty of exercise hauling laundry up and down the stairs, hauling groceries up and trash down. And it's free!
Recycling? I drink Guinness Stout. I leave the bottles, in the six-pack holder, out on the sidewalk the night before trash day. At about 6 a.m., a guy pushing a shopping cart comes by and takes the bottles. He gets the deposit money and I get the good feeling of being green and helping your fellow humans.
Hell, every few years my whole tenement gets recycled as tenants change.
I'll tell you something else.
I call it "my" tenement, but it belongs to someone else. I just rent.
Yeah. You guessed it.
That whole mortgage crisis thing isn't my fault, either.
Herald News


text:
Accommodations to High Gluten Flour
I posted some time ago about trying to find high gluten flour for baking.
I finally found some in the Washington, D.C. area where I live--Costco sells Kyrol flour in 25 pound sacks but a local Amish market sells what it calls "Kyrol Flour" in 7.5 pound bags which is much more reasonable in my household.
I googled "Kyrol flour" and it seemed to be the high gluten flour that is on sale in 25-pound quantities. At any rate, I want to use it in a basic pizza recipe; what accommodations need to be made for using high gluten flour instead of all purpose in a pizza recipe?
Thanks for any help.
Neal Lavon
Takoma Park, MD