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As I was saying in my previous post, when it comes to measuring effectiveness you need to take a lot of samples in order to do it properly from a statistical point of view. This makes it difficult to attain accurate metrics unless you have a pretty impressive infrastructure.
The flip side, measuring how well you do against spam, is actually quite a bit easier. The reason is that it is relatively easy to attain feeds of spam in high volumes. Spam makes up 90% of email traffic on the Internet (excludes private intra-org mail) and it changes all the time, every day in fact. And so setting up a few hundred honeypots will take a bit of time to get them up and going but once you do it will be smooth sailing. To be sure, every few months or so you will need to retire those honeypots and also ensure that gray mail doesn't somehow get into them, but at least you can be certain that spammers will never stop sending to it and you don't need their consent to siphon off that mail since it is mail destined to a domain that you own. The only problem is ensuring that the spam you get is representative of a large enough swath of the spam ecosphere.
To look at the nuances of spam filtering and comparing them side-by-side, suppose you have three products. For the sake of argument we will call them A, B and C. You take a certain number of messages, run them through and on the first day of your test you get the following results:
Filter A – 97.7%
Filter B – 98.2%
Filter C – 92.4%
Filter B has the highest effectiveness and therefore it is the best filter. Case closed, right? The answer is not quite yet.
When doing measurements, you invariably have to do statistical sampling. This is because the only way you can measure something definitively (in anything) is to measure the entire population. In our case, to do a real test you'd have to measure the 1 trillion spam messages that are sent each day and nobody can get access to all of the world's spam. Fortunately, you don't have to do that.
In public opinion polls, or election polls, polling organizations often publish results showing Candidate X is ahead of Candidate Y. This is well-understood technology (by statisticians, not necessarily by the general public). As long as you take a large enough sample size and do a random sample, the results of your sample will be more or less representative compared to what the results would be if you polled the entire population. In other words, if you randomly sampled 1000 people and 60% said that they would vote for Candidate X and 40% said that they would vote for Candidate Y, then on election day Candidate X would get approximately 60% of the vote while Candidate Y would get approximately 40% of the vote.
Note that I say approximately. This is because in statistical sampling, you are only doing a random sample of the population and therefore there is always going to be room for error. If you were to take the test over again, then the numbers might not be 60/40. Instead, they could be 61/39, or 59/41. The amount of error is dependent on the size of the sample. This is calculated using mathematical formulae, but the larger the sample size, the smaller the margin of error. So, given that, let's return to our example above. Candidate X would get 60% of the vote and Candidate Y would get 40% of the vote. In actuality, X would get 60% ±3.1%, and Y would get 40% ± 3.1% (3.1% is the margin of error you can calculate statistically).
Viewing it this way, then based upon 1000 people who say who they would vote for, then the worst-case scenario for X is 57% and the best case scenario for Y is 43%. There is no way that Y can be better than X and therefore you can truly say that X is ahead in the race against Y. One thing to note is that in statistics, we have the concept of a confidence interval. If you use the 95% confidence interval, then based upon a sample of 1000 people, then we are 95% sure that X's true percentage is between 57 and 63. Or, to put it another way, if we did the test 20 times, 19 of those times would have X's percentage between 63 and 57.
What happens if you do a poll and X gets 52% and Y gets 48%? Is X winning? The answer from a statistical point of view is: Inconclusive. This is because at 1000 samples, the margin of error is overlapping. I will color-code X in blue and Y in red:
You can see from the diagram above that there is an overlap zone between 51% and 49%. If you did the test over again there is a chance that X could get 49.5% and Y could get 50.5% (this could also be the actual result on election day). This means that the winner between the two candidates would be the opposite of what was predicted on polling day if all you looked at was the original 52/48 split. However, statistically speaking, the reversal of fortune on election day was a possible scenario that was allowed for by the polling data because the margin of error permitted that much movement.
So how do you get rid of this overlap zone? Simple. Increase the number of samples such that the margins of error do not overlap. If you did the test over again and got the same 52/48 split, but this time sampled 5000 participants instead of 1000, the margin of error is 1.38% (at the 95% confidence interval). This means that Candidate X has 52% ± 1.38% and Candidate Y has 48% ± 1.38%. The minimum number of votes that X has is 50.62% and the maximum that Y has is 49.38%. That's a margin of difference of 1% of non-overlap; it's close, but X is definitely leading Y by a small amount and would win the election if it were held today.
Returning back to our spam filtering problem, remember our results:
Filter A – 97.7%
Filter B – 98.2%
Filter C – 92.4%
No test runs all of the world's spam through the competing vendors, it's all done using a down sample of it. We have three questions to ask ourselves:
- Was the spam randomly sampled? If you are an organization that gets one type of spam, then you can tune your filter for it. However, to be fair, you should cut a wide enough swath to ensure that you are getting a representation of all of the spam on the Internet, not just one narrow band. Now, your sample might be heavier weighted in one kind vs another (pharmaceutical spam vs 419s) but if you do it right, having more of one category of spam in your sample is perfectly fine because that's what the entire spam population looks like. Acquisition of a suitable corpus, however, is out-of-scope of this blog post.
- Is the sample size large enough? In our example, Filter A is below filter B by 0.5%. However, remember our margins of error. These numbers only matter if the margins of error are large enough to ensure that there is no overlap area and therefore the margins don't matter. For something this close (0.5% difference), you need 164,002 samples. This gives filter A an effectiveness of 97.7% ± 0.24% (max 97.94%) and filter B an effectiveness of 98.2% ± 0.24% (min 97.96%). Those are very close, but Filter B is juuuuuuust a little bit better than Filter A.
- What is the timing of the test? Was it done over one day or several days? Any one filter can have a good day and a bad day. To be fair and average things out over a longer period of time, a test should be performed over a longer time period (a couple of weeks) and then the results averaged out.
So there you have it. The bottom line is that when it comes to spam filtering, you need a lot of samples and you need to do it over a period of time. Without those two, your results might look good but no conclusions can be drawn.


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Please select a state for your search.
Updated 3:29 PMFeb. 21
Information posted is an estimate.
Your personal experience may vary.
Updated 3:26 PMFeb. 21
This new technology is a major step forward for surgeons who practice at Iowa Methodist and Blank Children's - and for patients and their families as well. This computer-enhanced surgical system will allow us to improve outcomes for our patients, help our surgeons take the next leap forward in perfecting their craft and will keep the healthcare provided by UnityPoint Health - Des Moines at the leading edge of medical science.
A renewed focus on minimally invasive surgery is natural for UnityPoint Health - Des Moines. Iowa Methodist and Blank Children's will continue to make strategic investments to insure that our downtown campuses will continue to provide truly 'state-of-the-art' patient care.
The da Vinci Si Surgical System allows a surgeon to use a special console with hand and foot controls to manipulate tiny robotic arms and an endoscope (a 3-D camera eye) to perform intricate surgical procedures that are beyond the current limitation of human performance. The da Vinci translates the surgeon's natural hand, wrist and finger movements at the control console into corresponding micro-movements of the instrument tips, which are positioned inside the patient through small incisions. Wide ranges of instruments are available to perform different types of procedures. Use of this equipment makes difficult minimally invasive surgery routine and makes minimally invasive procedures possible in many additional surgical specialties than previously possible.
The SILS procedure represents one of the newest advancements in surgery. The SILS approach is designed to make surgery less invasive. Thus, instead of a six-inch incision required by traditional surgery or the three to four smaller half-inch incisions utilized in standard laparoscopic surgery, the SILS surgery is accomplished through a single incision in the belly button.
Cutting edge technology, including the SILS Port, allows surgeons to operate through a 20mm incision. To put it into perspective, an incision of this size is slightly smaller than the diameter of a nickel. One incision improves upon standard laparoscopic techniques, potentially eliminating the scars and wound pain associated with multiple points of entry.
Potential benefits of a SILS procedure may include:

subset: commoncrawl


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A historic treasure awaits with this Center Hall Colonial built in 1850 by a NYC architect. Situated in a quiet, rural setting in one of South Jersey's oldest settlements, there are breath taking views of the meadows. . Much of the interior is original with the high ceilings, mill work, and wood floors. This home has four gorgeous fireplaces, and even includes a handicap bath on the first floor. All three floors of this home have spacious rooms. Waiting for its new owner to make it home, this classic home is one of a kind. Come see this home today and Own a masterpiece! NEW SEPTIC SYSTEM HAS BEEN INSTALLED!
|New Value: $179,900
|New Value: $214,900


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Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Dial H #0: Bumper Carla VS the Beast of Babylon
"Sundial H for Hero"
Writer: China Mieville
Artist: Ricardo Burchielli
Dial H has consistently been my favorite ongoing title from DC. It features the same unpredictability and weird, stream-of-consciousness storytelling that typified the best of Grant Morrison's early Vertigo books, particularly his run on Doom Patrol, and is one of the only comics that makes me laugh out loud every time I read it.
It's zero issue month at DC this September, and every book is focusing on the origin of its titular character. True to the spirit of this book, Dial H #0 doesn't give us the origin of any one character, so much as it reveals the origins of the mystical H Dial itself.
As it turns out, the H Dial was originally a giant sundial created by a Babylonian woman named Laodice, who saw the design of the dial in a "true dream."
Laodice and her servants struggle to build the sundial as the Babylonian army are massacred by a creature called Mushusshu, the Beast of Babylon, and just as Mushusshu reaches the dial, Laodice is transformed by its powers into...Bumper Carla! That's right, Bumper Carla, a domino-masked wearing heroine that drives a super-charged bumper car.
If I would have been drinking something when I first read that, I would have done a spit-take.
Bumper Carla defeats the Beast of Babylon, and then transforms back into Laodice, who is hailed as a Queen and protector of the Empire. The plot moves forward a few years, and Laodice is visited by a friend who has spent years searching for her "magic chariot."
We learn that Laodice destroyed the sundial which transformed her into Bumper Carla, and that her friend isn't Laodice's only visitor; a mysterious stranger who came to see the Queen was imprisoned for wizardry, and apparently knows something about the magic dial.
Without spoiling the entire issue, let me say that this issue did a great job of showing us the origin of the H Dial without giving away all the mystery of how it works and why. There is still a lot to learn about where characters like Bumper Carla and Chimney Boy come from, and how the H Dial brings them into our world.
This is Ricardo Burchielli's first issue of Dial H, and I don't know if he's taking over for Mateus Santolouco or not, but I thought his art fit this issue fairly well. It wasn't fantastic and if I had to nitpick I'm sure I could find things, but Bumper Carla had a great design and her appearance in the book gave it a much needed boost in the art department. Whoever does the art needs to be flexible, and Burchielli's contrast between Babylonian period details and carnival superheroics showcases that flexibility very well.
Dial H #0 is not an origin issue that a casual reader could pick up and understand how it connects to the larger narrative, but it would give new readers a good idea of just how strange, funny and unexpectedly poignant this series can be.
2 comments:
Well, China Mieville is a famous novelist so I guess we all had high expectations. And I love Bolland's covers, it would be great if he could illustrate at least one issue some time.ReplyDelete
See, it's funny that you say that because while I've been aware of China Mieville since he first published Perdido Street Station, I've yet to read any of his novels. So, I really had no idea what to expect from this comic, but it has been my favorite read from DC every month since it began.ReplyDelete
I would also love if the great Brian Bolland could illustrate an issue. Maybe if there's an annual issue he'll draw that?
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Imagine the Marx Brothers as a long-haired rock and roll group, who make a movie called "A Hard Day's Night" to be shown on the "Hullabaloo" TV series. That, friends, is the briefest way to describe The Monkees!
Filmed at the pell-mell pace of teenage existence, photographed with some offbeat movie-making techniques, the program stars a group of three Americans and one English boy who never saw each other before the series.
The plot? The freewheeling description by NBC puts it this way: "The Monkees quartet play dates, but are more often 'at liberty,' where they must conquer such foes as automation, unemployment, longhair music, landlords, rival musicians, strict parents and fickle girlfriends."
-- Summary from TV Week, September 1966
-- Image from TV Guide (via http://monkee45s.net/)
* Official website: @
* " 'The Monkees' broke the fourth wall of 1960s TV" (www.avclub.com): @


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Specially engineered for the male anatomy. Fast absorption zone and dual absorbent cores
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These pages are a forum for users of maths online. We publish feedback messages and questionnaires, as far as they are of general interest. A few German contributions have been translated into English. (The originals may be found in the forum of the German version mathe online, along with a number of more contributions).
You can send us a message by E-mail or web page form,
or use the questionnaire.
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Maths links: online tools topics collections
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Last night while I was lying in bed, I had started to play around mentally with those lingering images behind the eyelids (I think mainly because the room I was sleeping in was not too terribly dark, so those "vision spots" were still behind my eyelids). What happened though was those formless spots slowly starting getting texturized, as if billowing smoke or moving sand. It slowly turned into a city landscape and morphed into individualized people I could see walking in the street, not too detailed but enough to notice the physics of their walk, even though they were more like clay individuals.
I can't recall much from there, but I was really intrigued how my mind was making clear images for me behind my eyelids, as if I was watching a screen with hardly any work from my mind, like watching a show. The most surprising moment was an imagine of a dandelion in my mind and I could look around it mentally and see every detail, almost in greater detail than I could in real life. I have never had a strong astral projection experience before at all but this "imagery" really surprised me and came out of the blue. My mind was relaxed enough and I wasn't trying to put myself in deep meditation or a relaxed state.
Any idea what this could mean? Thanks!


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The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
111 Amsterdam Avenue
Bruno Walter Auditorium
October 18, 2013
Doors open at 6:45, event from 7:00-8:00 PM. No reservations required, first come first served. Event follows TLA Annual Business Meeting and recognition of Distinguished Service, which takes place from 5:30-6:30 PM.
Join us onA�October 18, 2013A�for a discussion on digital access and performing arts research, from the alternate perspectives of a researcher and a librarian; focusing on the ways in which performing arts scholarship changes when previously hidden or unknown collections become digitally accessible. Dr. Wilson will discuss his experience researching and writingA�Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies: Performance, Race, and Sexuality in the Harlem Renaissance. Professor Thistlethwaite will discuss the digital turn as it impacts humanities research and scholarship through her experiences as Chief Librarian at the CUNY Graduate Center and through her own research.Together they will provide a sense of the shifting landscape of twenty-first century research and share complementary perspectives on navigating this new ground.
James WilsonA�is Professor of English and Theatre at LaGuardia Community College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and he is currently the Executive Director of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS). Areas of research include queer theatre and performance, African American theatre, and pedagogy. His articles and reviews have appeared inA�Urban Education,A�Teaching English in the Two-Year College,A�Ecumenica,A�Theatre History Studies, and several essay anthologies. He is co-editor ofA�The Journal of American Drama and Theatre, which is published by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center (CUNY Graduate Center), and he serves on the nominating committee for the Drama Desk Awards. His book,A�Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies: Race, Performance, and Sexuality in the Harlem Renaissance, was published by University of Michigan Press in 2010, and a paperback version was released in 2011.
Polly ThistlethwaiteA�is Chief Librarian at the CUNY Graduate Center, joining the Graduate Centera��s library faculty in 2002 as the Associate Librarian for Public Services. Before that, she served in libraries at Colorado State University, Hunter College, New York University, and Yal University; she has also held positions with the CUNY Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies, the Lesbian Herstory Archives, the Alternative Press index, and several local and national library organizations.
For additional information please emailA�email@example.com


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Want a McNugget That Looks Remarkably Like George Washington?
Seeing Jesus in your food is old news, apparently. There's an auction up on eBay right now that's WAY better.
Rebekah Speights of Dakota City, South Dakota is auctioning off a Chicken McNugget she found that looks remarkably similar to George Washington.
She bought the McNugget almost three years ago. She realized it looked like George Washington and decided not to eat it. It's been in her freezer ever since...until over the weekend, a church sermon inspired her to try to sell it for charity.
So now, she's put it up on eBay. Whatever she gets for the McNugget will go to needy children who want to attend a church camp this summer.
And, for what it's worth...when you see the McNugget next to a quarter, it looks a LOT like George Washington.
As of right now, the McNugget has received one bid, for $100. The auction ends on March 1st. If you want to check it out, just search for "Rare President George Washington Chicken McNugget."
Here's a photo of the McNugget:
Here's a link where you can see it next to a quarter.


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"The Man of Stone" (1932)
Back to "The Man of Stone." The narrator and his best friend haven't seen their pal Arthur Wheeler, sculptor, in a while; he went up to the Adirondacks to do some sculpting. (Uh oh, remember when that dude in Henry Kuttner's "The Frog" left NYC for the country to paint?) A fourth member of their circle staying in the woods as a rest cure returns to civilization and says he saw some strange, uncannily realistic statues in the woods--could these be Wheeler's work? The narrator and his best bud high tail it upstate to investigate.
They find in a cave the petrified body of Wheeler, and in the shack he was renting a similarly petrified old man and a younger woman. And a diary which explains all. (These Lovecraftian stories often include old manuscripts and diaries and so forth.)
This is a decent story. It is kind of fun to read a Cthulhu mythos story from the point of view of the self-confident worshiper of the ancient alien monster gods instead of just from the point of view of a horrified researcher or somebody like that. And maybe my mother would appreciate that Lovecraft and/or Heald considered the scenery of the Adirondacks to be "breathlessly exquisite."
"Man of Stone" first appeared in Wonder Stories, and, a reflection of the fact that a woman plays a prominent role in the narrative and that a woman had a hand in writing it, was also included in the 1994 anthology New Eves: Science Fiction About the Extraordinary Women of Today and Tomorrow.
"The Horror in the Museum" (1932)
This time we get a third-person narrative set in a decrepit section of London full of decaying homes and warehouses. Jones becomes a regular visitor of Rogers' Museum, an establishment in a dark basement full of wax figures of vicious criminals and their mangled victims--Rogers once worked at Madame Tussaud's. But Rogers' Museum includes uniquely bizarre alien creatures, and when Jones becomes friendly with Rogers, the worker in wax claims that his strangest exhibits are preserved specimens of once-living things, not artificial figures at all!
Jones scoffs, and Rogers tells him increasingly incredible tales of his trips to strange corners of the world with his odd foreign-looking and foreign-sounding assistant, Orabona, trips upon which they collected the Museum's weirdest and most horrifying exhibits.
As he tells it, Rogers' strangest and most important journey was to the three-million-year-old ruins of an alien city in Alaska, where he and Orabona retrieved from its ancient throne a monstrous god, Rhan-Tegoth, a being not dead, but dormant. Rhan-Tegoth, which lies behind a locked door, is a bone of contention between Rogers and Orabona--Rogers wants to revive the monster (via bloody sacrifices, of course) while Orabona wants to destroy it; a revived Rhan-Tegoth could very well take over the world or trigger the cataclysmic return of "the Old Ones."
|If I had the jacket to my copy,
it would look like this.
I love the plot, and that the characters are all participants in the drama, not just placeholders in a frame story who find a manuscript which tells us the actual story. I actually wasn't sure what was going to happen in the end, and I actually cared what was going to happen. Lovecraft and/or Heald do a terrific job of describing the characters, the settings and the monsters, and the narrative moves at just the right pace.
Very good: five-and-a-half out of six long sinuous limbs terminating in black crab-like claws!
"Winged Death" (1934)
Thomas Slauenwite, M. D. was born in my home state of New Jersey to South African parents, and studied medicine at Columbia U and then researched fevers in Africa. He convinced his buddy, Henry Moore, Ph.D., an entomologist, to come to Africa to research the local insects, thus (Slauenwite claims in his journal, recovered by police) making Moore's career. And how does Moore repay his generosity? Well, when Slauenwite becomes famous in the medical field for figuring out how some fever is transmitted, Moore points out to the world that Slauenwite was just lifting his career-making theory from the unpublished papers of recently deceased Sir Norman Sloane, papers Slauenwite found in a house he was renting. Slauenwite, in his journal, pledges to achieve revenge on Moore!
Eighteen of this story's 22 pages are occupied by Slauenwite's journal, which means we don't have to deal with extraneous characters and their peregrinations as we sometimes do in Lovecraftian stories. Slauenwite, besides having a name that is hard for me to spell, is a fun narrator because he is such a self-important jerk, and because he is single-minded in his pursuit of vengeance:
Poisonous snakes and insects everywhere, and niggers with diseases nobody ever heard of outside medical college. But my work is not hard, and I have always had plenty of time to plan things to do to Henry Moore.(Yes, like "Medusa's Coil," this is a story featuring a character who uses the "n-word" with abandon.)
The journal describes in detail Slauenwite's quest for vengeance over the course of the period 1929-32. He treats a crocodile hunter of the Galla people who has been bitten by a "devil-fly"; the local people connect these flies to some ancient ruins they scrupulously avoid because they are associated with the "evil gods Tsadogwa and Clulu." Uh oh! With the croc hunter's help, Slauenwite captures some of the devil-flies, planning to mail them to Moore back in New York in hopes they will bite him and kill him! To prevent Moore, an authority on African insects, from recognizing the flies, Slauenwite crossbreeds them with other species so they look different, and then tests them on his black employees to make sure they are still deadly!
A great horror story that will remind readers of the fine film The Fly with Vincent Price, and of such acts of biological warfare as the British efforts to infect Native Americans with small pox at Fort Pitt in 1763 and unethical medical experiments like the Tuskegee syphilis experiments conducted by the US government on African-Americans from 1932 to 1972. "Winged Death" first appeared in the same issue of Weird Tales as Edmond Hamilton's fun "Thundering Worlds," and in 1944 was included in the collection Marginalia.
"Out of the Aeons" (1935)
We all know how terrible religious strife can be. It is terrible in the 21st century Middle East, it was terrible in 17th century Europe, and it was terrible on the now-sunken continent of Mu in the 1732nd century B.C. (that's B. C. E. to all you kids). As we read in the expurgated 1909 edition of von Junzt's Nameless Cults, the people of the kingdom of K'naa lived in fear of the god Ghatanothoa, who resided in a fortress at the top of a mountain that looked down on the kingdom. Any human who lay eyes on Ghatanothoa would be turned to stone, but his brain preserved to suffer eternal torment, so when the priests of Ghatanothoa tell the people of K'naa they have to sacrifice 24 young people to Ghatanothoa every year or he'll "ooze" out of his fort and petrify everybody and his grandmother, they hop to it!
But there is one man willing to be the Martin Luther of the year 173,148 B.C. (better known to the people of Mu as the Year of the Red Moon.) That man is T'yog, High-Priest of Shub-Niggurath! He devises a magic scroll that will protect the bearer from Ghatanothoa's petrifying power, and figures he'll climb the mountain, invade the fortress, find Ghatanothoa, and then use his mad Art of the Deal skills on Ghatanothoa, and maybe get that 24 young healthy young people negotiated down to a more comfortable level. Like maybe a dozen armadillos or something. T'yog expects that liberating his people from the oozing menace will win lots of converts to the temple of Shub-Niggurath and maybe even lead to T'yog being declared the new king!
The people of K'naa are totally into this K'naa First policy, well, except for the priests of Ghatanothoa. The priests of Ghatanothoa get one of their best Russian hackers, I mean sneak thieves, to creep into T'yog's quarters the night before the big climb, open the scroll case and replace the powerful spell scroll with a useless fake. The next day T'yog climbs up the mountain, never to return, and the power of the priests of Ghatanothoa is preserved.
The above adventure story appears in the middle of "Out of the Aeons," which was first published as "Out of the Eons" in Weird Tales. The beginning of "Out of the Aeons" covers how in the 19th century a Boston museum acquired a strange mummy that was discovered on a tiny uncharted Pacific island. The mummy has a look of terror on its shriveled face and is carrying a scroll case with a scroll in some incomprehensible language. In the 1930s the curator of the museum reads from Nameless Cults and begins to figure out who this mummy is. At about the same time a journalist writes a story about the mummy, and all the weirdos on the Pacific Rim who pine for the days of Mu get wind of the mummy's discovery and make a beeline to Beantown to study, worship, or steal the mummy who, they believe, looked upon the god Ghatanothoa and has a memory of this sight stored inside its 174,000-year-old brain. The final third of the story deals with the final fate of the Asian cultists, the museum staff who have to deal with them, and the mummy--let's just say none of these people dies peacefully in his sleep with an easy conscience.
The 20th-century parts of "Out of the Aeons" are just OK; the real magic lies in the paraphrase of the history of K'naa and the story of T'yog, which is like a great sword and sorcery tale set in the perfect setup for an awesome AD&D campaign.
"Out of the Aeons" was later included in the Lovecraft collection Beyond the Wall of Sleep (dig the Clark Ashton Smith sculptures on the cover), August Derleth's anthology The Sleeping and the Dead, and Avon Fantasy Reader #18, edited by famed SF editor Donald Wollheim.
"The Horror in the Burying-Ground" (1933)
This is the weakest of the five Heald stories, a sort of lampoon of small town hicks. (It always makes me a little uneasy when city sophisticates make fun of the lower classes and small town people. I guess because of the clothes I wore and the way I would carry a volume of Proust or Nabokov around like a talisman, some of the leftist social science grad students I worked with in my Manhattan days didn't know I came from a working class background, and they would frankly express their disgust with "white working-class people" around me. These daughters of college professors, who were following in their parents' footsteps in pursuing a career of leeching off the taxpayers, always made sure to include "white" in their description of the people who aroused their contempt.) "The Horror in the Burying-Ground" has a tedious frame story with lots of characters, and the main drama, a sort of love triangle and premature burial tale, also has too many characters.
If you stop at the general store in the crummy rural town of Stillwater maybe the local goofballs who hang out there will tell you the story of Sophie Sprague, Tom Sprague, Henry Thorndike, and crazy Johnny Dow. Tom was Sophie's brother, and the two lived together on their farm. Tom was a violent drunk who kept men away from his sister, but when he was off on a spree Thorndike would court her. Thorndike was the local undertaker, a med school drop out. Johnny Dow, variously described as "an idiot" and "a half-wit" acted as a sort of assistant or flunky of Thorndike's--Thorndike compensated him by shooting him up with heroin or morphine or something. The garrulous and mentally deficient Dow with his unguarded talk revealed to everybody that Thorndike was always experimenting with new drugs and embalming fluids on cats and dogs and even the local livestock.
|Abridged 1965 UK edition of 1944's Sleep
No More; it only has 11 stories instead of
20, but they throw in a sexy Dracula lady
Thorndike didn't do a good job with the dosage, and Tom had some kind of spasm and knocked the syringe needle into Thorndike's own arm, so that the undertaker got a dose of his own medicine. During the comic funeral scene Thorndike collapses and the local doctor pronounces him dead as well, the upshot being, despite the protests of the "half-wit" Dow, that both men are buried alive, and for decades to come, Dow will visit their graves and talk to them.
Gotta give this thing, which is too long, tries and fails to be funny, and lacks the "cosmic" horror we look for in a Lovecraft story as well as any of the suspense or shock we look for in any horror tale, a thumbs down. Despite my denunciation, after its initial publication in Weird Tales along with Kuttner's "The Salem Horror," "The Horror in the Burying-Ground" was included in August Derleth's Sleep No More: Twenty Masterpieces of Horror for the Connoisseur.
Well, we've got one clunker in "The Horror in the Burying-Ground," but "The Horror in the Museum" and "Winged Death" are very good, "Out of the Aeons" has a cool middle section, and "The Stone Man" isn't bad.
In our next episode I temporarily suspend my boycott of the 21st century to read Lovecraftian stories from 2014!


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Samsung announced two environment-friendly mobile handsets, W510 and F268 at World IT Show in Seoul.
W510 is Samsung's first mobile phone with 'bio-plastic' made from natural material extracted from corns. Samsung has been making an effort to develop more renewable and eco-friendly material compared with common plastic produced from petroleum.
Moreover, when producing W510, Samsung did not use any heavy metals, such as Lead, Mercury, and Cadmium, and applied water-soluble coating.
Samsung F268 with all the accessories including charger and headset does not contain BFRs(Brominated Flame Retardant) or PVC.
In addition, Samsung F268 has an alarm function to encourage users to unplug their charger when the devices are fully charged. The product also is following the Energy Star requirements as well, which is strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy.
Both W510 for the Korean market and F268 for the Chinese market will be launched in June.Tags: Samsung


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The Utah legislature will be in general session beginning January 25, 2010. It will be considering several bills that may have an impact on employers and employees throughout the state. To date the following bills have been introduced in the House:
House Bills:
H.B. 11, Licensing of Elevator Contractors and Elevator Mechanics. The bill provides for the licensing of elevator contractors and mechanics and continuing education requirements to retain licensure.
H.B. 17, Amendments to Programs for People with Disabilities. The bill modifies the Utah State Personnel Management Act to allow for the competitive career service schedule to include positions filled through an on-the-job examination intended to appoint a qualified person with a disability.
H.B. 18, Unemployment Insurance Amendments. The bill modifies the definition of the base period for qualification for unemployment insurance benefits.
H.B. 20, Amendments to Health Insurance Coverage in State Contract. This bill amends existing statutes that requires contractors with certain state entities to provide health insurance to their employees by, among other things, requiring waiting periods for coverage to be less than 90 days, clarifying that to be covered the employees or dependents must live in Utah, clarifying that the health insurance coverage required is a minimum standard, and defining what constitutes qualified health insurance coverage.
H.B. 23, Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing. The bill amends statutory requirements for employer drug and alcohol testing, including provisions related to employer liability.
H.B. 27, Per Diem and Travel Expense Modifications. The bill modifies per diem and travel expense language used for boards, commissions, councils, and committees.
H.B. 28, Controlled Substance Database Amendments. This bill amends provisions requiring an individual who is licensed to prescribe a controlled substance or applying for a license to register to use the database and take tests related to the database.
H.B. 37, Criminal Background Checks on Motor Vehicle Dealers and Salespersons. This bill will require all applicants for a motor vehicle dealer or salesperson license to submit to a criminal background check.
H.B. 41, Constable Amendments. This bill amends what constables political subdivisions may hire.
H.B. 42, School District Employees - Career Status Requirements. This bill modifies the Utah Orderly School Termination Procedures Act regarding requirements for school district employees to obtain career status. It allows school districts to determine whether career status can be obtained after three, four, or five years.
H.B. 43, Unemployment Compensation Amendments. This bill modifies provisions in the Employment Security Act regarding the computation of benefits and the offset of Social Security benefits.
H.B. 51, Family Employment Program - Cash Assistance to Single Minor Parent. This bill modifies cash assistance to single minor parent provision of the Family Employment Program.
H.B. 73, Utah Construction Trades Continuing Education Amendments. This bill modifies the continuing education requirements for the construction trades.
H.B. 199, Municipal Clerk and Recorder Responsibilities. This bill allows legislative bodies of town to establish a director of finance position.
H.B. 211, Continuing Education Requirements for Landscape Architects. This bill provides that a landscape architects complete continuing education requirements.
H.B. 215, Amendments to Public Employees' Benefit and Insurance Program Act - Risk Pools. This bill amends the number of eligible full-time enrollees an institution of higher eduction must have in order to participate.
House Resolutions:
H.J.R. 3, Joint Resolution on Teacher Performance Pay. The resolution recommends that performance pay or differentiated pay plans for public school teachers be developed using guiding principles.


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This weekend, C-SPAN ran a subtitled French news broadcast and a rerun of BBC Newsnight, both discussing the U.S. elections. Old Europe really is baffled that Bush got re-elected.
During the French show, I just sat mostly smirking and shaking my head at how the French are so predictably biased against us. In an interview, the French foreign minister continued to propagate the government's most recent excuse for Franco-U.S. tensions, which is becoming their mantra, "Alliance is not allegiance." Yeah, thanks a lot.
During the BBC broadcast, the anchor used the adjective "so-called" in front of "War on Terror", implying that its status as an actual war is still in question. Also, in a series of file video clips, they showed shaggy-bearded Saddam, post-capture, with his face blurred out. Now, I know they do that on "Cops" and various other shows because of the innocent-until-proven-guilty principle, but why would they blur out Saddam? Weird. There was, however, some sensible analysis was offered by Christopher Hitchens in the election discussion.
Monday, November 08, 2004
Sacre Bleu! Ol' Chap
Posted by CP on Monday, November 08, 2004
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text: Like many of the creatures we love, we have been hibernating over the winter. But Spring has Sprung, we've been strectching our limbs and the site is ready for Easter. The Badgells Easter bunny promises to put in an appearance too. We're looking forward to seeing some of you there.


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Well, except for the damn Assyrian Chariots, that is.
Attempting to paint a few details onto the almost finished one, I fumbled it whilst turning it in my fingers to paint the other side panel. In an instant the yoke bent and snapped in half, followed by one of the wheel axles, and then as my fingers finally managed to get a grip again the hull bent, and then sprang apart. I had a major hissy fit!
I threw the thing in the bin, followed by the other two - part-completed - ones from the same box. The two remaining unopened boxes are up on eBay, for someone who has a gentler touch than I do. I kept the figures, horses and a few of the accessories to use elsewhere.
Don't get me wrong. They are nice little models. They would work well in hard plastic, although a few parts would be very fragile, perhaps too much so for a wargames table. But something is badly wrong with that cream coloured soft plastic. Bend a component and it breaks in half. Useless. Maybe it was just that box, but I was loath to open the others to prove the point.
So the chariot parts from one box ended in the bin.
Instead I have bought two boxes of the Caesar ones. They are engineered a bit more solidly than the HaT offering. The yoke, beam and chariot floor come as one part instead of three. The parts look more substantial too. That should make it much stronger straight away. The sides are pinned in place, which should make a very strong joint once glued. I prefer the HaT figures to the Caesar ones, especially as the former do not include a driver! As I have three sets of HaT Chariot crew, I will use those and modify another figure to provide the driver for the fourth chariot.
I have downsized the army somewhat. WAB does not really require huge units or large forces. Units of twenty to twenty four seems ideal for infantry and ten to fifteen works well for cavalry. I had made further purchases of a box of Assyrian Allies and another of Chariots. That brought the latter up to a total of nine, which was perhaps a bit OTT. Getting shot of them and a few other surplus to requirements kits on eBay freed up enough cash to buy the two boxes of Caesar chariots. HaT come three to a box, but Caesar boxes hold only two. As the minimum number of chariots in a unit is three, that leaves one for the General/King. I think a single unit of three will do for now. I may, when funds allow, buy another box but I certainly will not be going back up to nine.
I also got rid of a box of cavalry. Two units of twelve seemed sufficient. Even with the reductions the points total is close to 3000, which would give a long game indeed.


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April is busy because of the April A-Z, but I'm on schedule and happy to have other things going well. Just hoping I can keep the pace.
--The start of the April A-Z Challenge. Well, I have two posts completed. That's 24 left to write. Yeah, I've procrastinated, but it is what it is. I'll get there.
--Hubby is extending our sprinkler systems. I have seven more shrubs to plant, but I need the exercise, so it's an excuse to get up from my desk.
--Had a nice visit with my mother Easter week. We wear each other out with all our talking, but I think it makes her thankful to be home again. I know it makes me thankful for my quiet space.
--Celebrating my grandson's birthday. Goodness, he's eleven! How did that happen??
--Connected with a childhood friend on Facebook! I love the 'message' feature, which says something about me. I'm not a Facebook fan, but alas, it's where family hangs out and childhood friends connect :) Never would have happened in the old days!
Celebrate the Small Things: To join, visit Lexa's Blog for the rules. We post every Friday about something we are grateful for that week. It can be about writing, family, school, general life or whatever. Originated by VikLit, co-hosts are: L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Katie @ TheCyborgMom


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Purchase an apartment at Richmond Painswick and you'll be buying into a whole new lifestyle. To find out more, view the short video about Village Apartments at Richmond Painswick.
Our village advisers will be happy to answer any questions or to show you around. For more information or to arrange a visit please call them on 01452 346486.
Alternatively you can complete our contact form.
With just 18 Apartments these are sought after properties, many enjoying views over the Cotswold countryside, and all within easy reach of the main village centre building and facilities.
Our Village Apartments offer stylish, independent living. They are designed to make life as easy and enjoyable as possible and offer the very best in retirement accommodation. They comprise a sitting room, kitchen, one, two or three bedrooms, bathroom (en-suite to master bedroom) and high quality fixtures and fittings. Every detail of the design has the end user very much in mind. Apartments feature non-slip bathroom floors and in the kitchen, everything is positioned for optimum ease.
All Village Apartments benefit from an emergency call system to the 24-hour on-site care team and residents have access to the Richmond Village transport service which includes shopping trips and trips to local places of interest.
Whether you take a daily swim in the pool, enjoy the numerous activities and events or just pamper yourself in the Spa, a move to Richmond Painswick will retain your 'zest for life'!
Care in your home
Richmond Villages are proud to have our very own on-site domiciliary care agency registered with CQC (Care Quality Commission).
For residents living in the Village who may require a little assistance with day to day living, our own on-site domiciliary care team will offer flexible support with individually tailored care packages.
The amount of care and assistance you require may vary from a couple of hours a week to several hours a day, dependent on each individual's requirements. All care and support packages are bespoke and charged at an hourly rate. Care is provided on a scheduled basis, and is not an on-demand service.
Features at a glance
- Fitted kitchen, some with utility rooms
- Stylish bathrooms including bath and/or shower
- 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments
- Car owners allocated a parking space convenient to their apartment
- Emergency call system to on-site domiciliary care agency
- Use of all on-site facilities and activities, including the Wellness Spa


text: 100% of the participants in our programs are African American youth who come from families designated as low-income or in poverty according to federal income guidelines. The poverty and associated poor academics, unemployment, teen age pregnancy, gang problems and violence of this neighborhood are well documented in police reports and the daily news. Our zip code, 60644, has one of the highest violent crime rates in Chicago.


text: PRODUCTS More To Come Contact us at 613-883-4712 or tanys@twillowlifestyle to purchase Clearing Spray $8 Clear yourself from the daily negativity with this soothing Clearing Spray. It smells amazing and your energy field will love you for it. Healing Crystal Tealights $8 These beautiful tealights with healing crystals will infuse your home with the healing energy from the crystals and the soothing light of candle light. Crystals for a Cold Gift Packets $3 Do you or someone you care about have a cold? Use this all natural Crystals for a Cold gift packet with 2 crystals and 2 samples of essential oils and see the difference nature can make.


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We needed a good center piece for our coffee table, but with an abundance of children coming to the party we had to make sure it was very kid friendly. So why not have a functional decorations?
The Pinterest Pin that inspired this decorations was for Cozy Cones:
The tutorial for the pin is at this website: Pick Me. I did mine a little differently. I wanted the cones to be "functional", so kids could drive their cars in and out of them.
I found the same cones at Walmart for $3.50 per four pack. The tutorial says to stack and offset two cones because of the slits on the sides. I just used orange construction paper so that I didn't waste a cone. I also cut a "garage door" out and hot glued that plastic piece to the inside of the cone. Then that glued plastic piece was my support for the foam awning.
Here is a top view of the Cozy Cones...
And here is a close up of Sally and McQueen getting Cozy at the Cones :P...
This was another Pinterest Success and a great addition to the big Cars bash!


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In our continuing effort to bring you some of the classic shows from our extensive 10 year history, this week we dig up our 2008 interview with Ice Cube & WC. Hear them speak on how a warehouse full of records became the first full length solo album AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted under the direction of The Bomb Squad. Cube also remembers what it was like being one of the first hip hop acts to be invited to predominately rock dominated festivals like Lollapalooza, and why he thinks "escapism" hip hop seems to dominate the music scene today. Its one of our favorite interviews, so be sure to check it!
Download or listen below (right click and "save as" over the orange download)


text: The eye is the window of the body and soul. Various writings, ancient and modern point to the relationship existing between the eyes and the body. One of such statements that are notably striking is recorded by Luke in the Bible. "When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body is full of darkness" (Luke chapter 11 verse 34). So swift in registering impressions are our eyes that even our emotional states and dispositions can unconsciously be broadcast by us and read by very observant lay men. We always sense something "cold" emanating from the enemies eyes and those planning evil and something "warming" radiating from the eyes of a true child, a friend's eyes or eyes of strangers that bring good tidings. Emotional disturbances such as fear, anger, disappointment etc always leave their subtle impressions in the eyes. Expressions like evil eyes, lonely look, forgiving look, empty look, weary look, romantic eyes, etc are used very commonly in our daily conversations.


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Young people such as teens and children naturally spend a great deal of time in their imaginations, and imagery is a natural way for them to think. As we begin to explore the world as infants, we explore it with our senses, and then we turn those sensory impressions into internal representations of how the world is — those representations are stored in the form of sensory-based thoughts — also called "images."
Young people process information very quickly and do not need induction periods of relaxation and quieting their mind to engage in imagery. Much of the time, we work with children's imagery in a conversational way — "can you imagine being in a very beautiful, happy place? What does it look like? (Let them answer.) What sounds do you hear there? What does it smell like? What would you like to do there?" Or, for a scared child, "Imagine you have a powerful superhero protecting you — who is it? How do they protect you? Do they need any more help to make sure you are safe? Can you imagine they get all the help they need to make sure you are safe? Do you feel safer with them here?"
Children of school age can learn simple imagery techniques such as visualizing spelling words to improve their memories, learn to use imagery to improve their skill levels at learning, sports, and even learning to handle themselves well in class. We also use imagery with children in medicine to help them tolerate difficult procedures, to relax, to relieve pain, and to work though emotional difficulties.
Older children and teenagers can learn more structured skills for the same purposes (especially sports, performances, public speaking, and memory enhancement) and for helping them develop better social skills (talking to that cute guy or girl can be very stressful!) People of all ages benefit from using images in their daily lives and for specific goals.


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Middle East retail major Lulu Group has further expanded its presence in the Sultanate of Oman by opening its latest Hypermarket in Suwaiq, a coastal town in the north east of the Country. The 16th Lulu hypermarket in Oman was officially inaugurated by H.E. Shaikh Muhna Bin Saif Bin Salim Al Lamki, Governor of North Al Batinah in the presence of several high-ranking officials from various government departments and representatives from local business communities.
The new 100,000-sq-ft Lulu hypermarket will serve the residents of Suwaiq and its surrounding areas with a wide range of products from all over the world. The hypermarket has separate sections for fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, dairy products, ready-to-eat products and a state-of-the-art live bakery and Hot Foods kitchen and a huge area dedicated to department store which includes garment, electronics, IT products, home appliances etc. The product mix in Lulu Suwaiq encompasses a wide selection of premium UK and US goods, including special products air-flown for freshness. The new hypermarket will have lots of inaugural offers and deals in almost all categories.
Speaking after the inauguration, Yusuffali MA, Chairman of Lulu, said "Oman has always been a preferred destination for us because of its stable political environment and promising market. We thank His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said and the people of this country for encouraging us in all our expansion strategies and efforts in Oman. The Group will open 7 more hypermarkets in various regions of the Country in the next two years," added Yusuff Ali.
On providing training and employment opportunity to the educated Omani youth, Yusuffali said "it is also our endeavor to nurture the local talent and a proof of this is our strong Omani work force of 2000 strong that form the nucleus of our operations here in Oman. Our aim in the wake of the aggressive expansion plans is to provide employment to more Omani nationals by the end of 2017" said Yusuffali. Currently Lulu provides best quality training to absorb them in various managerial and specialized sections to Omanis," he added.
Regardless of the challenges arising from the volatile oil prices, Mr. Yussufali expressed optimism on the economic outlook of the country. "We're very optimistic based on the circumstances in general. The impact of fluctuating oil prices is not going to distract us from the long-term goals of our business in Oman.
"Despite the signs of fiscal caution, there is no need for residents to press the panic button. The government has initiated comprehensive measures and substantial strategies to tide over the crisis and create a positive impact on the lives of citizens. This is definitely a clear sign that the economy is on track to overcome the challenges and achieve its objectives successfully," he added.
Other important attendees at the inauguration: Lulu Group CEO Saifee Rupawala, Executive Director – Ashraf Ali MA, Oman Regional Director, Ananth AV and other top officials.
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
"Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours. But grief comes from losing something you've already had."


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|Chivareed is a Scrabble word. Scrabble point value for chivareed: 18 points.
|Chivareed is a Words with Friends word. Words with Friends point value for chivareed: 18 points.
Above are the results of unscrambling chivareed. Using the word generator and word unscrambler for the letters C H I V A R E E D, we unscrambled the letters to create a list of all the words found in Scrabble, Words with Friends, and Text Twist. We found a total of 252 words by unscrambling the letters in chivareed. Click these words to find out how many points they are worth, their definitions, and all the other words that can be made by unscrambling the letters from these words. If one or more words can be unscrambled with all the letters entered plus one new letter, then they will also be displayed.
|Definition of "chivareed" found in the Merriam Webster dictionary
|Definition of "chivareed" from The Free Dictionary
|Definition of "chivareed" from Dictionary.com
|Words that start with chivareed
|Words that end with chivareed
|Words that contain chivareed


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Andrew Braybrook's classic C64 shooter was a groundbreaking game for many reasons, but not many people know that it was the first game about being bitter and cynical! Video games are art, etc.
Anyone remember developer diaries? They were things where the developer wrote about making the game in a games magazine – without a PR person in between the creator and editor. CRAZY TIMES!
The Amiga version was OK I guess.


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Google Analytics - "turning noise into insights"
Are you stymied by Google Analytics (GA)? Not sure what the data means? Not seeing Adwords or MSN data in Analytics?
You're not alone if your eyes immediately glaze over and your brain starts to hurt! Most of our clients become overwhelmed by GA and are at a loss as to how to make sense out of the columns of numbers.
They rely on PPC-Strategies to turn mountains of meaningless "noise" into actionable, meaningful insights. We can now provide you and your team with the same one-on-one custom training, dashboards and reports that we offer to our clients.
Our training is geared toward helping you answer the most pressing questions your marketing and web team have about site performance - and then figuring out what to do next!
Being Google Analytics certified, we can help you gain confidence in your website's data and learn how to use that for continuous improvement of all your marketing channels.
Our helpful training and GA services include:
Account Setup Best Practices:
- Ensure account settings are optimized and Data Sources are linked to AdWords
- Understand how to create multiple properties in one account for different websites you own
- Create multiple profiles to leverage powerful filters
- Understand the difference between Users and Administrators and how to set them up and manage access to confidential data
General "introduction" to Analytics default reports:
- Learn what they mean & how to use them
- Learn how to apply temporary filters and access additional dimensions of data
- Learn how to "cleanse" organic data to remove brand traffic "contaminants"
- Understand mobile vs. tablet vs. computer visitors and behavior
- Visualize how visitors navigate through pages of your site
Custom Account Profiles:
- Learn how to create profiles to filter specific types of data (in or out)
- Learn how to restrict user access to only certain profiles, protecting your sensitive data from prying eyes
Adwords & Analytics Linking:
- Import Adwords cost, click and revenue data into Analytics advertising reports
- Import Analytics bounce rates, time on site and pages/visit into Adwords reports
- Understand cookie tracking differences and resulting attribution discrepancy between Adwords & Analytics reports
Custom Dashboards & Report Creation:
- Isolate the precise information needed to take quick, corrective action with PPC campaigns
- Generate key performance indicator "snapshots" and more detailed reports for your marketing department and executive office
- Understand the role and interplay of all your online marketing channels with powerful Multi-Channel Funnel reports
Manual Campaign Tagging Instruction:
- Differentiate Bing PPC vs Bing Organic traffic in Analytics with properly tagged ads
- Understand "post click" visitor behavior from your email and newsletter blasts, and measure the relative value of each creative or link
- Evaluate effectiveness of traditional CPM banner ads & media placement
- Compare performance of Comparison Shopping Engines (CSE)
Goal Set Up and Management:
- Track transaction and ecommerce goals
- Track "soft" goals for time on site, pages per visit, duration on site
- Track "micro-conversions", i.e., newsletter sign-ups, views of a key page
- Analyze shopping cart funnel behavior and cart abandonment
- Create rich multi-channel funnel reports based on one or more goals
Custom Advanced Segments:
- Quickly isolate all traffic that matches your segment's pre-defined criteria
- Easily compare and contrast visitor behavior and conversion data
Ecommerce Tracking Code Installation:
- Pass valuable transaction detail from your shopping cart "thank you/confirmation" page including, revenue, tax, shipping
- Access in-depth revenue reporting by keyword, country, region, city and traffic type
Google Experiments:
- Test different versions of web pages and PPC landing pages
- Learn how the content on your site and the placement, color and size of graphical elements impact visitor behavior, conversions and transactions
Google Analytics Remarketing:
- Learn how to modify your UA tracking code to leverage the newer, more flexible Remarketing through Analytics
- Integrate with your Adwords Remarketing campaigns
Google Event Tracking:
- Track micro-conversions like PDF downloads
- Track button clicks to purchase products on a 3rd party site
Google Site Search Tracking:
- Set up and track what people are searching on your website
- Gather intelligence about what pages are working or not
- Identify products that might be difficult to find on your site
- Identify opportunities to advertise on new keywords
These are just some of the types of training sessions offered by PPC-Strategies. Gaining a better understanding of your company's analytics will help you improve your bottom line and provide your team with predictive data for planning your marketing strategy in the months to come.
If you would like to learn more about how advanced Analytics knowledge can benefit your company, please contact us today! Individual, online sessions begin at $100/hour. In-house training is also available for companies in the Boston and southern NH area, with day rates beginning at $500.


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Your favorite Chinese takeout appetizer is easy to make at home when you follow this simple technique.
takeout at home
It's all about nailing the right balance of sweet and sour in this addictive sauce (without the corn syrup and scary red food coloring).
Our take on this classic Chinese-American dish is lighter and tastier than the version from most take-out joints—without the corn syrup or red food coloring. Plus, it's ready in 22 minutes or less, so put down the phone and pick up a skillet for a fast, fresh meal.
Get the restaurant classic on the table in only 22 minutes.
This burrito won't leave you missing the meat.
This one-pot meal is fresher, tastier, and healthier than takeout—and clocking in at just 22 minutes from start to finish, it's faster, too.
Can your favorite Chinese restaurant deliver in just 22 minutes? This recipe can.
Want a lot of flavor but don't have a lot of time? Let store-bought curry powder and a lightening-fast sauce deliver dinner in 22 minutes.
Store-bought curry powder is brightened by fresh ginger and garlic in this 22-minute chicken dinner. The mustard-flecked cashew topping adds final dose of flavor and crunch.
From fresh sushi rice and hand rolls to avocado salad, it's easier than you think to bring the sushi bar to your dinner table.
Ditch the fryer and embrace the oven for this super-fast, super-tasty chicken dinner.
This faster, healthier version of standard chicken Parmesan is perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner. Serve with garlic bread and a side salad to round out the meal.
It only takes 22 minutes to make this fast, fresh version of everyone's favorite takeout noodle dish.
Your favorite Chinese takeout dish just got a whole lot fresher.
Fast flavor doesn't have to come from a seasoning packet.
Forget the seasoning packet—carrots, zucchini, and bok choy give this comforting Japanese favorite a fresh upgrade in just 22 minutes.
Sesame chicken so fresh and delicious you'll never crave take-out again.
Make our oven-roasted shawarma-spiced chicken pitas in just 22 minutes.
Takeout is convenient and all. But in the time it takes to wait for delivery, you can make lighter, brighter, fresher pad Thai at home.
This aromatic and hearty dish tastes like it was simmered all day but with a few shortcuts, it's ready in no time at all.


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Zio Android Smartphone Challenges as Cost Cutter
Zio Android Smartphone Challenges as Cost Cutter
by Cameron Sturdevant
The Zio Android handset is made by Kyocera for the Sprint network. You can see the rounded side edges that make the smartphone sleek but interfere with typing.
Right Side
Left is the camera/camcorder button, center-right is the microSD card slot.
Just a smooth edge, no buttons or ports.
Left side
Left is a 3.5mm headphone jack, center is the volume rocker switch, right is the MicroUSB/charging port.
Here is the microphone.
Back, Case On
Top left: 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera and speaker; lower center: the cover latch.
Back, Case Off
1130 mAh battery and internal components.
Sprint ID
Sprint ID was launched alongside the Zio and is an Android interface overlay that provides ringtones, applications and widgets grouped in combination and easily downloaded and switched on the handset.
The Zio can be remote wiped through integration with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync.


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|Sightseeing in the hot city: Teatro Colón in the back.
|A view of the sunset in our garden, and a bunch of promising sketches.
|Currently working with my favorite color: gray.
|Sightseeing in the hot city: Teatro Colón in the back.
|A view of the sunset in our garden, and a bunch of promising sketches.
|Currently working with my favorite color: gray.
Lindísimo post Joji, y muy buenas fotos!
Que buen inicio de año.
what a wonderful post
you are naturally inspired
I love what you do ....
Thank you for sharing this with us. It´s so beautiful place where you live. It´s actually great to see some summer pictures when we have just muddy winter and gray sky to see here in Europe these days.
You certainly have your style and no matter what "basic" stuff you make it is never like anybodys elses so please make us some Joji basic sweater patterns I can´t wait!
Wonderful post indeed Joji !
I'm looking forward to seeing the Joji's "basic' designs. Perhaps I'll hear more about it in a few weeks;)). Our meeting comes nearer and nearer isn't it ? x Vera
Me encantó Jo! Siempre con ideas tan bonitas y realizaciones más bonitas aun! Te amo!
Loved your post! Yesterday there was a programm on tv here about Argentina in which they showed Buenos Aires and Tierra del Fuego. Made me think I should go to Argentina on a holiday once :) At the beginning of this year I was thinking I wanted to knit more basic sweaters which I could combine with other clothes and which show off the yarn in a good way. So I would love it if you designed basic sweaters! :)
Karin (Karinita)
I would love to see your take on some basics, Joji. I think a basics e-book would be a great thing to own!
Lovely post Joji. Enjoy your summertime!
While it is nice to be in winter and be able to knit, we are supposed to get very cold single digits (and below 0) temperature this week! I wish I am in BA's summer :).
I've knit several of your patterns and I marvel at how innovative your patterns are. I can usually spot your patterns on Ravelry because you do have a certain style. I hope you continue to create patterns that bear your unique and exquisite style sense. It's always a treat when a new shawl pattern arrives.
¡Me encantan tus diseños! Me gustaría mucho que diseñaras algunas prendas básicas. Saludos de Suecia -- Sofia.


text: The Devadasi Dance Collective is a collaborative weaving of Temple Dance artists featuring Classical, folkloric, and modern fusion dance lineages from around the world, specifically the Silk Road and India. Here we merge the serpentine, sensual and earthy embodiment of Tribal Belly Dance, the devotional intention, beauty and technical influence of Classical Indian Temple Dance, and the cutting edge ingenuity of modern fusion. Rooted deeply in the spirit of devotion, it is a moving ritual of feminine beauty and radiance inspiring the union of body, heart, mind and spirit. Through ritual, invocation and heart offering, the epiphany of this work sends tangible waves of inspiration and remembrance through it's witnesses. As artists and Priestesses of the Beauty Way, our mission is to catalyze the awakening of Beauty, Truth, and consciousness through the timeless art and embodied medicine that is Temple Dance.


text:
In an unusually blunt criticism of a strategic ally's domestic politics, especially with the US presidential election just weeks away, Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan said "cranks and crazies" had taken over the Grand Old Party.
Mr Swan, named by banking magazine Euromoney as its finance minister of the year in 2011, labelled the Tea Party wing of the Republicans as "extreme" and a threat to the US economy.
"Let's be blunt and acknowledge the biggest threat to the world's biggest economy are the cranks and crazies that have taken over the Republican Party," he said in a speech to a conference in Sydney.
The Republican Party's position on the country's budget had led a year ago to the deadlock in negotiations, Mr Swan said, to prevent the looming "fiscal cliff" - nearly $600 billion in planned spending cuts and tax hikes that will bite early next year.
"Despite President Obama's goodwill and strong efforts, the national interest there was held hostage by the rise of the extreme Tea Party wing of the Republican Party," he said.
"There can be few things more alarming in public policy than a political movement which was genuinely prepared to see the government of the United States default on its obligations in order to score a political point," he said.
Mr Swan, who as treasurer of a centre-left government presides over one of the few economies to have avoided recession in recent years, also called on the US Congress to resolve an agreement on the budget to support growth in the short term.
With the US presidential campaign entering its final weeks, the spending cuts and tax hikes will kick in unless Mr Obama and Congress reach a deficit-reduction deal.
Democrats want to make up the shortfall by increasing taxes on wealthy Americans, while Republicans favour spending cuts.


text:
Ubi notandum est quod natura non se habet ad suppositum sicut universale ad singulare, quia in accidentibus etiam invenitur singularitas sine ratione suppositi, et in substantia nostra natura atoma assumpta est a Verbo, secundum Damascenum, non tamen suppositum nostrae naturae. Neque se habet natura ad suppositum sicut 'quo' ad 'quod', nam cuicumque 'quo' correspondet proprium 'quod' vel 'quis', ita habet proprium 'quod' vel 'quis' quod non contrahit ad suppositum, et sicut suppositum est 'quod' vel 'quis', ita habet suum proprium 'quo' quo subsistit et tamen concomitanter suppositum de necessitate est singulare,--et etiam, non potest esse 'quo' respectu alterius, quia est subsistens, non potens esse actus alicuius subsistentis; haec duo dicunt duplicem incommunicabilitatem.
"Whence it must be noted that the nature is not related to a supposit as universal to singular, since singularity is found even in accidents without them being a supposit [sine ratione suppositi], and in our substance an atomic [individual] nature is assumed by the Word, according to the Damascene, but not, however, a supposit of our nature. Neither is nature related to supposit as 'quo' to 'quod', for to any 'quo' [by which] corresponds its own 'quod' [what] or 'quis' [who], and so, as the nature is the 'quo', so it has its own 'quod' or 'quis' which does not contract to a supposit, and as a supposit is 'quod' or 'quis', so it has its own 'quo' by which it subsists and nevertheless at the same time [concomitanter] a supposit is necessarily singular;--and also, it is not able to be 'quo' with respect to another, for it is subsistent, not able to be the act of some [other] subsistent; these two bespeak a double incommunicability."
--Ordinatio I dist. 2 pars 2 Q. 1-4 para.378.
The Divine Nature which the three Persons share is not abstract but concrete and singular, as are each of the three Persons themselves. This Nature is not "prior" to the supposits, nor does it act, for only supposits act. The Persons act through their Nature; but the Nature is not without qualification absolutely identical to any or all of the Persons, for if it were identical to, say, the Father, it could not be identical to the Son without contradiction. But it is certainly not something other than the Persons. Hence the need for the formal distinction--matter for a later post.


text:
COMMERCE CITY — Reality paid Pablo Mastroeni a visit recently and reminded the longtime Rapids captain, perennial all-star and World Cup veteran that he had three to five years left — if he's lucky.
The Rapids (11-14-4) won't have three days left if they fail to defeat rival Real Salt Lake (10-10-9) in Saturday's MLS regular-season finale at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids need a victory to clinch a playoff berth, while Salt Lake advances with a win or tie.
Mastroeni is one of four players out of contract at the end of the season but one of three expected to play a major role Saturday and in any playoff run. The clock is ticking.
"You start to feel your mortality," said Mastroeni, 32. "You start to realize that if you don't take advantage of the times when you have good players around you and a good coaching staff, it may not happen again."
It's hard to imagine packing more drama into a regular-season game.
Salt Lake has never been in the postseason, and Colorado, which didn't make the play-offs last season, has never missed out in consecutive seasons.
Salt Lake's Kyle Beckerman, Nat Borchers, Clint Mathis, Chris Wingert and Kenny Cutler all played for the Rapids, while Salt Lake drafted Colorado's Mehdi Ballouchy.
There's the Rocky Mountain Cup, which goes to the winner of the season series, and there are memories of chippy games, dismissive quotes and a famous face-to-face argument between Mastroeni and Salt Lake chairman Dave Checketts following a Rapids victory in 2006.
Interim coach Gary Smith's bargaining position for a full-time contract next season could see a massive rise with a victory and playoff run.
And there is desperation — the wild-card door has been shut for both teams.
"It is loaded," Mastroeni said. "I think both teams couldn't be more excited about the situation."
"It is exciting," said goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, "but at the same time, it's a lot of pressure."
Coundoul, Mastroeni and Mike Petke are out of contract at the end of the season. While Coundoul is younger, Mastroeni and Petke are veterans with World Cup games and a MLS Cup title on their respective resumes, but nothing spectacular in a Rapids' shirt.
The Rapids passed Sunday's do-or-die test with a 2-1 victory at Chivas USA. Petke, always one of the more fiery players on the team, pulled six of the younger players aside before the game.
"I wanted to win that game last weekend probably more than any game except for the championship game (with D.C. United in 2004)," Petke said. "I just couldn't imagine losing that game and not making the playoffs again."
Petke's message?
"I wonder sometimes if a lot of the young guys understand that this is important and one day they're going to be a veteran," he said. "One day this type of situation could be their last game. How do they want to go out?"
For their part, younger guys such as Coundoul, Ballouchy, Nick LaBrocca, Omar Cummings, Colin Clark, Koske Kimura, Ugo Ihemelu, Jordan Harvey and Jacob Peterson are generally cerebral players who seem to absorb veteran advice — whether it be the lead-by- quiet-example kind of Conor Casey or the occasional fire from Terry Cooke, Tom McManus and Cory Gibbs.
"Every game I play, I think it could be the last game I play," Kimura said. "I know this isn't just 'a game.' "
No, it's a chance to put a positive spin on a soap-opera season. It's a chance to suspend mortality, if only for a few weeks.
A quartet set to be out of contract
The Rapids have option years they can pick up for every player except four. These players will be out of contract at the end of the season, although the Rapids will still maintain their rights. "We have made contract offers to some of those players already through their agents," Rapids general manager Charlie Wright said Thursday.
Jose Burciaga Jr., 26, defender
Played in 11 games but has not started since Aug. 29.
Bouna Coundoul, 26, goalkeeper
Began the season as the No. 1, lost his spot but got it back last week. Loves Colorado but could go abroad.
Pablo Mastroeni, 32, midfielder
Longtime captain has enjoyed one of his better seasons. He wants to play abroad next season.
Mike Petke, 32, defender
Recovered from injury and has been a huge factor in playoff push. Said his future is already set in his head, but he wouldn't elaborate.


text: "People think of meditation as some kind of special activity, but this is not exactly correct. Meditation is simplicity itself. As a joke, we sometimes say: "Don't just do something, sit there." But meditation is not just about sitting, either. It is about stopping and being present, that is all. Mostly we run around doing. Are you able to come to a stop in your life, even for one moment? Could it be this moment? What would happen if you did?" Continue reading


text:
Release | Dailiv - Annoying Fear | Absys Records
"Annoying Fear" opens with a track entitled "Cult" – a dark and brooding light-drummed half-stepper infused heavily with tribal and oriental influences. The story continues with "Annoying Fear", which lends its name to the title of the EP; this is where you'll notice a much stronger focus on percussion programming, the effect of which is a punchy, dynamic drum-line, accompanied by a booming and growling bassline. Next stop is the dark and deadly "Boucan"; this is most likely what a drum & bass battle anthem of the Horde from the World of Warcraft would sound like – if they had one. The EP closes with "Strain" – a heavily-synthesized regularly-rhythmed stepper abounding with intriguing details looming out of every single layer.
Source & Distribution: Triple Vision


text:
Performance Details
Event 5000 Meter Run
Mark 19:01.70
Place 252nd
Race/Results Page Boys Championship
Round Finals
Heat 1
Team Hopewell Valley HS
Native Country USA
Season XC 2017
Level HS
Meet Date Nov 25, 2017
Date Added Nov 26, 2017
Grade 2019
Timing FAT
Personal Best? No
Season Best? No
Venue Bowdoin Park, Wappingers Falls, NY, USA
No comments on this performance. Add a comment


text:
I get a lot of people asking for more wine opriented opinions and info since I am in the, uh, wine business. To honor those requests, here's a little opinion based on a recent experience....
*** *** *** *** ***
Balance. Karma. Yin & yang. Whatever you want to call it, the fact that life is always fair and balanced (FOX News notwithstanding) has been proven to me during a trip over the weekend that w, C-boy and I took to meet her family down in the Russian River Valley. As you know carving out time for leisure pursuits with a 17 month old is no easy task. But we did manage to hit a few wineries. One of our first stops was at Joseph Swan Vineyards, one of California's old school and best known zinfandel producers. We went w's sis & bro-in-law and their 2 year old (talk about tempting fate!) and had one of the best tasting experiences in Cali I've had in years. Swan has been around for decades. Their "new" winemaker who took over when Joe Swan died is 60 years old if that tells you anything. The swan zins are all about restraint, pure berry flavors, and balance. Chris in the tasting room couldn't have been more welcoming, and oh, yeah, the tasting was FREE for several generous samples of some truly great juice. Their 2006 "Zeigler Vineyard" was without question the best zin I've had in a long, long time, and it was a quite reasonable $26 a bottle. I happily stuck a few bottles in my shipper to bring back. And as you can see C-boy was quite comfortable in the Swan cellars....
Then, proving life's balance, there was Martinelli Winery (not the apple juice producer) . Not a new producer, but a semi-recent critical darling of Parker's Wine Advocate who always raves about their powerful, extracted, super-intense pinots and zinfandels while showering them with 90+ point scores. I hadn't had a Martinelli wine before, but it was close to the house we rented so we decided to drop on by. We walked in to their tasting room which was over-flowing with hideous, tasteless wine gewgaws. We stepped up to their counter, where pretension was running so thick you could cut it with a knife. They offered two levels of wine tasting. We chose (thank god) the cheaper $5 a person sampling, and proceeded to be served five tiny samples of some of the worst, thickest, gag-a-licious wines I have ever had the displeasure of sampling. A 95 point chardonnay that was so thick and oaky it was virtually undrinkable if you didn't have a lumber fetish. Then on to their two pinots, which the officious tasting room lady, as if quoting directly from Parker described as "powerful fruit bombs". Well, frankly, "powerful" and "fruit bomb" aren't two words I usually want associated with pinot noir, and these 15.5%+ pinots would've been better served poured over pancakes. They finished with a zin that was totally out of balance, too extracted, and my comment to my brother-in-law was "they should be serving cold IPA's on the way out the door to clear our palates". Even with the tiny samples served w didn't finish any of hers. Now the best part, at least for Martinelli, was the wine all ran 2 to 3 times the price of the actually enjoyable to drink Joseph Swan bottles. Which I guess is to Martinelli's credit, since they have ego-driven, palate-impaired wine geeks tripping all over themselves to buy them. Also C-boy had the good taste to not consent to have his picture taken at Martinelli! Joseph Swan and Martinelli....balance achieved.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Balance and Wine
2 comments:
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text:
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Lowercase Pursuits
At soccer practice, another mom greeted me with, "I didn't know you were a photographer!"
I began to say, "I'm not really," but caught myself. I said, "I'm an aspiring photographer." Then I followed with, "What I mean is that I'm not a professional photographer, but I do enjoy it." I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm a full-fledged idiot.
The definition of photographer is "a person who takes photographs, especially as an occupation." Maybe the appositive at the end of that definition justifies my bumbling, but I doubt the soccer mom wanted to parse dictionary definitions. She had seen the family portraits I'd taken for a friend and complimented them. I thanked her, felt good about myself for a few minutes, then began to contemplate why I hesitate to call myself a photographer.
Here's another definition: a writer is "(1) a person who writes or (2) a person whose work or occupation is writing." I am writing this blog post. Therefore, I am a writer. But I'm not a Real Writer. I have friends who are Real Writers. They earn their living as journalists or screenwriters. They publish articles or books. I'm a lowercase W writer.
Here's something you will never hear me say aloud: "I'm a blogger." First of all, I still think it sounds like a made-up thing. Like I'm going to start mass manufacturing Thneeds and kill all the Truffula trees. I will say, "I have a blog," but only with a dip of the head and a glance at the ground, as if the whole idea were too silly and embarrassing to admit in polite company.
I am not paid to do any of these things, so I feel unworthy of the labels. I'm a lowercase contributor at best. I blog, I write, I photograph, but I am not a blogger, a writer, or a photographer.
Unfortunately, we do not define people by their hobbies and interests, but by their occupations. No one ever met someone at a cocktail party and first asked, "What are your hobbies?"
I wish they did. It would provide more interesting conversation. I'd even have things to add. I haven't had an occupation to discuss in many years, and the one I used to have bears little relation to who I am now. Being a mom is great, but it's hardly a novelty in the circles I hang in. I'd love to talk about photography or writing or blogging. They exercise my brain and my creative skills. They help to keep me sane.
But they are hobbies. They are lowercase pursuits in an uppercase world of occupations. Until that changes, I will aspire to other things but will only admit to being a mom.
3 comments:
So this is interesting for a number of reasons. First, I don't think that, just because you don't get paid to do it, that means it's somehow less worthy than if you did get paid to do it. You are a better photographer than some professionals whose work I've seen, so that would seem to prove that getting paid is not what determines whether it's capitalized or not. Second, I agree with you that conversations would be more interesting if we talked about interests and hobbies rather than jobs. And third, no need to look down when you say you have a blog. It's pretty common now, but I get what you're saying here. Hold your head high instead and ask them if they've read it or ask them to read it. I think everything you do should be capitalized. Big fan. :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 18, 2013 at 3:04 PM
Susie: I'm a big fan of your blog too. I've missed it since you haven't been blogging since last Fri. till today. I know you have company.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 19, 2013 at 1:23 AM
How is the persuit of a pull-up coming? Don't give up on that!ReplyDelete


text:
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Enjoy a fun-filled day in the dunes while learning about the city of Gary's national park site and other green spaces. On April 25, from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore will host the seventh annual Green Gary celebration to showcase of the natural beauty of Gary. Coinciding with Earth Day and promoted as a Pre-BioBlitz event, this event features free family-oriented activities presented by the Chicago Field Museum, Gary Parks & Recreation Department, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, The Dunes Learning Center, and the Gary Community Partnership.
At the Douglas Center, visitors and residents are invited to see and touch live insects, learn about and look for reptiles and amphibians in Miller Woods, and soothe their souls while saving the planet by planting native flowers and plants.
The special feature of this year's Green Gary event will be the live Raptor demonstration by Zach Walker of Hardy Lake State Park in Scott County Indiana. The first demonstration will be at 11:45 a.m. with a second show at 1:30 p.m.; both demonstrations will take place at the Paul H. Douglas Center. Birders will enjoy a guided bird hike beginning at 12:45 p.m. and repeating at 2:30 p.m. If you are into hiking and exploring you can join the staff of the Dunes Learning Center on a wild trek through three different habitats within Miller Woods. You'll have the opportunity to see beaver in the wild, climb giant sand dunes and fly a kite on the beaches of Lake Michigan. A free shuttle service will be available to visitors to take them back to the Douglas Center. Other activities for families to enjoy throughout the day include:
Meeting Smokey Bear with a wildland firefighting demonstration.
Exploring a tent full of activity booths hosted by local nature and civic organizations.
Becoming a Junior Ranger.
Hiking the beach or Miller Woods trail in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
Birding Arts & Craft activities.
In addition to having a good time, there is a chance to learn more about future Green Gary activities and the organizations that sponsor them. Since Gary includes a major portion of a national park, 57 city parks, two county parks, several nature preserves belonging to land trusts, and a host of other green spaces, there is no shortage of places or activities to enjoy. Free maps of Gary's green spaces and activity lists will be available during this event.
The Community Partnership presenting this Green Gary celebration is an informal coalition of over 20 private and public groups. The partnership provides a forum that helps northwest Indiana communities and the National Park Service work together to heighten awareness and develop appreciation of surrounding natural areas.
For more information or a free brochure on Green Gary, contact Christine Gooden of the Gary Parks Department at 219-886-7099 or Kip Walton of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore at 219-395-1858.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is one of 391 units of the National Park System ranging form Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore includes 15 miles of the southern shoreline of Lake Michigan and 15,000 acres of beach, woods, marshes, and prairie inn the northwest corner of Indiana. More than 2 million visitors come to this national park each year.


text:
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Christmas Preparations.....
I'm not sure where this bubbly enthusiasm has come from as nothing extra special is planned. I think it's more to do with how much I love us all spending the whole day together & having silly fun & enjoying each other's company.
I've got nearly all of my shopping finished which is a relief & I've also made a few gifts too.
My Christmas cards are nearly finished too.
I decided to make it a bit easier this year & make lots of the same design.
So far I've made about 30 cards from two fairly basic designs.
This was my first batch, made using Basic Grey Figgy Pudding papers.
And here is a close up of one.
This is my second batch, which I used Pebbles Inc papers on.
And this is a close up.
I've also made some one offs for some challenges.
This one is for Liz's monthly challenge at Scrap Boutique.
I've never made an easel card before but really loved doing this one. Thanks for the inspiration Liz :)
This is for another of Liz's challenges, a sketch one this time, for the November cybercrop.
Lovely Making Memories Falala papers on this one.
How are you going with your Christmas preparations? Are you making any cards this year.
I'd love to see them.
Hope you all have a great week & thanks for popping in :)
6 comments:
- Krissy Christie said...
Wow stunning cards Jewls!!
I love that reindeer one!Its fandabbydosey!
My christmas preparations are coming along nicely :D Ive been making cards for the last few weeks :)
Krissy xx
- November 25, 2009 at 8:22 AM
- Melissa said...
Well under way here too Fruity!!!! Am just as excited as you, and me thinks it is cause so much of the year was taken up with feeling sick, so this is a fun time to look forward to.
Need to check on my Chrissy card stash though.You have reminded me.Will have to get to that tonight.
As always you inspire me with your divine cards.Love the BG pile you made.A beautiful stamp that one
- November 25, 2009 at 4:21 PM
- Julie said...
great cards Jules i have got to start mt cards i generally do a photo one but not too sure what this year.
- November 26, 2009 at 10:13 AM
- ♥Liz Weber♥ said...
Loving the idea and the cards Jewls. You always do such a wonderful job with my card challenges, thanks so much for joining in, I look forward to it!
Christmas will be here before we know it, I only have the cards made and some pressies made but no shopping yet yikes!
- November 26, 2009 at 8:29 PM
- Chloe said...
You know I love that easel card! Gonna make one for each of the kids this year I think.
WTG on being so organised for Christmas!
Hey, I bought the kids' pressie from us on ebay the other day... got a Hills swing set with a slide for $76! Bargain! It's only in Atwell too so easy to pick up.
- November 26, 2009 at 9:40 PM
- Suzanne said...
Wow your cards look so good, everyone is going to be happy to receive them.
- December 1, 2009 at 11:05 PM


text:
I'm enjoying this peace in the midst of a busy season that I am trying to keep in check. The days are flying by at an alarming rate, the baking, the making, the shopping, the wrapping, the obligations and the to-do's piling up. But I know that's not what it's about. So I take a moment to sit in my corner and revel in the silence, to take the time to really notice the sights and sounds in this moment of my life. The snoring cat, the sloping floors, the flicker of a candle, the soft warmth of my flannel pajamas, the sound of the heater kicking on, the happy glow of Christmas lights, the stack of books waiting to be read, the overcast day creating a cozy darkness around me.
I know this moment won't last but I think that makes it even sweeter. There is something about taking the time to really notice what is going on around you, to quietly observe. It takes my focus off of myself and whatever is stressing me out. It has a calming effect on me, bringing me back to my center. Reminding me of what's important.
I know this coziness must soon come to an end but I think that by starting my day listening to the silence, I gave myself the very gift I needed today.


text:
[Intro: Raekwon]
Eight million stories, n*gga
Take ya'll n*ggas somewhere, man
Ya'll n*ggas never heard n*ggas rhyme like this before, man
This ain't no Wizard of Oz sh*t neither, man
For real, man, aiyo
[Verse 1]
Surgical gloves, snubs in the grass with his blood
Homie hold that, the four black, we black down
Gold Jag', Ol' laughing yo, yo, what the f*ck happened?
They clapped him and the scalp it flew that way
Yo why they capped him? It went through his lap
Snatched his Audemars Piguet, took his man gold, get at
He painted it, slayed blocks, aiming it
Hit a child, this is foul, but he styled with his flamer flaming sh*t
Teddy with the red Range, supercharged Kangols
Rae & Ghost CD in his change, yo, Angel
Spanish kid lingo, all I know is where he hang though, kept it sideways, angle
Good brush, tough talk, keep it real, daddy, got them thangos
I respect on how the game goes, the same goes
For get fresh n*ggas, test n*ggas, extra bless n*ggas, with them egos
We blow you out your peacoats
Haha, dios míos, we get them twelve a ki, yo
Keep it moving, slide off in the G.O.'s
Freeloaders, the D's over, your sh*t won't sell no more
Breeze over...
[Hook: Raekwon]
Money, gear, drugs, guns, Goodyears
All my n*ggas sit, smelling the tears
Cookin snow white, it's just the poor life, never living off fear
We all millionaires, now where my shares?
(Money) You know the code, drug money, gear money, baby
(Money) You know we fold the stash holders, cash blowers, yeah
(Money) So when the D's come, we float and grab the boats, yea
(Money) Spend off, I got my win off, have a potent year
[Verse 2]
X6's red, up in Albany with the dreds
Bags of black, f*ck the feds
Papers in Aruba's, gold tuba from Bermuda
In my living room spreads, cameras action, got the calico cranked
Where the food at? Hood jewelry on, I gots to do that
Long chain hatchet flooded up, you knew that
Baby blue mac, stones on the nozzle stick
Bulletproof brocco's with the Jew b*tches, all I got is two cracks
Gazelle lenses, clear rude wraps, bagging every ziplock
And my peoples sit around, cops split that
High potent white kit kats, we sell up in the hood
Going door to door, every floor, every get back
My gangsta sh*t, get gats, for every man, here go a gram
Meet me by my drophead and drop your lid back
Forty-seven quick claps, spray off on something
[Outro: Raekwon]
Spray on one of ya'll man, the streets is mine, n*gga
You know what we do, for real
Straight up, it's how we playing right now, man
Cuz the streets, man, streets is making ya'll n*ggas see, man
But some of ya'll is blind, for real


text:
What is K&C Testing
Top Ten Questions that K&C Testing Answers
The usefulness of K&C data extends far beyond the world of simulation, where it is already extensively applied. But you don't have to take our word for it. Here's what championship winning race engineer Jeff Braun had to say:
"When you leave the Morse Measurements K&C rig you will know the answers to these and many more questions. As a race engineer, I always wanted to have these answers but always had to guess or estimate:
1.) Where are the roll centers and how do they move under realistic corner loads? Not the kinematic roll centers but the forced based roll centers. Measured values, not calculated.
2.) What is the tire spring rate and how does it change with tire pressure?
3.) What is the rate of all my anti roll bars at the wheel? Not a theoretical rate, but a measured, as installed rate.
4.) Do I have a problem with a part of the suspension or a bracket bending? Where is the bending taking place and what can I do to fix it?
5.) When you load all the suspension arms, uprights, wheel, joints and brackets where are the wheels pointed under max load?
6,) What is the anti-dive, anti-squat, and anti-lift when the car is loaded? How much effect do the adjustments have?
7.) Is there some part of this spec car that I can't legally change that will dominate the set up choices? Is there a soft engine mounting or a weak bell housing that may make me look at the set up and adjustments differently?
8.) What is the real motion ratio and how does it change with rocker position or wheel travel?
9.) How much friction is there in the suspension and does it bind up under load?
10.) What is the steering geometry, how much Ackermann do I have, is it pro or anti?
The best thing about all this is I don't have to wait for days and post process the data in the office for hours. I don't have to try to measure all the pick-up points and analyze it on the computer knowing when I add in a side load and things bend, it's all wrong. I walk out of Morse Measurements with the answers and go to the track in the morning and start to use the answers to go faster."