text:
What is Real-Time Black Lists or RBLs explained
Realtime Black List are web site services that operation to keep track of domain name or IP address whereby possibility of spam mails originate from. The purpose behind the service is to allow Mail server administrators to query the database and block messages that are listed in there in order to block incoming spam emails. For your information there are scores of websites spam database IP checking that offer this type of service.
Why it's important for you to find out if your IP address is in one of RBLs?
If an IP address is listed in an RBLs then the chances are that the emails that you send from your network or server IP to your clients can get blocked even though it may not be spam. Mostly of anti-spam filters query RBLs and if found your IP address is listed in one of the RBLs IP checking then these filters may not allow your e-mails sending out to go through.
How I know my IP or Domain ended up as black Listed in an RBLs?
Several reasons this can be happen. Example, viruses, spywares, trojans can also be causing a workstation on your network to send out spam e-mails else IP from server administrator was listed on the spam IP database checking.
To trace/lookup may refer some of below URLs
1. multirbl.valli.org
2. mxtoolbox.com/blocklists.aspx
How do I get de-listed from the RBLs blocklist?
Visit the RBLs website that has you blocklisted and find a link there that would allow you to request a removal from the black list. If the blocklisted site requires mail server administrator to request de-listed, may contact us at our support ticketing.


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John Caponera always knew he wanted to be in show business but in what dimension was undetermined until the summer of 1979 when John entered a talent show at a local bar in Chicago. After doing several impressions, he walked away with the five hundred dollar winner's pot and a realization that he might have something to offer in the world of comedy.
Caponera's instincts proved right and after two years working the Chicago comedy club circuit, John took his act on the road where he was immediately accepted . He has honed his act over a forty year career performing to audiences all over the world. Caponera is considered a comic's comic, a true professional offering a mix of material from topical to impressions to characterizations to stories and one liners.
Michael Paskevich of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes: "Unafraid of letting a room grow quiet, Caponera sets his own intentionally erratic pace, pausing to perfection to complement his oddly timed but rewarding comic insights. The jokes are further bolstered by his talent for facial gestures that range from goofy to arrogant, making Caponera arguably the hottest club headliner going at present."
Howell J. Malham Jr. of the Chicago Tribune writes: "Every so often, the kingdom of comedy is graced with a gifted, naturally refined performer who can effectively demonstrate the transcendental powers of the medium while making it look deceptively easy."

subset: commoncrawl


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Summer is coming to Bernal
9:39 AM Erin Archuleta 2 Comments Category : ICHI Lucky Cat Deli
The trees are turning summery.
And, we're working on our little deli. Truly looking forward to opening soon.
A view from the top
10:21 PM Erin Archuleta 3 Comments Category : Craigslist , SRO's , the five year itch
A cleaner rooftop these days
We've been in the same apartment here in San Francisco for five years. Unheard of really in this town, unless you have a rent controlled place.
When we first walked in we were wowed by the hardwood floors, the original 1912ish tin punch walls, the plaster moulding, stained glass nooks, and views of the Outer Mission and Bernal Heights. We totally missed the boat on the fact that the building next to us was an SRO. Let me say now, I'm totally not against single room occupancy housing or helping people in transition get back on their feet.
What I wasn't ready for was the series of bizarre questionably stolen goods that would rotate and disappear/reappear on the adjacent rooftop that was at the same level as my kitchen window. A random assortment of rusty bicycle parts, paired with a pretty mint Gary Fischer showed up one weekend. Early on the next week some bed frames appeared. Then, a collection of copper pipe. Next, electronic cables, coolers, tables, foam padding, and an assortment of other rusting objects that clearly went to some big appliancey things at one time in the distant past. I wondered if this could be the work of a smooth operator, or if we were just next to someone really hoping to make it on Hoarders?
The next week, I spied the guy who couldn't possibly be a hoarder. This guy who was not much taller than me (I'm a cool 5'2") with some serious neck ink started appearing on the roof with his hulky pit bull. The dog seemed much, much friendlier than the guy. The dog never barked. This guy yelled all the time. The dog just wanted to play and pee all over the heap of stuff. He got tired of marking his own territory. The guy got tired of taking inventory. Soon after, some other guy appeared. He looked straight out of City of Lost Children. A big, hulking, French-looking guy in a stocking cap and flannel shirt no matter the weather. The hulking guy rigged a strange series of video cameras secured by rulers, long broom handles, and bungee cords to film all who came and left the building, as well as keep an eye on his stuff. Every serious windstorm, I waited for the ghetto camera system to fly. It never did. Did I mention both guys had awkward mustaches, and so not in that hip-revival way? Just straight skeevy.
I began to really worry about the pit bull. It seemed like he never went in. He was stuck out on that roof, running in circles and chasing his tail for hours on end in the sun. I couldn't tell where his water was, though I knew it had to exist based on the amount of times the dog would do his business while I made my morning coffee or cooked dinner. Regularly, Animal Care and Control would show up. And, just as regularly the dog would reappear. We were too afraid to make a fuss, because the dog kind of seemed crazy, and if we fully pressed them to take the dog, he might be put down. We liked the dog more than the neighbors. We felt torn.
Our next innocent bystander judgment call with this roof, where everything was heaped in some kind of memoriam, showed up before the warm weather did. The naked lady. The naked lady started appearing when the dog wasn't around. She would come out on to the roof and sunbathe. Right across from my kitchen window. We'd already taken to pulling the blinds down, but this advent of the crazy nakedness, this was too much, I thought.
That was when the methy tent of squatters showed up. Somehow, the boneyard of rust and tech junk shifted just enough to make way for a cheap two-person tent. A tent that remains a feat of modern rooftop squatting: an octopus of extension cords running to a generator, it plugged precariously down the side of the three-story building with more extension cords running into some other tenant's window. Oh, and did I mention that somehow in the elaborate tent, they were even able to wrangle cable television? They had sports channels we could only dream of.
Often we would consider calling the police, but we weren't always solid on what to report. "Hello officer, someone across the way seems to be shifty, but I have no real proof."
We felt like we didn't want to make the investment in getting involved when no real, miserable foul play was at stake. And, to be fair all of this was going on at the most difficult point of running our family business, and honestly, it was the best entertainment to draw us out of our own financial worries. We too, felt like we were a bit on the edge. It was like having reality TV all of the time. And, admittedly, we were fascinated by this world so close in proximity to our own which seemed to function by its own code with its own rules.
Ultimately though, when quirky drug use and the flea market across the way could no longer be ignored, it involved loud, violent shouting matches between the neck-tattoo guy and his naked girlfriend. One real argument that woke me up at 4AM went a little something like this:
"Bitch, I did more crack than you did more crack."
"Nuh. Uh. I do the most crack."
Since neither of them would end up a winner, we called 911 to make a domestic disturbance report.
This turned into a cycle. And then, one by one, they moved out.
I must admit, since they've moved out, I've felt a bit restless about our place. I'm feeling a need to change things. Paint walls, or buy art. I consider moving to a new place with laundry, a bathtub, a yard. All these bougie desires in a city built for anything you can afford.
There's a new building manager next door now. The only time anyone is on the roof next door these days, it's for maintenance. I don't find myself second-guessing whether or not I need to put on a bra in order to go make a pot of tea in front of the naked strangers, or thinking that they might judge my new haircut. I no longer have an audience.
These days, my neighborhood is transitioning from the slightly dicey teenage gang divide it once was, to a strolleropolis, filled with hipster haircuts and a crop of rescue dogs (mine included).
I wonder if my real urge to move is rooted in how sanitary the neighborhood is? I'm always a little bit itchy when things don't have a baby-bit of danger. I racked up a host of resume experience learning how to survive Flint and it's arbitrary, abject violence. I fought back against neighborhood dealers. I ran away from crossfire. And mostly, I got good at learning when to leave before any real shit went down.
These days, watching trucks delivering Scandinavian furniture or regular UPS deliveries coming to my neighborhood with packages just being left on doorsteps, I fight my urge to surf Craigslist.
Who are the Rhone Rangers?
8:59 AM Erin Archuleta 0 Comments Category :


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Because of the holiday for some, we are keeping it simple today by simply signing up for the 'I just had to ask...' portion of the blogfest.
So let's get going! Sign up below and I'll see you and your questions on Wednesday:)
Trudging through the publishing world with only my computer and imagination...
Hi Deana! Looking forward to the blogfest. Have you got a twitter hash tag for it? Just a thought. Maybe I didn't look hard enough.
Happy 4th July. Have a great day.
Great idea and looks like alot of fun. Happy 4th!
This is going to be so fun, I can't wait.
Can't wait to read and answer questions. :)
I'm raring to go!
I wish I could be more active in this. Fortunately I can blog this Wednesday, but it looks like I'll have to post on Sunday or Saturday and just wait.
But I'll do my best to participate. Oh summer camp...
Fiona- You know I don't have a hashtag for it. I need to make one for sure. What about #GetanAgentBlogfest
Is that too long?
Siv- Thanks!
Stephanie, Cara and Kathy- WOOT! I can't wait either:)
McKenzie- That's no biggie, you do what you can. Post when you can too and we will still make our way over to your blog:)
Phew. I'm glad I know what to do know.
And thanks for giving me my Wednesday blog topic. =D
This is so much fun! I'm looking forward to reading all the questions!
It will be so interesting to read questions that people have and learn new things! Hooray for week 1!! And happy Independence Day!
Me too :)
Thanks for the email blast! I stopped by this morning when no one had entered and wanted to, but thought I had already done so. >_<
Thanks for reminding me. And I can't wait for Wednesday! ^_^
Aww, I love meeting new people and have been looking forward to this blogfest for the past month.
Thanks, Deana :)
Woo-hoo! Looks like there're loads of participants. How fun is this going to be, meeting so many new writers!!
Can't wait.
Donna- I'm thrilled I could help fill your Wed time slot:)
Andrea, Meghan and Catherine- I'm with you, I will be very interested to see what kinds of questions everyone has. Mine is going to be simple and ridiculous no doubt.
T.D.- Well, I'm glad I did to then. I know I need reminders for just about everything so I thought it might help:)
Juliana and Lora- I really hope we can make some great connections through this!
This is shaping up to be an AWESOME blogfest, yes? I'm looking forward to buzzing around these blogs and finding new writer pals! Thanks, Deana!
Looking forward to this!
I love what you are doing here. Such a creative idea!
I think so Anita! Thanks, and thanks Karen and Christina. It has been a blast planning it and getting to know everyone so far:) Can't wait to get to know more!
What a fun idea. Happy to meet you, Deana. And it just so happens I have an open spot this Wednesday. Now I just need to come up with a snazzy question.
Thanks for hosting such an awesome blogfest!
You are so inspiring! I can only imagine how much work you've put into coordinating this event. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this.
~ Rachel
I just a post up last night, but it was actually pondering entering writing contests and sharing work on the internet. I think I'll know her answer, so I don't know if I should use the post. What do you think?
I'm curious, will this be only for MG and YA writers? I write chick lit (for adults) myself and want to make sure there is a chance for something from me.
If not I'll still play along, after all this is just a genius idea but wanted to see if there was anything else.
PS - I love the hashtag (#GetanAgentBlogfest)
Angelina- Blow us away with your snazz!
Alexia, Rachel- You're welcome and so sweet! I couldn't do the blogfest without you all:)
Theresa- You must have written this fast because I'm a tad confused:) Are you wondering if you should post a question that you think you already know the answer to? If so, I'd say do you want others opinions on it or are you good with what you have? If you want more, post it girl!
Jen- The blogfest if for anyone who writes pretty much. The contest that Kathleen Rushall and Monica B.W. are hosting is only for young adult, middle grade, picture books. This is because Kathleen is only looking for those genres right now. But please do join in the others!
I was saying I put up a post already, and didn't know if it would still work for this blogfest. But I just signed up above. I'll visit the other questioners soon.
I would like the agent's feedback on whether or not she thinks posting work is a good idea. Sorry I was confusing!
Ha, no problem Theresa! It was probably just my frazzled brain.
Gotcha on the question, I'll be over soon to give my input as unhelpful as it may be:)
Deana, you are blogtastic as usual!
You are AWESOME... Thanks so much for putting this together! (I just got back from vacation and am a little late on posting, but I will get to work ASAP!) :)
I just read all the comments sent in for the week #1 of Deana's Blogfest. Great going, Deana.
I will be doing the FREE manuscript critique that some lucky person has WON, and I want to also thank all those who signed up for that.
All those who left e-mail addresses will receive a copy of my kid's new time-travel e-book adventure. This puts characters from my 3 latest books together in a fun adventure.
Thanks Deana, you did a great job.
Anyone who whats to contact me and chat about their manuscript or books this is my e-mail:
mfinke at frontier.com
Margot's Magic Carpet
Books With a WOW Factor


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Rose Oil - A Gift From The Flowers Of Love
Misty Rae Cech, ND
Ah, Wonderful Rose Oil
If there's an aroma that more individuals find deeply moving than any other, it is the oil of rose. The scent is divinely sweet, rich, and deeply floral - exclusive to the extract of history's most revered flower. Though the rose is renown for it's fragrance, the flower actually contains very little aromatic oil by weight. Some 60,000 roses are needed to distill a single ounce of oil, or about 60 roses PER DROP, a fact which brings the seemly high cost of rose oil into perspective.
The Flower of Love
The hardy nature of the thorny rose bush and the flower's magnificent beauty make it a horticulturalist's dream. The genus Rosa has some 150 species spread around the globe, being cultivated in your grandmother's backyard garden, in vast fields in Bulgaria's Valley of Roses, and everywhere in between.
Model Beauty Tip: Muriel's Rose Water
Muriel is a fitness model from Colombia. Muriel uses Rose Marigold Floral Water by Fresh as a toner along with rose oil extract as moisturizer.
Roses have somewhat of a unique past, peppered with interesting
stories and extravagant displays of affection. The flower's
association with devotion was perhaps most wonderfully
expressed during the Roman empire, with banquet halls being
carpeted with petals. Cleopatra once received her beloved Marc
Antony in a room literally knee-deep in rose petals – how's
that for greeting? Roses are the unrivaled symbol of love,
given dear ones through the ages as an affirmation of true
affection. It's no wonder the flower's oil has great healing
properties, both physically and emotionally, for the human
Rose's health Benefits
With it's considerable therapeutic and aesthetic value, the
'queen of the flowers' had a special place in medicine and
perfumery in the ancient civilizations of Persia, Egypt, India,
Greece and Rome. The modern healing tradition of the extract of
rose began in the 17 th century with the writings of English
physician Nicholas Culpeper. The herbalist described the use of
red roses to strengthen the heart, it's cooling and astringent
actions, and its effect on headaches and tired eyes. Perhaps
inspiring it's use as a beauty tonic 'par-excellence', he went
on to suggest it's use as a remedy for a variety of skin
In aromatherapy, the psychological effects are wondrous for
those with a broken heart, or other emotional wounds. Rose oil
calms and supports the heart center, inspiring a sense of
happiness and well-being. When rejection or loss has injured
one's ability to love and nurture, either themselves or those
around them, rose oil can bring sweet and gentle comfort and
allow an emotional 're-opening'.
Use in Aromatherapy
It is the Bulgarian Damask rose, or Rosa Damacena, most often
used in aromatherapy. The oil of this 36-petaled beauty is
available in two forms: the 'otto', or true essential oil, and
the 'absolute'. Harvest of the flowers occurs in the early
morning, before the sun's rays has warmed away the aroma. Rose
otto is made in a two step steam-distillation process; the
first distillation yields an essential oil and a large amount
of 'rose water'. The water is again distilled, producing an oil
which is combined with that from the first distillation.
The absolute is made with a different process entirely. Similar
in a way to 'effleurage' (the pressing of petals in fat to
produce an extract), the flowers are processed in a solvent,
with a wax-like 'concrete' being produced. Through a second
extraction of the concrete, rose absolute is yielded. This
method is significantly more efficient than steam distillation,
producing nearly 7 pounds of oil per 10,000 pounds of roses
(distillation yields 1 pound oil per 10,000 pounds of roses),
with a corresponding lower cost. Does one produce a better oil?
There is certainly debate; while some argue that traces of
solvent are likely to exist in the absolute, others claim the
heat of distillation does not result in a true representation
of the flower. And as with either method, the quality and
effect of the oil varies greatly with the experience and care
of the manufacturer – the answer truly lies with the individual
and the application.
Using Rose Oil
Oil of rose can be utilized in a number of ways; it is very
gentle, being suitable for use on the skin 'neat', in massage
oil, and in a bath, as well as in a diffuser. As a perfume, the
absolute can be worn directly on the skin – it's 'tenacious'
quality will have the aroma slowly released for many hours. For
therapeutic use for the emotions, a dilution of 10% of otto or
absolute in jojoba oil is often used, being massaged into the
heart area – a diffuser is very effective for this purpose as
well. The absolute or otto can also be added in small amounts
to any skin cream, though using a home-made natural recipe is
often the nicest. Rose water, or hydrosol, the water resulting
from the distillation process of rose otto, can also be used
directly on the skin, with it's mild astringent and toning
A rose and lavender facial cream can be made using the
following recipe:
Melt ½ ounce of beeswax in 4 ounces of jojoba using a double
boiler. Add 3 ounces of distilled water in a thin stream while
stirring vigorously with a wire whisk. Remove from heat and
continue stirring while adding 20 drops of rose oil (absolute
or otto) and 15 drops of lavender. Allow to cool, then enjoy
this wonderful homemade cream for sensitive skin.
There are, of course, many ways to enjoy rose oil's benefits.
It is revered on many levels, from its pure aesthetic aromatic
beauty, to its physiological healing and emotional uplifting.
True rose oil, with its great depth and sweetness, is easily
appreciated by almost all who experience this natural wonder.
About The Author: Misty Rae Cech, ND, is a naturopath and yoga
teacher practicing in Boulder, Colorado. She enjoys rose
absolute and other essential oils, using aromatherapy as an
adjunct to other natural therapies. More can be found at the
Ananda Apothecary,
Essential Oils
Rose Oil


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Sylmar Custom Closets
Your daily routine will most likely begin and end in the closet; hence it's necessary to make it as organized, functional, and glamorous as possible. To help you achieve this goal with ease, check out MLL Custom's world-class Sylmar custom closets for you and your family!
We understand that your closet is one of the most important private areas of your home. Aside from having it reflect your style and personality, it should also be customized and organized to promote productivity and creativity, among many other things.
Our team is composed of expert designers and experienced carpenters who will work with your unique ideas to bring the best custom closet to your home. With your personal touch, you will have a stylish closet that is completely set apart from others. We will only offer our expert guidance as you choose what style, texture, hardware, and accessories best fit your taste and lifestyle.
If you want the best Sylmar custom closet that is not only built to maximize your space but also to give it a modern, luxurious look, discover your limitless design options with us today.
Call MLL Custom at (310) 361-2588 for your Free Consultation with a Sylmar Custom Closet expert!
Custom Closets for Efficiency and Maximum Storage
If there are two things that every closet should have, it is a great storage space and apparent efficiency. MLL Custom can give you all these without any inconvenience, mess, or issue of any kind.
With the help of our skilled in-house designers, you can choose among hundreds of possible ways in which you can increase your closet's storage capacity while ensuring that the design will enforce the appropriate organizational flow.
Our goal is to provide you with a fully customized closet for systematically laid-out storage according to the exact way you dress. We will make sure that as much as you can fit all your clothes and future purchases in your custom closet, you can also easily dress up by putting the right stuff close to each other.
By letting us help you set up an efficient closet system, you can enjoy the following benefits:
1. Specific storage layout and capacity for your wardrobe
2. Easily accessible clothes and other regularly used items
3. Added shelves, drawers, and hanging spaces
Designed Especially for You
Given that your closet is part of your morning and evening routines, it will consequently have an effect on your mental, emotional, and productivity status. If you see nothing but an organized and attractive closet, it can give you the feeling of peace that is necessary for starting and ending your day.
MLL Custom's goal is to provide you with high-quality Sylmar custom closets that will let you relax and focus on important matters of the day. We are experienced in giving households their respective storage spaces with regards to our clients' design preferences, budgets, and lifestyles. Although we boast of our European-style custom closets and other furniture, our top-notch designers and carpenters can complete any style you desire with as much expertise and meticulous craftsmanship.
Some of the things that we can add to make your closet more personalized are the following:
1. High-quality doors with custom glass or other mirrored inserts
2. Angled shoe organizers
3. Shelves with adjustable heights
4. Rounder corner handing space
5. Central island
6. Crown molding
7. Full extension drawers
8. Tall enclaves
9. Full-length mirrors
10. And hundreds of other closet accessories
Discuss your ideas with our closet designers, and we guarantee that we can achieve your goals with your expectations exceeded—beauty and functionality considered.
Luxurious Custom Closets Within Your Reach
With the right partner, luxury is not at all hard to achieve. That's what we have been proving at MLL Custom. With years of successful service both in Europe and America, we have satisfied thousands of clients with luxurious custom closets and other fine-crafted furniture.
Should you decide to work with us, we won't just provide you with mediocre closets that almost look like any other closet you can find in standard hotels or b&b. Instead, we will let you design your closet with the expert assistance of our team, giving you a luxurious storage space that is made to last for a long time.
Using only superior materials, our team of professional carpenters can surpass any industry or client standards. Aside from offering a myriad of options when it comes to materials, finishes, and styles, we also aim to incorporate as many closet accessories as possible to maximize your space and up its overall appeal.
Included in the accessories that you can install for a more stylish and functional closet are the following:
1. Extendable valet rod that you can use to prepare your next outfit
2. Velvet-lines jewelry trays
3. Pull-out rack for your outfit accessories (scarves, hats, etc.)
4. Fold-up ironing boards
5. Belt spinner
6. Tie rack or hanger
7. And many more!
All you have to do is tell our designers how you envisioned your closet to be, and we will do our best to realize it in the best possible way. Even better, we will do it in a less expensive way than you may think. With our manufacturing facilities based in Poland, where production costs are way less, we can offer competitive prices that will allow you to achieve luxury without shelling out huge amounts of money.
Complete Sylmar Custom Closet Solutions
As much as we love providing high-quality closets and other furniture, we also give importance to the quality of customer experience that we are giving our clients. Every member of our team puts our customers as the priority, allowing us to give you a pleasant experience from start to finish.
For your satisfaction, our working process starts with earnestly listening to your ideas and the things important for you in the project. By understanding your goals and personality at the beginning, we can create the most appropriate project plan and proceed to fabricate and install your custom closets with much more ease.
We also make sure that you are 100% satisfied with the final look of your closet. Our in-house designers can either work with your ideas or exchange thoughts with your designer if you have any. We can give you design proposals and ask for your feedback to apply all the appropriate changes in the manufacturing process. The best thing is, we give you this design in 3D photorealistic rendering, allowing you to fully see all the details of your closet and help you decide more appropriately.
Once you have approved the proposed design, our fabricators will proceed to bring it to life. All of the materials that we're using have passed—and even exceeded—the industry standards. Combine this with our expert craftsmanship and low production cost; you are guaranteed to have a luxurious custom closet that will stand the test of time without costing you too much.
Even better, we have our professional team that will ensure that your closet will be secured flawlessly in your home. We strive to finish the process in the most convenient way possible, saving you time, money, and stress altogether.
Let's Talk – Free Consultation
MLL Custom is a dedicated provider of modern home living solutions, giving every client extreme satisfaction with custom furniture that fully reflects their personality and addresses their needs and lifestyle. Our Sylmar custom closets and cabinets are available in countless design options waiting for you to choose them.
We don't believe in high-pressure sales, so feel free to choose among our available inspiration photos or tell us the specific details you want to be included in your closet. Our designers will do their best and give you the perfect product in the most time- and budget-friendly way possible.
Call MLL Custom at (310) 361-2588 for your Free Consultation with a Sylmar Custom Closet expert!


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Flower Jewellery DFJ15
After Women, Flowers are the most Divine creations. Flowers always makes people better, happier and more beautiful. Nothing can beat the beauty, touch and feel of fresh flower, But for those who are not getting the fresh flowers and looking for carrying flowers to remote districts and villages here is the best option for artificial flower accessories.
Product Details
Materials: Fabric flowers, Metal billa, Handmade Thai buds.
Keep away from moisture. they can be used 5-6 times. After every use pack it in a box. Handle carefully while wearing and removing the flower jewellery.
Product Detail: Maang tikka(Chutti), Ear ring, Necklace, Long chain, Hathphool(Bracelet with ring) and Hip chain.


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Virtual Linguistic writing group
Lecturer(s) | Aline Bieri, Joelle Loew & Marta Rodríguez |
Contact person | Aline Bieri |
firstname.lastname@example.com | |
Date | Tuesday, 8th December 2020, 14:00 - 17:00 |
Location | Maiengasse 51, Room U113 4051 Basel Switzerland |
Due to the serious situation at the moment, the tuesday writing group will also be strictly online until further notice!
We are glad that we can offer the linguistic writing group once a week as a "presence-meeting"
Every Tuesday from 2-17pm in room U113 we get together to write/ work individually, peer support and exchanges.
As per usual, 45min writing, 15min coffeebreak, repeat!
The number of people in the room is strictly limited, due to the ongoing pandemic. Therefore, participation is only possible with registration.
You can also participate VIRTUALLY. Here, spontaneous attendance is also very welcome. You can find the necessary information below.
Stay safe and healthy, and reach out if you have any questions or comments or issues.
With best wishes
Aline and Joelle
Tuesday, VIRTUAL participation starting 15.09.2020, 2 pm:
Zoom Meeting
In case the link does not work, please contact Aline Bieri or Joelle Loew.


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The domain within your query sequence starts at position 229 and ends at position 273; the E-value for the ZnF_ZZ domain shown below is 1.8e-5.
ZnF_ZZZinc-binding domain, present in Dystrophin, CREB-binding protein. |
SMART accession number: | SM00291 |
Description: | Putative zinc-binding domain present in dystrophin-like proteins, and CREB-binding protein/p300 homologues. The ZZ in dystrophin appears to bind calmodulin. A missense mutation of one of the conserved cysteines in dystrophin results in a patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy [3]. |
Interpro abstract (IPR000433): | Zinc finger (Znf) domains are relatively small protein motifs which contain multiple finger-like protrusions that make tandem contacts with their target molecule. Some of these domains bind zinc, but many do not; instead binding other metals such as iron, or no metal at all. For example, some family members form salt bridges to stabilise the finger-like folds. They were first identified as a DNA-binding motif in transcription factor TFIIIA from Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog), however they are now recognised to bind DNA, RNA, protein and/or lipid substrates [ (PUBMED:10529348) (PUBMED:15963892) (PUBMED:15718139) (PUBMED:17210253) (PUBMED:12665246) ]. Their binding properties depend on the amino acid sequence of the finger domains and of the linker between fingers, as well as on the higher-order structures and the number of fingers. Znf domains are often found in clusters, where fingers can have different binding specificities. There are many superfamilies of Znf motifs, varying in both sequence and structure. They display considerable versatility in binding modes, even between members of the same class (e.g. some bind DNA, others protein), suggesting that Znf motifs are stable scaffolds that have evolved specialised functions. For example, Znf-containing proteins function in gene transcription, translation, mRNA trafficking, cytoskeleton organisation, epithelial development, cell adhesion, protein folding, chromatin remodelling and zinc sensing, to name but a few [ (PUBMED:11179890) ]. Zinc-binding motifs are stable structures, and they rarely undergo conformational changes upon binding their target. This entry represents ZZ-type zinc finger domains, named because of their ability to bind two zinc ions [ (PUBMED:8848831) ]. These domains contain 4-6 Cys residues that participate in zinc binding (plus additional Ser/His residues), including a Cys-X2-Cys motif found in other zinc finger domains. These zinc fingers are thought to be involved in protein-protein interactions. The structure of the ZZ domain shows that it belongs to the family of cross-brace zinc finger motifs that include the PHD, RING, and FYVE domains [ (PUBMED:15476823) ]. ZZ-type zinc finger domains are found in:
Single copies of the ZZ zinc finger occur in the transcriptional adaptor/coactivator proteins P300, in cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB)-binding protein (CBP) and ADA2. CBP provides several binding sites for transcriptional coactivators. The site of interaction with the tumour suppressor protein p53 and the oncoprotein E1A with CBP/P300 is a Cys-rich region that incorporates two zinc-binding motifs: ZZ-type and TAZ2-type. The ZZ-type zinc finger of CBP contains two twisted anti-parallel beta-sheets and a short alpha-helix, and binds two zinc ions [ (PUBMED:15476823) ]. One zinc ion is coordinated by four cysteine residues via 2 Cys-X2-Cys motifs, and the third zinc ion via a third Cys-X-Cys motif and a His-X-His motif. The first zinc cluster is strictly conserved, whereas the second zinc cluster displays variability in the position of the two His residues. In Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse-ear cress), the hypersensitive to red and blue 1 (Hrb1) protein, which regulating both red and blue light responses, contains a ZZ-type zinc finger domain [ (PUBMED:15705950) ]. ZZ-type zinc finger domains have also been identified in the testis-specific E3 ubiquitin ligase MEX that promotes death receptor-induced apoptosis [ (PUBMED:16522193) ]. MEX has four putative zinc finger domains: one ZZ-type, one SWIM-type and two RING-type. The region containing the ZZ-type and RING-type zinc fingers is required for interaction with UbcH5a and MEX self-association, whereas the SWIM domain was critical for MEX ubiquitination. In addition, the Cys-rich domains of dystrophin, utrophin and an 87kDa post-synaptic protein contain a ZZ-type zinc finger with high sequence identity to P300/CBP ZZ-type zinc fingers. In dystrophin and utrophin, the ZZ-type zinc finger lies between a WW domain (flanked by and EF hand) and the C-terminal coiled-coil domain. Dystrophin is thought to act as a link between the actin cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix, and perturbations of the dystrophin-associated complex, for example, between dystrophin and the transmembrane glycoprotein beta-dystroglycan, may lead to muscular dystrophy. Dystrophin and its autosomal homologue utrophin interact with beta-dystroglycan via their C-terminal regions, which are comprised of a WW domain, an EF hand domain and a ZZ-type zinc finger domain [ (PUBMED:17009962) ]. The WW domain is the primary site of interaction between dystrophin or utrophin and dystroglycan, while the EF hand and ZZ-type zinc finger domains stabilise and strengthen this interaction. |
GO function: | zinc ion binding (GO:0008270) |
Family alignment: |
There are 21616 ZnF_ZZ domains in 18218 proteins in SMART's nrdb database.
Click on the following links for more information.
- Evolution (species in which this domain is found)
- Metabolism (metabolic pathways involving proteins which contain this domain)
- Structure (3D structures containing this domain)
- Links (links to other resources describing this domain)


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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Edwards, Giuliani, Debates and Super Tuesday
The big news that starting coming out around 9am this morning (At least that's when a student, looking up from his laptop during the beginning moments of class told me.) was that John Edwards was going to drop out of the race for the Democratic nomination. We are taught to never say never in politics (and John McCain's wild ride on the Republican side is proof of that), but I took Edwards and his campaign at their word when they said that they were in the race for the long haul (even when that message turned to being a kingmaker at the convention). Edwards' reluctance to cede the race to John Kerry in 2004 seemed to back that up. So, color me surprised to see Edwards bow out now. There is no endorsement planned, but if you believe what some of the pundits are writing (that Edwards takes away from Obama's ability to win), then Edwards dropping out now makes a tiny bit more sense.
Drop outs abound! On the GOP side, Giuliani's failed Florida strategy (skipping races rarely works) seems to have him not only on the cusp of getting out of the race but also of endorsing John McCain. Nothing is official yet, but with a debate tonight at the Ronald Reagan Library in California, Giuliani's absence would go a long way toward confirming the speculation. The two (Giuliani and McCain) have essentially switched places in this race. Giuliani has gone from national frontrunner over the summer to being out of the race before it even got to what were perceived as his strongest areas; the delegate-rich states of Super Tuesday. McCain however has gone from bottoming out over the summer to a Lazarus-style return in capturing New Hampshire, South Carolina and now Florida to become the party's frontrunner.
Now the drop out and endorsement are official.
Also, I caught this on NPR today. You'd expect this kind of "using his words against him" comparison on the Daily Show. Giuliani's book comes back to haunt him. "Giuliani Failed to Heed His Own Leadership Advice"
Incidentally, that debate will be on CNN and cnn.com tonight starting at 8pm (which is interesting considering that that is during rush hour for California voters). The Democrats (sans Edwards) will debate from California the following night as well. That one also starts at 8pm(ET).
What does all this mean heading into next week's extravaganza? McCain looks to be in good shape, but you can't discount the impact of Romney's warchest. As we've moved to a national focus, this thing has moved on to the air war and that is where Romney could have a potential advantage. In the Democratic race, the constant flip flopping of victories between Obama and Clinton means that the race is in a basic dead heat moving into Super Tuesday. So which one has an advantage? Well, the release of the numbers from the FEC reports that are due tomorrow (Jan. 31) may give us an eye into who has more cash on hand and who has the advantage.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Primary Results from the Sunshine State
The numbers from those polls:
McCain 34.3%
Romney 32.6
Giuliani 15.3
Huckabee 12
*These are not raw numbers from the actual primary. They are exit poll numbers. Keep in mind that absentee and early voting has reached new heights in Florida during the lead up to today.
The press is showing some surprising restraint (at least in my eyes) in not really saying a whole lot about the Democratic race thus far. Despite there being no delegates at stake in Florida for the Democrats, turnout has been high. Of course, as Rob rightly points out in the comments section below, there was a tax initiative on the ballot that motivated a lot people to turnout today.
7:31pm: Early results are in. Reports of a tight race between McCain and Romney were right on the mark.
McCain 30.2
Romney 30.0
Giuliani 17.4
Huckabee 15.5
For the Democrats, Clinton is enjoying a margin similar to what Obama had over her in South Carolina last weekend.
Clinton 53.5%
Obama 26.1
Edwards 16.5
I should also add that exit polls are showing that the economy was viewed (see first post at botton) by over half of Democrats and by nearly half of all Republican primary voters are the biggest issue.
9:21pm: With 57% in on the GOP side, McCain has a four point lead.
McCain 35.4%For the Dems, Clinton is still up by around 20 points. Is there anyway that if Obama sneaks to within 15 points or less (not really all that likely) of the lead, that he can claim some small measure of victory? I'd lean toward no, but what are other people's thoughts?
Romney 31.4
Giuliani 15.0
Huckabee 13.3
A couple of other things:
CBS Evening News on their broadcast tonight had a striking figure concerning the number of ads McCain and Romney have run so far. Romney had a nearly 10-1 edge with 4000 some ads run to McCain's 470 or so. Predictably CBS replaced their pre-Florida results segment with post-Florida coverage on their online version of the news. The Fix made mention of the same statistic adding even more information (saying that that was just in Florida). See the fourth bullet point down for that. The Times also has a piece discussing McCain's spending lately. That may explain the shortness of cash in his coffers.
Well, as of 9:37pm, the conservative New York Times (at least when it comes to calling winners of these things and counting delegates) has called the GOP race for McCain. That should certainly help financially heading into the smörgåsbord of primaries and caucuses next Tuesday.
Here are the final results from Florida:
McCain 36.0%
Romney 31.1
Giuliani 14.6
Huckabee 13.5
Clinton 49.7%
Obama 33.0
Edwards 14.4
FLORIDA, More on the State of the Union and Reagan & The Beatles
I don't mean to give the GOP race in the Sunshine state short shrift (because the race couldn't be any tighter between Romney and McCain), but I have been and continue to be fascinated by how this Democratic race in Florida will play out (in the media and within the campaigns). Michigan was one thing: Clinton was the only "big name" on the ballot there, but the big three (or the big two and John Edwards) are all on the ballot in Florida. Clinton still maintains a comfortable lead in Florida.
While I'm passing out poll links, Real Clear Politics now has poll numbers for many of the Super Tuesday states (just click on the links on the left-hand sidebar).
I brought up the State of the Union in a post the other day and I tuned in last night to NBC's broadcast. Now, usually I'm a sucker for these things anyway, but last night I was intrigued by viewing the event through the lens of the current presidential race. Bush didn't mention the race but the coverage (both the shots panning the audience and the comments before and after the speech) were dripping with not so subliminal references.
A few things I noticed:
1) Who made the seating chart? And do the members of Congress have any say in where they sit? Barack Obama and Ted Kennedy were side by side following Kennedy's endorsement of the South Carolina primary winner. Also, with the above two questions in mind, what are we to make of Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden sitting next to each other? I'm going to have to look into this at some point. The answer may lie in committee assignments: members of certain committees sit together.
2) Who did Mitt Romney pay to get that cushy interview spot on NBC in between the speech's conclusion and Kathleen Sebelius' Democratic response?
3) Relatedly, where was John McCain? I'm sure he too was in Florida preparing for today's last minute blitz. That and the above Romney interview were curious though. And I say this knowing full well that he may have been on one of the other networks. Being somewhat cable deprived, I didn't have access to Fox News, MSNBC or CNN, but my scan of ABC and CBS found that both had already gone to commercial while the Romney interview was taking place.
4) Speaking of Democratic Kansas governor, Sebelius, I left really impressed after she delivered the Democratic response (Good if not better than the one given by Virginia governor Tim Kaine.). I was surprised by her inclusion in some of the VP speculation lists, but that talk seems warranted after last night's effort.
5) In case you missed it in the comments section yesterday, Rich Clark had some great poll data concerning state of union viewing habits. Be sure to check it out.
Now, I realize some people may be interested in the last part of the title to this post. It isn't everyday that parallels are drawn between the 40th president and the Fab Four. Hear me out though. This idea has been floating around in my head and I want to get it down on (virtual) paper. It has been argued that The Beatles affected all the popular music that came after them. Their various, eclectic phases spawned countless groups and artists who tried to emulate to some extent and expand upon any one of the musical ideas inherent in each phase. Well, how does Reagan fit into this? Is it me or is the Republican party, at least at the presidential level, not similar to this idea? Every GOP presidential candidate since Reagan left office in 1989 has tried to play up all of some of their strengths as a natural progression to the mark that Reagan left on the political world in Washington. Look at the top four candidates in the race for the Republican nomination. McCain could be viewed as the defense proponent. Romney plays the economic conservative and Huckabee the social conservative. Finally, Guiliani had ties to the Reagan administration (that he attempted to play up at last week's debate in Boca Raton). These aren't perfect matches, but it still makes for an interesting point of discussion. Is there any noticeable decay to the Reagan legacy on GOP presidential politics?
Finally, thanks to Paul Gurian (via Jill Rickershauser) for reminding me of the excellent article and multimedia map on the delegates at stake in both parties on February 5. I read that too early yesterday and illness intervened to distract me from posting it. Anyway the map is below and here is a link to the article. Good stuff.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
State of the Union
Vice President Speculation
The Fix over at Washington Post had a great post earlier this week naming a list of folks on both sides who may figure into the decisions of the eventual nominees. Have a look here and add any other ones not included in the comments section with reasoning behind their inclusion. Notice Georgia's own Sonny Perdue is mentioned as a possibility on the GOP end.
Vice presidential choices were also on the mind of at least one South Carolina voter this week as Bill Clinton was asked in a town hall meeting there to discuss the possibilities. While refusing to do so he went through a list of models for choosing the second in command. It was an interesting approach from someone who has been there. The Caucus outlines the ones he brought up: the balancing the ticket option, choosing the person who finished second to unify the party and the pick someone similar with different strengths.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Obama Back in the Win Column in South Carolina
7:29pm: They must round down because with 0% of precincts reporting Obama leads.
Obama 64%
Clinton 24
Edwards 12
7:38pm: Just to show that even 0% was no fluke: with 2% now reporting it's...
Obama 51%
Clinton 34
Edwards 15
Oh and don't forget to check things out over at scvotes.org. Those maps will look good once they start coloring them in. And no phone books or xeroxed copies of maps necessary.
Also, The Caucus over at the New York Times has a nice live blog going concerning the primary results.
9:25pm: I'm assuming that this is going to pass the decisiveness test that Rob placed on an Obama victory. With 96% in it's:
Obama 55%
Clinton 27
Edwards 18
So, let's do an instant analysis here. Obama has made a statement that he's going to be a factor on February 5 (that he's not just the guy who won Iowa). Clinton has has her string of victories broken and will now begin to spin the "unimportance" of South Carolina. Edwards is now left wondering whether he can keep garnering as much of the support as he has in the earlier states when it is clear he won't win the nomination. You can't be kingmaker if you can't at least pick off a decent chunk of delegates.
There are now two days between now and the Florida primary on Tuesday. Do any of the Democrats venture into the state in that time? Is Edwards desperate enough even after having cast himself as the rule guy in this race (taking matching funds, staying out of Michigan and off the ballot there) to break the party rules and attempt to make some waves in Florida?
Some Numbers from South Carolina and Florida
There are some really interesting turnout figures that are coming out of South Carolina and Florida. In South Carolina turnout for the Democratic primary today should set records as its three predecessors in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada did. FHQ doesn't have a much in the way of resources, but we do have a cadre of contacts scattered across the Palmetto state (in the Charleston and Greenville areas) who witnessed long lines at polling places today. The New York Times, citing South Carolina "officials," has reported that turnout will be around 350,000; up from 290,000 in 2004 (CORRECTION: It looks like the Times transposed the turnout figures in their original report. Later they estimated turnout for the SC Democratic primary at 530,000. That's a substantial increase over 2004 and more than the GOP drew in the state just a week ago.). We've played the turnout guessing game in a couple of contests thus far and we're batting .500 as far as who high turnout affects the most. In South Carolina, with nearly half of the Democratic electorate being comprised of African Americans, it is hard to say who will gain the most from high turnout. It depends on how each segment turns out.
We'll have another post up for the South Carolina results shortly.
But let's look at what's happening in Florida as well. Even before the contest is officially conducted on Tuesday, early voting numbers point to a high level of interest in a race that only officially involves the GOP (DNC rules have kept the major Democratic candidates out of the state.). Around 350,000 voters (the same as the number of Democrats in South Carolina today) have placed early votes either by mail or in person on the Democratic side while around 400,000 have done similarly in the Republican primary. Meaningless or not, that's a lot of votes before a contest that doesn't even count. Clinton's lead in the Florida polls has been large, but efforts are being made by Clinton and Obama supporters in the Sunshine state and that shows to some extent in the early voting numbers we see. Does that pull Obama close to even with Clinton there? And how does this affect the Republicans? Mike Huchabee has to be hoping that a lot of people cast early votes just after Iowa when he surged in Florida polls. And that is the real issue here. When were these votes cast and what political shocks were those decisions deprived of factoring in?
And adding a little more to the Florida frenzy, Republican governor, Charlie Crist is backing McCain. If only the early GOP voters had known.
Friday, January 25, 2008
The Kid Gloves come out in Boca Raton
So if you tuned in expecting fireworks similar to those displayed on the Democratic side earlier in the week, you left disappointed and wondering what if any effect those 90 minutes would have on Tuesday's primary. One thing that was interesting was the return to the types of attacks on Clinton that dominated these Republican debates over the summer and into the fall when she was viewed as the presumptive Democratic nominee. Just as we saw McCain's name come up in the Democrats' debate as the heir to the GOP nomination, Clinton's was the name attached to the head of November's Democratic ticket. If anything, these types of discussions force primary voters (or at least the folks actually tuning in) to at least consider general election electability to some extent. The other thing it does is drive some of the inevitability arguments that pop up in the face of any primary/caucus victory.
Having said that, either a Romney or McCain victory in Florida doesn't fundamentally change the outlook of the race as February 5 approaches. If McCain wins, Romney still has his personal wealth to fall back on and Romney wins, McCain is still well-positioned in the states that are the prizes of Super Tuesday. Of course, should Romney win, McCain's poll numbers could change. But Romney's money as a factor won't change in the event that McCain pulls out another victory on Tuesday.
In other news, Dennis Kucinich is set to withdraw from the race for the Democratic nomination to protect his seat in Congress. And to think, he could have been out much sooner if Ohio had been successful in moving its primaries up to January 29 last fall.
The other issue that has arisen on the Democratic side is the four state pledge made by the candidates to protect the four states (IA, NH, NV and SC) which were exempted by the DNC to hold primaries ahead of February 5. DNC sanctions exist to penalize any state that jumps ahead of that point and any candidate who campaigns in such a state. Florida and Michigan both had their entire delegations stripped and because of the potential sanctions and the pledge to stay out of any violating state, the candidates have ignored Michigan and Florida. Well, until some of Obama's national cable ads were shown in Florida causing some to question whether the Clinton camp would jump into the fray and initiate some efforts in the state. Since Tuesday the Clinton folks have denied that they would break the pledge and campaign in Florida. But they did have the perfect opportunity to break that pledge in a state where Clinton has a commanding lead in the polls.
There is one follow up to the blog's last post. Yesterday came and went with no endorsement from influential South Carolina representative, Jim Clyburn. With Obama looking poised for victory there, there was no need (at least strategically) to endorse someone who isn't necessarily slated for the nomination. That, and the last time Obama looked assured of victory (in relation to the polls), Clinton scored a "huge upset" in New Hampshire. Just ask Al Gore how his endorsement of Howard Dean in 2004 worked out.
Polls close at 7pm tomorrow night in South Carolina and if you like to follow along with an interactive map at scvotes.org.
If you missed last night's tame affair from Florida, but are nonetheless a political junkie seeking your next fix, the video is still up over at MSNBC.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Thompson's out (Hunter too), the Myrtle Beach Massacre and more!
Meanwhile they are still cleaning up the carnage from the debate hall in northeast South Carolina. If you missed the Democrats' debate from Myrtle Beach Monday night, you may want to go check it out (CNN still has the debate up and the transcript is also there.). You may also want to fire up your memory while you're at it because we'll see/hear some of this material again come general election time. The viable Republican candidates sure will once one of them emerges as the party's nominee. You can't complain when intra-party battles help your own potential opposition research for the fall campaign. What do you think? Will this debate bickering hurt both Clinton and Obama in South Carolina? And will that help Edwards? The CNN page linked above has a video with undecideds turned off by what they saw.
There are a few things to note as we approach the Democratic primary on Saturday:
1) Will Jim Clyburn make an endorsement? The influential South Carolina Democrat said he wouldn't (...until after Iowa), but there is some chatter out there indicating that a well-timed Obama endorsement could happen on Thursday. Thanks to The Caucus at the New York Times for that link. Hopefully this isn't a case of a runaway blog story, but there is some other speculation to "back this up."
2) What will turnout be like for the primary this weekend? Turnout for the GOP primary was down as compared to what the state experienced for the Republican primary there in 2000, but let's remember that South Carolina has an open primary system. Independents may have stayed home last weekend so that they could participate in the Democratic contest this weekend. But it could just have been the cold, rainy weather, a crop of unsatisfying candidates or that undecideds just couldn't decide and stayed home.
3) What do Clinton's trips to California yesterday and New York today mean (track daily visits at Slate.com)? Is she ceding South Carolina to Obama or is her campaign focusing on February 5? The big win that Rob spoke about Obama needing in the comments section the other day may not mean so much if Hillary didn't give her all in the state.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Nevada Caucuses (postmortem)
Monday, January 21, 2008
When that plan didn't pass muster, the GOP again tried to cure what was perceived to ail the nominating system during the 2000 Republican convention. The Delaware plan, as it was/is called, would allow the small states to go first, nurturing the retail brand of politics that has been the hallmark of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary for decades and then let progressively larger states fall in behind them sequentially. Of course this rehashes the same sorts of issues that plagued the Founders when they were trying to conceive of an appropriate legislature for a nation in its infancy. The divisiveness of big states vs. little states plus the reality of getting the state legislatures and states parties to fall in line behind the plan gave pause to an image conscious party attempting to show unity behind its nominee.
The Delaware plan lives on however and has again come up in the RNC's discussion of reform ahead of the party's 2008 convention in St. Paul, MN. CQ describes that plan and the at least four others (that are on the table):
One plan not mentioned as being considered is Thomas Gangale's American plan (in PS, Jan. 2004). In that plan, the randomness of what's called the Dingell-Anuzis modified plan by the RNC plays some role, but the largest states have the possibility of being positioned as early as the fourth week of the process. So while the plan protects the smaller states from being completely ignored in the process, it doesn't automatically shunt the larger states to the back of the line. I've liked this plan since I first read it, but understand all the same that the American public may not go for what is essentially a lottery to determine which states go when. Simplicity seems to be what people want as there has been some support for the idea of a national primary through polls taken during this current cycle."• Modified Delaware Plan: The latest version of the proposal initially approved but then rejected by Republican officials in 2000, the Modified Delaware Plan is being spearheaded by Republican National Committeeman John Matlusky of Delaware.
This plan would divide the nation into four "pods" that are organized by population. The least-populous states would be placed in one pod and vote first, followed in series by the next more-populous states. Under this plan, voting events would begin later than they have in 2008 and other recent election cycles and would be spread out over a four-month period.
The Modified Delaware Plan would preserve the early-voting traditions of Iowa, which could hold its precinct caucuses as early as the last Tuesday in January (Jan. 31 in 2012), and New Hampshire, which could hold its kickoff primary as early as the first Tuesday in February (Feb. 7 in 2012).
The states in the first pod would then begin voting on the second Tuesday in February (Feb. 14 in 2012) and would consist of Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, Alaska, South Dakota, Delaware, Montana, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Maine and Idaho. Six other jurisdictions that are not states but elect convention delegates — the District of Columbia and the territories of American Samoa, Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Northern Marianas Islands — also would be included in this earliest grouping.
• Ohio Plan: Promoted by Ohio Republican leader Bennett, who made a presentation Thursday, the Ohio Plan would create a pod of small-population states that would be permitted to vote first in every presidential election year. It differs from the Delaware Plan in that the Ohio Plan's three other pods would be based on region and not scaled according to state size. These groupings — one of states in the Eastern and Midwestern United States, one encompassing the South and other covering the West — would have roughly similar allocations of electoral votes, and would rotate their order in the nominating process every four years.
The Ohio Plan would allow Iowa and New Hampshire to go before other states — and it also would extend that special exemption to Nevada and South Carolina, which the DNC included as early-voting states for the current 2008 campaign to lend greater geographic and racial diversity to the early-voting period. Those four states only would be allowed to hold a primary, caucus or convention before Feb. 1 in the presidential election year.
• Dingell-Anuzis Modified Plan: For those who follow politics in Michigan, the state that generated this plan, that name is not a misprint. It is a bipartisan effort promoted by Debbie Dingell, a prominent Michigan Democratic activist whose husband is veteran Democratic Rep. John D. Dingell , and Saul Anuzis, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.
Debbie Dingell is a high-profile opponent of Iowa and New Hampshire's primacy in the presidential selection process. The longstanding opposition among Michigan politicians to the overwhelming influence that Iowa and New Hampshire have long held over the presidential nominating process spurred a bipartisan agreement to hold the state's 2008 primary on Jan. 15 — even though the move violated each major party's scheduling rules setting Feb. 5 as the first date for most states' contests, spurring the DNC to strip its Michigan affiliate of all its convention delegates and the RNC to penalize the Michigan GOP of half its delegates.
The Dingell-Anuzis plan is patterned after legislation sponsored in the U.S. House (
HR 1523 ) by Michigan Democratic Rep. Sander F. Levin and in the U.S. Senate (S 2024 ) by Florida Democrat Bill Nelson . Democrats in Florida, who have gone along with a new state law setting its primary for Jan. 29 in violation of national party rules, also has been denied all of their national convention delegates by the DNC (while Florida Republicans similarly have lost half their delegates).The Michigan-based plan would divide the nation into six regions, from which six "interregions" — made up of one or two states from each region — would be shaped. Each interregion would vote two or three weeks before the next interregion.
The Dingell-Anuzis plan would create a lottery 14 months before the presidential election to determine the voting order of the interregions. The same interregion could not go first in consecutive presidential elections.
Their plan also places Iowa and New Hampshire in their respective interregions and would not automatically permit them to vote early.
• Modified NASS Plan: Sponsored by Republican National Committeeman Ron Schmidt of South Dakota, this is essentially the plan long promoted by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the organization of state election officials. It divides the nation into four regions — the East, South, Midwest and West — and each region would be given an election date before which it could not vote (early in March, April, May or June). The region that votes first, in early March, would vote last in the next presidential election year, and the region that voted second, in early April, would then move up to first.
The major difference between Schmidt's version and the NASS plan is that Schmidt's does not allow Iowa and New Hampshire to vote first. The NASS version allows exemptions for Iowa and New Hampshire to keep voting earlier than the rest of the nation.
• Texas Plan: This proposal, sponsored by Republican National Committeeman Bill Crocker of Texas, would divide the nation into four groups, with each drawing in a few contiguous states from one particular area of the nation and a few contiguous states from another area of the nation. One of Crocker's groups, for example, would take in the Midwestern states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, and also the Southern states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
The states in the first group could hold binding nomination contests as early as Feb. 1, with the three subsequent groups to follow in early March, April and May. Like the NASS plan, Crocker's proposal includes a provision that the group voting first in one presidential election year would vote last in the next election. This plan also would end the special privilege to go first that has long been accorded to Iowa and New Hampshire."
*This isn't to say that the Democrats have done nothing of late to reform the system. Some of the problems associated with frontloading find their root in the notion that Iowa and New Hampshire have too large a voice in the process. In answer to that the DNC included Nevada and South Carolina among the states exempt from sanctions attendant to positioning a delegate selection event ahead of the party's designated window (Feb. 5 is the earliest all non-exempt states were allowed to go during this cycle.). The reason they were included was to diversify the voices of the early states. That goal was accomplished but it also exacerbated the frontloading problem by bumping two states (and a group of states campaigned for two those spots given to South Carolina and Nevada in the summer of 2006) up in the process. Florida and Michigan were the two most notable states which took exception to this. So why is it that South Carolina and Nevada get a seat at the table occupied by just Iowa and New Hampshire previously and other states, which have their own issues to bring into the process get sanctioned for moving. That is the issue at stake for both parties as they eye 2012.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Clinton and Romney claim Nevada Victories and SC polls just closed
7:41pm: Very early but with one percent of precincts in, McCain has a 38-23 lead over Huckabee (Look, I said it was early.).
8:05pm: Just to show you that 1% isn't representative of the entire state of South Carolina on the GOP side: McCain 34, Huckabee 30 with 12% in. This one could be fun. Third place seems like a real battle between Thompson and Romney with hovering around 14%.
9:29pm: The New York Times is calling the race for McCain. When you look at that 15% that Thompson got you can't help but wonder how much that hurt Huckabee's chances at a win in SC. He (Huckabee) has a tough row to hoe now.
Meanwhile the Democrats had a caucus in Nevada as well, where Hillary Clinton continued a streak of her own. She has now run her streak of victories to two (three if you want to count Michigan and the DNC isn't) after an initial setback in Iowa's caucuses. And boy were the polls from earlier in the week wrong. What looked like a tight three-way race for the Silver state turned into a tight two-way race as former North Carolina senator, John Edwards managed a meager four percent of the vote. Clinton and Obama split the remaining 96%, 51-45. Obama didn't seem to get the support he was hoping for from the endorsement of the Culinary Workers union. While the union's endorsement was seen as a big deal, it didn't prove influential among the rank and file members as some strayed into the Clinton camp.
While the GOP is off until Florida on January 29, the Democrats have their own primary in South Carolina next Saturday where the support of African Americans will be key to which ever candidate claims victory there.
Nevada results.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Nevada on the Horizon
A big thanks to Dr. David Damore at UNLV for the link. And be sure to check out his most recent post in the middle column under Opinion (here's the link). It's a great summary of what's happening and what may happen in the lead to Saturday's caucuses.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
GOP opts for foot race to determine nominee following Michigan primary
Romney 37%
McCain 31
Huckabee 16
--with 11% of precincts in.
Meanwhile Clinton has a commanding 2-1 lead over "uncommitted" on the Democratic side.
Clinton 61%
Uncommitted 33
--with 18% of precincts reporting (9:20pm)
Oh and the Democrats are debating (sans Kucinich). I'm on the outside looking in since MSNBC and laptop aren't on speaking terms tonight. If you are in the same boat I'm in, The Caucus blog over at The New York Times is live blogging the debate.
Michiganders Unite! It's Primary Day
New Hampshire (check).
Wave good bye again to the novelty of retail politics for another four years as the campaign shifts from the up close and personal politics of Iowa and New Hampshire to practicing new techniques in the lead up to the twenty-two state blitz on February 5.
Today that blitz begins with the voters in Michigan. Well, half of the partisans in the Great Lakes State will be participating in the state's 2008 presidential primary as the GOP candidates battle for another pre-Super Tuesday prize. On the Democratic side, national party sanctions have done well at keeping the candidates away. Most don't even appear on the ballot. During the period that the constitutionality of the distribution of primary voter rolls was being questioned, thus threatening the state's primary, efforts were made to change ballot access rules to prevent candidates from keeping their names off the ballot (Does this sound like democracy?). Stalling Democrats in the Michigan legislature prevented this measure from taking immediate effect meaning that only Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich appeared on the ballot. This fight and the broader one between the state and the national party set the groundwork for today's non-contest for no Democratic delegates in Michigan.
The major candidates on the Democratic side (and Dennis Kucinich who by court order won the right to appear, though MSNBC is appealing) are in Nevada gearing up for tonight's debate (live on MSNBC @ 9pm--I'll have a link for the online version when it is made available.) ahead of Saturday's caucus in the state.
Some Nevadans are irritated with the timing and others with location. Who doesn't want to caucus on Saturday morning in a casino?
The GOP seems content to fight it out in Michigan today and skip Nevada on Saturday in favor of the South Carolina caucus on the same day. Those who win South Carolina (since 1980 when the primary system hit the state) win the Republican nomination. Nevada's loss is South Carolina's gain.
First thing's first though: Michigan. Real Clear Politics' average of the six most recent Michigan polls has Romney with a slight edge over McCain (who won in there in 2000) with Huckabee running third about ten points back. So we may be witnessing something of a replay in New Hampshire at least as far as the major players are concerned. Should the results play out similarly, Romney will be on the ropes. However, should he win today's primary that jumbles this race even further making Giuliani's "wait until Florida and Super Tuesday" strategy look like pure genius. You can't discount luck in politics.
You may have heard that Obama and Clinton have been sparring over racial issues. I'm still trying to figure out if not having an event this week gives that story more steam. Neither side has appeared too positive which Edwards must be loving. He got a boost in Nevada early this week with some poll numbers that have him (27%), Obama (32) and Clinton (30) within five points of each other. This is the only poll from the state since December (see RCP). Interesting news heading toward the weekend contest there. Tonight's debate will certainly have some say in how things play out.
Finally, it looks like the presidential race has been fairly newsworthy so far. Last week during the New Hampshire primary, the race accounted for 49% of the news according to the Project of Excellence in Journalism. Sadly this blog wasn't a major part of that (Thank you very much SPSA conference.).
As always I'll be online tonight tracking the results and the debate if anyone is interested in discussing matters ahead of tomorrow's live discussion group meeting.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
McCain is the choice of New Hampshire Republicans again
UPDATE: The numbers on the Democratic side largely held up as the precincts continued to come in.
Clinton 39%
Obama 36
Edwards 17
So Clinton won a "shocking" comeback victory and the polls fooled us all.
New Hampshire Turnout. Who has the Advantage?
For Democrats, Obama qualifies as the candidate with momentum. This has been reflected in his rising poll numbers both in New Hampshire and nationally since Iowa. But today there have been reports already about long lines waiting to vote and requests to the Secretary of State for more Democratic ballots. This is a pretty clear indication that Obama could be in for a big night tonight when the results begin coming in.
Polls close at 7 pm.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Iowa Implications from Paul Gurian
Early New Hampshire polls indicate that Obama has moved up 5-10% in New Hampshire while Clinton has slipped a bit. Clinton's perception as "inevitable" and "unbeatable" has been shaken. However, Clinton still has a substantial following and a strong organization. Frontrunners often lose Iowa but go on to win New Hampshire and the nomination.
Obama got a boost in Iowa. He showed that he's truly competitive with Clinton and that he can win among white voters. By defeating Edwards, he took a big step toward becoming the alternative to Clinton. Democrats who don't like Clinton have been divided among several candidates; they may now rally around Obama.
Edwards survived but did not improve his position. He needs to either win or come in a close second in New Hampshire to remain viable.
Romney lost ground in Iowa. If he loses New Hampshire, he's in serious trouble.
Huckabee got a big boost from the Iowa results. He needs to follow up this victory with a strong showing in New Hampshire or Michigan and a win in South Carolina. New Hampshire is not friendly territory. Huckabee may get a boost from his victory in Iowa but probably not enough to defeat either Romney or McCain there.
McCain benefitted from the Iowa results. McCain needs to win New Hampshire and his main opponent there, Mitt Romney, did poorly in Iowa. That will likely help McCain in New Hampshire. Early New Hampshire polls show McCain with a slight lead over Romney in New Hampshire, with Huckabee a distant third.
Giuliani's hope is that no one candidate will emerge from the early contests with momentum. Giuliani is pinning his hopes on Florida and Super Tuesday. So he was probably pleased to see Romney fail to win Iowa. However, that increases the likelihood of McCain winning New Hampshire and gaining momentum.
Fred Thompson survived Iowa, but he's running last in New Hampshire and is not especially strong anywhere else.
Independents in New Hampshire
New Hampshire has an "open" primary. Since there are a lot of independents in New Hampshire, those voters can make a difference. This year, New Hampshire independents seem to like Obama and McCain.
An average of New Hampshire polls taken January 4-5 show McCain with 33%, Romney with 28%, Huckabee with 11%, and Giuliani with 10%. Among Democrats, Obama has 35%, Clinton 30%, and Edwards 20%. If the results match the polls, Edwards, Romney and Thompson could be on their way out. South Carolina looms large for both parties.
--Paul Gurian
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Indiana Shifts Focus to 2012
I found it odd that Rep. Crouch would wait until next year when momentum may no longer be behind moving the primary. The assembly does meet every year unlike some states out west (eg: Oregon), which meet only every other year. So that wasn't the issue.
As the above article indicates several measures moving the primary have been proposed in the past only to fail. The difference this time seems to be that Rep. Crouch is advocating moving not only the presidential primary but the state and local primaries as well. Not to toot my own horn, but my own research has found that this is a major obstacle to a state frontloading its presidential primary. States that hold those two sets of primaries together are confronted with either moving everything or with creating an entirely new election for the presidential primary. Both cost money and states in this position are often hesitant or unwilling to make the jump.
So when we talk about frontloading, we are often talking about a state's ability to actually make the move. Those states with separate presidential and state/local primaries have a much easier job than those states where laws exist wedding the two primary types together. Indiana falls into this category. Once a state shows the willingness to move though, subsequent moves are all the easier to push through later (if need be). Maryland is a good example here. The state requires their primaries during a presidential election year to all be held at the same time. The state had already made the move to hold its presidential (and all others) on the traditional Super Tuesday (the first Tuesday in March) and when Super Tuesday moved up a month to the first Tuesday in February, the Maryland legislature had little trouble in inching its primaries up to maintain its position. Though, I should note that the legislature opted to move the primaries to the week after Super Tuesday (the second Tuesday in February).
Romney wins in Wyoming
What impact does that have on New Hampshire for Tuesday? Given that you really have to dig to find any news of this and the fact that visits from the candidates were limited at best, I doubt much affect will be felt.
The results:
Romney: 8 delegates
Thompson: 3
Hunter: 1
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Huckabee takes Iowa...Obama too.
For the Dems, it is a tight race. Obama tops the list and Edwards is literally a handful of votes ahead of Clinton with 50% of the precincts in.
UPDATE: Things are still tight on the Democratic side. Obama seems to be pulling away but as of 8:30pm Edwards led Clinton by just three votes. Obama is doing better than expected in conservative area; areas considered to be Edwards' strongholds.
UPDATE: The New York Times is calling the Democratic race for Obama. With 84% of precincts reporting (8:41pm), Obama led with 37% of the vote. Edwards still holds an extremely slim edge over Clinton (just four votes). Let the spin begin from those two camps. The way I read it, a third place finish is a third place finish for Clinton. It will be interesting to see how they play that as the race shifts to New Hampshire.
UPDATE: At 9pm with 92% of the precincts in, Obama-37, Edwards-30 and Clinton-30. Edwards holds a nine vote lead over Clinton.
Iowa Turnout. Who has the advantage?
On the Republican side, 80,000 is the mark for Romney and Huckabee. The Romney camp has stated that anything over that number of caucus-goers could spell trouble for the former Massachusetts governor. Under that scenario, Huckabee's grassroots rise would likely bring enough new voters to the caucus to provide him with a victory.
2008 Iowa Caucuses Online
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy New Year! It's a Presidential Election Year!
1) Paul sent this over today (via the latest Pew Research Poll):
McCain Rebounds In National Poll; Clinton Holds Big Lead
January 2, 2008 10:25 AM
Pew Research Poll
Rudy Giuliani's once solid lead among Republicans nationwide has vanished,
and John McCain -- whose campaign was regarded as dead in the water this
summer -- is back on top with the GOP leaders. McCain has 22 percent support
among Republicans, followed by Giuliani at 20 percent and Mike Huckabee at 17
percent. Mitt Romney follows at 12 percent with Fred Thompson at 9 percent.
The survey was conducted Dec. 19-30 and has a 5 percent margin of error.
Giuliani was counting on the 21 states that vote Feb. 5, but the poll indicates he
is in a virtual tie with McCain in those states.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton maintains her large national lead over
Barack Obama, 46 percent to 26 percent, with John Edwards at 14 percent.
So the national polls indicate McCain is a factor again in the race for the GOP nomination and Hillary is running away with things on the Democratic side. And while the US has the closest thing it has ever had to a national primary day with this year's February 5 Super Tuesday, these nominations still play out on the state level with Iowa and New Hampshire still going first.
2) Let's deal with the Republicans first:
Mitt Romney at one time or another had fairly comfortable leads in both Iowa and New Hampshire. But Mike Huckabee and John McCain have challenged those leads in Iowa and New Hampshire respectively. With McCain basically writing Iowa off to focus on New Hampshire, the two-pronged attack on Romney in both early states is causing the former Massachusetts governor to split time between both states instead of going it one at a time. Here's the deal though. Romney and Huckabee are in essentially the same position as the top three Democrats in Iowa: neck and neck. That one could go either way. In New Hampshire though, McCain is going to rely on independents to once again deliver a victory in the Granite state. However, the LA Times is reporting that Obama could be siphoning off some of that independent support from McCain in the state (I apologize for the link to an Obama supporter blog, but the LA Times has already password protected that article For those that want to read the article from the source, a link is included and registration for the paper's site is just a click away.).
3) Which brings us to the Democrats:
Still locked in a three-way tie in Iowa, Clinton, Obama and Edwards continue to make last minute pitches to potential caucus goers. The thing that is going unnoticed again (as it did in the 2004 Iowa Democratic caucus) is the second choice voters. Now, the rules of the caucuses stipulate that supporters of candidates receiving less than fifteen percent can move to those other candidates in the upper tier. NBC Nightly News on Sunday (December 31) reported that Edwards was becoming the favorite second choice of those not already aligned with any of the top three candidates. The Edwards camp is also playing up the results of a poll that reallocates based on second choice votes (Edwards enjoys a 41-34-25 edge over Clinton and Obama respectively.). These second choice folks were the same ones that catapulted Edwards to his surprising second place finish in the state in 2004 and that bloc is still one to keep our eyes on tomorrow night.
UPDATE: Kucinich has urged his Iowa supporters to back Obama in the event that he does not reach the necessary fifteen percent.
4) If you haven't already and like to reminisce about campaigns past, be sure to check out CQ's review of presidential nomination campaigns since 1912. It's a nice eight part read.
5) Paul mentioned it before in an earlier email, but let me mention it also: C-SPAN is offering live coverage of the Iowa caucuses again this year. Here's the link. If I find that it will be simulcast online I'll send around that link as well. If they aren't covering it online (and I'm sure Paul will tape it), I'm going to try and DVR it through my media player and briefly post a "pirated" version on either this blog or my website tomorrow night at the conclusion of the coverage. I'll need to check on the space capacity of both first. But I'll find a way to get it up there for the group. Also, I'll be online tomorrow night to post and discuss the results, so come on by at your leisure to talk about all things Campaign '08.


text: This magazine focuses on movements for social and economic change with special emphasis on labor, feminism, environmental justice and peace. Against the Current is a bi-monthly analytical journal, and focuses on a broad discussion of a wide variety of issues among the Left. An in-depth analysis and a thorough review of issues is the norm for this magazine, but most readers probably turn first to "Random Shots", the humor page written by R.F. Kampfer.


text:
Milk and cookies might be the traditional Santa offering on Christmas Eve, but in at least one household, St. Nicholas will be getting smoked salmon and scotch.
It's just one out-of-the-ordinary example we gleaned from a call out to fans of NPR's Facebook page. Many of them involved a different sort of Christmas "spirit" — the kind that could push Mr. Claus over the legal limit, at least during the U.S. leg of his annual aerial circumnavigation.
Many seem to think Santa likes a good stout. Aliceann Marquiess of Ponca City, Okla., writes that she might leave a Shakespeare Oatmeal Stoutalong with a "plate of homemade pumpkin bread with cream cheese icing." Hilary Sears of St. Louis plans to set out Guinness and cookies, as does Nicola Kerr Auchampach of Boise, Idaho.
"My parents always told me that Santa would probably appreciate a beer," says Seattle's Kamala Squires.
"I happen to know he enjoys it," says Aaron Edwards of Aiken, S.C.
In other households, it's the hard stuff. Bourbon, brandy, rum-soaked fruitcake, eggnog with a little Bushmills Irish Whiskey and a Don Julio tequila margarita (with a side order of fish tacos and guacamole) were among the treats.
Other holiday offerings may well reflect changing attitudes toward overall health and weight gain. While obesity statistics for certain jolly North Pole residents are difficult to come by, awareness of skyrocketing rates in much of the world — and the U.S. in particular – no doubt inspired some choices. Jennifer Farney's hopelessly healthful "gluten-free oatmeal cookies with chocolate and toffee" and Shawn Powell's "homemade vegan candy cane cookies and almond milk" were just a few.
Then there's the 6-inch turkey sub from Subway and a Dr. Pepper from Mae Hochstetler's household in Kenmore, Wash.
Santa's team seems to be getting mostly healthful snacks this year. Carrots seem to be the traditional choice for reindeer, no doubt contributing to their excellent night vision (Rudolph notwithstanding). Other households planned to leave out apples and even raw rutabaga.
Cynthia Stroffolino says her girls change Santa's treat every year, but for the reindeer, "It's always carrots."
Santa also can look forward to some gourmet surprises, some of which would land most people on the naughty list at the local gym.
Paul Martinez's plate next to the chimney would do any chef proud: "stuffed mushrooms, crab meat mousse with crackers, breaded chicken strips" as well as fudge and peanut brittle. Oh, and a beer.
For dessert, there were pies: Dutch apple, mince, pecan. And cakes: cheesecake, various fruitcakes and Bundt cakes (rum-soaked and otherwise).
A few items on the snack menu were truly inspired — both coming from the imaginations of 5-year-olds.
"My 5-year old daughter felt it necessary to make Jello Jigglers for Santa," says Micaela Liles of St. Louis. "I don't know where it came from, but we are gonna make them today."
And then there's Julie Steinberg: "My 5-year-old son left a Nutella sandwich for Santa about 3 days ago (in case he came early)."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text: Multi-language, Mobile-friendly and Destination-based Shanghai, China, December 18, 2015 /Xinwengao.com/ - Grand Mercure relaunches www.grandmercure.com for the modern and discerning traveler seeking culturally-authentic hospitality with unique destination experiences across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and South America. The new website is available in the main languages of key countries in its network, including English, Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin, Portuguese-Brazilian, and Arabic. At the same time, it is also available in French, Korean and Japanese, together catering to the increasing diversity of global travelers. The website will include destination information and offers, to allow travelers to browse and book their preferred destinations on this mobile-friendly platform, linked directly to accorhotels.com "Relaunching grandmercure.com is a significant milestone for AccorHotels Asia Pacific, because the brand was born in this region over 20 years ago," said Graham Wilson, Chief Marketing and Distribution Officer, AccorHotels Asia Pacific. "Every Grand Mercure in our collection bears the distinctive culture and tradition of its destination, through our four brand pillars: Sense of Welcome, Sense of Food and Beverage, Sense of Wellness and Sense of Culture and Discovery. He adds "In line with one of AccorHotels' key strategies to grow the Luxury and Upscale portfolio, we expect to expand our network with 19 new Grand Mercure properties, a total of 4,750 rooms in the pipeline." About Grand Mercure Grand Mercure is an upscale network of hotels and apartments combining rich local traditions with renowned French touches to deliver a fresh perspective on world-class service. Grand Mercure is a cultural touchstone in each destination, capturing guests' imagination and bringing local stories to life. Operating in Asia Pacific for almost 20 years, the Grand Mercure brand is uniquely adapted to each market, launching Grand Mercure Mei Jue in China and Grand Mercure Maha Cipta in Indonesia, with further expansion planned in Latin America and the Middle East – countries where there is a greater demand for hotels that truly understand the different expectations of their guests and can help guests 'discover a new authentic'. The Grand Mercure network consists of 45 hotels worldwide with 39 hotels in Asia Pacific. Grand Mercure is a brand of AccorHotels, the world's leading hotel operator with nearly 3800 hotel and over 180,000 employees in 92 countries. Website Information: http://www.grandmercure.com


text:
Media: Ceramic
Dimensions: 6.5 x 9cm approx
Artist Bio: Laura Lane
Having completed both a BA & MA in Design at Plymouth University, Laura specialised as a Designer Maker, working in ceramics. Laura's often playful and sometimes humorous illustrative style is a gentle nod to both historical and contemporary folklore. Living on an organic smallholding with her young family, the sense of sustainability, fair-trade and keeping things local are key elements in her working, as well as family life.
Shipping Info:
Postage on this item is a flat rate of £3.95. Ordering more items is still only £3.95. (There are exceptions for heavy/bulky items. These are listed separately.)
Local Collection.
You are welcome to collect this from the gallery, just select this option at check out.


text:
OK, I've watched the video of your stepdaughter hitting about a zillion times and I think I'm beginning to get it. Quick question: we run a volleyball camp for 9-12 year olds who haven't played at all or very much. Would you teach this approach to that age group or try the bow/arrow and see what happens?
It seems to me that hitting is something that either a girl can do it, no matter what technique is used, or one can't. I've always told my players that a slightly "unorthodox" method is perfectly acceptable as long as the player can repeat it consistently, doesn't present any injury possibilities and most importantly produces results.
When teaching your rookie campers how to hit a volleyball I suggest you do the following:
First: I would make 100 percent sure they know the 3-step approach and the arm swing. That's a basic, absolute MUST learn.
Without this, your players will (a) look like a goof to anyone who knows anything about volleyball; (b) make their coaches look like goofs for either not knowing it or not requiring their players to learn it; and/or (c) never reach their spiking potential.
Second: As for the reaching/snapping, that will be taughter directly after the girls master the footwork & arm swing.
I recommend you ditch the bow-and-arrow.
Power of the Short-Toss
Before I write more about hitting a volleyball, do you and/or your assistants know how to "short-toss"? Short-toss is a coach standing at the net, with a ball in his hands.
The spiker does her spike approach, and when she jumps, the coach tosses the ball onto her hand. For the player, it's like hitting a quick set. .
The advantage: It gives the hitter the ability to give complete concentration to her spike approach. It's great for her to know that the ball will only be hit well if the coach tosses it perfectly onto her hand.
She may swing and miss. Fine. That will be coach's fault. She is to give her spike approach her complete attention.
Great for Warming Up
Many coaches short-toss as a pre-match warmup drill. I have never done it there, but will short-toss any other time, especially at my club team's practice, when someone just isn't getting what I'm trying to explain—for example, hitting the line.
So, with short-toss, I can explain it, and my players can try to execute the skill I'm describing without having to think about pounding a volleyball or timing the set. Yes, hitting hard is often cooler than learning a certain hitting skill.
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