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Tag Games investigating cross-platform connection for Astro Ranch
Posted on August 16, 2008 by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, News
We brought you the scoop on Astro Ranch for the DS yesterday, but you might be delighted to hear that the developers of the game are looking into a way for players of the iPhone, N-Gage, and DS to be able to interact with each other. "Right now the connectivity aspect of the game is the biggest technical hurdle for us to overcome," Paul Farley said. "Not only do we want players with iPhone's to be able to connect to each other but for the connected features to be device agnostic meaning it won't matter if you have an iPhone, N-Gage, DS or even mobile version of the game the same functionality will be available across them all."


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Discover LibGuides!
Have you discovered the Boyden Library LibGuides? These online guides aim to introduce students to research skills, support class projects, and promote the library's rich collection of print, audiovisual, and online materials.
When you need the best information quickly,
Library Staff are life savers.
Ask us for help.

subset: commoncrawl


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Skip to content
Key resources
The topic of this lecture is Indigenous Australians and the constitutional project: the politics of discrimination, and why 'recognition' is not enough. This lecture will consider the most recent constitutional project: the 'recognition' of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution of Australia. Professor Davis will explore the politics of racial non-discrimination in the current constitutional reform process and explain why 'soft' recognition - the trend in State Constitutions - should be disavowed.
Professor Megan Davis, Director, Indigenous Law Centre, University of New South Wales.
Lismore campus
School of Law and Justice
Southern Cross University
Military Road
PO Box 157
East Lismore NSW 2480
General enquiries
Ph: (02) 6620 3109
Fax: (02) 6622 4167
Email: email@example.com


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Posts Tagged 'SEO Strategy'
Keyword Research- Part 1
Keyword Research is the building block of any SEO strategy. Formulating an SEO strategy without keyword research is like walking into a maze blindfolded. If you don't use the words people are actually interested in and actively searching for, you're missing a lot of traffic.
Keyword Research helps you mainly in two ways:
1. To figure out what people are interested in and what language they are using to search these topics. Your audience might not use the same terms to describe things or not be aware of industry terminology.
2. To rank higher in search engines. With keywords that you decide on you can optimize your website, target phrases for link building and develop content for target audience. All of the factors mentioned help a website achieve better search ranking.
Note that Keyword Research is not just about finding the right words to help you talk to your consumers online- it's part of a process and requires diligent monitoring and updating to get the best results.
In this post we will cover some initial steps which help you through the keyword discovery phase. People use their familiarity with the products/services to find new word variations or maybe some new relevant words. This might produce a lot of information, therefore finding the right method to organize and deduct is crucial.
A good way to start would be to write down the top twenty words you associate with your company and product/services. Once you have that go over to Google.com and type in your keywords to see more targeted, suggested searches. You can get more and more detailed and local to see varied suggested keywords.
You can also try tools like wordtracker , sem rush (Paid services with free trials) that offer a quick look at the Keywords your competitors are using.
Let us first set up a spreadsheet to organize all the information you have gathered until now. You can download (click on file, go to download as excel) a simple spreadsheet we use.
The Google free keyword tool is a good start to associate some numbers to your keywords. Enter your core keywords and run the search…
The keyword shows you three columns:
- Competition: "The number of advertisers worldwide bidding on each keyword relative to all keywords across Google. The shaded bar represents a general low-to-high quantitative guide to help you determine how competitive ad placement is for a particular keyword."
- Global Monthly Searches: "The approximate 12-month average number of search terms matching each keyword. This statistic includes traffic in all countries and languages but is specific to your keyword match type selection."
- Local Monthly Searches: "The approximate 12-month average number of search terms matching each keyword. This statistic is specific to your targeted country and language as well as your match type selection. If we don't have enough data for a particular keyword, you'll see this noted within the column."
If you have logged into the google adwords account you can also see approximate CPC. (CPC- "This is the approximate cost-per-click you might pay if you were to bid on the keyword. The CPC is averaged over all the ad positions.")
It is here you need to narrow down your keywords and start moving away from generic terms. If you see the left side of adwords you can select three options for specific match types based on broad, exact and phrase. This becomes more relevant if you are looking to run a PPC campaign.
- Broad- "The sum of the search volumes for the keyword idea, related grammatical forms, synonyms and related words" So PPC ads and Organic search results for commercial real estate would show up with any searches including commercial or real estate.
- Phrase- "The sum of the search volumes for all terms that include that whole phrase" Therefore if you were doing PPC and targeted the phrase match for Condo, ads would show for anyone who typed in commercial real estate with or without additional keywords such as commercial real estate listing . Organic results would include only results including the exact phrase commercial real estate.
- Exact- "The search volume for that keyword idea" . If you were doing PPC and targeted the exact match for commercial real estate , ads would only show if someone typed in commercial real estate but not any other variation of that phrase.
Generic terms are expensive and hard to get a good ranking for, therefore you need to narrow down your keyword list to 10-15 terms that you can dedicate your budget and time to. We will look further into the details of picking the best terms based on more specific factors other than volume- stay tuned for the next post!
If you would like to learn more about Keyword Research, check out our LogicClassroom video presentation, Master Your Keyword Strategy (Advanced SEO)
Marketing Today for Real Estate's Tomorrow
Ever wonder why some real estate professionals jump to the head of the pack, while the rest sit back with unanswered questions and empty calendars? The most effective real estate agents understand an important principle in today's market: a business will perform best tomorrow through effective online marketing today.
Minimizing marketing costs and extending market exposure are areas where real estate professionals can really excel. Real estate agents understand what buyers, sellers and investors want and why- and they may even be experts in the art of the close – but what separates those at the head of the pack is becoming an expert on how to get there. In today's modern marketplace, where the power has clearly shifted to the consumer, being 'findable' and accessible to all potential and current clients at every available opportunity is the real leg up.
Let's face it, the process and commitment of leveraging tools available online is no longer one to procrastinate or underestimate. It's a necessity of staying in the game.
Newspapers, circulars and penny savers are traditional advertising sources brokers and agents are familiar with. Real estate pros today need to think about advertising with online newspapers and industry directories, free online classified ad sites like Craigslist, real estate blogs, personal websites and social media channels. Deploying a broad online strategy with a focused message allows Realtors (and any entrepreneur really) to advertise their listings to as many people, for as little cost, as possible.
Advertising online effectively however calls for some insider knowledge of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). And the reality is that Real estate SEO and real estate SEM (Search Engine Marketing or Paid Search) today require more complex strategies than simple keyword inclusion.
Keyword density is important in enhancing your real estate search engine relevance. This keyword repetition can put a real estate website or blog on the map, but it's important not to over-saturate (nobody, search engines included, wants to read text in which every other term is the same). Once you have created content in your own words that conveys your message, you need to make sure it reaches as many people as possible, and with a consistent message.
For Realtors, personal branding is, (in the age of social media), essential to establishing a stronger and more viable business presence. A brand is synonymous with quality in business. Put simply, a brand is a promise. And your personal brand is your unique market perspective, your value contribution to your clients. You need to establish yourself as a credible expert in the industry to gain your clients' confidence, and spreading your message through social media can be a highly effective means to this end.
Real estate professionals should focus foremost on using social media marketing to access a greater audience and communicate with other like-minded professionals.
The goal should be to build an infrastructure of "friends", and eventually, a community of your own. While Google+ is less business-promotion friendly for now, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck and Foursquare each offer real estate agents the opportunity to get the word out about their businesses routinely and conveniently from a smartphone, tablet, or any other device that can connect to the internet. Reaching this larger audience frequently, conveniently, and at a very low cost is the key to growing your sphere of influence and seeing real results.
For example, LinkedIn is still less popular than other mainstream social media platforms, but it can allow for very targeted prospecting in a professional, no BS environment. LinkedIn's dovetail networking allows members to access other like-minded individuals with similar backgrounds, work history and interests, and to promote themselves to the job market. Once considered only a platform for individuals to connect with potential employers, it has evolved into a valuable channel for prospecting, product positioning, personal branding and viral marketing.
With so much to learn and adopt and so little time to do it- find a few avenues of modern marketing to get passionate about and hopefully it will feel a little less like a strain and more like a wheel in a well-oiled machine. If you're a Realtor in today's marketplace, you can choose to overlook new marketing mediums as trends that will phase, but chances are you are also choosing to be left behind.
Be proactive about growing a competitive business online, and contact Boston Logic today for a free consultation. Trust the experts…because we're invested in your success!
The Three Pillars of SEO for Realtors: Strategy, Technology & Content- Part IV
Over the past few weeks we've framed what SEO really means and entails for Real Estate professionals trying to stay ahead of the game. We've finished up our series with some advice about the Content component of increasing your web presence and remaining competitive online.
With a strategy set and the right technology, it's time to create some content! Great content not only engages users, it attracts links, comments, referrals, and search engine traffic. When content you create is optimized, it will be picked up by search engine crawlers and allow visitors who are searching for your content to find it and reach your site. We recommend adding new, unique content to your site at least twice each week- and keep in mind there is a direct correlation between the frequency with which you post content, to how successful that content is in attracting leads!
The Nitty Gritty
So you know what optimizing does, and you know how often to do it- but what are some day-to-day actions that you should take to actually get more leads? Watch our latest LogicClassroom video, Optimizing Your Content for Search Engines (and People!)- and you'll be ready to go with a content bag full of techniques!
A great strategy and a great website platform will never be found if the site doesn't have quality content and if it isn't updated regularly. Blogging is a great way to publish content, and it's smart to syndicate that content to sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Last Word
Getting found at the top of the search engines results is unfortunately not a black and white endeavor. While Google does use a mathematical algorithm to determine where your website ranks on a page, these equations are constantly changing in nature. It's fair to say it would be impossible to keep up with all the calculations, particularly when you have a business to run. But there are some good places to start. With some commitment, and the right foundation, new clients will find you!
If you're interested in learning more about how Boston Logic can help you with SEO, contact us today for a no-pressure consultation
The Three Pillars of SEO for Realtors: Strategy, Technology & Content- Part III
We've taken some time to break down what SEO really means and entails for Real Estate professionals trying to stay ahead of the game. With some digestible facts and tactics to employ, we'll cover what we think should be top of mind as you consider an SEO strategy, the technology behind it, and the content production involved- all with end goal of increasing your web presence and remaining competitive online!
We started with "The What & Why?", and then we talked Strategy- now let's cover the technology component.
Having the Right Technology Matters
I can't tell you how often we speak to realtors and realize the technology behind their site is so antiquated that it will actually keep them from ever ranking in Google. It's tough to swallow, but most real estate website platforms will actually keep your search engine traffic down. You have to have updated technology and you need to make sure the company you work with can perform.
When you're shopping for a website provider, avoid the common pitfalls by first asking for numbers. Have the site provider send you reports from other sites built on their software- specifically, ask to look at traffic and inbound leads. Next, make sure your site includes a blog. The blog should be a part of your site. Your blog should not be hosted on blog.yoursite.com or part of some other website altogether like myblog.blogger.com. It should be an integrated blog. Example: www.yoursite.com/blog. The navigation of your site should be made up of HTML text links, not images. Finally, you should be able to edit the pages of your site with unique content. If your current provider doesn't offer all of these features, it's time to start looking for a new one. And these are just a few of the features you need. Doing your homework will payoff!
Once you've got your SEO strategy down with a solid platform behind it, it's time to think about CONTENT. Nailing this last component down will steer you towards the top of the Google results- this may seem old hat by now, but content really is still King! Stay tuned for our final thoughts about how to make search engine optimization work for you.
If you're looking for a solid platform to help grow your online marketing efforts, and ultimately your bottom line- check out Boston Logic's industry leading Sequoia software for Real Estate Professionals
The Three Pillars of SEO: Strategy, Technology & Content- Part II
Rolled out of a 4 part blog edition, we'd like to breakdown what SEO really means and entails for Real Estate professionals trying to stay ahead of the game. Served up as digestible nuggets of information and tactics to employ, we'll cover what we think should be top of mind as you consider an SEO strategy, the technology behind it, and the content production involved- all with end goal of increasing your web presence and remaining competitive online!
Last week, we kicked off with "The What & Why?" of SEO…
Now Let's Talk Strategy
Getting found at the top of the search engines results is unfortunately not a black and white endeavor. While Google does use a mathematical algorithm to determine where certain search terms rank on a page, these equations are constantly changing in nature. It's fair to say it would be impossible to keep up with all the calculations, particularly when you have a business to run. But there are some good places to start, and with due diligence and time, you can compete for a findable spot.
The most common mistake that SEO novices make is to assume that everyone types the same keywords into Google. That's just not true! In fact, well-optimized websites see visitors who type in tens of thousands of different keywords.
Even though you'll never be able to dream up every term that someone might search on, that's ok, because you don't have to. A properly optimized site will rank in the results for tens of thousands of terms. So, your site will be found by people who search on all sorts of keywords, not just the ones you can think of.
Focus, focus, focus!
Still your site should be focused on the markets you serve and the kinds of buyers and sellers you want to work with. For agents, we always recommend to focus, focus, focus! If you work in Los Angeles, for example, there are literally thousands of realtors who might try to rank on page 1 in Google for a term like 'LA Homes.' Why set yourself up for all that competition? Pick a few smaller towns and neighborhoods you know. Focus your efforts. Then, you'll start seeing the leads come in for buyers and sellers who want to own or sell in the markets that you know best.
Now that you've done your research, and you've got a pretty good strategy mapped out- what's next? Our next edition will focus on the technology component of SEO. A blueprint isn't any good without a foundation- like a house built on cement, a good SEO strategy needs to be backed with the right technology.
Learn more about how Boston Logic helps Real Estate professionals map out successful SEO strategies and run online marketing campaigns that produce results!


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Handbag For Summer
Are you looking for the perfect handbag for summer? The wonderful thing about Miche Bags is that you can buy one base and several shells to change your look in an instant. I love that I only have to purchase one base bag and then I have a huge variety of options for shells to suit all my needs. I have always spent a ton on designer bags in the past and once I was done with them I never used them again. Since having a Miche bag of my own it seems to be the only one I use, I change out the shell according to what I am doing, I hate having to move in and out of bags so this is great for my busy life! Now my girls are playing with my designer purses for dress up…because Miche is my new bag of choice! Fall, Winter, Spring and now Summer is right around the corner, I was in search of the perfect handbag for summer and Miche generously offered to send me two of their amazing bags for review!
Classic Base Bag
The first bag I reviewed was the classic base bag in black, the bag is 5.75″ wide x 11.75″ long x 6.5″ tall with a 7″ handle drop. The handle that comes with the bag fits perfectly over my shoulder and the bag falls nicely under my arm. Inside the bag there is one large zippered pocket and two small pockets so organizing your items is very easy. The best feature about this bag is that it stands up by itself and doesn't flop over (and I love that it zippers closed). The sides and bottom of the bag are made with a reinforced solid side so it makes it sturdy and rigid which is a nice change from the soft sided bags. I chose the Melody Classic Shell for its faux lizard print. I am not big into animal prints but this one caught my eye for its light grey tones and its perfect for going out with my girlfriends for Mom's Night Out or Date Night with the hubby…if I still worked I could easily wear it for work purposes. It's a great size bag and I know it will be part of my purse collection for years to come with all the different options for shells! You can purchase the classic base bag like mine for $37.95 and classic shell for $32.95.
Demi Base Bag
The demi base bag is a fantastic size at 7″ wide x 14″ long x 9.5″ tall with a 11 3/4″ handle drop. This soft sided bag is not small but not huge its a great size for the Mom on the go. I can fit all my the necessities in this bag including sippy cups, wipes, diapers, toys and snacks. The design on the inside of the bag is great with the open pockets, zippered pockets and pen holders (I always lose my pen in my bag and have to dig…no more digging for pens for me)! The Kinsley demi shell fits my style perfectly with its soft smooth silvery look. It has 2 deep side pockets which are perfect for sippy cups, keys and my cell phone. Since my kids are a little older now, I have basically moved from my diaper bag into this bag and its working out great! After 4.5 years of having kids it's time for this Mommy to ditch the diaper bag and get hip with Miche Bags! You can purchase a demi base bag like mine for $39.95 and demi shell for $34.95.
Not only are Miche bags fashionable they are super easy to use, you take the base drop it into the shell and your ready to go. All at a fraction of the cost of the big name designer brands. I am so happy to have found Miche, I am saving a ton of money because I can buy 1 base and 4 shells for the price of 1 bag I used to buy (4 different looks instead of 1…I'm sold)!! They offer a huge selection of bags in different styles, colors and patterns. You can also purchase different handles to personalize your bag a little! If you are looking for the perfect gift for that special someone in your life Miche is the way to go! Check them out on Facebook for their most recent releases!


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SILKROAD Restaurant
Piet Heinkade 11 1019 BR Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
www.silkroad.nl - +31 (0)205191200
SILKROAD Restaurant Amsterdam Reviews
202 reviews
Where Asia meets the old Europa and vice versa! Jan 08, 2010
First I have to thank a great chef,Marco de Wildt, wearing outstanding sideburns for the 2 kg of more overweight that I got in 4 days!
The Silkroad restaurant of the hotel Mowenpick offers a cuisine inspired by the Silk Road voyage of discovery from Marco Polo.It is a mix of Asian flavours and fine European ingredients and vice versa prepared in the open live cooking kitchen.
Because of the weather,our inertia and laziness,we had all of our dinners there even the NYE' buffet style.
On the first dinner,my wife had a delicious sole meunière(in fact 2 big ),fried soles served with a lemon glazed carrots,spinach and potato mash.I enjoyed a US beef bavette steak with a great cooking,i.e according to me UNDERRARE with roasted tomatoes,grilled Portobello mushrooms,Pont Neuf potatoes and mustard gravy.
After a late NYE decent buffet at 730pm!!we enjoyed the third evening an Iberico pork Char Siu,Cantonese style roast pork served with Bok choi rice cakes,a delight and a grilled Albacore tuna served with Turkish vegetables and bulgur,jus of fish soup,garlic and lemon.
We drank some wines,all decent in particular a Chianti Riserva DOCG.Renzo Masi.Fattoria Di Basciano 2004.
As our breakfast ended around 1100 am,we never had lunch!
Very professional service
1 / 1 TravBuddies found this review helpful/trustworthy
Join TravBuddy to leave comments, meet new friends and share travel tips!


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IDC sees second life for business tablets
Consumers not so much
Beancounters at IDC have consulteed their tarot cards and are predicting that tablets will survive in the business area.
Tame Apple Press admits that iPads faltering
Flickering reality distortion field
The Tame Apple Press is starting to realise that all those years about the iPad being game changing were basically a lie peddling another hula hoop style fad.
On the ball car hire firms want to rent tablets
Someone has a use for them
Car hire outfit Avis and Budget Car Rental thinks that there are people who want to hire keyboardless netbooks.
Nexus 9 price falling
Hitting a sweet spot
Google's Nexus 9 was not a bad tablet, the only problem was the $399 price tag.
Apple and IBM flog iPads to elderly Japanese
Young dont want them any more
Apple and IBM's business partnership which was supposed to push iPads and iPhones into corporates seems to have reverted to hitting softer targets like Japanese pensioners.
Expensive tablets on the road to nowhere
Apple sales to drop by 30 per cent
Tablet sales have flattened and buyers will no longer pay an arm or a leg for them, according to new research.
Acer working on Predator gaming tablet
Part of the new Predator gaming lineup
Acer is definitely on a roll, revealing plenty of new products, including new notebooks, desktops, tablets and monitors, but what especially caught our eye is the new Predator gaming tablet.
Dell has a new venue tablet
Atom Z3580 processor on board
Dell has launched a new Venue 10 7000 tablet, which will be available starting May in Canada, China, and the US.
HTC plans new 8.9 inch tablet
1530 x 2048 pixel resolution
HTC is planning to launch a new 8.9 inch tablet at its media event next month, new rumours suggest.
MediaTek announces Cortex-A72/A53 quad-core tablet SoC
28nm MT8173 is a big.LITTLE quad
MediaTek is definitely Qualcomm's number one competitor in the smartphone space, and the company has just announced rather interesting product for tablets as well.


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All three network morning shows highlighted newly published tabloid photos of Saddam Hussein in his underwear, but only NBC's Today treated it like a human rights scandal, inviting on Saddam defense lawyer Giovanni DiStefano to voice his outrage. ABC and CBS didn't give a dictator's lawyer time today to complain about due process the dictator never granted. Compare that to April 15, when the New York Times reported the discovery of new Saddam-era mass graves in southern Iraq, including one believed to be holding as many as 5,000 corpses. NBC didn't air that story. How do undies pictures of Saddam compare to Saddam's mass murder on the human rights meter? NBC's record of coverage suggests America should find the undies pictures more outrageous.
Today began this morning: "Breaking news, embarrassing new pictures of Saddam Hussein in captivity. Now his lawyers are outraged. We'll have an exclusive interview with one of them." After a news report from reporter Jim Miklaszewski, who underlined that the pictures "don't appear to rise to the level of the photos that we saw at the Abu Ghraib prison," Lauer asked if the Pentagon felt this was a violation of the Geneva Convention.
Asked for his reaction, Saddam's lawyer DiStefano changed the subject: "Well, of course, all of us are outraged and what is more regrettable that here we have a man that is 19 months in custody and still does not have an indictment or a charge. That gives me and my colleagues far greater concern than a photograph of Saddam Hussein in his underwear." (In an interview with MSNBC last year, DiStefano argued it was plausible that his client could run in the Iraqi elections, because "at the moment, Saddam Hussein is an innocent man.")
Lauer, predictably, changed the subject back to the likelihood of U.S. military wrongdoing: "Let me go back to the photos for a second. Would you allege they were deliberately leaked by U.S. military officials to perhaps weaken the resistance, to show Saddam as an aging, very human ex-leader?" Strangely, DiStefano was less suspicious than Lauer: "Well, you could, cynics, of course would put that interpretation." Who looks more cynical today than NBC?


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The US Senate voted 62-37 yesterday to pass S. 1789 (as amended), the 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2012, as amended. Sixty votes were needed to pass the bill.
About S. 1789
S. 1789, as amended, works to refund the USPS billions of dollars in overpayments to the Federal Employees Retirement System, streamline its structure and operations, adjust an onerous retiree pre-funding requirement, and seeks compromise solutions on controversial issues like facility closures and Saturday mail delivery. The bill does not include legislated rate increases on first class/standard mail above the current rate cap tied to the Consumer Price Index. While S. 1789 is not a perfect solution to the USPS crisis, Printing Industries of America supports this bipartisan bill as the legislation best suited to reform the USPS.
Action on postal reform now moves to the House The House version of postal reform (H.R. 2309), sponsored by Reps. Issa (R-CA) and Ross (R-AL), has been heard, amended and approved out of committee, but no floor vote has yet been scheduled. The House GOP leadership and bill sponsors said that the House had been waiting for the Senate product and will likely move postal reform legislation this spring/summer. There are a few procedural avenues this could take, but the current expectation is that the House bill will go to a full floor debate/vote. It would then need to be merged with the now-passed Senate bill in a conference committee in order to receive final approval and be sent to President Obama for his signature. Keep in mind that the House legislation takes a dramatically different approach to postal reform than does its Senate counterpart. Printing & Mailing Industries and its allies will continue our work in the House and put pressure in that chamber to achieve legislative success as soon as possible.
– Printing Industry of America


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GAZA, Gaza Strip — His dark eyes wild with anger, Sadun Jaber makes a sweeping gesture to encompass all the Palestinians tramping through Gaza's bustling main souk along muddy Omar Mukhtar Street.
"This closure has affected all our lives. There is no work. There are no more sources for making a living," complained Jaber, 33, an unemployed father of four, as he vented his outrage at Israel for sealing the Gaza Strip from Israel. A dozen idle men listening nod in agreement.


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By Joseph A. Curtatone
(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)
In my inaugural address, I called upon our community to set a citywide goal to reduce our net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. That's an ambitious goal, but by setting the bar high, we will not be content to nip and tuck around the edges, but will fervently take on the challenge of climate change. Our children and their children deserve no less from us, and Somerville can make a difference. Cities are collectively responsible for over 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions across the planet, according to the United Nations. We must do our part and do it the same way we approach every issue facing our city. We will study the facts and make prudent, patient investments today with an eye on tomorrow.
However, some of our investments today are part of the problem. We are funding the problem through our pension fund's holdings in fossil fuel companies. So in my inaugural address, I also publicly supported the goal of the Somerville Retirement Board divesting from fossil fuel companies.
The city's retirement board's chief responsibility is to secure the highest rate or return possible for investments in our pension fund. In the case of fossil fuels, the moral imperative is so clear and unambiguous to warrant divestment, but this is not only a moral imperative. It's sound financial policy, too.
There is a looming $20 trillion carbon bubble, according to a report by London School of Economics' Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, in collaboration with nonprofit organization Carbon Tracker. That's because fossil fuel reserves are overvalued, and at least two-thirds of the reserves must remain untapped underground to prevent climate change from increasing the global temperature by more than 2 degrees Celsius, a target agreed to by the United States and 113 other countries.
This means that these reserves are essentially unburnable and subsequently worthless, which will lead to incredible market losses by fossil fuel companies. Yet instead of taking this into account, the top 200 fossil fuel companies spent $647 billion in 2012 to find more fossil fuels. That's equivalent to 1 percent of the global gross domestic product, a figure that if spent annually on climate change mitigation would stabilize greenhouse gases by 2050, according to a report by London School of Economics professor Sir Nicholas Stern. Spending billions on finding more fossil fuels when currently held reserves are likely to lose their value is a financial waste that increases the risk for investors such as the Somerville Retirement Board.
The red flag raised about the carbon bubble is supported by other financial institutions, including Standard and Poor's, HSBC Holdings and Citi. A coalition of investors, politicians and scientists has gone so far as to warn the Bank of England that fossil fuel reserves held by companies invested in by the City of London are "subprime" assets. We remember what happened in 2008 with subprime mortgages. These fossil fuel companies are poised for a great fall, and our legal obligation to fully fund our pension system does not need to fall with them. Divesting from fossil fuels is not only the moral choice, it's the financially responsible choice.
We are not alone in this fight. Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, Madison and Providence have already agreed to divest from fossil fuels. These cities' investments in their pension funds are at less risk today because they've divested. And they have sent a message that they will not take ownership in the corporations who seek higher profits at the expense of our planet's future.
Our community has already led the way on taking responsibility for our environment, from increasing recycling and installing solar panels on our schools, to green building incentives in the rezoning of Union Square and Boynton Yards, to energy-efficient LED lights for our streetlights, to making sure that the Green Line Extension and Assembly Square Orange Line station become a reality. We will continue to lead the way in 2014 through citywide Climate Change Mapping Sessions, detailing everything in our city that affects greenhouse gas emissions and identifying what we need to do to reduce these emissions and reach our net-zero goal by 2050.
Even with all that, we must start with what we're doing right now to contribute to the problem. We are currently investing in the destruction of the planet. We need to divest from fossil fuel companies now.


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Snowball Fight
J. C. Leyendecker
TruChrome™ Limited Edition Print
Joseph Christian Leyendecker captivated the public with his striking, fashionable depictions of handsome men and glamorous women. He reached the peak of his fame and productivity in the 1920's-30's. Leyendecker created enduring icons and virtually invented branding in advertising. His magazine covers changed the way the nation looked at the world, introducing the concept of the New Year's Baby, Mother's Day flowers, and Santa as we know him. He became mentor to an entire generation of illustrators, most notably Norman Rockwell, who shaped his career by emulating Leyendecker.
For framing options and pricing information, please call (401) 851–8949.
Size: 44.5″ H x 26″ W


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At a certain point in every programmer's career we each find a bug that seems impossible because the code is right, dammit! So it must be the operating system, the tools or the computer that's causing the problem. Right?!?
Instagram said today that it has the perpetual right to sell users' photographs without payment or notification, a dramatic policy shift that quickly sparked a public outcry.
The new intellectual property policy, which takes effect on January 16, comes three months after Facebook completed its acquisition of the popular photo-sharing site. Unless Instagram users delete their accounts before the January deadline, they cannot opt out.
Responding to the deadly mass shooting Friday in Newtown, Connecticut, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said new laws regulating guns won't deter such shootings, linking a lack of religious discussion in the classroom to increased violence in schools.
"We ask why there's violence in our school but we've systematically removed God from our schools," Huckabee said on Fox News. "Should we be so surprised that schools have become such a place of carnage? Because we've made it a place where we don't want to talk about eternity, life, what responsibility means, accountability."
What a pity there's this nasty little category of things called "facts".
Wal-Mart longed to build in Elda Pineda's alfalfa field. It was an ideal location, just off this town's bustling main entrance and barely a mile from its ancient pyramids, which draw tourists from around the world. With its usual precision, Wal-Mart calculated it would attract 250 customers an hour if only it could put a store in Mrs. Pineda's field.
One major obstacle stood in Wal-Mart's way.
After years of study, the town's elected leaders had just approved a new zoning map. The leaders wanted to limit growth near the pyramids, and they considered the town's main entrance too congested already. As a result, the 2003 zoning map prohibited commercial development on Mrs. Pineda's field, seemingly dooming Wal-Mart's hopes.
But 30 miles away in Mexico City, at the headquarters of Wal-Mart de Mexico, executives were not about to be thwarted by an unfavorable zoning decision. Instead, records and interviews show, they decided to undo the damage with one well-placed $52,000 bribe.
Time to revoke their corporate charter.
GravityLight is a revolutionary new approach to storing energy and creating illumination. It takes only 3 seconds to lift the weight which powers GravityLight, creating 30 minutes of light on its descent. For free.
Following the initial inspiration of using gravity, and years of perspiration, we have refined the design and it is now ready for production. We need your help to fund the tooling, manufacture and distribution of at least 1000 gravity powered lights. We will gift them to villagers in both Africa and India to use regularly. The follow-up research will tell us how well the lights met their needs, and enable us to refine the design for a more efficient MK2 version.
To achieve this we launched a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo and we have been thrilled by the support shown during the first 24 hours of the campaign start. But it's not yet over we still need your support by contributing to the project and spreading the word.
Contribute to this effort here: indiegogo.com/projects/282006/x/1848870
Bloomberg is reporting that enterprise networking gear maker Cisco has engaged the services of Barclays to offload its Linksys division. Linksys, which makes home networking gear like SOHO routers and wireless access points, was acquired by Cisco in 2003 for $500 million, and its products have been sold with the branding "Linksys by Cisco" since. Linksys products have retained their focus on home users, while Cisco's main branding has been reserved for its enterprise equipment.
Good riddance. Now if the rest of Cisco could go die in a fire as well…


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I was cleaning the closet the other day and came across a seriously old unfinished project. Something I started back in the 1990's…at first house…when I had a strawberry theme in my kitchen. I considered donating the 6 towels and let them be a project for someone else. I have a hard time "throwing in the towel"…pun intended… on a project once I start. Way back when I started these I finished one right away and started the embroidery on the second. My trouble was that the fusible web I used was so darn sticky that I had a heck of a time getting my needle through. Frustration level high!!Machine stitching was my only choice even if it wouldn't match. I decided that my dishes really won't care…so I won't either.
4 Comments
Wow, glad you didn't throw in the towel, because these will sure dry your dishes and clean up after you. It's always good to be able to mark a UFO off your list.
Those are really cute towels! I have a hard time not completing a project that I started, too, but I can assure you there are at least two UFOs hiding that I can think of. When this dang kitchen is done, maybe I'll pull them out.
Glad you didn't bin these. They are gorgeous.
It is nice to see someone who has UFOs from almost as long ago as I do!!
I think it is good to use different styles of sewing as it shows how things have changed. you can now look at those towels and know that you do finish things…even if it takes a while!
ooo glad I didn't miss this!
Your towels are wonderful…
you get alot done Missy!
Something like a sticky needle can sure take the fun out life…
hate it when stuff like that happens…
your alternative was smart and it works really well!


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Apple has asked developers to do away with usage of UDIDs from their apps and to update their apps and servers by implementing Vendor or Advertising identifiers. The announcement read, "Starting May 1, the App Store will no longer accept new apps or app updates that access UDIDs. Please update your apps and servers to associate users with the Vendor or Advertising identifiers introduced in iOS 6."
Cupertino has also revealed that from May 1 it will only accept apps that support iPhone 5's bigger display. This particular condition is a bit surprising as there are quite a few apps in the App Store that only support the old resolution available on iPhone 4 and its successor the 4S. Considering that developers might be releasing bug fixes for their apps, the updates should be iPhone 5-ready otherwise it is a 'No Entry'.
In a bid to comply with the new restrictions developers will have to use the new iOS 6 SDK which will leave their apps incompatible with iOS 4.2 devices. This will have a side effect on iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G as these devices don't support the latest iOS because of which we may see less and less number of these gadgets over time.
The UDID thingy came at the forefront when privacy concerns were raised with respect to the amount of web-behavioural data being sent out from iDevices. The restriction is probably the right thing to do for Apple as it had made a promise to a Senate subcommittee whereby it ensured that it will be bringing in more transparency in privacy issues for its users. UDID issue also caught fire when AntiSec leaked a database that contained over a million UDIDs.
According to the hackers, they managed to get access to the database through a hacked FBI laptop. FBI countered the claims and said that the claims were completely baseless. Apple also joined the UDID brawl and said that it didn't provide any UDID related information to the FBI.


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I love seeing what color scheme brides and grooms come up with, especially when they're unexpected color combos. Sometimes simple looks perfect when executed the right way and other times two (or three) colors you'd never think of together brightens up the whole feel of the wedding.
The knot has a great list of how to go about picking different hues and things that should be taken into consideration.
What were your big deciding factors? What colors did you end up with?


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Parents await ruling on child care assistance subsidy
Affording child care continues to be a concern for the 26,000 subsidized families who are cut off during the state government shutdown, now in its seventh day. A judge could rule to continue distributing funds toward child care.
July 7, 2011
More negotiations, but no fix yet from Dayton and GOP
Republicans are calling for a special session, but Gov. Mark Dayton said he's isn't willing to call lawmakers back yet. "We've got the same gulf between us that we've had all along," Dayton said.
July 6, 2011
Shutdown delays environmental review of mine project
Polymet Mining company will ask a Special Master to declare that state officials working on an environmental review of its proposed copper-nickel mine should be allowed to go back to work.
July 6, 2011
Counties try to cope with effects of state shutdown
Minnesota's two most populous counties say nearly all their services are intact on day six of the state government shutdown. However, officials in the two counties say they are worried about timely arrival of state dollars which fund many of their services.
July 6, 2011
Added pain: Shutdown costs millions
The state's six-day-old shutdown over state spending is costing it millions of dollars - a toll that will only rise the longer it lasts.
July 6, 2011
Dayton offers new tax plan; Republicans reject it
DFL Gov. Mark Dayton unveiled a new proposal Wednesday aimed at breaking the budget impasse that has led to the state government shutdown -- and Republicans quickly rejected it.
July 6, 2011
Groups say shutdown causing job losses
A coalition of labor and environmental groups called on state leaders Tuesday to end the government shutdown quickly for the sake of jobs.
July 6, 2011
Zellers renews call for 'lights on' bill, says gambling a revenue option
Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers said delaying payments to school districts and raising revenue through new gambling are both options when it comes to balancing the state's budget.
July 6, 2011
Vandals strike shut down Afton State Park
The Washington County Sheriff says 12 people were arrested after breaking into park cabins at Afton State Park over the July 4th weekend.
July 6, 2011
Delayed payments balances books, but burden schools
Gov. Dayton and Republican legislative leaders may resort to delaying more payments to Minnesota's public schools as a way to close a $5 billion projected budget gap. That's one tactic that both sides have floated as part of the budget solution. It saves costs to the state, but adds more burden to the school districts.
July 5, 2011
Budget talks: Where new revenues might come from
As Gov. Dayton and Republican legislative leaders continue to negotiate over the state budget, they are likely discussing various sources of new revenue to close the projected $5 billion budget deficit. Here's a look at some of those potential money makers.
July 5, 2011
Dayton, GOP leaders talk briefly this afternoon
The DFL governor called the government shutdown "a terrible situation." He met with GOP legislative leaders for a little more than an hour this afternoon, with no apparent progress.
July 5, 2011
Truckers want rest stops reopened during shutdown
Truck drivers are joining the long list of groups going before a special master Tuesday to ask for relief on the fifth day of the state government shutdown.
July 5, 2011
Mondale, Carlson organize commission on shutdown
Former Gov. Arne Carlson, a Republican, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, a Democrat, announced Tuesday an independent commission designed to resolve Minnesota's budget deadlock.
July 5, 2011
IP's Tom Horner offers suggestions to break budget deadlock
Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner, who received just under 12 percent of the vote, suggests a middle road to balance the state budget and end the government shutdown. Should both sides compromise on raising taxes and cutting more government spending?
, July 5, 2011
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To a Chinese Scrap-Metal Hunter, America's Trash Is Treasure
Just before 8 a.m., Johnson Zeng eases his rented Chevrolet into a space in front of Cash's Scrap Metal & Iron in St. Louis. He's in the market to buy scrap metal he can ship to China, and this is the first stop of the day in the middle of a two-and-a-half-week road trip to regular suppliers that started in Albuquerque and will end in Spartanburg, S.C. But that, Zeng says, is nothing. "My last trip with Homer," he recalls, referring to Homer Lai, the scrap importer in China's Guangdong Province who provides him with most of his business, "we drove 9,600 miles in 26 days."
The result? Millions of pounds of metal worth millions of dollars left the U.S. for China.
Zeng is one Chinese trader, in one rental car, traveling across the U.S. in search of scrap metal. By his estimate, there are at least 100 other Chinese traders like him driving from scrap yard to scrap yard, right now, in search of what Americans won't or can't be bothered to recycle. His favorite product: wires, cables, and other kinds of copper.
It's an essential trade. In 2012, China accounted for 43.1 percent of all global copper demand, or more than five times the amount acquired by the U.S. that same year. A modern economy can't grow without copper. One way to get that metal is to dig holes in the ground; the other is from scrap. Since the mid-1990s, China has taken both approaches, with scrap accounting for more than half of all Chinese copper production every year (peaking at 74 percent in 2000). Because China is still a developing economy, it doesn't throw away enough stuff to be self-sufficient. Thus, for the last decade it's imported more than 70 percent of the scrap copper it uses. Meanwhile, the U.S., which throws away far more scrap metal than it can ever use, has become the world's most attractive market for the savvy Chinese buyer.
In effect, Zeng and his peers are the vanguard of sustainability, the greenest recyclers in an era when that means something. He's the link that binds your recycling bin, and your local junkyard, to China.
Zeng clicks away at his BlackBerry in his parked car, checking the London metal prices that set the global market for scrap metal. "Market is down." He sighs. "But we will still try." He's a young-looking 42, but when his lips purse with concern—as they do now—his cheeks puff out slightly, highlighting the lines at the corners of his eyes.
The BlackBerry buzzes. "Homer calling," he says with a whisper as he presses answer and switches to his native Cantonese.
Zeng and Homer are interested in what's known in the scrap-metal industry as "low-grade." It's an important term that means different things to different people. In general, low-grade scrap requires significant work—manual, chemical, or mechanical—to turn it into copper clean enough to be melted in a furnace. Telephone lines and Christmas tree lights are low-grade because somebody, somewhere, has to figure out how to profitably strip the insulation from the metal.
For Americans who care about recycling and preserving resources, the most important thing to know about low-grade scrap is this: It'd end up in a landfill if it weren't exported. Demand for copper in the U.S. is too low, and labor is too expensive, to be worth any scrap yard's time.
As Chinese low-grade scrap buyers go, Zeng is midsize at best. The previous night he told me he'll try to spend $1 million on low-grade scrap for export to China this week.
Zeng wraps up his phone conversation with Homer and slips the BlackBerry into his shirt pocket. "He's waiting by his computer," he says as he grabs the car door handle. "I'll send him photos."
I check my watch. It's just before 10 p.m. in China. "He's staying up?"
"Of course! Some of the material, I don't know what it is. Only he knows. So I call him. He's the expert." Homer is a former barber turned South China scrap-metal magnate. He learned the business by sorting imported scrap metal by himself; after a few years he knew the value of what Americans throw away better than the Americans.
Zeng steps out of the car and opens the trunk. Inside is his suitcase and a hard hat. From his suitcase, he gets an orange safety vest of the kind worn by highway construction workers and slips it over his freshly ironed blue-and-white-checked shirt. Then he reaches into his wallet and takes out a business card, which he inserts into the clear plastic holder sewn into the vest.
At that, he shuts the trunk and walks through the front door of Cash's. There's a window on the other side, a slot through which documents and money can be exchanged, and—on a rickety chair—a sleepy man in a hard hat and greasy clothes who tries to avoid my stare.
"Hello?" Zeng says through the slot.
A middle-aged female face appears in the window, laughing, apparently in mid-conversation. "Can I help you?"
Zeng stands straighter, smiles broadly, and slips a card through the slot. "Good morning, ma'am!" He drags out each syllable with a fawning inflection. "I'm Johnson with Sunrise! I have an appointment with Michael [not his real name]!"
The woman looks at the card. "He's not in."
I see Zeng flinch. "No problem, ma'am! Do you know when he'll be in?"
"Lemme check." She walks away from the window.
His smile drops. "Always like this," he whispers. "Always."
The door opens just slightly to reveal a tall, muscular man in his early 30s wearing a red T-shirt. His hand remains on the knob, and his body leans in the direction of the place from which he came. "Hi, Johnson, I'm in the middle of payroll." He nods at a ratty leather sofa in the middle of a bedroom-size office. "I'll be with you as soon as I can."
As he walks off, Zeng flashes a broad, toothy smile. "Take your time! No problem!"
We sit.
"I made an appointment last week," he whispers, his normal soft inflection returning with a touch of bitterness. "It's always like this. Always."
I look down at the worn and uneven linoleum floor, permanently stained with what seems like decades of grease and dirt.
"What're we looking for today?"
Zeng and I peer up from the sofa and the man in the red T-shirt is standing above us, wearing a hard hat and holding a clipboard.
"ICW," Zeng replies, using the universal shorthand for insulated copper wire. "Also, radiator ends." Red T-shirt hands me a hard hat, and we follow him out a door at the back of the office and into a narrow, cramped warehouse lined with dozens of cartons the size of washing machines stuffed with scrap metal of various types.
The light is dim and mostly comes from the sunlight streaming through the loading docks. Red T-shirt knows we're behind him, but he walks quickly. Zeng goes at his own pace, his eyes moving up and down the various piles of scrap. Red T-shirt points at a carton of cables wrapped in dirty canvas. "Lot of this just came in."
Zeng takes the BlackBerry from his breast pocket, holds it over the box, and snaps a photo. "Elevator wire," he says, double-checking the image before pressing send. "Goes to Homer." He moves to the next box, which contains a mix of wires of various types and colors.
In the U.S. and Europe, this mix of wire is classified as ICW and sold at a single price, despite different percentages of copper in each wire type. Once it goes to China, the red wire will be separated from the green, thick from thin. Each type will have its own price and—often—its own market. For Zeng, that's a matter of paying, say, $1 per pound for something that contains products priced at 60¢, 80¢, $1.20, and $2.20 per pound in China. For the most part, non-Chinese don't know about these micromarkets, and even if they did, they wouldn't have access to them because of language and culture. "How much do you have?" he asks.
Red T-shirt looks at his clipboard. "About 8,000 pounds. How about jelly? We've got probably 10,000 pounds of that." He points to a box of 2-inch-thick cables cut into 1-foot segments that ooze both a Vaseline-like substance and hundreds of tiny wires. In a past life those small wires transmitted telephone conversations underground, and the "jelly"—a petroleum product—repelled the moisture that threatened to corrode them. American wire recyclers don't like it because the jelly gums up the blades in their recycling equipment, so it's shipped to China, where it's cut apart by hand and washed clean with soap.
Zeng snaps a photo and transmits it. Then he notices something: "Ah, Christmas tree lights."
The lights are loose in a box, and Zeng reaches to pull away at the knots, hoping to see if there's anything beneath them. "Not good quality," he whispers to me. "They should be baled." That is to say, they should be compressed into a cube so that nothing can be hidden beneath them in a box. Zeng looks over to Red T-shirt. "Maybe should be priced less."
"Nah, Christmas tree lights are Christmas tree lights," Red T-shirt responds.
Zeng stares at the box and clucks his tongue. He wants them.
This is how it goes for the next 10 minutes: Red T-shirt shows Zeng cable television wire (not interested), cable television boxes (very interested), power lines (very, very interested), and other essential accessories of daily life that eventually get thrown away. Zeng takes photos of everything and carefully writes down available volumes.
"Do we have enough for a container?" Red T-shirt asks.
It's a key question. A standard 40-foot overseas shipping container of the sort that Zeng will send to Homer in southern China can hold 40,000 lb. But here's the catch: The high cost of moving containers from one scrap yard to another means that each container must be filled up in only one scrap yard, and that means Zeng needs to buy 40,000 lb. of scrap metal at Cash's—or nothing at all.
He runs his finger down his notes and purses his lips. "We still need 10,000 lb. How about some Christmas tree lights? Do you want to sell them?"
"Let's go inside, and I'll check how much we have."
We follow Red T-shirt back into the office and take a seat on the sofa. But there's no time to relax: Homer's number is flashing on Zeng's BlackBerry. "Must have some new prices," he says and answers. The conversation lasts less than 10 seconds. "Homer is cautious today," he tells me as he hangs up.
He opens his notebook and takes out a sheet of paper marked "Purchase Order." It's a crude form, obviously made at home on a PC, and—in addition to Zeng's name and company—it contains the three columns that matter: material, weight, and price. Slowly, he writes:
JELLY WIRE WITH STEEL: 10,000 LB. at 55
GREASE WIRE: 5,000 LB. at 135
#2 INS. COPPER WIRE: 8,000 LB. at 150
He's beginning the fourth item when he receives another call from Homer. It's another 10-second machine-gun burst of Cantonese. Whatever was said, it's enough for him to cross out the first jelly wire price and raise it to 56¢. He writes down an additional seven categories, and by the time he's done he's offered to buy close to $60,000 worth of scrap. "Maybe not competitive enough today," he worries. "Let's see."
Red T-shirt looks around the corner. "Stu will be with you in a moment, Johnson."
Zeng nods to himself. "We used to be able to buy five to eight containers at a time from this yard," he tells me. "Now lucky to get one. More competition. Some days the yards have two or three teams of [Chinese] buyers come. Seller's market."
He places his hands on his knees, takes a deep breath, and then pulls up the current London prices on his BlackBerry. For a moment, it's quiet but for the distant roar of a machine on the other side of the walls.
I spend six days on the road with Zeng, watching as he scrounges for containers of scrap metal worth as much as $100,000 each, eating off-menu at Chinese restaurants, and sleeping in Red Roof Inns. Some days we drive six hours only to find that the scrap Zeng had been promised was sold a few hours earlier to another roving Chinese buyer; other days, Zeng spends the equivalent of a Lamborghini on scrap.
He says that all of the time on the road can be lonely and frustrating—especially if you've been doing it for five years. He has a wife and son in Vancouver, but he spends only about six months of the year with them.
This isn't the future that Zeng foresaw in Shantou, the modest city in northeastern Guangdong Province where he was born. He's a polymer scientist by training, and after graduating from college he worked his way up the corporate ladder, eventually landing a senior management position at Sinopec, a state-owned oil conglomerate.
It was a good, stable life, but Zeng's wife was eager for change, a life away from China, he tells me during a long drive through Kentucky. After much discussion and contemplation, Zeng moved his family to Vancouver.
That was the easy part.
He went from being a young man on the move with a guaranteed future in a state-owned company, to working odd jobs, including time spent as a renovation contractor, a fruit salesman in Chinatown, and several years working in the dairy department of a supermarket.
Then one morning in 2006 he was reading a Chinese-language newspaper and came across an advertisement for a "trader" that specified neither the company nor the goods traded. "This sounds good to me," he recalls thinking. "Trader! It's my favorite job! Marketing!"
The company was looking for someone to join its sales teams prowling North America for scrap metal, and he was offered C$1,200 ($1,143) for three months' work, plus a $300 bonus if the work took him stateside. Zeng accepted the job, and after a week's worth of training he was out on the road in a rented car. Two years later he left the trading company and teamed up with Homer, who had his own scrap yard in Guangdong. "After I went on my own with Homer," he tells me, "I spent seven months on the road. One time I spent seven weeks on the road with Homer without going home once."
"How much scrap did you guys buy?"
He thinks for a moment. "Hundreds and hundreds of containers."
In the office of Cash's Scrap Metal & Iron we wait 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, but nobody comes to take Zeng's purchase order. While we wait, he stares at the London prices. Then he looks at the Chicago prices. He asks if I mind Chinese food for lunch, and of course I tell him I don't.
"Johnson?" bellows a big voice. "C'mon in!"
Zeng rises from the sofa and strides into a corner office that overlooks a large, messy desk where Stu Block, the portly, curly-haired founder of Cash's, leans back in an office chair. There are three other men in the room, and they smile as if they've just been privy to a particularly dirty joke that they've promised not to share. "Hello, sir! How are you today?" Zeng says, handing over his purchase order. Block runs his eyes over it with a crooked smile. "All right. Let me think. I need to see where the market's going. I'll have somebody call you later."
I turn to Zeng. I look at Block. That's how he responds to a $60,000 purchase order for something that can't be sold to anybody in the U.S.? Who the hell else is going to take those ratty old Christmas tree lights?
"Thank you, sir!" Zeng says. "I'll call later."
"Take care, Johnson."
We walk out the door, and as soon we're on the sidewalk I burst out: "He barely looked at your prices! He's not interested?"
"Probably not. Too many other buyers. I can tell other buyers were here yesterday. There wasn't as much scrap as usual." He opens the car and places his hard hat and vest on the back seat. "It's OK. Tomorrow we will arrive somewhere before they do."
As we settle into the car, he reaches into the glove box for the GPS. It contains the names of dozens of scrap yards—Zeng's supplier network—and he punches up the next one we're due to visit.
"I was surprised to see so many Christmas lights," I tell him.
"Big waste country, the U.S.," he answers. "They make these things but have no way to recycle them."
Appropriately, Zeng's phone buzzes with Homer's number. "Maybe he has some new prices for me. Let's see."
Excerpted from Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade, to be published in November 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
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Reluctantly leaving Scotland, Mary is raised in the decadent French court in preparation for becoming the Queen of France. But her reign with Francois is short-lived.
Widowed at 18 years old, Mary is once again forced to leave her home to return to Scotland. Now a Catholic queen in a Protestant country, Mary must rule with caution and choose her next husband prudently...
©1964 Jean Plaidy; (P)2008 Isis Publishing Ltd
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I really enjoyed this book. however i wish i had read this one first, then the "Captive Queen of Scots" which follows on straight away.
the naration is great, very easy and engaging way to learn about history.
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I made it very plain: We will not have an all-volunteer army. [Crowd boos] Let me restate that. We will not have a draft.George Walker Bush
Most kids will not volunteer to eat veggies. At times you must step up to the plate and enforce the rule of authority as a parent.Lee Haney
Under current law volunteers who are not working with an official nonprofit organization are not covered by the Volunteer Protection Act. Therefore, there are absolutely no legal protections for the average American who wishes to volunteer.Jon Porter
The heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others.DeAnn Hollis
A volunteer is a person who can see what others cannot see; who can feel what most do not feel. Often, such gifted persons do not think of themselves as volunteers, but as citizens - citizens in the fullest sense: partners in civilization.Anonymous
Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.Unknown
A VOLUNTEER is a person who is a light to others, giving witness in a mixed-up age, doing well and willingly the tasks at hand-namely, being aware of another's needs and doing something about it.Unknown
Most people wont have opportunity to do full-time service, but those lucky enough to have monetary wealth or some spare time really can make an enormous difference. As someone whos now in the public sector, and is seeing up-close-and-personal the real impact of what we do and what we give, I can tell you: every dollar and every volunteer help, in more ways than you can count.Michael Bloomberg


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Discussion in 'Fly Fishing Forum' started by Sloan Craven, Aug 8, 2007.
Does anyone remember when Andy appeared in a popular show in the 80's called the Goonies!!
Somebody put Andy out! He's roastin in here, LOL
Interesting article on the event....
I guess a bear sloshed through the American's beat to interrupt some hot fishing.... Just plain bad luck.
Youth fly fishing tourney was a great success
Competitive fishing is fun but, then again, maybe it isn't.
I witnessed a lot of laughs and camaraderie during the FIPS-Mouche Youth World Fly Fishing Championships, which was staged on four area waters last week. The friendliness grew as the competitors got to know one another.
Tournament co-chairman John Ford said the longer the competitors were together, the more comfortable they were being around each other.
"The change was really evident when the kids interacted with each other on the buses," Ford said. "On the first day they pretty much kept to themselves as they nervously awaited their time on the water. By the third day they were talking, laughing and sharing scores and fishing techniques."
Although the young anglers relaxed on the buses and in the hotel, they were all business on the water. One Day 1, I watched as Vit Pavlacky of the Czech Republic fished his beat on Spring Creek. He worked slowly, but methodically, up his allotted 175 meters of stream, catching seven scoring trout and several smaller fish.
Was seven a good score? He had no way of knowing how the other anglers were doing. When he reached the upper end of his beat, he scrambled up the bank and took off like a jackrabbit -- running the entire length of his beat to finish the final 30 minutes by starting again at the bottom of his section. Sprinting 175 meters is no small feat while wearing chest waders and suffering in the hot, humid air. The dash paid off -- he caught one more trout, to finish with eight.
Fishing was going well farther downstream for Adam Picketts, from Team USA-1. He had five measurable trout when he heard a loud noise and was surprised to see a large bear splashing across the stream in front of him, scaring all of the trout. He didn't catch another fish.
Feeling the weight of his team's favored status, French angler Bastien Femenia became frustrated because little went well fishing his section of Spring Creek. Femenia caught one trout.
Pavlacky finished first in the first session and earned the coveted single point. Picketts took second on this venue and Femenia tied for eighth. Of the 50 anglers, spread out on four waters, 10 caught no fish at all during the first session.
With a first-place finish on the Little Juniata River, Picketts had fished his way into the fifth spot by Wednesday at noon. This gave him a good chance for the bronze medal. Meanwhile, Pavlacky was second and Femenia was 23rd. The top five teams (in order) were Czech Republic, France, England, USA-1 and Slovakia. Only one point separated the top two teams. Team USA-1 had high hopes to medal. The stage was set for a classic finish.
This served as the prelude to the final session, where I worked as a volunteer controller on Fishing Creek, near Lamar. All of the team and individual medal positions were up for grabs.
Sector judge John Novalis assigned me to beat No. 3, a nice section of this mountain limestone stream. I had surveyed the limits of my beat and garnered the necessary equipment -- a clipboard, score sheet, pen and measuring tray -- before the anglers arrived. I was surprised when Picketts stepped off the bus and was assigned to beat 3. I was also a little nervous because I knew how much was on the line for Picketts and Team USA-1. I did not want to drop any fish before it could be measured and recorded.
Bastian Femenia was assigned to the neighboring beat 4. I could feel the pressure like a 100-pound weight. I am certain that Picketts could feel it, too.
Picketts set up camp under a big white pine and rigged up one rod with a double taper fly line, a long tapered leader and a small beetle imitation. He rigged a second rod with three nymphs -- a zebra midge, a #20 red devil and a bead-head green weenie -- the small fly that worked so well for him that morning on the Little Juniata River. He worried over his third choice, the red devil. All flies were barbless and rigged according to FIPS-Mouche rules, with no external weight.
I wondered about the kneepads that he wore over his chest waders, but it was soon evident that he would spend most of the three hours on his knees, practically lying down in the cool water.
Picketts started with the beetle dry fly and, after only seven minutes of fishing, he hooked and nearly landed a nice brown trout. He switched to the nymph rig and was rewarded with a small brown of 180 mm, not long enough to score. Just four minutes later, he had another undersized brown trout, both caught on the green weenie.
Twenty minutes, a second rod switch and about 140 casts later, Picketts had another brown trout. It measured 232 mm. Score one for Picketts. Fifteen minutes passed, and I was measuring a third undersized brown trout.
After that flurry of trout activity, Picketts would fish with intense concentration and an extreme feeling of urgency for an additional two hours and four minutes without catching another trout. Hopes for a personal bronze medal vanished, and I am sure that he felt the weight of responsibility for his team's chances, too.
For the record, Picketts made as many as 12 short, deliberate casts per minute and averaged seven per minute. He frequently sprinted back to the big white pine to change rods. Picketts made approximately 1,260 casts to land one scoring fish. Does this sound like fun or work?
The tables were turned. Femenia recovered well from his opening day performance. His flies landed six scoring trout, and he ranked first. His score helped place the French team one point ahead of the Czech Republic for the gold medal. Pavlacky caught only one scoring brown trout, but it was longer than Picketts' fish and placed him at 7.
Surely, Picketts would have preferred a different ending but he did finish as the top-ranked U.S. angler. Picketts could not control the size of trout that hit his flies. Considering the final ranking -- USA-1 was fourth in the team race -- any U.S. angler catching one more trout or a slightly bigger fish in any session could have brought a medal home for the American team. Had the bear sloshed through the French angler's beat instead of Picketts', the U.S. might have medalled. It was that close. Team 2 finished seventh, which was extremely good for a group of anglers who had not fished competitively before.
I congratulate all of the anglers from both American teams. They turned in a great performance. It was an honor to have this event in central Pennsylvania. Ford's outstanding efforts and the work of more than 100 volunteers were necessary for this to happen.
The FIPS-Mouche Championship also served as a showcase for our streams. The anglers saw more trout in one session than they had previously seen in entire five-session championships. The French captain, in broken English, summed it up well.
"I love your streams," he said with a broad smile. "They were difficult to fish -- but difficult is good."
It was the kind of smile that blossoms when your team brings home the gold.
Thanks for the update Sloan.
Did anyone check the bear to make sure there wasn't a little Frenchman inside?
I havent seen Zen give any words of wisdom or post anymore shocker poses in quite a while... thought he went and got himself a serious girlfriend and gave up Flyfishing!


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Some say legends are born – that an opportunity in time presents itself and the stars align and transfer one from a position of commonality into a legend. As a kid I was sure my transformational moment would come in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, a three ball two strike count with my team down no less than three runs in the pivotal game seven of the most important World Series in the history of baseball. With one swift swing of the bat I'd go from a who is he to a legend – that's how legends can be born.
Others say legends are made – that one can't go unnoticed for too long if they keep repeating greatness. These are the folks who go about their business not seeking the recognition they deserve, no, they go about their business simply doing what they know how to do at the highest possible level it can be done. Sooner or later people start talking and the legend starts growing. These are legends built over time and many accolades, accolades that are not achieved by the alignment of stars, but through hard work, dedication and skill – that's how legends can be made.
The word legend is often thrown around without much consideration – after all, if we were all legends none of us could actually be one. What cannot be argued is that barbecue has legends, both born and made. Pork Barrel BBQ was fortunate enough to cross paths with several of them at this years Memphis in May.
It was a hot Wednesday afternoon, as sticky as a good sweet BBQ sauce, as we pulled into our site and struggled to keep cool. At first glance, we failed to note just who our neighbor for the weekend was. At the time there was just too much going on and we were trying to track our rented picket fence down (how would we survive our first Memphis in May without a rented picket fence we were asking ourselves?). The fence finally came, the Weber Smokey Mountains were all set up and the heat of the day began to subside, finally giving us a chance at repose and the time to take note of our surroundings. It didn't take long for us to realize that we had won the lottery, heck you might have thought we had already won Memphis in May – in many ways maybe we had.
Just inches from our three Weber Smokey Mountains stood the beautiful trailer of Tower Rock BBQ out of Murphysboro, IL. Yes, the Tower Rock BBQ lead by Pat Burke of Apple City Barbecue Fame where he won three World Championships at Memphis in May with his partner Mike Mills. Our first meeting came on Thursday morning and we knew from that moment on we were in for a special weekend.
Pat and his crew showered us rookie's with their generous hospitality – not only can he cook a mean pork shoulder, he can cook one heck of a bacon and egg sandwich! It was a great honor for us to learn some of Pat's tips and tricks – he is an encyclopedia of BBQ and truly a legend.
In one year of BBQ competitions Pat and his Apple City team won 14 of the 17 contests they entered – it is clear that his legendary status was made by repeating greatness. Pat was kind enough to take some time to talk BBQ with Pork Barrel BBQ – here is that interview.
Stay tuned for more of our Memphis in May Scrapbook and an interview with Pat's Apple City teammate Mike Mills, another legend of BBQ.


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The centerpiece of the Bush administration's economic policy has been large federal income tax cuts aimed mainly at top earners. These tax cuts account for much of the $2 trillion increase in the national debt projected to occur during the Bush presidency. They prompted a large group of Nobel laureates in economics to issue a statement last year condemning the administration's "reckless and extreme course that endangers the long-term economic health of our nation."
This from a recent article by an economist from Cornell University, Robert Frank.
In it he oulines the logic behind Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy. In particular, Frank dismantles the flawed logic that states that just by putting money in the pockets of rich people (and/or small businesses), they will go out and hire workers.
Wrong. From Frank's essay:
The basic hiring criterion, found in every introductory textbook (including those written by the president's own economic advisers), is straightforward: If the output of additional workers can be sold for at least enough to cover their salaries, they should be hired; otherwise not. If this criterion is met, hiring extra workers makes economic sense, no matter how poor a business owner might be. Conversely, if the criterion is not satisfied, hiring makes no economic sense, even for billionaire owners. The after-tax personal incomes of business owners are irrelevant for hiring decisions.
He goes on further:
Owners who used their tax cuts to finance the initial costs of new hiring would be acting, in effect, as their own bankers, lending money to themselves in the hope of future returns. The test for whether such internal loans make economic sense is exactly the same as the test for external loans.
A loan from a bank makes sense if the firm's ultimate gain from hiring extra workers is enough to cover not only their salaries but also repayment of the loan plus interest. Internal loans must meet the same standard. They are justified only if the firm's gain from hiring extra workers is enough to cover their salaries and repayment of the loan, including the interest that owners could have earned had they left their tax cuts in the bank. In hiring decisions, the implicit costs of internal loans have exactly the same economic standing as the explicit costs of external loans.
In brief, the president's claim that tax cuts to the owners of small businesses will stimulate them to hire more workers flies in the face of bedrock principles outlined in every introductory economics textbook.
Basic economic textbook logic turned upside down.
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For my new readers (and the ones not paying enough attention), my little brother is named Nate. And he's getting married this weekend in Delaware to a wonderful woman named Melissa.
I love my brother. He is awesome for several reasons, but if you're a fan of this blog he's awesome because he's the one who suggested I branch out on my own. He secured the Daddy Files domain name and pays for it each year as a birthday present to me. He set the website up because I'm technologically inept. And even now, three years later, he continues to make sure we're free of spam and he deals with all of the technical issues for me.
That's why I'm asking all of you guys for your help.
MJ and I are not rich and we can't get them a kickass present or surprise them by paying for their Hawaiian honeymoon. But what I can do is ask you guys to do me a favor and leave Nate & Melissa a slew of comments to send them off into wedded bliss.
I don't want to tell you all the reasons why my brother rules right now, mainly because a shitload of my relatives read this and I need to save something for my best man speech Saturday night. But I can tell you a few things:
Nate is one of the most thoughtful people on the planet. He's a people-pleaser and he'll do whatever he can to make the people he loves happy. That goes double if that person is my mom, since he is a complete and total mama's boy.
I didn't realize it at the time, but Nate was my best friend growing up. We played sports, created games that only made sense to us and commiserated about our insane family together. Actually, things haven't changed that much from the picture to the right.
Even though Nate moved to Baltimore about a year and a half ago, he's somehow still managed to be the best uncle a kid ever had. Will absolutely loves him and vice versa. To Will, he's Uncle TT. I'm not quite sure how that nickname stuck, but it did. They talk on the phone and occasionally Skype, and Nate is unbelievably good about coming back to Massachusetts as often as possible. Some of that has to do with sporting events and fantasy football/baseball drafts, but my point remains the same. Will is even going to be the ring bearer on Saturday and I can't wait to see him all dressed up in a tux. It's going to be frickin adorable.
It's hard to believe my little brother is getting married. But he is and he rules and I'd love to be able to print this out for him and show him all the support he has on the website he helped create and maintain.
I'll likely be tweeting from the wedding and posting pictures and video on Twitter. I'll also post my best man speech after this weekend because I've worked for months on it. But for now, I want to say congratulations to Nate and Melissa and I can't wait for the open bar festivities!


text: This 5K event is designed for students, parents, and educators to come and engage in Healthy STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) experiences with the community. Participants will receive one of several prizes which may include: Healthy STEM shoe laces, Healthy STEM jump rope, Healthy STEM t-shirt or water bottle. . . . → Read More


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Epilouge: Before the Dawn
Doctor Warren had returned with his instruments and fixed Johnny's hand. It wasn't perfectly new, but he now had use of his thumb.
"Thank you Doctor Warren!" Johnny said, shaking with his newly useful hand. "I should have let you help me a long time ago.
"It was my pleasure Johnny" Dr. Warren said, clearly content with what he had done for Johnny. Johnny curled and uncurled his thumb a few times. It hurt quite a bit but Johnny didn't care. He immediately picked up the musket that Rab had left him, eager to start drilling with the minutemen, but then he remembered those eyes that had been pointed at Pumpkin. Those were very cruel, cruel eyes of death at the end of those muskets. It scared him, even now, to remember what had happened to Pumpkin, to remember the shot that ended a life. It was the incredibly quick event that had brought a man from the earth to the cruel, cold hands of death. Johnny shuddered just now, and then went to sit down beside Dr. Warren again. They talked the rest of the day, until evening when Dr. Warren said that he had to go. The two men had planned to have a memorial for Rab the next day at three o clock. Johnny shook his hand and left. He didn't know where to go, so he decided to check in at the Lyte house. However, he was first informed by Dr. Warren that he could again sleep in the surgery at his own place, and that they would start the memorial first thing in the morning. He walked up and knocked on the door.
Mrs. Bessie answered the door.
"Hello" she said quickly. "Here, I'll call Cilla so that you can tell us what you have learned." she led him to a chair in the dining room, it was more comfortable there, and the Lytes wouldn't mind, they were in the process of leaving. After all, he was family. Cilla came in from tending to the horses and sat with Johnny and Mrs. Bessie.
"So, did you find out anything about Rab?" Cilla asked quietly.
"Unfortunately I did." Johnny said solemnly. Tears formed in Cilla's eyes.
"He made it out of the battle, and I talked to him for a little while. But then he told me to go and check on the Silsbees. I did, and they were gone. Doctor Warren was there already, and we talked a little bit. He said that…" Johnny started. "That… Rab had passed away after I left him. He didn't want me to see him die. Doctor Warren said that he died a man, a true hero, if that makes you feel any better" Johnny explained tenderly. Cilla started bawling, and she sat closer to Johnny and cried on his shoulder. He wanted to hug her back, and tell her that everything would be alright, but unfortunately that wasn't something he could promise.
"We're having a memorial tomorrow" Johnny consoled. "You're welcome to come if you want"
"I'll go with you" Cilla sobbed, though she was trying to calm down and not make a fool of herself in front of Johnny.
"I'm sorry you have to see me like this." Cilla told Johnny, calming herself down.
"Don't worry about it Cilla" Johnny said. "I miss him too" There was a short, awkward silence.
"What did you find out about the battle?" Mrs. Bessie asked, trying to change the subject. Johhny told them everything he had learned about the British advancing, and the minutemen surrounding them. He also told of the high British casualties. However, this was small consolation to Cilla, and a little more to Mrs. Bessie. The three decided that it was getting late and that they should get some sleep.
"I'll come get you in the morning, and we can go to the memorial." Johnny told them. He then went to Doctor Warren's and went to sleep in the surgery. They had a big day ahead of them.
The next morning, Johnny and Doctor Warren woke up bright and early to prepare for the memorial service. Johnny ran and got Cilla and Mrs. Bessie before they headed over to where the sign with the man looking through the spy-glass was once hung. That is where they were to have the memorial service. After a little while, other people started to show up. Uncle Lorne and Aunt Jennifer, and Rabbit. Any able members of the Observers showed up. A few other people who knew Rab also showed up.
"I would like to thank you all for coming." Doctor Warren said solemnly. "We are gathered here today to mourn the unfortunate loss of a brave man. He went to fight for his country, and didn't even fire a single shot, for he was shot before he could. Rab was a hard worker printing for the Boston Gazette and helping with the horses." At this point, most of the people gathered were crying, mainly Cilla.
"Rab was put on this earth to be a printer, and he was quick and gifted at it. He was a shy young man, but once you got to know him he was a wonderful companion. He was not afraid to stand up for what he believed in. He badly wanted to stand up for his country, and he did valiantly, and he will always be remembered for that. But we all need to remember that it is darkest before the dawn, and nothing will get better until it becomes worse." At this point, even Johnny was starting to sadden.
"Is there anybody else who would like to speak on Rab's behalf?" Doctor Warren asked. Johnny raised his hand.
"Ok Johnny, go for it!" Doctor Warren said, half gleefully and half sadly. Johnny walked in front of the mourners. He cleared his throat and began.
"Rab was a close friend of mine. He invited me in and even fed me when I was on the streets and didn't have anywhere else to go. He was always kind, even to the most undeserving people. He was compassionate and took great pride in his work. He even let me share a bedroom with him. He was all around one of the greatest guys I have ever met, and will ever meet." Johnny said, trying to keep it brief. Several more people went up and spoke, all saying basically the same thing, except for the highlight, which was a story Aunt Jennifer told about when he was little. Doctor Warren eventually took the spot back in front of everybody.
"Unfortunately we could not have him buried at this memorial service, but we shallt post a small sign near where he is buried." He said tenderly. Slowly, the mourners left, and eventually only Cilla, Johnny, and Doctor Warren remained.
"I'll walk you home Cilla" Johnny said softly.
"Ok" she answered back, equally as softly. Johnny and Cilla walked quietly through the Boston streets, the sun was high in the sky and it was a beautiful day. Eventually, they made it to the Lyte house.
"You know, after all I've been through, my hand getting burned, me moving out of the Laphams, the British starting to invade, going to court, all that I've been through, I really don't think I could have done it without you Cilla" he said, slightly awkwardly.
"Yeah, well I didn't mind doing it" Cilla said, less awkwardly. She giggled a little, and then she kissed Johnny lightly.


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Everyone loves a hookup, except those of us who have had bad ones. Though in theory, the hook-up is a great dating tool. You get a chance to look at the guy or girl (if it isn't a blind date) and the ice is already broken since you both share a friend. There is also the ease in getting her number, getting a first date, and hopefully getting some action. What gets forgotten though, is the hard feelings if things don't go so well. You may shrug this off as whatever happens, happens, but what if the hookup is from a close friend and that person is his/her cousin, best friend, or ex?
I'll tell you what happens, the person who hooked you up will get an earful of stories about how much of a jackass you are, and are prone to believe it since their relationship with the girl is stronger than yours. It's a conflict of interest when you go out with a girl that close to your firend, so it is very important to learn how close they are prior to dating.
Safe hookups are: co-workers of friends, distant friends of friends and friends of people who are just an acquaintance. Dates you should avoid are: relatives of friends, ex-girlfriends of friends and best friends of friends. That way when she shows her claws you can gtfo (get the f-ck out) without destroying your friendship with the person who hooked you up.
Another downside to hookups is the obligation you feel when dating. On a typical date if a girl disrespects you or sickens you to the point of embarassment (snort laughing, bitching out the waiter, talking loud etc. etc.) you can excuse yourself and take off. On a hook-up date, you feel compelled to stay the date out in order to fulfill the obligation. Wouldn't it be nice to not have that weight on your shoulder? I guess it's a light price to pay for the convenient match making, but nontheless it has made me shy to this type of dating.
What comes with the hook-up is your friend's sales pitch for the girl… "Oh ya man she's cute but she keeps dating losers who treat her badly and blah, blah, blah" (DANGER, DANGER) right there is a red flag for your potential date. We all know there are 3 sides to any story, her side, his side, and the real side. Your buddy giving you a sales pitch about this chick being a damsel in distress lets you know that she already has dating issues. What makes you so special that you are the potential white knight for this psycho broad? This is not an acceptable sales pitch, if you hear it run for the hills because the girl isn't right.
An acceptable sales pitch for a "hook-up" is… "Honey has seen us in pics together and is always asking about you, I think she likes you." Or "There's this girl I work with who always asks me about my friends anad what they are into, I told her about you and she wants to meet you." Those are prefectly acceptable but you should never go into a date as the potential white knight, it is too heavy a burden from the outstart. There is nothing more nerve wracking than going on a first date and having a woman probe you verbally to see how far she can go with pushing your buttons. That would explain her single status and her need for a white knight… or sucker. Your friend does not see this but believes (in his own mind) that he is doing you and her a favor by feeding you that line of garbage. Gently decline the invite and go find a woman with less baggage.
I know there are tons of success stories, people like to brag that they hooked Bob and Lisa up, who are now celebrating their 30th Wedding Anniversary, but it isn't always like that. Look into things before you accept and it will make your friendship last longer. Do not aim to be a white knight, women haven't been innocent damsels in a millenia. What you need to see is that you are two individuals, with faults and are being brought together because your friend either feels that she needs a guy or you need a girl. Simple as that, and maybe you do need a girl, but be careful of the outcome. Don't date so close that it can affect your friendship, remember birds will fly, dogs are a man's best friend. Thanks for reading.See some words or phrases that you don't understand? Check out The Dragon's Lexicon.