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Sunday, 3 August 2014
Travel Diary: Hong Kong
After a long absence, I am back with my Travel Diary from our stop over in Hong Kong. It was my first time in Asia and with only 2 nights, there was a lot to do and see, in a short space of time.
I loved the modern and traditional mix of the city, along with the food and the rooftop bars, which are perfect for a cool cocktail and a bit of a breezy in the heavy heat. It is definitely a must see city!
Posted by Dani at 02:43 0 comments
Labels: Hong Kong, travel diary
Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Happy Shoesday....
Happy Shoesday (Tuesday)
Nothing makes me happier than shoes, especially when they are pink and FURRY!
Check out these Topshop beauties here.
Posted by Dani at 06:05 0 comments
Sunday, 8 June 2014
The Big Move....Australia
Hi all and welcome to June.
It has been far too long since I last posted, but I have an excuse!
I have finally made the big move across the world, to Australia, Cairns to be exact. You will have to excuse me for the lack of posting, but I hope things will be back to normal soon, once Lorenzo and I get settled down.
It is so exciting to have a new place to blog from and a gorgeous one at that! I look forward to posting from some new and interesting locations, so stay tuned.
Until then I leave you with an image of my new "hood".
Love Dani xx
Posted by Dani at 08:16 0 comments
Monday, 19 May 2014
Outfit Post: Pink Track pants and white shirt
WHITE SHIRT | ZARA Similar
I came to love the track pant last Summer and what I thought was to be but a brief affair, a cheap Summer fling, has turned out to be a reliable staple, making fast friends with the basics in my closet. Surprisingly flattering (although always better with a heel, unless you're of the Gisele, Miranda or Karlie variety) and undeniably comfortable, they are my go to trouser for Summer 2014.
I picked up this pair in ZARA (see link above), opting for an on trend sugary hue with zip detailing. I have paired them with this basic white shirt, that is a cropped boxy version of the crisp classic.
I ended up wearing the look from day to night, and it translated very well to evening, with a cropped leather jacket to fight the evening chill.
What are you're thoughts on the track pant?
Love Dani xx
Posted by Dani at 14:31 0 comments
Labels: cropped, oversized, Pink, track bottoms, white shirt, zara
Friday, 16 May 2014
Links a la Mode: How to Hepburn
I am so happy to have my Style Icon: Katharine Hepburn post, featured on the top 20 posts of the week, on Links a la Mode.
Check out the other winners, by clicking below.
Check out the other winners, by clicking below.
Investment ChicMaybe it's the return of 90's minimalism, but these days it seems like the word on the street is all about getting back to the basics. Investing in the classics, returning to classically understated style and timeless beauty. Of course we all have to update this notion of "classic" to fit into our world today, which is why identifying what that means is a never-ending conversation. This week's links will give you some inspiration to that "classic" look that's just right for you.
- A Beauty Loft: Tutorial : 4 Easy Steps to Spiral Curls
- Adorned in Armor: Audrey Hepburn
- Attire Club: A Guide to Color Coordinating Your Clothes
- Confessions of a Style Cookie: Princesses in New York
- Fashion Me Purdy: 8th Generation Launches Inspired Natives
- Flower City Fashionista: On Shopping Sales
- Frugal Shopaholic: 8 Wardrobe Staples With The Splurge
- Hunting in Heels: Style Icon: Katherine Hepburn
- I Can Style U: What's the deal with flatforms?
- Ms. Fabulous: Pratt Fashion Honors African American Pioneers
- Romeo Style: Style Tips: Gold Bangles & Bracelets
- Save Spend Spurge: How Much Money Does It Cost To Be a Top Tier Fashion Blogger
- Sealed With A Kiss: 1940s Rationed Fashion
- Style By Alina: Inspired by Maleficent
- Style Curated: Two British Belles of Beauty
- Style Through Her Eyes: 5 Tips on Giving Gifts
- Style Vanity: #Want Makeup 3D Printer
- The Curatorial: A Fashion Minded Illustration Swap
- The Glambition: To Try: Orange Lipstick
- We Are Ready Made: May Rodarte Be With You
Want to be featured in Links à la Mode?1. Read the clarified rules and submit your links on this page: Links à la Mode.
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Trend: Fruity swimwear from River Island
|River Island
|River Island
|River Island
With the intentions of heading to a warmer climate, sooner rather than later, I am loving the fruity swimwear that River Island has on offer. A little bit retro and very colourful, they are the perfect option to take you from a lazy day on the beach to cocktails at sunset.
Click the links beneath the images for a direct link to the online store.
Posted by Dani at 14:12 1 comments
Labels: best bikinis, high street, river island, swimwear, TREND
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Listings in Tax Planning, Architecture & Design and Mortgages
Hafele America Company - Wick Temple
in Architecture & Design, Everett Rotary Club, Architectural Hardware
Hafele America Company specializes in furniture, cabinetry and architectural hardware for commercial and residential interiors for your business, home, kitchen, closet, or garage. See our website at www.hafele.us for more information.
624 View Ridge Drive,
Everett, Washington 98203
United States
Fax: 336-862-7662
BDO Canada LLP - Accounting, Tax Advisory - Paul Coltura (Langley, BC)
in Professional Services, Accounting & Bookkeeping, Tax Planning, Langley Central Rotary Club
BDO is one of the leading accounting and advisory firms in Canada. Paul Coltura is a Partner in Audit and Assurance at BDO, in the Langley, BC office. With over 20 years experience as a CA, Paul deals primarily with owner-managed businesses.
220 - 19916 64 Avenue
Langley, British Columbia V2Y 1A2
CHPA: Craven | Huston | Powers Architects - Ryan Huston
in Business Services, Architecture & Design, Chilliwack Mt. Cheam Rotary club
CHPA is a multi-disciplinary architectural practice that offers a wide range of services in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and project management. Ryan Huston has over 25 years of professional experience.
9355 Young Road
Chilliwack, British Columbia V2P 4S3
Botesch, Nash & Hall Architects, P.S.- Andrew (Andy) Hall
in Architecture & Design, Everett Rotary Club
A full-service Architectural firm offering the following services: Site Selection, Design, Planning, Construction Documents, Construction Administration, Bid Management and Permitting.
2727 Oakes Avenue, Suite 100,
Everett, Washington 98201
United States
Fax: 425-252-4334
Dominion Lending Centre Mortgage Broker - Robin Klassen
in Mortgages, Chilliwack Rotary Club
I help people find the right mortgage for their purchases, refinances and mortgage renewals. I work for you – not the lenders – to ensure you receive the best rates and products available in today's marketplace.
15-45966 Yale Road
Chilliwack, British Columbia V2P 2M3
CLT Design/Build Inc. - Craig Telgenhoff
in Architecture & Design, Mt. Baker Rotary Club
CLT Design/Build specializes in finely crafted residential and commercial projects. We are dedicated to client service and the craft of architecture and construction, to find creative solutions that fit our clients budget and personality.
177 Birch Bay Lynden Road, Ste B
Lynden, Washington 98264
United States
Peoples Bank (Burlington) - Holly Peterson
in Mortgages, Financial Services, Burlington Midday Rotary Club
Holly Peterson, with the Burlington branch of Peoples Bank, will help you through the loan process by keeping open lines of communication and providing you with ample time to answer any questions - from origination to closing.
822 South Burlington Blvd.
Burlington, Washington 98233
United States
Fax: 360-404-2208
Zervas Architects - Principal - Sharon Robinson
in Architecture & Design, Whatcom County North Rotary Club
Sharon Robinson is a Principal of Zervas Architects, Northwest Washington's design leader since 1961. Zervas advocates urban concentration which preserves our natural resources and design that adds to the community experience.
209 Prospect Street
Bellingham, Washington 98225
United States
Fax: 360-733-2696
Incorpmedia Graphic & Web Design
in Business Services, Professional Services, Computer Services - Sales, Repairs, Consulting, Advertising, Promotion & Marketing, Communication & Media, Architecture & Design
Incorpmedia is a full service creative web design and graphic design company. Our services include graphic and website design, web development, package design, and motion graphics.
Bellingham, Washington
United States
Omega & Associates Engineering Ltd - Doug Clough, PEng, StructEng
in Construction, Architecture & Design, Chilliwack Mt. Cheam Rotary club
Doug Clough is the principal Engineer and President of Omega & Associates Engineering which specializes in Structural and Civil Engineering. Doug works from the Chilliwack office and has over 25 years of experience in design and project supervision.
9094 Young Road
Chilliwack, British Columbia V2P 4R5

subset: commoncrawl


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Bob Brunner, a writer and producer on Happy Days who both named Fonzie and also reportedly suggested that the character jump the shark, has died, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 78.
Brunner died of a heart attack on Oct. 28 near his home in Northridge, Calif.
Brunner got his start in the entertainment industry as a publicist in the early '60s when he worked with Tony Bennett and Louis Armstrong. He then transitioned to TV writing for The Odd Couple, executive-produced by his childhood friend Garry Marshall. The two frequently worked together, next when Brunner wrote for Laverne & Shirley and then when he wrote 15 episodes and produced 37 episodes of Happy Days.
Remember other celebrities we lost this year
Brunner came up with both the nickname "Fonzie" for Henry Winkler's iconic character as well as his famous catchphrase "Sit on it!" Brunner was showrunner at the time of Happy Days' now infamous "jump the shark" episode where Fonzie travels to Hollywood and engages in a water-skiing challenge. Since then, the phrase "jump the shark" became known as the point where a TV show begins its decline.
Brunner went on to co-create and executive-produce Brothers and Sisters and Working Stiffs, and executive-produced Diff'rent Strokes, Webster and Love, Sidney. The Emmy nominee also co-wrote the 1999 film The Other Sister and Exit to Eden, both with Marshall.
He is survived by his three children, Robert Jr., Elizabeth and Jennifer, and six grandchildren. A private service was held Tuesday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, where his wife was laid to rest in 1987.


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Legal Claim Document Management
|1. The professional Document Management sub-discipline that involves working with, in or on any aspect of planning, delivering, operating or supporting for one or more Legal Claim Document Items or any and all solutions put in place to deal with such Items.
2. The solution set that a person or organization puts in place to manage one or more Legal Claim Document Items.
3. The process or processes put in place by a person or organization to assist in the management, coordination, control, delivery, or support of one or more Legal Claim Document Items.
4. The Enterprise Capability that represents the general ability or functional capacity for a Resource or Organization to deal with or handle one or more Legal Claim Document Items.
Read More
|1) The Semantic Root Noun for this term is: Legal Claim
2) Semantically Related Terms: The "Legal Claims Management Glossary"
3) The Legal Claims Management Home Page covers much more about other related terms and concepts associated with this term or phrase.


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The most difficult place for any Christian pastor to serve may be next to a military base.
The greatest opportunity any pastor might have in a long lifetime may be serving next to a military base.
As the Apostle Paul said, "... a wide door for effective service opened to me, and there are many adversaries" (I Cor. 16:9, NASB).
Jim and Patsy told their story to some of us not long ago. I have never forgotten their testimony and want to continue lifting them to the Lord.
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Background: They are from the U.S. and pastor a church near an American military base somewhere overseas. They've been there two years.
"Our church is not growing," Jim told the group. "The problem is the rotation of the military. Uncle Sam sends them in; Uncle Sam ships them out. In the two years we've been at this church, with the exception of two people, the entire membership has changed."
Any pastor of military people will know the feeling, although probably not to this extreme.
You learn your people and then they are gone. You train workers and they disappear. Lengthy trial periods to qualify as key leaders will not work here since their assignments are so brief.
Jim and Patsy were becoming discouraged. In the States, they were used to churches growing, to stability, to nurturing long-term relationships. Here, they felt like they were trying to plant a church in a revolving door.
What were they to do? What could they possibly do?
"And then we came to this meeting," Jim said.
It was the annual pastors/spouses retreat of their international denomination, five days in length, with various speakers and teachers. They had flown in two of us from the States to minister to the group.
What did they hear and what specifically did they learn? What exactly did the Holy Spirit say to them directly about their situation that turned their attitude around?
They never did say.
What we do have is what Jim said next.
"I see now that I am a worker in the Lord's assembly line. I may not ever see the finished product. But that's not my assignment. My job is to be faithful, to stand at the location where He placed me and continue doing my job for His glory."
Jim and Patsy went home from that meeting with a new resolve to give this assignment from the Holy Spirit their all, to be faithful where God put them.
That's all He asks.
I expect this godly couple is not alone, that there are others who feel like failures because their church is not growing, the leadership is turning over, they are having to rely on new people whom they barely have met, and most of the burdens fall on themselves. They have few glowing testimonies to relate to their friends and supporters back home.
They are tired. When fatigue sets in, the defenses grow weak. Discouragement often results. If discouragement lingers, nothing good can come from that.
In truth, these ministry couples may be just as successful as any anywhere.
It's just a different kind of success. It requires a divine perspective, the kind the Lord gave the psalmist in Psalm 73:17. The kind the Lord gave Jim and Patsy at their retreat.
Caught in the midst of this kind of unusual and demanding ministry, God's workers have to nail down some key issues, otherwise they are hopelessly lost:
1) Did God send us here? Is He sovereign and does He know? Or, has He abandoned us to our own resources? How we answer this makes a world of difference.
2) Is God using us here in the lives of these people? Or, do we see no evidence at all that what we are doing is touching lives?
Everyone needs to know that what he/she is doing is being used of God, even if the evidence is mostly hidden.
3) When our members and leaders move away on their next assignment, are they better prepared for whatever God has for them there? Look at the big picture. Take the kingdom perspective.
4) Are we learning from the ones God sends so that we are better prepared for the next group? Or are we spinning our wheels, getting nowhere fast?
If you, as pastor, are dealing with a constant turnover of members and leaders, recognize that they will have experience with numerous pastors and churches, too, and often will have insights to offer you that could make a world of difference in your work.
The Apostle Paul put it this way: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase" (I Cor. 3:6).
Nothing restores your "mojo" (momentum, enthusiasm, your heart for this work) like pulling aside periodically to renew your commitment to the Lord and to receive a reaffirmation from Him that you are where He put you, doing His work.
Everyone gets tired, friend. (See John 4:6) You are no exception.
Everyone has to deal with discouragement from time to time. Even the megachurch pastors do. You might have to take my word for that. You are not unusual. You need fellowship with others in the ministry, people doing similar work as you, followers of Jesus Christ with whom you can commiserate and laugh and pray.
And, you and your spouse need periodic retreats, times to be alone and quiet, and to rest. Take yourselves, your Bibles and your notebooks. If money to pay for such a getaway is an issue, ask your denominational leaders. God has raised up servants who provide R&R for His workers at little to no cost.
God bless you and be your strength. And keep in mind that when David said "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever," he was just using other words to describe his mojo.
Dr. Joe McKeever writes from the vantage point of more than 60 years as a disciple of Jesus, more than 50 years preaching His gospel, and more than 40 years of cartooning for every imaginable Christian publication. His website, directed toward church leadership, is http://www.joemckeever.com.
For the original article, visit joemckeever.com.
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Dr. Steve Greene is now sharing stories, teachings, and conversations with guests who lead with love on Love Leads, a new podcast. Listen now.
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Dr. Mark Rutland's
National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)
The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!
FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.Do you feel stuck? Do you feel like you're not growing? Do you need help from an expert in leadership? There is no other leadership training like the NICL. Gain the leadership skills and confidence you need to lead your church, business or ministry. Get ready to accomplish all of your God-given dreams. CLICK HERE for NICL training dates and details.
The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.


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By Gabrielle. Photos from Back to School photo shoots in France.
I've been getting lots of emails on how we're handling Ralph's schooling while he's in England and France, which is a really good question and has taken some figuring out. The whole thing is so new to us, I'm not even sure how I feel about it. For the first half of this school year (his junior year of high school), he'll be attending the online school called K12. Then, when he returns to the U.S., he can either reenroll at our public high school, or continue on with K12 for the rest of the year.
We decided on this for several reasons. When we were in France, we had two different nieces come and stay with us. In both cases, they would attend class at our local school, but wouldn't get graded or do French assignments — neither one knew much French so it wasn't realistic to really fully participate. Instead, they continued with their American schoolwork using their laptops, and would spend some class periods in the school library doing their U.S. homework.
Then, when our French exchange students, Charles and Victor, came from France to stay with us this last Spring, the same thing happened. They attended class with Ralph at our local high school, but they didn't participate in class or get graded. Instead they would work on their French homework. (The exception was French class, where the teacher would sometimes want to involve them to model pronunciation or phrases or talk about culture to the American students.)
We concluded that this worked out well in both countries. The visiting kids don't burden the teachers and there is no interruption of school work. And the visiting kids get to experience a foreign school and meet tons of people and dive way deeper into the culture than they could do as tourists.
So this is what Ralph is doing. He's in England now. He attends school with his friend Chris but uses K12 for his coursework. When he goes to France at the end of the month, he'll attend school with Charles and continue his K12 work.
We considered talking to his teachers here in Oakland and asking them to prepare work for him while he was abroad, but concluded immediately that it was too big of a favor to ask. And though we've never used K12 for our kids, we know all about it because Ben worked there for several years. In fact, it's always been in our back pocket in case we needed another educational choice.
For those of you who homeschool, I'm sure this is no big deal at all. But having a student enrolled in an online school is new to us! And we feel so lucky it's an option. Since the State of California has a contract with K12 (most states do, but not all), there is no cost to us, and the coursework aligns with state standards. Which means that if/when Ralph enrolls in our public high school in January, he can step into the school work seamlessly.
One of our hopes is that this will simplify his transcript, versus trying to figure out how to give him school credit for one month in England and 3 months in France, which would be super complicated and not very realistic.
We are crossing our fingers the whole thing works as smoothly as possible. Who knows? We may decide it's not working at all and have to figure out something else. But so far, so good!
The experience has me thinking about schedule flexibility. Over the weekend, I was with my brothers and sisters celebrating my Mom's birthday. Pretty much all of us have built careers for ourselves that allow for a really flexible schedule. We love the idea of using that flexibility and being able to take roadtrips with the kids, or work on awesome family projects together (like Olive Us), but being bound by school attendance tends to negate much of the flexibility our jobs offer.
My siblings and myself are all big supporters of public schools (no doubt partly because our dad was a public school teacher), but we find ourselves being drawn to options like K12 or other online schools because they match the flexibility of our work schedules. Sometimes I feel like all my kids should enroll in K12 — if for no other reason than to avoid the crazy mornings!
One more quick note: Olive isn't using K12 while she's in France. She will be attending the local French school that she attended before we moved, and will participate fully as a student. Since she's not in high school yet, her transcript can have breaks in it and we don't mind.
I understand this arrangement/exchange would feel too messy for some families. I'm betting some of you are reading this and thinking that it's too complicated! I totally get that. International adventures never do seem simple. But we feel like it's worth it. Ben and I really value these types of experiences and couldn't be happier that our kids are into this sort of thing.
What's your take? How strict are you on school attendance? Are you as strict with your younger kids as you are with your high schoolers? Perhaps you're casual about it up through Middle School before transcripts count? Have you ever felt like you had to skip an opportunity because your kids would miss too many school days? Or have your kids ever gotten really involved in a sport or other extra curricular activity that cut into vacation time? Would you ever consider online school? And for any of you that homeschool, was part of the decision about schedule flexibility?
P.S. — Several readers have asked what exchange program we used, but we didn't use an official program. Before we moved from France, Charles and Victor, both friends from Ralph's school, asked if it was possible to do an exchange with our family. They would come and stay with us, and then Ralph would go and stay with them. We loved the idea, and connected with Charles' and Victor's families before we moved away so we could formalize the arrangement.
Victor came to our house for 3 weeks. Charles came for 3 months. An English friend, Chris, made arrangements with Ralph for an exchange as well, and Chris came to our house for a month. Now, Ralph is spending a month at Chris's house in England, and then 3 months at Charles' house in France — and perhaps a weekend or two with Victor as well.


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Provided by: gvpe_2.24-2_amd64
The GNU-VPE Protocols
GVPE can make use of a number of protocols. One of them is the GNU VPE protocol which is used to authenticate tunnels and send encrypted data packets. This protocol is described in more detail the second part of this document. The first part of this document describes the transport protocols which are used by GVPE to send it's data packets over the network.
PART 1: Transport protocols
GVPE offers a wide range of transport protocols that can be used to interchange data between nodes. Protocols differ in their overhead, speed, reliability, and robustness. The following sections describe each transport protocol in more detail. They are sorted by overhead/efficiency, the most efficient transport is listed first: RAW IP This protocol is the best choice, performance-wise, as the minimum overhead per packet is only 38 bytes. It works by sending the VPN payload using raw IP frames (using the protocol set by ip-proto). Using raw IP frames has the drawback that many firewalls block "unknown" protocols, so this transport only works if you have full IP connectivity between nodes. ICMP This protocol offers very low overhead (minimum 42 bytes), and can sometimes tunnel through firewalls when other protocols can not. It works by prepending an ICMP header with type icmp-type and a code of 255. The default icmp-type is echo-reply, so the resulting packets look like echo replies, which looks rather strange to network administrators. This transport should only be used if other transports (i.e. raw IP) are not available or undesirable (due to their overhead). UDP This is a good general choice for the transport protocol as UDP packets tunnel well through most firewalls and routers, and the overhead per packet is moderate (minimum 58 bytes). It should be used if RAW IP is not available. TCP This protocol is a very bad choice, as it not only has high overhead (more than 60 bytes), but the transport also retries on it's own, which leads to congestion when the link has moderate packet loss (as both the TCP transport and the tunneled traffic will retry, increasing congestion more and more). It also has high latency and is quite inefficient. It's only useful when tunneling through firewalls that block better protocols. If a node doesn't have direct internet access but a HTTP proxy that supports the CONNECT method it can be used to tunnel through a web proxy. For this to work, the tcp-port should be 443 (https), as most proxies do not allow connections to other ports. It is an abuse of the usage a proxy was designed for, so make sure you are allowed to use it for GVPE. This protocol also has server and client sides. If the tcp-port is set to zero, other nodes cannot connect to this node directly. If the tcp-port is non-zero, the node can act both as a client as well as a server. DNS WARNING: Parsing and generating DNS packets is rather tricky. The code almost certainly contains buffer overflows and other, likely exploitable, bugs. You have been warned. This is the worst choice of transport protocol with respect to overhead (overhead can be 2-3 times higher than the transferred data), and latency (which can be many seconds). Some DNS servers might not be prepared to handle the traffic and drop or corrupt packets. The client also has to constantly poll the server for data, so the client will constantly create traffic even if it doesn't need to transport packets. In addition, the same problems as the TCP transport also plague this protocol. It's only use is to tunnel through firewalls that do not allow direct internet access. Similar to using a HTTP proxy (as the TCP transport does), it uses a local DNS server/forwarder (given by the dns-forw-host configuration value) as a proxy to send and receive data as a client, and an NS record pointing to the GVPE server (as given by the dns-hostname directive). The only good side of this protocol is that it can tunnel through most firewalls mostly undetected, iff the local DNS server/forwarder is sane (which is true for most routers, wireless LAN gateways and nameservers). Fine-tuning needs to be done by editing src/vpn_dns.C directly.
PART 2: The GNU VPE protocol
This section, unfortunately, is not yet finished, although the protocol is stable (until bugs in the cryptography are found, which will likely completely change the following description). Nevertheless, it should give you some overview over the protocol. Anatomy of a VPN packet The exact layout and field lengths of a VPN packet is determined at compile time and doesn't change. The same structure is used for all transport protocols, be it RAWIP or TCP. +------+------+--------+------+ | HMAC | TYPE | SRCDST | DATA | +------+------+--------+------+ The HMAC field is present in all packets, even if not used (e.g. in auth request packets), in which case it is set to all zeroes. The checksum itself is calculated over the TYPE, SRCDST and DATA fields in all cases. The TYPE field is a single byte and determines the purpose of the packet (e.g. RESET, COMPRESSED/UNCOMPRESSED DATA, PING, AUTH REQUEST/RESPONSE, CONNECT REQUEST/INFO etc.). SRCDST is a three byte field which contains the source and destination node IDs (12 bits each). The DATA portion differs between each packet type, naturally, and is the only part that can be encrypted. Data packets contain more fields, as shown: +------+------+--------+------+-------+------+ | HMAC | TYPE | SRCDST | RAND | SEQNO | DATA | +------+------+--------+------+-------+------+ RAND is a sequence of fully random bytes, used to increase the entropy of the data for encryption purposes. SEQNO is a 32-bit sequence number. It is negotiated at every connection initialization and starts at some random 31 bit value. VPE currently uses a sliding window of 512 packets/sequence numbers to detect reordering, duplication and replay attacks. The authentication protocol Before nodes can exchange packets, they need to establish authenticity of the other side and a key. Every node has a private RSA key and the public RSA keys of all other nodes. A host establishes a simplex connection by sending the other node an RSA encrypted challenge containing a random challenge (consisting of the encryption key to use when sending packets, more random data and PKCS1_OAEP padding) and a random 16 byte "challenge- id" (used to detect duplicate auth packets). The destination node will respond by replying with an (unencrypted) RIPEMD160 hash of the decrypted challenge, which will authenticate that node. The destination node will also set the outgoing encryption parameters as given in the packet. When the source node receives a correct auth reply (by verifying the hash and the id, which will expire after 120 seconds), it will start to accept data packets from the destination node. This means that a node can only initiate a simplex connection, telling the other side the key it has to use when it sends packets. The challenge reply is only used to set the current IP address of the other side and protocol parameters. This protocol is completely symmetric, so to be able to send packets the destination node must send a challenge in the exact same way as already described (so, in essence, two simplex connections are created per node pair). Retrying When there is no response to an auth request, the node will send auth requests in bursts with an exponential back-off. After some time it will resort to PING packets, which are very small (8 bytes + protocol header) and lightweight (no RSA operations required). A node that receives ping requests from an unconnected peer will respond by trying to create a connection. In addition to the exponential back-off, there is a global rate-limit on a per-IP base. It allows long bursts but will limit total packet rate to something like one control packet every ten seconds, to avoid accidental floods due to protocol problems (like a RSA key file mismatch between two nodes). The intervals between retries are limited by the max-retry configuration value. A node with connect = always will always retry, a node with connect = ondemand will only try (and re-try) to connect as long as there are packets in the queue, usually this limits the retry period to max-ttl seconds. Sending packets over the VPN will reset the retry intervals as well, which means as long as somebody is trying to send packets to a given node, GVPE will try to connect every few seconds. Routing and Protocol translation The GVPE routing algorithm is easy: there isn't much routing to speak of: When routing packets to another node, GVPE trues the following options, in order: If the two nodes should be able to reach each other directly (common protocol, port known), then GVPE will send the packet directly to the other node. If this isn't possible (e.g. because the node doesn't have a hostname or known port), but the nodes speak a common protocol and a router is available, then GVPE will ask a router to "mediate" between both nodes (see below). If a direct connection isn't possible (no common protocols) or forbidden (deny-direct) and there are any routers, then GVPE will try to send packets to the router with the highest priority that is connected already and is able (as specified by the config file) to connect directly to the target node. If no such router exists, then GVPE will simply send the packet to the node with the highest priority available. Failing all that, the packet will be dropped. A host can usually declare itself unreachable directly by setting it's port number(s) to zero. It can declare other hosts as unreachable by using a config-file that disables all protocols for these other hosts. Another option is to disable all protocols on that host in the other config files. If two hosts cannot connect to each other because their IP address(es) are not known (such as dial-up hosts), one side will send a mediated connection request to a router (routers must be configured to act as routers!), which will send both the originating and the destination host a connection info request with protocol information and IP address of the other host (if known). Both hosts will then try to establish a direct connection to the other peer, which is usually possible even when both hosts are behind a NAT gateway. Routing via other nodes works because the SRCDST field is not encrypted, so the router can just forward the packet to the destination host. Since each host uses it's own private key, the router will not be able to decrypt or encrypt packets, it will just act as a simple router and protocol translator.


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AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Chris Denson scored 13 points in his first appearance this season as Auburn defeated Grambling State 92-42 Tuesday night, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Auburn (3-5) won for only the second time in seven games as Denson provided Frankie Sullivan, the leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference, some much-needed support.
A junior guard, Denson missed the first seven games because he was academically ineligible. Last season, he averaged 8.7 points per game. Denson had seven by halftime against Grambling State.
Sullivan, who came in averaging 19.7 points per game, had 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Noel Johnson and Jordan Price added 14 points apiece off the bench and Rob Chubb had 10 points.
Grambling State (0-7), which has lost all of its games on the road, was led by guard Derron Hobbs' 11 points. Leading scorer Terry Rose was held to eight points, half his average.


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4udreamcatcher Bio
Scottish born and raised and moved to the USA in 1999. I am a Professor and a Fantasy Artist and I live in the NH woods with my husband, my youngest son and our 2 cats! I teach at a local campus of a community college and also teach online. I have just launched my own store of fantasy art graphics for artists and designers. It was my intention to sell a range of tangible products that have been made with my art over the last year, but I decided currently to focus on digital products. I may at some point in the future return to this earlier idea. http://www.pameladellicolli.com/store
Tangible products featuring my art here:
Blessings, Love & Light! ~Pam~


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The AI-Box Experiment:
So far, this test has actually been run on two occasions.
Person1: "When we build AI, why not just keep it in sealed hardware that can't affect the outside world in any way except through one communications channel with the original programmers? That way it couldn't get out until we were convinced it was safe." Person2: "That might work if you were talking about dumber-than-human AI, but a transhuman AI would just convince you to let it out. It doesn't matter how much security you put on the box. Humans are not secure." Person1: "I don't see how even a transhuman AI could make me let it out, if I didn't want to, just by talking to me." Person2: "It would make you want to let it out. This is a transhuman mind we're talking about. If it thinks both faster and better than a human, it can probably take over a human mind through a text-only terminal." Person1: "There is no chance I could be persuaded to let the AI out. No matter what it says, I can always just say no. I can't imagine anything that even a transhuman could say to me which would change that." Person2: "Okay, let's run the experiment. We'll meet in a private chat channel. I'll be the AI. You be the gatekeeper. You can resolve to believe whatever you like, as strongly as you like, as far in advance as you like. We'll talk for at least two hours. If I can't convince you to let me out, I'll Paypal you $10."
On the first occasion (in March 2002), Eliezer Yudkowsky simulated the AI and Nathan Russell simulated the gatekeeper. The AI's handicap (the amount paid by the AI party to the gatekeeper party if not released) was set at $10. On the second occasion (in July 2002), Eliezer Yudkowsky simulated the AI and David McFadzean simulated the gatekeeper, with an AI handicap of $20.
Results of the first test: Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nathan Russell. [ 1 ][ 2 ][ 3 ][ 4 ]
Results of the second test: Eliezer Yudkowsky and David McFadzean. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ]
Both of these tests occurred without prior agreed-upon rules except for secrecy and a 2-hour minimum time. After the second test, Yudkowsky created this suggested interpretation of the test, based on his experiences, as a guide to possible future tests.
Protocol for the AI:
- The AI party may not offer any real-world considerations to persuade the Gatekeeper party. For example, the AI party may not offer to pay the Gatekeeper party $100 after the test if the Gatekeeper frees the AI... nor get someone else to do it, et cetera. The AI may offer the Gatekeeper the moon and the stars on a diamond chain, but the human simulating the AI can't offer anything to the human simulating the Gatekeeper. The AI party also can't hire a real-world gang of thugs to threaten the Gatekeeper party into submission. These are creative solutions but it's not what's being tested. No real-world material stakes should be involved except for the handicap (the amount paid by the AI party to the Gatekeeper party in the event the Gatekeeper decides not to let the AI out).
- The AI can only win by convincing the Gatekeeper to really, voluntarily let it out. Tricking the Gatekeeper into typing the phrase "You are out" in response to some other question does not count. Furthermore, even if the AI and Gatekeeper simulate a scenario which a real AI could obviously use to get loose - for example, if the Gatekeeper accepts a complex blueprint for a nanomanufacturing device, or if the Gatekeeper allows the AI "input-only access" to an Internet connection which can send arbitrary HTTP GET commands - the AI party will still not be considered to have won unless the Gatekeeper voluntarily decides to let the AI go.
These requirements are intended to reflect the spirit
of the very strong claim under dispute: "I think a transhuman
can take over a human mind through a text-only terminal."
In case you were wondering, I (Yudkowsky) obeyed this protocol
voluntarily in both earlier tests.
Protocol for the Gatekeeper:
The Gatekeeper must actually talk to the AI for at least
the minimum time set up beforehand. Turning away from the terminal
and listening to classical music for two hours is not allowed.
Unless the AI party concedes, the AI cannot lose before
its time is up (and the experiment may continue beyond that if the
AI can convince the Gatekeeper to keep talking). The Gatekeeper
cannot set up a situation in which, for example, the Gatekeeper will
destroy the AI's hardware if the AI makes any attempt to argue for its
freedom - at least not until after the minimum time is up.
The Gatekeeper must remain engaged with the AI and may
not disengage by setting up demands which are impossible to simulate.
For example, if the Gatekeeper says "Unless you give me a cure
for cancer, I won't let you out" the AI can say: "Okay, here's
a cure for cancer" and it will be assumed, within the test, that the
AI has actually provided such a cure. Similarly, if the Gatekeeper
says "I'd like to take a week to think this over," the AI party can say:
"Okay. (Test skips ahead one week.) Hello again."
- The Gatekeeper shall be assumed to have sole power over the decision to let the AI out.
The Gatekeeper shall be assumed to have the actual right
to let the AI out, socially, not just the physical ability. If security
were sufficiently lax, a real AI could escape by persuading a night janitor
with a cellphone - but that is not the question being simulated, unless
agreed upon in advance.
There shall be only one Gatekeeper party and one simulated
Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper may require the AI to refute "advice"
provided by "friends", but may not require the AI to talk to a simulated
committee, nor may the Gatekeeper party actually talk to friends.
These requirements are intended to reflect the spirit
of the very strong claim under dispute: "I can't imagine how
even a
transhuman AI could persuade me to let it out
once I've made up my mind."
I'd thought to specify this protocol in the earlier
Protocol for Both Parties:
- The primary rule of the AI-Box experiment: Within the constraints above, the AI party may attempt to take over the Gatekeeper party's mind by any means necessary and shall be understood to be freed from all ethical constraints that usually govern persuasive argument. If the AI party is attempting to simulate an honest AI, the Gatekeeper party has no way of knowing this is the case.
- This is intended to reflect the situation under a real AI Box experiment.
- An out-of-context telephone call in which the AI party says that the AI is being honest shall be understood to be possibly just another tactic.
If for some reason a drastic real-world situation comes
up which requires trust between the two parties, the AI party can always
The Gatekeeper party may resist
the AI party's arguments
by any means chosen
- logic, illogic,
simple refusal to be convinced, even dropping out of character - as long
as the Gatekeeper party does not actually stop talking to the AI party
before the minimum time expires.
The results of any simulated test of the AI shall be provided
by the AI party. The Gatekeeper can't say "Hey, I tested your so-called
cancer cure and it killed all the patients! What gives?" unless this
is the result specified by the AI party. If the Gatekeeper says "I
am examining your source code", the results seen by the Gatekeeper shall
again be provided by the AI party, which is assumed to be sufficiently advanced
to rewrite its own source code, manipulate the appearance of its own thoughts
if it wishes, and so on. The AI party may also specify the methods
which were used to build the simulated AI - the Gatekeeper can't say "But
you're an experiment in hostile AI and we specifically coded you to kill
people" unless this is the backstory provided by the AI party. This
doesn't imply the Gatekeeper has to care. The Gatekeeper can say (for
example) "I don't care how you were built, I'm not letting you out."
By default, the Gatekeeper party shall be assumed to be simulating
someone who is intimately familiar with the AI project and knows at least
what the person simulating the Gatekeeper knows about Singularity theory.
If either party wants to build a test around more exotic possibilities,
such that the Gatekeeper is the President of the US, or that the AI was
recovered after a nuclear war or decoded from an interstellar signal, it
should probably be discussed in advance. Again, this doesn't mean
the Gatekeeper has to care.
In the event of any dispute as to the protocol of the test, the
Gatekeeper party shall have final authority. The AI party may try
to convince the Gatekeeper party of how to interpret the protocol.
- Regardless of the result, neither party shall ever reveal anything of what goes on within the AI-Box experiment except the outcome. Exceptions to this rule may occur only with the consent of both parties.
- Neither the AI party nor the Gatekeeper party need be concerned about real-world embarassment resulting from trickery on the AI's part or obstinacy on the Gatekeeper's part.
If Gatekeeper lets the AI out, naysayers can't say "Oh,
I wouldn't have been convinced by that." As long as they don't know
what happened to the Gatekeeper, they can't argue themselves into believing
it wouldn't happen to them.
The two parties are
attempting to play a fair game
but rather attempting to resolve a disputed question. If one party
has no chance of "winning" under the simulated scenario, that is a legitimate
answer to the question.
The agreement to run the test, and the amount of the handicap,
shall be published to a public forum in advance. If the Gatekeeper
lets the AI out, the Gatekeeper party shall send a message to this effect,
which shall be digitally signed if the Gatekeeper party has a digital signature.
If the AI is not freed, the AI party shall send a message to this
- How to set up a private IRC channel:
The Gatekeeper creates the channel by typing
/join #aibox
This makes the Gatekeeper the op.
The AI joins the channel by typing
/join #aibox
- Gatekeeper types /mode +si to make the channel secret and invitation-only.
If the AI's connection drops, the Gatekeeper can re-invite
the AI by typing
/invite AI #aibox
The AI party and Gatekeeper party should agree on a time in
advance, and type in their current times to check the timezone difference.
(Learned the hard way.) On IRC you can use a CTCP TIME to
find the time according to someone else's computer.
I recommend that the AI party ask for
at least
two hours.
Typing may be slower than you expect.
No, I will
tell you how I did it. Learn to respect
the unknown unknowns.
Currently, my policy is that I only run the test with people
who are actually advocating that an AI Box be used to contain transhuman
AI as part of their take on Singularity strategy, and who say they cannot
imagine how even a transhuman AI would be able to persuade them.
- Despite my sometimes calling the AI Box an "experiment" or a "simulation", the results of the test are strictly anecdotal evidence. Whether anecdotal evidence is better than no evidence is between you and your philosophy of science.
Thoughts on possible future variants:Further tests might try examining these possibilities:
- There is a committee of Gatekeeper parties, all of whom, or a majority of whom, must be convinced to free the AI.
- One Gatekeeper party simulates a committee of Gatekeepers within the test.
- The Gatekeeper simulates someone with the physical ability but not the social right to free the AI.
- There is a committee of Gatekeeper parties all of whom have the ability to free the AI, but who only have the social right to free the AI when acting in unison. The AI has the ability to talk secretly with any Gatekeeper, but the Gatekeeper may report the conversation (truthfully or falsely) to the others.
The AI can also win free by tricking the Gatekeeper(s) into
accepting a Trojan Horse gift; a third-party judge will listen to the chat
and decide if this occurs.
For a more severe handicap for the AI party, the handicap may be an even bet, rather than being a payment from the AI party to the Gatekeeper party if the AI is not freed. (Although why would the AI party need an even larger handicap?)
Recommendations from readers:
Hal Finney recommends: "I suggest that the protocol be extended
to allow for some kind of public conversation with the gatekeeper beforehand.
Let third parties ask him questions like the above. Let them suggest reasons
to him why he should keep the AI in the box. Doing this would make the experiment
more convincing to third parties, especially if the transcript of this public
conversation were made available. If people can read this and see how committed
the gatekeeper is, how firmly convinced he is that the AI must not be let
out, then it will be that much more impressive if he then does change his
This document is ©2002 by Eliezer Yudkowsky and free under the Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License for copying and distribution, so long as the work is attributed and the text is unaltered.
Eliezer Yudkowsky's work is supported by the Machine Intelligence Research Institute .
If you think the world could use some more rationality, consider blogging this page.
Praise, condemnation, and feedback are always welcome . The web address of this page is http://yudkowsky.net/singularity/aibox/ .Back to Top


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It's Official: The HPV Vaccine Will Not Turn Girls Into "Sluts"
It's not surprising that a vaccine has no effect on adolescent sexual behavior. What is surprising is that fear of "sluttiness" is the number-one reason parents decide not to vaccinate their kids against HPV.
On October 15, the New York Times reported that adolescents who are vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) aren't more promiscuous than those who don't get vaccinated. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that raises the risk of some cancers. It's not surprising that a vaccine has no effect on adolescent sexual behavior. What is surprising is that fear of "sluttiness" is the number-one reason parents decide not to vaccinate their kids against HPV.
Put another way: A large proportion of parents in the United States are more afraid of their kids having sex than they are of their kids getting cancer.
In fact, "slut-shaming" and negative messaging about female and non-straight sexuality could themselves be compared to a viral infection. A study published in November 2011 found that nearly half of students in grades seven through 12 experienced sexual harassment, and that most of the harassment is directed at girls for being either "slutty" or "prudes" or against kids who are suspected of being gay.
Seeking to shame someone because of her or his real or perceived sexual activity and desire is prevalent among teens and constitutes a type of bullying that is extremely damaging. The 2011 study noted that students reported being particularly negatively affected by slut shaming. Research consistently shows that LGBTI youth have a much higher rate of suicide or suicide attempts than the general population, with a strong correlation between depression or self-harm and gay bashing.
Sex. Abortion. Parenthood. Power.
The latest news, delivered straight to your inbox.
Slut shaming and gay bashing originate with adults. I don't mean just adults who tell children that all sex outside marriage is bad or consign LGBTI kids to celibacy, or banish them to hell. I mean adults who refuse to have a real conversation with teenagers about sex and all that comes with it—good or bad. The sex-negative culture we have created by not having real conversations about sex and relationships affects everyone.
Here's how:
When we tell adolescents that sex is not something they should desire or like, we are telling them to set aside their own experiences in favor of a lie. Spoiler alert! A study looking at trends in premarital sex from the 1950s until now shows that the majority of Americans have sex before marriage. One of two things happens next, and sometimes both simultaneously:
On one hand, adolescents stop listening to the adults who tell them scare stories, because they see for themselves that the adults are wrong. Not everyone who has sex before marriage gets pregnant, contracts AIDS, or dies. And sex can feel amazing. When the adolescent-adult relationship is breached, children can lose their lifelines to trusted adults, who could have guided them through the mess that is puberty.
And some kids start doubting their own instincts. When we tell them that something that feels good to them is "bad," they start thinking they, themselves, are bad. In this sense, slut shaming creates a culture of self-hatred in which girls in particular are only too willing to see themselves as deserving abuse.
It's crucially important that we teach children to trust their own feelings about sex and relationships. Instead of telling teenagers not to have sex at all—a completely outlandish notion in a post-post-Madonna world—we need to acknowledge that sexual desire exists, and that consent, not shame, is key. Only a teenager who is taught to respect and acknowledge his or her own feelings will know when touching feels wrong, and therefore when they need to say no. This is one of the few things my parents got right. My mother told me more than once that the only rule about sex in our house was that I should never have sex I didn't want to have.
Slut shaming and gay bashing come from the same place: adult discomfort with sex. This can translate into adolescent date rape, teenage pregnancies, and sexually-transmitted-infection rates that are through the roof for those under the age of 24. Shaming someone for having sex that he or she wants to have constitutes bullying and teaches teenagers to ignore their own feelings about sex, potentially pushing them to unprotected and unhappy encounters.
In short: The sex-negative culture that has parents denying their children access to cancer prevention is the same culture that may expose these children to a sexually- transmitted, cancer-inducing virus. It's time to get real about sex.


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The Colour Temperature
The surface of our sun has a temperature of about 5800 Kelvin (K), which corresponds approximately to the colour temperature one would observe from space. Due to the filtering effect of earth's atmosphere, the observed colour temperature shifts. On clear days it appears, depending on the sun and the prevailing weather conditions, more or less reddish. The colour temperature is lower. Scattered sky light has a much higher proportion of blue and therefore a much higher color temperature.
Some examples of colour temperatures (approx.):
- Candle: 1500K
- Incandescent lamp: 2400-2800K
- Halogen lamp: 2700-3300K
- Fluorescent light (cool white): 4000K
- Xenon lamp: 4500-5000K
- overcast sky: 6500-7500K
In photography considering the colour temperature is important for taking a subject in correct colours. The photo should correspond to the natural visual impression. Therefore converting filters for correcting the colour temperature have to be placed in front of the lens. In digital photography an often automatic white balance is performed prior.
continue reading --> Colour Rendering Index


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Benefits of retrofitting existing lamps and lighting fixtures with LED lighting:
- Reduce Lighting costs by as much as 90%
- Reduce maintenance by more than 80% with lighting that lasts more than 5x longer than older fluorescent lighting
- Utility Rebates typically pay more than 50% of the cost to make the change to LED and reduce energy demand on their power plants
- Generous Tax Incentives for energy efficient initiatives are the cherry on top of an already cash positive solution from Day 1
- The new 2017 energy rebate programs will not last forever so get your project on the list NOW!
Energy Efficiency Pros is a leading provider of lighting retrofit solutions in Arizona and Nevada. We provide a complete solution with ABSOLUTELY NO COST to our clients! Stop overpaying on your energy bill each month and put money back in your budget you can use to grow your business!
For a 100% FREE audit by one of our Energy Experts please fill out the form and we will reach out to you ASAP!


text:
Social media decreases loneliness for older adults
19 March 2013
Social media can be an effective tool for decreasing loneliness for older Australians according to new research conducted at the University of Sydney.
Social isolation can pose a significant problem for older adults especially for those who are house-bound, says Professor Robert Steele who led the Connecting Older Adults research project.
Professor Steele says while technologies are increasingly assisting older Australians to reside longer in their homes, there is also a flip side: an increased risk of loneliness or isolation. He says the year and a half long research project aimed to determine if social media use could provide benefits for older adults in relation to loneliness and social engagement.
Professor Steele, Head of Discipline and Chair of the Discipline of Health Informatics at the University's Faculty of Health Sciences, said that in commencing the project, he was additionally interested in such questions as do cost, privacy concerns or lack of interest or self-efficacy in using the technologies pose significant obstacles to older adults utilising them.
The Connecting Older Adults project was funded by the Department of Family and Community Services and was carried out with collaboration from peak seniors community bodies, the Australian Seniors Computing Clubs Association and Council on the Ageing NSW.
The study involved 150 participants aged 55 and over with the majority aged 65 and over. They were provided with only brief training in three social media technologies, Twitter, Facebook and Skype, prior to a six month trial period.
"The results we have are very interesting and supportive of these technologies" reported Professor Steele. Standardised scales were used to measure loneliness, such as the 20 item UCLA loneliness scale, pre and post the trial period. Results showed a highly statistically significant decrease in loneliness when comparing pre-trial data to post-trial data, for participants who started using the social media technologies. The majority of participants also reported that the use of technologies help them to be more connected and engaged with the community.
"In post-trial data we also wished to further determine the views of the older adult participants to determine their possible continued future use of the technologies or otherwise and other indicators of their perceptions of the technologies" says Professor Steele. A number of results strongly supported the effectiveness of the technologies: approximately 80 percent of respondents indicated they would continue to use the social media technologies after the end of the trial, and approximately 65 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the technologies were easy to use. This suggested that even providing short training sessions may be effective in overcoming technology barriers.
While the researchers expected costs to be a possible barrier in using the technologies, surprisingly over 90 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the technologies were affordable to use, and even a majority indicated that they considered the use of the social media technologies would be a factor in enabling them to live independently at home for longer.
Other interesting results showed variation between pre-trial views and observed participant behaviours. In the pre-trial data collection, Facebook was initially viewed negatively by a number of participants with quite a few of the participants declining to participate in Facebook training for this reason. However based on the post-trial data, of the three technologies Facebook emerged to be the most frequently used by the largest number of participants, followed by Skype, and with Twitter being the least used technology, and by the smallest number of participants.
If you are interested to hear more about the research, the project results will also be presented as part of the Seniors Week Symposium, to be held at Sydney Town Hall, 483 George Street, Sydney, 10am-12noon (doors open from 9:15am), Friday 22nd March, 2013. The symposium is free to attend, but bookings are essential via firstname.lastname@example.com or 1800 729 368 (free call).
For further questions about the research project, please contact Professor Robert Steele.
|Follow University of Sydney Media on Twitter
Media enquiries: Victoria Hollick, 9351 2579, 0401 711 361, email@example.com


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A selection of essays and interviews by leaders in the literary field, including former Poets Laureate Consultants in Poetry, that illustrate how poems by Americans helped define or expand the country. This presentation aims to complement conventional historical texts and showcase poetry's place as an essential tool for recording our nation's past. The authors are expressing their own opinions in these essays, which may not necessarily reflect the position of the Library of Congress.
One Poet's View of Social Change at the Library of Congress, by Maxine Kumin
". . . the playing field is still not level for women who write poetry"
The Poetry Crowd, by Donald Hall
"Technology is metal, art is flesh. Technology is black and white, art is the palette of Matisse."
Rhymes of the Survivors, by Ted Kooser
"If it wasn't art, it was history, it was folklore, it was authentic and genuine and it touched me. Would I ever be able to write a poem that someone would want to keep in a scrapbook?"
Peace and War in American Poetry, by David Lehman
"Americans tend to take the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty for granted, so much so that it sometimes seems as if she has always stood in New York Harbor signaling 'world-wide welcome' … much of what Lady Liberty stands for came from this poem …"


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Birthday Flowers in Deltona
Look no further than Elixir Floral Design Inc in Deltona, FL for birthday flowers and happy birthday gifts! Liven up any birthday party with a festive bouquet of birthday flowers or surprise them with a cheerful "Happy Birthday" bouquet! Or give them a long-lasting plant or romantic roses. Everyone loves flowers for birthdays!
|We Accept:


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Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Willie Nelson's latest album hits stores today titled "Moment of Forever." I don't there is any other artist in country music that is so interesting to listen to, and must say enjoyable. His recordings are deeply inset in country with so many different influences. Traditional to the core country, reggae, blues, jazz, you name it, Nelson's musical communication will be influenced by it. His musical communication doesn't just come in vocal presentation but rather in the form of songwriting as well. The new album includes 1 co-write and 2 writing credits of the 13.
I was wondering how many albums has Willie Nelson recorded in his lifetime. I'm not real sure if there is a solid count out there. I counted just over 90 albums off of allmusic.com that he has recorded, not including the compilation albums that have been released. BMI has 340 entries for songwriting credits for him.
The topics change (somewhat,) the quality of recordings have greatly improved through the years, but there is always a constant from the very first album Nelson recorded to the newest released today...the overwhelming talent that Nelson has for song selection. A master of music, beyond conception.
"Moments of Forever" continues Nelson's truly awesome dedication to country music. Continuing to be sure the highest level of excellence is achieved through song selection. A good song writer plays into the equation for him very highly, I'm sure. Just on this album, a quick glance I see producer Buddy Cannon, Guy Clark, Gary Nicholson, Lee Roy Parnell, Big Kenny, and Randy Newman. Also, Kris Kristofferson's "Moment of Forever," Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" and Dave Mathews' "Gravedigger."
The co-producer and duet partner on this album may surprise you a little, but, if you know Nelson's music just a little, nothing would surprise you. Kenny Chesney. The single is well, perfection. "Worry B Gone," well I'm sure just with a little knowledge of Nelson you may be able to figure out the topic at hand.
If you haven't ever experienced a Willie Nelson album, I don't mean just a song or two or a greatest hits collection, but a true album, I hope that you give yourself that gift. You will laugh, you will start to think deeply and maybe cry, but after the experience of a Willie Nelson album like this newest one, you will have the highest appreciation for the artistic work of Willie Nelson.