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subset: commoncrawl


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(I'm kind of pissed. I wasted decades of my gustatory life on the wrong hot sauce. Bye-bye Tabasco! Live, learn, and keep eating, I say.)
Peppers have been used for thousands of years to flavor, heal, and even as a weapon. I can think of a lot of ways pepper can end up in a fiction manuscript, so here we go!
I'm going to concentrate on the compound capsaicin, which naturally found in chili peppers and is the key component to the hotness factor.
Capsaicin is naturally found in the fruit of the genus Capsicum (chili peppers, cayenne, scotch bonnets, habanero, jalapeno). It's mostly found in the pithy part that holds the seeds. It causes varying degrees of burning and irritation. If ingested in large doses, capsaicin can kill humans (but this is virtually impossible by "accidentally" eating too many chili peppers.)
Why are some peppers so hot? The irritant nature may be a mechanism for protection and seed dispersion. Mammals (including us) might have chomped the fruits and destroyed the seeds during our chomping. Thus, the capsaicin may have warded off hungry mammals. However, birds are not affected by the capsaicin, and tend to swallow the seeds whole, pooping them out for the dispersal needed for future chili pepper generations.
How hot is hot? The Schoville scale is used to show how potent the hotness of different peppers or compounds can be.
Let's talk about Pepper Spray. Pepper in offensive/defensive methods have been used for a long time. 400 B.C. the Chinese would fling bags of pepper and spices at their opponents. (click here for reference; here's another good history on pepper spray.). Today, capsaicin or synthetic capsaicin are used in pepper sprays against humans and animals as a supposedly non-lethal method. Its use is very limited depending on which state you live in, as well as which country.
|I am so glad I'm not that guy on the left. (Source: Wikipedia)
My personal experience with pepper spray. After college while I was living in NYC, my roommate got her hands on some pepper spray. I can't remember why, maybe to have in her purse for protection. We were hanging out with some friends, and she decided she'd spray one little squirt inside the apartment, just to see how strong it was. Not a lot, and not directed at anyone--just one little toot in the air.
Well, within seconds, I was coughing and hacking. My airways felt like I'd poured needles down them. My eyes were tearing like crazy. We ran to the opposite end of the apartment, but it was still so strong. We spend the next hour with the windows open, coughing and gagging with our heads lolling outside. After one, teensy little spray! That stuff was really scary.
Medical Therapy: Traditionally, peppers have been used externally as a means of increasing circulation, warming the skin, and as a pain reliever. Internally, it's been used to improve digestion, as a tonic, and to counter infections. Today, caspaicin is being explored as a use in treatment of diabetes and cancer. Its most common use is in creams and patches to treat pain from sore muscles and joints, as well as neuropathic pain (pain arising due to nerve dysfunction). Medications ranging from 0.025% to 8% concentration are applied (with gloves) to help ease pain over a period of time.
How does it work? It's thought to work in two ways. Capsaicin is irritating and warming, so there is a theory of "counterirritation" that the treatment distracts from the original pain. However, it's also thought to deplete Substance P (responsible for pain signalling in nerves), thus decreasing pain.
Who knew peppers were so versatile?
On that hot and spicy note, have a good Monday everyone!
If you've got a fictional medical question, let me know! Post below or email me at
All I ask is that you become a follower and post a link on your blog when I post your answer. This is for fictional scenarios, only. Please check out the boring but necessary disclaimer on my sidebar ---> Also, don't forget to stop by Laura Diamond's Mental Health Mondays and Sarah Fine's The Strangest Situation for great psychiatric and psychological viewpoints on all things literary. :)


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Spurred by Morgan Tocker, I ran some sysbench MySQL performance benchmarks on EC2 instances. This is just the first round, more to follow.
The Setup
On a small instance, I reformatted /mnt with LVM2 and creates a 140GB xfs filesystem. In the my.cnf the important InnoDB settings I chose are:
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 1G innodb_additional_mem_pool_size = 24M innodb_log_file_size = 64M innodb_log_buffer_size = 8M innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit = 2 # Write to log but don't flush on commit (it will be flushed every "second")
On a large instance, I created /mnt using LVM2 and striped across both drives to get a 200GB xfs filesystem. The my.cnf settings were:
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 4500M innodb_additional_mem_pool_size = 200M innodb_log_file_size = 64Minnodb_log_buffer_size = 8M innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit = 2 # Write to log but don't flush on commit (it will be flushed every "second")
The Benchmark
I then ran the sysbench OLTP test as follows:
mysqladmin -u root create sbtest sysbench --test=oltp --oltp-table-size=1000000 --mysql-socket=/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock --mysql-user=root prepare sysbench --num-threads=16 --max-requests=100000 --test=oltp --oltp-table-size=1000000 \ --mysql-socket=/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock --mysql-user=root --oltp-read-only run sysbench --num-threads=16 --max-requests=100000 --test=oltp --oltp-table-size=1000000 \ --mysql-socket=/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock --mysql-user=root run
The Results
OK, now to the results, all numbers are transactions per second printed by sysbench.
_Update:_ Morgan asked about the MySQL version and I realized I was using stone-aged-5.0.22. So I reran with 5.0.44 from the CentOS5-Testing repository. I also ran the benchmarks on an x-large instance, with /mnt striped across 4 drives, once with my.cnf unchanged from large instance (4.5GB buffer pool) and once with 12GB buffer pool.
|EC2 small
|227, 228, 230, 241
|115, 116, 119
|EC2 large
|EC2 small
|227, 229, 229
|115, 115, 115
|EC2 large
|420, 428, 462
|277, 310, 319
|EC2 xlarge 4.5GB
|620, 630, 637
|463, 483, 495
|EC2 xlarge 12GB
|593, 598, 620
|453, 481
|AMD Sempron 64
|383, 394
|220, 225
|All numbers are transactions per second as printed by sysbench. A range or multiple values indicate values from multiple benchmark runs.
The iMac is a dual-core, 2.16Ghz, 2GB box with MySQL installed somehow and the machine was not 100% idle. The Sempron 64 is single-core, 3400+ (2Ghz), RAID-1 7200rpm drives, 2GB RAM, not 100% idle (I really have gotten spoiled by EC2 and the ability to launch instances at a whim). These tests are just meant as a ballpark point of comparison.
The benchmarks certainly confirm that the write performance on the small instances is, shall we say, lacking. I had expected a bigger improvement overall for the large instances. I guess for the read-only benchmark we're seeing two disks vs. one disk, and on the read-write side we're seeing two disks vs. "a problem." With a real application load the large instance will often show a greater improvement over the small instance than shown here because the buffer pool increase can really make a huge difference. Time to grab an x-large instance and try that… NB: Note that Morgan's blog entry referenced at the top uses myisam tables while I used InnoDB tables.
Archived Comments
Morgan Tocker InnoDB should scale better than MyISAM with more cores/cpus. Do you mind commenting on what version of MySQL you are using – is it 5.0.30+ ?
Thorsten crush… using 5.0.22 … rerunning using 5.0.44 … results soon
Thorsten Well, dunno whether 5.0.44 is slower than 5.0.22 or whether the CentOS5-Testing version is badly compiled, but the performance is no better.
Ian Any ideas why the xlarge instance is slower with a 12GB buffer than with 4.5GB?
Thorsten Dunno why the large buffer makes it slower. If that much cache is not actually productively used, there may be less locality resulting in poorer L1/L2 cache performance. But that's just a general guess. Given that the performance is not really that different, I wouldn't get hung up on it. If your queries can benefit from the larger buffer pool, then this will a much more significant improvement than any differences seen here.
Frédéric Sidler Do you really compare apples with apples with Morgan Tocker. Everything between the two posts is completely different (OS, version, memory, database engine). As everything is different, I'm asking if these results can be compared. The only thing that frightens me is that mysql should run on an extra-large instance (15 GB memory, 8 EC2, 4 virtual cores with 2 EC2 Compute Units each, 64-bit) to accomplish the same numbers Morgan Tocker is giving on his post with his single computer (AMD64 3000 (I think), Ubuntu 7.10, 7200RPM drive, 1G RAM)
Thorsten Frédéric, yes, i am comparing apples and oranges, but I'm not really comparing nor do I claim I'm comparing. His post got me interested in running some benchmarks on my own, and I selected the components that interest me, hence the differences, specially my use of InnoDB vs. his use of MyISAM. We only do InnoDB, so his numbers weren't useful to me. Incidentally, I need to rerun some of the benchmarks. It turns out a lot of what I ran is entirely cpu bound, which is interesting, but I also really would like to run stuff that is I/O bound.


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(Spoiler warning: Don't read this if you haven't seen the season finale of "The Killing.")
"The Killing" ended its first season without saying for certain who killed Rosie Larsen — a cliffhanger that left most viewers thrilled, frustrated, or furious.
Also read: "The Killing": Plenty of Red Herrings, But Whodunit, Really?
But New York Times critic Ginia Bellafante isn't among them — because she considers the case closed. In a review Monday, Bellafante accepted at face value that mayoral candidate Darren Richmond, who was arrested for the crime near the end of the finale, was almost certainly guilty — despite a major twist that raised at least reasonable doubt.
Has she been watching "The Killing"?
Week after week — to the annoyance of many viewers — the AMC drama has built a seemingly airtight case against different suspects, only to reveal their innocence later. Nearly everyone on the show has seemed at one point to be the guilty party.
The finale ended with Det. Sarah Linden realizing that her partner, Det. Stephen Holder, had used a fake photo as the final, crucial piece of evidence leading to Richmond's arrest. This strongly hinted that Richmond was the victim of some kind of frame, especially when Holder was seen getting into a car and telling the unseen driver, "Photo worked. He's going down."
Bellafante dismisses this — in parentheses, no less — by writing, "As a matter of due process it should be said that the series satisfies conspiracy theorists with the .0009 percent chance that Richmond is actually not guilty. The sane among us will run, as they say, with the facts on the ground."
The sane among us? Or the paying attention among us?
Asked Mediaite, which first noted the presumptuousness of the Times' review: "Did someone at the Times review the episode without actually watching it? Did they get a screener with a different ending? What the heck happened?"
Bellafante was widely criticized in April for a review of another show that wrapped its season Sunday, "Game of Thrones." She said the show seemed to include sex and eroticism to draw in women who wouldn't watch otherwise, calling it "boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population's other half." Female fans said the review was insulting.
In Bellafante's interpretation of "The Killing," Season 2 would have to focus heavily on efforts to prosecute an obviously guilty man with obviously fake evidence. That doesn't sound like a very good show.
Of course, those sick of its many twists and turns would argue that "The Killing" isn't a very good show as it is.
Your humble correspondent, for whatever it's worth, is enjoying the ride.


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Engineer drafts plan to save Kings Park homes
The owner of a pair of incomplete Kings Park houses appears to have cleared another hurdle in his attempt to stave off demolition of the structures.
Smithtown Town officials said an engineer hired by Jeffrey K. Brown has submitted plans to repair and complete construction of the two-story, single-family homes on West Main Street. Brown had until Thursday to submit the plans.
The town board had threatened to raze the houses if Brown failed to craft adequate plans for salvaging the homes. They have been dormant -- and the focus of increasing complaints by neighbors -- since construction ceased about a decade ago.
"I'm hearing good things [from town officials] and keeping up my end of the bargain," Brown said Wednesday. "Maybe we can start doing business here."
A Suffolk referee awarded Brown ownership of the houses in December, after Brown had sued the previous owner, Frederic Powell. Brown alleged that Powell -- now serving a 4-year federal prison sentence for unrelated fraud and conspiracy -- had defrauded Brown's family.
Supervisor Patrick Vecchio said he had no plans to consider the fate of the houses at Thursday's town board meeting. In January the board was set to authorize demolition, before Brown pleaded for time to repair the houses.
Town building director John Bongino said Brown's engineer filed plans several days ago that outline porch and window fixes, siding removal and inspection of interior girders and supports. "They've been sticking to the deadline," Bongino said.
In a memo to the town board, Bongino said "minor changes need to be made" to Brown's plans, but he did not specify them, Vecchio said. He said the memo indicated the revisions were expected within a week.
Brown said the revised plan would be done Wednesday or Thursday.
Kings Park civic activists have complained that the homes -- known as the "Hightower houses" after the contractor who started building them -- are unsafe and attract vandals. Former Kings Park Chamber of Commerce president Charles Gardner said Wednesday the structures still should be torn down.
"I just don't believe that, right down to the foundations of the buildings, that they can be remediated," Gardner said. "I don't think it's fair to any future potential purchasers to buy something that might not be good from the foundation up."


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kidzsearch.com > wiki Explore:images videos games
Archaeology is the study of the past by looking for the remains and artifacts (historical things) left by the people who lived long ago. These remains can include old coins, tools, buildings, and garbage. Archaeologists, the people who study archaeology, use these remains to understand how people lived.
Archaeologists think it is important to understand the past, because so many people use the past to know where they come from.
When archaeologists do fieldwork, they look for remains, often by digging deep in the ground. When things are found, or even when nothing is found, the results of the fieldwork are taken back to the place where the archaeologist's base is, maybe a university or museum. They record everything they found by writing down on paper or entering the information into a computer, so that they can build a picture of everything that is found. As settlements (places where people lived in groups) change and grow, old buildings are often buried to make space for new buildings. Ancient Rome, for example, is now up to 40 feet (12 metres) below the present city. This is why archaeological fieldwork is expensive and why it takes a long time.
Fields of interest
Archaeologists do not all study the same civilizations, they specialize in different areas of interest. Some fields of interest include Ancient Egypt (these specialists are called Egyptologists), Ancient Greece, or the Vikings. Archaeologists study every civilization that is known, especially the ones where there is no written history. They can study any time period. For example, one might study the beginning of human life in Africa, or one might study World War II. Some archaeologists study things that are now underwater. They search for sunken ships or cities that have been lost under the sea.
Stonehenge, in England is a famous archaeological site, or place. Other famous sites include Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, and Great Zimbabwe. In many countries, governments and other groups of people protect important sites so that they will not be destroyed and so that visitors can always come and see them.
Sometimes archaeological sites are found when foundations are dug for new buildings. Archaeologists have to work quickly when this happens, because people building often don't have a lot of time. Many times as soon as the archaeologists are done with their work, the remains that they have found will be covered over, unless they are very important.
Related pages


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Thursday, July 9, 2009
Old School
Posted by Rot at 6:41 AM
Labels: decorations, flickr.com, jack o'lanterns, mr dark, old school, photography, pumpkins, yard haunt
2 comments:
- JHMDF said...
That zombie skeleton is great! I could totally see pulling him down from the attic after being up there for years.
- July 10, 2009 at 3:46 AM
- Mr Black said...
Lol, This is my work. I created these a few years back. It is wierd to find them here and I am glad the Pumpkinrot likes them. His work is amazing. I have a lot more at http://yardhaunters.ning.com/profile/EthanBlack
Happy haunting. E Black
- August 5, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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The Moyno General Utility Pumps are a cost-effective solution for an extensive range of applications from clean, clear liquids to abrasive and corrosive fluids. They are ideal for water sampling, chemicals, oily water, slurries, drainage and drum transfer among numerous other applications in industries such as water and wastewater treatment, chemical processing and general industrial to name but a few.
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- Packing or mechanical seals available to control leakage
- Cast iron, stainless steel or engineered co-polymer housings to handle water-like liquids as well as abrasive and corrosive fluids
- Flow rates to 50 gpm and pressures to 600 psi


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The links between the Stonehenge area and the Mediterranean have been debated for years. Recent research by the British Geological Survey (BGS) suggests people came from both the snow of the Alps and the heat of the Mediterranean to visit Stonehenge.
However, scientific studies show that some of the people buried in the area during the Bronze Age were not local.
The analysis of the teeth from two males provides new evidence that one, dubbed 'the Boy with the Amber necklace', had come from the Mediterranean area, whilst the previously known 'Amesbury Archer' had come from the Alps.
'Isotope analysis of tooth enamel from both these people shows that the two individuals provide a contrast in origin, and highlights the diversity of people who came to Stonehenge from across Europe.'
Strontium isotopes in teeth provide information on the geological setting of a person's childhood and the oxygen isotopes tell us about the climate in which they were raised. The combined techniques provide a tool to compare the information about childhood origin preserved in their teeth, with reference data for the place in which they are found.
A match between the tooth and reference data supports a local origin whereas a mismatch shows their burial area was not the same as their childhood location. The data can then be used to point to likely regions in which they were raised.
The isotope composition of the 'Amesbury Archer's' teeth shows that he was raised in a colder climate than that found in Britain. The combination of his strontium and oxygen isotope composition suggest that the most likely childhood origin for this person was in the Alpine foothills region of Germany.
The new evidence shows that 'the Boy with the Amber necklace' spent his childhood in a warm climate typical of Iberia or the Mediterranean. Such warm oxygen values are theoretically possible in the British Isles but are only found on the extreme west coast of South West England, western Ireland and the Outer Hebrides. These areas can be excluded as likely childhood origins of his on the basis of the strontium isotope composition of his teeth
What these results show is that people came from across Europe, travelling long distances to Stonehenge. It was still drawing people around 1500 BC when it was already over 1500 years old.
The 'Amesbury Archer' was discovered around five kilometres from Stonehenge. His is the richest Copper Age (2450–2300 BC) grave found in Britain and it contained some of Britain's earliest gold and copper objects — a pair of gold hair clasps and three copper daggers.
'The Boy with the Amber necklace', whose grave was found on Boscombe Down, about 5 km south-east of Stonehenge, is from a more recent time — the end of the Early Bronze Age. His skeleton has been radiocarbon dated to around 1550 BC (dated by Wessex Archaeology). Aged 14–15 years when he died, he was buried wearing a necklace of around 90 amber beads.
Other people who had visited Stonehenge from afar include individuals from a collective Bronze Age grave, the 'Boscombe Bowmen' and a man buried beside the 'Amesbury Archer' and called the 'Archer's Companion'.
Contact Jane Evans or visit the NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory (NIGL) website for more information.


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It is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to introduce you to Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan.
This is a school with high aspirations for the learners which the school serves, both in terms of their academic performance and their personal development. My staff and I want the best for your child. This means the fulfilment of his or her academic potential and also the development of an individual able to play his or her part in society.
This is achieved by a balance of challenge and support for each individual learner. This we will do in a strong partnership with parents/carers. The school offers a purposeful and well-ordered learning environment, a progressive curriculum, high quality teaching and excellent facilities to support every learner's learning journey throughout the school.
Classroom learning is supported by a variety of additional activities and clubs, as well as our ever popular opportunities to learn away from the school, which encourage learners to take a wider, outward focus on their learning. The school focus on sport, music and drama is an important feature of our work.
All of our learners are prepared for rewarding personal and professional lives with the intellectual, personal and social qualities and skills needed to make a difference to the communities in which
they live.
Read full welcome message.
Lee Cummins


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Actor Taye Diggs appears to have found love again following the breakdown of his marriage to Idina Menzel.
The former couple announced the split in December after 11 years of marriage, but Diggs has seemingly embarked on a new romance.
The "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" star was seen enjoying a night out with a mystery brunette at Hooray Henry's nightclub in Los Angeles last week.
According to People.com, the woman is a former model named Claire. A source tells the website, "They are fully dating. They're telling friends they're in love."
Speaking of their split, "Frozen" star Menzel recently said, "We've grown apart, grown up. Maybe we can learn new things about ourselves, going on our own separate ways."
The pair wed in 2003 after meeting during the Broadway run of "Rent" in 1995. They have a son, Walker.


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A November trial has been set for U.S. women's goalkeeper Hope Solo, who is accused of assaulting her sister and 17-year-old nephew in June.
Solo, who also plays with the Seattle Reign of the National Women's Soccer League, appeared in court in Kirkland, Washington, on Monday.
In June, she pleaded not guilty to two counts of fourth-degree domestic violence.
KOMO-TV reports her lawyer has filed a motion to dismiss the case. Her lawyer has said Solo was a victim in the altercation.
A Nov. 4 trial means Solo won't miss time with the Reign or October's CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the 2015 World Cup in Canada.
Solo appeared in court accompanied by her husband, former Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens.


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Funky Floral Thank You Card
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Our foldover Anniversary notecard, "Funky Floral" features a cluster of stylized, modern daisies against a polka dot background. Mix and match the background and many flower colors to suit your personal taste.
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|$0.55 stamp - if other items are not added into the Envelope. Click here for additional postage information.
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Processor Benchmark Limitations
Benchmark and performance tests ("benchmarks") measure different aspects of processor and/or system performance. While no single numerical measurement can completely describe the performance of a complex device like a microprocessor or a personal computer, benchmarks can be useful tools for comparing different components and systems. The only totally accurate way to measure the performance of your system, however, is to test the software applications you use on your computer system. Benchmark results published by Intel are measured on specific systems or components using specific hardware and software configurations, and any differences between those configurations (including software) and your configuration may very well make those results inapplicable to your component or system.
Benchmarks can be divided into two kinds, component and system. Component benchmarks measure the performance of specific parts of a computer system, such as a microprocessor or hard disk drive, while system benchmarks typically measure the performance of the entire computer system. In either case, the performance you see in day-to-day use will almost certainly vary from benchmark performance, for a number of reasons. First, individual components must usually be tested in a complete computer system, and it is not always possible to eliminate the considerable effects that differences in system design and configuration will have on benchmark results. For instance, system vendors sell systems with a wide variety of disk capabilities and speeds, system memory, system bus features, and video and graphics capabilities, all of which influence how the system components (such as the microprocessor) and the computer system perform in actual use and can dramatically affect benchmark results. Also, differences in software, including operating systems and compilers, will affect component and system performance. Finally, benchmark tests are typically written to be exemplary of only a certain type of computer application, which may or may not be similar to your applications.
Benchmarks are, at most, only one kind of information that you may use during the purchasing process. To get a true picture of the performance of a component or system you are considering purchasing, you must consult other sources of information (such as performance information on the exact system you are considering purchasing). If you have any questions about the performance of any Intel® microprocessor, please view the detailed performance briefs and reports published by Intel.
SPECint* and SPECfp* benchmark tests reflect the performance of the microprocessor, memory architecture, and compiler of a computer system on compute-intensive, 32-bit applications. SPEC benchmark tests results for Intel® microprocessors are determined using particular, well-configured systems. These results may or may not reflect the relative performance of Intel® microprocessors in systems with different hardware or software designs or configurations (including compilers). Buyers should consult other sources of information, including system benchmarks, to evaluate the performance of systems they are considering purchasing. For more information about SPEC, including a description of the systems used to obtain these test results, and other information about microprocessor and system performance and benchmarks, visit Intel's World Wide Web site at www.intel.fr.
Performance tests and ratings are measured using specific computer systems and/or components and reflect the approximate performance of Intel® products as measured by those tests. Any difference in system hardware or software design or configuration, as well as system use patterns including wireless connectivity, may affect actual test results and ratings.
Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for performance only on Intel® microprocessors. Performance tests, such as SYSmark* and MobileMark*, are measured using specific computer systems, components, software, operations, and functions. Any change to any of those factors may cause the results to vary. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products.
Additional information:1
Infos sur le produit et ses performances
Les résultats des bancs d'essai ont été obtenus avant le déploiement de récents correctifs logiciels et mises à jour micrologicielles destinés à faire face aux failles de sécurité « Spectre » et « Meltdown ». L'installation de ces mises à jour peut rendre ces résultats inapplicables à votre appareil ou système.
Les logiciels et charges de travail utilisés dans les tests de performance ont peut-être été optimisés uniquement pour les microprocesseurs Intel®. Les tests de performance tels que SYSmark* et MobileMark* portent sur des configurations, composants, logiciels, opérations et fonctions spécifiques. Les résultats peuvent varier en fonction de ces facteurs. Pour l'évaluation complète d'un produit, il convient de consulter d'autres tests et d'autres sources d'informations, notamment pour connaître le comportement de ce produit lorsqu'il est associé à d'autres composants. Consultez http://www.intel.fr/benchmarks à ce sujet.


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A Manhattan shutterbug says hit rapper Kanye West hit him.
Michael Vazquez is reportedly suing West, saying he was "assaulted, battered, beat and threatened" by the "Monster" musician and up to ten of his bodyguards at a 2008 event.
The paparazzo says he was bruised and suffered a dislocated shoulder, according to E! Online.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
The beatdown allegedly took place at a New York show honoring the 25th anniversary of the Casio G-Shock wristwatch.
The New York Daily News cited court documents in reporting Vazquez was there to snap shots of the bash and shoot some video.
Amateur video of the event shows the fashion-forward star decked out in white pants, a white glove, and light-up sunglasses as he performed "Through the Wire" before legions of adoring fans.
For part of the performance, bikini-clad women in astronaut helmets kneel before the hip-hop king, appearing to worship him as he sings "Stronger" in front of flashing panels of white light. The video does not show the alleged assault.
West was reportedly paid $1 million for the appearance.
Vazquez is seeking unspecified damages for his injuries.
West has stayed mum on the allegations.
In 2008, West was accused of assaulting a paparazzo in an LAX altercation. A judge later dropped assault charges in return for the rapper completing 50 hours of community service.
Selected Reading: New York Daily News, YouTube, E! Online


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Gov. Shumlin announces final 16 grantees of the Working Lands Fund
MONTPELIER – Gov. Peter Shumlin, Agriculture, Food & Markets Secretary Chuck Ross, Commerce & Community Development Secretary Lawrence Miller, Forests, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder and the Working Lands Enterprise Board today announced the final grant recipients from the Service Provider and Capital and Infrastructure areas of the Working Lands Enterprise Fund, awarding more than $750,000 to 16 grantees representing sectors across agriculture, forestry and forest products.
"Vermonters are committed to supporting and expanding our value-added farm and forest industries," said Gov. Shumlin. "By investing in technical assistance and infrastructure projects, these grants will help farmers and those who work our woodlands prosper and grow sustainably for future generations."
The awards include funding for statewide support services to provide technical assistance in the areas of business, market, workforce, infrastructure, and professional development for agricultural, forestry & forest products based businesses. Funds to support infrastructure projects will reach all corners of the state and impact multiple sectors.
"Vermont's working landscape captures Vermont's culture, character, and community," said Sec. Ross. "The Working Lands Enterprise Fund provides a deeper investment in Vermont's working lands and its people. It represents a historic initiative by the State to advance Vermont's forestry and forest products sector in a way that has never been done before."
Secretary of Commerce and Community Development, Lawrence Miller, said "The working landscape is the foundation of several of our most important economic sectors: fundamental to agriculture, forest products, stone and minerals, and renewable energy, but also critical for our tourism economy. Interacting with the land in work and recreation is also a fundamental part of our culture."
"Vermont's forests provide significant contributions to our economy and well-being," said Commissioner Snyder. "When we invest in support services and capital and infrastructure for working forests and forest products enterprises, this pillar of our economy grows stronger and we bolster both Vermont's character and integrity."
The Service Provider Grant Area received 84 Letters of Intent (LOIs), totaling $3.2 million inrequested funds. Of the applicants invited to submit a full application, 27 applications were received for a total of $1.2 million in requests. The Board announced $350,000 in awards to 8 grantees representing sectors across agriculture, forestry, and forest products, all of which provide impact statewide.
The Capital and Infrastructure Investment Area received 112 Letters of Intent (LOI), requesting a total of $6.7 million in requested funds. Of the applicants invited to submit a full application, 22 applications were received for a total of $2.2 million in requests. The Board announced over $400,000 in awards to 8 grantees representing sectors across agriculture, forestry, and forest products, and offering benefits to the supply chain.
II. Service Provider Grant Recipients:
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont
Richmond, VT
Statewide Impact
$20,000 for Professional Development for Farmers' Market Managers
Patricia A. Hannaford Regional Technical School District
Middlebury, VT
Statewide Impact
$55,000 for an Expansion of the Vermont Skilled Butchers and Meat Cutters Training Program
University of Vermont Extension Service
Berlin, VT
Statewide Impact
$39,302 for Poultry and Grape Sector Business Model Research & Development
University of Vermont Extension Service
Vern Grubinger and Chris Callahan
Brattleboro, VT
Statewide Impact
$40,000 to Increase Supply and Quality of "Local" Vegetable Storage
Vermont Housing and Conservation Board
Montpelier, VT
Statewide Impact
$100,000 to Expand Business Assistance to Agricultural Infrastructure and Forestry Sectors
Vermont Meat and Poultry Processors' Association
Statewide Impact
$15,000 to Enhance Innovation in Vermont's Meat Processing Industry
Vermont Solid Waste District Managers Association
Middlebury, VT
Statewide Impact
$55,000 for Technical Planning Services for Food Scrap Composting
Vermont Wood Manufacturers Association
Rutland, VT
Statewide Impact
$48,000 for Workforce Development for the Secondary Wood Manufacturing Industry
III. Capital and Infrastructure Investment Recipients
A. McGovern Logging and Sawmilling
Andrew McGovern
Orange County
$20,000 for Increasing Volume of Custom Milled Wood Products through Portable Sawmill Upgrades
Black River Produce/ Black River Meats
Windsor County
$50,000 to Build Volume and Value for Vermont Livestock Producers in New Regional Meat Markets
Champlain Orchards
Addison County
$75,000 to Expand Vermont's Cider Apple Supply Chain
Jasper Hill Farm
Orleans County
$50,000 for a Cheese Microbiology Lab to Develop "Artisanal Cultures" to Promote Product Quality and Safety for Vermont Producers
Vermont Refrigerated Storage
Addison County
$43,369 for Increasing Storage Capacity for Farms, Distributers and Processors with the Construction of a 300-Pallet Freezer
Vermont Wood Pellet Company
Rutland County
$38,153 to Increase Pellet Mill Efficiency and Quality through Mill Upgrades
Vermont Wood Studios
Windham County
$100,000 to Expand Markets of Vermont Made Furniture by Building a Destination Shopping Experience in Southeastern Vermont
Vermont Woodworking School
Franklin County
$50,000 for an Incubator Space for Emerging Woodworking Businesses
The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative is administered by the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, in partnership with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation and the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. The initiative is composed of the Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB) and is responsible for allocating almost $1 million in grant funds. The Board is made up of public and private sector members involved in agriculture, food systems, forestry, and/or forest products.
Information regarding the Working Lands Initiative (Working Lands Service Provider Grants and Capital and Infrastructure Investments), can be found at VermontWorkingLands.com.
To access the Album on Picasa: Working Lands Press Conference Album


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Monday's latest entry came from ESPN.com, with a brief mention of rumblings involving a three-way deal involving the Nationals, White Sox and D-backs, with Edwin Jackson going to the Nationals, pitching prospects going to the D-backs and the White Sox getting their coveted left-handed run producer in Adam Dunn.
One problem in this particular equation is that the White Sox don't have any true pitching prospects to deal aside from Daniel Hudson. If the White Sox decide to trade Hudson, the move also leaves them thin in the starting rotation without a corresponding move.
And this team's ultimate success is predicated on its front five and overall pitching depth. Williams seemed to indicate, without mentioning names specifically, how starting second baseman Gordon Beckham and/or starting right fielder Carlos Quentin won't be going anywhere.
Of course, time exists for Williams to change his mind. …
July 26, 2010
WhiteSox.com reminds us team doesn't have any pitching prospects
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OK, I've been meaning to write this post since February and have been putting it off, but I can't write about Jennifer Knapp being gay until I do, so, here goes:
My primary congregation values art.
Sojourn displays members' art in the brewery where we meet, includes video and other art projects in services, and has a creative arts team, of which I'm a member.
A while back, we had a meeting on "The Good, The True and The Beautiful," discussing what an artist's intent should be in creating "Christian art." The title of the discussion reflected what the goal was hypothesized to be — "Our art must be in the character of our God, who himself is good, (Ps107:1, 119:68), true (Isa45:19, Thess1:9) and beautiful (Ps 27:4)." It went on to say that it doesn't mean avoiding portraying anything ugly, since there can be beauty in truth.
The discussion led into the artists' intent — "what are 3-5 questions we can ask ourselves that will help us determine whether or not our art is in character of our God who is good, true, and beautiful?" — and about willingness for artists to put together a statement of intent for artwork to be displayed at the church.
The point seemed two-fold. The surface layer is that it would help viewers to understand the artwork; rather than forcing viewers to look for their own meaning and possibly get the wrong thing out of the piece, the artist should provide his or her own exegesis. But the other layer is that it would screen the artwork — It would help prevent things that were created for self rather than God, or that weren't truly spiritual in nature, from being displayed in the church.
And, you know, that last sentence does a pretty decent job of capturing my problem with that idea. I had to decide which word to use to end that sentence with — "church," or "brewery." And for a lot of people, those words make uneasy synonyms. But while most people look at the Olde Towne building and see something secular, Sojourn looks at it and sees something spiritual. So who are we to say artwork can't be the same way.
I wrote a post a while back on that subject regarding music; that, for me, there are songs that are not intended as spiritual at all, but because they do such a good job capturing the truth of the human condition, they can't help put have a spiritual meaning if you choose to listen to them that way; so much of what the heart desires on this Earth is a manifestation of a deeper desire to know, and experience the grace of, our God, to love and be loved by Him.
The issue then isn't the intent of the artist, because focusing on that limits God. The idea that His goodness, truth and beauty can only be manifested by someone who is endeavoring to do so is almost blasphemy. It limits His greatness. He can be seen in any part of His creation, from the beauty of a sunset to the truth of a song written by anyone, since we are all part of that creation.
The trick isn't to teach artists how to present that truth; in a way, it's almost inevitable. The trick is to train people to recognize that. Don't teach Sojourn artists how to create art about God. Teach Sojourn members how to recognize God in the art that's created.
Because that goes far deeper than just dealing with the art that hangs on the wall of the brewery. A person who has developed that ability has taken a huge step in the path toward better knowing God. When you know how to see Him in the art in the brewery without a statement of intent, you know how to see Him in the art at the Huntsville Museum of Art, not only with a statement of the artists' intent, but often without the artist even having that intent at all. You know how to see Him in His art — the thunderstorm or the butterfly or the falling leaves. You learn to see Him in human life, from glory to gutter. You learn to recognize how everything from the stars to the sand shouts testimony to His wonder, how the mountains preach the truth of who He is.
His creation is singing to you, singing of Him. Will you listen?
Filed under: Editorial, God | Tagged: art, church | Leave a comment »


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November 3rd, 2009
Adimec submitted the latest interface, CoaXPress (abbreviation CXP) for the Vision Award 2009. The unanimously voted CoaXPress as the winner of the award out of 26 challenging submissions. The reason for winning was,"…a link faster than Camera Link with reach as far as GigE, and carrying power too!", according to Don Braggins, spokesman of the Vision jury. During the Vision 2009, Adimec also launched the OPAL/CXP, the first machine vision camera family with this promising interface. More information about these cameras can be found
The CoaXPress technology was originally developed by Adimec and EqcoLogic. For a successful world-wide acceptance and availability, the originators formed the CoaXPress Consortium whose goal is to standardize this new interface. Currently the consortium consists of the following companies:
More information on CoaXPress can be found on www.coaxpress.com or contact your local Adimec representative


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Beating procrastination in your small business
Small Business Guides
6 min read
Procrastination is often described as the art of putting off until tomorrow what you should be doing today. Unfortunately it can be a big obstacle to business success. Here's how to beat it.
What is procrastination?
All of us have felt it at one time or another – the desire to put things off. Maybe your 'to do' list is full of boring or daunting chores. You might be dreading catching up on your paperwork. Or perhaps you just can't face dealing with a troublesome client.
So you procrastinate – you delay these tasks and do something else instead. Unfortunately that can lead to bigger problems.
If you're having trouble completing some of your business tasks, don't worry. You're not alone. Beating procrastination is a challenge for us all. This guide will help you do it.
The science of procrastination
People who procrastinate are sometimes called lazy, but that's not true. It's more accurate to say that they have a conflict in their minds. That conflict takes place between the:
- prefrontal cortex, which is the brain's planning center
- limbic system, which demands immediate reward
There are times when the limbic system's drive for immediate gratification makes sense. But building and running a business isn't one of them. That requires long-term planning by the prefrontal cortex.
Unfortunately it takes mental effort to engage that part of the brain. Yet the limbic system will kick in at any time – if given the chance.
A mental image of procrastination
Understanding your mind is the key to beating procrastination. To help with this, imagine two people in a boardroom:
- One is a serious individual who concentrates on the task in hand. This is your prefrontal cortex.
- The other is an impulsive child with no self-control. This is your limbic system.
You can see the problem. Only one of these characters should be running your business. It's important to recognize when the limbic system is fighting for the controls. That's not always easy in a world full of distractions.
By some measures, we're five times more likely to procrastinate today than we were in the 1970s. The internet and mobile devices have had a lot to do with that. The first step in beating procrastination is to realize when it's happening to you.
How to recognize procrastination
According to Joseph Ferrari of DePaul University, Chicago, procrastinators generally:
- overestimate how much time they have left to do a task
- believe tasks take less time than they really do
- think they'll feel more motivated to do tasks later
- feel it's suboptimal to work on a task when they're not in the mood for it
The last point is particularly tough for business owners. We'd all like to be at our best when dealing with big issues. Unfortunately that's not always possible.
Once you're aware of these signs, you'll probably notice them in your own behavior. Luckily, beating procrastination is possible. But you'll need to take sensible steps to achieve it.
Beating procrastination – 12 top tips
- Prune your 'to do' list
'To do' lists aren't always useful. Sometimes they make the situation worse. Many people feel daunted when faced with a long list of things they 'must' do. They become demoralised and end up doing nothing. So cut your list down to the bare essentials.
- Share the load
Delegation is one of the hardest things for business owners to do, but it's vital. Learn to give up some control and put faith in your employees. And consider offloading routine tasks to service companies. You should save your energy for the big items.
- Break it down
Nobody can concentrate for hours at a time on a single task. Break big jobs down. You could try the Pomodoro technique of doing 25-minute sprints, for example. This is part of good time management for small business owners.
- Disconnect yourself
As anyone with a deadline knows, an internet connection can be the enemy of productive work. When you really have to concentrate, set aside some time – an hour or a whole day – then go offline to work without distraction.
- Don't wait for the perfect moment
Do something now, even if you feel you're not in the right mood. Making a start on a task is often the biggest step. It'll be easier to come back and continue it, rather than starting from scratch later. It will help put you in the right frame of mind, too.
- Schedule your work sensibly
Use your natural rhythms to your advantage. Schedule big jobs for the morning if you're an early bird, or evenings if you're a night owl. And try to avoid doing heavy tasks in mid-afternoon. Most people suffer a physiological lull at this time, making them less productive.
- Find an app that works for you
There are plenty of apps available for beating procrastination, like:
- Freedom which blocks distracting apps and websites
- Write Room (Mac) and Dark Room (Windows) which make the doc you're working on take up the whole screen
- MeeTimer, which is a Firefox add-on that reports your browsing behavior so you can see where you're wasting time
Find one that works for you.
- Sandwich your tasks
If there's something you really don't want to do, schedule it between two tasks that you enjoy. The first enjoyable task will set your frame of mind, and the later one will give you something to look forward to. If all your tasks are tough, try time-traveling – a mental technique where you imagine how good it'll feel when you're done.
- Make habits work for you
Schedule recurring tasks for the same time of the day or week so they become a habit. Forming a habit moves a task into areas of the brain that deal with automation – and you'll be less likely to procrastinate.
- Create the right working environment
If you have a home office, make sure it's in a separate room and keep fixed working hours. When you separate business and pleasure you're less likely to drift from one to the other.
- Get a computer to do it
You'll be surprised how many mundane tasks can be automated. Let technology streamline dreaded jobs, such as:
- Reward success
Give yourself something when you complete a tedious task. Whether it's a mental pat on the back or a more tangible reward, this is important. It'll help you feel good about beating procrastination. That will make it easier to achieve next time.
Get it done – and don't feel stressed about it
Procrastinators sometimes believe that they perform better under pressure. But in fact they tend to perform worse than their peers, according to a study by Dianne Tice and Roy Baumeister of Florida University. They're also more likely to suffer from stress.
So beating procrastination is vital if you want to perform to the best of your abilities, and also stay happy and healthy. That's all the incentive you need to get started – right now.


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"Edutainment" in South Africa: a force for change in health
South Africa's Soul City Institute has become a force for social change with diverse interventions reaching more than 80% of South Africa's population of some 45 million people. Now the institute is partnering with the University of the Witwatersrand's School of Public Health, to set up the country's first division offering courses in public health, social and behaviour change communication.
Q: Many doctors have left South Africa. Why did you stay?
A: It was a conscious decision. I had been politically active in the apartheid era. Apartheid is officially gone, but the struggle for equity goes on. I have always had a strong commitment to social justice; the experience of living in apartheid heightened this. I began studying medicine in 1980 and was exposed to the devastating effect apartheid had on people's health. Also, it's not hard to trace the fault lines of poverty and diseases in Africa back to colonialism, the Cold War, structural adjustment and, now, the global economic system that entrenches inequality - a large part of the burden of disease in South Africa is a result of social injustice. I wanted to play a part in changing that.
Q: What is Soul City and where did the idea come from?
A: The core of our strategy is harnessing popular culture and communication to bring about social change. It's often called "edutainment" - the weaving of social issues into entertainment genres. People have always used popular culture to support social change. As a formal methodology, it has its roots in Latin America. People often say the father of edutainment was Miguel Sabido, a film executive in Mexico who saw the impact of soap operas on peoples' lives. The catalyst for him was a Peruvian television drama called Simplemente Maria - a rags-to-riches story where a young woman learns to sew and lifts herself out of poverty by sewing for a living. After watching the programme, many women signed up to sewing classes and tried to emulate her. Sabido recognized the power of drama and he applied this in adult literacy and other areas of development. In the past, most edutainment programmes were focused on individuals. Soul City sees the individual as part of a community and in the broader political environment. Very often individuals want to change their lives, but are prevented from doing so by social norms.
Q: What type of audience do you reach? How do you reach people with little education, speaking many languages from diverse communities?
A: Our programmes reach over 80% of South Africans. We have a highly developed public broadcasting infrastructure, including radio stations. We have partnerships with all of them to reach people in most of South Africa's official languages. Our programmes are translated and modified for each language. Each version has a different set of actors and is modified to resonate with different audiences. We at Soul City are closely involved in that process. Radio reaches vast audiences including traditionally marginalized rural ones. We are on SABC1, the most popular and watched television channel. It's a prime-time drama but is too expensive to produce in all the languages. But the dramas include phrases from different languages and subtitles. Our evaluations show that they are understandable across the board. Our media projects are combined with community mobilization approaches which ensure grassroots engagement across the country.
Q: How do you weave public health messages into teledramas in a credible way?
A: We work closely with our creative teams, explaining what we want to put across and why, so that they can come up with creative ways of doing this. We spend a lot of time engaging them on the complexities of public health and social issues to ensure that we create great dramas that have a positive impact. It is always a challenge. For example, depicting gender-based violence in a way that results in positive change and portraying the complex emotions when people find out they are HIV positive without creating hysteria and increased stigma.
Q: How do you know whether the public absorb your public health messages and change their behaviour?
A: We do convey messages but we also try to stimulate dialogue and debate so that our approach is not a didactic, moralistic one. We do formative research to understand the social issues so that we deal with them in a way that really resonates. We are also independently evaluated through large nationally representative quantitative surveys and qualitative research, which give us a good picture of our impact. The evaluators use techniques to tease out the impact attributable specifically to our interventions. Knowledge and attitudes are easier to demonstrate than social and behavioural change, but we have been able to demonstrate an increase in community action in relation to our intervention, and strong shifts in social norms.
Q: Do you ever face criticism that you are too politically correct and imposing alien ideas on society?
A: There would be resistance to what we do if we took a moralistic approach. But our work is about weaving in issues and letting people debate and engage with them. It's not about finger-wagging. These are not didactic programmes that come across like a sermon; they are about portraying very real things that happen to people and the impact on their lives. In our dramas, the role-models are people who do not stigmatize people with HIV, who do not believe people with HIV are sinners. We try to portray people who go through journeys, so people can relate to it, instead of dividing the world into people who are good and bad.
Q: Is there two-way communication with your audiences?
A: Our social mobilization work is premised on multi-directional communication. It is about creating dialogue and debate. There is a lot of social networking. We also have a wonderful intervention called Soul Buddyz club. It centres on a television drama series for children aged 8 to 12 years about a group of young children who develop a club. It's a force for good in which they encounter challenges as young citizens and become active agents of change in their communities. Since we aired the drama, young people across South Africa have written to us and asked how to set up their own Soul Buddyz clubs. As a result, we formed a national club movement.
Q: What happens when your messages go against those coming from the government?
A: South Africa went through a very difficult period when public figures questioned the link between HIV and AIDS and the role of antiretroviral medication in treating the disease. While South Africa has had a very comprehensive HIV strategy on paper, the government in the past has lacked the political will to implement all components and has sent out very mixed messages. This made our partnership with government difficult. South Africa has entered a new era with a shift in power within the ruling party. We have a new minister of health, who is highly committed to addressing all aspects of the country's HIV strategy.
Q: Is your work just confined to South Africa?
A: The Soul City Institute works with partner nongovernmental organizations in eight other southern African countries. These partners have launched large-scale national social change communication strategies and we have done a lot of capacity strengthening with partners to do so. Together we recently launched a regional campaign across southern Africa called One Love. Its aim is to get the region talking and thinking about the practice of having more than one partner at the same time.
Q: Tell us about the new Division in Social and Behaviour Change Communication at the School of Public Health in the University of the Witwatersrand?
A: Over the years, we have been asked to undertake capacity building and strengthening by countries such as Colombia, Egypt and Suriname. These are also key components of our regional programme. Our motivation to set up this division was in large part based on the request by our southern African partners to accredit the training we provided. Another major impetus for the division was the urgent need to scale up such interventions across the region to reach the Millennium Development Goals, including HIV prevention. We have set up this division as a centre of excellence in health and development communications, in the South, by the South and for the South.


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People often ask me whether something is constitutional. I often respond by asking what they mean. Our Constitution is only as good as the people handling it. Beyond that it's a piece of paper, that bends, folds and tears. The Founding Fathers often referred to constitutional language as parchment barriers.
All law is about prediction. What will the Court, or a judgment do and will the president or the governors enforce what they decree? The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments became meaningless for decades after President Hayes removed the troops from the former Confederate states. Brown really meant something when Eisenhower sent the troops to Little Rock.
Sure, I think the Constitution should mean more; it should protects us. But I have only the power of argument. When I argue in the courts, I don't just tell them what I think is right – I argue in ways I think will influence the court I am addressing. I learned that lesson years ago after writing a brief on behalf of several political scientists to explain an aspect of the 1st Amendment. We were only appearing as friends of the court, but our views carried the day on the Court of Appeals. One of the judges wrote that his reasons were well stated in our brief. Of course I thought that judge was a genius. But though we won on the Supreme Court, the grounds of victory had nothing to do with our brief. Plaintiff's attorney crafted his argument to fit the specific concerns of the justices who would support our position. We eked out a 5-4 victory but when those justices left the Court, it was quietly overruled. It all depends.
Republicans pronounce that sympathy is no part of law, but then where is justice? They claim bound to follow only ancient dictionaries to tell us how two-century old language should be read now, assuming the ancients wouldn't lift a finger about our problems. Or they claim to rely on precedent. But precedent isn't self-justifying. We distinguish the authority of Brown v. Board of Education from the horror of Dred Scott or Plessy v. Ferguson because Brown accurately stated enduring values and the others did not. That's a judgment about decency and has nothing to do with balls and strikes. This is not a baseball game; language interpreted without decency and humanity slanders the people who wrote and adopted it. Nominees hiding behind precedent hide their heartlessness behind smokescreens and deny the obvious, that their values, or lack of them, will determine how they see and shape the law.
Gorsuch could not tell you that because his sense of good and evil are far from what most Americans would accept. So he and his supporters rely on empty jargon about precedent. But judges exercise judgment about precedent just as they do about language. That's why we need judges with good judgment, not judges claiming to be logicians with computers who derive answers automatically, unthinkingly and without reference to consequences. That refusal to care is the bastardization of law. When Justice Blackmun protested a decision that left no one responsible for the helplessness of a small boy, he wrote "Poor Joshua" with understated eloquence. Poor Joshua indeed. Law, like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, needs a heart.
— This commentary was broadcast on WAMC Northeast Report, April 4, 2017.


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Janssons Temptation (a potato gratin with anchovies and onions), ham, meatballs, ribs and sausages, beer and schnapps and we also opened our presents then. As if we hadn't already eaten enough on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Day we then also had a traditional British Christmas meal with turkey, cranberry sauce, roasted potatoes, stuffing, brussels sprouts with chestnuts and bacon, and Christmas pudding, none of which I eat by the way so now we have enough left overs to feed a small army! Ultimately Christmas is about spending time with your loved ones over a massive plate of food and it's been amazing to do just that.
I just wish that Christmas wasn't over so quickly and if it was up to me I would keep the Christmas tree and all the lights all year around, and just swap the decorations to be more seasonal e.g. having Easter eggs in April, flowers for Midsummer, a pumpkin or so in October etc... No? Ah - just me then... After my family went back to Sweden, Him Indoors and I have also managed to get some quality time together with nice meals, cinema and of course some shopping in the Sales, and I plan to show you the stuff I got in a post in January.
I wish you all a Happy New Year with lots of new and exciting things to look forward to! Xx


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The Beacon magazine takes its name from the university's alma mater, which includes the lines:
When in the future, our hearts may be yearning
For the bright scenes of our dear college youth
Back to thy portals our memories turning
Clear beams thy beacon of virtue and truth.
The Beacon communicates news of Mississippi College to alumni, students' parents, faculty, donors, and friends of the university, keeping MC and its "virtue and truth" top-of-mind among these diverse constituents. No matter how far from Mississippi they may travel, no matter what they choose to pursue, the excellent education and Christian values of Mississippi College continue to inspire our students, alumni, faculty, and friends for a lifetime. Each story recounted in the Beacon is a reflection of the virtue and truth embodied in Mississippi College, and the commitment to the virtue and truth that lives in every member of our close-knit community.


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By | March 15, 2013 Send Feedback
UTC Aerospace Systems has been selected to provide the electric power generation and distribution system for the second generation of E-Jets, scheduled to enter service in 2018, Embraer said Thursday.
The United Technologies Corp. subsidiary was also selected to provide the wheels and carbon brakes for the second generation of E-Jets.
"The selection of these systems is another important milestone in the program that is expected to be launched later this year," Embraer said in a statement.
In February, Embraer selected Honeywell to supply its Primus Epic integrated avionics system for the next generation of E-Jets, a month after Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan engines were selected to power the aircraft. More
Follow @AvionicsMag


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New Born Care - The Woodlands Hospital
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 - 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
This one-time class includes topics such as care of mom and baby, diapering, bathing, helpful hints for adjusting to new roles, and health safety issues. At CHI St Luke's Health-The Woodlands Hospital, we are here with you every step of the way! Please do not hesitate to call our education line at 936-266-2232 or email [email protected].
Cost: $30
Length of Class: 2.5–3 hours
Course Location: CHI St Luke's Health–The Woodlands Hospital (Lakeview A/Conference Room A)


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Written in lyric style, this beautiful choral can be used for any occasion. The sentiment of the text "I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining" springs forth with inspiration and sends thoughts
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That's Right
June 6, 2011
I'm totally making the kitchener stitch my bitch. 224 stitches to graft together? No problemo. I'll be back
in a few hours some time this week*with a finished cardigan.
*decided to be fancy and do a tubular cast off for the edge of the cardigan and sleeves. Graft another few hundred stitches? On it.
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Chilli beef shepherd's pie
Nutrition and extra info
- Freezable
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal518
- fat18g
- saturates6g
- carbs52g
- sugars22g
- fibre18g
- protein39g
- salt1.48g
- 2 tsp olive oil
Olive oilol-iv oyl
Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…
- 1 large onion, chopped
Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 500g pack lean minced beef
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 420g can kidney bean in chilli sauce
Kidney beanskid-nee beenz
Native to the Americas, kidney beans are so called because of their shape and come in very…
- 400g can chopped tomato
- 1kg parsnips, peeled and chopped into chunks
The fact that the parsnip is a member of the carrot family comes as no surprise – it looks…
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then soften the onion with 1 tsp cumin for a few mins. Push the onion to the edge of the pan, add the beef, then brown well, breaking up the lumps as you go. Add the garlic, kidney beans, chopped tomatoes and half a can of water, season and cover, then simmer for 20 mins.
Meanwhile, cook the parsnips in boiling salted water until tender, drain well, then mash with some freshly milled black pepper and a little salt. Heat the grill to high. Tip the chilli mince into a large ovenproof dish, spoon over the mash, scatter with the remaining cumin seeds, then grill for 5 mins until golden.
Recipe Tip
TipIf you don't have kidney beans in chilli sauce, just add a 400g can kidney beans, drained, 50g chopped roasted peppers, and 2 tsp mild chilli powder.


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Yoga is more popular than ever because it provides a total body workout that enhances strength, cardiovascular condition, balance and flexibility. It also enhances one's body awareness, increases physical control and facilitates body mastery. Because it involves a highly comprehensive and integrated approach, yoga produces a longer, leaner and more graceful physique. Yoga also helps reduce stress, tension and fatigue through its mindfulness, often fluid movement and deep breathing focus. If yoga instructors are not attuned to the unique needs of the fitness club environment and members, injuries can occur. Traditional yoga does not really exist in most places in the United States, but certain fitness styles of yoga are appropriate for fitness clubs if done properly.
First, you and your instructors must understand that fitness yoga differs from traditional yoga in that the postures in fitness yoga link in a fluid heat-building way. Transitions are smooth, from pose to pose with a full-body workout focus. Breath is linked with movement, heating the body naturally and organically. Warm-ups are crucial as group exercise rooms are often cold. Fitness yoga incorporates fitness moves such as sit-ups and push-ups. Modifications and levels are offered to suit the needs of students at different levels in the room. Instructors encourage students to take breaks and rest as necessary. They encourage them to let go of expectations, judgment and competition, and they tell them not to push past their limits. Instructors never make aggressive physical adjustments to their students.
Group fitness instructors can incorporate yoga postures into their existing non-yoga classes whether they are step, kickboxing or aerobics. By doing so, members have an opportunity to get comfortable with a few basic postures. Of course, a warm–up period is crucial because you do not want participants to get into complex yoga postures before their bodies are warm and ready to be there.
Most instructors teaching in fitness facilities do not have the luxury of independent lighting and heating controls. But if at all possible, they should dim the lights, turn off the air conditioning and choose music for active yoga. Each class should begin with at least 5 minutes of deep breathing. This helps to clear the mind and prepare the body. The breath is the single most important part of yoga. By breathing in and out of the nose, participants keep the heat in the body and focus the mind. Deep rhythmic breathing is the solid foundation upon which yoga is built. Recovery is an important part of yoga. Instructors should ensure they leave at least 5 minutes at the end of class for rest to rejuvenate, restore and revive the body.
Before hiring a teacher dedicated solely to yoga, you should ask your candidates these questions:
Are you aware of the AFAA and ACE Safety Guidelines of Contraindications? Are you aware of how these relate to yoga? Have you been through a formal yoga teacher training? Are you comfortable doing the postures? Are you comfortable teaching the postures? Do you have a regular yoga practice?
During the interviews and auditions, you should watch for certain things, such as a guru mentality, which generally is not welcome in a fitness club. Look for an instructor who is first a fitness instructor. It is a lot easier to train a fitness instructor in yoga than it is to train a traditional yoga instructor in fitness.
Beth Shaw is founder and president of YogaFit Training Systems Worldwide Inc., a yoga fitness education school that has trained more than 200,000 instructors worldwide. Shaw has been featured on "Oprah" and CNN and in USA Today, The Washington Post, Time and Entrepreneur. Her book, "YogaFit", is among Human Kinetics' best-selling titles, and her latest book, "Lessons from the Mat", will be released in fall 2012. YogaFit offers four levels of teacher training as well as many specialty programs, such as pre-natal, seniors and children. YogaFit has a complete line of educational videos for teachers, clubs and students.


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Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's fiery president and the most prominent leftist leader in South America, died Tuesday after a two-year battle with cancer.
The 58-year-old, who rose through his country's military ranks and led a failed coup before winning the presidency, died at 4:25 p.m. local time, Vice President Nicolás Maduro said in an address.
"Much strength, much prayer and this difficulty in life must be carried with the greatest of loves that Hugo Chávez Frías planted in our heart," Maduro said on state television after imploring Venezuelans to avoid violence and hate in the wake of the polarizing leader's death.
U.S. & World
For more on the death of Hugo Chávez, visit NBCNews.com.
Maduro will assume the interim presidency and will also be the government candidate when elections are called 30 days from now, the country's foreign minister said Tuesday night.
A seven-day period of mourning will begin Tuesday, the government announced just after the president's passing, and his official state funeral ceremony will take place Friday morning.
Top government officials from the defense minister to the central bank chief paid tribute to Chávez on Tuesday night and urged national unity.
"This is a difficult moment, but we need to continue on," central bank chief Nelson Merentes said in an interview. "There were people who were against him, but this is not a moment to concentrate on that. It's one to come together."
Foreign Affairs Minister Elías Jaua said Tuesday night that Chávez's remains would be moved to the Military Academy of Venezuela in Caracas on Wednesday, and funeral services would begin Thursday, with the official ceremony set for 10 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET) Friday.
Chávez died following a battle with cancer that brought him to Cuba repeatedly and forced the postponement of his inauguration for his fourth term.
He traveled to Cuba most recently in December after abruptly announcing that he needed emergency surgery for his cancer, which had returned. He underwent a six-hour surgery on Dec. 11, his fourth operation for cancer, and also underwent chemotherapy.
The details of his illness, first treated in June 2011, had been closely guarded secrets, though Venezuela's information ministry did reveal Monday that Chávez was facing a "severe" new infection and trouble breathing.
Before heading to Cuba, Chávez designated Maduro as his preferred successor if he were no longer able to lead. Under the country's constitution, elections should take place within 30 days of a president's death. In the meantime, the vice president assumes power.
Chávez was set to be sworn in for his fourth term on Jan. 10, but in a last-minute move, and amid growing confusion over the leadership of the country, the Supreme Court ruled that Chávez could be officially inaugurated at a later date, with the expectation that his health might improve.
During his 14 years in office, Chávez transformed Venezuelan society through a leftist brand of governing that poured money into social welfare programs and offered free medical care and education to the poor, while broadly nationalizing everything from ranches to the country's largest telecommunications company.
He famously argued once for the seizure of golf courses, too, to free up land for housing, deriding the sport as a bourgeois pastime on his weekly television program. "I respect all sports," he said. "But there are sports, and there are sports."
For many of the nation's poor, he was a hero, and it was their support that won him reelection three times by convincing margins, even as the nation's crime rate soared, inflation lingered above 20 percent and electricity shortages forced regular rolling blackouts.
The country's upper class, professionals and pro-business groups vehemently opposed him, as did press freedom advocates who protested his shuttering of many news outlets and support for laws that would punish "media crimes."
His ex-wife, Marisabel Rodriguez, even campaigned against his move to eliminate presidential term limits — a battle he ultimately won in a 2009 referendum. She told The Associated Press that her intentions weren't personal. "This struggle is against the danger posed by leaving a person in power for a long time," she said.
Chávez's opponents did manage to topple him in a 2002 coup, though his supporters restored him to the presidency a mere 47 hours later — a shocking turn of events that burnished his legend.
In spite of his critics, he continued to garner enough support at home to win elections and, thanks to his nation's vast oil wealth, enough power to be influential overseas.
The son of schoolteachers, Chávez was born in a small farming town in the western province of Barinas on July 28, 1954. He grew up there with several siblings, in a household that struggled to make ends meet.
As a teenager, he became a talented baseball player and landed a spot on a national team, the Criollitos de Venezuela, before earning a degree in military arts and sciences at the Military Academy of Venezuela.
Chávez joined and quickly rose through the ranks of the country's armed forces and eventually led an elite unit of paratroopers.
During his time in service, he became increasingly angered and vocal about his country's vast corruption and severe economic disparities. By 1992, he had gained a following within the military and led a failed coup against President Carlos Andrés Pérez. The effort landed Chávez in jail, where he remained for two years.
Four years later, he won his first presidential election by a comfortable margin on a populist platform of radical wealth distribution, anti-corruption and anti-imperialism, becoming the youngest president in the country's history.
After taking office he quickly began implementing his vision of nationalization, putting steel mills, farmland and massive chunks of the country's oil industry under government ownership.
The United States was Chávez's top political foe, and he freely and regularly railed against it in colorful televised tirades. In a 2006 speech at the United Nations, Chávez famously referred to President George W. Bush as "the devil," adding that the room "still smells like sulfur" from the American leader's presence the day before.
He later defended his rhetoric, claiming in an interview with Time magazine that Bush had called him worse things. "Tyrant, populist dictator, drug trafficker, to name a few," Chávez said. "I'm not attacking Bush; I'm simply counterattacking."
Chavez also stirred up controversy when he began offering heating oil to poor U.S. communities at steeply discounted rates, earning praise from some U.S. politicians and disdain from others.
Tensions grew between the two nations after Chávez's brief 2002 ouster. He swiftly laid blame on the U.S., and CIA documents uncovered nearly two years later revealed that the U.S. was in fact aware that pro-business groups and their military supporters had been plotting to topple the Venezuelan president.
Though he continued to criticize U.S. foreign policy and capitalist system after President Barack Obama took office, he had warmer feelings for the current commander-in-chief than he did for Bush. In September, he said on state TV that he would vote for Obama if he were from the U.S., adding that he hoped his comments wouldn't prove harmful.
Chávez won his fourth reelection Oct. 7 against Henrique Capriles, who campaigned for ending crime and cutting waste. Chávez won 54 percent of the vote in what was expected to be a tighter race.
"Truthfully, this has been the perfect battle, a democratic battle," Chávez said in a victory address from the balcony of the presidential palace, as he waved a replica of the sword of Simón Bolívar, NBC News reported. "Venezuela will continue along the path of democratic and Bolivarian socialism of the 21st century."
As Chávez's health took a turn for the worse, questions abounded about the future of the Venezuelan president's so-called Bolivarian revolution — inspired by Bolívar's 19th-century revolution for freedom from the Spanish Empire — and its growing influence from Brazil and Uruguay to Argentina and Ecuador.
Fears that his death may embolden opposition groups across Latin America speak to the powerful pull he had gained in the region over his last decade and a half of life.
Chávez is survived by five children. He was married twice — first to Nancy Colmenares, whom he divorced in 1992, and later to Marisabel Rodriguez, whom he divorced in 2007.