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Smooth move: Restaurant Week opens in style
Charlottesville Restaurant Week kicked off Monday night with a bang. Over at Brookville Restaurant, co-owner Jennifer Pendleton, who'll be marrying her chef-partner Harrison Keevil later this year (congrats!), says they "did awesome, about 50 people, which is great for us on a Monday." Plus, she says the phone has been "ringing off the hook all day." A lot of large groups have booked, like 14 and 12 tops, so she says things are filling up fast. But you might have a chance Sunday.
Over at the Blue Light Grill, Bang!, TEN, and the C&O Restaurant it was the same story.
"There have been calls all day long," says the C&O's Lindsay Bell, who was managing the packed house on Monday. "We've had to reserve seats in the Bistro, which are usually for walk-ins. Sorry, but we're booked for the entire week." Hey, you never know, give them a call and they might squeeze you in. Tip: request a late seating.
"We saw people we've never seen before, and a lot of people from out of town," says Bell. "Where do they hear about this?"
Bell said everyone appeared to be having a good time, though no one wanted to sit outside on the steamy night.
"The kitchen has got it down now," says Bell. "Everything went real smooth."Read more on: charlottesvilleCharlottesville Restaurant WeekJuly 2011
2 comments
I guess Kelly Porterfield, Director of Nursing, at Charlottesville Health and Rehab has decided not to tell the truth about what happened. We will have to wait and see what the F.B.I has to say.
I went to Positively 4th Street last night and the food was absolutely delicious!!! It has a great atmosphere as well. It did not disappoint in any way and I will most definitely go back there again. I HIGHLY recommend it!!!


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Rangers' speed to test Kings' depth, toughnessNHL.com @NHLdotcom
The New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings may need a little time to feel each other out when they meet in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
Not only have the Rangers and Kings not played each other in more than six months, they haven't met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since New York's 3-1 series victory in the best-of-5 first round in 1981. Their only other playoff meeting was in 1979, when the Rangers swept a best-of-3 preliminary-round series.
The Rangers and Kings concluded their two-game season series before Thanksgiving, with each team winning in the other's building. The Rangers came to Staples Center for their second game of the season and left with a 3-1 victory that featured a 160-foot shorthanded goal by New York defenseman Ryan McDonagh in the third period on a clearing attempt that bounced past the pad of Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick.
The Kings got a measure of revenge Nov. 17, winning 1-0 at Madison Square Garden. Since-traded backup goaltender Ben Scrivens outplayed New York's Henrik Lundqvist by stopping all 37 shots he faced, making rookie Tyler Toffoli's second-period goal stand up for the win.
Center Mike Richards set up both Kings goals against Lundqvist and the Rangers this season. Center Brad Richards had two of New York's three goals against Los Angeles; Rick Nash assisted on each.
The series features two of the NHL's top goaltenders. Lundqvist is 3-4-1 all-time against the Kings, allowing 20 goals in eight games. Quick, a native of Milford, Connecticut, about 60 miles from Madison Square Garden, is 2-1-0 in his career against the Rangers, allowing six goals in his three appearances.
Each team has one player who spent a substantial part of his career with the other.
Kings forward Marian Gaborik, who leads all players in goals in the playoffs, spent nearly five seasons with the Rangers before being dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the NHL Trade Deadline last spring. The Blue Jackets traded him to the Kings in March.
Rangers forward Brian Boyle was the Kings' first-round pick (No. 26) in the 2003 NHL Draft and spent pieces of his first two NHL seasons with Los Angeles after turning pro. The Rangers acquired him at the 2009 NHL Draft, and he's spent the past five seasons in New York.
Rangers forward Daniel Carcillo, who's serving a 10-game suspension, was acquired from the Kings at midseason.
The Rangers are 66-44-16-1 all-time against the Kings in the regular season. The teams have played each other nine times since 2003, and Los Angeles is 5-2-2 in those games, including an overtime victory in Stockholm, Sweden, on the first weekend of the 2011-12 season. The teams have split their past 12 games in Los Angeles, where the series will begin Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, RDS).
The Kings are in the Final for the second time in three seasons and the third time in franchise history; they won their first Stanley Cup in 2012 by beating the New Jersey Devils in six games after New Jersey had eliminated the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final. The Rangers have won the Cup four times, but this is their first trip to the Final since 1994, when they beat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to end a championship drought that dated to 1940.
The Rangers and Kings each accomplished something that had never been done before in Stanley Cup history to get this far. Each team won back-to-back Game 7s to get through the first two rounds; no team that had to go seven games in each of its first two playoff series had won in the third round.
The Kings, of course, won a third consecutive Game 7 on Sunday, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 in overtime to win the Western Conference Final and advance to the Cup Final.
"I'm pretty excited. It's my first chance to win a Stanley Cup, play in the Stanley Cup Finals," Toffoli said. "The guys in the room are excited. We just want to get it going."
After winning its conference final in six games, the Rangers have played 20 games. The Kings have played 21. The record for one playoff season is 26, a mark set by the 1987 Philadelphia Flyers and matched by the 2004 Calgary Flames. The most games ever played by a Cup winner is 25, by the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes and 2011 Boston Bruins.
The Kings have a deep group of varied forwards, allowing coach Darryl Sutter to roll four lines at any time. Because of the depth and talent of his group of forwards, Sutter rarely plays a matching game and allows the forward progression to flow naturally.
Gaborik, an import at the 2014 NHL Trade Deadline from the Columbus Blue Jackets, has been a revelation. He has 12 goals this postseason after scoring 11 in the regular season. His center, Anze Kopitar, is having a Conn Smythe Trophy-worthy campaign. He has played against three elite centers in the first three rounds and outplayed each one, including Jonathan Toews in the Western Conference Final. Dustin Brown, the left wing on that line, sets the physical tone and made a brilliant play to set up Gaborik's crucial third-period goal in the Kings' Game 7 victory against the Blackhawks.
The line of center Jeff Carter between youngsters Toffoli and Tanner Pearson was a wrecking-ball unit for much of the conference final. Chicago could not match its size, speed and cycling ability. Carter has nine goals this postseason.
Right wing Justin Williams saves his best for the biggest stages, showing it again Sunday with a first-period goal and an assist on the winning goal in Game 7 at United Center. Center Jarret Stoll is a faceoff dynamo, winning virtually every big defensive draw contested during the conference final.
Mike Richards plays center on the fourth line and gives Los Angeles unbelievable depth down the middle.
Kyle Clifford, Trevor Lewis and Dwight King have all taken turns making a positive impact. King had two assists in the win Sunday.
The Rangers don't have a No. 1 line, per se. Instead, they have three scoring lines and a checking line that is adept at getting the puck deep, keeping possession and generating scoring chances.
Their playoff numbers prove their balance; nobody has more than 13 points, and eight players have at least 10.
New York is deep at right wing with Nash, Martin St. Louis, Mats Zuccarello and Derek Dorsett, who when he plays within himself and with speed helps drive the forechecking game for the fourth line.
The Rangers have speed and size on the left side with Chris Kreider, Carl Hagelin, Benoit Pouliot and Boyle. They have five centers for four spots in Derek Stepan, Brad Richards, Derick Brassard, Dominic Moore and Boyle, who plays left wing on the fourth line.
St. Louis has 13 points, including six goals, and hasn't missed a game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite the sudden death of his 63-year-old mother, France, on May 8. He plays with Richards and Hagelin, who has been one of New York's most consistent forwards.
The Rangers' so-called third line of Brassard between Zuccarello and Pouliot has at times been New York's most effective line. They have combined for 12 goals, but Pouliot will have to play smarter than he did against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final, when he was held without a point.
The checking line, or fourth line, of Moore, Boyle and Dorsett is physical and aggressive on the forecheck. Coach Alain Vigneault doesn't hesitate to put them on the ice against the opposition's top line.
Boyle is the Rangers' best penalty-killing forward.
This group is anchored by Drew Doughty, who is growing into a generational talent in these playoffs.
He has been a dominant force throughout the postseason and has raised his game as the competition has stiffened. Against the Blackhawks, Doughty had three goals and four assists and played an eye-popping 200:57, or nearly 29 minutes per game, much of it against Chicago's top-six forwards.
Jake Muzzin, his partner, has improved just by being paired by Doughty, who uses his amazing recovery speed to negate transitional chances for the most part.
Slava Voynov has had his ups and downs in the playoffs. More often than not, though, in the third round, he looked like the breakout player he was in the Kings' run to the Cup two years ago. Willie Mitchell, a savvy veteran, plays 20-plus minutes a game and is rarely noticed, and that's a good thing.
Alec Martinez doesn't see a ton of time, but he was the Game 7 hero against Chicago, scoring the winning goal in the sixth minute of overtime.
Los Angeles' defense corps could get a bit of an upgrade if injured Robyn Regehr can return. He is a few days away, according to the latest report from the Kings.
McDonagh is the most important player on the blue line. He's the first player over the boards in all situations. He plays the point on the Rangers' top power-play unit and is their leader in shorthanded ice time in the playoffs.
McDonagh leads the Rangers with 10 assists in the playoffs and is tied for the team lead with Stepan and St. Louis with 13 points. He had two goals and eight assists in the conference final. He is third on the team in blocked shots with 40.
McDonagh's partner, Dan Girardi, is right behind him in importance and ice time. He plays the second most power-play minutes among the defensemen and is second among all Rangers in shorthanded ice time per game.
Girardi has seven points. He leads the Rangers with 50 blocked shots.
If it weren't for McDonagh, Staal would likely be the Rangers' No. 1 defenseman. He and Anton Stralman start approximately 60 percent of their shifts in the defensive zone, according to ExtraSkater.com. They are the featured pair on New York's second penalty-kill unit.
The Rangers had three set pairs until John Moore received a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head on Montreal forward Dale Weise in Game 5 of the conference final. Moore won't be eligible to return until Game 2 of the Cup Final.
Raphael Diaz replaced Moore in the lineup for Game 6 against Montreal. He skated with Kevin Klein and was steady in 19 shifts totaling 11:35 of ice time.
Klein has started to take more chances up in the play. It bears watching.
Quick was not elite in the Western Conference Final and he has not been at his peak during stretches of the first two rounds, but he has been good enough to win each of the three series.
His mental ability, as much as his skill set, is what makes him such an intriguing goaltender. He fought the puck for long stretches against the Blackhawks. At one point, during a two-period span bridging the third period of Game 6 and the first period of Game 7, he allowed five goals on 10 shots, but he regrouped and refocused, allowing two goals on the next 34 shots he faced. Quick is 7-0 this year in elimination games, and the Kings have unshakeable faith in the man most responsible for their championship in 2012.
Martin Jones, the backup, has had limited mop-up duty in the first two rounds.
Lundqvist is the Rangers' in-house leader in the Conn Smythe Trophy race heading into the Stanley Cup Final. He has been by far their most important player. Nobody can dispute that he has been their most valuable player.
Lundqvist leads all goalies in the playoffs with a .928 save percentage and he's second with a 2.03 goals-against average in 20 games. He's a big reason, if not the most important reason, why the Rangers' penalty kill is 55-for-64 (85.9 percent).
He allowed three goals on 105 shots in winning Games 5, 6 and 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Second Round. He was the biggest difference in New York's 3-1 win in Game 2 against the Canadiens, stopping 40 of 41 shots, including all 19 he faced in the third period.
Lundqvist then bounced back from a poor performance in Game 5 against the Canadiens to win Game 6 with an 18-save shutout, making Dominic Moore's goal, the only goal in the game, stand up as the winner.
Cam Talbot is Lundqvist's backup. He sat out practice Sunday with an undisclosed injury and is considered day-to-day. Third-string goalie David Leneveu took Talbot's place.
Talbot has appeared in two playoff games this spring, but it's never a good thing for New York when he comes in; it only means that Lundqvist has fumbled away a game.
Sutter is not a man of many words, but he is the perfect coach for the Kings, fostering a culture of accountability and then allowing his players' natural talent to take over from there.
Sutter made several subtle, but effective, tactical changes in each of the three rounds as the Kings erased series deficits of varying sizes. Against Chicago, it was changing the power play a bit and stressing longer puck possession, particularly when the puck was at the points, to open up shooting lanes normally clogged by the Blackhawks' proficient shot-blockers.
But there is no doubt Sutter's greatest contribution is his steady hand on the tiller for the Kings. He keeps this team from getting too high or too low, no matter the circumstances.
Vigneault, in his first season with the Rangers, is making his second appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. He took the Vancouver Canucks to the Cup Final in 2011, but lost in seven games to the Boston Bruins.
The Rangers praise Vigneault's calm demeanor. He rarely overreacts on the bench and typically has a long leash with players even after they make a mistake.
Case in point is Vigneault's response to Pouliot's penalty in overtime in Game 4 against the Canadiens.
Pouliot committed his second offensive-zone penalty of the game 30 seconds into overtime, but Vigneault went right back to him after the Rangers finished killing the penalty. He played two more shifts before St. Louis scored the winning goal.
Vigneault has a 49-48 career record in the postseason; six of his eight teams that have made the playoffs have advanced past the first round. He has been to the conference final twice in his career, winning each time.
The Kings' power play has been very good. It has clicked at 25.4 percent through 21 games, the best among the four teams that made it to the conference finals. For a team that often struggles to score goals, an effective power play allows the Kings to jump-start the offense.
The Kings are dangerous with the man advantage because they can score from low or high. Doughty is a constant threat from the point, and Brown and Carter make a living around the opponent's crease. Gaborik and Kopitar, meanwhile, provide a healthy dose of creativity.
Los Angeles penalty kill is only at 81.2 percent, but it was good when it needed to be. In the first two games in Los Angeles against Chicago, the Kings did not allow a power-play goal in seven man-advantage situations. At Staples Center, Los Angeles allowed one goal in nine tries for the series.
The Rangers wouldn't have won Game 4 against the Canadiens without a strong penalty kill. They committed nine penalties, eight that led to power plays, including six on offensive-zone penalties, but their PK was 7-for-8 and scored a shorthanded goal. They won 3-2 in overtime.
New York's penalty kill has an 85.9-percent success rate. It's second to only the Philadelphia Flyers, but the Flyers played seven games; the Rangers have played 20.
Ironically, it was the Flyers' PK that drove the Rangers' power play into a prolonged slump, a reason why it is 11-for-81 (13.6 percent) in the playoffs. They went on a 0-for-36 stretch before finally scoring two power-play goals in Game 5 against Pittsburgh.
The Rangers were 5-for-26 on the power play against the Canadiens, but three of those goals came in the third period of Game 1, after New York had already taken a 4-1 lead en route to a 7-2 win. They went 1-for-16 in the final four games of the series.
Many believe Toffoli will be the scoring star of the future for the Kings. He is providing a sneak preview right now. He has seven goals this postseason and has paired with Carter and Pearson to form a stunningly effective second-line option that has befuddled defenses looking for advantageous matchup situations. If he can remain dangerous, it will be a chore for New York's defensive rotation to account for Los Angeles' top two lines.
No skater in a Rangers uniform will be more important to winning a championship than McDonagh. His confidence appears to be at the highest level it's been in his four seasons in the NHL. You can tell because he's pinching up in the play, deep in the zone, knowing he has the stride, speed, power and wherewithal to get back without getting burned. McDonagh can take away one side of the ice in the defensive zone and be as difficult to handle in the neutral and offensive zones as anyone in the League. Just like Lundqvist, the Rangers have a chance if McDonagh plays well.
KINGS WILL WIN IF … They use their size and grit. This is not a team that wins pretty; it is a team that wears down other teams, using a long series to grind up and beat up an opponent. Each round, the Kings have found a weakness in their opponent, and then they spent the rest of the series exploiting it. Heading into this series, it appears the Kings will have a physical advantage, and they must exploit it from the very beginning to slow down the Rangers and make them less effective.
RANGERS WILL WIN IF … Lundqvist is able to steal some games and the Rangers are able to use their speed to their advantage. Lundqvist and overall team speed might be the only advantages the Rangers have. Their defense will be pressed harder in the Cup Final than in any of the three previous rounds. New York doesn't have the center depth to match up in this series. However, the Rangers will stay in games and give themselves a chance if Lundqvist is on his game, McDonagh is the best skater on the ice, they forecheck hard and play fast, which starts by setting the tone early.
Compiled by Shawn Roarke and Dan Rosen


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It has been quite the exciting weekend here at the Dine & Dish household. If you are one of my friends on Twitter or Facebook you know all about our adventure this weekend. If not, I'll give you a brief update. Dine & Dish was taken over by a lovely hacker dude on Friday evening. I found out because he had taken over my blog (not directly, but through a "hole" in the server) and put Google ads up all over the place. He had control of Dine & Dish most of the weekend and we were finally able to get things restored this afternoon. It has been exhausting, to say the least, and quite the emotional roller coaster. I had to go to church on Sunday just to repent for the language I have used towards this man over the weekend! Anyway, hacker dude… if you are reading, thanks for the wake up call and the education. I have learned a lot over the past few days.
I have several people to thank but am going to save that for a post where I have more time to devote to it properly and when I can really share with you what I've learned from this. In the meantime, if things are a little screwy around here (like RSS feed posts from the past showing up) hopefully this will give you an explanation. I hope you stick with us as we get things completely back up to speed.
At last check before hacker dude entered my life, the cookbook giveaway had 150+ entries. Well, since our last backup was the day prior to hacker dude entering my life, we lost some of the entries. Because of this, I am going to extend the cookbook giveaway until this Thursday, September 3rd, 11pm CST. This gives those of you who entered before, the chance to enter again. Those of you who may have had a comment slip away because of all the fun happening around here, it gives you the chance to enter as well. To enter the cookbook giveaway, click here and just leave a comment on that post.
Thanks all for being so patient…for your emails, tweets, phone calls, mood uplifters and for simply being there. Much love to you all… even you, hacker dude, because obviously you need a little TLC.


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In 2010 one of our registrars, Elizabeth Tufts-Brown, turned up a treasure trove in the museum archives: a box filled with postcards and letters (performable objects?) sent by artist James Lee Byars to former Carnegie director, Gustave von Groschwitz, between 1964 and 1967. Byars's even, rounded lettering, usually in pencil or China marker, appears across this remarkable collection on everything from ultra thin Japanese rice paper to purple construction paper and newspaper, even cellophane. One was a large circle (printed only with "A White Paper Will Blow Through the Streets"), several were heart-shaped, some were scrolls. One was an entire 119-foot-long roll of cash register tape on which Byars had painstakingly written out a lengthy invite list complete with mailing addresses. Reading through all of these long-forgotten letters was amazing, and sometimes (as Byars undoubtedly intended) required quite a bit of maneuvering.
Many of the letters, which we exhibited as part of Ordinary Madness in 2010, pertained to three performances that Byars staged at the Museum in conjunction with the 1964 Carnegie International, which von Groschwitz curated. The first two took place on November 6, 1964 (1 x 50 Foot Drawing) and January 13, 1965 (A 1000-Foot Chinese Paper). Both were performed by a Catholic nun named Sister M. Germaine, and involved her carrying a folded paper object to the center of the room, then slowly unfolding and refolding it over the course of an hour. A third happening, The Mile Long White Paper Walk, was performed in the Hall of Sculpture on October 25, 1965, by dancer and choreographer Lucinda Childs. For this work, a riveted, 475-foot-long paper form was manipulated through the course of the performance by Childs, who was dressed in an elaborate white ostrich-feather costume. Alternating between each end of the paper form, Childs moved one riveted section at a time toward the center of the room, creating a pinwheel effect on the floor.
In both cases, a "performable object" of the artist's design dictates the actions of the performer by virtue of its particular folded form, mechanizing her motions as she unravels an ephemeral drawing in time and space. In full habit or feather costume, she becomes a remote and ethereal icon, moving silently across the white marble floor. The Hall of Sculpture (which was constructed in the early 20th century to simulate the interior of the Parthenon) must have immediately appealed to Byars, with his penchant for purity and perfection, symbolism, and drama. Many artists have taken on the space since that time; most recently, Icelandic artist and musician Ragnar Kjartansson staged a long-duration performance there that Byars would surely have appreciated. In the photo above, Ragnar's nieces recall the Three Graces, as they sing the refrain, "The weight of the world is love…"
Tags: CMoA archives, James Lee Byars, Past Internationals, Performance, Ragnar Kjartansson


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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A judge questioned the jurors who issued a guilty verdict in the trial of Matthew Bent, who was convicted in June of aggravated battery in the 2009 attack on Michael Brewer, after one said she felt pressured to convict the teenager.
Karen Bates McCord made her claims a few days after the trial ended. Matthew Destry, a new judge, was then appointed, and he called jurors back for questioning on Friday.
The judge wanted to know whether jurors began discussing the facts of the case before deliberations and whether racism played a part in the verdict.
"These are touchy questions and, quite frankly, it's very rare that we bring jurors in interviews after rendering a verdict," said Destry.
The first question -- whether there were early deliberations.
"No, not that I'm aware of," said Roger Myrie, juror number five.
"Not that I remember," said Sherri Gordon, juror number six.
"I mean, we weren't talking about the case," said Maria Linton, juror number four.
But one juror saw it differently, and she pointed fingers at jurors Linton and Myrie.
"I remember my reaction to him saying that. I was thinking how could he have an opinion or a verdict already," Jessica Walker, juror number one, said about Myrie.
Then, the judge asked about racism during deliberations.
"It was me who said don't make this a racial case. Make this what it is. I doesn't matter race or color. It's whether the kid on trial is white or black, it doesn't matter," said Linton.
"The undertones, I don't know. But at one point, it was about race," said Walker.
"It didn't come up where it would affect the decision," said Gordon.
"In my opinion, definitely not. It was not a race issue," said Myrie.
"Something actually did go on, it's just, what level did it reach," said defense attorney Perry Thurston.
Brewer's family said the questions shouldn't matter.
"What we're struggling with is the fact that -- this isn't about race, this isn't about how old anybody was," said Renie Brewer, the victim's grandmother. "This is about unkindness. This is about something that was done to a child who will have to live with this for the rest of his life. Purely and simply."
Bent could receive a new trial. He faces a 15 year prison sentence on the aggravated battery conviction.
The judge will make his decision next Wednesday.


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This simple tuna curry bowl is made with pantry/freezer staples and comes together in less than 20 minutes so it's perfect for a quick and healthy weeknight meal! Paleo, grain-free, gluten-free and low-carb.
Original recipe courtesy of Eating Bird Food.
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Absolutely adore the yellowfin tuna with olive oil. I can eat it straight without adding any extras, it also is extremely healthy! I never knew I could LOVE tuna, especially without mayo!
Love it. Best tuna that we can get in the U.S. Closest thing to the freshness of the tuna we bring back from Italy.
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Hands down the best canned tuna I've ever had. Always in nice meaty chunks, and the taste is out of this world.
Eating Bird Food is a healthy living blog where I share recipes, workouts and snippets of my daily life. I'm here to help you realize that healthy food can taste good and that living a healthy life doesn't have to be a daily struggle. Small changes can make a big impact!


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My camera was in the shop. My D300 and wide angle lens had to go in for deep cleaning after my recent trip to Zion. It needed it. It just so happened that while my Nikon was having a spa weekend, there were wondrous things taking place at my neighbor's house.
I have been working on a collection of photographs of Cacti in Bloom, taking advantage of what is expected to be a unusually showy season for cactus around Southern Arizona. Some of the shots I can get from the trail, but there are many varieties concentrated in private yards around town. I have a couple of neighbors who have nice collections and I've been watching them for blooms. One particular neighbor has a couple of nice Easter Lily Cactus specimens in his yard which produce a gorgeous bloom. I watched and waited, studied the light and took note of the best times to shoot so I'd be ready when the flowers came in.
Then they arrived. Tall trumpet shaped flutes stood tall and opened wide revealing beautiful, delicate pinkish-purple petals. The blooms came during the night, and were boldly welcoming the sunrise the next day. As the sun climbed, it cast it's rays toward the flowers and they seemed to glow with the morning light. I walked over several times that morning to watch, to study…but my camera was in the shop. Damn it!
Thinking I would get my camera back soon, I watched the flowers all day. It could make for a dramatic sunset shot if the light was right. This was an exciting prospect. As the day wore on I anxiously waited for my camera, I even considered taking shots with the D70 but felt that wasn't going to cut it. Late in the afternoon I still hadn't heard from the camera shop and disaster struck. The beautiful blooms were wilting. The flowers closed and drooped in a tired, spent surrender to the midday heat. There would be no sunset shots, maybe no shots at all if this cactus didn't have the resources to bloom again this season.
My camera returned from it's luxurious spa treatment the next day, but there was nothing to shoot. But I kept my eyes on the cactus and eventually it bloomed again. This time even bigger and better. I caught them in the morning again and quickly scrambled to collect my gear and run to the neighbor's house to catch it early while the light was still nice. I took a series of shots, most with the tripod…but a few required me to contort myself into odd positions with my head and hands precariously close to other cacti in the yard. I was really happy with the results.
Photograph of the Week: Adjustments in Lightroom
I've asked around and it seems that people really do like the "process" side of the Photograph of the Week just as much as the story side, so I'll walk through the process a little more on this one to show how I treated the image. I shoot in RAW on my Nikon so I can work the fine details in Lightroom. Shooting RAW generally delivers a very dull image as it essentially ignores basic camera settings that would normally apply to tiff or jpg images (no in-camera processing for white balance, hue, tone and sharpening are applied to the NEF file). It's a digital negative, and requires processing (developing) just like film would.
You can see the RAW image for this shot is dark, flat and doesn't have any vibrance of color to it. One of the first things I do in my developing process is to create contrast and depth by reducing the Shadows and increasing the Blacks. I will then adjust the Clarity setting for the image and see if I need to fine tune Shadows, Highlights, Blacks or Whites to balance the image. Once I've got those basics dialed in I play with the Vibrance and Saturation settings if needed. Sometimes, these don't need to be adjusted but I will often boost at least the Vibrance setting which works well to bring out the glow of morning or evening light.
On most images, there isn't much else I have to do. In the case of this photo, I didn't touch anything else except the Sharpness (I always push for heightened sharpness in landscape images). With all of that dialed in I had a really nice, sharp, clean, colorful image.
Photograph of the Week: Finishing in Color Efex Pro
I recently started playing with the Nik Software plugins for Lightroom. These were recommended to me by Moab based photographer Bret Edge who has talked about his workflow using Nik Plugins on his blog.
In order to edit the file in any of the plugins it must export to a TIFF file. Then it opens in the selected plugin allowing you to make your fine adjustments. I opened this file in Color Efex Pro to drop a couple of filters on it and create some subtle enhancements. I played with a few things, but I created a nice recipe that worked for this set of images.
I wanted a couple of subtle adjustments, nothing too dramatic since I was really happy with everything I did in Lightroom. Anything too heavy would overpower and ruin the image. But I wanted to help boost the "sunrise glow" the morning had and I felt like I wanted to slightly adjust the color to bring out the flower's natural hue.
I started with the Reflector Efex filter giving the highlights a soft golden glow, fine tuning the settings to keep it subtle. Then I dropped a purple graduated Bi-Color Filter over the whole image setting the opacity very low. This solidified the pinks but also further softened the glow from the Reflector Efex by giving the golden highlights an extra dose of purple color. I toyed with tonal contrast, but dropped it as it seemed to create too harsh of an effect. Then looked at what the Detail Extractor would do and ultimately left it out as well.
In the end, I feel like I managed to develop an image that highlights the delicate beauty of the bloom and really creates the feeling of a warm sunrise.
- This image was shot on a Nikon D300 with a Nikon Nikkor 24-120mm lens.
- Exp: 1/160, F/6.3, ISO-200, 45mm.
- Originally shot in RAW format and processed in Adobe Lightroom and finished in NIK Color Efex Pro 4.
Here's the full Cacti in Bloom Gallery
Cacti in Bloom – Images by David Creech


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The first visible change with Family Tree Maker Version 2014 is the Plan Workspace. Over the next couple of blog posts, I'll try to point out the changes as I have seen them.
Here is what the Plan Workspace looks like, for a New Tree (or family file).
Lots of Changes. I'll walk through the major changes here.
Not highlighted, just above the red box on the Left, is Family Tree Maker 2014.This has been the practice for previous versions, so as you open the program, you know what version you are working on.
The first change is the red box on the Left (I put that red box there, it's not part of the program). This is where you CAN select a different family file. Since this was just opened, no file was opened, so nothing to select, yet.
On the Right, is where the NEW Login is located in FTM2014.
As a reminder, don't forget to Register FTM2014. Each time you install Family Tree Maker, you must Register the program on that computer, Looking into Ancestry.com with your usual Login and Password. I'll create a blog post later on how to do that. The Registration process does NOT appear to have changed from previous version AFTER FTM2008.
Before I installed FTM2014, I backed up my file in FTM2012, from the File, Back Up command in FTM2012. So in FTM2014, I want to RESTORE from that back up. As with previous versions, it's the File Menu, selecting Restore ...
I also have a practice of how I name my files. Normally it is Surname followed by the Version of Family Tree Maker AND the Build of that version. The file I am going to use, is my working file, which I call Master. I want to restore my FTM2012 file. When I backed up the file in FTM2012, I called it Master2014-1207, as 1207 is the 64 bit build number that was installed on this computer. The 32 bit version, I believe, is build 207. So I select that file, it is included in the Open field, as we are ready to Restore that file and open it in FTM2014.
You are then asked to Name the file, I am naming it Master2014-1207 and Family Tree Maker will add .FTM as the file extension.
The new People Workspace will then open and you are ready to go.
Yes, There are changes here, but they will be posted over the next couple of days.
To return to the Plan Workspace for this file, there are now TWO Tabs. New and Current, with the To Do list now present.
There will be a follow up Blog Post, to go into more detail on this workspace showing where "stuff" has been relocated. It's basically similar information, but moved around a little.
For me, the change is good, in that I am reminded of my To Do list (Task List), who the Home Person is, and who the Last Person I worked on. More on that later.
Time to get started with this new version of Family Tree Maker.
Copyright © 2013 by H R Worthington


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Steve Williams, the former caddie of golfer Tiger Woods, made inflammatory comments during an acceptance speech after he received a mock award. The remarks were made at the Annual Caddy Awards dinner in Shanghai Friday.
In an interview, for which he won the satirical "Celebration of the Year" award, he said the day his new boss Adam Scott won the Bridgestone Invitational was "the best win of his life," despite being Woods' caddie for 13 years. His remark?
"My aim was to shove it right up that black --------."
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
He was referring to Woods' posterior. The comment was met in the banquet room with gasps and a little laughter.
Williams issued an apology on his personal website shortly after: "I apologize for comments I made last night at the Annual Caddy Awards dinner in Shanghai. Players and caddies look forward to this evening all year and the spirit is always joking and fun. I now realize how my comments could be construed as racist. However I assure you that was not my intent. I sincerely apologize to Tiger and anyone else I have offended."


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Clarion Outdoor Loveseat
Click to change image.
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Dimensions: Width: 54 '' Height: 32 '' Depth: 31 '' Seat Height 17 '' Seat Depth 31 '' Arm Height 24 '' Floor Clearance 12 ''
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Cool mist is fresh and revitalizing, like a day at the spa.


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Obama Year Two: Continued Betrayal and Failure (Part II) – by Stephen Lendman
Part II concludes an assessment of Obama's year two.
Lessons from the Gulf
The aftermath of last April's Deepwater Horizon disaster left Big Oil again triumphant, thanks to the Obama administration's close industry ties, conspiring with BP in the greatest ever environmental crime. At the time, Public Citizen's Tyson Slocum said BP has "the worst safety and environmental record of any oil company operating in America."
It's been cited numerous times for willful negligence, shoddy maintenance, environmental crimes, neglecting worker safety rules, manipulating energy markets, and making a mockery of good industry practice in a business devoid of standards and ethics.
It'll be years before the full extent of damage is known. However, it's already clear that BP turned much of America's Gulf into a toxic wasteland. Independent scientists confirmed the disaster, citing fouled waters, beaches, marshes and wildlife, the extent and level of toxicity extremely hazardous to human, fauna, and flora life and sustainability.
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) warned that hydrocarbon/dispersants contamination "direct(ly) threat(ens) human health from inhalation or dermal contact." Millions have been exposed. A future public health disaster looms. An epidemic of diseases are expected, some potentially lethal like cancer.
Administration-BP complicity caused it, followed by coverup and denial, when independent research showed most oil remains. It still does. Moreover, Corexit dispersants increased toxicity manyfold. As a result, seafood is contaminated and unsafe. Vast areas of the Gulf and shorelines are hazardous to human health. The seabed is covered with an oily fluid. Oil and gas leaks continue unabated. Dispersants spraying continues. The Gulf's Loop Current has been disrupted, weakening the Gulf Stream. Global waters and weather patterns have been affected, perhaps catastrophically.
The long-term human, wildlife, and environmental harm potential is vast and serious. The disaster effects are increasing, not diminishing. A chain reaction of unpredictable phenomena may cause droughts, floods, crop failures, and global food shortages. Already many illnesses have occurred. Massive fish kills continue, and life along Gulf coastal areas may be threatened for decades.
The administration's response: On August 14, Obama gave the all-clear, saying oil no longer is flowing, and "as a result of the cleanup effort, beaches all along the Gulf Coast are clean and safe and open for business."
He lied as he always does willfully and repeatedly on all administration policies – foreign and domestic, war and peace, human health, welfare and safety, and everything of public concern, defrauding and betraying Americans, what he does best.
Targeted Assassinations
The Obama administration authorized CIA operatives and Special Forces death squads to kill US citizens abroad, suspected of terrorist involvement. Hollywood tough guy Chuck Norris responded, saying:
Obama is "abandon(ing) our Constitution….based on nothing more than" suspicion. "That's right. No arrest. No Miranda rights. No due process. No trial. Just a bullet," bomb or slit throat, Washington's new approach along with torture as official policy. It's justice, American-style under Republicans and Democrats. Obama is even more extreme than Bush. He flaunts the rule of law, disgracing America and making the entire world unsafe.
Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a US citizen in Yemen, was first named, targeted for opposing US belligerency, not crimes. All Americans are at risk globally, based on suspicions, not proof.
Moreover, in September 2009, it was learned that Central Command head General David Petraeus issued a secret directive, sending covert US Special Forces to friendly and hostile states in the Middle East, Central Asia, the Horn of Africa, and by implication anywhere in the world to "penetrate, disrupt, defeat or destroy" terror threats and "prepare the environment" for planned military attacks.
Overall, the Obama administration significantly expanded America's secret war against Al Qaeda and other named terrorists, using Special Forces in 75 countries. By now it's perhaps even more, usurping greater power than George Bush. Involved is gathering intelligence and using drone attacks and other methods against civilians, killing thousands, including targeted US citizens, denied due process and judicial fairness. It's more proof of eroding constitutional freedoms.
Destroying Public Education in America
Continuing Bush's No Child Left Behind (NCLB) fraud, Obama is spearheading his own Race to the Top, using failed NCLB practices, including rote learning, testing, teaching to the test, school choice, and (short of real achievement), market-based reforms.
In an unprecedented assault on public education, he's pitting one state against another, promoting school closures, mass teacher/staff layoffs, and wage and benefit cuts – arguing for draconian measures and privatizations to qualify for federal funding.
It's an insidious scheme to end a 375 year tradition. Today it's being incrementally destroyed to commodify education, end government involvement, make it another business profit center, benefit the well-off, revive a separate and unequal nation, consign poor kids to low-wage, no benefit service jobs with no future so why educate them. It thus puts the American dream out of reach for millions, besides destroying it altogether, except for children from super-rich or rich families.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan heads the effort. Formerly Chicago Public Schools CEO, he wrecked them by closures, teacher firings, budget cuts, militarizing city high schools, and privatizations, including nearly 100 quasi-private charter schools, many run by for-profit companies. He plans the same for America, replacing public education with marketplace inequality, what poor kids across the country can expect.
Targeting Net Neutrality and Privacy
Obama maintained Bush administration policy, expanding intrusive government surveillance, including by monitoring personal Internet communications. Moreover, despite a campaign pledge to support "network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet," he reneged across the board. As a result, a free and open Internet is now threatened, including under provisions of S. 3804: Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) if enacted with a similar House bill.
It aims to break the Internet one domain at a time, by requiring domain registrars/registries, ISPs, DNS providers, and others to block Internet users from reaching certain web sites. In other words, if passed, COICA will let Washington suppress free speech and block access to non-infringing and other material, inflicting enormous constitutional damage in the process.
In addition, a leaked September 2010 House Energy and Commerce Committee draft bill, if enacted, will let cable and telecom giants establish, among other provisions, premium higher-priced lanes (two Internets), effectively destroying Net Neutrality, compromising the last free and open space. Despite his campaign promise, Obama supports these measures. If enacted, they'll institutionalize thought control, the main weapon of police state authority.
Note: Net Neutrality is a defining issue of our time to keep the last public space free and open, letting users access all content without restrictions, limitations or restrictions, maintaining a level playing field for everyone.
On December 21, that ended when the Democrat-controlled FCC bowed to giant cable and telecom demands, compromising Net Neutrality. Corporate interests got control. Another Obama promise was broken, subverting digital democracy for profit and the ability to block unwanted content.
A full account of what was feared can be accessed through the following link:
High Court Injustice
The entire court represents elitist, pro-corporate, imperial interests, including Obama's two appointments, notably Elana Kagan. As Solicitor General, she argued that combating terrorism takes precedence over First Amendment rights. As Harvard Law School dean, she hired Bush's outgoing Office of Legal Counsel director, Jack Goldsmith, to teach law, a man Professor Francis Boyle calls "a war criminal."
She also endorsed Bush's bogus "unlawful enemy combatant" notion, what Boyle calls a "quasi-category to create an anti-matter universe of legal nihilism where human beings (including US citizens) can be disappeared, detained incommunicado, denied access to attorneys and regular courts, tried by kangaroo courts, executed, tortured, assassinated and subjected to numerous other manifestations of State Terrorism."
It brazenly violates fundamental constitutional protections, ones shredded post-9/11. Kagan strongly supports it and other illegal measures, including presidential power, the "unitary executive" kind under Bush and now Obama, as well as any practice fighting terrorism. Her presence further solidifies extremist High Court control.
Targeting Whisleblowers, Endangering Truth
On April 27, 1961, Jack Kennedy said:
"The very word secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighs the dangers, which are cited to justify it."
In a free and open society, principled leaking is vital to expose abuses of power and help make rhetorical democracies real ones. However, more than ever under Obama, those doing it are targeted, publicly denounced, pilloried by the media, fired if journalists, and at times arrested and prosecuted. The Obama administration has been more aggressive than his predecessors – going further than Nixon or Bush, including against Thomas Drake.
A former National Security Agency (NSA) senior executive, he was bogusly indicted on April 15, 2010 on multiple charges of "willful retention of classified information, obstruction of justice and making false statements."
Julian Assange perhaps now is threatened for revealing hundreds of thousands of diplomatic, as well as Iraq and Afghan war documents – by candidate Obama promising transparency, accountability, and reform of extremist Bush policies. Instead, he systematically hardens them, usurping surveillance powers, including warrantless wiretapping, accessing personal records, monitoring financial transactions, and tracking email, Internet and cell phone communications to gather secret evidence for prosecutions. He also claims Justice Department immunity from illegal spying suits, an interpretation no member of Congress or administration ever made, not even Bush or his Republican allies.
As a result, no one is safe, including human rights activists, political dissidents, anti-war protestors, Muslims, Latino immigrants, lawyers who defend them, journalists exposing federal crimes who don't disclose sources, and whistleblowers like WikiLeaks, army Pfc. Bradley Manning, and government insiders, privy to lawlessness they want revealed. According to Obama prosecutors, they're enemies of the state for supporting a free and open society, one endangered, in fact, without them.
Note: On December 10, the Senate passed S. 372: Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009 (introduced on February 3, 2009).
The National Whistelblowers Center issued a red flag alert, saying:
"S. 372 is a bad deal for whistleblowers." Two "poison pills" undermine the bill's minor benefits. Specifically, for the first time, federal employees aren't protected, in violation of an earlier federal court ruling ordering corrective action for a whistleblower. "The provision also runs counter to every major study on how to detect fraud," including a recent one by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. It and others concluded that protecting whistleblowers is the best way to expose it and those culpable.
The second rollback gives the "broken" Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) greater power instead of reforming it. It lets MSPB dismiss whistleblower cases without hearings.
There's still time for the House to act responsibly. Public pressure alone makes it possible.
Political Prisoners in America
America has by far the world's largest prison gulag with over 2.4 million held in federal and state facilities, local jails, Indian, juvenile, and military ones, US territories, and numbers held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Half are for nonviolent offenses, many for political activism, others for political advantage to incite fear and hysteria for the bogus war on terror. As a result, large numbers have been wrongfully convicted, including many dozens for murders they didn't commit.
Post-9/11, Muslims became the target of choice, many hundreds hounded, vilified, rounded up, persecuted, and either deported or imprisoned on bogus terrorism charges.
They're also illegally entrapped, Obama's Attorney General Holder letting enforcement officials or agents induce, influence, or provoke crimes that otherwise wouldn't be committed. It's routine practice, an "essential law enforcement tool" to invent terror attacks, then prevent them, duping people to believe they're safer, unaware that Washington is the real threat, not innocent victims, rotting in prison to prove it.
In addition, Blacks and Latinos are victimized by racist drug laws, get tough on crime policies, a guilty unless proved innocent mentality, three strikes and you're out, or simply too poor for a proper defense.
Confinement conditions are harsh and abusive, including long-term isolation, poor medical care, physical abuse including torture, and perfunctory parole hearings denying their right to justice.
Obama prosecutors continue these practices ruthlessly, including torture as official state policy. War on terror priorities take precedence over lawful practices, no longer assuring safety in America under a president as disdainful as his predecessor, even worse in disturbing ways.
Food Fascism Legislation
In July 2009, the House passed HR 2749: Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. It's code language for its real intent – to assure greater agribusiness consolidation and empowerment at the expense of small farmers and producers, as well as consumers.
In March 2009, the Senate version was introduced – S. 510: FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. After consumer groups exposed its true purpose, it stalled but didn't die.
On November 30, New York Times writers Gardiner Harris and William Neuman, announced the bad news, headlining "Senate Passes Sweeping Law on Food Safety," saying:
"The bill is intended to keep unsafe foods from reaching markets and restaurants, where they can make people sick – a change from the current practice, which mainly involves cracking down after outbreaks occur."
Once again, The Times lied, displaying its support for wealth, power, and global corporate predation, endorsing S. 510 instead of exposing and condemning it. It did mention a problem, however, explaining the bill could die for lack of enough lame duck session time for House and Senate versions to be reconciled.
To solve the problem, "Top House Democrats said….that they were considering simply passing the Senate version to speed approval but that no decision had been made."
Still another problem remains, Roll Call's John Stanton saying S. 510 "violated a constitutional provision requiring that tax provisions originate in the House. By pre-empting the House's tax-writing authority," the bill was temporarily in limbo without resolution until the House passed it on December 8 in an amendment to HR 3082: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.
On July 10, 2009, the earlier version passed the House. On November 17, 2009, the Senate approved its own bill. Obama never signed it because (on December 10, 2009) both Houses passed HR 3288: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010, signed by Obama on December 16.
In the lame duck session, HR 3082, including amendments, is being used as a vehicle to pass a one-year Continuing Resolution (CR) for discretionary government funding through FY 2011. Included is amendment language to resolve the tax origination problem, assuring S. 510 passes and becomes law.
On December 19, it did in new form (unanimously with no recorded vote), as an amendment to HR 2751: Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act, passed by the House on June 9, 2009. On December 21, the House followed suit, Democrats (including Obama) as eager as Republicans to empower agribusiness at the expense of small farmers and consumers.
Earlier, Obama urged action, saying:
"With the Senate's passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act, we are one step closer to having critically important new tools to protect our nation's food supply and keep consumers safe."
False, according to the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), calling House and Senate bills "food tyranny," giving the corporate-run FDA sweeping new powers:
"to criminalized and imprison farmers and food producers while doing absolutely nothing to address the real root of the food contamination problem: Factory animal farm operations (regulated by the USDA, not FDA)."
"If you're in the food business," said FTCLDF, "better begin preparing now to avoid the FDA SWAT teams" from cracking down on small farmers and producers, while letting their corporate allies operate freely. As a result, expect more harm, not improved safety, as well as greater than ever consolidated control of America's food – instead of decentralized production, processing and distribution, assuring safer, cheaper, more reliable products.
Obama's Failed Ecuadorean Coup Attempt
What worked in Honduras, failed in Ecuador, President Raphael Correa lucky to survive a plot to oust (or perhaps kill) him. Coup plotters shut down airports, blocked highways, took over an airbase, parliament, and Quito streets, the pretext being a law restructuring police benefits despite Correa having doubled their wages.
In fact, Washington's fingerprints were all over another Latin leader removal plot, less than 100% supportive of neoliberal extremism. For Correa, it's not his domestic austerity and pro-business policies, but his ties to Hugo Chavez and Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas (ALBA) membership, a WTO/NAFTA alternative based on fair, not corporate one-sided free trade, the curse of Latin and other states for decades.
Correa survived, perhaps chastened enough to shift increasingly right, sacrificing more popular interests to keep power. If not, Washington's long knives remain sharp and ready to try again to oust him. Obama has proved as ruthless as Bush.
Provoking North Korea
Last March, Pyongyang was falsely blamed for sinking a South Korean ship. At the time, evidence suggested a false flag, manufactured to stoke regional tensions. The incident occurred near Baengnyeong Island opposite North Korea. US Navy Seals and four US ships were conducting joint exercises in the area. The torpedo used was German, not North Korean as claimed. Germany sells none to Pyongyang. Yet it was blamed for what it didn't do, a clear case of Pentagon-manufactured mischief.
On November 23, another incident heightened tensions after North Korea shelled a South Korean island, AP reporting:
"The skirmish began when Pyongyang warned the South to halt (provocative) military drills in the area, according to South Korean officials. When Seoul refused and began firing artillery into disputed waters, albeit away from the North Korean shore, the North retaliated by bombarding the small island of Yeonpyeong, which houses South Korean military installations."
Despite repeated warnings, the South provoked the North, likely wanting a hostile response at the behest of Washington. The pattern follows how the 1950 Korean War began, getting Monthly Review co-founders Leo Huberman and Paul Sweezy, in 1952, to cite I F Stone's belief that it was the greatest swindle in military history, blaming the North for what the South initiated in cahoots with the Truman administration wanting war.
Stone called it international aggression. So did Huberman and Sweezy 14 months into the conflict saying:
"….we have come to the conclusion that (South Korean president) Syngman Rhee (a US puppet) deliberately provoked the North Koreans in the hope that they would retaliate by crossing the parallel in force. The northerners (who wanted a unified Korea, not war) fell neatly into the trap," giving Truman the war he wanted.
At issue now is whether Obama wants another one despite waging two unwinnable wars. It seems unlikely, but little by this administration surprises after nearly two years of out-of-control belligerency.
On December 4, it continued as US and South Korean forces conducted live fire naval maneuvers in the Yellow Sea, provoking an angry Chinese response. At the same time, Pentagon and Japan's military held one of their largest ever joint military exercises with thousands of troops, hundreds of aircraft, and the USS George Washington, a nuclear armed aircraft carrier, and its accompanying ships.
On the same day, South Korea began week-long live fire drills in waters off North Korea's coast. More are planned, and according to Kim Kwan-jin, the South's new defense minister, "I don't care about North Korean responses and they are not worth considering." He also vowed to bomb the North if Pyongyang again attacks.
China called for emergency Six-Party Talks, including both Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and America. Washington, Tokyo and Seoul rejected them, holding their own instead, excluding China, a clear affront not soothed by Obama calling Chinese leader Hu Jintao. On December 6, China's People's Daily highlighted deteriorating Washington/Beijing relations in an op-ed titled, "How should China handle America's 'return to Asia?' " Given America's penchant for belligerency, China has clear reason to worry.
Choosing saber-rattling over diplomacy, regional tensions are now heightened. The Obama administration is using the South and its own area forces as weapons against the North with no reason to want conflict. Washington may have other ideas.
Obama's Repressive Immigration Policy
Since taking office, Obama made America more than ever a police state, including by targeting immigrants, holding thousands in hundreds of unlisted, unmarked detention facilities in nearly every state before secret courts deport them, at times stranding them far from home countries.
In 2009 and 2010, record numbers were deported, including many long-time residents contributing to their communities productively. No matter. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) goon squads reign terror on them, targeting homes, work places, and other locations where they congregate.
In detention, their conditions are inhumane. Secret courts deny due process, and dozens of deaths have occurred in captivity. Women are especially impacted, vulnerable to sexual harassment, rape, and loss of their US-born children, American citizens, seized in raids, and put up for adoption.
Overall, Obama's immigration agenda is brutal and unjust, normalizing police state tactics, forcibly separating families, destabilizing workplaces and communities, and committing widespread civil rights abuses, treating aliens like criminals, not with respect they deserve.
Obama Capitulates to Republicans
Unsurprisingly, a corporatist hard-right president favoring wealth and power over social justice and popular need broke another campaign pledge by capitulating on extending tax cuts and other benefits for the rich, while offering working Americans chump change.
His deal is worth up to $1 trillion, the lion's share to corporations and the nation's wealthy, promoted as stimulus to create jobs and revive economic growth. In fact, it's roughly neutral, offsetting stiff, growing headwinds that otherwise would have had greater impact without something counteracting them in place.
However, make no mistake. Obama took care of his own, a strategy he hopes will assure another four years and get enough Democrats elected with him. As for his base, he wants their votes, even lying to hide his betrayal, including class warfare planned during the next two years. More on that below.
Greater Homeland Repression Ahead
Former Legal Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), now serving in Chicago's People's Law Office, Michael Deutsch, believes hardened "anti-terrorism" laws are coming against activists seeking social justice.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is using the Supreme Court's June 2010 Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project decision. It called nonviolent First Amendment speech and advocacy "coordinated with (or) under the direction of" groups designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) criminal activity.
Under the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, Congress made it a crime punishable by up to 10 years, later 15 for anyone providing "material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization or attempts or conspires to do so." The statute defines it as:
"….any property, tangible or intangible, or service, including currency or monetary instruments or financial services, lodging, training, expert advice or assistance, safe houses, false documentation or identification, communications equipment, facilities, weapons, lethal substances, explosives, personnel and transportation except medicine or religious materials."
In fact, many groups and individuals providing peaceful advocacy are threatened, including Jimmy Carter for training all Lebanonese parties (including Hezbollah) on fair election practices. He submitted an opposition amicus brief.
CCR called the ruling "one of a very few times that the Supreme Court has upheld a criminal prohibition of speech under strict scrutiny, and the first time it has permitted the government to make it a crime to advocate lawful, nonviolent activity."
Deutsch now believes Obama's Justice Department will target political groups and activists, using their First Amendment rights in support of liberating struggles, including against Israeli apartheid and occupation. Under material support's new definition, anyone backing (rightly or wrongly) designated terrorist groups may be prosecuted as criminals, no matter their just cause. Obama is even more lawless than Bush. As a result, expect harder-line enforcement to come.
Obama's Neoliberal Austerity
Instead of vitally needed stimulus to revive a troubled economy, Obama plans austerity, using the pretext of deficit cutting urgency to shift more public wealth to super-rich allies already with too much but want it all.
As a result, two deficit cutting commissions proposed punishing social cuts. They barely touched defense, endorsed corporate and super-rich benefits by lowering income tax rates dramatically, and recommended a national sales tax, harming working households most.
In addition, they want deep Medicare cuts and comprehensive tort reform to make it harder for aggrieved patients to file malpractice suits. They proposed raising the Social Security retirement age to 69, while at the same time, reducing cost-of-living increases, now based on annual (jerry-rigged low) inflation rates.
Other recommendations included ending home mortgage and most other deductions and credits, taxing employer provided health insurance to encourage less comprehensive coverage and make healthcare cost more, freeze vital non-defense discretionary spending for four years, then cap it according to GDP growth, and various other schemes hitting working households hardest.
On December 3, Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (NCFRR) voted 11 – 7 for a national impoverishment plan to make super-rich allies richer. Fourteen votes were needed for congressional consideration, yet supportive "liberals" like Illinois Senator Dick Durbin called it a major victory.
Another faux progressive also endorsed it, North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad, saying in a December 1 press release:
"he supports the far-reaching debt reduction package produced by the President's (commission, calling it) a moment of truth….to avert a national fiscal crisis."
Even opposing members expressed overall support, signaling what's likely once the 112th Congress considers the plan next year. In a December 4 press release, Obama also effectively endorsed it, saying:
"I want to thank the (commission) members….for their important work in highlighting the magnitude of the challenge before us, and outlining an array of options to confront it….we simply cannot allow our nation to be dragged down by our debt. We must correct our fiscal course….our success depends on our willingness to engage (in) honest conversation and cooperation….we will all have to budge on long-held positions."
In other words, tax working Americans more, shred their social safety net, leave disadvantaged people on their own, while maintaining out-of-control militarism, support for criminal bankers and other corporate favorites, as well as super-rich allies by lower taxes and other benefits.
The latest example: Obama capitulating to Republicans on extending Bush's tax cuts for the super-rich on income, capital gains, and dividends. Also on their federal estate tax that lapsed at the start of 2010. Despite rhetorical disapproval, Democrats concurred, while at the same time agreeing to address deep austerity cuts for working Americans.
Overall, class warfare is planned for a future America unfit to live in, worse than now, a time of economic crisis, permanent wars, and increased homeland repression against dissent.
The class struggle between haves and have-nots keeps escalating. Already powerful winners have emerged. Wealth disparity extremes are unprecedented. Expect mass impoverishment, greater crises, and increased worker exploitation ahead. Congressional "progressives" and unions like the AFL-CIO effectively support it. So does Change to Win's four affiliated unions:
— International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT);
— Service Employees International Union (SEIU);
— United Farm Workers of America (UFW), and
— United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).
Changetowin.org's web site describes the organization as:
"5.5 million workers united in Change to Win to build a new movement of working people equiped to meet the challenges of the global economy and restore the American Dream in the 21st century," apparently by wrecking it.
Their goal: cut wages and benefits to make US exports more competitive. Sacrifice worker needs on the alter of capitalist excess, their pain the price for its gain. It's a shocking indictment of a destructive system, winning bipartisan congressional and administration support, as well as union bosses betraying their rank and file instead of backing constructive alternatives.
New Start Treaty
On December 22, the Senate voted 71 – 26 to pass Start, what The New York Times called Obama's "most tangible foreign policy achievement." Thirteen Republicans joined Democrat unanimity, exceeding the constitutionally required two-thirds majority.
In fact, the treaty is more hype than substantive change. Serious nuclear reductions or disarmament aren't envisioned or planned. New modernized weapons will replace outdated ones. Dangerous testing will continue, and billions of dollars annually will be committed to proliferate a globally destructive first-strike capability, including from space.
The only common sense solution was ignored – full verifiable nuclear disarmament to avoid any possibility of nuclear war. Obama's year two ended as hypocritically as it began, promising little better going forward and likely worse.
A Final Comment
After nearly two years in office, Obama's been shameful, destructive, and criminal, sacrificing popular interests when most needed, pursuing an agenda heading America for tyranny and ruin unless stopped. A earlier 12 month assessment concluded that he wrecked America for a financial aristocracy; embraces a permanent war policy; flaunts human rights, civil liberties and constitutional freedoms; exceeds the worst of George Bush; and mocks democratic freedoms under a repressive police state apparatus.
It gets worse. Midway through his tenure, he's got bipartisan support to destroy America's middle class, create a nation of serfs, continue permanent wars, harden homeland repression, and solidify Orwell's dystopian future of "a boot stamping on a human face – forever," by a president promising change.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at email@example.com. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.


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Because you still can!
Unlike Google, Bing, and Yahoo, who have algorithms that weigh keyword density,
relevance, links, and SENIORITY (that's right – if you have had dominance for a keyword for years, it's darn hard for anyone tobump you from it) LinkedIn is still relatively virgin territory.
For business owners in the more popular competitive fields it is virtually impossible to beg, steal, or borrow a top page one ranking on Google. The smart larger firms started optimizing for SEO ages ago. They hire rooms full of people in Bangalore or Shanghai to sit around for $2.20 a day and stuff keywords into content, Meta tags, Meta descriptions, photo titles,pop-ups, dropdowns, and URL's.
LinkedIn is still doable, and it's more than just keyword stuffing. If you research the appropriate words to compete with, and integrate them into valuable content it does not detract from the integrity of your profile. For several of my clients I have been able to get keywords like "real estate – 95131" ranked not just on the first page, but NUMBER ONE, on LinkedIn: The fastest growing search medium for professional services. Check it out at http://bayintegratedmarketing.com
I would also invite you to check out my small business blog (great tips) at: https://bayintegratedmarketing.wordpress.com


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Weekend Herb Blogging #41 Recap
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
Our very first herb blogger this week is a new participant, Rachelle from The Accidental Gardener. Rachelle subscribes to the same "recipes are just a guideline" philosophy of cooking that I do, and created a Polenta and Bean Casserole with Tomatoes, Cheese, and Cilantro that sounds yummy.
Toronto, Canada
Ruth from Once Upon a Feast has been cooking overtime this week. First she made Lamb Chop Summer Salad, perfect for South Beach Dieters, and loaded with herby goodness. Next Ruth explored barbecueing with herb skewers, using lemongrass and rosemary branches. Finally, as promised, Ruth shares the recipes for the sea bass kebabs and chicken kebabs that she cooked on her rosemary and lemongrass skewers, plus some tasty sounding salads too.
Trinidad, California, U.S.A.
A visit from her sister and brother-in-law to attend a local blues festival prompted Christine of Christine Cooks to prepare a very special sounding dinner. The main dish was a fabulous sounding Steelhead with Herbes de Provence and Fresh Basil, but Christine's Mango, Cherry Tomato, and Mozarella Salad with Fresh Basil and her Blood Orange Vinaigrette and Balsamic and Blood Orange Reduction Sauce also sound amazing.
Washington, U.S.A.
A nicely-done post about the glories of basil came next, from another new herb blogger, Kitchen Queen, from the blog of the same name. This informative post gives information about the health benefits of basil, and also contains a recipe for Basil Pesto, used in a great sounding recipe of Pesto Pasta with Chicken. This is something I know I'll be making.
North Carolina, U.S.A.
Again, a new herb blogger, this time JMom from In Our Kitchen, who writes a number of blogs and is involved in Lasang Pinoy food blog events. JMom has a great crop of beets in her family garden, and she uses the fresh beets to make Fresh Pickled Beets with Dill, which look gorgeous in the photo and sound like they would taste wonderful.
Melbourne, Australia
An excellent post about sage is the contribution this week from Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once, who tells us about some of the medicinal qualities of sage as well as the things that make it so wonderful for cooking. Then in a creative twist on a recipe that was part of her heritage, Haalo creates Quail Saltimbocca with Fresh Sage, and shares the recipe and some stunning photos.
Missouri, U.S.A.
A Fridge Full of Food is a new blog that I bet you'll want to start reading if you haven't discovered it yet, and Glenna is our next contributor, and another new herb blogger! She discovered Chimichurri Sauce at a local steak house, and she's been making it ever since, to be used as a dipping sauce for bread as well as other uses. (There's an interesting thread of comments here about whether chimichurri sauce can be frozen; anyone tried that?)
Melbourne, Australia
Mushrooming is one of the hobbies of Neil from Food for Thought, and he sends a very interesting post about Morel Mushrooms, particularly Morchella Elata, a black morel which grows in Australia. If all you can get are dried morels, not to worry, Neil shares a morel sauce recipe that has dry morels, shallots, butter, garlic, brandy, chicken stock, and cream. What's not to like in that list of ingredients?
Davis, California, U.S.A.
In a post which seems to have started a dialogue among the women herb bloggers, Sher from What Did You Eat presents The George Clooney of Tomato Soups, also known as Perfect Summer Tomato Soup with Tarragon Sauce. If you don't get what perfect soup has to do with George Clooney, either you're a man or you need to read the comments on Sher's post.
Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Another new herb blogger and relatively new food blogger is Mandira from the blog Ahaar, who has learned to enjoy pasta with Italian herbs rather than her native masala spice blends. Primavera means spring, and Mandira's recipe for Pasta Primavera with Basil, Rosemary, and Parsley contains lots of delicious garden veggies and sounds like it would taste great.
Weimar, Germany
Inspired by the Indian women who make their own Garam Masala each day, Meeta from What's For Lunch Honey has been experimenting with her own dried spice mixtures. In her post she shares how she dries her own herbs and then combines them to make her Italian herb mixture. I think this sounds like a wonderful way to save your herbs at the end of the summer.
Kronshagen, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
A truly unique entry for Weekend Herb Blogging comes next from Ulrike of Kuchenlatein, who shows us how she makes her own fresh soy milk. Ulrike also talks about the health benefits of soy products and the controversial use of genetically modified soy which is allowed in some countries.
Sydney, Australia
Talented cook Anna from Morsels and Musings has another delicious herby offering this week with her Italian Veal Roll with Basil. Besides the recipe, Anna gives a lot of interesting information about the varieties, origins, and uses of basil, so be sure to read all that if you're a basil fan like me.
Southwest Coast of Florida, U.S.A.
Another new herb blogger (I keep saying that!) and possibly a new blog for some of you to discover when you read the great recipe for Asian Style Cole Slaw sent by Doodles, one of the three contributors of Peanut Butter Etouffee. I love the sound of this with green and red cabbage, bell peppers, carrots, green onions, and cilantro, and a spicy Asian style dressing.
Southern California, U.S.A.
Surfindaave of The Serendipitious Chef thinks the U.S. tomatoes don't compare to those he's had in other parts of the world, and he's been on a quest to find a flavorful tomato for a few weeks now. He discovered heirloom tomatoes at the farmer's market, tried four different kinds this week, and reports they are a big improvement over the other California tomatoes he's had. To spotlight the flavor, he's created Mixed Heirloom Tomato and Dandelion Salad, which looks gorgeous. (Correction added later: Surfindaave tells me in a comment that it's only the Southern California tomatoes, which are bad, not all over the U.S. Anyone care to venture a guess why that would be?)
Sunnyvale, California, U.S.A.
I've never had any luck growing carrots, so I'm impressed the the lovely carrots that are coming from the garden of Strata from My Bay Area Kitchen. She says it's the "fluffy" planting mixture she uses in her raised beds that let the carrots grow so well. Strata gives us a recipe for Summer Carrots with a Snap, a yummy sounding microwave recipe that features carrots combined with ginger, honey, and sesame seeds.
Istanbul, Turkey
Returning to Weekend Herb Blogging this week is Isil of Veggie Way, who sends another unique and very interesting entry with her recipe for Purslane Salad. I was very tempted to wander out into my weed-infested garden and take a photo of some purslane, which is widely considered a weed in the U.S., and I think Isil is correct that many people don't know that this is edible. I have promised Isil that I'll try making this wonderful sounding salad, especially since she has given so much great information about the nutritional value of purslane. Can't wait to try it.
Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.A.
Genie from The Inadvertent Gardener has bounced back from her garden disaster with the black walnut trees, and she and Steve are still thinking of imaginative ways to use some of the green tomatoes from the plants that didn't survive. This week they're concocting bacon, spinach, and fried green tomato sandwiches with Lemon Basil Aioli. It took Genie three tries to perfect the aioli, but the final version looks fantastic.
New Jersey, U.S.A.
I love the way many of the Weekend Herb Blogging participants have become a kind of online community, visiting each other's blogs and trying each other's recipes. A few weeks ago Sher posted a recipe for Strata with Spinach and Gruyere. This week Gattina has given the recipe her own unique twist, turning it into Sher's Strata with Fried Basil Leaves. Fried basil leaves! What could possibly taste better!
New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Another example of the WHB participants borrowing cooking ideas from each other comes from the kitchen of Paz from The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz. This week, nursing a hurt foot, Paz has created an Easy Broccoli Salad which she found on the blog of Kel, another frequent herb blogger. Paz also includes information about why broccoli is so good for you, and a poignant story about why she wishes it was in vending machines.
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
It's incredibly hot in Washington D.C. and Christa from Calendula and Concrete doesn't feel like being out in her garden where there's not a drop of shade. Instead, she combines lemon basil, sweet basil, and lemons to create a very refreshing-sounding Basil Lemonade. What a great way to stay cool!
New York City, New York, U.S.A.
This week the Chocolate Lady from In Mol Araan is making sorrel soup, also called Shtshav, schav, or szczaw, and named for the amazingly flavorful sorrel which is the main ingredient. However, this is not just any sorrel soup, but Deconstructed Shtshav, where the soup is not thickened and the eggs are served on the side. Possibly a warmer weather version, which sounds delicious.
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.
My own post this week was about How to Cook Spagetti Squash as a Summer Squash and I shared the difference between winter squash and summer squash. If you have any spagetti squash in your garden, do pick a few green ones and give this a try.
That's all the herb blogging for this week. Next weekend I'll be taking it a little bit easy, and Weekend Herb Blogging will be hosted by the fabulous Paz from The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz. She'll be posting the Recap on Monday from New York City, but you still need to send her your entry by mid-afternoon on Sunday (New York Time). Send them to pazcooks AT yahoo DOT com.


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Automotive Technician/ General Line Technician
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Historical quote for: SYY
No data for SYY on Wednesday, August 14, 2019
After Hours
--Quotes are delayed by 20 min
Aug 13, 2020, 6:55 p.m.
+0.05 +0.09%
Volume 32,481
Quotes are delayed by 20 min
Previous close
$ 59.70
$ 58.60
-1.10 -1.84%
Day low
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52 week low
52 week high
No data for SYY on Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Asian markets muted as traders warily await U.S. stimulus deal
A tale of two $2 billion Chinese IPOs headed in very different directions
The stock market hasn't seen a 100-day gain this strong since 1933
'Fortnite' maker accuses Apple, Google of illegal monopolistic practices in tech Battle Royale
U.S. seizes virtual currency accounts that allegedly funded militant groups
Amid bluster, Trump requests mail-in ballot for himself in Florida
Apple, Google and Epic Square Off Over Fortnite and In-App Payments
Wine country goes back to basics — and online — as pandemic upends business
Dr. Fauci says people should not politicize coronavirus: 'We've been through a Depression, we've been through a World War. We pulled together through 9/11'
A New Fee Could Make It More Expensive to Refinance Your Mortgage. What to Know.
Trump's EPA dumps methane emissions rule for oil, gas fields
This is the jaw-dropping question a reporter waited years to ask Trump
Trump uses coronavirus briefing to criticize Biden's mask mandate, decry mail-in vote, question Kamala Harris's eligibility as vice president
Alphabet Inc.'s Google also removes 'Fortnite' from its app store
A Chinese IPO just raised more than $2 billion amid tensions between U.S., China
Judges end California's statewide moratorium, landlords could seek evictions in a couple of weeks
Fauci urges schools to hold classes outdoors as much as possible
Virtual Stock Exchange


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Germany's oldest film museum is located in the magnificent Marstall building of the old city palace, which is currently being rebuilt.
The collections in Potsdam comprise over one million photos, exhibits from the technical side of film-making, costumes and items left by film stars in their wills. The museum opens in spring 2014 after renovation and fireproofing works. Among other features, the permanent exhibition entitled 'Dream Factory: 100 Years of Film at Babelsberg' will again be on display.
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SEABA stands for South End Arts and Business Association. It is "Where Art Works."
SEABA is dedicated to promoting Burlington's Pine Street corridor and its growing number of artists and businesses - large and small. Working together, our members create the unique character of the South End, a place where culture meets commerce.
SEABA is a 501(c)(6) trade association, in existence since 1986, representing its membership which includes many of the exhibiting artists and sites in the South End Art Hop. SEABA Exhibitions, Inc. was created as a 501(c)(3)to manage the public cultural and educational presentations of SEABA.


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Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas would not give Roberto Soldado any assurances over his place in his starting line-up for Sunday's game against Liverpool after the striker scored a Europa League hat-trick on Thursday night.
Soldado was Tottenham's matchwinner as they thumped Anzhi Makhachkala 4-1 at White Hart Lane, maintaining their 100% winning record in the competition as they move into the knockout phase.
It was a crucial night for Soldado, who has struggled to make his mark at Spurs since his 26 million pound summer move from Valencia, and lost his place in Villas-Boas's line-up in recent away wins at Fulham and Sunderland.
With the Tottenham boss targetting the clash with Liverpool at White Hart Lane as pivotal to his side's hopes of securing a top-four finish this season, he admitted he has yet to make a decision on whether to start with Jermaine Defoe or Soldado on Sunday.
"We have to think about it," he stated. "It was extremely important for him [Soldado] to get back to scoring. I'm extremely happy for him. He's been waiting for a moment like this and it finally happened tonight with a hat-trick. It will be major boost for a player who has been very professional and deserve the respect.
"I don't think he lost his confidence but, as a striker, you have to persist and persist, finishing off the situations you are given and that final touch hasn't been there for him recently. It will be a great boost of confidence for him.
"It's a bit premature [to decide the team for the Liverpool game]. We always wanted to give this game to Roberto after two games in a row for Jermain, who was deserving his chance as well. Now it's about putting the best possible strategy of the game and seeing what we can do.
"What this will help is put the player back with confidence with his final touch and a striker always lives off goals so it's extremely important."
Villas-Boas could now face a clash with his former club FC Porto in the latter stages of the Europa League, but he was quick to insist such a prospect was not appealing.
"On a personal level I wouldn't like that," he added. "Our aim is to go all the way to the final and I wouldn't like that. I have tremendous gratitude to the club and I'm a great fan so hopefully that doesn't happen until the final."


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About a week ago, the former WBZ-TV sports director said Manny was fined $500,000 for the Jack McCormick incident and decided to retaliate against the front office by allowing himself to be struck out by Mariano Rivera on July 6.
First of all, Lobel was way off in the amount of the fine. It turns out it was approximately $10,000-$15,000. And the second part of his "report" is more mind-reading than anything else, along the lines of the way Fox News begins stories with "Someone people say ..." to get the most silly, unfounded rumours into the public consciousness.
Regarding the possibility that Manny threw away that pinch-hitting appearance: If you believe that, then you probably have to believe that J. D. Drew tanked last night to end the game, that Jacoby Ellsbury has been allowing himself to get rung up, etc., etc., efuckingtc. ...
And by the way, strikes 2 and 3 of that at-bat were either balls or the type of borderline pitches that Ramirez often will not swing at. (Maybe he should have been swinging anyway, knowing that Rivera often gets those pitches called strikes.)
And as far as anyone saying, this is another in a long line of Manny Incidents, please remember that the history of MBM can be more accurately described as a long line of incidents blown out of proportion by the media and then used as evidence of Manny's evilness. The reporters know much more about what is going on than I/we do, but they have rarely put their cards on the table in a way that could erase my skepticism.
Right now, this is what we know for sure:
Manny has chronic knee problemsHowever, I now think that this is Manny's last year with the Red Sox. $20 million will go a long way in 2009.
He did not play last night
He went for an MRI, which looked good
There is a shitload of rumours swirling around


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You have to keep your head down. Despite the spray-laden wind, it's tempting to lift it above the rim of the boat and look ahead, so you can see the foam-capped waves racing past as the Zodiac inflatable roars upstream. Soon, in the distance, a towering peak of rock rises up. As you get closer you see shattering precipices and giant towers dusted with snow.
This is Torres del Paine, the citadel of Chile's epic south and one of the wildest national parks in the world. When the inboard of the Zodiac inflatable is finally switched off, all you can hear is the fury of the wind. The waves die down and the water reflects the massif in a pool as perfect as you could imagine, fringed by gnarled trees and blasted by bitter winds. Close by is a huge glacier, an offshoot of one of the largest ice fields in the world.
Then you set off walking, shifting the weight of your pack to get comfortable. There are other hikers around you, too – this isn't deserted wilderness by any means – but the largeness of the landscape can more than accommodate everyone. High up to the east, and overlooking the scrub and blasted forest, are the unnaturally sculpted Paine Towers themselves, and in front of you, dark-capped, are weird sculptures of the peaks of the Cuernos del Paine. If you're lucky you'll stumble across some guanacos, wild relations of the llama, or even a shy ñandú, the South American ostrich. But perhaps the best experience to be had here is simply to inhale the air, which is so crisp and thin that breathing is like drinking iced water.
Guided treks run to Torres del Paine from Puerto Natales, or you can travel to the park by bus or Zodiac.
For hundreds more ultimate travel experiences, get Rough Guides' Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth
Top image © Pedro Moraes/Shutterstock


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Hellllloooo lovelies,
It's been a long time since I last posted and so much has happened. I just don't know where to start…….well firstly I should say that I am in a happier place with Cash's untimely death. It still hurts of course, and still a shock, but it's like they say, time heals all wounds. I have decided to have his hair made into a bracelet so I will have some of him with me always. Just have to find a designer I like.
I have continued my workshops from home and it's been wonderful meeting new friends and customers in our new hometown. Plus catching up with current ones from my old hometown who make the big trip up to attend my workshops. They are true diehard crafters who love my workshops and who have turned into some of my best friends. They attend every fortnight and I look forward to it every week. We always laugh til we pee!!! Love you girls!!
If you have been following me for a few years you would know I do an annual craft show in Gatton, the Christmas in the Country Craft Show. Every year I think I won't do it the next, due to time and other responsibilities, but I always juggle it so I can make it happen and I am never disappointed. I meet and make new friends, catch up with old friends and share my passion, papercrafting, with them all. Plus make some great money for Christmas. I spend a lot of my earnings on buying from other stalls there. Just gorgeous goodies, a lot of it one-off products, for my loved ones for Christmas. I have a few photos to share. Not too many, I'm sorry I just ran out of time to take singular shots of all projects. I made quite a few different projects this year. A lot of them were made on my Silhouette Cameo……I'm so in LOVE with this machine LOL!
Before I get started please be aware if you choose to make and sell things created on the Silhouette make sure you purchase a commercial licence for each design you plan on selling, not all designs in the Silhouette offer this so check before you buy. I bought some designs from the Silhouette store and quite a few from SVG cuts. You can create and sell anything you purchase from SVG cuts, but you obviously cannot share the file you download to create these projects with.
To begin with I started on Pinwheels. They have been very popular lately and I decided to come up with some working ones. They were super cute and fun to make. Kids love these, and as it turned out so did adults. I must say my gorgeous hubby helped with the design on this one. He has a love of engineering and manufacturing.
I only made one of these and the following designs as they were very involved creations, but were very popular.
This is the stash I had put together in about one month. Lots of hard work in there.
For three months this is what my desk looked like, sometimes messier. LOL!
I made a few of these canvases again this year. They were quite popular and easy peasy to make.
Another favourite this year was the roses.
Just some more roses……
This year I opted for two tables as I was getting quite crowded with only having one and this year saw many new designs. I hope to have the two tables every year from now on.
Table #1
With close ups….
Table #2
and of course with close ups….
All of those photos were taken just after I set up. I hadn't even finished and another stall holder bought some of my goodies and didn't make it in the final photos, but that's okay, I 'm just glad she loved those roses so much, that she couldn't walk out the door in fear that they wouldn't be there on opening night. I made heaps of those roses but they just disappeared every time I turned around. LOL!
Now I best be off to get creating and designing for next years Christmas in the Country Craft Show.
See you there!