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Our friend Viv purchased the Bird DUET ( inkadinkado ) Stamp from our store www.SimonSaysStamp.com and created this beautiful card! As soon as I saw it, I just knew I needed to share it with our blogging friends - YOU!!!
She also purchased the WINTER BIRDS clear stamp set ( inkadinkado ) from www.SimonSaysStamp.com and went on to create 2 more fabulous inspiring Christmas cards for us to share!
I hope you enjoy! No need to adjust the color on your computer, these are fabulous cards using just one color - that makes 'em great for making lots at a time and sending out as Christmas Cards!
Comment to this blog to let Viv know what you think and Monday we'll draw a name for *BLOG CANDY ALERT* one of our lucky bloggers to receive the WINTER BIRDS clear stamp set! CLICK HERE To see Viv's Blog ;)
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Rules & Results
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The NDCA provides the the rulebook online as either a downloadable format (pdf) or a browsable webpage. Also, be sure to review "competitor information" for highlighted information. …read more
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Dustin Pedroia:
Just excited to have a manager. It took a while. ...[N]ow we can get ready for next year. ... He's been around. He's done it before and in a big market. It's going to be fun. ... I've got a lot of built-up stuff inside me to prove to everybody that we're going to be a great team in the future.WEEI's Alex Speier - who has written several lengthy, must-read articles this off-season - explains how Valentine became the Red Sox manager:
The selection of Bobby Valentine as the next Red Sox manager was an entirely unexpected outcome to the process. Shortly after manager Terry Francona was dismissed, according to multiple industry sources, at least one player was told by team officials that the Sox had no intention of hiring "someone like Bobby Valentine." ...
So what happened?
Kevin Millar:
I think you have to create some kind of fear. You have to fear somebody when you play this game. The best approach is to treat men like men ... There are some situations that need to be tightened up, whether that's the conditioning situation, whether that's the eyes in the clubhouse situation.Curt Schilling:
This one was just a stunning one for me. I didn't see the fit. Personality-wise, Bobby's a different bird. ... He's a smart guy. I had a chance to work with him this year at ESPN. He's got some very interesting takes on managing. ... We all know that Boston is different than every place else. ... I think Bobby is equipped to handle it. He's done it in New York. ... I don't mean this in a disrespectful way but it's going to come out that way, I thought someone was kidding when they first announced this, that he was being interviewed, because again, when I think back to the mandate and what the initiative might have been to change around at the end of last year and maybe going forward, Bobby Valentine is not the guy that I thought that this ownership group would be advocating for.Celtics coach Doc Rivers:
When I was with the Knicks a thousand years ago, I got to know [Valentine] a little bit. We lived in the same town in Stamford. I ate at Bobby V's quite a bit. I can tell you, he doesn't comp. ... I had to pay.ESPN's Buster Olney:
As Valentine emerged as a managerial candidate, some Red Sox players have been upset; they've been grumbling to each other, through texts and phone calls. Maybe it's because they heard Bobby critique their play on the air. Maybe they haven't liked his tone. Maybe they haven't liked his smile. Maybe they've heard bad things. And the fact is they had no power to do anything about it, because the September collapse completely undercut the credibility of the Red Sox players. If one of them had called the front office to register concerns about Valentine, they might've heard laughter on the other end of the line. The Boston players had complete control of the clubhouse in 2011, and we know what happened.Buster's blog is behind a pay wall, so I cannot read the entire column.
Quote Note (my emphasis): Rob Parker (ESPN) calls the hiring of Valentine "the biggest overreaction in the history of baseball. ... Even with Bobby Valentine they will not make the playoffs because their pitching is not good enough."


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Anyone here old enough to remember the 1970's? The roller discos? Well welcome to the roller disco for the 21st Century!
That's the all-nude version of course. And who better to demonstrate than the unbelievably gorgeous Anna S – dressed in a baseball cap, kneepads, roller-blades and absolutely nothing else!
Admire the view as Anna limbers up for a session of nude roller-blading around Petter Hegre's studio. We are sure you will agree that this has to be the sexiest way to stay in shape.
Cute, fun and sexy as ever, come and join Anna at the all-nude roller disco!
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text: This light and airy tote from Tory is a chic alternative to the ubiquitous canvas tote. In leather with the Tory Burch stamp on center and gold tone hardware. Magnetic snap closure, protective metal feet with detachable pouch on inside, no lining. Dimensions: 17"L x 5"W x 13"H; 7" drop handle


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Sandy Springs, GA – Medicine Cabinet Makeover
Green Smoothie Girl Apprentice Coach Terri Rowe RN, MBA
Saturday, January 25, 2014 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
What do green smoothies and your medicine cabinet have in common?
Now that you have revolutionized your diet and "made-over" your pantry by stocking it with plant-based, whole foods, we want to teach you how to "make-over" your medicine cabinet by replacing the over-the-counter medicines and other drugs in your home with pure, plant-based medicine-- also known as essential oils.
Just as you have been taught and have enjoyed the simple, nutritious, and delicious green smoothie drink and introduction into the whole-foods lifestyle by Robyn Openshaw, we invite you to join Green Smoothie Girl Health Coach Sr. Apprentice, Denise Edwards to learn how you can take charge of your healthcare with these self-directed, medicinal oils that you can utilize everyday to improve your body's chemistry and natural defenses.
"Make Over Your Medicine Cabinet"
Join us for this how-to class; and learn to be a healer in your own home because there is nothing better than medicine that is safe, natural, and effective-- (except maybe a green smoothie). :wink:
Get a ticket for yourself and a friend. We hope to see you there!
11AM - Medcine Cabinet Makeover - taught by Green Smoothie Girl Senior Apprentice Denise Edwards at Fitness Firm Studio; 209 Hilderbrand Rd., Sandy Springs, GA
Contact Denise Edwards for more information at:
**doTERRA IPC's: Our Medicine Cabinet Makeover classes are for those not yet introduced to the healing power of essential oils. Our classes are private events, despite ticketing on Eventbrite. They are hosted by a GSG coach who has expended significant time and expense. This coach is well trained and will teach her audience how to take their healthcare into their own hands. Additionally, they will show the audience many perks exclusively available to the GreenSmoothieGirl team – which include ticketing classes on the high-traffic GSG site, nationally advertised classes, and more. The Green Smoothie class taught by Robyn is free and everyone is invited, but please respect the coach's investment who is planning this class.
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This week saw the end of a years-long, international, multi-billion-dollar battle over one of the most boring things in finance: savings accounts.
At the center of the battle was Iceland, a tiny country where the banks grew into international behemoths during the credit bubble.
The banks got so big partly by convincing foreigners to open up online savings accounts. In particular, lots of people in England and Netherlands opened up "ICESAVE accounts" with a bank called Landsbanki. During the financial crisis, the bank collapsed.
The government of Iceland stepped in to make sure everyone in Iceland got their money out of their ICESAVE accounts. But the government didn't do the same thing for the British and Dutch people who had put their money in the bank.
The British and Dutch governments stepped in and made whole their own citizens who had lost money in the accounts — but they also promised to try to get the government of Iceland to pay them back.
Eventually, Iceland held a national referendum to decide whether to pay back the British and Dutch governments. The people voted that, no, Iceland should not repay the foreign governments. (Here's our story on the referendum.)
After that, the British and the Dutch took Iceland to court, to try to make the government pay. The ruling came down this week — and, basically, Iceland won. (This Reuters story has more details.)
I talked this week with Baldur Hedinson, a former Planet Money intern who grew up in Iceland and lives there now.
In the referendum, he voted in the minority: He thought Iceland should immediately repay the British and Dutch governments.
But, when I talked to Baldur this week, he told me his thinking had changed since then. At the time of the referendum, he worried that if Iceland refused to repay the British and Dutch, the country would be shut out of the world economy and would suffer as a result.
But that hasn't happened.
"Our economy is doing OK," Baldur told me. Things there aren't perfect, but Iceland hasn't been shunned. And the court's verdict this week validates the country's decision not to repay the foreign governments.
'"When I look back," Baldur said, "I think I voted the wrong way."
One of the stranger stories of the financial crisis may finally have come to an end. It was an international battle over bank accounts on a scenic island nation that touches the Arctic Circle. More precisely, it was a battle over who would pay when those bank accounts came up empty. Here's David Kestenbaum, with NPR's Planet Money team.
DAVID KESTENBAUM, BYLINE: The first remarkable thing about this story is where the bank accounts were located. The bank was on a small, often-frozen island in the middle of the ocean. In fact, it's named for being frozen - Iceland. As it happens, at the time all this was unfolding, our Planet Money intern, he was from Iceland. Hey, Baldur.
BALDUR HEDINSON, BYLINE: Hello, David.
KESTENBAUM: I've got to say your last name right. Let me try: Hedinson?
HEDINSON: Hedinson.
KESTENBAUM: Hedinson.
HEDINSON: Very good.
KESTENBAUM: Nice to have you back. Get us started - how big were the banks?
HEDINSON: The banks were huge. Before the financial crisis, they were 10 times the size of the economy. And they were even running TV ads abroad.
KESTENBAUM: Here, let's play my favorite ad. It starts John Cleese, of "Monty Python fame." It was for a bank called Kaupthing.
JOHN CLEESE: Kaupthing is the biggest company is Iceland. It's a company where you get all the benefits of a huge, global, multimillion - I mean, how many millions live in Iceland?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Three hundred thousand.
CLEESE: Three hundred thousand million?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: No, just 300,000.
CLEESE: Huh. So Kaupthing is the biggest company in this tiny, little country. Tell me, how many companies do you have in Iceland? What, half a dozen?
KESTENBAUM: Ads like this worked, in part because the savings accounts paid surprisingly high interest rates. And lots of people in England and the Netherlands opened up savings accounts with one bank in particular, Landsbanki. They were called ICESAVE accounts. During the financial crisis, the bank collapsed, and everybody tried to get their money out. But there was not enough money to go around.
HEDINSON: My government stepped in, and made sure that everybody here in Iceland got their money back. But they didn't do the same for people abroad.
KESTENBAUM: And the British and Dutch governments, they were pretty unhappy about that since a lot of their citizens had money in ICESAVE accounts. So what did they do? They stepped in and bailed out their own citizens. Here's British Finance Minister Alistair Darling, on the BBC that day in 2008.
ALISTAIR DARLING: I'm going to make it clear in the House of Commons later today, that we will stand behind the depositors, the savers in ICESAVE to make sure that they get their money back. I wouldn't normally do this because this is a branch of a foreign bank, but these are exceptional times. And, you know, it really is quite extraordinary when you get a country like Iceland, which is basically defaulting on its obligations. Now, we're going to pursue them, you know, with, you know, vigor...
KESTENBAUM: This pursuing with vigor, it went on for quite a while; the British and Dutch governments saying, you owe us money, and Iceland saying no, we don't.
HEDINSON: Eventually, in Iceland, we had a national referendum on this question. Should we pay the British and the Dutch back, or not?
KESTENBAUM: It was a big decision. Some people felt no - you know - these are private banks. Why should we pay for their mistakes; why should we pay what could be a few thousand dollars per person? Iceland, after all, is a tiny country. England is 166 times larger. Baldur, though, you did not feel that way.
HEDINSON: I was really worried what would happen if we didn't pay the money back. I mean, would people want to trade with us? Would people want to invest in Iceland? Would people trust Icelanders ever again? So I voted yes. I said we should pay the money back. I just thought it was the right thing to do.
KESTENBAUM: You were outnumbered, though, Baldur. There were more noes than yeses.
HEDINSON: Yeah. I definitely lost. But it still wasn't over. After that, it went to the international court.
KESTENBAUM: And this week - this week, finally - the court issued its ruling. There was a press conference on TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: Thank you very much. I'll just...
HEDINSON: Basically, Iceland won. We didn't have to pay any money back.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: And that - in very, very short summary - is what the court said over about 240 paragraphs.
KESTENBAUM: In England, this ruling barely made a ripple in the newspapers.
HEDINSON: Here in Iceland, people were really relieved. The TV cameras even caught our prime minister doing a little dance.
KESTENBAUM: What did the dance look like?
HEDINSON: (LAUGHTER) It was very awkward.
KESTENBAUM: OK. So the court answered this one question; Iceland does not owe any extra money. But there was this bigger fear you had, Baldur, which is that if you didn't pay up, you were worried Iceland's economy might suffer; that Iceland might be thrown out of the international community, seen as a deadbeat. Did that happen?
HEDINSON: No, it didn't. And, actually, our economy is doing OK, at the moment. It's not great, but it's doing OK.
KESTENBAUM: The world still needs Iceland.
HEDINSON: The world still needs Iceland, and Iceland definitely still needs the world.
KESTENBAUM: And how do you feel about your vote?
HEDINSON: When I look back, I think I voted the wrong way. Yeah. I voted the wrong way.
KESTENBAUM: Baldur, you know, no one ever admits they're wrong, on radio.
KESTENBAUM: All right, we've just got to do the end. I'm David Kestenbaum, in New York.
HEDINSON: And I'm Baldur Hedinson in Reykjavik, for NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Thanks to the News of the World scandal in the U.K., phone hacking prevention is a hot topic. Traditionally a headache reserved for celebrities, smartphone-hacking concerns have crossed the VIP vs. everyone else blood-brain barrier and now potentially impacts anyone who owns a cell phone.
But is this really a serious problem for us regular folks? Are our voicemail messages so interesting that someone would invade our privacy to listen in? Before we go barking up the narcissism tree, it's best to examine what phone hacking is and whether you really need to worry about it.
There are two types of phone hacking: hacking into a live conversation or into someone's voicemail, and hacking into data stored on one's smart-phone. Just as the majority of abductions are carried out by a member of the abductee's family—unless you go by code name POTUS or are Hugh Grant—the person most likely to hack into your live conversation or voicemail will be someone that you know who has an axe to grind.
And in today's mobile world, phone hacking is growing as a security issue. As people increasingly store sensitive data on their mobile devices, the opportunity to exploit privacy weaknesses becomes more tempting to unscrupulous frenemies, exes or the occasional stranger.
There is a cottage industry of phone hacking software ostensibly developed for legal uses but is easily abused (password crackers aptly named John the Ripper and Cain and Abel are two examples). Opportunistic hackers can wreak havoc with data deletion or install malicious software that gathers bank account logins and confidential business emails.
If you want to be proactive, there are several measures you can take to protect yourself against phone hacking, most of which involve common sense. For example:
If you're still worried about hacking, there are further steps you can take to protect yourself. However, taking things too far will defeat the purpose of having a smartphone at all.
Remember—if the thought of hacking has you tossing and turning at night, you can just turn the phone off, remove the battery and hide it under your pillow for some sweet lithium-ion induced dreams.
By Tracy Mardigian-Kiles


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School of Education and Social Sciences - Summer Teachers Academy
As you move ahead in your teaching career, perhaps you have developed new professional goals, such as:
The Robert Morris University Summer Teachers Academy (STA) offers several options to help you meet these goals.
All programs are offered at the RMU campus in Moon Township, Pa. Students can earn an MS in Instructional Leadership in just one year! Day and evening courses are available.


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I wrote the following sketch early one morning while sitting in Druber's, eating a peanut butter doughnut and a coffee stick:
Druber's is kind of like a cave. It is old and full of old things: an old oval mirror by the entrance, matching nothing else in its near vicinity; old coffee mugs hanging on the walls; an old tube television for firing up and gathering around in the case of a national emergency, no doubt; old stained wallpaper and wood paneling; old, cloudy-yellow, sagging counters installed in some former decade; Old plastic plants, old stains that have slowly, secretly sealed themselves into their respective crannies as time has passed; an old ceiling that has developed holes like a well-aged cheese; an old microwave, from the dawn of microwaves; and, in the morning hours, old people, reading morning papers, laughing throatily, discussing local news and sports (at the moment, boy scouts, blue algae and Bill Self) telling stories, cussing, kidding each other about getting older, taking careful stock of strangers who come through the seating area, complaining about the government; saying, "Take care; see ya," when their friends get up to leave and "Where y'been?" when they show up. This is their haunt, and as their spirits grow older they become more attached to it and haunt it more often. At intervals, one of the older men picks up a pot from the coffee counter and walks from table to table topping off cups and joining the table's conversation. Like good patriots, they drink a whole lot of coffee.
Ah, the coffee—It won't win any roasting awards and might even be called "weak" by snobs, coffee-shop types and hipsters (depending on the degree of hip in the hipster). But it is a workman's coffee—mild, simple, effective, consistent. It tastes slightly old, no matter how fresh the batch, taking on the character of the place—incorporating its particular aura, age and smell. That smell is chiefly of doughnuts, frying and cooling at various delectable stages behind the counter. There are all types of doughnuts: bear claws, coffee sticks (highly coveted), peanut butter, maple and chocolate long johns, cake doughnuts, classic glazed, wheat glazed, cream filled, fruit filled and more. And these are the center of the business, what the people come to see (and not just to see!). Their smell makes the air thick, warm and pleasant, morning or night.
But Druber's is not only for early risers. On Friday night at eleven o'clock, it takes on a whole new character like an actor playing two parts. The average age of its customer drops from seventy-something to twenty-something, and its description goes from, "Local haunt of the old and talkative" to "Cool place to be" (not that those two things are mutually exclusive). The tables are full of people and the air is full of sounds—a din of laughs, yells, orders, cash registers, jokes, cell phones, exclamations, doors closing and doors opening. There are Tabor College students from Hillsboro, Berean Academy students from Elbing, local Newton High students, families, visiting friends and relatives there to see the famous Druber's Doughnuts, people of all colors in all manner of dress and disposition. Some sit alone, looking sullen, nursing a milk and a long john; some play card games; some only pass through; some stay and talk until 3AM. And still the cheerful employees, make doughnuts, sell doughnuts and give away smiles like the pleasant, hard working people they are.
After the long night, comes another morning and with it comes a steady stream of customers-in-a-hurry wearing their work clothes, filling flimsy dozen or two dozen boxes with doughy delights, paying hurriedly (cash only), and racing off to work, school or home with their treasures. Druber's, in a very real sense, is a hub of city activity—a triumph of local economy—spreading its wares from Applewood Lane to Victoria Road. On a given day, its doughnuts can be found in classrooms at the High School, in the hospital, police station and city offices; the road construction at Highway 50 and Anderson road; in a tractor cab planting a field just east of town; in the sticky hands of a happy child at Centennial Park and on countless kitchen counters on both sides of the tracks. I have lived and traveled in Europe, and with all their culture, crumpets, croissants, strong coffee and cafes they have nothing more sui generous or less ostentatious than Druber's Doughnuts of sixth street, Newton.
R. Eric Tippin
In the Study on 8th Street


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Monday, February 02, 2009
Don Martin - In a Department Store
Boy, Don Martin sure was nice to kids. He just knew what we thought was funny.
Women's undergarments are inherently funny and we would have to read gags like these under the bed. We really thought we were getting away with something.
I wonder why so few animated cartoons are this purely entertaining? Maybe Sponge Bob is the last one to try to do crazy stuff that kids naturally crave.
Hot wet fertilizer is good kid's fodder too of course.
If you go back and read this whole story, you'll see that there is no story - not in the way animation execs and "writers" think stories should be - predictable. Do Martin loves to set things up to make you think the story is going to be about something predictable, the takes you into left field.
There's a place for plots and resolutions if you are good at writing them and can make them actually entertaining, but I think most kids would take pure controlled lunacy over formulaic animated cartoon plots any day.
In the classic tradition of the Three Stooges, there is no resolution or happy ending to this great story. The protagonist (Fester Bestertester) just gets shot off into the distance and we don't know what happens to him. We also forgot his best friend Karbunkle.
In an animation studio you'd be made to go back and explain everything. you'd also have to explain Bestertester's and Karbunkle's personal histories and why they have the personalities they do, what traumatic events in their childhoods caused them to be such unbalanced creatures. We'd need some pathos too. By the time you stuff your stories with all this filler, there's no time left for "hot Wet Fertilizer", Fat Lady or lingerie jokes.
And the latest horror that is inflicted on cartoon creators is "aspiration". Execs in the last few years have decided that kids want to watch cartoons about characters they can look up to, rather than laugh at. I can't imagine anything so counter-intuitive. "The Three Aspirational Stooges".
28 comments:
I knew that'd get 'im out!
- Toncho said...
Pretty interesting, as usual Mr. K.
By any chance, do you still have R+S footage? You know, storyboards and such. I just love them!
Kudos again K!
Great point. Seems like people have come to think Naturalism is automatically what makes a story good. And of course, they half-ass that, too.
I can't remember what movie I was watching the other day, it was a big one from last year, but it was full of "Why are you" and "Why did you"s so that the retarded audience would know why everything happened the way it did. Other new movies do that too, and they also explain things to death. Anti-Naturalism, I guess you could call it. Whatever it is, it doesn't belong in cartoons.
- Caleb said...
Upsettingly: "I didn't know they had ENTERTAINMENT here!"
- Isaac said...
Absolutely right.
- Elana Pritchard said...
Why is fun such a crime?
- John A said...
You made a very insightful conclusion regarding comedy, something that points out what's wrong with most comedy films made today- at the end of a modern comedy the main character learns an important lesson, and then and only then can the funny guy claim his "reward" (usually some chick he's been arguing with for the past hour and a half. HORSESHIT! Did anyone ever care if the Marx Bros. learned a very important lesson? Or Laurel and Hardy? or the Three Stooges? You never even hear the stooges say anything like,"gee, we should be more careful next time." you know why not? Because that would completely DESTROY the concept of the Three Stooges. We don't go to the stooges for life lessons, we go to the stooges to watch them fuck up. This is why men love the stooges and for years most women couldn't stand them.
Men identify with the stooges. Any man that has ever handled a sharp object or any kind of power tool can identify with the concept of imminent disaster. Life is dangerous, and when it happens to someone else, it can be EXTREMELY funny. The stooges are just overgrown inept children, same with Laurel and Hardy and Jerry Lewis. That's why this type of humour was frowned upon by most female moviegoers. Back then women were very uncomfortable with the sight of men acting like little boys. They wanted their men to be like they saw their daddies-perfect at everything. That's the main reason why you'll notice that some of the greatest comedy actors of all time fell by the wayside after making audiences laugh through the 20s, 30s and 40s, only to be replaced by guys like Cary Grant or Clark Gable, someone women accept as funny, ugly little guys like Ben Turpin and W.C. Feilds were out. Characters had to get all sensitive. Again I say HORSESHIT!
- Ron said...
Okay John. I admit, this has nothing to do with your post, but I have a KEY question. In addition, I know for a fact that this has been on everyone's mind. So here goes:
In your header graphic (new_donaldbastard.jpg), it's a great pose, but the arms and legs have twinning to a degree. What's your take on this? Why does it work despite that? Is it because one leg and arm are farther back in space?
Thanks on behalf of everyone in advance. Sincerely, Fun.
- Hans Flagon said...
Where's the group hug and life lesson? And the prepubescent sidekick? Can we make an Ice Capades show from this?
Kids, Don't do Drugs!
In our colleges Psych department, Cognitive/Developmental Psych probably held the most practical use going foward, compared to the rest of the Freuduans, Jungians, and Skinner Box attendants drawing tenure. But I refused to take any classes from them because their doors were always covered with propaganda about Cartoon Violence. Maybe they weren't serious, but I think they were deathly serious. I sort of agreed with them wanting to keep TV off in their household as their kid grew up, but their wailing on poor Wile E. Coyote marked them as Loonies in my Bin.
- MLP said...
Personal history? Pathos? Sounds like movie critics have taken over the animation executive jobs. I'm not at all clear where that aspiration nonsense could have come from, though.
We also forgot his best friend Karbunkle.
Isn't that Karbunkle running down the street after Fester in the final panel?
- Rick Roberts said...
The best comedy situations are just that, situations. Like The Three Stooges, you see them on the street looking for a job, they get it, then they beat the crap out of each other for 7 minutes. Today Comedy has to have "a point". I could imagine execs questioning a Three Stooges short:
"Why do they hit each other ?"
"Why can't they get along and instill moral values ?"
"Why do they have to go after women ?" XD
- Niki said...
Aspiration? That would be fine with a superhero cartoon. Not with the funny stuff. I'm thinking of an idea Mr. K, I really want to moderate a sort of network website for good cartoons. A site that can link to ASIFA, and have people post their own animated films. I think that would be awesome, then folks would know that it is the place for good shows! totally murder Cartoon Network , Disney and Nick and drag their mutilated corpses through the mud! Forgot all the that, sorry, but you should attend a public speaking class, or if you already have, convince some stranger to give you cash to start an actually decent animation school.
- John A said...
The Pathos Rule: No modern animated feature is allowed to leave the studio unless it includes one shot of the main character looking over his shoulder, making a sad face,heaving a heavy sigh,and then turning and walking away, preferably shaking his head. Because if you don't have the main character do that, at least once, the audience will never, ever know that they are supposed to feel sorry for the character at that moment.
- Sean Craven said...
's funny. As someone who spend time writing for animation, one of my number one concerns was giving the animators something fun to work with.
They weren't always interested...
My number zero concern was dealing with backstory.
- RAKninja said...
I just read part of this article and I wanted to know what you felt about it.
Getting rid of "idiot executives" sounds like the kind of thing you've been dreaming of for some time, yes?
- Kerssido said...
I love the tea drinking ladies.
I always hated the straight-A student type that you get thrown at you all the time. Young adult literature, of all things, was filled with that. That's why I loved the Bash Street Kids--they are total bastards, but they're the ones driving the comic. The straight-A student is this soppy teacher's pet character who everyone hates. And yet I was a fairly well-behaved kid, although not a straight-A one.
- Zoran Taylor said...
As the creator of the most deeply motivated characters ever created, this is the most ironic point you've ever tried to make.
You guys are gonna hate me if I ever get far enough to make cartoons. The "aspiration" just slips into stuff of mine as if by accident. I just AM that person. Mind you, I hate just about all of the stuff you're implicitly defecating on here, but I must have a skewed idea about sincerity.
Here's something to contemplate - what actually MAKES a character ambitious or moral OTHER than the bullshit the studios love to stick down our throats? I grew up being, I kid you not, deeply inspired by Calvin and Hobbes, absorbing this kind of intelligent morality from it, and it has stayed with me to this day. But what of the comic itself? Calvin is, on the surface, just a nasty little SOB who makes other people's lives a bit worse every day, while he just gets more and more alientated and hopeless. He even seems to enjoy that process. He is sick in the head. He's certainly not innocent - Not in every respect anyhow. But there is some sense of distant hope for him, something much less prosaic than whether he "learned" his "lesson", and it comes purely from the spirit of the strip.
When I think about the cartoons and comedy
I like, I find there's a strange pattern of contradiction. It veers between morality and total anarchy, and not in a predictable or comfortable way either. I like a character who will treat his mother with respect and bring her flowers and kick her in the gut when she's pregnant, and then feel kinda bad about it, and maybe then grab some lunch....Ren is that type personified. Daffy is kind of like that too.
- Zoran Taylor said...
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think of cartoons as being a great medium for dealing with self-discovery because they're great at being both surprising and surreal. So being a very cynical person with (as far as I can tell) an intolerable sweet side, the thing that hits the spot for me is rarely easy to categorize. I can crave brutal violence and "genuine heart" at virtually the same time. That's why I love Ren & Stimpy! That show can be downright sentimental and I believe every bit of it.
- HemlockMan said...
I had totally forgotten about the "Hot Wet Fertilizer Department" page! That was great! A large portion of my brain is still eight years old!
- mike f. said...
As someone who spend time writing for animation, one of my number one concerns was giving the animators something fun to work with. They weren't always interested...
Yeah, right.
Cartoon "writers" love to "write" visual gags - you know, the kind that can only be constructed and staged visually with thumbnail sketches by a cartoonist - but those darn old animators insisted on making static cartoons loaded with banal sitcom dialogue "jokes" and tedious crowd scenes.
What a load of horseshit.
- Jake Thomas said...
In the third picture, the mannequin head in the bottom left. It's chin is hilarious and inspiring to me.
I finally have time to work on the cartoon lessons you put up. I made a blog and I am going to post my progress each day.
- Justin said...
I've always liked the Clampett-(ish) stills that they incorporated into the Spongebob Squarepants episodes.
- CartoonSteve said...
This type of pure controlled lunacy reminds me of your classic "Fire Dogs" ladder scene. Makes me laugh every time. Another example is the gag between 5:00 - 5:33 in this Micky football short: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8FUNH8kFCs
What I wouldn't give for a real Don Martin mannequin head.
- miss 3awashi thani said...
ahh last time i saw something so delightfully pointless was that ed,edd,n'eddy episode where they spent the whole show chasing a balloon and bumping into things...
- Tony said...
What do you think of the shows Chowder and Flapjack on Cartoon Network?
I like that they're trying to bring some personality back into the animation.
- freedomschoolrecords said...
Don Martin's art is an American treasure, of course. Nice to see you give him some props, John!
- Gabriele_Gabba said...
I'm working on just about the most politically correct and 'aspiring' thing in the world atm. Its supposed to be for kids, but this garbage is worse than giving them all the good old fashioned stories and spontaneous excitement of the past.
I rebel John, at night i read your posts and draw up cartoon characters, soon i hope to start a project of my own.
Thanks a bunch!
P.S Sponge Bob is the only thing i can stomach on T.V atm, jolly good show what!
- Mike Kevan said...
I love the fact that a lot of the last few cartoons had a similar composition, it creates a great montage of moments, its interesting that the image 'moves' right to left, which is against the (western) eyes natural movement, but i dont think it would have had the same impact if it was flipped, thanks for post.


text:
I didn't know what to expect when I went on this adventure, but what the heck, it was to an area of Maryland that I have visited before but hadn't spent much time learning about the area, nor the people who lived there. My ancestry spent a couple of generations living in Harford County, Maryland, but then moved to Philadelphia. I have visited Deer Creek in Darlington (just up the road a bit), and I realized that I really haven't spent time researching the area.
Having read about this Worthington Family Reunion in a recent Worthington news letter, I decided, with permission, to be a part of this reunion. Afterall, we were related. Indeed, we were and are related. A colleague and Worthington researcher, who was NOT able to attend, sent along some information about HOW we were related. In fact, I had information on this specific branch of the family already in my database.
SteppingStone, the name of the property, was a beautiful place to hold this reunion.
Too many names to remember, but clearly they were / are Family. One gentlemen I met was born in one of these buildings. I think it was the first house above. I didn't get into the details, as this clearly was a family picnic and reunion.
I didn't get any research information for my files, as I know who to get that information from. In fact, I met the sister of the person who I received much of the information that I had in my file, on this branch, back in 1998 via Email and to meet her sister was awesome. (Yeah, Source material and Citations).
There was a genealogist in the group and we spent time chatting about our research. Both with Ancestry Member Trees, online, so we had access to your research information. That conversation will take place via email and will continue to connect the dots.
At this point, I intend on attending next year, but will be far better prepared for it, now that I know how were are related. (6th Cousins). In the group, there were probably a number of 1 or 2 times removed from 6th cousins, as there appeared to be 2, if not 3 generations, all descended from William Evans Worthington (1855-1940) and Louise Green. Lots of dots to connect.
There was one Family Bible that was packed with family history. I do hope that some one in the family captures that data and makes it available for others in the future.
I do admit that I was not prepared for such a visit, but I didn't know what to expect, but will be far better prepared next time. I will say that it was AWESOME to be able to have a Family Reunion and Picnic on the Property of an Ancestor with so many descendants. Congratulations cousins.


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To begin with a paragraph that I am sure Giants fans will forget reading by the end of this post (this isn't my first rodeo), I want to publicly state my admiration for the Giants two World Series wins in the last three years. After a long dry spell, they won with pitching, team dynamic and a slough of "Rudy type shit" that made it impossible, even for a season-ticket holding die hard Dodger fan not to root for them. Hard to not like a Matt Cain or a Buster Posey. Hard not to love the fact that guys like Angel fucking Pagan and Marco fucking Scutaro decided to over index for the sake of just winning the damn thing.
For me, there was zero to dislike about how the Giants won except, well, it was the Giants who won.
Onto the thesis… Giants fans on Twitter are going out of there way to point out that the 2008 super expensive Yankees didn't win the World Series. They point out that money does not equal championships. They are totally right on both accounts.
What they are missing is that as a Dodger fan, coming off some of the cheapest, most depressing years of all time under Voldemort McCourt, we are printing money and our ownership is actually spending it on BASEBALL PLAYERS which is insanity.
I don't care if Greinke is any good. I don't care if Ryu plays baseball worse than I played his namesake in Street Fighter back in the arcade days (note that I note Ryu was Japanese, this Ryu is Korean).
I am just happy that our ownership group is going out there and fucking things up for the universe. The Yankees are in financial decline because their stadium isn't paying itself off fast enough. The Dodgers went out and took a bunch of expensive players so they could get Adrian Gonzalez.
I remember being in SF for a bachelor party (and it lived up to its name) when the Dodgers came up there and swept the Giants on the heels of the Ramirez and Scutaro acquisitions. I remember the papers being furious that the new Dodger ownership would constantly be getting Ramirez-types and the Giants would be bargain shopping for Scutaros. We all know Scutaro turned out amazing and we also know SF papers are drama queens when it comes to baseball. For the record, I don't read the LA Times at all, so I'm casting rocks in a glass house.
I guess the point is, the fact that the Dodgers could have signed Scutaro to put pine tar on the team bats for fun caused his price to jump to, well, un-Scutaro levels. Angel Pagan for that price? I mean, I get that we spent a lot on Greinke, but he's won a Cy Young. Recently. He's filthy in the National League and well, we can afford it. Committing 80MM to Marco fucking Scutaro and Angel fucking Pagan? Rocks in a glass house. More like Molotovs in a grass hut.
I hear the formula of keeping a winner together, but if that was the case, where is Cody Ross? If keeping a team together meant repeat wins, well, there'd be more 3-peats in baseball.
The part I fail to understand in this "money can't buy championships" logic is that money buys every championship. Some players cost less than others. Some championships are expensive. Some aren't. Of course the example of the 2008 Yankees is true, that monster payroll didn't lead to a World Series win. At the same time, the Phillies had a payroll of over 106 million, a franchise record. They spent more than they ever had and it equalled a title.
While I agree spending just to spend doesn't guarantee titles, it does improve rosters and it buys better players. The better team on paper doesn't always win. But they win a lot of the time.
The thing is, Giants fans haven't quite grasped the amount of money the Dodgers have, because very few understand it. Everyone said 2.15 billion for the Dodgers was ludicrous, except the Guggenheim line was basically "it was the right price because you can't buy the Dodgers every day". 2.15 is what it cost and when you have so much money you are considering buying AEG also, you don't care what it costs, you just buy it because that's what you want and that's what it takes.
It's not a weird concept for anyone who ever bought a house. If you have the money, if you can afford to outbid your competition, you just do it.
Then there is the media deal. LA is the #2 DMA and has no real competition for summer live TV. Look at what the Angels got paid and the 6+ BILLION the Dodgers are sure to net. The Angels are not from LA, no one in LA cares about them and the proof was KCAL dropping them the year the won the World Series to get the Dodgers, who finish second to last that year (I believe). The Dodger logo is "LA". It's on tattoos and t-shirts and bumper stickers. It's the city brand along with the Lakers and suddenly, they have the money to fashionable again.
So think about what 6 billion dollars (which is lower than what the final sale will be) breaks out to over 25 years. That comes out to 240 million dollars a year. There's your payroll covered for a quarter century before you sell an overpriced t-shirt, an 8 dollar Dodger Dog or even a single solitary ticket. That's before you get advertising dollars. That's before anything. And they are going to sell the rights for more than 6 billion, I was being conservative.
6 billion is the new conservative for the Dodgers. Like it or not, they changed the game.
Many think this is a bubble for baseball, fine. Dodgers sold their house before the bubble burst. That deal is a contract and if the bubble bursts, it won't be the Dodgers missing out. Their 240 million a year will just pay for more players.
The next argument has been that you can't just buy talent and expect to win. I actually agree, but the thing is, the Dodgers have so much fucking money right now they are going to stock the farm system too. They signed a Cuban defector for 42 million. They are going to draft the Zach Lee's of the world who teams let slip only because they are expensive and not bat an eye at offering them 5+ million to give up getting crushed in pads in college football. The Dodgers have the money to spend big in the pros and in the farm system. They've poured more money in a year into scouting and player development than most teams do in five years.
They signed 8 pitchers and now can trade a Chris Capuano for prospects or bullpen help because they can eat his salary if they have to. Money doesn't just help you sign free agents. It helps you sweeten deals. It helps you sign better draft picks who otherwise you'd ignore. It changes the game if you are committed to playing every facet of it.
They are going to grow their talent AND buy it. They didn't even give up a draft pick for Greinke. It's a juggernaut like that of the Real Madrids of the world. It's more than the Yankees did because they never stocked the farm system.
How did the MLB let such wealthy owners come into the league? Simple. They were the assholes who ruined the Dodgers by letting Frank McCourt buy them on a stolen credit card. Dodger fans, the team, the city suffered embarrassment after embarrassment with McCourt. They dealt with a lack of security leading to Bryan Stow being beaten in the parking lot and it was totally appalling and a tragedy none are proud of. They owed us and they knew it. They fucking took team control away and forced a sale and the richest people ever to want a team bought it, partnered with a guy who is famous for building farm systems and an LA sports icon who just tweets hilarious shit all the time.
ADIOS FRANK. That's over now. It's all over now. Guggenheim Baseball is making a statement and it's loud an clear. If it can help, we'll buy it.
Fucking Ned Colletti went from being a headache to a guy reciting poetry about seeing toothpicks and thinking redwood tree. As a long time fan and season ticket holder, it's an odd feeling. It's literally like you've had an awful, ugly, mean teacher who has been flunking you and trying to keep you out of college get replaced by a former Victoria's Secret model who wants to let you ditch class, take you to prom and buy you a Bentley. And she likes watching sports and bourbon too.
So pardon us, Giants fans, if we aren't worried about what it costs or if it means we'll win next year. Pardon us if we don't see the same pressure to win that we're supposed to. It's been 23 years and suddenly we have a chance again. We can sign Brian Wilson just to tell jokes for more than you are overpaying Angel Pagan. That's real.
You won two World Series in an amazing, gritty manor that made me appreciate you and root for you even though I hate you. That's amazing. Like Tonga is at the Fairmont. It's good for baseball.
Guggenheim is good for Los Angeles. You don't have to understand, but we'd rather have a Lakers team with stars struggling than a scrappy team. That's the city. Better or worse. That's us.
Sure, right now it just looks good on paper. We all saw this team needs to gel. Damn, though. It looks good on paper and we're not even done.
I wish you good luck this season. After 50 years of futility, you have taken control of the rivalry. We finally have the means to try to do something about it. Can't wait.


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text:
The economy will remain sluggish and hiring slow in nine Midwest and Plains states over the next few months, according to a monthly survey of business leaders released Wednesday.
The overall economic index for the region improved to 49.5 in December, after registering 48 in November and 46.5 in October. Despite the gradual improvement, any score below 50 suggests the economy will contract in the coming months.
"Our survey indicates that the region will add few jobs in the next three to six months," Creighton University Ernie Goss said.
The December employment index dipped to 48 from November's 50.5, and Goss said some manufacturing jobs could disappear in the region.
The survey of business leaders and supply managers uses a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Inflation pressure appears to have eased a bit in December. The prices-paid index, which tracks the cost of raw materials and supplies, declined to 63.5 in December from November's 64.4 and October's 71.5.
The confidence index rose in December to the neutral level of 50 from November's 43.5.
"An improving housing environment was an important factor pushing the index higher," Goss said.
The inventory index rose to 51.5 in December from November's 44.9, so most businesses are going into the new year carrying more inventory than normal.
Other components of the overall index were:
— Exports improved slightly to 50 in December from November's 47.9.
— The import index improved to 48.7 from November's 42.6.
— New orders increased to 46.4 in December from November's 46.
— Production or sales improved to 48 from November's 46.6.
— And delivery lead time grew to 53.5 in December from November's 51.8.
Oklahoma: The state's overall index dropped to 52.1 from 56.1 in November. Components of the December index were new orders at 56.9, production or sales at 43.7, delivery lead time at 46.0, inventories at 67.7 and employment at 46.1. Oklahoma also expanded its labor force over the past year and also added jobs at a pace that reduced its unemployment rate significantly. "Our surveys over the past several months point to positive job and economic gains for the first half of 2013," said Goss.


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Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Brotherly Love
Posted by Dawn at 9:39 PM
35 comments:
- Bailey's Leaf said...
You know, sometimes my daughter's behavior at school vs. home just amazes me. She can be great either place, but at least she saves the breakdowns for home.
- June 8, 2010 at 10:16 PM
- Much More Than Mommy said...
This is one of the sweetest things I have ever seen!
Do you do Brooklyn's hair yourself? I still haven't learned to braid my girls' hair -- is it difficult? How do you keep her still to do it??
- June 8, 2010 at 10:21 PM
- Mum-me said...
Awww .... that's so sweet!
Yes, we all need to record these times and keep them handy so we can read them when we feel like murdering our offspring for their latest misdemeanor.
- June 8, 2010 at 10:37 PM
- Amanda said...
That is sooo cute! It's so awesome to see siblings being sweet!
- June 8, 2010 at 10:37 PM
- HRH Mommy said...
How incredibly sweet. Looking at the pic of the two of them sit together makes me want to have a girl. As a mom to 2 boys, I doubt my kids will ever sit like that. That is just the cutest pic!!
- June 8, 2010 at 10:39 PM
- Marjorie said...
How incredibly sweet! Glad you not only captured the moments in writing, but also in picture.
- June 8, 2010 at 11:01 PM
- SubWife said...
Aww, that brought tears to my eyes! Those wild macho boys have a few tricks up their sleeves and surprise us once in a while in the most incredible and amazing way!
- June 8, 2010 at 11:22 PM
That's awesome!
- June 8, 2010 at 11:52 PM
- misssrobin said...
This is a beautiful story. And that last picture of her in his lap is a keeper! One to print out and place in strategic locations for those moment when you want to kill him.
Not that I ever have those moments when I want to kill my kids. Maim them, maybe.
- June 9, 2010 at 12:09 AM
Very sweet. My rambunctious boy was always like that whenever his little sister visited him at school. If only I could get them to act like that at home...
- June 9, 2010 at 3:52 AM
- Delbos said...
That's soooo sweet :) And Dawn you does great hair dos! And I am also amazed how Brooklyn sit still to let you do it!
- June 9, 2010 at 4:29 AM
- SeaThreePeeO said...
I find my two put on great displays of affection when in public, then proceed to attempt to kill each other when at home!
- June 9, 2010 at 4:50 AM
- La Bella Baskets said...
You know you're doing something right when you have moments like this!
- June 9, 2010 at 5:45 AM
- Jen@Scrapingirl said...
How sweet. I often wonder why the kids react differently in situations like that. I remember when mine were in school, they acted the same way. But now that they're homeschooled, they are starting to get used to being nice. Sometimes. :)
- June 9, 2010 at 5:49 AM
- WeaselMomma said...
Moments like this are precious. I notice that these things happen most when we have taken at least one kid out of the picture for the day(playdate or something) and change up the scenery.
Glad to see you have such a wonderful pic.
- June 9, 2010 at 6:30 AM
- Sarah said...
Such a precious story. They are so cute together. :) Love Brooklyn's hair too, cute!
- June 9, 2010 at 6:56 AM
That's the sweetest thing I've read in a long time. My kids, too, used to behave that way at school. Teachers used to comment about how well they got along. My response? MY KIDS? At home they're like oil and water!.... Sharon
- June 9, 2010 at 7:25 AM
- Momma knows said...
It is nice to see that theyre so close . My 2 younger children are really close as well . You are doing a great job with them
- June 9, 2010 at 7:56 AM
- Donna said...
Priceless !!!!
- June 9, 2010 at 8:20 AM
- Knitty said...
What a happy heart you must have!
- June 9, 2010 at 8:49 AM
It's a sign that you're doing something right! We don't get signs like that often enough. My brother and I are only 16 months apart and at times practically killed each other growing up. But we were also each other's biggest defenders against the outside world. All these years later we're still good friends.
- June 9, 2010 at 9:19 AM
- Jess said...
What a great story. It gave me goose bumps. Thank you so much for sharing it.
- June 9, 2010 at 10:24 AM
- Juneau Poole Party said...
I always find it amazing how siblings can fight like cats and dogs, but then take care of each other and even protect them like mamma bears when needed!
- June 9, 2010 at 10:39 AM
- Shannon said...
This is so Sweet!
For a second, I thought I was reading another blog...just joking!
You have great kids....even if they don't act it all the time!
- June 9, 2010 at 11:58 AM
- Heather said...
Aw - beautiful story and photos. (And I'm impressed at Brooklyn's hairdo!)
- June 9, 2010 at 4:34 PM
- Marjorie said...
So cute it almost made me cry.
- June 9, 2010 at 5:26 PM
- geelizzie said...
awww...what a sweet kid!
- June 9, 2010 at 7:07 PM
- Que said...
That is awesome! That is also NOTHING like our house. lol. We have 3 girls and there is a 7 year difference in Girl 1 and Girl 2. And I think it's that difference that is causing them to be combative. The oldest wants the middle to act "right" and the middle wants to act her age. Then the oldest fusses because the middle is acting (who would have thought) childish. So we are dealing with that daily.
So if we ever have one of those moments like you have displayed here, we are going to take so many pictures and create a wall mural because that may NEVER happen again at our home.
- June 9, 2010 at 7:10 PM
That's an adorable picture the last one of her in his lap. I thought it was sweet how he took care of her.
- June 9, 2010 at 7:56 PM
- Linda said...
Proof of what a great mama they have. This is so sweet, I admit I got a little teary-eyed!
- June 9, 2010 at 10:41 PM
- Jensamom23 said...
Awww..how sweet!
- June 10, 2010 at 8:52 AM
- Kathy at Wellness Roadtrip said...
You just got an "outstanding work" on your Mom Performance Review.
Nothing is more satisfying than knowing your children understand they were given siblings to love and care for. Job well done!
- June 10, 2010 at 11:15 AM
- Mom Taxi Julie said...
Oh that's sooo cute!!
- June 11, 2010 at 1:19 AM
Awww, that is adorable! Those moments are priceless, aren't they?
- June 11, 2010 at 4:23 PM
- Erin said...
BEAUTIFUL! I love these (rare) moments.
- June 12, 2010 at 1:57 AM


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For my giveaway, I'll be giving away my first collection of poems, Small Knots
And a favorite book of mine, Beth Ann Fennelly's Open House: Poems
Also, as an extra chance to win, I will also be giving away a One Year Subscription to Crab Creek Review!
~ ~ ~
Choosing my second book was very hard for me because many of my poet friends have great books out right now--
Susan Rich's The Alchemist's Kitchen
Allen Braden's book which just came out this week: A Wreath of Down and Drops of Blood (The VQR Poetry Series)
January Gill O'Neil's Underlife (New Voices)
Sandra Beasley's I Was the Jukebox: Poems
to name a few, and still there are so many other poets whose books I adore....
So I chose Beth Ann Fennelly's a poet and poetry book I have returned to many times and one that has stood the test of time for me.
Here's a favorite poem from this collection:
Poem Not to Be Read at Your Wedding
You ask me for a poem about love
in place of a wedding present, trying to save me
money. For three nights I've lain
under glow-in-the-dark-stars I've stuck to the ceiling
over my bed. I've listened to the songs
of the galaxy. Well, Carmen, I would rather
give you your third set of steak knives
than tell you what I know. Let me find you
some other, store-bought present. Don't
make me warn you of stars, how they see us
from that distance as miniature and breakable
from the bride who tops the wedding cake
to the Mary on Pinto dashboards
holding her ripe, red heart in her hands.
From Open House (Zoo Press, April 2002) by Beth Ann Fennelly
If you'd like to be entered into this drawing for these 2 books of poems and the subscription to Crab Creek Review, just leave me a comment on this post and you'll be entered! If you do not have a blog, please include your email address so I can get ahold of you if you win.
I will be choosing the winners on May 1st, 2010, so leave a comment by April 30, 2010 11:59 pm PST.
I'll use the random number generator to choose a winner.
Thanks and Happy National Poetry Month 2010!


text:
"Let's cross, there's another one on that side of the street"
That was probably the sentence that I said more often last weekend while I was in Paris, for the first time. Soooooooo many great bakeries, patisseries, cheeseries, chocolateries, and other food related shops, that really makes it difficult to walk straight in a street without "zigzagging" all the time!Paris was, as I imagined, beautiful. So many thing to do, to visit, to see, to eat, to live... Everything is huge there: the monuments, the avenues, the macarons...
A French friend of mine told me that I HAD to go to Ladurée, because they have the BEST macarons in the Universe. And I think she might be right!... Not only the macarons, but everything there was so perfect and delicious looking! I wanted to buy each and every variety of entremets, pastries, bonbons... But I needed to focus, I was there for the macarons, and macarons I got! And I got them BIG!
Macaron heaven in pistachio and raspberry flavours!
"Honey, they blew up the Macarons!"
Yep, I'm pretty much in love...
Ok, with my full belly, I can do some normal turism sightseeing now. Wanna come with me?
The triumphal Arch of Triumph
The view from the middle of the Eiffel Tower. Everything covered in snow...
Cold? Who, me?
I'm getting hungry again. Maybe a rocher chocolate from L'Atelier du Chocolat is what I need...
... Or maybe I could bite into that lady's baguette? Parisians carry their baguettes everywhere, all the time... It makes you crave them!
It's almost night, let's carry on with the turistic activity.
The Basilique du Sacré-Coeur on top of a hill. Gorgeous and with a wonderful view of the city from up there.
The Seine River and the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
I could show you so many more pictures of other Parisian beauties, but I'll end here and leave you with these ones that I'm sure you'll love:
That was the last treat before heading back home. Back to real life now! Not so cold, but not so sweet either...


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Written by John DiPasquale:
Today & tonight will be quiet & mainly cloudy with temperatures a little above average this afternoon, & pretty mild for this time of year tonight. Highs will be in the mid 30s today, & tonight lows will be dropping to between 25 & 30.
On Saturday, an area of developing low pressure will be pulling a warm front into & through the region during the day, which will likely trigger a little snow to develop during the late morning/early afternoon that should quickly change to a little rain later Saturday afternoon into the night. Very late Saturday night into Sunday morning any rain will likely end as snow that may accumulate a coating to an inch or two across the region. It will turn blustery & colder Super Bowl Sunday with a few snow showers & squalls developing off Lake Ontario during the afternoon, but no real significant snows are expected to round out the weekend. Temperatures will drop out of the 30s & into the 20s during the day Sunday with a gusty wind.
The start of next week looks cold & sunny, but clouds will increase Tuesday with some snow, possibly changing to an icy mix will probably come in Tuesday night into Wednesday. The track of the storm will dictate, as it always does, the precipitation type & amounts. Stay tuned over the next several days for updates on this storm.
Have a great day & weekend bloggers!


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Dr. Grumpy: "Can I help you, ma'am?"
Mrs. Wife: "Yes, my husband is down in the car."
Dr. Grumpy: "Is he okay?"
Mrs. Wife: "He's fine, but it's raining."
Dr. Grumpy: "Yes."
Mrs. Wife: "He hates rain."
Dr. Grumpy: "Uh-huh."
Mrs. Wife: "Look, can you come out to the lot and do the appointment in the car?"
Dr. Grumpy: "Why can't he come up here?"
Mrs. Wife: "He doesn't like the rain."
Dr. Grumpy: "Do you need an umbrella? I can loan you mine."
Mrs. Wife: "He doesn't use umbrellas. He's superstitious."
Dr. Grumpy: "I'm afraid I can't help you. I don't do car calls."
Mrs. Wife: "Can I reschedule to after the rainy season is over?"
Mary (pushing me aside, handing lady a paper): "No. Here are the numbers of other neurologists in the area. Try them."


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My Rough
You pick up a lot of knowledge and skill just by tracing the work of experienced pros and they are right there to answer any questions and to keep you focused on the why as well as the how of the techniques.
All the classic animators learned this way. We should bring back the apprentice system.
more later...


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Some of you may know that I contribute to and use the Find-A-Grave website for useful information. I have contributed several hundred pictures, have given a number of talks on the subject. Oh, and I use it for research. Some times you can get relationships in some of the information associated with a memorial. I have been doing that for this project.
However, I have not been able to find David Ridgely Howard, a Civil War Veteran on Find-A-Grave. I found that quite interesting, considering all of the Civil War headstone pictures I have taken, especially around Memorial Day and Veterans Day. He just wasn't there.
I decided I needed to take a short, day trip to Baltimore. The purpose of the trip was to actually see some of the places that the Census Records had shown me, and to visit one cemetery.
Now, I worked in Baltimore for 2 years, so I had some idea where some of these places were (are). They were only blocks from where I worked. How difficult can this trip be.
So I made the trip, spent an hour or so on the USCGC Eagle, (USCG Barque Eagle, America's Tall Ship), then found a couple of the addresses that were in the Census Records. The relationships between the addresses, Church, and Cemetery all made sense to me. Street Names, a Monument were all in line with what I had mapped out in my mind. Thanks to GPS, (more of the time) the trip was easy.
The first cemetery was chained and locked, with no parking in the area to stop more then a minute to take a picture of the lock and chain. Went by the Church that was associated with the Cemetery and then a light bulb went off. I have been to this church before. A line from Capt. John Worthington was a member at that church. A Duh moment.
Re-programmed "Betty Lou" to take me to Green Mount Cemetery, to see if I could find David Ridgely Howard there. His Civil War records said he was, but not listed on Find-A-Grave. I have paperwork to send for information, but since I was there, why not look around.
The Cemetery was not far away, 10 minutes or so, and the gate was half open, but a caretaker was there who let me in. 45 minutes until closing. Nice gentlemen, but he didn't have access to any information. So, a ride around the cemetery to get a overview of who I might find there. There were a number of family Surnames that I know from the Baltimore / Annapolis area were resting there. Will have to review my pictures to see if any of them were in my files. But, where is Pvt. Howard.
The rain was starting, the time was running out, but there was one road I hadn't tried. At the top of the hill was a large, flat HOWARD stone. The Howard I knew there was Benjamin Chew Howard. Of course my Droid Find-A-Grave AP helped, and since is was 'famous' in the area, certainly I could find him. But, again, Find-A-Grave didn't have a picture, only a Memorial. Could this large, flat, stone hold the remains of this family? It might be the reason why the others aren't listed on Find-A-Grave. I'll be on the phone on Monday to see if this theory doesn't pan out. I can then order more detailed information that they have on their website.
Not done for the day yet, Since I am now pretty sure that I was dealing with Two Families, and have a pretty good idea who belongs to whom, though sharing some comment names, I needed to go to a third cemetery.
DearMYRTLE and I have some common ancestors that the next cemetery. my wife and I have visited this church and cemetery before, but hadn't made this Howard Connection here. I had only made a Worthington connection. It's the same connection with the Church in Baltimore.
There, was a pretty good sized plot of the 2nd Howard family, are at least some of them.
Lots of pictures to review, post on Find-A-Grave and take the information from them an put them into my database.
Learning from this: Some times a physical visit to a place my help with new clues in resolving a brick wall. Do I have David Ridgely Howard's grandparents yet? No! Am I still missing a puzzle piece? Yes! But, I DO know, my next steps.


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This is the second installment of NPR's Cook Your Cupboard, a food series about improvising with what you have on hand. Got a food that has you stumped? Submit a photo and we'll ask chefs about our favorites!
Laurel Ruma, an NPR listener from Medford, Mass., didn't realize quite how much she had gathered up from her travels until renovating her kitchen last summer. She unearthed things like harissa, chickpea flour and black chia seeds.
She submitted these items to Cook Your Cupboard, and we were pretty stumped, too. So we called up Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli-born, London-based chef with a chain of restaurants, a food column and a few best-selling cookbooks. Here's what he suggests:
Chickpea Flour: Make Fried Cauliflower
It's a delicious, gluten-free flour with a bit of a nutty texture.
Make a batter with half chickpea flour, half all-purpose flour, an egg, some water, garlic and lots of spices: ginger, cumin, ground coriander, mustard seed, turmeric and curry powder.
Coat the cauliflower in the batter, fry and serve with a tamarind dipping sauce.
Harissa: Make A Salad Dressing Or A Marinade
The North African paste is made with dried chilies, garlic and cumin.
"It's one of the most amazing chili pastes around. It's aromatic, it's strong," says Ottolenghi, "and it's also one of the most versatile ingredients that I can think of."
For dressing, whisk a bit with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper. Drizzle over salads and you get that "intensive fire-y flavor of harissa," he says.
You can also use it to marinate fish, lamb or vegetables and then roast, grill or bake them. Or just smear it over flat bread like pita and put it in the oven until it dries out — leaving you with a spicy, flavorful toast that goes great with a drink.
"It just gives the most fantastic aromatic flavor to your food," Ottolenghi says.
Chia Seeds: Health Hype?
"There are not many ingredients in this world that I can say that I really don't like," Ottolenghi says, "and chia seeds are one of them."
"The health brigade likes making porridge out of them because they're very good for you, they're full of calcium and phosphorus," he says. "But I really find the texture very off-putting. It's quite slimy and gelatinous."
Combine All Three: Indian-Inspired Fritters
Mix the chickpea flour batter above and add some chia seeds. Stir in vegetables — maybe green beans, cauliflower or some green chilies.
Dip the batter with a spoon into hot oil, so you get balls with all those flavors. Mix the harissa with yogurt, and dip the fritters in the sauce as they come out of the oil.
Ottolenghi says he can relate to Ruma's dilemma. He, too, returns from travels with mystery foods.
"So you end up having to create some kind of mix of cuisines," he says.
He recalled recently feeling stuck with "an English eccentricity": a jar of pickled walnuts.
"Basically those are walnuts that have been picked at an early stage before the shell has developed," Ottolenghi explains. He had no idea what to do with them — and they stayed in his fridge for a long time until he had an idea: Make a salsa with pickled and dried walnuts, drizzle over roasted squash and serve with cheese.
"So you've got the sharp and nutty flavor of the nuts complementing the rich flavor of the cheese, and all that goes really well with the vegetables," he says.
It was a random use for a random ingredient, he says, but it ended up really tasting good.
Want to join the Cook Your Cupboard project? Right now we're asking for a condiment you haven't figured out how to use. If you've got some pickapepper sauce or black eyed pea relish, go to npr.org/cupboard and show us a photo. You'll get guidance on what will complement your condiment from fellow home cooks, and you might even be chosen to come on the air with a chef.
And it's time again for Cook Your Cupboard, which is our new food project on MORNING EDITION. You submit photos of food in your kitchen - stuff lying around in the cupboard, in the refrigerator; stuff you don't know what to do with. And then you get to come on air to get advice from a famous chef, if your submission is chosen.
Today's famous chef is Yotam Ottolenghi. He's an Israeli chef with a chain of restaurants in London that specialize in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. He is also the author of the best-selling book "Plenty." Welcome to the program.
YOTAM OTTOLENGHI: Hi. Good to be here.
INSKEEP: We're going to bring in, now, Laurel Ruma of Medford, Mass. ,outside Boston. She sent us a submission. Welcome to the program to you.
LAUREL RUMA: Thank you.
INSKEEP: Pretty good timing for you, I guess, because you had just like - what? - renovated your kitchen, if I'm not mistaken.
RUMA: That's right. We actually took on a major project in August, and I have been slowly bringing in boxes of strange food that I picked up along my travels.
INSKEEP: You - what? - hear about different foods; people serve you different things; you check in local food stores - what do you do?
RUMA: Yep, all of those things. So when you come to Boston, the good place to go is the north end, where there are a number of Italian grocery stores. So while I was there, I picked up some chickpea flour. To my shame, I've hung onto it now for a while, and I just had no idea what to do with it.
INSKEEP: OK, so that is the first thing. Chickpea flour - what is it?
OTTOLENGHI: Basically, it's dried chickpeas that have been pulverized into a flour, and it's gluten-free. Chickpea flour has a wonderful flavor, and I particularly like using it in a - kind of Indian-inspired dishes; so for instance, fried cauliflower with mint. And I serve it with a tamarind dipping sauce. It's got garlic, many spices - ginger, cumin, ground coriander, mustard seeds, some curry powder - and some egg and water. And that mix of the cauliflower plus the batter with the chickpea flour is really, really, really delicious.
INSKEEP: Wow. I mean, as you talk, I can already just smell the Indian food.
OTTOLENGHI: (Laughing)
INSKEEP: This is the first of the ingredients that Laurel has come up with. You also have a couple of other ingredients that - mystery ingredients that have ended up in your kitchen.
RUMA: So also from the north end of Boston, harissa. I picked up a tube and promptly forgot about it.
OTTOLENGHI: Harissa is really, one of my favorite ingredients. It's one of the most amazing chili pastes around. It's aromatic. It's strong. So really, if you have one of these tubes that are imported from Tunisia, you can use it to marinade fish, to marinade lamb, to marinade vegetables; and then grill them or bake them in the oven. Really, it just gives the most fantastic, aromatic flavor. One other thing to do with it, it makes a wonderful salad dressing. I normally just whisk it briefly together with olive oil, with lemon juice, with some additional garlic, maybe salt and pepper; and it's just the best thing you can do.
INSKEEP: Laurel, are you getting some ideas there, in Medford, Mass.?
RUMA: Oh, absolutely.
INSKEEP: Pretty spicy as well, it sounds like.
RUMA: Yeah, love spice. Bring it on.
INSKEEP: Laurel, this is awesome. You have already taken us to India and to North Africa with random stuff from your kitchen, and you've still got one ingredient to go.
RUMA: So the last ingredient would be black chia seeds. And I know chia seeds are supposed to be very healthy for you, but I'm not really sure what to do with them.
OTTOLENGHI: Laurel, I have to tell you that you put me into trouble because there's not many ingredients in this world that I can say that I really don't like, and chia seeds are one of those ingredients. I really find the texture very off-putting. It's like - it's quite slimy. I don't know why anyone would eat that, but I guess...
RUMA: Well, I've been sprinkling them into my partner's oatmeal in the morning. So he'll have flax seeds and chia seeds...
OTTOLENGHI: Oh, good.
RUMA: ...so he hasn't mentioned the slimy bit of it yet, so we'll see.
INSKEEP: Oh, well, that's another thing you can do with mysterious foods - just kind of...
RUMA: Yeah.
INSKEEP: ...slip them into somebody else's food, and see what happens.
INSKEEP: Yotam Ottolenghi, thank you very much for taking the time.
OTTOLENGHI: Thank you for having me.
INSKEEP: And we also spoke with Laurel Ruma of Medford, Mass. Thanks to you.
RUMA: Thank you, Steve.
INSKEEP: Now, you can submit your own baffling kitchen items, with a chance to come on the radio with a chef. Head to npr.org/cupboard. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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August 26. 2013 11:25PM
Manchester teachers' work day to end before students board buses for home
By TED SIEFER
New Hampshire Union Leader
Union says it will pitch in to make new Manchester school schedule work
Officials: Manchester teachers won't bolt while students await buses
MANCHESTER — A week before school starts, district administrators are scrambling to explain to parents changes to the length of the school day and to make sure there is enough staff to ensure the safety of students as they board buses at the end of the day.
Principals have expressed concerns, since teachers won't be required to stay after school long enough to supervise the boarding of buses, as they have in the past.
Superintendent Debra Livingston told the school board Monday that she was hopeful that she and the principals could work out a plan to use paraprofessionals, which could require additional funding.
"We want to make sure we have as many adults out there to assist kids onto buses as possible. My understanding is many principals have already started meeting with paraprofessionals about this. We're also discussing the possibility of flex time (with the paraprofessionals)," she said.
The elementary schools will be starting 15 minutes earlier than last year, at 8:20 a.m., and school will get out at 2:50 p.m., rather than 2:35 p.m. Public middle schools will start at the same time as last year — 7:40 a.m. — but class will go 20 minutes longer with dismissal at 2:20 p.m.
The high school day will remain the same, but the lunch period will only be 24 minutes long, rather than 48 minutes. Instruction begins at 7:45 a.m.. Classes are dismissed at 2:42 p.m.
The school board enacted the changes this past school year in order to shorten the school calendar to 175 days, while increasing daily instruction time. Administrators are sending out notices of the changes and the superintendent will appear on Manchester Public Television, as well.
30-plus in many classes
District administrators are estimating that 11 high school classes will have more than 30 students, while nearly 100 middle school classes will exceed the state standard.
The preliminary numbers were presented to the Board of School Committee Monday, as administrators busily prepare for the first day of school, Wednesday, Sept. 4.
Superintendent Livingston stressed that she anticipated that class sizes would fluctuate in the early weeks of the school year, as is typically the case due to last-minute enrollments and withdrawals.
The estimate for the high school class sizes, if they hold, would represent a considerable improvement over last fall, when dozens of classes had more than 30 students, the limit set by the state Department of Education. The large high school classes last year led to an outcry from the sending towns of Hooksett and Candia, and Hooksett is now in the process of trying to find alternative high schools for its students.
Still, Livingston stressed the numbers were preliminary.
"I would ask this board to view this with some caution. There will be shifts in the numbers. We may see some classes drop and others rise ... At this point we don't know how many students have moved and not let us know. It is going to take a week or two for this to settle out."
The tally presented by the administration shows there are two classes in the elementary schools that are over the 30-student mark, at Jewett Street Elementary.
In the high schools, Memorial has six classes over the limit and Central has five. West has none.
At McLaughlin Middle School, there are 42 classes over the limit, according to the tally. At Parkside, there are 37. and at Soutshide there are 18. At Hillside, only two classes have more than 30 students. A similar number of middle school classes were found to be over the limit during the past school year.
During the last school year, the school board passed a policy that required principals to cap enrollment in high school classes at 30; it's not clear what effect this had on the class size estimates or what implications it would have for the larger classes.
Several board members lauded Livingston for presenting the figures, which past administrations have resisted providing due to the fluid nature of the early days of the school year.
Mayor Ted Gatsas asked Livingston what kind of additional staffing she would need to bring the class sizes down. She replied that she would present a preliminary report during the first week of school.


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After a long, hard effort by many people, the stars have finally aligned. The Access team is pleased to announce the release of the Access 2013 Runtime! We know lots of you are very anxious to get your hands on the Access 2013 Runtime. You can now go and download the Access 2013 Runtime from the following location:
The Access 2013 Runtime is available for download in 38 languages.
Microsoft Access 2013 provides a rich platform for developing database management solutions with easy-to-use customization tools. If no end user customization is required (including report modifications), you can choose to distribute those Access 2013 solutions so that they run without requiring a full installation of Access 2013. To do so, you must package and distribute your application with the Access 2013 Runtime.
Web-based apps for SharePoint that are built with Access 2013 do not require a runtime–only a supported web browser is required.


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When patrons walk into the Fat Cats Entertainment Complex in Rolla, they can find a mini golf course, arcade, concert stage, games and a small bar area all under one roof.
The new business owned by Rolla native Josh Noe opened in October, and five months later, expansion at the complex is under way.
Fat Cats, which is located at 1100 East Highway 72 behind The Family Center of Rolla, opened Oct. 19. The facility is about 10,000 square feet in size, according to Noe.
"I wanted to give kids and families something to do indoors," Noe said of his reason for starting his first business. "I wanted it to be family-friendly. Good, clean family fun is my focal point."
Noe said the name of the complex refers to his grandfather, who was a golfer.
In fact, mini golf is one of the activities offered at Fat Cats. For $3 each, people can play a nine-hole game of glow-in-the-dark mini golf.
The entertainment complex also offers concerts every Saturday night. On Valentine's Day, the facility hosted Waynesville's Vino Alan, who competed on the last season of the "X Factor" and Rich Vickers as Elvis.
"I'm trying to bring music back to Rolla," Noe said. "I want to give people a place to watch a good show on Saturdays."
All concerts are for people ages 18 and older. There is a $5 cover charge for concerts, but Noe said, "For that, they can get their first drink free or a free round of golf."
Noe said he has hosted battle of the bands and plans to hold charity concerts this spring. A cage match also is scheduled for March. He also is interested in bringing comedy or runway shows to the center.
The entertainment center also has an arcade with games that cost no more than $1 each as well as pinball, air hockey and pool tables.
Construction has started on a new wing in the facility that will be a kids-only zone. Once built, it will include a small race track, a full concession stand and a kids area and lounge. This new area is scheduled to be open in March, Noe said.
Fat Cats serves food, such as nachos, sub sandwiches and burritos as well as drinks during its operating hours. There is a small bar area that is separate from the rest of the gaming and concert areas and has a separate outdoor entrance to the bar area.
"Nothing in my business is more than $5, even the food," Noe said.
"This center was built for families," Noe said. "It's not a bar that has stuff for kids ... I want to give them something positive."
In fact, Noe said he would consider closing the bar section for a night and have a kids-only event with churches or other groups.
Noe said he encourages the public to reserve the center for birthday parties, wedding receptions, work parties and socials.
In addition to Noe, there are two other employees who work at the center.
Fat Cats is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 5-11 p.m. or later, Saturdays from noon to 11 p.m. or later and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m. or later. The center is open to all ages until 9 p.m. After that, only those 18 and older are allowed in.
The complex's phone number is 573-426-3330. The complex has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FatCatsEntertainmentComplex.


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Blackstone Group LP, the world's largest private-equity firm, is taking aim at the $5.4 trillion of cash on corporate balance sheets in the U.S. and Europe as regulators weigh changes that may reduce the appeal of money- market funds.
The firm has started a money-management unit called Blackstone Treasury Solutions Advisors LLC that will cater exclusively to corporations. Its portfolio managers include Blackstone chief financial officer Laurence Tosi and Treasurer Matthew Skurbe, who help run New York-based Blackstone's internal cash management strategy.
Blackstone is targeting company treasurers as the U.S. considers requiring money funds to shift from stable share prices to floating valuations. For Blackstone, providing cash management for corporations would help diversify income streams further, after chief executive officer Stephen Schwarzman added real estate, hedge funds and credit vehicles to reduce reliance on leveraged buyouts.
"It could be a highly profitable activity for Blackstone," said Anthony Carfang, a partner at Treasury Strategies Inc., a Chicago-based treasury consulting firm. "The investment management business is highly scalable."
Peter Rose, a Blackstone spokesman, declined to comment on Treasury Solutions. The parent company incorporated the money-management unit along with the Blackstone Treasury Solutions Master Fund LP in March and the registration took effect in April, public records show.
Floating Value
Corporate treasurers rely on money-market funds to manage cash because the funds maintain a fixed $1 share price. That could change as U.S. regulators, seeking to avoid a repeat bailout of the $2.56 trillion industry after the 2008 collapse of the Reserve Primary Fund, evaluate requiring managers that invest in corporate debt to let their share prices fluctuate.
"The money-market funds no longer being booked at net asset value would be a significant issue for corporations," said Michael Gannon, the former treasurer and chief planning officer for Molson Coors Brewing Co. in Denver. "It would certainly be a reason that treasurers might look at alternatives."
Without a stable share price, treasurers may be spurred to seek alternative ways to invest their cash that provide added yield without a big increase in risk. Tosi and Skurbe, who came to Blackstone from Merrill Lynch & Co., according to the investment advisory registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, currently help invest some $1.3 billion Blackstone cash in assets ranging from mortgages to hedge funds to eke out extra yield.
Defined Contribution
Large bond managers such as Pacific Investment Management Co., based in Newport Beach, California, and BlackRock Inc. of New York also have funds investing in shorter-dated securities. Banks such as Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. offer treasurers a suite of services for daily cash management, including Internet portals that allow them to choose among money-market funds in which to deposit excess cash, Gannon said.
Offering corporate money management may also help Blackstone maintain relationships with companies whose pension plans decide to reduce their investment in private equity, said Eileen Neill, a managing director in the consulting division of Wilshire Associates Inc., a Santa Monica, California-based financial advisory firm. Corporate pension plans have been moving into bonds as part of an effort to reduce the impact of market swings on their financial statements, she said.
"This has everything to do with the fact that corporate defined-benefit plans in the U.S. are meaningfully reducing their exposure to riskier assets," Neill said in a telephone interview.
Initial Investment
A cash-management product may even help Blackstone gain access to corporate 401(K)s, also known as defined contribution plans, according to Neill.
"Right now, private equity is completely shut out of the defined-contribution industry because they don't offer daily liquidity," she said.
The treasury solutions group will be part of Blackstone Advisory Partners LP, a unit that provides advice on corporate restructurings and mergers and helps outside private-equity and hedge funds raise money, according to the brochure. Blackstone recently modified the license of advisory partners to permit it to provide capital markets services, such as underwriting stock and bond sales, the parent company said in its annual report.
'Conservatively Managed'
Blackstone Treasury Solutions plans to charge both management and performance fees, the filing shows, and the unit will require a minimum initial commitment of $50 million. It will have the leeway to invest in a range of fixed-income products, according to the registration, including mortgages, asset-backed securities, leveraged loans, managed futures and interest rate contracts. It will also invest in both Blackstone and third-party hedge funds.
The SEC filings doesn't specify how corporations would invest with the unit, or spell out whether clients would be able to withdraw their money daily or face waiting periods.
The three portfolio managers for the Treasury Solutions funds are Tosi, Skurbe, and Joseph Rocco, a vice president who is involved in credit and risk management for Blackstone's treasury operations. Their internal treasury cash-management strategies generated $25.8 million of income and $8.6 million of capital gains during 2012, according to the annual report. Assuming the capital gains aren't part of investment income, the strategy would have generated a total return of 3.3 percent on average assets of $1.05 billion for the year.
"They do actively manage that to get a little bit of incremental yield," said Meghan Neenan, a senior director at Fitch Ratings Ltd. in New York. "But it is all fairly conservatively managed and very liquid."
Generating Income
Corporate treasurers generally forecast future cash needs and then invest accordingly, said Carfang at Treasury Strategies. Cash to run the business is typically kept in money- market funds or bank accounts, with reserves placed in investments that mature in 90 to 100 days. The remainder can be invested in longer-dated securities that provide higher yields.
U.S. corporate cash increased to $1.79 trillion at the end of last year from $1 trillion in 2000, according to an April 4 report by Treasury Strategies. Corporate cash totaled 1.93 trillion euros ($2.53 trillion) in countries that use that currency as of Dec. 31, and the comparable U.K. figure stood at 730 billion pounds ($1.13 trillion). With the U.S. Federal Reserve keeping interest rates near record lows, treasurers are challenged to generate income from their excess cash.
'No Yield'
After coming under pressure from hedge-fund manager David Einhorn, Apple Inc. said last month that it would seek to return an additional $55 billion to stockholders through dividends and share repurchases. Apple earned a 2.3 percent return, including dividends, interest and capital gains, on the average cash and securities of $101.4 billion held on its balance sheet during the fiscal year ended Sept. 29, 2012, according to the company's most recent annual report.
"Corporations have so much cash on their balance sheets and treasurers are saying there is no yield to be gotten anywhere," said Gannon, a director at the National Association of Corporate Treasurers.