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Copyright 2005-2017 - JazzStandards.com All Rights Reserved Permission & contact information
I've Found a New Baby (1926)
- Chris Tyle
On January 22, 1926, Clarence Williams Blue Five introduced Ive Found a New Baby. Eight years later, in 1934, a Mills Brothers recording of the song rose to number nineteen on the pop charts. The song was on the charts again in 1939 as the Harry James Orchestra rendition rose to number fourteen.
Williams and Spencer Williams (no relation) wrote numerous songs together, their best known of which is 1919s Royal Garden Blues.
Ive Found a New Baby is included in the repertoire of almost every traditional jazz band. It is attractive as an improvisational vehicle, allowing not only the individual musician creative vistas but the group ample opportunity to share solos. The lyrics speak of a happy fellow who has fallen hard for a pretty girl. The jargon is definitely the patter of the 1920s, Tells me lies, but shes wise, naughty eyes, mesmerize I vow, and how, I dont mean maybe!
- Jeremy Wilson
Noah Baerman - Jazz Pianist and Educator
Musical analysis of Ive Found a New Baby
Comments (assumed background)
Brilliant electric guitarist Charlie Christian was hired by Benny Goodman in 1939 to be part of his smaller band-within-a-band which had, by 1940, expanded from a trio to a sextet. Goodmans 1940 recording of Ive Found a New Baby includes ex-Duke Ellington trumpeter Cootie Williams (who had recently joined Goodman) and guests, pianist Count Basie and his drummer, Jo Jones.
The sessions results are electrifying. The rhythm section of Jones, Basie and bassist Artie Bernstein light a fire under the other band members, and Christians solo blisters with his genius. Although his career was brief (he died in 1942 from tuberculosis), Christians influence on jazz guitarists continues to this day.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
Comment Policy
- Noah Baerman
- Ben Maycock
Copyright 2005-2017 - JazzStandards.com - All Rights Reserved Permission & contact information
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DermaBlend Cover Creme
DermaBlend Cover Creme Reviews
Flaws? You Have Flaws?
When I was in junior high, I was friends with a girl whose parents were extremely wealthy and liked to let others know about it. They were unduly harsh on my friend; she could do nothing right, whereas I was blessed to have supportive, loving parents. One Christmas, my friend's mother presented her with a container of Dermablend™ professional-strength camouflage cream and said, "Here! I'm sic...read morek of seeing blemishes on you!" I can never think of Dermabland™ without that incident coming to mind. My friend had very tiny blemishes and this was clearly overkill. I went on to use this when I did informal modeling in my city, especially when I was photographed for pictures, brochures, and print media (I have perceptible veins underneath my eyes). I recall being taught to remove some of the cream from the container and put it in my palm to warm it and make it more malleable (there are twenty-one shades with a variety of undertones--at least one a sure fit for every woman or man). I love the fact that this concealer has an SPF factor of 30, hydrates all day, and is suitable for sensitive skin. Use over cleansed, moisturized skin. It is a substantive cream, but you can work well with it with your fingers, a sponge (dry or dampened), or your foundation brush, depending on the amount you need to cover and whether or not you want an "airbrushed" finish. Dermablend™ is very long-wearing and smudge-resistant. Begin at the area where the problem is and blend, blend, blend. Then, once you are done, build coverage very slightly over the problem(s). It will last at least twelve hours. If you use high-definition setting powder from Dermablend™ or another company, wear is extended to sixteen hours. It is a lifesaver for major blemishes, scars, burns, rosacea, or whatever life throws your way. This is one product which has been around a long time and which I hope they continue for many long years to come. — 3 years, 10 months agoThis review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 5 of 6 people said helpful
Dermablend cover creme
I am an associate at a beauty store. A lady came in with really blotchy skin on her arms. I applied this to the blotchiness and I could not believe how even her arms were. This product hid the blotchiness, and a little goes a long way. Needless to say, she was thrilled. — 5 years, 6 months agoThis review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 7 of 8 people said helpful
Great to cover up flaws
I have seen it used to cover up tatoo's in beauty pagents. It works well on any skin problems or scars. Kinda of pricey. I have used it for make-up for special occasions and it covers freckles very good. Fantastic photo friendly makeup. Gets rid of flaws. Last for a long time. Can stain clothes and other items so becareful. — 8 years, 10 months agoThis review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 4 of 4 people said helpful

subset: commoncrawl


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A night view of Brussels, from the Basilica of Koekelberg to the Atomium. This panorama captures at least 10 churches and 3 town halls, in the communes of Schaerbeek, Laeken, Koekelberg and Jette. It uses 780 photos, shot from the 34th floor of the nearby Brusilia building in Brussels, starting at dusk. It cover...


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BrainLint.Net > Random Thoughts > Undecided Rainbow > Undecided Rainbow Shirt
This 'Undecided' design features a rainbow that is half colored and half black-and-white. Whether you might be gay, bisexual, transgender--you're just not quite sure yet.
Drag the square at the left to choose the part of your image you want to use. Tips: Click and drag any corner to resize; click and drag from the inside to move.
Click done if you're happy with the way it looks.
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Seen from the Northwest | [ Sizes: Orig | Large | Med | Small | Thumb ] | |||
Looking up Ruby Creek from UN 12618 in the West Needle Mountains. Pigeon is on the right, Animas and Moniotor are on the left, and the fourteener Eolus is the highpoint in the background. Pigeon is huge and impressive when viewed from this vantage and probably drops an addition 2000 feet down to the river below what this photo shows. Surely one of Colorado's finest mountains. 10-10-2007. | Image Data
Image ID: 348050 Hits: 2508 Lat/Lon: 37.63000°N / 107.65°W Object Title: Seen from the Northwest |


text: You've seen a little bit of Louis Vuitton's sartorial contribution to the America's Cup, in the form of the Tambour America's Cup Automatic Regatta watch, so here's more from the LV Cup 2012 collection. Their offerings run the gamut, from ready-to-wear, to leather goods, to shoes, to accessories, all inspired by the competitive sailing world. See more at the link. (WWW)


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Sherlock Holmes
Mystery teasers are little stories where you need to figure out what happened based on the given clues.One snowy night, Sherlock Holmes was in his house sitting by a fire. All of a sudden a snowball came crashing through his window, breaking it.
Holmes got up and looked out the window just in time to see three neighborhood kids who were brothers run around a corner. Their names were John Crimson, Mark Crimson and Paul Crimson.
The next day Holmes got a note on his door that read "? Crimson. He broke your window."
Which of the three Crimson brothers should Sherlock Holmes question about the incident?
Holmes got up and looked out the window just in time to see three neighborhood kids who were brothers run around a corner. Their names were John Crimson, Mark Crimson and Paul Crimson.
The next day Holmes got a note on his door that read "? Crimson. He broke your window."
Which of the three Crimson brothers should Sherlock Holmes question about the incident?
Posted by jimbo on Mar 15, 2003 I'd question them all anyway. Good Teaser! |
Posted by na-iem on Mar 17, 2003 Oh that's neat!!! Keep 'em coming! :-) |
Posted by griphook on Mar 18, 2003 Very cool. More please. |
Posted by i_h8_hp_nerds on Mar 18, 2003 I got that one right!!!!!!!Oh darn i got this song stuck in my head. |
Posted by icehaven on Apr 05, 2003 Great. I thought it was all three... |
Posted by Codammanus on Apr 05, 2003 Very creative, and fun! Thanx. |
Posted by PrfAngel17 on Apr 05, 2003 Nice one I loved it |
Posted by Millionaire on Apr 06, 2003 lol, I liked this one. It was actually funny now I got the right answer but not for that reason. I just guessed lol PE@CE Millionaire |
Posted by electronjohn on Apr 07, 2003 Very clever. Thanks for posting it for us. |
Posted by Juice on Apr 14, 2003 Really cute, so far the only one I like. |
Posted by Shoobop on May 17, 2003 funniest brain teaser i eva read! never heard it. at first i didnt get it when it just said mark crimson then i got it!! awesome joke! |
Posted by peterg on May 25, 2003 i woulda just taken them all out..then u wouldve had to have got the right one..at the expense f the other 2..but they probably deserve it anyway! |
Posted by BrenBeadSP on Apr 05, 2004 'speed reading' this morning, and I missed the ? - darn - excellent, fun teaser, thanks |
Posted by hoppy_happy_hipp on Apr 05, 2004 That was fun.. and I got it right |
Posted by peridot on Apr 05, 2004 very nice, it was fun and I got it right. good job. |
Posted by kvernphil on Apr 05, 2004 NICE! I guessed MARK, but for the wrong reason. I guessed Mark because he was the brother who 'hit his mark'. nice job! |
Posted by doggyxp on Apr 05, 2004 Very good. Liked this one. |
Posted by JmBannana on Apr 05, 2004 Neat Teaser! I got it right away, Still good thought. Keep 'em comin'! |
Posted by brgdo1994 on Apr 05, 2004 I got it! Too easy! |
Posted by gabe1991 on Apr 05, 2004 Nice teaser. I love mysyeries. |
Posted by on Aug 26, 2004 Wow |
Posted by ched4r on Sep 19, 2004 Very fun but very easy |
Posted by ched4r on Sep 19, 2004 Very fun but very easy |
Posted by sissy245 on Oct 23, 2004 That was very clever |
Posted by knbrain on Dec 24, 2004 Kind of funny but tooooo easy |
Posted by babygirl35 on Dec 28, 2004 i thought maybe it was a typo but i get it now. |
Posted by alicewashere13 on Jan 04, 2005 i think they were all accessories! |
Posted by chuckelect on Feb 23, 2005 wow that one was really good! |
Posted by on Feb 25, 2005 Stupid ... no offense |
Posted by poljay on Mar 02, 2005 Got me with that one. I just read it as "Question Coslin." Good one. |
Posted by Master_Yoda on Mar 18, 2005 hi. Great teaser. I actually got it. |
Posted by thetrumonk on Apr 05, 2005 That was really good |
Posted by mumbojumbo1234 on Apr 05, 2005 That was pretty easy, I figured it out right after I read it! Thanks anyways, it was a good teaser! |
Posted by on Apr 05, 2005 Very creative and interesting, though easy. |
Posted by Ozymandias on Apr 05, 2005 Very nice! I enjoyed this one! |
Posted by on Apr 05, 2005 brilliant |
Posted by Israel-Girl on Apr 05, 2005 Loved It! I got it right, but I thought it was beause he hit the "mark" |
Posted by filetmerlot on Apr 05, 2005 wonderful. it reminds me of those 2 minute mysteries that i used to read as a teen. only this was a 2 second mystery |
Posted by deadmanrun on Apr 05, 2005 Bravo! a good thinking persons teaser more like it,it may take a few minutes to figure out, but in this day of instant gratification,take the time, your mind will thank you for it. |
Posted by rustygurrrrrl on Apr 05, 2005 that was VERY GOOD |
Posted by myalyn_77 on Apr 05, 2005 Great teaser Aimeekspice- Did you really have to use that many faces? |
Posted by Chakoteya on Apr 05, 2005 Groan. Easy peasy! |
Posted by zombiefreak on Apr 05, 2005 the mark part was corny but i woulda questioned all 3 ov em |
Posted by DJNic on Apr 05, 2005 oops i didnt see the "?" oh well! |
Posted by brain_dead on Apr 06, 2005 that was a good one i didn't get it until i read the answer, but i liked it anyways. |
Posted by timilee on Apr 06, 2005 ewe dew knot half too bee Sherlock Holmes two fig your Aldus won! |
Posted by on Apr 06, 2005 I am new to the site and this was the best daily teaser so far. |
Posted by roadburn65 on Apr 06, 2005 Very challenging first thing in the morning! |
Posted by Muffintins on Apr 06, 2005 YAY i figured it out! |
Posted by MEJOHN on Apr 07, 2005 This one was real easy. I think I may have heard it before. |
Posted by Jessa on Apr 07, 2005 I liked that one! Nice! |
Posted by biter_lemon on Apr 10, 2005 didn't even see the ? in the note. yeah, i'm good at reading . nice teaser though. |
Posted by Gandalf on Apr 11, 2005 Why'd he need to question mark it tells him in the note |
Posted by wolfy68 on Apr 17, 2005 The game is afoot! |
Posted by lil_Brat on Apr 18, 2005 i love that one i actually got it right when i read it! it was great |
Posted by on Apr 22, 2005 thats cool! i never wuld have guessed tho thats a good 1! |
Posted by darthforman on May 21, 2005 good one |
Posted by mxclint68 on Jul 06, 2005 Elementary, my dear Watson!...LOL....I loved it, but I am addicted to Holmes....I am currently collecting the old movies on DVD.... |
Posted by marching_xc on Jul 07, 2005 cute cute cute |
Posted by dolphingurl12 on Jul 08, 2005 awesome!!!!! |
Posted by max_payne_5th on Jul 20, 2005 nice job man! U get my thunbs up! |
Posted by Pelikan on Aug 26, 2005 Hehehe....i like i like!!! ....one of the ones that makes u go "oooooooh!" hehe....in my faves already! |
Posted by swithie on Sep 10, 2005 That was a really cool teaser, loved it! |
Posted by Royaltrecords on Sep 10, 2005 Excellent job! Keep up the good work |
Posted by thorax on Sep 18, 2005 that was cool |
Posted by bnwing on Sep 21, 2005 Super easy, but extremely FUN! I love these mystery teasers. Keep them coming! |
Posted by rkaaland on Nov 16, 2005 Great, why can't I every remember that? |
Posted by rkaaland on Nov 16, 2005 Great, why can't I every remember that? |
Posted by rkaaland on Nov 16, 2005 Sorry Couldn't remember I clicked either |
Posted by peppamintp on Nov 22, 2005 Good teaser. I actually thought John because the question mark is an upside down j (pretty much) |
Posted by ragethe3rd on Dec 22, 2005 Hehe very clever. |
Posted by Sherlock129 on Jan 12, 2006 This was in a book also. |
Posted by teen_wiz on Feb 09, 2006 VEEEEEEEEEEEERY cool. Loved it! |
Posted by luckythirteen on Feb 12, 2006 haha , very nice, i LOVE it! |
Posted by emily103 on Mar 16, 2006 very clever |
Posted by azbee123 on Apr 05, 2006 ssooooo cute!!!! going into my favs mos def! |
Posted by king_leonard on Apr 05, 2006 LOL tat was a gr8 one and i got it! excellent teaser! |
Posted by atrac on Apr 05, 2006 nice one! |
Posted by OldChinaHand on Apr 05, 2006 ? this one a winner. |
Posted by lmurray on Apr 05, 2006 ELEMENTARY |
Posted by coachpisco on Apr 05, 2006 I actually got it, by using MARK. I didn't use QUESTION though. Pretty good teaser. |
Posted by meteor on Apr 05, 2006 I wanted to make the connection to these brothers to their bibical name sakes. I thought John was beyond reproach, as John the Baptist is a major figure and revered by all. So I left with Paul and Mark, I saw Paul as the more important of the two. Which left Mark. Then I get the right answer for the wrong reason I credit the teaser more highly because of it's ability to mislead, an indication of a well thought out puzzle. Well done, I had fun and I must be more careful in the future. |
Posted by shawneeo on Apr 05, 2006 I got it, yay!!!!! The only reason I got it, tho, is because there's a guy on this site called "Question Mark", and I thought Mark as soon as I saw the "question mark". Really good teaser! btw: akg said he hates "gay riddles, gay songs, etc." in his comment. Why is that OK? That comment was made like two years ago! I don't care what shade of meaning calling something "gay" is supposed to have, it's a hateful use of the word, its def. not good, and if anyone used any similar word about any other minority it would be immediately deleted! |
Posted by bradon182001 on Apr 05, 2006 I liked this one. Good teaser. |
Posted by alis99 on Apr 05, 2006 I guessed it rite but for the wrong reason good one! |
Posted by saleprice on Apr 05, 2006 cute, very cute...... |
Posted by saleprice on Apr 05, 2006 akg keep your snide comments clean and pleasant please.no more derogatory comments!! |
Posted by hockeygirl on Apr 05, 2006 YAY i got one for once!!!YAY YAY YAY!!!! Righteous |
Posted by iteachkids on Apr 05, 2006 I'm with shawneeo and saleprice. There are a couple of people who use that term regularly and inappropriately. I click on "This is Offensive," but I don't know if it changes anything. Now - for the teaser - L VED it!!! By some stroke of genius (or luck), I got it right away. But it was still highly entertaining and clever! |
Posted by sccrclssc5 on Apr 05, 2006 Very Clever! Twas awesome, and fun! Great job! |
Posted by Sara2009 on Apr 05, 2006 CLEVER I LIKE IT |
Posted by besamishuevos on Apr 05, 2006 lame.....very lame indeed. |
Posted by KatV on Apr 05, 2006 I didn't get it....he he he...I HAD to look at the answer...I guess I'm slow today. |
Posted by koalamom on Apr 05, 2006 Read too fast and missed the "?". So I didn't get it. |
Posted by shardney08 on Apr 05, 2006 I thought that was so cool! It was very interesting. I would have never thought of that one. I had to read it twice before I got it but that's ok. It takes me a minute. Great one though. |
Posted by tdbrsun on Apr 05, 2006 I am so new at the teasers and such. Hope to try more of them . Maybe I will get a bit smarter. enjoyed this one a lot |
Posted by youdumbsavage on Apr 05, 2006 I REALLY LOVED THIS ONE. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE REALLY HARD (THATS WHY I DIDNT GET IT ) BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY VERY EASY. GREAT TEASER! DEFINATELY GOING TO MY FAVORITES. WOW! KEEP THEM COMING! |
Posted by tam13 on Apr 05, 2006 Thought this one was very clever. The ? really gave it away!! Thanks for a good brain teaser. |
Posted by jabdr on Apr 05, 2006 Loved it |
Posted by bballer21 on Apr 05, 2006 great-- keep them coming!! 5 smileys!!!! |
Posted by Bastet on Apr 05, 2006 I didn't get the answer at all. When I read the answer, I went, "Oh, my God!" It was so simple and if I wasn't so blasted literal in my thinking, I may have seen the answer right away. I loved it!! |
Posted by feste on Apr 05, 2006 I got it right but for the wrong reason, ie, Mark (marksman). |
Posted by spazzyjazzy93 on Apr 05, 2006 omg, i actually got that one! yay! |
Posted by spazzyjazzy93 on Apr 05, 2006 it was really good! |
Posted by lindquist_25 on Apr 05, 2006 Great! |
Posted by bluehawk on Apr 05, 2006 That was very cleaver. I thought it was cute. "?" |
Posted by syracuse945 on Apr 05, 2006 yeah, it was gud... n i lyk sherlock holmes... |
Posted by vlerma on Apr 06, 2006 Again, I got in too big of a hurry and didn't see the ? or didn't understand it, or something. Was a cute teaser anyhow. And welcome back Besa Have missed you. |
Posted by eabreu92 on Apr 06, 2006 shouldn't this be in trick or rebus??? oh well... (by the way, i got it after reading the note out loud) |
Posted by horse_luver on Apr 09, 2006 Haha, cute. I got it |
Posted by riddlelover on Apr 10, 2006 Clever...easy, but clever. And fun. |
Posted by brainster on Apr 25, 2006 This was great! |
Posted by zonarita on Apr 25, 2006 GR8 teaser! |
Posted by peanut-tiara on May 26, 2006 Very clever. Very fun. Made me Smile. (and not just because I got it) |
Posted by teasermaster on Dec 19, 2006 Got it quickly, but very clever. |
Posted by solarsistim321 on Dec 28, 2006 Clever! |
Posted by gaylewolf on Apr 05, 2007 Thanks! I LOVED this one! It was clever and it was fun! I share these teasers with my teenage grandkids - THEY are also clever and fun! |
Posted by anion on Apr 05, 2007 Great Teaser!!! I got it. Keep up the good work. |
Posted by Shikamaru on Apr 05, 2007 pretty good teaser. i got the question part, but not the question mark, so i came up with "question crimson" which told me nothing i didnt already know. |
Posted by builder on Apr 05, 2007 not as fun this year as in years past. With hundreds of teasers we should be able to go at least two years before we repeat |
Posted by cnahorses on Apr 05, 2007 too easy but cute |
Posted by bradon182001 on Apr 05, 2007 Excellent teaser. Can't believe I didn't see it last year, but I didn't. Glad I saw it this year. The answer was much better than the one I came up with which was he should question all three. What was I thinking? |
Posted by doehead on Apr 05, 2007 Kindergarden material |
Posted by puttumup on Apr 05, 2007 yawn |
Posted by ViaTunisi on Apr 05, 2007 Wow- so much easier the second time around |
Posted by cassiemark on Apr 05, 2007 Good one! I actually got it Yay! |
Posted by MelkorDCLXVI on Apr 05, 2007 i love pusslez like this event hough i didn't get it |
Posted by katjojo on Apr 05, 2007 I have seen this one before. But, still cute. |
Posted by FatHead on Apr 05, 2007 Easy enough when you think about it! |
Posted by Pizzazz2u on Apr 05, 2007 Very good! It does seem to be easy when you think about it, but I believe you should question ALL three of them, anyway! Keep up the terrific work! |
Posted by morgoth1028 on Apr 05, 2007 omgsh i should known!!! |
Posted by zombiesean on Apr 05, 2007 That was easy, but fun. |
Posted by auntiesis on Apr 05, 2007 Took me a min. but eventually the little grey cells went to work, to borrow a phrase from M. Poirot ! Keep up the good work. |
Posted by I_Write_Books on Apr 05, 2007 It was a little on the easy side, but I liked it all the same. |
Posted by merrypippin246 on Apr 05, 2007 That was a fun teaser but it was too easy! |
Posted by saachigirl1 on Apr 05, 2007 Yes i agree with you merrypippin!! |
Posted by merrypippin246 on Apr 05, 2007 merrypippin246 to you!!! |
Posted by saachigirl1 on Apr 05, 2007 srry |
Posted by chickenzRcool on Apr 05, 2007 LOL, I was actually 'laughing out loud' this time...maybe cause there's no one in the room MuahAhaHa Great Teaser!!!!!! |
Posted by cloughme on Apr 05, 2007 Excellent!! |
Posted by OhEmGee on Apr 05, 2007 good one M E S S A G E M E P L E A S E |
Posted by cooltigerr1 on Apr 05, 2007 LOVE IT!! this was funny it was so obvious and i didnt get it! good one |
Posted by musiclover101 on Apr 05, 2007 LOVED IT!! DEFINITELY GOING ON MY FAVES!!! |
Posted by suganue on Apr 05, 2007 i liked it, mostly because I got it. it was cute though. I almost missed the fact that the question mark was inside the parenthesis. I thought that was a great teaser! |
Posted by kitty728 on Apr 05, 2007 DUH.......IM A DUMMY TODAY....COULDNT GET IT......GIMME SOME JUMBLES OR CRYTPOQUOTES - I CAN BREAK CODE.... CAN U??? |
Posted by kauphi1976 on Apr 05, 2007 a little too easy for Mr Holmes |
Posted by breathesunshine on Apr 05, 2007 I hope Mark has allowance $ to pay for that! Got it after reading it a second time. |
Posted by Madelulabelle on Apr 11, 2007 Loved this one! I got it but it did make me slow down a little. A+++! |
Posted by j9mattfield on Apr 19, 2007 I love mysteries! I actually got this one after the second reading. Well done! |
Posted by Qrystal on May 10, 2007 Cute. Easy. A joy to get in my email today! |
Posted by dudebomb93 on Nov 01, 2007 i got it!!! |
Posted by luckypuppy on May 15, 2008 wow there are a lot of comments on this one! easy but fun! |
Posted by wise_girl_01 on Jun 02, 2008 best one i've read thus far |
Posted by sourdough on Jun 23, 2008 $ourDough gives this the best score so far! Kudos to the writer! Four Thumbs Up! $D |
Posted by Vivica on Oct 13, 2008 I liked that |
Posted by yangjun on Nov 15, 2008 I have seem this question a lot of times... so it is very easy and a little broing... |
Posted by mathisnice on Apr 05, 2010 Easy, but an excellent teaser. |
Posted by doehead on Apr 05, 2010 Give me a break. This was on a kindergarden quiz. And all the kids got it right. |
Posted by beyonce123 on Apr 05, 2010 that means it probably wasn't mark. It was probably from one of mark's brothers and said brother was really the one who broke the window |
Posted by sunnybonghits on Apr 05, 2010 I liked it. Had to think for a minute and got it. Just the way a short little brain teaser should be. Cheers |
Posted by auntiesis on Apr 05, 2010 Loved this one before, love it still. Cute & clever. Thanks. |
Posted by TallTimber on Apr 05, 2010 Good one. |
Posted by angelfinder on Apr 05, 2010 This one was too easy! Naturally you would question Mark? |
Posted by Darkmagician92 on Apr 11, 2011 easy but very nice, |
Posted by makan121 on Apr 02, 2012 so who write the note? |
Posted by brains2beauty96 on Jun 16, 2012 Someone tell me why my 9 year old brother got it before I did!?! lol |
Posted by Babe on Apr 05, 2013 I got that one so fast it even shocked me! Really cute though |
Posted by jaycr on Apr 05, 2013 ? for sure, but never trust any of those Crimson brothers. |
Posted by cutebug on Apr 05, 2013 It's been 10 years since Mark broke the window. Did he for the replacement yet? |
Posted by Maggiethe8th on Apr 05, 2013 and this is why I need these-I thought I'd looked at all the possibilities Loved the answer! |
Posted by gaylewolf on Apr 05, 2013 Sure it's been posted before, but it's still cute and clever. Love it! |
Posted by thecatladycac on Apr 05, 2013 Cute Teaser - I had to read it twice for it to soak in! |
Posted by HABS2933 on Apr 05, 2013 Very easy. |
Posted by iggy39 on Apr 05, 2013 Sorry that was way to easy. When I figure it out just by reading it, that's very easy, but thanks for posting. It still was fun. |
Posted by giuseppemccarth on Apr 19, 2013 Haha, I found it very clever. I didn't get it, I guess I'm a bit slower than this person^ :-) |
Posted by dzean1412 on Sep 06, 2013 i have the same answer but different reasoning XD for me it's Mark because he left a MARK on the window by accidentally breaking it. |
Posted by BadBunnee02 on Apr 05, 2016 hey, everybody ..... you're missing the "Van Gogh" party in yesterday's TOTD ..... Apr 04 #46315 Be there or be ... **** * * **** The Bunny One (er ....uh ... TWO) |
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How to Garden in Cylinders . . . this Friday
The under50over Program at Clear Lake City-County Freeman and the University of Houston-Clear Lake (CLASP) invite you to join us Friday, March 2nd at 10:30 am in the Children's Activity Space. Master Gardener Lewis Mickler will be talking about "Cylinder Gardening."
Light refreshments are provided by the Friends of Freeman Library.
Please contact the Reference Desk at (281) 488-1906 or visit us on the Second Floor for more information.


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All is not as it appears, at least not in the world of contemporary furniture design. The casual observer could easily have missed the latest trend for multi-functional furniture because clever design work hides the different ways in which it can be used.
Take the Trompe-L'oeil nest of tables by British design company Linley, for example. At first glance it looks to be a classic, walnut side-table. A closer inspection reveals that there is a second, smaller table concealed underneath.
The desire to save space is the primary driver for fusion furnishings, making them ideal for practical pied à terre living. The Fusion Table melds dining and pool table into one, with the latter hidden by a sliding wooden tabletop. Owners can thus shoot pool at their leisure while not making the game a central feature of their interior decor.
The Library Staircase, designed by the London-based Levitate Architects, is a bibliophile's dream and provides another space-efficient solution, in which books are stored under the English oak stair treads of the staircase.


text: Page Content 1Four Approaches to Teaching Entrepreneurship as a Method By Patricia G. Greene Entrepreneurship is often thought of as a process—a process of identifying an opportunity, understanding resource requirements, acquiring resources, planning, and implementing. Of course, a "process" assumes known inputs and known outputs, as in a manufacturing process. For example, building a car on an assembly line is a manufacturing process. You know all the parts; you know how they fit together; and you know the type of car you will have at the end. A process is quite predictable. Entrepreneurship, however, is not predictable. Therefore, in this article, I'll highlight a portfolio of four complementary techniques for teaching entrepreneurship as a method rather than a process: Starting businesses Serious games and simulations Design-based learning Reflective practice Each approach requires students to reach beyond primarily prediction-focused ways of knowing, analyzing, and talking—thus positioning them instead to create, apply, and act. Starting Businesses Starting businesses as part of coursework has become more mainstream over the past few years. Babson College, for example, started its Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship (FME) course in 1996, requiring first year undergraduate students to start a business. The focus of FME is on opportunity recognition, resource parsimony, team development, holistic thinking, and value creation through harvest. The vehicle of learning is a limited-duration business start-up steeped in entrepreneurial thinking and a basic understanding of all functions of business. Many business schools today have incorporated the real-world practice of business creation into their entrepreneurship curriculum. For example, the 2010 United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship winner for model entrepreneurship course was Monmouth University for its capstone experience where students work in teams to start businesses. However, as we talk about a pedagogy of practice within the entrepreneurship method, we are advocating for real-world venture creation courses to take place at the beginning, rather than at the end of entrepreneurship programs. We suggest this because at the undergraduate level, students have little business experience and to truly develop empathy for the entrepreneur, one must experience new venture creation before he or she can study business management or other disciplinary areas. Furthermore, students develop a level of insight and confidence from practicing methods for navigating unknown territories and from experiencing success and failure. Specifically, in our first-hand observation we see that students: experience the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and learn about the sweat equity associated with a start-up gain knowledge of the importance of leadership yet struggle with finding and developing their own style practice entrepreneurship and through experience, learn about the power of human agency, yet effectively managing and utilizing human resources is more art than science feel defeat after making poor decisions and experience elation over small wins underestimate in hindsight the role of trust between managers and employees and learn delegation is not a choice On top of these five insights, students learn that the best opportunity in the world is of little value without a strong team that can execute. Such strength is derived from open and constant communication, challenging but shared goals, and the ability to adapt in uncertain environments. Serious Games and Simulations To play or not to play? That is indeed an increasingly important question for educators. The influence of computer games and gaming on the rising generations is now undeniable, with more and more educators and corporate trainers looking for applications in both the academic and professional worlds. There is a large variety of definitions of serious games, with most sharing two common grounding assumptions (Greene, Forthcoming). First, there is an element of "game" usually defined as having rules and a sense of "gameplay." Second, there is the expectation of fun. Gaming aligns learning, play, and participation while exposing students to real challenges in a virtual world. Today's games require 50–100 hours to master, which equals the amount of time a student spends on a semester-long course (Pink 2006). There is indeed a rising use of games in spaces where simulations were prevalent but with that added expectation of the gameplay and fun elements. For instance, I attended a Serious Game Summit as part of the annual Game Developers Conference, and heard the presentations on how Hilton Garden Inn is using games to train its staff on customer service. I learned how Intel uses games for network training, and for one of the most far-reaching examples, how the U.S. Army and the Canadian Army each use computer games and alternative reality games for recruiting and training purposes. Babson, similar to a few other schools, has been investigating and experimenting with the use of serious games in our entrepreneurship curriculum for some time. To date, our focus has been on three main areas. First, we developed and tested a social media alternative reality game for teaching social media to faculty members. The intent was to help faculty understand what is available, how it can be helpful to entrepreneurs, and how it can be useful in teaching entrepreneurship. The framework of the game was an elaborate treasure hunt that required the faculty/ students to not only visit social media sites but to use each one of them in a way that would benefit an entrepreneur (or entrepreneurship student). The ultimate treasure was a hidden chest containing what was labeled "Roger Babson's Secret Entrepreneurship Curriculum" and was in reality a list of resource materials for teaching serious games. Another one of our game experiments was the use of an off-the-shelf computer game: The Sims, and the expansion packet, Open for Business. The purpose of the game was to compact the business creation process in order to map the creation of organizational culture, particularly through the way the student/ entrepreneur/player used his or her time and his or her money in relation to the business, the employees, and the community. The course is based on a combination of institutional- and resource-based theories to provide guidance for students in creating culture as a resource. (Ironically, in my experience, one of the biggest challenges in using this approach is getting students to stop playing the game.) Finally, we developed a video game to support learning about how entrepreneurs think under conditions of risk, uncertainty, and unknowability. The game is based on the theory of effectuation (Sarasvathy 2008) and is designed to replace a case study for an in-class discussion on entrepreneurial thinking. Overall, the use of serious games is part of the method approach; it allows students a different environment to practice entrepreneurship. It is a playful approach for creating serious results. Design-Based Learning Entrepreneurship is an applied discipline, yet we are teaching and researching as if it were part of the natural sciences (Simon 1996). Furthermore, the impact of entrepreneurship research is not clear with little research performed to assess the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education. Nobel Prize-winning economist Herbert Simon argued that applied disciplines are better served by design-based curricula. Design is a process of divergence and convergence requiring skills in observation, synthesis, searching and generating alternatives, critical thinking, feedback, visual representation, creativity, problem-solving, and value creation. Teaching entrepreneurship through a design lens can help students identify and act on unique venture opportunities using a tool kit of observation, fieldwork, and understanding value creation across multiple stakeholder groups. At the core of entrepreneurship is the identification and exploitation of opportunities (Shane and Venkataraman 2000), yet the majority of entrepreneurship courses assume that the opportunity has been identified. In the process world, we talked about case studies and business plan writing. The majority of entrepreneurship case studies focus on opportunity evaluation, but little attention is given to how the opportunity was identified beyond a surface-level discussion related to the life history of the entrepreneur. In a traditional business plan course, very little time is given to practicing tools of creativity and idea generation. Overall, very little is done to train a student to think more entrepreneurially and creatively participate in opportunity discovery. We argue that such a discovery process should be grounded in fundamental design principles so students are equipped with tools to not only find opportunities, but to also make opportunities (Sarasvathy 2008). Reflective Practice The idea of encouraging reflection is certainly not new, and, if anything, is regaining its currency as a critical component of the overall learning experience. From Socrates to Thoreau to the present day, the emphasis on taking time to think often resonates and yet seems difficult to inject into an action-based curriculum in an overarching and meaningful manner. For many of our students, simply sitting still and thinking does not come naturally or easily, and yet, the power of the potential outcome—"being aware of our actions so we can evaluate them" (Brockbank and McGill 2007, p. 85) seems clear. Reflection is an important process by which knowledge is developed from experience. When reflecting, one considers an experience that has happened and tries to understand or explain it, which often leads to insight and deep learning—or ideas to test on new experiences. Reflection is particularly important for perplexing experiences, working under conditions of high uncertainty, and problem-solving. As a result, it should not be a surprise that reflection is an integral component of entrepreneurship education and also a way of practicing entrepreneurship. Donald Schön (1983, 1987) coined the term reflective practice while studying applied university programs such as medicine, law, and architectural design. He argued that the knowledge acquired through coursework, what he called propositional knowledge, was limited in its impact because it did not take into consideration the reality of practice. Yet, he discovered that professionals graduating from applied programs were still effective despite how they were taught. Schön learned that professionals enhanced their practice through engagement and developed "practice experience" (Brockbank and McGill 2007). Schön distinguished "reflection-on-practice" (do–learn–think as a process) from "reflection-in-practice" (do–learn– think as a behavior). Both are important and represent a continuous cycle of learning. Schön found the teachers and students engaged in reflection on emergent practice that was to underpin their learning and therefore enhance their practice. Putting it more simply, students learned by listening, watching, doing, and by being coached in their doing. In addition, they would "take with them" that reflection on their previous actions as a piece of "knowledge" or learning when they went into action the next time. Thus in the next action they would be bringing all their previously acquired understanding and practice and be able to reflect in the action as they did it, particularly if a new circumstance came up (Brockbank and McGill 2007, p. 87). Given the nature of entrepreneurship as a continuous cycle of action, learning, testing, and experimenting, developing students as reflective entrepreneurs requires reflection-on-practice and reflection-in-practice as part of a pedagogy portfolio. A primary objective of reflection is deep learning. Marton (1975) categorized learning as surface or deep. Surface learning is associated with a more passive approach that is premised on a model of education that is dependent on learning, absorbing, and regurgitating. Deep learning is associated with a more active approach characterized by a desire to grasp and synthesize information for valuable and long-term meaning. Conclusions As you can see from our example pedagogy portfolio, the method is teachable, learnable, but it is not predictable. Starting businesses help students "feel" what it is like to assume the role of an entrepreneur. Serious games and simulations allow students to play in virtual worlds that mirror reality. Designed-based learning encourages students to observe the world through a different lens and create opportunities. Finally, reflective practice gives permission to our students to take time, think, and absorb the learning of their practice-based curriculum. Together, our portfolio of feeling, playing, observing, creating, and thinking is the entrepreneurship method and a prescription for practice. Learning a method, in our opinion, is often more important than learning specific content. In an ever-changing world, we need to teach methods that stand the test of dramatic changes in content and context. At the end of the day, perhaps we do not teach entrepreneurship the discipline. Perhaps we teach a method to navigate the discipline. References Excerpted from Neck, Heidi M. and Greene Patricia G. (2011). "Entrepreneurship Education: Known World and New Frontiers." Journal of Small Business Management, 49(1), 55-70 Brockbank, A., and I. McGill (2007). Facilitating Reflective Learning in Higher Education, 2nd ed. New York: Open University Press. Greene, P. G. (forthcoming). "The Emergence of the Serious Game Industry," ISBE Annual Conference, Liverpool, Oct 2009. Marton, F. (1975). "What Does It Take to Learn?" in How Students Learn. Eds. N. Entwistle and D. Hounsell. Lancaster: Institute for Research and Development in Post Compulsory Education, 125–138. Pink, D. (2006). A Whole New Mind. New York: Riverhead Books. Sarasvathy, S. D. (2008). Effectuation: Elements of Entrepreneurial Expertise. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Schön, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner. New York: Basic Books. ________ (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner. London: Jossey-Bass. Shane, S., and S. Venkataraman (2000). "The Promise of Entrepreneurship as a Field of Research," Academy of Management Review 25(1), 217–227. Simon, H. A. (1996). The Sciences of the Artificial. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.


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One-Pot Creamy Ranch Chicken Succotash
- 2 large ears corn (when not available, substitute 1 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted)
- Salt
- 1 pound fava beans or broad beans (when not available, substitute 1 cup shelled frozen edamame or lima beans, defrosted)
- 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs or 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breast halves, halved crosswise to make 8 pieces total
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons EVOO
- 1/3 pound bacon, chopped
- 1 pound small potatoes, diced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 Fresno chile pepper, chopped
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- About 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
- About 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- About 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or made into a paste
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- Toasted English muffins or warm sourdough bread, for serving
Cut off the corn kernels and scrape the juice from the cobs.
Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a pot and season with salt. Add the fava beans and boil for 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the fava beans to the ice bath to cool, then drain. Score the belly of the fava beans with a paring knife and remove the shells. (You should have about 1 cup.)
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the EVOO in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until browned. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the bacon to the pot and cook until crisp, then remove to a plate. Add the potatoes to the bacon drippings and lightly brown for a couple of minutes. Add the corn, onions and chile pepper and brown 8 to 10 more minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and tomatoes.
Return the chicken and bacon to the pot and simmer 10 minutes. Combine the cream cheese with the herbs and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Add the cream cheese mixture to the succotash and stir until well combined. Add the hot sauce.
Divide the chicken and succotash among shallow dishes. Serve with toasted English muffins or warm sourdough bread.
Cook's Note: If you are not serving the dish immediately, cool and then cover and store in the refrigerator. Reheat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.


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If you've never used attrilinks (or linking shapes as my kinders call them) you might want to consider getting a set. They are sort of like attribute blocks since they have shapes of different sizes and colors, but they're links instead of blocks. My students love sorting them-so that will definitely be one of my geometry work station activities.
I also plan to use my geoboards as one of my geometry work station activities. I let my students do some free exploration with the geoboards, but also have some task cards available for them to practice making different shapes. Click here to download a copy of my geoboard task cards.
One of the games I made to help my students learn 2D shapes is called Spin a Shape. Click here to download a copy of the game. For this game, students use the spinner to spin a shape, tell their partner the name of the shape, and then cover up the shape with a bingo chip. Students try to cover up all of the shapes on their game board. This game is just for practicing 2D shapes, but I'm going to try to make a version with 3D shapes as well this week. I got the idea for this game from a similar game that Lakeshore sells-wish I had the money to buy all of their neat games!
Another idea I had was letting my students make pictures out of shapes (either foam shapes or di-cut shapes) and then having them count up the different shapes they used to make their picture. Click here for a copy of the page I made to go with this activity. I'd probably model for them how I could make a little house out of a square with a triangle on top or something simple like that (I imagine my students will probably be making much more creative pictures-like aliens and robots out of their shapes!). A similar activity for 3D shapes might be letting the students build something out of blocks and then tally up how many of each 3D shape they used in whatever they built (I'd just have to make sure the block corner had a variety of 3D shapes!).
I hope you've gotten a few ideas for geometry work station activities that you can use with your students. Mrs. Patton is hosting this week's chapter, so head on over to Patton's Patch for some more great work station ideas!


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biki's profile
Member since: 11 February 2004biki has posted 1 links and 71 comments to WHEDONesque.
Stuart WillisLocation:
i do stuff. some of it even manages to be funny, but most of it isn't. sad.
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Call for Posters!
Friday, July 18, and Saturday, July 19, 2014
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Washington, D.C.
Poster Submissions Closed
The International Conference on Diabetes Planning Committee invites you to submit an abstract to be considered for poster presentation in Washington, D.C., at the Poster and Conference Reception on Friday evening, July 18, 2014.
Presenting a poster is a great opportunity to take part in the discussion of evidence-based approaches to address the epidemic of diabetes, from basic science laboratory to clinical practice and the world beyond. Final selections will be based on the quality and clarity of the abstract and topical relevance. Posters will be listed by presenter name(s) and poster title in the conference materials.
Poster Abstract Categories
- Prevention of Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Teens
- Translating Nutrition Research Into Practice and Community Settings
- Plant-Based Dietary Patterns For Diabetes and More
- Nutrition Education in Medical School and Elsewhere
- Policy Approaches to Better Diets and Better Health
- Environmental and Sustainability Issues
- Changing Behavior
- Novel Approaches in Clinical Research
- Other
Submission Site
The submission site requires the following information:
- Presenter: Please list all presenters and planners who contributed to the work discussed in the abstract. Please provide contact information, credentials, and professional experience as well as duality of interest information for each person listed.
- Abstract Form: Include title and abstract. These will appear in promotional materials. Provide at least two measurable behavior objectives. Select content area from the list provided.
Preparing the Abstract
Research Abstracts: The body of the abstract must include the purpose, significance of the study, participants, design and methods, data analysis and results (statistical tests if appropriate), interpretation, and conclusions. If applicable, note any funding source.
Nonresearch abstracts are also welcome, including literature reviews, evidence-based case-studies, and quality-improvement programs.
It is strongly suggested that you enter the submission site and begin your submission well in advance of the deadline. You will not be able to save your work and complete it at a later time. It is suggested you create a Word document with the required information and cut and paste the information into the abstract site once you are ready.
After the submission deadline, abstracts may not be revised in any way or resubmitted. Proofread abstracts carefully to avoid errors before submission. If accepted, your abstract will be published as submitted.
- We do not accept posters based on animal research.
- No speaker substitutions may be made after the abstract review process has been completed.
- At least one abstract author must attend the conference for the poster to be displayed.
- Presenters are responsible for the full cost of conference attendance.
Dates to Remember
- Deadline: Poster Submissions Closed
- Notification of Acceptance: Rolling Basis
Call for Posters
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After yesterday's discussion about ICFF, I'm happy to move on and focus on the people who produced pieces that I really enjoyed. From hot-pink velvet sofas and copper lights to magnetic curtains and outdoor dividers, there's plenty of beautiful design here for everyone. I hope you enjoy these next 20 designs as much as I did . . . xo, grace
Image above: Tom Dixon never fails to deliver truly gorgeous lamps with copper detailing.
Image above: Beautiful textile panels from Timorous Beasties.
Image above: One of the most innovative designs I saw at this year's show was a magnetic curtain by Elodie Blanchard at Elastic Co. that allows you to create truly beautiful sculptural shapes with your window dressings. It reminds me of these curtains, which sadly were never produced. I still long to have those in my home one day . . .
Image above: Shiny lamps? I can't resist them. Design by UM project
CLICK HERE for 15 more designs from ICFF after the jump!
Image above: I loved this patterned outdoor wall divider. This would be perfect for an urban or suburban space. Design by Puck and Blossom
Image above: I've got a thing for invisible-magnet knife boards. This one is just gorgeous. Design by POTT
Images above: I know this couch is pretty over the top, but there was a little voice inside me that couldn't help but scream, "Pink couch!!!" over and over whenever I walked past this. So I broke down and had a seat . . . and fell in love. Silk velvet with amazing constellation-style stitching. This piece was over-the-top awesome. Design by Khouri Guzman Bunce Limited
Image above: These metal cage lights from Roll & Hill were really nice.
Image above: This felt magazine/bottle holder looked like one giant piece of dripping fabric. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I thought it was really striking. Design by Ilio
Images above: More beautiful work from Elodie Blanchard at Elastic Co., who made those amazing magnetic curtains above. Her fringed fabric was called "Eyelashes," and the felt accordion-style curtain had hand-stitched detailing.
Image above: This simple leather wine rack would make a great housewarming gift. Design by Luciana Gonzalez-Franco
Images above: This couch was one of my favorite pieces at the show. The salvaged wood lip that runs around the entirety of the couch hides some really great storage and acts as a perfect drink rest or spot for books and magazines. And the leather buckle detailing? Perfect. Design by Sami Hayek
the lamp by UM project is fabulous!
I want that pink sofa. It's soooo glam and soooo gorgeous!
I'm sold on those copper pieces!!
I still wish the Hannah Allijn curtains were produced, too! p.s. just seeing them again blew my mind…i can't believe it's been five years since I started reading your blog!
Oooh, those Timorous Beasties panels remind me of the work of Karin Bergoo Larsson! Her husband, the painter Carl Larsson, is better known, but her textile designs were really interesting–blending geometric patterns with openwork, etc. Sigh…
So, I hate to ask, but was there a hint of a price for such a treasure?
We loved the pink and mint with brass lamps by um project!
Oh my gosh, that lamp and chest of drawers by UMProject are awesome. They remind me of this piece:
And that sofa, it's so funny to see Pantone's Honeysuckle showing up in the darnedest places. :)
I adore the copper lights especially the hanging lights. Perfect for a boutique hotel.
I guess I just LOVE over-the-top! That pink couch is amazing – I'm in the process of upholstering a couch in berry hued velvet and that picture makes me wish I had gone pink instead.
Silk velvet never sucks in any color and that reclaimed wood sofa is genius!
Love the fushia sofa
Love the sofa AND that curtain that never got produced. I really wanted that one in my place especially since I'm not a fan of most window treatments.


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On a rainy afternoon at a five-star hotel in suburban Mumbai, Vikram Akula is making a fervent pitch to a group of potential investors in the enterprise he founded, SKS Microfinance (SKS). Akula and SKS chief executive Suresh Gurumani take turns at the mike to impress on the rainmakers the advantages of investing in SKS, well on its way to becoming the world's biggest microlender. While their purpose is the same, the two men present a study in contrast. Akula, resplendent in his red kurta-pyjama, stands out against the dark-suited, ex-Barclays banker. While Akula tugs at the heart with his passion for the rural poor, Gurumani guns for the mind with staccato beats on operating margins, market share and return on equity.
On the stage, however, their rhythm is flawless. They tell the story of how SKS grew from a small not-for-profit with a mere 2,000 borrowers in 2001 to a vibrant company with 4.7 million customers in 19 states, a disbursement record of $1.8 billion and an outstanding loan book of $554 million. By any yardstick, these are impressive statistics. Given that 90% of India's 3,150 microfinance institutions have fewer than 10,000 customers each, this sort of scaling up is an investor's dream.
More importantly, SKS was one of the first to show that private capital could be harnessed to nurture sustainable livelihoods in villages. The company raised $153 million in equity capital along the way – a decisive show of harmony between the idealistic vision of Akula and the profit pragmatism of Gurumani.
Back at SKS, however, the two are not playing quite the same tune. The pressure from commercial capital for profit-linked growth is mounting and Akula must fight to save the social objective for which he founded SKS. The conflicts are now testing the very model of serving the poor through tiny loans and freeing them from the hold of loan sharks. "In my view, SKS right now is trying to reconcile its split identity and re-architect what the company stands for," says Anna Somos Krishnan, a former SKS executive and now executive director of Planet Finance India, an international NGO for the development of microfinance.
SKS, like the sector it represents, is at a crossroads today. The company is working to become the world's largest microfinance institution (MFI) next year by overtaking Muhammad Yunus' Grameen Bank with 8 million customers. SKS is also on the verge of becoming the first-ever MFI in India to go public: It could sell its shares in an initial public offer in the first quarter of 2010 and thus offer existing shareholders an opportunity to book profits. Internal conflicts couldn't have come at a worse time. Not only is the management divided on how to grow, but is also facing charges of overstretching and 'mission drift' – of losing sight of its customers in favor of profitability and investor targets.
Yunus, widely regarded as the father of microfinance, shivers at the thought of mixing private profits and microlending. "Of course MFIs can serve the poor and make huge profit," he tells Forbes India in an email interview. "But I would not support it. That's what loan sharks have been doing over centuries. I don't want to see new version of loan sharks under the guise of MFI." He will surely be reading the IPO prospectus. "In going for IPO, if SKS does not make it clear that they will make absolutely sure that their interest rate will not exceed 10 points over the cost of fund, I will get very worried. I don't wish to see SKS following the Compartamos path," Yunus says, referring to Mexico's Banco Compartamos, whose similar model and 2007 IPO he criticized.
First Steps to Profit
What started as a small NGO called Swayam Krushi Sangam saw its big transformation to a profit-motivated MFI in 2004, interestingly, while the founder was away. That year, Akula had stepped down and joined consulting firm McKinsey in Chicago. By mid-2005, SKS had become a non-banking finance company with investors like Vinod Khosla and Small Industries Development Bank of India. The new investors wanted Akula back at the helm, driving the transition from non-profit to for-profit. "The investor group was going through its own education process. It was really a bet on Vikram and his years of experience in the field," says Ashish Lakhanpal, managing director of Kismet Capital, the second largest investor in SKS.
Akula agreed to come back. His homecoming created microfinance history in India: Private investors pumped in $3 million into the company in March 2006. Vineet Rai, an old friend of Akula's and the founder and CEO of social venture capital fund Aavishkaar, says, "The Vikram who went away was a soft spoken almost naïve, nice human being. The one who returned from McKinsey was a clear visionary who knew how to build a large company. It's the difference between saying 'I want to go to the top of Mount Everest,' vs. 'I know exactly how to get there'."
The Akula who returned from the US was also a man in a hurry. The story goes that Akula hired full-time staff to fill out award applications on his behalf. Akula denies this saying his staff filled out only two applications while he has won several recognitions: Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year (India), Ernst & Young Start Up Entrepreneur of the Year (India), Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum to name a few.
Media across the world loved him. He was featured on CNN, the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and TIME magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people. BusinessWeek named SKS one of the top five emerging and influential companies in the world in 2009 along with social networking site Facebook and online community for classified ads Craigslist.
Growth reached heady pace. In 2007 and 2008, SKS grew in excess of 200%. By all reckoning, Akula seemed to have served the purpose of his return. It was then the company began the hunt for a different sort of leadership for the surge into the next level. Sequoia Capital, the largest shareholder, led the search. "We have played an active role in building the company that goes beyond being a financial investor," says Sumir Chadha, Sequoia's MD. Akula also understood what his company needed. In December 2008, he formally relinquished control to the new CEO, Suresh Gurumani.
But by the time Akula quit, employees say he was long gone. "Honestly, Vikram hadn't been around for a long time. He was the faceless guy who had started this place and then sort of disappeared. He was CEO in name alone." But for Akula, it was an emotional parting. "I cried But I know what I'm good at and what I'm not." In Akula's mind, it was time SKS got a professional with the financial acumen required for a large-scale financial institution.
Enter Suresh Gurumani, a hard-boiled retail banker for 22 years. He was instrumental in launching retail banking at Barclays India, as well as Barclays Finance, a non-banking finance company (NBFC) with 120 branches across 40 cities to create alternate distribution channels. Prior to that, he headed SME Banking at Standard Chartered, an association he held for 12 years.
With a plan to reach 15 million customers by 2012 and 50 million eventually, SKS is a company in a hurry. But not everyone in the microfinance industry is impressed. "Whose need is this, to grow at unheard high growth of more than 200%? Is it the need of the investors?" asks D. Settaiah, chief operating officer of Bhartiya Samruddhi Finance (BASIX), the first MFI in India to get foreign funding.
For Akula, the answer lies beyond the Yunus school of thought. "Professor Yunus believes microfinance should be a social business – you get social capital and you return no profit. Grameen Bank reaches 7 million clients and that's amazing. On the other hand, it took Professor Yunus took 35 years to do that Can you imagine how many generations it will take to reach 150 million poor households in India if we took that approach? We have to scale more rapidly, and only commercial capital will meet our huge funding requirements. The only way to get that is to be not only profitable but extremely profitable," he says.
Ever since private capital began to course through its veins, the culture at SKS too has started transforming. With Akula often visiting the US, the second rung leadership that ran the company brought in lot more changes. Somos Krishnan, who spent nearly a year and half at the MFI, recalls how the informal mojo gave way to the stifling air of buttoned down formality. "We often had debates about whether self-congratulatory emails on reaching certain milestones (number of clients) were the best ways to motivate employees."
Another source, who is aware of the situation inside the company, says, "It's like the story of the boiling frog. You put it in really hot water and it will jump right out. But if you put it in warm water it won't realize what's happening till it's too late."
The situation at SKS became clear to employees once Gurumani had officially taken over and Akula became chairman. Early this year, Akula was back at SKS after a few months. According to some reports, Gurumani and Akula started clashing over management and personnel issues. "Suresh confuses enforcing cultural principles and values via PowerPoint and actually living those principles through the organization," says one industry source who asked not to be named. "Suresh and Vikram are diametric opposite in some ways." That difference was visible in the staff appraisals for 2008. Akula had done those for the first half and Gurumani and Rao handled it for the second half. Some of the staff found that their performance reviews were as different as chalk and cheese. It was eventually resolved, but most employees picked up the message.
"I think that's when things started to become obvious, about how different these two really were. I think Vikram realized that too late. He waited for the exact minute he had no power left to come back," says one source previously associated with SKS. "That's why he's returned. His entire wealth and reputation is tied to this company. Sadly, the investors might not need him anymore even though without him this company has no heart."
Others argue that Gurumani is in a tough situation and is only doing his job. "Do you know how much he had to come in and clean up? He is just being professional. Vikram used to sit in the States and hire all these Ivy League expats with little or no knowledge of India. And then they'd arrive at our doorstep for us to deal with," says one former employee at SKS. Both Akula and Gurumani have admitted that there were disagreements. They, however, cite these as transitional hiccups and both men say they have tremendous respect for each other.
"Sometimes the strength of my personality also gets in the way a little bit – the founder has quite a bit of gravitas," Akula says chuckling. Today, there is a clear division between the roles of both men. Akula handles the broader public and policy matters and helps management devise strategy. Gurumani looks after daily operations and is the investor interface.
The company, however, cannot be a prisoner of personality clashes. Its primary objective is to finance means of sustainable livelihood. Or, is it?
Capital Rush
When Akula envisioned SKS as a self-help society, 30,000 people from the beneficiary community came together to found it. Today, they are represented by the Mutual Benefit Trust (MBT) and Akula himself. As SKS sought more and more private capital, the holding of MBT has been diluted from 40% in 2005 to just 15% now. Any more share issues could further reduce the stake, marginalizing the community's say in the affairs of SKS. "You want to know which direction SKS is heading? Just look at the structure of the board. Vikram is the lone wolf playing the social card," says one employee who prefers not to be named. Akula wants more say for the trust, but the management thinks otherwise.
SKS received several rounds of private equity investment between March 2007 and November 2008, each time setting a new record. If Sequoia was the first traditional venture capital firm to bet on microfinance by investing $11.5 million in SKS in 2007, the US-based Sandstone Capital became the largest venture capital investor in an MFI leading a $75 million round in November last year. Kismet Capital, another US venture fund, holds the second largest shareholding in SKS. Sandstone currently has the fourth largest shareholding of 12.5%, followed closely by Vinod Khosla. Recently, SKS announced a $10 million strategic investment from general and life insurance firm Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance.
"Sandstone put in around $50 million in SKS in the last round of investment. At that time everyone thought it was too high a price," says Anurag Agrawal, senior vice president for investment banking at strategic services firm Intellecap. "But today SKS' valuation is at half a billion dollars If they go for an IPO with a valuation of $1 or $2 billion, can you imagine the returns Sandstone will get?"
An IPO by SKS will set crucial benchmarks for the microfinance industry. Rival Share Microfin is also considering an IPO in the next two years. This year, the company has received an equity infusion of Rs. 250 crore from investors. Udaia Kumar, managing director of Share Microfin believes investors are here to stay. "There is great need for organized forms of banking which cater to the bottom of the pyramid."
Venture fund capital flow into Indian MFIs has increased since January 2008. MFIs accounted for a score of about 50 private equity deals struck in the past 18 months. They whisked away a fifth of the $1 billion invested. According to Intellecap, the size of the microfinance market is $50 billion considering India's 150 million poor households. Market penetration is still believed to be just 10% of what is required. In fact, 40% of India's population is unbanked, while MFIs have been able to reach only 114 million people with a loan portfolio of over $1 billion, leaving it immense scope to grow. Which means India is the largest market for microfinance globally. It is simply an irresistible pie and everyone wants a slice.
The Potential Cost of Failure
While all of this is good news for MFIs as they look to grow and attract more capital, how much of the commercial bottom line is coming at the expense of their social mission? Can microfinance be about poverty alleviation as well as profit generation?
Somos Krishnan says he used to conduct analytical exercises where both loan officers out in the field and the head office staff were asked to draw the picture of a typical SKS client. Only the pictures drawn by loan officers would resemble anything close to the real thing.
Both Akula and Gurumani say they're focused on the customer. "Long term shareholder value only comes if you treat the customer right," says Akula. But at SKS, the custodian of that ideology might well be Gurumani. Akula is no longer in charge of day-to-day operations. Gurumani sums up his position thus: "While return on equity is important, I believe it is more important to focus on customers and build an institution. Once you do that, the financials fall in place."
Some MFIs such as BASIX feel high growth rates do not qualify as poverty alleviation. It is for this reason that it has chosen to go beyond micro credit and engage in other aspects of its customers' needs. Livelihood creation has meant BASIX is much smaller in size and is more focussed on meeting the broader needs of the poor.
Even Gurumani sounds a cautious note. "I have seen in my tenure as a banker that reckless growth often leads to pain. To ensure that SKS did not have to go through this pain, we slowed things down a little bit and concentrated more on getting our systems, processes and technology backend finely tuned. This will enable us to push SKS into a higher orbit in the years to come." This year, SKS will see its growth rate halve to a 100 plus percent.
As the forerunner, if SKS fails to find the right balance between creating social value for its customers and economic value for its investors, it may have a ripple effect throughout the industry. Padmaja Reddy, founder and promoter of Spandana Sphoorty Financial, the second largest MFI in India, expresses concern over SKS' push for going public. "They are growing in silos. And this will cost the consumer and other industry players because if things don't go well or if senior management leaves or if they are not successful in the IPO and can't keep up growth or profitability, all of us get impacted. I suppose there are pressures from their investors to go for an IPO. Either that or senior management wants to cash out," says Reddy.
Google of Microfinance
Both Akula and Gurumani are looking to expand SKS' customer base. Yet they don't seem to agree on how it should be done. Akula sees potential to innovate and expand across products and services for the poor. His favorite analogy is comparing the possibilities of SKS' distribution network to that of Google's: The way to the bottom of the pyramid is through the MFI.
"Companies have started tapping the rural up market — no one has really managed to access the rural low market. If we get this right, this is Retail 2.0," Akula says. So SKS is examining the possibilities of using its vast distribution network to sell everything from micro insurance to mobile phones. It has even tied up with German retailer Metro Cash and Carry to extend credit to small provision stores.
Guramani, on the other hand, prefers to stick to the knitting. The SKS model relies on standardizing and mechanizing processes, borrowing from the operational practices of the likes of McDonald's and Starbucks. Gurumani wants to focus on retail financial services. He's pushed hard for distributing a health insurance product, which guaranteed 24 hours of hospitalization for a family of four.
The pilot was hugely successful, but when the product was actually rolled out, it wasn't working. "We rolled it out too fast. The loan officers hadn't been trained to properly communicate the preconditions to the customers. So we've currently pressed the pause button on the project," admits Akula. But that came after considerable fire fighting with the new CEO, who felt they could fix the problems as they went along.
Last year, a study by consultancy Monitor Group exploring how MFI's could leverage their distribution channels for non-financial products, found that 85% of its survey sample of SKS borrowers wanted credit for aspirational goods such as TVs and gold coins. Less than 10% wanted loans for socially beneficial goods like solar lanterns or water purifiers.
Yet Akula doesn't quite agree that SKS ought to focus on aspirational goods. "From a business perspective we'll do aspirational goods when we have exhausted a majority of my customer needs. I've made an argument that returns on social responsive goods will be higher than those on aspirational goods, and my investors are on board."
At SKS, for over a year now there has been a debate about whether or not to sell gold to customers. The predicament remains unresolved, but some see Akula as the last bulwark against the final assault of the bean counters. Says an insider, "Vikram absolutely refuses to [sell gold]. The board has been pushing for it, but heis very clear he doesn't want it. SKS hasn't gone completely to the dark side."
This retail push has raised murmurs that SKS is not looking enough at creating socially beneficial products and is trying to push for a consumption wave. "The focus is becoming more and more toward corporate investors and they are trying to maximise the distribution channel. For instance, a hair dye company wanted to know how consumers would react to their hair dye. So SKS, through four-five of its branches gave out a sample to its customers. SKS then sent that survey back to the company – they sold it to them, sometime in June this year," says an industry source.
Tarun Khanna, professor at Harvard Business School and an independent director on the SKS board, is clear what the company's priorities should be. "You would be shooting yourself in the foot if you tried to feed something to the consumer they did not need," says Khanna. He says many companies use MFIs to get access to a wider customer base. SKS has to be careful about not doing something that violates the trust of the poor customer. "To my mind, the fundamental question should be we're in the business of income generating loans – if what we sell helps in that role and it is also earning margins for us then it is OK. The other things you discontinue."
Breach of Trust
When SKS formed a non-banking finance company as part of its commercialization, as many as 30,000 borrowers came together and contributed Rs. 4.55 crore to its equity. They gained a 40% stake in the company. They were pretty much the safe keepers of SKS' commitment to put above everything else the interests of the poor women it served.
But as private capital started coming in, their stake started getting diluted. In February 2007, Akula tried to get foreign grant to help the borrowers maintain their stake. He did not get that grant. As a result, the Mutual Benefit Trust (MBT) that owns the shares on behalf of the community saw its ownership fall to 25% after the second round of funding with Sequoia. Later, this ownership plummeted to 15.6%.
If SKS gets a valuation of $1 billion, this stake would be worth as much as $150 million. But those brought on to protect the interests of the MBT have been against diluting the customers' stake in the company as it might lead to less say for the borrowers in the future of SKS.
Just before the fourth round of funding, the company board wanted to sell the shares for further equity infusion for the company. The advisors for MBT resisted this. "We wanted the money from the shares, if sold, to be ploughed back into infrastructure schemes benefitting the community," says Vijayalaxmi Das, CEO of Friends of Women's World Banking and a former advisor to the Trust. However, Akula was pushing for the proceeds from the sale of the shares to go towards another purpose entirely: the Ultra Poor Programme (UPP), the big banner project of the SKS NGO. The UPP was aimed at the poorest of the poor, those below traditional MFI reach. The idea was to engage them in some sort of livelihood enterprise creation, but some of the advisors felt the UPP was an expensive publicity stunt. There was a Rs 20,000 cost per beneficiary, bulk of it going toward operational and administration expenditure. They quit. And fears persist that borrowers will lose even the little say they have now.
This article appears in the September 25 issue of Forbes India, a Forbes Media licensee.


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With Arsene Wenger's contract winding down, there's been much debate this season over who could potentially succeed Le Professeur at Arsenal.
One of the names most commonly linked is Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp – despite the limits of finance and resources in comparison to his divisional rivals, the 46-year-old has claimed back-to-back Bundesliga titles with the Black-Yellows, and last term masterminded their way to a Champions League final.
All the while insisting upon aesthetic counter-attacking play, Klopp is certainly a strong candidate for the Emirates gig.
S0 with that in mind, here's a look at what the Gunners starting XI might look like under his leadership next season.
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Return of Iljimae is back! I know, I know, it's been ages since I started this drama. I've been determined to finish it for a long time, but time kept slipping away from me. I figured that having a goal to shoot for would help move things along, so in honor of Jung Il-woo's upcoming new drama My Fair Lady, I will be wrapping up Return of Iljimae just in time to welcome him in his new series, which premieres next Wednesday.
No Reply – "오래전 그 멜로디" (Melody from long ago) [ Download ]
EPISODE 20: "The big explosion"
Per Iljimae's plans, his crew settles into a deserted mountain stronghold, along with workmen provided by the upright nobleman Lord Choi Myung-gil. Lord Choi also introduces them to a Dutch man who will teach them the ways of their secret weapon: explosives.
Over the following days, the team learns how to develop and operate various weapons using gunpowder (cannons, small explosives). However, Iljimae must still remain careful and keep out of the way, which is a source of growing anxiety for Wol-hee. She feels useless and annoyed that he remains so well hidden (that's the point, but it's not a comforting prospect for her) and immerses herself in the day-to-day work of cooking and doing the laundry.
As she takes another load of laundry to the creek, she is approached by two of Kim Ja-jeom's hired men, who have been keeping a lookout for suspicious activity. They don't know what Iljimae is up to, but find it odd that Wol-hee does so much laundering — what is she hiding? What's going on behind the gated area? They demand that she tell them and threaten her with force.
A rock thrown at the men stops them and gives Wol-hee the chance to slip free. The men run away when they are chased by Choi's guards.
Kim's henchmen report to Kim Ja-jeom that they're pretty sure that Iljimae had intervened (and we see that it was him), but they couldn't see his face. However, one man now recognizes why Wol-hee's face was so familiar — she's Iljimae's woman.
Iljimae steps in to issue a warning, leaving a letter in Kim Ja-jeom's room, held to his pillow with a dagger. His intention is clear: "This means, if I wanted to, I could have killed you." If not for the lessons learned at the hands of the monk, Iljimae would have killed Kim tonight.
Kim loses his temper upon reading the letter, which warns him not to mess with Wol-hee. But he calms himself, reminding himself that he can't forget how strong an opponent Iljimae is. He decides he must meet him face to face. He sends a servant to the mountain hideaway with a message for Wol-hee.
Officer Gu Ja-myung knows that Lord Choi has met with Iljimae and asks for information. Hoping to gain the nobleman's confidence, Gu admits that he hasn't yet reported this knowledge to his superiors. He doesn't want to find Iljimae as a policeman, but for Iljimae's mother's sake. But he exerts a little pressure, saying that if Lord Choi doesn't tell him, he'll have to report what he knows to the police bureau.
The attempt is weak, and Lord Choi answers that if it's true that Iljimae was seen entering his house, he knows nothing of it, and has never met Iljimae. Although he is lying about not knowing Iljimae, the rest rings true with Gu Ja-myung as Lord Choi tells him that he is doing work on the king's order — it's important and secret, and cannot be stopped. This work has nothing to do with Iljimae and is for the country's welfare.
But he does leave Gu with the hint that if his work is successful (which means that Gu should stop interfering), Iljimae may be pardoned.
Baek-mae, as usual, is keen to hear news of Iljimae, and asks men traveling out of Hanyang for the latest. She's disappointed that there's no new information, but is uplifted to receive a letter from Gu Ja-myung. Based on her reaction to the note, we can see that Baek-mae has developed affection for Gu Ja-myung and worries for his health as well as for Iljimae's.
The message tells her that Iljimae is doing important work for his country, and that if it is successful, he may be pardoned. Baek-mae is greatly relieved and comforted to hear this.
Wol-hee receives the letter from Kim Ja-jeom, which is meant to be passed to Iljimae. He is aware of this, and quietly enters Wol-hee's room that night to retrieve the letter as she sleeps. But as he starts to head out, she sits up and tells him that she's awake, growing upset that he was going to sneak away without so much as saying a word to her. Iljimae reminds her that he can't be seen by the others, but she holds him close, and he stays for a while.
(I've come to like the drama's narrating, but it can still sometimes grow a bit obtrusive. However, every so often it'll come up with a poignant gem: "The hand grasping him was slender but strong, and the hand holding her was heavy but trembling.")
With morning encroaching, he soon has to leave, but she grasps him tighter and pleads for him to stay longer. A budding argument is interrupted by the arrival of Yeol-gong, who has disregarded Iljimae's warning not to come here and brings Wol-hee some medicine for her overworking.
In the morning, Iljimae accompanies Yeol-gong out, and reads the letter from Kim Ja-jeom (yep, lotsa letters in this episode!). It says simply: "Iljimae. I received your present. I have something to discuss with you. Let's meet, just the two of us."
Kim Ja-jeom prepares for his secret meeting and arrives first at the appointed spot. When Iljimae arrives, Kim opens with flattery, saying he understands that Iljimae is working for the good of the people. Then he shocks him by asking: "How about working with me?"
In exchange for stopping his acts of vigilantism, Kim offers Iljimae power and prestige, promising him a future in government. It sounds like a cushy life…
…but Iljimae narrows his eyes, grabs his sword, and holds it to Kim's neck, causing the older man to burst out, "I'm not lying about any of it!"
Not for a second does Iljimae entertain this offer; he reminds Kim of the secret message belying his traitorous intentions. Iljimae charges him with treason, an unforgivable crime that makes him unworthy to live: "Shall I drive a hole into your chest? Or your neck?"
Kim says he believed in Iljimae's sense of loyalty, but Iljimae replies that he has no loyalty to a traitor like Kim, and slashes at his midsection — cutting loose Kim's hidden dagger.
Iljimae walks away, leaving Kim breathing heavily, having thought for a second that he was dead.
Still, one positive thing has come out of Kim Ja-jeom's encounter with Iljimae: he can now deduce that Iljimae doesn't have the incriminating secret letter. This is good news for him! Furthermore, he receives a report about the mountain hideaway, where firearms are being made. Knowing that explosives are regulated by the state, Kim makes the connection that Lord Choi must be acting on secret orders of the king.
That can't be good, because if anyone can use this knowledge to his own advantage, it's Kim Ja-jeom.
Meanwhile, the development of the explosive weapons is advancing nicely, and Lord Choi's crew working at Iljimae's hideaway are pleased with their swift progress.
Kim Ja-jeom isn't the only one with an eye on the hideaway; Wang Hweng-bo and Yang-po have also decided on a plan to capture Iljimae, whom they'll take back to China with them. They make their preparations and pack their secret weapon: a drum.
It's Iljimae who first becomes aware of a group of intruders on their way up the mountainside. He bursts in to warn Wol-hee of the danger, and instructs her to tell the others to hurry and take their stores of gunpowder and weapons.
She doesn't grasp the importance of the moment right away, feeling petulant that Iljimae is only here to issue orders and leave, but he grabs her and tells her that this is urgent. If they are caught now, if their weapons are found and taken, they are all doomed.
Iljimae tells her to leave with Keol-chi, and promises, "Whatever happens, I'll definitely come for you."
With that, Iljimae faces off against Kim Ja-jeom's men, standing in defense of his people and his hideaway. Park Bi-su steps to the front, recognizing him from their brief clash a long time ago, and takes on Iljimae alone. He orders his men to proceed without him.
However, Iljimae knows that protecting their work is the priority, so rather than engage Park Bi-su, he runs after the other men. Park gives chase as he heads into the stronghold, and a full-on fight breaks out between Park's men and Lord Choi's defenders.
Iljimae heads to the shed housing their weapons and sees that one single fuse has been lit on a keg of gunpowder. He races toward the shed to intervene before the fuse ignites — but suddenly, a drum is struck, bringing him to his knees.
Iljimae clutches his chest in pain, staggering as he tries to keep going… but his reaction to the drum is overwhelming. It paralyzes him, then knocks him unconscious.
Then the fuse sets off the explosives — and the entire shed goes up in a huge explosion.
Iljimae is blown into the air and crashes to the ground. From a distance, Lord Choi is crushed to see their great hope go up in literal flames. Wol-hee, meanwhile, only thinks of Iljimae's safety and is impatient to get back to the hideaway to search for him. When she gets there, Iljimae is nowhere to be found. Keol-chi urges her to seek safety, but she refuses to leave.
Kim Ja-jeom receives the news and cackles happily. He would rather that Iljimae died instead of being merely injured, but he's comforted by the news that he is badly hurt. He also loves the irony of the royal police having to cover up the incident, because if news gets out about the explosives, a lot of people are in trouble, since it would bring the king's participation into question.
Iljimae's body is taken away by Wang Hwang-bo and Yang-po, who also drug him for good measure. Iljimae mumbles in pain, but is too weak to resist as they force his own paralysis drug down his throat.
Then, the two Chinese men take shelter in a shack in the woods, getting comfortable after eating and drinking, knowing they are close to going back to their homeland.
Iljimae awakens, but he is injured, bound, and still suffering the effects of the drug, so he is unable to move as they discuss their plans. Iljimae struggles to ask, "Where are you taking me?" Wang Hweng-bo just feeds him another dose of the drug, then settles back and relaxes.
Feeling secure, the two men take a nap — but, the narrator reminds us, these two men suffer from a blind spot. Someone sneaks in as they sleep… makes his way around an immobile Iljimae… and peers down at the sleeping men…
Sung-kae may be a mildly psychopathic loose cannon, but he's not a dummy. Okay, maybe he's kind of a dummy, but he's not a placid dummy. He sneers, "You're going to steal one of my countrymen to benefit your country? I also know how to act patriotic."
And he stabs Yang-po in the chest. Wang Hweng-bo startles awake, and Sung-kae stabs him in the eye. (I'll spare you the screencap.)
As they gasp in pain, Sung-kae tells them that he may be a common criminal, but he's not going to stand idly by as they kidnap his fellow man. Leaving them injured, he picks up one end of Iljimae's makeshift stretcher and starts to head out.
Again, apologies for the massive delay. I've felt super-guilty about it, because normally I'll fall behind when I get bored by a drama or its quality drops off… which isn't the case with Return of Iljimae. But once you slip behind, it becomes harder to make up ground.
I do think that the past couple of episodes were a teeny bit slower, which may be why my viewing habit slowed around episodes 18-20. They're not bad episodes, nor are they boring — but they were more heavily focused on the political machinations. While I find those elements interesting on an academic level, they don't always make for exciting, emotion-filled television.
But I'm happy to be back, and I think the drama really swings into high gear with this episode as we head into the final stretch. And just in time to see Jung Il-woo transition from fierce Joseon vigilante to a fancy modern human-rights lawyer! Oh yeah.
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 19
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 18
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 17
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 16
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 15
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 14
- Jung Il-woo talks about acting, fame, and the future
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 13
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 12
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 11
- Jung Il-woo is happiest with script in hand
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 10
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 9
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 8
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 7
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 6
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 5
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 4
- Return of Iljimae: Episode 3
- The Return of Iljimae premieres: Episodes 1 & 2


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Progressive Game Blog: Cardinals 4, Dodgers 2 (5th inning)
The Cardinals took the field in the fifth inning cruising along with a 4-1 lead and an 85.4% win expectancy. After the Dodgers touched visit kellyjo03, malady kellyjo04&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.fungoes.net">Joe Kelly for a run in the third, the Cardinal righty continued the groove he found in the fourth inning, making short work of the Dodgers' 9-1-2 batters. Kelly finished the inning by retiring his seventh in a row, the last five of which were groundouts. Moreover, Kelly conserved some energy, using only 10 pitches in the frame, which allowed him to get through 26 batters on the day and seven full innings, only the second time in his career he has pitched that deep in a game. He would finish with a commendable 2.85 FIP/3.39 xFIP.
In the bottom half, Zack Greinke continued his every-other-inning struggles. After the Cardinals roughed him up for all four runs in the first and put two runners on via walks in the third, Greinke again seemed off-kilter. He dispatched of Kolten Wong easily enough. The Dodger All-Star got a favorable strike-one call on Wong, then dropped a beautiful curveball on the outside corner for strike two. But Wong worked the count 2-2, before getting jammed and foul popping to third base. The chinks in Greinke's armor began to resurface, though. Peter Bourjos, pinch hitting for Matt Holliday, whom Mike Matheny removed for precautionary reasons due to Holliday's collision in the first inning, wouldn't chase any of Greinke's pitches off the plate and finally chopped a base hit.
Greinke and catcher AJ Ellis clearly were following the book on Bourjos, who basically can't hit anything other than middle-in:
To Bourjos's credit, he made Greinke come to him and reached on an infield hit:
If not for Juan Uribe stabbing the ball along third-base line, Bourjos would've been on second. But it was no matter to Bourjos, who took matters into his own feet and stole on the second pitch. Throughout his career, Greinke has been better than average at holding runners on (54% SB rate; MLB average during his career is 72%). But this year, runners have pilfered with impunity four of five times.
Despite Greinke then being all over the strike zone with Matt Adams, who tried to pull an outside slider and grounded out weakly, and Jhonny Peralta, who walked, the Cardinals couldn't pad their lead. Oscar Taveras, who had walked on four pitches in his previous plate appearance, chased Greinke's second pitch — a ball out of the zone — and grounded a comebacker to Greinke. It was the beginning of the end for the Dodger starter, though, laboring through 26 pitches in the inning. After a scoreless inning, the Cardinals exited with an 87.9% win expectancy.


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Sarasota Information - Find-A-Business A-Z Yellow Directory ("A"= Attorney "C"= Church "R"= Restaurant)
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If you have not been to Gilligan's in a while or you just haven't been, come hang out at the back patio fire pit, grab a Tropical Libation


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When Shane and I first moved back to Texas from Kentucky, we lived in Gatesville, a small town about 45 minutes west of Waco. Shane was the preacher at a church there. I became good friends with Amy, a girl who lived with her husband about 5 miles outside of the town. When we talked at church or on the phone about what we would be doing the next day, she often told me, "I have to make a trip to town tomorrow." The first time she used this phrase, I thought she meant that she would be driving to Waco. That's what I meant when I said I was driving to town. Cool! Let's go together. To me, driving into town meant a long drive to the "big city."
But I soon learned that she did not mean that at all. Instead, when she said she would be driving into town, she meant that she would be driving the five miles into our town, not to Waco. She lived in the country and "town" for her was Gatesville. I lived inside the city limits (and also came from the big city), so, to me, "town" was the bigger city of Waco.
It was a matter of perspective.
Last week I posted 12 reasons I like living in the country. A lot of people read that post, and, since then, at least five people have told me, "You know you don't really live in the country."* They have pointed out to me that since I have city water and city sewage, I do not live in the country. They also used as evidence the fact that I do not have well water. No, I do not live in the country, they say; I live in a "rural community," "a small town." One friend at my church even commented that she must have me out to their house so that I can see what living in the country truly means.
In some sense, I agree with them. Yes, I do live in a city. It is rural and small, but it's still a city. We have about 7,000 people living here. I do not have to "drive into town" for groceries. I have neighbors. I have a city address. I live on a paved street. I do not have a well. I do not have a stock tank. I do not have cows or horses or pigs. I have internet access and it is fast. I have good cell service. We have 4G.
No, I do not live in the country in the same sense my great-grandmother Meme did while she was alive. She lived in a single-wide trailer with nothing else around her for miles. No grocery stores, gas stations, or schools. Not even a Wal-Mart. She used well water. She had cats running all over the place. She had a big tank in her yard that we liked to climb all over. Skunks lived under her trailer and made a major mess of things. She lived in the country.
Shane's grandmother also lives in the country. I love going out there to the ranch. She lives in the country in a way that I do not.
But, in another sense, I do live in the country. Although it may not be the country in the technical sense of the word or in the same way my great-grandmother did, I still live in the country in comparison to my experiences of city life.
As I mentioned before on this blog, I grew up in Houston. For those of you who live in or have lived in big cities, this doesn't need much explanation. For those of you who were part of my life in Houston and knew what life was like for yourself and for me, you know what a statement like this means. Images of city life immediately take hold, and you can imagine what big city life is like.
But for others who have not lived in a city or a bigger city, saying that may not mean very much.
When I graduated high school and first moved to Abilene for college, I thought I had moved to the middle of nowhere. Abilene was considered a "small town" to those of us who came from bigger cities. It was. About 150,000 people. Fast forward several years later to Gatesville: 10,000 people.
My definition of "small town" soon shifted. Gatesville was a small town; Waco was the "big city."
How we regard life is a matter of perspective. Where we've come from. Where we've been.
Our perspective shapes what we see. Our perspective limits what we see.
Only when we interact with others who come from different places than we do, who have different experiences, who believe different things, can we truly understand how limited, situated, and incomplete our perspective is.
Only when we get to know others can we truly grow in our own perspectives.
*My husband was one of the people who told me that I am wrong, that, no, we do not live in the country. I think this is interesting because, like me, he lived in big cities for most of his life. I think it's even more interesting because he has referred to where we live as the wilderness.


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Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Training for Library Computer ResourcesTime
10:00 AMto 11:00 AM
Bon Air2816 Del Rio Place
Louisville, KY 40220
By appointment only. Want to learn to do e-mail? New to eBooks? Have some questions about Excel? Schedule one-on-one help for computer resources the library provides. Appointments Available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, 10 am – 11 am or 1 pm – 2 pm. Call 574-1795 to make an appointment.