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Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 VariCam Camcorder is a high-end professional camera meant to replicate the warm and natural look and texture of film. Featuring a variable frame rate from 1 to 60 fps, in 720p, this camera enables you to easily under or overcrank your shooting for creative fast and slow motion effects. This camera's native effective resolution is 1280 x 720, but shooting is possible in a range of formats from 1080/60i to 720/25p due to the 3x 2/3″ 1MP CCD sensors. A high F10 sensitivity supports low-light photography at 2000 Lux and a minimum illumination of 0.021 Lux. Recording is possible in AVC-Intra 100, AVC-Intra 50, and DVCPRO HD; 4:2:2 full raster sampling is supported in the AC-Intra 100 format.
After recording some files on the Panasonic AJ-HPX2700, you may want to edit them in Final Cut Pro 6/7 or FCP X. However, you may also face the problem that FCP 6/7 or FCP X does not recognize the P2 AVC-Intra MXF .mxf videos.To make it easier for editing Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 P2 AVC-Intra MXF videos on FCP 6/7/X, you can use UFUSoft Panasonic P2 AVC-Intra MXF Video Converter for Mac, which was a great Mac Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 MXF Converter. It can not only convert Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 P2 MXF .mxf videos to Apple ProRes MOV, but also make it easy for merge videos.
Below is the simple step-by-step guide for camcorder and camera users about how to keep and maintain 1080/50 mbps or 100 mbps from Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 to Apple ProRes or H.264/AVC MOV for FCP 6/7,FCP X on iMac/MacBook Pro with Mac OS X like Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks.
Step 1. Add Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 P2 AVC-Intra MXF videos to UFUSoft Panasonic P2 AVC-Intra MXF Converter for Mac.
Connect your AVC-Intra MXF Camcorder to iMac with USB 2.0 cable or use card reader to transfer the P2 AVC-Intra .mxf files to Apple hard drive disk. Run Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 AVC-Intra MXF Video Converter for Mac from UFUSoft as the best Mac Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 to editing software Converter, and click the "Add Files" button to load .mxf videos. This Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 MXF Video Convetrer can convert Panasonic p2 mxf export lossless compression video/audio compatible with Final Cut Pro 6/7/X on Mac.
Step 2. Choose MOV with Apple ProRes 422 codec for Final Cut Pro 6/7/X.
Click the "Profile" option, and move mouse cursor to Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov) or HD Video > HD MOV Video (*.mov) as output format. To get 1080 videos, we need to click the "Settings" button and choose 1920*1080 as output video size. This is available in ProRes MOV and HD MOV format.
Step3. Merge Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 P2 AVC-Intra MXF files. (Optional)
Select the files in the filelist and click Merge, and the Mac Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 MXF Video Converter will join and combine the video clips into a single file as output.
Step4. Convert Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 P2 MXF to ProRes 422 MOV for Final Cut Pro 6/7/X.
Click the convert button under the preview window, the Mac MXF Video converter starts converting Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 AVC-Intra MXF videos to Apple ProRes 422 MOV, and joining the P2 MXF files for editing in FCP 6/7 or FCP X.
After converting and merging the Panasonic P2 AVC-Intra MXF files, just import the output prores .mov files to Final Cut Pro 6/7 or Final Cut Pro X for editing. Optimize your workflow and save time with the prores 422 compression for Final Cut Pro 6/7/X. You can also import the output videos to Final Cut Express (FCE) 4 for editing in full HD.
Tips: If you would like to edit Panasonic P2 AVC-Intra 50/100 MXF with FCE/iMovie, Avid, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, etc, you can convert Panasonic P2 MXF to Mac itself bring format like ProRes MOV for FCE and iMovie, or transcode Panasonic AVC-Intra MXF to H.264 MOV, DV, AVI, M4V, MPG for Avid, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects on Mac.
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Welcome to Wiregrass Georgia Technical College!Welcome! Wiregrass Georgia Technical College exists to meet the needs of students and the community through our mission of educational and workforce development. We are pleased that you have visited our website and we hope that you find the program to meet your individual needs. Continued... |
About WGTC |
Campus Locations |
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Access to public records is encouraged to foster confidence in government, to provide the public the opportunity to evaluate the expenditure of public funds, and for the efficient and proper functioning of its institutions. Georgia's Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 et seq., provides that all public records of an agency must be made available for inspection or copying unless they are specifically exempt by law. Generally, these records must be made available within three business days of the receipt of request. It is the policy of the Wiregrass Georgia Technical College to provide access to all public records in accordance with the law.
The State of Georgia's Open Records Act Officer for Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is the Vice President for Enrollment Management.
All Open Records Requests should be sent to:
Angela Hobby, Vice President for Enrollment Management
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College
4089 Val Tech Road
Valdosta, Georgia 31602
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Lydia Hubert, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College
667 Perry House Road
Fitzgerald, Georgia 31750
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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The MOMOs is unprecedented in being the very first awards of its kind and is paving the way for talented Muslim artists and media professionals in the Muslim entertainment industry.
The initiative was launched by GNA Academy, the UK's premier Muslim music and media event organizer, and aims to provide a platform of recognition and will see a number of prominent figures convene at the ceremony later this year.
Amongst the gifted nominees are internationally renowned artists such as Maher Zain and Zain Bhikha, both nominated for International Male Solo Artist of the Year and the critically acclaimed group Outlandish nominated for the Best Nasheed category.
ALSO READ How the Middle East became a jazzy place
Many other prominent Muslim artists and media professionals have been nominated in categories ranging from TV and radio presenters to "Spoken Word" artists from the UK and abroad.
AsiansUK, the official media partner of the MOMO awards said that,
"AsiansUK Magazine feel honoured to be the media partners of the exceptional MOMO Awards. The commitment and passion is set to ensure a platform where achievements of Muslims in music and media from across the globe are celebrated in a manner never seen before."
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Members of the public were invited to nominate their favourites in the 19 categories ranging from Best Islamic TV Channel to Best Radio Presenter. The innovative award categories saw a flurry of nominations from the community both in the UK and worldwide.
The founder of the event, Esharat Nasar-Ahmedsays says,
"The Muslim music and media industry has grown extensively in the last decade, showcasing a wealth of talent in the field of music, radio and television. However, there has been little or no opportunity to showcase or celebrate the huge achievements Muslims have and are making to the music and media industry. This inspired me to create the MOMO's in order to create a universal platform that will bring Muslim talent to the forefront. Not only to celebrate and showcase but to also educate and raise awareness of Muslim contributions throughout history."
Esharat continued by saying that,
"Through the MOMO Awards I am offering them a platform to showcase their talents professionally. 2013 will make history for Muslim music and media artists by redefining and shaping the calibre and contributions Muslim artists can make to the music industry."
The MOMO Awards ceremony is set to be the biggest showcase of national and international artists coming together to celebrate the achievements of gifted Muslim talents around the world.
For more information, or to vote on your favourite, check out MOMO Awards' official website.
EDITOR'S PICK A music history of Beirut


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JerusalemIsrael Hometown: Israel
September 8, 2012
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Help support your Meetup
This is a group for anyone interested in research concerning artificial neural networks, deep learning, and so on. The format varies between discussion groups, guest speakers, and tutorials. Proposed topics include: training deep belief networks with unsupervised pre-training/supervised finetuning, recurrent neural networks, different optimization methods, scalable architectures for large networks across clusters, practical GPU programming (with Python!), NNs for NLP, using NNs in robotics, visualizations to monitor NN learning, and other stuff specific to these areas of research. Recent developments in this area of research show a lot of promise, but very few people within the machine learning community have any practical experience with these methods. Since there's so few of us, we should get together and share notes!
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'Lord of the Rings' fans are anxiously waiting for director Peter Jackson's first installment in the 'Hobbit' series, titled 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.' To pass the time, take this quiz and test your knowledge of all things Middle-earth. Think you're well-versed in the realm of hobbits, dwarves, wizards, and elves? Take this quiz and find out.
"Nine companions. So be it. You shall be the fellowship of the ring."
Elrond |
Gandalf |
Aragorn |
Celeborn |


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Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.
out of 100
Metascore®Mixed or average reviewsbased on a weighted average of allcritic review scores.
Costner's determination to avoid change keeps this baseball movie at a low line drive when it might have knocked one into the bleachers.
Read Full Review
Tested my own love of the game more than anything since the time Roseanne screeched the national anthem.
Much of this movie seems a crock.
See all For Love of the Game reviews at Metacritic.com
OK for kids 11+
An old-fashioned Hollywood sports story/romance.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this movie contains some sexually suggestive scenes and strong language, but not a lot of either.
Messages: Not an issue
Violence: Not an issue
Sex: Some sexually suggestive scenes.
Language: Some profanity.
Consumerism: Brand names (the game in the movie is broadcast on Fox and their logo appears onscreen throughout. Also some sports companies logos appear, and there is one very clear shot of a bottle of Advil).
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some social drinking, one character gets quite drunk during a celebration.


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I Did 'Em Wrong
Lil WyteBuy this song
Watsup Bitch, Watsup Hoe Watsup Bitch, Watsup Hoe Watsup Bitch, Watsup Hoe [Chorus] If you a killer motherfucker, bring your anna to my door Is this shit you wearing, who am I talking to nobody knows If you riding with someone you know and they turn up this song you riding with a motherfucker that think I did 'em wrong. (x2) [Verse 1] consequences come to those who chose to fuck with lil wyte not always physical sometimes mental and emotional right I'll outsmart you in a fight and come back harder on the mic there's an inner spiritual demon that possess me to write now that I made all these moves my music causing some havoc this shit is pick me up so wat in the fuck did you expect god dammit? as long as the beat keep on rollin, my pockets gonna get swollen I know they hate me, they let me know the first time that I told 'em I got a mind and it's focused you got some serious issues I got family friends, and fans and you ain't got no one to miss you I bet you'll life gettin hard you lived your life in a yard I'm for real I know there's something when you sold both of your cars you mad at me cause I made it, I'm only havin some fun see me on mtv yelling out who gives a fuck where you from you might be tough with your gun but look for fun in saddham doubt me now ?????????? I told you wyte was gon drop bombs.... [Chorus] - 2X [DJ Paul] yeah it's time to speed on up, we finna go into another motherfucker galaxy nigga, bass check number two, BEEATCH [Verse 2] wake up bitch reality creepin around the corner you so fucked up you couldnt be an organ donor when I see you, I'm knockin yo head up off of your shoulders you gon be like ah shit when you feel these tiny boulders you fuckin with the wrong one the HCP cracker main, slap you man, stab you man even quick to crack your brain I ain't got no time for hatin faggots on the grind keep on passin by cause I got something you'll never fuckin find this the realest of the real hope you feelin it and if you don't extend your arm and grab your remote and turn down your radio meanwhile, I'm gon give it raw and write it as nasty as this shit can be Its easy when you rappin over the hardest motherfuckin beats I am not braggin, and I'm not big headed, nor am I conceded but I'm proud of myself and the way I supposedly succeeded you want to bring it to my door or be a bitch and catch me slippin either way it goes this unit I'm grippin's gonna get you, pimpin [Chorus] - 2X
Discuss the I Did 'Em Wrong Lyrics with the community:
Use the citation below to add these lyrics to your bibliography:
"I Did 'Em Wrong Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2017. Web. 30 Mar. 2017. <http://www.lyrics.com/lyric/7297649>.


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I already have a Samsung phone on a contract with Virgin Media (UK) and quite satisfied with it. Haven't considered iphone previously because I simply don't use my phone all that much; I have a really small social circle, just a few family & friends and so calls aren't a big thing for me - this is why my £10 per month samsung contract suits me ok. But - I LOVE my old ipod touch (2010), particularly for the (albeit crappy) camera, video and apps. Still, the camera isn't anywhere close to the quality of an iphone camera, which makes me want to possibly upgrade. But is the iphone an unnecessary leap for me when I am mostly interested in the apps and camera features? I thought about an ipad mini but the camera, again, isn't as good. I just want a portable web device with tons of apps and a great camera for instagram, etc. Any thoughts for an iphone newbie? I would be purchasing the 4S for use with my VirginMedia contract if I do go ahead.
I think it would be great for you. Speaking from personal experience: I am 22 years old and spend most of my time with my girlfriend who I intend to propose to soon, 3-4 very good friends, my family and my girlfriend's family. Those are the same group of people I talk to on a regular basis. Besides that, I use lots of apps, play games, surf the web, listen to music and watch videos. I feel like I get very good use out of my phone.
You won't regret it. Getting an iPhone isn't something many live to regret, it does the job it's intended and in a way that is a pleasure to use. Any particular reason why your going for a 4S instead of a 5?
The iPhone is a great phone, easy to use, though I recommend trying it out yourself and seeing the look, feel and operation first hand.
I think it will work great for you also. The biggest difference in the usage and where Android is much easier to handle is if you have music, movies and/or pictures that you have on your computer and want to have on your phone (or if you have used your Android phone as an USB memory stick, which is not possible with an iPhone). With an iPhone you have to sync this with iTunes, where you on your Android phone just drag and drop. It's especially noticable if you're at a friend and want to transfer some music, movies and/or pictures from his/her computer to your phone and can't just plug it in and drag and drop or get it over in any other easy way. But I get a feeling you won't have those issues, so I think you will be very happy with an iPhone.
I've had macs forever, but I'm an iPhone newbie too. Mobile phones were a low priority as I have been working mostly at home for a long time. But I decided to get rid of my landline and I needed a smart phone. I really didn't want to spend so much on a phone and considered android but ... I wanted the phone to be part of my system, and so it had to be iPhone. Going with a plan that offers unlimited calls to my nearest and dearest, all with the same provider. It's working really well. A great phone but more importantly a great system with phone, iPads, Air linked through iCloud and Dropbox.
Thanks everyone! To answer a couple of questions: I would opt for the 4S due to my existing phone contract company (Virgin Media) not working with the nano sim. They have also told me that many iphone users may experience web issues on this contract, even though it is supported. Not sure what to make of this, but they have offered to send me a new sim in the post if I opt for the 4S. I think that the 4S ought to suit me just fine, and isn't dramatically different to the latest release. Unless I'm missing something??? I only used the Android for calls and texts. For everything else I tend to gravitate to my ipod touch. The Android was free with my contract, so I won't lose out if I wish to upgrade. Will the 4S do me well for a few yrs, do you think? I don't plan to update with every new release.
Not true any longer---I think it was iOS5 that negated the need to use iTunes or even a computer any longer. iCloud is free (5GB) and expanded easily for a bargain. As well, with Box, Pocket, DropBox, et al...document and photo/video storage 'in the cloud' is simple, cheap (free in most users' cases--as they come with ample initial storage), and no longer necessitates massive 'local' storage. To the OP--Do It!!! You won't regret it--you're a perfect customer for the iPhone. It's definitely much, MUCH more than a phone, as are the 'higher end' Androids---they're literally 'Pocket Computers'---and when used with different apps, one can tailor fit their phone, apps, and the media to their own lifestyle. I own the iPhone 5--but I also use the Galaxy Note. Both are with me all the time. iPhone is my personal/friend & family phone. The Note is strictly for business. Google also makes Android set up a piece of cake...and if you work in the 'Google' eco-system--Google docs, GMail, Google Drive, et al...it's a perfect companion for you...albeit a 'bit' more complicated than iOS, it has it's advantages. These days, if you're using primarily Apple products for computing, iPad, Apple TV, etc...the iPhone is a no-brainer If you're tied into nothing computer-wise, Android is an excellent choice. Some pretty excellent deals between holiday specials on the GSIII, Note (original...as the 'new' Note is now available), or the Nexus...@ around $350 without subsidy, it's set up for monthly or 'pay as you go' type contracts If it came down to it and I had to choose one or the other, it would be the iPhone. While not perfect, it's highly refined, fast...excellent camera and a really REALLY HUGE selection of apps. While the 'Play store' is growing---it's still bizarre to me that the Top 5 'paid' apps are all tools for tinkering; SwiftKey 3, Titanium Backup root key, Beautiful Widgets, FoxFi key, and Root Explorer--all different 'tools' for tinkering. Wreck it Ralph and Minecraft are the only 'games' in the top 10---Camera Zoom is @ #9...with two more 'tools' to round out the top 10--Nova Launcher and HD Widgets. In the 'App Store' on the iPhone---the top 10 consists of 7 games, 'WhatsApp' (free messaging), a health program and Emoji. As well, if you're into creative work---iOS takes the cake. Whether you're (as you are) interested in photography, videography (and the post production of capture)---drawing, audio production (Korg has released a lot of their hardware synths in a software package, GarageBand, Nano Studio, Moog Filtatron, dJay *a real, actual DJ'ing program I use often on our iPads...the list goes on), you just can't go wrong marrying in to iOS. If you like to play with the 'insides' of the software, tinker with your phone, Widgetry, etc---Android may be a better choice Then, there's post purchase support. Something goes wrong with your Android device (I can only speak of Samsung and HTC), you need help, you're going to have to have patience and stamina to deal with it If you go Apple...no worries, their customer service is beyond fantastic. I speak from real experience!!! As we own a business, I outfit all of my full time employees with an iPhone. I had a 4s go down, brought it in to the Apple Store (it was 9 months old), replaced on the spot...no questions asked When my wife's Galaxy Note took a dump after 5 weeks of ownership, AT&T couldn't do the repair (they DID however give us a 'loaner'), it was sent to Samsung for repair. It took the better part of 4 weeks to get back---only to find out is was a Brand New phone. Obviously, her original had a fatal, most likely 'too expensive or time consuming to fix' issue so they replaced it. While I WAS happy she received a new phone (considering the length of ownership)--the extended 'wait time' for a replacement was an absolute JOKE!!! Good luck---and again, remember---regardless of your decision, these days 'Smart' Phones truly and finally ARE smartphones! With equal or more power than desktop computers we were usin just a couple years ago--incredible graphics, FAST storage in solid state format--'always connected' status, etc-- it seems IMHO that the phone is only a small fraction of what these devices are capable of. Folks that need little more than email, FB, web surfing, music...the computing basics, often find themselves ONLY needing a smart phone for 90% of the tasks we've so long relied on our full blown computers for for the last couple decades! I think you'll be blown away!! Jer
I personally think £450 is alot to spend for a light user such yourself i would plump for a Nexus 4 myself (£240-£280) (if they ever come back into stock) but if you want to spend the money the iPhone 4s will do you proud.
If you love the touch than you will absolutely love the iPhone The iPhone 4S is a very capable phone and actually is more durable in my opinion compared to the 5 Having that constant cellular/data connection on a device that is very similar to the touch is awesome. You Tweet more, you can surf the web practically anywhere and etc. I just came from a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and while the phone was good it lacked the iPhones apps, stellar camera, build quality, and just "it" factor
No brainer: Merge iPod + phone to 1 device, and since you already love how the Touch works, it will be a natural transition. Just get one with enough memory to hold your entire iTunes collection + some. Go4rit.
I agree. I'm currently using a Galaxy Y (camera not worth turning on ) so shall be happy to upgrade. Merge with the ipod? I like the sound of this. Most of my stuff (desktop/laptop, etc) are Apple so it will be nice to link them all together.
I wish Virgin Mobile had great phones like this when I first used them. I had a crappy Kyocera. You really can't beat Virgin Mobile (US) prices. In the UK they seem dirt cheap too. The service can't compare to Verizon LTE or even AT&T LTE but for the price who cares but again (correct me if I am wrong) much of Europe doesn't have LTE yet?
True - I only pay £10 per month for mine, but I'm a fairly lightweight user. This particular deal works pretty well for me due to most of the people I know using Virgin phonelines, so it's free to call them (unlimited). I was offered this price due to being a long term customer, I also use their tv, internet, etc, and the customer service so far is excellent (free helplines & quick repairs). Really concerned about support for iPhone though, I was told that Virgin Media cannot offer help if the phone experiences internet issues. This bothers me, I'll admit.


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Privileged to feature this guest post from Monica Matthews is the mother of one amazing daughter, a Grammy-nominated vocal artist, musician, Christian ministry leader, EQ consultant, author, speaker, and host of The Monica Matthews Show. Her new book When Jesus Isn't Enough releases February 14, 2017! Follow her on Twitter @monicaonairtalk Many of us don't really know whose, who, and what we are. Sadly, I've found that to be true through doing ministry with Christian women.Subsequently, we … [Read more...]
Campus Outreach: A Story of Abundant Faith
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to keep walking by faith when you've almost reached your destination. In spite of God's previous blessings, why is it the mountain in front of us in the here and now always seems to be the biggest one we've ever faced?Recently, I was privileged to share a conversation with Morgan Rogers, a young lady whose life has been transformed in the last several years by the Gospel. As a student heading out of college with a business degree, she sensed God calling he … [Read more...]
Christina Grimmie: The Story Behind the Other Orlando Shooting
Every now and then, we cross paths with someone whose life story is simply profound. My friend Dr. Mark McDonough is just such a person.He is a true survivor, having overcome and survived Guillain-Barre Syndrome as a child, and later, as a teen, surviving a house fire that claimed the lives of several family members and left him with extensive burns over 60% of his body. As an adult, he survived a stroke, in addition to heart valve disease and other non-physical diseases and mental cha … [Read more...]
7 Steps to Help You Pursue a New Life Direction
So you want to step out in a new life direction. But you're afraid. That's normal. Fear often keeps us from moving forward.What if I showed you the steps needed to move forward with clarity, confidence, and abundant faith to live an authentic life adventure?First let me acknowledge that I did not follow all of the steps I am about to share with you—not intentionally anyway. Some I had to learn the hard way.When I stepped away from a secure paycheck as the principal of a Christian … [Read more...]
5 Suggestions For Finding Your New Life Direction
Do you know where you are headed next in life? Do you know where you should be headed next? If you're like a lot of us, you may have accidentally fallen into a life direction instead of intentionally choosing your best path.But it doesn't have to be that way. In fact, it shouldn't be that way.God created each one of us with unique strengths, passions, and skills sets. He gave us each unique relationship connections that open doors of opportunity unavailable to others.And He expec … [Read more...]
Marriage and Religious Liberty: A Conversation with Andrew T. Walker
If you are like a lot of Christians—or even conservative folks, you're blown away by how quickly marriage and religious liberty have seemed to crumble in recent years. What are we to make of it all in light of the seemingly constant pressure to be made to care?In this latest episode of The FaithWalker's Podcast, I share a conversation with Andrew T. Walker of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is also the co-author of the book Marriage Is in … [Read more...]
Drafting Women: Long-term Cultural Consequences
Lost in the latest egalitarian nonsense about drafting women to serve in the military are two concerns I have about the long-term impact on us as a culture. Aside from the scientific arguments about weakening our fighting force, valid though they are, and the complete collapse of principles by so many on what used to be the ideological right, two glaring concerns remain with drafting women to serve in the military:Our society needs mothers who are not trained killers. Men … [Read more...]
Colorado Court Upholds Re-education Camp for Christian Baker
We are rapidly approaching a tipping point in America. The cultural wildfire is burning.The day is coming, sooner than most think, when we will each have to choose whether to obey God or man, dictatorial bureaucrats or the Constitution, tyrannical judges or our own consciences.The sooner we grasp this truth the better: simply because a court makes a ruling does not make it right.Because a law exists is not sufficient reason to obey it.When Pharaoh ordered all newborn boys to b … [Read more...]


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Don't miss the latest stories
The 'Perfect' Peanut Butter Jar Has Been Invented
By Erwan Xiao, 26 Jul 2013
Ever had difficulty trying to get that last bit of "hard-to-reach" peanut butter hiding in your jar? Only to give up in frustration after getting peanut butter all over your knuckles?
Jar-with-a-Twist aims to solve the problem with its new 'twistable' jar.
The clever design lets you twist the jar, pushing the last bit of delicious peanut butter up for easy access. Jar-with-a-Twist will also keep the contents fresher by minimizing the exposure to air.
Impressively, the company has managed to keep the cost of the new jar comparable to regular jars. If its design takes off, the team behind Jar-with-a-Twist plans to expand to jelly, salsa and mayonnaise.
Click to watch the video below:
[via Food Beast]
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Must love Doc Martens, Rolling Stones bootlegs, and long walks on the Bowery to CBGBs…
You had me at "hate Dave Matthews…"
I rarely give relationship advice to fictional characters. Out loud, at least. It's so unseemly, and people stare. But when it comes to such potentially confrontational and divisive issues as music, something's gotta give, and someone's gotta go packin'.
In Caryn Rose's inviting and beguiling B-Sides and Broken Hearts, which jumps back and forth in time from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, irresistible Ramones force Lisa manages to overlook the formative sonics cementing immovable Rush buff and fiancé Ian for quite a while. Until now. She can "easily think of other nights, other moments, other conversations, where the signal was bad, the connection was broken, and I would look at him like I didn't know who this person was." Even his academic "proprietary filing system" of LP organization is done the way a member of Rush would do it. And at a big record fair a typically dour Ian puts a damper on Lisa's find of a "Holy Grail," dissuading her from buying a hard-to-find picture-sleeved single of the Stones "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadows?"
But events come to a culmination when, on the day of punk rock icon Joey Ramone's death at 49 on April 15, 2001, Lisa reels over Ian's cavalier and dismissive insensitivity to her shock and sadness over the news. It's more than just the issue of one of her teenage heroes, any Ramone, or about Rush, or "music, or talent, or validity. This is about you not fucking getting it."
She just couldn't stay, and had to break away. Lisa is a punk rocker.
And a Muse to an Infinite Trainwreck, of all things, a great band with a godawful name, soon to be Blue Electric — courtesy of David Bowie's "Sound and Vision" by way of Lisa's fanzine name in New York, notes from the electric blue.
New York? That's where Lisa's from, where she saw many live shows, and found creative outlets for her poetry, photography, writing, and music fanzine publication. In New York Lisa meets the seemingly too-too-perfect James, and not only do they have eyes for each other, they both have eyes for the same Stones' single Ian had discouraged Lisa from buying at a previous record fair, and Lisa ultimately ends up with her prized possession.
A tune-some twosome meant to be? Maybe, but I personally would, on first impulse, consider advising Lisa to give James the boot after his pouty disparagement ( "He was cute even when he frowned." Umm…) of Paul Westerberg and the Replacements: "I think Westerberg is a good songwriter," he tells 'Mats fan Lisa. " I just have a problem taking them seriously." (I would object more harshly but then I remember that I "saw" the Replacements at the Roxy in L.A. when they drunkenly collapsed on the floor to play "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, I Got Love in My Tummy," and stayed flat on the floor for the rest of the show.)
But then a terminal pout-off, as adorable as that might be, is averted and diverted into a round of Glimmer Twin Trivia. We'll never know, unfortunately, if this relationship lasts long enough for the couple to get to the finish-each-other's-sentences stage. Or if this "super easygoing" guy really has a dark side — Lisa's friend Marie, a sensible Elvis Costello obsessive, holds up the "deep, dark, truthful mirror" and broaches the subject of James being perhaps "too nice."
As it turns out, James has a very dark side. And though it's fairly probable that he hadn't, as Lou Reed would term it, made a "very big decision" to "try to nullify my life," the end result is the same. "I don't know when the heroin started," Lisa says. She never saw the track marks. (You never do on nice junkies.) "He was as far from the stereotypical lazy, egotistical, women-using, druggie musician as you could possibly get." Nevertheless, she grasps for straws and Keith Richards analogies after the shock of finding him on the bathroom floor — a syringe in his right hand, a blackened spoon on the edge of the sink – wears off some.
Still, there's a lot of wearing off to be had. After James' death in July of 1989, Lisa is yet seriously depressed in March of 1990, and decides to move to Seattle, where James is from, and where his body was shipped to be buried. Though there's a vague morbidity attached to Lisa's decision, it's not entirely a case of throwing herself on his grave, where she'll leave a suicide note, then go to an anonymous motel room to kill herself. There is a pragmatic side to it: it's the early '90s, Microsoft and the high-tech boom is getting underway, and grunge is on the go. Bring your friends.
Though you wouldn't exactly know if teenage angst is paying off well or not. There's a few flannel-shirted bands — Mudhoney, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam – referenced in B-Sides and Broken Hearts to purposeful effect, but Nirvana inexplicably gets short shrift (a single mention of Kurt Cobain's favorite bar, Krist Novoselic spotted at a festival, a Foo Fighters flash forward). But more than enough of the slack is made up for with the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band overkill, to the extent that quotes and cover bands get each and every Ya-Ya out and you're not hipper than thou enough if you don't know where the video for "Waiting on a Friend" was filmed.
Still, as much as Emotional Rescue, though often dismissed as a disco album, is the quintessential New York Rolling Stones record, Lisa asserts, Seattle and the West Coast is where she finds her own safe haven. And a job with a little outfit called Microsoft, while she still helps out Electric Blue — who were becoming a massively critical and commercial success – designing their t-shirts, photographing their promotional portraits and some albums covers, going on tour: we even go along to the 'Mats' Let it Be house in Minneapolis. Seattle was good to Lisa for a long time, but the relationship woes with the wrong man – Ramonesphobe Ian — is finished. "This relationship just wasn't it," she reflects. "I can't believe I didn't try to change it, and just sat there and let my life happen to me, instead of being an active participant."
Meanwhile, Electric Blue — specifically he-digs-me-he-digs-me-not Jake – invites her down to the great big freeway of L.A. they call home, and she grabs for the chance at another road trip to perhaps rekindle something that might have been and still might be. And she grabs a few clothes and some books and the kind of music that'll get you calling shotgun, except I think the passenger seat is filled with choice CDs. Here's a partial list: Ramones, Replacements, Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, the Who, David Bowie, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin, the Stooges, and R.E.M.
So, it's moving — with music, comfort music, if you will. This change is another big one, and Lisa has to wonder: "This trip wasn't me? No, my life wasn't me." Maybe these are the other plans. Life has a B-Side.
B-Sides and Broken Hearts has some chick-lit elements peppered throughout, but only a little, and toward the end an "I love you but I'm not in love with you" precious moment. But you can come for the romance, and stay for the rock: all in all, the book provides an ample opportunity to get lost in the music and artists and knowledge, and before you know it you're soakin' in it. Lisa's road trips, for example, are perfect for her to ruminate and recall. And so we get Rose's incisive analysis of the Replacements' powerful "Unsatisfied," and a passionate breakdowns of Springsteen's "Prove it All Night." I know how hard it can be to convey this to others not inclined to listen (or see in concert, though I have converted a couple naysayers). She also displays a vivid sense of place, whether it is somewhere I have never been, or some old haunts (Venice and Zuma Beach).
The nostalgia of it all also triggers some memories. For some reason, it evokes some odd billings I've seen in concert: Iggy Stooge and Talking Heads; Warren Zevon and X. And I do want to make an effort to find a hard-to-locate AC cord for my reel-to-reel so I can play the '78 Springsteen Roxy show I recorded, mentioned a few times in the book.
I also have about five or six of the pre-censored Stones' Some Girls covers. By the way, did I mention that I thought there were a lot of Rolling Stones references in the book?
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text:
- Of course, if it was within budget/size Sony EX1 would definitely be
the winner in low light. It has 1/2" chips on it and blows HVX200 out
the water in image quality/low light.
So if one were to choose between Canon HV20 and HV30, albeit
tape-based, what does HV30 fix over HV20? I also wonder if anyone in
the videoblogging community using the new Canon HF11 (24MBPS AVCHD),
which comes with its own 32GB solid-state hard drive plus ability to
use SDHC cards. I would trade my Sony SR7 to this one any day.
As far as editing AVCHD; I have been editing in this format using
Premiere Pro CS3 with MainConcept HD 1.3 plugin with good results on a
self-built Windows XP X64 rig that has Intel Quad Q6600 chip with 4GB
RAM. The very upcoming Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 will allow editing AVCHD
natively (and promises no-render approach to effects), although I
think they will still use Mainconcept under the hood since Adobe
outsources its media encoder to them. One of the best features CS4
will offer is ability to encode out to any web format without
interuption of editing abilities, - background encoding. Currently
with my setup, simple AVCHD cutting and playback in the timeline is
smooth even without Matrox R2 card, that presumably improves AVCHD
editing dramatically. I just can't justify the $1k price of this card
though... :) As soon as I apply effects or even stretch clip's time I
need to render to play the results.
Thanks everyone for the input,
--- In email@example.com, "Brook Hinton" <bhinton@...> wrote:
> You won't find a hard-disk or card based AVCHD or HDV format
camcorder that
> is better in low light than the HV20. Yet. Unless you want to spend
> thousand on an HVX or the Sony EX.
> Also AVCHD, even the new higher-bitrate implementation, still lags WAY
> behind HDV in image quality (and HDV kinda sucks to begin with). I think
> within a couple of years it will be better than HDV but the real-time
> capture implementation has a long way to go.
> People's experiences editing with AVCHD vary widely, but if you have
a way
> to convert it to an intraframe codec your life will be easier.
> I am dying to switch to a tapeless camera, but there isn't one yet that
> tempts me. I use an HV20 as my everyday (and use lots of other cams
of all
> types in connection with work), and despite the inconvenience of
tape (and
> since I shoot 24p the inconvenience of removing pulldown on everything
> before editing) it's still worth the bother for its image quality
and low
> light capability.
> You could also look into a portable hard drive based capture system
for your
> HV20 instead of spending probably close to the same amount for an
> camera - you'd get the HV20's quality and get to go tapeless. Can't
> for this model, but I know that people use it:
> Brook
> _______________________________________________________
> Brook Hinton
> film/video/audio art
> www.brookhinton.com
> studio vlog/blog: www.brookhinton.com/temporalab
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> - Has anyone tied using Avid Media Composer for editing HD or AVCHD footage?
The program supports multi-threaded processors for rendering.
On Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 9:42 AM, Caleb <calebjc@...> wrote:
> Ok, it's not HD or close, but the best low light (but also low
> quality) camera I ever used was an old Sony MiniDV with "super night
> shot" which used infrared I think. The video's colors were totally
> tweaked, but you could get content and see details in almost no light,
> it was amazing.
> I'm having no problem editing AVCHD footage shot NOT on HD in Final
> Cut Express on a three year old Macbook pro. But The HD footage is
> bulky and takes a lot of extra render time and I agree, is obviously
> inferior in resolution to tape or P2 type expensive equipment.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ~ Caleb J. Clark
> ~ Portfolio: http://www.plocktau.com
> ~ "The problem with communication is the assumption it has been
> accomplished." - G. B. Shaw.
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


text:
This video is currently available on devices which support Adobe Flash Player.
If you purchase a streaming pass you should be able to watch it on devices which do not support Flash, but it is not available for pay-per-minute purchasing.
User | Comment |
Dec 3, 2015 |
looks so yummy |
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the Golden Gain Ratio
1 Attachment(s)
In mathematics and the arts, two quantities are in the golden ratio if the ratio of the sum of the quantities to the larger quantity is equal to the ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller one.
The golden ratio is also called the golden section (Latin: sectio aurea) or golden mean.Other names include extreme and mean ratio,medial section, divine proportion, divine section (Latin: sectio divina), golden proportion, golden cut, and golden number. In audio art design this number is 24/40 :p The following discussion is provided, recognizing that not all measured performance behavior explains or correlates with listening tests by audio experts. The design of the Gold gain ratio amp included consideration of both objective performance measurements, as well as an awareness of widely held theory on the success and failure of previous amp designs. the concept is important to break through the wall of the Natural Gain (open loop gain) SOUND QUALITY The sound quality of an golden amp is often the crucial selection criteriaeven when a data sheet claims exceptional distortion performance. By its nature, sound quality is subjective. Furthermore, results of listening tests can vary depending on application and circuit configuration. Even experienced listeners in controlled tests often reach different conclusions. Many audio experts believe that the sound quality of a high performance FET buffer is superior to that of bipolar op amps. A possible reason for this is that bipolar designs generate greater odd-order harmonics than FETs. To the human ear, odd-order harmonics have long been identified as sounding more unpleasant than even-order harmonics. FETs, like vacuum tubes, have a square-law I-V transfer function which is more linear than the exponential transfer function of a bipolar transistor. As a direct result of this square-law characteristic, FETs produce predominantly even-order harmonics. |
Good to see Stee maintaining his usual standards!
The golden ratio is (1+sqrt(5))/2 ~= 1.618. 40/24 is 1.667 so does not even come close. Starting from a false premise is rarely a good way to approach engineering design. |
the concept is important to break through the wall of the Natural Gain
Example: as a side Hobby I'm a Photographer, and must be aware of Composition Rules . Often use the "Rule of Thirds" to quickly find the "points of interest" in a picture. Now, I must (mentally) divide the space in ***linear*** thirds. Using a Log scale would be ridiculous and produces whacky composed Pictures. Which is what Elvee suggests.:rolleyes: By the way ..... what is "natural gain?" :confused: Curious concept with no match in reality :( |
natural gain IS OPEN LOOP VALUE
it's so difficult to understand? |
No, you are wrong.
Natural Gain is not open loop gain but a certain gain setting which produces "Natural" or "Perfect" amplification, where the amplified end product bears a harmonious relation to the original one. Open Loop gain is anything *but* that. Clearly you are not even aware of the concept. By the way, you *still* don't answer about your mistaken comparison of non linear (Log) dimensions instead of the proper linear ones. |
Um... its just silly to say that the Golden Ratio is somehow the most glorious amplification level. Directly, its just as pointless as saying that the proper number of eggs to put in a package is 12. (In fact, isn't the Grand Metrification having Europe as its Leader, down-converting eggs to 10-to-the-box? What about wine? seems 12 is a case, the world around. No "five-packs" of beer yet, nor 10-packs for that matter. Hmmm....)
Let me take this someplace where Stee hasn't. Optics. We've all seen the lenses that are used in cameras. Maybe some of us remember back to the nicer cameras of the 1950s ... relatively tiny lenses, maybe one-surface multicoated, no zoom, no autofocus. But they worked. By the year 2010, lenses (on DSLRs) are much bigger hunks of plastic, way more elements, Zoom, autofocus, everything. Very cool, that somehow they don't cost more in constant dollars than the 1950s lenses. Then there are these lenses that we never get to see, but upon which all electronics now depends: the chip-making photolithography lenses. They cost upward of $1,000,000 (some even as high as $3,000,000!). They have dozens of elements (individual lenses cemented together). Why so many? EXACTLY ANALOGOUS to "amplification", lenses bend light through a series of angles, through materials that are imperfect in well known ways at dispersing the light itself. The tighter the bends, the fewer the number of lens-groups, but the poorer is the ultimate focus of the image plane. The big multimillion dollar chipmaking lenses use dozens of groups, so as to bend the light as little as possible within the design-framework. thus, they're able to almost entirely cancel out the various aberrations that would otherwise ruin their utility in making sub-optical wavelength images. Connecting these dots, I have myself harbored the notion that if we just "throw out the 'economic principle'" of trying to deliver the "best" for the "most reasonable price" (whatever-the-hell that means), then an optimal amplifier would, like the multimillion dollar lenses, amplifier the signal the smallest reasonable amount per stage - with additive stage noise binding the lower limit. Indeed in the old tube-based oscilloscopes (with their "armies" of carefully matched dual-triode tubes), each stage was required to do very little amplification. This in turn preserved both bandwidth and absolute signal integrity. Because... let's be clear: the amplification required from line-level signals to output is on the order of 30x to 300x - whether for Class D, B, AB, A, tube, transistor or anything between. That 1 volt of input becomes 30 volts (P2P) becomes about 15 watts at the low end; at 300 volts, its 1,500 watts. Amplifiers, though rarely "remembered" to have been designed such, amplify voltage up front near the input, then current in later stages, to give power. I built an amplifier using all FETs (because I like 'em, being so similar to lower-voltage, heater less triode tubes), with voltage-amplification-per-stage of less than 2x ... yet it only takes 10 steps (2, 1.9, 1.8, 1.7... 1.2, 1.1) to give a voltage gain of 67; the final stage uses (like virtually all semiconductor setups) a complimentary emitter-follower configuration for current-gain, with matched FET-NPN Darlingtons, and very modest NFB. It was run class A throughout, though technically it has a push-pull final. The result? Sweet ... at low volume, high, between. No apparent coloration, no odd speaker break-up or other nonlinear physics back-EMF issues. Trivial design (really), just using the same "million buck optics theory" approach. 75 watts out. Stee's idea, using just the Golden Ratio is pretty bogus on its own. However, using many, small-gain, noise-controlled, complimentary stages ... is yet another theory that deserves its own merit. GoatGuy |
the golden ratio gain wants to mean a set of counterreaction (40dB) much greater than the actual value (26dB)
it allows for a great effectiveness of the correction within the band allowed (2dB) |
Uh... sorry Stee... but you're smoking goat-chips here. There is not even one value on that pathetic circuit diagram. Not one. What on earth are you going on about?
Read what I wrote, and plagiarize that if you must. Just don't talk about Golden Ratios. Please. GoatGuy |
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text:
I gave it a light sanding, just to smooth everything out.
The sides and front of the dresser were painted with one quick coat of Duck Egg Blue Chalk Paint, and the remaining areas got a sparse coat of Old White~
After distressing, I waxed it first with clear then dark wax~
*FYI ~ Duck Egg Blue looks really gray at first! The clear wax brings it to a pretty blue, and the dark wax adds a greenish tint to it.
I stripped and sanded the top. A mix of dark walnut and ebony stain gave the top a lovely, rich look.
Several coats of Tung Oil finished the top off just perfectly!
I gave the original hardware a spray of this~


text:
We are pleased to invite you and your students to attend the 2011 Columbia University Not for Profit and Public Service Career Fair to be held on campus Friday, March 4, 2011. This year, our annual event International Organizations Day (IOD) will be combined with the fair to make an even more interesting and engaging day for students and employers alike.
Presentation Schedule
UN Secretariat
Inter-American Development Bank
European Personnel Selection Office
Peace Corps
The World Bank
International Labour Organization
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
International Organization for Migration
United Nations Educations, Scientific and Cultural Organization
This event is open to all students and alumni at Columbia University.
For more details and to register for the Not-For-Profit and Public Service Career Fair, please log on to your exisiting LionSHARE account or create one here: http://www.careereducation.columbia.edu/employers


text:
A retro style heavily influenced by 1970s aviators, the Wildfox Amelia Sunglasses are handmade from prestigious Italian acetate. A three barrel French comotec hinge secures the contrasting black temples to the round, subtly winged frames, inset with CR39 optical grade lenses. The sunglasses offer UV A / B protection and are complete with protective case. - K.N. Italian Acetate
Check stock and price


text:
WASHINGTON – Senior Chris Kearney has been named the
Landmark Conference Player of the Week, it was announced on Monday.
Kearney averaged 20.3 points on 62% shooting and grabbed 18
rebounds in No. 14 CUA's three wins last week. This
marks the second time this season that Kearney has received
recognition for his play after being named to the D3Hoops.com Team of
the Week on November 20.
Kearney has had a terrific start to the season and showed no signs
of slowing last week. The Virginia native poured in 20 points
on 8 of 14 shooting, to go along with five rebounds, four blocks
and three assists in the Cardinals win over Haverford on November
Two days later, Kearney sank 8 of 12 shots en route to 20 more
points in CUA's home opener against Frostburg State.
Kearney also totaled nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Kearney then ended his week with 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting, in
addition to four boards, an assist and a block in the Cardinals
Landmark Conference opener at Drew on Saturday.
For the season, Kearney is averaging a team-leading 19.6 points on
an impressive 60% shooting, as well as 7.2 rebounds and 2.6
Kearney and the unbeaten Cardinals play twice this week, beginning
with a showdown vs. DeSales University on Wednesday evening in
Pennsylvania. Start time is set for 8 p.m.
Kearney named Landmark Conference Player of the Week
Dec 03, 2012


text:
MANUFACTURER: Beiersdorf-Futuro.
Aquaphor Gentle Wash and Shampoo, a mild 2 in 1 wash that gently cleanses skin and hair without drying. Enriched with soothing chamomile essence and provitamin B5, it is specially designed and clinically proven to be gentle for babys sensitive skin.
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Pour onto moistened hands or wet washcloth. Gently massage on babys skin and hair and rinse with luke-warm water. It is best to limit bathing time to less than 7 minutes.
Keep out of reach of children. For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. Discontinue use if signs or irritation occur.
Image may vary from actual product due to Continuous manufacturer Product updates. Information we provide is for your reference only.
Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment For Dry Or Cracked Skin, Jar - 14 Oz
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Dermasarra Anti-Itching Steroid Free Lotion - 7.5 Oz
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Duracell Alkaline Batteries Coppertop Aaa Size Batteries - 4 Ea
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Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment, Advanced Therapy, Skin Protectant - 3 Oz
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Our Price:$2.50
Childlife Pure Dha 250Mg Chewable Dietary Supplement Soft Gel Capsules, Berry, 90 Ea
Our Price:$7.80


text: About 43,000 Americans are enrolled in degree programs outside the United States, with a plurality (44 percent) pursuing master's degrees, 39 percent seeking undergraduate diplomas, and 17 percent in doctoral programs, according to a study released Wednesday [1] by the Institute for International Education. The report, a supplement to the institute's annual Open Doors report [2] on the flow of students into and out of the United States, was done in conjunction with Project Atlas. The leading fields for degree study were the humanities, social sciences, and business and management, and Britain was the top destination.


text:
AT&T Posts Details About the MicroCell, Its Femto Cell Product
Sep 21, 2009, 7:42 AM by Eric M. Zeman @phonescooper
updated Sep 21, 2009, 8:58 AM
AT&T recently published a new web page that provides some details about an unannounced femto cell product. The MicroCell acts as an in-home base station. Much like the UbiCell product available from Sprint and Verizon, this MicroCell hooks into a home's wired broadband connection and then provides enhanced coverage over an area of 5000 square feet. According to the AT&T site, the MicroCell will give its customers unlimited minutes from the MicroCell, which will provide both voice and 3G data coverage for up to four connections at once. The MicroCell is secured from unauthorized access, and can seamlessly hand calls off to the macro network and back when users enter or leave their premises. According to Gearlog, the MicroCell is currently only available in Charlotte, N.C. It costs $150 and service is free. Alternately, users can opt to pay $20 per month for unlimited talking, and this qualifies the MicroCell for a rebate. AT&T said that the MicroCell is undergoing trials in Charlotte, and that pricing policies aren't fully finalized.
more info at AT&T »
more info at Engadget »
Network relief
What if you could get faster speeds via landline (unlikely but here's to dreaming)?
The only way to free the load is for the iphone users (mainly) to get the femtocells. And for them to pay to get one of these boxes, and use them at home, well it would already infuriate some of them more. One option AT&T could do is give the...
Could be good if...
But I highly doubt that it will be free because its AT&T and only Sprint seems to "Need" customers right now so I just don't see them wanting nor caring about attracting customers like flies to doo-doo.
Available unlimited minute plans – individual or FamilyTalk plans.
Since they mention that "plans" are available, I presume, you're not getting unlimited calling if you use the device. However, whether the device requir...
This Compares Well to the Network Extender.
My number one concern with this is
If the MicroCell takes off an is wildly popular, AT&T could simply degrades its towers and force more people to pay for MicroCell.
I wouldn't put it past them to make you pay for the service and make you pay for your own coverage too. Double dipping is not uncommon in this country.
I sell Sprint's rrave system which is about the same thing. The only people we sell it to are customers working deep in large bu...
That's why it's a MOBILE phone...
I just don't feel a great deal of sympathy for people who don't get coverage in their homes. Regardless of how spoiled people have gotten today, the fact remains that you are using a mobile phone. It is to be used when you are not able to access a landline. True, coverage on any network has gotten so good that one doesn't always have to be outdoors to use their phone. And true, we've forgetten what the phones have been made phone. But what bothers me is that people complain about not getting coverage inside. No mobile provider says they provide coverage indoors. If a person wants service indoors then they can subscribe to a landline or this MicroCell.
I guess what bothers me is that folks are complain...


text:
My book has a cover! (with a photo by the amazing Lenka Hattaway of Lenka Hattaway Photography) And I just finished reviewing the designed page proofs of the book which makes it all seem so very real now. I can't tell you how excited I am!
It's been a long process, but I think the end result will be well worth the wait. The Artful Parent book has been beautifully designed, edited, and midwifed by the team at Roost Books. I couldn't be happier with how it's all come together.
Here's a bit more news about the book:
The Artful Parent book will be released next April.
I really wish I could share my book with you right now! Of course, that's the same way I felt last year when I sent it to my editor instead. I put my heart and soul into this book and I just want to tie a pretty ribbon around it, write a little note on the cover page, and hand it to you.
But I don't think my editor would go for that.
Instead, I'm going to point you to Amazon where it's already available for preorder. I couldn't quite believe that it was really available, and had to order a copy myself to make sure it worked. :) So, while I'm sure I'll be receiving a few copies of my book from my publisher, I will also receive a copy of my book from Amazon on April 9th, the release date.
I'm doing a little dance I'm so excited!
The Artful Parent book is also available for preorder on the Roost Books website. You can read a nice long description of the book there. And, the order page says that they ship after March 8th, so maybe you'll get your book up to a month early if you order through them? Wouldn't that be nice?
I hope you love my book!


text:
Monday, June 07, 2010
Parsing the "Anti-"s
The recent deadly attack on an aid-bearing flotilla headed to the Gaza Strip has re-stoked the fires at home and abroad over Israel's continued blockade of Gaza. That blockade has been in effect since June 2007, following the election of Hamas to the Palestinian government, and has resulted in what practically every international aid organization recognizes as a full-blown humanitarian crisis. According to the politically-neutral American Near East Relief Association (ANERA), the ugly details of life in Gaza under the blockade are undeniably tragic. And yet, regrettably, the basic humanitarian dimension of this crisis continues to be eclipsed in domestic and international political discussion NOT by debates over what constitutes permissable or impermissable state-sponsored actions on the part of Israel, but rather by debates over what constitutes allegiance to or enmity towards the state of Israel itself. And so, again, critics of Israel's actions in the most recent flotilla incident find themselves on their heels, forced to elaborate the distinction between "criticizing the policies of a particular state" and "rejecting the right of a particular state to exist" over and over. And over. Of course, the suggestion that a particular state might not have the right to exist is an especially thorny one in Israel's case, but the tendency of organizations like AIPAC to suggest that all actions of the Jewish state are themselves representative of Jewish values only makes a thorny issue exponentially thornier. The elision of "anti-Israeli state policy" and "anti-Semitism," which dominates all considerations of the Israel-Palestine conflict, is an old (and increasingly dated) interpretive frame that just won't go away... and which, for the sake of Israelis and Palestinians alike, desperately needs to go away.
Let's just review, for a moment, the facts surrounding the recent Gaza flotilla incident. The explicit aim of the activists aboard the flotilla was to deliver embargoed goods to the residents of Gaza, of course, but it could be argued that the actual delivery of those goods was incidental to their mission. That is, it seems entirely reasonable to assume that a chief aim of the flotilla activists was simply to break the Israel blockade, full stop. Perhaps those flotilla activists were nothing more than humanitarians, perhaps they were conscientious objectors in the long tradition of civil disobedience, perhaps they were lawbreakers plain and simple. Whatever one may think about the legality or illegality of Israel's blockade and the morality or immorality of the flotilla activists' disregard of that blockade, it requires a gross and terribly prejudicial denial of the facts on the ground to claim that what is happening in Gaza today is not still a humanitarian crisis and that Gaza residents were not in dire need of the embargoed goods. So, the question is: why did Israel respond so violently to the renegade aid-deliverers?
Here is where an interpretation of the facts gets considerably murkier. Israel claims that its blockade was originally instituted, and has been subsequently extended, in an attempt to curb the terrorist threats (and actual assaults) of Hamas, which is the democratically-elected representative of the Palestinian people and which refuses to acknowledge the right of Israel to exist. But we should remember, as M.J. Rosenberg persuasively argues, that "Israel does not need permission from anyone-- let alone Hamas-- to exist. All it needs from Hamas is an end to violence and that is precisely what Hamas is offering, in exchange for lifting the blockade." Hamas has, in fact, offered Israel the promise of an indefinite cease-fire in exchange for lifting the blockade several times. And Israel has accepted that offer, then refused to live up to its end of the deal, several times. Assasinations, attacks, and political posturing of both the literally and figuratively violent sort have continued from both sides. Who is suffering the most in the interim?
The people of Gaza.
What seems beyond debate--outside of the echo-chamber of reductively pro-Israel talking heads-- is that the Gaza blockade is primarily intended to inflict collective punishment on the people of Gaza, regardless of their sympathy or lack thereof toward Hamas. A closer look at the details of the blockade (below), published earlier this week in The Economist, demonstrates exactly how needlessly obstructionist the blockade really is.
It's hard to look at those details and NOT think that the Israeli attitude toward Gaza residents is little more than "we intend to make your lives miserable by whatever means necessary." What is the strategic reasoning at work behind this blockade? Israel is both an occupying force in Gaza and controller of its borders (and everything that passes through them). For just a moment, let's put aside the question of the "right" of Israel (or Palestine) to exist. Let's put aside questions about settlements, reciprocal recognition, two-state solutions, or who counts as a terrorist organization. Do we have any reason at all to presume that every single resident of the Gaza Strip is a member of Hamas and wants to see the legitimacy of the state of Israel obliterated from the face of the planet? Is the blockade really fueled by the spirit of anti-anti-Semitism?
Quite simply, no. It is not. But the more (morally and politically) questionable Israeli state actions become, the more it becomes necessary for advocates of Israeli state policy to mask those actions in the protective garb of anti-anti-Semitism. The discussion between Peter Beinart and Steven Rosen on NPR this past weekend ("Criticizing Israel, Outside of Israel") is an excellent study in the nuances of "anti-Israel-state-policy" vs. "anti-Israel" vs. "anti-Semitic" positions. Beinhart, exhibiting a graciousness and patience well beyond that of his interlocutor, repeatedly emphasized that his own position, which is highly critical of Israeli state policy, ought to be considered of a kind with other pro-Israel advocates. He placed himself and other critics of Israel state policy squarely within the noble tradition of conscientious objectors, who realize that sometimes the very best expression of one's love for a country is to criticize it when it seems to have gone astray. Rosen countered with the (highly-suspect) proposition that one is either a "friend" of Israel or her enemy, and to be a "friend" of Israel means to back her actions, warts and all. Rosen stopped short of outright accusing Beinart of anti-Semitism, but the very strong inferences that could be easily drawn from his argument were all but an accusation.
Now more than ever, the force of this rhetoric needs to be explicitly rejected. Back in 2002, then-President of Harvard University (currently, Director of the White House National Economic Council for Barack Obama) Larry Summers caused a bit of a stir when he said:
Profoundly anti-Israel views are increasingly finding support in progressive intellectual communities. Serious and thoughtful people are advocating and taking actions that are anti-semitic in their effect if not their intent.
In response to Summers' claim, (progressive intellectual) Judith Butler published an essay in the London Review of Books entitled "No, it's not anti-semitic", in which she tried to make the case for the separation of Zionism from Jewry, the separation of the state of Israel from the Jewish diaspora, the separation of political critique from hate speech. Butler wrote her piece in the context of what she viewed as a threat to academic freedom on the campus at Harvard, but her words extend beyond the bounds of Cambridge. From Butler:
Here, it is important to distinguish between anti-semitic speech which, say, produces a hostile and threatening environment for Jewish students – racist speech which any university administrator would be obliged to oppose and regulate – and speech which makes a student uncomfortable because it opposes a particular state or set of state policies that he or she may defend. The latter is a political debate, and if we say that the case of Israel is different, that any criticism of it is considered as an attack on Israelis, or Jews in general, then we have singled out this political allegiance from all other allegiances that are open to public debate. We have engaged in the most outrageous form of 'effective' censorship.
A couple of years later, Butler revisited this same issue in the fourth chapter of her excellent book Precarious Life, in which she argues that one (among many) casualties of the prohibition against criticisms of Israeli state policy is our ability to "mourn" Palestinian lives. That is, the formal or informal restriction of our ability to criticize Israel compromises us as members of the human community, effectively blinding us to the suffering of a certain segment of that community. What is, perhaps, the most regrettable and offensive dimension of this censorship is that it exploits one people's historical suffering to justify the exploitation of another's.
The public shame that we have learned to associate with anti-Semitism since World War II is a legitimate and earned one, but its current deployment in the service of deflecting any and all criticism of Israeli state policy is itself shameful.
8 comments:
- Allen said...
It has always amazed me that people associate support for Israel with support for Judaism and vice versa. If we were to criticize a government legally recognized as a "Christian nation state" like Georgia, it would not be perceived as an attack on Christianity. Similarly, the Vatican is under a lot of fire right now for its policy decisions FROM GOOD CATHOLICS. The criticism is not directed towards the faith but the contemporary policy makers.
I do think it is important to note that the Israeli situation is mirrored in the Muslim world. Often, an attack on the Government of an extremely conservative Islamist state like Iran (our Israel counterpart) will be perceived as an attack on the Muslim faith, even by intellectuals in more moderate countries like Turkey, Egypt, and even the U.S. - Mon Jun 07, 02:34:00 PM
- Chet said...
Beinart's piece in the NYRB was really good. It incited a response from someone in the ADL that was interesting.
So do you think Helen Thomas' comments were anti-Semitic? And if so, why? I am curious. I suppose I could see it both ways. But there are commentaries on the Washington Post that are very critical of her, presuming that she had no idea of the difficulties Jews had returning to their homes after WW2. - Mon Jun 07, 03:09:00 PM
- anotherpanacea said...
Check this out: http://opiniojuris.org/2010/06/02/why-is-israels-blockade-of-gaza-legal/
Basically, blockades like this one are legal in wars between sovereign nations. They are not, however, legal if used against one's own citizens. By claiming that the blockade is a legal response to rocket attacks, Israel grants that it is occupying Gaza as a hostile power and that Hamas is a lawful military combatant requiring Geneva Convention Rights, rather than terrorists. - Mon Jun 07, 03:16:00 PM
- DOCTOR J said...
@Chet: [Heaving a reluctant sigh as I type this...] At the risk of making an already controversial bog-post even more provocative, let me say that I think the response to Helen Thomas' remarks are a bit overblown.
First-- and not to be all age-ist here-- Helen Thomas is EIGHTY-NINE years old... that is to say, perhaps not always at her sharpest. (For that reason, I think she should have been removed from the White House press room a while ago.) Her remarks were clearly off-the-cuff and, in my view, taken a bit out-of-context.
I don't see any problem at all with her response (to the question "Any comments on Israel?"): "Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine." I mean, if that's a reason to dismiss someone from his or her post as a journalist, a lot of heads are going to roll. The problem, obviously, was in her subsequent comments. Thomas said: "Remember these people [Palestinians] are occupied and it's their land. It's not Germany and it's not Poland."
The reporter, obviously "baiting" her, then asked: "Then where should they go?"
To which Thomas replied: "They should go home."
Here's where things get sticky, I think. It's seems obvious to me that Thomas was making (an admittedly over-vague) reference to post-WWII Jewish "settlers" in the state of Israel, who are treating the land as if it was not already occupied.
So, when the reporter re-phrased her comment for her, and asked: "So you think Jews should go back to Germany?"... well. to be honest, I think that was playing fast and loose with a little old lady.
Now, I'll admit, Helen Thomas is about as far as one can get from a stereotypical "little old lady." And perhaps her own history as a hard-hitting, tough-questions, shoot-from-the-hip reporter earned her the treatment she's gotten in this case. But I think-- again, given her own history-- it's more than a bit disingenuous to assume that she meant her remarks in the way they have been subsequently taken up. At the end of the day, it's her fault for not parsing her words more carefully, but anyone who has seen the clip of those remarks can surely tell that there's a lot of wiggle room there for a more sympathetic interpretation. - Mon Jun 07, 04:35:00 PM
- Lelyn R. Masters said...
I don't think it would be anti-semitic in itself to suggest that Palestine is occupied by a foreign power. There are many hard core fundamentalist Jews who would say the same thing that Helen Thomas said: "go home," because in their religious view the children of Abraham aren't supposed to rule Jerusalem until the coming of the Messiah, and their "home" is to remain in exile.
Again, fundamentally, Jewish does not mean Israeli, nor does it mean Zionist.
The reason to accept the existence of Israel is not because they have any right to be there, but because they had very little choice. The Jews that Europe didn't kill, they actively forced into exile in Palestine. At that moment there was every expectation that the holocaust would soon flare up again, and these suspicions were confirmed when Stalin led his Pogrom beginning in 1948. French Jews returning to Paris from the death camps would often find a gentile family had taken their home, and there was no legal recourse.
There are lots of reasons Israel doesn't trust the international community, or necessarily feel as though they have to follow the UN's rulebook. And it's nothing new: in 1960 Mossad abducted a Nazi War criminal, Adolph Eichmann, who was living in Argentina who didn't want to extradite him. The world ignored that international law had been broken because a nazi war criminal had been brought to justice. But you can see how this encouraged Israeli officials to believe that they were above international law.
Ironically, it was the Middle East's, and Islam's, acceptance of the Jews that made the region appealing to Zionists. Antisemitism was unknown throughout North Africa and the Middle East until 1948.
What is done is done, but it is grotesque in the extreme not to acknowledge the deep wrong that has been done to the Palestinian People, from 1948 to the present. That was their land, and their parents and grandparents died there or were run off. It is refreshing to hear someone in the American press give a damn.
And the idea that Jews should return to Germany and Poland? I can't really defend that, except to plead surprised old lady.
But let's give a little thought to our reaction to this idea of Israeli's going "home." Is it because we have qualms about uprooting Jewish people, or is it because we can't see them being welcome in Poland?
How could any Israeli really believe that things would be different this time if they did "go home"? One's answer might depend on one's family history. Some of the outrage over what Mrs. Helen Thomas said must be a screen for Jewish suspicion of Europe. "Go back to Europe! Are you crazy?!" Is that fear warranted? I don't know, maybe. If you want to know if anti-semitism is alive in Europe, you could look at the anti-Arab sentiment there. It is the same French (et al) supremacists who hate Arabs who also hate Jews (though they know when to shut up about the Jews). (I can't recommend Mark Kurlansky's "A Chosen Few" highly enough-it's a history of the Jews who stayed in Europe after WWII.)
Are the grandchildren of death camp survivors afraid to have international Polish/Russian/French/German forces inspecting cargo ships that come directly into Gaza? It seems one could understand the fear, but does that make it right? - Mon Jun 07, 11:55:00 PM
- Lorenzo said...
This thread seems to ignore the group these discussions normally ignore: Jewish refugees from Arab lands. The difference between Jewish refugees and Palestinians is that Israel accepted the Jewish refugees as citizens--so they have become a non-problem: indeed, a forgotten phenomenon. By contrast, the Arab countries preferred to keep Palestinians as stateless sticks to beat Israel with, so we get third, fourth, fifth generation "refugees".
I think your interpretation of Helen Thomas's remarks is far too kind. The word "settlers" could have been used at any time, for example, and was not.
Criticism of Israel only wanders into anti-Semitic territory when people put emotional angst into denouncing Israeli sins that is much greater than comparable sins elsewhere. Unfortunately, there is a fair bit of that about.
Israel's policy does seem to show a mixture of the arrogance of success and the self-righteousness of grievance. Still, if the Palestinians choose to elect a government that explicitly denies Israel's right to exist, they are on weak grounds to complain if Israel's response is less than phlegmatic. Palestinian rhetoric, education and tactics is all to often not such as to encourage Israeli positive engagement. The contrast with, say, Nelson Mandela's tactics is instructive. - Wed Jun 09, 07:29:00 AM
- autoegocrat said...
I'm a bit late to this party, but I just want to point out how ridiculous it is to call Helen Thomas anti-Semitic, regardless of what you think of her remarks. She's Lebanese. She is semitic herself.
That term gets used way too much. To my mind, it's the equivalent of Godwin's Law. Once someone uses it in an argument, they've already lost the argument. - Sat Jun 12, 08:28:00 AM
- Lorenzo said...
autoegocrat: your position is deeply silly. First, 'Semitic' is a construction of European racial theory. If Jews and Arabs do not recognise it as a common identity (which they typically do not) then the claim that Arabs cannot be anti-Semitic because they are Semites is simply ridiculous. The term 'anti-Semitic' means 'Jew-hatred' and that is rife in the Arab world.
Secondly, as for invoking Godwin's law, why do accusations of Jew-hatred get ruled out when I take it that accusations of racism against blacks do not? Unless one is to bar all accusations of racism and ethnic hatred your position begins to look at bit, well, anti-Semitic.
On my previous point about complaints against Israel displaying a level of angst not seen against other countries, Eve Garrard has a good example of the pattern here. - Sat Jun 12, 08:27:00 PM


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No, not mine. My sister's.
The date had been fixed for a long while, and ever so slowly it's been creeping in on us. Now, finally, it's here. Not that I've been awaiting it with any great anticipation; in fact, I've been totally oblivious. It's been my sister's affair through and through. (I did offer to help, but it seemed that I'd only get in the way.)
It's only been in the last few days that there's been any sign of an increase of activity. Relatives from out-of-town have started pouring in, so there's that little familial chaos of getting everyone settled in properly. But with my parents taking charge and and several extra pairs of hands, I thought it best once more to just stay out of the way.
Thus far, no one has really noticed. I'm happy enough to let things stay that way.
Finally, W-Day is finally here. The women are all aflutter with activity, getting their hair and make-up done and fitting their shoes and dresses. Several vans have come and gone to pick up the relatives.
And I, with only a barong tagalog, a camiso de china, a pair of black pants, black socks, and shoes to think of, am simply curled up with the sci-fi book that's been occupying me the past few days. I'm comfortable as a cat, watching everyone rush about hither and thither.
Ah, bliss.
If there's any lesson that the events of these days are teaching me, it's this: elope.
Wedding day. Not mine. My sister's.
Thank God!


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Oldham's community turned out in force in memory of a 23-year-old man who was an inspiration in death as he was in life.
Dental Nurse Naveed Maqsood died just six days after being diagnosed with cancer.
But such was the impact he made on the people who knew him that a memorial charity cricket match held during a weekend looks to become an annual event.
Naveed's wife Jamilla, aged 32 said her husband had more friends than she knew people.
She said: "In 25-years of funeral prayers at the Ross Street Mosque in Coppice, I have been told that they have never seen so many people there.
Jamilla and Naveed were married in 1997 and Naveed came over from Pakistan the following year.
The couple originally lived in London where Jamilla was studying to be a barrister and moved back to Oldham in 1999 when they were expecting their first son Abdullah.
Naveed immediately threw himself into local life, playing for two cricket teams and coaching local youngsters in the sport.
He later studied hard and went onto become a dental nurse and had only qualified in January this year.
But just when life looked to be on the up for the couple Naveed was taken ill.
He was diagnosed with cancer on 6 June and died six days later.
Said Jamilla: "The remarkable thing was that he accepted his illness with grace.
"He never lost his sense or humour and he never complained. At 23-years of age he never once asked: 'Why me'?
"He was truly an inspirational person."
She added: "The hardest thing has been for Abdullah. He tells everyone that the people in heaven have dirty teeth and that his dad has to be there to clean them"
During the memorial weekend funds were raised and all proceeds will be split between Christie's Against Cancer and the Moorside Cricket Club under 17s fund, a team that Naveed coached.


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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
This weekend was a hallowed time of year for economists, the convocation of the world's economic elders in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This "Davos for central bankers" brought academics and policymakers together for panels and informal chats over meals and hikes. Like peons through the millennia, the rest of us are left to decode what their divinations mean for daily lives.
Observers were carefully watching Janet Yellen, the Federal Reserve chairwoman, for guidance as to when the U.S. central bank will finally raise interest rates. Most expect the Fed to begin raising interest rates in the summer of 2015 or slightly later. In her speech on August 22 at Jackson Hole, Yellen reiterated that the Fed was awaiting more evidence about the health of labor markets before making a change.
Some argue that the Fed should not have so much discretion over the timing of such an important decision. In July, House Republicans proposed the Federal Reserve Accountability and Transparency Act, a bill that would require the Fed to formulate and publicize a rule for making interest rate decisions. Should the Fed deviate from the rule, it would have to testify before Congressional committees as to why. Republicans argue the act would increase the accountability of the Federal Reserve, a hugely powerful but essentially undemocratic institution.
The Fed's main task remains trying to keep the US economy healthy by adjusting interest rates, but its scope and power have dramatically increased since the financial crisis. As Nicholas Leman's fantastic portrait of Janet Yellen in The New Yorker relates, the Fed was able to expand its purview in the past few years due both to its extensive financial resources and a previously unremarked statute of the Federal Reserve Act that allows it to lend money to almost anyone during "unusual and exigent circumstances."
During the early days of the financial crisis, the Fed shelled out billions to make loans and buy soured bank assets. Since the financial crisis has concluded, the Fed has continued a massive bond-buying program aimed at boosting the economy ("quantitative easing") that has enlarged its assets from more than $900 billion before the financial crisis to more than $4 trillion currently. (Scroll down to see an image of what that increase looks like. It doesn't mean that there is $3 trillion more dollars floating around in circulation, but that the Fed has purchased debt, mortgage-back securities, and Treasury securities, and paid for it by simply crediting the deposits that banks have at the Federal Reserve.)
Leman writes that the Fed also won "significant political spoils" after the financial crisis. Among them were supervisory power over Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, which were forced to convert into bank holding companies to gain access to the Fed's favorable loans. This brought them under the Fed's purview, meaning the central bank had supervisory powers over all six of the US' largest financial institutions. The Dodd-Frank Act later expanded the Fed's budget, staff, and supervisory powers over systemically important financial institutions, including the ability to raise capital requirements and require banks to undergo stress tests.
The Fed's power has undoubtedly grown, but is a rule-based system for making monetary policy a necessary or effective way to check this? Yellen has staunchly opposed this policy, saying in the House committee hearing that it would a "grave mistake" for the Fed to commit to making monetary policy according to a mathematical rule. At Jackson Hole, she again voiced her dissent, saying that while the Fed's understanding of labor markets and their effect on inflation is "far from perfect," monetary policy should not be conducted based on a particular indicator or model, but in a manner that "reflects an ongoing assessment of a wide range of information in the context of our ever-evolving understanding of the economy."
Ruling the roost
Rule-based monetary systems – which use a simple formula based on deviations in economic growth and inflation to recommend changes in short-term interest rates -- have several advantages. First, they increase transparency and predictability, which saves time and money for those in the market who try to predict Fed actions. Like all institutional guidelines, such rules also raise the cost of later defecting from publicly made promises – for example, increasing the pressure on a central bank not to print money after promising to keep inflation low.
Rules also have significant shortcomings, however; namely, that they take into account only a limited set of macroeconomic variables, in contrast to Yellen's "wide range of information." Because they depend on just a few macroeconomic measures to make their forecasts, monetary rules require very accurate measures of economic activity. The truth is that these measures are extremely difficult to obtain. For a detailed explanation of why monetary policy created by rules can be ever more arbitrary than that made by human decision makers, see my previous post here.
Monetary rules provide a good starting point for formulating or analyzing policy, but most economists agree that the best system is a combination of rules and flexibility, what some call "constrained discretion." This means that the actions of policymakers are broadly predictable, but policymakers can also use discretion to account for unforeseen events. This is the system the Fed currently uses: It has a mandate to maintain both price stability (i.e., low inflation) and full employment, but it is allowed to use discretion in determining the means of achieving these goals. In practice, the Fed has been very effective at maintaining price stability over the past few decades.
The Fed may be more powerful than ever, but proposals to make it accountable to Congress would do more harm than good. Many economists are united in their opposition to this kind of oversight, with a primary critique being that such a bill would undermine the central bank's independence. Under the house bill, any infraction of the rule would force Fed officials to testify and explain their reasoning before a Congressional committee, and potentially trigger a massive audit by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Not only would this be wasteful, it could increase the temptation for central bank officials to tie monetary policy to the election cycle, leading to expansionary booms during campaigns followed by busts later.
Even if the Fed were to be held accountable to another body, many economists feel strongly that it shouldn't be Congress. "The Fed's track record in economic policy-making, while imperfect, is vastly superior to that of Congress," wrote Judith Chevalier, an economist at Yale. Richard Thaler, an economist at the University of Chicago, was even more damning: "I can't think of any agency in government that would work better with greater supervision from Congress."


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Konca On Rue de Castiglione
1 year ago by Garance
1 year ago by
Fabulous ensemble. It is perfectly modern chic.
a beautiful twist on a perfect classical ensemble! :)
Beautiful shot and outfit! I have recently acquired a grey cocoon coat and love wearing it with paired with a simple black dress and tights. It looks so simple yet chic!
I've always loved red shoes, especially when everything else is a "neutral" color. Doing that soon. Beautiful and refreshing. Anita
What a great outfit for a new year!
Love the combo of grey and red. And I've always loved red shoes!
Nice! Modern chic. love it
Beautiful and so stylish! Love the coat and shoes!
Happy New Year!
What a perfect hair style, it so accentuates her bone structure. Elegant and fun.
the perfect outfit, love these Red Aquazurra shoes, comfy and chic :)
xo xo from Paris
This is what perfection looks like! Elegant but understated, with a pop of color that just makes you wonder more about her… Oh, and this is one more proof I desperately need a pair of red heels in my closet!
For a Fashion Editor Vogue Turkey ,i am surprised by the classic choice of this outfit each piece is nice and elegant but all together it gives a total look of "nothing new under the sun."..she has a great face and body ..it could be so much more interesting to break this look with a great Jeans with even a white shirt and this great coat ..or the dress with a Black leather Jacket….
Yael Guetta
You are amazing person and your book is great. Thank you for this experience! Have a nice day. Ania
Love those shoes! I wanted to show you this new women's luxury fashion discovery platform skye.pm I think you would love it! I always find the coolest pieces here.
Such a beautiful and elegant girl! x
Koncastionale ;-) !
Beautiful hair cut!
very chic. what I really like about her outfit is that her heels are not gonna kill her if she must wear them all day!


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WASHINGTON – Senior senators reached agreement Thursday on the framework for a bipartisan bill expanding veterans' ability to get health care outside the government's scandal-beset Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics.
The bill would allow veterans who experience waits of 30 days or more for VA appointments or who live at least 40 miles from a VA hospital or clinic to use private doctors enrolled as providers for Medicare, military TRICARE or other government health care programs.
It also would let the VA immediately fire as many as 450 senior regional executives and hospital administrators for poor performance. The bill resembles a measure passed last month by the House, but includes a 28-day appeal process omitted by the House legislation.
The Senate deal came as acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson announced that 18 veterans who were kept off official VA waiting lists in the Phoenix area have died. Gibson said he does not know whether the deaths were related to long waiting times to see a VA doctor.
The 18 veterans who died were among 1,700 veterans identified in a federal report as being kept off an electronic waiting list of scheduled appointments, Gibson said. Taking care of those 1,700 veterans is his top priority as VA chief, Gibson said during a tour of VA facilities in Phoenix, where the furor started.
The Senate bill is a response to a building national uproar over veterans' health care following allegations that surfaced in April that as many as 40 veterans may have died while waiting an average 115 days for appointments at the Phoenix VA hospital or its walk-in clinics.
Since then, investigators have found long wait times and falsified records covering them up at other VA facilities nationwide.
"Right now we have a crisis on our hands and it's imperative that we deal with that crisis," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
Sanders and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., announced the agreement Thursday following two days of intense negotiations. Both had introduced competing versions earlier in the week.
McCain said the bill was "a way to help to relieve this terrible tragedy that has befallen our nation's veterans."
The bill also authorizes the VA to lease 26 new health facilities in 18 states and spend $500 million to hire more doctors and nurses. The VA now has 150 hospitals and 820 clinics nationwide. Senate leaders said they hoped to bring the legislation to the floor soon but offered no specifics.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama's choice to be the top health official at the Veterans Affairs Department withdrew his nomination Thursday, saying he feared his confirmation could spark a prolonged political battle.
Jeffrey Murawsky, health care chief for the VA's Chicago-based regional office, was nominated last month to be the department's new undersecretary for health care, replacing Robert Petzel, who resigned under pressure. Petzel had been scheduled to retire later this year but was asked to leave early amid a firestorm over delays in patient care and preventable deaths at veterans hospitals.
Murawsky now oversees seven VA hospitals and 30 clinics in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan, including one in suburban Chicago where there are allegations that its staff used secret lists to conceal long patient wait times for appointments. Murawsky was a doctor at the Hines, Illinois, hospital and remains on its staff.
In a statement provided to The Associated Press, Murawsky said his withdrawal was "in consideration of recent events, but most importantly in the best interests of serving our nations' veterans."
The White House said in a statement that Murawsky feared a prolonged fight over his confirmation, adding that he believed the role was too important not to be filled quickly.
Obama accepted Murawsky's withdrawal and will move quickly to find a replacement, the White House statement said. The VA is required by law to convene a commission to seek and review candidates for the position, which oversees the Veterans Health Administration, the largest single health provider in the nation with 9 million patients, 150 hospitals and 820 walk-in clinics.
Robert Jesse, Petzel's chief deputy, has served as acting undersecretary since Petzel resigned May 16.
Gibson took over the VA temporarily last Friday after former Secretary Eric Shinseki, an ex-Army general, resigned under pressure.
Gibson promised a number of changes to improve patient care, including greater use of non-VA doctors, especially in rural areas. He also said the agency has done away with a controversial 14-day waiting period for first appointments. Critics said the goal was unrealistic and created an incentive for schedulers and other VA employees to falsify records to earn bonuses and other rewards for meeting performance goals.


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Water disruption for some St Andrew households
THE National Water Commission is advising customers in sections of the Corporate Area served by the Ferry system in St Andrew that the water supply disruption they are currently experiencing is as a result of mechanical problems at the Ferry and White Marl facilities.
This has resulted in intermittent water supply (no water and/or low water pressure) to the following areas:
- Sections of downtown Kingston.
- Spanish Town Road and all roads leading off.
- Duhaney Park.
- Washington Gardens.
- Washington Boulevard and all roads leading off.
It is expected that regular water supply will be restored on Thursday.
The National Water Commission sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused.