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Why Hire a Videographer?
In the ever growing world of e-commerce, blogging and people who just want to be seen or heard, video can capture everything you need. . .if done well. This is where videographers come into the picture. A good videographer has all of the necessary equipment and the skill set to use it properly. With the technology boom, high definition video has become more readily available than ever before. DSLR's (digital single lens reflex camera) have been flooding the market and turning everyone into a DIY videographer or movie maker. The most common statement is "I can do the same things on my I-phone that you can do." This statement is only partly true. Yes, if you mean that you can record high definition video on your smart phone the same as me, you are correct. If you are asserting that you can create the same quality of video as a professional then you are mistaken. When I show up to a shoot, I bring anywhere from $4000-$6000 worth of equipment depending on the video. I also bring hours of schooling and hands on experience. Yes, admittedly, we as a video production community charge what seems to be an exorbitant amount of money for videos but we are really worth it. My background begins with a Bachelors in English and Speech minor and a Bachelors in Film, Television and convergent media, not to mention the countless hours watching and dissecting movies my entire existence. When you hire a professional videographer you get a storytelling background, lighting, audio and a whole range of other equipment that you don't have. This doesn't even take into account my super computer, editing software and hours of experience editing the footage. Now we are up into the $8000 range on equipment. If you need a couple of videos and are weighing your options, it always comes down to the simple math of, "what is my time worth?" Well lucky for you there is a simple equation:
(cost of equipment+hours of time spent+number of swear words used in process)= What your time is worth in frustration units (FU's) (hours of research to use equipment-mistakes made+how many things you break)
If your FU's are negative then you need to hire a videographer to get your video done correctly, and if you still feel the need to be a jack-of-all-trades then, by all means, video away. Yes, we need to weigh our options and if you cannot afford a videographer or if it's cost prohibitive because you would like to produce videos on a regular basis then purchasing your own equipment could work for you. If that's the case then get on Youtube and brace yourself for some research. Here is a list of some individuals who offer different types of information.
This is not an exhaustive list by any means, just a few of the people that I turn to for tips, tricks and product information. No matter what your project, you should always get an idea of how much it would cost by getting a quote from a professional and if you decide to try it for yourself, at least do some research because there is way more to it than you think and even professionals go through a period of making mistakes before they realize that you have to bring two of everything to a shoot because equipment can and will fail you.
If you do need videography services, let's set up the free consultation to see how I can help you. Contact us at:
My Birthday Wish List
This year just like every other, there is a day that signifies the first day that I came into this world and said, "Holy shit, I'm cold!" Because this is my special day it doubles as the opportunity for me to openly allow my wish list to be explored in case there is any individual wishing to fulfill any or all of my requests. Since I am not independently wealthy yet I still covet some items and some of these are more useful than others and because of that I will take this in two main sections of things that I require and things that I really really want.
Things I require:
1. Canon 1DC Cinematic camera.
This is Canon's way of showing how a DSLR still frame camera can be integrated with a filmmaking camera that fits cinematic lenses while shooting in 4K. As a filmmaker I am just like any other profession and I require the tools that will get the job done best so this would be my ideal camera for under $12,000. The list of pro's far outweighs the price tag and if you buy this for me I will personally take professional photos of your family every year for the next 10 years and you will be invited to every one of my shoots for the next 5 years including but not limited to a film release party. I will also make it a point to list you as one of the producers in my next 5 films no matter what. To sweeten the deal I will let you take 1 selfie with the camera. Now, how's that for incentive?
2. Panasonic GH4 cinematic camera. So if the price tag of $11,000 dollars for a 1DC seems exorbitant, then there is always the Panasonic GH4. This is a versatile little package because it actually has adapters that allow you to use Canon, Nikon, and cinematic lenses while shooting in 4K.
For the price this thing can really hang in there with some of the other more impressive and expensive cameras. At right around $1,700 this is a perfect gift for my 37th birthday.
3. Mossberg 590A1
Quite possibly the best pump shotgun ever, I absolutely require one of these. With a heavy barrel, aluminum trigger guard, bayonet lug and 9 shot overall capacity, this shotgun was used by the US military for decades because of its ruggedness. Since I am also a firearm aficionado and family man, this is the perfect fusion of home defense and complete survival. One of these can be purchased for about $550 and a bayonet for about another $100. I already have the ammunition and am ready for this wonderful gift, thank you so much!
Things I Want:
1. Cinematic lenses for my camera. Since movies require bigger and better cameras the key is to also use bigger and better lenses. I am not particular, and am willing to accept whatever cinematic lenses that you are willing to purchase for me. Ideally the Canon 50mm cine lens would be great.
2. Ruger LCR .357mag. I don't have a conceal and carry yet but when I get one I would really like to have one of these on my hip or stuffed into the back of my pants gangster style. Since this only fits 5 rounds and has a very short barrel, it is not exactly practical so this is more of a want, and since I am registered as a lethal weapon I don't really need to carry a gun on me (but I do need a Mossberg 590A1 in my home in case I need to defend my entire family).
3. Barrett M84A1 rifle. These things are f$cking awesome! Nuff said.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of viable purchase options to show me exactly how important I am to you, but it is always better to run it by me anyway because I might ask you to return it due to "unsuitable status". If purchasing one or all of these seems daunting, just go to my paypal account which is firstname.lastname@example.com and load me up with as much money as you would like.
Thank you in advance for the wonderful presents and have a great day.
Ghostwriter for Hire
Upon initial encounters with individuals, many inquire as to my profession to which I have responded on occasion (in a deep, sullen voice), "Ghostwriter." This moniker however, is a false representation of the range of my services. Ghostwriters are typically responsible for taking someone's brain child and artistically transposing it to words on paper. Essentially a ghost writer is the person you hire to write your story if you have a great idea and lots of money, or don't believe you can write it yourself.
A professional writer is an even broader spectrum of capabilities and could mean grant writing, copywriting, script writing, and even a writer of letters and such. While many of these are niche markets in and of themselves it still doesn't define what I do. What about, "Creative Writing Consultant?" That's still a little broad, but sure, that'll have to do for now.
1. Ghost writer- I can do the typical job of searching for souls to collect for the devil while consumed in flames and riding the coolest chopper ever. Wait, I can work closely with you on your ideas and help develop them into a cohesive and interesting book or I can coach you through the entire process. Writing the book for you is a little costly while the second option is much more cost effective if you have any confidence about your writing skills and more-so, my ability to coach you. If every minute of your life has been super cool and you want to share with the public how rock star you really are, I can help you determine which of your 257,482 life stories to keep and which ones to omit. If you are working on the next Harry Potter style series, I can totally help you develop the story, the landscape and even help create some stupid Jar Jar Binks type character if you so desire. Remember, this is your story and I'm certainly not judgmental enough to tell you that your book is not a good idea. Every person has great stories and may just need a little help.
2. Script writer- I have worked with a Hollywood producer/director on developing a couple stories from beginning to end in an extremely precise manner. This is storytelling in 3D because you have to see the vision to create the vision and some writers fall short in the descriptive category. When I am writing, my mind thinks in "Movie" so the details are vivid. Let's get your movie rolling and if you want to hire me to shoot it, I do that as well.
3. Web Content Writer- Let's face it, sometimes you go to a website and say, "I don't understand what this site is about and I cannot move my mouse over the 'get me away from this site' button fast enough." If you have a website and actually want people to read the words and keep clicking to other words contained within the confines of your site, then you need some zesty writing. Sure, we kind of need to know what you do but nobody really cares what you do or your background unless you tell us what we are going to get from you. That's where I come in. Between interviewing you and doing some research, I can tailor some really awesome web pages for your site that not only make people interested in what they are going to receive from you, but keep them clicking around and maybe even buy some of your widgets.
4. Creative Writing Consultant- Involves all of the above except I coach you to do the writing. That's right, you got this and it starts with an idea, continues with hiring me to help you through the process and ends with a finished product that you can be proud of. Then, I can put my name on one of first 20 or so worthless pages in the beginning of the book that nobody reads including 5 or 6 pages that repeat the title and 10 additional pages of forewords, prefaces, preambles and other stuff to make the book look legit.
I hope this has totally confused you so that you have to contact me to find out what the hell I really do. Seriously though, if you are reading this it is probably because you were searching for some type of writer and found my site. I am open for projects and have flexible payment plans of gold medallions, first born children, and cash in some cases. Call or email right now so I can tell you how wonderful your project is and how absolutely excited I am to get started.
Philip Mackey Valentina
Colorado Sunsets: Nothing Quite Like Them
Nature is quite amazing. These pictures were taken three days apart from one another in the same yard in the Northern part of Fort Collins. the giant cloud looking plume is actually smoke from the Hewlett Gulch fire that ravaged thousands of acres of beautiful Poudre river landscape. Smoke billowed and travelled for miles, making its way to Fort Collins and most assuredly parts of Wyoming. Colorado is no stranger to wildfires and thanks to Forbes magazine, a swelling influx of vacationers and out-of-staters. Granted, some fires are started by lightning, some by dryness that is conducive to spontaneous combustion, but most are started by some form of human blunder. Here is living proof that our planet can take whatever we dish out and will most certainly outlast us, and in millions of years will show no sign of our existence if we do happen to destroy ourselves. If you have ever been fortunate enough to witness a tranquil Colorado sunset, you will have been imparted the grandest sense of life, which is, no matter what happened today the sun will still rise and set. Gazing at the mountain skyline, the waning light never ceases to amaze. Colors that are so vibrant yet soft, and contrasting in perfect complements. Clouds that have been placed perfectly in order to absorb the colors and blend them to make a paint pallet that cannot be repeated or described. It makes you wonder how many other people are witnessing the same beauty and are they seeing it exactly the same. This type of natural occurence is not some whimsical idea geared toward our minute insignificance, but an everyday opportunity for us to realize that we are truly part of something great. Imagine if everyone stopped what they were doing in their busy night time routine and went outside to see the sunset, or took the time to wake up in the morning just to catch a majestic sunrise. It is certainly easy to get mired in the conundrums of everyday life and lose focus of our connection to one another and nature. Life's very purpose is to experience and enjoy, and in doing so we truly live. Colorado sunsets show us that there is hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. Hope for our planet. Hope for us. Even after the smoke filled skies showed evidence of the blaze, days later we were shown that everything will be okay. No matter what higher power you believe in, there is no higher power than the circle of life that we all belong to. We are all part of the same energy that the universe is made up of and that will never change. If you live in Colorado, make sure to get out and enjoy a sunset as often as possible. No matter where you live get out, experience the wonder of nature and enjoy life.
Freshly Pressed
Oh to be freshly pressed! But what exactly does it take to be freshly pressed? As a newbie to WordPress, I am always excited for people who get freshly pressed because it's great exposure and means that she was very creative in her approach to [insert very dull topic] or he wrote a laugh out loud post on underwear. No matter what, it calls for champagne (or Welch's grape if you're a recovering alcoholic). Is it the pinnacle of blogging much like Pulitzer or Caldecott of writing books? During my tenure as an English major at Colorado State, I learned a great deal about writing, including classic works and their authors, and that there is really not much objectivity in writing anymore (if any), just getting our thoughts out for others to appreciate.
My capstone class was on Ernest Hemingway, and the teacher happened to be a Hemingway 'junkie' so it was very informative indeed. Hemingway is responsible for such classics as Hills Like White Elephants, The Sun Also Rises, and For Whom the Bell Tolls. If you've read any of these and can appreciate the genius of his style, then you may wonder why The Old Man and the Sea won the him the Pulitzer prize. This contrived piece of work was quite masterful but only because he knew what the critics were looking for and tailored in a manner that could not be refused the coveted 'Pulitzer Prize for Fiction'.
Journalists often crossed classroom paths with my creative non-fiction concentration because of similar degree requirements. Many of these journalistic types were very aware of the lack of objectivity in the media and even in the schooling of journalism. Blogging is great because it allows anybody with an idea (no matter how subjective it is) to get it down on digital paper and share it with whomever is interested, via the internet. Subjectivity is fine, especially when you are writing from a particular viewpoint and challenge or create ideas pertaining to our society or even the world. Besides, if everyone were objective, blogs would be like excerpts from textbooks (which can also be argued as subjective), suffering from dry, boring tones and no witty picture accompanyment. Communist blogging?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Freshly Pressed is governed by a commitee of totalitarian judges with strict rulebooks and narrow guidelines for getting 'pressed', but there is a mathematical equation in everything (usually a logarythmic equation) that offers the path to the correct answer, such as (Cool author name+ quirky sense of humor+ number of posts)/(following- political views)x(objectivity to subjectivity number from 1-14 like a pH scale)= your number that goes into a database and is regurgitated as a placement. If it is an odd number that happens to be in the 20's, 50's or 60's, if your number comes out negative from -1 to -3, or a prime number with no square root then you will be a candidate for Freshly Pressed.
So here I am with a book and no Pulitzer Prize, and over a dozen posts and have not been 'Freshly Pressed' yet. While my book is very subjective and at times even ridiculous, it is a well thought out awakening piece on survival but I still have no idea what the equation for a Pulitzer even looks like and really don't even know what my values should be in the pressed equation to equal a successful placement. It's perfectly okay that our blogs are all somewhat subjective as long as you take a different angle on the difficulty of catching earthworms, or how beanie babies will be our next currency. So why is it okay to be subjective? Because, we the bloggers have no corporate agenda and want only to get our thoughts out, be heard, and of course be 'Freshly Pressed'. For those of you individuals blessed enough to have been 'pressed', I applaud you and ask only that you divulge your numbers so I can plug them into 'the equation' and see how my numbers fare. Also, if anyone who reads this has won a Pulitzer Prize, do you happen to know the logarythm for that and what are your numbers? Hemingway knew the equation and cracked the code for the numbers, but as we all know he was really assasinated because of this knowledge with suicide as a cover up. God speed, and don't get caught by the Pulitzer or WordPress logarythm officials!
Kids. . .with a side of Beer please.
People have been raising kids for a long time and every culture and time period presents new challenges for parents but the kids are always the same right? As a Roman history junkie, I wonder what our ancestors in any culture did with their children. Wealthy aristocrats often had full days of instruction for their children which included (but was not limited to) politics, arethmetic, history, an instrument of some sort, and combat in many cultures. That's fine because it's really not much different these days. Parents with lots of money would like their children to be well rounded, so they hire tutors, nannys and others to keep the children busy and entertained. What about the lower and middle classes who don't have that kind of money? There's always television. When I was a child, I woke up early and went outside in my back yard to swing on my playground set, then scoop a few cat turds out of my sand box to make some castles, then go to my friend's house, where we would turn his father's garden into a fortress for our GI Joes. Occasionally I would wander home to be fed pizza, hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly, or a grilled cheese and then resume playing until the street lights went on. When those lights went on, we all scrambled to get home as fast as possible. The only video games were on Atari or something similar on our TRS-80 from Radioshack and there were a couple of people in the neighborhood who played those at all, because frogger and pong get boring after a while. Our television had rabbit ears and 2 dials, one for changing the channel and one for fine tuning.
Fine, I'll get to the point. These days, as a society we are becoming more in touch with our feelings and are more aware of our interactions with our children in order to create autonomy. As a stay at home father, I am with my children every day and am able to interact with them and teach them (when they are not melting down) according to the priorities set by my wife and I.
As I got older, my parents bought a TV that utilized a cable box, and had lighted display above a key pad to punch in pre-dialed stations, and growing up in Illinois, the winters were cold so I turned to more television. As a parent I struggle not putting my children in front of movies all the time having been raised on television, and am thus forced to actually interact with my children (which I do enjoy most of the time).
For my tenth birthday, I ended up with about $130 (if my memory serves me correct) which allowed me to buy a Nintendo with Super Mario Brothers/Duckhunt combo, the gun, and Spyhunter. Through the years I literally played hundreds of games on multiple video game consoles which ended with Playstation 2. The video game dynasty came to a crashing halt with the arrival of children and a wife who absolutely detests video games and what they do to children. My spiel of "they make for good hand/eye coordination" fell on deaf ears as she has completely outlawed video games in our home.
I was the last of all of my friends to have a cell phone and when I finally got one it was a Motorola Razr which had been out for almost five or six years and thus propelled it to antique status. As far as I am concerned, my children will not need cell phones until they actually need them or can pay for them so cell phones are out. So there you have it, no television, limited movies, no video games, and no cell phones. What ever are our children to do? My almost 4 year old has become very good at catching insects, lizards, and frogs and holding them gently until he releases them, and my 19 month old loves going on hikes in the woods. They have a pile of toys in the corner of their room which sort of get played with, except for the Hot Wheels which are a current favorite of both boys. Sure, one or the other wakes me up early every day and both require constant attention so they don't scream and hit each other and they end up wearing both my wife and I out every day, but when I see how creative and happy they are it makes all the difference in the world. At the end of the day when my wife and I are almost completely worn out and are wondering how people do it, we have a beer.
Rednecks Will Survive. . .
On a recent trip to get groceries, I noted a bumper sticker that said 'Rednecks Will Survive' with a hunting rifle in the middle of the sticker. The truck was a multi-colered/primered Chevy with a topper that did not fit correctly and the rusted 'Chevrolet' decal was hanging down in a forty five degree angle. Far be it from be to be judgemental, but my curiosity got the best of me as I began to ponder this phrase, the driver, and the origin of the sticker.
First of all the phrase 'Rednecks Will Survive' got the best of me as I questioned what exaclty about rednecks make them survivors? They typically have guns so they can shoot animals and trade said animals for things they don't know how to do but that is as far as my questioning went while my mind raced to what the driver looked like. I pictured a medium build woman with a mullet covered by a confederate baseball style hat, blue and black flannel shirt, cigarette barely hanging from her lips, and a half finished can of warm Budweiser in the middle console.
Rednecks are a funny species of humans insofar as they are proud of the monniker. If you spot a sterotypical redneck and say 'hey redneck' he will probably ask you what you need fixed while pulling up his pants to hide his butt crack. This leads me to believe that there is some type of company called Redneck Inc. that lists out specific codes of misconduct and means of furthering the cause with bumper stickers and keychains. It all started over a century ago with the Hatfields and McCoys. After the redneck warring factions sustained heavy enough losses, they came to a truce to maintain the redneck way of life and in order to compete with Hillbilly and Sons Inc. After the confederates lost the civil war, they grabbed their distilling equipment and as many sheep they could carry and got lost in the forrested mountains of the US. These disgraced and defeated hillbillies created a vast empire that was funded by moonshine and wool and formed Hillbilly and Sons Inc. The sole purpose of this conglomerate was to form an army and retake the country by force. The rednecks, tired of being downtrodden by their powerful hillbilly enemies, began their own company and have been thriving since.
I have never been sure of the differences between a hillbilly and redneck but I can assure you there are differences. With that being said however, rednecks are often thought of as 'dimwitted', slovenly, lazy, drunk, inbred, and racist in many cases. How is it that an entire cross section of our population actually fits that description and are not only surviving but thriving? I have heard of redneck ingenuity and the internet provides plenty of pictures to vouch for the legitimacy of the term; but when I see a shirtless, mullet sporting individual driving a multi-colored pickup truck that has five antenna and dried deer blood on the hood it piques my curiosity and drives my imagination to the limit. Is it just that easy? Live simply and carry a big gun and you can survive anything? As a learned individual, do I just need to have a couple beers before an important project and throw logic out the window? What exactly the hell is it about rednecks that makes them survivors? You know, cockroaches have actually been around for hundreds of millions of years and they are merely disease carrying pests that invade and multiply. In any event, no matter what others may think of them, rednecks and cockroaches know how to survive.


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machine knitting midgauge standard bulky machknit knit machine-knit patterns
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Going Green
I was on a rescue mission a couple of months ago. I bought $37 worth of 100% wool sweaters at the local Goodwill and made tons of things from them. I made 5 scarves, 2 pairs of mittens, oven mitts, slippers, some tiny teddy bears and a child's coat. The one I'm probably most proud of is a felted coat for my great niece. The sweater originally was a good quality women's size small zippered hoodie. I removed the zipper and the knitted facing it was sewn to. When I felted it, it turned out to be a perfect size 3 T. It had some ribbing texture that didn't felt as thoroughly as the plain knit, so I had some adjusting to do on the hood. I had hoped to be able to fold back the edge of the hood to make a casing but the hood had no ribbing on it so it felted more than I wanted it to. I was able to sew the zipper facing onto the hood to make the casing, inserted some elastic, and the hood stayed the size it should be. With some extra, I made faux ties to hang down. It's kind of an unusual color!
I embroidered some flowers---supposed to look like Edleweiss--- and hearts down the fronts and attached Norwegian clasps for the front closure. (I own a dandy BabyLock embroidery machine that is really fun to use.) Another interesting phenom was that the sleeves didn't felt at the same rate as the body either. So, I had to cut off some of the gorilla length and hide a joining seam under the cuff. All in all, it was a good exercise. Yesterday was the first time I was able to try it on the recipient. My niece adopted Annie from Ethiopia when she was a small baby. Annie is an incredible child---beautiful, smart, cuddly, athletic. My niece thinks that Ethiopians have a "happy gene". She does, anyway.
So, I recommend you give this sweater rescue idea a try. In the upcoming Knitwords fall issue, I wrote an article on how to go green with our craft. I'm not the best at this idea, but am at least starting to consider the impact on the environment when I'm making some knitting choices.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Men's Garter Carriage Scarf
I was taking a break from knitting this morning and browsing through the patterns I have done to date. I found this nice scarf that I could offer as a free download for you. Unfortunately, you need to have DesignaKnit and a garter carriage to knit it. I suppose a really determined person could knit this by hand, but it sounds really taxing. I made it as a gift for a friend last Christmas shortly after I purchased my garter carriage. I love that turtle! Don't use it all the time, because I figure it has a limited number of stitches in its lifetime. Makes great patterns. You'll need the .pat file for DesignaKnit. Email me and I'll send you the DAK file.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Women's Circular Sweater
I've been stewing over my adult-sized circular sweater to knit on the midgauge. I think I have my lace figured out, bought some yarn I like and have done some swatching. I'm thinking I'll make one wedge 1/2 the total diameter of the sweater, plus some ease, plus enough to overlap in the front. It's different thinking "circularly".
Can't get enough of my blooming hibiscus. Trying my macro setting on my camera and am getting slightly better results. I think I'm focusing on the stamen, but the absolute clear focus seems to lie a little behind. Click on the picture and I think you'll see what I mean. Tricky! I love the pictures anyway, even if they aren't going to win any contest.
Hope you have a nice weekend.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Perfect Pom Poms
We are supposed to get storms today, but so far it's sunny and warm. The more sophisticated the weather forecasting technology, the less accurate....
Like so many places, they say, "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute."
Working on a felted purse. Will reserve judgment for a bit and if it turns out I'll share.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Heavenly Hibiscus
My hibiscus has just started blooming. It's really spectacular and there are lots of blooms waiting back stage. Each blossom is 8-9" in diameter. It is supposed to be hardy in zone 4 (my zone), but I planted it in a really protected place on the west side of the house to give it a little edge. Wouldn't Georgia O'Keefe have loved this blossom? Almost makes you want to crawl inside.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Elegant Scarf
When I first learned how to use my lace carriage, I knit a few scarves using patterns that came already loaded onto my machine. This is not so much a pattern, but a guide to how to put the manual's instructions to work to create something beautiful and useful. Once you determine how much weight your machine likes, you can whip these up quickly. I used some lace weight wool and my standard gauge, but a a fine gauge machine with lace capabilities would work just as well.
Look through Stitchworld's lace patterns. Download and center your pattern on your machine. Decide how many repeats you want for the width of the scarf. Do your favorite cast on, knit a few plain rows. Begin lace pattern. When you knit the lace, Push back a few needles each side every row so that they knit plain. Knit to desired length. Knit 2 rows plain and bind off loosely. My edges curled even after blocking, so I did 2 rows of single crochet around the perimeter.
We had our knit club at Cindy's in Princeton, Minnesota today. I'm always impressed with the beautiful things the members knit. Some of the gals are so expert at finishing! The lesson today was how to use the Kidoodles cable to upload brother files to the computer for saving and archiving (for use with or without DAK). A great time saver. I love being with people who share the same addiction to machine knitting. I bought some cotton yarn to make dishcloths and maybe socks. It's a robust, bright red, my favorite color. More on the personal knitting tomorrow, I hope.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Circular MK Baby Sweater Done!
I have a reputation to uphold among my mk friends. I'm the one who doesn't "do" UFO's. It's a compulsion with me that once I start something,I have to finish it. Don't know if that's good or bad, but that's the facts, madam. So here she is, laid out on the floor. Had to finish it even though I'm not 110% happy with it. Learned a lot, though.
Wish I had a toddler to try it on. Supposedly if worn one way, it fits a baby (the extra length forms a hood) and turned the other way fits a toddler. If the sleeves were placed exactly in the middle, it would only fit one size. Regardless, I do think it needs a button closure in front. You can't see the cuff very well, but I tried to mimic the scalloped border and add some lace holes. Was not happy with the hole in the middle so added an I cord flower to cover things up a bit. So now that I have the concept, I can contemplate making an adult version. Haven't found the perfect yarn yet, so it may not be soon. Isn't it amazing what you can do on a manual midgauge machine? I love mine.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Another Free Machine Knitting Pattern
The yarn I used is kind of dated, but you can use the same technique with different yarn and get a nice result. You can knit this scarf on any gauge machine.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Just for Fun...
Haven't knit anything today. Dr's appointments in the morning and gardening in the afternoon. Thought you'd enjoy this video that is on You Tube. I thought it was so clever. If you have the "fever" you'll relate. It may take a few seconds to load....
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Tutorial Brother KX 350
Replacing the Sponge Strip on a Brother KX 350
1. Study the underside of the needle bed. Notice that the needles are on top of the sponge strip from this vantage point. Peek under the braces and you will see the needles are situated exactly the same way. There is no need to unscrew the braces, though.
2. Remove the yarn mast and row counter. Push all the needles forward, and with a flat edge, close all the latches. Remove each needle by pulling up on the butt and sliding it backwards and out. If it gets stuck, it's probably because the latch opened up. Push the needle out and close the latch again and it should come out more easily. Lay the needles out in the order they were in the machine so that when you put them back, you can rotate the outer needles to the inner part of the bed. Clean the needles with some alcohol or a soapy solution if you think they need it. Dry them well. I did a few of my needles and nothing came off them, so I skipped it.
3. Grab one end of the old sponge strip and gently pull it out.
4. Vacuum out the channels if there is any fluff evident.
5. Put some Scotch tape around the end of the new sponge strip to help guide it through the channel. Starting on the right side, coax the new sponge strip under the first bar and push it through little by little. Use a 1 or 2 prong tool and push it little by little while pulling with your left hand. After a while, I found it necessary to pull up on the right side now and then before pushing the end further.
It's kind of a painstaking process. You need to go under each "bridge" that holds the strip in place. Going behind the metal braces is a little tricky, but do-able. When you have the sponge strip inserted the entire length, make sure the sponge strip extends a little beyond the last needle slot on the bed. The strip should be about 4 inches longer than the bed to allow for this.
6. Now return all the needles to the bed.
You'll probably develop your own technique, but here's how I did it. I put the needle bed on my lap vertically with the back side facing me. I leaned the bed against the table. Grasp a needle the way it will sit on the bed. Push the needle hook through the slot on the right side at a 45 degree angle. Then once it's through and is on top of the sponge, pull back a little and insert the needle through the second hole on the back. Sometimes it helps to push down on the sponge with your left hand. The needle will softly click as it slides into place. You really can't put it in upside down. It doesn't fit. You have to look back and forth from front to back to get the needle into the next available slot. It's a little tricky to get the needles inserted behind the metal braces. Maybe save those for last when you have your technique down pat.
The needles will be snug in their channels. Your knitting will go a lot more smoothly now.
Ugly duckling
Didn't get around to posting my circlular baby sweater progress yesterday. Had to go to some doctor appointments with my husband so didn't get anything done on the knitting front. Here it is straight off the machine. I did graft the beginning to the end of the circle by hand last night, but I haven't blocked it yet, nor have I run in any ends. The grafting was moderately successful considering I used a waste yarn that wasn't a very good contrast to the main yarn and I could barely see which stitches to sew. (You'd think I just started machine knitting yesterday. Dumb mistake.) I'm hoping that the trim and some judicious blocking will turn this into something prettier than it is at the present. Kind of reminds me of a half a dried apricot. If I knit this again, which I probably will, or turn it into a pattern for sale, I think I'll modify the center to be less open. Maybe do fewer transfers, a less complicated design, since they won't show up very well when worn anyway. Need to knit the sleeves today.

subset: commoncrawl


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By: Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI
During first week of May 2013, SDPI conducted a survey in 55 districts of Pakistan to gauge the popularity of different political parties in the context of forthcoming elections. 5700 respondents, stratified as per the national average for provincial population, gender ratio, urbanization ratio, and age were questioned about their political preference. To capture voter's diversity, Punjab and KPK/FATA were divided in 3 regions, whereas Sindh was divided in 2 regions.
In 2008 elections, 45.1% of our respondents voted for PPP, 29.2% voted for PML-N, 7.7% voted for PML-Q , 3.1% for ANP, 4% for JUI-F, 2.1% for JI, and 1.2% for MQM. PPP lost its support by 27% points in
May 2013. Only 18% of our respondents have indicated that they would vote for PPP in next elections.
PML-N gained 4% point among our respondents and thus 33% of them would vote for PML-N now. PTI which had boycotted 2008 elections seems to create huge dent on PPP's vote bank. 22% of our respondents have indicated that they would vote of PTI. The gain of PTI and PML-N, compared to 2008 polls, equals to net loss of PPP. JI appears to be another gainer; it has gained 3% point votes and emerges as 4th popular party among our respondents. PML-Q has lost 5.8% point of its votes and ANP has lost 2% points compared to their votes in 2008 elections. MQM seems almost stable with a gain of
0.6% point votes.
The Top four parties for next elections among our respondents include PML-N, PTI, PPP, and JI.
PML-N with 49% support emerges as single largest party in lower, central, and upper Punjab, it is followed by PTI (28%) and PPP (10%). PTI has maximum popularity in central Punjab (36%) and doing well in upper and lower Punjab (29% & 19%). PPP also seems to have some presence in lower Punjab (15%) and it fails to impress in central and upper Punjab (6% and 7%).
In Sindh PPP tops among our respondents with 40% votes, PML-F is second with 18% votes, while PML-N and PTI stand at 13.1% and 10.2% respectively. In Karachi, 27% of our respondents would vote for PTI, while PML-N, PPP, and MQM stand at 13.7%, 12% and 15% respectively.
KPK and FATA
25% of our respondents tend to vote for PTI, 18% for JUI-F, 17% for JI, and 15% for PPP. ANP could only bag 6%. KPK seems to be led by PTI with center right parties JUI, and JI following it. ANP is the major loser in this province.
Both BNP and PML-N are being supported by 28% each of our respondents, JI (17%), PTI (10%) and JUI-F
(6%) are the other popular parties in Balochistan.
Rural Urban divide (National level)
PTI has 26% of its voters in urban areas against 20% in rural areas. MQM and PML (F) are other two parties who gather more support from urban areas. PML-N has 35% voters in rural areas, against 31% in
urban areas whereas PPP has 19% voters in rural areas against 14% in urban areas.
Youth Factor
52% of our respondents were of the age between 18-35 years. Among them, 30% would support PML-N,
27% PTI, and 15% PPP. 31% of our voters are influenced by party's program while 24% don't consider party affiliation very important and go for candidate's personal stature. 17.2% are influenced by baradari (cast) or tribe. 20% are influenced by media reporting and talk shows.
Gender Factor
The votebank of PML-N and PTI seems to be equally divided among male and female voters. There is some gap in preferences for the case of PPP and MQM. 18% female favor PPP while 16.8% males favor the same party. Similarly in case of MQM, 2.1% female and 1.4% males are in favor. Among the religious parties the presence of male voters is relatively larger in JI (5.7% male and 3.9% female). The most popular party among female is PML-N followed by PTI.
Are elections free and fair?
42% of our respondents from Karachi, one third from Balochistan, and almost one quarter from central and upper Punjab consider election would not be free and fair.
Like all other surveys, SDPI's survey is also a perception survey. Electoral result would depend whether all registered voters go to cast their vote. Concentration of votes in a particular constituency and security situation on the day of poll are other major determinants of election results. The final outcome of election is only 24 hours away but it can be said that no party seems to form federal government on its own. Thus we should be ready for another coalition government with at least one provincial government opposing the federal government.


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I must need sleep. Last night I slept ten hours; then this afternoon I fell asleep in the recliner for another three hours. That's not like me. Usually I get by on seven hours a night, if that. So I decided to do a little reading up on sleep and I would like to share the results.
The article that made the most sense to me was this one and it's a doozy. I don't think most of us get enough restorative sleep, which is Phase 4 sleep. Read the article, you'll understand this better. Sleep, the Great Healer, by Don Bennett, DAS
Also, an article from an early study on Lack of Sleep Can Lead to Weight Gain sheds light on the relationship of sleep and diet. Recent studies (2008) indicate that our hormones ghrelin and leptin are dependent on sleeping--but not just any sleep--a good deep sleep (Phase 4) for enough hours. "In a properly functioning brain, the two hormones are released on and off to regulate normal feelings of hunger. But research has shown that sleep deprivation can alter ghrelin and leptin levels." The following three-page article is excellent in explaining the effect sleep has on your weight: Why a Lack of Sleep Can Make You Fat, and How to Keep From Gaining Weight. Be sure to read it to the third page.
I'm including the following article because it's slightly related, but mostly because it's downright interesting: Hibernating Bears' Wounds Heal Without Scars. Who knows if bears' hibernating habits will reveal cures or will provide help for humans' scars or other related ailments. It's still interesting to learn about bears' restorative powers.
Anyway, my thinking is: with enough sleep I'll heal better, feel better and lose weight faster. (Of course the wired jaw liquid diet is causing a fast weight loss--11 lbs in 3 weeks. I don't recommend it to anyone!)
In my current healing state, I CAN sleep more. That's the easy part since I'm not working at this time. So I'm making that my goal for now: get enough deep sleep.
I can work on the correct way to eat and lose weight when I'm better.
Exercise will be brought into play when I am getting enough protein and other nourishment.
But for the rest of you, remember, it's all related in your body--sleeping, eating and exercising--to help you feel and do your best.
Take care of your body--it's your temple. Or, as a friend of mine used to say, which totally works for me: "My body is an amusement park."
Enjoy the ride called life.
Travel Bug being amused.


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Aadhaar will be a must for filing Income Tax Returns from July 1, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said today. According to PTI, a partial relief has been given by the Supreme Court to those who do not have Aadhaar. Such PAN numbers will not be cancelled.
In a statement, CBDT said that Supreme Court on Friday had only given a "partial relief" to those who do not have an Aadhaar or an Aadhaar enrolment ID, and the taxman, hence, will not "cancel" their Permanent Account Number (PAN). Issuing a three- point "effect of the judgement" of the apex court, CBDT said, that from July 1, 2017 onwards every person eligible to obtain Aadhaar must quote their Aadhaar number or their Aadhaar enrolment ID number for filing of income tax returns as well as for applications for PAN.
"Everyone who has been allotted permanent account number as on the 1st day of July, 2017, and who has aadhaar number or is eligible to obtain Aadhaar number, shall intimate his Aadhaar number to income tax authorities for the purpose of linking PAN with Aadhaar," it said.
On Friday, the apex court upheld the validity of the law making Aadhaar mandatory for allotment of Permanent Account Number(PAN) and filing of Income Tax(IT) returns but put a partial stay to exempt those without it for now until the larger privacy issue is decided.
The top court ruled that people, who do not have Aadhaar cards as of now can also file their returns. But it made clear that people possessing Aadhaar must link it to their Permanent Account Number(PAN). According to the government, over 95 per cent of the population – 115 crore – already have Aadhaar in country. People, who have enrolled and are yet to obtain their Aadhaar card, have been expempted from the mandatory linkage and the penalising invalidation of their PANs if they don't link it.
As per Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, quoting of Aadhaar or enrolment ID of Aadhaar application form for filing of IT returns and making application for allotment of PAN is compulsory with effect from July 1 this year.
The apex court on Friday upheld that the "Parliament was fully competent to enact Section 139AA of the Act and its authority to make this law was not diluted by the orders of this court", the court said in its 157-page judgement that it did not find "any conflict between the provisions of Aadhaar Act and Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act inasmuch as when interpreted harmoniously, they operate in distinct fields".
SC further said, "At this juncture, it is only emphasised that malafides cannot be attributed to this scheme." (With PTI inputs)


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Merry Christmas sweet friends! Through all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I hope you will all take the time to be present in the lives that matter most to you and remember the greatest gift ever received.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
oh my deer etsy shop
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14


text: The Bublés are having a boy! Celebrity news News & Gossip 0 Singer Michael Bublé and wife Luisana Lopilato reveal the sex of their baby Michael Bublé and wife Luisana Lopilato are expecting a baby boy. The 'Haven't Met You Yet' singer, who announced he was going to be a dad in December, revealed the sex after visiting the sonographer. "We're so excited. We have just come from the hospital, and the sonogram was pretty clear, it's a boy! We're thrilled," said Michael, reports the New York Post. The couple are drawing up a list of possible baby names but won't be calling their little one 'Frank' after new pope Francis – even though he was appointed head of the Catholic church shortly after they left the doctors. "[Luisana] said, 'It's a sign!' But there's no way we're going to call him Frank, even if it did work well for Frank Sinatra," added Michael. And the dad-to-be has revealed he's enjoying the pregnancy countdown – except for Luisana's interesting food cravings. What do you think the Bublés should name their son? Post your name suggestions below…. Read more… First pic of Jenny Frost's twin daughters Rochelle Humes talks pregnancy and birth plans Fearne Cotton askes Kye Sones to be the godfather to her baby son Rex By Amanda Pauley 0 Comments Share Like this article? Showing of Uh-oh! You need to be logged in to do this... Sign In Sign Up Load more posts Write a comment


text:
College savings experts, state treasurers, financial services and investment professionals from across the country convene in
"Saving for college is one of the most significant and rewarding financial decisions a person can make. With the challenges and costs of paying for higher education growing by the year, it's crucial to spread awareness about the ease and importance of saving with 529 college savings plans--and the
The Conference will cover a variety of topics, including a series of sessions on Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act enabling savings for people with disabilities; New Models and Innovative Technologies to help families prepare and plan for college; and Reaching Millennials.
"CSF is proud to join Treasurer Loftis in encouraging families from
CSF is a leading nonprofit helping American families save for higher education, which can include traditional four-year colleges, as well as community colleges and vocational school.
Media are invited to speak to Treasurer Loftis on the importance of college savings, contact
To attend the Conference
07M-Furigay-5805909 07M-Furigay


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Hello and welcome to the latest installment of Criterion Cuts, the weekly article where I dig into the archives of everyone's favorite foreign/art house home video distribution company and unearth some obscurity and tell you just why it might be worth your time. As always, most of these come from the generous offerings available to Hulu Plus subscribers unless otherwise noted.
Part of doing Criterion Cuts is getting a lot of my 'cinematic vegetables' eaten. I think that's a clearly problematic term, and I really enjoy much of what I watch, but it's true that when I stare down the barrel of watching a lengthy black and white art film from some former Soviet state every week, one can often long for some blood and guts, some cartoon hijinks, something that doesn't require a lot of careful attention and historical context in order to properly appreciate or even understand. I try to make the most of it, but some weeks watching art cinema can be a giant chore. If you're reading this, you probably know.
Which means that I'm as surprised as anyone when I really really love a movie I watch for these. It's not only surprising, it's a reminder of why I do this, and fuels more months of digging into the basement of art cinema for gems. Like today's film, which is by far the best thing I've watched in a month or two.
Shadows (1959)
Talking about John Cassavetes' Shadows is hard because so much of what makes it work is the experience of seeing a moment in time unfold before your eyes. Not just the film itself, which as a progression of images is always an unfolding moment of time, but the essence of an era, the first hesitant flight of this new form of independent cinema, bursting out from underneath the constraints of the overbearing studio culture of the 50s and planting flags long before New Hollywood made it cool. It was flying in the face of all the film dogma that came before it, and paved the way for the Robert Downey Sr. types that would come after.
Shadows also has the benefit of being a movie with a uniquely un-filmic history of production, coming out of the New York art scene and containing in its very nature much of the hallmarts of a more street art sensibility. Originally shot in 1957, and almost entirely improvised, Cassavetes screened the movie to mixed response only to go back and reshoot the entire thing, working off of only off of the idea of what needed to be improved, and created the film in the shape it's in today. So when the film advertises via title card that its performances are all improvised, it's something of a cheat: that's true, but only inasmuch as they are working sans script. The improvisation sold is a glamour, a contradiction because film inherently denies improvisation through editing and takes.
But what is it? The story is rather loose, played with the free-flowing, carefully controlled apathy of the jazz music that makes up its score and its setting, but at heart it's about three siblings: Benny (Ben Carruthers), Hugh (Hugh Hurd), and Lelia (Lelia Goldoni). The three of them are all aspiring black artists, Ben a trumpeter, Hugh a singer, and Lelia a more general art scene groupie. The different is that Benny and Lelia can pass for white, and Hugh cannot, and in this pre-civil rights version of New York City the difference between black and white in society is all the different in the world.
Benny's plot is probably the most ramshackle and least interesting, as he stumbles between sets through parties and the anything-goes attitude of the art scene of the era with his equally apathetic friends, hitting on women and getting in fights and being too cool to care about much of any of it. There's a deep air of Beat jealousy, a sense that they should be the sharp minds crying out against a deep corruption in the world at large, but in truth Benny's simply not a good guy, selfish and short-sighted and incapable of bringing anything worthy of being so disaffected. It is the sobering, dead-end antidote of the Catcher in the Rye young man angst, which is all well and good, but it also feels like the most shapeless of the three stories.
Hugh's story, then, is one that comes from a much more angry place. Hugh is stuck in low level night clubs, forced to open for acts he considers beneath his dignity. He cultivates an anger about this, as he sees his siblings drift through the social strata of life without much impediment while he's forced by his visible race to fight just to keep a meager existence that will never be the fulfilling artistic career he wants. It's interesting to see this pre-civil rights resentment there and openly addressed, as I feel like it's the kind of thing that would have gotten coded out of movies that came after the movement made people more nervous about even discussing race, but ultimately it only serves as an interesting counterpoint to the third, and most important, of the three stories.
Lelia, then, is where my investment really comes in. Her story revolves mostly around a burgeoning romance with Tony (Anthony Ray), who hit on her and started the relationship under the assumption that Lelia was white. Since she didn't disavow him of the idea, the two continue on this courtship all the way up until he talks her into his bed, leading to a scene where the two are talking after sex about how it was her first time and he feels a very poignant guilt that he didn't know and that she didn't enjoy it, compounded by her frustrations over being exposed in one of what turns out to be many lies as she tries to live in this high class socialite sphere that she considers herself beneath. There's a desperation, a sense that this love affair was part self-inflicted punishment on her part, that crops up into this scene of romance consummated, tinging the whole thing with a pervasive bleakness.
This is further compounded when he insists, during this rocky moment between the two, on seeing her up to her apartment. It's there that he meets her brothers and realizes the truth of what she was hiding from him, a moment of dumbfounded adjustment of world view that comes across as staggeringly insensitive even in 1959 terms, as he fumbles his way out of the room only to be confronted and kicked out by her overprotective brothers, who see this confused white man as (quite reasonably) a threat once he begins to feel upset about her lying to him about who she was.
But the real reason that story works is that it isn't the end of it, as Lelia goes on to date someone else, and Tony begins to try to wrestle with these new facts about the world he lives in. In one of the late scenes of the movie, he heads back to her apartment and talks to one of her brothers, offering up excuses and apologies to be repeated to her in an effort to at least make her understand the place he's coming from. Her brother repeats them back flatly, not only to signify that he'd remember them, but to expose them as the flimsy justifications that they are, thin screens over a gulf of societal truth that Tony isn't even close to ready to try to actually bridge.
But in many ways that's the enduring reality of everyone in Shadows, as the various strata of this slice of culture struggle even to communicate among peers, much less between groups. The 'low class' parties are rife with drug abuse and anger and a lack of the ability to communicate any real emotions, but the 'upper class' parties are full of esoteric philosophy and social graces so thick that people choke on their own academic jargon, struggling to even understand the things they talk about not because they're meaningful, but because they're labelled as worthy of being discussed at dinner parties. Ultimately, everyone is alone, and the struggle to connect is not just specific, but general and evident in every possibly permutation of relationships. And that's the truth of Shadows, teased out and explored from so many myriad sides with the ease of the film's signature saxophone score flitting around only a handful of musical themes.


text:
The altered route took us through picturesque Nelson Lakes National Park, and along the way we started to see several road washouts, one where half of the road just fell into a river!
|Maruia Falls
|Sheep have rights to the road in NZ!
|A common sighting in Christchurch's CBD.
|Lots of buildings look like they have not been touched since the 'quake.
|A space that was once a church now serves as a memorial to 185 victims of the February 2011 earthquake.
|Christchurch Cathedral
|A creative temporary shopping area made out of shipping containers.
|Just a few steps from the chaos lies some tranquility!


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Hey y'all, I hope everyone had a great Saturday. Mine was very relaxing. I was able to get some words down on the new manuscript. (I know. I haven't told y'all anything about that one yet. I'm kind of holding it to my chest right now. ) Afterwards I ran to the store and came home to find Phillip, Carey, and the girls swimming off the dock. Emerson Ann and I took a Seadoo ride. Wish I had a pic of her "driving". She was so funny.
On the other hand, what I DO have is a picture of one of the stranger things you'll see this summer and I just have to share. You know I always break in when snake news breaks out, right? Well, we were minding our own business when Mr. Snake swam up with his nasty little self. This ended up being his last mistake. Phillip took a hunk of the leftover watermelon we had just enjoyed and chunked it at him. Chunk is such a great word, isn't it? He didn't throw it, he CHUNKED it and, I'm so glad Carey had her phone near to provide proof of what I'm going to say next because he KILLED that silly snake with the watermelon. Who would've thunk it? (In southern speech, thunk is nothing like chunk. In short, it is used to express the likelihood of thinking a thought you would never have expected to think.)
At first we watched in total surprise as that snake floated up to the top of the water. We were sure he was simply stunned, or maybe even knocked out. But, no– Mr. Snake never did recover. Death by watermelon. As Carey said, "Who knew watermelon was such a versatile fruit?"


text:
Robert Cheeks at PostModern Conservative places Mel Gibson's Apocalypto on his list of ten best movies. I agree that it's quite worth seeing. It's one of the best "good versus evil" movies I've come across, and it does an excellent job, perhaps unintentionally, of exploding the Rousseuian myth of the goodness of man in the state of nature. The heart of man is desperately wicked, Jeremiah says, and Gibson certainly does a masterful job of reinforcing the prophet's sentiment.
Cheeks has some interesting things to say about the film in his review at the link.RLC


text:
This is the second time this has happened to me. You cram into a tube and get pushed this way and that as everyone rearranges themselves and then you realise you're miles from a pole.
Emma: Can I just put my arm through there, please? I have nothing to hold on to.
Stranger: I've something you can hold on to, love. (Leer, leer).
Cue withering teacher stare.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
3 comments:
- coolbuddha said...
Eww - no. Deserves a knee to the proverbials. Mind you, a withering teacher stare in return does sound a little scary!
- 8:40 pm
- Che-Jay said...
Bravo that man for his ready wit and repartee. I agree with coolbuddha a withering teacher stare does sound scary, even dare I say - kinky !!!
- 12:50 am
- pat said...
emma what can you expect - you put up a line like that and it really is only going to get one sort of answer.
- 2:22 am
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text:
In case you didn't know, Christmas has been a federal holiday in these United States since, oh, 1870!
TITLE 5 > PART III > Subpart E > CHAPTER 61 > SUBCHAPTER I > § 6103Prev | Next
§ 6103. Holidays
(a) The following are legal public holidays: New Year's Day, January 1. Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., the third Monday in January. Washington's Birthday, the third Monday in February. Memorial Day, the last Monday in May. Independence Day, July 4. Labor Day, the first Monday in September. Columbus Day, the second Monday in October. Veterans Day, November 11. Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November. Christmas Day, December 25.
Source: Cornell University Law School


text:
... in the car, Harleigh and Eythen were playing with their DS.
Harleigh had Mario Kart ... Eythen wanted it.
After begging for the DS game (for the 483rd time) ... I told Eythen he could either wait his turn ... or download it to his DS and race against Harleigh. I then added, "Take it or leave it". Eythen responded with, "I will TAKE IT! I have been trying to TELL you that I WANT that game, Mom. See Harleigh. Give it to me."
Not exactly what I was meaning little man ...
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Today while we were ...
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text:
mat rempit
jalan kepit kepit
segala yg dikepit
dtg dari kaio rempit.
okay, i love foods. but, sometimes i hate them. why? because it'll make me become BIG-er by time -.-" but, as in for spaghetti! i wont resist them. i'll eat no matter how full i am. i love spaghetti. it makes me think of, life. we control our own world. just like chefs. they control the foods that they made. the taste, the looks. so, be the greatest chef of ur own life thou :)
penat aku jadi follower, then ini balasan yang saya dapat? cisss, dunia memang tidak adil -.-


text:
Judge Agrees To Drop 10 Claims In BP Plant Sale Spat
Judge Amy J. St. Eve issued a ruling on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois partly granting and partly denying a partial summary judgment request from BP,...
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text:
Avery takes steps, now, when he's feeling brave. I write about how long we waited for this milestone, and what it taught me about Avery, and myself, in the "Off the Beaten Path" column now up at mamazine.com.
Month: April 2007
In celebration of friendship
My regular Thursday feature is up at ParentDish. This week, I write about illusions, gratitude, Down syndrome and fake diamonds.
To read it, go here.
Listening to your instincts
Kyra Anderson of Thismom.com has a terrific post up at 100 Hats called, "Saying Yes When Experts Say No." In it, she writes about the importance of listening to your inner wisdom, that gut instinct a mother knows so well. There's also a call for submissions in the sidebar, if you have a personal experience to share in which you followed your instincts. To read more, go here.
Thank you, Kyra, for reminding me that when it comes to my kids, I'm the expert.
I took a walk today, for the first time in a long while. A landscape that was once all shades of white, is now green. Blades of grass, tips of evergreens, the tiny buds on the Oregon grape. Green shoots in the underbrush, green moss hugging tree branches. Everywhere I look, green.
It was as if the woods were a friend of mine, one I hadn't seen in too long, with a fresh haircut and a new dress.
Hello, you!
The beginning of something new
I'll be writing a regular Thursday feature post for ParentDish, called "A Little More." My posts will be about Avery and his extra chromosome; they'll also be about the extra laughter and love all children bring to life.
Today, a preview is up. It's called "Letting Go of Fear" and in it, I write about the ways in which holding on to fear really just holds me back.
It's an honor to be part of a site that's home to so many great writers (all the contributors have their own blogs as well, they are terrific) and I can't think of a time when I've gotten a warmer welcome. I hope you enjoy ParentDish as much as I do.
Special needs mama Vicki Forman
has a new column up at Literary Mama called "Bravery and Fear." In it, she writes about caring for her son Evan:
My son hates to have his teeth brushed or his nails trimmed. Each is a struggle that results in violent cries and tears; both require that he be pinned down, either between my legs or with someone else holding him while I do the job. What I know is this: when it's time to put Evan into a human straight jacket, mama knows best.
Thankfully, my kids are mostly cooperative when it comes to cutting nails and hair and even taking medicine. But there's one instance when I feel like the Big Bad Mom: slivers. We have an old, weathered porch, and each summer someone inevitably gets a splinter of wood embedded in a little knee, or a tender heel, or a tiny toe. And it always falls to me to remove it.
To read more of Vicki's column, go here.
May 1 is Blogging Against Disablism Day
For more information on how to participate, go here.
And for inspiration, the following is from a post about the significance of Blogging Against Disablism Day, written by one of its creators, Lady Bracknell:
We exist in every culture; every race; every class; every creed; every nationality; every political party. We have arrived here as a result of accident, injury, illness or simple genetic glitch. We are adults and we are children; we are men and we are women; we are straight, we are gay, and we are bisexual. We are too frail to leave the house and we are strong enough to yomp across continents. We are desperately ill and we are at the peak of physical fitness. We die young and we live to a ripe old age. We are accepted in our communities and we are locked away in institutions. We have been this way since birth, and we have been this way since yesterday. We are the premature baby and the great-grandparent. We are the criminal underclass and the pillar of society. We are the warmonger and the pacifist. We are the teacher and the student.
We are, without a shadow of a doubt, the most diverse minority group on the planet. We are everywhere you look, and yet you do not see us. We are one in seven*.
To read the entire post, go here.
Quote for the day
This has been going through my mind; it's one of my favorites, from Mother Teresa:
We can do no great things, only small things with great love.
Rice pudding for a rainy day
1 cup cooked Basmati rice
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tb. cornstarch
In a medium saucepan, blend cornstarch and milk until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, stirring constantly until pudding thickens (it will continue to thicken as it cools, too).
There's something about the creamy, sweet, taste of this pudding that soothes even the crankiest toddler.
What's your family's favorite "comfort food"?
Giving it all away
I can't watch the television or listen to the radio right now; the news of the shootings at VT is everywhere and I find it troubling and awfully, terribly sad.
So I will tell you about the turkeys. A flock of wild turkeys make their home on this little peninsula. They travel about from place to place, making their way up and down the roads as if they owned them. On occassion, a male will spread his tail feathers in a showy gesture, part "look at me!" and part "back off!"
This land, and the lake around the peninsula, and most of the valley to the south of us, is part of the reservation belonging to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), so it's an area of mixed spirituality–mostly Catholicism flavored with elements from traditional Native American beliefs.
The turkey, to many native peoples, is the Give-Away Eagle. Turkey is meant to call forth a deep and abiding recognition of the sacrifices of both the self, and of others. Turkey reminds us of our gifts–material and spiritual.
Today, the little flock of wild turkeys have found our yard. They mill and peck in the greening grass in front of the garden. As I watch them, I'm reminded of cycles, and circles. Today, I give my grief away. Today, I am thankful for life.
Bless You
At our house, a sneeze is met with a chorus of "Bless You"s. It's a habit, I suppose, one that makes me stop whatever I'm doing and think, yes, bless us all.
Lately, Avery has begun to fake-sneeze. After a round of "Bless You"s, I'll hear a little "achoo", and the blessings start all over again. I don't mind; in fact, Avery's new game doubles the number of "Bless You"s flying around the house. With so many of them in the air, I feel blessed, indeed.
Gifts at 20% Off
Gifts: Mothers Reflect on How Children with Down Syndrome Enrich Their Lives, edited by Kathryn Lynard Soper (Woodbine House, 2007), is a collection of personal writing by 63 mothers of children with Down syndrome, with a foreword by Martha Sears, also mother to a child with Down Syndrome.
Here's an excerpt from my essay in Gifts, "First Words":
When Avery was first diagnosed, we were told many things, mostly about how hard our life would be, how difficult. He was presented to us as a set of complications. What they left out was Avery. No one told me how beautiful he would be. No one told me how sensitive he would be. No one told me he would hug me with his whole body, wrapping arms and impossibly nimble legs around me at once, such a strong embrace. No one factored in love.
If you'd planned to preorder a copy, the book is on sale from now until May 1 here.
Quote for the day
"I see Bennett is wearing underpants on his head."
Today is National Siblings Day
And Carter writes:
"I love my brothers very much. I have one who's wild and can run and play wild with me. His name is Bennett. I have one who is cuddly, and good for playing patty-cake and walking and I can hug him. His name is Avery. And that's all I have to say."
Also, here's a story of friendship and inclusion, written by Alana Listoe of the Helena Independent Record. Thanks to Sandy for the link!
GABA receptors and Ginkgo Biloba
The current Riverbend Down Sydrome Parent Support Group newsletter (Feb. 2007) has a recap of information presented at the 9th World Down Syndrome Congress, including a paper by William Mobley of the Stanford University School of Medecine titled,"Exploring the Neurobiological Basis for Cognitive Problems in Down Syndrome."
There's also a commentary by Dr. Teresa Cody, in which she discusses the use of Ginkgo Biloba as a mild GABA inhibitor, to help improve short term memory.
From Wikipedia: "The extract of the Ginkgo leaves contains flavonoid glycosides and terpenoids (ginkgolides, bilobalides) and has been used pharmaceutically. It is mainly used as memory enhancer and anti-vertigo agent. However, studies differ about its efficacy."
Also from Wikipedia: "Ginkgo may have some undesirable effects, especially for individuals with blood circulation disorders and those taking anti-coagulants such as aspirin…. Ginkgo should also not be used by people who are taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) or by pregnant women without first consulting a doctor. Ginkgo side effects and cautions include: possible increased risk of bleeding, gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, and restlessness." Go here for more information.
Jaden's Journal has a post up about nutritional supplements and Ginkgo, here.
I don't know how I feel about this information, yet. Avery has his bloodwork in a month, for thyroid and Celiac disease, and I want to get that done before we change anything. But I am very heartened by the people at Stanford University, Dr. Mobley in particular, who continue to look for ways to improve the quality of life of our kids.


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In response to a CRCA pastor who attended the National Prayer Breakfast with my congressman, Rep. Bill Huizenga.
Mr. Huizenga's pastor praised him while ignoring the repressive actions that Donald Trump has created as our president.
For the record, here is the post of Rep. Huizenga's pastor:
Today I had the privilege to attend the National Prayer Breakfast with Congressman Bill Huizenga. Bill is a member of my congregation and a good friend whom I deeply appreciate. Some thoughts today about the breakfast:
First, about 4,000 people of all colors, political parties, religious persuasions, and countries were in attendance. I witnessed different political parties having fun, making jokes, and truly respecting each other. Wow!
Second, I heard probably one of the best messages I have ever heard from Senate Chaplin Barry Black. YouTube it and listen, it's truly remarkable. His message was powerful, full of grace, and trumpeted loud and clear the gospel message salvation through Jesus Christ.
Third, even though President Trump isn't my favorite, he spoke and did have some good things to say that I respect. Yes, he slammed Arnold Schwarzenegger but it was a joke and the media is blowing it out of proportion as they usually do. Trump stinks at humor and shouldn't use it because he digs himself a deep ditch when he tries to use a joke.
Fourth, I have been in D.C. now twice and have met people who love God, truly want to do what is best for our country and the world, and truly care for humanity. I leave tomorrow with hope for our country and a deep realization that our country and the countries of the world are truly in God's good care.
Fifth, I have generally mistrusted the media but after being here and hearing and seeing what I have, I truly do not trust the media. They practice "yellow" journalism and desire to make money for their news outlet and get a bunch of hits and retweets on articles from people. They don't desire to tell the truth and desire to create hysteria because it is good for their back pockets. I encourage us all to be wise followers of Christ and seek to discover the truth of what is going on and why it is going on, instead of the deplorable drivel we are fed by the news.
Finally, even though I'm posting on Facebook, I encourage us to stop the garbage we post, repost, and news stories we tag. It really doesn't do much good for any of us. What I encourage us to do is instead of posting most of the garbage we read is to PRAY. After today I will pray again for my country with hope and pride!
My response:
THIS entire report on the National Prayer Breakfast reads like a GOP endorsement of Bill Huizenga and Donald Trump.
What of the biblical text about protecting the refugee, the foreigner, the stranger, the marginalized, the orphan, and the widow, do we NOT understand clearly?
To be frankly honest, this post is a betrayal of a faithful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we bow to powers that care NOT for 'the least of these,' we care not for the ways of Jesus Christ.
In the past week, we have experienced pain among refugees, Latino populations, and immigrants who are now stranded in places where they have no home.
For us to stand with leaders of power, such as Trump and Huizenga who betray the 'least of these,' we can no longer claim "Jesus is Lord." While we can speak it with our mouths, we fail to proclaim him with our lives. We are so scared of 'others,' that we are unwilling to look into their eyes. We have passed the person on the road who needs our help. Do we really not recall the story of The Good Samaritan? What is wrong with us?
Know that someday justice will flow down the mountainsides like mighty waters. For those of you who stand in the way of righteousness, I hope that your hearts are changed. May love for your neighbors win in your hearts.
Grace & peace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Randy Buist
Hudsonville, MI
Unity Christian, '84
Calvin College, '91
Saturday, February 04, 2017
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Open Night
Code No. 508.2
In keeping with good community relations, student school activities will not be scheduled on Wednesday night beyond 6:30 p.m. whenever possible. With rare exception, Sundays will also be held open. It is the responsibility of the superintendent to oversee the scheduling of school activities for compliance with this policy.
Legal Reference: Iowa Code § 279.8 (2013).
Cross Reference: 900 Principles and Objectives for Community Relations
Initially Approved 02-14-2000 Last Reviewed 02-09-2015 Last Revision


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Software Engineer for Configit - Delivery
Experienced developer/engineer for Configit's Delivery department - Developing and implementing product configuration solutions.
Configit is looking for experienced Software Engineers for our Delivery function – developing and implementing customer-focused solutions based on our patented software components. Could this be part of your next challenge? Maybe you are:
- A software developer, who wants to move in a customer-facing direction and be closer to the end user
- A software/ERP/PLM consultant, who wants to get back to doing coding while still keeping some customer contact
- A coding software engineer, eager to work with cutting edge configuration solutions in a company on the move and with ambitious growth plans
… or something similar. Either way, as a Software Engineer at Configit you will get to work on complex solutions for our customer projects – creating end-solutions on top of our software products, handling customers' highly configurable and complex products.
The typical Configit customer is an enterprise production company within the automotive and industrial machinery & components industries. Our solutions target and connects product development, engineering and sales throughout the product lifecycle – and you will therefore be working with a variety of professionals on different levels in their organization.
What you'll do
You develop plugins and extensions to the Configit Quote user interface, and do back-end integrations towards standard- and customer-specific systems. Tasks also include the development of standard web based or desktop based standalone configurators and rule engines.
You are involved in all phases of client deliveries to ensure the best possible implementation, including requirements gathering and evaluation; design decisions and estimations; sprint planning, and demos; development and implementation; deployments; integration and regression testing; and post go-live support.
Depending on the project you will be working on, you will get to work in a variety of technologies with C#, .NET and JavaScript at the top – but also AngularJs, React.js, HTML, MVC, and RESTful web services and SQL. Additionally, we use tools like Git, GitHub, TeamCity and JIRA for product and solution development.
Your work will include
- Developing modern web applications using Configit products, adding plugins and extensions hereto
- Implementing configure, price, and quote (CPQ) software solutions interacting with SAP – the world's largest enterprise software platform
- Developing architecturally extensible and maintainable solutions
- Designing and developing intuitive user interfaces
- Working with clients to understand their products and processes
- Collecting and structure client product data such as bills of materials, drawings, rules, pricing, and documents
- Utilizing client feedback to help drive and further evolve our product development
What you bring
- Master's degree in Computer Science, Configuration, Mathematics, Software Engineering or similar
- 5+ years of experience as a software developer, engineer, consultant or similar
- Experience developing software using one or more of the above-mentioned technologies (in particular .NET, C# and JavaScript)
- Experience developing ERP, PLM or similar enterprise systems and solutions is an advantage
- Desire to stay current with technology and best practices
- A pragmatic and solution oriented approach
What we offer
A unique opportunity in a dynamic, ambitious and international environment where;
- We work with complex and challenging products which redefine what companies are capable of
- We believe in a healthy work-life balance, a trademark of the Danish culture
- We work closely together across all disciplines
- We believe in knowledge sharing
- We provide funding for your continued learning
- We socialize together, with clubs for lovers of sports, board games, music and more
- We cherish an informal and open culture where the customers are in focus
About Configit
Configit is an international software vendor – headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark – that offers third generation configuration solutions to companies with product configuration needs. Configit configurators are used for exploring the variance in product development, as sales configurators, and for maintenance, service and overhaul of complex products.
Configit's core technology is based on research in formal verification and constraint solving. All Configit products are based on the patented Virtual Tabulation technology.
Configit customers include ABB, Januar Land Rover, John Deere, Grundfos, Vestas, Siemens, Danfoss amongst others. Please visit our website www.configit.com for further information.
Do you want to hear and know more about the open position at Configit, pls. contact Bettina T. Warming, Theill Warming Rådgivning at +45 20424519 or by e-mail. Theill Warming Rådgivning is handling this recruitment process on behalf of Configit.
Please forward your application – including your CV/resumé – to email@example.com


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Government to go ahead with Karoo shale gas exploration
Minister Mosebenzi Zwane says the decision was based on the need to diversify the country's energy sources.
RICHMOND - Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane has announced government's intention to proceed with the development of shale gas in the Karoo.
Speaking during a community engagement in the Northern Cape today, Zwane said the decision was based on the need to diversify the country's energy sources.
The move comes amid fierce lobbying in recent years to stop the controversial form of gas exploration.
Zwane told the Richmond Community the possibility existed that shale gas could be found in the Northern Cape too.
An estimated 50 trillion cubic feet is believed to be in the Karoo basin.
Zwane said government had taken steps to ensure that the surrounding farming community benefited from shale gas exploration.
He also gave the assurance that the Square Kilometre Array project would not be affected.
Zwane told the community government wanted them to benefit both socially and economically from shale gas exploration.
If viable, he said it would create jobs and contribute to the gross domestic product of one of the country's poorest provinces.
(Edited by Refilwe Thobega)
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Movie review: Children of Men
Spoilers below
Just got back from a matinée showing…personally, I enjoyed it. I share Matt's reservations about the trustworthiness of the vaguely explained "Human Project", and, as has been noted in many places, why the human race can no longer reproduce is ever explained, but, aside from a few sections, the film moved along at a good pace and the extended single shot hand-cam action scene toward the movie's end is fantastic (I especially like the reactions to the child by the soldiers). The dystopian England shown throughout the movie is convincing and the brutal and repressive imprisonment of illegal immigrants in the movie would probably make Tom Tancredo quite happy.


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In other words...my trip to Santiago, Antarctica, and Buenos Aires! I got back a few weeks ago, but have had a lot going on at work and haven't had time to update. In any case, as I flip through the photos, the warm weather sort of takes me out of the current polar vortex in NYC. Yes, it was warmer in Antarctica than it is currently in NYC.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Penguins and Sunshine
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Labels: food while traveling
Friday, January 3, 2014
Out and About in December
December was kind of a blur. I returned from Paris, I was promoted, I ate a lot, one of my oldest and best friends Marya came to visit me in New York, and then it was time to fly home to Seattle for Christmas. Here are some highlights!
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search engine optimization sacramento - Best Ways To Boost Your Search Engine Rank
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This blog is not about knitting or sports, and offers neither facts nor opinions about G. I. Joe toys.
Friday, May 13, 2011
My original plan, when I started saving cans, was to use the money for my coin collection. Alas, there are other priorities that are higher now. I'll probably try to save it for art supplies or prints.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
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Hints and tips showing how to pass level 953 Candy Crush Soda Saga without boosters by Cookie
The jam starts off in the middle square under the licorice, so you will have to make a match next to it to enable you to begin spreading the jam.
Get the jam spreading a little, then forget it for a while and concentrate on making special candies and combos to hit the blockers in the left side of the board.
Stripe/wrap combos are good as they will clear cupcake blockers as well as help to clear the black candies.
Once you can make moves in the left side work as close to the bottom as you can as cascades will do a lot of the work for you. Don't forget to look carefully at both sides of the board as it's easy to miss good moves if you just concentrate on clearing blockers. Once the blockers are starting to clear you should check how much jam you need and get that spreading as you clear the remainder of the blockers. It doesn't take many moves to spread the jam so don't be put off if you are getting low on moves. I managed to make a colour bomb/stripe combo at the end which finished off the jam for me.
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Not sure if anyone will see my blog but thaats ok I'll save it for me 🙂
Happy 2014! As the year rolls in, so are the resolutions for the happiness, healthy eating, more exercising, less stressing and more sleep. Have you made your resolutions yet? I personally tend to avoid making resolutions, but fully support getting more hours of sleep, eating a few more pieces of fruit and vegetables, and smiling more in the New Year.
If you are short on fruits and vegetables in your daily diet and wanted to start the year with clean eating, you are in for a treat. After personally trying a 3-day Suja Juice Cleanse myself, I will be giving away a 3-day Juice Cleanse to one of you!
The 18 bottles of juice arrived at my door packaged as a present. Each of the 16-oz bottle is dairy, soy and gluten-free, non-GMO, Vegan, and Kosher and Organic certified. I was off to a good start!
The box included full…
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