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Amok Time
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Title :
Amok Time
Series :
The Original Series
Rating :
Overall Ep :
First Aired :
15 Sep 1967
Stardate :
Director :
Joseph Pevney
Year :
Writers :
Theodore Sturgeon
Season Ep :
x 05
Main Cast :
James Doohan
Montgomery Scott
DeForest Kelley
Leonard H. McCoy
Walter Koenig
Pavel A. Chekov
Nichelle Nichols
Nyota Uhura
Leonard Nimoy
William Shatner
James T. Kirk
George Takei
Hikaru Sulu
Guest Cast :
Majel Barrett
Christine Chapel
Walker Edmiston
as Space Central voice
Celia Lovsky
Arlene Martel
Lawrence Montaigne
Byron Morrow
Admiral Franklin Komack
Charles Palmer
as Vulcan litter bearer
Eddie Paskey
Lieutenant Leslie
Joe Paz
as Vulcan litter bearer
Russ Peek
as Vulcan executioner
Mauri Russell
as Vulcan bell carrier
Mauri Russell
as Vulcan litter bearer
Frank Vinci
as Vulcan bell carrier
Gary Wright
as Vulcan litter bearer
Stunts :
David Perna
as Spock's stunt double
T'Pau is a very influential and important person in the Federation. How do you suppose she will react when she discovers, a few weeks or months after this episode, that Kirk is in fact alive and well and that she was subjected to a con trick?
After Kirk is dead McCoy informs Spock that strange as it may seem, he is Captain of the Enterprise now. Seriously? Starfleet regulations allow an officer to rise to command by murdering his Captain?! What is this, the Mirror Universe?!
Great Moment :
The look on Spock's face when he realises that Kirk isn't dead.
Body Count :
Zero, although Kirk appears to be dead for a while.
Factoid :
First appearance of Pon Farr and our first sight of the planet Vulcan.
This episode is a nominee for the DITL "
Best of Trek
" award.
When Spock begins to act strangely, he is reluctant to discuss the cause with anybody. Finally, Kirk convinces him to reveal that he is undergoing the Pon Farr, a chemical imbalance which occurs in adult Vulcans every seven years as part of their urge to mate. If Spock cannot return to Vulcan within days, he will die - but the Enterprise is needed at Altair IV for an important ceremony and Starfleet refuses Kirk permission to divert the ship. With his friend's life at stake, Kirk disobeys orders and heads to Vulcan. On arrival Spock's wife to be rejects him, invoking an ancient combat ritual and choosing Kirk as her champion. In accordance with Vulcan law, Kirk must face his friend in a brutal fight to the death.
McCoy is having a chat with Kirk when he points out that Spock has been acting rather strangely of late, even for him. Kirk is inclined to blow this off as nothing serious, but as the two pass by the First Officer's quarters they observe him yelling at Nurse Chapel, apparently in an angry rage. Spock demands to take some leave on Vulcan, pointing out that they can divert to the planet with the loss of only a few days. Kirk, however, notes that they are on the way to Altair VI, a planet with excellent shore facilities at which Spock can take his leave. When Spock practically begs Kirk to take him to Vulcan, the Captain accedes and orders the course change.
Unfortunately, the ship subsequently recieves a message from Starfleet. The inauguration ceremony they had been due to attend on Altair VI have been moved up by six days, giving them no time to divert to Vulcan. Kirk apologetically orders the ship back onto a straight line course.
Later on, after mulling over the situation in his quarters, Kirk calls up to the bridge and asks Chekov if they can still make the detour if they accelerate to maximum. A puzzled Chekov points out that they are already back on course for Vulcan, as ordered by Spock. Kirk takes Spock from the bridge and asks for an explanation, but whilst he does not deny that he ordered the course change Spock states that he has no memory of doing so. He refuses any further inquiry, which prompts Kirk to order him to sickbay for a full examination and change course back to Altair VI.
The results of the examination are startling - Spock's body chemistry is massively out of balance, and is growing worse. If the imbalance is not corrected soon then he will die. Since McCoy has no knowledge of the condition he has no idea how to cure it. Kirk talks to Spock and manages to convince him to explain. Spock states that Vulcans experience a periodic mating cycle which he calls the Pon Farr. Like many creatures, during this time Vulcans are compelled to return to their home to mate.
Kirk calls Starfleet and requests permission to divert to Vulcan, but this is refused point blank. He decides to divert anyway, judging that Starfleet is exaggerating the importance of the Altair VI inaguration. The ship heads off for Vulcan at Warp 8.
They arrive to be greeted by T'Pring, Spock's wife to be. Spock, Kirk and McCoy beam down to the planet for the ceremony, which is officiated over by T'Pau. A highly respected and important member of Vulcan society, T'Pau is and the only person ever to turn down the offer of a seat on the Federation Council. T'Pring arrives accompanied by Stonn, a pure-blooded Vulcan. However, as the ceremony gets underway she abruptly halts the proceedings, declining to go through with the marriage and invoking the koon-ut-kal-if-fee, her right to a physical challenge between her husband and a champion who will fight on her behalf. Surprisingly, she picks Kirk to be her champion.
Spock asks that T'Pau forbid the challenge, since Kirk "does not understand" what is happening, but T'Pau allows Kirk to decide, telling him another champion will be selected if he declines. Kirk accepts the challenge, reasoning that if he refuses then T'Pring will just pick Stonn as her champion since the two are obviously together. Whilst Stonn would probably win over the weakened Spock, Kirk figures that he can just throw the fight and let Spock win. Only after he accepts does he find that the fight is to the death.
Despite Spock's condition he is a formidable opponent, and appears to be quite skilled with the traditional Vulcan weapons they are using. Kirk, on the other hand, is fatigued by the intense heat and thin atmosphere of the planet. McCoy objects to the conditions, telling T'Pau that Kirk is seriously disadvantaged. He suggests he inject Kirk with a tri-ox compound to compensate for the thin air, which T'Pau allows. The combat continues but despite the injection Kirk is unable to compete with his First Officer and Spock is able to strangle him. McCoy pronounces the Captain dead and beams back to the Enterprise with Kirk's body.
Spock remains behind to discuss the outcome, asking T'Pring to explain her actions. She tells him that he has become much known amongst their people, practically a legend, and that she "did not wish to be the consort of a legend." She also developed a preference for Stonn, something Spock fails to understand. T'Pring points out that she could only legally end her arrangement with Spock through the koon-ut-kal-if-fee, but if she had chosen Stonn as her champion then Spock might well have killed him. By choosing Kirk there are only two outcomes; Kirk wins, in which case he is unlikely to want a complete stranger as his wife and so she will be free. Or Spock wins, in which case he may well free her anyway since she had resorted to the challenge. Either way, she would be able to be with Stonn. And even if Spock had won and then decided to hold her to the marriage, he would have gone back to his life in Starfleet leaving her behind with control of all of his land and property, "and Stonn would still be here". Thus she stood to gain no matter what the outcome. Spock congratulates her on her sound use of logic, and frees her to be with Stonn - though he points out that, logic or not, Stonn may find in time that marriage to T'Pring is not as satisfying as he might hope for.
Beaming back up, Spock announces that he intends to resign his commission and submit himself to Starfleet for disciplinary action. However, Captain Kirk proves to be alive and well - the injection McCoy gave him was a neuroparalyzer which simulated death. Spock cannot contain a moment of pure joy at seeing Kirk alive, though he subsequently denies this completely. He also notes that engaging in the combat on the surface has apparently resolved his biochemical imbalance, leaving him fit and well. Better still, a message from Starfleet indicates that T'Pau has intervened with the Federation, clearing Kirk of any negative consequences for his disobedience to orders in diverting to Vulcan. With the situation resolved, the ship proceeds on course.
One of the very best of the original series, this episode scores on multiple levels.
It's hard to really grasp today just how big a deal the Vulcans were in Star Trek. Today we judge alien species in sci fi by how well constructed they are as a species - what are their motivations, and how do those motivations shape their actions, their culture, their way of dealing with one another? There are so many well developed alien cultures, even just in Star Trek itself, that it's hard to really grasp that back in the 60s this kind of thing really hadn't been done with television science fiction. Sci fi aliens tended to be either monsters or pretty much just the same as humans. What Amok Time does is present us with Vulcans as a species which, whilst they look pretty much like us, have some truly fundamental differences. To see that their biology differs so fundamentally, and that their culture builds relationships around this the way it does, was pretty ground breaking at the time and even now remains truly fascinating to watch.
It also plays well with what we already know about Vulcans. Up to now they have been all about the logic and discipline, and to see Spock struggle with the prospect of losing this is amazing. Nimoy does a fantastic job in throughout the episode, though my favourite is the scene with Chapel mentioned in the quotes section. It's also quite remarkable to see how T'Pring treats him - by Human standards she's being an incredible bitch here... but that's the point. It's not a matter of Human standards, but of Vulcan ones. And when she explains her actions to Spock he seems not only to accept it but to be quite impressed by the sheer cold blooded ruthlessness she displayed. And yet, in his words to Stonn, there is a faint underscore of scorn, of "yeah, you think you want this woman around? Try it and see, mate." Great stuff.
I also have to give a nod to Celia Lovsky's T'Pau. I love her "take it or leave it" attitude to questioning. This is their way, this is what they do, and if you don't like it then you're not a real Vulcan in her eyes and you can stuff off and do your own thing someplace else. When Spock objects to fighting Kirk she just pointedly asks him if he's a Human, or a Vulcan - if it's the former then he can object to their ways all he likes, if it's the latter then he can shut up and get on with it. When McCoy objects to the conditions she shrugs it off with "The air is the air, what can be done?" She's clearly not acting out of any kind of malice here - she does offer Kirk a way out and does let McCoy do his injection after all. She's just completely committed to doing things properly, come what may. A great character and a real presence in the episode for such a small role.
Special Edition
The remastered episode includes the usual improved stock footage of the Enterprise itself, along with Vulcan matching up to the planet as seen in Journey to Babel. A new wide angle shot of the stonehenge-style Vulcan temple is included, showing it standing atop a massive rock spire next to a mountain. A Vulcan city is also seen in the background of this shot, apparently based on Spock's home city of ShiKahr which was seen in the animated Star Trek episode "Yesteryear". The childhood photograph of T'Pring also has the plain background replaced by a more "Vulcan" scene.
© Graham & Ian Kennedy
Page views : 49,236
Last updated : 27 Jul 2022


text:
Many of the blocks are so unique too - which I think is really hard to do in quilting. Most quilt blocks are variations on variations of things we've seen and used before. This time there is such an amazing assortment of new and different looks.
The other thing I liked is that this book has something for everyone. For beginners, it really is a workshop - teaching basics of piecing, applique, and so on, but there is so much room for growth and there are some fabulous projects and blocks using new techniques and designs. These projects will definitely help your skills improve and push your skills further, even if you are an experienced quilter.
I have a few offerings for you today. One is a free download of a very cool block designed by Brioni Greenberg. (I got the chance to meet Brioni at Market and she was such a lovely person. Plus, she has that wonderful Yorkshire accent - I could have listened to her talk for hours.) CLICK HERE to get the free download pattern and CLICK HERE to get the corresponding Template.
Also, Lark Crafts is giving away a copy of Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters to one of you lucky readers. All you need to do is leave one comment on this post. Giveaway open until Saturday, June 30 at midnight MST. I will randomly select a winner.
Winner: bruinbrJune 26, 2012 11:41 AM
I totally thought it was a book of patterns! Nice to know it's actually blocks! Fun! Thanks for the giveaway!
For other reviews and chances to win, you can stop at these blogs as well.
6/28 Amy's Creative Side: amyscreativeside.com/blog/
7/3 A La Mode Fabric: alamodefabric.blogspot.com/
7/6 It's Sew Kiki!: kiki-itssewkiki.blogspot.com/
7/10 Craft Buds!: www.craftbuds.com/
7/12 Craft Foxes: www.craftfoxes.com/
7/16 {sew} Allegorical: www.sewallegorical.com/ <https://www.sewallegorical.
7/18 Wrap-up Party at FatQuarterly.com!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
All funds in a "noninterest-bearing transaction account" are insured in full by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation from December 31, 2010, through December 31, 2012. This temporary unlimited coverage is in addition to, and separate from, the coverage of at least $250,000 available to depositors under the FDIC's general deposit insurance rules.
The term "noninterest-bearing transaction account" includes a traditional checking account or demand deposit account on which the insured depository institution pays no interest. It does not include other accounts, such as traditional checking or demand deposit accounts that may earn interest, NOW accounts, money-market deposit accounts, and Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts ("IOLTAs").
For more information about temporary FDIC insurance coverage of transaction accounts, visit www.fdic.gov.


text:
It's time for another Daring Bakers challenge. This month the challenge is a lemon meringue pie. A lemon meringue pie is a pie with a lemon filling and a meringue topping. I was particularly looking forward to this challenge as I have never had a lemon meringue pie and I like using lemon in sweet dishes.
Of course, I procrastinated until the very end. In fact I made the lemon meringue pie on the very last day. I completely forgot to pick up a pie plate and I had to use what I had on hand. I ended up using some mini spring form pans and a small circular baking dish.
Up until now I have not had so much luck with pie crusts. None of the pie crusts that I have made have been very good at all. This time I decided to try using a food processor to make the dough. The dough was really easy to make using the food processor. This pie crust turned out great! It was nice and light and flaky and golden brown. Right off at the start I was really pleased with this challenge if for no other reason than I had made some progress with my pie crusts! I will have to work on forming a nice looking edge the next time tough.
Lemon Filling
The lemon filling was pretty straight forward and easy to make. I really enjoy the way that lemon works in sweet dishes! I made sure that none of the filling left in the pan at the end went to waste. 🙂
I have made meringue before, though the meringue that I made was a crispy and dry one where this one was nice and soft and moist. I sill have not been able to find any cream of tartar so I left it out. Since I don't have a mixer I pulled out my trusty pair of forks and beat the egg whites to peaks in no time. I almost didn't pull the pies out of the oven in time and the peaks of the meringue were browned pretty nicely. I was really pleased with the texture of this soft and moist meringue and it tasted pretty good.
In the end the lemon meringue pies came together nicely. I, of course, had some right after taking the photos. The lemon meringue pies may have taken a bit of work to put together but they were well worth it. The crisp, light and flaky crust and the sweet lemon filling and the soft and sweet meringue topping really work well together. I need to try to start the next challenge before the last day the next time. Now I am off to take a look at the other Daring Bakers lemon meringue pies.
Lemon Meringue Pie
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup cold butter (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
- 1/3 cup ice water
- Place the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the water and pulse a few more times.
- Press the dough together, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface.
- Place the dough into the pie plate.
- Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven for 20-25 minutes with foil on.
- Remove the foil and bake until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Lemon Filling
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 5 egg yolks (beaten)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Bring the water to a boil in a sauce pan and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Mix the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl.
- Whisk the mixture into the water.
- Bring the mixture back to a boil, whisking continuously.
- Temper the eggs by adding a cup of the mixture to them and mixing them.
- Pour the eggs into the sauce pan and whisk.
- Bring to a bowl while whisking.
- Add the butter and whisk until it is incorporated.
- Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla and mix.
- Pour the mixture into the pie crust and cover with plastic so that a film does not form on the top and let cool
- 5 egg whites (room temperature)
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt and vanilla until they form soft peaks.
- Slowly mix in the sugar.
- Pour the meringue on top of the pie.
- Bake in a preheated 375F/190C oven until golden brown on top, about 15-20 minutes.


text:
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) released the following statement today:
"June 26 is the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, commemorating the date in 1987 when the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment came into force. On this occasion, I commend the organizations devoted to the care and healing of torture survivors, in the United States and around the globe.
In my work with the Helsinki Commission, I have felt it is important to stand up for the prohibition against torture enshrined in the UN convention, and I have chaired and participated in multiple hearings examining the status and treatment of detainees.
I welcome the measures undertaken by President Obama immediately after his election to ensure that abusive practices were ended. But there is another step I believe the United States must now take: the release of the Senate intelligence report on detention and interrogation practices. That report has been sent to various government agencies for comment as part of a process that I hope will ultimately lead to the release of a declassified version.
I urge the White House to play a leadership role in this process and provide the American people with a full and transparent record of practices that were undertaken in their name. This action will strengthen the ability of the United States to play a leadership role as a worldwide advocate for human rights."


text:
Second of all, people need to stop with the "data visualization" crap, because it doesn't work:
However, it's also a lesson in the drawbacks of data visualization. In this case, the data is incredibly one-dimensional, and doesn't necessarily accurately represent the best ways to get around the city. In addition to time, people take into consideration cost, what they need to carry, and what the weather conditions are.
Indeed. Here's the "vizualizer" itself, which purports to tell you the fastest way to get around in a particular city:
Apparently, Manhattan and Brooklyn are cities unto themselves, and the rest of New York City does not exist--which you already know if you read the New York Times. Here's Manhattan by way of example:
So what does this even mean? You click on an address and it tells you how what the fastest way is to get...where exactly? Here's your answer:
To make this map, we gridded up the city at the block-group level, and then computed the time using each mode of transport from the centroid of the source block group to the centroid of the destination block group using the Google Maps API. For driving, we added a buffer time for parking and walking, and then we compared the four resulting times and colored the block-group based on the minimum.
Oh, okay, the centroid of the destination block group.
Thanks for clearing that up.
Look, forget about the map. Here's everything you need to know about the fastest way to get around in Manhattan:
--If your trip is less than 50 blocks it's probably faster to ride.
--If your trip is between 50 and 75 blocks it's probably a toss-up.
--If your trip is over 75 blocks it's probably faster to take the subway.
--Forget driving anywhere unless you know all the parking secrets like I do.
--If your trip is less than 10 block just walk, you lazy slob.
--Bicycle travel time for one (1) block of protected bike lane is equivalent to bicycle travel time for three (3) blocks without bike lanes, or one (1) crosstown block, so factor that in accordingly;
--If it's Hot As Balls just take the subway, provided your actual subway time is at least three (3) times longer than your projected platform wait time, because that's how long it will take for the subway's air conditioning to reconstitute the lump of molten plastic you've become while waiting at the station;
--If the subway car is empty, do not get in, because it means someone took a dump on the floor.
If you're planning to visit Manhattan as a tourist this summer I recommend printing and laminating the above and carrying it with you at all times.
Here's Brooklyn:
Brooklyn is way simpler than Manhattan. Basically, the red represents asshole drivers, and the yellow represents asshole drivers in Subarus, but if you've visited Brooklyn recently need "data visualization" to tell you that then you probably also need an interactive map to tell your ass from your elbow. Also, a bike is faster in almost all cases, because the subways are for going to Manhattan, and there's always car traffic because of all the aforementioned assholes.
And now, I'm pleased to present you with a quiz. As always, study the item, think, and click on your answer. If you're right then I'm like sooo happy for you, and if you're wrong you'll see "Breakaway."
Thanks very much for reading, ride safe, and buy a hat.
--Wildcat Rock Machine
1) Washington Post columnist and in-house moron Courtland Milloy says cyclists are:
--Riding past churches and hiding their twisted agenda behind Kermit the Frog
--All of the above
2) The Orange County cyclist who was assaulted by a pickup truck driver lobbing full Gatorade bottles could face charges.
3) The Tour de France is facing a:
--Doping epidemic
--Selfie epidemic
--Theft epidemic
--Sharting epidemic
4) After a disastrous Stage 5, Bradley Wiggins said Chris Froome should "stick to riding in tunnels."
5) The act of engulfing cyclists and other undesirables in noxious fumes from your pickup truck is called:*
--"Rollin' Coal"
--"Fartin' Soot"
--"Smokin' Freds"
--"Havin' parents who are also close relatives"
*There are two acceptable answers to this question.
6) The H-Zontal prone recumbent features a special hole that allows you to urinate while riding.
--"weaving your own pattern into the street grid"
--"an insane flying video game of chaos"
--"tonguing a maraschino cherry out of the hairy navel of God"
--"a mundane rolling video game in which you travel slightly faster than walking speed"


text:
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text:
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Crock-Pot Cuban Pork and Black Beans
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I spend a few days each year working with a group of women who develop recipes for low-income families. Our goal is to develop nutritious meals that have wide appeal. These recipes must use inexpensive ingredients but still deliver meals that are flavorful, wholesome and delicious. This slow cooker meal, adapted from Family Circle Magazine, is an example of the type of recipe the group experiments with. It is patterned after Lechon Asado, a slow cooked pork roast that is a signature dish of Cuban cooking. Addressing the concerns of those on limited budgets, the group opted to use a loin of pork rather than its shoulder, because the loin is less expensive here. They opted to serve the pork over rice rather than in rolls which would have added a couple of dollars to the meal. Eliminating the bread allowed them to make black beans to serve alongside the pork. They also decided to use pickle relish instead of chopped pickles. While relish is a common ingredient in their pantries, pickles are not. The original recipe was made in a crock-pot, but not all of the group owned them. As an alternative, they cooked the pork stove-top for about 3 hours. They felt that baking it in a 250 degree oven for 5 or more hours was a waste of energy, a point that is awfully hard to argue. The recipe the group came up with follows. I've highlighted the changes they made to the original recipe. This is really a great family meal. The citrus overtones of the pork play nicely against the heat of the black beans that appear below. I know you will enjoy dish. Its flavor improves with age and I'd suggest you make this a day before you plan to serve it. Here's the recipe.
Crock-Pot Cuban Pork...Recipe inspired by Family Circle Magazine
3 pounds boneless, skinless pork shoulder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup orange juice
Zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup drained dill pickle relish
2 sweet onions (such as Vidalia), thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1) Season pork with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Brown all sides of pork, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
2) Put tomato paste, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, orange zest and juice, lime zest and juice , cumin, oregano and broth into liner of slow cooker and stir to combine. Add onions, garlic and pickle relish. Place browned pork on top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce heat to LOW and cook for 4 to 5 hours longer. Remove meat from slow cooker and using 2 forks pull it into shreds. Return to slow cooker and heat through.
3) Stir in cilantro. Serve with rice or on ciabatta or Cuban rolls. Yield: 8 servings.
This is the quick and easy recipe that was developed for black beans. It uses canned beans, so the dish comes together very quickly. The beans are delicious.
Cuban-Style Black Beans
3 (14.5-oz.) cans undrained black beans
1 (1o-oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (i.e. Rotel)
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
Heat olive oil in a medium-size pot. Add onions and sauté until soft. Add oregano and cumin and stir, then add can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. Add 2 cans of undrained beans and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes, Drain reserved can of beans and add to pot. Cook 10 minutes longer. Serve hot. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
One Year Ago Today: Crock-Pot Posolé
Two Years Ago Today: Mexican Skillet Cornbread
29 comments :
- MomWhatsForDinner said...
The men of my house would love this. I will have to bookmark it and make it for them sometime. P.S. I have always loved your header on the blog.
- January 26, 2012 at 2:05 AM
- Skye (Skye Loves...) said...
Looks absolutely mouthwatering. Will have to give it a try.
- January 26, 2012 at 5:36 AM
- StephenC said...
Your effort on behalf of low-income families just one more thing to admire about you. My first thought (not owning a slow cooker) was to use the oven, but I will try the stovetop to save money. Thankyou, Mary.
- January 26, 2012 at 5:43 AM
- Unknown said...
What a wonderful benefit your group brings to low-income families. I think most people think to save money you have to skimp and eat junky type foods. This just proves you don't have to have a lot to make an amazing meal!
- January 26, 2012 at 7:28 AM
- Kim said...
I really like this kind of meal. Very tasty plus, it's budget friendly!
- January 26, 2012 at 7:40 AM
- Tanna said...
This sounds very good!! I appreciate and that you and your group are working to develop these kind of recipes. Kudos to each of you. blesssings ~ Tanna
- January 26, 2012 at 8:07 AM
- Big Dude said...
That sounds like a great way to use your talents to give back to the community. We just had a Cuban sandwich and black beans over rice at the local authentic Cuban place in Maryville and I've been wanting to try it at home, so thanks for posting this.
- January 26, 2012 at 8:21 AM
- The Blonde Duck said...
- January 26, 2012 at 8:29 AM
- Penny said...
This is such a worthwhile cause. Poverty and poor nutrition do not have to be linked. Thank you for what you are doing. This dish sounds so good.
- January 26, 2012 at 8:44 AM
- Martha said...
Wow I love what you guys do! and the meal looks scrumptious!!
- January 26, 2012 at 8:44 AM
- What's Baking?? said...
Hats off to you, Mary, for doing a very noble cause. As always, your food looks delicious.
- January 26, 2012 at 8:47 AM
- Unknown said...
What a great cause you volunteer for. I never knew that such a group existed and it's a great thing your doing. You should put a cookbook together with these recipes so it's accessible to low-income families across the united states. I think most people would love to create something delicious for their families if they knew how.
- January 26, 2012 at 9:19 AM
- Diane said...
That looks really good to me. Diane
- January 26, 2012 at 9:20 AM
- Eliana said...
Hmmm - both look so hearty and incredibly flavorful and delicious of course.
- January 26, 2012 at 10:30 AM
- pam said...
I love this!! I loved reading about the thought that went into making this recipe. Even though I am not low-income, I'm not rich either, and every little bit helps!
- January 26, 2012 at 11:06 AM
- Adele @ The Dutch Door Kitchen said...
Looking forward to trying the crockpot Cuban pork recipe!
- January 26, 2012 at 11:57 AM
- Choclette said...
Oh those black beans look good and it's put me right in the mood for beans tonight.
- January 26, 2012 at 12:10 PM
- SKIP TO MALOU said...
you are doing a noble task. i wish i could do the same thing over here in STL. do you know of any group of women who does that here too?
this crock pot cuban pork and black beans will definitely fill the house with a heavenly aroma... and im sure every member of my family would love.
have a wonderful day,
malou - January 26, 2012 at 2:07 PM
- Priya Suresh said...
Mouthwatering here, wat a terrific and super tempting dish..
- January 26, 2012 at 2:16 PM
- Linda said...
This looks soo good!! I've been thinking about Game Day food and I think you've just provided me with a fabulous idea!! I've never made Cuban Pork in a crock pot! I'm curious to try it out!!
- January 26, 2012 at 3:18 PM
- France@beyondthepeel said...
Lovely creation. We don't often experiment with Cuban flavors, so this will be a nice one for us to try. Thank you for sharing it.
- January 26, 2012 at 3:39 PM
- Ginny Hartzler said...
Just lovely. The sandwich looks juicy and wonderful!!!
- January 26, 2012 at 5:20 PM
What a fabulous dinner - I really think I'm going to have to make this for my family - they'll love me for it!!
mary x - January 26, 2012 at 5:53 PM
- kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...
The slow-cooked pork with the black beans sounds wonderful, Mary! What a worthy cause to help low-income families eat nutritiously.
- January 26, 2012 at 6:04 PM
- Joanne said...
Is there anything you DON'T do?!?!? But seriously, that's awesome! And so is this dish!
- January 26, 2012 at 9:10 PM
- The Harried Cook said...
Flavorful and delicious looking dish! I love pork and this looks mouthwatering! Thanks, Mary!
- January 26, 2012 at 10:15 PM
- Pauline said...
Heheh, love how your one and two-year ago posts are posole and skillet cornbread. Quite a Latin spread you have in this post.
- January 27, 2012 at 4:24 AM
- Leslie said...
This is big here in Tampa!!!!! Love it!
- January 27, 2012 at 8:59 PM
- Becki's Whole Life said...
Mary - I love to hear about the organization you are part of. It's definitely from the teach a man to fish philosophy and I love that. This is a perfect recipe because it can be stretched a long way and the beans are extremely nutritious.
Aside from that though, this dish sounds wonderful and one I would definitely make myself! - January 28, 2012 at 7:39 AM


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We offer a Free quote and UK design service, get in touch today.
We are experts in the installation of resin bound gravel in Alkerton OX15 6 and aim to offer all our clients the very best value for money.
Our team https://www.experts-near-me.co.uk/oxfordshire/alkerton/ have carried out the installation of RBG for a good number of years and have completed many projects across the United Kingdom.
As a company who works nationwide it's easy to see how we have carried out so many installations.
Our RBG surfacing is the very best quality and is available at great prices. We aim to offer all of our clients a range of different designs and specifications to ensure they get exactly what they want.
If you've got any specific ideas already, please make sure to speak to a member of the team today. We'll be happy to help with any queries you might have, so please do not worry about contacting us with your concerns.
Resin driveways are becoming more and more popular across the United Kingdom, with more people opting for a decorative, SuDS compliant surface.
Some people ask for wetpour for driveways https://www.experts-near-me.co.uk/wet-pour/oxfordshire/alkerton/, however this would not be suitable - instead it would be best to go with resin bound stone.
The great thing about RBG is that it allows water to drain through easily, this means your driveway will not be filled with puddles after it has rained. Since the surfacing is SuDS compliant you will not need any planning permission.
There are various types of resin driveways to choose from. Our experts will help you decide which type would be best for you. Standard resin-bound surfacing can be installed over tarmac and concrete.
If you've got a stone sub base currently down, we can install Addagrip Terrabase and other types of RBG. These surfaces are thicker than the standard surfacing and are generally stronger; however, these are also more expensive.
If you're interested in getting local installers to fit a resin driveway at your house, please complete our contact form now and we will get a nearby installer who shall be able to provide you with the very best driveway on your street!
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If you've got any questions on the installation process, please complete the contact form now and we'll answer all of the questions you have.
Resin bound surfacing is a type of surface which can be used for driveways, pathways, patios, tree pits, pool surrounds and much more.
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RBG can be installed in a variety of different colours, depending on individual requirements. The surface is long lasting, durable and hard wearing.
It's a low maintenance product; however, it is recommended to clean the surfacing every so often to ensure no dirt and debris is left on the surface. This can help to increase the life span of the product and can also make the area look a lot nicer in general.
If you'd like to find out more about resin-bound surfacing, please fill in our enquiry form now and we'll be happy to help you.
Our experts aim to get back to our clients at the earliest opportunity, so make sure to contact us today for the earliest reply!
Resin bonded gravel is different to the bound surfacing. With resin bonded the resin is installed on the sub base prior to the stones. This surfacing is a type of scatter system and is not porous; this means water cannot drain through.
After the resin is laid onto the sub base, the installers will 'scatter' the stones in place. This creates more of a rough surface rather than the smooth finish that the bound surfacing provides.
We generally recommend bound surfacing in Alkerton OX15 6 for most things (driveways, pathways, pool surrounding areas and so on) just because it allows the water to drain through and less maintenance is required.
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There are a number of different factors which can alter the resin driveway cost. The most obvious factor is the size of the area. Obviously if you have a bigger area to surface, the price will be more expensive overall.
However, the cost per squared metre will be cheaper for a larger area due to the economies of scale.
Another factor which can alter the cost is the current surfacing. If you already have a tarmac drive installed, the chances are we'll be able to install straight over this with RBG meaning no preparation works will be needed.
This can dramatically lower the costs. Unfortunately, if you do not have a solid sub base down initially the preparation costs may increase the overall cost by a considerable amount.
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We would be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have, so please do not hesitate to contact us now.


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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Police say a man impersonating an officer face charges after signaling a real detective to pull over on a road in Florida.
St. Johns County authorities say 20-year-old Matthew Michael Lee McMahon activated a red and blue light Monday while driving behind an unmarked sheriff's car. Detective Chance Anderson pulled over and was shocked to see an unknown face behind the wheel of the other car.
First Coast News (http://fcnews.tv/1rKLqww ) reports that during his more than 10 years of service the detective has arrested several police impersonators. But none had ever ordered him to stop his car.
McMahon is charged with impersonating an officer and unlawfully displaying blue lights.
He was released Tuesday after posting $5,500 in bail. It wasn't clear whether he's hired an attorney.


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Since time immemorial we, and lifestyle commentators the world over, have debated ways in which to make small rooms appear larger. It's a preoccupation that consumes commentators everywhere, and the reason is simple: many homes are somewhat smaller than their occupants would prefer.
That said, having scoped property the world over, we know that Canuck real estate is (often) commodious. The aver-age British home, for example, is short on square footage by around 30 per cent in relation to its Canadian counterpart, and as far as mainland Europe is concerned, we'll say one word: Lilliput. We've a pal in a Parisian banlieue whose three-bedroom bungalow measures just 900 square feet. Sure, his is an admittedly extreme scenario, but it goes some way to exemplifying inequity - as far as floor plans are concerned - on both sides of the pond.
So as you languish in your larger-than-average space, spare a thought for those who are significantly less endowed. And be grateful, as you spread out, for your every extra inch.
But is bigger always better, and can domestic proportions be composed on such a grand scale that they actually become unworkable? Hmm. Let's see ... Without due care, visual and ergonomic problems can certainly set in. Extra-large rooms are notoriously difficult to dress and the quantity of furniture required (and the attendant costs therein) can be the stuff of night-mares. On the other hand, with a little extra thought (and by embracing and properly accommodating different pastimes such as reading, eating and TV viewing), competent spatial harnessing can be achieved. The secret is to provide an element of visual connection between each and every function.
For the record, today's project is a seating area positioned at the far end of a mammoth bedroom: a room, believe it or not, which measures some 33 by 28 feet - more than the entire footprint of the aforementioned Parisian home. A veritable soccer pitch, pre-transformation, the space needed serious zoning - and more than a spot of design continuity - to pull it back from the brink of hell. The fruits of our decorative labours are self explanatory (Hello? Before-and-after pics?) so, we're going to concentrate on the things you can do (in general terms) to master any outsized space. In short, here's our simple guide to taming Jurassic Park.
Rather than be defeated by a huge, featureless space, consider your options to tempt wonderful results. Might a focal-point-free room be immediately bettered if you installed a fireplace? Or perhaps a large armoire, dressed, either side, with occasional furniture such as chairs or demilune tables attired with lamps and mirrors? Bear in mind that a room's pulse beats faster with a focal point of some variety.
Doll sized doesn't do it, so scale up sofas and chairs as well as tables, artwork and accessories. Don't rush buying decisions; instead plot out potential furniture arrangements using tem-plates made from newspaper. It's not rocket science; a small love seat will look lonely in a massive room, so opt instead for a pair of sofas or a generous sectional. If you're taming a bedroom, think about upsizing to a king-sized divan and seek out wide night-stands and stretched cabinetry to balance scale. Remember, a host of little tweaks can make a big difference.
Use large indoor plants or simple painted (or upholstered) screens to break up space. Modern loft-style rooms look great with expansive frosted glass-panelled screens, while open bookshelves will adeptly serve two spaces simultaneously.
Employ the same (or a complementary) colour scale across different functions in multi-purpose spaces.
In a living room which features a gold-striped sofa, for example, pick up the warm metallic detail via napery or crockery in the dining area. Conversely, if you have a copy of Matisse's Nu Bleu hanging over your home office desk, provide connectivity to other aspects of your room by detailing with cobalt-coloured accessories.
Perhaps a blue throw elegantly draped across the arm of a sofa? Or a natural rug edged with custom taping to echo the tones of your artwork. You get the gist.
With large rooms, it's important to keep each function clearly defined. Try using furniture (tall open cabinetry, for instance) to delineate space and, if you can, create zones within zones; a media unit and sectional sofa will clearly mark out your TV area, while a dining table and chairs will announce where food is served.
Take it from us: many of the large rooms we visit appear to have been arranged in the dark.
Create separate "islands" by employing area rugs to clearly map out where one function starts and another one ends. The bed, for example, in this room's reversion, floats atop an area rug which precisely matches the one we specified for this secondary seating area. It's a detail, sure, but it's an important detail nonetheless.
Never underestimate the importance of clever lighting as a means by which to tame sprawling scale. Mood pools set with side lamps will create pocket atmosphere, as will overhead fittings separately zoned to light up different areas as, and when, required.
While admittedly a larger (and more invasive) task than propping and styling with furniture, the installation of sliding doors - or a concertina wall system - will afford heaps of flexibility and the option to transform one large room into two smaller spaces. Use space imaginatively
In a large bedroom, don't feel obliged to push your divan against the wall; popping it on a jaunty angle (perhaps in a corner) will add interest while distracting from awkward scale. Similarly, don't feel that your living room sofa should be crammed up against a wall - pull it out and let it breathe.
Experiment with long lean tables at the rear dressed with atmospheric lamps and other interesting accessories to make floor plans appear more manageable. It's all about establishing different layers and embracing - rather than shying away from - generous proportions.


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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – A Tampa man has been charged with animal cruelty after police say he strangled a family dog, then cut up its body parts and stored it in the freezer for future meals.
A police statement says 25-year-old Elliot Huggins was arrested Friday morning on the animal cruelty charge. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney and there wasn't a working phone number listed for Huggins.
Police say once Huggins strangled the young dog, he cut it up into quarters and stored it in the freezer for future meals. A family member called police late Thursday and when officers arrived, they found the dog's ribs cooked in a pot on the stove. The dog's head was in the garbage.
Animal control removed the remains of the dog.
Florida Man Arrested For Killing & Eating The Family Dog! was originally published on wzakcleveland.com


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10.1-inch Nabi XD tablet shipping late December with Tegra 3 for $249
In late December Fuhu will introduce the Nabi XD, a 10.1-inch tablet aimed at preteens that will cost $249.
Just when I you thought I was you were safe from new tablet releases, Fuhu squeezes in just one more before year's end. The company's Nabi XD will be marketed to preteens and will launch in limited quantities later this month, with a full release planned for mid-January, next year. The 10.1-inch tablet ships with a Tegra 3 processor, runs Android 4.1, features an IPS screen, NFC capability, and will retail starting at $250.
Design and features
The Nabi XD features a silver aluminum chassis with slightly concave sides that dip toward its screen. From the front, the tablet looks like something out of a Target ad, with a red circle at each of its four corners and a white bezel that encloses a black border that surrounds the screen. The back features a silver hide with large, red translucent highlights running along the top and bottom.
The tablet has an optional padfolio cover that doubles as both a keyboard and a kickstand, giving the tablet what appears to be Surface-like functionality.
'Smart' UI
Fuhu has partnered with Rightware to use its Kanzi user interface solution. The UI allows you to create rules for apps based on location and time. So depending on the time of day, the tablet could only have access to a certain type of app, depending on the rule you've set up. You can also set up rules based on your GPS location. For a tablet aimed at preteens, I can imagine some of these features coming in very handy for parents.
There's also an exclusive game called Battle Kinabis coming for the tablet that uses its NFC capabilities and figurines in what appears to be an augmented-reality game. I know that's not much to go on. When I get more details I'll definitely post them here.
First thoughts
The Nabi XD (I keep wanting to type "Navi"; thank you, James Cameron) appears to be a unique take on the whole tablet for kids thing. For one, at least going by the specs, it appears to be an actual quality product made with quality parts and the UI customizations sounds pretty cool. Even if it doesn't interest me personally, I'm at least intrigued by Fuhu's willingness to try something different.
Keep watching this space for more info on the Nabi XD.


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Thank you for visiting the Bad Fads Museum.
While the name of this site is BAD FADS, please note that this is neither an indictment nor an endorsement of any of the fads mentioned. As you know, during the '70s the word "bad" could alternately mean "good!" Thus, this site was created to take a fun and nostalgic look at fashions, collectibles, activities and events which are cherished by some and ridiculed by others.
Come back soon and remember that these are the fads you wished would stay forever (or never come back)
If you are interested in featuring the Bad Fads Museum in a media feature and need to contact us regarding information or to conduct an interview, please feel free to contact:
Gaius Chamberlain
Chief Content Officer
Adscape International
P.O. Box 173
Brandywine, MD 20613
Thanks for your interest and we hope you enjoy your visit!


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Reactive is a simple foundation for programming reactive systems functionally. Like Fran/FRP, Reactive has a notions of (reactive) behaviors and events. Some unusual features:
- Much of the original interface is replaced by instances of standard type classes. In most cases, the denotational semantics of these instances is simple and inevitable, following from the principle of type class morphisms.
- The original idea of reactive behaviors is composed out of two simple notions:
- Reactive values are temporally discrete and reactive. They have a purely data representation, and so cache for free.
- Time functions are temporally continuous and non-reactive.
- Reactive provides and builds on functional futures, which are time/value pairs with several handy type class instances. Futures allow one to conveniently compute with values before they can be known, with a simple, purely functional semantics (no IO). Futures are polymorphic over both values and time, requiring only that time is ordered.
- A particularly useful type of time, based on Warren Burton's improving values, reveals partial information in the form of lower bounds and minima, before the times can be known precisely. (Semantically non-flat.)
- Improving values are implemented on top of a semantically simple unambiguous choice operator, unamb. Although unamb is built on Concurrent Haskell threads, the scheduler nondeterminism does not leak through (assuming the argument-compatibility precondition holds).
- Reactive manages (I hope) to get the efficiency of data-driven computation with a (sort-of) demand-driven architecture. For that reason, Reactive is garbage-collector-friendly. (GC favors demand-driven computation.)
The inspiration for Reactive was Mike Sperber's Lula implementation of FRP. Mike used blocking threads, which I had never considered for FRP before a conversation with him at ICFP 2007. While playing with the idea, I realized that I could give a very elegant and efficient solution to caching.
Besides this wiki page, here are more ways to find out about and get involved with Reactive:
- Check out the series of Reactive tutorial posts beginning with Introducing Reactive: Events.
- Contribute a tutorial to Reactive/Tutorials
- Read the paper Simply Efficient Functional Reactivity and its blog post with discussion.
- Join the Reactive mailing list.
- Visit the Hackage page for library documentation and to download & install.
- Or install with cabal install reactive.
- Download the code repository: darcs get http://code.haskell.org/reactive/. Patches welcome.
- Report bugs and request features on the tracker.
Reactive is intended to be used with a variety of "legacy" (imperative) libraries for graphics, GUI, robotics, web services, automatic recompilation and re-execution, etc. For an example of how to wrap up such libraries for use with Reactive, see the reactive-glut project.
The reactive-fieldtrip project connects Reactive and FieldTrip.
This page replaces old-reactive.


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Thus it remained until the Time of Darkness. No records exist of this catastrophic age. The few fragments of folk memory which do exist lament in mythic terms of a time when the hills rose up, the seas walked the land, flame spouted from the brazen mouths of the mountains, and the stars went out forever. This last is most significant: it must be assumed that Tékumel and its solar system fell -- or were thrust -- through a warp in the fabric of space-time itself, a "hole in the sky," into a pocket dimension in which no other matter existed. The reasons for this terrible calamity can only be guessed: natural forces, stresses created by the incessant use of the Three-Light Drive, the actions of a hostile race, interference from mighty interdimensional beings far beyond man and his allies on the evolutionary scale, the vengeance of God upon His arrogant and overweening Creation -- ? No one knows. It may only be noted in passing that this same fate befell 772 other worlds of Humanspace within a century after the disappearance of Tékumel and its system.Take careful note of the last sentence I quoted. According to Professor Barker, 772 worlds besides Tékumel were plucked out of normal space and found themselves inside empty pocket dimensions, dimensions that we know, from other sources, have the same physical and metaphysical laws as Tékumel, such as the weakening of the "skin" of reality to such a degree that both magic and interaction with interdimensional beings (commonly called "gods" and "demons") are possible. What are these other worlds like?
I spent several hours chatting with Victor Raymond today and this topic was one of several that took up a goodly portion of our conversation. We both agreed that it might be an interesting exercise to imagine another what colony world of Humanspace would be like after tens of thousands of years of isolation. Such a world might have some commonalities with Tékumel -- the presence of certain alien races, for example -- but it might not, indeed probably would not have others, such as the lack of riding animals or large quantities of workable metals. Done right, the world might have a similar feel to Tékumel, but would be largely its own thing.
One of the knocks against Tékumel is that it's too intensely personal a creation for anyone but Professor Barker to enter into it. I'm thoroughly convinced that's untrue, but it's a common enough rap that it's attained a wide currency and many gamers are afraid to give Tékumel a whirl. So, I began to wonder what might happen if a referee took the basic principles behind Barker's setting and applied them a new planet. Would it seem less intimidating? I have no idea, but I'm going to continue to think about this over the coming weeks, corresponding and chatting with Victor to see where it leads us. If nothing else, it'll be a fun and imaginative diversion.


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Epilepsy – Seizure Disorder
Epilepsy – Definition
A seizure happens when there are certain types of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. During a seizure, you may:
- Lose consciousness
- Stare into space
- Have convulsions (abnormal jerking of the muscles)
- Experience abnormalities of sensation or emotion
If you have two or more seizures that are not due to an illness or other trigger, then it is considered a seizure disorder. This condition is also known as epilepsy. Seizure disorders may be classified by the part of the brain they affect and the kinds of symptoms they cause. One way to categorize into two important groups is:
- Generalized seizure disorder — onset is throughout the brain, not from a single focal location
- Partial seizure disorder (focal seizure) — begins within certain areas of the brain
Epilepsy – Causes
Seizures are caused by abnormal brain function. For many people, it is not known what causes the malfunction. Some known causes include:
- In newborns:
- Congenital brain abnormalities (present at birth)
- Birth injuries that deprive the brain of oxygen
- Metabolic disorders
- Maternal drug use
- Infection
- In infants and children:
- Febrile seizure — caused by spike in fever in a baby or very young child
- Brain tumor
- Infections ( encephalitis, cerebritis, brain abscess)
- In children and adults:
- Congenital conditions
- Genetic
- Head trauma — common cause (eg, concussion, skull fracture, bleeding inside of the skull, oxygen deprivation due to near-drowning)
- Infections (eg, encephalitis, cerebritis, brain abscess)
- Stroke
- Brain tumor
- In elderly:
- Stroke
- Trauma
- Brain tumor
- Degenerative diseases (eg, Alzheimer's disease)
Epilepsy – Risk Factors
Factors that may increase your chance of developing seizures or a seizure disorder include:
- Previous brain injury — seizure disorder usually develops within one year of injury
- Previous brain infection
- Abnormal blood vessel that has formed in the brain
- Brain tumor
- History of stroke
- History of complex febrile seizures
- Use of certain medicines or recreational drugs
- Stopping the use of medicines, recreational drugs, or alcohol
- Drug overdose
- Exposure to toxins (eg, arsenic, lead, or carbon monoxide)
- Family history of seizure disorders
- Alzheimer's disease
- Toxemia during pregnancy
- Chemical abnormalities (decreased or excess blood sodium or glucose, low blood calcium)
- Liver or kidney failure
- Severe, untreated high blood pressure
- Chronic diseases (eg, lupus, polyarteritis nodosa, porphyria, sickle cell disease, Whipple's disease)
- Syphilis
- Cysticercosis (an infection caused by a pork tapeworm)
If you already have a seizure disorder, the following factors can increase your chance of having a seizure:
- Sleep deprivation
- Alcohol
- Hormonal changes (such as those that occur at points during the menstrual cycle)
- Stress
- Flashing lights, especially strobe lights
- Use of certain medicines
- Missing doses of anti-epileptic medicines
Epilepsy – Symptoms
There are many kinds of seizure disorders with a variety of symptoms, such as:
- Aura — a sensation at the start of a seizure, may involve the perception of an odd smell or sound, visual symptoms, or unusual stomach sensations
- Staring
- Loss of consciousness
- Repeated jerking of a single limb
- Generalized convulsion with uncontrollable jerking of muscles throughout the body
- Hand rubbing
- Lip smacking
- Picking at clothing
- Perception of an odor, sound, or taste
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Postictal state—a state of drowsiness, alteration in responsiveness, and/or confusion that commonly occurs after a generalized tonic-clonic seizure; may last minutes, hours, or days
Symptoms of generalized seizure disorders include:
- Generalized tonic-clonic seizures — loss of consciousness, stiffening, uncontrollable jerking of muscles throughout the body
- Absence seizures — staring, eye blinking, or eye rolling
Symptoms of partial seizure disorder include:
- Complex partial or temporal lobe seizures:
- May lose contact with reality, stop purposeful activity, and begin a series of automatic gestures (eg, lip smacking, hand-wringing, or picking at clothing)
- May appear as a brief moment of confusion or loss of attentiveness
- May have a perception of unusual sights, sounds, or smells
- Simple partial seizures:
- Does not involve a loss of contact with reality or a loss of consciousness
- Single area of the body may move uncontrollably (eg, leg or arm shaking)
- May include the perception of an odor, sound, or taste, or an unrelated emotion
Epilepsy – Diagnosis
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done. You may need to see a neurologist. These doctors specialize in the nervous system and brain.
Tests may include the following:
- Blood tests — to look for abnormal levels of different substances in the blood
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) — a test that uses sensors to evaluate electrical brain activity
- MRI scan — a test that uses magnetic waves to make pictures of structures inside the brain
- CT scan — a type of x-ray that uses a computer to make pictures of structures inside the head (used in some cases)
- Lumbar puncture — a test of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the lower back; may be done to look for infection or bleeding
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) — an imaging device that measures the brain's magnetic fields
- Positron emission tomography (PET) — an imaging test that shows activity in the brain
- Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) — an imaging test that shows blood flow in the brain
Epilepsy – Treatment
The goals of treatment are to:
- Treat the underlying cause (if known)
- Prevent seizures—may be done through medicine, surgery, or special therapies
- Avoid factors that stimulate seizure activity
Anti-epileptic Medication
There are a wide variety of medicines that may be used. Some of these include:
- Phenytoin
- Diazepam
- Lorazepam
- Carbamazepine
- Valproic acid
- Levetiracetam
- Gabapentin
- Phenobarbital
- Ethosuximide
- Clonazepam
- Primidone
- Oxcarbazepine
- Lamotrigine
- Topiramate
- Felbamate
- Tiagabine
- Zonisamide
- Pregabalin
- Lacosamide
- Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
- Vigabatrin (approved for use in infants)
These drugs may be given alone or in combination. Each of these drugs may have particular side effects and interactions. Talk to your doctor about which medicine is right for you.
If medicine does not work or the side effects are too severe, you may need surgery. Surgery involves the removal of the seizure focus. This is the area of the brain that has been identified as starting the seizure. Surgery is only an option for people who have very localized areas of the brain involved.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)
A device is implanted in the chest. It will provide intermittent electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve. It is not clear how this works. Somehow it prevents or decreases the frequency of seizures. You may still require medicine. The dosage may be less.
Ketogenic Diet
This is a very strict diet. It is high in fat and low in carbohydrates and proteins. This diet keeps the body's chemical balance in ketosis. Ketosis decreases the frequency of seizures. The reason is unknown. Following a ketogenic diet is most successful in children. It is less successful in adults.
Modification of Activity
If you have a seizure disorder, you can take the following steps to try to decrease the chance of a seizure:
- Get enough sleep.
- Avoid excessive alcohol intake. Alcohol can make seizures more likely.
- Avoid hyperventilating.
- Avoid places where flashing or strobe lights are in use.
- Wear a medical alert bracelet. That way, if you have a seizure, people around you will understand what is happening. They will be able to take appropriate steps to be helpful.
- Consider keeping a seizure log. Record things that were happening around the time of a seizure. This will help to identify a seizure trigger.
- Take your seizure medicines according to the prescription.
Epilepsy – Prevention
There are no known ways to prevent every type of seizure disorder. You can take steps to prevent brain injuries which could lead to seizures:
- Always wear a helmet when using bikes, rollerblades, skateboards, or scooters.
- Wear protective headgear when playing contact sports.
- Dive in safe depths of water.
- Always wear a seatbelt.
- Avoid using street drugs.
- If your baby or child has a high fever, get treatment right away.
- Get prenatal care. If you have high blood pressure during pregnancy, get proper treatment.
- If you have a chronic condition, get proper care.
If you have a very severe seizure disorder, some changes may be needed to prevent serious injuries, such as:
- Depending on your condition, avoid driving.
- Do not swim or bathe alone.
- Do not work on ladders or ledges.
- Avoid or modify athletic activities.
Talk to your doctor about these kinds of issues.


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LOS ANGELES – Sandra Bullock reigned supreme at the 40th annual People's Choice Awards, taking home four trophies as the evening's top winner.
The actress was named favorite movie actress, comedic actress, dramatic actress and shared the favorite movie duo award with "Gravity" co-star George Clooney. Bullock's buddy comedy, "The Heat," co-starring Melissa McCarthy, was awarded favorite comedic movie.
Fans deemed Ellen DeGeneres their favorite daytime TV host, making her the woman who has gained the most People's Choice Awards with a total of 14 trophies.
"As a young girl growing up in New Orleans, if anyone would have told me I was going to win 14 People's Choice Awards I...I mean 12, yes. 13, maybe. But 14?" joked DeGeneres, host of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," who said that she wanted to make the show for everyone from old, young, black, white, guy and straight.
"Iron Man 3" scored three awards including favorite movie, action movie and the film's star, Robert Downey Jr., channeling Iron Man in his acceptance speech, received the favorite action movie star honor.
Justin Timberlake also nabbed three awards. Among them was the favorite album accolade for "The 20/20 Experience." In a sweet moment, he thanked his "beautiful wife," Jessica Biel, "for teaching me patience and the little things like just putting the dishes in the dishwasher. It goes a long way. Fellas, you're welcome."
Katy Perry, who was not at the show, scored the win for favorite video for the third year in a row, following up last year's award for "Part of Me" and 2012's honor for "Last Friday Night" with her hit "Roar" this year.
A pregnant Drew Barrymore, who joked that DeGeneres had called her fat backstage, presented her "Blended" co-star Adam Sandler with the comedic movie actor award.
After debuting her talk show "The Queen Latifah Show" in 2013, fans crowned Queen Latifah their favorite new talk show host.
Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev, the stars of "The Vampire Diaries," earned the award for best on-screen chemistry at the People's Choice Awards. The duo, who had their round of break-ups and make-ups on-screen and off, joked about their coupledom.
"The good thing is chemistry," said Dobrev, with her arm around Somerhalder, who she is no long romantically attached to. They managed to make a would-be awkward moment entertaining by addressing their buzz-worthy pairing head-on.
Shemar Moore heavily hit on fellow presenter Malin Akerman, cracking jokes about ebony and ivory and saying he didn't see a ring on her finger. She played right along, leaning in as the crowd cheered them on.
Stephen Colbert won the favorite late night talk show host award, Britney Spears picked up the favorite pop artist honor, and Kaley Cuoco received the favorite comedic TV actress prize as well as the favorite TV comedy award, along with the rest of the cast of "The Big Bang Theory."
Sara Bareilles performed her hit "Brave," country star Brad Paisley took the stage to sing "The Mona Lisa" and OneRepublic sang "Counting Stars."
Jennifer Hudson was the show's second humanitarian award recipient for her work with children via her Julian D. King Gift Foundation. Bullock gained the show's first humanitarian award in 2013 for her efforts in storm-ravaged New Orleans.
Accompanied on stage by her sister Julia, Hudson, holding back tears, accepted the favorite humanitarian award. "My mother always taught us without family you have nothing," Hudson said. "Whether you know it or not, we all are family. What happens to the other happens to us. It's one thing to be a celebrity and have power, but it means nothing if we're not making a difference and helping someone else. It feels good to see positivity acknowledged. Where we come from all you hear about is who shot who and who went to jail. There is more to life than the block you live on. We want to show them that I came from the same area and if I can do it, you can do it too."
LL Cool J presented Hudson with the award. The Oscar-winning actress created the Chicago-based Julian D. King Gift Foundation with her sister, Julia Hudson, in honor of her nephew, Julian King, who was murdered in 2008 at the age of 7.
"2 Broke Girls" stars Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs hosted the show at the Nokia Theatre.


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Did you see Jimi Hendrix in concert? Did you meet Jimi Hendrix or have the opportunity to interview him or have some other unique, first-person encounter with Jimi Hendrix? If so, Experience Hendrix wants to hear from you.
Jimi Hendrix
Did you see Jimi Hendrix in concert? Did you meet Jimi Hendrix or have the opportunity to interview him or have some other unique, first-person encounter with Jimi Hendrix? If so, Experience Hendrix wants to hear from you.
Here's the voice of Experience — Jimi Hendrix – Jane Scott They're hotter than a Hullabaloo at high noon in Haiti. And it's only 11 more days (count 'em!) until the big Experience at Public Music Hall. So what will the Jimi Hendrix Experience play at the two WKYC whambangs on March 12? They never know, Jimi admitted in a telephone interview from New York. "SEE, WE get out there and someone says 'What shall we do"' and then somehow we do it," said bass-guitar player Noel Redding, 22. That should go down somewhere as the understatement of '68. Jimi was voted the world's top pop musician in Britain's anual Melody Makers Poll this fall. The trio's Reprise LP "Axis: Bold as Love" whipped up 116 places on the charts in one week. It's No. 3 on Billboard's Hot LP list now. Their first show here sold out in one hour and 45 minutes and the second is a sell-out, too. WELL, YES, they're a little controversial. Jimi has been known to smash his guitar to smithereens, play it on his stomach or even with his teeth. The San Francisco Daughters of the American Revolution blocked the trio's appearance with the Monkees last year. And that hair! "They seem to be singing their way to an electrocution," wrote a Newsweek reporter. Does look a little like old scared Shredded Wheat. "Mine is only to my shoulders so I'm letting it grow," said Noel. "It's sort of curly and it kind of sticks out. I have to wash it every other day." RIGHT now they all have moustaches, but may shave them before Cleveland day. "Right now I'm wearing red boots, pink trousers, a ruffly shirt and a yellow jacket," reported Noel. "And Jim, he's over there in green trousers and a blue ruffled shirt and a big black hat with a feather that's broke off at the top." The Experience were having their pictures taken for a magazine. But Newsweek hasn't heard the half of it. "THE OTHER night after our Washington show Mitch (Mitch Mitchell the drummer) poked his head in my room and said he thought he'd like to go to London and we haven't seen him since," said Noel. (Mitch is due back today, though.) You know the scoop. Noel and Mitch are 22 and 21-year-old Englishmen and Jimi is a Seattle native, 22, who made it big in Britain. Why do they call themselves the Experience? "Because good, bad or indifferent, it's an experience." said Jimi. NOW ABOUT that first name. "My grandmother spelled it that way," he answered. Jimi, born Nov. 27, 1945, had two big breaks, one of them good. The first was a back injury after a parachute jump that closed his military career at 16. The second was a drop-in visit from Chas Chandler of the Animals at his gig with a combo in the Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village. Chandler talked Hendrix into heading for England. "And that's where I met him," said Noel. I came down to audition for the Animals and this guy comes up and asked me if I could play bass. I said 'I'll have it a try,' and I was in." ONE MONTH later the Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first gig in Paris and the rest is history. You know about their smash success at the Monterey Internationa] Pop Festival in June. Noel, born in Folkstone, Kent on Dec. 25, 1945, started out on the violin at 13, studied art a year at an art college. "Modern art, it was. Lost my touch a bit now, but I could always go back someday," he said. He borrowed that money for the historic audition. The other member, Mitch, had a fiery career before becoming "Experienced." He began training in dancing and acting at age three, did TV commercials at 10 and traveled around the world a year with Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames. Mitch was also a demand drummer on London recording sessions and played in the orchestra of Britian's TV show, "Ready, Steady, Go." MITCH WAS born in London on July 9, 1946. "We all live in London now, but were kind of elusive about where," said Noel. How would THEY describe a Jimi Hendrix Experience? "I don't know. We're wild, I guess. And free. We just play what we want. We're just us. Well, I'd guess you'd say we're spontaneous. Once I fell off a stage, in Milwaukee. I got a big scratch on me leg. It's still there," said Noel. NOEL DIGS Ray Charles, the Beatles, the small Faces, the Traffic. ("You haven't heard about them? You will!") and the Move. Speaking of moves, traveling has kept them from getting married. "Mitch was engaged last year but it broke off. Not enough time," Noel said. Noel would consider the rings and rice bit in maybe three years. "American girls" They're different but I can't tell you how," he said. The group hopes to have their third album out by May. Noel did three songs on it, but the majority was written by Jimi. "I LIKE the softer songs, like 'Burn the Midnight Lamp,' " said Jimi. That's on the next album. And this top trio click in off hours, too. Cameras, that is. Mitch has a Nikon. Noel has a Yashica and a movie camera and Jimi has everything from a Polaroid to a Reflex. But Jimi Hendrix had his biggest experience Feb. 33. He went back to Seattle. Back to Garfield High where he'd dropped out when he was 16. And got an honorary diploma. Incidentally, this was one performance where teens didn't have to have tickets. The principal dismissed the first hour classes to hear him.
March 27, 1968 Jimi Hendrix Experience is the wildest thing here – Jane Scott "And now "Wild Thing!'" announced Jimi Hendrix. Then the wildness began last night at Public Music Hall. The tall, stove-pipe slim singer in the rainbow-hued jacket and big black hat started making love to his white guitar. He played it with his teeth. He knelt in front of it. He tore off the strings. And he tossed it behind him. "What an experience!" said Chris Bernard, 16, of Rocky River High. "Wow! This was the ultimate!" "GREATEST thing I've seen," said Denny Marek, player with the local Lost Souls group. "After this Motown is dead." Some thought it was too great. Police pushed four or five boys off the stage. "They swung at me, but I got it," exulted John Paulisin, 15, Cathedral Latin School, holding up a guitar string. This was Jimi Hendrix, drummer Mitch Mitchell and guitarist Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and it was an experience that many will never forget. WOULD YOU believe a Seattle-born Negro who had to go to England to make it? A left-hander who plays a right-handed Fender guitar backwards? Hendrix is the hottest musical property since the Monkees. He was voted top pop musician in the world in England's Melody Maker's Poll last year. "Freakin" funky," Hendrix described his music yesterday afternoon. At 8:15 p.m. WKYC's emcee, Chuck Dunaway, stopped the show to ask teens to look under their seats. Three threatening phone calls had been received, but were proved to be a hoax. Hendrix received $18,000 for the two shows but will leave a reported $8,000 here. He bought a blue Corvette with all the trimmings at Blaushild's Chevrolet earlier yesterday.


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Didn't you do that yet?And she said that in BrE it would have to be
Haven't you done that yet?
There was an echo of this when a native German speaker read a draft copy of a chapter of my new textbook, where my example (illustrating how we understand eat in some contexts to mean 'eat a meal') was:
Did you eat yet?Now this sentence was basic to my linguistic education, as it was often used by one of my (AmE) professors/(BrE) tutors to illustrate palatali{s/z}ation (d+y becomes 'j' sound) and the extent to which a phrase can be phonetically reduced and still understood: Jeet yet?
But my German correspondent informed me quite insistently that my question was ungrammatical in English and should be Have you eaten yet? I said something along the lines of "Who's the native speaker here?". But, dear reader, I changed the example, lest it put anyone else off.
A blog post on this subject by Jan Freeman spurred me to promise in public (well, on Twitter) that the present perfect would be the subject of my next post--which may help explain why I've been so long between posts. This one (had) put me off for four years already, after all. It seemed like a lot of work. Uh-oh, I feel a semantics/grammar lesson coming on...
So, the present perfect. Present. Perfect. We use it to talk about things that (have) happened in the past, but it is itself in the present tense. It's a past tense you say? Look again!
I have eaten.It's the first verb in a string of verbs that carries the tense, and this one, have, is present. It's not had, it's have. Of course, we can put had there, and then it would indeed be a past tense. A past perfect, to be precise: I had eaten.
The perfect is considered to be a combination of tense and aspect. Tense is grammatical marking of when something happened, aspect is grammatical marking of how that happening relates to time. The perfect tells us that something is finished, but it does so from the viewpoint of a later time. One way to visuali{s/z}e this is with a timeline. Let's start with the past perfect (because it's the easiest one to draw a timeline for):
I had eaten by the time Don arrived: 2:00 Eating ☚ 3:00 Arriving ☚ 4:00 SpeakingIn this example, 'I' am speaking at 4:00 about the state I was in at 3:00. That state relates to an event that happened at 2:00. In other words, I'm looking back to a time (Don's arrival at 3:00) at which eating was already in my past.
So, the perfect looks back on its event (eating, in this case) from a later vantage point (Don's arrival). When we use the present tense, the speaking time is the same as the time that we're referring to. So, in this case, we relate a past event to a present moment.
I have already eaten: 2:00 Eating ☚ 3:00 'already=now' SpeakingOf course, we can also do this with the future, in which case we are looking forward to a time when we'll be looking back at a time when we (from the 'now' perspective) will do something. (And those are little fingers pointing, in case you can't tell.)
I will have already eaten when Don arrives:And you can put it into the progressive (I have been eating) and the passive (I have been fed) and most of the other ways in which you can play around with the form of a verb and the verb string.
2:00 Speaking ☛☛☛☛☛☛ ☛4:00 Arriving
3:00 Eating ☚ 4:00 Arriving
So here's the story: The adverbs already, just, and yet are taken as signals of that 'looking back from now' aspect, and in BrE they have to 'agree', so to speak, with the present perfect. AmE has stopped caring so much about this 'agreement', which is, after all, a sort of redundant grammatical marking. So, in AmE, you can by all means say I have eaten lunch already or I have already eaten lunch and it might sound a bit more formal, but you can also say I already ate lunch or I ate lunch already. (If you'd like to think/comment about adverb placement, come back here.) In general, though perhaps more in BrE than in AmE, the present perfect is used to signal recency, because it signals relevance to 'now'. So, in either dialect, on the 10th of September 1976, one could have said Chairman Mao has died, but on 10 September 2010, we need to say Chairman Mao died (on the 9th of September in 1976).
The "death" of the present perfect in AmE has been exaggerated. The Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English (1999) reports that the BrE:AmE ratio of present perfect was 4:3 in their corpus study. In British or American English? John Algeo reports that the perfect forms of have (have had, has had, had had) occur 1.7 times more often in BrE than in AmE. These re not huge differences, but there's definitely a difference. And it's been around for a while. The Jeet yet? example mentioned above was perfectly unremarkable in my 1980s linguistics education.
Virginia Gathercole (1986) looked at Scottish and American adults' use of present perfect in speaking with young children and the acquisition of the present perfect by the children. She concluded that "Scottish adults use the present perfect construction in their speech to children much more frequently than American adults do" and "Scottish children use the present perfect construction in their speech long before their American counterparts." Parents, of course, inevitably simplify their speech for their children. In AmE, there's the option to simplify the past tense form to the preterit(e)* (simple past tense: ate, walked, threw) rather than complicating the syntax with the perfect (has eaten, has walked, has thrown), and parents take it. In BrE (in this case Scottish English), that simplification option doesn't exist, and so the children are faced with the form earlier and rise to its challenge.
The conclusion I'd like to leave you with is this: There is nothing unAmerican about the present perfect. We can and do use it in the ways that the British do. We just aren't restricted to it. There is something unBritish about using the preterit(e) with certain temporal adverbs in particular and perhaps also more generally to refer to recent-and-still-relevant events. The difference between Did you eat yet? and Have you eaten already? is, in AmE, mostly a difference of formality, possibly also of emphasis. However, if the two forms continue to co-exist, they might very well develop into semantically contrastive forms that signal somewhat different things.
*Preferred spelling in both dialects includes the 'e' on the end, but AmE also allows dropping of the 'e', in line with the pronunciation. See comments (this is a postscript).


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NEW YORK (AP) — Tablet computers are so easy to use that even a 3-year-old can master them.
And that has some pediatricians and other health experts worried.
Since navigating a tablet generally doesn't require the ability to type or read, children as young as toddlers can quickly learn how to stream movies, scroll through family photos or play simple games.
That ease-of-use makes tablets —and smartphones— popular with busy parents who use them to pacify their kids during car rides, restaurant outings or while they're at home trying to get dinner on the table. And many feel a little less guilty about it if they think there's educational value to the apps and games their children use.
The devices are expected to rank among the top holiday gifts for children this year. Gadget makers such as Samsung have introduced tablets specifically designed for kids and many manufacturers of adult tablets now include parental controls. Those products are in addition to the slew of kiddie tablets produced by electronic toy makers such as LeapFrog, Vtech and Toys R Us.
But some experts note there's no evidence that screen time — whether from a TV or tablet — provides any educational or developmental benefits for babies and toddlers. Yet it takes away from activities that do promote brain development, such as non-electronic toys and adult interaction.
They also say that too much screen time has been linked to behavior problems and delayed social development in older children.
Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician at Seattle Children's Hospital, points out that iPads have only been on the market for a little over three years, which means tablet-related research is still in its infancy.
Christakis says educational games and apps have some value if they engage a child and prompt them to interact with the device, but cautioned that if all children do is watch videos on their tablets, then it's just like watching TV, which has a limited ability to engage a child.
He also notes that parents need be mindful of whether tablet time is replacing more important activities such as sleeping, reading or interacting with adults. He says that while the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours of screen time a day for kids over the age of two, he thinks one hour is plenty.
"The single most important thing for children is time with parents and caregivers," he says. "Nothing is more important in terms of social development. If time with the tablet comes at the expense of that, that's not good."
Dr. Rahil Briggs, a pediatric psychologist at New York's Montefiore Medical Center, says tablet usage needs to be limited for the youngest of children, because too much screen time can slow language development. And since there's very little research out there so far, experts still don't know exactly how much is too much, she says.
For older children, Briggs says too much tablet use can slow social development. She notes that the solitary nature of the activity means that kids aren't using that time to learn how to make friends or pick up on social cues.
Some experts, however, believe tablets and smartphones possess unique educational benefits.
Jill Buban, dean of the School of Education at Post University in Waterbury Conn., says the more children absorb and understand technology before they start school, the more comfortable they'll feel when they enter a classroom for the first time.
But she says even the best educational apps must be monitored by parents and limited. She recommends no more than 30 minutes of tablet usage at a time in light of the short attention spans of most young kids.
"There's so much media out there and so much marketing," she says. "It's all about smart choices and research, whether it's an app on a tablet or a TV show."
Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, says parents should be wary of any TV show or app that touts educational benefits for babies or toddlers, saying that scientists have yet to prove that there are any.
"Babies and young children are spending huge amounts of time with screen media when really what they need is hands-on creative play, active time and face-to face time with the people that love them," Linn said.
Linn's group, known for its allegations against "Baby Einstein" videos that eventually led to consumer refunds, is urging the Federal Trade Commission to examine the marketing practices of certain apps and games geared toward babies.
"The best toys are the ones that just lie there until the child transforms them," Linn said pointing to blocks and stuffed animals as examples. "If all children do is push a button, that's not the kind of play that promotes learning."
Since its debut over 40 years ago, Sesame Street has dealt with questions about the amount of screen time small children should have.
Scott Chambers, Sesame Workshop's senior vice president for digital content, says the brand, which now includes 45 apps and 160 e-books, has gotten a huge boost from touch screen devices, which are much easier for preschoolers to handle than computer mice. That content can provide children with a much more customized and interactive educational experience than the show could hope to deliver, he says.
"It's a balancing act, but all we can do is try to provide a good enriching media experience wherever parents and preschoolers may be," Chambers says.
Chambers notes that some of Sesame's apps encourage kids to put down their devices, pointing to Sesame's new "Family Play" app. Instead of having a child interact directly with a phone or tablet, it gives parents ideas for ways to play together.
Adam Cohen, a stay-at-home father of two from New York, says apps have been a key part of his 5-year-old son Marc's education since he was just a baby.
"He had an iPad at close to 18 months so he was definitely one of those babies swiping away in his stroller," Cohen says. "Now it's different, but back then we were a little ostracized. Now he's reading at close to a second-grade reading level and I credit a lot of that to iPad apps."
Marc now has his own iPad loaded with mostly educational content and his baby sister Harper, who isn't yet one-year-old, seems frustrated that she doesn't have one too, Cohen says.
Still, not every parent is keen on tablets and apps.
Lance Somerfeld, another stay-at-home dad from New York, says he thinks he and his wife are stricter than most parents. They don't own a tablet and didn't allow their 5-year-old son Jake to watch TV until he was nearly three. But Somerfeld says he does have an iPhone and lets Jake occasionally play with some of the apps.
"If I have an hour and a choice, I'd really rather spend it reading books with him," Somerfeld says. "But he's really engaged by the apps, so you could make the case that there needs to be a balance."
Tablets a hit with kids, experts worry


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Dollar Store Spice Cupboard
I'm a bit of a cheapo and haven't found a nice spice rack (or even spice containers) that I like enough to spend the thirty plus dollars that they cost. And so, my spices stayed looking like this, which, in my somewhat OCD kitchen, is quite the eye sore.
After living with this mish mash for over two years (eek!), I decided I needed to do something about it. I had purchased three of these little glass spice jars at the dollar store last summer and they were functional and nothing more. I only bought 3, so clearly I wasn't too enamoured with them- I just needed small containers to put my bulk spices and herbs in.
On their own, these guys are pretty blah. But for $1 for 3, how can you go wrong. A little bit of makeup should pretty these up, so off to work I went! I bought 18 more spice jars at Dollorama and used Krylon metallic spray paint I had on hand to paint the lids (Is this foodsafe? Not sure, but the spray paint is only on the outside, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed). I did 3 light coats and they came out perfectly. I toyed with the idea of using blue spray paint but decided silver would give me the look I was going for.
And then, of course, came the labels! I'm a labeler, though and through. I had bought some Martha Stewart labels with the intent on doing something with them for my etsy shop, but that idea has been scrapped for now, which left me these pretty shaped (and best of all, CUT) kraft labels.
I spent $6 on the spice jars at Dollorama, $3 on the kraft labels at Staples, and that brings me to a whopping $9 for my spice cupboard! Such an improvement!
The plastic riser I got at HomeSense for $6 a few months back.
Ain't she purty? I'm just really happy I was able to get the look I wanted without spending a boat load. Move on over Williams Sonoma!
I'm sure some of you are wondering where all the "extra" spices went? Like the stuff that I couldn't squeeze into the jar? Well, I put the leftovers in some little craft bags I got at, yes, the dollar store, and used some old stock kitchen labels I had for them. They are in one of my handy white Dollorama bins.
If you thought my dollar store kitchen makeover is complete, well, you'd be wrong! I've got some more posts coming up over the next few weeks, including my baking cupboard, my puppy cupboard, and my fridge among others. If anyone else has dollar store kitchen makeovers, I would love to see them! Always gathering inspiration from somewhere!


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