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Mitch Joel (Six Pixels of Separation, Twist Image), one of the key thought leaders in social commerce, has just shared a 50 minute video of his 2011 talk on Social Commerce and the Rise of the New Consumer (itself an evolving feast – see summary of 2010 version here) at the Radian6 Social 2011 conference (see video below).
The big insight offered is that selling to the New Consumer [Connected, Mobile, Tactile (touch-enabled) is about using social technology as a value delivery channel not a sales channel per se.
In other words, the primary objective social commerce should be to provide customers with a reason to choose you over your competitors – thus answering the question "why do people buy from us [instead of our competitors]?"
So here's a speed summary of what Mitch has to say in the form of six key insights into social commerce and the rise of the new consumer.
1) Accept the New Consumer – Digital technology – web, social, mobile, touch – is changing mainstream consumer behaviour in a fundamental way – gving rise to the new consumer – connected, empowered and smart. For this consumer, social is not a channel, it is a tool, and in the context of consumer behaviour, it is a tool for making smarter choices simpler. [The key implication for social commerce is that we should run with the change, not fight it – and base our strategy on delivering this value proposition "making smarter shopping simpler"
2) 'With' not 'instead of' – social is a layer, not a channel – consumers use digital technology to make "smarter choices simpler", and social commerce to make smarter shopping simpler; in other words don't consider social [commerce] as not a channel to be used in preference or in exclusion to other channels – it is a layer to add onto your business.
3) Don't write checks for social media… that your website cannot cash. Social for the sake of social is pointless, it should measurably lead to creating customers or keeping customers, the core purposes of your business.
4) Be Open for Business – social media humanises digital technology and opens up the human dimension of your business to your customers; a good sense check to see if your social commerce efforts are headed in the right direction is to ask yourself if your social commerce solution makes your business appear more human than your competitors…
5) Be a Publisher not a Marketer – your content strategy should be based on helping your customers, not selling to them. Think like a publisher, producing quality content with timely, relevant, useful and entertaining content. [If you have a marketer, PR pro or intern producing your content, get them to think, create and act like a journalist, or replace them with one].
6) Don't ask "What" ask "Why" – don't ask what you are doing in social commerce, ask why. And the right answer is to add economic value to the business by helping customers make smarter shopping simpler


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Have you seen the tree stump side table craze?!?
I've seen natural ones (costing $200!!!!) :
|West Elm
I've seen gold ones:
|West Elm
I've seen other great DIY versions:
Rewind about 2 years, when I started this tree stump table project. Coincidentally, my uncle had just cut down a tree in his backyard, so I jumped on the chance to go pick up and pick out the perfect stump for my end table.
The hardest part was getting the first layer of bark off.
The plan was always to let is dry out for a couple of months and then polyurethane the whole thing maybe with some stain to create a nice, finished side table.
Well, it eventually sat in my garage for over a year
I also had some chairs sitting around that I still haven't decided what to do with. You can see more of that here. So, I decided to bring one into the dining room to add a little something "new" to the space. It doesn't have seat cushions quite yet, but I had just the thing to fix that!
I have been obsessed with this faux white sheepskin fur rug from Ikea for quite some time now. I never knew what I would use it for or where I would put it, so I never bought it. Well, at only $10, I decided to just buy one when I was at Ikea a couple of weeks ago. I threw it over my desk chair for a while and I loved it! I didn't care where I put it, I just had to have this faux fur for some reason.
I decided to throw it across this little lost chair until I find it a permanent home. It looks pretty cute for now, so I think I will keep it for a while.

subset: commoncrawl


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From Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake and Glenn Greenwald of Salon, this amazing story:
Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets.
Please note that these are people merely suspected of exercising free speech. Note that what was being seized was not bomb-making materials, but political pamphlets.
This is very depressing.
For anyone interested in following what's happening to the RNC protesters, I highly recommend the Indymedia network, specifically the Twin Cities Indymedia site. I mention it because there's apparently no mainstream media coverage of this whatsoever (with the arguable exception of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Indymedia, of course, is all over it – and they've had plenty of journalists arrested already.
Let's be clear about what's happening: Law enforcement officers are cracking down on would-be legal protesters to protect a political party that's intimately entwined with innumerable corporations. Very fascistic. Very authoritarian. Very American.
UPDATE: CNN has a blurb.


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Spring is in the air — and for muni investors that means the hunt is on to replace paper that will mature in June and July when more than $70 billion in coupon payments and proceeds from called and maturing bonds hits their accounts.
Known as the two largest months for reinvestment, this year's spring rollover season will be no different than previous years in terms of the heavy demand that will be chasing new paper, two municipal experts said.
"It will be another large reinvestment season," said Guy Davidson, director of muni investments at Alliance Bernstein in New York City.
An estimated $49 billion of redemptions are slated for June 1, with another $35.48 billion on July 1, according to Interactive Data as of May 8.
Redemption data provided by the Bedford, Mass.-based research firm includes proceeds from bonds that have been current and advance refunded, as well as maturing bonds and notes.
Despite low absolute yields and supply challenges, experts say investors flush with redemption proceeds will reinvest a generous amount of that money in the municipal market come June and July 1.
Bill Walsh, president of Hennion & Walsh in Parsippany, N.J., said mom and pop investors should be ready, willing and able to spend their redemption proceeds in the tax-exempt market — especially since they have had some time to adjust to the current yield levels.
On Friday, the generic, triple-A general obligation bond in 30 years yielded 3.14%, according to Municipal Market Data. The same bond was yielding 3.39% back on March 30.
"On the retail side, individuals are being a little selective," Walsh explained. "We are down at a pretty historically low threshold, that's why individuals are being choosy."
For instance, Walsh has observed many investors shopping in both the primary and secondary markets with a preference for investment-grade bonds, both GOs and essential-purpose revenue bonds, which offer value and yield in the 20- to 25-year maturity range.
"Though we might have seen a little less actual buying recently, we haven't seen any less interest," he said. "I think retail is looking and they are going to be a little choosy, but I think they are going to be buying."
Davidson of Alliance agreed.
"I think that amount of cash is going to get plowed back into the muni market because people are looking for income and stability," he said.
The willingness to invest in municipals has been evidenced by recent risk-averse behavior. Many investors, nervous about developments in Europe, are exiting the equity market and seeking refuge in fixed-income investments.
Many are escaping the sub-1% yields on tax-exempt money market funds by heading toward tax-exempt mutual bond funds — particularly high-yield funds, Davidson said.
In the first five months of the year, he noted, investors have poured some $20 billion into municipal bond mutual funds. As of May 17, high-yield funds in particular had seen inflows for 22 of the previous 23 weeks, according to Lipper FMI.
However, as reinvestment season arrives, finding fresh bonds with the right characteristics could present a challenge given the supply obstacles in the current market, sources said.
The recent low interest rates will make it difficult for investors to replace their higher-yielding bonds slated for redemption, as well as the lack of net new supply in the face of a glut of refunding issuance.
Although volume recently increased 76.3% year to date from the same period a year ago, current refundings account for a majority of that surge, Davidson noted. A current refunding takes place when new bonds are sold and the proceeds are used to retire callable bonds that have higher interest rates.
"As many bonds are being called as are being issued," he said. "So, while new issuance has picked up, the net new supply has been fairly flat, which is why munis have done so well in here."
Davidson agreed that as reinvestment season approaches, investors could be hard-pressed to satisfy their need for income and safety in a market where rates are low and refunding are up, but said they are willing to make concessions.
"Supply is going to be hard," he said, adding that some investors are opting to sacrifice some credit quality to gain more yield, rather than extending on the curve.
"There is a pretty strong bid for single-A and triple-B bonds," he explained. "You can pick up a good amount of yield going down in the credit spectrum."
Davidson's firm manages $31 billion of municipal assets, consisting of high net-worth individual portfolios, separately managed accounts, and mutual funds.
Overall the strong demand and steady supply caused municipals to rally over the last month, and the reinvestment demand should help maintain the market's strength going forward.
"Retail investors realize where rates are now," Walsh said. "You have seen a fairly big adjustment in yields over the last month or two, so it takes retail a second or two of sticker shock to realize that this is the going yield."
But, when compared to other alternatives like corporates, agencies or Treasuries, he noted, investors ultimately realize that municipals are still relatively cheap.
"With taxable alternative yields low, effective tax-free yields are still attractive to the retail investor," Walsh said.


text: I will be delving into the ORM thing and have a couple of clients I know who will be needing this.I want to concentrate on getting clients as that is my forte and want to outsource ORM completely. This is for the Indian market so I need to know what all you do in ORM and then we can discuss on how we can implement it according to Indian tastes as Indian market is very different from any other market. I would be needing every minute detail of the process so that I can explain it to my clients.Also I am not going to running away with your ideas,just want to be sure of everything I tell my client.Also since marketing is a very major task,I dont want to do the ORM part. Get in touch if you are willing to do the job.


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Thursday, April 16, 2009
I participated in a new project led by my old school, Ringling. 100 images done by 100 artists all interpreting a common concept. This year's concept... WAKING THE GIANTS.
This was created by two students who have set it up so that every penny of profit will go towards creating new scholarships for students to help them achieve what we have all benefited from already.
So, this piece is an ode to how music fuels my creativity when I work. Music is the vehicle to waking my giants. When played, I'm working hard. When paused, I'm hardly working. -C
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Thursday, April 16, 2009
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Easter Sunday – 2011
Acts 10:34; 37-43
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-9
The first reading for today is really the centerpiece of the account from the Acts of the Apostles of Peter's mission to Cornelius and all in his household. Peter was the one surely who encouraged those good folk to Baptism, but Peter was himself encouraged by God to take this step through visions and signs, including the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Cornelius and family just as had happened to the disciples gathered in the Upper Room at Pentecost. The revelation from God was that even though they were pagans Peter should not to hesitate to baptize them and bind them to Jesus, Whose life-giving death upon the Cross and glorious Resurrection were meant to be proclaimed to the ends of the earth and to benefit all who believed in Him. Easter is a universal feast; Easter is for everyone and for all peoples of all times.
In the second volume of the Holy Father's book Jesus of Nazareth, which came out not that long ago, he speaks of the clear understanding from the very beginning that the good news of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection was not reserved for the People of the Covenant, the Jews. In fact, quoting St. Paul to the Romans 11:25, the Holy Father unites himself with our whole tradition which teaches that "... a hardening has come upon a part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved…" The mission to the pagans was of the utmost urgency, so that God's beloved and chosen people could also be brought to Him in Christ in accordance with God's plan.
This mission is urgent yet today; we need as followers of Christ, as His disciples and ministers, to do all in our power to see to it that all people, starting with family and friends, come in, are bound to Christ, the Savior of all mankind. No one should be left out through the fault of the witnesses to the Resurrection. We through our Catholic faith, we the baptized are obliged and empowered to carry on that same mission today for the sake of the life of the world.
In this morning's Gospel everyone is running. Mary of Magdala, saw the stone moved away and ran straight to Peter. Peter and the other disciple then ran to the tomb. We could say that running is what you do in a panic, but I think in this case running is what you do in the face of something this big, this great. As the Gospel says:
"Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead."
My hope and prayer for you today, for all of us, is that our Lenten penance, discipline, training (you choose the word!) now completed has us in better shape for a little running. Like Mary of Magdala, like Peter and the other discipline, we are not simply passive spectators to the great mystery of Christ's victory in the glory of the Resurrection. We form an important part of the picture, which should see us running too, running to tell others the good news so that they with us can be bound to Christ. The goal is that we might sooner reach that "full number of Gentiles" which St. Paul talks about in the hope that Israel might come in too.
The joy of Easter should not be lost on anyone and it is up to us to run and tell one and all that Jesus has won the victory over sin and death. There is no such thing as oblivion in death, thanks to the Risen One; life is not ended but changed. Alleluia!


text: Dear all, I think this is now almost complete (at least until 2.4 final): http://suretec.org/our_docs/index.html http://suretec.org/our_docs/appendix-changes.html The "New Features and Enhancements in 2.4" section is mainly Howard, Andos and Quanahs words re-worked. I hope you approve. Feedback welcome. You might want to link to this section (when released on openldap.org) when announcing 2.4.5 beta and also mention that the docs are a work in progress, but will be complete for the final release of 2.4 Thanks, Gavin. -- Kind Regards, Gavin Henry. Managing Director. T +44 (0) 1224 279484 M +44 (0) 7930 323266 F +44 (0) 1224 824887 E email@example.com Open Source. Open Solutions(tm). http://www.suretecsystems.com/


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Pop Quiz!
1. ha-ha
a.) favored retort of Nelson Muntz
b.) sunken fence faced with brick
c.) tree root that resurfaces far away from the tree
2. blains
a.) pumpkins
b.) twigs suitable for starting a fire
c.) swellings, sores, or blisters
3. besom
a.) broom
b.) bosom
c.) paraffin produced by a particular subspecies of bees
4. buckram
a.) kind of coarse linen or cloth stiffened with gum or paste
b.) short grain
c.) male sheep
5. corn
a.) wheat
b.) corn
c.) barley
6. flitch
a.) counterpart to Aberclombie
b.) side of bacon
c.) another name for a thrush
7. dishabille
a.) dishwater
b.) weeds that thrive in rocky soil
c.) careless dress
8. duodecimo
a.) referring to animals with eyes on the sides of their heads
b.) a small printed book
c.) 20
9. loggerhead
a.) lumberjack
b.) goat
c.) endangered sea turtle
10. sit-ye-down
a.) great Native American warrior
b.) archaic basketball trash talk
c.) the great tit
11. pizzle
a.) Snoop's way of expressing 3.14
b.) a penis
c.) the central post of a tent
12. milt
a.) semen of a male fish
b.) turtle excrement
c.) common name for males born in the 30s
1b, 2c, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6b, 7c, 8b, 9c, 10c, 11b, 12a
You shouldn't feel bad if you didn't know the definitions to most of these words. Many of them were part of the personal vernacular of Mr Gilbert White, an 18th century English curate in the little town of Selborne. The ones that are not of his devising are incredibly arcane.
Besides being a curate, White was something of a naturalist. Among the many aspects of nature that he observed and recorded was a turtle, that he named Timothy. His notes about the animals and plants that he studied survive to this day, housed in various institutions. With Timothy, Klinkenborg turns the tables on White and other naturalists, letting a turtle expound on man and nature. Klinkenborg tells the story of Mr White and the village of Selborne through the eyes of Timothy, using the terminology of White. The result is oddly poetic, akin to reading the King James Bible. You may not understand every word, but the overall meaning sinks in.
I really struggled with the first forty-or-so pages of Timothy. After finishing the book, I went back and looked at the beginning, and came to the conclusion that it was no different from the rest of the book. The vocabulary and Klinkenborg's style (a lot of short, abrupt sentences...fragments really) just took some getting used to.
Here is a brief excerpt that is indicative of both Klinkenborg's writing style and Timothy's ruminations:
Humans repose in the distinctness of their being. Family of god. Upright stature. Bipedal stride. Pride of reason. Pompion head. They hold themselves apart from the works of creation as much as they can. Except for sporting and poaching. Breeding and rearing of barnyard animals. Coaxing wheat and barley and turnips out of the ground...
...Are there to be no swifts in the skies of Mr Gilbert White's heaven? No house-martins building under the thatched eaves of that celestial city? No tortoises in the gardens there? And what if instinct -- so little known to humans, but a pure flame in swifts -- is a surer guide than reason to his god?
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile by Verlyn Klinkenborg
Posted by Carlton Farmer at 9:20 PM
Labels: nature, turtles, Verlyn Klinkenborg
3 comments:
- Nihil Novum said...
Was this good? What inspired you to read it?
- April 25, 2008 at 8:32:00 AM EDT
- Carlton said...
Yeah, I liked it a lot.
I thought the basis for the book sounded interesting.
- April 25, 2008 at 10:30:00 AM EDT
- Nihil Novum said...
I had to read the review twice to understand that it was from a turtle's point of view. That does make it sound pretty interesting.
- April 25, 2008 at 10:42:00 AM EDT
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Rereading these stories, as an older and more educated individual rather than a child, has allowed me to recognize the underlying features, motifs, and morals one can take from these tales. The concept of inner conflict and the symbolization of wolves and other evils as our own inner demons can give us a stronger sense of self and confidence. It is our fears that need to be vanquished in order for us to learn and grow as individuals.
Additionally, I have learned that the Zeitgeist is ever important in the appropriation of fairy tales. Whether it's Disney, Perrault, or the Grimms themselves, authors and directors edit, revise, and rewrite fairy tales for the present. These tales are always changing and will continue to do so, but their values and mysticism will continue on as relics.
Now looking back into my past blog posts, I can summarize a few key points for you.
1. I believe I have accomplished what it was that I was looking for out of this class. That being "to gain a better understanding of the Grimm's fairy tales, regarding their underlying themes and reflection of German culture."
2. Legends, myths, and fairy tales all share a common ground but they are by no means the same. But one thing to note is that magic lies at the heart of a fairy tales.
3. The characterization in the MGM film portrayal of "Hansel & Gretel" is not reflective of the original tale. However, both display the coming of age story, that focuses on children's need to learn and fend for them selves.
4. We always enjoy rooting for the underdog (a lot of the time because we see ourselves in them) and the story of Cinderella/Aschenputtel is the epitome of the "rags to riches" that we all crave.
5. The film version of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is called that for a reason. Mostly because the dwarfs become a focal of the film and Snow White is reduced to a helpless, feeble girl.
6. The "beauty and the beast" motif is present in both the fairy tale of "The Frog King" and the myth of "Cupid and Psyche."
7. Disney's "The Big Bad Wolf," is a fun short film playing off both the Grimm's tale of "Little Red Cap" and the story of "The Three Little Pigs."
8. The tales of "Bluebeard," "The Robber Bridegroom," and "Fitcher's Bird" all hold the commonality almost unheard of in any fairy tale: getting married to a nightmare.
9. Disney's "Tangled" can be seen as an innovation of a common fairy tale and a lesson for todays society, that sheltering children is hindering their growth, happiness, and understanding of the world.
10. I've learned a lot this past semester, and hope to continually see the motifs and joys of the fairy tales (by the Brothers Grimm and others) in my life.


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I just got back from an amazing weekend at Wollangarra! My friend Ross Richards got the job as director there in August last year. Ross was reknowned in the Melbourne mountain biking scene for the "40 percenter" – which means that if he reckoned he had a 40% chance of completing a section of trail without crashing, he'd give it a go. Needless to say, many crashes and much hilarity ensued. Certain members of the local scene miss him very keenly indeed. Anyway, he's now running this amazing outdoor education centre on the banks of the Macallister River in Victoria's high country. And last weekend he invited 15 or so close friends to come and play.
It was great fun. I didn't take my camera, as getting to Woll involves a 20 minute walk followed by a trip over the river on a flying fox, and I was already carrying twice my body weight in bananas. Dave and Tim have sent these photos around, though.
Tim used up quite a lot of memory on his card taking movies, which there was talk of editing together. More on that later.


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Multiple flavours of Android is a 'big problem'
Google Android is the most dominant operating system (OS) in the world with so many mobile phone manufacturers powering their devices with the OS.
It has almost become synonymous with its many updates that are all named after sweet foods such as Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean.
However, this chopping and changing of OS updates is having a detrimental effect on developers, according to managing director of MagicSoftware.com David Akka.
Many developers are finding it too time-consuming and difficult to update their software as often as Android is bringing out the new OSs.
Mr Akka believes that Android may have run its course with developers as they are increasingly looking towards the iOS model for their services.
"But the multiple flavours of Android and the progression of each version has changed this. So I think it's got a big problem. Gingerbread has [the biggest share of] developers," he continued.
Posted by Samantha Green


text:
Anyone who knows Bill Blunt will tell you that he's not a man for moral crusades. I leave those things to the likes of Paul Foot and others.
Nevertheless, when I was in the snug of the Pin and Cushion last night, I couldn't help my hackles from rising. Charlie Bentmore was holding forth about his garage door. There he was, as proud as punch, crowing about the £200 he's saved in VAT by paying his old pal (Alfie Radcliffe) in cash for installing a new door to the place where he parks his Renault Laguna.
Fair enough, you'll no doubt be saying. That's £200 less to be frittered away on cleaning the moat of some bloated Member of Parliament who should know better when it comes to claiming expenses.
But it's also £200 less to be spent on a life-saving operation for some poor soul whose needs are obviously somewhat greater. I'm not sure Charlie would have bought that argument.
However... Charlie had - on a previous evening - been holding forth about the the failure of HMG to provide our troops in Afghanistan with basic equipment like body armour. So, when I pointed out that his failure to pay VAT might just have an impact on such matters, he was soon quieted.
Taxes are never pleasant. But there's always a moral consequence to avoiding them. Here endeth the rant.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
The Dilemmas of Modern Life
Anyone who knows Bill Blunt will tell you that he's not a man for moral crusades. I leave those things to the likes of Paul Foot and others.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 21:13 3 Readers have wept
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Will The Real Deidre Moffat Please Stand Up?
It's a commonplace that standards in journalism have slipped a little over recent years. When I cut my teeth on the Stockport Leader, I was taught to walk the fine line between doorstepping a potential story and leaving people to enjoy their weekends unmolested and in peace.
Times have certainly changed. This weekend, the hunter became the hunted, as I spent the whole of Saturday avoiding the persistent enquiries of a pack of hacks, intent on getting me to spill the beans on poor old Deidre Moffat.
I'd been away a few days, so had missed the headline news that Deidre - an old sparring-partner from my days at the Birkenhead Beagle - had (apparently, and - it has to be said - rather amazingly) taken up as the mistress of a successful insurance company chief executive.
Anyone who knew Deidre would have been more than a little surprised at the idea. Apart from a fondness for the bottle and a taste in clothing that could best be described as Brodie-esque, she was never a woman who courted controversy.
That's why I was more than a little taken-aback when the baying hounds (many of them no doubt stringers) refused to leave me alone. In fact, I had to dig deep into my archives to throw them some small sop before they slunk away into the sewers from whence they came.
I can't remember where this snap was taken - I myself had supped too heartily from the vine that evening, if I recall - but it seemed to satisfy them. Of course, I omitted to tell them that the Deidre in this picture would now be around 72 years old, even if she had survived a lifetime of alcoholic abuse.
Why let the truth get in the way of a good story?
Posted by Bill Blunt at 20:31 1 Readers have wept
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Birthday Boy
It's a brave man who accuses Bill Blunt of being worried about the advancing years. A distinguished journalist of my stature didn't become distinguished without the odd grey hair or two emerging.
The eve of one's birthday is always a time of anticipation. Never more so than if you're a Libran who happens to be a Bob Dylan fan. For more years than I can recall - and that's a worry in itself - His Bobness has chosen to release his latest album on or around my birthday. That's nice of him, and it's made for an easy response whenever my nearest and dearest have asked me what I'd like as a present.
This year, however, anticipation has turned to trepidation.
Bob's 47th album is due out next week (Tuesday 13 October, to be precise).I'm usually happy to wait a bit for the pleasure of listening to some fresh Dylan. But this time, I'm feeling more than a little anxious. Christmas in The Heart could go either way. The prospect of Bob crooning "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Winter Wonderland," "Little Drummer Boy" and "Must Be Santa" is perhaps just a little unnerving. I'm worried that it might add another grey hair or two to my (already) silvery head. At least the proceeds will be going to a worthwhile cause.
Anyone who's listened to Bob's rendition of "This Old Man" will know what I mean about grey hairs, however. Pedestrian isn't the word...
Posted by Bill Blunt at 19:13 4 Readers have wept
Sunday, 16 August 2009
Give Us A Break!
Andy Fellowes is a decent enough chap. He climbed the ladder to the top of the Cirencester Bugle without making too many enemies along the way.
But I can't say I was prepared for the tirade of abuse that was waiting for me from Andy on my ansaphone when I got back from my weekend in Plymouth, tonight.
"For God's sake, Bill - cheer us up!" It was a sad entreaty. According to Andy, the whole of the UK is currently blanketed under a grey cloud, making this the worst August (weather-wise) since records began.
It's a tall order. But here goes.
This is a snap of a little village called Beaumont - which, loosely translated, is called 'Beautiful Mount'. You can see why...
Posted by Bill Blunt at 21:43 1 Readers have wept
Saturday, 8 August 2009
In Bergerac
When most people think of a 'holiday', I doubt it would involve two days of hard labour trying to whip a garden into shape. If you live in a garden-less flat for most of the time, however, the chance to pose as Mellors and get down to a bit of hard graft is too tempting to resist. I suppose some might call it 'gardening leave', but since I am technically retired that would be a misnomer.
If I'd been on holiday with the ex-Mrs Blunt, I rather think I'd have been tempted to spend my entire first week in the garden at Bergerac - mowing the lawn, pruning the trees and generally knocking about in the out-houses. In fact, anything to avoid having to talk to the ex-Mrs B.
As it was, I was travelling with a delightful acquaintance of mine who made sure that my hours of toil were balanced by trips out and plenty of rest and relaxation, so the work element of the trip seemed really quite negligible.
It's a huge garden, with a mix of peach, apple, pear and walnut trees The peach trees were in full fruit, with the apples and pears 'almost' there, so an enjoyable early morning task each day was to pop out to pick a few pieces of fruit for breakfast.
A former vegetable patch on the property was rather overgrown, so I made it a particular task to raise it to the ground with some rigorous scything, raking and burning. From my experience, that kind of work is made all the easier if accompanied by copious amounts of pastis and water, although I'm not entirely sure whether more experienced gardeners would concur on this matter.
The neighbour's donkeys seemed to take an interest in my labours, and I repaid their solicitations by now and again treating them to a sugar cube or two. After getting the odd nip from their teeth, I decided I'd better wear a gardening glove to aid the feeding process – until one of them tugged it off and started chewing at it on the ground. It was the one in the middle – and I've got his number, I can assure you...
It was all worth it in the end, though.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 06:55 7 Readers have wept
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
En Vacance
When the Cirencester Chronicle invited me to write a few pieces about my summer sojourns, I was sceptical at first. What Bill Blunt gets up to on his holidays doesn't usually make for scintillating reading, and I wasn't convinced that the good people of Cirencester would be up for it.
But, a commission is a commission and, since they promised to pick up the tab for my travel and accommodation, I thought it would be churlish to decline the offer.
'This is the summer everyone's staying at home, Bill,' the editor of the Chron told me. 'They need a little cheering up'. Once I'd cleared it with them that I could also publish a few articles on my blog, it was time to settle back and plot my trip.
I'm not a great fan of long-haul (which I suspect the editor - with a keen eye on costs - already knew), so continental Europe was my oyster. At this time of year, I sometimes like to pootle about in mainland Spain, but something drew me back to France again. The lure of the garden at the house in Bergerac that I sometimes stay at, and which I'd only recently whipped into shape during a brief visit there, was too much to resist. So, I thought I'd combine a trip there with motoring down to the South of France for a little sun on the Cote D'Azur, which I last visited a couple of summers ago.
Hence my absence for the last couple of weeks. To follow will be the bits of my travel journal that the good folk of Cirencester didn't get to see.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 05:59 3 Readers have wept
Monday, 13 July 2009
A Sad Day for Blogdom
It is with a heavy heart that I have learned that my old mucker and internet comrade, Mystic Veg, has decided to hang up his trowel and retire from writing his blog.
For more than two years, Mystic has charmed us with his tales from the allotments of Lincolnshire. Ever since his first post at the end of May 2007, his ready wit and droll humour has brought a half-smile to my lips on many an occasion. We've not always seen eye to eye, but I've come to respect his esoteric take on life, and will miss logging on to read his vegetable-based stories.
Let's hope that, like Alan Milburn, his retirement is only ever temporary, and that the attractions of spending more time with his family soon pall. There'll be a space on the world wide web waiting for him when he does return, I am sure.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 08:58 5 Readers have wept
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Durham Miners' Gala 2009
Courtesy of the wonders of modern technology, here's a clip of a video taken at yesterday's Miners' Gala in Durham.
Don't ask me how it got here - that's all down to Jasper's wizardry with the computer.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 09:44 2 Readers have wept
Friday, 10 July 2009
The Big Meeting
Only 24 Hours to Salsa. That's right. Saturday, 11 July 2009 will see Bill tootling up the M62 and A1(M), on what has now become my annual pilgrimage to Durham City. Destination: the Miners' Gala - or Durham Big Meeting, as it's fondly known in the area.
I'll be waving at 70's Teen and Crofty as I make my journey, as I pass close to both of them en route to the north east.
Truth be told, there won't be a lot of salsa (although one or two of the brass bands can get quite inventive in their repertoire). But there'll be lots of fun to be had, and lots of memories to be stirred, as you can see from my previous postings on the topic. I'll keep you posted.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 06:30 1 Readers have wept
Sunday, 5 July 2009
I Took This
Freshly-back from gardening duties in Bergerac, it was a relaxed and tanned Bill Blunt who travelled last Sunday to the Lancashire County Cricket ground in Old Trafford to watch popular musical ensemble Take That play their final concert in Manchester.
Lest my readers think I have always harboured a love of boy bands, I should explain that I was redeeming my part in a bargain that had involved my current squeeze going to see Bob Dylan when he played in Liverpool earlier this year. I'd like to pretend that I got the better of the deal, but I'm almost embarrassed to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my outing last weekend. The Liverpool Echo Arena is a wonderful venue, but it can't compare to Old Trafford on a balmy Sunday evening, with a light breeze cooling the summer sun. And Bob Dylan's performance (though adequate) paled into insignificance beside the four showmen who turned out in Manchester.
Take That never really appeared on my musical radar before, so I was surprised how easy it was to join in the sing-along, since their songs had managed to penetrate my subconscious without me being exactly aware of it.
As a cub reporter, I learned early to distinguish between my ultimates, my penultimates and my ante-penultimates. But I can't quite work out what comes after something that's already been touted as the Ultimate Tour. Whatever it was, I was there: not a zimmer frame in sight. And it wasn't half bad.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 12:34 5 Readers have wept
Sunday, 28 June 2009
The Pepsi Challenge
I can't pretend I was the most disappointed person in the world when I heard that part-time MP for Darlington, Alan Milburn, was stepping down from the House of Commons at the next General Election.
In fact, I've only just surfaced from the mother of all celebratory benders during which, I can assure readers, we were consuming something slightly stronger than cola. The people of Darlington have been waiting for years for this moment, and they weren't about to miss the opportunity for a street-party.
Alan returned to frontline politics in 2004 (after he'd resigned as Secretary of State for Health to spend more time with his family), but his decision to quit again is apparently to let him "balance my work and my family life with the time to pursue challenges other than politics". It's clear from his blog (which is updated less frequently than my own - which is saying something) that there just aren't enough hours in the day for juggling being a family man, an MP, a blogger and a consultant to Pepsico.
Being a part-time MP is clearly a lucrative business - but it's clear that the Pepsi Challenge comes first for this particular honourable member. So, farewell then, Alan Milburn. I'm sure I'll be raising another drink to your departure before the day is out.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 11:16 4 Readers have wept
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Finger On The Pulse
As a gentleman of advancing years, I like to think I keep myself in trim. Despite decades of abuse, my body has kept up with the ravages of time remarkably well, and a lifetime in provincial journalism has left few scars on my body.
I'm told I still cut a dapper figure when I take to the floor at Flanagan's Apple and, since Mrs Blunt's departure from our marriage, I won't pretend I haven't attracted the attentions of the fairer sex every now and again. The recent popularity of James Blunt has helped, of course, and I'm a little ashamed to admit I've done nothing to dissuade those young ladies who assume I'm somehow related to the stubble-faced singer songwriter. Whether I'm taken as young Jim's father or his brother seems to be directly related to the number of WKD's or Smirnoff Ice's the said young ladies have supped that evening.
Maintaining the illusion comes at a cost - and I don't just mean having to keep stocked up on Grecian 2000. I also need to keep my finger firmly on the pulse of popular music.
That's why the launch of a new website by media giant EMI got my heart racing. A showcase for the 335 artists signed to their stable (not all of whom are dead, by any means), the site allows the reader to easily preview individual tracks and albums to get a taste for new musicians.
When I logged on, I was a tad surprised to discover that '60's crooner Peggy Lee was described as a 'Breakthrough Artist'. Way to go, Peggy!
Easy to navigate, and a portal to thousands of tracks, EMI's new site means that anyone trying to pretend they're younger than they are should have no problem sorting out their Flex's from their KJ-52's. It's an easy way to discover new artists - in the way that Fuel My Blog let's you find new blogs - and I was particularly taken with attractive songstress Bethany Dillon.
Give the site a spin - you'll be glad you did.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 07:42 4 Readers have wept
Saturday, 23 May 2009
Getting Past The Footnotes on Page 431
In my early years as a cub reporter on The Stockport Courier, then-editor Wally Green impressed on me a maxim which I have pretty much tried to live my life by. "It's your role to write the news, son - not to make it. Remember that, and you'll go far."
On the whole, I managed to keep my nose clean during my distinguished career in print. Whenever I was tempted to stray, Wally's wise words would always come to mind.
It would be easy to think, therefore, that I have not had much of a role to play in the pages of history. Anyone making such a dangerous assumption would be wide of the mark, however, as I am about to reveal how Bill Blunt, during an idle afternoon in 1983, helped Michael Foot to relax during the rigours of that year's election campaign.
I'd forgotten all about the incident until, earlier today, I was flicking through a copy of Kenneth O. Morgan's Michael Foot: A Life in the Liverpool branch of Waterstones bookshop. That I was standing not more than a couple of yards from popular TV presenter Les Dennis is merely incidental to my tale...
While perusing Mr Morgan's tome, I came across an account of Foot's visit to the Manchester suburb of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, and I was transported instantly back a quarter century to the days when, as a mature student I was studying at Manchester University. My flatmate at the time, an equally mature Henry Smith, was the nearest embodiment of a Michael Foot 'groupie' it would be possible to find. To say he idolised the chap would be a gross understatement. I myself had a sneaking regard for Foot, but it was as nothing to Henry, who had collected every word that Foot had ever consigned to print.
When we learned of the impending visit of the Labour leader to Chorlton, he immediately suggested we should pop along to offer our support to the shaky election campaign. He dug out his pristine, two-volume copy of Foot's acclaimed biography of Nye Bevan which he fully intended he could persuade Mr Foot to autograph. Not wishing to appear churlish, I grabbed a paper-back copy of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, to which Michael Foot had penned an introduction, and off we sped to meet the battle bus.
When we arrived at the carbuncular shopping centre in Chorlton, the place was a throng of folk, and it was with some dismay that Henry realised that our prospect of securing his idol's signature was somewhat remote. After half an hour of jostling, we were no nearer our quarry, and I, anyway, was getting more than a little bored by the proceedings. I told Henry I wished him well, but that I needed to pop into a nearby newsagents to buy a packet of B&H, so would meet him in a quarter of an hour.
When I emerged from the shop, the crowd had moved on, so I made my way back to our meeting point. As I turned a corner, I was confronted by a phalanx of fellow members of the press, walking backwards (as we are trained to do) while scribbling in their notepads. And there - closer to me even than Les Dennis was today - amidst the tumult was no less a person than Michael Foot himself. Rapidly stubbing out my fag, I pulled the dog-eared copy of Gulliver from my duffle-coat pocket, proffered it to the ageing politico with a pen, and asked him if he'd sign it.
I quote from Mr Morgan:
"Sometimes attempted meetings with electors could turn into 'a media scrimmage', although it was certainly not Foot alone to whom that applied. One pleasant touch came when a student in the Manchester suburb of Chorlton-cum-Hardy offered him a copy of Gulliver's Travels to sign. He did so with much charm, and gave the audience a short discourse on on Swift and how he had prophesied the existence of the bomb. It was one of the rare moments in the campaign when Foot was truly at ease." (p431)When I finally caught up with Henry, I hadn't the heart to tell him what had happened and (thankfully) I didn't have to. The very next day, The Guardian (of which he was an avid reader) told the story in a front-page sketch of Foot's visit to Chorlton.
And so you have it. Bill Blunt's role as a footnote in history. I only hope Wally Green isn't turning in his grave.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 18:08 3 Readers have wept
Monday, 18 May 2009
When a young lady of my acquaintance recently suggested I might accompany her on a walk along the coastline of the Wirral, I can't pretend I wasn't flattered. I try to keep myself in trim, despite my advancing years, and the prospect of a seaside saunter with a beautiful lady at my arm was rather enticing.
As my alarm went off at 6.30am yesterday, however, I must confess to having had second thoughts. I'd envisaged a mid-afternoon stroll - perhaps followed by fish and chips for tea - but her instructions were quite firm. I was to meet her at Seacombe Ferry at 8.15am.
As I parked the car beside the ferry terminal, my sense of foreboding only increased. The car park was jam-packed with vehicles, and hundreds of folk were milling around at a time on Sunday which most normal people reserve for breakfast and a cursory review of MP's expense claims.
It soon became apparent that this was no ordinary walk. I had been enticed - unwittingly - to join the thousands of people who every year complete the Wirral Coastal Walk. When my companion rolled up with a packed lunch at the ready, any thoughts I had of a gentle amble quickly evaporated. "It's only 15 miles," she said. "We should have it done by lunchtime."
It transpired she'd done the walk a number of times before, usually as part of a group, but wanted this time to establish a 'personal best' time for it. After enrolling, we set off at 8.25am precisely, at a pace that might charitably be called 'brisk'.
My readers will be glad to know I put on a brave face and did my best to keep up with the human dynamo at my side (or, more accurately, just slightly ahead of me). We covered the first five miles in an hour. I've been in traffic jams that moved less quickly, and I felt surprisingly exhilarated at the achievement. As my old bones began to feel the strain, rain clouds began to gather across the Dee estuary and an ominous sense of foreboding gripped me. This woman was clearly on a mission, and any thoughts I had of us perhaps having a rest were repeatedly batted away. "If we stop, you'll never get started again," she said.
And so, the miles fell away, the last five in pouring rain. En route, we were passed by only two people - both of whom had strides that would not have disgraced a Roman centurian. I am sure my aching legs held us back but, nevertheless, we completed the 15 miles in a little under 3 hours 45 minutes.
Enjoyable though the experience undoubtedly was, I have made a mental note to ensure that, when I consult my diary for Sundays in May 2010, I will discover that I am due to be watching television.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 06:48 4 Readers have wept
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Thanks to that wonderful website, Spotify.com, Bill Blunt is proud to launch a new challenge. After GoogleWhack and CensusWhack, it's time to play the odds with SpotifyWhack.
Following the principles of previous Whacks, the aim is simple. Using the Search Facility conveniently supplied by the site, can you come up with a word or a phrase that only appears once on Spotify?
Here are a couple to start you off... 'Gynacologist' (sic) and 'Loss Adjustor' - for whom we have Die Kassierer and Jarvis Cocker (respectively) to thank for that.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 16:58 0 Readers have wept
Friday, 15 May 2009
Rubber Banned
I am sure there is a whole generation of youngsters growing up for whom the concept of popping into WH Smiths for a box of elastic bands must seem a rather alien, and even antique, business.
Ever since the Royal Mail adopted its policy of strewing our pavements with rubber bands, the need to trot off down to the stationers to replenish supplies has become unnecessary. Our postal service has - in between deluging us with junk mail – thoughtfully made the buying of elastic bands a redundant occupation.
I'm not exactly sure how they achieve this, but it's almost impossible to walk more than a hundred yards in any town or city without seeing one of these bright red rubber bands. I like to think they have fleets of vans patrolling our streets in the dead of night, distributing them by the fistful through open windows as they speed along.
However they manage it, I take my hat off to them. They certainly know how to win the hearts and minds of the British population, and it can't be long, surely, until they move on to phase two of their master plan – Operation Paper Clip. If that goes well, it's only a matter of time until every street corner will have its own Community Stationery Cupboard, and gone will be the need for the middle classes to pilfer items from the office.
That day can't come too soon, in my book.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 17:43 5 Readers have wept
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
He Who (Re)pays The Piper
Amid the clamour of our 'Honourable' Members of Parliament scrambling to write cheques to repay the dosh they so easily grabbed from the taxpayer over the last few years, it's easy to become blasé about the odd few grand spent on upgrading second homes.
I know there will be some who will wonder whether I can justify employing my techno-savvy son, Jasper, to redesign my blog. I want to take this opportunity to reassure my readers that any (presumed) increase in the value of Bill Blunt's Blog will be declared to the tax authorities. Nepotism does not come cheaply - as any MP will tell you. In any case, my accountant has assured me that this is not, in fact, my first blog, so there should be no question about tax liability that he can't handle.
If only it were the same for Hazel Blears. Poor Hazel has done her best to keep her punters onside (by which I mean her voters, obviously) in electing to repay any Capital Gains Tax otherwise due on her second home. Well done that woman!
It's a brave man who would ever accuse Bill Blunt of being a financial whiz-kid. I don't pretend to understand these things but - nevertheless - I can't help wondering whether she's still made a tidy profit on all this first / second home 'swrching' she's supposed to have been involved in.
If that's the case, just paying the tax on the profit doesn't seem enough.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 20:14 3 Readers have wept
Sunday, 10 May 2009
Life in The Old Dog Part II
Just because Bob Dylan can't be bothered to refresh his concert programme with tracks from his new album, it doesn't mean we should all take his cue and sit back on our laurels.
Whilst ambling about the Secret Gardens of Oxton this afternoon, I was fortunate to bump into my good friend Bob, a partner in Knowles, Ranterby and Suffolk, the renowned PR agency that was (partly) responsible for the recent relaunch of the Fiat Cinquecento. Bob took half an hour out from his day job to cast his eye over my blog - and his conclusions were pretty much in line with previous critiques.
"You've got to simplify it," he said. "It's as simple as that!" He liked the fact that I'd managed to post an article about The Secret Gardens of Oxton only a couple of hours after they opened. "But your punters won't really know if they're going for a red-top or something more traditional."
I can't pretend I wasn't a bit shocked. I was brought up in the 'substance over style' world of journalism. No one at the Stockport Herald was ever taught to put layout before words - whatever the subbies said.
Still - I know free advice when I see it. So I've set the dogs loose and overhauled my blog - for good or ill. I like to think it's now the kind of place Elizabeth Hurley and John Torode would feel at home in. We'll have to see how it goes.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 19:28 4 Readers have wept
Can You Keep A Secret?
Those readers of my blog who haven't happened by because of their interest in Bob Dylan will know that I have long had an interest in gardening - by which I mean the proper cultivation of fruit and vegetables.
I take my cue in all matters horticultural from the estimable Mystic Veg, and now and again from the even more estimable Crofty.
I've never had much of an inclination for lawns and flowers. Nevertheless, when I was invited to join a friend on a visit to the Secret Gardens of Oxton this morning, I thought it would be churlish to refuse.
I'm glad I went. Oxton is a delightful old village that has been all but engulfed by the suburbs of Birkenhead. It's the kind of place where John Torode, if he was ever thinking of opening a new restaurant, would find a ready audience.
It's hard not to imagine Elizabeth Hurley - fresh from her Indian wedding, perhaps - taking tea on one of the carefully-manicured lawns. Not when it comes to trying to increase the number of readers of your blog, anyway.
Not everyone will have been able (whether through indolence, over-indulgence or churchly-responsibilities) to get up bright and early to tour the secret gardens of Oxton this Sunday morning so, for those who couldn't make it, I thought I'd post a small, select sample of what you've missed.
When all is said and done, there's something peculiarly British about enjoying poking about in a stranger's garden, and thanks to the Oxton Society it can all be done legitimately in something like 30 venues for just a fiver.
I'm off for a spot of lunch just now, after this morning's pleasant stroll. It's looking as though the weather might fair up a little, with the sun set to break out when I resume my tour.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 11:52 2 Readers have wept
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Bill Blunt's Dream
As someone who was once (self) proclaimed as the distinctive voice of my generation, I can't pretend I have enjoyed the seemingly steady slide into obscurity since I officially 'retired' from being a jobbing-journalist.
The odd syndicated article in the Harpenden Gazette notwithstanding, I have had to slowly acknowledge that my time in the spotlight was over. The halcyon days of my scoops at the Stockport Sentinel are but dusty memories - yellowing cuttings stored in boxes in my attic, yesterday's news that quickly became today's fish and chip wrappings. Or, rather, the day after yesterday's. If you know what I mean.
When I was first introduced to the world of blogging, I'll admit I thought I'd easily recreate my audience. The early signs were encouraging. My technologically-adept son, Jasper, assured me with his regular analysis of the stats gleaned from Statcounter that my readers were, indeed, weeping. Then, the rot set in. Perhaps I took my new-found fame for granted - although it would be a brave man indeed who accused me of that. Whatever the reasons, no matter how often I mentioned Wetherspoons, Waterloo Street in Oldham, Prolectrix products or Kappa tracksuit fetishes, my readers seemed to melt away.
As reality started to bite, it was easy to start posting less frequently.
Until, that is, Jasper rang me last night.
'Pa!' he exclaimed - 'Your stats have just gone mental!' Apparently, my recent post about Bob Dylan had touched a nerve amongst the recent readers of the online fanzine Expecting Rain. To underline the point, he faxed me through the Statcounter figures which, in case there are any circulation auditors out there reading this, I am more than happy to reproduce below:
As you can see, I think I accidentally stumbled on blogging Paydirt - my average 10 or 11 visitors per day increased to 550 just by an accidental mention of the singer from Hibbing (I wouldn't want to tempt fate by mentioning his name so, rather like the Scottish Play, I'll resist).
There's a lesson in this somewhere. When I've worked it out, I'll be back. Broken, but not unbowed. Or something like that.
Of course, it's quite possible that my circulation increase was due to the free fridge magnet in my last post - so here's another one.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 18:55 7 Readers have wept
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Expecting Visitors
I was heartened by the number of visitors who popped across to read Bill Blunt's account of his visit to the Dylan concert at the Echo Arena earlier today. Many of them came from Expecting Rain - the most comprehensive list of Bob Links you'll find anywhere.
Call me a shameless old hack, but I know an audience when I see it.
By way of thanks, here's a handy 'cut out and keep' Fridge Magnet of Bob. Time to recycle all those old magnets adorning your fridge, and update them with a Dylan one, methinks.
Sound advice from Bob, too.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 07:13 3 Readers have wept
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Life In The Old Dog Yet
It's heartening to learn that travelling troubadour and songsmith, Bob Dylan, has claimed the No 1 spot in the UK Album Charts this week. Just a couple of weeks short of his 68th birthday, he's now the oldest artist to top the UK charts - a fact that should encourage all of senior age to keep plugging away.
It's incredible (and sobering) to reflect that it's 38 years since Bob last reached the pinnacle of the UK music trade. I had to wait until I returned from holiday before I could take Together Through Life out for a spin, and I'm pleased to say it was worth the wait. It's a warm and engaging album, suggesting someone who is at ease with himself for the first time in many years (check it out on Spotify, if you haven't already bought it).
It was surprising, therefore, that he chose not to play a single track from his new album when he appeared at the Liverpool Echo Arena last Friday. Watching Dylan perform live is always a challenge. His constant re-invention of his back-catalogue (surely one of the largest of any recording artist?) makes it hard to Name That Tune In One - they invariably emerge in a new style, with a new patina and presentation. Anyone seeing Bob play live for the first time will sometimes struggle to recognise even his most famous hits, so altered can they become when played on stage.
I was accompanied at the Arena by my latest squeeze, who hadn't seen Dylan live before, and she was aghast that so few people were dancing in the aisles - until she realised the number of zimmer frames that possibly impeded movement, that is. Thankfully, Dylan was off the stage by 9.40pm, so us oldies could be home for our Horlicks and bed in good time. Unless they were lured to Flanagan's Apple, that is, where the music can at least be guaranteed to get you bopping. In his younger days, one could imagine Bob himself visiting a live music venue like Flanagan's for an apres-show wind-down. Not now, of course. He'd be tucked up in bed by then, I'm sure, having kicked off his slippers and ensuring his false teeth were safely stored on his bedside cabinet. How I envied him that night.
Posted by Bill Blunt at 06:22 2 Readers have wept


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Human Rights Alert (NGO) is dedicated to discovering, archiving, and disseminating evidence of Human Rights violations by the justice systems of the State of California and the United States in Los Angeles, California, and beyond. Special emphasis is given to the unique role of computerized case management systems in the precipitous deterioration of integrity of the justice system.
* "Los Angeles County got the best courts that money could buy". KNBC (October 16, 2008) * "Innocent people remain in prison" LAPD Blue Ribbon Review Panel Report (2006) * Los Angeles County is "the epicenter of the epidemic of real estate and mortgage fraud." FBI (2004) * "…judges tried and sentenced a staggering number of people for crimes they did not commit." Prof David Burcham, Loyola Law School, LA (2000) * "This is conduct associated with the most repressive dictators and police states… and judges must share responsibility when innocent people are convicted." Prof Erwin Chemerinksy, Irvine Law School (2000) * "Condado de Los Angeles tiene las mejores canchas que el dinero puede comprar".KNBC (16 de octubre de 2008) * "Las personas inocentes permanecen en prisión" LAPD Blue Ribbon Panel de Revisión Report (2006) * Condado de Los Angeles es "el epicentro de la epidemia de bienes raíces y el fraude de la hipoteca." FBI (2004) * "... Los jueces juzgado y condenado a un asombroso número de personas por crímenes que no cometieron." Prof. David Burcham, Loyola Law School, LA (2000) * "Esta es una conducta asociada con los dictadores más represivos y los estados de la policía ... y los jueces deben compartir la responsabilidad, cuando es condenado a personas inocentes." Prof. Erwin Chemerinksy, Irvine, la Facultad de Derecho (2000)
Thousands of Rampart-FIPs (Falsely Imprisoned Persons) remain locked up more than a decade after official, expert, and media report documented that they were falsely prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced in the largest court corruption sandal in the history of the United States...
Blue Ribbon Review Panel report (2006):
10-10-01 Corruption of the California courts noticed by the United Nations
10-10-01 United Nations Human Rights Council Records for 2010 Review (UPR) of Human Rights in the United States
Thursday, January 6, 2011
11-01-06 US Teen Tortured in Kuwait, Barred Re-entry to the US // EE.UU. adolescente torturado en Kuwait, Barrada Re-entrada a los EE.UU. // 在科威特的美国青少年折磨,禁止他再进入美国
U.S. Teenager Tortured in Kuwait and Barred Re-entry Into the U.S.
By Glenn Greenwald
January 06, 2010 "Salon" -- Gulet Mohamed is an 18-year-old American citizen whose family is Somalian. His parents moved with him to the U.S. when he was 2 or 3 years old, and he has lived in the U.S. ever since. In March, 2009, he went to study Arabic and Islam in Yemen (in Sana'a, the nation's capital), and, after several weeks, left (at his mother's urging) and went to visit his mother's family in Somalia, staying with his uncle there for several months. Roughly one year ago, he left Somalia and traveled to Kuwait to stay with other family members who live there. Like many teenagers who reach early adulthood, he was motivated in his travels by a desire to see the world, to study, and to get to know his family's ancestral homeland and his faraway relatives.
At all times, Mohamed traveled on an American passport and had valid visas for all the countries he visited. He has never been arrested nor -- until two weeks ago -- was he ever involved with law enforcement in any way, including the entire time he lived in the U.S.
Read the full story: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27209.htm
Please Sign Petition - Free Richard Fine // Por favor, Firme la petición - Liberar a Richard Fine
Richard Fine - 70 year old, former US prosecutor, had shown that judges in Los Angeles County had taken "not permitted" payments (called by media "bribes"). On February 20, 2009, the Governor of California signed "retroactive immunities" (pardons) for all judges in Los Angeles. Less than two weeks later, on March 4, 2009 Richard Fine was arrested in open court, with no warrant. He is held ever since in solitary confinement in Los Angeles, California. No judgment, conviction, or sentencing was ever entered in his case.
Please sign the petition: Free Richard Fine -


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It's taking me a long while to get my scrap pages done. Getting photos printed seems to be what's holding me up. I am having fun finding Cricut cuts for my journaling. This is the second full week of January.
Cartridges used for the journaling spots: the amaryllis is a portion of a flower from Tinkerbell, Hoops from Sports Mania, pot and breakfast are on From My Kitchen, portrait is the inside of the apple of A Child's Year and the dog is from Paper Pups.
My carts (38): A Child's Year; Accent Essentials; All Mixed Up; Alphalicious; Animal Kingdom; Base Camp; Christmas Cheer; Christmas Noel; Cursive 101; Designer's Calendar; Doodlecharms; Everyday Paper Dolls; From My Kitchen; George; Going Places; Graphically Speaking; Happily Ever After; Home Accents; Indie Art; Jasmine; Mickey and Friends; Opposites Attract; Paper Doll Dress Up; Paper Pups; Pooh and Friends; Robotz; Snow Friends; Sports Mania; Stamped; Stone Script; Storybook; Stretch Your Imagination; Tags, Bags, Boxes & More; Tear Drop; Tinker Bell & Friends; Walk in My Garden; Wedding; When It's Cold Outside.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Project 365 - Week 2
Posted by Susan at 7:41 PM
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text:
One bad corpse can ruin your whole day.My Thoughts: I feel like I've had a run of really great books that I've been reading lately. Part of that, I think, is that I'm picking up books that some of my fellow book bloggers have enjoyed and highly recommend. One of the great things about this is finding all these wonderful new authors that I might not have tried otherwise.
No one knows that better than Rhiannon Murphy.
She left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate and a fresh start. A bartender by trade, a loud mouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance; she managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her—until now.
The deliciously good-looking vampire, Disco, knows her secret. When he strolls into her bar to solicit help investigating the mysterious disappearances of his kind from the city, Rhiannon discovers he's not the kind of person that appreciates the significance of the word no.
But in a world where vampires peddle their blood as the latest and greatest drug of choice, it's only a matter of time before the next big thing hits the market. Someone or something is killing vampires to steal their hearts, and unlike Rhiannon, this isn't their first stroll around the undead block.
The reason I mention this is that I've read some really outstanding books in the past month. Really outstanding. Like, I don't know why I didn't give these books a try before now. This book, guys, blew me away. Utterly. Completely.
Rhiannon is a brash, sassy, asskicker who can hold her own when she needs to. She has a dirty mouth and more trust issues than you can shake a stick at. With good reason, might I add. She has a bucket of untapped talent and a burning desire to fly under the radar. When she's forced into helping Disco and his family, she doesn't accept it gracefully. She goes into it kicking and screaming... but she does help. The farther into the world of the supernatural she gets pulled, the more she sees that she has to help because no one else can.
Here's a confession: I've been feeling a little down on the vampire love lately. I like vampires, don't get me wrong, but it seems like a lot of vampire characters just keep retreading the same old groove. I fell hard for Disco, though. He's got charm and looks and an easy sort of power. I just wanted to see him happy. And if happy happens to be in bed with Rhiannon, so be it. He deserves it, guys. He really does.
So, yeah. I loved this book. From the first glimpse of Rhiannon to her first interaction with the delectable Disco right on through to the phenomenal end scene. I loved it all. Speaking of that ending ... I still can't get it out of my head. As I was reading it, I swear all the oxygen got sucked out of the room and I forgot how to breathe. I just ... whoa. Just, whoa.
I really can't wait to see where Rhiannon's adventures take her next.
More books by J.A. Saare
Reading challenges: The E-book Challenge, The Paranormal Romance Challenge, The Vampire Challenge, The Horror & Urban Fantasy Challenge, The Morbid Romantica Challenge


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Little Lorie
Little Lorie is a tiny Latina babe with a white girls name. Covering not only the Latin teen niche but also socks and stockings, hardcore action, toys, lesbian play and more. If you thought Little Lupe was a superstar wait until you see the internet's newest Latina sensation... Little Lorie!


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|Display anime list with:
|Detail: Only anime title: Ongoing Series Only:
|Dubbed Only: Movies Only:
» Searched for: [Mature]
Afro Samurai (2006 – – Dubbed)
On the dark path of swordsmanship in a "Futuristic" yet Feudal Japan, it is said that the one who becomes No.1 will rule the world. But the only rule in this world is that only the No. 2 is allowed to fight the No. 1. The No. 2, the Afro Samurai, travels the road looking for revenge on the man who murdered his father in front of him when he was just a boy, a three-armed gunman who is the lord of the dark swordsman's road and the current No. 1.
Action / Mature
After School in Teacher's Lounge (1994 – 6 Links)
Basically a romance between two high school teachers – Kawase Mitsuro and Kazama Toshiaki. Complicated by Mitsuro's hesitation to accept Toshiaki's very open declaration of love. Slightly complicated by a bit of jealousy on the part of Mitsuro's younger brother Hitoshi.
Drama / Love-Romance / Shounen Ai / Mature
Agent Aika (1997 – 8 Links – Dubbed)
A catastrophic earthquake has left Tokyo, and most of the Earth for that matter, under the sea. Aika is a salvager who retrieves various remains from the watery ruins. When Aika accepts the dangerous mission of locating and obtaining the mysterious Lagu, she discovers that she's not the only one after it.
Adventure / Comedy / Ecchi / Science-Fiction / Super Power / Mature
Ai Yori Aoshi (2002 – 67 Links – Dubbed)
Kaoru Hanabishi, a college student who lives alone, met a beautiful but bewildered girl dressed in kimono at train station. He volunteered to guide her way to the address she was looking for, which looked like in his neighborhood but turned out to be an empty lot. Not knowing what to do next, Kaoru invited the devastated girl to his apartment and asked for additional clue — a photo with two children whom Kaoru immediately identified as himself and Aoi Sakuraba, his childhood friend. It turned o…
Comedy / Drama / Harem / Love-Romance / Mature
Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ (2003 – 24 Links, 1 OVA – Dubbed)
Two years after meeting Aoi, Kaoru and gang are still up to their normal habits. Koaru now in grad school and the tenents being as rowdy as ever what will become of Aoi and Kaoru's love.
Comedy / Drama / Harem / Love-Romance / Mature
AIKa R-16: Virgin Mission (2007 – 3 Links)
Aika Sumeragi, a sixteen year old high school student, offers her services as a C-class Salvager by spreading posters at school after getting her C-class Salvager license. She is immediately hired by Eri Shinkai, Aika's wealthy class president and founder of the Treasure Hunting Club.
Adventure / Ecchi / Mature
AIKa ZERO (2009 – 3 Links, 12 OVA)
Aika's story continues, she is now 19 years-old, 3 older than in R-16 and 7 younger than in Agent AIKa. Strange phenomena have been occurring at a girls academy. Slowly but persistent the most cute and beautiful girls are joining an internal club, but instead of a sing-in they just get abducted by a strange being that takes control over them by some indecent means.
Action / Ecchi / Mature
Air Gear (2006 – 103 Links, 3 OVA)
The Air Trek is a kind of inline skate, but it is customizable and even has an engine. This is a story about a boy, Baby Face Itsuki. When he is invited into the world of Air Gear by his childhood friend, Ringo, his legend to become the King of Air began.
Action / School Life / Sports / Mature
Akane Maniax (November, 2004 – )
Jouji Gouda is a new transfer student at Hakuryo High. He fell in love at first sight and boldly proposed to Akane Suzumiya, representative of his class, on his first day at the new school. Although Akane finds him very annoying, hot-blooded and simple-minded Jouji never gives up and would do anything to express his love towards Akane.
Comedy / Love-Romance / Mecha / Mature
Akira (1988 – , 2 OVA – Dubbed)
In the year 2019, thirty-one years have passed since the outbreak of World War III. In Neo-Tokyo, all authority is waging a never-ending struggle against the underground that virtually rules the shattered city. A top-secret child with amazing powers of the minds breaks free from custody and accidentally gets a motorcycle gang involved in the project. The incident triggers psychic powers within one of the members, Tetsuo, and he is taken by the army and experimented on. His mind has been warped a…
Horror / Science-Fiction / Super Power / War / Mature


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I was one of those folks back when the iPad was first released that thought that Apple was hedging its bets by introducing a Bluetooth keyboard as an accessory. If you're going to go touch, then go touch. Well, that was an extreme position then and it is now. I never purchased one of those original Bluetooth keyboards, but after I started doing more and more quick jaunts with the iPad that found me having to reply to more emails than I cared to on the virtual keyboard I picked up the Apple Wireless Keyboard, along with the Incase Origami Workstation. I've also been using the now discontinued iGo Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard to great effect. I'm still glad I have that collapsable keyboard around, but there were times where I needed a more rigid solution to really crank out some text.
As I said in this post, it works like a charm with the iPad or the iPad 2, and the Origami Workstation also makes an excellent stand for the Tablet when you are typing. But I was already planning to pick up a couple of other Tablets when I made that purchase and my hope was it would work equally well with any one of them.
Both Samsung and HP sell their own keyboards for use with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the TouchPad, respectively. But given this summer of Tablet experimentation, I wasn't going to put anymore holes in my bank account by picking those up. So, I recently fired up both the Galaxy Tab and the TouchPad to make sure they both worked with the Apple Wireless Keyboard. The good news is that they do. More good news, they fit fine with the Origami Workstation.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 paired up without a hitch and I was comfortably typing a way in no time. The HP TouchPad has a different pairing procedure that quite frankly left me scratching my head for a bit of time. When you get into the pairing process on the TouchPad you're presented with a screen that asks for a password or key. You're also presented with the virtual keyboard, which I found odd, since in most cases you're meant to enter the password on the physical keyboard. I tried all of the combinations most are familiar with (0000, 1234, no password) and nothing worked.
But a Google search yielded this information. Essentially the TouchPad is asking you to assign a code from the virtual keyboard. You then have a brief period where you enter that same code on the physical keyboard. The unfortunate thing here is that there are no instructions or prompts to tell you that the system is waiting for you to do so. So, you can imagine why I was scratching my head until I found that solution on the web.
With that in mind, I can say that I can pair up the Apple Wireless Keyboard or the Stowaway successfully and be off and running typing, should the need arise.
Keep in mind that both the Samsung and HP keyboards have special keys that are tied to their respective operating systems and you don't get that same functionality without using those keyboards. That said, on the TouchPad a press of the escape key brings you to the Search Box from wherever you are.
So, I've changed my tune on Bluetooth Keyboards a bit. But's because I view these Tablets as devices to get some work done with.
Other posts in this series:
- The Tablet Challenge: Using a Tablet as a Script in Rehearsal
- Tablets: The Pick Up and Go Challenge
- Apps and the HP TouchPad, or Rather, Apps and Tablets
- Five Reasons to Consider the HP TouchPad
- Five Reasons to Avoid the HP TouchPad
- Touch Tablet Shootout: The Porch and the Sunlight Test
- Easter Egg Turns TouchPad webOS Card Swipe Into Angry Bird-like Slingshot
- Landscape or Portrait? Packaging Reveals All
- I Went a Little Crazy This Morning Prepping for a Tablet Shootout


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How to Make Honey & Oatmeal Soap
Soap making may sound like an old-fashioned chore, but mixing and molding your own bars allows you to create cleansing products without harsh chemical additives. These hand-crafted bars also make elegant gifts for family and friends. The process of making the soap is fairly straightforward, with the hardest part often being deciding on a recipe. Honey and oatmeal soap is an appropriate project for both beginners and experienced soap makers due to the accessibility of the ingredients.
Video of the Day
Step 1
Place a large saucepan or stockpot on top of a stove burner set to medium heat. Insert at least 1 pound of castile soap base or glycerin into the pot. To create a larger batch of soap, add two pounds of soap or glycerin. Cut the product into cubes to speed up the melting process.
Step 2
Stir the soap mixture every one to two minutes until it is completely melted. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
Step 3
Fill a small bowl with 1/2 ounce of honey for every 1 pound of soap. Place the honey into a microwave and heat it on high for 15 seconds. Use only 100 percent pure honey; avoid brands with filler items in them.
Step 4
Remove the honey from the microwave and pour it immediately into the liquefied soap base. Stir the mixture to combine the two ingredients well.
Step 5
Add 4 tablespoons of steel-cut oatmeal to the soap mixture for every 1 pound of soap. Stir the mixture to incorporate the oats thoroughly. Remove the pan from the stove burner and turn off the stove.
Step 6
Locate pans or containers that have depths of 2 to 3 inches. Use muffin tins or empty yogurt cups to create round-shaped soap. For traditional bar-shaped soap, opt for bread pans or a shallow baking pan. Grease the inside of each cup or pan thoroughly with vegetable spray.
Step 7
Put on oven mitts and pick up the sauce pan or stock pot. Pour the soap mixture evenly into the greased cups.
Step 8
Lift the pan off the counter by 4 to 5 inches, and then drop it back onto the counter. Repeat the process two or three more times to remove air bubbles from the soap mixture.
Step 9
Let the pan sit undisturbed until the soap is fully hardened, which takes around four hours.
Step 10
Remove the soap from the pan by turning it upside down and gently tapping the bottom with a knife. If necessary, run the knife around the perimeter of each soap bar to release.
Step 11
Cut the soap into evenly sized squares or rectangles, using a sharp, non-serrated knife. You don't need to cut the round soaps.


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A LAW EACH DAY (Keeps Trouble Away)
By Jose C. Sison (The Philippine Star)
By Jose C. Sison (The Philippine Star)
Updated June 06, 2011 12:00 AM
The showdown on the RH bill will reveal the identities of politicians who are really concerned about the welfare of our country and people and not of their own selfish interests. It will tell us whether they personally consulted their constituents and not merely relied on surveys before making a stand for or against the bill. It will tell us whether they have adequately studied the bill and explained to their constituents with clear and convincing arguments, not with deceit and mis-informaton, why they voted for or against the bill.
Our legislators must not employ the same dirty tactics they employed in winning the elections when they explain to their constituents their stand on the bill. Of course some of them have made their position on the bill known even before the elections. But they should not believe they won because of that stand and despite the Church campaign against them. These politicians mainly won not because of their favorable stand on the RH bill. They may not have even explained to their voters what the RH bill is all about or successfully convinced them of the bill's merits. It is highly improbable that those who voted for them were fully apprised of the pros and cons of the bill. Actually these politicians won mainly because of "thousands" and even "millions" of other reasons or "considerations" that are usually the main ingredients of winning elections in this country where politics is no longer based on principles but on money, machinery, and dynasty.
One of the deceitful and misleading reasons so far used in supporting the bill is the belief that controlling population can eradicate poverty; that reducing our population, which is euphemistically called by its authors as "population management" and "responsible parenthood, will spur economic growth. This belief is contrary to P-Noy's ringing campaign pitch in the last election "kung walang corrupt walang mahirap". He obviously saw that corruption, not overpopulation, is the main cause of poverty in this land. Indeed well known economists and demographers have long discredited the Malthusian myth about population growth as stunting the economy. Official government data show "that since a population control program was put in place here in the 1970s – with billions of public money spent to fund it – our population growth has been declining and continues to do so today, yet poverty has not been reduced".
If our leaders and legislators are really after the welfare of our people they would certainly realize that this RH bill on population control is actually a measure to eliminate poverty by reducing our human resource especially the poor; that this bill on "reproductive health" considers pregnancy as a disease which should be prevented by "teaching women – married or single – all methods and techniques to prevent it including abortion or the killing of an innocent and defenseless human being in the mother's womb as confirmed by the authors themselves during committee deliberations when they refused to accept the scientific fact that the beginning of human life is at fertilization of the ovum.
If our leaders are really concerned about our people's welfare, they would certainly not support a bill giving sexual rights to young people and requiring child sex education even if their parents consented to it; they would not support a measure imposing fine and imprisonment on parents, spouses and health workers who impede "sexual and reproductive health rights";they would not support a bill creating a program for fertility control by encouraging the limitation of family size to two children and giving incentives to two child families.
Repeatedly dragging the Church into the controversy and personally attacking some of its prelates simply because of its pro-life and pro-family stand is also wrong. Such mode of arguing for the bill definitely shows the ongoing war between secularism and Christianity. This is a secularism aimed at the "destruction of religion" which "will not be the triumph of secular reason but the introduction of a new barbarism that on the ethical plane is the barbarism of those: who kill the foetus because its life will be detrimental to the mental health (reproductive health) of the mother; who say that an embryo is a blob of cells suitable for experiments; who kills an old person because he no longer has a family to take care of him; and who hasten the death of a child because is no longer conscious and is incurable" (Marcello Pera, President of the Italian Senate from 2001 to 2006).
In said article entitled "Paedophile priests and the Pope", Mr. Pera wrote that "secularists know that if mud were splashed in the white robe, it would stain the church, and if the church is stained, so would the Christian religion" Hence, several papers in the U.S.A. have recently come out with stories of sexual abuse of minors by priests which were blown out of proportion and used to attack the "three pillars of the Catholic system: its moral authority, the priests and the Pope".
The papers in the US particularly the New York Times has not been so honest in presenting the case. "Accusations are gathered since 1940 to come up with a figure of 4,000 paedophile priests in the US… In that country of 300 million people, over 2.5 million students and 763,000 university students in Catholic centers and 20,000 parishes, that is only a little less than 8 reported cases per year (and fewer each time) of paedophile priests reported over half a century (Josep Ardevol, La Vanguardia).
Three horrible cases in the US involving a priest in Wisconsin, two priests in Arizona and one priest in California which all happened in the 1970s were revived in an effort to implicate Pope Benedict XVI or Cardinal Ratzinger whose only involvement was when a request for defrocking landed on his desk. He was accused of cover-up or collusion because in a 2001 letter, he asked the parties to observe secrecy and confidentiality during the trial so that the victims could give their evidence freely and the accused protected until proven guilty. Obviously the letter was not a cover-up or collusion as misreported.
Obviously therefore by dragging the church into the ongoing controversy about the RH bill, a war against Christianity has been declared by this vicious kind of secularism – a war between those who are ready to defend the truth against those who engage in deception and distortion of facts.
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Ella on the move ~ A right jolly old elf ~ Look
who what I found at Target
The little Lord Jesus ~ Silent night, holy night ~ You will find the babe
And why does she need a metal detector? ~ Something blue ~ Pulled pork nachos
The next AI? ~ Louisville favorite ~ Home from NC
Linking up with Dawn at My Home Sweet Home.


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Enjoy a serving of this rich and indulgent treat on special occasions.
Place cream cheese and sugar in blender container. Add milk; cover. Blend on low speed 30 sec.; spoon into medium bowl. Gently stir in coconut, COOL WHIP and almond extract. Spoon into crust. Continue as directed.
Prepare 2 env. DREAM WHIP Whipped Topping as directed on package. Use instead of the COOL WHIP.
Prepare using vanilla extract.
Place completely unwrapped package of cream cheese in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 10 sec. or just until softened. Add 15 sec. for each additional package of cream cheese.
Store any leftover pie in freezer.
Prepare using COOL WHIP Extra Creamy Whipped Topping and/or substituting vanilla extract for the almond extract.
* Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.


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After Mahindra notoriously backed out of a deal with a U.S. supplier, Compact pickup fans are still licking their wounds over the news that the company's trucks won't be coming to our shores anytime soon. As it turns out, Global Vehicles USA may not be the only American company to have been wronged by Mahindra. According to The Post-Standard, electric car start-up Bannon Automotive LLC has filed a law-suit against both Reva Electric Car Company of Bangalore, India and Reva's parent company, Mahi
Reva explains "rescheduling" of pilot production of NXR electric car


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Do dollow link comments
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First of all, I'd like to clarify a few things I've noticed while editing this poll:
- Please make sure your entry is large and clear! I have to enlarge the majority of the pics thus the quality will get worse. Tip: you will have a higher chance of winning if the quality is great. This is just a small fact I've noticed :)
- Do not forget to log in to your Disqus account AND include your username! Guests won't be accepted! This information is mainly for new members.
- Scroll through the entries before creating yours. Members with similar outfits might be excluded.
Please keep checking your Disqus notifications, we always reply under the entries whenever we see a problem. Thanks!
Choose your top 3 favorites!


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I have been looking for ideas to decorate my bedroom walls. A few weeks ago, a friend showed me this idea for wall art. It seemed easy enough to try and the results looked promising so I decided to give it a shot.
The step-by-step procedure and the materials used are listed on that blog so I won't bother with those details here. I do, however, wish to make a few notes for reference —
1. I bought spray paint, foam brushes and acrylic paint from Michaels.
2. We need craft acrylics, not artists' acrylics. Artists' acrylic paints are expensive and not necessary for this simple project. Craft acrylics are about 50-60 cents a bottle.
3. There were so many different kinds of spray paints available at Michaels – it was really confusing! I finally bought one at random. It turned out to be much darker than I thought. I was hoping for a mild off-white background but what I got was a stark cream color. Oh, well.
4. When spray-painting, do it outdoors rather than indoors (irrespective of what the note on the spray can says). You do not want those fumes and mist in your house.
I used a brown Sharpie paint pen for the branches as described in the blog. Here's the canvas with the background and branches painted, right before I started the actual "artsy" stuff —
I made myself a nice, warm cup of spiced chai (seen in pic), put on some music and started "painting" using the coffee table in my living room as a desk. Since the sponge brushes I had were a combination of round and square brushes, it took me longer than expected. After about an hour and a half of mess-making, this was the final product:
I am not particularly thrilled with the result, but not entirely disappointed either. I'm still deciding if this is worthy of wall-mounting. Reader advice is welcome! I still think the cream color background is not working and the rest of the colors have not come together very well. Some of the circles are not perfect round shapes because of the square brushes I used.
In other news, I have still been knitting on and off. While looking for more beginner's level projects, I found this Skating Hat on Ravelry. I made two of these, one following the pattern exactly and the other with a different stitch but the same increasing and decreasing pattern.
Here's one of them, in stockinette stitch:
And that's me, fooling around at a neighborhood cafe with a friend, on a cold February weekend :-) Here's the other one, this time following the Ravelry pattern:
I didn't follow the exact yarn and gauge — I just used whatever I had. That explains why my hat doesn't look like theirs. Mine was 100% Icelandic wool that I bought at the Super Bowl sale at a local yarn store. Another purchase at the sale was a variegated silk-blend handspun wool yarn from Uruguay. It was so pretty, I couldn't pass. I'm still a beginner though and I didn't want to waste the beautiful and expensive yarn on unsuccessful projects. So I chose a simple variation of an equally simple feather and fan scarf. I am almost half way through this project as of now —
Since this is a major project, I may simultaneously start on other smaller projects soon. Other things on my mind include cotton dishcloths with various hard-to-follow patterns and bi-color/multicolor patterns, knitted presents for a friends baby that was born yesterday and another baby in my extended family that is due end-of-summer this year. I just acquired a pair of circular needles so a knitting-in-the-round baby hat may be a good start. I also want to try my hand at some simple embroidery on some baby blankets or bibs.
Another idea is to make wall art for the nursery using felt — it looks baby-ish and cute, is cheap and can be thrown away in a few months when baby is ready for new decor :-) Let's see how it pans out. I will be back next month, reporting progress on the scarf and hopefully at least one other new project.
Last but not the least, here are some more beaded earrings. I am bored of this pattern of earring-making now. I need to look for some new findings for jewelry making. There are plenty of bead stores nearby — I just haven't had the time to explore. I don't wear much jewelry but I must admit I have really enjoyed jewelry making — there's so much room for creativity, infinite possibilities and it's fairly easy even for a craft-challenged person like me. Also, they make cute presents for girl friends, who can never have too many earrings. Although I am not much of a jewelry person (who am I kidding — I am not much of a crafts person either!), I have been wearing more earrings since I started making them and I'm liking it!


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Wednesday, February 12, 2014
New Space
Sorry google blogger, but Jux is better; I've moved.
Posted by Emily at 10:34 PM No comments: Links to this post
Thursday, July 18, 2013
I heart Harlem
Posted by Emily at 7:35 AM No comments: Links to this post
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
If you know what's good for you: Beecher's Cheese Curds
outpost in the flat iron where they peddle their award winning cheeses. Their cheese curds are a thing of beauty. Go eat them. That is all.
Posted by Emily at 1:02 PM No comments: Links to this post
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Redhook Blues
Redhooking. It's the only place I want to be in this city these days of late. Meatballs, King Crab Legs, Burgers, empty streets and sea breezes.
Posted by Emily at 8:38 AM No comments: Links to this post
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
2007 short by Ray Tintori, music by Ben Zeitlin
Posted by Emily at 8:16 AM No comments: Links to this post
Sunday, June 24, 2012
In the Trenches Pt 2
Mels is wearing a vintage Burberry trench in navy that I picked up at Dublin's Wild Child Vintage, almost a decade ago during college years. Her suede boots are Aldo.
Posted by Emily at 11:20 PM 4 comments: Links to this post
Thursday, June 14, 2012
I am fundamentally an introverted shy being. I have however, as this city requires, learned to give the opposite impression. Which is why the majority of my photos are done on a self timer by my lonesome; I enjoy quiet company. But as with anything, I must branch out and I did so by the grace of my stunning roommate yesterday. When the rain spoiled a proposed walk with the dog, I tossed a few vintage trench coats on her, coiffed her hair etc, and marched her to the roof for an impromptu photo series. In this set, she is sporting an Etienne Aigner trench from the 80's (my mum's actually), a silk scarf from Goodwill. Thanks Mels, you are a stunner!
Posted by Emily at 8:48 AM No comments: Links to this post
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars." -Og Mandino
Posted by Emily at 10:16 PM No comments: Links to this post
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Napping in a Lilac Grove
Brooklyn Botanical Gardens are in full Cherry blossom and Lilac swing. I went yesterday and spent six whole hours frolicking. If you're sneaky about it, you can take a nap under a lilac bush. The perfumed breeze was overwhelmingly beautiful.
The cherry blossoms are early thins year, so go soon before the breeze takes them all away!
Posted by Emily at 3:52 PM No comments: Links to this post
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