text: Unite launches the Back Home Safe campaign for offshore workers 06 November 2013 Offshore workers together with Unite, the country's biggest union are launching the 'Back Home Safe' campaign on Wednesday 6 November (see notes to editors), which calls for immediate improvements to the safety of offshore flights. Since August's offshore tragedy, Unite has led an extensive consultation with offshore workers on the current safety of offshore flights. A survey of 532 workers found that over half, 50.7 per cent of workers are not confident about the safety of offshore helicopter flights. A further 81 per cent of workers said that their level of confidence in helicopter flights had decreased in the last 12 months. Our consultation shows that the vast majority of offshore workers are calling for: • increased investment to create a larger offshore fleet • changes to the internal seat configuration on offshore helicopters • changes to the design of helicopters used for passenger transfers offshore • internal emergency lighting fitted to helicopters to aid evacuation • immediate implementation of all safety recommendations from past offshore helicopter incidents • independent review to improve contingencies in the event of a ditching (to maximise the survival time for workers) • improved survival equipment and training for workers. Unite regional officer Tommy Campbell said: "Offshore workers are launching a really important campaign to improve offshore safety and to save lives. Unite has spoken to hundreds of offshore workers who have clearly expressed their legitimate concerns but they have also made concrete proposals to improve safety. "Over 1500 offshore workers have already backed a petition calling for action which will be presented to Oil and Gas UK next month. Overwhelmingly offshore workers are demanding action from the industry to improve the safety of offshore helicopter flights - Oil and Gas UK must now act." ENDS The campaign will be launched by Tommy Campbell Unite regional officer with Chris Gordon from Thompsons solicitors and Unite offshore representatives in attendance. For more information or to attend the event contact Willie Thomson on 07810 157 910. Alternatively contact Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931 315. Notes to editors: The campaign launch will take place at: Where: Unite Office 42-44 King Street Aberdeen AB24 2JT When: Wednesday 6 November Time: 10:30 – 11:30 Twitter @BackHomeSafe Facebook Unite is Britain and Ireland's largest trade union with 1.4 million members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Len McCluskey.


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Today in 1976 the compilation album "The Best Of Abba" re-entered the Netherlands album chart where it spent 53 weeks including 9 weeks at number 1...
Sunday, 30 April 2017
May 2017
Frida Picture
Abba Date - 30th April 1983
Today in 1983 Frida's single "Here We'll Stay" entered the National Hitparade chart in the Netherlands where it reached number 34...
Abba Date - 30th April 1972
Today in 1972 Abba, or as they were known at the time Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid, appeared on Swedish TV for the first time as a group where they performed "People Need Love"...
Saturday, 29 April 2017
April 1971
Photo Shoot
April 1971
Photo Shoot
Friday, 28 April 2017
Photo Shoot
Abba Advert
Abba Date - April 29th 1975
Today in 1975 Abba's third album "Abba" entered the Swedish charts where it spent 16 weeks at the top of the charts...
Abba Date - April 28th 1988
Today in 1988 Benny, Bjorn and Frida all attended the premier of "Chess" at the Imperial Theatre in Broadway....
Thursday, 27 April 2017
Abba Date - 28th April 1984
On the 28th April 1984 the Abba compilation album "I Love Abba" entered the Billboard chart in America...
Abba Date - 28th April 1975
Along with videos for "Bang-A-Boomerang", "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" and "Mamma Mia" Abba also filmed the video for "S.O.S" over the 28th and 29th April 1975...
Abba Date - 28th April 1975
Abba Date - 28th April 1975
The video for Abba's single "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" was filmed over the 28th and 29th April 1975...
Abba Date - 28th April 1975
Wednesday, 26 April 2017
Photo Shoot
Abba Date - 27th April 1969
On the 27th April 1969 Frida's single "Harlig Ar Var Jord" ("Our Earth Is Wonderful") entered the Swedish Svensktoppen chart where it reached number 8...
Photo Shoot
At the end of the filming of the TV special "Dick Cavett Meets Abba" the group posed for these photos...
TV Special
TV Special
Abba Date - 27th April 1981
On the 27th April 1981 Abba started filming the TV special "Dick Cavett Meets Abba" in Stockholm which featured an interview with the group and performances of several tracks including "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme", "Super Trouper", "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and "Thank You For The Music".
This picture shows the group rehearsing for the show...
Abba Date - 26th April 1999
On the 26th April 1999 "Abba Gold" re-entered the album chart in Sweden where it would stay for another 41 weeks including 8 weeks at number 1...
Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Abba Date - 26th April 1979
On the 26th April 1979 Abba's latest album "Voulez-Vous" entered the Norwegian charts where it spent 6 weeks at number 1...
Abba Singles
Photo Shoot
Photo Shoot
Abba Date - 26th April 1982
Today in 1982 Abba's single "When All Is Said And Done" entered the Australian charts where it reached number 81...
Abba Date - 25th April 1973
On the 25th April 1973 Abba's first album "Ring Ring" entered the charts in Norway where it stayed for 16 weeks reaching number 10...
Monday, 24 April 2017
Abba Date - 25th April 1977
Photo Shoot
Abba EP
I recently found details of this four track EP from Thailand which includes Abba's single "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" which was released in 1975 - I am assuming that this is a bootleg release however I would still be interested in adding it to my collection...
Sunday, 23 April 2017
Abba Photo Shoot
Wish List
Waterloo Advert
Abba EP
This Abba EP was released in Japan in 1977 and included the following tracks -
- Fernando
- Hole In Your Soul
- Knowing Me, Knowing You
- When I Kissed The Teacher
Saturday, 22 April 2017
Abba Compilation
This Readers Digest Abba compilation was released in the UK in 1989 and included the following tracks -
Side 1
- Waterloo
- Mamma Mia
- Fernando
- Dancing Queen
- Knowing Me, Knowing You
- Money, Money, Money
- Summer Night City
Side 2
- Take A Chance On Me
- The Name Of The Game
- Chiquitita
- Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
- Super Trouper
- The Winner Takes It All
Abba Compilation
This Abba compilation was released in West Germany in 1976 and includes original Abba tracks as well as recordings of the groups songs by other artists - this is one that I would love to add to my collection....
Photo Shoot
Mexican Single
Abba's "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" single from Mexico which was originally released during April 1975...
Friday, 21 April 2017
Photo Shoot
Comic Strip
Abba Date - 22nd April 1983
Today in 1983 Agnetha appeared on the Swedish TV show Nojesmaskinen (Entertainment Machine) where she performed her single "The Heat Is On"...
Abba Magazine No. 23
Issue number 23 of the Abba Magazine was published in April 1980 - the front cover showed a picture of the group at Heathrow Airport in London prior to flying to Tokyo for the concerts scheduled in Japan.
The main focus of the editorial section was around the Spanish language album which was being previewed for Spanish and South American record executives at a music business event in France.
The magazine itself included three main articles, the first covered behind the scenes activities during the 1979 tour, the second discussed John Spaldings work for the group and lastly reviews and feedback from the 1979 concert from fans.
The on-going Abba story in comic book format reached part 8 which included the groups visit to America in 1975 and the Abba-mania in Australia.

subset: commoncrawl


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The brief dustup over the attempt by the White House to 'shield' Petraeus and Crocker from Congressional testimony appears to be over. The White House has signalled that they will be available for testimony:
The White House promised Thursday to allow Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, to testify in open session before congressional committees, denying reports that the administration had sought only private meetings with lawmakers.
"General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will testify to the Congress in both open as well as closed sessions. ... That has always been our intention," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters.
So expect to be treated to 'questions' of more than 7 minutes from some Senators, and more appearances like this one. Will the Democratic leadership be more or less likely to sway the public if they insist that Petraeus get a soapbox to discuss his views on Iraq (instead of say, Condi Rice). I say less:
See also the Politico and the Hill.


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Check it out!
Commentary, reviews and news about games played by adults looking for a challenge.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Ogre unboxing on YouTube
Posted by Seth Owen at 12:01 PM
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Labels: Ogre, Steve Jackson
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Wilfred Owen
Dulce Et Decorum Est
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.
GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!-- An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.--
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Posted by Seth Owen at 7:53 PM
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Labels: Wilfred Owen, World War I
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Our Katarina wasn't quite so cute, but we had a good time as Katarina the Outlaw (Nate), The Scarlet Shadow (Kenn) and Brother Marcus (Seth) battled the Dreamweaver to save the town of Shadowbrook.
We played the game cooperatively, which made the villain tougher, but our heroes were up for the challenge.
The death toll was actually pretty low, all things considered. There were no cries of "murder" in the countryside. Three of the town elders were killed by the Dreamweaver -- Lord and Lady Handbrook, as well as Magistrate Kroft. Sophie the Midwife was turned to Sophie the Vixen and fought in the showdown alongside the Dreamweaver. Reverend Harding and Doctor Manning joined our three heroes and a body of militia for the final showdown, which the heroes were able to win while only losing the good pastor. Not bad.
The key to the heroes success was that they drew a large number of useful event cards that came in handy during the final showdown while the Dreamweaver's minions never arrive din large numbers and most of the ones that did arrive were dispatched easily. The only hero who spent some time KO's was the Scarlet Shadow.
Every hero was able to contribute a lot to the eventual victory through good cooperation and a little bit of luck. The Dreamweaver villain is from The Coast expansion. Her minions were not too dangerous and her own Dream Attacks were rarely able to be enough of a setback.
Katarina is from the base A Touch of Evil game, Brother Marcus is from the Something Wicked expansion and The Scarlet Shadow comes from Hero Pack One.
I liked Brother Marcus, it was a little annoying not to be able to use a gun, but it had little effect on combat because he can use his high "spirit" to fight instead.
There was a positive response, so another game will probably be scheduled before long.
Posted by Seth Owen at 5:36 PM
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Labels: A Touch of Evil, Flying Frog Productions
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I attended Ad:tech NY this week. As part of the re-launch of Infolinks, our company sponsored a session in which I presented, we arranged for a meeting room (which got a ton of use by the five folks from Infolinks who attended the show), and we had a full page ad in the conference handbook. But the most challenging thing I did was participate in a web video interview.
|Video set up before they started filming


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I had the opportunity to see We Live in Public tagged "the story of the greatest Internet pioneer you never heard of." I already forgot his name. Josh something or other. While he may have been intelligent and intuitive enough to see the future of electronic communication–social networking, user created content etc.–back when only a few insider geeks were exchanging e-mailmuch of his so-called genius was really an expression of deep rooted emotional/psychological issues. Sure, show me an artist who's emotionally stable and I'll show you a poser, but there are degrees of neuroses.
None of that is to reflect poorly on the film. The documentary film which the festival will open with, is a fascinating portrayal of an unlikeable, creative, opportunistic, sad figure during the dawn of the technology revolution when people didn't know any better.
For me the most poignant and maybe even salient aspect of Josh's journey to virtual fame and relative fortune then failure and irrelevance, is his emotional relationship with electronic media. It proves that human contact is not essential in order to feel and relate, but electronic interaction may not be the healthiest path to connectivity.
Josh was raised on TV. It was his mother, father, brother, sister. Later, in the form of web broadcasting it would become his lover. In the film Josh says something to the effect that Gilligan was his biggest influence. Well into his adult life, he pursued his fantasies of living out the story of Gilligan's Island.
His great contribution to the whole virtual experiment was his "quiet" project, where people were locked into a communal living situation where every moment was committed to video and broadcast live. Participants were essentially owned by Josh, and a decade later he would attempt to sell them back their lives digitally. Those involved (citizens of quiet) became comfortable being watched in bed, at the table, on the toilet, in the shower, having sex, shooting guns, being interrogated and finally falling apart.
Admittedly, it was an brilliant if somewhat mean-spirited exercise. While most of the participants moved on, Josh's craving to be watched took a new, even more intimate turn as he and his girlfriend broadcast on webcam every moment spent at home while strangers chatted with them and about them.
Ultimately Josh failed to harness the internet for practical and lucrative purposes. (This could actually qualify him as an artist). Unable to distance himself emotionally from the medium, he lost out. Toward the end of the film, we see him attempt to sell his ideas to the founder of MySpace. It's perhaps the most powerful scene in the film, because after everything, he is unrecognized and his love of the Web goes, once again, unrequited.
All hope is not lost, though. He finds peace and perhaps finally purpose in the unlikeliest, yet most necessary of environments.
You will have to see the film to find out. It screens on Thursday, March 25, 5:30 p.m. at the Lodge. For a complete schedule of films screening at the festival, visit the official Ventura Film Society Web site.


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Posted on
5th August 2016, by
Moneycorp Dealer Team, moneycorp
Paradoxically, the Japanese prime minister's confirmation on Monday that he would spend vast amounts of money on economic stimulus was positive both for the yen and the commodity-oriented currencies. The Canadian dollar strengthened by less than its antipodean peers, held back by news that the US economy grew by only 0.3%, less than half the expected amount, in the second quarter. It still managed to pick up four fifths of a US cent and went up by two and a half cents against sterling.
The pound's problem was Thursday's policy announcement by the Bank of England, which delivered much more than the expected quarter-percentage-point interest rate cut, from 0.5% to 0.25%. Not only did the Old Lady announce a fresh round of quantitative easing, the governor also made clear that Bank Rate could move even closer to zero before the end of the year. Sterling fell two cents in minutes.
TTT Moneycorp Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for the provision of payment services.


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Durga Puja 2016 Siliguri latest updates , Durga Puja 2016 SMS Collections, Durga Puja Video Greetings, Durga Puja Pandal Details, Durga Puja 2016 Wallpapers and Pics and many more ..
Durga Puja 2014, Siliguri: Agrani Sangha located in NJP is going to celebrate 57th anniversary of Durga Puja and the preparation ongoing with fanfare for this special occasion by Puja Committee. This year the Puja Committee has decided to prepare Durga Puja Pandal in South Indian style to attract visitors. The Puja Pandal will produce the magnificent look of South Indian Temple. Pandal decoration is ongoing by team of 108 decorators under supervision of local artist Shyamal Sarkar.For Pandal decoration the team is using Golden Foil, Thermo Cole and Plywood.
On the behalf of Durga Puja committee, Mr. Manoj Sahani said that the overall budget is estimated to 15 to 16 lakhs. The Maa Durga idol is also being designed using Golden Foil by sculptor, Alpana Sarkar at Aurvinda Pally. The Lighting will be decorated by the team of Chandannagar, West Bengal. The Puja Committee will follow the rules according to Fire Department for fire safety.
Beside this various social and cultural activities are to be held during durga puja to make this event grand success.


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Rewarding Exploration
Divinity: Original Sin 2 rewards exploration. The world is full of fabulous places, intriguing creatures, and interesting people to talk to... or kill. It's a huge open world with hours of hidden content.
Multiple ways to solve the problem
Need to get past a locked gate? Do the guard a favour so he lets you in, or just kill him and pluck the key from his corpse. Or pick his pocket. Or pick the lock. Or teleport past, if you're magically inclined? Whatever way you choose to solve a challenge, Divinity: Original Sin 2 always rewards creativity.
Break the Game!
Don't be limited by RPG rules; create your own. Can't find the key to the door? Smash it with a fireball! Want to get a fancy chest lying in the cave you don't know how to access? Teleport it! We give you the tools and the freedom you need to solve any quest the way you want.
Talk to Animals and Ghosts
Thanks to talents like Pet Pal and Spirit Vision, you can unlock new quests and secrets by speaking to animals and ghosts. No one knows a dungeon better than the rat who lives there. And death doesn't always mark the end of a quest - you can always talk to the ghosts of the fallen!


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I've been living it up in Southwestern Washington, hanging with my pal Ann and her family. Yesterday, after I had warned Ann that I was seriously out of shape (under-promise and over-deliver, as she likes to say), she took me to the Columbia River Gorge for a 4.6-mile (roundtrip) hike to Angel's Rest. The view was spectacular and, thanks to the Advil I had stowed in my butt pack, I made it almost all the way down before my knees locked up on me.
Today, was all about Portland and crafts, as we met with a couple of crafty authors for breakfast, hit several shops on NE Alberta (namely, Bolt, Close Knit, and Collage), and swung by the launch party for the latest issue of Craft magazine. I almost fell asleep in the chair when we stopped for pedicures on the way home.
Life is pretty great.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Gorge-ing myself
Posted by Jennifer Worick at 9:12 PM
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(If you just sang, "...filled with many colors..." then I love you just a little bit more!)
|Isn't our backyard the BEST?!
What is it about a rainbow that instantly fills you with child-like excitement?
Last week, as I let Maddy out for her morning ritual, I glanced to the West and saw a HUGE, vibrant, double rainbow spanning the entire cornfield. It's rare to even see a rainbow, let alone both ends and then for it to be doubled. So what did I do? I raced inside, grabbed the camera, frantically looked around for the memory card to shove inside as I ran back out to our deck. The rainbow was already beginning to fade, and drops of rain were beginning to fall. I took a few quick pics and then ran to the master bathroom, where M was busy shaving for the morning.
"Look outside! Look outside!" I squealed as I tugged open the blinds in our bathroom. Of course, the rainbow was vanishing as we spoke so I shuffled him out to the deck where he could see it better. Just as we stepped outside, the tiniest bit of color faded from the rainbow and we were left looking at a cloudy sky.
I was so sad. I wanted to share "my rainbow" with him. It instantly occurred to me that this feeling was so child-like. When I see something new, exciting, or out of the ordinary, the first thing I want to do is share it with the people I love.
As the mother of a toddler, someone is always sharing his new discoveries with me. Leaves, stars, the moon, bugs, hairdryers, drumsticks, bird baths, worms, music, balls, and even movements like jumping, falling, climbing, swinging, pedaling, and rolling. At times, it's overwhelming for me to constantly listen to his tiny voice pointing out the everyday objects around us "Look Mama! A birdie! Look Mommy! A plane--way high!". But I'm trying to stop, to listen, and to share his excitement, by remembering that all of these little things are kind of like my rainbow.
"Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big. Because to them, all of it has always been big stuff." --Catherine M. Wallace


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We publish this letter in support of the occupiers at Berkeley's Wheeler Hall from UCI Graduate Student, Emma Heaney, in its entirety as it appears in occupyca.
Of Many Tasers and Batons, a Few Torches and Rocks, and the Way Forward
The actions and arrests that occurred on Friday night at Chancellor Birgeneau's residence have provoked a moment of pause and recalibration among those of us involved in the anti-privatization movement in UC. The facts about what happened that night are unclear. No charges were filed at the arraignments of those who were arrested and held in jail for four days on bail of $132,000. It would seem that, at the moment, there is no evidence to support the accusations of multiple felonies for which they were detained. At a time when people are considering the initial rush to judge and condemn, we should remember that lives are ruined by police accusations that those inside and outside the movement circulate as fact. Let us take this opportunity to affirm absolutely that the reaction to last Friday's events must take place as a conversation among those who have been engaged in the defense of public education in California: the workers, students, and faculty who have risked much in pursuit of overturning the policies approved on November 19th at UCLA. The current UC President Mark Yudof, enabled by the tacit support of Chancellors, implemented the endgame of a process that will see our libraries close at 8 pm., our campus workers fired, and public education increasingly become a commodity for the wealthy to purchase. These offices are now engaged in a dishonest and insulting rhetorical game of misdirection that encourages students to address their rage to an abstraction called "Sacramento" in lieu of directing it at the flesh and blood people – Governor, UC Presidents, Regents and Chancellors — who penned, signed, and excused this gross betrayal of California public life. Part of this campaign to misdirect the message of the movement was the governor's supremely irresponsible labeling of the actions of a few protestors on Friday as "terrorism," equating the smashing of planters and the throwing of rocks at windows with acts of mass murder. One need not condone the vandalism that occurred at Chancellor Birgeneau's on Friday night to condemn this abuse of language and logic and to worry about its dangerous effects. It would be laughable if not for the fact that such political posturing has material consequences for the lives of individuals and movements. We now know that there is insufficient evidence to charge those held in jail with vandalism, let alone to support the charges made by the Governor and the Chancellor's office. We add this to the list of good reasons to mistrust reports issued by Chancellor Birgeneau and his Public Relations spokesperson Dan Mogulof. After the occupation of Wheeler Hall on November 20th, Mogulof claimed that those inside the building were not Berkeley students. There was no reason for the Chancellor and Mogulof to believe this and so we are left to assume that this was misinformation knowingly circulated. In an impromptu press conference held in front of Sproul Hall on Saturday, Mogulof affirmed again and again that the arrests at Wheeler early Friday morning were made in order to "prevent at all costs a scene like the one on November 20th." This statement, heard by faculty, students and workers who were present, confirms that contrary to the Chancellor's official statements of concern, these arrests represented a tactic in the effort to suppress student activism at Berkeley. If Mr. Birgeneau was simply concerned with clearing the building, certainly police would have issued an order to disperse to each of the occupants and allowed students the choice to take a civil disobedience arrest, or to leave. We are left to assume that the spectacle of students hand-cuffed in the rain was a PR goal for the Chancellor. Let's not allow the public response to Friday's action, whatever the facts turn out to be, to further excuse a policy of student intimidation that was underway prior to acts of property damage and intimidation. Let us not forget who perpetrated the previous violence on our campuses this year, and on whose orders. I urge the faculty, if they are uncomfortable with any tactic or ideology connected with this student movement going forward, to resist relying on spokespeople who have circulated lies. Ask a student what the environment was like in Wheeler prior to the mass arrests. Ask a student what students and workers are saying about the vandalism at the Chancellor's house and how it has affected student activism as a whole on campus. Given the complete exoneration of those arrested we should vow to remember next time that while activists remain in jail, the in-house conversation can be nuanced and critical but the public comment should strive for solidarity and at all costs should avoid circulating the unverified (and in this case utterly, absurdly false) claims of the administration and the police. Faculty need not condone the acts of the few in order to express concern for the wrongfully jailed and renew a commitment to the mission and tactics of the larger UC-wide student movement: to resist the long pre-meditated and ideological policy of Governor Schwarzenegger and his appointee Mark Yudof to replace a public trust with a private concern and to take money out of the pockets of poor, working and middle class students and workers and put it into the pockets of the wealthy, their own and those of their under-taxed class mates.
In Solidarity,
Emma Heaney
UC-Irvine Graduate Student, Department of Comparative Literature


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Welcome to my digital writing journal, or mydigitalclutter. What started as a family blog almost two years ago has morphed into my writing therapy. This is where I do a lot of free writing, mostly about my life with my family and the things that catch my interest. While nowhere even close to perfect, in each post I like to see how my writing is changing with time and practice. Most posts are left unedited for this reason, so if you don't mind, take the journey with me.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Here are a few new desktops that I have used to update my computer. The first one is one I made, from Scrap Orchard's March Mega Kit. The second is the free desktop from Shabby Princes, and the last is from Shabby Miss Jenn. I need to get my camera out and get some new pictures of my kids. I realize it is April tomorrow and I haven't taken hardly any pictures so far since January. I'm ready for some SPRING, and since the weather isn't cooperating outside, I have to compensate somehow!
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 8:56 PM 0 Lovely Scribbles to Me
April Fools Memories!
I have a very fond memory of an April Fool's day prank that was spectacular in my adolescent mind. My mom, brothers, and I planned to surprise my dad with an overflowing toilet prank. As soon as he got home we started yelling that the toilet was overflowing. What made this a fantastic prank was the fact that we had two bathrooms, one up, one down. When he headed to the downstairs one, we all yelled that he needed to run upstairs because it was the upstairs toilet. Being the great sport that he was, he ran up the stairs. Of course we all thought that we should then tell him that it was the downstairs toilet and so we started yelling for him to check on that one. Of course, looking back, this was such a pedestrian prank, not worthy of any real prankster awards. We kids thought it was the best thing we had ever done and laughed until we couldn't laugh any more. With a number of years to look back on this, I'm sure my dad was playing along and never really believed that the toilets were overflowing. He was so good to humor us little kids.
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 8:38 PM 0 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Need to be a better mother
If I could only bottle the stubbornness of my second child; I could inject him with it at the age of 12 to stand strong against peer pressure.
The other morning was a difficult one and I left for work chastising myself, feeling like I was a terrible mother, and wondering if I should just drive off and never return.
It all started with a fight about socks. Yes. Socks. Nige didn't want to wear the socks that were in his drawer. Then, after finding something he would wear, there was the fight over snow boots and tennis shoes, with him flinging whatever he was wearing across his bedroom. After a lot of quietly informing him of the unacceptability of his actions, I got to point that I just couldn't take it any more. I yelled. Yes, I yelled. Looking at the sweet face above, I have a hard time believing that I could even look at the kid cross-eyed, let alone yell. But I did. It wasn't pretty. In the throes of a temper tantrum, tears and sobs included, I was yelling at him. I just made him cry harder. The kid couldn't be persuaded to do anything he wasn't willing to do.
After taking him to the sitter's house, and spending at least 5 minutes talking to him about going in, and his pleas of asking to be taken to work with me, I left for work, tears streaming down my face. Nigel is six. He is too young to know what buttons to push on me isn't he? Or has he some devious idea of how much this tore my heart into tiny pieces? I was betting on the second option that morning.
I've tried to narrow down what causes the cataclysmic meltdowns on this kid. There doesn't seem to by any rhyme or reason, but they just come and devastate me all the same. This morning it is all about taking a bath and getting ready for the Primary activity in an hour. Not to mention eating a cold piece of Ghiradelli pizza from Pier 49 that has been in the fridge overnight. Sorry kid, mom gets to win on that one hands down, no amount of tears will sway me!
So, after all of that, I just sit back and wonder how I can be a better mother to this kid. How come he is just so darn stubborn and no amount of cajoling and threats seem to make him do anything he doesn't want to? I suppose his spirit is just some sort of super spirit, saved for the last days when he can resist anything. Even his mom.
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 9:02 AM 4 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Scribbles about: Nigel
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
A new read...The Goose Girl
I just finished up with the Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. While I think it was a good story, it was a bit slow for me.
There have been mumblings about this story for some time and I've even had a couple of friends recommend it to me after I finished the Twilight series a couple of months ago. I think part of my problem was that I had heard all the hype about this book and came into it with expectations that weren't realistic. This book is, suitable so, in the teen section at the bookstore and carries with it a very good adaptation of the fairy tale. It just didn't have the action that I had anticipated.
Will I re-read it? Yes. I think I will even read it to Abbie out loud. There is nothing there that she wouldn't be able to read herself, but there are some words that she would struggle with because they are difficult names, etc. It is a story she would enjoy.
I think I will try to read the other books in Hales' Beyern series as well as some of her others. From what I understand, this was her first book and she is bound to be an author that I will enjoy more and more as she produces more work.
This must not be a very glowing review, but I did enjoy the book. Perhaps I've been spoilt by some authors who are more verbose and action packed, and in the adult section of the bookstore. Or perhaps I just need to re-read and spend a little more time looking for the hidden nuances that I'm sure are there.
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 5:13 PM 1 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Scribbles about: books
Friday, March 20, 2009
Time for some spring-like Vera!
It has been a rough day. All my dear sweetlings are sick in one way or another. Nigel has had a stiff neck due to his lymph node being inflamed and causing a muscle spasm. Try telling a 6-year old that you need to massage his neck, when he screams in pain!! Not fun. The other two are sick with the cough and fever that Nigel had last week.
So, in order to give me what help he could, Daniel sent me off with two of his gift cards to spend. I went to Deseret Book and ended up with a super cute wristlet from Vera Bradley. It is perfect as a wallet, but also as a phone holder, and even a little tiny purse if I don't want to take something big. It was just the touch of spring I needed.
So sad that there are days when only retail therapy seems to work. I though I was doing so well, but Daniel didn't think so. Off I went, and sadly, today it was what I needed to get myself back on track to nurse my sweet cuties back to health!
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 7:14 PM 2 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
I so enjoy visiting!
I love bookstores. In fact, I love the library! Now, let's be honest, I love anywhere books are located.
Tonight was the night, with Dan in class, mom and the kids get to goof off a little bit. So, after indulging in some Noodles and Co, we ran an errand to Barnes and Noble. No, it wasn't a necessary errand, like running to the grocery store for milk, but it was a very nice little breather for me to surround myself with so much literary presence. We spent a little time in the kids' section of the store and I came across some old favorites from my youth.
One book that I remember reading and really wanted Abbie to take a bit of, is Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski. I can't remember how old I was when I read this book, but I had my very own paperback copy that I bought through the Scholastic Book orders. They also had the entire series of Little House books by Laura Ingles Wilder and some all time favorites, Beverly Cleary.
Abbie ended up getting the first Harry Potter book, in paperback, since we have the hard back book, but didn't want it to get too abused. In ways I was disappointed that she didn't jump into some sentimental favorites, I'm glad that she is interested in reading, if just a little bit. For as much as Abbie and I are alike, we are vastly different in that I love reading, she doesn't, she loves math, and I don't. I hope that she will someday emerge a stellar reader. I'm sure it will take a while, but usually, everyone finds something that they enjoy reading, at least that is my hope. Perhaps Harry Potter will do the trick, it has for many other children.
Walking the rows of books in the store, the heavy coffee smell wafting around us, I felt comfortable. I could spend hours browsing, reading the book jackets, accumulating a stack for the register. Hmmm, perhaps I need to get the Kindle. That way I can read to my hearts content, without creating stacks of books to shelve or return to the library. Or better yet, they can have an electronic Kindle library....nope, no hope there.
Perhaps I'll sit down and go through the boxes of my old stuff and see if any of my books are still there. Probably not. Maybe after the first Harry Potter, Abbie will be interested in some of my old favorites and we can share them together. Or maybe she is from a different generation and those won't hold any interest for her at all. But shouldn't every girl read the Little House books.
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 7:18 PM 1 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Monday, March 16, 2009
Modern Day Convenience
Mondays are alway hectic at our house. Between getting home from school, homework, piano lessons, dinner, and family home evening, there isn't much time to do anything!
Okay, so that really isn't true. Tonight, as Dan and the kids were outside shoveling dirt (we are re-doing the front yard and need to remove a couple more TONS of dirt), I was inside making dinner. I started to think back to the "olden days" and how easy I have it now compared to then. For example, as I was cooking the hamburger for our spaghetti sauce, I was also loading the washing machine to wash towels. Once that was done, I was loading the dishwasher with dishes that need to be washed. To top it off, I was able to delay that start until 11:00 pm tonight! How easy do I have it?!? EASY!
I started thinking about how my dear sweet ancestors could truly only do one thing at a time with their household chores. The wash was seriously a full day event, and forget having dinner that night! How could you spend the day washing and still have time to cook? Somehow they did it.
I complain far too often about how much work there is around the house for me. I know that working full time with a full time mother load for two children, not to mention wifely responsibilities somehow overshadows the housewife role. It just doesn't even come close to where I want to spend my time. I complain that the loads of laundry are never ending and that there is dried toothpaste on the bathroom counter of my kids bathroom. Is that truly anyway to think?
To be honest, I have to sprinkle in some gratitude here and there, or I may forget how simple my life is. Oh, I know that there are more gadgets and activities to go around that eat up sweet chunks of precious time, but putting that aside, I have it made. In a couple hours each evening, I can make sure that my children are dressing in clean clothes (when the clothes make it to the hamper...or are mine the only children that hoard dirty clothes in their rooms?) and we all have at least one semi-healthy meal a day.
So, I sit here while my noodles are boiling, my wash is running and my dishes are sitting on a delay timer, somewhat coveting the washing machine in the picture above (hence the extremely large size). See, although I have it made, the human side of me wants just that little bit more. When will I ever learn?
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 6:33 PM 1 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Warm Fuzzy: Validation
I love this video!!!!! Take a look and have a warm fuzzy moment! It will make your day! I promise!
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 2:58 PM 0 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Scribbles about: videos
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
I like the word evocative. I'm not sure why it rolls off the tongue with such sweet pleasure. By those who don't know what it means, it has a brush with danger, something close to erotic, and maybe that is why it is such a fun word to say. Some will give me a strange look if I drop that word in conversation, and to be honest, I am not sure that some people have a clue as to what I'm saying. They smile and nod and I think that I have lost them along the way somehow.
I'm not going to say that I know a lot of words, because I don't. Yes, I someday hope to own my very own copy of the Oxford Writers Dictionary/Thesaurus, and increase my vocabulary substantially. For now, I am content to look up words that I come across and don't know. I love to see where they come from, and how they have evolved over time.
During college, I took several linguistics classes that delved into many facets of the English language. 7:30 am in the Taggart Student Center for anyone wondering. It was hard to stay awake and listen to the little professor (for some reason I can see him in my mind, but can't think of his name to save my life) drone on and on about parsing and VOS, SOV, frontal/labial stops. Something must have sunk in because I remember loving the content of the class, not so much the teacher.
There are days I think that I must be a linguistic genius. Today the question was posed by someone in my office, "Is 'hyphenate' a word?" Let me just say, I work in higher education!! Don't you think that at some point someone would have learned that hyphenate is a word and used frequently? Of course, this comes from the individual that asked if states were just miniature countries and if California had its own money system. I suppose I shouldn't be so hard on her. She doesn't read much. She thinks it is a waste of time.
So back to my word 'evocative'. I like to say it. I enjoy how it feels in my mouth when I do. Perhaps tomorrow, I'll have a new word that is fun to say and drop it in conversation with some unsuspecting individual!
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 12:10 PM 1 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Monday, March 9, 2009
Kitchen Dreams
I remember as a little girl, watching my mom in the kitchen, baking up all sorts of goodies. I would sit on the counter, or stand on a kitchen chair and watch as the baking soda, vanilla, and a little flour and sugar would create chocolate chip cookies or cake.
In fact, there was a time while we were living in Brigham City (I may have been about four at this time) I sat on the counter and sang "Cinnamon, cinnamon, who's got the cinnamon" from a road show or something that I had seen. I remember my parents laughing at/with me and I was certain that working in the kitchen was special.
I've always like to cook and bake, but I don't do it often enough. I was making yeast bread by the time I was twelve, and loved the process, even if it seemed to take all day. I learned how to put up peaches, and even did them by myself the year I graduated high school. That all seemed to end when I went away to college.
Living in an apartment with three other girls did not make for easy food storage, of even the smallest variety. I had one side of a cupboard for my staples and whatever else I needed, generally Rice-a-Roni. I didn't buy things like baking soda because I didn't use it. I spent as little time as possible in the kitchen, and when I did cook, I wasn't about to bake four dozen cookies for me to eat by myself. Oh, I know, there were guys next door that would have polished them off for me, but that is another blog post entirely! I do remember making Daniel a cake for his birthday when we were first engaged, but even that wasn't really baking. That was just a sorry mix! Anyway, I digress. I would often dream about the time when I would have my own kitchen, with all the staples that I had at my disposal at my parent's house. I knew that with a few ingredients I could go to the cabinet at any time and make chocolate chip cookies. It caused me a great deal of stress to think that I really couldn't cook in my temporary apartment like I had at home, or like I really wanted to.
Today when I got home from work, I had a bit of energy and decided that I needed to use up the blackened bananas and make banana bread. Then I though about the fresh raspberry jam my mom made over the weekend and how divine that would be with homemade bread. I got to work right away, made the bread dough and set it to rise while the banana bread baked. As I started to put away the ingredients back into the cupboard, I looked at my hand and it was holding a box of baking soda. All of a sudden it hit me. I had my own kitchen. In fact, I've had my own kitchen for many years now. I have baking soda in my cupboard, and a couple of boxes downstairs in the storage room. I have also reached that pinnacle of being in a place I remember my mom being; I have supplies. I have staples. I can make chocolate chip cookies anytime I want! I don't have to worry about invading anyone else's space. I have at least three other mouths to help me devour the cookies, warm from the oven. I can even take some to neighbors if I so desire!
Why is a box of baking soda such a status symbol? I'm not sure. All I know is that there is a small sense of security now that was always lacking in my temporary apartments during college. Is that orange box of soda what makes a house a home? I guess it is if your house is filled with the smells of baking banana bread and the moist yeasty scent of rising dough.
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 4:41 PM 1 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Scribbles about: Baking, Various Ramblings
Sunday, March 8, 2009
I'm not a SNOB!
Disclaimer: If you are a fan of Golden Corral, I apologize up front, and in no way mean to offend you or anyone you know. I suppose that this can be funny or not...it just depends on your point of view!
In Daniel's family, we have started going out to dinner to celebrate the happy event of a birthday. Sometimes the birthday boy or girl gets to choose where we go with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins that can make it. More often than not, we end up at Golden Corral. Last night we celebrated Nigel's birthday along with Dan's sister Sonja's. It wasn't a happy experience.
First, we were supposed to have a room booked because there were 15 of us attending dinner. When we got there, they tried to put us in with someone else's family, and looked at us like we had grown two heads when we tried to explain that we were the first to arrive and the group in the banquet room was NOT our family. Luckily they had a couple of free tables in a corner, so after pushing tables together and jumbling seats around, we had seating for all 15 of us.
Now for some observations. In the past, I've determined that there is a certain, personality, shall I say, that patronized the GC. Let's start with some of those I caught a glimpse of last night.
What comes to mind when a women, somewhere is her mid to late 40's walks in with her family, dressed in a black lace, long sleeved undershirt, over the top of a teal blue, sequined encrusted top, over very faded and ripped denim capri pants. If it is anything like what came to my mind, I'm sure you were looking up the phone number for "What Not to Wear" and wanted to whip out your video camera for some secret footage. To top off this elegant ensemble, she was sporting some pretty sweet 80's hair, complete with the skunk motif of black roots and bleach blonde ends. The sad thing here is that I'm not exaggerating how ridiculous she looked. I'm sure she was thinking when she left her house that she was 'all that and a bag of chips', but sadly to say, she was a few chips shy of all that, let alone the bag.
Another table proved valuable, if somewhat disturbing entertainment. A small group of what I can only assume were drunk individuals, whooped and hollered along with the waiters and waitresses while they sang Happy Birthday to some poor unsuspecting sop a few table over. (Dan and I have a rule---No singing at dinner. This does not happen when were are out.) To make matters worse, they then proceeded to smear whipped cream over each other and drop food into each other's half filled cups of soda. You would think it ended there, but it didn't. Camera flashes went off every 30 seconds as they had to provide proof of their inane activities for posterity.
The children at the table behind us were even more boisterous than the ones we brought. At least our children at without screaming and throwing food at one another. The restaraunt became so busy and loud, not to mention filthy, I couldn't handle it any longer. It was an hour and a half of sheer torture.
Can't we just have a quiet dinner without all the chaos of an all you can eat experience? I just don't understand what it is about an all you can eat buffet that brings out all the crazies and drops peoples' IQ points by at least 100. (Yes, I know that means that someone will be in the negative, and I'm okay with that being the standard here.) Why is it okay to eat until your stomach expands until you have to undo your pants to get up? Or why do people go into this with that expectation and wear elastic waist paints to dinner in order to ease their pain?
I once saw a family there where the parents were both in electric wheelchairs because they were so big, they couldn't walk . They had a child with them that was well on her way to being just as incapacitated. I saw stacks of plates, with the remnants of dishes that had gone to digestive heaven. When I say stacks, I'm talking five or six plates each. What were they teaching this child? Am I any better at showing my children that we must have some restraint?
So, back to my title. I'm not a snob. I think that there are some fine qualities that a restaraunt like Golden Corral has. I love the rolls. Yummy. But, I also think that we as a human race have decided that one of the seven deadly sins, gluttony, isn't as sinful as the rest. We can eat all we want without anyone to stop us. The choices are wide and varied. Hey, they will even cook up a poor piece of steak to your level of doneness. Does that make it all right?
Just count me out next time we get together for a family birthday dinner. Unless we are going someplace that serves fixed portions, plenty of veggies and fresh fruit, and doesn't condone singing happy birthday in some sad sadistic way, then I may consider it.
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 12:28 PM 1 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Digi Delightful Desktop
I know I'm weird. I admit it freely. My house is been in a constant state of unfinishedness (if that is even a word, which I'm sure it isn't because spellcheck has red lines under it) with walls that need to be repainted, pictures hung, decorations purchased, but instead of doing these things, I have updated my computer desktop to display a new look for March.
I'm not sure why it is so important for me to do this, but I'm sure that the amount of time I'm on my computer has something to do with it. It could also be that paint takes money, decorations take money, and pictures need frames, which costs money. Money that I would rather spend on bills at the moment! Not that I wouldn't LOVE to go hog wild and purchase a 5 gallon bucket of "Museum" colored paint to finish off the (gagging sound effect here) yellow walls with the purple sponge paint, AND crackle finish and have my walls crisp and clean. I can live with it for a while. SIGH! So I compensate and decorate my computer desktop.
So, here is what is decorating my space for the time being:
Kit by Shabby Princess "Go Lucky" and Template by Andrea Gold
Desktop from Polka Dot Plum
Desktop from Shabby Princess
If only painting my walls and cleaning my house were as simple. I don't have to worry about all the socks left out and the toothpaste on the bathroom counter with a digital desktop. It is all there, and I can change it if I need to.
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 7:31 PM 4 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
My Baby is 6!
So this is my baby. I can't believe how much he has grown and changed over the past six years. Luckily we had a digital camera when he was born, so I have pictures of the happy event. He was happy pretty much from the get go. Slept through the night at six weeks, unlike his sister who after a year finally got the hang of it.
I am so glad he is in our family. He is a story teller, and pretty much a ham. I found out today that he can be shy at school when he is the center of attention, but for the most part, he likes to act crazy.
Right now, his favorite words are fart and booty. Of course belching on command is another really "cool" activity. Nigel is also my dare devil. I tell the story (and it is 100% true!) about him climbing to the top of the fridge by grabbing the door handles and scaling the front of it when he was three. Needless to say, this mommy was scared to death. He doesn't do that anymore, but he is pretty much fearless about such things. He is scared of animals though...go figure.
Happy Birthday Nigel. You are my little tri-date kid! I love you!
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 3:53 PM 1 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Scribbles about: Nigel
Monday, March 2, 2009
Go Vote!
Please go vote for my friend, The Chocolate Chip Waffle at Mormon Mommy Blogs. If you have seen her link on my blog roll, and visited, I'm sure you had a treat. Her blog is yummy and so fun with cool quotes, deep thoughts, and her own unique view of motherhood. Terresa and I were mission companions in Uruguay almost 15 years ago! Egads, we are getting old! But we lost touch until the marvelous tool of Facebook. Whoohoo! So please go vote for her blog. I can't remember what she wins, but who cares! It's all about the bragging rights anyway!
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 8:22 PM 1 Lovely Scribbles to Me
Hemmed in Prayer
I'm sure that you have seen or heard about this little saying somewhere. I have seen various pillows, wall hangings, pictures, and other kitsch type paraphernalia. I'm not a fan of these types of things, but of the saying, I must say, "I agree".
So, as many can see, my last post was a bit of a downer and I was just feeling....well, crappy. It took me until today to realize that I hadn't "hemmed" my day in prayer. I had jumped up and didn't take a moment to communicate with my Heavenly Father.
I found this quote by David Bednar on the LDS.org website: "And even though we recognize the importance of prayer, all of us can improve the consistency and efficacy of our personal and family prayers. Blessings require some effort on our part before we can obtain them, and prayer, as a form of work,...is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."
Isn't that fantastic? It fits my feelings exactly. I really know the importance of prayer, but I can be so much better at it. Can't we all?
Digitally Scribbled by Teri at 4:22 PM 0 Lovely Scribbles to Me
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text:
From the frontspiece:
The First Cosmology
"The world is not flat, as it appears, but round, like a ball."
"Then what holds the world up?"
"The great god Atlas holds the world on his shoulders."
"But what does Atlas stand on?"
"He stands on a huge island."
"But on what does the island rest?"
"It rests on the back of a giant turtle."
"But what..."
"No need to ask further. It's turtles all the way down!"
"Modern cosmology [and physics] has discovered several new turtles in the chain, for which achievement it is very proud of itself. But what if the world is not held on the shoulders of the great god Atlas?"From the preface:
"Something is wrong with science -- fundamentally wrong. Theories just keep getting stranger and stranger."Van Flandern is an accredited astronomer. He addresses the problems of the "Big Bang" theory and relativity and proposes his own fascinating alternatives.
If you think the conventional wisdom of the "Big Bang", where time and space start from nothing, is a bit bizarre, note that it essentially derives from theology, not science. Van Flandern offers convincing arguments for his theories. If you have any interest in science, cosmology, astronomy, you will find it a fascinating read.


text:
Very beautiful elegant feminine looks.
Jason Wu
Can't say that I like the image of the models, but dresses are very nice.
Jil Sander
I love the rolled-up sleeves of jackets and gathered fabric details on the dresses. The 2nd dress really reminds the the Giambattista Valli dress (you can see it in the part 6), they are very similar.
Just Cavalli
Sexy attitude at Just Cavalli - as always. I like how all the pieces are combined.
Karl Lagerfeld
First 3 looks are nice and elegant and I really like the metallic details on the last 2 dresses, very powerful.
I absolutely like how different patterns and fabrics are mixed and matched in every look. And normally I don't like the military style or details, but the 4th dress is gorgeous.


text:
Enduring through perseverance and fellowship, freed slaves on Hilton Head Island rallied around a beacon of hope and faith that lasted more than a century and continues to guide islanders today.
On Sunday, members of the island's oldest church will kick off a yearlong calendar of events celebrating 150 years.
First African Baptist Church became a cornerstone for Mitchelville, the nation's first village created for freed slaves. The church, like the village, was founded in the fall of 1862, before the Emancipation Proclamation and a year after Union ships drove Confederate troops from the Sea Islands along the state's southern coast.
Barracks were initially set up for "contraband" slaves left behind Union lines. Gen. Ormsby Mitchel later ordered that the 1,500 or so former slaves be given land to build homes on. The village was built along what is now Beach City Road.
They were allowed to govern and educate themselves and learn self-dependence before being granted citizenship. They elected their own officials and passed their own laws, including the first compulsory education law in the state.
To do so, they needed a place to congregate, discuss and plan their "experiment in freedom," including the purchase of land and organizing schools, said native island historian Emory Campbell, chairman of the Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission.
First African Baptist Church provided that, Campbell said.
"First African Baptist and Mitchelville go hand-in-hand," he said.
"The spiritual life of the newly freed slaves was the most important part of life because worship was a free activity for enslaved people. They drew strength and hope from their faith that they would live as free people -- that their freedom would be delivered by God. After slavery, they carried that over into freed life to keep them organized and provide a moral compass for the village."
First African Baptist would later become known as the "mother church," giving birth to others across the island and mainland, such as St. James Baptist, Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist, Central Oak Grove Missionary Baptist and New Church of Christ on Hilton Head, and First Zion Baptist Church in Bluffton.
The church became a focal point of fellowship for the isolated island community of farmers, fishermen and artisans, said the Rev. Alvin Petty, the church's current pastor.
"And it remains strong to this day," Petty said. "This is one of the most historic and remarkable milestones many of us will see in our lifetime. ... The founding fathers of this church would be full of joy and pride to see what they began in 1862 as freedmen has lasted into the 21st century."
Follow reporter Tom Barton at twitter.com/EyeOnHiltonHead
Related Content
- Mitchelville Preservation Project
- First African Baptist Church of Hilton Head Island
- Town, county to buy more land for Mitchelville: Jan. 17, 2012
- Town bed-tax panel OKs wine fest, rejects Mitchelville, airport requests: Dec. 8, 2011
- Land trust celebrates dedication of Fort Howell as historic site: Nov. 7, 2011


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Soda is an amazing drink. It is sparkling, it is fizzy, it tastes like heaven itself. The problem, however, is that it is nowhere near healthy, and Doctors have managed to connect dozens or even hundreds of different health issues to participating in this fizzy tradition. You could, in fact, be spending your time drinking an alternative that contains the vitamins and minerals you need.
"If you're choosing a soda, chances are you aren't choosing a healthy beverage," – Keri M. Gans, Nutrition Consultant
Why Should you Choose to Say No to Soda?
To say that soda is useless to your body would be an understatement. Gans says: "In my opinion, there's really one major reason to not drink soda, it has absolutely no nutritional value. Soda is filled with sugar and calories and nothing else." This includes diet sodas (which open up an entirely different can of worms) which claim to be healthier, but in reality, are not. You could, in fact, choose a healthy drink that contains vitamins and minerals useful to the body. This, of course, includes plain water which can rehydrate you without adding extra calories to your current diet.
Obesity is a worldwide epidemic, though admittedly more so in the United States than anywhere else. The link between soda and obesity is undeniable, being loaded with high-fructose corn syrup. In fact, Soda has been linked to the development of Type 2 diabetes, and diet soda has been shown to increase appetite via the included artificial sweeteners. Those who consume diet will have a much harder time losing weight.
You will find that soda does, in fact, damage your teeth. Over time, the sugar in soda will coat your teeth and combine with the bacteria present in your mouth. This combination ill from acid, slowly causing the degradation of your tooth enamel.
Just as it weakens your teeth, it can also weaken your bones. Soda contains ingredients that have been linked to osteoporosis, and though the jury is still out, it is thought that consuming soda in place of milk will deprive the body of calcium. There are still many who advocate NOT drinking milk, but many experts do believe that you should substitute milk for pop whenever possible.
Believe it or not, on top of all of this, you can suffer organ damage from drinking soda. This includes:
– Kidney Disease
– Development of Metabolic Syndrome
– Heart Risk
– Fatty Liver
– Chronic Liver Disease
Taking the Best Healthy Drink Alternative
Though you might have trouble kicking the soda habit, there are many different alternatives which include:
Water: This is the best one. It's free, it's everywhere, you can get it from any tap. Actually, in America, you can get a glass free at any restaurant.
Fruit juice: It is recommended that you avoid drinking straight fruit juice as it contains a lot of sugar. Instead, you could try drinking seltzer with a bit of fruit juice for flavor. In addition to that, always eat a piece of whole fruit to get the fiber.
Milk: An 8-ounce glass of nonfat milk contains 80 calories and nine essential nutrients. This renders milk as one of the healthiest drinks, especially for kids. This is one drink you cannot afford to miss.
Tea: There are lots of different teas out there, from green to black, herbal, all of them have high levels of antioxidants which can defend your body from damage.
Powdered Drink Mix: These contain no carbonation, and therefore no risk of tooth rot. They also come in sugar-free formats, giving you the sweet tooth fix you need without all of the nasty consequences.
If you aren't in the mood for a drink, per se, you can always have some fresh fruit and a nice glass of water. Choosing healthy drinks instead of the alternative might be the most important thing you ever do!


text:
When doing a craft fair/art show, I break the event into four basic areas: pre-show setup, show setup, the show, and post-show.
Now, I've gotten better at this (believe me… my wife knows how disorganized I was). For the pre-show setup, I like to make sure that all of my prints are done, all labels are created, all prices are attached, and I've made a decision about what artwork to bring. My prints are separated into two bins (which is in my booth). The top bin contains multiple copies of my most popular prints (in alphabetical order). The bottom bin contains multiple copies of my other prints (in alphabetical order). I also begin wrapping my paintings in bubble-wrap and place them in boxes for transport. Other things that I make sure that I bring to a show: scissors, clear tape (for wrapping up paintings in bubble-wrap), extra bubble wrap, my credit card machine, extra roll of credit card paper, price labels, receipt book, extra pens, address form for new contacts (also, small clipboards), business cards, table cloth to cover my bins, water, extra lightbulbs, granola bars, and … most important… altoids (nothing like having your customers avoid you because of bad breath!). Now that I'm more organized, I do this several days to weeks ahead of schedule. I used to do this the morning before and it led to some incredibly hectic mornings!
Now, I like to setup for a show the night before. That way, if I forget something, I can bring it the next morning. So, when setting up a show, I keep a couple of things in mind. First of all, I make sure that I have plenty of room in my booth that people can come in. My chair and flip bins are against the outside corners. I like having people inside of the booth so that they look around without people running into them or walking in front of them in the aisle. I also position my lights so that they are taller than a 6' person and not shining in people's eyes. The setup is pretty simple. Using my graphic display panels, I have black coverings that show of my work pretty nicely. I place the $75 paintings over the prints because people who are mostly interested in prints may consider a lower price original. I also place my brightest and best paintings in the center of my booth. That way they are seen from a distance and have that "Wow!" effect when people walk by. The point is to get them to stop walking and come into the booth. For extra prints, etc, I keep the bins in back of my booth so that I can access the extra bubble-wrap and other materials easily.
Now, I mentioned that my top bin has my most popular prints. The top bin also contains shopping bags for my customers and some bubble-wrap/scissors/tape for paintings. The point is that you need to get to the materials to make the sale, replace the item and get the customer out of your booth as quickly as you can. It's like a restaurant: the more people that you can get in/out with product, the more products that you can sell.
When working a show, I have a prepared script that I always follow. I would suggest that everybody has one. Something not truly annoying because you will say this a thousand times. First of all, you NEED to talk to the customer. Don't sit in your chair in the back. You won't get customers or sales. Don't ignore them. You pay money to do this! The point is to come home with more money than you spent to be in the show. So, when a customer comes into my booth, I show them a paper that has a drawing on it and explain that I create drawings out of my head. Once the drawings are done, I mix the drawing with plein-air work to create my original pieces. The paintings are gallery-wrapped, so that there is no need to purchase a frame. From there, I let them look and interact with them, if they are a talkative type of person. Don't continuously talk to them. They need time to look at everything. If they stand in front of a painting for a while (about 10 seconds), go over and talk to them about the painting. Ask them what they like about it, etc. Start a conversation. The most important thing that you can do is to say "Hi" to a lot of people and smile. This will get a lot of them to stop and enter your booth. Never judge about who can or cannot buy your art. You never know.
One of the things that I do, which some people say don't, is that I sit in a chair. I have bad knees and can't really stand in the same spot the entire day. So, I use a director's chair. This helps me be at eye-level for most people. For people significantly shorter than me, I talk to them from the chair. It makes me less imposing. For most people , when they enter the booth, I get up to talk to them.
Also, never pack up early. You see a lot of vendors start to do this. I've sold works at the end of the show when people are starting to pack up
Once a show is done, I always write up a report. This details what I like about a show, what worked, what didn't, what pieces the people bought, what they ignored, how much money I made, show costs, etc. That way, the next time the show rolls around, I can determine if it's worth it for me to sign up again.


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Lotioncrafter's AromaFix* (INCI: PPG-20 Methyl Glucose Ether) would be a very good choice, but I can't speak from experience about it.
C12-15 alkyl benzoate, an ester that will make your fragrances last longer. I have used this, and I noticed it seemed to make fragrances last longer when I used it at 5% or higher.
Ethylhexylglycerin, an ingredient we find in some preservatives. also helps with fragrances.
Natrasorb Bath can help with bath salts, bath bombs, bath milks, and so on. I use it at 3% and it makes such a huge difference, I've found.
What do I do? I find using my fragrances at 1% in a lotion or slightly more at up to 2% in a rinse off product works well. (I definitely only need 0.5% in my leave in conditioners!) But they don't last all day, and it can be a bit of a punch in the face for a stronger fragrance. This isn't the best advice I can give - the best is to use a fragrance fixative in your products - but it will help a bit.
If you want to know more about fragrance, check out this article I wrote for Handmade Magazine!
What do you do about fragrances in your products? Do you have any helpful tips to share with Catherine?


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My days have been spent knitting while sitting at the pool. Life is actually speeding up as we only have about five weeks left here on the Panhandle of Florida. Then we move further south for a month by another pool, but close to a grand son who will be there.
The girls received these snuggies to keep them warm during their snow days in Canada. They loved them!
You know it's hard knitting for young adults as style is everything. I also gave Tory a watch which is called a snap watch as it just snaps on the wrist. She is having her 21st birthday so she got the watch too! Loved the colour, and the style too!
I have given and sold a few of the said scarves while here which was just a bit more money to buy more wool to make stuff. I am sick of knitting socks, or maybe just sick of knitting and wish I was quilting. Bring on spring I say!
I did make a shrug, which was to be a large, but will be lucky if it fits a size zero person as it turned out so small. Not being an "expert" knitter, I didn't notice the sizing till it was almost finished. And....to make matters worse I ran out of the edging about two feet from the end. It might fit an 8 yr. old I swear and she better be skinny!
We also watch dolphins as you can see from the photo which was a lucky shot as I could not see because of the sun. Lucky me.
Being Canadian, we watch the weather channel. It is in out DNA I swear, no matter where we are! So thankful to have missed all the snow and as you can see from the above photo, some people do like it though! I looked for days at the storms affecting so much of the US and Canada and really was happy to not have to deal with it.
Here in Florida as else where in the world the texting while driving is crazy! There are people here on vacation who are never far from the dreadful things! Honestly, what did we ever do before all of this. I fear we may all grow thumbs and forget how to talk. I shall be the only person who wishes for a landline phone and hope that someone at the other end knows how to talk!
Downton Abbey is in its two hour finally tomorrow night so I shall be glued to the telly, and dressed for the occasion....just kidding, but I will be glued!


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Cellphone Repair Shop Now Carries a Full Line of Samsung Epic Touch 4G Parts AKA Sprint Galaxy S II SPH-D710
Nationwide (PRWEB) May 23, 2012
Starting today, Cellphone-Repair-Shop.com will offer a full line of Sprint Epic Touch 4G spare parts. These replacement parts are also commonly referred to as the Samsung SPH-D710, Samsung Epic Touch 4G and Sprint Galaxy S II.
Cell Phone Repair Shop provides easy navigation for users and results in a quick selection process. To locate all Samsung SPH-D710 repair parts click the "Samsung" link under the category listing on the left side navigation. When the page loads, click "Samsung Cellphone Parts". From there customers will be able to scroll down and locate the Sprint Galaxy S II Samsung Epic Touch repair part category, click on it and select the replacement part that fits their needs. Customers can also simply type the model number in the search box located at the top right side of the website.
Many consumers are more do it yourself oriented these days. Cellphone Repair Shop realizes this and continues to make available the largest selection of original Samsung cellphone parts in the market to consumers. Cell Phone Repair Shop customers can find replacement parts such as the Sprint Galaxy S II LCD Touch Screen Assembly, Earpiece Speaker, Ringer, Microphone, Samsung Epic Touch 4G Charge Port, Back Housing, Battery Cover and much more on the website. In addition to the spare parts listed, the company offers a wide range of Sprint Epic Touch 4G Repair Services for customers that wish to have their phones professionally repaired and warranted.
The company encourages all current customers or potential customers to subscribe to the company newsletter, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube pages to stay updated on sales promotions and new products made available from Cellphone-Repair-Shop.com.
Customers looking for a variety of Sprint Galaxy S II Epic Touch repair parts for DIY Do-it-Yourself cell phone repair should visit: http://www.cellphone-repair-shop.com/samsung-sph-d710-epic-4g-galaxy-s-ii-parts/
About The Company:
Cellphone Repair Shop is the largest national cell phone repair center in the United States. The company's national cellular phone repair facility and parts distribution center is located in California and provides services locally, online and nationwide through the website. Cellphone Repair Shop carries the largest inventory of replacement cell phone parts for most brands such as Apple, Blackberry, Garmin, HTC, Huawei, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Pantech, Samsung, Sharp, Sidekick and Sony, but they are especially popular for all their original Sprint Epic Touch 4G SPH-D710 cell phone repair parts and services.
For more information about cell phone repair services and replacement parts and accessories available at Cell Phone Repair Shop call 877-288-4488 or visit Cellphone Repair Shop.


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Tulsa's air quality is, well, poor.
That's the verdict rendered by the American Lung Association, which keeps track of such things. Using air quality statistics from 2006 to 2008, the association found Tulsa County had 32 high ozone "orange" days when the air was considered unhealthy for sensitive breathers.
Tulsa County had three "red" days during that period, days when pollution levels were unhealthy for everyone. The information appears in today's Tulsa World.
The good news: Tulsa County had fewer high-ozone days in 2009 than in 2008.
This is an improvement, of course, but there's still a long way to go before we have great air in T-town.


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Three and a half years ago Linus & Lucy moved in. Now they got someone to play with: Ginger
Welcome Ginger, hope you'll like it. Ohh, and Ginger, if you read this: Please stop playing on the edge of the floor above the stairs! You can fall down there easily (remember: you were close to falling down there a few times already!) and chances are big that you'll break your neck if you do.
P.S.: We considered to stick to names from Peanuts. Pig-Pen would have fit Gingers look, but well, she's (a) a girl and (b) that not really a good name for a cat. Hopefully Ginger sticks with us -- the original Ginger always tried to escape from "home".
Sonntag, 30. November 2008
Number 3: Ginger
Eingestellt von Thorsten Leemhuis um 12:29
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Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Surfrider Foundation Issues Official Statement on Offshore Drilling Ban
3 comments:
- Anonymous said...
While I agree with doing the right thing for the fishes and the ocean, it is still a perplexing conundrum for the Gulf people who need jobs now.
There does not seem to be a cogent sustainable plan to replace the lost jobs and energy with the correct mix of green technologies.
How to achieve the correct balance and maintain our democracy is the issue.
What have you done personally of late to lower your use of petrol fuels? What is your personal plan to improve over each of the next 5 years?
- December 1, 2010 at 7:10 PM
- Anonymous said...
Your comment makes no sense. The lost jobs were in the tourism and fishing industries. The Oil industry in the gulf is still charging ahead. New safety regs are just a bump in the road for them.
- December 2, 2010 at 10:13 AM
- Anonymous said...
The reality is that it was unfortunately not grass roots mobilization and phone calls to legislators by the Surfider community and others urging an end to offshore oil drilling that led to this recent policy decision by the Obama Administration. They did an about face from their surpising decision this past fall (to resume deepwater drilling in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico) only after the government's report of findings from their investigation about the causes of the incident, which reportedly found that both the operators and oil companies knew there were serious problems with the rig's equipment and did not attempt to address them. It would have been bad politics for Obama to give them a pass on that type of flagrant and willful misconduct. Keep in mind that EPA bigwigs, under the Bush administration, actually intimidated their own climatologists in an effort to get them to fudge the results and minimize the damning conclusions from the global climate change research they conducted with our money. At least in this most recent case, the findings will not be ignored and the government has taken the preventive measures described.
- December 6, 2010 at 5:46 PM


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Thursday, July 9, 2009
Is Quitting Always Bad?
2 comments:
- AnonymousJuly 9, 2009 at 6:23 PM
In the USA, quitting will always have a stigma attached. Quitting in the abstract means not achieving the American Dream. After all, we believe that with hard work and "stick-to-itiveness," we can achieve anything. This American Dream ethic is so ingrained in us, we harshly judge anyone who doesn't follow the mold.ReplyDelete
Quitting can make sense. My sister in law recently walked away from a multi-million dollar per year investment banking career because she just knew if she stayed any longer, she wouldn't see her 40th birthday. Besides the money, it was incredibly tough thing to walk away from the prestige, the perks, who she'd been for the past 17 years. yet, it was absolutely the right call, and she has never been happier.
I'm not sure I could be as brave. My first 5 years in my career, I had a boss who hated me, and did everything he could to discredit me, make me miserable so that I would quit. I was puzzled, I knew I was succeeding in my job, and figured if I kept getting great results, he'd have to like me. Well it never happened, and I finally woke up and transferred to another department where I was recognized for my good work and encouraged. I absolutely should have quit that department much sooner than I did, and even when I did, I felt awful about it, that I'd given up. Now, nearly 10 years later, that old boss was finally fired and I've been promoted, so I suppose mine is a *good* quitting story.
As far as Palin, ridiculous, and I say something is shady there. Have you seen those Runners World photos where she holds Trig as if he's part of her physical regimen? She appalls me on so many levels. But I will say, I liked the point Ross Douthat made in the Times that her appeal comes from her representation of the democratic ideal — that anyone can grow up to be a great success story without graduating from Columbia and Harvard (like Obama. As someone who did attend Ivy league schools, that speaks to me. So maybe her quitting is just another way she's bucking the system, but I sure hope her future does not involve becoming our president!
- AnonymousJuly 9, 2009 at 6:39 PM
oops did NOT attend ivy league schools. Guess I'm a wannabe :)!ReplyDelete
Join the conversation. What do you think? Be honest. Be bold. Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me about that typo. Tell me I'm splendid. Or tell me I'm spoiled. But if you want your comment to be seen, keep it clean.


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I wanted to quickly share this month's take home project from cake club. We made these adorable little flower pots with cookie flowers, a perfect project for spring.
Chloé started waking up just as we started the project at last night's meeting. Lucky for me, one of the members, Stephanie, offered to hold Chloé for me while I made this. Sweeeet!! There's no saying no to an offer from someone else to hold your baby...
I didn't finish decorating my flower pot with cute little fondant cut-outs. I didn't have time last night and, quite frankly, just couldn't be bothered getting everything back out again once I got home.
Annnnd... the whole thing toppled over when I was setting it up, requiring me to re-decorate the cookie... which is part of why it looks so messy (the other part is just me being a beginner and all). And that's also why the bottom is all smushed in.
Pluuuuuus, the spearmint candy leaves fell off on the way home without me noticing - guess I didn't heed my own advice about being careful when transporting cakes.
But here's a peek at what they should sort of look like:
The flower pots were a little cupcake made in a flower pot baking mold. However, they mentioned that if you don't have such a mold (and I'm sure not many people do) that you can either trim cupcakes to a pot shape or can buy clay flower pots at the dollar store to cook them in (once they're washed and sprayed).
flower pot shaped cupcakes, made using your favourite cupcake recipe
cupcake boards
flower-shaped sugar cookies (see recipe below)
sticks to attach to back of cookies
coloured icing to decorate cookies, plus white buttercream
cut straws
white and coloured fondant and small cutters
chocolate cookie crumbs (such as Oreo crumbs)
spearmint leaf candies
To make flower pots:
Cover sides of cake pot with buttercream. Measure pot from bottom to pot rim. Roll out a long strip of fondant. Trim to proper height and measure enough width to wrap around pot. Cut off excess. Seal and smooth back seam. Using knife or angled spatula, tuck fondant in at bottom of pot to give a smooth finish.
Roll out strip of coloured fondant about 1/2 inch wide and long enough to wrap around top of pot. It should stick up about 1/4 inch above the white fondant. Attach with water and match seams in the back. Decorate pot with patterns, dots, cutouts, etc.
Attach pot to board with a little icing. Put a thin layer or icing on the rounded top part of the cake. Gently sprinkle a layer of chocolate crumbs to cover (not too thick - they will sit in the top fondant wall of the pot).
Sugar cookie recipe:
2 eggs
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C oil
1/4 C orange juice or water
2 tsp. baking powder
3 C flour
In food processor, process eggs with sugar, oil and juice until blended. Add baking powder and flour and process until just mixed.
Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out on a floured board 1/8 inch thick. Cut out flowers. Place stick into cookie and press down gently. Bake at 375 degrees Farenheit for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Decorate sugar cookie with icing in desired pattern. Cut spearmint leaf in half. Cut piece of straw the same height as the cupcake. Place stick into straw and place cookie into pot. Position leaf halves on stick near the bottom to balance it.
Note: If your flower seems to tumble over as mine did, you can use royal icing to solidify the base of the cake to the cake board and/or trim the height of the stick.
Happy Spring everyone!! Do you have any favourite spring recipes you'd like to share?
Difficulty level: difficult


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As I sit at my computer to write this week's column, it is only a couple of days until the New Year. I remember my first New Year's Day in Arkansas, thirty-five years ago. A few days before New Year's, someone from the auto parts store that I traded with stopped by my shop and gave me a specially labeled can of black-eyed peas. I took the can home to my wife who was puzzled by the strange gift from the auto parts store.
I asked another bodyman if the auto parts store had given him a can of black-eyed peas. He said, "yes, why do you ask?" I told him that I thought it was a bit strange. He explained that it was a long-standing tradition to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. The only New Year's tradition that I had heard of was making New Year's resolutions.
Traditions are a part of life no matter where you live. Traditions vary from place to place and from one family to another. Our family has many Christmas traditions. Christmas morning my wife has made the same breakfast for many years. The interesting thing about this special meal of egg, cream and sausage casserole and Christmas Coffee Cake is that we don't eat those foods any other day of the year.
When two people get married, they have to blend the traditions of their families, or they have to create new traditions. My wife's family always opened their gifts on Christmas morning. I grew up opening gifts on Christmas Eve. We compromised by opening our gifts on Christmas morning. My wife believes very strongly that Christmas morning is the proper time to open gifts.
Christians should be neither "traditional" nor "non-traditional." They should neither accept nor oppose a practice simply because it is a tradition. It doesn't matter how long we have practiced something or when it began. What's important is what God's word says about it. If God's word requires it, then we must do it. If God's word forbids it, then we must oppose it even if it is a tradition. If God's word is silent, then there is no problem with tradition, but I can't expect all Christians to follow just because it is my tradition.
Gentle Reader, are you following the tradition of God, or are you following human traditions and doctrines that differ from His word? "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:8 (NKJV)


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In my mind I always am. A lot of people, even friends, may disagree with this statement, but I care not because my body agrees with me for at least once every year. And today is that day when it happens. Currently, my body temperature reads 38.6°
I am such a sickly weakling! But what can you expect? I come from a sickly lineage. I've seen relatives who lived under the same roof lose battles against pneumonia, Alzheimer's, cancer, and even bipolar disorder. (Believe me, you wouldn't want that to happen to a family member). Being down with the flu is nothing but normal. Inconsequential. Parang Trivia lang nina Ripley's at Guinness.
According to the World English Dictionary, trivia means:
|— n
|( functioning as singular or plural ) petty details or considerations; unimportant things; trifles; trivialities
Trivia's just good-to-know information. Nothing more.
Life goes on, with or without them. Parang lagnat ko lang. Kahit meron nito, Happiness pa rin!
Right now, my body hurts, I've got stuffy nose, watery eyes, and all that but I won't make a fuss over something so unessential and normal. This too will pass. Yeah?


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Personalities and leadership styles are drawing most of the attention in the extraordinary drama playing out in hearings of the North Carolina Utilities Commission in Raleigh about the firing of Duke CEO-for-a-day Bill Johnson. As a result of the intense focus on the people at the heart of the merger soap opera, an example of a nuclear plant causing big costs for shareholders, consumers, or both may get lost.
The Crystal River nuclear plant in Florida has not operated since 2009, when cracks were seen in a containment building. The price tag to bring it back on line climbed, as more was learned about its problems.
At this point, the best estimate of repair and replacement power costs is a painful $2.5 billion. It is a painful number that drives home the special risks of nuclear ownership.
The repair costs for Crystal River could build more than 2,500 megawatts of new natural gas generation, more than two times the generating capacity of the nuclear plant.
Most consumers and business people would readily take brand new natural gas plants that amount to more than twice the size of an old nuclear plant with a history of operational problems.
By any calculation, $2.5 billion is a lot of money and risk to accept. But that is what Duke did, when it agreed to buy Progress Energy, the owner of the Crystal River plant.
Bill Johnson testified that Duke began to have buyers remorse about the merger, in part over the Crystal River plant, and that his insistence that the merger be completed sowed his board room firing on his first day at work after the merger closed.
But while Duke bought Progress Energy and the Crystal River Plants, the consumers in Florida remain monopoly generation customers with no choice to buy or not. They cannot fire Duke or the Crystal River plant.
Utility regulators in Florida, not the market or competition, will decide how much of the $2.5 billion bill consumers will pay. Thank goodness that those days are over in Pennsylvania, since the Commonwealth enacted in 1996 its electricity competition law that ended state-sanctioned generation monopolies and freed electricity consumers to hire and fire their electricity suppliers.


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For everyone but Ian and Joe, the Have Nots.
Britney won the prize in the Coach's Competition yesterday. Ian won $3,000,and I think Mike earned $6,000 or $10,000.
I am the FeedWatcher and every summer I am a Big Brother addict. Live feed updates, gossip, and other tidbits. Yes, I post spoilers.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Sushi Party Tonight #BB14
Posted by Feed Watcher at 10:15:00 PM
Labels: BB14 , Dan Gheesling , Danielle Murphree , Live Feed Updates , Mike Boogie
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A residual stress study in similar and dissimilar welds
Residual strain distributions in similar and dissimilar welds were measured using neutron diffraction (ND) method. Then, using three strain components, three-dimensional stress states were calculated. The results were used to determine the effect of the martensitic phase transformation and material properties on residual stress (RS) distribution. It was observed that smaller longitudinal RS was induced in the low carbon steel side of dissimilar weld when compared to its similar weld. Also, it was found that the transverse RS near and within the weld zone (WZ) in dissimilar weld exhibited a distinctive trend, with tensile mode reaching the yield strength of the base metal (BM). In order to characterize the WZ in dissimilar weld, we deployed optical microscopy, hardness, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). This study not only provides further insight into the RS state in similar and dissimilar welds; it also delivers important consequences of phase transformation in the latter case.
- Authors:
- Clarkson Univ., Potsdam, NY (United States). Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering
- Carleton Univ., Ottawa, ON (Canada)
- Univ. of Bristol, Bristol (United Kingdom)
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Grant/Contract Number:
- Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Welding Journal
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 95; Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 0043-2296
- Publisher:
- American Welding Society
- Research Org:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR)
- Sponsoring Org:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; Neutron Diffraction; Dissimilar Weld; Residual Strain and Stress
- 1245352


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Shield Kit designed for Ultimate Curved shield trailing kit. Select 3 shields of any size and receive a discounted price.
Optional Shield Sizes:
You can choose any combination of 3 shield sizes and receive a $300 discount compared to purchasing 3 shields at a regular price.
Once you have determined which shields you would like to order. Simply checkout and we will contact you to confirm your desired size combination.


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Hey people,
Dude I haven't posted in forever!
Well there was just a gymnastics competion but I have to wait for a lap top where I can watch videos until I can post about it.
Anyway, recently I have been reading about gymnastics on the computer and figured out that gymnasts don't like to write very much. Like, I keep trying to look up what the famous gymnasts eat or their training schedule of something like that. I can barely find anything!
And what I do find is just the same thing over and over again. So I am writing a letter to the all time great Mary-Lou Retton and ask her some questions and maybe send her the link to the blog.
And if she writes back ( she probably won't because I imagine she is probably very busy with lots of fan mail ) if she does I might post a little of it on the blog.
Lately I have been having private lessons with coach Brian. Right now we are working on round-off flip flops. It is very hard. The part that is the hardest is pushing in the round-off to where both my hands and my feet are off the ground. I keep trying but I just can't get the hang of it. Tonight I have gym class and hopefully we will work on it a little. Also my flip flop is crooked so we have to work on doing it in a straight line. Also I'm piking in my flip flop instead of arching.
So yeah it needs a lot of work.
well ttyl
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
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