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Monday, March 28, 2011
Good Question
"How close does your garden come to feeding your family? I can calculate the raised bed space you now have, but what about the rest of the homestead?"
I can state definitively that my current garden does not provide ALL the fruit and veggies my wife and I eat. Fortunately I am only growing for two people, but that is still a very large task. Only 1/2 of my .09 acre property is planted with edibles. The other 1/2 contains the footprint of our home, a 12' x 22' shed, and a front yard which is landscaped with flowering shrubs and bulbs. So I guess I'm really working with .045 acres.
In back I currently have five 4' x 8' raised beds, and I'm expanding them for increased veggie space. Last spring (when I started the garden) through fall we did not purchase a cucumber, pepper, or tomato. We had a surplus of them all. We also had pounds (no exaggeration) of basil for pesto, etc. Beginning in August I transitioned the garden to fall production by planting carrots, radishes, beets, lettuce, chard, onions, and kale. The lettuce performed poorly, but everything else thrived. We ate chard all winter; harvested kale like crazy and still have a full bed of kale; consumed an entire bed of carrots (appx. 200); devoured beets, etc. Despite the great harvest, we still purchased a few key items on a regular basis: lettuce, onions, potatoes, and some herbs. Onions and potatoes take up a fairly large amount of space in a garden so it's almost easier for me to purchase them rather than grow them. All in all I guess we made out pretty well with the veggies, yet we were not completely self-sufficient.
I also have a variety of fruit trees and berries planted in the back yard that offer fruit at different times of year. Although many are younger plants, they still produced a few fruits last year. This season I'm hoping for a decent harvest of each variety of fruit because the plants are maturing and growing very well. Here's what I have, listed in the approximate order of production:
Blackberries - This will be their first year of production so I should have berries from May-June.
Raspberries - Last year they fruited at two intervals, June-July and September-October.
Peach - Last year I harvested 8 peaches of poor quality from my one and only tree in July. They didn't receive enough irrigation. This July I'm hoping to double that number and have better quality. If the tree under-performs, I may replace it with a low maintenance tree like another pomegranate.
Fig trees - I have six different varieties planted in the ground and I can expect a very reliable and fairly large harvest from July - October.
Pomegranate - My tree finally produced its first four fruits last November after 4 years of growth from a tiny cutting. Again, hoping for a much bigger harvest this fall because the tree is growing very well.
Citrus - My potted citrus trees put out lemons, limes, and calamondin oranges from December - February.
Looking at the above list, I'm optimistic that my wife and I will have different varieties of fruit to harvest from May 2011 - February 2012, leaving a 2-month gap from March-April. Add the vegetables to this list and it's a fairly substantial amount of production from a relatively small space.
Did we succeed at growing everything we ate? No, but we proved two things. One, we were capable of reducing our overall reliance on others for our food. And two, we were able to do this in a relatively small space. What's the moral of this story? I don't know. But if we had let ourselves be limited by our perceived lack of space for growing sufficient produce, we never would've succeeded at proving ourselves wrong.
2 comments:
- Sybil Mays said...
"... if we had let ourselves be limited by our perceived lack of space for growing sufficient produce, we never would've succeeded at proving ourselves wrong. " Absolutely right and delightfully put, Dave! It's the joy of having some self-sufficiency, some reality, to your food supply that is such a delight. You don't have to do it all -- just savor every bit.
PS I love the .045 acre calculation! LOL You've seen what a tiny bit of our 5 acres is actually food producing plants -- but it works!
- March 28, 2011 at 2:51 PM
- Veggie PAK said...
Taking the plunge and going for it is the way you find out what you're capable of. I think you've done a fine job! I also like the way you've studied your layout and the decision you've made to expand the veggie portion of your beds. Admit it... you're always thinking of ways to get more out of your garden! It's inevitable once you taste the goodness of what you grow.
- March 28, 2011 at 10:59 PM


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East Village, New York City
I admire skillful street art, but I rarely feel compelled to photograph it. In early 2010, however, when I came upon the starling mural pictured above, I immediately reached for my camera. At the time, I didn't know anything about the artist; months later, I recognized the muralist's hand in an image I came across online. ROA, a Belgian artist whose animals adorn structures on four continents, is a rising star among street art aficionados.
London, England
Admittedly, my love of natural history and enthusiasm for animal imagery predispose me to ROA fandom, but the artist's bold, black-and-white technique is distinct and compelling, and most of his mural projects exhibit a clever site-specificity. This attention to location is most often compositional -- for example, the neck of a Limpkin-like bird passes between two windows on a building in Brooklyn, New York, with the bird's body below and the head above -- but ROA's strongest pieces are also conceptually playful: in Ancona, Italy, he painted a disheveled cormorant, a type of water bird, on the side of a large boat; elsewhere, a mole emerges from a pile of bricks; and a desiccated fish is painted on the side of a trailer near California's Salton Sea, a large salt lake in which most fish species are unable to survive. An enthusiastic amateur naturalist, I appreciate the context-appropriate nature of these works.
Zaragoza, Spain
Unfortunately, ROA doesn't always paint his creatures in or near their natural habitat. I love his giant anteater, pictured trotting along the side of a single-story building in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, but I wonder if the artist realizes that the species is extirpated north of Honduras. Still, because giant anteater fossils have been found in northern Mexico, let's give the artist the benefit of the doubt and interpret this piece as an observation about ecological change. A stylized blue whale rising from a sea of grass outside an abandoned factory in Moscow, Russia, however, is too far from an ocean to be rationalized. Its incongruity is amusing and the image is beautifully crafted, but the piece lacks the impact of ROA's more considerate efforts. No worries. ROA's terrific Virginia opossum in downtown Los Angeles, its prehensile tail wrapped around a stretch of the building's brickwork, more than makes up for the misplaced whale!
While my fondness for natural history makes me an unusually nit-picky viewer, it also means that I'm especially excited by the urban and exurban placement of ROA's rats, squirrels, starlings, herons, raccoons, cormorants, and skunks. These animals are hardy and adaptable, and have proven able to thrive in ecosystems dominated by human habitation. Many people dismiss these creatures as pests, but their presence in our lives is of significant value. As we become an evermore urban species, they are our most immediate connection to the undomesticated, non-human world. In this respect, ROA's murals are portraits of our closest neighbors.
From the "NUART Landmark Series"
Stavanger, Norway
Some of ROA's more elaborate murals depict great piles of dead animals. These call to mind the tables laden with rotting fruit, hunted game, and skulls that appear in many 15th century Northern European vanitas ("emptiness"), memento mori ("remember your mortality"), and ars moriendi ("art of dying") still life paintings. As their names suggest, all of these allegorical works were created as nods to death's inevitability. It seems these themes preoccupy ROA, too. One of his best memento mori works is located in Stavanger, Norway. Lifeless squirrels, rats, rabbits, and herons are heaped at the foot of an old warehouse, with the limp necks of the herons apparently tied to cords on the wall's face (should we call this reverse trompe l'oeil?) In Mexico City, ROA adds a raccoon, armadillo, and skunk.
Mexico City, Mexico
These murals will seem grotesque and bleak to some viewers, but they aim to inspire by reminding us that life is transitory. The sentiment was expressed well by Steve Jobs during his 2005 Stanford University commencement address, a speech that, in the wake of Jobs' untimely death from cancer, has been making Internet rounds. Jobs said,
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose."In many respects, ROA's works are the less refined kin of Walton Ford's paintings. Both artists address mortality and the relationship of humanity to other animal species with humor and finesse, but ROA's pictures are less layered with art historical and natural history references; as a result, they're more accessible and immediately gratifying.
Based on the images he shares on his Flickr photostream, the talented 30-something has at least five murals in San Francisco. Let's hope that he returns to the Bay Area and contributes more of his handiwork to our landscape.

subset: commoncrawl


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Pickpockets have been stealing small electronics from CTA passengers at an increasing pace. Police have been reporting increased theft reports of IPods and cell phones. On CTA buses, pickpocket thefts increased 6.5 percent from 2008 to 2009. Thefts from CTA trains actually decreased by 12.5 percent. However, nearly two-thirds of CTA users use buses. The year after the IPhone was released in 2007, thefts on the CTA increased by 19 percent. While police do not track what specifically is stolen, the evidence seems to suggest that these small electronics devices are what is causing the increase in the theft rate. Police report that thieves spot the small ear phones and target their victims from there.
For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.


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Last night before the kids went to bed all they could talk about was whether or not Sugar Plum would leave them a letter. They had been writing letters to her and Santa all afternoon. So, they were very excited to see if she would respond.
We found Sugar Plum clutching the Grinch's foot.
Upon further inspection of the scene, we found that the Grinch had a letter stuffed in his belt.
Sugar Plum had an army at her back. The Grinch is a mean one after all.
Ninja's were called in to take him down.
And an airstrike.
Luckily, Sugar Plum grabbed the dirty fiend before he was able to take the children's note.
Her note was a huge hit.
"Dear Family,
Thank you for my name. I love it. Santa will get honest reports from me. So be good. I will have lots of fun here tonight. HA HA
love <3 hugs,
We are all so excited for what comes next. She is already making herself at home and the kids are having a lot of fun. Just two days in and we are all loving our Sugar Plum.
Be sure and stay tuned to Sugar Plum's adventures by following me through one of the social networks on the top of my blog here.
If you would like to learn more about the Elf on the Shelf refer back to Day 1 of Sugar Plum's Adventures here.
Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!


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|Today's chicory recipe!
In flow, unconditional love is a life force stronger than any other. If you're thinking "Sinead, you've been walking through the poppy fields today" remember - how we treat our bodies is the clearest insight into how we see others and ourselves. Through Unconditional cooking we set ourselves free, we nourish and nurture ourselves daily, not in a gluttonous obsessive way, instead like a gentle guiding hand our appetites when respected take us on an awe inspiring daily journey.
The ever-changing seasons mirror our own ever-changing emotions – in season right now is chicory. Both cleansing and purifying - our blood and livers will swoon amorously and happily our skin and skeletal tissue get a loving lift too.
|Lush leaves loving you!
Whatever way you choose to eat it will be the best one for you, your instincts will make sure of that. This makes a lovely accompaniment to a golden pork chop or for a vegetarian option pan-fried Halloumi is a real winner too.
Chicory, 4 heads tailed
Little gem lettuce, two tailed
Olive oil, 1 tbsp
Onion 1 thinly sliced
Stock - veg or chicken 1/2 pint
Flageolet beans, 1 tin 400g
Thyme, 5 sprigs
Nutmeg, freshly grated
Half-fat Crème fraiche 2 tbsp
Honey 1 tsp
Butter 3 small knobs
PRE-HEAT oven to 190' gas 5.
RINSE chicory and little gem leaves making sure they are separated.
HEAT a frying pan with oil and fry onions for a few minutes.
ADD thyme flageolet beans, stock, crème fraiche and honey.
SIMMER for a five minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally.
ARRANGE leaves artistically in a suitable sized ovenproof dish.
POUR over onion stock mix and finish with a happy grating of nutmeg - season generously.
DOT a few knobs of butter and thyme sprigs - cover with foil.
BAKE in the oven for 40 minutes.
SWOON swoon swoon!


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Staring at a blank page is bad…staring at a blank blog is dreadful!!
This space is not intentionally blank.
I'm giving myself thinking room….
I wanted to do a blog as I thought it would help in my recovery time.
It may also be nice to have a place to show off my arty stuff.
Don't know what to start with or how…
So here's a picture of something I did:
He's a sweeper (obviously) and I painted him for a competition, then sent him to someone to make them happy.
Wow, ok. First one done. *phew*
That wasn't so bad…..


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And God Created Woman (1988)
And God Created Woman Photos
Movie Info
Watch it now
as Robin Shea
as Billy Moran
as James Tiernan
as Peter
as Alexandra
as Timmy Moran
as Blue
as David
as Einstein
as Hawk
as Prison Singer
as Denise
as Alice
as Shirley
as Maxine
as Shirley
as Inmate
as Warden
as Chaplain
as Al Lawrence
as Lenny
as Mike
as Harold
as Rupert Willis
as Tiernan's Secretary
as Governor Miller
as Las Quinellas Club Owner
as Emcee
as Virginia
as Dale
as Emma
as Jenny
as Political Aide
as News Broadcaster
as Guard #1
as Guard #2
as Guard #3
as Guard #4
as Guard #5
as Las Quinellas Club Cowboy #1
as Las Quinellas Club Cowboy #2
as Las Quinellas Sheriff #1
as Las Quinellas Sheriff #2
as Las Quinellas Club Act
as Las Quinellas Club Act
as Mexican Band Member
as Mexican Band Member
as Mexican Band Member
as Mexican Band Member
Critic Reviews for And God Created Woman
All Critics (8) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (3) | Rotten (5) | DVD (4)
the role Brigette Bardot was born to play, and it is the role for which she will most likely be remembered
These days, 'And God Created Woman' isn't very scandalous, just slow and awkward.
Audience Reviews for And God Created Woman
This remake of 1957 Bardot classic is really dull drama except Rebecca De Morney's so sexy and hot in her nudity scenes.
Super Reviewer
And God Created Woman Quotes
There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.


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Hi all,
This was my entry in the March/April Michael Strong Rubber Stamps challenge....to celebrate his 15 years in business, the entry had to have 15 layers - no more, no less - not counting the base card, and you had to use at least a piece of one of his stamps. Believe me, that's harder than it sounds! My base card is Curious Metallics Red Lacquer cardstock. Next a layer of Curious Metallics Super Gold. Next a layer of Curious Metallic Red Lacquer #111 cover cardstock which I embossed with Cuttlebug #2000011 bamboo embossing folder, punched all four corners with the southwest punch and laced with gold string; then popped up with foam tape. On a piece of washi paper, I stamped Michael Strong's kimono stamp using VersaMark ink pad and carefully heat embossed with Judikins transluent gold embossing powder; cut it out; used double sided tape to adhere to my card. I punched 3 flowers each of two sizes of an oriental flower punch, using 3D Crystal Lacquer on the larger 3 flowers. After they were dry, I used glue dots to place the smaller gold punched flower on top; then onto the card with another glue dot. I embellished each flower with a mini rhinestone, and added a small butterfly and rhinestone to finish.
A note to let you know of wonderful blog candy available on Heidi Blankenship's blog - 'Embellished Dreams': embellished-dreams.blogspot.com Hope you check it out!!!


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Do you know what an indemnity clause is?
Can you name three of the top selling authors in your genre?
Which agent represents them?
How about trends in the publishing industry? What's new? What's flagging?
What is the air speed of a well-laden swallow?
Okay skip that last one. Though it did get me extra credit points on a college exam once. The point is, what do you as an aspiring career author need to know about your career of choice? Everything. (except maybe the bit about birds)
Every day I read a slew of messages from various writers' groups and most of the time I find a lament from some author or another who has gotten themself into a heap of trouble by not being informed about their industry before jumping in head first.
Now, more often than not it's because they signed up with someone like Publish America and now they're totally SCREWED. (don't do it, please) But sometimes it's just a matter of making a rookie mistake, a mistake that could easily have been avoided with a little bit of research ahead of time.
Granted, I have no doubt that mistakes will be made regardless. Just give me time, I'll find a way to make an ass of myself one way or another. But still, getting informed can save a lot of headache and heartache along the way. So here are some of my ideas for keeping in the know. It's a tiny fraction of a start, so keep your ears open and look for other options. If you have any great additions, let me know as well. I'm hoping to hold off making a public fool of myself as long as possible.
Know How it Works:
What are the steps to getting published? Who do you go to when and with what? What happens next? And next?
So this is where I say, read. Hit the bookstore, the library, the used bookstore and grab anything you can find on the publishing business, how to get published...how it works. While you're there pick up a few good books on writing and you can incorporate polishing your craft into the deal. (whole other blog post, believe me)
Know What to Look Out For:
Sharks and scams and shady deals. Google everything. Every offer, every publisher, everything. Better yet, get to the Preditors and Editors website and bookmark it. Check everyone and every business you come into contact with. The "writer beware" site is a good tool too.
Know What's Going On:
Keeping up with your industry is good business no matter what business you're in. Every heard of Publishers Weekly? It's the industry trade journal/magazine and it's....well really expensive actually. BUT, they blog, gods bless them and MAN do they blog. I've found industry news feeds, and blogs by genre on their website. Follow them. At the very least in your genre. While you're at it, search that blogosphere for other resources. There are millions of blogs that cater to the publishing industry and authors. Hey, agents blog!! We like agents, remember? So do publishers and houses. So do other authors.
Don't follow so many that you can't keep up, or they'll just sit in your feeds doing you no good. (or rob you of valuable writing time) But pick a few good ones--ones that post frequently and have relevant and helpful information.
Know Your Peers:
Ever been stuck at work and too embarrassed to ask the boss a question? Your co-workers are a source of valuable information. So are other authors. Mingle for heavens' sake. Not only do authors blog, but they chat too. Interacting with people doing what you want to do, people who may have already succeeded, who have made a bunch of mistakes of their own to learn from, may be the best idea here.
Search up some authors groups by genre and in general on Yahoo... I'll wait.......
How many did you find? More than a few, right?
Okay, now specialize. You may have to test drive a few...or a bunch, but eventually you'll find three or seven that work for you. I like groups that post a lot, that share info and that aren't simply a promotions engine for their members to shout out, Hey, BUY MY BOOK PLEASE!!!
Weed those out and the numbers will drop dramatically. What you're left with is golden. I learn more every day about this business from my authors' groups than anywhere else.
If you're lucky enough to have a local writers' group, you can mingle in person. If not, start one. If you build it, they will come and drink coffee.
Anyway...none of this really matters if you're not interested in making writing a career. I think we both know that you are. Like me, you dream of hiding behind a bookshelf in the local chain bookseller and peeking around the corner while dozens of rabid fans rush to pick up your new release. . . Tell me I'm not the only one who has that dream.
Let's make it happen without too many tears. I'll bring the wine and chocolate.
Friday, January 1, 2010
On A Need to Know Basis
Posted by Frances Pauli at 9:55 AM
Labels: agents, aspiring author, authors, chocolate, fiction, genres, how-to, markets, movies, publishing, scams, submitting, write a novel, writing
3 comments:
- Frances Pauli said...
Egad! I forgot one...the most important one.
Know Your Customer...
Get thee to a convention, sign up for fan groups in your genre...mingle and DONT promote.
Find your readers and make friends with them. Know what they like and what they're looking for.
Did I mention don't promote? Not yet, not for a long time.
Just join in and be one with the fans.
- January 1, 2010 at 11:03 AM
Happy New Years...!
I have two awards to you on
my blog that I posted
01/01/10. I hope you will
take them and hand them
out to your friends...
- January 1, 2010 at 3:10 PM
- Lynn Andrade said...
Fabulous stuff. I think that it's easy to get lost in the perfect idea of the business and completely forget about the reality.
- January 6, 2010 at 4:56 PM
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Monday, March 30, 2009
Joburg's urban forest to grow
Already the largest manmade urban forest in the world, Johannesburg is planning to add thousands more trees to its landscape, greening the traditionally neglected townships.
Thousands of trees will be planted across Joburg over the next three years under City Parks's new One tree at a time campaign.
Some 100 000 indigenous trees will planted on the streets of new and developing suburbs under the campaign, which will be launched on Monday, 3 September.
According to Prema Naidoo, the member of the mayoral committee for environment, the campaign is aimed at solving greening problems caused by urbanisation. "There is a collective need to accelerate greening programmes to enhance the quality of life of every resident."
One tree at a time is an appeal to individuals and business to work with the City in building a greener and healthier Johannesburg, says Jenny Moodley, the City Parks spokesperson. The agency will plant 9 500 street trees during Arbor Month to add to the 2 100 already planted. Various completed road island initiatives will also be unveiled.
Arbor Day – when people are encouraged to plant trees - is celebrated nationally on 1 September; in 1999, the government extended the celebration for a week, running from 1 to 7 September. City Parks will run its programmes over the full month.
Some R44-million has been set aside for the City Parks campaign. "This is a huge investment in greening and beatifying our city," says Johnny Masinga, the organisational developmental adviser at Equity Aviation, one of the companies that is working with City Parks on One tree at a time. Through supporting the project, companies will have a chance to help fight climate change.
"Residents are reminded that we have a collective responsibility to nurture our greenery, as trees improve air quality, provide a habitat for wildlife and have the potential to increase property values," Moodley adds.
Read on
The painting is by Alfred Glendening
Posted by Vinayaraj V R at 10:04 PM
Labels: Tree Planting, Urban Tree Planting
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I guarantee 100% amazingness.
To kickstart this exciting new blog development, here is En Gallop by Joanna Newsom (my obsession slowly creeps out of hand) which, typically for her, has absolutely beautiful lyrics.
This place is damp and ghostly,I am already gone,And the halls were linedWith the disembodiedAnd the dustly wings,Which fell from fleshGasplessly.


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In presenting the award, AGLS wrote: "The Champlain College application appealed to the judges because it describes an information literacy assessment program built on a collaborative relationship between faculty and librarians described as 'a partnership for learning.' The partnership grew out of an effort to define information literacy outcomes and find assessment methods that faculty would support. The effort resulted in embedded student assessments across the curriculum and support for an e-portfolio initiative that allows for assessment of students' skills developed through the completion of the four-year Core curriculum. Administrative support, professional development, and the commitment of both teaching librarians and faculty have led to demonstrated improvement of information literacy skills."
The award was accepted on behalf of the college by Betsy Beaulieu, Dean of the Core Division, Janet Cottrell, Director of the Library, and Michelle Miller, Senior Associate Provost, at the AGLS National Conference held October 6-9, 2010 in Austin, TX.


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Wrote this poem Saturday night for an open mike...in the style of Calvin Trillin, the closest thing we have to a poet laureate on the left...
Jack spoke there freely, like a saintly sinner --
(Jelly donuts for breakfast, and brats for dinner)
Announcing to the world: "Ich bin ein Berliner."
Now Obama's running, and he's looking like a winner
Except that, if he wasn't such a heavy spinner
He'd be forced to admit, "Ich bin ein beginner."
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Friday, October 17, 2008
Gordon the Unrepentant Plumber
G. Gordon Liddy, White House Plumbers Unit:
Gordon the Assasin:
Gordon the Jeweler -- Operation Gemstone:
Gordon the Talk Radio Show Sniper:
Gordon the Great:
McCain, the Unrepentant Old Friend:
How many plumbers do you know making a quarter million dollars a year?
Gordon the Entrepreneur (New York Times, November 12, 1988):
"Obviously crime pays,... " ~ G. Gordon Liddy [Thought for the Day - The Independent (London), Sep 1, 2000].
Book note: excerpted material above from:
The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate, by James Rosen, 2008 (Amazon link).
McCain finds his own radical friend (Chicago Tribune):
Liddy was in the thick of the biggest political scandal in American history -- and one of the greatest threats to the rule of law. He has said he has no regrets about what he did, insisting that he went to jail as "a prisoner of war."
Gordon the Assasin:
Persistence was one of Gordon Liddy's strong points; patience was not. In the weeks that followed the February 4 meeting, he relentlessly hounded Magruder to secure approval of Gemstone from John Mitchell. The attorney general had announced his resignation on February 15, 1972, and left Justice for CRP [ed/farmer note: Nixon's Committee for the Re-Election of the President] on March 1. To keep their chops sharp in the meantime, Liddy and Hunt performed an odd assortment of investigative jobs, including an examination of Jack Anerson's finances and a review of the best options for murdering the columnist,...
~ [James Rosen, The Strong Man; page 268; Doubleday, 2008]
Gordon the Jeweler -- Operation Gemstone:
Now, at 11:00 a.m. on January 27, 1972, Dean once again found himself seated in one of the faded red leather chairs in the attorney general's office, alongside Magruder and Liddy. The lawyer-cum-covert operator was finally going to present his master plan for a "first-class" campaign intelligence operation to Mitchell. Liddy strode into the attorney general's office carrying an easel and, under his arm in a brown paper wrapper, a set of large, professionally printed charts. [...] Liddy summarized his qualifications for the covert mission at hand, the many experts he had consulted, and the tight security precautions surrounding the entire operation. Next, he distributed sheets of paper with dollar figures on them.
Then came the charts. There were half a dozen, all multicolored and prepared - in Liddy's first breach of security - by Howard Hunt's friends at CIA. Each chart was three feet tall and four feet long, "artistically composed," as Mitchell later recalled, and bore the name of a precious stone or mineral. Each stone or mineral, in turn, comprised a component in the overall plan, which Liddy code-named Gemstone.
First came Operation Diamond, aimed at neutralizing the unruly hordes of antiwar radicals expected to disrupt the '72 convention. Liddy explained that the most effective riot-control techniques ever developed originated with the Texas Rangers, who, despite vastly inferior numbers, penetrated a given mob. "beat the hell out of" its leaders, then easily dispersed the stuned remainder. Indulging his fondness for all things German, Liddy proposed a similar program for the '72 convention, under which, as he put it, "special action groups" - a mordant reference to the Nazi Einsatzgruppen units that liquidated 1.5 million Jews - would kidnap and drug antiwar leaders and remove them to Mexico until the convention ended.
Liddy paused to extol the caliber of his agents, "professional killers who have accounted between them for twenty-two dead so far," Liddy said, "including two hanged from a beam in a garage." Mitchell gazed unblinkingly, puffed on his pipe, and posed his forst interjection. "And where did you find men like that?" I understand they're members of organized crime," Liddy said. "And how much will their services cost?" Mitchell asked. Liddy pointed to a hefty figure on the chart: "Like top professionals everywhere, sir, they don't come cheap." "Well," Mitchell said dryly, returning to his pipe, "let's not contribute any more than we have to to the coffers of organized crime."
Liddy sensed his pitch was not going over well. What's more, he was getting no help from his confreres, Magruder and Dean, who stared motionless at Mitchell "like two rabbits in front of a cobra." In slow succession, the charts came off the easel, Liddy explaining how each component fit into his overall plan. Ruby entailed the placement of spies in the Democratic contenders' campaigns. Coal called for the covert funneling of cash to Shirley Chisholm, a black female congresswoman whose quest for the Democratic nomination stood to divide the party along racial and gender lines. Emerald outlined how Liddy could intercept airborne and wireless communications from the planes and buses of opposing candidates by using a "chase plane" outfitted with state-of-the-art electronics gear. Quartz, and explication of how the Soviet embassy intercepted telephone signals using microwave systems, proved nearly incomprehensible. Crystal envisioned the rental in Miami, where both parties were holding their conventions, of a luxury houseboat, from which Liddy's men would monitor wiretaps and bugs. The bedroom of the houseboat, wired for sound, would also serve the purposes of Sapphire, wherein sophisticated call girls would seduce and debrief Democratic politicos. "Mitchell listened to that impassively, as did Dean," Liddy later recalled. "Magruder, however, wore a look of eager interest."
On it went. Opal's points I through IV set aside funds for illegal break-ins, in which the aforementioned wiretaps and bugs would be installed. As targets, Liddy specified the Washington campaign headquarters of Senators Edmund Muskie and George McGovern; the Democratic Party's convention headquarters in Miami; and one target to be chosen by Mitchell, who kept silent when Liddy paused for suggestions. Next came Topaz, the illicit photography of documents; followed by Garnet, the clandestine recruitment of unappealing hippies to endorse opposition candidates; and Turquoise, a plot for Hunt's Cuban mercenaries to sabotage the air-conditioning system at the Democrats' convention. Two final charts, Brick and Gemstone, broke down the costs by mission and projected dates of expenditure.
When Liddy was finished, the room was silent. All power emanated from Mitchell, and it was to him the other three looked for direction. The attorney general was dumbfounded. "Mr. Liddy put on his perfomance," he later testified, "and eveybody just sat there with their mouths open." [...] As Magruder told the Senate Watergate committee, in previously unpublished testimony, Mitchell "indicated that [Liddy's plan] was not acceptable both in its scope and its budget.
The revised Gemstone, Magruder later testified, was "less spectacular and therefore more acceptable."
[James Rosen, The Strong Man; page 262-265; Doubleday, 2008]
Gordon the Talk Radio Show Sniper:
In 1994, after the disastrous federal raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, he gave some advice to his listeners: "Now if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms comes to disarm you and they are bearing arms, resist them with arms. Go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests. ... Kill the sons of bitches." ~ Wiki link
Gordon the Great:
In 1998, Liddy's home was the site of a McCain fundraiser. Over the years, he has made at least four contributions totaling $5,000 to the senator's campaigns -- including $1,000 this year.
Last November, McCain went on his radio show. Liddy greeted him as "an old friend," and McCain sounded like one. "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your family," he gushed. "It's always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great."
Which principles would those be? The ones that told Liddy it was fine to break into the office of the Democratic National Committee to plant bugs and photograph documents? The ones that made him propose to kidnap anti-war activists so they couldn't disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention? The ones that inspired him to plan the murder (never carried out) of an unfriendly newspaper columnist? ~ [Chicago Tribune - see link above, "McCain finds his own radical friend"]
McCain, the Unrepentant Old Friend:
Via Atrios (Oct. 16, 2008)
"Did you not have a relationship with Gordon Liddy?" Letterman asked about Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy.
McCain said he knew him. Then, after a commercial break, McCain said, "I know Gordon Liddy. He paid his debt, he went to prison ... I'm not in any was embarrassed to know Gordon Liddy."
How many plumbers do you know making a quarter million dollars a year?
Gordon the Entrepreneur (New York Times, November 12, 1988):
The G. Gordon Liddy Story Continues With Chapter 11
LEAD: A Miami-based security company co-founded by G. Gordon Liddy, the convicted Watergate burglar who became a television and movie villain, has sought protection from its creditors under the Federal Bankruptcy Code.
A Miami-based security company co-founded by G. Gordon Liddy, the convicted Watergate burglar who became a television and movie villain, has sought protection from its creditors under the Federal Bankruptcy Code.
International Security and Intelligence Inc., also known as G. Gordon Liddy & Associates, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday in Federal Bankruptcy Court in Miami.
The company's services range from alerting corporate clients to the presence of listening devices to teaching courses on how to plant bugging devices, but most of its revenues come from providing armed guards in South Florida.
The two-year-old company has also advertised its ''Hurricane Force,'' which it describes as an anti-terrorist squad of former American, European and Israeli commandos that is capable of rescuing kidnapped executives.
During the 52 months that Mr. Liddy spent in jail, he decided to enter the security business to capitalize upon his five years' experience with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other security-related background. ''Basically, the same spying techniques used by governments are being used by private firms,'' Mr. Liddy said in a recent interview.
In September 1977, after President Jimmy Carter commuted his sentence, Mr. Liddy left Federal prison heavily in debt but apparently with his sense of humor intact. In 1982 he he founded Gemstone Security of Florida Inc., the predecessor to G. Gordon Liddy Associates. Gemstone was a code name used by the Watergate conspirators.
In the 11 years since he left prison, Mr. Liddy has found other lucrative ways to mine the Watergate episode.
"Obviously crime pays,... " ~ G. Gordon Liddy [Thought for the Day - The Independent (London), Sep 1, 2000].
Book note: excerpted material above from:
The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate, by James Rosen, 2008 (Amazon link).


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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS PICNICby Staff Writer / New York Islanders
This past Saturday, July 7th the Islanders mascot Sparky as well as the Kidz Zone went to a Knights of Columbus Picnic in Massapequa. It was a fun filled day at Marjorie Post Park. All participant were able to take a try at the slap shot booth as well as take pictures and get autographs from Sparky. Despite the heat Sparky was happy that he could take time out of his day to spend it with his fans. Fun was had by all who attended this event.
View More


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It's time someone put these end times quacks on front street.
To begin, here's a vid I posted yesterday:
The facts here are plain and simple. Horn and Putnam failed miserably to do their research. Their use of this Apollo 16 phenomenon was paranoid nonsense even without the debunking, but as of 2004, it is completely debunked.
I called out Putnam for this error by leaving a comment on his blog. Within 24 hours, that comment was erased.
Again I am compelled to ask: Why is it that someone this dishonest, someone this incompetent, someone this paranoid, is a member in good standing with organizations like ISCA and the Christian Apologetics Alliance, while a serious scholar like Mike Licona is blacklisted by a group like ISCA and by Norman Geisler?
Why isn't Geisler hot on the spot to tackle Putnam for this sort of recklessness and falsehood?
And more importantly, why do Christians give these quacks any credence?
Actually, I know why. One poster commented on my vid thusly:
i would believe 90% of the worlds population over NASA every day of the year my friend
It's curious that this bonehead apparently thinks "90% of the world's population" thinks that the Apollo 16 object was a UFO. Or maybe he's saying, "90% believe in UFOs". How nice. In 50 AD, 99.9% of the Roman Empire would have said Christianity was a deviant collection of bunk. This proves what?
It's time to put these quacks on the spot. Stay tuned.


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I Must Be Easy. . .Or Am I Just a Cheap Date?
I slept in as late as I could on the day of my colonoscopy. What was the point of getting up if I couldn't enjoy my coffee with half 'n half or my toast and fruit? They tell you not to arrive more than 15 minutes ahead of your appointment saying there is no point because you will just wait. I think it's because they only have one restroom in the waiting area. Let's face it, everyone who arrives there is either forcing out the last of the laxative or worried they will. One restroom for all of those people is a cruel joke. Lucky for me, I was clean as a whistle before I got there.
They happily guided me back to my gurney and asked if I was currently pregnant. Uh, no. Have I completed menopause? Uh, no. "Then," she says, "I need to do a pregnancy test on you. Can you give me a urine sample?" Let me just remind you that I have spent the better part of the last 24 hours eliminating any excess matter, solid and liquid, that lurked in my body and she tells me we can't proceed until she runs a pregnancy test. Sheesh.
Here's where the good part comes in. They give you some drugs, really nice drugs. Drugs like you have a great buzz and just love everybody drugs. The last thing I remember is the nurse coming in to tell me I wasn't pregnant. Oh Glory be. . .now we can do the colonoscopy. So they wheel me down the hall to a dimly lit room and the Dr. comes in to introduce himself - appropriate given how intimate we are about to become. He asks if I have any questions and the only thing I can think to say is, "I feel like you should, at least, buy me dinner first." I'll bet her never hears that.
That must be when they cranked up the IV because I do not remember anything after that until Moondoggy came in and asked if I was ever tempted to go toward the light. So, I'm good for another 10 years and can now give the knowing nod and wink when other newly 50 people realize it's time for their colonoscopy.
Hop over to these authors' blogs.
Diana Layne
Mike Faricy
Victoria Adams
Jason G. Anderson
S.L. Wallace
Charles Sheehan-Miles
M.J. Holmes
Lynn Hubbard
Jordan T. Maxwell
Jillian Dodd
Chrystalla Thoma
Elle Chardou
Dana Sitar
Troy McCombs


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Image courtesy of noppasinw at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Some people believe in looking back, perhaps with their lists of goals or resolutions, upon the previous year, to set new goals, to identify patterns, to start new habits, to find closure.
Sometimes I'm like that.
And some people simply accept that one year is ending and another is beginning, and that the first day of a new year usually feels a lot like yesterday, and that looking back isn't always beneficial or to be recommended.
I can be that way, too.
You know best ... your year, your hopes, your dreams, your ups and downs, your challenges, your goals, yourself.
Will you take time tonight to reflect? To celebrate? To mourn? To remember?
Image courtesy of Pong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Tomorrow will be another new day in another new year in your life. A fresh chance. There are 86,400 seconds in one day.
From where I'm sitting, that doesn't seem like so very many.
Make them count.
Wishing you and yours a very happy New Year's!


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And I am a Pinterest addict.
There, I've said it.
It's true.
And it feels so good to get that off my chest :)
I'm sure none of you can relate, right?
Pinterest is a wonderful resource for finding creative teaching ideas, crafting projects, and recipes. I use it for all of the above - plus I've recently hoarded a huge collection of baby pins!
Here are three of my most favorite recent pins:
I love Mason Jars - they are so cute and functional! This pin has TONS of ideas for practical and decorative uses:
Looking for a power snack for when you're on the go? Well, look no further - these are delicious!
The best part? These are no-bake, so you don't need to turn on that oven in this summer heat!
My friend, Diane, from Fifth in the Middle, has started a new Pinterest board of food for teachers - check it out!
Lastly, as a book/quote lover, I found this post interesting:
It's a collection of proverbs that you could use in your classroom. I love the idea of bringing the Bible in the Christian classroom more than just during prayer request time or when the kids are filling in their workbooks. My creative appetite is whet and I think a product is in the works :)
Looking for more PINspiration? Check it out:


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I can't say that I was ever planning to visit Louisville, KY, but the occasion of an old friend's wedding there brought la familia to "the Ville" this weekend. We stayed at the shockingly hip and sweet 21C Museum Hotel in downtown Louisville. It's new, it has a "museum" of new art on the ground floor (mostly multimedia installations), and the restaurant connected to the hotel, Proof on Main, was nothing short of outstanding.
I, of course, made a beeline to Baer's Fabrics, which turned out to be a good 20 minute walk away. But it's actually fall weather in Kentucky, there were few vagrants about, and the stroll past Louisville's 19th century buildings in transition to loft living was pleasant.
The old floors squeak and crunch under your feet in Baer's, and the people working there are nice and knowledgeable. I would say that their fine fabrics selection is pretty much limited to woolens, but there were some very nice ones there. They had quite a large selection of buttons, one of the most expansive I've ever seen outside of Toronto. I had forgotten my pocket library of fabrics at home and did not know which buttons I wanted to buy. Finally, I drew upon my shaky memory and bought what I thought I needed. They were having a 25% off sale! I also bought some fun "bubble brocade" fabric that I think will make a great dressy jacket. In all, not my usual haul, but a lot of fun nonetheless.
Later that day, the child and I visited the Louisville Slugger factory, where baseball bats are made, and the black-tinted bats used in the World Series were being finished and packed for shipping. We got to hold models of the actual baseball bats that Lance Berkman and Craig Biggio order for themselves. I didn't know that Major League players get to order their own baseball bats, but they do. We could have picked up one that Albert Pujols uses, but I uttered a quiet "Booooo" in my child's ear and we didn't touch his stinky bat. I was quiet because people in L'ville are rooting for the Cardinals in the World Series. Their AAA farm team is in Louisville. I hate the Cardinals.


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It's been a few weeks since Pamela and I took in Re-Animator - The Musical at the Steve Allen Theatre. I wasn't there in any official capacity as reviewer; this was strictly pleasure, not business for me. I am quite taken with The Steve Allen since dropping in on Ron Lynch's Tomorrow! back in May. My comedy partner Phillip Kelly and I subsequently took our neo-vaudeville act "Mr. Snapper and Mr. Buddy" to Tomorrow! and we had a blast. The audience was feisty and engaged and I enjoyed watching Ron work his magic from the wings (the man is a tremendous emcee).
Backstage at Tomorrow! I ran across a Re-Animator program and to my delight discovered that the music and lyrics were by Mark Nutter. I was first exposed to Nutter at Xmas Smackdown, an irreverent holiday show up in the Valley. My wife performed a burlesque number for one evening of that show, and I discovered Mark "Baby Shredder" Nutter. I was already aware that Re-Animator was the one show in Hollywood that boasts a splash zone. Nutter's name on the production sealed the deal.. And so plans were hatched, tickets were purchased, and soon enough we found ourselves in the third row of the splash zone as the lights dimmed and the overture began.
That splash zone? Absolutely, delightfully necessary.
Nutter's songs are tight, clever and laugh-out-loud funny in their own right. (For Cthulu's sake PLEASE record a cast album!!!) The cast is fully committed to the mania, and each and every one of the players gives a stand-out performance. From Brian Gillespie's scene stealing janitor to Jesse Merlin's operatic übercreep, Dr. Hill there is not one wasted choice, not one perfunctory moment. This show is balls-out from open to close.
Re-Animator is full of surprising solutions to staging problems. I dare say Stuart Gordan is a genius, and it kickstarts my own theatrical heart to see his work on stage.
Re-Animator - The Musical is brought to life Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 8:00 pm through August 14th. The Steve Allen Theatre is located in The Center for Inquiry, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood.
Tickets are $15 for CFI members and students, $30 for everyone else. (Check Goldstar for discount tickets.) Ticket info may be found here.
Don't be a puss. Sit in the splash zone and revel in it!


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Finished reading Chapter 10, and starting a new project, kinda..
I've finished reading Chapter 10 in JavaScript and jQuery: The Missing Manual, really interesting stuff. It explained how to make tabbed pages, Tooltips and sliders. It turned out to be somehow easy to make as i thought it need some kind of an expert developer or something.
Now i'm going to rebuild my simple Todo list application using jQuery.
And also here's its git repository, in case you wanted to take a look at the old code, maybe give some suggestions for the future jQuery code.
I'm going to redesign the interface of course, adding some effects using jQuery, and re-writing all the code.
It's a long task so wish me luck.


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Junior Sales Executive - Furniture (Rome)
Blue Design srl is the exclusive dealer of Herman Miller office furniture for Rome and Central Southern Italy. As a result of the company's growth in the last two years, Blue Design srl is searching for a junior sales representative to expand the company's sales efforts in the Rome metropolitan area.
Job Responsibilities:
• Establish relationships with new customers and create with them solutions that match their needs
• Establish and maintain relationships with Rome's A&D community
• Develop relationships with Rome's business associations
• Develop and meet sales budgets
Candidate Requirements
• Age: Up to 35 y.o.
• Ideal candidate should have some previous field sales experience
• Background in interior design and/or B2B sales a plus
• Good knowledge of Italian and English (written and spoken), knowledge of other languages a plus
• Must be resident in the Rome metropolitan area
• Competitive remuneration package in line with market standards
Please send your CV in Italian and cover letter to Protected content


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I will be taking part in a one-time-only sketch event on May 18, at 10 PM, titled, "The Summer Funtime Special," produced by The Manhattan Comedy Collective and Matt Koff. The blurb on the MC2 website has this to say:
"Barbecues, bikinis, beachballs, and blockbusters. Finally, a sketch show that celebrates what Time Magazine calls 'The World's Hottest Season.'
Starring Rob Bates, Matt Koff, Stacy Mayer, Dan McCoy, and Rick Murphy. With special guests and other surprises!"
The show will be written by Matt, Rob, and myself, and you can see it at:
The Gene Frankel Theater Underground
24 Bond Street (AKA East 2nd St.)
It's on the north side of Bond Street, between Bowery & Lafayette, in the basement space.
$5 for the 10 PM show, or you can see the whole MC2 Thursday line up for $10 (includes a drink ticket).
More news as events warrant.*
Also: good news for fans of my periodic contributions to Andres du Bouchet's always extremely funny Giant Tuesday Night of Amazing Inventions and Also There is a Game-- one of my bits will be included on the May 23rd show (only writing-- I won't be performing).
In case you've forgotten, Giant Tuesday Night is at:
Rififi/ Cinema Classics
332 East 11th Street
between 1st and 2nd Avenues
The show is FREE (w/ a one drink minimum)
*Read, "when we figure out who the special guests are."
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Two New Shows in May
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|A miniature horse and her baby that was just a few days old when the fair started. Both of these critters were in the petting part of the fair. Kids (and adults) were loving the variety of animals they had this year. Of course chickens, goats, bunnies and Pot Bellied pigs. There was a Zebu too. Looked like a Brahma but wasn't. He was big too.
Sage came up and wanted me to come get her today. I petted and hugged on her. I love it when she does that.
We sold the tractor that Bob did not use, the old manure spreader and the rabbits today. We needed the money for taxes. Actually we sold the tractor the other day but today he came and paid for it. Steve came out and started the horse shelter so we have a place for Marilyn's horses to get out of the weather this winter and he almost got my chicken house built for my banty chickens that Shannon raised for me. Bob will finish it. Can't wait to get them home. We need some big laying hens too. We have the market for the eggs and our hens are getting old and don't lay as much.
Tomorrow I am going to a quilting get together with my friend Vicki. I know they are all more experienced than me but I will do the best I can. Then tomorrow evening is our Mustang Club meeting. Love getting together with that group.
My baby kitties are getting bigger. They think I am their mother. They hear me talk or go into that room and they start crying.


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Why? Because designers are their own worst client and they can't leave well enough alone. (just ask my Hubs)
We are still in the planning/bidding process of our kitchen reno, so I have time to weigh lots of different options. And before even one item in our kitchen is touched, I would like to have every item decided on and ordered so there are absolutely no delays. Nothing messes with a renovation timeline like back ordered items.... and budgets - ha!
Anyway. I initially wanted the classic, much loved white subway tile. Which would definitely be a fantastic choice.
So I started looking. And I found this.
So I was alllllllllllllllll set to do that until I came across this:
Decisions, decisions, as they say. Have a great weekend, everyone!


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If you know me, you know that weight is something that I have struggled with all of my life. When my husband and I were dating, I had recently lost a significant amount of weight. One day my knight said "I will still love you even if you gain all of the weight back." Well that did it. From then on I was madly in love with this man who could have so much unconditional love for me.
Princess has struggled with her weight as well. Last year at this time Princess's weight had crept up to an unhealthy number. Her doctor knew that a certain medication was the culprit so we tried to limit carbs and provide more nutritious alternatives. This was to no avail. Her weight continued to climb. Finally in May her doctor took her off of that med.
What followed was the worst summer and early fall ever as we tried to find another medication to stabilize her moods.
Finally in October, her doctor decided to try something new that she had never tried but that several of her other colleagues had met with success. I was scared out of my wits but decided to take a leap of faith.
Right away we noticed big changes. Princess could pay attention. She seemed to have matured over night. She could sit still. She did not have so much extra energy. Best of all she was no longer aggressive. For us this has been a wonder drug.
The flip side of it, is that it has exaggerated Princess's food issues. Oh it was great when she first started to lose all of the extra weight. Of course my pocket book didn't like it. It was fun to see her slim down. That is until I started to see her ribs stick out. Even my husband noticed it.
So in late December I made an appointment with the pediatrician. We went in under the guise of having the doctor look at her chapped and bleeding hands. Then after the doctor gave us the name of an OTC cream and a prescription for another, I asked Princess to go to the waiting room while I talked to the doctor.
The doctor informed me that Princess was not in dire straights yet. According to her growth charts, my daughter, was in the 60th percentile. I was shocked to say the least. I thought she'd be more in the 30th percentile.
I asked for some advice as her other doctor wanted to put her back on the medication that had led to the weight gain in the first place. She suggested that we meet with a nutritionist that she would set us up with. She also recommended that we give Princess Pediasure 2-3 times a week at the end of the day if we felt that she wasn't consuming enough calories. She said that she and Princess's other doctor will continue to monitor her weight on a monthly basis.
In my opinion the weight loss is not only caused by this new medication but by at least two other factors. Princess dislikes the way many foods feel, smell and/ or taste. She even told me that she doesn't like the way sliced potatoes feel on her tongue. She will only eat grandma's mashed potatoes because they don't have any lumps. She also has food anxieties. She is afraid to try something new for fear of not liking it. These two factors really came to a head at a recent family gathering. When it came time for dinner at my cousin's house, Princess took one look at all of the food and became overwhelmed. I asked her what was wrong. She told me that she needed a "cool out." So we went into the living room where she informed me through tears that there was nothing there that she liked. I know from years of dealing with this that I would get no where if I just told her to try. So I asked my cousin's son for the makings for a PBJ. He happily obliged. So while the rest of us ate yummy prime rib and scalloped potatoes. My child dined on a PBJ and a banana. I am so thankful that no one said a word of criticism.
I have learned that for the time being when we are dining out whether it be at a restaurant or someone else's house, I will be bringing an emergency meal for Princess just in case.
I do worry that these eating habits could develop into an eating disorder as I see some of the early signs of this.
Like my husband modeled for me me, I will love my precious child no matter what her size. I just want her to be a healthy weight.
I would ask for your continued prayers as we battle this. We are so thankful that Princess is doing so well in so many areas but know that she continues to struggle in other areas. Thank you for your support and love.


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Two guys break into an atheist's home. He has a little atheist wife and two little atheist daughters. Two guys break into his home and tie him up in a chair and gag him. And then they take his two daughters in front of him and rape both of them and then shoot 'em and they take his wife and then decapitate her head off in front of him. And then they can look at him and say, 'Isn't it great that I don't have to worry about being judged? Isn't it great that there's nothing wrong with this? There's no right or wrong, now is it dude?' Then you take a sharp knife and take his manhood and hold it in front of him and say, 'Wouldn't it be something if this was something wrong with this? But you're the one who says there is no God, there's no right, there's no wrong, so we're just having fun. We're sick in the head, have a nice day.' If it happened to them, they probably would say, 'Something about this just ain't right.'
"Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson explaining his rape fantasies about killing atheists
4 thoughts on "Phil Robertson on raping and killing atheists."
I know he is supposed to be setting up a hypothetical scenario, but I doubt we would have gotten away expressing an equally detailed and graphic scenario in which the victims were Muslims or new age spiritualists/deists (who also believe tend to believe that they will not be judged for anything they do because the supernatural force they believe in is super "loving" and forgiving and tolerant), even if it was part of some philosophical argument.
I recognise that all non-Christians experience prejudice in societies where Christianity is the dominant religion (and if he had said something like that about Muslim or new age people I would also have been horrified), but there does seem to be a special prejudice directed at people who reject the existence of god-beings and powerful supernatural forces altogether. That may be because a hierarchical society is intimidated by people who reject the idea of a supernatural ruler altogether and do not wish to be ruled by any magical being (no matter how benevolent, liberal and "tolerant", or rather, permissive the supposed being is.) I only wish that more atheists would apply the anti-hierarchy thinking implicit in atheist and anti-theism (I use the term "anti-theism" to mean opposition to religion and the concept of god in general) to society in general and in particular to issues related to gender and sexuality.
And yes, atheism and moral relativism are distinct phenomenon. Of course, many atheists and religion opponents have embraced moral relativism since it is the dominant ideology within universities and secular moral systems are rarely discussed (thus people are not given viable alternatives), but liberal religion adherents are equally relativistic nowadays.


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Defining and an Explanation of This Word
First let us define fundamental and then proceed to add different suffixes and move on to adding different contexts. After we fully explore the definition, different suffixes, and different contexts for the word fundamental, we will proceed to give a rebuttal to those who use this word outside of its definition to fit their own context.
Fundamental as defined by the Webster Dictionary by looking at fundament (which is an unused word) which means "foundation". Now moving on to fundamental we see that the definition along with the word evolves to "A leading or primary principle, rule, law or article, which serves as the ground work of a system; essential part." Now let us add some different suffixes to the word and see how the definition evolves, fundamentally: "Primarily; originally; essentially; at the foundation." By adding the suffix "ist" (dealer or doer) we turn Fundamental into fundamentalist and get the definition: A person who deals with or does the fundamentals. My last suffix to add is "ism" (doctrine or belief) and this adds to our definition "belief or doctrinal fundamentals."
Now, let us create context for fundamentalism and fundamentalist; there are many forms of fundamentalism/ists but I want to deal primarily with Christian fundamentalism today. Therefore the context of this discussion on fundamentalism will be Christian fundamentalism. Before discussing Christian fundamentalism and the fundamentalist let us discuss what happens when we add Christianity to the context of fundamentalism/ist. Christian fundamentalism is the doctrines that are the primary principles or fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion.
As we see in the above paragraph, Christian fundamentalism deals with the fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion. I am going to continue by categorically explaining the Christian fundamentals and then look at what is not Christian fundamentalism. The categories will be: Theology (General and Proper) and Christian Living/Application.
The first fundamental doctrine of the Christian religion is doctrines of Scripture. The doctrines of Scripture lay a foundation of certainty concerning all the other fundamental doctrines. Scripture is God breathed and did not originate from the minds of men (2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:20). Also, God's Word is authoritative and builds our faith (2 Timothy 3:16 and Romans 10:17). From the fundamental Christian doctrines on Scripture we can trust Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) for the rest of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion.
Relying on our doctrines of Scripture lets go explore some fundamental doctrines concerning God (Theology Proper). God is self-existent and created all things, there are three main terms we use to describe Him: Omnipresent, Omniscient, and omnipotent. Omnipresent refers to God's existence being infinite, He exists in all places and times (Jeremiah 23:23-24). His Omniscient attribute describes His knowledge which is not bound by anything but is infinite and perfect, He exhaustively knows all things without any limit by time. In other words, before God created the universe He knew every little thing that has is and will happen (Isaiah 46:9-10 and 1 John 3:19-20). God is omnipotent, basically all-powerful. There is not much of a need to describe this one, it is self descriptive (Mathew 19:26). Some of the more specific attributes of God are love, just, righteous, holy, perfect, orderly, sovereign, benevolent, glorious, and many others. A more complex fundamental truth is that exists as a triune Godhead. The doctrine of the Trinity is both simple yet complex and beyond full comprehension, God exists both ontologically and economically triune. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each fully God and independently existent yet fully and perfectly in united. Ontologically triune means that each person is a real, unique, and a different individual while economically triune explains that each individual interacts with the creation differently. Contrary to the fundamental doctrine of the Trinity the Modalist (for instance The United Pentecostal Church, T.D. Jakes, et cetra) can accept the economical Trinity but reject the Trinity ontologically. This means that they believe that God manifests Himself Triunely as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit but these are mere descriptions of one being (Jesus) and not three individual beings.
Now let us look at man's nature, Adam was made perfect but through his fall in the Garden of Eden all mankind is born into the bondage of sin with a corrupt will and ultimately eternal condemnation. Within Scripture we find the fundamental doctrine of Total Depravity/Inability which simplified means that we are born as corrupt and evil as possibly can be. We are unable to please God or do anything that is considered good. This probably leaves you thinking I am a lunatic or out of line but please allow me to finish, God is benevolent and loving and thus the Holy Spirit instills godly morality in all men saving us from our own vileness. We call this the doctrine of Common Grace. This brings to the discussion man's will, the unregenerate man cannot choose to do anything that is good by his own power, it is not within his capacity to do so. In contrast, the regenerate man can not only choose to do good but by his new nature desires to do good and to walk in the good works Jesus prepared for him.
Let us break this discussion to look at how a perfect God must react to sinful man to maintain His perfect nature. This will show how these fundamentals work together and build doctrines.
As stated above, God is holy, righteous, and just thus to remain perfect He must punish us for our vileness. God is also benevolent and loving and thus in His love Jesus came to redeem mankind through His sacrifice on the Cross.
The nature of the atonement is the fundamental of fundamentals! The atonement doctrines are everything to the Christian Religion, and must be adhered to with the utmost strictness. Let us now discuss this most important fundamental doctrine, the atonement. Jesus Christ came and lived a perfect life with the intention of making the perfect sacrifice for all of mankind who would be set free from the bondage of sin through faith (Sola Fide) in Jesus Christ (Sola Christus), by God's Prevenient Grace (Sola Gratia), and for His Glory (Sola Deo Gloria). Jesus on the cross consumed our sins and God's wrath. He was our propitiation and by this we are justified, imputed with Christ's righteousness, regenerated, and start our walk of sanctification.
The Church and the local fellowship of believers is definitely a fundamental of the Christian Religion. The Church is the whole body of Christ where every believer has his part and role. The roles of individual believers are usually practiced in the local assembly of believers often called Church. The Scriptures are clear that we are to consistently come together and in the early Church we see what was commonly practice, Justin Martyr described the meetings as follows. (paraphrased) "We begin our meetings on the Lord's Day (Sunday) with the singing of hymns and then an elder or speaker will read from the Holy Word, usually a Gospel or one of the Apostle Paul's epistles. The speaker will then expound from what was read concerning how we should conduct ourselves." With nearly two thousand years we seem to have nearly the same liturgical style.
In brief, I will cover the last theological fundamental doctrines of eschatology. First let us look at death, when we die we will meet our God and be judged. The righteous repentant will go to Heaven and the rebellious God haters to Hell. Concerning Jesus return, Millennialism, Dispensationalism, Amillennialism, and belief in a rapture are not fundamentals but believing that Christ will return.
Now let us move on to the fundamental that are concerned with living in this World. They are and will be discussed in this order: The Seven E's- Exalt, Equate, Evolve, Evangelize, Edify, Encourage, and Endure. Also covered will be the necessity to walk in the Spirit. I am going to explain The Seven E's rather quickly and simply, with Scriptural quotation.
Exalt God
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
(Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
Equate Yourself with Humanity
"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
(Matthew 5:43-44)
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
(Galatians 5:14)
Evolve (Sanctification)
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
(Hebrews 13:21)
Evangelize the Lost
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
(Matthew 28:18-20)
Edify the Brethren
What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.
(1 Corinthians 14:26)
So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church.
(1 Corinthians 14:12)
Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME." For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,
(Romans 15:1-5)
Encourage the Brethren
Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
(1 Thessalonians 5:11)
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
(Hebrews 3:13)
Endure to the End
If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
(2 Timothy 2:12)
Now let us move onto walking in the Spirit which is really how we accomplish The Five E's and much more! By walking in the Spirit we continue our sanctification, kill our flesh, and walk in the good works that the Lord has prepared for us beforehand. The Apostle Paul wrote so much on Walking in the Spirit and much of Romans 8 is dedicated to this. Romans 8, Colossians 2 and 3, and Galatians 5 all give us a great understanding of walking in the Spirit. The simplest explanation is that walking in the Spirit is basically adhering to the sound teachings of Scripture concerning our conduct on Earth, putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and doing all this in the power of the Holy Spirit. Many try to erroneously define walking in the Spirit as some kind of super spiritual esoteric privilege. This is a dangerous position to hold and have heard many proponents of this position falsely believe that they do not need the Bible or Christian fellowship because they have this relationship with God where they are led by the Spirit and thus Scripture is irrelevant and so is Christian fellowship.
Having covered what I believe to be the most basic Christian fundamentals let us examine some groups that are falsely considered Christian fundamentalist but are nothing of the sort.
First, we will look at the Westboro Baptist Church who has become famous for picketing the funerals of soldiers who died. They tote signs that read "God hates America" and "God hates fags" this group twists Scripture so badly that they believe that they are justified in they own hatred towards who they deem "the non-elect" and go so far as to say it is sinful to even pray for who they deem to be non-elect. They violate a lot of Scripture, there is no gentleness or peacefulness in their teachings as Scripture commands that we address the non-believers in a spirit of gentleness and that we live in peace with others. The Apostle Paul also clearly states that we have no business judging those outside the Church.
T.D. Jakes and the United Pentecostal Church reject the Trinity as I already stated.
Lastly, the Word Faith Movement and their views on prosperity and "healing in the Atonement" only cause discouragement and doubt in the faithful who fall for their heresies. They are far from fundamental but all too often get labeled as such. Their doctrines on prosperity and "healing in the Atonement" truly take away from the greatest miracle, God resurrecting the spiritually dead and justifying the lost.


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Monday, November 19th-
I get a call from the kids' grandmother that Luke needs stitches. I told you about it in my last post, but it's medical and it happened in "the week".
Tuesday, November 20th-
Mom and Ashley bring the kids to have lunch with me at work. Luke has been begging for months to come see where I work, and it finally worked out that Mom got to keep the kids since she was off for the the week. Ashley said that Evan sounded really bad and needed to be seen. My pediatrician closes on Tuesdays at noon, so that afternoon was out.
Wednesday, November 21st-
Mom called early that morning and managed to get Evan a 9:30 appointment. Her oxygen levels were only between 93-95%. That doesn't seem low to most people, but actually....it's bad. If she didn't sound better within 24 hours she was going to be sent to the hospital. Kim put her on breathing treatments 4 times a day for a few weeks and an antibiotic in case there was some underlying infection and to prevent pneumonia. Also, she noticed that Luke's stitches were gone. YES. My 4 year old REMOVED his own stitches in bed the night before. When questioned about it he simply said "I took them out because I'm all better now." She thought it looked fine and didn't put any back in. I got to leave work at noon that day, and we spent the rest of the afternoon at home. Thomas the Train came on PBS and someone wasn't to sure.
When he scooted around the corner I just turned it off and deemed it nap time.
How pitiful is that?!
That night when I undressed Evan for her bath, I noticed these welts all over her torso.
As her bath progressed, so did the rashes. I watched a place grow on her arm while I did her breathing treatment. It spread to her back, under her chin, and up her shoulders. I could tell it was itching her and causing discomfort.
I freaked out. I had no idea what to do, what it was, or who to call. I ended up texting pictures to Mom and Ashley, Mom suggested Benydryl cream. Her and dad ran to the store for me, and I slathered that stuff everywhere. An hour later it was completely gone and I haven't seen it since. Nothing new had been introduced that night for it to be an allergic reaction, so we are all stumped.
Thursday, November 22nd-
Happy Thanksgiving! I made a special pinterest breakfast of cinnamon roll waffles.
You know, where you just cook cinnamon rolls on a waffle iron instead of the oven. Delicious. It was a quiet day with lots of food, spent at Mom's. The manfriend came over, and we had turkey and dressing and cranberries and pie and beached ourselves to watch football. Good day. Sweet company. Blessed. Plus Evan did respond well to the treatments, so no hospital for us.
Friday, November 23rd-
Luke complained that he didn't feel good, and requested to have his temperature taken. He didn't have one, so I thought nothing of it. An hour later I looked over and his ear was draining down his neck. Poor boy's ear drum had burst. I'm guessing he'd been harboring an ear infection for at least a week and didn't complain once. I called the pediatrician to tell her the good news about Evan and to let her know about Luke, to which antibiotic ear drops were prescribed.
Saturday, November 24th-
I like to call this zombie day. Luke didn't go to sleep that night until 2:30 because he was in so much pain, and Evan woke up at 7. Oi, it was a long day. His ear was still draining, and the pain seemed to get worse throughout the day. He would randomly just burst out in sobbing, and he couldn't even eat because it hurt to swallow. Plus, a nice little fever had kicked in.
That picture just about sums up Saturday. And Sunday for that matter. I spent the entire day just trying to make him comfortable. Any trying to stay patient.
Evan got to stay in her p.j.'s too. What better to wear when you're all about making mischief?
Sunday, November 25th-
Luke slept through the night, but was still in so much pain he couldn't even turn his head. I called the pediatrician in tears, because I knew the drops should have worked by now. There was just so much drainage that it couldn't get down in there. She told me to take him in somewhere, so off to Acute Kids we went. Two hours later we had a prescription for a super strong oral antibiotic to kill the infection that was in his highly inflamed lymph nodes.
Those last three days with him being miserable just about did me in. You know it's bad when you run out the door to a clinic with no shower and no bra. At least Evan was a happy little girl. She may be a walking tornado, but I don't think I could possibly love her more.
That? Is happiness.


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Growing up I was never much of a Harry Potter fan. Actually, I wasn't at all. I remember my parents reading The Sorcerer's Stone to my brother and me before bed, and also taking us to see the first two movies. Aside from that, I was never very interested in fantasy.
Fast forward another few years. After seeing all of the movies and absolutely loving them (I know, seeing the movies first is not the way to go), I decided I was well past due to read the books. I headed to Half Price Books, bought the set, and dived into the fantasy world of J.K. Rowling.
We started the day in Universal, which is the Diagon Alley part of the park. I was actually surprised how small Diagon Alley was, and how many people there were there. It was so crowded it was actually hard to walk through. We did a quick once over of the shops and Gringotts, then sneaked away inside to grab a butterbeer. I got two butterbeers for us (frozen - the best), and Tom grabbed us two actual beers, Wizard's Brew and Dragon Scale. Wizard's Brew is a porter that I liked best, but Tom liked the Dragon Scale which is a lighter and slightly hoppier lager.
Now here I am, just last week visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. Tom and I have been wanting to go, so when we booked a spring break trip to Sanibel we knew we'd have to make a stop. Orlando is about a 3 and a half hour drive from Sani, so we booked a hotel, got up bright and early, and headed to Universal. Luckily Tom is the best and drove the whole time while I napped :) (Hi Tom!)
We sat outside Gringotts in the sun trying to stay warm (it was actually a chilly day), then began
exploring the shops. We popped into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions (I especially loved the dresses on display, but it was so dark in there that I couldn't get a picture), Sugarplum's Sweetshop where we bought a pumpkin pasty, chocolate frog, and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans (stay away from ear wax and vomit - seriously), Quality Quidditch Supplies, and lastly Olivander's. We also went down Knockturn Alley and stopped into Borgin and Burkes. It was dark and creepy but pretty cool to stop into. I really loved how detailed each of the stores were, they were just like the movies, but they were so small and SO packed. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if everything wasn't so crowded that you couldn't get through a store.
We then lined up for the Escape From Gringotts ride, which was probably my favorite part of Diagon Alley. The line starts outside the bank, and as it moves up you move into Gringotts. Holy crap - Gringotts blew me away. It was identical to the movie. The high ceiling had three huge, elaborate chandeliers hanging from it and goblins sat along the sides working on their paperwork. They looked so real I couldn't believe it. As the line moves along you then go into the vaults under the bank, and then onto the ride. I found the ride itself a little underwhelming because it is about five minutes long, but getting to see Gringotts made it worth the wait.
Next we boarded the Hogswarts Express to take us to Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure. The train had a screen in each box to make it look like you were driving through the county to Hogwarts. There was also some kind of screen on the door of the cabin that showed the outline of Harry, Ron, Hermione and some Dementors as well. I actually preferred Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley. I loved the snow covered roofs and crooked chimneys, and the view of Hogwarts in the distance.
I found that the shops in Hogsmeade were basically the same as the shops in Diagon Alley. Zonko's had the same things as Weasley's, Honeydukes the same as Sugarplum's, there is another Olivander's, etc. I have to say that Dervish and Banges was definitely my favorite shop. As tiny as it was, it was the only store where I saw they sold the Harry Potter books. They had the hardcover books along with the illustrated books which I enjoyed flipping through. They also sold wand sets for the Tri-Wizard champions and Dumbledore's Army, and the Tri-Wizard Cup. I thought the wand sets would make the best souvenirs. I also liked stopping in the owl post and seeing all the owls, including Hedwig!
After exploring the shops we got in line for the ride in Hogwarts, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This was my favorite part of the whole trip. The line takes you into the Herbology green house and through the castle. When you enter the castle you walk through the hall of talking portraits, Dumbledore's office, the Dark Art's Classroom, past the sorting hat, and then into the Great Hall where you get on the ride. Walking though the castle was the best thing ever, it was so detailed with everything you can image from the movie. The ride was so fun, too, it really feels like you're flying.
By this point in the day we were starving and decided to stop into the Three Broomsticks for dinner. It's legitimate English pub food - I ordered a piece of rotisserie chicken with potatoes and corn, and Tom had a half rack of ribs with rotisserie chicken, potatoes, and corn. We also got more beer, we both had the Hogshead Brew which we both really liked. We also got dessert obviously, a chocolate trifle that had layers of strawberry and cream. Nothing has ever tasted better in my life since I was so hungry!
It actually got really chilly once the sun when down, it was in the 60s all day but then got down to the 40s. After dinner I was pretty ready to head back to our hotel, I was tired and freezing, but Tom wanted to ride the Dragon Challenge. There was no way I was going on since I was so cold, so I went back in the Three Broomsticks to order hot butterbeers and wait for him. The park had basically cleared out at this time since it was about to close, and Tom was the last person to get on the ride.
Once Tom got off the ride we headed back to our car while sipping our warm butterbeer. I'm pretty sure I was asleep before 10. We both loved HP World despite the crowds and chilly weather, and I'm already craving frozen butterbeer (I was actually just looking up recipes and will probably make some this weekend!). Going for the day was the perfect amount of time, but next time we're in the area I'm hoping we can maybe spend some time at Disney as well. It was truly magical!


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Thursday, June 20, 2013
Nov: Business Information
Dates: November 1-28, 2013
Credits: 1.5 CEUs
Price: $175
The purpose of this course is to familiarize academic librarians who work with both Business faculty and students – including, but not limited to, Accounting, Administration/Management, Economics, Finance, Marketing, & Sports Management – with best practices for the process of finding, retrieving, organizing, evaluating, using, and distributing information both in print and electronic formats. They will learn to identify and locate major and trusted sources for business reference and information. Course participants will also learn how to assist users in conducting business research effectively using a variety of resources, depending on their institutional access, from open access and public web sources to highly specialized databases.
This course will span four weeks, organized by module, and cover the evolving role of business reference, examine monographs, content aggregators, databases, and periodicals in business fields, evaluate specialized databases that can be useful for business research, and introduce participants to intellectual property and competitive intelligence topics.
Amy Jansen is the Business & Web Experience Librarian at Sacred Heart University (SHU) in Fairfield, Connecticut. She has an MA in Women's & Gender Studies from the University of Cincinnati and an MLIS from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Amy started out her career in LIS as a library software trainer. She was finally able to put her long standing personal interests in business and economics to use when she came to her current position. Her current professional responsibilities center on serving as a liaison to the Welch College of Business at SHU and overseeing the user or front end of their web and electronic services.


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Not long ago a 70-year-old American woman died of cardiac arrest a few hours after Barack Obama entered her restaurant. That's what I would call 'to die of happiness'. That poor woman had no idea of the President's visit, and moreover she was a great Obama's fan. So can people really die of happiness? According to experts, it is possible. Emotional arousal can lead to heart attack, stroke and other potentially fatal conditions. Our body reacts to excitement as well as to the feeling of fear or stress, producing adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones trigger the reaction to "fight or flight," which prepares us to the dangerous situation. But excessively high level of these hormones in the blood can be dangerous for our heart, brain and other organs. This is especially harmful for people with heart diseases, and for older people, as it can lead to death.
My New Apartment
Dear Diary,
Today I moved to my new apartment! I was waiting for this moment for so long! I am really happy that it finally happened! I don't have to pay rent anymore, I don't have to ask the permission to get a pet, it is my own place and I don't need a roommate anymore.
It is a small one room apartment but it's MINE. This is the best thing that ever happened to me including sex with Bill Willington and graduation 😀 Combined.
Lazy brain
I don't know about you, guys, but sometimes I really feel I grow dull. All these parties, lazy evenings before TV and social nets seem to reduce my imagination and ability to think quickly and creative. Once I had this thought about my degrading mind, I decided to improve myself as I was scared to become a computer veggie and silly fast liver. So that's what I did and do now.
First of all, when I need to count something, I avoid any calculator help. In the beginning it was hard, as it took time to make all these mathematical operation, even the simplest ones, like counting tip. Then it became way easier, and I start surprising my friends with such skills. Sometimes when I use public transport, I pay attention to the license plates of the nearby vehicles, and without writing them down I add the figures from these plates, then raise this result to the square and divide it by seven. Probably that's why I look so concentrated while riding.
Continue reading
How to protect your karma: Useful tips
A human's karma or aura is an invisible cover surrounding the body. It always protects any person from the negative natural tendencies and from the adverse emotions and aggression of other people. Your karma or aura is to close and concentrate your energy and to give you the sense of protection and calmness. In order to protect yourself from the negative effects you need to work on your bio energetic potential. Here are a few tips on how you can do this.
The Hobbies of The Celebrities
Every person needs a hobby to cope with the stress and emotional tension. Some individuals consider a hobby to be more than just a pleasant activity distracting us from the daily routine. Let us see what hobbies do the celebs devote their time to.
- The most well-known eccentric is of course Johnny Depp. One of his main hobbies is collecting the figures of clowns of all images and sizes. One may say that there is nothing extraordinary in that nice hobby but the matter is that the famous actor is afraid of the clowns since his childhood. As he states this hobby helps him to cope with his phobia.
How to tell your kid you are going to divorce
When you are going to divorce it's sad. First of all, because you need to end one part of your life for sake of the new one. On the other hand when you need to tell your kid his mom and dad are going to leave each other it's a double torture. The atmosphere and the state of your child in such a situation are the most important issues to observe.
So, first of all, both parents should stay calm themselves, because children actually feel everything-. Any change in the standard pattern of your behavior.
Pros and Cons of Visiting India.
I have been traveling a lot and have visited lots of countries. Lucky me! But due to some reasons I avoid visiting India. To tell the truth I'm much more interested in Western culture. Well, it doesn't mean I see it to be superior to Asian traditions or whatever. But really I spent plenty of time doing researches in archeology in Eastern Europe mainly. I hope it can justify me and my ignorance about India and its culture. Well, I know some generally known facts. But no more. So I decided to do some kind of research whether India is worth visiting or not. So let's get started.
I would like to focus your attention on some stereotypes concerning India and daily life of Indian people trying to find out whether they are true or not. If you have never been to this country and have know idea how it looks like today you can get a notion watching British drama Slumdog Millionaire (2008). So there are lots of beggars in India indeed as well as thousands poor people who have almost nothing. But surprisingly they look happy. How come? I suppose it is some kind of influence of the religion they profess. Surfing the Internet you will find many articles vividly describing how poor Indian people are. At the same time many rich people live in India. It looks like India is a country of contrasts and differences.


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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Less Than Zero
I was obsessed with this movie when I was in high school. Now I'm obsessed with Brett Easton Ellis' books. I freaked when I found a copy with this cover I had never seen before! Really great treat for $4.
Posted by Carrie Parsons at 7:08 PM 3 comments
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Digital Photography: Portrait Assignment
1. Find two interesting human subjects. The people you choose should WANT to be in the picture and they should be willing to cooperate. It's OK to work with people in this class.
2. Talk to your subject. What type of portraits do you want to create? Use colors or lighting to create a concept for your portrait. Costumes or uniforms work great. Imaginary ideas are OK. Choose an interesting setting based on your concept.
3. Change angles between shots. Shoot at least 24 pictures of each subject.
4. Use props if they will help the audience learn something about the subject.
5. Vary the lighting. Use filters, flashlights, lamps, or multiple lights to enhance your picture. Use the different lighting techniques that you will read about in class (see above).
6. Encourage different emotional looks. Pretend you are Austin Powers taking pictures. Tell your subject they are "groovy".
7. Having your subjects "pose" in action is just fine.
8. Most importantly for this assignment don't forget your compostion rules. Use framing, leading lines, rule of thirds, color contrast etc. to enhance your photo. Fill the frame.
Portrait HintsPart 1
Portrait Hints Part 2
More Hints
Even more hints
Here is a list of the different types of portraits photos you will turn in:
- A Vignette Photo
- A Grayscale Method Photo
- A One Item Kept in Color Photo
- A selective Focus Photo
- A minimally adjusted photo
- One WHACKY anything goes portrait (change the colors, use the liquefy tool, and make this as unique and interesting as you can)
Finally, you will turn in your best picture as well.
- Creating Killer Headshots: The Cheap Way! - David Griffin
- A quick start guide to the one light setup - David Griffin
- Back Lighting - Studio Lighting Setup - StudioLighting.net
- Paramount (Butterfly) Lighting - Studio Lighting Setup - StudioLighting.net
- Multiple Light Portrait Setup Hints - David E. Price
- Short Lighting - Studio Lighting Setup - StudioLighting.net
- Broad Lighting - Studio Lighting Setup - StudioLighting.net


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Friday, March 2, 2012
March Already!
Anyway, I have two cards to share today. The first card uses K&Co Life's Journey papers, Making Memories stickers, and a Martha Stewart embossed zig zag punch. The solid color zig zag strips are from Bazzill cardstock. I used a PTI stamp on the smaller tag and attached it with a piece of twine to two layered buttons.
For the envelope, I created a zig zag strip on the left hand side and stamped the envelope with a stamp from Hero Arts. Sepia color ink from Versa Fine was used for the stamping.
The second card uses papers from My Mind's Eye, a Petaloo flower, and a sentiment from PTI. I made this for a sweet friend who I met through blogging that is going through a rough patch right now. I used a Martha Stewart lace edge punch on some scraps of solid tan cardstock I had to dress up the card a bit as well as on a piece of MME paper. The ribbon was on a spool in the dollar bin at Michael's.
That's it for today. I do have some thank you cards to share later this weekend. Thanks so much for stopping by and especially thank you to those who leave a sweet comment. I do love hearing from you. Enjoy your weekend!
Addendum: I'm just looking at this last card and it looks like the ribbon doesn't match the papers. In real life they are exactly the same colors. I guess it didn't photograph well.
6 comments:
Hi Pat,ReplyDelete
I love both cards. The first one is great for masculine and I love the second one best.
Very lovely cards! I love your choice of papers and the punches you used! Take care and have a wonderful weekend!ReplyDelete
They are lovely lovely! I love the chevron design on the first, I need to try that! you asked about the rhinestones...u know that does look like a butterfly and I did not plan that! I got those at Michaels...go look in the jewelry section and think outside the box. So many cool things. cherryReplyDelete
Lovely card and i can't wait for spring!!!ReplyDelete
Your cards are beautiful, Patty! Love, love, love the strips and zig zags on the first card. The chevron look is so hot right now, and this card reminds me of that. And LOVE the layered scallops on the second card. You are totally rocking the patterned papers here, my friend. :)ReplyDelete
lovely cards!ReplyDelete


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Just in case you missed it! A friend sent this to me. How could anyone be for Obama after seeing this? There's no way he could even compare.
Great clip!
Hi Jamie-please email me your email address and phone no. I have been in a panic looking for them since Thursday. I think you know why! You are too good. Nerm
Thank you so much for stopping and commenting!


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ASHEVILLE — Like 10 presidents before him, Barack Obama will travel to Asheville for a little relaxation at the Grove Park Inn, with its mountain views and luxury accommodations.
The president and first lady Michelle Obama will make the trip this coming Friday, the White House said in a statement, and will stay the weekend at the Grove Park, sources familiar with the plans said. There will be no public events.
An inn spokeswoman said she could not confirm the trip.