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The European Data Protection Supervisor is like Cnut facing down a tide of bureaucratic encroachment into our privacy
I should preface this post with two comments:
- My degree is in English Language and Literature. This leaves me sadly unqualified to understand European legalese, for which the minimum of a two-one in Contorted Logic is required.
- I like Peter Hustinx. I respect the European Data Protection Supervisor. But I cannot see him as anything other than a latter-day Cnut merely demonstrating that nothing can stop the tide of bureaucratic incursion into our personal privacy.
It is with this background that I looked at his latest 'Opinion' on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on European statistics on safety from crime. I own that I struggled as much to understand it as I did to stay awake; and had little success with either.
Article 8(2) to (4) of Directive 95/46/EC and Article 10(2) to (4) of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 contain exceptions to the prohibition of processing these categories of data. In the present case, Article 8(4) of Directive 95/46/EC and Article 10(4) of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001, which allow the processing of such data for reasons of "substantial public interest", could apply.
So I readily admit that I have not a clue what this Opinion is about, other than it appears that the EDPS is exhorting the EU to obey EU laws. And that might be the problem. EU law is a complex, contradictory mess. It can be accepted by most people that personal data can be kept private by making it anonymous. If data cannot be associated with any particular individual, then that personal data is confidential and effectively remains anonymous.
The problem is, the EU doesn't seem to understand what this means.
As regards the possibility of identifying data subjects, two different notions are relevant in the EU legislation on statistics: "confidential data" and "anonymous data". According to Regulation (EC) No 223/2009, data which allow statistical units (which might be natural persons, households, economic operators or other undertakings) to be "identified, either directly or indirectly", are considered "confidential data" and are therefore subject to statistical confidentiality. However, Regulation (EC) No 831/2002 defines confidential data as data "which allow only indirect identification".
Throughout this Opinion, poor Mr Hustinx has continually to specify which piece of EU legislation to which the EU should, in his opinion, adhere. That much is simply a farce. But the actual definition of legal anonymity beggars belief:
…the definition provided in Recital 26 of Directive 95/46/EC and Recital 8 of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001, according to which personal data are "rendered anonymous" when the data subject is "no longer" identifiable, taking into account "all the means likely reasonably to be used either by the controller or by any other person to identify the said person"
I have no idea what this means. But this is what it sounds like to me: anonymous does not legally mean anonymous, it means obfuscated. And obfuscation can be described as anonymous if the process of clarification would defeat the script kiddie in his bedroom. This means that data is still defined as legally anonymous even though it is not anonymous to the supercomputers of our own and/or foreign law enforcement or other agencies; or any other person or organization willing to use more resources than is likely reasonably to be used. In short, anonymous is meaningless.
So the moral of this little post is simple. If any European agency asks for your personal data and promises anonymity, don't give it up. Europe lies in the classic Orwellian fashion: it redefines the truth.


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This long sleeved, 100% polyester disco shirt is by "Landmark" and was made in Taiwan. Here's a view of more of the peculiar pattern:
To many, this pattern probably seems like a random design involving screws, pointing hands, tiles of color and... a corkscrew sticking out of a faux tear in the fabric.
To those of us interested in 20th Century avant-garde art, however, it's startling to realize that it's based on Marcel Duchamp's obscure "last" painting, Tu m', of 1918, now in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery. Oh, sure, they're a little off on some parts (in the painting it's a bottle brush sticking out of the tear, while the corkscrew is visible only as a shadow), but what a strange and surprising image to put on a shirt! When I spotted this in a Detroit thrift store, my reaction was, "Wait a minute... what?" I try to imagine the meeting where the designer says, "This esoteric painting fairly screams get down."
Marcel Duchamp has always been obscure to the general public, even today. In 1973, however, he got as mainstream as he ever was when the Philadelphia Museum of Art, MOMA, and the Art Institute of Chicago hosted a high-profile retrospective exhibition of his work, a show which was featured in popular magazines like Life. With that in mind, I think it's fairly safe to guess that this shirt was made in 1974.

subset: commoncrawl


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Plus, what a great headline!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Senator Says He Did Nothing Improper With Love...
At last, a legislator says something bad about bribery. Only after being implicated, of course, but still it's nice to hear something other than praise for traitors.
Plus, what a great headline!
To offer a bribe or to take one is, to me, tantamount to treason as it subverts justice and the integrity needed for our form of government to work.
Plus, what a great headline!
Posted by staghounds at 8:07 PM
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If you answered YES to any of these questions, then CYCLE is for you! The next CYCLE conference is scheduled for July 18 - July 20, 2018. Boone Electric Cooperative will send up to six students to participate in this three day conference held in Jefferson City. Applications for the 2018 CYCLE program can be found here. Applications must be received in Boone Electric's office, postmarked or email time-stamped by no later than Friday, March 16, 2018 at 5 p.m. No late entries will be accepted.
CYCLE brings in some of the brightest young leaders from across Missouri. The focus is to show students more about electric cooperatives, teach leadership skills and experience Missouri state government. The program includes nationally known speakers and a day at the state Capitol. There is also time for some fun things like an outdoor barbeque and a hypnosis. The group is also divided up into smaller teams that compete in various events like the "build a cooperative" game.
2017 winner Parker Boyce, Hartsburg.


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Well, I just found out that a recently refurbished Stepford Wife is about to hit the market. A few months ago, I heard about her second breast augmentation, tummy tuck, full body lipo, and new Mercedes. I had assumed these improvements were her scheduled forty-five-year maintenance and done for the enjoyment of her Stepford Husband. It seems now, however, that this work was done because she was about to be put back on the market and everyone in Stepford knows you can't get anything for a forty-five-year-old Stepford Wife unless she's been properly maintained.
The other Stepford Wives are now busily discussing her options amongst themselves. Because this particular Stepford marriage lasted longer than ten years and she hasn't worked outside the home in quite awhile, she will surely get some sort of spousal support on top on the $2100 per month in child support she'll receive for her three children. Because Texas is a community property state, the couple's assets will be divided down the middle and distributed once all the debts are satisfied. Sadly, the one million dollar home will probably have to be sold. However, there are places in Stepford, less desirable neighborhoods such as my own, where a Stepford Ex-wife can survive on her half of the marital assets and spousal/child support until she's put back into to service again.
This morning, while instant messaging regarding the soon-to-be Stepford Ex-wife's options, it occurred to me that while I feel really good about how I look, the fact remains that I'm not exactly in marketable condition. I'm much more like a well taken care of used car. I don't have any obvious body damage from past collisions, my paint job still looks pretty good, and the interior is nice and clean. However, once you get under the hood, well, let's just say I could use some engine work. Under the facade of my size eight clothing lie Spanx and a Miracle Bra that camouflage the hail damage on my rear-end and my flat A-cup boobs. So as to not be too hard on myself, I feel I need to mention that my tummy does not need to be tucked. I have been graced with a flat stomach and a small waist, so I try to emphasize that as much as possible without highlighting what is above and beneath. I'm concerned that at forty-one, this feature of my figure may soon begin to change. It is my understanding that as my estrogen levels drop with age, my mid-section will begin to thicken.
This displeases me greatly and I pray I'll be able to fight off this assault with core training and yoga. So far, so good. I've made peace with my rear end. I could make it smaller and less lumpy, but I have decided I'm not willing to invest the time needed in knee-crunching aerobics to make that happen. I'm working on making peace with my breasts. There is no exercise available to alter their current state and augmentation is financially out of the question, so I'm left with the Miracle Bra, which is really not a miracle at all. It's much more like a slight of hand than any real magic.
As I'm pondering these uniquely Stepford issues, it occurs to me that one of the reasons I'm okay with how I look is that I never plan to be on the market again. It's not that I think my marriage could never end in divorce or that my husband could never die. It's just that I can say with all certainty that if my husband spontaneously combusted at lunch today, I would never go back on the market. The thought of a man other than my husband seeing me completely naked is not one that I'm willing to entertain. Further, I do not want to see what is under the hood of any other forty-plus year old man ... ever. I'm not afraid of this as much as I am just uninterested. There are so many things in my life that I still want to do. So many areas of myself that I feel are unexplored. In the script I've written for myself, it's just a given that if I ever find myself without my husband, I won't go looking for another. Instead, I will go looking for other parts of me. I tell my husband all the time that I think I'm about one-third done with this life. And he responds the same every time: "You think so, Kristi? You think you're going to live to be one hundred and twenty? Really? Really?" And I say, "Yep. Really. Yes, I do. I still have a lot to say." And I'm sure as he looks at me and smiles, he is thinking, "Yes. God, help us all. Yes you do."


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MADISON - Donald E. "Don" Beale, age 75, passed away on Thursday, May 17, 2012, at Agrace HospiceCare in Fitchburg. He was born on Jan. 30, 1937, in Madison, the son of Erwin and Romana (Dietrich) Beale. Don graduated from Central High School in 1955, where he excelled in athletics. He was named all-city in baseball, basketball and football. He served in the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1957 in South Korea. Don married Yvonne Pedracine on Aug. 16, 1958. He received a Police Science Degree from MATC. He served on the University of Wisconsin Police Department from 1960 to 1991, retiring as a detective with the department. Upon retiring, Don worked part-time at the U.S. Federal Courthouse as a security guard and enjoyed mentoring youth in The First Tee golf program. He spent a lifetime enjoying sports, especially golf since his retirement. He was a loving dad, husband, grandfather and great-grandfather and will be deeply missed by family and friends. He was always optimistic and always there for his family. Don is survived by his wife, Yvonne; four sons, Greg (Nancy), Gary (Denise Davenport), Kevin (Cory) and Alan (Kelley Harbort); five grandsons, Nick (Brianna), Justin, Jordan, Mike and Shane; nine step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren, Kyle Wrend, Jesse Hauser, Jayme and Jenee Davenport, Destiny, Jaymeson, Ashton, Gavin and Jesse; two sisters, Lola Cator and Virginia (Joe) Meitner; and brother Tom (Deane). He was preceded in death by his parents, Erwin and Romana Beale; sister, Mona Wallace; and brothers-in-law, Robert Wallace, LaVerne Cator and James Lumina. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, May 25, 2012, at ST. BERNARD CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2450 Atwood Ave., Madison, at 12 noon. A visitation will be held at the church on Friday from 10 a.m. until the time of mass. Inurnment will be held on Friday, June 1, 2012, at SUNSET MEMORY GARDENS at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Agrace HospiceCare, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711 or to St. Bernard Catholic Church, 2450 Atwood Ave., Madison, WI 53704. Don's family would like to extend a special thank you to Hospice for their loving care.
Originally published in the Wisconsin State Journal on May 20, 2012 (submitted by Michael Vahldieck, Class of 1968)
Obituary: Sara (Radbil) Schwartz - MADISON - Sara Schwartz, beloved wife of Robert; and devoted and loving mother to Lawrence (Barbara), Frederick (Sylvia) and Steven; and grandmother to Ste...
6 years ago


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about us
connect with me
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Meeting our expectant mom
I've been taking a while to write this post because I've just been mulling over all of the feelings and keeping them close to my heart. If you missed the story about our being matched with an expectant mother who is pregnant with a baby boy
click here.
We found out about "K" choosing us to be the parents to her baby boy on September 13th and the agency case worker said that K was very anxious to meet us. We were able to fly out to meet her just 3 weeks later on October 3rd. To our surprise, K re-scheduled her doctor appointment so that we could go to it with her. We were SO excited. We met for lunch and it was just a really wonderful time getting to know each other. We all cried a little bit and talked about how incredible this all was and how it felt so meant to be. K was amazing. The flood of love that we both instantly felt for her was really unexpected and profound. We told her how much we wanted to have a relationship with her and how we hoped so much that we could become close and stay close even after the baby is here. We really wanted her to know that we care about HER and not just getting her baby. I used to be so scared of feeling like we were "sharing" someone's baby, but after getting to know her it's like...how could it possibly be any other way? We WANT her to be part of this with us. We WANT her to know that she can always be there for him and love him as much as she wants. She loves this baby so much already and it was so clear how much she cared about him. We feel so honored that she would want us to parent him and our hearts have nothing but gratitude and love for her. After all, it is because of her that we are going to become parents. At the doctor appointment we were so excited to find out that they were going to do an ultrasound for us and we would get to be there. I've never seen an ultrasound done on a baby before (only my ovaries lol) so it was really mind blowingly cool!! We saw and heard the heartbeat and we saw that he was definitely a boy! It all went really fast and we didn't really get to have a "moment" like I had hoped, but it was still an incredible experience. We got some pictures that are really difficult to read but we don't even care that we don't know what they are pictures of. We love them. We love this baby. We love this mom. We are overflowing with love.
So now we are just waiting and trying to build our relationship with K as we wait. She is about 29 weeks pregnant now so we still have quite a few weeks left. This waiting has been much more difficult than I expected it to be. When we are busy the time passes by quicker, but on days when we aren't out doing things I can feel anxiety and fear creep in. We fully realize that she can change her mind and parent this baby herself and she has the right to do that. But as time goes on I'm feeling attachment and love for this baby creeping up more than I expected. I'm NOT going to think about how much my heart will hurt if this falls through. I know that God has His hand in this and I'm trying to trust Him more than ever.
So in the mean time we are getting ready!! Two of my best friends threw us the most amazing baby shower ever last weekend. It was seriously a dream come true to have a baby shower. For ME! How is this possible? I still can't believe it, that I, Charlotte, am going to be a mother! We are so thankful for everyone who came to celebrate with us and for everything that we got. I think we are totally ready for baby now! Please continue to pray for us and for K and baby boy. Specifically, pray that we feel peace and can keep trusting and loving to the fullest. For K that she continues to have a healthy pregnancy with as few discomforts as possible and that she continues to feel flooded with peace and love. And for baby boy that he continues to grow strong and healthy.
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|JT's new poster
There were many nerdy homeschooler gifts received. The boys spent a few hours today enjoying their presents. Octodad was a favorite. I usually don't pay much attention to the video game playing in our home, but that one is so funny to watch, I have a feeling I'll be spending more time than I plan to watching them play. Also, JT almost polished off his copy of Randall Munroe's What If? before bedtime. I'm looking forward to reading it next. Being able to borrow their Christmas gifts is just one of the many benefits of having children with similar interests as yourself.
|Merry Christmas


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So here I sit setting up a new blog for us to entertain ourselves with while continuing our mission of observation above your planet when low and behold I find a widget (SocialVibe) that would allow viewers to take a couple minutes time to ostensibly help a good cause. Fantastic, we may not be allowed to interfere with the affairs of Humanity, but there's nothing saying we can't give them a little nudge in a positive direction while they sit on their asses in front of their computers.
There were a good number of charities to choose from actually, and after perusing the options I chose to support 'Environment' with my new Blog, a charity that helps with conservation, protection, and beautification campaigns. Very important work in our collective opinions, and if you've somehow failed to notice, Mars is a dead planet these day, so take it from us, the conservation and protection of the Environment and the organisms you share it with ought to be of the utmost importance to you.
'Alright!' you say, 'Sign me up!'
Well, from how it appears to us, and we're not always so adept with lesser technologies so bear with us please, all you need to do is click on the banner to get started, and in no time at all (unless you're still using dial-up HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA) you'll be tasked to watch a few advertisements, and do a little clickey-clickey participation.
Not much for asking others to do things we ourselves wouldn't do, we clicked straight away to get the ball rolling, and the carbon footprint lessened. Enjoy your day Earthlings, take a moment to reflect on the wonder and diversity nature presents to you, not every planet is as blessed.
So…. In the interests of helping Earth today, we watched a Covergirl commercial with spokesmodel Drew Barrymore (whew! that's an attractive specimen, gonna have to push up her appointment with the anal probe), submitted a Webcam photo to said cosmetics company, learned about a new television show called…. I forget actually… and it wasn't important really, based on our constant monitoring of your transmission technologies you don't really need another crime drama with a 'clever twist'. Lastly, we watched a short video in which Daniel Radcliff asked us to turn our attention to the issue of suicide amongst gay, lesbian, and transgendered teens.
Hey! Suicide is no laughing matter, and kids are mean to each other, we see that everyday. Help the gay kids out for crying out loud, your younger generation is setting new records for laziness, and short attention spans, why on earth should they put effort into accomplishing something worthwhile, something that might require some drive and a bit of thought. Pick the easy target, belittle the heck out of someone for being different than they are, different than most of their friends. If only complacency wasn't an issue I'm sure they could prove their beliefs as to their own superiority are correct.


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Please read this very important post on the Mideast with an open mind. You owe it to yourself and the world.
This report is presented in its entirety at this source: The Anti-Empire Report #140
"Are you confused by the Middle East? Here are some things you should know. (But you'll probably still be confused.)
The US, France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, and the Gulf monarchies have all in the recent past supported al Qaeda and/or the Islamic State (ISIS) with arms, money, and/or manpower.
The first example of this was in 1979 when the United States began covert operations in Afghanistan, six months before the Russians arrived, promoting Islamic fundamentalism across the southern tier of the Soviet Union against "godless communism". All the al-Qaeda/Taliban shit then followed.
In addition to Afghanistan, the United States has provided support to Islamic militants in Bosnia, Kosovo, Libya, the Caucasus, and Syria."
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Seed tapes are strips of paper that have seeds embedded along their length at specific spacing, appropriate for precise planting. You can buy them in many gardening or seed catalogs and at many nurseries. Because the seeds are neatly laid out on the paper strip, all you have to do is place the tape in a furrow, cover it with soil, and water it like any other seed. It's an easy way to ensure your seeds go where you want them, with the spacing they require, and at a consistent depth.
Seed tapes are wonderful for plants that have specific planting distance requirements like beets, carrots, radishes, and onions. Planted and grown too close together, these vegetables can become stunted or misshapen. They're great for plants like lettuce, spinach, and chard that also have spacing needs. Seed tapes are designed to provide the necessary spacing with no need for thinning.
One of my favorite catalogs, Gardener's Supply Company, offers a number of effort-saving gardening tools and supplies. They sell three, five-and-a-half-feet long seed tapes for about five dollars (US). That's enough to plant two rows in a typical eight-feet-long planting bed. Assuming an average spacing of about three inches per seed, you should get about 70 plants per package. However, the selection of seed varieties is limited to just a few types.
If you're willing to spend the time and effort, you can make your own seed tape for a fraction of the cost, using recycled newspaper. You won't be limited by seed variety; you can choose any seed you like. And you can make them any length you desire.
Begin by cutting sheets of newspaper into strips about one-inch wide. The strips will be about two-feet long. You can use them at this length or paste or tape them together into longer strips like the ones that Gardener's Supply Company sells.
Using a toothpick, chopstick or similar-sized utensil, place small drops of the paste at regular intervals along the newspaper strip. The spacing you choose is dependent on the seed you've chosen. Check the seed packet for proper spacing.
Carefully drop a seed into each drop of paste. You can use the toothpick or utensil to gently push on the seed to embed it in the paste.
Label the strip so you know what seeds are on it. You can do this step before you place the paste if you want.
Set the strip in a location where it can dry for an hour or two without being disturbed.
When you're ready to plant, dig a furrow of the correct planting depth as stated on the seed packet and lay the strip in it. It isn't critical whether the newspaper is on the bottom or top because it won't hinder the growth of the seed when it's wet. I place it with the newspaper side down. Cover the strip with the appropriate depth of soil.
That's all there is to it. You now have a neat row of seeds ready to germinate and burst forth.
You can save a great deal of money by making seed tapes yourself. I purchased 250 beet seeds for $2.25, for an average cost of less than a penny per seed. The recycled newspaper and flour paste adds a few pennies to the overall project. Spacing them at three-inch intervals on a homemade seed tape, I can produce over 60 feet of beet seed tape for just over two dollars total cost. An equivalent length when purchased would be over $20.
Using seed tapes can be a good idea for very small seeds. When you sow on open soil, it can be difficult to see where the seeds land; you may miss the furrow completely. It can be tough getting the spacing right, so open sowing often requires using a lot of seeds and then thinning the plants because they end up too close together. Using seed tapes allows you to see exactly where the seeds are planted and ensures you have proper spacing, thereby limiting wasted seeds.
You usually don't need seed tapes for large seeds like squash, melon, and corn. For plants with large spacing requirements like tomatoes, cucumbers, or peppers, seed tapes aren't necessary either.
Seed tapes can be very useful for mid-season and successive planting without disturbing plants already in the ground. You can place a length of seed tape in between rows of other plants during the summer. As the initial plants are harvested, the new ones from the tape are beginning their growth. Many cool season seeds are planted at intervals so you have continuous harvest later on. Placing a new seed tape of radishes or lettuce at two-week intervals can give you a steady harvest with little effort.
If you haven't used seed tapes before, think about adding them to your bag of tricks. You can buy them or make them. Either way, they are a perfect, no-waste method of sowing seeds.


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Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Posted by Piers Baker at 5:43 pm No comments:
Hmm, might be a problem with the name "FlopFlip". Could be inviting trouble having the word 'flop' in the title. Not too upset about changing it again. Perhaps I should simply use the character's names as previous. Didn't do Calvin and Hobbes any harm. Either "Quentin and Ollie" or "Nobby, Ollie and Quentin Too". Quentin and Ollie looks nicer. As Esme, my daughter, says it might help me remember Ollie's name for once.
Hang on... it should be Ollie and Quentin! Dammit, I'm gonna have to redo that logo again!
Posted by Piers Baker at 8:47 am No comments:
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
I could have filled in the first two of Quentin's speech bubbles here and just left the final one blank but I couldn't resist it. When I drew this up I did put all of Quentin's words in just so the speech bubbles were the right size.
Guess what he said in frame 4. I felt like a naughty schoolboy using such foul language in a cartoon strip.
Guess what he said in frame 4. I felt like a naughty schoolboy using such foul language in a cartoon strip.
Posted by Piers Baker at 10:43 am No comments:
Friday, April 13, 2007
This is one of those rare occasions that we see Ollie and Quentin interacting with the outside world. It won't happen that often.
Posted by Piers Baker at 5:14 pm No comments:
Monday, April 02, 2007
I know this is absurd but Quentin is new to the outside world so everything is a bit confusing. This is how I explain this ridiculous joke. It'll be the first Sunday strip.
Posted by Piers Baker at 9:48 am No comments:
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Solar Eclipse 2017
August 21, 2017
About The Eclipse:
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth and blocks all or part of the sun. From start to finish this can take up to three hours and can be viewed at various locations. Along the path of this eclipse and from any given location the longest the moon will completely block the sun will be approximately two minutes and 40 seconds. A total solar eclipse doesn't happen often, the last time the contiguous U.S. saw one was in 1979.
Anyone in North America will be able to see a partial eclipse. Visit vox.com to see, based on your zip code, the time the eclipse will happen and how much of the sun will be eclipsed in your area. In order to see a total eclipse, when the moon fully covers the sun for a short few minutes, you must be in the path of totality, which is a relatively thin ribbon, around 70 miles wide, that will cross the U.S. from West to East. The small path of totality will move across sections of 14 states.
This map shows the globe view of the path of totality for the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse:
Watching the Eclipse: Safety FIRST!
There are many ways to view the solar eclipse, but most importantly everyone needs to explore the safe ways to do so. Never look directly at the sun without proper protection, doing so could severely hurt your eyes.
You can view the eclipse directly with specific eclipse glasses, remember they need to be ISO 12312-2 compliant, or you can use telescopes only if they have white light solar filters. Making sure the glasses you purchase meet these requirements. there are only a handful of manufacturers approved by NASA. Make sure your glasses were made by one them. Counterfeit glasses are out there.
Here is the list of the 5 manufacturers that are making compliant eclipse glasses:
Visit Nasa's Eclipse Page for all things solar eclipse and to learn more about this year's eclipse!
Remember, safety first!


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Welcome to The ODI
The ODI is your #1 Source for TV and Movie Spoilers, News, Previews and More!!
The site is being updated daily. If you think you have a scoop, then please click on the following button or to browse the site use the drop down menu to select a subject.
The site is being updated daily. If you think you have a scoop, then please click on the following button or to browse the site use the drop down menu to select a subject.
Anagram Found on Dharma Wants You Site!!
Posted by The ODI on Friday, August 8, 2008
So as most of you should know by now, LOST ARGs have had one person we follow through the game (Rachel Blake for TLE, Sam Thomas for Find815) and this time it is Ruckus Guy who perhaps might be Dan Bronson.
Previous emails from Dharma have had hidden messages embedded in the source code to reveal anagrams and hints from RuckusGuy and when several fans realized there was some activity on the DWY site, well the investigating began.
What was happening you ask?? Well if you login to DharmaWantsYou.com, funky letters and code was appearing at the center where it said "Volunteer Assessments Commencing Soon".
Embedded in the letters was an anagram, which if you solved revealed the following line:
"I am on the inside"
This ine confirms one that our friend Ruckus is working his way into Dharma and that the hacking referred to he leaked email (which is supposed to be sent today) is still a part of the game.
This anagram is also revvealed if you look at the source code which is posted below:
Here is a video and some screencaps of the jumbled letters appearing and below that is the code.
Thanks to Lauren and everyone else for the heads up and thanks to everyone over at DarkUFO's OGR page that sent in this info:
(Click to Enlarge)
NOTE: The third image shows the scrambled anagram letters
Anagram Site Source Code:
private function showAnagramHandler(param1:TimerEvent) : void
var _loc_2:Array;
var _loc_3:String;
var _loc_4:TextFormat;
m_timer.removeEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, showAnagramHandler, false);
m_timer.delay = 2000;
m_timer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, hideAnagramHandler, false, 0, true);
m_testing.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, scrambleText, false);
_loc_2 = ["I", "A", "M", "O", "N", "T", "H", "E", "I", "N", "S", "I", "D", "E"];
_loc_3 = "";
while (_loc_2.length > 0)
// label
_loc_3 = _loc_3 + _loc_2.splice(Math.floor(Math.random() * _loc_2.length), 1);
}// end while
_loc_3 = _loc_3.toLowerCase();
_loc_4 = m_testing.getTextFormat();
m_testing.defaultTextFormat = _loc_4;
m_testing.text = _loc_3;
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POMPANO BEACH — A pet dog is credited with saving three people from a pre-dawn fire that gutted their apartment Tuesday, causing about $30,000 in damages.
``If it hadn`t been for that little dog, the fire would have been much worse,`` said Wayne Nicoll, owner of the 2-year-old dog that safeguarded the home while Nicoll and his two children slept. ``We probably would have been overcome by smoke. We could have all died.``
David Seyse, a spokesman for the Pompano Beach Fire Department, agreed. He said Nicoll, 25, was treated for smoke inhalation at the Northeast 11th Avenue apartment. Nicoll`s daughters, Amy Lynn, 7, and Jennifer Ann, 6, were not injured. Their mother, Ruth Ellen Nicoll, was at work at a convenience store.
Because the unit was not equipped with smoke detectors, Seyse said, a cigarette smoldered in the living room couch for hours before Bear, a German shepherd-basset hound mix, finally alerted the family of the danger.
``It was around 3:30 or 4 in the morning, and I just remember hearing Bear barking,`` Nicoll said. When he got out of bed to calm the dog, Nicoll said, the living room was clouded in smoke and the couch was in flames.


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Wednesday, April 1
'30-Minute Calphalon Meals?' 'Paula's Kitchenaid Cooking?' - Will Product Placement Infiltrate Food Network (and would anyone care)?
So that's why I haven't even mentioned the newest raspy voiced host Claire Robinson and her new show 5 Ingredient Fix, which premieres this Saturday at 9:30am ET. Apart from another obvious attempt to create the next Rachael, the only other thing I'm interested in on the show's site is this curious "Set List" which got me thinking...
Everything from the show's dishware and cutlery, to the utensils and compost bin is listed with the corresponding brand name and web site. Is this simply a service for curious viewers or a new money-making venture for Food Network? Wouldn't those brands have to chip in a bit more for the added online presence?
For years, Food Network has covered up its products brand names, usually by just turning the label away from the camera or putting some tape over the identifying brand. Bigger shows like Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals are given the honor of real-looking, faux labels for their products that are created by graphic designers—keeping with television's longstanding tradition of genericizing all name brands to avoid conflicting with paid advertisers. You can't show Aunt Sandy using name brand Cool-Whip and then have a Reddi-Whip commercial right after! All hell would break loose!
Or would it?
In today's DVR/TiVo world where anyone can zip right through commercials, advertisers are looking for new ways to get their message out. Wouldn't Food Network, which already receives a bulk of its endorsements from food & housewares companies, benefit from doing a little food & housewares advertising during its programs?
Would you think less of Paula Deen if she shoved a big spoonfull of butter pudding into her mouth if the spoon was clearly emblazoned with Oxo? What about if Guy Fieri pronounced Ore-Ida tater tots to be the clear winner in the land of frozen potato products?
I'm not sure what to think about the possibility of product placement in Food Network shows. Big name stars like Ina Garten and Paula Deen, who shoot in their own homes, receive many (if not all) of their high-end appliances for free (Ina's assistant admitted to me this was the case in Ina's new barn).
Viking, Sub Zero, et al know their products will be seen in countless episodes of Barefoot Contessa and Paula's Best Dishes, so they give them gratis or at big discounts. (These deals often have other requirements where the stars' kitchens are featured in magazine spreads, books, etc. to get the brands even more exposure.) So what's stopping brands from competing and paying to be in a Food Network kitchen? Methinks not much.
And now for some official-sounding language: Food Network Addict contacted Food Network for comment, but calls were not immediately returned. Will let you know if they do, though!
Labels: Claire Robinson, food network


text:
Friday, December 18, 2015
Weekend Mix: Down The Road Feeling
Hopefully this will make your holiday road trip even more festive.
I love "Going Mobile", and cars are my favorite listening room.
If it doesn't sound good cranked up in the car, it's not going to anywhere.
Here is a mix of quirky, atmospheric, and mostly upbeat instrumentals for barrelling down the highway. It will also help make traffic less tedious, should you be so unlucky.
The emphasis is on variety, as usual, and you'll find everything from solo acoustic guitar to Italian Prog. From contemplative to downright funny, all have been extensively road tested.
Travel Safely and have a great Holiday. There will be another weekend mix before the end of the year.
Down The Road Feeling
6 comments:
- JAYESSEMM said...
Thanks BBJ -- I look forward to hearing this mix.
If your car is the listening room have you heard Maren Morris' "My Church?"
Roll down the windows and turn up the volume!
- December 18, 2015 at 5:55 AM
BBJ, your periodic interventions are, per your nom de guerre, rarely ever anything short of miraculous...I'm considering sending bottles of water your way, c'est cool?
mil gracias
- December 18, 2015 at 7:30 AM
- iggy said...
Make way for BBJ; the road is yours, my friend. Thanks and very happy...
- December 18, 2015 at 10:31 AM
- Aaron said...
I depart Sunday for a 4400 mile two week roadtrip. To say your timing was great is an understatement. Thanks so much!
- December 18, 2015 at 4:22 PM
This looks good - thanks BBJ!
- December 19, 2015 at 3:30 PM
With so much water on our roads & localized flooding that a canoe rather than a car would serve more efficiently ("Music For Kayaking" anyone?) but an interesting mix nonetheless, for which many thanks. Actually, "Pipeline" is a surfing tune, so.... Cheers!
- December 21, 2015 at 2:56 AM


text:
10 big questions in La Liga: Can Incredible Atléti still smash?
FourFourTwo's Spanish expert Tim Stannard assesses this weekend's La Liga action and asks the key questions...
Will Levante shake off their lousy losing streak?
Levante vs Elche: Friday December 13 - 21.00 CET
Few may have noticed the plight of lowly Levante of late, on the grounds that it is... well... Levante, but the Valencia club are suffering a bit of bother. The side lead by Joaquín Caparrós have been in complete free-fall having lost four league games in a row along with a Copa del Rey clash.
Will history repeat itself for Real Madrid at Osasuna?
An unsuspecting Barcelona plodded into the team's Pamplona jaws earlier in October and only came out with a goalless draw, the first in the numerous crises Tata Martino's side have apparently endured this season. Real Madrid are making the same journey on Saturday, with memories of a grim 0-0 in the same fixture last season still vaguely fresh in Madridista minds.
Will former forward show any Piti to Rayo?
Can Barcelona take advantage of Villarreal-lite?
But since that loss in San Mamés, Barcelona have won a Copa Del Rey clash and given Celtic a 6-1 thrashing in the Camp Nou with Neymar getting a timely hat-trick. The Villarreal game would have been quite the test for the Catalan club, if it weren't for the fact that the team's most important players in Bruno and Cani are suspended and injured respectively for the clash.
Instead, the danger man for the Yellow Submarine is Giovani dos Santos, making a return to the Camp Nou but coming in peace, it seems. "I only have gratitude for Barça, I have no desire for revenge or anything like that," promised the Mexican striker?
Will Málaga get what keeper says they deserve?
What can get Espanyol to wake up?
Almería vs Espanyol: Sunday December 15 - 12.00 CET
It is not often that a footballer actually admits to a slumber party at the club, but that's what Raúl Rodríguez has come clean to at Espanyol. "You could possibly talk about some kind of relaxation," confessed the defender talking about the team's past two results. The first of those was a 2-1 defeat at home to Real Sociedad and the second saw a 2-2 draw at Jaen in the Copa del Rey.
Can Real Betis get any better?
The match was the second for new boss Juan Carlos Garrido. The first was a bit of an abject performance in the cup against Lleida and the Europe clash seems to be not much better. "It's a lack of confidence," confirmed Pepe Mel's replacement.
Can Sevilla survive the day without Del Nido?
In a teary farewell, Del Nido apologised for the shame upon the club and for not quitting sooner. "I considered myself innocent and that's why I stayed on." The now ex-prez now has one more appeal process to try out and a request for an official pardon to keep him out of the slammer. "I would not be the first to be pardoned over the centuries," said the hopeful former lawyer of Jesús Gil.
Can The Incredible Atlético keep on keeping on?
Who really has it in for Valladolid?


text:
After he pulled me out of that hole in the ground, we rolled along in his car for a few miles without a word. We both just glanced at each other now and then, with no idea what to say.
You need to remember, I remember him as a weird, almost mechanical thing that I engaged in battles to the death with as some kind of Demon Samurai. Simply by conversing with each other, we "won the internet" by virtue of existing. Even after we came to this world in our respective fashions, war was what we knew.
You know what? I'm saving our conversation in the car for later. We didn't talk about anything particularly important.
That said, Nick wants to talk about Hope.
I hadn't noticed. I was too busy trying to sucker-punch it with Hell Hounds, and then try to redirect said Hell Hounds from exploding through my body on the way to their target. And then I realized that somehow, Ellen COULDN'T see IT. But that wasn't our problem right now. Our problem was the fact that the house was shifting. It was no longer a single, stable physical location. The house had gone Eldritch, and going out the window could take you to the roof, the basement door could lead to the bathroom, and the bathroom door could lead you to the lunchroom. Everything was fucked. The people in Hope were going to get massacred at IT'S leisure. Well we couldn't have that, now could we?
Nick shouted, "Keep the dimension's stable! We need to actually go straight!"
I did my best. It made sense. As one solid object, our small group had a far greater chance of maintaining cohesion and sticking together as we moved through the warped and twisted floors of hope.
What did not make sense, was him repeatedly shouting, "YAH MULE! YAH! YAH! YAH MULE! YAH!"
The Hell-hounds kept running. I think I heard one of them mutter about devouring his undoubtedly delicious spleen.
They slipped. I do not begrudge my comrades this. The door we were on fell off the bodies of the Hell Hounds as they charged into a broom closet. Based on my understanding of the flow of dimensions, that would take them back through a confusing chain or rooms that would eventually lead to the "Slender Man", dropping both of us to the floor.
Nick brushes off his clothes calmly as I got my bearings. I had my sword out from under my coat, and my hands were shaking. What was this madness? This was no war that I had ever known.
Nick says, "First priority! You grab Elaine I...need to go make this mess even MESSIER! And maybe hold the house intact so that everyone can actually get out of here the direct route."
I paused for a moment, feeling the world around us normalize as Nick started chanting something. He pulled out his new staff, and started stumbling around in an awkward circle. He was going to give them a way out, one way or the other.
Meanwhile, I had to get everyone out as best as I could, as fast as I could. I dived into a closet...taking me back to where Elaine and the others were. This is what happens when time and space get screwy. The door that takes you in one direction may actually take you somewhere else. Nick was maintaining a normal path to the door, but anyone who decided to take a detour would be in serious trouble if they didn't have the kind of senses he and I played around with.
The moment I arrived where we had been having a peaceful lunch previously, I saw Elaine get flung against the wall by thin air. I could feel the presence of this "Slender Man" there, but I could see nothing. Two people died instantly after that.
I watched a redheaded gent pour gasoline on the grand piano. Fire was filling the house, exactly according to my plan. Everything else had gone cockeyed, but THAT had remained unaffected. I watched the flames lick the gasoline, and set the entire thing ablaze. I had spent two days preparing this trap. I wanted to appreciate it.
He saw me, and his green eyes sparkled. He was enjoying his work. I knew who this guy was, based on all the information I've put together recently: Writer.
Of all the things he could have expected however, me dressed as Sherlock Holmes, complete with the oddly checkered hat and overcoat, was probably not one of them. I held up a magnifying glass, and shouted at Writer:
"ELEMENTARY, my dear Writer! Just remember: Fire is the devil's only friend, as the old song goes!"
How I ended up here, dressed as Sherlock Holmes during all of this, is a tale for another time.
More likely it'll only help one or two people, and there won't be any change in the lives of anyone who is currently stalked. But that's the point: we have to have hope.
For all the bad shit that happened at noon today, I can say that Hope lives on in all of us. And the legend continues.


text:
You wouldn't know it by my "Certified Lactation Counselor" business card or my weekly campus ministry schedule, but, deep down, I still feel like a Political Scientist at heart. I love thinking about why certain people hold specific political positions, while others look at life through a different lens.
So when my oldest daughter confessed that she really does like listening to NPR, I knew I had to nurture that love in her!
Our drive to and from piano lessons each week is our most consistent alone time, so we've begun talking about the candidates on the Republican ballot. After discussing the candidates and listening to the news for the last month or so, I asked her to sum up what she knows about them. Here are some of her answers:
Newt Gingrich: "Slimy. Has been married too many times. Got in trouble the last time they let him in politics".
Mitt Romney: "Mitt is Mormon and has lots of money."
Ron Paul: "Old guy who doesn't have a chance. But he's probably the only one who's got it right".
And the scary thing is, she just might be more informed than the majority of American voters!


text:
So a lot has changed since I was complaining about a lack of confidence a few weeks ago. I went to an event that the young professionals group at the synagogue put on and enjoyed it, and there's another event coming up that I'm planning on attending as well. I'm still not sure if this social group is going to end up being a good fit for me, but it's a start. I've been continuing to take advantage of the access to academic databases I have from taking my Yup'ik class, and I'm also enjoying the class itself. I still haven't gotten back into the swing of blogging, but I'm feeling more into the idea than I was for a while.
Most importantly, though, my work is going great. I've just been promoted to a new position that was basically created especially for me, and I'm very excited about it. I liked my previous job, but I always felt like it was better for me than I was for it. I did fine at it, I think, but many of the core functions were somewhat outside my comfort zone. Having to do those things was good for me in making me more comfortable with them, but overall it would really be better to have someone in that job who was already comfortable with those functions and had a personality more compatible with the job than mine. The new job is a better fit for my skills and interests.
So yeah, things are going well.


text:
Find Momo (Paperback)
A Photography Book
Quirk Books, 9781594746789, 144pp.
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
List Price: 14.95*
* Individual store prices may vary.
Thousands of Internet fans play hide-and-seek with Momo the border collie every day. And now, in his New York Times best-selling book, you can too Momo and his best buddy Andrew Knapp have traveled all over--through fields, down country roads, across cities, and into yards, neighborhoods, and surreal spaces of all sorts. The result is a book of spectacular photography that's also a game you can play anytime. Lose yourself in page after page of Andrew's beautiful, serene, dreamlike images, and sooner or later you'll find Momo's sweet, eager face looking back at you. (Can't find him? Don't worry...the answers are in the back.)
About the Author
Andrew Knapp is a freelance interface designer and photographer from northern Ontario who desires to make everyday routines into creative adventures. Along with his commercial photography and design work, he's filmed a TEDx Talk, collaborated on an Instamissions project with MTV and Sony, and cofounded the We Live Up Here collaboration exploring life in Sudbury, Ontario. Momo is an adorable black-and-white, brown-eyed border collie, Andrew's BFF, and a genius at hiding. Together they're an Instagram phenomenon, bringing smiles to over 100,000 followers who never miss their chance to try to find Momo.


text:
Our large capacity dump body. Over 8′ 6″ long and fully 23″ deep.Learn More
** NOTE: Please read all instructions carefully prior to starting installation. **
Remove tailgate of pick-up truck with hardware (do not remove bumper).
Remove any obstructions off rear floor vertical face of pick-up truck (light clusters, etc.).
Remove front bolt retaining dump body to mounting frame.
DEL HYDRAULICS warrants each product against defects in material and workmanship for (12) months from date of shipment when the products is returned freight prepaid, to DEL Hydraulics, Buffalo, N.Y. within the warranty period.Learn More


text:
The other day, I was on my mage, browsing LFG. I had tossed Mel into the Heroic Sethekk Halls queue, with the note that said "kitty. Really. Can summon Anzu". (Heroic Sethekk was the daily.) Before I finished checking who was in what queue and the like, I get a whisper: "Spell damage?" I look for them in the queue. A priest in the Heroic Sethekk group. Hrm... "Read the note."
He does and gets back to me: "Tank? Can you kitty tank it?"
Me [ o.O Er... ] : Not advisable. He leaves it at that.
A bit later, I'm still in queue and still loitering around Shattrath. He whispers me again: "your kitty good DPS?"
Me [ as what DPS would deny that they are good? ] : "Yes."
"what is her raid DPS? 600? 800?"
Me [ -boggle- ] : "Oh, geeze. I don't know, but unless your people are ZA geared, I bet I can give them a good run for their money."
"They are"
So I switch over, and we go in. No one is in ZA gear for one (the closest thing is our tank, which happened to be an arms/fury warrior, who might have actually been in a couple pieces of ZA gear -- I don't know anything about the loot table of ZA and beyond -- if it's shiny, and doesn't register a single bit in my brain from my Kara runs, I automatically assume it's ZA+ gear)... The group consisted of me, a shadow priest, the arms/fury tank, a holy paladin, and a hunter. We hop on Vent, and they make a note that my voice is too quiet, so they turn me up and tell me to try again. Results?
The shadow priest: "She's got the phone sex operator voice. Real breathy."
I raise an eyebrow at that, then repeated what they said in g-chat, getting laughs from my guildies. Then I addressed my sweetie and asked him: "I don't really sound like that, do I?"
Him [ cautiously ]: "Is there a right answer to that question?"
Me [ laughing ]: "The truth is nice. xD"
Him: "I don't think that you speak with lust in your voice, no."
Now... would that be considered good or bad? -winks-
Note: I ended up off tanking for one of the Ravenguard pulls (in kitty gear, because our tank went squash as our healer wasn't prepared), and I stood around and tossed a few moonfires and wraths for Anzu, and I still finished 8% in front of our hunter, and 12% in front of the priest that was so interested in my DPS output.
And I've come to the conclusion that I actually like the offspec tank, because not once did I pull aggro from him, which, for the average PuG-Prot-Warrior tank, I end up pulling aggro from at some point (Okay, I might have gotten aggro once when the mob was about to die, but I don't blame it -- Opened with a 2.7K crit Ravage, Shred x2 critted for 2.3K each, and the Ferocious Bite for 3.5K, relatively. Not a happy mob, let me tell you...)
Friday, March 21, 2008
I Sound Like... WHAT?
Posted by Lin at 3:16 PM
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text: ELKHART - John Henry "Big John" Woistman, 64, died after an illness at 8:18 a.m. Monday, Dec. 25, in Elkhart General Hospital. Survivors include two daughters, Annie (Chuck) Mason and Vickie Eckert, both of Pittsburgh, PA; six grandchildren; a stepson, Franklin Stolker of Frankfort, KY; and close friends, Hoss and Mary of Elkhart. Graveside services will be at noon Saturday at Carmel Cemetery, Pittsburgh, PA. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday in Billings Funeral Home.


text:
Good news/bad news, Ben finally gets his U.S Visa! But…the Kombi is in a bit of a fix. From Vancouver to Haines Alaska, and now Whitehorse in the Yukon, the Kombi Life adventure continues. A must watch video in the series.
At first I thought, why is Fidel Castro putting out that fire? Maybe it's just the angle, it is in fact Ben's incredibly helpful friend in Haines who saved the bus just in time. And I really want one of these T-Shirts! You can support Kombi Life by purchasing one here.


text:
Arguing Venezuela
The Washington Post published an editorial yesterday calling for undefined "political intervention" in Venezuela. The WaPo periodically publishes poorly-argued editorials on Latin America, which are basically Cold War conservative.
What I found more interesting was a response in Slate, which adopted a kitchen sink response about why intervention was not necessary, going back to the Guatemalan coup of 1954. I don't understand these responses, which are similar to meandering LASA resolutions. Back in 2013 I wrote about one such resolution, concluding:
I dislike lumping tons of unrelated things together. Get one issue alone and drive it home. Even if this is approved, it is a jumbled mess, with parts of it perhaps written a very long time ago.
I felt the exact same way reading this article. You actually convince fewer people when you jump all around, from Venezuela to presidential approval ratings (why are these relevant?) to the Middle East to Honduras back to Venezuela to Cold War Latin America to Noam Chomsky.
Effectively refuting the WaPo is not hard, and should not include references to anything except the many ways in which "political intervention" (and since the WaPo didn't define it you would have to do that first) will backfire. Otherwise we're just in a loop of people saying lots of non sequiturs to each other.


text:
Work. It's something we all do, or are forced to endure. Pull up any user-driven site on the web, and you'll find it rife with frustrations (mainly petty) about work. From the notes about people stealing yogurt and staplers on passiveaggressivenotes.com to the often more serious gripes about unethical and even illegal behavior that can be found on the Craigslist job forum, they're everywhere.
I used to frequent the Craigslist JoFo, even when I wasn't looking. I realize that this makes me sound like a total douchebag, but I have a sort of sociological interest in working and people's attitudes towards their jobs and co-workers. Some of my favorite books deal with work. There's Studs Terkel's fascinating and fabulous Working (all the more interesting for being over 30 years old and containing interviews with many people whose occupations no longer exist or have changed beyond all recognition). There's the "memoir of a moran" The Working Stiff's Manifesto by Iain Levinson, which is still entertaining despite his refusal to learn. Add to these the novel by Joshua Ferris, And Then We Came To The End.
This book is set in a failing Chicago advertising agency during the late nineties and the first part of this decade. It's about office politics and intrigues in the face of layoffs and impending insolvency. The author uses an interesting device: he writes in the first person plural. We do this, we think that. The book contains an interview with him, in which he explains that his inspiration from this was derived from the new "corporate we." I can relate to that: I've often responded to emails from potential volunteers and talked about how excited "we" were to hear of their interest in "our" organization, and "we" would love their help, and "we" look forward to meeting them. And I think, what the fuck, do I have a mouse in my pocket? Number One, I'm the only who even knows of this person's interest, and number two, I can't honestly think of one co-worker who also may give a shit about it. But I continue to do it.
The "we" also gets at the peculiar group-think that often occurs in offices. At one point in the novel, all of the "core group" in the office becomes convinced that their boss has breast cancer, despite the total lack of evidence. They even spend an entire workday trying unsuccessfully to source the rumor. Yet, they are so convinced that one of them confronts her. It's an effective, well-done device. The only other instance I can think of where such a thing worked so well was in Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City which was written in the second person: You do this, you do that. But that's a post for another day.
The book is funny, but gets at a lot of truths about the modern work environment. The petty power struggles. The ridiculous rules and mores, the little attempts to rebel at them, and the consequences of them. This book has received a lot of critical acclaim, and I agree that it's worth checking out.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Workin' 9 to 5
Posted by Library Diva at 6:30 PM
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text:
John Robinson, my friend and former colleague at the News & Record in Greensboro, recently used his Twitter feed to share a link to a New York Times memo.
The focus of the memo is blogging at the NYT. Here are some highlights:
- The standards of writing and editing between news stories and blogs have "subtle differences."
- Contractions and slang are more acceptable in blog posts than news stories.
- A post that argues for a point of view must offer facts that support that argument.
- Headlines shouldn't take sides.
- Comments should be moderated but not edited.
- No snark.
Read the entire .pdf memo here. Here's another NYT memo on blogs, this one from 2005.


text:
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Stitching Update
I have a couple of updates to make now that vacation is over and I'm back to real life. The first one is my sent and received Monochromatic exchange for the Robin's Nest BB. I sent Renee a heart ornament, the bracelet and the threads, while Heidi sent me the gorgeous needlebook and threads. I'm thrilled with what Heidi sent and hope that Renee also liked her exchange.
I also have progress pictures of Alhambra Garden and of Pyra. I'm slowly workign through both of them, and hope to have more progress to share with everyone soon!
8 comments:
- monique said...
Nice stitching... and Pyra is beautiful. I really enjoyed your vacation photos!
- September 2, 2007 at 10:46 AM
- Sara said...
I enjoyed your vacation photos too, looks like you had a very good time!
The projects are looking good too, esp Alhambra. Cheryl (momstitches)and Dana (Thutmosis) really gave me the Chatelaine bug when we met recently. If only I had more stitching time!
- September 2, 2007 at 2:13 PM
- Mary Ann said...
Lovely exchanges and your WIP's are looking fantastic!!
- September 3, 2007 at 6:37 AM
- Cheryl said...
Your exchange gifts both given and received are fab! Beautiful wips too
- September 3, 2007 at 6:49 AM
- Susan said...
Your WIP's are beautiful-especially love Alhambra!
- September 3, 2007 at 12:30 PM
- Michelle said...
All your pieces are beautiful - especially Pyra. She is really coming along.
- September 4, 2007 at 11:57 AM
- tkdchick said...
Karin, everything is awesome!
- September 7, 2007 at 4:17 PM
- Jenna said...
Everything is coming along so nicely. You know I just love Pyra. Are you doing peyote stitch or square stitch for this one? I'm guessing square.
- September 11, 2007 at 3:09 PM


text:
This blog is a summary of the excellent video interview with Gary Hamel. (posted by Guy Janssen)
There are too few leaders in our current organisations.
If we want to build truly adaptable organizations (or societies), everybody has to become a leader and organisations (and societies) have to reward leadership. We live in a world of amazing complexity and complex organizations that just require too much from a few leaders at the top. They don't have the intellectual diversity, the bandwidth, the time to really make all these critical decisions. By the time a small team at the top realizes there's a need for fundamental change, it's too late. We expect leaders to be confident and yet humble. We expect them to be very strong in themselves but open to being influenced. We expect them to be amazingly prescient, with great foresight, but to be practical as well, to be extremely bold and also prudent. There are too few leaders with all these qualities, yet we've built organizations where you almost need that caliber of person for them to run well if you locate so much of the decision-making authority in the top of the organization.
Bottom of the S-curve.
Step-by-step, organisations are going to catch up to this new economic reality. Value is created by rubbing up against customers, innovating, co-creation, on the periphery. But we still have these organizations where too much power and authority are reserved for people at the top of the pyramid. The structures, the compensation, the decision making must catch up with this new reality. Compensation, incentives and rewards need to change to be in line with the value added by each person rather than the formal position on the formal ladder.
Challenges and Principles are the Same in Private Sector and Civil Society.
The challenges are remarkably similar to those mentioned in the articles listed in No more waterfalls, only trial and learning.
- What can we do to create more opportunities for leadership?
- How can we teach people what it means to exercise leadership when you don't have formal authority?
- How do you mentor people?
- How do you build a coalition?
- How do you live in the future so other people want to follow you?
- How do you become one of those connectors bringing ideas and talent and resources together?
The organisation needs to look at every single information process, resource-allocation process, planning process, hiring, promotion and say, "How do we start to embed those principles in every one of these processes?" So instead of moving decisions up to where people have expertise, we're going to move expertise down to people close to the front lines. Everybody needs the information and the skills to be a leader, to make the right kind of choices and then be held accountable for those choices through a very short feedback cycle between your decisions and rewards.
Not Romantic.
This is not some romantic thing—you know, "let's just give everybody more power" —because that's probably chaos. But if we equip them, give them information, make them accountable to their peers, shorten the feedback cycles, then I think you can push a lot of that authority down in organizations.


text:
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Please make sure you tell them you found this giveaway at Green Mam-a Jam-a!
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text:
This article first appeared in the Charlotte Observer on Feb. 27, 2012.
A spot of good news is surfacing for North Carolina's brook trout, and the anglers who hold their speckled brookies so dear.
Not so long ago, scientists forecast that much of what remained of eastern brook trout habitat would be severely affected by climate change. In fact, it was thought the only native trout in the Eastern United States might vanish from large parts of its southern range, leaving only a few populations concentrated mostly in western North Carolina.
But a new study in progress across seven Southeastern states has found reason to believe that many cold-water streams – those found at elevations where brook trout love to linger – may be less vulnerable to warming temperatures than previously forecast.
The study's investigator, Andrew Dolloff, is team leader for the cold-water fisheries research unit of the Forest Service's Southern Research Station in Blacksburg, Va. Brook trout are very sensitive to water temperatures, preferring to live in the cleanest cold water streams below a critical threshold of 69.8 degrees.
"They can survive above this threshold, but making a living is much, much more difficult for them," Dolloff said.
Brook trout are also one of the most widely spread temperature-sensitive aquatic species in the East. This makes them good indicators for understanding the effects of climate change. "If a trout can't live somewhere anymore, there's going to be a whole bunch of other species that can't live there either," Dolloff said.
Brookie background
In 2006, Trout Unlimited released a report that showed a 20 percent reduction in the historic range of brook trout. Trout Unlimited is a not-for-profit organization which protects, conserves and works to restore cold-water streams and rivers in North America. The report also showed that brookies were greatly reduced in an additional 47 percent of their historic range. This led some to question what the future might hold, given predictions of a warming world.
An answer to this question came about, also in 2006, when scientists attempted to scale down findings from a continental-scale model of climate change. The model assumed a correlation between water and air temperatures of about 0.8 degrees. This meant that for every one-degree change in air temperature, they modeled a 0.8-degree change in water temperature.
Most climate-change models predict about a four degree increase in air temperature in the next 100 years, so the study predicted a corresponding 3.2 degree increase in cold-water stream temperatures over the same period. This resulted in a dire forecast that the brook trout's remaining habitat would contract radically, leaving intact less than half of the habitat that remained.
"It caused a lot of consternation, and rightly so," Dolloff said.
Dire forecast prompted questions
When Dolloff read the study, questions rolled through his mind. Was the influence of elevation upon water temperature really as straightforward as the authors had assumed, he wondered. What about the effect of springs upon cold-water streams at elevation? How might the presence of a forest canopy, or a nearby urban area, affect a stream's coldness? What about streams on north-facing slopes, which don't absorb as much sunshine during the day?
If any of these factors influenced stream temperatures, they might have a strong enough effect to alter the assumed 0.8-degree ratio used in the 2006 study. Dolloff initiated a pilot study in 2009 with the goal of answering his questions and refining the exact nature of the relationship between cold water streams and air temperatures. The pilot study used just 50 sites in Virginia, where Dolloff is associated with Virginia Tech, and where brook trout were present.
At each site, an instrument called a thermographer recorded air and water temperatures every 30 minutes for an entire year. While Dolloff expected to discover a small change from the 0.8 temperature ratio, he was stunned when the pilot study results halved this ratio. His data revealed that the temperature ratio ranged consistently between 0.3 to 0.5.
Such a big difference means that existing trout habitat will be more resilient to climate change than originally predicted. The pilot study results galvanized the Southern Research Station, which approved funding to increase the scale of Dolloff's study to seven states: Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Today, the study includes 204 stream sites, and nearly half of these are nestled in Western North Carolina.
Air temp may not always affect water
Dolloff also discovered that in some sites, water and air temperatures are not coupled at all. "There have been areas where air temperature didn't even matter; the water pretty much stayed within a certain range," he said. In these cases, groundwater, usually a spring, keeps the stream temperature fairly constant year-round. "We love finding a groundwater influence," Dolloff said, chuckling.
Though his expanded study still has two years to go, the first year of data from 2011 confirmed the pilot study results. This gave Dolloff the confidence to state that trout habitat is probably not as vulnerable to climate change as the 2006 study claimed. "I'm reasonably confident saying that there will probably be some range contractions in the future, but I don't think we'll completely lose brook trout," Dolloff said. "This is really good news if you are a trout, or an angler."
He concedes that other threats such as urbanization, habitat fragmentation from culverts and dams, and pollution still lurk in brook trout's future, but says: "It likely won't be climate change that does them in."
Damon Hearne, the southeastern conservation coordinator for Trout Unlimited, said Dolloff's study will help his organization to manage and restore streams in the Southeast.
"This new information doesn't mean we can say, 'Whew!' and walk away from conserving trout," Hearn warned. "It's important to remember that climate change will not only manifest as a steady rise in air temperature. We're also going to see a change in flooding and snowpack release regimes, and that will affect trout habitat too. Even if the air-water temperature ratios are smaller, there are still areas that will be lost, and fish on the edges of the range may still be pushed to higher elevations."


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When wealthy Russian investors contract L.A. psychologist Joel Fischer to develop a device to manipulate minds, the Dreemweever exceeds all expectations. Everything is on track for delivery and a big payday, until two adventurous stoners steal his Dodge Challenger that, unknown to them, contains the Dreemweever in its trunk. Fischer and his crew have two days to get it back or he dies.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
IMPERIAL BEDROOMS: Bret Easton Ellis
When I read that a follow-up to LTZ was in the works, I was intrigued. I wanted to know what happened to Julian, Blair, Clay, and especially Rip. So when it came out, I ended up buying it for my Nook $9.99, saving $15.00 of the $25.00 hardcover. As it turned out, this was a wise decision.
The novel starts off by slamming the film version of LTZ, setting the reader straight on the facts, and gives some nice harbingers of what's in store for this installment. I was intrigued and ready for the show to start. I'm not going to give spoilers of details about the plot, but I will say that BEE has a big problem with finishing, and I noticed this with "Glamorama"( 4 out of 5 stars) and Lunar Park (3 out of 5 stars). I'm giving "Imperial Bedrooms" (2 out 5 stars). Each of these three BEE offerings would have earned another star, if they didn't completely go off the deep-end in the final chapters.
The 2 star rating is a shame in my opinion because for about 3/4 of the novel it was at about a 4, but I have to call it like I see it. I never read Amazon / B&N reviews before I read a novel, but I do after I'm done. It is good to know I am not alone in my opinion. I would be glad to elaborate on this in the comment section, if anyone so chooses
5 comments:
Dazed and Confused. Classic film.ReplyDelete
"Behind every good man there is a woman, and that woman was Martha Washington, man, and everyday George would come home, she would have a big fat bowl waiting for him, man, when he come in the door, man, she was a hip, hip, hip lady, man."
I still look up to Slater.
I've seen the film of Less Than Zero but not read the book. I've read the book of American Psycho and tentatively watched the film that, for me, let the book down. Saying that, if the film was made exactly like the book, it probably would never have got a cretificate to be shown.ReplyDelete
I do have LTZ somewhere so I'll dig it out and read it then I'll read the follow-up.
After making LTZ, wasn't that about the time RDJ went off the rails? Maybe the film pushed him over the top?
Thanks for the info, Sean.
Lee- Wooderson is my fav character in Dazed. Lot's of actors who went on to be famous in it. I think I went to HS with someone who fit every character in that movie. Every time I hear Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" it brings me back to those days. Great soundtrack as well!ReplyDelete
Dave- The American Psycho movie that was released pushed the boundaries and if it stayed true to the novel, it would never have been released. And in retrospect, I think RDJ may have been doing some "method acting" when filming LTZ. A sequel to Am psy was made and was complete rubbish.
Yes, I noticed a DVD on the sequel but thought better of it. I'm glad I never watched it. Some movie makers don't know when to say no.ReplyDelete
I never read Less Than Zero but did see the movie. The character portrayal was unrealistic to me. Perhaps it was my sheltered northeast lifestyle, but I could not imagine that way of life to be true for young adults at that age.ReplyDelete
Dazed and Confused was an awesome and very true to life movie. I also knew and dated guys just like that. Heh, I'll keep which ones to myself.
Wooderson was also my favorite character. "That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age."


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McClatchy: Paywall coming to Kansas City Star, other markets
The Star's parent company today announced it would be implementing a paywall in all of its markets by the end of the year. In the company's quarterly earnings report, McClatchy president and CEO Pat Talamantes said a metered plan would roll out in several markets in the third quarter, followed by the rest of the McClatchy family in the fourth quarter.
His statement: "We are also offering new subscription packages to our readers. After a number of experiments and analysis on pay models, we intend to roll out a metered plan in the third quarter in five of our markets. We will offer readers a combined print and digital subscription package that will include access to web, certain mobile and replica editions for a relatively small increase to print home-delivery rates. We'll also offer online-only digital subscriptions to users after they read a certain number of pages. Once the first wave is launched, we intend to expand this model to our other markets beginning in the fourth quarter of this year." (emphasis mine)
McClatchy floated the paywall idea in May, but there was no indication The Star would be included. Initial markets were Modesto, Sacramento, Fort Worth, Biloxi and Columbus, Ga.
The Star's story makes no mention of a paywall. (Update, it now does.)
The company also noted:
- Revenues in the second quarter of 2012 were $299.3 million, down 4.8% from the second quarter of 2011.
- Advertising revenues were $222.6 million, down 5.7% from 2011, and circulation revenues were $63.6 million, down 2.4%.
- Total digital advertising revenues grew 4.9% in the second quarter of 2012, with digital-only advertising revenues up 16.8% from the 2011 quarter.
- Digital advertising represented 22.5% of total advertising revenues compared to 20.2% of total advertising revenues in the second quarter of 2011.


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A little while ago I took a trip to Zuccotti Park on my lunch hour. Normally I would be doing my water color sketches at Battery Park but I wanted to take a look at what was happening and I took my digital camera with me to take reference shots to use for future watercolors.
I told myself that this was history and I should go there to take a look and maybe have some record of what was going on, but actually I agree with their stance and wanted to get a closer look at what they were doing and saying. A closer look than the evening news would give.
I wound up staying a little bit beyond my lunch hour, talking to some of the occupiers who were willing to give an earful to anyone who would listen and thumbing through the books at the makeshift "Peoples Library".
I took plenty of pictures, printed them and filed them away. Life had been so busy these past few weeks it took me a while before I could get back to them. I started to thumb through them early one morning and started the watercolor sketch on the upper left. Wish I had time to do more. I woke up at 3 in the morning and painted till it was time for me to get ready to go to work.
The sketches below are from the last time I was at Battery Park. The leaves were only just starting to change into their fall colors, another thing I need to find the time to paint.
This graphite and wash sketch was painted at the park on my lunch hour. I made the color sketch below using this drawing and some photos I took at the park that day.


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{the shop saturday 2-25-12}
|bath n body
|books n mags
|vegan littles
|they hit traffic from santa rosa so she didn't even make it to her table--fans swarmed her right when she walked in the door!
|"to my herbies...with love"
|it was nice to see old and new faces to for this meet and greet!
|me and miss lucy--she made me some buttons and was pretty proud!
|my new company crush, cool corc. you have to feel this material to believe how lush it is. and check those floral fabric dms. totally cool. see what i did there? cool & cool...all on one table. i slay me.
|our coop membership cards mock up. fancy!
|remember, this is why we are in business. animal rights, and outreach. not to get rich or anything. if that was my goal i would have opened a fro-yo franchise! LOL support your local vegan shop! or you will find one day they are no more and you would be more bummed than you think :)


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Upper Tab Link Bar
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Routes around the mountain all seem to be in 'typical' shape for this time of year. Check specific route conditions using the links to the right. July brings quick changes to conditions on the upper mountain. Be sure to ask rangers about the most recent updates while checking in for your adventure.
On another note, we'd like to give a special shout out to our extended climbing community for all your gracious assistance, positive vibes, food, gifts, and thoughts. We appreciate all your help and look forward to seeing ya'll back up on the mountain soon.


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In the Wild Bird Guides: Black-capped Chickadee, Susan Smith writes the loud fee-bees actually involve three notes. The first (fee) is high, the second (bee) is low, and the third is slightly higher in pitch than the second, like they are singing hey sweetie.
These fee-bee songs in the morning are used by the males to attract a mate or once they have a mate, establish nesting territories. There is also a quieter fee-bee that the males use when talking to their mates. When a male approaches his nest he alerts his female with a faint fee-bee and both male and females use the little fee-bee song to tell their nestling that they're there and food is coming.
- What the "dee" in Chick-a-dee means http://goo.gl/ZMifX
- Why don't chickadees stay to eat at the feeder? http://bit.ly/AkKThH
- After chickadee babies have fledged http://bit.ly/yAYbP4
- Fun Facts About Chickadees http://bit.ly/zIDkCi
- What Do Black-Capped Chickadees Eat? http://bit.ly/zxi04X
- Bird of the Week: Black-capped Chickadee http://bit.ly/A1YFQ4


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No one would check into a group home just to write an article but since I was there and saw it all, why not?
I don't know anyone who says the words "group home" without shuddering a little bit inside. None of them are how a person should want to live. Most clients are people who have NOWHERE else to go and no one to help them, some because heartless family members don't realize the severity of the loneliness and neglect experienced in there by human beings struggling to feel control over their lives after an illness or accident. There is one in Phoenix where the owners bought it from some well meaning people and stripped anything good from it and replaced it with furniture that is painful and incompetent/unskilled help. I was unfortunately tricked into going to one of those instead of being able to go home by a "case manager" at Life Center of Paradise Valley physical rehabilitation center. A man who used to be the owner of the place now refers clients there. The staff is great at providing tiny meals and getting people in bed on time. Only one person who works there as a "care giver" speaks English and the other ONE care giver is there as a friend of the owner. Neither has a car and can drive to go get food, supplies, and incidentals like smoke alarm batteries. The beds have no mattresses, only box springs. Making old, broken, crippled bodies lie on the coil springs reinjures these clients every night. This is designed to make their recovery time last longer and therefore bring the owners more money in insurance and self pay. But it isn't good for the clients. The owners (the owner and his wife) are idiots who have no idea how to run a group home. They bought it as a business investment and so run it on a shoestring budget without any thought towards the comfort of clients.
The owner walked into my room while I was naked and trying to get dressed and wouldn't leave while babbling and asking my about my "paperwork" as if I worked there and handled that. One of the care givers asked me later why I didn't call the police.
The owner and his wife walked into the living room of the house one day, turned on what I can only think of as 'the African version of MTV',(so loud that two of the clients were practically crying while holding their hands over their ears) and started doing a somewhat sexually provocative dance, in the middle of the room, with no regard for the clients. This isn't good business practice or patient care.
I was one of eight people there. My room was next to the washer and drier which sometimes were run at day or night, and had a smoke alarm with a burned out battery, chirping 24/7 and they expected me to sleep like that.
I have tried to call there to get some of my property back and still haven't managed to get anyone to answer the phone. You tell me, does anyone deserve to have to live like that, especiall seniors, and at least one of them a veteran who should be at the V.A.?
They call themselves Sunnyside Assisted Living Home LLC,at 2615 E. Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032.
Assisted living implies that nurses, competent care givers, and other staff are there to provide Long Term Care facility management instead of this bunch of crap. If you call the main number for contact at 480 264 6870, you get the previous owner, ROMAN (pronounced RO-MAUN) , and he is obviously still in place to give the place an semblance of respect that they don't deserve.
I was told (by Anne Marie at the "Living Center of Paradise Valley")that this place had physical therapy and should have known when I asked, that when I asked about that and Roman kept repeating the same mantra, "Sir, this is $800 a month and you won't find anything cheaper." and he wouldn't answer my question that I should have gone directly to home from the rehabilitation center. Anne Marie kept insisting that I needed something in the way of this group home, since my condo had stairs. This was stupid, as I climbed the stair with supervision 2 weeks later with minimal supervision.
When I asked Roman how to contact the house directly he gave me the number (602)626-8257. and when I called there, I got an error recorded message that said, "The customer you are trying to call is not in service at this time."
I would like to add that Life Care Center of Paradise Valley and John C. Lincoln Hospital gave me the best of care considering my injury.


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On that note, here was one of the last shows we were able to do in the studio before we move out to our new digs. We had Darnelle "DJ DNYCE" Patterson stop by to grace us with his presence. The young DJ can be reached here through his facebook for any inquiries. As an official member of the Hoops N Hip-Hop staff, you'll definitely be able to find a lot of his stuff on this site and on our Facebook page!
Hoops N Hip Hop #14 from Hoops N HipHop on Vimeo.