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A good sense of humor involves being able to laugh at yourself. That means both making fun of your own faults and mistakes as well as appreciating your own jokes. After all, if you don't make yourself laugh, how can you expect to make anyone else laugh?
Another important aspect of comedy is timing. You need to wait for just the right time to drop that punch line. A single word can change from deathly serious to outrageously funny based solely upon when it is said.
And the holy trinity of comedic tools, in my opinion is delivery. Everybody knows somebody who can tell the same damn joke they just heard five minutes ago but make it ten times funnier just by the way they tell it. Writers for comedy shows have really funny ideas, yet they need people called actors to pull the joke off. You have to package it properly.
One of my favorite delivery styles of all time is the deadpan. The contradictory nature of a person saying something ridiculous in a serious voice and then not flinching to smile in the slightest always gets me. It's the reason why I like Will Ferrell so much.
When you talk about masters of the deadpan delivery, one name stands out. There is one man who, over the last several decades, has been the definition of deadpan. That man is Leslie Nielsen. We lost that man Sunday and the comedy world owes him a debt of gratitude.
Mr. Nielsen could deliver a silly phrase with a straight face better than anyone I had the privilege of watching in my lifetime. Regardless of how off the wall the events around him were, he always played it straight. Part of me always wondered if he were part Vulcan and perhaps unable to feel emotion or find anything humorous. I find it difficult to find any other reasonable explanation why he didn't crack up laughing in the middle of his line like Jimmy Fallon on a Saturday Night Live skit.
So, fare thee well, oh sultan of the straight line, you duke of deadpan. You used to be a serious dramatic actor and then saw the humor in using that in a comedy career. Surely, you will be missed.
That would be me setting him up to respond from the heavens:"I am serious. And don't call me Shirley."


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PENGUINS CLOSE REGULAR SEASON SATURDAY AT HOME AGAINST RANGERSby Staff Writer / Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins close out the regular season Saturday at 7:30 p.m. as they welcome the New York Rangers to Mellon Arena.
FSN Pittsburgh will televise the contest at 7:30 p.m., while 105.9 The X will start its radio broadcast with a pregame show at 7 p.m. The broadcast may be found live through streaming audio on pittsburghpenguins.com as well. Tune in for Penguins Hotline following every game on 105.9 The X and the Penguins Radio Network. Join in the conversation with host Bob Grove by calling the Penn Telecom toll-free line at 1-866-922-2874.
Email email@example.com and maybe Bob Grove or Phil Bourque will answer your question during the second intermission of the game.
In order to secure the Eastern Conference's fourth seed heading into the playoff, the Penguins (46-24-11, 103 points) must earn a win and hope Ottawa loses at Boston on Saturday night. Regardless, the Penguins and Senators will meet in the first round of the playoffs. A Penguins loss or an Ottawa win will clinch the No. 4 spot for the Senators.
Sidney Crosby owns a seven-point lead in the NHL scoring race with 118 points (36+82) in 78 games. San Jose's Joe Thornton is in second place with 111 points (21+90) in 81 games.
Evgeni Malkin leads all rookies in scoring with 85 points (33+52) in 77 games. Colorado's Paul Stastny is second with 76 points (27+49) in 80 games. Penguins winger Jordan Staal is sixth in rookie scoring with 42 points (29+13). He leads all NHL players with a 22.7 shooting percentage and seven short-handed goals, an NHL record for rookies.
Sergei Gonchar is second in scoring among NHL defensemen with 66 points (13+53) in 81 games played. Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer also has 68 points (15+53) in 78 games.

subset: commoncrawl


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The BankNote
On this blog, I've been following developments at the Amercan Bank Note Company building, here and here. This article and this article, in the Hunts Point Express have the most comprehensive coverage so far, including interviews with some of the current tenants. Below is an architectural rendering of the newly conceived "BankNote" building.


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My recent fall at Tintwistle really made me question why I climb and I think I've answered that in my own mind pretty well- because I want to explore magical routes, whether these are by first ascents or repeats. Despite this I have got a lot of stick about being a self publicist, which I can understand- I blog, I post on UKC and I am generally pretty vocal about what I've been up to. But this is more publicising the amazing routes and places I've explored than trying to big myself up. Never the less I find comments that challenge my motives behind climbing hurtful, not because they make me worried about the real reason I climb, but because if anything did happen to me I know my lovable chums and relatives would start to question whether I was climbing for acclaim and them thinking I was maimed or killed for showing off is not something I want.
The best way I can prove I really am not bothered what people think about me is to 'retire' from the active reporting of my explorations. I hope that I have entertained and perhaps enthused some people to get out there. I will continue to explore and blog on a private blog which will not be visible to the public and I apologise for my selfishness to anyone who really enjoyed reading my blog. (If you really want to continue to follow me then you can become a 'friend' or something and can see what I'm up to.)
I will most likely return to the land of bullshit one day, but I am enjoying my climbing more than ever and as Mick Ryan would put it 'living the dream'.
Happy Penguin Greetings,
Franco x


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- Week Of July 23 - The Tweet Also Rises
US dollar index struggling to find follow through buying. A break in the DX would add a supportive overtone to the commodities.
The following Weekly charts are illustrations of one of our proprietary price modeling systems that shows trends, market breadth and much more.
- Market's Price On Fed's Rate Path Firmed Up Last Week
- Stocks Didn't Cheer An Easier Fed, Bounded In Tight Range
- Yield Curve Steepened Sharply As 30 Year Yield Surged
- USD/JPY Weekly Outlook
A Vulnerable (But Still Bullish) Broad Market
July 20th, 2018
- The Fed's Balance Sheet May Remain Larger For Longer
- The Currency Of Currency
- Getting A Grip On Gigs
- United States Cattle On Feed Up 4 Percent
- Is There Complacency Over Chinese Woes?
- US President's Criticism Of The Federal Reserve's Interest Rate Policy
- The Most Dis-Advantageous Lottery In The World
- This Is Usually A Good Month To Buy Gold But It's A Tough Call This Year
- On Missing the Boat
The dollar hit one-year highs against a currency basket on Thursday, sending the euro below the $1.16 level after bullish comments be Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell cemented expectations for two more rate hikes this year.
Futures were lower in both markets in light to moderate trading interest. A stronger US Dollar caused speculative selling.
Corn closed higher yesterday in reaction to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop condition ratings.
Cotton was slightly higher in Turnaround Tuesday trading. Bad crop conditions in parts of the US have kept the market supported.
Oil futures saw mixed trading on Thursday, with U.S. benchmark crude ending higher on the heels of news that Saudi Arabia's OPEC governor expects the kingdom's crude exports to fall next month in an effort to avoid oversupplying the market.
US TREASURY BONDS--It has been more than three years since the "Up and Down Wall Street" section in Barron's featured a column titled "German Bunds: The Short of the Century."
Gold has lost its shine, falling to a one-year low. For contrarians, however, it may be the time to buy.
Soybeans and Soybean Meal were higher on what appeared to be speculative short covering tied to lower than expected crop condition ratings from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Monday night.
Futures were about unchanged in New York, but a little lower in London. There was not much news to push prices in either direction, and both markets are still in short-term trading ranges.
Wheat markets were higher yesterday on new speculative buying caused by the bad world weather.
Silver futures in the September contract settled last Friday in New York at 15.81 an ounce while currently trading at 15.40 down about $0.40 for the trading week continuing its bearish momentum while hitting a fresh contract low yesterday all way down to 15.18 as I still don't believe a bottoming pattern has been formed.
- U.S. Fed's Chairman Outsources 'Neutral' Rate Decision To The Yield Curve
- Some Thoughts On The Dollar
Wheat - Rice - Corn And Oats - Soybeans And Products - Canola And Palm Oil
GOLD HEADED WHERE? Since the low in 2015 gold had formed an uptrend on its monthly chart.
Corn - Soybean - Wheat
Cotton - FCOJ - Coffee - Sugar - Cocoa
Bitcoin Confirming Late-June Cycle Low;
Reaches 6-Month Downside Target & Reverses Higher…
Fulfilling July 2018 Roadmap!
Gold & Silver Plummet to 2018 Support;
Dollar Attacking Critical Resistance;
- Ping Pong Tariff Talk
- As Low As You Can Go
- Gold And Silver Continue Sliding
- The Block Chain Connection
- Global Realignment
- Saudi's Say Enough Is Enough
- Energies - Metals - Treasuries - Currencies - Grains - Stock Market Indices - Softs - Meats
- When In Trouble, Double
- Market Movers Today
- Selected Market News
- Do Gold Stock Investors Know A Secret?
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Hi! I'm Tim Tyler, this is a review of this book:
The Robot's Rebellion: Finding Meaning in the Age of Darwin - by Keith Stanovich.
The book is a manifesto expanding on Richard Dawkins' idea at the end of The Selfish Gene. Dawkins wrote:
We have the power to defy the selfish genes of our birth and, if necessary, the selfish memes of our indoctrination. We can even discuss ways of deliberately cultivating and nurturing pure, disinterested altruism - something that has no place in nature, something that has never existed before in the whole history of the world. We are built as gene machines and cultured as meme machines, but we have the power to turn against our creators. We, alone on earth, can rebel against the tyranny of the selfish replicators.Stanovich turns this into the central thesis of his book. His book is about a type of morality and ethics which is informed by evolutionary theory.
Stanovich comes from a long line of thinkers that views nature as immoral, or at best amoral. Thomas Henry Huxley, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and many other thinkers have painted nature as curel and indifferent - and evolution as bad and not to be imitated.
Stanovich - like Dawkins - proposes that humans rebel against selfish replicators - namely genes and memes - and instead promote their own interests: "the interests of the vehicle", as Stanovich calls them.
Most of the book is about why and how humans should rebel against their genes. He pictures humans as part-conscious and part-unconscious systems. He sides with the conscious component, or the ego, and characterises our unconscious minds as sub-human saboteurs, getting us to do things that make us miserable against our own best interests.
The whole topic is an interesting one, though the book is a bit on the dry and repetitive.
The book has a section on memes, which is quite good. Stanovich recognises memes as forming a second evolutionary system, and has a pretty good understanding of memetics. However, memes are just another type of selfish replicator to Stanovich. They no more have our interests at heart than our genes do. Indeed, he characterises many memes as being especially nasty - "nastier than genes even", as he puts it.
In the rest of this review, I will directly address Stanovich's main thesis. I should say at this point that I am not sympathetic towards it. The idea that evolution is bad has been opposed by thinkers such as Julian Huxley and Peter Kropotkin. Like them, I see in evolution's positive, cooperative side a guide about how to behave. The views of Huxley and Kropotkin have been mostly trampled on by subsequent thinkers, but their ideas about evolution and cooperation are essentially correct - even though they are not currently in vogue.
The idea of enlightened humans rebelling against the interests of sub-human replicating agents is an intriguing one, but I don't think it is founded in good science. The problem is that Stanovich's picture doesn't include all the copying processes that are taking place.
While Stanovich deserves credit for recognising both DNA genes and memes, he doesn't treat within-brain change as an evolutionary process. However the fact that individual learning also forms its own evolutionary process was recognised long ago by Skinner, Campbell, Calvin, Cziko, Dennett and others. Indeed, any non-trivial goal-directed system is going to have a fitness function and an evolutionary tree-pruning algorithm at its heart.
In rejecting genes and memes, Stanovich is just throwing has hat in with other evolving structures within the brain. Stanovich claims to be siding with "the vehicle", but, in practice this turns out to be something close to the ego, which itself is composed of a bunch of happiness-promoting replicating structures that Stanovich didn't consider. In short, all positions to this topic involve siding with some bunch of copying entities or other. Copying with variation and selection underlies every optimisation process. The issue is not whether to side with a bunch of copied entities, but rather which ones you side with. With this framing of the problem, much of Stanovich's rhetoric about the inhumanity of stupid mindless replicators falls flat.
There are indeed some reasons follow the dictates of your conscious mind - that part of you is often smart and forward thinking. However, the brain's analytic side is heavily dominated by the ego - which is rather like the brain's public relations department. A big part of its job is to convince everyone else how wonderful you are. Stanovich's proposal is rather like giving control over a company to its public relations department. Egoism is fairly common, but there's more to a human than their ego. Thinking of yourself as being your ego is an impoverished picture of yourself which ignores much of what makes you human. Egoism is partly a western disorder - those from non-western cultures are less likely to identify completely with their egos. So: I think Stanovich's idea takes things too far.
Since the ego is largely constructed by genes, we can expect most humans to not have rebellious egos - since those with a tendency to rebel against their genes would have left behind fewer children. So, one wonders what fraction of humanity Stanovich is preaching to.
Stanovich proposes redefining the word "rationality" to refer to actions that promote the interest of "the vehicle". This plan strikes me as being a hopeless one - that just isn't what the word "rationality" means. I think that idea that rationality consists of optimising the function that Stanovich recommends is a non-starter.
Stanovich's book can be regarded as an interesting example of an attempt at founding a secular religion based on science. Stanovich's memes do get cited from time to time and have found themselves an audience. There's a type of human that hopes that their ego will live forever - and isn't interested in reproducing - and some of them seem to approve of Stanovich's ideas.
However, my council is to consider Stanovich's book as another memeplex that wants you to divert your resources into propagating it - at the expense of your own genetic heritage. There are a lot of memes out there hoping that you will divert some of your reproductive resources towards their propagation. Stanovich promises you happiness - if you are prepared to get off the genetic train and - consign your genes to eternal oblivion. If you are normally OK with memes hijacking the goals that nature gave you, then, by all means, go for it. However, if you don't usually approve of that, then I recommend being as cautious of embracing Stanovich's memes as you are of any other ones.


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Date: December 18, 2012
Time: Around 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Bright flash in sky on December 18, 2012 in the evening over Tumbler Ridge, BC, Canada.
If you have seen anything like this in the same area please be kind enough to contact Brian Vike at: email@example.com with the details of your sighting. All personal information is kept confidential.
Also, please feel free to send in your sightings that have happened years ago. So many of these older sightings are nothing short of amazing.
The Vike Factor (Brian Vike) http://the-v-factor-paranormal.blogspot.com/
The Vike Factor 2 (Brian Vike) http://the-v-factor-paranormal-2.blogspot.ca/


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Situated in the south of Germany, Munich is referred to by the locals as 'The northernmost city of Italy' thanks to the city's cosmopolitan style and love of alfresco coffee.
There's so much to see, from the magnificent town hall and cathedral to the beautifully landscaped 'Englischer Garden', the largest public park in Europe. In the winter months the city hosts some of the most beautiful Christmas markets in the whole world.
Of course Munich's most famous attractions are the historic beer halls, which serve giant litre glasses of the delicious local brew accompanied by gloriously filling chicken and pork dishes.
Whether you're a beer connoisseur or just looking for a bit of stag-do refreshment, you'll love drinking like a true Munchener.
No trip to Munich is complete without taking a look at the famous surfers of the Englischer Garden. The city has become a favourite destination for a new breed of 'urban-surfer' looking to catch a wave right in the heart of Europe. The actual surfing takes place on the fast flowing stream that runs through the park, where a natural 'break' under the water creates a kind of endless wave for the surfers to show off their skills.
Sports fans will love visiting Munich's Olympic stadium, which hosted the event in 1972 and subsequently became home to German football giants Bayern Munich. In the summer months it is even possible to take a guided tour up on to the stadium's iconic plexi-glass roof – and for the really brave, to take a zipline down through the stadium!
If you find yourself in the Bavarian capital for a few days, a great idea is to take an excursion over the border to Austria. A train to the famous city of Salzburg where they filmed 'The Sound of Music' takes just a couple of hours.
Like use Brits, Germans don't have a great world-wide reputation for their cuisine. However, Munich has a much more advanced culinary scene than you might expect.
Thanks to its cosmopolitan style and trendy art scene, there's a wealth of different options available if you're seeking a bit of high-quality world cuisine.
The six breweries that have made Munich beer famous all around the world, still dominate the drinking scene in the city. Look out for the local favourite 'Augustiner' as this is said to be the best of the bunch.


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We have exciting news for any one interested in working at the STEM Gateway, we are hiring PLFs for all subjects for the fall 2014 semester. So, anyone who wants to help students learn in subjects like Math, Chemistry, Physics should apply here!
Working as a PLF presents an exciting, fun, and challenging environment where you can tutor students, help them understand new concepts, and improve the STEM community on campus. While the work may seem foreboding at first, the students always appreciate your help, and your fellow PLFs and teachers will help you along the way!
To become a PLF you must have at least a 2.5 GPA, completed a similar course to the class you want to PLF or its equivalent (for example, Math 121 if you want to PLF for Math classes), and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member in a STEM focused field. For a complete list of the requirements, please refer to the job posting in the link above or below!
If you are still not convinced, then consider working as a PLF an opportunity to improve your own skills in a field you enjoy. While many of the PLFs study in STEM fields, we do not require you to be a STEM person yourself. Thus, as long as you want to help your fellow students and have an interest in STEM courses, studies, or education, you are an excellent PLF candidate!
Here is the link again for the job posting: Be a PLF!


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Sunday, December 9, 2007
Pia speaks
4 comments:
Good clip A.C., looking forward to your article.
P.S. I just discovered you can put in a Nickname. When did that start? lol
- December 9, 2007 at 10:36 AM
Excellent article at dailybreeze.com. The fun is back(we can hope):
WNT in soccer rehab! Well said. Very insightful.
They really want to change," Sundhage said. "This will be fun."
Kate Markgraf had some good insight into the depth of the problems also.
"It could be," Markgraf added, "the best thing that ever happened to us."
- December 11, 2007 at 6:36 AM
Excellent update at ussoccer.com:
- December 11, 2007 at 8:43 AM
Sixteen of the 21 members of the USA's 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup Team are at mini-camp, but where are the other five? Read below for answers.
Rest, Please
Kristine Lilly just needs some rest, which she has earned after 340 caps, 20 years on the National Team and five Women's World Cups. The U.S. captain has also yet to decide if she will attempt a run to the 2008 Olympics.
Taking a Breather
Defender Stephanie Lopez went from an intense Residency Training Camp to an even more intense starting role at the 2007 Women's World Cup and then straight into an emotional senior season at the University of Portland. The 21-year-old needs a breather. And oh yeah, she's getting married next weekend.
In Africa
Midfielder Angela Hucles is in Africa during humanitarian work.
Bun in the Oven
Defender Tina Ellertson is pregnant with her second child, but plans to return to action following the birth. She's due in April.
Bear Time
Midfielder Marci Jobson has retired from international play. She's also the new head women's soccer coach for the Baylor University Bears, leaving Northern Illinois, where she was the head coach for three seasons.
Bun in the oven? Paleeese! :(
- December 11, 2007 at 8:50 AM


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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Feast
©Nina Buesing Corvallo
When I was in high school our friend Joe always made us walk through the Feast of San Gennaro. He just loved the feast. I didn't mind. It reminded me of Dom back home. But when I lived in Nolita I dreaded the Feast. San Gennaro brings noise, alarming hygiene conditions and lots of yikes to the residents; and loss of income to the businesses that are not involved in the feast.
The other day while re-watching the Godfather II, it occurred to me that I had never seen the actual procession of San Gennaro.
So the husband and I went down to The Church of Most Precious Blood watched the mass (in English and Italian!) last Monday and followed the procession up Mulberry Street. I must say that I enjoyed it. The tradition of the San Gennaro feast hails from Naples. I was very moved by it, no doubt because my father-in-law was from Naples and he recently unexpectedly passed.
My father-in-law was a staunch atheist and I am a staunch agnostic. Nevertheless it was captivating and a treat to imagine decades past of people celebrating the feast of San Gennaro on Mulberry street.
This is part of what makes New York great: That people are from everywhere and that you can celebrate Chinese New Year one month on one block and the feast of San Gennaro on the adjacent block some months later.
Culture and tradition can be stifling, but it doesn't have to be and life is a little more colorful with these elements.
As to the Feast, well I am glad I don't live on Mulberry Street this week. I wish the organizers would emphasize quality and tradition more and focus less on commerce at all cost (and keep the vendors from blasting amplified music). But I did enjoy myself and I even ended up buying something -- a flying frog sculpture hand carved in Bali.
I know.
La Festa di San Gennaro ©Nina Buesing Corvallo
Posted by nina corvallo at 23:19 No comments:
Labels: american culture, italian culture, new york, san gennaro
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Other Night
...while trying to get back into a community board meeting, I came across this beautiful moment at St. Anthony of Padua. ©Nina Buesing Corvallo
Posted by nina corvallo at 00:44 No comments:
Labels: downtown, new york, st.anthony of padua
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Saving is not a sprint its a marathon and it takes a routine and adjustment of daily habits in order to stay focused and stick to the plan. Regardless of your income there is always room to save and improve your savings rate. Common sense is not always common when it comes to saving. We end up making commitments that we know are not in our best interest or acting on emotion and not planning ahead leaving ourselves with the an expense at the last minute.
1. Take stock of things
Many of us have no idea where our leisure budget begins and our savings start. Savings are often thought of the thing you have to do but doesn't really mean much but the first step to financial security is to have a stable savings routine. By taking stock of things one can keep an eye on things that pull away at what could be your savings. Don't get bogged down in the details so that you don't end up becoming a data entry monkey because it is unlikely you will be able to keep it up. Have an upper limit for each category of expense.
2. Don't eat out
Eating out should be more of a special occasion rather than a routine and your primary source of food. Restaurants although the make food often better than you can have existing risks that we often don't have a handle on. You know what you are cooking and you have control to manage what you eat. As with any habit that you are trying to change don't overdo the cooking. While some can manage to cook everyday for most it is impossible and unrealistic. Take a small set of dishes and improve on them. P and J sandwiches have gone out of style but with some fresh carrots and grapes can be a healthy and consistent lunch.
3. Separate your accounts
As taking stock is important separating accounts makes sure that the categories don't get mixed. It can be as simple as having a savings and checking account with a periodic transfer from you checking to your savings account. Putting some money away into several CD's although is often discouraging when considering the interest rates the main benefit is that it keeps you from dipping into your the pot.
4. Don't buy a new car
The primary reason people buy new cars is for the peace of mind but when you calculate the price difference that occurs as you drive out of the dealership and the monthly payment that is wasted on interest its almost a no brainer. In the end it becomes an issue of priorities.
5. Use public transportation or carpool
If it is possible you have to seriously consider it. The time spent driving. The risk involved is not something you can ignore. A friend once told me I often smile when I'm in a traffic jam because that means I'm not involved in an accident.
6. Take care of things when you first encounter them
This may seem obvious but it is the obvious that often costs us money. This is especially critical in the case of tickets. Traffic tickets are one of the biggest ways money gets squandered and in most cases paying them off as they come in is the only choice you have. We play the time game thinking that there might be a way out. Outside of a moving violation there chances of getting out of it or getting a discount is close to none.
7. Wash your t-shirt in the shower - Combine errands
I'm kidding but combining errands can dramatically effect how efficiently you get things done and needless to say efficiency is the key to saving. Although it seems like a no no to ask someone to run an errand with you. If you have the combining errands thought in mind it ends up working out. It takes a little resourcefulness to make it work.
8. Schedule purchases
There are weekly trends for prices for example gas is usually cheaper in the middle of the week than it is on Friday or Monday. Buy scheduling your purchases ahead of time you can rake in those deals that often require thinking ahead.
9. Don't buy a house
This is probably an article on its own because I can go on and on about the benefits of not owning a house. To keep it simple you a house is a lousy investment there is only a slim chance of you even getting your money back. Seems counter to common sense but if you do the math it just doesn't make sense.
10. Stop using credit cards
There is no limit to how high interest rates can get and you are looking at trouble every time you spend with the plastic. Credit is a risky game you get the bridge loan and unlike a business that can turn the loan into a profit you have to pay out of your existing stash.
Saving money is one of those things that is easier said than done. Trimming what you spend is really the key because your savings habbits should really be independent of you expenses. Although we tend to spend more when we know we have made more in the end you should not spend unecessarly. As long as you are realistic and don't enter into commitments that leave put you against a wall chances are you will end up saving in the long run.


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Toshiba Giveaway
Welcome to the Toshiba Encore Tablet Giveaway Event
Hosted & Sponsored by My Fab Fit Forties
My Fab Fit Forties is excited be joined by some great bloggers to bring you the chance to win a fantastic prize -- a Toshiba Encore Tablet!!
What a great giveaway!!! Good luck to everyone that enters to win this very cool prize!!
What a great giveaway!!! Good luck to everyone that enters to win this very cool prize!!
A little bit about this tablet:
Built from the ground up for Windows 8.1, the Encore™ is a powerful tablet that accelerates everything you do. Featuring an 8-inch multi-touch display, it comes equipped with app-enhancing features like dual microphones & high-resolution cameras.
** 8-inch diagonal IPS, multi-touch, 1280x800 HD display
** Quad-Core Intel® Atom™ processor
** Windows 8.1
** Synchronize, personalize & share Windows® compatible PC or laptop content with your Encore™ tablet
** Skype™ optimized dual-array microphone
** Front & rear cameras - 8MP camera, plus 2MP HD webcam for video calls & chats
** 802.11n Wi-Fi® and full-screen web browsing
** Internet Explorer 11
** Full version of Office Home & Student 2013 ($139 value)
** The Encore™ tablet turns into a second screen for the Xbox 360® or Xbox® One entertainment system with Xbox SmartGlass™
** 32GB of internal storage. Plus, use a microSD™ slot to double your storage capacity
** Built-in Micro USB 2.0, microSD™ and Micro HDMI® ports
ARV of this tablet is $329.00, but one of you is going to win it!!
Ready to enter? Just fill out the rafflecopter form below. Only one entry per person/email/IP please. Winner will be randomly drawn and contacted via email once winning entry has been verified. Winner then has 48 hours to respond before another winner is drawn and original winner's entry is forfeited.
You must be a resident of the US, 18+ to enter.
This giveaway ends at 11:59pm on October 16, 2014
There are plenty of daily freebie entries, so be sure to increase your odds of winning by coming back every day for those valuable extra entries!!
Good luck!!
Disclaimer: YOUR BLOG NAME HERE and the other participating blogs did not receive compensation for this giveaway and are not responsible for prize fulfillment - this is a self sponsored giveaway by My Fab Fit Forties and, as such, My Fab Fit Forties will be solely responsible for prize delivery! This giveaway is not affiliated with Toshiba, Facebook, or Twitter.
LISA-QUEEN OF RANDOM claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed


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15th March 2017.
After the Kumbhabhishekam of Gangaikonda Cholapuram held during 2nd February 2017, thought of worshiping Lord Shiva during Mandala Pooja or immediately after that. The official trip to Thirukadaiyur also helped me to go to this temple on the way to Chennai on 15th March 2017. The temple was cleaned and structures were painted compared to my earlier visit. The cloudy day spoiled the photos darken, but the photos taken are much better than the previous trip photographs. Since the details are written in the previous post, up loading only the photos taken during this visit.
For more photographs:CLICK HERE
For more photographs:CLICK HERE


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This blog is dedicated to the eight-time World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Red Sox Starters Leading Remarkable Surge
Where's Dice-K?
When this season is looked back upon during the home stretch of September, the New York Yankees may rue the fact that they didn't bury the Red Sox in April, when they had the chance.
After all, this is a Red Sox team that famously (or infamously) started the season 0-6 and 2-10 before finally putting together a winning streak of at least three games.
In fact, the Red Sox were more than half way through April before they finally accomplished that.
By Sunday morning, the Red Sox had won seven of their last eight games. When the day began, the Red Sox stood at 9-11, tied for third place and a game out of second in the AL East.
That seemed improbable just a week ago.
The division-leading Yankees are 11-6 and hold just a 2.5 game lead over the 11-11 Tampa Rays.
With the Red Sox still two games under .500, it's easy to imagine them being eight or more games out of first place, rather than just 3.5 games out.
And that's just what the Yankees may come to regret; that they didn't create much greater distance between themselves and their arch rivals, a team with a host of offensive stars and a suddenly scorching pitching staff.
Without question, the sudden change in the Red Sox' fortunes is attributable to their red-hot rotation.
Red Sox starters have allowed just six earned runs in the last eight games, a span of 53.1 innings. In those eight games, the starters are 6-1 with a miniscule 1.01 earned run average.
Suddenly, every Sox starter looks like a Cy Young candidate.
Their mind-boggling performances have resulted in the team ERA dropping from 6.79 to 4.73 in those eight games.
How amazing has this stretch been?
Well, Red Sox pitchers have allowed 15 earned runs in the last 73 innings.
Even the frustrating and baffling Daisuke Matsuzaka is suddenly unhittable.
In his last two starts, Dice-K has thrown 15 innings, giving up no earned runs, two hits and four walks, while striking out 12.
Suddenly, the Japanese enigma looks like the ace the Red Sox thought they were getting back in November, 2006.
Matsuzaka said his last two starts were the best he's had in his five seasons with the Red Sox. But they weren't merely the best back-to-back starts he's had in the majors.
As ESPN's Karl Ravech noted, Matsuzaka's last two starts were among the two or three best back-to-back starts in Red Sox history.
Buster Olney reported that a scout says Dice-K has "made a transformation."
We can only hope that this is not merely an aberration. It's safe to say that most Sox fans will withhold judgment and are not entirely sold yet.
After his last start against Toronto, Dice-K said he was motivated by the fear of losing his spot in the rotation.
It's about time. But, hey, whatever it takes.
If the pitching holds up, you can only wonder how good this team will eventually be this season. That's because the offense has yet to really heat up.
Among AL teams, the Red Sox are 11th in batting, 11th in total bases, 9th in runs, 9th in homers and 9th in slugging.
Obviously, there is much room for improvement. And most reasonable observers expect those improvements to come sooner rather than later.
When that happens, the division race will become much more interesting and the Yankees may regret not running away with the division when they had the chance.
They probably won't get another chance this season like the one they had this month.
Surely, the Red Sox don't have another 0-6 or 2-10 stretch in them this year. Do they?
Saturday, April 16, 2011
It's Mid-April and the Red Sox are Already Running Out of Time
The Red Sox' Frustrations Are Starting To Show, As Evidenced By Kevin Youkilis
Remember when the Red Sox were going to win 100 games on their way to another World Series Championship?
That's looking increasingly unlikely rather suddenly.
When the Sox were swept in Texas on opening weekend, it could be chalked up to playing the defending AL Champs, on the road. Perhaps everyone's timing was off; the hitters and pitchers just weren't clicking yet. The Red Sox were outscored 26-11 in the series.
But then the Sox were immediately swept by the lowly Cleveland Indians. Yes, it was very cold in Cleveland. But that didn't seem to affect the Indians, who outscored the Red Sox 12-5 in the series.
The Red Sox seemed to need to get home quickly and desperately. Perhaps the familiar and comfortable confines of Fenway Park and the first series against their arch rivals, the New York Yankees, would spark the fire that would send the Sox on their way for the rest of the season.
The Sox took two out of three from the Yanks. However, they were once again outscored, 19-13.
Then the lowly 1-8 Tampa Rays came to Fenway, the only team with a worse record than the Sox. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for the Sox to get on a winning streak and improve their record.
That didn't happen.
Instead, the Rays won two in a row against the Sox, while the third and final game was rained out. Thank goodness. Yet again, the Red Sox were outscored, this time 19-7.
As today began, the Red Sox were 2-10, the worst record in baseball. And they may be the worst team in baseball as well.
There isn't much good about the Red Sox at this point. They've been outscored 79-46. They're batting .224, 12th in the AL. Their ERA is 6.79, by far the worst in the AL. In fact, it's the worst in baseball — by a full run.
Simply put, this team is a mess. Being eight games below .500 in mid-April is not something that anyone could have imagined. And it is already a hole so deep that the Sox may not be able to extricate themselves from it.
There are 150 games yet to play. In order to win 95 games this season, the Red Sox need to go 93-57 the rest of the way. That's a .620 winning percentage. From the beginning of the season, it would have been just a .586 winning percentage to get to 95 wins.
Perhaps that gives you an idea of just how difficult it's going to be for this team to win 95 games and/or make the playoffs.
I don't mean to sound alarmist, but the season may already be over for the Red Sox. The playoffs are, perhaps, an unrealistic dream.
If you're looking for good news, the Sox are just five games behind the division-leading Yankees, who are just 7-5.
However, as the Boston Globe's Tony Massarotti recently pointed out, the difference between a 97-win team and an 81-win team is a single victory in every 10 contests.
"You go 6-4 during that span, you win 97. You go 5-5, you win 81," wrote Massarotti. "The line between mediocrity and championship contention is not nearly as thick as many would like to believe."
The Red Sox had an Opening Day payroll approaching $164 million. There isn't much they can do to improve this team right now. There are many expensive, long-term contracts throughout the roster.
And under-achieving players are never easy to trade, especially when they've been under-achieving for more than a year (JD Drew, Dice-K, John Lackey, Josh Beckett).
Any sort of trade isn't very likely until at least June, when other teams will have figured out what their potential is, what their needs are, and what contracts they need to jettison. A call-up of a player like Ryan Kalish is more likely in the short-term.
Clearly, the Red Sox need to stir the pot and shake things up. And they need to find a solution quickly.
It's April 16th and, as difficult as it is to believe, the Red Sox are already running out of time.
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Friday, April 07, 2006
Onion plays lacrosse
Duke University Equestrian Team Hoping To Avoid Investigation Into Their Sex Scandal:
Despite the rumors and mounting evidence of mount abuse, few in the university believe that the team will be subjected to the possible disgrace of a joint university/SPCA investigation.Of course, you have to read the whole thing! It's hillarious and on the money. Being a rider myself, I could not help but laugh at how close to reality they came in some parts.... See how many references to other recent news you can catch?
posted by Bora Zivkovic @ 10:55 PM | permalink | (3 comments) | Post a Comment | permalink


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Para acceder a los documentos con el texto completo, por favor, siga el siguiente enlace: http://hdl.handle.net/2117/16352
|Hydromechanical analysis in geotechnical engineering using the Material Point Method
|Zabala García, Francisco; Alonso Pérez de Agreda, Eduardo
|Otros autores:
|Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Departament d'Enginyeria del Terreny, Cartogràfica i Geofísica; Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. MSR - Mecànica del Sòls i de les Roques
The explicit version of the Material Point Method has been extended in order to model coupled hydromechanical saturated problems. MPM discretizes the continuum, which is considered as a saturated soilfluid mixture, by dividing it into particles or material points. The discrete movement equations are not solved at the material points. Instead a support mesh, built to cover the domain of the problem, is used. In this paper it is assumed that particles carry all the variables needed to represent the state of the continuum including the pore pressure as a variable associated with each particle. The particle pore pressure increment is calculated explicitly using the equation of fluid mass balance, from the particle volumetric deformation and the fluid velocity relative to the soil skeleton, at the particle location. The shape functions used for the mesh elements are usually the same bi-linear functions of the Finite Element Method and therefore the background mesh elements suffer the same drawbacks. These drawbacks include: volumetric locking for quasi-incompressible materials when four particles per cell are used, which is equivalent to four integration points in the finite element method, pressure instability for quasi-incompressible and low permeability materials and the generation of zero energy modes when one particle per cell is used, which corresponds to reduced integration in the finite element method. The MPM original version has also the disadvantage of generating "noise" in the solution when a particle pass from one cell to another. A simple procedure that can be used to reduce instabilities is to consider constant stress at each cell equal to the stress average of the particles which are in the cell at the instant k. In this case the internal forces are obtained in the same way as in the finite element method when one point of integration is used, using the gradient of the shape functions calculated in the cell center. In this work, to avoid volumetric locking and simultaneously achieve a stable behavior, internal forces and pressure increments at the nodes are calculated using the gradients calculated at the cell center. The procedure is completely explicit and has proved to be stable for the low permeability values used to model the foundation of Aznalcollar dam. The simulation of Aznalcollar dam progressive failure is presented as an example.
|Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Geotècnia::Mecànica de sòls
Soil mechanics--Mathematical models
Material Point Method
pore pressure
finite strain
Mecànica dels sòls -- Mètodes numèrics
|Tipo de documento:
|Artículo - Versión publicada
|Centre Internacional de Mètodes Numèrics en Enginyeria (CIMNE)


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Memandangkan saya tidak mengantuk, what if..what if,what if, what if i make an entry for my mummy, tonight too!! ^^ yeehaaaa!!!
this is my mummy, i call her 'mama'....its only me and my sister who call my mummy 'mama' coz my two younger brothers call her 'mummy'...dont ask me why coz i don't know why -.-'
my mummy is very fashionable...always trying this outfit and that,not afraid with colors, always up-to-date, have matching handbags and everything.
i LOVE shopping with mama, coz i love shopping, mama loves shopping too. so, we both love shopping. s0 we can walk together for hours at shopping complex and done our shopping! oyeah!! d:
mama and sis ;D
and mama really understand me.teenagers feeling, style, life and everything. pendek kata, i can trust mama everything including fashion. ;D
the Girls during hari raya 2010 ^^
owh yeah.. and mama is very sportinggg...never ever and ever she complain about being a driver everyday to send me to school, or to just go out hanging with friends.not a single word of complaining!....mama always there. ALWAYS. always there to help me, support me. (':
on the day to send me off to japan (':
and yes. my mummy also very generous like my daddy!! x pernah kedekut to spend money to her little girl...selalu offer 'nak ni ke? nak tu dak?'...being a good child like always, i akan jawab...'takpelah mama, no thank'...hehehe...seee~ nampak tak betapa baiknya i d: #joking
and since my mama own a facebook, she always poke me. ;D
sweet couple ever \(^.^)/
and mama is very friendly too~ she can easily get close with all my besties! ^^v yeahhh~ coz my besties can go to my house even if im not there,far away from home. -.-' #jealous
owh ya, btw...my mama is very beautiful, very fair skin...not like me.hitam ikut ayah ;D
hahaha.k lah, that's all.. i love you mamaaa!!!! muahxxxx!!


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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
OWS: Repay Student Loans?
Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protesters have decided not to pay back students loans as a way to protest the high cost of higher education. Is this a good idea? Check out what Prof Bob has to say.
Posted by Bob and Kristy Walker at 7:39 PM 1 comments Links to this post
Labels: 05: Credit Cards and Student Loans, 06: Credit Bureau Reports and Identity Theft, 08: Debt–Foreclosure–Bankruptcy
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Credit, Deficit Super Committee, and You
Do you know what would have happen if we followed a federal balanced budget amendment? We would all be speaking German. Deficit spending allowed the federal government to finance World War II by selling "war bonds." Our nation's monetary policy allows the government to borrow (by selling bonds) to finance necessities and to smooth out the ups and downs of natural business cycles.
The deficit Super Committee deadline is Monday, November 21st, 2011. As the committee meets, I hope they are listening to some of those in the 1% who say they would not mind paying their fair share in taxes. I hope they listen to the 99% who want to see fairness in the tax system. I hope they listen to the majority of economist who say we should be borrowing and investing in infrastructure.
Let's think about it for a minute. We borrow money to fix our roads, bridges, schools, and dare I say, Internet, so all would have access to the World Wide Web via high speed connection. We bridge the digital divide and make a path for easier access to education for everyone. We put people to work. It's a simple equation; the more people who are employed, the more tax revenue the government receives and the less that is spent in social programs. The more people unemployed, the more the government spends on social programs and the less tax revenue it has coming in.
Interest rates are at an all-time low, which makes borrowing for the government (and for you) very inexpensive. It is okay, and maybe even a good idea to borrow money if it is for an investment that will have lasting returns. Borrowing for a college education, a home, and even for the government to put people to work and get our economy going are good ideas. It is important to look at the long-term vision and payback when considering taking on credit. Does the Super Committee have the vision and the guts to make the right decisions? For the health of our country, I hope so.
Posted by Bob and Kristy Walker at 10:49 PM 1 comments Links to this post
Labels: 09: Tax Management, 14: Bonds
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Credit, Debit or Cash - Holiday Shopping
Black Friday is less than a week away and there is no place I would rather NOT be than shopping at 4:00 a.m. when the stores open. I will be in my bed sleeping off a good Thanksgiving meal of smoked turkey and ham with all the fixings. But as we get into the season of spending, shopping and giving; here are some ideas to keep in mind.
When shopping for gifts make a list and check it twice. Find out where you can get the best deal and make a budget for your gift giving. This may be a tougher holiday season financially so it is even more important than ever to keep both hands on your purse strings as you walk into stores playing holiday music and seeing displays that say "buy me!" Using cash and the envelope system of budgeting keeps you within your budget.
Using credit cards provide some protection, however you may be tempted to spend beyond your budget. Credit cards are governed by the Fair Credit Billing Act which provides you specific rights to dispute your credit card charges when your purchases are not delivered as agreed. You can also build rewards for using your credit card, whether airlines miles, cash back or points to use how you would like. The major downside of using a credit card is that if you keep a balance, you could make the holidays last all year long or longer, trying to pay off what you purchased.
Cash and debit cards can keep you from having the credit card holiday hangover. You will not receive monthly bills of unpaid balances. This also helps you stay within your budget. If you don't have the cash, don't buy it. Debit cards do not offer the same as credit cards. Debit cards are regulated by the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (a federal law), and you only have a specified time to dispute charges. If you wait too long, you may lose all of your money.
If you use cash, be sure you hang on to your receipts and keep track of what and where you spend money. Sometimes my wallet is like a black hole. I put money in and I don't know where it went. Receipts can also help you in returning items.
You can also make holiday gifts if you have the time and talent, but that is a blog for another day. We hope you all have a great holiday season, spend your money, time and talents wisely and -- get a quiet moment to reflect on your blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Bob and Kristy Walker at 8:47 PM 38 comments Links to this post
Labels: 03: Planning and Budgeting, 04: Financial Instruments and Institutions, 05: Credit Cards and Student Loans
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Stock Market Thriller
"Make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened and keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times."
This is what you hear as you get on an amusement park roller coaster. Maybe your stock broker or financial advisor should also say this when you begin to invest in the stock market. In the spirit of full disclosure, should we formally address the stock market by its thrill ride name?
There is Disney's The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Kings Island's The Beast, Six Flags Great Adventure's Kingda Ka, the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas has Insanity, and the king of amusement park roller-coasters, Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio has Disaster Transport, Iron Dragon, Maverick, Mean Streak, Millennium Force, Raptor, Top Thrill Dragster and Wicked Twister. Any one of these names fit the gyrations, the ups and downs of the stock market.
Even with your seat belt securely fastened, it is a good time to reassess your risk tolerance and which investment options best fit your personal goals and 'ride' tolerance. Monday's Wall Street Journal (11.7.11) has an entire section titled Investing In Funds which examines mutual fund investing and different opportunities. How to Rest Easy in a Crazy Market provides seven tips to help you "enjoy" the ride and make sure your portfolio stays on the tracks. Here are the seven points:
1. Get real about your tolerance for pain. We have all heard "the higher the risk, the higher the potential return" but we don't hear "the higher the potential for loss." Risk involves the ups and downs, and if we are in risky investments, we better be prepared for the downs and possible total loss of our investments.
2. Favor funds that cast a wider net. Spread your risk out by being diversified in your holdings or in funds that are more diversified. In other words, don't put all your eggs in one basket, but diversify in different baskets composed of different eggs.
3. Hire a pilot who charts a smoother ride. All of the funds are going to have their ups and downs, but look at funds managers who reduce volatility to smooth out the ups and downs. Unless you like the ups and downs, make sure you have on your shoulder belts and HANS devise.
4. Don't try to wager on where stocks are headed. Face it, you can't time the market for peaks and valleys. Be a continuous investor, putting money in the market monthly where you don't have to worry about the highs and lows and trying to time the market. Also rebalance your portfolio periodically to make sure you stay on track.
5. Fine-tune your cash stash to your family's needs. With any investment, you need to think about when you will need to convert it to cash. Would you need to cash in your investments if you were to lose a job, buy a car, down payment for a house or pay for college? Everyone's circumstances are different, but money that you will need with a short time horizon should not be in volatile investments.
6. Don't assume that a stock-free portfolio is risk-free. Bonds, precious metals, commodities, houses, pork bellies as investments all carry risk. Know the risk of the investment and your investment objective before investing, not after the investment has declined in value and it is too late.
7. Don't be ashamed to seek help. Investments are complicated and if you need help, there are personal finance classes offered at your local colleges and universities as well as financial advisers and planners that can help you determine and reach your financial goals. This is not to say that you don't need to be concerned with your investments. No one is going to be more concerned about your investments and wellbeing than you. Be financially knowledgeable, financially literate, and monitor your progress towards achieving your goal.
You have the decision whether you are on one of the top 10 thrill masters or want to go for an easy ride in the park. Be knowledgeable, make wise decisions, go for your goals and enjoy the ride.
Posted by Bob and Kristy Walker at 5:33 PM 20 comments Links to this post
Labels: 11: Investment Basics, 12: Mutual Funds, 13: Stocks, 14: Bonds
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The Rising Cost of Auto Insurance
It seems like every time I turn on the television, I am bombarded with insurance commercials. I see Flow offering discounts for Progressive, a gecko advertising for Geico, Mayhem causing trouble -advertising for All State Insurance and countless others. Most of the insurance companies are advertising their low rates; others make their distinction on service.
Rates seem to continue to increase and it may not be my imagination. In the November 2011 issue if Smart Money, they state that auto insurance has increased 10% from 2008-2010, siting increases are due to the increased costs to repair a vehicle, soaring medical bills, increased probability of being in an accident, and increased number of uninsured motorist (now estimated at 16%).
So what is a person to do, to make sure they are covered with the correct amount of coverage and still keep their costs low? Here are some suggestions:
• Keep an eye on your credit score. Most insurance companies use your credit score to help estimate your risk and therefore your rate. By keeping your credit score high, you can keep your insurance rates low.
• Have the correct amount of coverage. Your state has a minimum coverage you must have. If you don't have enough insurance you could be putting other assets at risk if you get sued. By having too much insurance, you could be wasting your money.
• Shop around for different rates. It takes a little time, but may pay big dividends in savings to switch companies.
• Look at the deductible on your insurance. The higher your deductible, the more money you will have to pay out if you are in an accident, and the less the insurance company has to pay out.
• You could also give up some of your privacy and have your driving habits monitored. Progressive Insurance has "Snapshot" which monitors your driving habits. Your premium will be set on how you drive.
We all need to have insurance and the correct amount of insurance. Shop around on-line and/or talk to your insurance agent to make sure you are covered.
Posted by Bob and Kristy Walker at 9:13 PM 508 comments Links to this post
Labels: 07: Auto and Home, 10: Insurance
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Headstone & Footstone
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel
This is a view of Nathan and Barbary (Palmer) STEWARD, one set of my fourth great grandparents who are buried in the Great Plain Cemetery (#57) in North Stonington, CT.
Normally, we take photos of the headstones and only take photos of the footstones if the headstone is unreadable or missing.
I felt that I should turn away from the gravestone that I was photographing, to look at the stones from this angle. I am glad I did because it made me think about all of the things I have learned about gravestones since I started photographing graves.
Many ancient cemeteries in New England have lost this classic arrangement of headstones and footstones due to the footstones being broken when the grass is mowed. Sometimes, the footstone sinks into the ground, as it is usually smaller.
All too often the person mowing the grass has removed the footstones to make the job of mowing easier. Remember, the body of the person is between the headstone and footstone! As a child, I was told I should not walk on the dead. Were you told this?
Yes, this is supposed to look like a bed for sleeping. It was the intention for us to think our loved ones are sleeping until the day of reckoning when the souls of the dead are called to heaven.
As this idea changed with the time period, people stopped paying for the footstones to be placed and the name or initials of the dead put on them. Sometimes, the carving on the footstones is all I have had to be able to match a name to a list of people who are buried in the cemetery.
As I am working up ideas for a presentation on learning about graveyards, I have been thinking about all the things that people might not know about New England graveyards.
If you didn't know about this, could you please leave a comment. Should this photo be part of my presentation?


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Some weeks I feel like I'm running as fast as I can just to keep up with everything (and not running quite fast enough). Between school and home responsibilities, with parent-teacher evening conferences thrown in, I felt like I spent last week going in circles. Without the help of my lists, I probably would not have survived.
When you have weeks like that, something has to give, and in my case, it was keeping up with my blog and everything that revolves around it, like the "For the Love of Teaching" blog hop. I hope you were able to keep better than I was through the links that we continually added to my little blue frog face that you can find here. All the freebies have been fabulous, so just in case you weren't able to keep up, here are the links for the past three days and today.
And today, be sure to head over to Sugar and Spice where Christina has a Valentine's writing freebie for you!
In the mood for more freebies? Check out Primary Paradise's blog, where she lists the Top Five Freebies of the week, where I am beyond honored to have my freebie offered as the numero uno!
I'm working on a few new products that should be up in the today and tomorrow. I'm really excited about both of them, so be sure to check back tonight for a flash freebie on my Lent resource that I am thisclose to finishing! Next up will be my How to Writing for First Grade February/March edition, where I introduce using transitional words and phrases and using graphic organizers to organize ideas. You won't want to miss that!
Until next time, enjoy your day!


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Saturday, August 15, 2009
2 comments:
My brother passed away in 2006 and I know he was Aspergian. I always knew he was different but we could never put our finger on it. After I discovered and my son was diagnosed with Aspergers, I know that my brother as wella as my father had/has Aspergers. My dad lives a life of constant fear and he too is on anti-depressants and my brother also had fear. I wonder if I also have a touch of Aspergers. When I met John Robison when he came to Buffalo, he commented that I might have a story to tell as he can see the look in my face I suspect. I can relate to so much on what you describe especially the fear that you have in talking to authority figures. I too get the sweaty palms and shaky hands and flushed face....I wonder am I Aspergian too? It would explain a lot for me.
Our world IS safer.ReplyDelete
Would I rather do things alone? Absolutely not. I ache all the time for relationships with my kids that others seem to have, to have friendships, company ..... just to be able to go be with others if I want.
However, it is safer to retreat and 9 times out of 10, fear/anxiety is the deciding factor. I get exhausted just making the decision.


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Saree is an elegant, charming and dazzling dress. Various saree fabrics used in the making a Saree include silk, cotton, georgette, crepe, chiffon, satin etc.The sari is long strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from five to nine yards in length, which can be draped in various styles. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder. A fancy Formal Wear saree is well known all over the world. women wear fancy colorful sarees at all occasions these sarees are available at different colors and designs. The embroidered fancy saree have made a mark in the fashion world. fashion gives you a mesmerizing collection of fancy sarees, Designer fancy saree, embroidered fancy sarees in all colors moods.A saree is the traditional garment worn by many women in the subcontinent.The sari is usually worn over a petticoat and a low-cut, short-sleeved, midriff-baring blouse known as a choli.Personality of wearer becomes so stylish and sophisticated by saree blouse designs.There are huge number of saree collection across the internet, but we have selected best for you.Every region has its own traditional touch in saree, as saree designs in Pakistan vary with the designs in India and Sri Lanka.
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|CC by Brothers Le
No, but really, I'm not a groupie bitch. Never have been. Yeah, i get excited if I see anyone mildly famous, but that's only when I'm in their presence. Also, as my best friend kindly pointed out, I'm an "old bitch" and I need to quit. Not old - but too old for this behavior.
So what makes Bruno Mars so fascinating to me? For starters, I fell in love with his voice since I heard "Billionaire." Then I saw him. I was surprised to see that he bears a striking resemblance to my boyfriend. They even have a similar style - which I appreciate. Ahhh, he's a version of my boyfriend who sings beautifully. Hot. No further questions, your honor.


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Fresh and Easy Coupon
$10 off $50
This week I waited do my shopping hoping another F&E coupon would arrive. I was headed out to do my Fry's run so I checked my e-mail. I was pleasantly surprised to find a Fresh & Easy $10 off $50 Coupon!!! This is valid until October 31st - hopefully Fry's will still be honoring competitors coupons up until then! Anyone know?
You can sign up to receive Fresh And Easy e-mails HERE.


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Randy Kiewe, M.D. Selected For "2014 Bethpage Best Of Long Island"
Jan 17, 2014, 03:08 EST
Randy Kiewe, M.D. of Lake Success, NY has been honored with a recognition by Long Island Press in its selection of "2014 Bethpage Best Of Long Island."
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Jan. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Announcing a special recognition appearing in the January, 2014 issue of Long Island Press published by Morey Organization(The). Randy Kiewe, M.D. was selected for the following honor: "2014 Bethpage Best Of Long Island"
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/DC48450)
A spokesperson from Randy Kiewe, M.D. commented on the recognition: "This is quite an honor for us. The fact that Long Island Press included Randy Kiewe, M.D. in its selection of "2014 Bethpage Best Of Long Island," signals that our constant efforts towards business excellence are paying off. We are proud to be included in this recognition."
About Randy Kiewe, M.D.: a short profile by and about the honoree:
Randy Kiewe, M.D. is the Medical Director and founder of CompleteCare Cardiology, PLLC. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Hofstra University School of Medicine. Dr. Kiewe is regarded as a regional expert in many areas of Cardiology, including Arrhythmias and Heart Failure. He has a special interest in the manifestations of heart disease in women. He believes that a healthy heart results from the successful partnership of patients, family, and the physician. Through this partnership, the continuum of care extends beyond the diagnosis into lifestyle and modifications of risk factors.
Following the publication of Randy Kiewe, M.D.'s selection for Long Island Press's 2014 Bethpage Best Of Long Island list, American Registry seconded the honor and added Randy Kiewe, M.D. to the "Registry of Business Excellence™". An exclusive recognition plaque, shown here, has been designed to commemorate this honor.
For more information on Randy Kiewe, M.D., located in Lake Success, NY please call 516-775-0055, or visit www.completecarecardiology.com.
This press release was written by American Registry, LLC with contributions from Randy Kiewe, M.D. on behalf of Randy Kiewe, M.D. and was distributed by PR Newswire, a subsidiary of UBM plc.
American Registry, LLC is an independent company that serves businesses and professionals such as Randy Kiewe, M.D. who have been recognized for excellence. American Registry offers news releases, plaques and The Registry™, an online listing of over 2 million significant business and professional recognitions. Search The Registry™ at http://www.americanregistry.com.
Contact Info:
Randy Kiewe, M.D.
Phone: 516-775-0055
Email Address: firstname.lastname@example.com
SOURCE American Registry


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Monday, June 22, 2009
Tony Tost's America | Episode 2
My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:
Set 1
Love's Endless War, Don Williams
Waitin' in Your Welfare Line, Buck Owens & His Buckaroos
George and the North Woods, Dave Dudley
Dark Moon, Loretta Lynn
In the Hills of Shiloh, Bobby Bare
(Tony Tost travels all night so to measure just one of America's wounds)
Set 2
Down on the Banks of the Ohio, the Blue Sky Boys
She's Making Whoopee in Hell Tonight, Lonnie Johnson
The (New) Call of the Freaks, Luis Russell & His Orchestra
Cocksucker Blues, the Rolling Stones
Uncle Dave's Beloved Solo, Uncle Dave Macon
(Tony Tost gazes at the subliminal fireworks)
Set 3
Long Black Limousine, Connie Smith
Cocaine Carolina, Johnny Cash
Ten Years of This, Gary Stewart
Snakes Crawl at Night, Charley Pride
Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone), Tanya Tucker
(Tony Tost reads an excerpt from a book about Johnny Cash)
Set 4
Sermon, Jerry Lee Lewis
Angel of Death, Hank Williams
How Far Am I From Canaan, Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers
Lovesick Blues, Emmett Miller
Blue Yodel #9, Jimmie Rodgers
(Tony Tost wonders: O America, where is thy sting?)
Set 5
Jesus Gave Me Water, Blind Boys of Mississippi
Cocaine Habit Blues, Memphis Jug Band
Feel Like Going Home, Charlie Rich
Night Train to Memphis, Jerry Lee Lewis
Download the entire podcast of Tony Tost's America HERE, or
listen below:
3 comments:
Hey Tony,ReplyDelete
You know what would be awesome? If I could have my itunes automatically downslurp* these things up every time you posted one. I do that at podbean with my podcast (it costs $25 a year, but that's not so bad, really).
*"downslurp" is the new download.
Oh shit, nevermind, I see the "subscribe" podslurper link at the bottom.ReplyDelete
please tell me where i can get one of those jackets.ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Like a dowdy dieter transformed, Weight Watchers has emerged as a sleek incarnation of its former self -- the one Time Inc.'s Southern Progress purchased from Weight Watchers International owner H.J. Heinz Co. more than two years ago.
Editor Kate Greer says she was intent on relaunching the book as "a magazine that people wouldn't be embarrassed to read on a plane." She revamped the design and editorial mix and emphasized realistic beauty and fashion.
"Everyone's motivated by health, but, let's face it, many women are primarily motivated by how they look," Ms. Greer says. "So we thought if we could come up with fashion and beauty coverage that would be real, that would be doable, that would be affordable, that would relate to their lifestyle, hey, we'd be in like Flynn."
Now 30% of the book's pages are devoted to beauty and fashion, and the rest to fitness, food and inspiration (the latter being mostly weight loss success stories and makeovers).
Ms. Greer says the changes have positioned Weight Watchers a little closer to the women's category and a little further from health and fitness, a vantage point from which she hopes to attract a more upscale, slightly younger reader.
According to MRI, Weight Watchers' average reader is 43 years old and employed with a median household income of $43,284.
Ms. Greer says the audience tends to be made up of long-term readers looking for a way to maintain their healthy lifestyle instead of a quick diet fix. However, she claims 85% of the readers are not involved in a weight loss program, and only around 9% are actually members of Weight Watchers.
Regardless, the publication is still sold at Weight Watchers meetings, a formidable distribution network attended by 600,000 people each week, according to Publisher Jeff Ward.
As its look has improved, so has its overall health. When it was owned by Weight Watchers, the book published six issues a year and had a circulation of 930,000. Now it publishes seven issues a year with an Audit Bureau of Circulations audited second half circulation of 1.14 million -- that's an 7.4% increase from 1997 to 1998 -- 90% of the total comes from subscriptions.
With the ad sales resources of its new parent company to draw on, the book was up in ad pages 24.9% in 1998 to 432 pages, according to Publishers Information Bureau. In the first quarter of 1999, Weight Watchers had 61 pages, compared with the 36.9 it carried over the same period during 1996 under different ownership. Some of these pages have come from new categories such as 16 pages of automotive advertising.
Mr. Ward says about 30 automotive pages are slated for this year, and cosmetics, mail order, food, fashion, and prescription drugs are also "coming on strong."
"We love the environment of Weight Watchers, because it addresses the same values we have," says Alex West, VP-marketing for Danskin brand. "The magazine seems to be emphasizing more than just diet, but also health, and all the things that Danskin's always stood for."
Karen Chen, media planner at Foote Cone & Belding, Chicago, says she placed her client, S.C. Johnson & Son, in Weight Watchers because she could sense the more contemporary design attracted a new type of reader.
"We felt like it was a good way to reach women, and not just women who belong to Weight Watchers," Ms. Chen says.
Next year, Mr. Ward intends to raise its newsstand presence to 120,000. The magazine's frequency will increase to nine issues this year.
Mr. Ward also says he plans to nudge the rate base from 1.06 million to 1.1 million in January 2000, and make a "sizable investment" into a direct mail list this year.
With exclusive rights to all printed material bearing the Weight Watchers name, Time Inc. has improved and expanded the magazine's ancillary business. The company boosted sales of the Weight Watchers softcover recipe book business it inherited from 40,000 each to 150,000 each.
Advertisers can buy into the books, which are published three times a year (a new one will be added this year) and sell for $10 at retail and for a non-refundable $4.50 at Weight Watchers meetings.
Southern Progress started an annual $24.95 Weight Watchers' cookbook in 1996 that sells an average 120,000 copies as well as a $14.95 personal planner that sells around 200,000 copies. Both are only available through direct mail.
Mr. Ward says these side products, as well as the magazine by itself, are profitable.
Time Inc. bought the Weight Watchers' U.K. edition and plans to funnel at least 80 pages of U.S. advertising to its British cousin this year.
Mr. Ward is considering purchasing the Italian edition of Weight Watchers, still owned by Weight Watchers International. Other places where he's considering starting new editions include Asia, Germany and Scandinavia.
Of course, running a brand so closely affiliated with a national organization is not without its drawbacks. Southern Progress stamps a red-bordered sticker reading "100% Fully Paid" on its ABC statement so advertisers won't think it is or has ever been given away free to Weight Watchers members. And defining a book as something that falls between a women's title and a fitness magazine is an ongoing challenge for any publisher.
"We have to hammer away at the fact that this isn't just another healthy lifestyle magazine or another fashion magazine," says Mr. Ward. "It's a magazine


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Will you try and rekindle the memories that your beloved boyfriend has lost? Or will you seek comfort in the arms of your closest friends and accept that things will never be the same? The storyline of Always Remember Me is indeed very engaging, and somewhat different from the norm. Starting off in a relationship makes it very difficult to move on, and as the scene is very well set at the beginning of the novel, you do start to feel very connected to the main protagonist. The story is beautifully written and realistic, adding to the depth of the game. The story is very romance focused, and doesn't derail from that, so you may consider that a positive or a negative point.
All the characters are different but likable. You have the option of multiple partners to pursue, Aaron is not the only one you can try and date, although most people make that their first and primary goal. The gameplay is based on stat building, but you can also visit various spots around the city to boost your morale and increase your energy. You work part time at an ice cream shop, to make enough money to spend doing various activities or the mall. The cash flow is well balanced and you can do overtime if you want to be a big spender, which can help you get items that may make courting your chosen lover easier. The game plays for an amount of time that is just right, and each character has a normal and special ending. For extra challenge, the difficulty can be increased, and if you fail to win the heart of anyone on the first playthrough, you get a stat boost to make it easier next time. It's likely that if you hesitate, you'll end up alone! It can be a close call if you don't pick someone fairly early on, but it's good to play it through once to get a feel for the game, and then pick it up again later.
The game can get repetative, but there is a range of activities you can participate in and you can expand this range by purchasing items. I played through the whole game twice in one day and wasn't bored, and will likely play through it again later, too. I think it's because of the way you feel for Amy and the way you need to explore the different outcomes and options, it's so easy to put yourself in her shoes.
As always, this game is meant to be played through multiple times, and so if you do want to get all the unlocks you'll get your moneys worth. Also, the artwork is beautifully done and the music, especially the introduction theme is a really nice addition.
Overall, this is one of the more memorable (oh the irony) visual novels out there, and one that you'll probably feel more connected to. I wouldn't say it's very light hearted though, but sometimes that can make a change. Also, I'd say that it isn't cheesy which a lot of novels attempting to talk about a serious topic are. I don't have many negative points to make about it, I got it on sale so it's definitely worth the money I paid.
Overall, I'd give Always Remember Me a 8.5 out of 10.


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First Economic Statement Filed 2-Days Before Deadline
This was written by Todd Swindell and Michael Petrelis
Our campaign is justifiably delighted to not only have successfully
filed our first economic statement with the San Francisco Ethics
Commission, but we filed two full days ahead of the July 31 deadline.
Michael and his longtime partner Mike Merrigan attended the required
commission training in April, stayed on top of deadlines, and when
needed were communicating frequently with commission deputies and
workers at the Department of Elections.
On July 29, we
spent almost an hour on the phone with a terrifically helpful Ethics
deputy together making sure our data was properly entered, then taking
the actual electronic steps necessary to file our Form 460.
have been painfully aware of how the progressive community and its
political institutions provide no training or support to activists who
want to run for elected office.
Basically, you're on your own
figuring out the paperwork, filing deadlines and adhering to local and
state laws, while also gathering signatures and raising funds, speaking
before clubs and advocacy organizations, and contending with invitations
to answer questionnaires or attend listening sessions organized by
If progressives in this town want to get more of their
ilk elected and have their hands on the levers of power, they must begin
training a cadre of potential candidates and leaders, of all varieties
from serious and to alternative and message challengers, in how to
navigate the election process.
Back in November, we pulled
papers intending to get on the ballot and we achieved that goal, and
have tremendously enjoyed engaging with voters and citizens in our
unique do-it-yourself brand of democracy.
Every step has been a valuable lesson learned and we can't say it often enough: thank you for assisting us in this campaign!


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Finally Keeping a Promise
I told you I'd write a knitterly post so here it is!!
The clapotis still isn't done. The ladies are still picking on me mercilessly.
Instead I decided I'd finish the blanket I was going to finish before starting the TARDIS blanket.
I knit and knit and then when I took a little break that I knit through, I knit some more. Finally I got to 7.5 squares out of 9.
Then on Monday I packed up and went to Jenny's for labor day Stitch n Bitch where I finished the 9th square and crochet seamed the pieces together.
I'll be casting on the edging and knitting away until I run out of the neutral then going to the third skein I have of blue and knitting the rest of the edging so I end up with a 48 inch square blanket.
I also finished the mittens and hat for Erin's soon-to-be baby.
Here's the cutest thing about knitting baby clothes.
They fit so conveniently in the little spaces of the car.
I finished the mittens while out shopping with mom on Saturday and cast on the hat while driving home. I finished the hat on Sunday and used the last 2 yards or so on a braid to keep the mittens together.
I just started some mittens with madelinetosh Tosh DK but there isn't a whole lot of progress on them so pictures are forthwith. I've done no other knitting of note so!
And now for your viewing pleasure:


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Hey Fam!!!First off i cant believe this is my last week in training! This is crazy, time goes by way faster in the mission its kinda weird hahah! I am having fun tho, this is definitley who i am now! I AM A MISSIONARY WEIRD! I KNOW! This week we have been finding a lot of people and the spirit has been really guiding us! So here is a little story for yall that is in the works right now, A couple days ago we were knocking doors and knocking this street and in chile people have their houses and then they dont have backyards but there are houses behind the houses in front that are a lot smaller and kind of hiding but people live there. So we were knocking a street we knocked the front house and then were walking to the next house and in the corner of my eye i saw another house in the back and we walked past and then of course...... Bam! I kinda gotta a prompting "Elder go back" Then i was like okay well why would i not listen..... so i told elder cleverly and of course we went back there and we knocked on the door and a lady answered and told us to come back the next day around the same time. Well that always happens so we didnt think anything of it, but we of course went back and they invited us in, we found out she was baptized 18 years ago and she moved from santiago and she doesnt really remmeber the church at all, but her kids and husband arent members either. Well they are really receptive and then they wanted us to come back the next day and we taught them La restauración and her husband excepted a date to be baptized and she is so receptive and needs the gospel in her life! We found out she had cancer a while back as well as her mom passed away about a year ago. It is really awesome and they are really awesome and want to learn, plus this always set appointments for in the afternoon, which is always tougher to get appointments at so that is a plus! haha but it awesome!We contact a lot of people in a day and lately we have been finding a lot more receptive people! We are always working hard and trying to find people, some days we have nothing but other days it seems like it is just going so well, it is the timing and its the Lords timing not ours! It is so awesome to see the fruits from our labors!Also on sunday they had the primary program here in our ward and there is only like 7 poeple in the primary but man does everyone show up, primary program is hype! hahahaha it makes me miss izzy! Love you izzy!Also it is starting to get warmer here, yeah that is good in the mornings but it is already really hot, we walk so much and there is no such thing as AC, SO IT IS HOT during the day! cant wait for summer hahahah! but everything is good! I feel really blessed and am really happy to be where i am! Thank you all for your support and all you do for me! This gospel is true and i know it with all my heart!Lots os Love (as jessica would say)Love Elder Wertneralso we visited the lobo marino again and we got closer so i have some better pics for yall!Love you bunches:)
"No lie, I was kind of scared, that thing tried to EAT MY FACE OFF!!!"


text:
There are two books I want to write about here, in such contrast to each other. I'm torn about how to go about it, because I loved one, and didn't love the other. I don't want to dedicate pages and pages of space to the one I didn't love, but at the same time I want to explain myself.
Perhaps I should start with the love: Kiss me! How to raise your children with love by Carlos Gonzalez.
I wrote about this, briefly, for the LLLGB magazine, and I don't want to repeat myself. He describes it as "a book in defence of children" and it's not got a complex premise, but it leaves a conscientious parent with a complex challenge.
Very briefly, the book's about treating children as people, not as a separate species, some kind of monsters that need to be controlled. Again and again, he uses the device of a paragraph describing some abominable way of talking to a woman, (ignore her if she cries, tell her to ask again in a nice voice, drag her if she doesn't walk quickly enough for you) and asks why, if this is so shocking when it's about an adult, it doesn't also shock us as a way of talking about children. Somehow this doesn't get hackneyed - perhaps it would if there was much more of it - but instead really made me bang my head up against the way I talk to my own children. I'm definitely on the hippy, attached end of things but I find myself slipping into shouting, impatience, and worst, abusing my power as the adult, the physically stronger one, the one with all the decision making ability, that controls all the resources. No, I don't lock him under the stairs or feed him on dry bread, but reading Kiss me has provoked some real soul-searching, right in the middle of some "transactions" with my boy, and later, in the troubled small hours of the night.
Part of my brain says this is all ridiculous, that of course we need to control children, and teach them who's in charge, and mould their spirits so they're good at taking orders for when they enter the real world. I can't actually justify that, though, can't rationalise it beyond a vague "well, surely...." or "what if...".
If I had to choose one passage that sums it all up for me, it would have to be this piece on limit-setting:
If our child asks for something which isn't harmful to him, which doesn't destroy the environment, which we can afford, which we have time to give him, let us not say no simply "in order to set him limits" or "to accustom him to being obedient"
How liberating! I love the permission throughout the book to back down, to give in gracefully, and most of all to love your child just as much as you want to. I already knew this stuff, of course I did, but it's hammered home to me the message that my main job, my only important one really, is to love him, as hard and as truly as I possibly can, and to show him that love, and be stable and honest and generous with that love. Any decisions I make from that position will work, and they might not give me quick fixes, but actually will get us there.
(I suppose it's all phronesis really, or that kind of thing - we aspire to the best, and hone our faculties to discern this best. The better, and purer, model of love and lovingkindness that I can show to him, the better able he'll be to apply and demonstrate this himself. I don't want to demonstrate rationing love, or needing to earn it as if it was a salary; I want to show it richly and freely given, from a place of joy, and spreading that joy).
Ah, a segue! What I did there was a bit pretentious, because I dropped phronesis in there, as if I was trying to show I'm clever. But - and this is important - I didn't write I suppose it's all what old el chief Greeko philosopher Aristotle would have called phronesis.
On that note, let's talk about Breast Intentions!
So much hype for this book. In her internet-persona of "The Alpha Parent", Allison Dixley has built up a loyal following for her blog, where she writes mainly about breastfeeding with a focus on how breastfeeding goes wrong and what is wrong with formula feeding.
It may have seemed, on the face of it, that this would expand nicely into a book, and perhaps it could have done, but this isn't nice, and it isn't fair, and for me, it wasn't even entertaining.
I don't want to spend hours writing about this, because I feel a little exasperated about how much time I spent reading the book, and I want to draw a line under it and move on. It also didn't provoke in me the kind of rage that I thought it might - if it had, I could have had fun arguing with it point by point. In fact, I'm lacking the spirit here, so instead of a long piece I can offer you some headline issues with the book:
1. It's uncharitable, or perhaps cruel
This is by far my biggest issue. Let's be clear: I love breastfeeding. I love doing it, and talking about it, and supporting mothers with it. I can't count the hours I've spent on my preparation to become a breastfeeding counsellor and now my work as one, but it's a huge part of my life, and no one does this without feeling very strongly about the worth of it.
Mothers who use formula aren't the enemy, though! I'm just lost, as a reader, from the outset, with the language of "breastfeeding failure" and all the name-calling that follows. I don't buy into the idea that mothers who stopped breastfeeding want excuses and are desperate to set right their public image by explaining themselves. I don't accept a world view that sneers and dismisses them as lazy, weak-willed, or uncommitted to their babies. I'm not interested in pulling apart people's reasons for doing what they did, or in trying to imply they are lesser parents.
As a breastfeeding counsellor, I want to support mothers with meeting their breastfeeding goals. What those goals are isn't up to me, nor is what they do after we talk. And no way on earth is it ok for me to attribute motives for stopping, or for me to attempt a quantitative assessment of her love for her baby.
You could say this aspect of the book was quite obvious, so I shouldn't have picked it up, and you'd be right in that there is no masking of this attitude. I was still surprised, though, at the plain unpleasantness of the tone. I suspect the writer might dismiss me as wishy-washy when I say I really do blame society, in the widest sense, for low breastfeeding rates: I blame insufficient support in the system, and terrible horrible predatory formula marketing, and the media for their constant fanning of the flames - but I can't find any rage or scorn or anything else for a mother who didn't breastfeed for as long as she'd planned. I can't say you, you gave up too easily, you made excuses, you put your own desire for a spa night over your baby's wellbeing. I can't do this because no one, none of us, not even the crunchiest, can say we're doing it all right, that we're every single moment doing the best for our babies. We're constantly balancing and juggling and doing calculations and taking decisions and incorporating our values, and yes I do think that breastfeeding's a massively important one, and a public health issue, but the book that we need here is one about how we help people get past the pressures, not about what wicked beasts non-breastfeeders are!
2.It was a mistake to try and seem academic
595 footnotes. A glossary. An 8-page bibliography.
An attempt to mask the basic snottiness of the book by presenting it as some kind of quasi-academic treatise would, to my mind, have been more credible if there was any depth to any of it. As it is, citing "the philosopher Nietzsche" (as opposed, presumably, to his less well-known brother, the greengrocer Nietzsche) or "The granddaddy of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud" doesn't lend you academic gravitas, it just makes you look like a wally. So many brief mentions of proper thinkers with proper big brains, mostly glibly summarised in a couple of sentences - it reads like a parody of a PhD thesis. When you then combine this with language like "here's the skinny" and "bring it on mofo" it's just laughable - is the book trying to be academically credible, or to be serialised in a teen magazine?
3. I have no idea who it's for
Who's going to read and benefit from this?
People who support breastfeeding? I don't think so. I can only speak for myself, but as I said above I don't want to think of my "customers" in this way. I think an attitude of disdain would shine out and would stop me from meeting a mother where she is. I see and hear all the time the complex web of reasons that mothers doubt, slow down and stop, and applying an analytical framework doesn't really help me in practice. Reading explanations of why people's reasons aren't good enough doesn't help either: it's not my place to assess that.
Keen breastfeeding mothers? Maybe they'd enjoy the validation, but most breastfeeders I know don't really think this way. They don't self-define like this: they'd seem to, if you only read internet forums, where people quite often do pigeonhole themselves as a kind of shorthand, but in their actual lives it's just a thing they do, one of their choices about looking after their babies. And it's a long book to wade through if all you want is a pat on the back - The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding gives the feelgood factor without having to dismiss anyone else.
Keen formula feeding mothers? Not sure they'd want to buy a rant against themselves.
Those who wanted to breastfeed, or to breastfeed for longer? Just no. Everyone dissembles and self-deceives, and no one wants to read about it; more to the point, everyone makes complex decisions, doubts them later, questions themselves, takes the chance to feel terrible about themselves, and most violently doesn't need a bossy stranger hypothesising about their true motivations and dismissing their lived experiences.
It seems I could, after all, write all night on this - my copy is packed with post-its marking factual mistakes, heinous copy-editing errors, infuriating assumptions, and offensive language ("schizophrenic" to mean "changing from one point of view to another", really????). But I've spent too much emotional energy on it now.
Fascinating for me to note that Pinter & Martin published both of these books, one so strong and gentle and lovingly challenging, the other trying so hard to be provocative but really just lost in the middle. I didn't hate it, I don't want to go round there with a flaming torch, but I do want to ask "what did you really think this would achieve?" in much the same way as I ask it of my three-year-old when he mindlessly takes a toy from his brother.


text:
On Monday my tiny treks class found large animal prints in the mud next to the first little bridge at Farrel McWhirter Park. So I downloaded a bunch of images of possible large animals and their prints to have The Outdoor Preschool kids help to figure out what animal they might be from.
After our lesson on animal prints we hiked until we came to on of the kids secret spot. As the kids ran under the trees they were excited and shocked to see that there was a new dead tree down in the stream. We searched the area until we found the tree stump it came from. As we examined it we found the inside of the tree had turned to mush! The kids were eager to dig their hands into the sawdust middle of the tree.
Who knows what wonders we will find next time at The Outdoor Preschool?


text:
fivE and 15 !
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
wordless wednesday:
youngest & oldest
Posted by gina at 1:56 AM
1 comments:
- The Perfect Trio said...
Hi Gina! You and I are ornament exchange partners. YAY!!!!
Could you tell me a little about yourself??? What are your likes and dislikes when it comes to Christmas?? Colors for decorating for Christmas???
You can email me at firstname.lastname@example.com
I look forward to getting to know you!
- November 18, 2009 at 2:06 PM
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