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Summer 2004, Vol.
7, No. 2
Quick Links:
Other articles
in this issue
Kerry Eucharistes
Tying the Knot in the Bay State
Black Pastors Bridle at Gay
A Thorn in the Mainline's Side
Still Under God
Kabbalah for Dummies
Breaking Boston's Heart
Kabbalah for Dummies
by Rachel Claflin
On April 13, in its "Bizarre" section, the
British tabloid The Sun reported that during her upcoming
"Reinvention" tour, Madonna would refuse to play concerts Friday nights in
order to observe the Jewish Sabbath. This devotion to Judaism, the paper
reported, had (among other things) led Madonna to ask her "pals" to call her
Esther, her "religious name."
The months-long tour and the hitherto
unreported Madonna-as-"Esther" phenomenon initiated a new round of pop
Kabbalah stories in the American press. Once again, readers were treated to
accounts of blessed bottled water and knotted red string around the wrists
of their favorite stars.
Kabbalah figured heavily in the tour, which
began in Los Angeles May 24. Madonna appeared on stage sporting a T-shirt
with the legend, "Kabbalists Do It Better." A giant video screen showed the
Hebrew letters Lamed, Aleph, Vov, which Kabbalists believe to be one of the
72 names of God.
Reporters and reviewers did not fail to note
the references. Kabbalah, noted Olivia Barker in USA Today on May 26,
is "the spiritual movement rooted in Jewish mysticism that's weaving through
Hollywood in a way not seen since Scientology attracted converts and
controversy a decade ago."
Kabbalah Hollywood-style emanates entirely
from one source—the Kabbalah Centre at 1062 S. Robertson Blvd. in L. A. With
(according to its website, www.kabbalah.com) additional "locations" and
"satellites" in eight American cities and several dozen places around the
world, the Center calls itself "the largest, leading educational
organization on the wisdom of Kabbalah worldwide."
The website claims that the Kabbalah Centre
was established in Jerusalem in 1922 by Rabbi Ashlag—Yehuda Leib Ashlag, a
distinguished Hasidic rabbi from Poland who died in Israel in 1955. Ashlag
is famous for his 21-volume interpretive translation of the Zohar,
the most important Kabbalistic text.
The Centre's current proprietor is Rabbi
Philip Berg, who was an insurance salesman for New York Life before he got
into the business. Berg claims that he and his rabbinic teacher, Yehuda
Brandwein, set up the Centre in 1965 in order to publish the Kabbalistic
works of yet another rabbi, Levi Krakovsky.
If the Centre's institutional history is
rather murky, its interest in popularizing one of the most intellectually
demanding traditions in Western religion is not. As the Centre's website
puts it, "Our purpose is to make accessible the ancient wisdom and tools of
Kabbalah in order to illuminate the minds and hearts of individuals, groups,
and organizations—regardless of faith, political belief, or race."
Or, as the Israeli writer Yossi Klien Halevi
less enthusiastically put it in an article in the May 10 issue of the
New Republic, "The [Kabbalah] Centre has transformed Kabbalah—considered
by Jews to be the inner sanctum of Jewish devotion and thought—into generic,
nondenominational mysticism."
A taste of the Centre's approach can be
found in the 1996 trial of a lawsuit brought by Krakovsky's estate that
accused Berg of plagiarizing Krakovsky's translation of Kabbalistic
materials in Berg's 1988 book, The Power of the Aleph Beth. Here is
Berg on the witness stand responding to his lawyer's questions.
And when you made The Power of the Aleph Beth, did you literally
translate the Zohar?
The top part, yeah—I don't recall
because that was not important…
What about Rabbi Ashlag's Commentary
that is contained below?
No, I did not do a literal translation
of Rabbi Ashlag for the purpose that this book—I'm sorry. That—Rabbi Ashlag,
in my estimation, could not be understood by, maybe, more than three or four
people in the world.
So, what is it that you did do with respect to
Rabbi Ashlag's commentaries?
What I did is take his Commentary,
not always translating his Commentary, and make an attempt to provide
the Zohar in a language and comprehension for the layman…
Now you said that you translated or wrote the
Commentary so that it would be accessible to the people; is that
And throughout The Power of the Aleph Beth
you would use language like "Darth Vader" or Telstar when you
were actually explaining the commentaries; is that correct?
You make comment to Madonna; is that right?
"The Material Girl," is that right?
The trial, which came to an abrupt end when
the parties agreed to settle the case, failed to attract any media
attention. It coincided, however, with the beginning of the Centre's
international celebrity.
On January 27, 1996, Casey Korstanje of the
Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator, in an article pegged to an
upcoming talk by the Kabbalah Centre's Toronto director at the local Jewish
Community Center, portrayed the Centre as the latter-day culmination of a
Jewish mystical tradition that went back to the beginning of time. Korstanje
made a good faith effort to describe the history of Kabbalah in less than
1,100 words. A similar article by Steve Gushee in the September 20, 1996
Palm Beach Post covered much the same ground.
But once the Hollywood angle came to the
fore, the coverage became less intellectually ambitious, and more formulaic.
First, there was the celebrity hook. In July
of 1996, for example, the magazine Jerusalem Report published an
article crediting the Centre with helping the actress and comedienne Sandra
Bernhard to eradicate "at least 80 percent of the chaos" from her life.
On September 20 of the same year, USA
Today had actresses Roseanne Barr and Diane Ladd on the Kabbalah
bandwagon. "It's the kind of thing Jews don't talk about," Barr said. "It's
something you're told when you're growing up that only the rabbis know about
after 40 years of study."
Said Ladd, "I'm a Catholic shiksa, but I'm
on a spiritual journey."
Then came the attempt to say what Kabbalah
is: "the keys to unlock the Hebrew Bible, and hence all existence" (Time,
November 24, 1997); "centuries-old Jewish mysticism" (Houston Chronicle,
February 28, 1998); "a hip spiritual movement," (London Guardian,
March 27, 1998).
Next, the reference to the Kabbalah Centre,
usually portrayed—with suitable quotes from scholars—as purveying a
degenerate form of the tradition.
"There are some cultish goings-on at the
celeb-friendly Kabbalah Learning Center that have some observers likening it
to the Church of Scientology," announced the New York Post October
25, 1998.
"It's really a shallow use of an ancient
tradition," Hebrew University professor Rachel Elior told the Baltimore
Sun July 21, 1999. "It turns it into a spiritual amusement for the
Or, from the Melbourne Age on
March 27, 2002: "Celebrities in Los Angeles and London have flocked to
Kabbalah Learning Centres, established by the controversial Rabbi Philip
Berg, who has been accused by mainstream Jewish groups of dumbing down an
ancient faith…"
All in all, readers could be expected to
come away from the coverage with the sense that interest in Kabbalah was
merely a celebrity fad.
This year, however, journalists seemed to be
cutting Kabbalah lite some slack, since it appears to have inspired the
notorious Madonna to clean up her act.
"In a sentence, she's grown up. Or seems to
have," Jane Stevenson averred in the Ottawa Sun June 18. "Her study
of the Jewish mysticism known as Kabbalah will do that to you."
"I think she's a spiritual seeker and not
just a faddist," Arthur Green, a scholar of Jewish mysticism at Brandeis
University, told the Boston Herald June 25.
"It's good for Judaism when a prominent
public figure expresses an interest, especially when anti-Semitism is such a
live issue," Rabbi Justin Lewis told the Toronto Star June 18. "Any
expressions of positive interest in Hebrew and Judaism are good for the
Jewish community and may help diminish anti-Semitism."
Not that the cynicism has entirely
disappeared. "Presumably, those in this new breed of Hebrew mystics are
dropouts from Scientology and people who feel that Buddhism is "like totally
'91," speculated Phil Perrier for the Los Angeles Daily News June 22.
But positive or negative, the striking thing
about the coverage since the beginning has been an almost complete lack of
on-the-ground reporting of what actually goes on by way of religious
practice at the various Kabbalah Centre locales. The notable exception is
the New Republic piece by Halevi, who took the time to attend
services and talk to adherents:
"The Rav [Berg] leads his disciples in the
Kaddish prayer, shouting its words as if in a rage. Then he interrupts the
conventional service and begins chanting 'Chernobyl' and other names I can't
identify. A devotee explains that these are all names of nuclear power
plants: The Rav is trying to heal the problem of nuclear waste."
Halevi noted that a large portion of the
attendees in Los Angeles were Israeli expatriates, who, in his view, found
the Centre "Jewish enough to be comfortably familiar but non-Jewish enough
to allow them to maintain distance from the American Jewish community, which
many of them despise with an old, Israeli snobbery."
After interviewing staff and reading Berg's
works, Halevi concluded that the esoteric message of the Kabbalah Centre had
to do with the promise of physical immortality—an actual escape from death.
As one devotee put it, "They don't tell everyone who walks through the door
that it's really about immortality. But, subtly, the more you get into it,
the more they reveal their real agenda."
Because of the focus on celebrity adherents,
the Kabbalah story has for most part been given to entertainment reporters
to cover. But the Kabbalah Centre's appeal goes far beyond celebrities, and
its doctrine appears to be far more distinctive than mere pop mysticism.
It's time for religion reporters to get into the act.


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Spain and Brazil have trodden a long, rocky road to reach the Final of the FIFA World Youth Championship UAE 2003. Just hours before the grand finale, FIFA.com met up with coaches José Ufarte and Marcos Paquetá to chat about how their sides will approach the crucial game.
How are the squad feeling in the run-up to the big day?
José Ufarte: They're in very good spirits. Luckily, every last one of them is raring to go for this game. It's a huge opportunity for my lads, so it's vital we stay sharp.
Marcos Paquetá: The chance to play in a World Championship Final should be more than enough motivation for any footballer. We hope to keep our cool the way we did against Argentina, which was a very tight, tense encounter. My boys have managed to keep a lid on their nerves in these big ties so far and we hope to do the same in the Final.
How do you work on the players' nerves?
JU: I try to transmit as much calm as possible from my position as coach. I know it's a hugely important game, but I won't be talking about it until the last minute. We don't want to be thinking about the fact that it's the Final too much. The more the lads treat it like any other match, the more we'll get out of them on the park.
MP:We talk a lot and work on the mental side. We show them messages from their families, photos, things like that. We take every opportunity to tell them how important this clash is to their careers. That's why they need to be as relaxed as possible.
What worries you most about the opposition?
JU: The team as a whole. Brazil is a country with a rich history of producing fantastic footballers. As far as I'm concerned, they're the best footballing nation on the planet, so it stands to reason that this is my main concern.
MP: They're a great side, with some lavishly gifted players. They're a smart unit who know how to knock it around and are lightning on the break. We'll have to keep a close eye on Andrés Iniesta and Sergio García, who have been their two most outstanding players in the tournament so far.
What will your team have to do to take the title?
JU: It's absolutely essential we keep faith in our system and our philosophy of the game. We have to play to our strengths as far as we can if we want to get the better of a team like Brazil.
MP: Every final is won or lost on the attention each side pays to the details. Both semi-finals were settled by dead-ball situations, which shows we'll have to keep our eyes open so as not to get caught on the hop by the other team.
What has been your team's most difficult moment so far in the competition?
JU: When we had Vitolo sent off in the semi-final against Canada. We were down to ten men and we simply had to win. That was the trickiest moment, but luckily we managed to come through. I had every faith in my players, but I knew we would have a hard time of it because of the knock-on effect of so many matches on the lads' stamina.
MP: In the group stage, the third game of the group stage (Australia, 2-3 defeat), the players were under-performing, which is understandable. Some of them haven't had a holiday for three years, and have flown straight into the Emirates after competing all season in the Brazilian league. The players' heads went down, but we revived the squad with a video containing messages from their families. That's when our team spirit and work as a unit really came into their own. Luckily, we recovered in time.
When did you realise your team could make it all the way to the Final?
JU: During the game against Colombia, when I saw how the players were responding to a very tough outfit that were causing us some real headaches. My lads came together as a team and gave their all out there. That's when I realised we'd be in the Final.
MP: When my team showed their thirst for glory ahead of the tie with Argentina. These players had lost to the Argentines in the South American Youth Tournament and in the Pan-American Games, but we showed we had both the spirit and the football in our boots to overcome them.
Is it any coincidence that the same nations that made it to the semi-finals in the FIFA U-17 World Championship Finland 2003 also made it to the last four in this competition?
JU: I'd say it's the product of a few things. While I think there's an element of chance, it's also down to the hard work being carried out at youth level in these countries. It means that Brazil, Spain, Argentina and Colombia are doing a good job.
MP: No, not at all. It's the result of a job well done on the part of Colombia, Brazil and Argentina. And Spain have been doing the same in Europe, along with Portugal. That's where most of the talent comes from over there. It's important to bring on young players, but at the same time we have to focus on education as a priority goal. It's what I always try to do with my players. It helps them on the pitch too, they're more sure of themselves.
Does it mean anything special to be in a re-run of that Final?
JU: I don't think so. It'll be special for me, but on a personal level. I've played in Brazil, which is the country I grew up in too. Having said that, I desperately want to us to be champions. The fans deserve it and so do the players. And anyway, Brazil have already got three world youth titles to their name, and we could do with walking away with this one! My friends in Brazil would be happy if we end up champions. I'm dying for us to win.
MP: It's a different game altogether. It's a different level of competition. There, they were boys. Here, they're experienced professionals playing for first division sides. You can't compare the two, nor do I think it's a revenge match for us. They're two different sets of circumstances.
Do you think we'll see any of these players in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™
JU: If they continue to come on like they've come on here, some of them just might make it. This was a new team that has connected amazingly once they had a few games under their belt. We had just two practice matches before flying out to the UAE, with scarcely three days to get ourselves in some sort of shape. The lads have done marvellously well to understand what was expected of them here, proof of that being the performances they've put in game after game.
MP: Though most of these players are on professional terms with their clubs, as the situation stands I'd have to say no. There's a tremendous pool of players to choose from in Brazil. But between now and 2006, the senior coach will call upon the footballers that are performing well at the time, and there won't be that much thought for the future. Then it will be down to the pressures on the full Brazilian national side, who always have to win.

subset: commoncrawl


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It appears that the Samsung Galaxy Note has again passed through the FCC and again has compatibility with AT&T's bands. And while we still don't have anything in the form of an official announcement from Ma Bell or Sammy, it's looking like an announcement could be coming at some point before the holiday season ends.
Nothing is set in stone obviously, but this should definitely excite those of you that have been waiting for it.
The Galaxy Note that passed through the FCC just a short time ago has support for AT&T's 850/1900MHz bands but has a different model number then the original device. This device is dubbed GT-N7000B.
We went hands on with the Galaxy Note back at IFA in Berlin and we absolutely loved it so we're thrilled that progress is being made to get it to a carrier in the U.S.
Let's just hope that happens sooner rather than later.
Via: Engadget


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Salt is something that we use in magic as well as in daily life. But do we really think about its use when we add it to a meal? Here is a simple way to add magic into your daily life. Next time you pick up a salt shaker, think about what you are adding to your food. Food is grounding, it keeps us connected to the earth. While salt is grounding in the same way as any other food in this context, it has much more to it. Salt can be healing - it is used in cold remedies when you use a salt water spray or for your throat. But magically can it not be use in the same way? Consider this. Most of the water in the world contains salt. If water is healing since it washes away impurities, salt that is found in water or from deposits where once was ocean should have the same properties. If anything, salt enhances that natural tendancy of water by absorbing negativity. Personally when I want to cleanse a particularly tainted tool for magical use, I will put it in a bowl of salt. Consider this next time you buy salt at the store and don't know wheter to get iodized or sea salt.
Aside from the obvious, here are a few other uses for salt you may not have thought of. Salt is white, thus a symbol of purity. This ties back to its ability to absorb negativity. Some people add salt to their coffee to make it less bitter. If you do this, when you add that pinch of salt to your coffee in the morning, bless that coffee through the salt to start your day with purity. The fresh brewed coffee brings a fresh start aided through the purity of the salt. A simple reminder is all it takes.
Salt also bonds together, though that bond is easily broken. Here is an idea for a simple spell to remove negativity from your life. Pour some salt in a clear or black vessel and add water to cover it. Place this by your bed. If desired, burn a black candle beside it for 30 minutes before you sleep to pull in negativity. Disclaimer, don't leave it burning when you fall asleep! You can say something such as 'Negativity absorbed from my life will release me from it's hold.' Do this for three nights, or until the water is dissolved. The salt should for a solid, or at least part of it should be in a clump. In the sunlight if you can, take that clump of salt and say something like 'as negativity builds up, it takes control of my life. As this negative influence in my life is broken up, may the negativiy in my life be broken up as well.' Crumble the salt clumps so that the salt is no longer bonded. If you wish to dissolve it completely you may, or throw it to the wind to release the negativity.
Perhaps one of these ideas can help you.


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BUENOS AIRES — Film projectionists will strike today in greater Buenos Aires to demand higher wages, possibly delaying the release of "Transformers" and "Venus" or cutting the number of screens on which they will unspool.
A union representing the workers called the 24-hour stoppage Wednesday after talks on a 40% salary increase broke down with exhibitors.
Union leaders will meet today to discuss further measures if their demands are not met.
The walkout comes on the day of the week that pics are released in Argentina and at the start of winter holidays, when admissions generally surge. Buenos Aires accounts for a third of the country's 36 million people and most of its 1,000 screens.
The strike, however, isn't expected to hit big chains like Cinemark, Hoyts General Cinema, Showcase Cinemas and Village Cinemas that operate a third of the local screens and dominate 70% of box office receipts. Their projectionists are represented by a different union.


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by Cl. Ranson D'souza sdb
BAHIRWADI-AHMEDNAGAR, MARCH 24, 2014, 2014: A Yatra was organized by the parishioners of the St. Joseph Church, Bahirwadi on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph. Fr. Vishwas was the main celebrant for the Eucharist.
The Yatra began with the singing of bhajans after which the framed picture of St. Joseph was taken in a procession around the village with praying, singing and dancing to the sound of traditional instruments. The Eucharist began at 6.30 p.m. Fr. Vishwas spoke to the people about the role of St. Joseph and went on to talk about family life and the roles and responsibilities of its members. He also shared many rich experiences of his life which captured the attention of the people. A lot of people came and fervently participated in the Yatra.
The Eucharist was followed by a short felicitation programme for the priests. The people who came were glad to take part in this yatra and returned home joyfully.


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Read my Bible- At least 1 chapter a day- 1 book of the Bible a week
Pray more often- Get a prayer journal or notebook
Spend more time with my Love
More 1 on 1 time with my Lil' Squeezes
Play! Family game night
Read my daughter's stories
Exercise (3 to 5 times a week) Trouble right now since my back is out
Drop 10 lbs- I have been doing it backwards, I gained 10 lbs :(
Practice Self Defense
Practice shooting (my gun~ I do have a permit and need this for in case my ex comes too close)
Learn Archery
Learn to fish (I hate worms so this will be a big thing for me!)
Learn to gut something we catch
Rent a antique spot for all of my cool stuff!
Buy some storage units
Plan our garden
Order seeds
Order Bee's/Take Bee class first! (See a Dr about an Epi pen in case :) )- I did order them and they are arriving on 4/20! Also joined local Beekeeping group!
Order Buck-eye chicks
Order Lamb (s) *See my friends Mom about raising and other things
Take lots more family pictures!
Craft more! Finish my PH D (Projects Half Done)/Sew clothing! Finish crocheting my blanket!(A lady from church has been teaching me the stitches!- I am doing really good on my blanket, it's about 2 ft long now.
Take a First Aid course- DONE!
Create a new vision board-DONE but still working on it here and there
Plan my Mom's herb garden
Tape my family history (Grandma)
ACTUALLY read books off my growing bookshelves and sell after I read or just sell others- Read 4 books- 2 were library books. READ- The 7: Seven wonders that will change your life- Glenn Beck,
Killing Kennedy/Killing Lincoln- O'Reilly, and Little House on the Prairie.
Write my story!- Still working on this one. I have had a hard time writing it due to the emotions it brings out. I have had a reporter do a story on me recently and a dear friend did allow me to write a short bio about me too!
Make Cheese/Yogurt
Pay off- Kids school book fee's/ Pay something on my student loan (Medical Assistant that I still didn't find a job doing~ GRRFACE!)
Do something off my Big Bucket list!
Learn electrical and woodworking!
Camp out side with the wee monkey (in the yard)


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I am in Japan this week touring the newly opened Sanyo Kasai Green Energy Park, a state of the art battery manufacturing plant. Sanyo walked the walk here by demonstrating not only a one MWh capacity roof and side-installed solar panel installation, but a 1.5 MWh battery storage system to suplement factory power, on demand.
The energy storage system at the plant is the equivalent to power 250 homes and reduces key plant power operating costs by up to 25 per cent, as well as lowering the plant's carbon footprint.
Sanyo is betting the renewable energy sectour will be able to make use of its energy storage capacity. Stores, schools, hospitals and municipalities can benefit with this renewable closed cycle self contained power cycle.
Hiroshi Hanafusa Deputy General Manager of Sanyo Energy systems Division holds one of the 250,000 solar battery cells that make up the newly opened Sanyo Kasai Green Energy Park 1.5 MGw large scale storage system.
It takes several of these cells to power a laptop and about 1000 to power a home. For techies, this post was uploaded from a moving bus in the Japanese country side using a Telus BlackBerry Torch. Steve Makris Photo


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Darlings, here are the little lovelies that CC is currently smitten with!
Aquazzura Amanda ankle cuff suede pump, at intermixonline.com.
Oscar de la Renta Favola python booties, at shopbop.com.
Sophia Webster Adrianna OTK cage boot, at intermixonline.com.
Total covet!
Alexander Wang Prisma flat pouch, at shopbop.com.
MM2Malletier La Fleur Du Mal leopard-print calf hair shoulder bag, at net-a-porter.com.
3.1 Phillip Lim Pshli mini shoulder bag, at shopbazaar.com.
Carolina Amato full leather gloves, at shopbop.com.
Fausto Puglisi crepe miniskirt, at shopbazaar.com.
Derek Lam jodhpur leggings, at intermixonline.com.
Zimmermann Rhythm moulded blouse, at shopbop.com.
Mary Katrantzou Alaskai cropped textured-knit cardigan, at net-a-porter.com.
Faith Connexion Sailor off-the-shoulder leather jacket, at net-a-porter.com.
Alexander McQueen double-breasted wool coat, at net-a-porter.com.
Monique Lhuillier cap sleeve lace dress, at shopbop.com.
David Koma macrame panel pencil dress, at intermixonline.com.
Emilio Pucci crepe long sleeve dress, at shopbazaar.com.
Jill Jill Stuart one shoulder gown, at shopbop.com.
Emilia Wickstead Carla taffeta gown, at net-a-porter.com.
What are you loving these days, darlings?
Do any of these pretty pieces catch your eye?


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This Fathers Day, i wanted to do something cool for my dad and my grampa. My grampa was in the U.S. Navy. He's a strong loving man with a good heart. He takes care of his family. So for Fathers Day, I drew a portrait of him from his navy days. I used gray scale prisma color markers for this.
And for my dad, I drew him as his favorite Marvel superhero, "Blade". I also used the gray scale markers for this.
but soon, more to come.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Batman, Legos, Movies
I love legos. I always have. I always will. I also love Batman. Im a huge fan of the comics and the animated series. The movies were also great. (excluding the films by Joel Schumacher. those god awfal wastes of film. Jakie Chan should be pissed at them for wasting all that film. Val Kilmer was a good "Batman" but not Bruce Wayne) Batman Begins was excellent!!! I can't wait for The Dark Knight. That will be great. Anyway, to get back on the subject at hand, I've recreated the tumbler from the new batman movies out of legos.
Posted by Vik at 11:07 PM No comments:
just some sketches
These are just a couple of sketches of a character i'm trying to develop. It just popped in my head one night and i like where its goin so far. Sorry for the poor pic quality. I don't have access to a scanner at the moment. I tried to make it look cleaner through photoshop.
i like this one, but it still needs more development.
i like this one, but it still needs more development.
Posted by Vik at 10:13 PM No comments:
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
the last color assignment
Let's see... For my last observational color assignment of the year, I chose do a couple self- portiats using acrylic paint on 7" x 11" illustration board. I used a warm and cool color scheme to convey my different emotions in the works. Personally, I like how the first one came out.
and the second
and the second
Posted by Vik at 1:13 AM No comments:
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REGINA – Police across Saskatchewan will be cracking down on distracted drivers during the month of February.
This will not only include those who used cell and smart phones to talk or text, but also those who eat, apply makeup, use GPS or read.
"It's past time for an attitude shift," said Andrew Cartmell, president and CEO of SGI.
"Distracted driving is causing more crashes than even impaired driving."
There were 69 deaths and 2,503 injuries in collisions involving distracted driving in 2012.
The fine for distracted driving is $280 along with four demerit points under SGI's Safe Driver Recognition program.
"These are just the financial consequences – think about the human impacts," Cartmell said.
"How could you live with yourself if you killed someone in a crash, simply because your text couldn't wait?"
"Every driver holds the key to success on this issue; every driver, every day, ahs to…
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I feel like I've been rather neglectful of my dear blog as of late. I feel like I've had so much going on, and unfortunately, the first thing to go is normally internet time. Ah well. I'm back now {fingers crossed}.
If we are friends on facebook, you may have noticed some fun comments on my wall {not all of which have to do with my birthday, which is TOMORROW!}. Jon and I just found out that there will be a new little Arnold gracing us with his/her presence next July!! We are so very excited, and tried to wait to share the news until our close friends and family found out – which I think we did a pretty good job of. It was probably one of the hardest secrets I've ever had to keep!
I have my first doctor's appointment tomorrow, which I am really excited about!! All the nausea and fatigue and everything else that is changing my body will all be worth it when I see that sweet little heartbeat for the first time!
Sorry for all the exclamation points. I am sosososososososososososososo excited about this, and it only seems right to have lots and lots of them!
If you have any fun baby advice, books, websites, etc., please pass them on! I have lots to learn!!
{image via theblackapple}


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Yna will be 10 end of November and she's so into cooking right now. I was like , Alamak.......am I the right person to teach her how to cook sedangkan my cooking pun main short cut , short cut je. What Yna will gain from me will be the short , fast & easy version of food preparing........nanti dia membesar , lagi dia akan implement more short cut methods........Aiyooo......Hmmmm.....how lah?
The other day we were doing some grocery shopping , Yna wanted Mac & Cheese for dinner......I said OK. Dalam kepala hotak I ,,,,,,ahhhhh......San Remo ada instant Mac & Cheese......senang , senang , senang......hehehe!
What Yna did was....she went to look for a pack of rigatoni and some cheddar cheese. When I told her to put it back and take a packet of San Remo's instant Mac & Cheese instead,,,,,,she was like......"Ma , cheese tak payah?" , hehehe! Confuse dia.....poor baby. Macam mana laa dia nak belajar dari I kan????? I told her , just trust me and you'll have a delicious Mac & Cheese tonight!
All I need is a packet of Mac & Cheese , milk , butter , salt , water.
OK , time to cook.....in the kitchen , I suruh Yna buat semua from taking the suitable pot to opening the Mac & Cheese packet to stirring to measuring the water & milk amount.
Easy.......just follow the instructions at the back of the packet. In a pot , in goes some water , San Remo's Mac & Cheese......stir constantly. Add milk & butter.......and continue stirring it sampai mixture pekat. Dah guna yang instant , kena-lah kacau non-stop , kalau buat dari scratch boleh masak pasta before hand. At this point , give it a taste.....kalau kurang masin , add some salt. As for me , I like it creamier......meaning,,,,,more butter & milk for me.....hehehe!
A packet is enough for Yna & Ashel's dinner.......ada lebih lagi,,,,,,supper for MP.....


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Saturday, November 27, 2010
Quick paint
Posted by Leo Aquino at 10:55 PM 4 comments:
Labels: eating, hotdog, large and in charge, man, paint
It's that time of year...Time for getting cold, warming up with hot chocolate, and listening to Christmas music on the radio for a month..
It's also FINALSSSS...dun dun dun..
Here is a quick peak at my final for Perspective. Wish me luck!
Posted by Leo Aquino at 9:07 PM 2 comments:
Labels: daughter, father, Finals, fish, perspective
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Bart Train Folk & Student Folk
Posted by Leo Aquino at 3:56 PM 2 comments:
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Sketch colors
Today we learned some new brushes in photoshop. Here is the result of my experimentation on my previous sketch.
Posted by Leo Aquino at 11:25 AM 1 comment:
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
A very, very, long, and wet SF day
Had a long day today at the Academy, but it was really fun and full of pleasant surprises =]
Here is a quick unexpected sketch I did 15 min before I headed towards the Nickelodeon presentation. It got wet and gross from the rain.
Posted by Leo Aquino at 11:29 PM No comments:
Monday, November 8, 2010
landscape comps
Posted by Leo Aquino at 11:45 PM No comments:
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Egypt 2
Here is a perspective assignment with the topic of looking straight at the horizon line. The large snake is Apophis, an evil Egyptian God who is feared by those who go into the afterlife.
Posted by Leo Aquino at 11:51 PM No comments:
Labels: Apophis, Egyptian, perspective
Posted by Leo Aquino at 5:20 PM 1 comment:
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Not What I Expected
Your review: The picture shows a welded product. What I received was a product requiring assembly. The instructions didn't match the parts. I had three parts left over that didn't fit anywhere, and I had to drill two holes to make the handrails fit properly. *Global Management Comment: Under product specs, the item is listed as UNASSEMBLED**
Pros: Price.
Cons: Difficult assembly, very poor instructions.


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Sometimes it just isn't your day……….and Saturday was just that…….but the main thing to do is learn from it, focus on the positives and move on!
A 12 hour journey from cold, wet Scotland (via England and France) to the hot sunny Italian Riviera, arriving in the dark 14 hours before you race, may not be the ideal pre-50K preparation, but some things cannot be avoided.
|The "commonwealth" roomies!
The Lungo il Mare in Vallecrosia-Bordighera was the race chosen for the 9th World Trophy 50K Final and so I headed out as the lone Scottish representative in a field that included 8 English vests. It was not the easiest place to get to out of tourist season, so my trip there involved driving down to Liverpool (picking us Russell Maddams in Cumbria on the way) and catching a flight to Nice, then getting a bus to the train station, and finally a train along the coast into Italy. The others were flying out from
, they all arrived at lunchtime and so got to check out the course – complete with hot sun and strong winds. We arrived after dark and so all we had time for that night was to load up on pasta and find out about the feeding stations for the following day. It was great to see my room-mate Emma Gooderham again - we'd met at the same event in 2011 (when Emma won in a fantastic ), and last saw each other out at Comrades. London
The race was due to start at , so we had time to sort out our gels and bottles of water after breakfast before heading down to the start. Having been spoilt by a great course in 2011, I didn't think I was going to enjoy the run as much this year. The route consisted of 8 there-and-back laps of 6.25K along the beachfront promenade/road, with very tight corners at each end (round a cone in the road). There were many speed bumps across the road ready to catch runners out if they had a momentary concentration lapse.
|The lone Scottish vest almost swamped by 8 English vests!
It was quite warm when we started – about 22 degrees – but the wind was blowing across us out to sea and so didn't really affect us much. Despite the travel and a relatively sleepless night, I was feeling good, and so happily set off at the pace I'd planned. On paper, the Japanese lady had looked like she would be one of the fastest in the field, and so I expected her to have been leading us out, but over the first few laps I gradually built up a lead of a few minutes.
Nearing the end of the 3rd lap is about where "my day" ended, as a knee problem forced me to stop at the feeding station. I thought that was the end of my race, and cheered Helen on as she ran past to take the lead for
. After about 5 minutes, Walter and Andy (the England support team) encouraged me to "jog it out" and suggested I do it along the course to cover some distance while doing so. It had heated up to about 26 degrees in the shade and the wind had strengthened to become a strong head/tail wind and so people were starting to drop from the race. This meant that even after jogging round a 6.25K lap, not many ladies had passed me, though I was not really paying attention to the actual race. Andy worked on my knee again for another 5 minutes when I got back to the feeding station and it didn't feel any worse that the lap before. With their support, I decided to continue running and take it one lap at a time, having decided to stop if I felt any more pain. It was impossible to get the adrenaline flowing and my "race head" was gone for the day, but it was good to be able to continue and encourage the others as they passed by. The conditions were tough - even running with a tailwind didn't feel great due to the heat from the strong sun, so runners had to pour a lot of their drinking water over themselves to prevent overheating. To give you an idea of what it was like….I actually developed tanlines from my underwear through my vest! UK
I was really pleased that I'd managed to continue (so avoiding a DNF against my name) and worked my way back up the field to finish in 5th place. A more impressive performance came from
Steve Way, winning the race in a time that was within 20 seconds of the British record! Helen and Emma took out the first 2 places on the ladies' podium, and Emma made sure she was there at the finish line to give me a much-needed hug.
Unfortunately the long time spent with the hot sun beating down on me took its toll, and I wasn't very well when we got back to the hotel, but I managed to perk up enough to go and take photos at the awards ceremony and drink some celebratory wine!
|Looking across the yachts at Monte Carlo casino
The trip home was amazing, even if it took 14 hours from door to door. Having not seen anything of the scenery due to the lateness of the train ride on the Friday evening, I was stunned by the beauty of the coast. Several of us decided to leave early on the Sunday, so we could spend a couple of hours in Monaco looking at the boats, watching the changing of the guard and eating ice cream in the sun. Magic!
All in all, it may not have been the perfect race for me, but I finished it, learnt about the courage and strength of character it takes to keep going when you know that you will not finish in either the time or position that you might have been capable of, and above all else, I had a great weekend with lovely friends in a beautiful place!


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While paying homage to Twombly and Klein in subject matter and color, Serughetti combines Italian design sensibility and Minimalist ideology in her paintings. Having received a degree in Art Restoration, Serughetti puts to use her knowledge of materials in this series of meditative, enigmatic investigations of probable genetically-modified flowers.
The exhibition is open until May 7, 2017, Saturdays 4:00-8:00 pm and Sundays 10:30-1:00 and 4:00-8:00 pm


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bangun pagi. alhamdulillah i'm still alive. Allah give me the chance to have a better life, better then yesterday. oh my god, tears at my eyes! something had happened last night! what it was? ok, now i remember...it's true. bukan mimpi, bukan nightmare. it really happened!
you should know...
all i want is someone who will stay no matter how hard to be with me..will you?
if you knew you can't, please don't give me any false hope anymore.
my heart is not a playground, go play somewhere else.
they always told me not let my wounds transform me into someone else!
until now i'm trying to be myself, to give the best out myself.


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This post is one of a series from professor Nisse Goldberg's Biology students at Jacksonville University.
|Figure 1. Yellow-green leaflets on the compound
leaf of C. glabra. Photo by Shirley Denton
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Juglandales
Family: Juglandaceae
Genus: Carya
Specific epithet: glabra
Carya glabra, pignut hickory, is a hardwood tree found along the eastern coast of North America. Pignut hickory is one of seven Carya species found in Florida, where it is common in both the central and northern portions of the state. At typically 60' in height and half that in width, this tree's oval-shaped canopy and sturdy branches provide the foundation for a terrific shade tree. It grows in mesic to dry hammocks, where it is often associated with oaks (Quercus spp.).
The pignut hickory fruit is a green, round to egg-shaped drupe which encloses a nut. One needn't worry about squirrels or other mammals placing undue weight on a sapling to harvest its rather bitter fruit, however - these trees may be 20-40 years old before bearing. C. glabra's fruit is easy to distinguish from that of Carya aquatica, the native water hickory, because of its smooth surface (Figure 3).
|Figure 2 (left). Smooth fruit of C. glabra. Figure 3 (right). Ridged fruit of C. aquatica.
Photos by Shirley Denton.
Carya glabra is used to make handles for tools, cabinets, and hardwood floors. These trees have also been used to construct wheels because their wood is dense, malleable, and shock-resistant.
|Figure 4. Open fruit reveals a pig's snout.
Early settlers named the fruits of this tree "Pignuts" because their hard, bitter nature made them not worth harvesting to eat... hogs, however, were rather fond of them. Abundant in wooded areas, and high in crude fat and protein content, the animals foraged on pignuts and quickly bulked up, which made their sale at the market all the more profitable. Oddly enough, when a pignut is split in half, it looks somewhat like a pig's snout (Figure 4).
Interested in growing your own? Consider purchasing from a member of the Florida Association of Native Nurseries. Be advised that this tree can live for over 100 years, so choose wisely when deciding where to plant it.
- http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=cagl8
- http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=19
- http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Pignut_hickory/pignhick.htm
- http://www.herrinhs.org/Teachers/EricJohns/CHA07/Alicia%20Naulty/Pignut%20Hickory/Pignut%20Hickory.htm
- http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/forest/htmls/trees/C-glabra.html
Image Sources
Figure 1. http://www.florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/plantimage/Carya_glabra5.jpg
Figure 2. http://www.florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/plantimage/Carya_glabra3.jpg
Figure 3. http://www.florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/plantimage/Carya_aquatica3.jpg
Figure 4. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--adIry-pQMA/TnIBrpu6OGI/AAAAAAAABxU/N_YFQu-IYIg/s1600/013.JPG


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Lu sur : http://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonlin ... nia.1.aspx
Traduction disponible directement en cliquant en bas à droite de ce message sur notre forum
Lien Google trad http://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonlin ... nia.1.aspxEculizumab Found Safe and Effective for Myasthenia Gravis
Talan, Jamie
Neurology Today: January 11, 2018 - Volume 18 - Issue 1 - p 1,27–28
doi: 10.1097/01.NT.0000530029.72434.e7
In a post-hoc analysis, eculizumab was found safe and effective for reducing symptoms in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis who have not responded to the standard treatments used in the autoimmune disease
Eculizumab, a drug that blocks the complement cascade, is safe and effective in reducing symptoms in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who have not responded to the standard treatments used in the autoimmune disease, according to the results of a clinical trial published in December in Lancet Neurology.
In October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved eculizumab (Soliris), even though the primary endpoint in the phase 3 study narrowly missed statistical significance.
About 10 to 15 percent of patients with gMG continue to have severe disabling muscle weakness and repeated hospitalizations despite multiple therapies. Sometimes, the side effects from these medicines are just too daunting to continue taking them, said the lead author of the new study, said James F. Howard, Jr, MD, professor of neurology, medicine and allied health and chief of the neuromuscular disorders section at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
"This is a breakthrough treatment," Dr. Howard said. "There is no question that the drug works in many of the refractory patients in the phase 3 study."
Still, he said, 30 to 40 percent of the patients on the drug did not seem to have a significant benefit, and the researchers are still trying to figure out why.
For now, eculizumab can be prescribed when other medications used to treat gMG have failed or patients are dependent on chronic plasma exchange or IV immunoglobulin G (IVIG), he said.
|Message de : Pboulanger un membre de l'équipe technique
| Nous utilisons un service automatique de traduction fourni par YANDEX.
Soyez vigilant sur le risque de contre-sens inhérent à ce genre d'outils.


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Laurens County SC Genealogy
Pictured is the Manson of the Governor, and the Octagon House. Laurens County was established in 1785 as part of the Ninety Six District. It was named for Revolutionary War leader Henry Laurens (1724-1792). Settlers were Scotch-Irish and English immigrants who came in the early eighteenth century. When Revolutionary War battles such as the battle of Musgroves Mill on August 18 of 1780 were fought in the county, it was discovered that many of its residents were loyalists.
Early Settlers: McCain, Drew, Kellett, Miller, Millwee, Hellans, Allison, Prather, McNight, Logan, Cunningham, Ferguson, Adair, Baugh, Lewis, Starnes, Musgrove, Fowler, Arnall, Armstrong, Walker, Akins, Fowler, Garner, Dunlap, Simmons, Bailey, Griffin, Montgomery, Mahaffy, Coker, McCrary, Green, East, Crage, Stevens, Johnson, Goodman, Pollock, Garrot, Holcomb, Day and Middleton.
Wills and Estates Available to Members of South Carolina Pioneers
Abstracts of Last Wills and Testaments
Digital Images of Wills, Book E, 1836-1839
- Laurens County Will Book A (1787-1789), abstracts
- Laurens County Will Book C (1797-1807), abstracts
- Laurens County Will Book D (1799-1817), abstracts
- Laurens County Will Book E (1819-1825), abstracts
- Index to Laurens County Will Book A (1766-1802)
- Index to Laurens County Will Book F (1826-1834)Names of Testators: Allen, Sally ; Anderson, David ; Beal, Even ; Bell, David ; Blakely, James ; Calhoun, John ; Cheek, Ellis ; Cole, Mary ; Cummings, John ; Dunlap, Matthew ; Goodwin, William ; Hamilton, Jane ; Jones, Edward ; Leek, Bryant ; Leeman, Hugh ; McClintock, Martha ; McCoy, John ; McMeese, Robert ; Middlesperger, Abraham ; Pool, James ; Poole, Seth ; Potts, William ; Reece, William ; Robeson, Bennet ; Simpson, Sarah; Swan, Rebecca ; Wait, John ; Watson, ElijahMisc. Laurens County, South Carolina Wills and Estates (images and transcripts)
- Bailey, James, LWT, 1825, transcript
- Bennett Richard, LWT, 1820
- Brazeale, Enoch, LWT, 1825, transcript
- Brown, Roger, LWT, 1825, transcript
- Burnside, Thomas, 1825, transcript
- Burnside, William, 1825, transcript
- Carter, Robert, LWT, 1825, transcript
- Cason, John, Sr., LWT
- Garey, Charles, LWT, 1805
- Garrett, Ambrose, LWT, 1840
- Garrett, Hannah, LWT, 1821
- Garrett, Jesse, LWT, 1853
- Garrett, John, LWT, 1806
- Garrot, Edward, LWT, 1794
- Glenn, Alexander, LWT, 1825, transcript
- Gordon, Ann, LWT, 1825, transcript
- Holcombe, Richard, LWT, 1804
- Jones, Joseph, 1825, transcript
- Knight, Ephraim, 1825, transcript
- Man, Susannah, LWT, 1797, transcript
- Mathews, John, 1825, transcript
- McCurley, John, 1825, transcript
- McDaniel, Archibald, 1825, transcript
- McGrady, William, 1825, transcript
- Meadors, Susannah, 1825, transcript
- Mitchel, Judith, 1825, transcript
- Nickle, Chortis, 1825, transcript
- Osborne, Daniel, 1825, transcript
- Owings, Robert, LWT, 1840
- Pinson, Aaron, LWT, transcript, 1803
- Teague, Elijah, 1825, transcript
- Wilson, John, 1825, transcript
- Map of Laurens County
- Veterans of Laurens District in 1818 and 1832
"Find your Ancestors on South Carolina Pioneers.net
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Northern Ballet Theatre Sadler's Wells, London
Sadler's Wells, London
March 15, 2002
They present a full length version of Madame Butterfly, a work that Nixon originally created for BalletMet Columbus in Ohio and has now reworked for NBT.
Based on Belasco's play that also inspired Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly tells the story of a young girl who, sold to a marriage broker by her dishonoured samurai father before his ritual suicide, becomes a geisha. Eventually sold to the American naval officer Pinkerton as a 'bride' Butterfly, who naively believes this to be a serious marriage, forsakes her culture, her religion and her identity only to find herself abandoned, carrying his unborn child. When Pinkerton finally returns 3 years later with his American wife Kate, the heartbroken Butterfly has no choice but to accept Kate as his lawful wife and surrenders her young son into her care. Taking the last option open to her, Butterfly retreats to her own culture and gains freedom from her dishonour by committing ritual suicide.
Friday night saw Desire Samaai and Daniel de Andrade in the leading roles. Both being accomplished dance actors they seemingly effortless brought their characters to live. Samaai especially is a revelation. The she executes Butterfly's delicate steps, the way she uses her eyes and face, even the way she stands demurely and motionless on occasion convey the characters ethereal frailty. It was impossible not to be moved by her performance and she deservedly got a huge ovation after her suicide at the end of the ballet. Andrade portrayed his character maybe too well because I could not find any sympathy for the careless, heartless Pinkerton who first treats Butterfly disgracefully and then leaves it to his wife to sort out the mess.
The entire company appears in good form doing honour to their company name by skilfully blending dancing and acting, never once switching back and forth between one and the other. All the supporting characters are well crafted especially Butterfly's maid Suzuki (Lynsey Brown) her sole companion throughout the story and Sharpless the American consul who is clearly appalled by Pinkerton's behaviour. Jonathan Renna convinces in no less than 3 very different roles. He first appears as Butterfly's father committing ritual suicide, then as Bonze a holy man who declares Butterfly an outcast for converting to Christianity and finally as Prince Yamedori a wealthy suitor introduced to Butterfly by the marriage broker Goro.
The dancers are aided in their task by Nixon's well thought out choreography which gives each character its own distinctive steps to work with. For the 2 suicide scenes he draws on Kabuki theatre traditions and uses traditional Japanese music whereas the rest of the ballet is set to music taken from Puccini's opera score.
The simple sets and the costumes, authentic enough to have a distinct Japanese feel but light enough to not restrict the dancers in their movements complement the choreography very well. The entire production is a beautifully blended, enjoyable whole and my advice is if you like narrative dance dramas do not go, run to get a ticket.
The Madame Butterfly season at Sadler's Wells will end on Saturday 23/03/2002
Please join a discussion of this performance in our forum.
Edited by Marie.
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Our baby girl is growing and reaching so many awesome milestone. After she turned 6 months, we had our first real snow of the season. The boys were loving all the snow and loved introducing their sister to all the fun that comes with it. Tman requested that I put her on the floor so that she could make her first snow angel :). After the first snow, we introduced Emilia to her first meal and it was a great success.
Baby girl making her first snow angel. She was only on the ground for a few seconds and I bundled her up like she was staying outside for hours :)
Emilia's first snow day was followed by her first meal. I always wait until the baby turns 6 months then I make a big production out of their first meal. We always feed them avocado as a first meal because it's the one thing I always wanted to eat when I was pregnant. I know, I am silly like that.
Emilia was not sure about this first meal business


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Hacker News is a social news website about computer hacking and startup companies, run by Paul Graham's investment fund and startup incubator, Y Combinator.
Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, scalable network applications. Node.js uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient, perfect for data-intensive real-time applications that run across distributed devices.
Commercial software, or less commonly, payware, is computer software that is produced for sale or that serves commercial purposes, a customer of the proprietary software pays a fee for a license to use the software.


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PROVIDENCE (February 20, 2012) — 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason "Big Six" Estrada returns to the ring March 9 at home, headlining an entertaining "Who's Next?" card that will feature many of New England's most popular boxers, at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence.
"Who's Next?" is presented by Big Six Entertainment. Estrada will face an opponent to soon be approved and announced in the eight-round main event.
The 31-year-old Estrada (17-4, 4 KOs), fighting out of Providence, is coming off of a win by eight-round unanimous decision last December against Joseph Rabotte. Estrada had been sidelined 10 months after undergoing elbow surgery. One of the most highly-decorated U.S. amateurs of all-time, Jason went the distance on the road with World Boxing Association ("WBA") heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin and Tomasz Adamek, a two-time world champion. Estrada's most notable victories have been against Lance Whitaker, Derek Bryant, Charles Shufford and Zuri Lawrence.
"We're very excited to bring this level of entertainment to Providence," Big Six Entertainments president Artie DePinho commented. "Our goal is to provide local boxers with opportunities to improve and continue their careers, as well as to provide competitive fights for fans to watch. We had a great turnout for our last show and we plan to carry that momentum and success into this show."
Former USBA/NABO middleweight champion Brian "The Bull" Barbosa (30-6, 22 KOs) continues his comeback against dangerous John Johnson (13-2, 10 KOs) in the six-round, co-feature.
Cruiserweight Rich Gingras, one of the stars of The Contender, Season IV reality television show, will provide chief support in a six-round cruiserweight match. Gingras has relocated to Providence from New Hampshire and he remains a popular draw.
Pawtucket (RI) junior welterweight Diego Periera (6-0-1, 2 KOs) will attempt to keep his unbeaten pro record intact vs. TBA in a six-rounder.
Also fighting on the undercard in four-round match-ups are Providence middleweight Kali Reiss (3-1-1, 2 KOs) vs. pro-debuting Marva Dash, of Bridgeport (CT), crowd-pleasing Fall River (MA) junior middleweight Dustin Reinhold (4-2, 2 KOs) vs. Springfield's Jose Angel "KO" Ortiz (4-6-1, 1 KOs), along with Woonsocket (RI) super middleweight Joe Gardner (7-4-1, 1 KO) and Cape Cod light heavyweight Paul Gonsalves (2-2, 2 KOs), fighting out of Harwich (MA). All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets, reasonably priced at $35.00, $45.00 and $75.00, are available to purchase by calling 1.401.241.3490 (RI) or 1.617.312.5059 (MA), going on line at www.bigsixentertainment, com or www.ticketmaster.com, and at the Rhode Island Convention Center box office.
Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel.


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It is so easy to become jaded.....to question and doubt all that you are and all that you do.
The voices in our heads tell us that we're not enough and that we don't deserve what we have. And eventually, we start to believe them.
We step back and we question and we wonder if what we're doing is the right thing.
Six years ago, I was teaching 8th grade English. Brian was selling high line cars, and Addison was 9 months old and learning how to walk.
And more than anything, I wanted to be home with her. I loved my job, but I loved her more. The reality was that we were in credit card debt up to our eyeballs and there was no way I could quit my job...unless I was willing to cut out cable and cell phones and groceries and heat and a/c. We live in the south. There was no way I was cutting out heat and a/c.
Quitting my job wasn't in the cards.
However, I don't like it when I don't like the options at hand, so I sought out other options, and by sought out other options, I mean I prayed like crazy that we would win the lottery (that we didn't play) or I would find $20,000 on the sidewalk.
Neither of those things happened.
But what did happen was something I never expected. Through a series of events involving about 80 tiny lip gloss like containers filled with deliciously scented wax, a Scentsy catalog, a little research on the internet, and $99, I signed up to be a direct sales consultant.
If we were friends 6 years ago when this happened, you laughed when I told you what I was doing, but I didn't care.
I knew absolutely nothing about sales, let alone direct sales, but I didn't care.
I was scared to death that I could never sell a thing to anyone, but I didn't care.
All I cared about was her.
She changed me. She made me so much more than I ever could have been on my own.
And somehow, despite my complete lack of knowledge about all things direct sales, I did okay. And I somehow convinced other people that they should do it with me. It would be fun.
And it was fun.
And 3 days before my 1 year anniversary as a Scentsy consultant, I promoted to the highest rank possible. I cried in my living room on Halloween. I was the company's 23rd SuperStar director (along with about 30 other people who promoted the same day that I did), but we'll call it 23.
And life went on. Baby #2 came along not long after that. I spoke to a crowd of 800 people at a Scentsy event 3 days before he was born.
And business was good and momentum was good and life was good.
Then I battled fear for a long time. It's a lengthy story that I'm sure is somewhere on this blog. {Best of luck finding that post.}
But I worked and I worked hard, and I knew why I was working. For them. We wanted more. We still weren't out of debt. Brian was still working long hours at the car lot, and life still wasn't what we wanted it to be.
So I worked. I sold product and people joined my team and our company grew.
And before I knew it, Brian quit his job. We started making more money than we had ever dreamed of making, and our marriage was as unhappy as it had ever been. I couldn't help but wonder what we had gotten ourselves into. It turns out that money really doesn't buy happiness.
But the Lord is so gracious and so patient. We moved to house #2. We started to like each other again, and all was well in the Dalke house.
Then one day, we felt the Lord calling us into foster care. So we went. In the process, we couldn't get a foster baby fast enough. The day we were finally approved as foster parents, we received a call that there were 2 babies. A 1 year old and an almost 2 year old. Siblings that had been living in the shelter for 7 days. And could we take them?
We did. And they wrecked my world in the best way 2 small people can wreck someone's world. They changed everything for us.
And our business kept on keeping on.
And those babies made me want a baby of my own. And before they moved out, I was pregnant with baby #3.
Then we almost moved to California. We really tried to. We tried to buy 3 houses, and it just didn't work out.
And instead we had a baby on Halloween 5 years after that day I cried in my living room. This Halloween, I cried in my hospital bed because I knew we couldn't move to California even though we had already sold our house and we had to be out in a little less than a month and a half.
As we drove baby #3 home from the hospital, Brian and I talked about California and about Oklahoma and about where we wanted these babies to grow up. And we both knew that it was here.
So with a newborn in hand, we frantically began looking for house #3. It would literally have to be a miracle. I was not settling for anything less than the space we were looking for (I swear this is the last move we're making!), and we had no where near the time we realistically needed to close.
But we looked. And we found the house we had been looking for all along. A house we never could have bought, on a lot that we never could have afforded. The perfect spot, with the perfect space, and now we just had to make it happen in the perfect time.
It ended up all working out by the grace of God alone, so we moved and we began to settle in.
Before we knew it, that little girl that I worked so hard to stay home with was going to 1st grade. Off she went.
But she wasn't happy, and we weren't happy. The little girl who had always loved school was bored and annoyed by the thought of 1st grade. Not exactly what a momma wants to hear. After a lot of prayer, we took her out of public school and started homeschooling. Brian teaching 2 days a week, myself teaching 3 days a week.
And that's where we found ourselves last year. Adjusting to life in a new house with 3 littles while homeschooling.
I suddenly felt trapped. This incredible "job" I had, had afforded all of this and so much more. I was grateful for sure. But there were moments where I felt trapped. I felt like I was stuck and I couldn't get out if I wanted to.
We depended on the money. It was our lively hood. Even if I wanted to just be a stay at home mom, I couldn't. Not now. We were too far in.
So, last year, I coasted. I did everything I was supposed to do. I did more than I was supposed to do, but if I'm honest, there was something missing.
The passion, the fire, the drive, the inspiration, it was gone. I didn't know where it was and I didn't know how to get it back.
I tell you this story to tell you that last year isn't the end of the story. It's not the end of my story with Scentsy or direct sales. It's really only the beginning of my story.
When I recently walked away from social media, I asked myself a lot of hard questions. I was able to think clearly for the 1st time in a long time. I knew what I thought. I wasn't confused by what everyone else thought.
And somewhere between turning off all the voices of negativing in my head (thanks social media) and sitting on a beach watching the waves roll in, I was reminded of why I love my job.
I honestly don't know why I forgot.
Because this is my story, but at the same time, it's only one of thousands of stories. Direct sales is a business that creates personal change in people. I have seen so many people in my circle of friends and family who have been remarkably changed by their experience with the Scentsy family. They are better people. More generous people. More well rounded. More real.
And in the past few weeks I have been so beautifully reminded that I get to be a part of that change in people. I get to sit across from them at coffee or at lunch or over the computer and hear about the way their business fits into their life. I get to hear about why they're working and what they want. And I get to be a part of the change that happens in people when they decided to ignore the voices of fear and doubt in their minds and do something bigger with their lives than they ever thought they could do.
I guess this is my apology.
I was never negative. I was never negligent. I was never absent. I was just uninspired. I forgot for a moment why it is that I work. And it's not complicated, and there is no mega dream board or 12 month goal plan. It's simply them.
And him.
and us.
This place and these people and this life is the reason I am a Scentsy Family consultant. They are the reason that I will continue to choose to run my business with passion and purpose this year.
And whether you're a customer or a consultant or a friend or a fellow blog lover or an IG follower, my hope for you in 2014 is that you too will work with purpose and passion.
Here's to 2014.....May it be your best year yet.


text:
No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I would like to say it has been busy around here but in a way, things have been a little slow. Maybe that is why I haven't posted anything in a while. I have been working on a couple of things but nothing is ready to show you yet. Soooo, I'm going to pull another out of our last year's remodel folder. This one is of a bathroom that went from a "beachy" feel girl's bath to a "cowboy" boy's bath. I had taken down the decor before I took these pictures but you can tell the color and just let your imagination figure out a "beachy" decor. So here are the before pics:
There was much deliberation over the beadboard walls. I started the first coat and my son came in and said that he liked it. I told him it was only the first coat. He still liked it. I wasn't too sure. After looking at it and thinking a while, I decided to sand it down a bit and then add a brown glaze in spots. Now it looks kind of like an old barn. Anyway, I think it turned out pretty good. Let me know what you all think. We also moved him into my daughter's old bedroom so that had to be done as well. I will show those pics on a later posting. That is all for now. I will try to share something new in a day or so. Just to give a little hint, there was a new baby born in the family (not mine) so I had to sew. There are a couple of birthdays coming up next week so I had to make something. Sounds like maybe some material for a later post don't ya think?
So until next time,
Have a blessed day!
maggie jane


text:
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
OctPoWriMo Day 22
A journey
an opportunity
to do something spontaneous
something you always wanted
have someone hold you accountable
give you a deadline
The nerves
the adrenaline
you are excited enough to think about it
have a nervous breakdown
but for once you are too excited to over think
you book a time and place
You practice and practice
the night comes
and you hear your name
For once it's not something to be scared about
you are excited, happy
the audience is too
they know you
That's one thing different
in all other times they don't know you
and you don't know the subject
this time you do
You get to the stage
and see people smiling
not looking like they are bored
You hold the mic
and start to read
transported to that world
you give emotion in your voice
for emphasis
not on your face
for fear
You finish
and leave that world
to see people clapping and loving it
loving you
Throughout the night
people come to you
saying it was good
you touched me
I'm glad you did that
Never before
have I felt this
glad the other moments in high school
haven't traumatized me
I want to do this again.
*this is based on truth, on the two different times I read to an audience from my poetry books: A TO Z POETRY and HUGS & KISSES.
Thank you,
|Your thoughts:
7 comments:
- Crystal Collier said...
Super cool. I'm a total chicken when it come to reading my work live. Total chicken. I sit there jittery, thinking every little whisper I hear is a whisper of criticism or boredom. Don't ask me where that comes from, but it doesn't happen when I sing in front of people. Weird, right?
- October 22, 2014 at 8:56 AM
- Mark said...
I have done a lot of acting. For a couple of summers I was a student pastor. For a year our local coffee shop had a weekly poetry open mic I participated in. I'm not saying this to brag, because even after all that practice I still get nervous before a performance. If you didn't have nerves, there would be something wrong.
- October 22, 2014 at 11:22 AM
- Georgia Koch said...
What a totally wonderful experience! You transmitted that fantastic emotion very well in your poem too!! Bravo!
- October 22, 2014 at 12:36 PM
- Rod E. Kok said...
I am looking forward to my first attempt at a poetry open mic night! I will think of your poem when I am up there!
- October 22, 2014 at 3:18 PM
- Zoe Byrd said...
wow! You may be my new hero!!!
- October 22, 2014 at 6:21 PM
- Fifi Islaih said...
Aww, really?! Thank you (:
- October 22, 2014 at 6:24 PM
- Diana said...
This is fantastic! I love it!
- October 22, 2014 at 10:16 PM


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Since I read There's Lead In Your Lipstick last June, I've done a major overhaul of my health and beauty routine and made an effort to eliminate all the toxic stuff. Some things have been really easy - moisturizer, hair products, mascara. I knew that the real challenge would be deodorant. I've always been fairly sweaty, though less so in the last few years, and I know that everyone's body chemistry is different, so it was hard to guess what would work for me - there are lots to choose from. I didn't have high hopes, but I figured that part of the process would involve changing my perspective on body odour and wetness. Like, is it that bad? Instead of bone dry and smelling like Summer Berry Breeze, how about not too sodden and not too funky? My job does involve being right up in people's personal space, so I didn't want to be too self conscious about grossing people out.
My first purchase was Lafe's lavender scent, a recommendation from the woman at Whole Foods. It was pretty good. I used it all through the summer, with the exception of a few critical days (bridesmaid duty...) and I was satisfied for the most part - a little damp at times, a little more smell than with my old Dove, or maybe I should say a little less artificial smell, a little more natural smell. It lasted six months; I just finished it and decided to try something new.
One thing that I have noticed is that because the scents are natural, they are kind of limited. You know, citrus, pine, geranium, lavender. The thing is that all of these scents are kind of sharp and almost acidic, kind of like sweat. I wonder if that's because these are the strongest natural scents. I'd be interested in trying something spicy, or maybe rose. I think Weleda has a rose scent, but I don't know if I want to pay double what these other ones cost.
Anybody out there tried any natural deodorants that work, or any to avoid? Are you disgusted by anything but perfectly perfumed armpits or do you think it's OK to smell a little more human?


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King's College London - Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging/Health Schools
Sorry, but the advert you were looking for has expired.
To see more employment opportunities with King's College London, please click here.
Perhaps you were looking for something totally different? In that case, it might be best start a new job search from our Home Page. You might also find our Site Map useful too.


text:
East Coast Hui�s Surf Camp runs Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Nantasket Beach by the Cook Bathhouse (on the corner of Beach Avenue and Franklin Street in Hull).
There is still time to sign up for East Coast Hui�s Surf Camp. Spaces are available in the weekly camp run by Bobby Fenton for kids aged 7 to 17 years old. Bobby and his staff of counselors will instruct all levels of surfers, for those who are being introduced to surfing for the first time and those with surf experience. East Coast Hui�s Surf Camp also includes instruction on Stand Up Paddleboards. East Coast Hui provides all the equipment including surfboards, stand up paddleboards, and boogie boards. Campers are allowed to bring their own equipment but it is not necessary.
This camp has long attracted children of all ages from the area. Bobby now employs several Cohasset teenagers as counselors who learned how to surf as campers. Sarah O�Callaghan, one of Bobby�s counselors remarks, �East Coast Hui is where I learned how to surf. My friends and I looked forward to Bobby�s surf camp each summer. This is my first summer as a counselor and I look forward to passing on what Bobby taught me to the new campers.�
East Coast Hui�s Surf Camp runs Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Nantasket Beach by the Cook Bathhouse (on the corner of Beach Avenue and Franklin Street in Hull). East Coast Hui Campers enjoy beach games along with surf and paddleboard instruction. Throughout the week, campers bring their own lunch, except on Friday when Bobby hosts a Pizza Party and will awards certificate of completion to all the campers. The camp runs through September 1st.
Surf Camp Activities include:
Beginners: Paddling - Wave Choice- "Pop Ups" - Surf Etiquette - Turning - Duck Diving and Turtling
�Intermediate to Advanced: Cutbacks - Noseriding and more
Stand Up Paddling: Proper Paddle Technique, Paddle Workout, Ocean Safety
�Beach Games: Wiffle Ball, Dodgeball, Stand Up Paddle Races, Football, Frisbee and more
�Ocean Safety and Beach Care
Bobby Fenton, the owner and head instructor of East Coast Hui Surf Camp has over 35 years water experience surfing and paddling. Bobby has passed on his knowledge to many young surfers and paddlers. He has traveled to many surf destinations around the world and competed in the Battle of the Paddle, among other surf and paddle contests. East Coast Hui is enrolling students now in their weekly Surf Camp.
Spaces are available in the following weeks: July 24-28; July 31-Aug 4; August 7-11; August 14-18; August 21�25 and Aug. 28-Sept. 1. For more information or to sign up online, visit: eastcoasthui.com/surf-camp or contact Bobby at 617-548-7988.


text:
Mr. Husband Sir just turned another year older. His surprise birthday theme this year was based after one of his favorite movies, 20000 Leagues Under The Sea. He also loved the now gone Disney World ride based after the 1954 Disney Pictures release. The ride opened in 1971 and "sunk" in 1994. Mr. Husband Sir went on many under water adventures on the Nautilus when he was a kid living just outside of Orlando. We just recently took a trip to Disney World and he was telling us much he wished the ride was still there, then I decided it had to be his birthday theme!
I thought the decorations turned out pretty well considering all I spent was 1.07 at Dollar Tree to purchase a bag of seashells. Everything else I had or made between either PB or myself.
The 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea record (1964) seen above is from my grandmother's collection and was passed on to me when I was younger.
I drew and painted the giant squid and the Nautilus on large pieces of cardboard I scavenged from a furniture shop for free. The seaweed is snipped crepe paper streamers. PB and I drew and painted the sea life on the ocean wall.
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea has a very steam punk kinda feel to the film sets. I don't really have anything like that other than an old barometer and a few sets of these ornate candle holders seen above. The candle holders are actually vintage funeral home decor! Mr. Husband Sir used to work at a funeral home years ago when we first met and they were given to him. They come in quite handy during Halloween or for a 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea party!
Another area of underwater ambiance. I printed out a bunch of vintage sea life book illustrations and placed them in metal frames here and there. I also printed images of the movie posters and old diving masks to hang or prop up.
For his cake I made it resemble the 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ride...with him getting to experience it again! I used a horseshoe cake pan that I originally used for PB's first birthday and a wedding cake back in 2005.
I printed out and laminated an image of a Nautilus ship and a giant squid to chase him. I used a bunch of PB's plastic sea life critters on the cake and on tables.
One of the gifts Mr. Husband Sir got was an advertisement from 1954 when the movie was first released. I found it in a old Collier's magazine I picked up at an estate sale.
While we were at Disney World last month we had heard tale that at the Little Mermaid ride (which was where the original 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea had been) was a hidden tribute. Mr. Husband Sir found it! Carved in the rocks is a large sized Nautilus "floating" just above the water pool.
Past Mr. Husband B-day Bashes:


text:
Brady Westwater stands on the corner of Spring Street and Fifth Street, Downtown Los Angeles, arms akimbo. He wears a crumpled black cowboy hat pinned up on one side and a hooded sweatshirt of the Elida (Ohio) High School wrestling team. The squad on the sweatshirt changes daily, but this is essentially his uniform.
"This was the Wild West before there was a Wild West," he says, all but wading into traffic and gesturing to the buildings around him. "In fact, many people went east from here to make the Wild West. This was wilder than any cow town in Texas." The buildings on all four corners, he says, were built by a confederate of Wyatt Earp, who spent some time as an Angeleno in the early 1900s.
"The whole history of this neighborhood is a series of frontiers!"
With his hat, wiry arms, and scruffy mustache, 65-year-old Westwater bears some resemblance to a gold-panning frontier sidekick himself. He remembers when Fifth Street, "the Nickel," had the distinction of being one of the busiest drug markets in the world, when the only places to get something to eat were the gas station on Olympic and the twenty-four-hour Original Pantry Cafe on Figueroa, where you can still get home fries with an archaeological mantle of crust. Back then, you could hang around and eventually see all the Downtown pioneers—artists, filmmakers, assorted bohemians—as they climbed out of their lofts and warehouses in search of sustenance.
Westwater, as he tells it, abandoned Downtown for a while, like most everybody else. He lived in Malibu and traveled the world as a mixed-martial-arts fighter. Then, in 1997, he came back, possessed of a vision of a revitalized urban community occupying Downtown. "I pushed flyers under every door I could find that showed a sign of life," he says of his mission to match empty spaces with sometimes reluctant new tenants. He wasn't alone. Developers—names like Tom Gilmore and Cedd Moses—were set to begin taking advantage of a new law that loosened regulations on how Downtown's vacant buildings could be developed. Now, charging up the street to Broadway, Westwater points to building after building that has come back to teeming life: This one is lofts. This one houses one of the city's best restaurants. This one is a bar with a pop-up restaurant in the back and a performance space on top of that. Every structure seems to house artists, musicians, designers, tech developers, chefs—the whole Who are the people in your neighborhood of the creative class. After decades of being all but forgotten, Downtown has approached a critical mass of cool that even the most hard-core resident of Venice or Santa Monica or West Hollywood or Silver Lake would find impossible to deny.
"And we're still at the tip of the iceberg," says Moses, whose Downtown bars have done as much as anything to spur on the development. "Right now, Downtown is like Brooklyn, but that's going to change. This is going to be Manhattan. And all the outlying areas, the rest of Los Angeles, that's going to be the boroughs. I don't have a doubt in my mind."
Westwater, who both leads tours of Downtown and pops up in meetings with developers and politicians, is somehow in the center of this frenzy of activity—something between a fixer, a booster, a town historian, and the local eccentric, part Boss Tweed, part Joe Gould. In other words, the kind of great character produced by great cities. And that, of all things, is what Downtown L.A. is trying to become: a Great City in the heart of the City That Destroyed Cities.
The first time I ever loved L.A. was Downtown.
Nowadays, as the important cultural battle lines have shifted from east versus west to red versus blue, and as New York has become ever more generically American, it's easy to forget the old cosmology of New York and Los Angeles as polar opposites. But for somebody raised in Brooklyn through the '70s and '80s, a knee-jerk hatred of L.A. wasn't an informed choice. It was DNA.
Then, while I was staying in Beverly Hills on a work trip, my friend Oliver, an East Coast transplant, took me to Philippe the Original. Philippe is a wedge-shaped 105-year-old cafeteria on the corner of North Alameda and Ord Streets that claims to have invented the French-dip sandwich. From the moment I saw the sawdust-covered floors, the uniformed ladies behind the counter, the wooden phone booths, the Dodgers game on the grainy TV, I knew this was something different from the plastic, sterile, sunny L.A. I'd expected. We shuffled forward with the rest of the customers—a mix of blue- and white-collars, bookies, hustlers, construction workers, and lawyers. I ordered a lamb sandwich, the clove-scented meat cut off the leg in front of me, swaddled in bread and then double-dipped in jus. I added a side of potato salad. And a pickled egg. And some beets. And a baked apple, a slice of coconut pie, and a cup of coffee. It came to something like $8. Afterward, we walked down the street to the grandly tiled Union Station, where trains come and go into the night in full view of the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, just about the most noir thing I'd ever seen. For the first time, I understood how one—how I—could feel deeply for this city.
Philippe then was a remnant of the urban center left behind when L.A. spread west, becoming the world's model of car-centric suburban sprawl. Even the financial institutions of Downtown had long since left behind their gorgeous Beaux Arts homes for characterless glass towers on Downtown's western edge, with easy egress the moment work ended. The result was something like Panama City's Casco Viejo, the old Spanish Colonial district that was all but abandoned for decades while the country's rich built skyscraper after sterile skyscraper on its periphery: an empty city, preserved in amber, waiting to be rediscovered and reoccupied.
If it proves lasting, the reoccupation will be the greatest example of the phenomenon in which downtowns across America are re-attracting the middle and upper classes that once fled them for the suburbs. It will also be notable for being driven not by the traditional avant-garde of gentrification—galleries, antiques stores, theaters, and the like—but by bars and restaurants, a pointed reflection of what members of those classes are looking for in a city circa 2014.


text:
North American River Otter Swimming Underwater
CaptionNorth American river otter, northern river otter, or Canadian river otter, Lontra canadensis, swimming underwater, captive
Credit© Masa Ushioda / CoolWaterPhoto.com. All rights reserved worldwide. Not to be used without authorization.. All rights reserved worldwide. Not to be used without authorization.
Model Releasen/a
Image File InformationFile Name: river-otter-northern-00007.jpg
File Format: 8bit RGB JPEG
Color Profile: Adobe RGB (1998)
Image Dimensions: 5400x3600 at 300dpi ( larger file size available upon request )


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Just Add Light and Stir
Inspiration and Encouragement for Unschooling Parents
Friday, November 7, 2014
A gift to the giver
"Being there unconditionally for our children nurtures the beautiful side of the human spirit that resides in each one of us. It cleans it. Reveals it. Keeps it fresh. It feeds it. It brings it to life. Makes it grow and helps it thrive. It's a gift to the receiver and to the giver, and it leads both parties to a greater understanding of what it means to love."
—Karen James
photo by Karen James (click to enlarge)
Posted by
Sandra Dodd
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text:
Hello!!! Happy Friday!!! This month the gals over at StampNPlus made a card with the stamp IR083 Christmas ornament. Here is my card...
Stamp- IR083 Christmas ornament
Paper- green, white, red cardstock, and red and green wrapping paper
Ink- Memento Black
Accessories- red/white baker's twine from The Twinery, Copic Marker, Sukura Clear Star pen, Martha Stewart Branch punch, foam tape, SU Petals-A-Plenty emboss folder
Happy crafting, Kathy


text:
Summer Garden
9x12 inches - pastel on Strathmore
©2011 S.Johnson
Today I went out with the Four Corners Plein Air Painters group, as a guest of Jan Goldman, one of the group's few pastelists. Location was another private residence located in the Animas river valley, but to the east of the river. The stand-out features of this property were the amazing landscaped gardens with this lush, perfectly manicured green lawn.
I absolutely loved the boulders and flagstone steps leading up to an upper tier of the yard, so that became the focal point. Hollyhocks, daylilies, Russian sage, daisies, yarrow, hosta, purple coneflowers...this garden had it all.
This originally started out as a 12x12, and while no one suggested it at the critique session, I brought it home and Wayne thought there was too much lawn...and there was, as you can see in the photo below. A good reminder about how just a simple crop can improve the composition significantly. They had other very good suggestions (like sky too dark, same value as lawn) that I was grateful for, and when I got home, I finished the piece up and made those changes. It was tempting to try and add some of the billowing cumulus clouds forming to the north over the distal mountains, but with all the busy detail from the garden, I felt it might be too distracting.
I feel very fortunate to have met artists in both the Four Corners group as well as the local Friday painters - all are so friendly and it's just nice to go out with a bunch of artists to socialize and get helpful critiques.
Here are some photos from the critique session, along with a couple from the gardens:
We all loved the vignetted look of this unfinished [oil] painting
A beautiful watercolor of orange daylilies and hosta, my painting, and a close-up of daisies, yellow lilies and the fence, done in acrylic glazes - the photo doesn't begin to do those paintings justice
More oil paintings of different garden perspectives, and a more distal view of the mountains
Mary Ellen is the group's abstract and palette knife painter, and this was a small piece by her standards - isn't it fabulous? It is an old barn down the road a bit.
Two more oil paintings and part of Jan's pastel to the left
Lori was painting right behind me and we both were really into the dark tree shadows behind the pink hollyhocks. Her view is standing and mine was seated...after a night of insomnia, I wasn't feeling up to standing for 3 hrs. In fact, I was pleased that this painting turned out worthwhile; it did take a lot longer to complete than usual.
Daylilies and Russian sage
Purple coneflowers (Echinacea) and yarrow
I am so delighted to see coneflowers growing in gardens here - they were one of
my favorite garden flowers when I lived in CT


text:
Anyone can be a blogger, these days.
And just like the realization that maybe Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Jack Nicholson and Steve Jobs aren't the best role models, comes the realization, too, that our favorite bloggers are broken people.
I was speaking with my father about great scientists and artists, and whether their abrasive, abusive personal lives were offset by their great contributions to humanity. He seemed to think they were.
I said "Isn't a planet of 7 billion big enough to not need to idolize these deeply flawed individuals?"
He replied "Fair enough."
I think about the thousands who idolized Alex McCandless and his journey Into The Wild, spurred to his death by the writings of Tolstoy and Thoreau and Jack London.
Can we afford this trail-and-error, survival by any means, evolutionary way of living any more?
Today's 'globalized' economy isn't the same as it once was. And while we can admire the writings of these great minds much as we admire vintage cars and antique furniture, we cannot afford today's writers being the social equivalent of running leaded gasoline and chopping old-growth forest.
It may run great or look good, but at what cost?
We are finally learning that popularity and power have very little to do with sustainability when it comes to our energy sources. What about our ideas?
This is highlighted best, to me, by our superstar bloggers.
We are enamored that they are like us, better or bigger versions of us, sometimes also with our flaws equally amplified through artfully written personae. Yet I am afraid we are addicted to them just like we are to 'reality' television.
Are the real people, the ones behind the blogs, the kind of people who can build a stronger society?
My feeling is they are shockingly poorly rounded. And yet they work hard and achieve all sorts of success.
So how do you choose to measure a person? By what they say, by the greatest of their accomplishment? Or by the smaller things?
I cannot help but think of Pete Seeger. Here is a man who seems to live by his word. He strummed his banjo on national television the same way he strums it around a campfire. And a while back, I saw him go out of his way, at 94 years old, to bend over and pick up a small piece of litter.
I said, "Let me get that, Pete!" But he waved me off.
It was just a part of what Pete does, who he is.
I strive to be as true to myself as possible. I aim to deliver what people expect out of me. At the same time, I have huge expectations of myself to justify my own existence and all the resources I have used up and opportunities I have squandered. We all have an obligation to cherish this great gift we have been given.
I enjoy the work of trying to be a better person.
Making a positive impact on my world is one of the noblest burdens I could have the pleasure of bearing.
Sometimes, you just have to pick up other people's trash.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Your Favorite Blog is Pollution
Posted by NeedleOfJustice at 8:19 AM
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text:
Enuma Elish (named for its first two words, meaning "when on high") is the Babylonian creation epic. It is related to the Genesis creation account (some would say "lies behind it") and is gripping reading. It's old (probably dates to around 2000 B.C.E.) and introduces world-shaking protagonists like Marduk, grotesque human progenitors like Kingu (whose blood, drop by drop, turned into mankind), weird magical-cult items (the Tablets of Destiny, worn on the chest and possible predecessor of the Hebrew Urim & Thummim), the Assembly of the Gods and that perennial favorite of dungeon-crawlers the world over, Tiamat.
You can find it in various editions and collections, including this convenient classic anthology.