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October 4-29: Derek Boshier, Magazine / Colleen Asper, The Trial;
Steven Wolf Fine Arts, 49 Geary St., Suite 411, San Francisco, CA 94108, 415-263-3677 firstname.lastname@example.com
Steven Wolf has a well respected reputation in the San Francisco art community as someone who features intellectually rigorous work and takes risks with his programming choices. Steven Wolf's aesthetic is informed by his undergraduate degree in philosophy, growing up surrounded by his parents' collection of Americana, and his first career as a newspaper reporter covering politics, crime, business and theater in New York and Los Angeles.
He is also universally liked and considered to be friendly and approachable, especially to young artists and gallery directors. He makes a point to keep track of what's happening in the smaller and newer galleries. Svea Lin Vezzone of nascent Swarm Gallery + Studios in Oakland agrees: "I really like visiting his gallery because it's a guarantee I'll see something I've never seen before. The work he shows is experimental and often humorous. We have the type of relationship that I can call him with a question or idea and he is generous with his perspective and knowledge."
Wolf chooses the work he shows using the filter of a futuristic/historical perspective. If he thinks that the work will still resonate with an audience thirty years from now, then it's a candidate for a gallery show. Quirky, droll and thought provoking are all adjectives that Wolf uses to describe his choices. "If it really looks like art, it makes me uncomfortable."
The current show is no exception. The work of New York based Colleen Asper features blank courtroom scenes that are chilling in their anonymity and lack of narrative detail. The three untitled triptychs of witness, judge, and prosecuting attorney each flanked by two flags are viewed by you, the impotent defendant. Characters bear a resemblance to players in famous televised trials. The installation in fact mimics a courtroom set up and is well worth the trip to the gallery to see in person. ($3800-$4200 per triptych.)
Established British artist Derek Boshier's cartoony and vibrantly colored magazine covers parody celebrity and sports star worship, the new religion of modern science, and fake geo-political boundaries that were arbitrarily imposed by jingoistic Western nations. The $18,000+ pricepoints for the enormous 80"x60" works reflect the great size and Boshier's station. The smaller pieces are highly collectible at $2000 each.
Click here to see pictures of this show: http://www.stevenwolffinearts.com/dynamic/exhibit.asp
The painting featured on the splash page on the gallery website is a fitting icon for Steven Wolf Fine Arts. The irreverent piece by 60's pop artist John Clem Clarke ("Stuart-George Washington") is a paint-by-numbers copy of a 1806 piece by then portraitist-to-the-stars Gilbert Stuart, featuring our first president and his trusty steed's large rear end. http://www.stevenwolffinearts.com/gallery.asp
Wolf and his wife relocated to San Francisco from New York in the early nineties. While covering his new Bay Area reporter's beat he came in frequent contact with the rich legacy of 1930's and 40's Works Project Administration (WPA) left-wing propaganda artwork which blankets our public buildings.
He also found himself in strange corners of the city and took the time to explore the underground network of thrift stores and flea markets. After discovering a Nathan Oliveira collage in a second-hand shop for $10, he actively enlisted the junkmen to keep on the lookout and put aside found artwork for him. Butterfield & Butterfield's estate sale auctions were a wealth of forgotten treasures. After reading Carolyn Jones' seminal text, Bay Area Figurative Art, and learning about the California School of Fine Arts' (now San Francisco Art Institute) influential post-war GI Bill scholarship students, he was hooked on collecting Bay Area art.
When he opened his first art gallery a few doors down from Zuni Café on Market Street in 1995, he shared space and customers with a business that sold second hand architectural furniture from the same 30's and 40's period that interested him. A few years later Wolf's second gallery space at Jones and Sutter focused on "eccentric, under appreciated California artists."
In 2003 he "got bored with the traditional notion of commercial galleries" and decided he "didn't want to revive dead artists anymore." He moved downtown to prestigious 49 Geary and modified his programming to feature emerging artists of the Bay Area and beyond, one of just a few of that ilk in the building at the time (including Stephen Wirtz and since relocated Catharine Clark).
Noteworthy artists represented by SWFA include Molly Springfield (MFA U.C. Berkeley) who creates conceptual work and drawings that comment on the place of books in our lives, Kaz Oshiro who recreates nostalgic suburban icons with verisimilitude such as dorm refrigerators, electric guitar amplifiers, and shopping mall trash cans and Hamburger Eyes, a San Francisco envelope pushing photo studio collective that offers darkroom classes and nurtures young talent.
Wolf is always on the lookout for new talent. He finds his artists through referrals from other artists and at the international art fairs, collaborating with galleries in other cities in order to give an artist national exposure. In fact he is just back from the Pulse London art fair this week so be sure to ask him about it when you stop by.


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Shiver to Smell the Flowers
>> Friday, January 30, 2009
So pretty...most people think fresh flowers in the spring...in the summer...maybe in the fall?...Prime indoor flower season for me is in the winter. Why winter you ask? Well, my house is cold. Cold like the coolers they keep flowers in in the flower shops when they don't want them to die.
Now I would prefer to not shiver when I get out of the shower...but when I look over to my white roses that have made it two weeks, still lookin' good, I remind myself to enjoy this season of life...exaclty how it is... right now. No matter how cold I am I know one day I'll look back and miss my little 1917 bungalow and all the exciting adventures it has brought into our life.
p.s. If you live in Memphis, I get these roses every other week at the SuperLow grocery store next to the Target on Colonial...a dozen for $6.99! Wow! that's a grande latte!

subset: commoncrawl


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The Beaverton - entire NDP caucus murdered by Justin Trudeau.
Tempest in a teapot here in Canada recently, as the horrible Justin Trudeau (gasp) got fed up with the opposition holding up a fucking vote in the House, so he got up and held someone by the arm and walked him to his seat while elbowing a smart-mouth from the pink party, telling her to "get the fuck out of my way" because she was the fuck in his way.
Here's the video of the whole shocking affair!
My god!
Oh, you miss it?
It's good to see that the fucktards in Parliament are still acting like a bunch of idiotic six year olds from fucking Lord of the Flies - I guess you can do that when you spend your whole fucking life sucking on the public teat or getting paid to write propaganda for think-tanks. And they prove their childishness later by trying to score points on Trudeau for the horrible crime of elbowing someone in his fucking way.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was accused of "manhandling" Opposition whip Gord Brown and elbowing NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau in the House of Commons as MPs gathered for a vote on the government's assisted-dying bill Wednesday afternoon."Oh no! The bad man touched me! Mommy! Tell the bad man to let me go!"
"I was trying to start the vote, the prime minister grabbed my arm. I immediately told the prime minister to let go of me — now," Brown said in a statement released later.
You weren't trying to start the fucking vote, Brown, you were stalling. Nowhere in the above video do I see you pulling your fucking thumb out of your Nazi ass.
Even more stupidity:
NDP MP Tracey Ramsey said the prime minister swore as he approached Brown and the opposition benches. "He said 'Get the bleep out of the way,'" she said, adding Trudeau "violently" grabbed Brown."Violently"? See, this is why we don't vote NDP anymore in my hometown: you're a bunch of fucking whiny sissies. If you're acting like a smartass and getting in someone's way where I come from, you get a slug to the head so hard it could sever your spine.
There was no "violence" in the above video.
Um, except later, where red-faced whiner Mulcair starts yelling at Trudeau like he's about to break down and cry. My god, Mulcair, you should be ashamed of yourself. You look like such a pussy.
Now back to the Fascist party for more stupidity:
Conservative MP Peter Van Loan said it was an "extraordinary example of physical intimidation.""An anger fierce"? Wow, is that so, Pete? Was it also "a fury unrestrained" and "a wrath immeasurable"?
"I witnessed as [Trudeau] strode across the floor with an anger fierce, in his face and eyes, towards a group of individuals. What took place was the prime minister physically grabbing people, elbowing people, hauling them down the way," he said.
Who are you trying to impersonate, Yoda? Or one of those homo poets who your government defunded ten years ago?
And how many people did he "physically grab" and "elbow"? One of each, maybe?
My god, that's far worse than (say) ordering one's government to refuse to provide consular services for Canadian citizens being illegally detained in communist dictatorships, or threatening to suspend the constitution to go after "activist judges", or firing civil servants who speak publicly, or defunding researchers whose studies contradict government propaganda, or illegally proroguing parliament to avoid a no confidence vote, you fucking Nazi pig.
And we'll punt it back to the NDP to show the world what a BA in Global Political Economy can do for a little silver-spoon bourgeois girl born to the hereditary political class who likes to pretend she cares:
Her NDP MP colleague Niki Ashton said she was deeply troubled by Trudeau's actions.Um, Niki, you priveleged little bourgeois poseur: if I apply a gendered lens, what I end up with is the dumb bitch was in his fucking way.
"I am ashamed to be a witness to the person who holds the highest position in our country do such an act. I want to say that for all of us who witnessed this, this was deeply traumatic. What I will say, if we apply a gendered lens, it is very important that young women in this space feel safe to come here and work here," she said.
If the little fucking snowflake wants to feel safe to come and work in the House of Commons, then maybe she should grow the fuck up, act like a fucking adult with responsibility, do her fucking job and fucking vote on bills once in a while, instead of getting in people's way like a smart-ass fucking brat on a school playground.


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Friday, January 7, 2011
A Good Day!
As part of the ceremony, they sang I Have a Dream by Abba, which has always been one of my favorites. (Actually, until they sang it for us last night in a practice run, I had forgotten just how big of an Abba fan I used to be...)
To love!
13 comments:
Liebe Silke,ReplyDelete
von uns beiden liebe Grüße. Es gefällt uns
immer bei dir.
Alles Liebe
Angela und Elisabeth
Sounds like it was a fun day all around!ReplyDelete
To ♥Love♥!!!
For all of us....
Congrats to your friends! ♥♥♥ I love these later-in-life love stories -- for obvious reasons. ☺ReplyDelete
Thats one of my favorite Abba songs also, it is always nice to have a little extra romance in your life. Happy weekend to you. LorrieReplyDelete
Ich liebe ABBA! To Love!ReplyDelete
Silke, thanks for the ABBA memories. Reminds of Pierce Brosnan in Mama Mia trying to sing that song. Good thing he is sooooo good looking, don't want to say anything about his singing.ReplyDelete
Congratulations and good luck to your friends. Love is the gift that just keeps giving.
To Love! What greater thing could there be?ReplyDelete
Ich liebe diesen ABBA-Song.ReplyDelete
LG Sabine
I love that little church! I had to enlarge the photo so I could go exploring. Savannah has to be The Most Romantic City ever. I wish I had had time when I was there for Ryan's graduation to explore. Congratulations to your lucky friends. Yes, To Love! **kisses** DebReplyDelete
OMG! who doesn't love ABBA? I love their music, and I love the musical "Mamma Mia!" ;)ReplyDelete
The photo of the church is just gorgeous. It sounds like this was indeed a romantic event. May this be a happy and lasting marriage.
Wonderful post..! yay for Abba..we listened to them growing up too..we even named our bird Fernando!ha ha!ReplyDelete
Was that Doris's beautiful wedding? My congrats to them both! What a lovely little chapel. I wish them every happiness~~ReplyDelete
I LOVE Abba - one of my secret little pleasures. Great music to listen to while cleaning, too! LOL I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Abba. TheresaReplyDelete


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Getting started
June 12, 2011
I finally got around to planting a few things at the Ballard P-patch this weekend. I have to admit I'm a little intimidated trying to grow new veggies. I don't want to spend a ton of money and then somehow kill all the plants. I went to Swanson's and decided I'd plant 1/2 the plot with flowers and decorative plants and the other 1/2 with edibles.
My favorite flowers are: Peony, Tulips and Lilies. I looked all over for a nice deep red, or peach colored peony, but all they had were white and pink. I went with a light pink color. The bees were all over it.
I loved the lemon cucumbers we grew on the deck last year. I like how full the plant gets. They are easy to grow and they make me feel somewhat successful as a novice gardener!
I'm going to plant some peppers and maybe some arugula as well. Stay tuned…
hori hori dig dig!


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Squamish Valley Music Festival 2016
When: Friday, August 5th until Sunday, August 7th, 2016.
Where: Centennial Field, Loggers Sports Grounds and Hendrickson Fields, Squamish, B.C. (Approx. 45 minutes north from Vancouver, and 30 minutes south of Whistler. 42222 Loggers Lane, Squamish, BC V8B 0H
Time: Gates open at 1:00 pm each day.
Age: All ages.
Overview: This year's Squamish music festival continues on the same theme of being an eclectic celebration of music filled with a diverse set of talent. Bookings are a mix of mainstream and underground as Kaskade headlines while Adventure Club, Porter Robinson, Tchami, A-Trak, Odesza, and more deliver a lot of flavour to the lineup.


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Hey Friends! Spent a week in the beautiful northern California redwoods at Mt. Hermon. With so much to do at the writer's conference, I was thankful for all that fresh oxygen and easy-on-the-eyes scenery around me!
My mom, Elaine Navarro, and I shared a room that had a view of towering trees. Ahhhh! What I love about this area is that we're in the mountains, but the beach is a mere 10-15 min. drive away. Crazy, huh?
While I was away, SuperMom posted a review of Sweet Waters over at her What You Reading? blog. If you haven't had a chance to pick up my latest beach read, stop on over and leave a comment ~ you might win a copy, gratis!
Off to cook dinner for the fam. Have a beachy Friday, my friends, wherever you are :)
Thursday, April 01, 2010
up in the trees
Posted by Julie Carobini at 4:45 PM
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EXTRA 15% off everything, including sale items, plus all organic kids long johns are just $24 at Hanna Andersson! Valid 11/25 - 11/27. This sale just began and it's a good one! Pick up a pair of their famous long johns. You and your kids will love them! The best! This is a very limited time sale, so snag your kids size now.
*This post contains affiliate links, we'll be compensated a small percentage if you make a purchase through our links. Thanks for supporting SMDF!
Thursday, November 24, 2016
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Are you in the United States?
Visit our U.S.A. & International site for relevant pricing, distribution and product availability information.Go to StarTech.com
6in DVI-D Dual Link Digital Port Saver Extension Cable M/F
Extend a DVI-D port by 6in, to prevent unnecessary strain on the port
Product ID: DVIDEXTAA6IN
- Supports a maximum resolution of 2560x1600
- High-speed digital transmission rate of up to 9.9 Gbits/sec
- Aluminum-Mylar Foil with Braided Shielding
- Supports hot-plugging of DVI display devices
- Compliant with DVI DDWG Standards
The DVIDEXTAA6IN 6-inch DVI-D Port Saver Cable/coupler avoids expensive repairs to a computer or display. It does this by extending the port by 6in, thereby eliminating the weight and stress that would typically be placed on the port by a DVI cable. This is especially useful in an environment where cables are unplugged and re-inserted frequently.
The 6in DVI-D cable supports resolutions of up to 2560x1600 and transmission rates of up to 9.9 Gbits/sec, and is fully compliant with DVI DDWG standards.
Designed and constructed for maximum durability, this high quality video cable is backed by StarTech.com's Lifetime Warranty.
The StarTech.com Advantage
- Prevents repairs to your computer or display by extending the port to eliminate the stress that would be placed on the port by a DVI-D cable
- Guaranteed reliability
Extend a video card or monitor DVI-D port by 6in, to protect against damage from frequent connect/disconnects
Technical Specifications
|Product Numbers
|Ingram Germany
|UPC Code
|Warranty Information
|Cable Jacket Type
|PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride
|Cable Shield Type
|Aluminum-Mylar Foil with Braid
|Connector Plating
|Connector A
|1 - DVI-D (25 pin) Male
|Connector B
|1 - DVI-D (25 pin) Female
|Physical Characteristics
|Cable Length
|0.2 m [0.5 ft]
|Product Height
|16 mm [0.6 in]
|Product Length
|152.4 mm [6 in]
|Product Weight
|82 g [2.9 oz]
|Product Width
|40 mm [1.6 in]
|Wire Gauge
|Packaging Information
|Package Quantity
|Shipping (Package) Weight
|86 g [3 oz]
|What's in the Box
|Included in Package
|1 - 6in DVI-D Dual Link Digital Port Saver Cable M/F
Product Support
Drivers & Downloads
Compliance Letter(s):
Data Sheet(s)
- DVIDEXTAA6IN_Datasheet.pdf
Frequently Asked Questions
Before You Buy
Digital Visual Interface (DVI) is a video display interface that can contain different types of signaling, based on the application. DVI cables and ports are created using different connector types to identify what application they are intended to be used in. The connector types are identified by the number of pins on the DVI connector. DVI comes in the following five different connector types:
- DVI-A (17 pin).
- DVI-D Single Link (19 pin).
- DVI-D Dual Link (25 pin).
- DVI-I Single Link (23 pin).
- DVI-I Dual Link (29 pin).
Single and Dual link DVI indicate the maximum resolution capabilities of the video source or video destination. The maximum resolutions are Single Link (1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz) and Dual Link (2560 x 1600 @ 60Hz).
Note: The maximum resolution of your video source and video destination are ultimately determined by the technical specifications of the devices. The connector type is not a definitive indicator of the maximum resolution.
DVI-A carries only analog (for example, VGA) with no digital component. DVI-D carries only digital video (for example, HDMI) with no analog component. DVI-I combines DVI-A and DVI-D connections to include both analog and digital components. A DVI-I port may be on either your video source or display, but whether or not a display carries either or both analog and digital sources depends on the technical specifications of your device.
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When you troubleshoot issues with a DVI cable, there are some quick tests that you can complete to rule out potential problems. You can test to make sure that the following components are working correctly and are not the source of the issue:
DVI cable
Video source
Video destination
To test your setup components, try the following:
Use the DVI cable, video source, and video destination in another setup to see if the problem is with the components or the setup.
Use a different DVI cable, video source, and video destination in your setup to see if the problem persists. Ideally, you should test a component that you know works in another setup.
When you test the video cables, video source, and video destination, it is recommended that you do the following:
Make sure that you are using the correct type of DVI cable. For more information about DVI cables, see the following FAQ: http://www.startech.com/faq/video_signal_converters_dvi_interface.
Verify that the source resolution matches the video source destination capabilities. For example, if the destination or DVI cable is only capable of 1920 x 1080, then the source cannot output 2560 x 1600, as that exceeds the capabilities of the destination or DVI cable.
Test your setup components using a lower resolution or a lower refresh rate, for example, 1024 x 768.
Note: Single Link DVI cables are only capable of resolutions up to 1920 x 1080. In order to obtain a resolution of 2560 x 1600, you will need to use a Dual Link DVI cable. For more information, see the FAQ link listed above.
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* Product appearance and specifications are subject to change without notice.


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In 1966, five men recognized the need for Christian education in Colorado Springs and began meeting weekly for prayer concerning their vision for a Christ-centered school. After five years of diligent prayer, in 1971, God opened the necessary doors for CSCS to be established. This firm dedication to a biblically focused education program grounded in prayer continues today.
CSCS offers students a well-rounded education – from a comprehensive academic program to a full complement of co-curricular opportunities. All courses are taught from a Christ-centered, biblical perspective by a committed and caring faculty. As an independent, non-denominational school, CSCS is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI).
Most significantly, Christian character-building is emphasized with daily Bible courses, weekly chapel services, and a myriad of opportunities for student volunteer service.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 states that, "a cord of three strands is not quickly broken." CSCS seeks to support the input of each child's family and church, serving as the third strand in ensuring the child's overall development -spiritually, academically, physically, socially, and emotionally. As a trusted partner in this developmental process, CSCS is dedicated to providing a safe environment that supports Christian values and lifestyles, and to effectively leveraging the rich resources of its programs, facilities, and personnel to achieve the maximum potential of each child.


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I remember as a child, a few of my friends were into the pen-friend thing. Pen-friends apparently shared strong bonds. I often thought, as young children are wont to think when not convinced, that the stories were made-up, just to 'show-off', until I heard a real life incident. One of P's friend actually traveled to Australia to meet his pen-friend after receiving an invitation and ended up working and living there for a long time! Incredible, isn't it? The days of pen-friends through snail-mail mode is long gone. And these days we have online friends, chatroom-friends, flickr-friends, and well – blogger-friends! I have quite a few and I am sure you do! Many of you are already my friends, and God bless you all for enriching my life with your touch!
I make friends easily with most people, that I knew, but till the blog happened, my friends were always those whom I met in real life. I did not understand virtual friendships. Slowly it happened, and without my knowing it, I started getting into conversations with readers, fellow bloggers and they were some with whom I 'connected'. We exchanged numbers and would meet up if we visited each other's cities. At first I was cautious but so far all the people I have met have been really nice people, some with whom the friendship has gone from acquaintance to close friends.
Aparna is one of my closest friends amongst bloggers. We have met a few times, and I have stayed at her place. We converse a lot on phone. Jr.H and Aparna's daughter Akshaya are buddies. We have a lot in common though as my daughter points out – "Ma, you both are so different!" That is what makes it special. 🙂
Today, it is my pleasure to invite Aparna over to my virtual home. Aparna writes a lacto-ovo, food blog called 'My Diverse Kitchen'. As the name indicates, her recipes belong to diverse regions. She loves baking as much as I do.
Over to Aparna:
Sometimes the simplest of things can have you stumped. Sometime back, Harini came down to Goa with her family for a short vacation. We are good friends, and our daughters can spend a lot of time marvelling over how food and photography can turn their mothers in beings weirder than Martians might be!
So what does one food blogger take when meeting another one? Well, good food is always much appreciated, so I decided to bake some cupcakes for her kids. I don't usually bake vegan but being vegetarian, I am now quite comfortable with it and only need to give my recipe of choice a bit of thought before I adapt it.
Harini's daughter, whom she refers to in her posts as 'Jr H' also happens to be allergic to gluten and this, is what had me stumped as I have rarely done gluten-free baking! My native style of South Indian cooking is inherently gluten-free as it is mostly rice based, but gluten-free baking is something I have very little experience with.
One of my reference points for workable gluten-free recipes on the net is the Karina, the Gluten-free Goddess. She has an excellent variety of gluten-free recipes on her blog, which are vegetarian and many are vegan too. These gorgeous gluten-free cupcakes took my fancy but I didn't have oranges or orange juice and some of the other ingredients in stock. But I did have lemons on hand, so adapted the recipe to suit my taste, make it vegan, and use whatever was in my kitchen cupboards.
And the result? Soft and delicious lemony cupcakes with a tangy lemon glaze. The softness and crumb texture is like that of a regular cupcake, and you wouldn't even know there wasn't all-purpose flour in it except for the somewhat nutty taste of sorghum flour. We liked them, and I remember Harini's daughter telling me she liked them very much.
So when Harini asked me, a couple of months back, if I would do guest post for her, it seemed a perfect idea to make those very gluten-free cupcakes that I had originally for her daughter. So here's my recipe.
One thing I would like to add, is that "xanthan gum" which is used in this recipe, is a corn-derived thickener and usually used in gluten-free bakes. It works by making the gluten-free batter thicker and the bakes like cakes less crumbly. I got my "xanthan gum" from the US, but if you don't have it, you can substitute it with guar gum (if you can find it), or arrowroot starch or flax seed meal.
Might I also add that the lemon glaze really does make this cupcake special so don't leave that out, or else you can use an icing/ buttercream of your choice.
Recipe: Vegan & Gluten-free Cupcakes With a Lime/ Lemon Glaze
(Adapted from the Gluten-free Goddess)
3/4 cup sorghum flour (jowar)
3/4 cup corn starch (corn flour in India)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp oil
1 cup water
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum and the lemon zest.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the oil, water, lemon juice and vanilla till mixed. Add this to the dry ingredients and beat with an electric mixer, on medium speed, for about 2 minutes till smooth and fluffy. This gluten-free batter is likely to climb up the beaters so it helps to beat in a "figure eight" motion while holding up the beaters a bit and at a slight angle while beating.
Let the batter sit a minute before spooning it into 10 medium sized cupcake lined cupcake tins. Bake the cupcakes at 180C (350F) for about 20 to 25 minutes till golden and firm to touch.
To make the lime/ lemon glaze, mix 1 cup icing sugar with about 1 to 2 tsp fresh lime/ lemon juice, or just enough to make a thick glaze. Drop a small teaspoonful of the glaze on the cool cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles if desired.
This recipe makes 10 medium sized cupcakes.
Have your say
I can understand how wonderful it is to connect to our blogger friends Harini..I am glad I could finally connect with people who can think as I do..:)..it was the same when we chatted over the phone right..so nice to know about your daughters..yes Aparna is one of those nice friends whom you feel as if you have always known!..That's a delightful treat with those being vegan and gluten free..kudos on the pretty pictures.
going to try this one. Looks easy and doable. Lemon glaze seems to be a good substitute for buttercream frosting.pics look delicious
I have been trying my hands on GF baking and it's fun. My latest blgo post is on a Vegan+GF banana muffins. I have been baking these without any gum in them and i still find the texture alright. May be the banana is holding them together?
This recipes looks simple enough for me to try too… I might replace xanthan gum with flax seed powder and see how that goes…
A great post with beautiful (as always) pictures from Aparna!
And thank you for having me here, Harini. 🙂
And please thank H for that compliment. At least, I hope whe meant the different was nice and not weird! 😀
Wow! that is how I felt with Aparna too. I could actually have long conversations with her and not just food! Like you stated, I make friends easily, but mostly with whom I meet in person. Only the blog has given me so many virtual friends . I am happy to have met few of them too.
These cup cakes are again such a treat both literally and visually!
Looks delicious, lovely clicks!!!! You have an award waiting for you at my blog. Do visit and accept!
Dear Aparna
Please tell me the source from which you purchased the Xanthan gum. I need some to make a home made soy based vegan alternative to butter (recipe sourced from veganbaking.net). In India , distributors expect you to buy it in bulk of 25 kgs which is unreasonable for somebody intending to use it for home consumption.
Kind Regards
Gemini Xettigar
My sister brought me the xanthan gum from the US. It was available as a small pack of about 300gm, I think. I don't know where small quantities are available in India, if at all.
You can try using guar gum, or what is called dinka/ gond/ kathira gond instead.
looks just awesum..n nice cliks.wonderful blog vth tasty recipes n lovely cliks…visit mine when u free If possible..
Sorry for the typographical error in typing your name as Aparna
I thought there already is a full stop to the list of friends in my life..before I stepped into the world of blogging. As there was rarely any chance to meet or chat with people who share same interest. And I was wrong…the food blogging world has opened a new chapter with such wonderful friends and memories to cherish…
Wish I could meet both of you soon..I still remember and love the shot Aparna took with you and your daughter under the same umbrella 🙂
Gluten free cupcakes with lemony glaze…sounds so tempting.
pretty cupcakes! love that lemon glaze.. so sweet that aparna baked up some gf cupcakes. i love it when 2 people can instantly connect via one of their common interests. now i need to find some bloggers around to yap about food:) its a diverse situation here though, but slowly some of us are getting to know more about each other.
Wow!!! This is what I felt after reading your write-up. Absolutely loved it. Amazing isn't it, virtual friends. I'm so new to this blogging world and I'm open to accept everyone as my friends and that makes me feel so happy. Love your muffins and the colorful muffin wraps too. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
I enjoyed reading your entry, it is amazing how you can click with people even through the internet 🙂
It is so nice for you two to meet up. Very thoughtful of Aparna to make something for your daughter.
Lovely post! I am also new to blogging and have been looking at few Gluten free recipes and this one looks like a must try 🙂
What a fantastic recipe! Simple enough, too. And thanks so much for sharing the xantham gum substitutions 🙂
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Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Judgment dressed up as advice
Now, before you start running for the hills, this post of mine is NOT about modesty. I've written enough about that topic. We can all agree on that.
Instead, what I want to talk about is something I noticed in that comment box conversation, something that happens in lots of conversations both online and in real life, and it is this: sometimes people try nicely to give others good advice, which is a good thing; but other times people like to give out judgment dressed up as advice, and that's not such a good thing.
What is the difference?
To use the modesty conversation from Simcha's comment box as an example, here's a look. Simcha wrote a funny post about trying to find something decent but still cool to wear in the heat in New Hampshire, which I understand is what we'd call a nice, cool day here in Texas, but then again in New Hampshire lots of places still don't have central air conditioning, so they still get hot when the temperature soars way above 75 degrees or so.
Some people responded quite nicely to the spirit of the post and made practical, helpful suggestions as to where a mother of nine children might be able to find some decent and affordable cool clothing options.
Other people, however, insisted that nobody needs to wear Capri pants and t-shirts, that all Catholic women know that the rules for dressing modestly are based on what the Blessed Virgin wears and what was written in the 1930s or so about "two fingers below the collar bone" etc., and that further every Catholic woman should shop at this or that modest dress/modest skirt store that offers plenty of decent skirts and dresses for somewhere between $60 to $100 for a skirt and $100 to $150 for a dress. They implied, and in some cases came right out and said, that any Catholic woman who doesn't do this is failing to dress modestly and is putting her priorities into things like smartphones and high-tech gadgets instead of skirts and dresses that will not cause the men around her to fall into the sin of lust (because everybody knows that a pair of baggy capri pants with a t-shirt will drive all the boys wild, while a lace blouse paired with a demure skirt with a flirty mid-calf hem reminds a decent man that the woman thus clad is her sister in Christ and the daughter of the Blessed Mother, of course). And if she really, really can't afford those skirts and those dresses, why, thrift stores, or learn to sew in your spare time--but she could probably afford those clothes just fine if she wasn't such a spendthrift in the other areas of her life.
And the point of such "advice" is to sit in judgment on another person, which, as Simcha's post today points out, is something we probably all do but shouldn't.
What about areas other than clothing? Well, I've heard the one--you probably have too--about how Catholic homeschoolers are cheating the local Catholic schools out of their fair share of students, and how there's no reason a homeschooling family couldn't afford the local Catholic school. I used to get into arguments with people about this, pointing out that the local Catholic schools near me charge $5000 or $6000 per year per child, while the local Catholic high school is between thirteen and fifteen thousand per year per student depending on whether your parish supports the school (and including the fees, textbook costs, and required uniforms). But I was wasting my time, because people told me we ought to be able quite easily to afford $18,000 for grade school and (now that our girls are in high school) $45,000 per year for all three of them to attend the Catholic high school in the area. If we had just made it a priority for them to do this, including putting them in day care when they were babies so I could earn a full time income along with my husband, we'd be fine. Instead, we selfishly chose to live on one income and have me be a stay-at-home mom, depriving our children of the chance to go to diocesan Catholic schools. Oh, and we probably took vacations (we don't, except to see and stay with relatives once every four or five years), and had smartphones (we didn't until my husband needed one for work last year; I still don't have one and don't want one), and so on. The worst part about that last bit was that I heard that from a parish priest (not our current parish) in his homily: he essentially said that people needed to be sending their kids to the parish school, and that everyone there could afford to do so if we just gave up our luxury spending on vacations and gadgets and the like. I just sighed; it still boggles my mind how many Catholic priests think that Catholic families in America are all extremely wealthy, except for a few unfortunate souls who didn't buy start-up tech stock back in the 90s or something.
To be fair, I've heard homeschoolers do this kind of judging too: we can, and do, cross the line from being enthusiastic about homeschooling and encouraging to those who are interested in it to offering judgment dressed up as advice to people who say they can't fathom homeschooling themselves. I think I've gotten a bit better about this over the years, because there's a big difference between the person who says, "Oh, you homeschool? I've always wanted to do that, but I'm afraid of X (and sometimes Y and W)..." and the person who says, "You homeschool? Well, bless your heart, but I could never do that." The first person might actually want real advice and encouragement, but the second probably doesn't, and may think you are judging her for choosing not to homeschool if you launch into homeschool cheerleading. Worse, you might actually be judging her for choosing not to homeschool. It's better to back off and remember that not everybody is called to homeschool, and it really doesn't work for everyone.
So, how do you know when you're honestly offering friendly advice to someone and when you're just offering judgment dressed up as advice? The Golden Rule is probably the best go-to in this situation. Ask yourself: Would I be pleased and grateful to get this advice, in these words, from someone else? Why or why not? You'll probably be able to tell whether or not you are offering the advice in the right spirit and with the right motives if you think about it.
3 comments:
- Tony said...
Ask yourself: Would I be pleased and grateful to get this advice, in these words, from someone else? Why or why not? You'll probably be able to tell whether or not you are offering the advice in the right spirit and with the right motives if you think about it.
I've always taught my girls that they should not say potentially hurtful things unless they fit three criteria.
1. Is it true.
2. Is it kind.
3. If not 2, is it necessary.
Sometimes it's necessary to tell someone an uncomfortable truth that might be hurtful. You may be required by charity to do it even at the risk of losing a friend. After all, where they spend eternity is much more important than than them not being mad at you.
- June 5, 2013 at 9:21 AM
- priest's wife said...
I've gotten this about Catholic schools as well- and even worse- as Byzantine Catholics, we would not 'qualify' for the Catholic tuition because the Roman-rite parish is not ours (our 2 Byzantine missions with no schools would be)- so we would pay double as 'non-Catholics' (even though the same parish has my bi-ritual husband celebrate 3 masses and three hours of confessions a week)
in any case- I'm happy to be homeschooling
- June 5, 2013 at 12:00 PM
- Alisha De Freitas said...
I read Simcha's post and laughed hysterically. And I had to stop reading the comments about how easy it is to find cute, affordable summer clothes that are modest. It's NOT. Especially when the trends this year include dresses that are sized for my five year old niece and shorts that are more revealing than my Hanes. I'm just thankful that as a stay at home, I can repeat outfits all I like.
- June 5, 2013 at 12:59 PM


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Disclaimer: Some of these are literary works with merit, others are purely for entertainment. I'm totally ok with a little "trash" once and a while... don't judge me : )!
On my Shelf:
- The Paradise of Glass by Pera Durst-Benning - see the above statement, I read the other two in this historical fiction series, strong female characters and handcrafts got me hooked.
- A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki - suggested by a friend
- The Martian - by Andy Weir - 'cause I heard it's great (though maybe I should listen to this instead?) I heard the movie is wonderful, but I always choose the book first when I can!
- Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Bandani - for when I am ready for a sad book again (see below) It keeps popping up, so it is on my list!
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews- my girl and I both read this this summer, super sad, and yet I laughed out loud a lot? That is confusing....
- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng - I'm not sure I can suggest this book, I spent the whole read with a giant lump in my throat, it just made me sad, and frustrated at clueless parents, and then melancholy again.
- The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan - Don't judge me, the other two books I read above were SUPER depressing, and I needed a freakin' break!
- Mrs. Fisher's Murder Mysteries - GAH! the costumes and storylines are perfect!


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he is said to dwell in the castle of Kronborg, his beard grown down to the floor, and to sleep there until some date when Denmark is in mortal danger, at which time he will rise up and deliver the nation
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Video: Why the Taliban Run From U.S. Marines
Posted by Holger Awakens at 2:32 PM
Labels: Videos
2 comments:
- Anonymous said...
Did you notice that the machine gun has a brass catcher attached? Why are they saving their expended rounds in combat? Is it a crazy Obama environmental rule?
- June 25, 2013 at 7:59 PM
- rgranger said...
I think that is like a c-mag, the brass is ejecting on the right.
- June 26, 2013 at 12:35 PM
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Quick Reference
A linear DNA molecule whose sequence appears as if produced by cleaving circular molecules at different points. For example, circular permutations of ABCDEFG would be CDEFGAB, EFGABCD, etc.
Subjects: Chemistry.
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Wednesday, December 4, 2013
This photo sums up what I feel about this time between Thanksgiving and the New Year. There is a lot going on and sometimes all one can do is hang on and brace yourself for the ride. I'm not a bah humbug type of person with the holidays but I do like to lay low a bit and let some of the obnoxious parts pass me by.
These pictures are all ones that I took on my Grand Canyon river trip in the spring of 2000. They first three were all probably taken while we were scouting rapids. We would pull over and the people maneuvering the boats would discuss things over about lines and waves and such since the river was ever changing. After that, they would discuss the order of the boats going through the rapids. If you were in the first boat, you nervously walked back to the boat knowing full well you were now a guinea pig for the other three boats and you were lucky to get a picture of the latter boats running the rapids from far below.
However if you were in one of the last boats, we would linger along the shore and take some action shots of the first boats running the rapids. The previous three give you some sense of how large the water is on the Colorado river even though these rapids weren't nearly some of the biggest or worst. The raft shown above was our baggage raft and was around 20 feet long to give you some sense of scale. It allowed the wooden dory boats that the passengers rode in to be light enough that we could put ourselves in sportier parts of the rapids without being sluggish from the weight.
I took along a waterproof camera hoping to get action shots from the river but that didn't happen for the most part. Any really big rapids that we were running, I was 100% focused on the waves and throwing my weight around to one side or the other to keep the tiny dory boat upright. This required both hands to hold myself into the boat and not go for a swim. In the picture above, we came to one of the smaller unnamed rapids with a wave train at the end with some small 8 to 10 feet waves that we just surfed on through. This freed up one of my hands to take some action shots of running a rapids, one of the better ones shown above.
3 comments:
- Leigh said...
I was going to ask if you had a waterproof camera! Pretty amazing shots, actually.
OK, I can't help but shamelessly mention that my homesteading book has been published; I've very excited! Please do drop by my blog soon to help me celebrate. :)
- December 5, 2013 at 4:50 AM
- Ed said...
Leigh - I don't have a waterproof camera but I borrowed one to take along on the trip. For the most part, the shots it took were pretty poor but it did allow me to take shots safely where I couldn't with my SLR.
Congratulations on your book. Everyone should go over to Leigh's blog and check it out. Buy a copy too!
- December 5, 2013 at 7:51 AM
I wondered about the camera too.
It must have been a fascinating trip.
- December 5, 2013 at 1:04 PM
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Photographic Allsorts
About Me
photographic allsorts
On my site you will find all sorts of photographs, as the title suggests.I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy taking them.
View my complete profile
Thursday, 3 July 2014
Matthew and Kaskelot in Bristol City Docks.
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Day 3: (The Midpoint):
Today marks the halfway point of my maternity leave. I can't believe the time is going so fast! It seems like just yesterday we brought Maddy home from the hospital. As if to mark the date in black ink, I had my 6 week postpartum appointment to make sure I have fully recovered from the pregnancy. I have been so focused on Maddy and her growth that I'd mostly forgotten that I was still in the healing process as well. It felt good to see the doctor and get a clean bill of health, and the green light to begin working out and doing normal activities again. Beyond breastfeeding and it's implications, I'm back to my pre-pregnancy body.
I feel like the rest of the time is going to go by in a wink of an eye, and before I know it I'll be juggling my work schedule with my mommy schedule. While I know I want to return to work, I also know I want to spend time with my daughter when she's awake - as she'll start to go to bed between five and seven PM most days, that doesn't leave me a lot of time after a long day of work to see her with her eyes opened.
Somehow, I'm going to have to find a balance that works for me. The challenge that I have as I think about the end of maternity leave, starting daycare for Maddy and returning to work, is that I know I could easily enjoy being a stay at home Mom, or being a career woman with kids, and the truth is I want BOTH. I have been part of the workforce since I was fifteen, and the fact is I enjoy working. And I'm good at my job. No, I'm not a CFO or head of some major company, but I work hard, get the job done, and am counted on as a significant contributor within my workplace. And I provide a good component of our families income, something I'm proud of. These are all things I want to continue to do, not only for myself but as a role model for my children. However, I know I could spend every day with my daughter, and know that I would relish the time caring for her, and taking care of our home and family needs.
I haven't figured out yet what balance is going to work for me, and how I'll manage making the balance a reality. But I've got to start figuring it out soon, and I can only hope that when I do begin to balance mommyland and a career, there will be just as many (if not more) laughs than their are tears.


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Monday, April 20, 2009
4/22/09 Reading Response 6
13 comments:
- Clifton K. Baggett said...
1.You may think of an answer the wrong way.I have definitely thought of an answer the wrong way.
- April 20, 2009 at 5:36 PM
- kaitlynn said...
1.I think this quote means you don't have to be smart alec to understand e.g.1 a not so smart person may not know much but can undersand how to hit a drum. Did you notice the quote says 'i don't know EVERYTHING'. The quote applies to my life by although i am in math and readin i just don't feel smart.An exsmaple is with my am iv'e been on xing decimals for about the whole school year.A.m just dosen't make me feel smart and i feel below all the others and i allways have. But I understand decimals but not as well as the others.Although it may apply to my life at times,hereis how is how it does apply to my life like when I tell myself I am smart and I am (I guess).
- April 20, 2009 at 5:42 PM
- Andrew said...
1.This man may have a lot of knowledge but not all knowing.
- April 20, 2009 at 7:01 PM
Q1.This Quote means that you can already have knolage on the subject with out it being present in your life during your past years.It compares with my life because I have never taken spanish classes or had any knolage in the subject of spanish but I can still understsnd it. But Ican not speak it.
- April 20, 2009 at 8:31 PM
- Cindy827 said...
1. This quote means that he understands what he knows but he does not know everything. This quote applies to my life at times, here's how it does not apply to my life it doesn't because I don't understand a lot of things because some can;t understand because it may be challenging to know.
- April 21, 2009 at 11:32 AM
- Leah Craver said...
1. This quote means that many things are understood though what they mean you know nothing about. It relates in my life because I understand mathmaticle terms but I don't have all of the knowledge to be able to explain it to others. It does not seem to fit with the life of my dads because he teaches me and he knows the facts maybe a little more than he understands it.
- April 22, 2009 at 7:28 AM
- Kendra said...
1.The person is saying that he has much knowledge but he is aware of much more.
- April 22, 2009 at 4:33 PM
- tylerlythgoe said...
1. It means that you might not know many things but what you do know you understand completely. It applies to my life because in school even though im in honors dosnt mean I know everything and in truth I dont know most things but what I understand great.
- April 22, 2009 at 6:18 PM
- joey said...
it means I do not have to be a smart person to have an understanding of everything around you.
It does not apply to my life bymeaning that I have an undestanding of things but I know little
- April 22, 2009 at 10:04 PM
- Sophia Barr said...
1. it means that the person is intelligent but comprehends more. it compares to my life because sometimes i understand more than i know. it contrasts with my life because sometimes i know more than i understand.
- April 23, 2009 at 10:18 PM
- Adam said...
1.This quote means to me that like even though I'm in honors it doesn't mean that I'm smarter then everybody in the 4th grade.
- April 27, 2009 at 4:27 PM
- SamuelG said...
1. To me this quote means that some people are very smart, but nobody yet has known every single thing in the world(and nobody probably will). It applies to my life because nobody I know knows everything but some people, like my teachers, know lots of complicated things. It contrasts with my life because not everybody I know knows many things.
- April 30, 2009 at 3:50 PM
- kyle said...
1.this quote means you may know alot but you will never know all.this quote applies to my life by saying you can never learn all.although it may apply to my life at times, here is how it does not apply to my life you may always be learning and think you know all.
by kyle grace
- May 3, 2009 at 8:55 PM


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Sunday, May 15, 2011
Haski's Take
2 comments:
Please, the only reason Haski can mention Hollande is that Hollande happened to be second to DSK in opinion polls, which at this stage essentially reflected the media noise that each presumptive candidate was making.
Presidential politics are not about media noise, they are not about "bon mots". Hollande, a true socialist, does not have even one day of ministerial experience. The socialist candidate will be set against a pro politician, with the characteristics of a pre-fascist and no scruples whatsoever. Good man as he is is, Hollande does not stand a single chance.
And, by way, to go back on one of your older posts, I would do exactly like Fabius, I would not choose between a pre-fascist and a post-fascist. They are blanc bonnet, bonnet blanc as Duclos might have said. Whereas, in 2002, it took me aproximately five seconds to decide to vote Chirac as I discovered the results of the first round. And most of my friends are with me on this: we who have foreign relatives have seen and witnessed exactly what a permissive attitude to xenophobia and rascism has brought about in the country we used to be proud of.
- May 15, 2011 at 4:30 PM
A tweet I got from journalist BRP (who was on tv yesterday)
B_Roger_Petit Bruno Roger-Petit
Si #DSk n'y va pas, le PS devrait renoncer à la Primaire. Sinon...
- May 16, 2011 at 5:47 AM


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In America, anyone can become president. That's the problem.
(George Carlin)
White House home shopping network
I thought a colleague of mine was putting me on recently when he told me that the Trump family had been peddling products and advertising their family businesses on a dot gov web site. Ivanka herself was marketing her $10,000 bracelet. I discovered it was true. The site came down after a few days. I guess someone realized it was not a subtle way to begin the four year scam.
This is a family of rich grifters … and that's why they're liked by so many Americans. It doesn't matter if the Donald is a billionaire (thanks to daddy) along with numerous conflicts of interest, deadbeat morality and totally unqualified to be town dog catcher let alone the President of the United States.
America he's ours—certainly for a large percentage of white people--and we want to believe he's revenge on the "ruling class," which ruling class of course depends on your point of view. Donald is going to make America "great again." I may be wrong but did anyone among our corporate info-entertainers over this past dismal year ask him "when" America was great? But hell, who cares. Right?
The rational worldview
People I know have told me I need to be patient. After all, Trump did win the presidency fair and square. Let's wait and see what he does before we react. We need to bring the country together in order to move forward. The opposition needs to accept this fact. Unless you have demonstrable proof that the election was "stolen" get it line and support America. Forget the blather about Hillary having more of the popular vote than Trump; Mr. Trump clearly won within the current system.
I refuse to participate in this process of organized amnesia, to cooperate in normalizing a man who stands for everything America should not.
(Leonard Pitts Jr., journalist)
The Lord of Mordor
I've been following a particular social media site very much in opposition to Donald Trump. I've read with interest a lengthy thread dealing with trolls, insulting remarks and how best to handle individuals who do this.
What struck me while reading many of the comments was the naivete of so many, well meaning and committed individuals who are against Trump. Nasty individuals, however, mocking liberals is the least of our worries. Steve Bannon, the Donald's Rasputin in the new White House, has little interest in what you think about damn near anything. It will likely get so much worse and we have no time for a lengthy learning curve or being shocked or upset by troglodytes.
Less we forget, the Cult controls Congress. The list is long. Characters like Paul Ryan think their libertarian college boy dream can soon become a reality. You gonna stop it? In addition to the ACA they're coming after Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the environment, which includes national parks and wildlife. Women your place is in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant. Hell, some 53% of white women voted for Donald. What happened to the last forty years or so? Trickle down economics is back with a vengeance. Oh yes, tax cuts for the parasite class is the wave of the future. After all, they're clearly your betters and struggle is good for you. Serfdom has some good aspects because you'll know what to do day after day after day. You just do what you're told. First amendment, well, we may have to cut back a bit in order to make America great. Now the "other" people, you know who you are. You've got to understand who runs this country, and realize who is on top of the dung heap, sort of like the natural order of things. Best of all we're going to have guns and more guns everywhere—hospitals, schools, churches and conveniently you'll be able to buy them in a Quick Trip or maybe a 7Eleven, hell, Hobby Lobby possibly, who knows and no waiting time. An educated citizenry? Well, there is too much thinking going on in this country. A well run country can't really have educated citizens. And there is so much more. I bet Russia could be our closest ally because we'll have so much in common. Imagine, we could give a select group of angry white people brown and black shirts and they could earn merit badges and move up in the ranks. I know, it's an old idea, but we could reduce unemployment to zero and have a lot of torchlight parades and be proud Americans again. Be happy, don't worry citizens, you're not in a dream....
I'm going to a restaurant tonight. It's owned by Muslims. Last week white nationalist Orcs smashed some windows and wrote graffiti on the walls. This approaching Kristallnacht we better not ignore or worry that we might upset the Cult. We can apologize profusely and promise to work together if Trump and company do not turn out to be a collection of ignorant, undemocratic thugs that want to turn the clock back to some mythical and exclusive white boy paradise.
This is not going to be a gentle struggle or a weekend beating of drums, chants and inspiring folk music. The thread for how we got here goes back to the very beginning of this country founded on slavery, racism, genocide, predatory capitalism, Social Darwinism, total disrespect for the natural world and "I got mine." Now the monsters have been unleashed. Be grateful for what you have and realize and understand what and why you have it and be clear that you're not alone or powerless. Make this Thanksgiving a time to commit to a much better country.
And suddenly the mirror went altogether dark, as dark as if a hole had opened in the world of sight, and Frodo looked into emptiness....
(Frodo seeing Sauron, in the Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien)


text: I have my pick of nearly 20 Chinese places that will deliver to my house. Sometimes, my choices become limited because I have no cash in the house and many do not accept debit/credit cards. That's fine. However, some of the ones that accept credit cards inform me that my dinner will cost more if I use my card. I am assuming it has something to do with charging tax. This does not sound legal at all. Can someone explain to me why they do this and if it is actually legal???? It seems risky to only charge tax to those paying with credit cards. Can there be another reason - legal or not? I usually end up saying, "Yeah, that's fine", because the difference is not so great that it matters, but it still irks me and doesn't seem kosher.


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Monday, April 15, 2013
Are Members Of BLACK SABBATH & QUEEN Collaborating On A NEW Project?
According to the UK's Birmingham Mail, BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi and QUEEN's Brian May will be recording an album together. Talk about legend meets legend.
The collaboration was born when May went to visit Iommi when he was diagnosed with cancer (read more HERE).
"When I was first ill, Brian May came to visit me at my house in Lapworth," commented Iommi. "I played him some of my stuff, rock riffs that I'd never quite got round to developing, or decided not to use. He said I ought to do something with them.
"It's early days yet, and all my attention in on SABBATH for the foreseeable future, but we may well find some way of working together on them, and making them available in some shape or form.
"One of the ideas we had is that we could make the riffs available, get fans to use them in songs of their own, and see what they come up with. That way they'd effectively be recording with Brian and myself."
"I heard some of the hours of unreleased guitar jams Tony has on tapes and hard drives. I thought it would be great to make a compilation out of them", said May.
"The idea was to put all these riffs out in some form so that people could build their own songs from them. You could make your own music with Tony Iommi on guitar! How great is that!"
As previously announced, BLACK SABBATH will be releasing their comeback record entitled '13' on June 10 via Vertigo (album artwork & details HERE). Yesterday (April 12), the band made an announcement regarding the premiere of a NEW song out of '13'. Read on...
"Black Sabbath will perform a new song from '13' on the season finale of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It will air Wednesday, May 15th on CBS. No word if they are also behind the crime..."
In anticipation of the most anticipated album of year, SABBATH will be touring Europe this November and December. Here are the confirmed tour dates:
Nov. 20 - Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland
Nov. 22 - Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
Nov. 24 - Telenor Arena, Oslo, Norway
Nov. 26 - Forum, Denmark, Copenhagen
Nov. 28 - Ziggo Dome, Holland, Amsterdam
Nov. 30 - Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
Dec. 02 - Bercy, Paris, France
Dec. 05 - Fiera Arena, Milan, Italy
Dec. 07 - 02 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
Dec. 10 - 02 Arena, London, UK
Dec. 12 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Ireland
Dec. 14 - Arena, Sheffield, UK
Dec. 16 - Hydro, Glasgow, UK
Dec. 18 - Arena, Manchester, UK
Dec. 20 - LG Arena, Birmingham, UK
Other Upcoming BLACK SABBATH tour dates:
- Apr 20: Auckland Vector Arena, New Zealand
- Apr 22: Auckland Vector Arena, New Zealand
- Apr 25: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Australia
- Apr 27: Sydney All Phones Arena, Australia
- Apr 28: Melbourne Rod Laver Arena, Australia
- May 1: Melbourne Rod Laver Arena, Australia
- May 4: Perth Arena, Australia
- May 12: Ozzfest, Tokyo Makahari Messe, Japan
Be the first to get information about the new Black Sabbath album: http://bitly.com/BlackSabbathMailingList.
Related links:
BLACK SABBATH's Official Website
Brought to you by HornsUpRocks.com at 7:01 PM
Labels: album cover, bill ward, Black Sabbath, brad wilk, brian may, european tour, geezer butler, heavy music, horns up rocks, Ozzy Osbourne, queen, recording session, release date, reunion, song premiere, tonny iommi
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Combine Bubble and xy scatter line chart
Inspired by Krisztina Szabó combined bubble and line chart, I have connected the data area with the Jedox Biker database.
Krisztina Szabó published the combined graph on the page "E90E50". This Site is a collection of articles about Excel. Great Stuff. E90E50
You can find the Step by step description here: E90E50 - Combine Bubble and xy scatter line chart
|combine bubble and xy scatter line chart
And here you can download the xlsx-File with connection to the Biker Database: Excel Chart with Jedox connection
|chart with connection to Biker Database
Have fun with this Excel chart


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Deborah Bryon's 'Lessons of the Inca Shamans: Piercing the Veil' gives readers insight into a fascinating journey
Author Deborah Bryon, Ph.D., takes readers on a journey through both understanding and transcendence in her book, Lessons of the Inca Shamans: Piercing the Veil. Vividly told and richly detailed, Lessons of the Inca Shamans are recollections of the author's own experiences with the Q'ero shamans in Peru.
This first-hand account describes Bryon's four years of initiations into the rites of the shamans, and her struggle to integrate what she learned with her everyday life back in the Western world. On the condition that she would share her newfound knowledge with others, she challenged herself to reach beyond her own limits and learn what she could about the wise and mysterious ways of the shaman.
Chronicling her journey and her extraordinary quest to find more meaning in life, Bryon manages to seamlessly interweave the things she was taught in Peru with her wonderfully clever, self-deprecating humor, her experience as a Jungian analyst, and the myriad ways in which she discovered she could integrate what she learned with how she lived. In addition, she analyzes her experience with Jungian insight, providing an interesting dichotomy of science and spirituality.
The central theme to what the shamans wished her to pass on focuses on the interconnectedness of all things, both physical and spiritual, and the unbreakable connection that human beings have with the Earth. Throughout the book, Bryon provides suggestions and exercises for the reader, encouraging them to work the lessons of the shamans into their own lives.
Richly told and stunningly moving, Lessons of the Inca Shamans is a fascinating glimpse into a world that most people will never have the amazing fortune to see. A perfect read for anyone who is on a spiritual journey of their own, Bryon's account of her profound experience is both engaging and enlightening.
Deborah Bryon
Deborah Bryon, Ph.D. is a Jungian analyst in Denver, Colorado. Since 2005, she has received in-depth training with Q'ero shamans in Peru. She has undergone a series of sacred initiations with the shamans she has worked with, and now teaches classes, writes, and leads groups that combine Jungian depth psychology, psychoanalysis, and shamanism. She lives with her husband, Perry, two dogs, a cat, and a macaw in Colorado.
For more information, please visit www.lessonsoftheincashamans.com
Read Deborah Bryon's blog at http://lessonsoftheincashamans.com/blog/
For media inquiries or to request a review copy, please contact:
Deborah Bryon


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Crystal Ski Holidays are kicking off their winter 16/17 marketing campaign with a new video. Aimed at anyone who loves the mountains, the video is all about building anticipation for the forthcoming winter season with Crystal's Ski Explorers hitting the slopes in stunning Mayrhofen in the Austrian Tirol.
Designed by producer Josh Monie and team, it was filmed in March on the Penken, Ahorn and Hochfügen mountains and features four genuine Ski Explorers chosen from Crystal employees for living and breathing the values of each character:
Dawn Patrol – Resort Manager
Powder Hound – Resort Manager
Fair Weather Fred – Customer Sales Advisor
Après Animal – Overseas Operations & Safety Manager
In the video, each of the Ski Explorers demonstrates how they are able to get more winter with Crystal Ski Holidays. Whether it's using the Ski Explorer app to get the latest snow reports and find recommended runs best suited to them; to the in-resort Crystal Service dedicated to making sure they're mountain-ready, whether it's finding the first lifts to open or the last bars to close.
Caroline Child, Head of Brand and Campaigns, explains, "We're really excited to launch our new campaign just as the snow starts to fall in some of Europe's mountains. For us, winter is all about swapping the unwelcome cold of home for the crisp chill of resort. It's standing at the top of the mountain feeling like you can see forever. Winter is the kids finishing ski school breathless with delight. It's your yearly ski trip with friends, just as much fun after 25 years as when you first snow ploughed or caught an edge.
Winter is everything that makes us love the mountains. This season, our campaign will be all about how we can help our customers get more out of winter, with Crystal Ski Holidays."
Hit play and see how we help the ski explorers get the most out of the mountain –
To book www.crystalski.co.uk 020 8939 0726


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Front page
Rolls-Royce completes testing of latest E3E engine core
Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has successfully completed testing of the latest build of its new two-shaft engine core, known as Core 3/2d. The tests, which are part of the E3E (efficiency, environment, economy) research programme, were carried out in the altitude test facility at Stuttgart University.
Tests included operation of a lean burn combustion system in simulated bad weather during which Core 3/2d operated safely and successfully performed windmill re-lights in conditions equivalent to a tropical hailstorm. Emission and performance measurements and functional tests were also carried out.
Dr Karsten Mühlenfeld, Rolls-Royce, Director Corporate and Engineering, Germany said: "These 40 hours of testing are another step forward in our continued work to develop environmentally friendly technologies. These technologies will enable future Rolls-Royce engines to contribute significantly to the goal of the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) of reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by 80 per cent by 2020."
Technology developed as part of the E3E programme forms the basis of the Rolls-Royce Advance2 future two-shaft engine programme, designed to reduce fuel-burn by 15 per cent, compared to similar engines currently in service. E3E lean burn combustion technology will also make a significant contribution towards meeting future emissions targets.
Dr Holger Klinger, Rolls-Royce, Chief Project Engineer Technology Programmes, Germany said: "The innovative combustor exceeded all expectations in terms of NOx reduction and engine stability under adverse operational conditions. Core 3/2d achieved emissions levels up to 60 per cent lower than current CAEP6 regulations."
The experiments are the last in a sequence of successful test campaigns, which began in 2008, and confirm the improved efficiencies offered by the all new E3E Core configuration.
Press release issued by Rolls-Royce Deutschland on September 12, 2012
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On the 7th Dec. 2014, Ms. Sushma Swaraj, the Union Minister for External Affairs, was reported to have said at Gita PreraN mahOtsav (approx. Engl: Gita's Inspiration Festival), 5151st Anniversary of Gita, as under:
"When I read Gita for the first time, I did not agree with the concept of whatever happens, happens for the best and whatever happens in future, will be for good. But when I read it for the third and fourth time, I understood its meaning. This has helped me all through my life. Even now, when I am handling the External Affairs and the challenges related to it,"
"I am able to face the challenges as External Affairs Minister only because of the teachings of Gita."
"...Only a formal announcement to this effect is pending. ... "The Prime Minister has already given it the stature of national granth by gifting it to US President Barack Obama. ..."
"...psychiatrists should read and prescribe the Gita to patients suffering from depression. ..."
Hariyana Chief Minister, Manoharlal Khattar is reported to have said:
"Gita ke sandesh ko jab hum dhyan se padhte hain , to jaisa kaha hai hamare desh ka samvidhan hi Gita hai. Gita ko samvidhaan se upar maan liya gaya hai. Kisi bhi desh ka samvidhan kaal aur paristhithi ke hisab se badalta rehta hai, lekin Gita aisa saar hai jo sahasvat hai (When we read the Gita carefully, as has been said, our Constitution is the Gita itself. In fact, the Gita is considered above the Constitution. Any country's constitution changes with time and circumstances, but the Gita is eternal.) ..."
Person views of ybrao a donkey, which I do not wish to impose on others:
1. What is the definition of a sacred scripture?
2. What is the definition of a National scripture?
3. Does a country require a National scripture?
The objects of Bhagavad Gita as per verses 18/42 to 44 (May be insertions by preachers), are very clear:
Gita imposes servility on SUdras (4th caste persons). What it imposes on 5th caste persons (today's word: dalits), is not clear.
Why Lord Krishna, divided only Indians into four castes? Why did he leave the remain world untouched?
Why did Lord Krishna take up the task of dividing Indians only into four castes? Today , there are thousands of castes; it is a different thing.
cAtur-varNyam maya srishTam
tasya kartAram api mAm
viddhi akartAram avyayam.
It is very clear that priests and preachers have tried to legitimize their own creation of caste divisions, by attributing to Lord Krishna.
Mahatma Gandhi, Lok Manya Bala Gangadhara Tilak, and many others have used the meaning of 'karma' in Gita, to mean 'duty' and, of course, society has benefited from their getting inspired by Gita.
But, the real meaning of 'karma', as per Gita, is not a simple straight "one's own duty". It is one's own duty as imposed by his caste. Fortunately or unfortunately, in independent India, people are giving greater importance to wealth in the place of caste of a person. People are accepting marital relationships with rich persons, ignoring their castes. It is good that they are ignoring the caste element, gradually. But they are substituting it with a bigger mill-stone, 'wealth'. Cure should not be worse than disease.
The reason for Mahabharata war was internecine disputes. It has nothing to do with religion or defending a Nation. The dispute arose because of presumed insult suffered by Duryodhana, and gambling disputes between Pandavas and Kauravas.
Indians seem to have learnt this predisposition to gambling 24 x 7 x 365 from Pandavas, Kauravas , Yadavas (Balarama was a gambler), Vidarbha (Rukmini's brother Rukmi was a gambler. Balarama killed him in a gambling dispute), Nala et al. Gambling is a trait of Aryans. We find mantras in Atharvana Veda, praying Gods for success in gambling. 21st Century Indian gambling does not leave out anything. Stock exchanges, cricket, weather, elections, car numbers, matka-bracket, horse-races, card-games, what not.
Indians have to find out a solution for these evils of alcoholism, prostitution, unofficial wives, gambling and wife-beating (wife-betting?) etc. Without solutions for these evils, having a National Scripture will be like adorning a skeleton with silk cloth.
India's priority today is not getting a National scripture. Its priorities should be:
1. Population control.
2. Removal of inequalities of income and wealth. For this probably Right of property will have be removed. Democratic Marxism can help in this respect.
3. Producing food, clothing, shelter, skill generation, indigenously, on a large scale.
4. Solar energy, sea-wave energy, wind energy, probably hydrogen fuel.
5. Confining religion to individual and family level, within the boundaries of home. For this we have to remove priests of all religions and close down prayer houses. Of course, Marxism can use their services for some other productive purposes, and provide them greater intrinsic job satisfaction, than what they are getting now. Pl. see point No. 7 below.
6. Reduce dependence of agriculture on monsoons, by bringing every inch of cultivable land under drip irrigation.
7. Develop a culture of 'dignity of physical work'. Every individual from top industrialist to the bottom laborer should have a combination of physical work for 4 hours, mental work 3 hours, and intellectual work 1 hour. This is possible only by implementing Marxism.
8. India is very fast in learning habits which ought not to be learnt from the West. Example pubs, cricket, films, porno, excess alcohol and non-veg. consumption.
9. The institution of family has become a bondage, to all the three-- husbands, wives and children. The institution of family and marriage is to be substituted by better designed community families. Modified Marxism can help in this. Society and Govt. can take care of all children, and relieve parents from the burden of raring children.
10. Better care of aged persons, physically challenged persons, by the society and Government, as a legal duty, instead of leaving it to charitable institutions and so called philanthropists who are nothing but vultures.
It may not be correct to say that Constitution of a country is superior to Gita, or that Gita is superior to Constitution. Reason: Constitutions too are made by political parties. Today, Mr. Narendra Modi and BJP have become virtual dictators with a sweeping majority. Once they get appropriate majority in the Upper House (Rajya Sabha), they are capable of writing a new Constitution. Indian Constitution, in particular, is vulnerable to frequent amendments, at the whims and fancies of the parties in power.
Ms. Sushma Swaraj has unnecessarily opened up a pandora box. BJP leaders have a tendency of raking up non-issues in the guise of Indian culture. Of course, Congress was worse in this respect, in the guise of minority protection.
Thus Indians are left between devil and the deep sea.
(To continue.)


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The final four was in indianapolis which is only about 2 hours from us so the boys and I went over for a couple days and had a great time. John Thomas had a blast with one of his buddies and Maxwell was a champ with the lack of schedule/nap time!
Practice for the first round of the tournament
This picture made the paper and UD website
Daddy and John Thomas
Tommy was able to fly in for the tournament
Eating the traditional good luck cookies!
Driving to Indianapolis I turned around and saw these two holding hands, so sweet!
At the ESPN 3point and dunk contest
These two had the BEST time together!! So glad we were all able to be at the final four together!
View from our room in Indianapolis
John Thomas' favorite part -
eating at a restaurant where you could make your own pizza and ice cream sundae
Fan fare fun
Cheers to another basketball season.........on to recruiting season;)


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Tina Fey : Amy Poehler :: Sarah Palin : Hillary Clinton
Hat tip: Maureen Ryan's The Watcher. Here's another version of the same video, courtesy of NBC.com:
Dedicated to the subjects and methodological tools that most vividly depict the law's interaction with societal and technological change.
The Flagship of the Jurisdynamics Network


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NBC Nabs Oddball Brother Comedy From 'Community' Producer (Exclusive)
Peter Traugott and Rachel Kaplan will serve as an exec producer on the brother comedy about a family large enough to have two black sheeps.
NBC is doubling down on Chris McKenna's comedy brand.
The network has ordered a script plus penalty for an oddball brother comedy from the in-demand Community-turned-Mindy Project co-executive producer. The project centers on a large family, in which the mother has passed away long ago and the kids span in age from 15 to 30-plus. When the family's father passes away, the oldest of the siblings -- the family's black sheep -- moves back into the family home to be the guardian for the youngest, who turns out to be the other prankster of the bunch. A series of comical one-upmanship ensues.
McKenna, who inked a two-year overall deal with Universal Television this spring, will write and executive produce, with Samantha Who's Peter Traugott and Rachel Kaplain attached as executive producers through their Uni TV-based TBD Productions.
Traugott, who will exec produce NBC's midseason drama entry Do No Harm, is also attached to Community star Donald Glover's semi-autobiographical comedy in development at NBC. The former Brillstein Entertainment Partners head of television's other development projects include a Justin Spitzer ensemble comedy and a New Orleans gothic thriller, which are both set up at NBC. Traugott inked his three-year overall deal in spring 2011.
McKenna, whose other credits include American Dad, is repped by UTA, Magnet Management and Hirsch Wallerstein; Traugott is repped by UTA.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com; Twitter: @LaceyVRose


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Sunday, May 11, 2008
Below are excerpts from this week's Talk Talk, The Almost Winners. Every Sunday CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist and philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogue on Sunday, May 11, 2008 after watching "The Chris Matthews Show" and "This Week with George Stephanopoulos".
Salit: Since you brought up Bill's negative role in Hillary's campaign, can I ask you to imagine what they are saying to each other in private these days? If you were writing a vignette for a new theatre piece this week and the scene is that they are sitting in the living room together in Chappaqua, what are they saying to each other?
Newman: They're probably saying something like How are we going to exit the primary while maximizing our chances for the future?
Salit: And, maximize our chances for the future means what? A 2012 presidency if McCain wins and they get a second shot in four years? Some other career tracks that were being tossed about today, like Senate Majority leader?
Newman: It means maintaining their level of influence in the party as the Almost Winners. You could make a case that their assessment is Well, we didn't win and we have to recognize this fact. But, at best, Obama can claim something resembling co-control of the party. He can't claim total control. So, that's a very significant role we have. We're the co-leaders of the Democratic Party.
Salit: The party in power, presumably. No small thing.
Read Talk Talk in its entirety here.


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- BlogHer - 'List of 2009 Blogging Conferences: Something for Everyone!'
- Ebony Report - 'Crumbling of Kwame Kilpatrick'
- Firedoglake - 'Prison Reform: Senator Webb's Herculean Task'
- Latinopundit - 'Latinos in Obama's Cabinet'
- Social Media Socialite - 'My 2008 Social Media Socialites'
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January 14, 2009
Blog Safari #24
Every now and again we come across some cyber-nuggets out in the electronic jungle that surrounds our electronic village. We invite you to follow our Rhino-Guide as she takes you on a 'Blog Safari' to check these cyber-nuggets out personally. Enjoy the flow from these talented bloggers!
Baobob Trees: Blog Safari, BlogHer, Ebony Report, Firedoglake, Latino Pundit, Social Media Socialite
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A day in the countryside
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
My Boy
Monday, September 21, 2009
Fun school
The younger two had great fun taking turns to blow through straws and change the colour of the blue water to purple too!
We also got a great resource for our bird studies from my sister and today we used chicken bones to make up a chickens skeleton.....real hands on fun! It was great for the children to see how it all fits together.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Karate Competition
Z was competing against a number of boys his age and was disappointed that he didn't get a medal.
J competed against 2 other boys that were older and had higher belts. Their katas were very advanced compared to his. He secured 3rd place with a bronze medal.
We enjoyed watching the black belts show us some of their katas.
Lunch was a delicious burger at the competition,then we went on to Hermanus to watch the whales in the bay. It was amazing to watch them breaching and blowing spouts of water high into the air. We stood on the rocks and there were a few whales very close by. There were some close encounters with the waves splashing onto the rocks and one man even got washed into the sea. I think his ego and his camera were more hurt than anything else...
Finally home to an evening of homemade pizzas and a glass of good red wine. An early night for all!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Fruits of labour
Monday, September 14, 2009
Some fun
As this unit falls in under the character trait of Orderliness, and that includes keeping our possessions orderly, K had a fun written assignment to do which I thought I would share with you.
Team Equilibruim Update
My beloved big boy is so busy with his school work and has lots to fit in before we take our Spring break.He is kept very busy after school with First Lego League (Team Equilibrium)about 9 to 10 hours a week, and karate 4 to 6 hours a week. He is also doing woodwork and Acts on Saturdays. I do miss having him around. I know it is only a short while and things will calm down again.
Team Equilibrium is making good progress with their research project. Here is an excerpt from their blog written by one of the team members:
Anyway, the research project: Now that we have identified our community (kids our age), one of the main modes of transport (the bicycle) and a problem (safety), we need to find a solution – and we have. There are always two sides to a bicycle/car accident. The driver of the car couldn't't see the cyclist, and the cyclist wasn't prepared for the car. We decided to solve the problem with the driver not being able to see the cyclist. We are putting together a cycling safety pack. We have designed a cool, blue and silver or orange and silver camo high-visibility jacket that kids our age would wear, and we are putting a canister of pepper-spray in it too – as a bonus, we are also going to try and get a whole lot of Capestorm, Avalanche, etc, sticks that come free with the pack. (There might be one or two other things, but I can't remember). Capestorm is donating a whole lot of fabric for us to design two of the jackets and they have given us the contacts of the people who can print the reflective silver camo design onto the fabric. So thanks to Capestorm for that. We also drew up a plan of action, which I can't quite remember. Maybe it'll come to me tomorrow. My brain is pap now.
I must say, I am impressed with these kids and what they have come up with. Last year they won the prize for most innovative research project so we are all hoping they do well again this year. I love seeing the way these kids put their mind to things and work out solutions. I think think they are truly blessed to have opportunities like this which push them beyond their comfort zones and require plenty of hard work, problem solving, determination and dedication to the team.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
You can imagine my delight when K came to me with a gift later in the day. It was a brown paper bag with the words thank you on it, all tied up with a red ribbon. Inside was an "angel bear" that she had hand stitched for me, carrying a "Thank You" banner! This was so special and the little bear now graces my bookshelf to remind me of her gratitude.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Simple delights
K will take her quilt to Acts on Saturday and she will be sewing up to make a purse.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Around the garden...
You know you're a homeschooler when...
Saturday, September 5, 2009
This afternoon K and I had a wonderful time at the miniatures fair. We went with our very good friends and spent hours browsing at all these amazing creations. I admire the men and women who make these teeny tiny replicas of anything and everything!They are truly talented! There were houses, shops, gardens, plants, furniture and anything you could think of. The detail is just mind boggling.
The girls had a great time buying all sorts of nick nacks for their dolls. K bought herself a miniature artists palette and some scraps of fabric to make a quilt for her dolls. I just love that she still enjoys her dolls at almost 12 years old.
My personal favourites were the miniature oil paintings done by the artist Cindy Lotter.
The paintings are all oil on canvas. None are painted with a magnifying glass, but with the naked eye only.The smallest is 20x30mm in size, the largest is 500x400mm.The paintings are not reproduced, they are all one of a kind. It was great to meet her too and chat with her about her art. Her attention to detail in each painting is incredible! I used a magnifying glass to examine them carefully and was truly impressed!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Mossbank memories July 25th
J was taken out for his favourite, a lime milkshake, and cake by Pappa P. The rest of us went for an amazing walk up behind my sisters home . Last year this area had been covered in trees that have since been felled. It was a crisp morning and it was wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun and see the snow on the distant Drakensberg mountain range.
I so enjoyed the time connecting with my mum whom I miss having close by....
That afternoon we all headed into town for another party. My sister had organised this hat party for family and friends who could not make the party on her birthday. The venue had a fantastic view of the Underberg. This is a popular paragliding spot and we could see them from the garden of the B&B.
The cousins were inseparable and made up for lost time by chatting and getting up to mischief!
The venue was cosy and warm and the tables were laden with scones, jam and cream, koeksisters, mini milktarts, savouries and the best chocolate cake I have had in a while!
It was a pleasure to see my Aunt and Uncle from Hilton and to meet more of my sisters friends. The afternoon was spent enjoying good company and excellent food. We stayed way into the night and the hostess was most hospitable!
Aunty D and Z with their hats.
I just had to capture this colourful stained glass door at the entrance to the venue.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
More fun with Zoology
We got to hang our suet bird feeders today too. They smell so good and K said she was tempted to make some into biscuits so she could have some too! (They are made with lard, oats, peanut butter, sugar, maize meal, seeds and raisins)
This evening we spent a little time watching some birds examine all that has been put out for them to enjoy.


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South Carolina's environmental agency is seeking $5 million in next year's budget to shore up, inspect or remove dams in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, the second major storm to smack the state in two years.
South Carolina needs $2.3 million to stabilize or tear down about 24 dams shaken by Hurricane Matthew and about $3 million to inspect most of the state's other dams to ensure they are in optimum shape, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The request to increase DHEC's budget for dams is contained in the department's 2017-2018 budget plan, which was completed last week.
"DHEC's dam safety program has dealt with two disasters in two years, which has strained an already limited budget,'' the agency said in its budget request to lawmakers. The request said DHEC needs money "to place dams into a safe status and to provide detailed information on dams around the state to help mitigate future impacts.''
The agency's plan, if approved by lawmakers next year, brings to more than $8 million the amount of money taxpayers will have spent on dam safety issues since a historic flood in 2015, the agency's budget request says. The nearly $5 million proposed in next year's budget would be a one-time, non-recurring increase.
Between last year's flood and Hurricane Matthew in October, at least 70 state-regulated dams burst as rising water crashed against the aging structures and overtopped many of them. Hundreds of other dams sustained damage. At least 20 of the 70 regulated dams that failed broke during Hurricane Matthew.
State Rep. Bill Clyburn, who sits on a committee that examines DHEC's budget, said the state has to spend money because its dam safety program was neglected for so long. Like South Carolina's weather-beaten roads and bridges, dams need improvement, he said. Agency director Catherine Heigel said earlier this month the agency would be seeking additional money for dam safety.
"We have just got to keep running until we catch up,'' Clyburn, D-Aiken, said. "There is going to be some discontent about putting (more) funds into getting these things done. But we are going to have to if we are ever going to level off.''
Both DHEC and the owners of earthen dams have been under fire since the October 2015 flood. The department for years had one of the nation's most poorly funded dam safety programs, which meant many dams were not inspected as often as they should have been. Many of the dams were overseen by farmers and homeowners associations with limited expertise in dam safety.
But the October 2015 flood exposed shortcomings in the DHEC program after at least 51 regulated dams broke, mostly in the Columbia area. The flood caused millions of dollars in property damage downstream of dams, sparking lawsuits by downstream landowners against dam owners.
Recent research at the University of South Carolina found some dams that broke or sustained damage during the 2015 flood were 60-100 years old and made largely of sand. As a result, that made some of them more vulnerable to failure from internal erosion, according to a research paper presented this month at a flood conference in Columbia.
The USC research, which looked at nine dams, said some of the structures failed after the downstream slopes began to erode. Tree roots also potentially created pathways for erosion, the research shows.
Following the 2015 storm, the Legislature more than doubled DHEC's dam safety budget, which allowed the agency to double the program's staff size so that more inspections could be done. All told, the Legislature approved more than $3 million in recurring and non-recurring funds last year to address failing dams, the department said. The Legislature now also is looking to tighten state law.
Rep. Gary Simrill, R-York, said he could support more funding for dam safety because it is a public safety issue.
"The damage that has come from both of these storms tells us this is not to be taken lightly,'' said Simrill, a member of the House's main budget committee. "This is part of a bigger issue, and that is the proper funding of programs that protect South Carolinians.''
DHEC says about 19 percent of the people whose dams were damaged during the 2015 flood have not responded to agency requests to repair or take other actions to make dams safe. All told, the agency issued repair orders or sent letters to 266 dam owners after the October flood. The department already is spending money to deal with nonresponsive dam owners.
Now, DHEC says taxpayers will have to spend more money to deal with hurricane-blasted dams that owners can't, or won't, repair. Some people say they don't have the money to fix or tear down dams.
The agency says it expects state action is needed to address 24 of 136 dams whose owners have been told to make repairs or remove them, records show. At least three of those damaged by Hurricane Matthew will have to be breached, or removed, the department says.
DHEC's budget request for next year not only includes money to deal with Hurricane Matthew, but the department also is trying to catch up and examine dams that, so far, have held up in the past two storms. DHEC wants to hire a contractor to inspect all of the state's dams at a cost of $1,500 per review. The department says it also needs four new trucks, six iPad computers and six sets of personal protective equipment.
In addition to dams, DHEC is seeking new funds to support an array of programs the department says need help. DHEC did not say Tuesday how much more it is seeking overall, but the department's budget plan indicates the amount is about $18 million to $20 million. DHEC's overall state budget last year was about $131 million, approximately $24 million more than the previous year.
Among other requests in next year's budget plan, the department is seeking more money to bolster a health program for children exposed to lead; additional funds for hemophilia and colon cancer programs; money to retain nurses; and funds to clean up leaking gasoline storage tanks.