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So we finally got our new TV, which I had ordered as a result of birthdays passing, and its great.
The problem with it is that its too good. TiVo with composite out is no good, and my amp doesn't do RGB, or composite to component conversion.
I had already ordered a component lead for the XBOX, and it works great. I had read on the TiVo community forum that it was possible to modify settings in one of the output FPGAs to change the output from RGB + composite to component. It requires a setting to be applied on startup, and more interestingly a lead to be created.
I found a good article on it, got the iron out and managed to make up the lead as described. I plugged it in, and voila - it worked first time.
I did however spend an evening trying to get the colours correct, but thats another story.
My amp does switch component, 2x component in to 1 output, so I set about changing the settings to make it work like before. I have to say, that amp is the most difficult thing I have ever had to set up, input -> output mapping is really annoying. The thing that gets me most is the lack of buttons - they use the same buttons for a variety of things, meaning you have to be careful with the order you press the buttons. Why don't they just put ethernet, and a simple web server? Even a serial connection.....
Anyway, got it all sorted in the end, and its a great job - both sources are set up audio and video through the amp. I am content.


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Punk Rock Lifestylings...
I had no good ideas to write about today. It happens sometimes. My critics might argue that I never have good ideas to write about. Eff them. And thank you if you are a loyal reader and supporter. Stay tuned. Some good ideas are fomenting.
Foment: n. The word I learned today. Thanks Cactus.
You are welcome. In addition to the "stirring up" definition (which I admit to not using fully properly...but close enough), there is an older definition i like: [archaic]bathe (a part of the body) with warm or medicated lotions. YES!
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subset: commoncrawl


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Friday, August 31, 2007
F4 disbands, tears fall, hearts break.
Taiwanese sensation: The F4 (or Flower 4) are officially going to disband in October, according to CRIEnglish news. The band actually started as part of a Taiwanese drama series based on the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango (Flowers Before Boys.) The F4 have enjoyed enormous popularity in the last 7 years, and each member has good prospects to maintain their celebrity status on their own. Good Luck Guys.
Posted by Jenna at 8:12 PM No comments:
Labels: Boy Bands, F4, Hana Yori Dango, Meteor Garden, Taiwan
JYP - in New York?
Producer/singer JYP (Jin-Young Park) has set his sights on the US. In the recent events it's a bit surprising. His biggest star, Rain, has announced his split from the music "mogul" upon his return to Korea. Yet, JYP decided to continue with his own plan to try and make a go of it in New York City. Apparently, he has a little trainee under his wing, ready to test the waters with him when he gets there. I don't know about anyone else, but I wonder if there is going to be a bit of a power struggle when he gets here. Rain has already announced his intentions of making his album hear in the next year, and he will be coming to the US after settling things with JYP and signing with another company. I wonder how this news will affect both parties. Apparently, Billboard is taking notice of JYP, as he was on the cover of their most recent monthly magazine issue. Check out the full article if you are interested - here.
(I actually like his vocalizations in Rain's music, I'm not sure how much I'll miss them though, we'll have to see in Rains' first album without JYP)
(I actually like his vocalizations in Rain's music, I'm not sure how much I'll miss them though, we'll have to see in Rains' first album without JYP)
Posted by Jenna at 7:53 PM No comments:
Labels: Asian Music, Bi, Billboard, Hallyu Wave, JYP, K-Pop, Korean Wave, New York City, Rain, Rain/Bi
Fair or Unjust?
Jacky Zhu, of Taiwanese band 183 Club fame, is in the news again. After being fired from Jungiary earlier this summer, Jacky is back in the tabloids facing a "pot problem." I was shocked. Not about the fact that he has a "pot problem," more about the fact that they have such a negative outlook on this. I really do understand the differences in common celebrity behavior an tolerances of that behavior in the US versus China/Taiwan. But, is it really something that they have to force him into rehab for, and take him into another embarrassing bout with the media? I guess that I'm just so American that I don't see this as a major problem. No, I don't smoke pot. I don't have any wish, or need to. But, that doesn't mean that I see it as such an unforgivable act. There are rumors that he was using ecstasy while abroad as well. Ecstasy, on the other hand, scares me. I know that a wide majority of the youth in my country have experimented with this and other "recreational" drugs, but I don't think that this drug is safe at all. It's manufactured in unsafe and dirt locations and you never REALLY know what you are taking. So, if it was ecstasy and not marijuana I understand the scandal a little more. I have friends, and family members who have, or do use marijuana and I have to admit, I don't think that it's that bad. ::sigh:: I might be inviting controversy to my front door with this one, but I have to express my wish for the hard smack-down on poor Jacky to stop. He is a Canadian-born Chinese. He sees things in much of the same light that I do, so I suppose he is having a hard time living up to the standards that Chinese people generally expect their celebrities to adhere to. He already lost his position in the band, and his contract with his management company, now he is in trouble with the law because of drugs. I hope that he can swim through this mess and get out on the other side and reclaim his position in celebrity society. His voice is great. I hope for the best for him. Good Luck! Jaiyou!
Rain Plane!
So, if you've been following along, you know that I'm a Rain fan. I found this while cruising the vast abyss of eBay last night.
A miniature model of the private jet Rain used for his "It's Raining - World Tour." I would buy one, but I am currently 'between jobs' so I don't have spare money. I thought it was a bit strange, but I saw that there are models of all kinds of planes in the same vein as this one, so I just kind of think it's interesting now. Up, Up, and away!!
A miniature model of the private jet Rain used for his "It's Raining - World Tour." I would buy one, but I am currently 'between jobs' so I don't have spare money. I thought it was a bit strange, but I saw that there are models of all kinds of planes in the same vein as this one, so I just kind of think it's interesting now. Up, Up, and away!!
Posted by Jenna at 7:05 PM No comments:
Labels: Bi, It's Raining, Plane Model, Rain, Rain/Bi
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Great Happiness?
The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Theif is a documentary by Jake Clennel. Thanks to Lisa over at TokyoMango for this video. I watched it the other night and I was appalled, fascinated and intrigued by the entire thing. If you click on the link you can watch the entire film with sub-titles. If you know nothing about Japanese culture, I'll give you a quick run-down. There are bars in Japan that are called Host Clubs. Generally, they are a bunch of attractive men, entertaining women. Not like a strip-club, but a little higher-classed clientèle are generally in attendance. The men tell jokes, sing karaoke, and talk to women who pay by the hour for their attention. There are, of course the opposite of these clubs for men, but they are even more varied. Women's clubs tend to favor to sexual needs more than the Host Clubs, but not always so. There are even bars that are just cosplay. However, this documentary is a pretty realistic view into the lives of the men who work there, and the women who come to see them. I was unaware of the symbiotic relationship that the workers and the clients had. The women are basically local prostitutes that have taken on this line of work in order to afford going to see the hosts. It's a round-robin type of life that seems draining, physically and emotionally. I don't know where the cynicism starts for the hosts, but I do feel sorry for them. They all say that they really want to fall in love and find the "right girl" but that being a host has had a numbing effect on them, and they don't know when to trust their feelings anymore. And the girls are falling for guys who know how to woo women professionlly and have no intentions of dating, or marrying any of them. So the process goes round and round - where will it end?
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Labels: Host Club, Jake Clennell, japan, The Great Happiness Space
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My future mother-in-law was amazed at how patient I was to wait for a return email in response to a question or to schedule an appointment with a vendor. It didn't even strike me as odd that I didn't want to just call to get the appointment booked. You'd think with my OCD tendencies about planning, this would be my outreach of choice. Not the case. If you are like me, the first thing you look for on a website when trying to contact someone from a vendor/venue is an email. I'd much rather email someone than to call and talk in person – of course, until it comes to planning the details. Then I want to make sure they know exactly what I am thinking. But that is because I am a little overbearing when it comes to things like that 🙂 Another perfect example my dependence on The Knot as a wedding planning bible. I have heard from other brides that they don't like The Knot and I should try this other website or this website. It occurred to me that current brides are so completely dependent on the internet to help with researching and securing vendors and venues that I decided to do some research… online, of course.
I found it amazing how many online wedding planning tools are out there. There are quite a few big name sites that everyone, even people who detest marriage, know about. Not to mention the hundreds of individual sites that offer tools. If you are willing to pay, there are even more available. If not, no worries! You can still sit in the comfort of your own home and plan your entire wedding without ever moving or talking to an actual person. Favors can be delivered to your home, emails can have any questions answered, and blogs can provide advice on creative ideas for your place cards. Remember the days of sitting with a large piece of poster board (reception hall) with circles drawn on it (tables) and sticky notes (your guests) when creating a seating chart? GONE! I found at least 3 sites where you can do that all online with ease in about 3 seconds.
So what exactly did I find, you ask? Here are a few sites I found that seem to be pretty simple to use and are free. After all, no one wants to pay for the cow when they can get the milk for free. I'll also include a few good sites for wedding favors accessories that I have found along the way. Included with my finds will be notes from yours truly because, well, it's my blog. 🙂
The Knot
*This is one of the biggies that everyone and their mothers know about. It is very helpful for brides who are starting from scratch and need a little boost to their creative abilities. Once you create an account, you can import a guest list, complete a seating chart, build a budget, create a website, follow a checklist, and much, much more. One thing I have found that is troublesome is the inability to move quickly through the guest list options. They have recently made some updates which seem to have slowed down the process quite a bit. While I think the updates have provided a few really wonderful options (i.e. online seating charts), the ease of use is more difficult than the previous version. I highly suggest peeking at this website every few weeks to stay on top of the latest wedding fashions and trends.
Martha Stewart Weddings
* Ok, I know. She is a criminal. But she is a REALLY creative criminal and I ain't ashamed to enjoy her ideas! This website is definitely for the do-it-yourself bride. Whether it be budgetary or just your own need to birth your own favors, this site can provide lots of inspiration. Also provided are lots of wedding tools similar to those found on The Knot, such as checklists, budgets, guest lists, seating charts, etc. You have to create an account to use any of these tools, but that is a small price to pay. Just be sure to un-check any special offers and your email should be fairly spam free. I just created an account, so I will update on any positives, negatives, spam emails, etc.
The Wedding Channel
*This is another site that I found that has lots of tools. They all seem to be the same as what The Knot offers, probably because it is run by The Knot. Again, I looked at the tools and literally the guest list looks just like the one on The Knot. The site seems to take a little longer to open up, but that could just be my computer not being fast today.
Wedding Wire
* So I am really enjoying this site. The budget tool seems to be easier than what I am using currently. The bonus is that when you actually enter items and they are less that the suggested budget amount, it allows you to allocate it to specific areas or just split it up evenly throughout the rest of your budget. So if you know something in particular will cost more than the suggested budget amount, you can allocate it directly to that and keep within your budget. I also really enjoy the checklist on this site because it is very easy to manuever and when you check something off, it automatically goes to the "Done" folder. I am a list maker and like to see things checked off, so this is quite enjoyable to me 🙂 I'm going to give the guest list a go later and will update on that once I have time to enter all the info.
* All I have to say is… eh… If you are someone who doesn't need advice on how much money you should spend in each area and just want to import what you spent, the budget tool is perfect. But this gives no guidance on how much money should be allocated to specific areas or anything. Also, the checklist just lists the items you need to buy. This is the first site I have seen offer a "shopping list" of sorts. It is helpful, but you might as well just use a different site where you can keep all your planning tools in one place. One thing this site does have that is not on many others is a "Name Change" area. It gives you a checklist of places you should contact after your wedding. Another bonus is that the site lists all the marriage license requirements for each of the 50 states.
Please feel free to add more if you know of some. Like I said, this is just a list of some I came across in my search. This post would be like 50 pages long if I reviewed all of the possibilities out there.


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Paulie Want a Cracker?
Source Article
Paul Manata just can't help projecting himself. Upon discovery of this blog and my response to his attack on my moral system, he's posted another supposed refutation on his own blog. I really don't need to or intend to address the bulk of it, since Paul hasn't added anything new to his criticism. Even if Paul has, as he claims, left my moral system "lying on the floor bleeding," he still has advanced no arguments for Christian morality, and has in fact wiggled away from my critique of DCT by insisting that I only directed my criticism there to make up for the 'obvious' deficiencies in my own moral system. But even if objective secular morality is wrong (which it isn't), Christian morality doesn't win by default. So I think readers of both blogs would be fascinated to hear how Paul justifies Christian morality, when he has already admitted that he has willingly given up moral autonomy.
But I think the more interesting part of his post is the beginning, where he's addressing this blog for the first time. Paul says, "Zachary Moore (and Franscois Trembley) have started a blog in response to my blog. They call my arguments ridiculous and say that I have horrible arguments for the Christian faith and just as bad of ones against secularists. Why start the blog, then? Cannot your average man see through my deceit? Isn't it far more important to take on those who have the good arguments?" Although it's a minor point, I think it reflects poorly on Paul to butcher Franc's name as he has. It's right at the top of the page, for crying out loud! Secondly, the same question could be posed to Paul himself. If I (and Franc) are so obviously unreasonable and illogical, why has Paul gone to the trouble of "refuting" my arguments at length for two installments of his own weblog? Paul just can't help projecting his own psychology, it would seem. Paul claims about this blog that "I think the type of "reasoning" laid out above would barely get a response, let alone an entire blog devoted to refuting the idiotic ravings of a lunatic." So why go to the trouble of writing lengthy "refutations" of a lunatic? Wouldn't someone who put serious effort into doing so only show himself to be insane? Would such a person be likely to provide boastful false accounts to cover up his fears? "One must remember that I debated Moore before and as a result he had to drop his original theories on epistemology, truth, and ethics. So I'm not that worried by the newer, more confident, Moore." Whatever you say, Paul. Here, have a cracker.


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Natalie Pluck Photography - My Portfolio
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Heretic Teaser Trailer number 2
The new teaser for Heretic is out, the independent horror film i did in Leeds last summer, and this one features me rather heavily. I think they must be doing one for each of the characters.
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A while ago i went down to Sheffield to audition for a special Olympics McDonald's advert that's running in July.
Then i had to go down to London for a wardrobe call, where i thought i would have to be wearing a union jack cap, union jack t-shirt and union jack shoes. It was a little excessive, but luckily when i got to Sheffield it was much more toned down.
It was a surreal day, i'd stayed overnight in a hotel down the road, a taxi picked me up at 7am, got to the stadium and went into costume and makeup, then sat in the stands while they set up the cameras.
Then the extras arrived, and there were so many of them! It was a little daunting, especially when the director had to announce to everyone that i couldn't whistle and needed someone to teach me.
I finished filming at about half ten in the morning, but i knew one of the camera assistants because he worked on Heretic, and he told me everyone else was there until half eleven at night.
Very surreal all together!
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Geronimo Costumes
Once again i have neglected my blog terribly. I spent most of May working as Wardrobe Assistant for a play on at the ARC called Geronimo. Really i should have put up the poster before the play was on to advertise it, but i'm very forgetful when it comes to this blog!
Here's the poster anyway!
I think doing costume jobs like this, i was working with the production designer who had a very good idea about what she wanted, but it was interesting interpreting it all myself, and trying to find clothes that worked well.
And they seemed happy with the results.
I also got to see my friend Bill Fellows after the last performance, who was very encouraging about my decision to move to London this summer (I'll explain later), we're even going to the Groucho Club when i'm there!!
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text: Franklin "Frank" J. Patchell, 27, September 18, 2004, son of Kenneth and Sun Pok Yi; grandson of Kay Patchell; father of Jonathon Michael and Ian Patrick and other family members. Visitation Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m. Funeral Service Monday, 10 a.m. at Drake & Son Funeral Home, 5303 N. Western Ave. Chicago. Interment private. Info 773-561-6874


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"But here's the thing: I may not have been on the ground in Afghanistan, but I watched parts of the conflict in great detail on a screen for days on end. I know the feeling you experience when you see someone die. Horrifying barely covers it. And when you are exposed to it over and over again it becomes like a small video, embedded in your head, forever on repeat, causing psychological pain and suffering that many people will hopefully never experience. UAV troops are victim to not only the haunting memories of this work that they carry with them, but also the guilt of always being a little unsure of how accurate their confirmations of weapons or identification of hostile individuals were.
Of course, we are trained to not experience these feelings, and we fight it, and become bitter. Some troops seek help in mental health clinics provided by the military, but we are limited on who we can talk to and where, because of the secrecy of our missions. I find it interesting that the suicide statistics in this career field aren't reported, nor are the data on how many troops working in UAV positions are heavily medicated for depression, sleep disorders and anxiety."
Humans have a mind consciousness system that carries the images of what we accept and allowed physically within and as us as mind. These images can accumulate and replay over and over again. I think of medieval paintings of so called " saints" that have a halo floating above their heads. Have we made the mind more than the physical?
Are these soldiers that carry their actions with them as imagery, as mind, haunted by their past as their memories are what actions they accepted and allowed in a world where there are limited choices within providing a means to have access to money to provide food, shelter, clean water and education for their families?
Is what we allow without accumulating within, which means there is no escape for what we each have allowed on earth? Is the covering of what is allowed done within ignoring what is actually happening on the ground and/or creating a wall of separation from this abuse through reiterating so-called positive thinking, which is just placing a sugar layer on top of what has not been cleaned up as the negative consequence of initial lack of awareness/respect for what is real as the actual physical world? Thus, the ignorance remains as the accepted and allowed abuses, where no manner of gloss as ideological " good" diminishes the fact as the consequences remain both physically and within as imagery?
There is no denial that what desteni is saying is or is not true, when we have soldiers that are living everyday what the point of what desteni is saying in actual fact: that we carry an imagination of what we have done as how we have moved on this earth with us, and that eventually our choices catch up to us and consume us as that underlying abuse gets louder and louder, and no manner of drugs, or at present systemic mental health can remove this.
Each of us must do this for ourselves, and we must all forgive what has collectively been accepted and allowed as the present system and create a system that respects and supports all life including all of the very fabric of the physical as life, as life is the value.
What is done is done. Crying over spilt milk as the saying goes does not clean up that spilt milk. Expecting someone else to do it is not a solution, this is waiting and not wanting to face what has been accepted and allowed by humans.
No matter where you are and what you do, as you remain in place, stand and support a system that realizes the value is life, and the actual real physical world is the fabric of life and as this, it is the only way through to becoming equal to life, as existing in an imagination of horror is not life; it is the road map of our separation - this separation the cause of the conflict.
Support a Living Income Guarantee. Time to realize that each man, woman and child, needs enough money to live in dignity and to have the time to investigate what is best, to stop choosing actions that we know are unacceptable but because we have allowed money to determine life, we are forced to make choices that we know are not supportive, which must come to an end if we want a planet that supports our children as life. As we are now, our children will not have a life that allows the full potential we see within them when they are young before the memories begin to accumulate and slow their own awareness of life, this that is their natural ability. In essence they begin to follow the imagery of the fathers because this is what is around them and placed within them, so each generation follows the sins of the previous generation. And so the separation from what is real, as the physical is lost.
We can learn to realize ourselves as mind and equalize this back into a common sense of physical reality. As we do this within we clean up our separation. To do this, we must also practically walk what supports the physical world absolutely. Once decided this will be much easier than we realize, because the physical that is right in front of us, will reveal what works and what does not support us. Many have investigated solutions, yet many of these solutions are withheld, because they do not serve what has become systems that we all depend on for money that we all know do not serve us as life, yet we fear not having a job to survive. This web must be allowed to change. No one can really own our national resources, they belong to life.
Changing the system to one that gives all a Living Income Guarantee, will allow us to slow down, investigate, reform, organize, and all the while continue to move ourselves as what we have built as structures and to transform these into what does no harm. Thus not all that we have built is so called " bad" but much of the structure can be used as is.
One example, are the many hands of men within our military, it is an organized group that can carry out actions that build supportive infrastructure that then leads to more self responsible governance, where all understand how the physical works and our ability to organize. In reality, that physical action is as important as that action of looking at a picture of something in terms of organizing pictures of measure as what administration is and does, one is not more than another, both are acts of measure to order this physical world. We have allowed one to be more than another, which is the separation from common sense of life as the physical. It is time to end this game of judgement causing abuse because it ignores common sense, this being the realization that the physical is the starting point of life, not what is the mind.
Start walking yourself back into equality and oneness as the physical. Self forgive the separation into a mind consciousness system that is the image and likeness of our separation into judgement, where a polarity game of good and bad becomes the measure of us, instead of equality and oneness to the gift of life as the physical. The physical is a story and a real " game" meaning a real multi-sensory experience that is so much greater than any video game, than any fairy tale - so to speak. We need to discover what this means, because humans have lived as mind for so long no one can remember what this actually is, so great is our separation.
Walk the desteni course DIPLite.com. Support Living Income Guarantee. Time to bring ourselves to life. I mean what else is there?


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Home > Journals > NREI > Vol. 11 (2004)
Article Title
Steven E. Daniels: Community Impacts of Wildfire. Jerry Iles: Linking Campus Partners and Students. Jerry Iles: Using Electrofishing to Increase Water-Quality Awareness. Carol Mack: Sense of Place--Valuing the Culture Your County. Dana Oleskiewicz: Water Resource Protection. Christine Price: A Partnership to Promote Ease of Living. Melanie Thompson: Sustaining Community Change. Scott Williams: Community Alliance with 4-H Sustaining Opportunities.
Recommended Citation
"Community Involvement - Sustainability / Design,"
Natural Resources and Environmental Issues: Vol. 11
, Article 8.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/nrei/vol11/iss1/8


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I brought the dogs out to Bill's this morning to practice a bit.
Craig did very nicely when we practiced driving—he took nearly all of my whistles. That is a huge breakthrough, as it means I can now feel confident whistling him during a trial. The driving was intentionally difficult. We worked just three of the sheep in the area right next to their pens, where the rest of the ewes and their youngsters were. I was trying to see what we could do together. It was tough, because the draw was so very strong, but we did pretty well. I tried hard to just use a combination of the lie down and walk up commands, with only a few flanks to get us back on track if we strayed too far. The key seemed to be that if I did need to use a flank, then to lie him down right after the sheep turned, rather than rush to overcorrect with the opposite flank. Most of the time, the sheep settled and began walking forward. Revelation! We did some penning as well. Here, too, we worked as a team. It was lovely.
Taz also did well, but I think he is getting a little confused. First the good: He ran wide and sliced minimally. We started off doing the circle exercise in the arena, and this was fine, so we moved to the field. The circle exercise was working well here, too, so we graduated to doing small outruns. Taz ran very wide, bending out beautifully from my feet. Woo hoo! I was (and continue to be) very encouraged about this.
He did start hesitating just a little toward the end, but I was able to keep him going with a "get out of that." Letting him leave from slightly in front of me also helped this. It's definitely a confidence issue, and I think his hesitation is kind of a gauge for me to see how much he understands what I want from him because at the same time that he began hesitating, something new began happening . . .
He didn't want to lie down much. For the first time in more than a year, he didn't hit the ground when I asked. This had been building up since the clinic, I guess, when he first began really taking several steps forward (and usually into the sheep) when I asked him to lie down. Derek had told me not to worry about it, so I let it go. That will have to be the next thing we reinforce, though, because it's morphing into something else completely. Taz seemed to begin to confuse his lie down with get out, because when I asked him to lie down at the slicy point (10:00 or 2:00), he automatically bent out to go wider on his outrun. This would be okay, but he also started to bend out wider when I lied him down at the top. That is, he didn't lie down, but moved further along in his trajectory after moving out. Weird. He did still take a lie down when I was walking him up, to slow him to a true walk, but he was definitely not stopping/instead bending out when I tried to lie him down during his outrun. I did run up at him once when he did that, and he dropped immediately when I started moving toward him, and during his next outrun he didn't slice at all (so I didn't have to ask him to lie down again), but he also did hesitate. Not wanting to completely overwhelm him, I decided to end our session there—it was a good outrun, once it started—and maybe letting him think about things a bit will help him put all this together.
It is a lot of new stuff for him, and I think he is responding quite well overall, but I do want to be careful not to overdo it. I want to take things slow and steady, building on what we've learned. Things did not go quite the way I expected them to today, but I think he's just figuring things out. At least we do seem to finally be breaking some old bad habits :-)
That Time of Year - Sweet Josie came into heat for the second time of her life....and brother Jon Snow was sent off to Camp for the most important week of Jo's heat. He came ...
4 days ago


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I'm late with my posts! I'll be moving to my new house in 2 days. So this last week i've been running around with my daily outfits packing and getting ready to move! Finally! Tired but happy! :) beijosss
wearing: Top: Forever21, Vintage sunnies, Vintage necklace,Skirt: Brazil,Sandals: Old navy,LouisVuitton bag (old),bracelets: David Yurman and gold,ring: Mexican Turquoise!


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Jay Price on Generations: Shifting Thought Over the Decades
Professor Jay Price of Wichita State University delivered a lecture on the changing nature of generations over the years. You've heard about the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and others. Here, Professor Price defines these terms and tells us about the characteristics of each generation. This is from the Wichita Pachyderm Club, Jube 5, 2015.


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You are here
Baptiste nets 150th as N/E Stars lead Pro League
North East Stars' quest for a first Pro League crown since 2004 slowed again with a second consecutive draw after escaping San Juan Jabloteh 1-1 in a rescheduled clash on Tuesday afternoon at the Barataria Oval. Baptiste, 35, showed why he is still one of the most dangerous poachers of the Pro League, producing a clinical diving header in the six-yard area to beat Jabloteh goalkeeper Javon Sample off a perfectly placed Akeem Garcia right side cross in the 26th minute to level the Stars after Julio Noel had put Jabloteh ahead five minutes earlier.
Stars' winger Kishun Seecharan then wasted wide with the goal at his mercy on the half hour after controlling the ball ahead of Jabloteh's Sean Bonval in the box.
Baptiste now stands three goals adrift of Defence Force frontman and Pro League's all-time leading scorer Devorn Jorsling (153), and his goal on Tuesday—his third of the season—salvaged a point for a star-studded North East Stars side that included the debut of former US-based defender Julius James, 2006 World Cup midfielder Densill Theobald, Trinidad and Tobago internationals Rundell Winchester and Yohance Marshall and former T&T youth stars Duane Muckette, Akeem Garcia, Kevon Goddard and Seecharan.
Noel, who sent a low drive past the Stars' goalie Jesse Peters for the lead, had redeemed himself after putting overbar a Nathan Lewis cross with Peters at his mercy less than ten minutes into the game.
The energetic Jabloteh forward had two other attempts which he also failed to keep down before finally finding the back of the visitors net.
Kadeem Hutchinson had a chance to restore Jabloteh's lead before the break but the winger's tame header of a Jesus Perez free kick made for an easy tip overbar by Peters five minutes from the half.
Peters, only on his second appearance for North East Stars, also made a brilliant save off his legs to deny Nathan Lewis midway through the second half, while the shot-stopper's teammate Muckette failed to capitalise at the goalmouth on the other end at the death after the midfielder was picked out by a low Winchester cross.
Further north of the island, Kurdell Brathwaite, ten years Baptiste's junior, celebrated his first top flight goal for Police in spectacular fashion.
The 25-year-old lanky midfielder found the back of the Central net from near the half line in the 32nd minute before a late quick-fire double from Joshua Leach, who netted in the 86th and 88th minutes, ended a four-game winless spell for Police., at the whistle the Couva Sharks were clobbered 3-0 at the St James Barracks.
The result puts the Lawmen up three spots into sixth and level on ten points with fifth-placed Central, who are only ahead by goal-difference but have a game in hand against Jabloteh.
Team MP W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 North East Stars 9 5 3 1 13 9 4 18
2 W Connection 9 5 2 2 18 12 6 17
3 Club Sando 9 5 2 2 15 9 6 17
4 San Juan Jabloteh 8 4 2 2 9 7 2 14
5 Central FC 8 2 4 2 11 6 5 10
6 Police FC 9 2 4 3 10 12 -2 10
7 Defence Force 9 2 3 4 9 12 -3 9
8 Point Fortin Civic 9 2 3 4 6 12 -6 9
9 Morvant Caledonia 9 1 4 4 4 7 -3 7
10 St. Ann's Rangers 8 2 1 5 5 10 -5 7
Rescheduled Round One Match Day Nine fixtures
San Juan Jabloteh 1 (Julio Noel 21') vs North East Stars 1 (Kerry Baptiste 26'), at Barataria (Oval) Recreation Ground.
Police FC 3 (Kurdell Brathwaite 32', Joshua Leach 86', 88') vs Central FC 0, at St James Barracks.
Barataria (Oval) Recreation
Ground on Tuesday
San Juan Jabloteh: 1.Javon Sample (GK); 6.Neil Benjamin (Yellow Card), 7.Elijah Manners, 9.Keithy Simpson, 11.Damian Williams (Capt.) (Yellow Card) (21.Dominique Douglas 82nd minute), 13.Julio Noel, 15.Jesus Perez, 16.Jairo Lombardo, 17.Sean Bonval, 22.Kadeem Hutchinson, 27.Nathan Lewis. Unused substitutes: 29.Andrew Durant (GK), 30.Shemel Louison (GK);
Coach: Keith Jeffrey
North East Stars: 1.Jesse Peters (GK); 4.Kerry Baptiste (14.Jomoul Francois 65th minute), 5.Julius James, 7.Kishun Seecharan (19.Jalani Felix 54th minute), 10.Duane Muckette, 11.Rundell Winchester, 18.Densill Theobald (12.Elton John 72nd minute), 20.Yohance Marshall (Capt.), 21.Kevon Goddard, 22.Jameel Neptune, 23.Akeem Garcia (Yellow Card).
Unused substitutes: 91.Darren Wilson (GK); 9.Dwight Quintero, 15.Seon Thomas, 17.Kordell Samuel.
Coach: Derek King
Referee: Kwinsi Williams, Assistant Referee 1: Kareem Mc Mayo
Assistant Referee 2: Noel Moore
Fourth Official: CJ O'Brien
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Music Composers Unite!
Hi All,
String bowing is an essential part of the compositional process as is all phrasing and articulation, because it reveals your true musical intentions. .You don't have to be precise about string bowing as players will sort out any issues, but being able to bow competently enough to show the players what you want the music to do is only to the benefit of your work.
Bowing (competently, if not expertly!) can be learnt by study and observation and with that in mind, those of you who want to develop an instinct for it might want to look at the link below. All of the bow strokes for violin, cello and bass are clearly explained and demonstrated by a professor.
Who knows, you might just watch a bow stroke and think..that's what I need for some bars in my latest piece.........
Views: 121
Thanks for sharing, Mike.
Have you seen Andrew Norman's website, Shaken Not Stuttered? It covers in detail many of the extended string techniques from his major works (Companion Guide to Rome, Play, etc.).
Lots of interesting videos here, though not for the faint of heart...
Hi John,
Yes I've seen those and actually thought about posting them too, but decided not to. I love the Companion Guide to Rome, Norman is a wonderful composer. Any new music fans who don't know it should check it out as it is a compendium of modern string technique in a terrific expression.
Another 2 good educational links.....
Companion Guide to Rome, Norman is a wonderful composer. Any new music fans who don't know it should check it out as it is a compendium of modern string technique in a terrific expression.
I couldnt agree more:)
Thanks Bob https://soundcloud.com/bob-morabito
Great stuff, thanks Mike, DM and Bob for posting everything here, very interesting and useful.
I found the following exchange between Andrew Norman and a student in the comment section for a YouTube video of another of Mr. Norman's works. I thought Mr. Norman's response was interesting, especially the ". . . half the time this music enrages me too, and I wrote it."
nice one Ingo.
© 2018 Created by Gav Brown. Powered by


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This Tree House was so much fun! Probably because winter is my favorite season. I love snow, lots of it! Everyone thinks I must ski or iceskate, but no, I just love hibernating in my house and watching it snow! My idea of a perfect day is to have a blizzard, dinner in the crockpot, a spotless house and a project to work on! Just gives me a peaceful, cozy feeling!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tree House Number 7
Posted by twolefthands at 4:28 AM 13 comments:
TwoLeftHands Etsy, north pole, treehouse, twolefthands, winter, winter wonderland
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Rhombus pyramid:
public class Pyramid extends GraphicsProgram {
public void run() {
//X and Y coordinates for the starting (bottom-left) brick:
double xstart = getWidth()/2 -(1/2)*(BRICK_WIDTH)*(BRICKS_IN_BASE);
double ystart = getHeight()/2 + (1/2)*(BRICK_HEIGHT)*(BRICKS_IN_BASE);
//Outer loop to make a new row. The pyramid has as many rows as bricks in base.
for(int i = 0; i < BRICKS_IN_BASE; i++) {
double BricksInRow = BRICKS_IN_BASE;
double x = xstart;
double y = ystart;
//Inner loop to place bricks in a row
for(int j = 0; j < BricksInRow; j++) {
GRect brick = new GRect (x, y, BRICK_WIDTH, BRICK_HEIGHT);
x += BRICK_WIDTH; //place next brick forward
BricksInRow -= 1; //Make the next row 1 brick shorter
ystart = ystart - BRICK_HEIGHT; //and one brick higher
xstart += BRICK_WIDTH / 2; //and start 1/2 a brick to the right
//Width of each brick in pixels
private static final int BRICK_WIDTH = 15;
//Width of each brick in pixels
private static final int BRICK_HEIGHT = 6;
//Number of bricks in the base of the pyramid
private static final int BRICKS_IN_BASE = 14;
(I once asked my friend Ryan, who took CS in college, what CS exams look like, since clearly it's difficult to write many entire programs during an exam. He said that there is lots of tracing and troubleshooting of code, so I imagine this must be what taking a little test in CS class is like :] )
Here is the actual pyramid:
Here is the code:
What made it difficult: Algebra. The triangle has to be centered, and it should be flexible so that you can change the size of the bricks and the number of bricks in the pyramid. That means that the coorddinates of the starting brick have to vary depending on what the size constants are. If you have a look at the original coordinates for xstart and ystart (the x and y coordinates for the first brick of the bottom row), you'll see how much it depended on the constants.
The other thing that was tough for me is that I didn't figure out until much later that I should have two pairs of variables for the X and Y coordinates of the bricks. Arram tackled this problem in another language and did it with two pairs, and once I saw this I felt stupid for not having thought of that! You have xstart and ystart, which are the coordinates for the first brick of each row, and then x and y, the coordinates for every brick. (When you're making the first brick of the row in your inner loop, you set x =xstart, and then when you're ready to go up a row, you change xstart.) The whole time, I was in a tizzy trying to figure out how to go back to the left side of the pyyramid from the right once I've finished a row. So obvious now!
Lingering questions:
Well, the pyramid is supposed to be centered.
To make it centered, this is how I found the coordinates for the starting X: I found the center (using the getWidth method divided by 2) and then subtracted half the length of the pyramid. Same goes for the starting X, except for that I used the getHeight/d and added half the height of the pyramid.
However, if the pyramid is very big and needs the viewer to maximize the window, the pyramid is not centered and goes off the screen on one side. For example, this is what the screen looks like if I set the pyramid to be 200 bricks wide and tall:
Big pyramid:
I think that the bottom-left brick is actually in the CENTER of the view window! I thought I had written xstart and ystart so that the bottom brick would be appropriately off-center...What's going on?


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Well… I got the "Scotland the Brave" quilt basted this morning and ready to hand quilt. Should be interesting to see how hand quilting goes after not doing it for a decade.
I used EQ6 to design the quilting stencil that will fill the white blocks. I will mark the quilt as I go along. The chains will be quilted diagonally through the squares. The center block of the piper (that is my hubby) will be cross hatched quilted around the piper.
I bought the Mountain Mist White Rose Cotton batting that was recommended on my small quilt yahoo group. I'll let you know how it is to quilt….guess I should have tried out a piece before I put it in the quilt! I will start quilting it tonight.


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Friday, January 30, 2009
South Stream answer for Europe
MOSCOW, Jan. 29, 2009 (UPI) -- With the Ukrainian-Russian gas dispute putting renewed focus on alternate gas routes, new emphasis should move toward South Stream, a Russian economist says. Russian economist Oleg Mityayev writes in RIA Novosti Thursday that the European Union expects its natural gas demand to increase from about 2.5 billion cubic feet per year to 3.5 billion cubic feet per year by 2030. This trend makes the South Stream project to Italy important, he says. The project would bring natural gas from the Black Sea to Italy and Southern and Central Europe. Russian energy monopoly Gazprom and Italian company Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E) signed agreements on the project in 2007, with host and supplier nations following suit. Alexander Medvedev, deputy chief of Gazprom, echoed those sentiments, adding South Stream capacity could increase beyond its current 1.1 trillion cubic feet projection. Bulgaria, a host, would be able to meet gas requirements through the project while Serbia, also a host, could gain 100,000 new jobs and bring $2.6 billion in foreign investments. South Stream, Mityayev says, would bring benefits to all involved and bring more diversified gas reserves to Germany and Italy, two of the primary importers in Europe.
Gazprom, Lukoil hail results of talks with Uzbek partners
TASHKENT, Jan 28, 2009 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX) - LUKOIL and Gazprom assess highly results of cooperation and current talks with Uzbekistan's partners in the sphere of energy resources, chief executives of Russia's two biggest energy sector companies said on Friday. They are members of a delegation that accompanied Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev in the course of his two-day official visit to Uzbekistan. "We have reached really commercial principles of interaction in the gas sector," Chief Executive Officer of Russia's gas giant Gazprom Alexei Miller said, commenting on a gas purchasing contract and the pricing formula drafted by the two countries. "In addition, we intensively cooperate in geological surveying. And, I should say, we have good prospects in the area of natural gas production in Uzbekistan," he said. Miller is confident, "our cooperation is developing in all spheres in the gas sector." According to LUKOIL President Vagit Alekperov, "we have already gotten close to the target level of gas production at our first project, Khauzak-Shady, which is estimated at three billion cubic metres of natural gas a year." "We have concluded a contract with Gazprom, that is, we sell gas to Gazprom," he said. "The company has already invested more than US$0.5 billion in the project," Alekperov said. "At present, touching upon development of our projects during the talks here, we surely bear in mind one of the biggest undeveloped deposits, Kandym," Alekperov said. On Wednesday, LUKOIL's CEO was received by Uzbeki President Islam Karimov on the eve of the current state visit of the Russian president. Back then, the sides stressed that energy cooperation would be in the focus of Friday's talks. Karimov said, in turn, that Russia's largest oil producing LUKOIL company is one of Uzbekistan's reliable partners, while "fuel and energy sector is one of the most important spheres of the trade, economic and investment cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan." Alekperov, for his part, expressed gratitude to the Uzbeki partners "for special attention to the cooperation with LUKOIL," the press service of the Uzbeki head of state said. During the meeting "the sides discussed further development of cooperation between companies of Uzbekistan and LUKOIL," the press service said, adding that the interlocutors also "considered progress in the implementation of joint projects, and opportunities for the drafting and fulfilment of new projects." Russia's energy companies take an active part in geological surveying and developing deposits of energy resources in that Central Asian republic, the press service said. In particular, in 2004 the National Holding Company Uzbekneftegaz and Russia's LUKOIL signed an agreement on investment of more than US$3 billion in the development of the Uzbeki oil and gas sector. A mission of the Russian company opened in Tashkent. In addition, a subsidiary LUKOIL Overseas Uzbekistan, which is engaged in the implementation of Kandim-Khauzak-Shodi-Kongirat project, was created in that former Soviet republic, the press service said. In 2007, bilateral cooperation yielded first tangible results a Bukhara-located Khauzak gas deposit was put into operation, UzDaily.com reported. All in all, 180 wells are planned to be drilled within the framework of the Kandim-Khauzak-Shodi-Kongirat project, as well as more than 1,500 kilometres of gas pipes will be laid down, the press service said. The project capacity of the deposit is more than 10 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year. A gas refinery will be built in the format of the project. The refinery's annual capacity is eight billion cubic metres of gas, the press service said.
Kuwait agrees to joint venture on energy with Russia's Gazprom
January 27, 2009 – World Tribune – ABU DHABI — Kuwait has formed a joint venture with Russia's leading energy company. Kuwait's Noor Financial Investment has joined Russia's Gazprom for energy ventures in both countries. Under the deal, the joint venture would conduct crude oil and natural gas production as well as provide maintenance services. "We are delighted to be co-investing with Gazprom to participate in their opportunities in Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States countries, as well as partnering to bring Gazprom to the [Gulf] region," Noor deputy chairman Nasser Al Merri said. Executives said Gazprom would own 51 percent of any joint venture in Russia. Noor would retain a 51 percent stake for projects in Kuwait, with Gazprom holding 29 percent and the Cyprus-based Cilantro Holding, 20 percent.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Results of Russia-Uzbekistan Meeting
26.01.2009 - [Neftegaz.RU] - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has visited Uzbekistan recently to reassert Russian influence in the region. The results of the meeting of two presidents are very posititve for the Russian party. The Moscow Times quoted the Uzbek President Islam Karimov as saying that Uzbekistan is ready to work with Russia on the construction of new pipelines that would boost exports and transit of gas. Karimov said actual sales of Uzbek gas to Russia this year would be lower than the 16 billion cubic meters offered because of technical limitations. But he said Uzbekistan could export twice as much in the future once LUKoil starts producing 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year there by 2015. Karimov, who withdrew Uzbekistan from a Moscow-led regional economic cooperation group, assured Medvedev that he saw the Kremlin as the key player in Central Asia. "Russia is a country which has always been present in this region and a country which has defined politics and the balance of forces here," he said. He also took Medvedev on a tour of the ancient city of Samarkand, in central Uzbekistan, where they visited a bazaar, carpet weaving shop and mosque.
Ukraine-Russia gas deal could be overturned:official
KIEV, Jan 26 (Reuters by Ron Popeski) - A top aide to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said on Monday that the deal struck last week to restore Russian gas flows to Europe could be declared invalid if shown to have been concluded under pressure. The deal between the two ex-Soviet state's gas companies - Ukraine's Naftogaz and Russia's Gazprom - was clinched last week after two long negotiating sessions led by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and her Russian opposite number, Vladimir Putin. It provided for Ukraine to pay market prices with a 20 percent discount for 2009 - $360 in the first quarter against $179.50 last year - and eliminated intermediaries in trading as long demanded by the Ukrainian prime minister. Bohdan Sokolovsky, the president's energy aide, said the outcome differed greatly from Yushchenko's proposals and the deal's provisions were "done in haste with no analysis of the consequences". In a statement on the presidential Website, he said: "The issue of using pressure must be investigated. The gas agreement between Naftogaz and Gazprom could be declared invalid if it were concluded under pressure." Yushchenko and Tymoshenko, rivals despite their alliance during the 2004 "Orange Revolution" that brought pro-Western leaders to power, have adopted widely divergent positions on the agreement that ended a three-week cutoff of supplies. Tymoshenko praised the deal, saying it offered Ukraine the best possible conditions, while the president said the price rise amounted to a "defeat". The president's top economic aide last week called for talks by the summer to improve the deal's terms. Gazprom chief Alexei Miller rejected any notion of renegotiating the deal. The president's Website also said Naftogaz chief Oleh Dubyna had been taken to hospital with heart trouble in the days following the signing of the agreement and was likely to undergo treatment for the next two to three weeks. Sokolovsky said an initial analysis of the contract gave rise to the notion that "pressure had been applied to Dubyna on the night the contract was signed...and this could have had a negative impact on his health".
TNK-BP adds 460m barrels to reserves
01-26-2009 - Upstream OnLine - Russian oil company TNK-BP , half-owned by oil major BP , said on today it added at least 460 million barrels of oil equivalent to its estimated reserves in 2008 due to geological exploration alone. TNK-BP, Russia's third-largest oil producer, published the information in a corporate bulletin on its website. It did not estimate reserves that could have been added due to acquisitions and reviews of current reserves. A TNK-BP spokeswoman told Reuters the company would publish the results of its annual reserve audit shortly, probably before the end of this moth. Russian Energy Ministry data showed TNK-BP last year produced around 506 million barrels of oil and 10 billion cubic metres of gas (60 million of barrels of oil equivalent) - a total 566 million barrels of oil equivalent. This means TNK-BP would need to add at least 106 million barrels of oil equivalent to the 460 million barrels announced today to maintain its record of fully replacing the production. TNK-BP replaced its oil and gas reserves by 179% 2007, the fifth consecutive year it added more to reserves than it produced. In 2006, it replaced 129%, compared to 137% in 2005, 127% in 2004 and 133% in 2003. Analysts pay close attention to the reserves replacement ratio of oil companies for signs the company is able to sustain production growth in the future. As of the end of 2007, TNK-BP's total proved reserves stood at 8.225 billion barrels of oil equivalent, under the US Securities and Exchange Commission's methodology on a life-of-field basis. Under the less stringent criteria of the Petroleum Resources Management System, formerly known as the Society of Petroleum Engineers, total proved reserves stood at 9.982 billion barrels of oil equivalent, representing a replacement ratio of 297%.
Sibir, Shell JV Sets New Crude Oil Production Record at Salym Fields
January 26, 2009 - Rigzone News - Sibir has announced that the crude oil production rate at its Salym fields exceeded 150,000 barrels per day (bopd), a new record. The Salym fields are located in western Siberia and are operated by Salym Petroleum Development NV (SPD), Sibir's 50:50 joint venture with Shell. The new SPD production record brings Sibir's 50% share of production at Salym to over 75,000 bopd. Combined with production from Sibir subsidiary, Magma, at the Yuzhnoye fields in western Siberia, Sibir's total daily production now exceeds 81,000 bopd. Commenting on the announcement, Sibir CEO, Henry Cameron said, "Sibir is very gratified by achievement of the 150,000 bopd production mark at Salym just over three years since the start of commercial production as it marks the fulfillment of the production forecasts upon which the decision to develop the Salym fields was based. A record 45.5 million barrels of oil were produced at Salym in 2008, representing a nearly one-and-a-half fold increase over 2007 total production. We congratulate the SPD team on these hard-won achievements which were accomplished through professionalism and dedication to task."
StatoilHydro Invests in Arctic Russia's Future
January 23, 2009 - Rigzone News - StatoilHydro is steadily developing a viable offshore suppliers industry in northwest Russia -- and the efforts are making an impact. Russian and Norwegian dignitaries, students and journalists turned out this week for education grant awards and cooperation signing ceremonies between StatoilHydro and schools in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. "This is a very important occasion for northwest Russia and StatoilHydro. We're signing agreements to train local students for opportunities in the region's emerging oil and gas industry," said signatory Bengt-Lie Hansen, StatoilHydro president Russia. He was joined by Lyceum no.6 vocational school principal Grigory Shatilo in Murmansk and ASTU director Alexander Nevzorov in Arkhangelsk. Also present were Norway's deputy foreign minister Elisabeth Walaas, Murmansk regional governor Yuri Evdokimov and Arkhangelsk vice-governor Elena Kudryashova. Granting Opportunity Mr. Lie Hansen handed out grants to 10 welding and machine operator students and two teachers at Lyceum no. 6, which has a total of some 1,000 students, and about 85 in the welding and machine operator courses. Most of the students are between the ages of 15 and 18. About one-third of the welding and machine operator students have grown up in orphanages, and most of the others come from homes run by single mothers. Academic Advancement The students at ASTU are slightly older and more academically advanced. "Russia's offshore technologies are not yet developed and we need cooperation with technologically advanced companies," said Kirill Izmikov, 20, a 2008 grant recipient and summer intern at StatoilHydro's R&D centre in Porsgrunn last year. Mutual Benefit "These programs are not only important for northwest Russia and the schools, but for StatoilHydro's efforts to be an Arctic champion," emphasized Hansen. "A cooperation between people means that you believe in an idea. We believe in you and I hope you believe in us. Together, we can make a difference." Building a Workforce StatoilHydro has been in Russia for more than 20 years and recognizes the acute shortage of qualified labour in the country's far north. "The start up of extensive offshore oil and gas developments in Arctic Russia will demand qualified professionals. In addition to engineers and managers, we need skilled workers," said StatoilHydro Russia head of industrial development, Benedikt Henriksen. The Shtokman offshore gas field development alone will create roughly 1,700 new onshore and offshore jobs in northwest Russia.
FT report raises further questions over TNK-BP CEO position
January 23, 2009 - Russia Today - A report in Britain's Financial Times suggests that a remuneration dispute is delaying the expected announcement of Denis Morozov as CEO of TNK-BP. Following the announcement of the appointment of former German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroder as an independent Director earlier in January, it was widely anticipated that an announcement on the CEO position would soon follow. The position has been vacant since former CEO Robert Dudley left Russia in mid 2008 at the height of a bitter management struggle between joint owners, Britains BP, and the AAR consortium which represents Russian shareholders. Press reports have suggested that Mr Morozov was the likely candidate for the position, in the wake of a management agreement reached between the previously warring shareholder factions in December. Morozov had the Chief Executive role at Norilsk Nickel until July 2008. The report in the Financial Times, referring to unnamed sources linked to BP, AAR, and associates of Mr Morozov, says that the AAR consortium has now rejected Mr Morozov after agreeing terms in December, with the size of his remuneration package being the stumbling block. The report adds that this may reflect an opening of divisions between BP and its Russian partners after the December agreement, and that the search for a new CEO has been restarted.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Kazakhstan says raised gas transit fee by 21 pct
ASTANA, Jan 21, 2009 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan has raised the fee for the transit of Uzbek and Turkmen gas to Russia by 21 percent from the beginning of 2009, Energy Minister Sauat Mynbayev said on Wednesday. Kazakh state oil and gas company KazMunaiGas [KMG.UL] and Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) signed a deal on December 31 last year raising the fee to $1.7 per 1,000 cubic metres per 100 kilometres from $1.4, Mynbayev told a government meeting. Russia, which buys natural gas from the Central Asian states for further exports to Europe, has promised to raise the price it pays for the gas to European levels. Gazprom has also said it had agreed new pricing levels with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, but has not revealed the price. (Reporting by Raushan Nurshayeva; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov)
Gas row shakes Europe's trust in Russian energy
21 Jan. 2009 - Reuters by Robin Paxton and Amie Ferris-Rotman - MOSCOW, Jan 21 (Reuters) - By cutting off gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine, Russia strengthened its case for new pipelines to bypass its ex-Soviet rival. But it may also have lost Europe's trust. European consumers, left to shiver for two weeks when Moscow shut off their gas, will now accelerate plans to develop alternative fuels and build a regional gas supply network better equipped to withstand disruptions from the East, analysts said. Moscow might also find its political influence waning in eastern Europe, the region worst affected by the crisis, as governments there look more to the European Union for support. "There is a lot of bitterness around the way that Russia behaved over much of the last two weeks in failing to reach any sort of workable compromise," Julian Lee, senior energy analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies in London, told Reuters. "There is a real sense Gazprom behaved in a way designed to embarrass Ukraine, rather than to get the gas flowing again." Russian gas started to reach Europe via Ukraine on Tuesday after the two sides signed a 10-year deal to end the dispute, which cut supply to about 20 European countries. Gazprom, Russia's state-controlled gas export monopoly, attributes the cuts to Ukraine's inability to offer safe transit. But the dispute has raised doubts in the West over Russia's long-term reliability as an energy supplier. "When the government should have been looking to integrate Russia and unite its strengths with those of other countries, Gazprom embarked on a large-scale confrontation," said Nikolai Petrov, political analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center. Russia supplies a quarter of Europe's gas needs and, in the short term, customers have few alternatives. Pipelines such as Nabucco, which aims to ship up to 31 billion cubic metres a year of Caspian region gas by 2020, bypassing Russia, don't have enough gas to fill them. But European diplomats who attended meetings during the row say privately that Gazprom is worried about "anti-Russian" EU policies which envisage a reduction in Russian gas imports. Europe will accelerate plans to build new gas storage and a unified European gas grid, analysts say. Nuclear and other alternative fuels will also be pursued with more urgency.
NEW PIPELINES -- This could play into Russian hands. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, speaking at the signing of the deal with Ukraine, said Russia should pursue the Nord Stream and South Stream pipeline projects and create the means to deliver liquefied natural gas. Russia's case for the Nord Stream pipeline, which would cut out Ukraine by pumping 55 billion cubic metres of gas under the Baltic Sea to Germany every year from 2011, has been bolstered. "The need for alternative import routes has again been forcibly demonstrated with the recent gas flow disruption. It is highly likely the process to approve and build Nord Stream will now accelerate," said Chris Weafer, strategist at UralSib bank. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, long at odds with the Russian leadership over his pro-Western stance, has cited Nord Stream -- which is still opposed in some parts of Europe -- as a possible motive for Moscow in the gas dispute. "To deprive European consumers of gas in winter in order that the Baltic countries might perhaps look more favourably on the northern pipeline route is completely disproportionate," said Carnegie's Petrov. "It's like using an atomic bomb to go fishing, rather than to end a war."
POLITICAL OPPOSITION -- South Stream, a 30 billion cubic metres per year project in which Italian energy major ENI SpA (ENI.MI) has a stake, might be a harder sell. Its proposed route cuts through Balkan countries still smarting from supply losses. "Russia has upset a lot of allies in southeastern Europe who were important for South Stream," a diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity. For Moscow, a loss of trust could have political ramifications, particularly as the European Union appears to be acting, at least in some cases, with a single voice on the question of energy security. "Losing 30 percent of the Bulgarian gas market, financially, is not a big loss to Gazprom. What's more important politically is the loss of status as the monopoly supplier of gas to Bulgaria," said Lee of the Centre for Global Energy Studies. Even when the Soviet Union stationed half a million soldiers in eastern Europe to protect its Cold War interests in the 1970s, gas flows West were never interrupted. The latest row has changed perceptions of Russia, said Jonathan Stern of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. "This is an event that will be remembered forever," he said.
NEW PIPELINES -- This could play into Russian hands. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, speaking at the signing of the deal with Ukraine, said Russia should pursue the Nord Stream and South Stream pipeline projects and create the means to deliver liquefied natural gas. Russia's case for the Nord Stream pipeline, which would cut out Ukraine by pumping 55 billion cubic metres of gas under the Baltic Sea to Germany every year from 2011, has been bolstered. "The need for alternative import routes has again been forcibly demonstrated with the recent gas flow disruption. It is highly likely the process to approve and build Nord Stream will now accelerate," said Chris Weafer, strategist at UralSib bank. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, long at odds with the Russian leadership over his pro-Western stance, has cited Nord Stream -- which is still opposed in some parts of Europe -- as a possible motive for Moscow in the gas dispute. "To deprive European consumers of gas in winter in order that the Baltic countries might perhaps look more favourably on the northern pipeline route is completely disproportionate," said Carnegie's Petrov. "It's like using an atomic bomb to go fishing, rather than to end a war."
POLITICAL OPPOSITION -- South Stream, a 30 billion cubic metres per year project in which Italian energy major ENI SpA (ENI.MI) has a stake, might be a harder sell. Its proposed route cuts through Balkan countries still smarting from supply losses. "Russia has upset a lot of allies in southeastern Europe who were important for South Stream," a diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity. For Moscow, a loss of trust could have political ramifications, particularly as the European Union appears to be acting, at least in some cases, with a single voice on the question of energy security. "Losing 30 percent of the Bulgarian gas market, financially, is not a big loss to Gazprom. What's more important politically is the loss of status as the monopoly supplier of gas to Bulgaria," said Lee of the Centre for Global Energy Studies. Even when the Soviet Union stationed half a million soldiers in eastern Europe to protect its Cold War interests in the 1970s, gas flows West were never interrupted. The latest row has changed perceptions of Russia, said Jonathan Stern of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. "This is an event that will be remembered forever," he said.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
TNK-BP Restructures Board, Selects 3 Independent Directors
January 15, 2009 - Rigzone - BP announced that the shareholders in TNK-BP have agreed to appoint three independent directors, including former chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Gerhard Schroeder, to the restructured main board of TNK-BP. His fellow independents will be James Leng, the chairman designate of Rio Tinto, and Alexander Shokhin, president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. BP and Alfa-Access Renova (AAR) have agreed to appoint the three directors to avoid the risk of deadlock between the 50:50 owners of the joint venture, which are represented on the 11-strong board by four directors from each side. BP's four nominated directors on the main board of TNK-BP are: Andy Inglis, chief executive of BP's upstream business, David Peattie, BP's head of Russian business, Iain Macdonald, BP's deputy chief financial officer and Lord Robertson of Port Ellen. The AAR-nominated directors are Alfa Group chairman, Mikhail M Fridman, Renova Group chairman, Viktor F Vekselberg, Access Industries chairman, Len Blavatnik and Chairman of Pamplona Capital Management, Alex Knaster. Until a new CEO of TNK-BP is announced, Tim Summers will continue in the role. Welcoming the new structure, BP chief executive Tony Hayward said, "We believe the composition of this board, which includes individuals of significant distinction in business and politics, can achieve good business alignment between the shareholders of TNK-BP and safeguard the interests of all sides. "I am especially pleased that Gerhard Schroeder has agreed to join the restructured board. The counsel of such a distinguished statesman, who brings both enormous geo-political experience and a history of strong relationships with Russia, gives me particular confidence that the next chapter in the progress of TNK-BP will be good for all shareholders and for Russia." Herr Schroeder said, "I am looking forward to working together with the other members of the main board of TNK-BP. I feel certain that, with the support and trust of both shareholder groups, I will be able to make a contribution to the company's success that will serve as an important example of Russia's cooperation with international investors, thereby providing a significant contribution to Russia's integration in the global economy."
'Gas row sullies Russia's reputation'
15 January 20098 - Upstream OnLine - German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Russia today that its row with Ukraine is risking its reputation as a reliable energy supplier, while the the International Energy Agency's (IEA) chief economist went a step further, saying Moscow had already lost status as a dependable source of energy. The IEA's Fatih Birol made the comment during a conference in Madrid. Earlier today, Merkel told reporters at a news conference with UK Prime MInister Gordon Brown: "I think there is a risk that confidence in Russia could be lost in the long run. "I will talk tomorrow with the Russian prime minister on this issue." Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is due to visit Germany tomorrow and meet with Merkel. Meanwhile, Turkey's Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said it is unclear when Russian gas will start flowing through the country's western pipeline. Guler was speaking to Reuters today after returning from talks in Moscow with Russian officials. A source from the Energy Ministry had said earlier in the week that the Russian gas flow on the western line would begin flowing today and reach normal levels by Friday. Supplies from Russia, which provides a quarter of Europe's gas, fell last week amid a dispute with Ukraine, through which most pipelines travel. Russia began pumping gas destined for Europe via Ukraine on Tuesday, but the European Union has said that little or no Russian gas had reached countries affected, including Turkey. "The natural gas crisis is serious, but we are managing the problem," Guler said. Russia cut gas flows on its trans-Balkan link - which also serves Turkey - on 6 January. The pipeline normally carries about 40 million cubic metres per day, while another line, Blue Stream, carries 35 MMcmd. Flows on Blue Stream have not been disrupted. Turkey and its six European partners remain committed to Nabucco, a gas pipeline project aimed at diversifying the EU's supply of the fuel, Guler added.
Report casts doubt on Lukoil Caspian trove
14 Jan. 2008 - Scan Oil&Gas - Moscow-based Lukoil has found no oil or gas in a Caspian Sea license it once touted as potentially containing 800 million barrels of oil, Reuters reported Wednesday citing a source in Azeri state oil company Socar. Scandoil.com has reported extensively on Lukoil's build-up in the Caspian Sea, one of the world's richest oil and gas provinces. Lukoil, which is 20-percent owned by ConocoPhillips, is joined at the license by Socar (20 percent) and Gaz de France (15 percent). Yesterday, Lukoil said the Caspian offshore accounted for at least one of the eight fields discovered in 2008. Seven other new fields were found in Central Russia, two in southern Russia and two in Siberia. The company said its Caspian shelf project over some 1,200 square kilometres represented "an efficient opening up" in order to replace used up reserves. By October last year, the company said its 2008 investments in the Caspian region had reached $340 million. Lukoil in 2009 is flush with cash from fuel-oil sales after a successful refinery expansion. The company now promises more work with the drill bit, although the Caspian Sea is still said officially to be in for "further field development". In May 2008, Gazprom and Lukoil heralded a major hydrocarbon field at the Tsentralnaya structure in Russia's Caspian sector by the Kazakh border. The first exploration wildcat hit hydrocarbons, and then testing produced sweet crude in commercial flows without mechanical aids. In October, Swedish oil company Lundin Petroleum estimated its oil discovery in the Caspian Lagansky block contained up to 450 million barrels of recoverable resources, "a major discovery," company chief exec Ashley Heppenstall proclaimed.
Rosneft Appoints First Vice President
January 12, 2009 - Rigzone - Rosneft announced that Eduard Khudainatov has been appointed the Company's First Vice President to succeed Sergey Kudryashov who was responsible for supervising production operations at Rosneft, and serves as Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation since late December 2008. Eduard Khudainatov was born in 1960. He has graduated from Tyumen State University and the International Academy of Business (Moscow). 1993-1996 -- Head of the Evikhon oil company (Nefteyugansk) and Yuganskpromfinko. 1996 -- Deputy Head of the Nefteyugansk Administration; First Deputy Head of the Nefteyugansk region and Head of the Poikovsky settlement Administration. 2000-2003 -- Federal Inspector in the Nenets Autonomous District of the administration of the Authorized Representative of the Russian President in the Northwestern federal district. 2003-2008 -- Director of Gazprom's subsidiary Severneftegazprom (Tyumen region). Prior to the new appointment, Khudainatov served as Rosneft Vice President responsible for capital construction projects. Rosneft management is confident that Khudainatov's knowledge and broad expertise will greatly contribute to implementation of the Company's core projects, such as development of the Vankor and Yurubchenskoye fields in East Siberia and construction of the Primorsk refinery in the Russian Far East.
BP ties up TNK-BP deal
9 January 20098 - Upstream OnLine - UK supermajor BP said it reached a final settlement with Alfa Access-Renova (AAR), its joint-venture partner in Russia's TNK-BP, giving the Russian side even more influence than the preliminary deal envisaged. BP spokesman Toby Odone said that under the deal, German Khan and Viktor Vekselberg, two of the four billionaires that form the AAR consortium which owns 50% of TNK-BP, will keep their management board roles. When BP reached a preliminary settlement with AAR in September, BP boss Tony Hayward said one or both of the men, who BP sources blamed for stoking hostilities between the partners, would likely leave the company. "It's reasonable to expect that one or both of them will leave their positions," Hayward told Reuters in an interview at the time. Hayward also said the appointment of the management team would be decided by the new chief executive of TNK-BP. BP-appointed Bob Dudley agreed to step down as chief executive as part of the peace deal. However, Khan and Vekselberg's positions are being confirmed before a new chief executive has been appointed. TNK-BP's chief operating officer Tim Summers is currently acting chief executive. BP said it retains the right to nominate TNK-BP's chief executive and chief operating officer under the deal, although these positions must be approved by TNK-BP's board of directors. Also, AAR's insistence that the chief executive should have substantial experience of working in Russia and Russian language proficiency was conceded in September. Odone denied today's deal included significant new concessions. "If you look at the management board, it's pretty balanced," Odone said. TNK-BP's management board is also being slimmed down under the agreement, to six members, including Khan and Vekselberg, from 13 members under Dudley. Odone said a new TNK-BP chief executive would be announced "in due course".
Europe feels chill of Russia gas row
6 January 20098 - Upstream OnLine - Russia sharply cut gas flows to Europe via Ukraine today in a dramatic worsening of a pricing dispute with Kiev that threatened to disrupt supplies as far west as Italy and Germany. Russian export monopoly Gazprom said it had supplied around 65 million cubic metres per day to Europe today through ex-Soviet neighbour Ukraine, a fall of 78% from the 300 MMcmd it had been shipping since the dispute erupted on 1 January. The European Union, dependent on Russia for a quarter of its gas, urged Moscow and Kiev to find a solution this week. The head of Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz Ukrainy said he would fly to Moscow on Thursday, while Gazprom said it was ready to talk any time. Bulgaria, Turkey, Macedonia, Greece and Croatia said flows of Russian gas via Ukraine had come to a halt, creating what Bulgaria called a "crisis situation" in the middle of winter. EU members Austria and Romania said deliveries were down 90% and 75% respectively, and German energy player warned there could be gas shortages in Europe's biggest economy if the dispute dragged on and sub-zero temperatures persisted. "Even our possibilities will reach their limits if these drastic cuts in shipments last and if temperatures continue to stay at very low levels," E.ON Ruhrgas boss Bernhard Reutersberg said. Gazprom can only guarantee gas supplies to Italy of 7 MMcmd today, or less than 20% of the expected amount, an Italian source close to the matter said. The industry ministry earlier said Rome planned to increase gas imports from alternative suppliers. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the crisis, which has struck at the height of the European winter and spread alarm across the continent. The baseload day-ahead price for gas traded in London was up 18.5% at its highest since late October, driven by cold weather and anticipation that a protracted dispute could have a knock-on effect on British supplies. Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov declined to elaborate on the reasons for the sharp fall in supply to Europe today. "There was a request for 130 MMcmd. We have supplied those volumes minus 65.3 MMcmd," he told Reuters. The figure of 65.3 MMcmd refers to the amount of gas that Moscow accuses Ukraine of stealing since 1 January by siphoning off gas meant for Europe. Gazprom had previously accused Ukraine of shutting down three Russian export pipelines early today and said it was a hostage of Kiev's "irresponsible behaviour". But Ukraine blamed Russia, with President Viktor Yushchenko saying Moscow would continue cutting gas supplies to Europe or stop them altogether. State energy company Naftogaz said Russian supply was down to 58 MMcmd, below the Gazprom figure. Ukraine's government ordered regional utilities to start using fuel oil instead of gas. Neighbouring Slovakia will declare a state of emergency, Czech news agency CTK reported. Poland cut gas supplies to industrial clients, while Serbia and Bosnia said Russian supplies had completely stopped. The Czech Republic, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said it was considering the "extreme option" of a three-way EU-Russia-Ukraine summit. "However this is not on the table yet because we insist the two sides must reach an agreement," Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said. The dispute threatens to worsen Russia's ties with the West, already fraught after its war with Georgia last year. Europe's heavy dependence on Russian energy - and vulnerability to supply disruption - was highlighted when Moscow reduced volumes to Ukraine on New Year's Day after failing to reach agreement with Kiev over gas prices. But most larger EU countries say they have large amounts of gas stockpiled after several mild winters, and have access to supplies from sources such as Norway and Algeria. "If there are significant drops in supplies to the European Union, the key question is whether it goes on for a very long time. But it would have to go on for weeks or months for serious problems to arise for Western European customers," said Simon Blakey, director of European research at Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Russia and Ukraine have clashed repeatedly on a range of other issues, particularly the ambition of Ukraine's pro-Western leaders to join Nato. The disruption comes at a bad time for Europe, which is experiencing a cold snap likely to drive up gas demand. "We are in a crisis situation," Bulgaria's Economy Ministry said in a statement. State player Bulgargaz told industrial users it was suspending or cutting supplies to a minimum and urged them to switch to alternative fuels like oil. Two fertiliser companies had to halt production. The government said people would not be left in the cold, but urged households to start using other means of heating. Temperatures on Monday night fell below minus 15 Celsius (5 Fahrenheit). Worries about European gas supplies, coupled with Israel's military operation in Gaza, have pushed oil prices up to a three-week high close to $50 a barrel. Russia, whose main export is oil, stands to benefit from a recovery in prices.
Ukraine and Russia swap accusations as gas dispute continues
MOSCOW, January 3 (RIA Novosti) - The gas dispute between Russia's Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz is set to continue with both sides swapping accusations on Saturday as EU states reported drops in Russian gas deliveries via Ukraine. As temperatures plummeted across Europe, a number of EU countries reported decreases in Russian supplies after Russia's Gazprom cut gas deliveries supplies on Thursday to Ukraine amid a long-standing dispute over a $2 billion unpaid debt and gas prices for 2009. Romania, which gets around 65% of its gas supplies from Russia, said gas flows from Ukraine had fallen by 30-40%, while Polish company Gaz-System registered decreases of 11%. Around 80% of all Russian gas exported to Europe is transited through Ukraine. Gazprom CEO, Alexei Miller, said at a Gazprom meeting that "consumers in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Poland and the Balkans had registered unauthorized gas tapping on Ukrainian territory," adding that the company would ensure additional gas supplies were pumped to Europe. Ukraine's state-run Naftogaz denied it was siphoning gas and accused Gazprom of cutting gas deliveries to Europe to cause a shortfall. A company press spokesman also said that gas deliveries to Romania had been resumed and blamed a technical problem with Ukraine's pipeline network. "Two hours ago I received information, that supplies to Romania were back to normal," Valentin Zemlyansky told Russia's Ekho Moskvy radio. Gazprom deputy CEO, Alexander Medvedev, told a press conference in Prague, which holds the EU presidency, on Saturday that the Russian company was still waiting for a response from Ukraine on further talks. Medvedev is due to visit a number of EU cities to try and reassure leaders of Gazprom's reliability as a gas supplier to European consumers following a similar halt in Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine three years ago. Oleh Dubyna the chief of Ukraine's Naftogaz said that the state-run company was ready to travel to Moscow to sign a "new mutual deal" at any time, but was not prepared to pay the $418 per 1,000 cu m for Russian gas demanded Gazprom. Ukraine rejected a price of $250 proposed by Russia at last-ditch talks on Wednesday in Moscow. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the price was tantamount to "humanitarian aid," however Ukraine said it was only prepared to pay $201. The EU is due to meet on Monday in Brussels to discuss the current gas dispute, earlier the EU urged both sides to engage in further talks, stressing in a statement that "All existing commitments to supply and transit must be honored."
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The European Congress of Radiology (ECR), the biggest radiological meeting in Europe, will take place from March 3–7, 2011 in Vienna, Austria. With an extensive scientific programme spanning most aspects of imaging, the ECR is a major event that radiologists from all over the world should attend to keep up to date with the latest developments in their field.
Each year, more than 19,000 delegates flock to Vienna from around the world for the ECR; the annual meeting of the European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the second largest radiological congress worldwide.
This year, a 26% increase, compared to last year, in submitted paper abstracts for ECR 2011, is a clear indication of the growing significance of the ECR to radiologists across the globe. With delegates already attracted by the congress's high-quality scientific programme, cutting-edge technical exhibition, exceptional services and reputation for innovation, this year's novel year-round submission for electronic poster abstracts has provided even more chance for prospective attendees to get directly involved.
"The ECR is a unique opportunity for researchers to present their scientific work and for all of us to share knowledge and experience in sessions from foundation courses to advanced presentations. It is a landmark in our professional lives," said Prof. Yves Menu from Paris/FR, the ECR 2011 Congress President.
In 2011 the ECR's scientific programme will offer a wide range of scientific and educational courses to reflect the most important developments in imaging and the role of radiology in healthcare today, including three New Horizons Sessions, three State of the Art Symposia, 14 Special Focus Sessions, 74 Refresher Courses, and a number of innovations.
Two new Categorical Courses will be introduced, on the topics of common pathologies in musculoskeletal MRI and the application of clinical knowledge in imaging decision-making. The latter of these will be the ECR's first Categorical Course to feature an interactive element, with the final speaker of each session putting the audience to the test via electronic voting pads.
A selection of sessions will also be held in conjunction with other societies, including a Professional Challenges session with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), and a Mini Course that will see the ECR's first collaboration with the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Both will focus on oncologic imaging, reflecting the ongoing need for cooperation in the fight against cancer.
A new addition to the New Horizons sessions will provide forward-looking delegates with a look at how breast imaging will have evolved by 2025, while Professional Challenges Sessions on radiation and nuclear medicine, interventional radiology, oncology, and teleradiology should pique the interest of every imaging professional.ECR 2011 will also see the return of many previous popular courses, including a Categorical Course on radiology in abdominal emergencies, and Mini Courses on the pancreas, chest radiography, and functional tumour imaging, as well as a variety of interactive teaching sessions and practical workshops.
The popular 'ESR meets' programme, which aims to promote the exchange of knowledge and contact between radiologists and industry partners from all over the world, will see contingents from Brazil, France and Iran demonstrating their radiological expertise in their own sessions. A partner medical discipline has also been part of the programme in recent years, and in 2011 the guest will be gastroenterology, represented by the United European Gastroenterology Federation (UEGF), who will ask 'Optical and Virtual Colonography: Friends or Enemies?'.
Another huge technical exhibition will accompany the congress, with more than 300 exhibitors in the field of medical imaging coming from all over the globe to greet customers old and new and exhibit their products and services in 26,000m2 of floor space.


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Saturday, July 31, 2010
Squid on Wheels: Guess our Mileage!
Guess how many miles Squid on Wheels will ride for the period encompassing January 1, 2010 through October 31, 2010. Any mileage accumulated after October 31 will count in our totals but will not count for contest purposes. (We figure that the riding season (for the kids) really ends once outdoor temperatures stay below 60 degrees.)
Closest guess will get a package of goodies tailored specifically toward that person.
So far this year we have ridden 507 miles as a family. (The term family is defined as at least one adult and both kids on the counted ride -- the adults do far more mileage just commuting to work.) There are some Squidette-alone and Little Squid-alone miles that will be mashed together and added in once school begins.
Entries are due August 30 which means that you will really only have to guess our September and October mileage. Feel free to submit initial guesses and change them any time up until the deadline. I'm curious as to what people think we can do.
Starting tomorrow, I will post whenever we ride and what the mileage is so you can keep track if you so wish. We have some nice rides planned for the month of August so if you want to stay up to date, check back frequently. There will, hopefully, be lots of small posts with pictures from interesting locations sent from my phone. I will only post the mileage once a day though there may be several blog entries in a day. (Now you kind of know the reason for all the test posts over the last month.) Those of you who are Facebook friends will see different pictures and updates since posting the same picture to both is kind of silly.
Anyone wanting a slightly different take on these rides can check out Mike's blog.
Now to just decide what knitting to take on all these rides ...
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Prospect Park
Sprinkler break.
Location : 17 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY 11215,
The sloop Clearwater on Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Location : 480 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231,
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Super Mommy Strikes Again
That's kind of been one of my mottos for a while now but tonight proved the rule.
Little Squid has been frustrated by how quickly his bike GPS eats batteries. Basically, he has to replace them (rechargeables) before every ride or risk the gadget losing power before the end of the day. He's also been a little peeved that we always go with the mileage that Squidette has on her bike computer instead of what the rest of us display on our GPSs. So, to avoid the inevitable frustration on our upcoming bike trip, we offered to get him a bike computer just like Squidette. Less technology for our techo-geek but hopefully greater accuracy. He readily agreed and we ordered post-haste.
It arrived last night but we put off the installation until this evening, guaranteeing that we'd be under pressure to have it working by tomorrow's ride.
Mike futzed with it for about half an hour, then I joined him for another half hour.
Finally, I suggested that we just pack up the blasted thing and return it and go to our local bike shop, get what they suggested and have them install it.
Then I took a break.
And then I tried again.
And got it on the first shot.
I'm feeling a little smug right now ... where's the anvil that's about to fall on my head?
Friday, July 16, 2010
Yet another test
Feathers are apparently the item of choice when out comes to wiping out an oboe.
Yesterday, my very talented son managed to get his feather stuck inside the top of his oboe. Tightly.
It took the power of a mother, who knows that her son absolutely needs his oboe for camp, to get enough of the feather out of the oboe so that the job could be finished. Imagine, if you will, Mike pulling the feather with a pair of pliers while I hung on to the oboe for dear life. We totally awed his teacher, who was convinced that we'd have to take out for repairs.
This morning I causally mentioned that little squid would need a new feather. No, I was told, his instructor gave him A new one.
This post is being written from the garden of the Manhattan School of Music where I wait for little squid to get out of camp. On my way here I saw no fewer than six feathers scattered across the bike path.
A sign?
Yet another test
Picture is my mom, my new nephew, my younger sister and my brother's cat
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Mobile blogging once again
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
I Stole My Own Car
Grabbing my keys from the hook by the door, I quickly determined that there were two sets of keys attached and, that the second set MUST be my car keys.
And so it starts ...
We get to the car and I realize that the second set of keys on my ring are the keys to our bike locks, not the car. (Just goes to show how often I've driven since school let out.)
Not really wanting to go back to the apartment, I borrowed the keys that our parking lot keeps on file, promising to return them when I returned.
An uneventful trip to camp ensues and, having dropped off Little Squid, I head over to my school's summer school site to do some work. A few blocks later, my phone rings. Good, lawabiding citizen that I am, I wait until I am stopped at a light to dig it out and answer it.
It's LoJack. Telling me that my car is being moved without my authorization.
Then I see a missed call from Mike indicating that he also got the alert.
And I just start laughing! (Then I text Mike to let him know that I am actually in the car.)
(The battery in the fob on the parking attendant's set of keys had died. We knew it was old and I was intending to replace it this week after having already replaced the batteries in our sets. I've have now replaced the battery so if LoJack calls again, we'll know the car is really being stolen. Maybe.)
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Friday, July 09, 2010
Friday, July 02, 2010
Unwinding ... yeah, right!
The last few weeks of work each spring are like a whirlwind. I get to work really early and leave no earlier than usual -- often working 10-12 hour days.
By the time I get to July 1, the official start of my summer vacation, I am so used to running on the proverbial treadmill that I can't get off.
That tends to translate into frantic cleaning of the apartment. And by cleaning, I mean scrubbing, not just straightening.
Today, for example, I got up, read my email, played some Farmville and then bleached and scrubbed all the painted surfaces in the bathroom.
Then, after waiting for the bleach smell to wear off, scraped and spackled. Took a walk with the family and picked up some supplies for my new watering system for the terrace.
Now I'm waiting for the primer to dry so I can paint it ...
I should be weaving but the loom is kind of blocked in with all the stuff that came out of the bathroom ...
I could sit and read a book ...
but I can't sit still for more than a few minutes at a time ... I think I'll set up the watering system.
(oh, and I might have done some work type work while waiting for the primer to dry ...)


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Two recent Goldcrest recoveries show how much they are moving around in winter. Both were ringed in our area in early October when there was a marked movement of Goldcrests and both were retrapped in mid December. The first went 137 km east into Yorkshire,while the other went 330 km. SSE to Greater London.
The Group has 37 Goldcrest recoveries and the one showing movement east into Yorkshire at this time of year is a first. The other is more usual for we have eight recoveries showing movement to south east England or along the south coast. the fastest was one ringed on October 1st and caught 12 days later 354 km. south in Hampshire.
The recoveries show that these birds could be continental breeders for we have reports of autumn ringed birds in Norway and Denmark but we also have two caught in the breeding season in North Scotland.