text:
skip to main
skip to sidebar
follow the journey from design student to professional Interior Architect
Monday, 2 November 2009
Reinventing the wheel
As an Interior Designer there are times when the object you are looking for is just not on the market. This is when our expertise in construction come in useful as we often have to design the piece of furniture ourselves.
This is part of my job I love the most. I get to work with artisans, craftsmen and work on one off custom objects. By working with these artisans you get a real understanding of the processes that go into producing pieces of furniture, the "tricks of the trade".
On a current project I am working on we were trying to source some swivelling bar stools. I found a beautiful stool but as it did not rotate, I have been working with the furniture company to adapt the design to include a swivel mechanism. As much as this might seem a simple task, it has meant this item has become a custom piece rather than a specified item. I have spent many hours and visits to the showroom to create this. What each designer has to think about is every hour you spend on something is money. You might have a budget per item but you have to factor in the cost of your time too.
You also have to think that this time is not wasted. The groundwork you do on these items will make life simpler- and less costly- when you come to specifying a similar item again as this groundwork will already be covered.
Photos from howelondon.com
Posted by
No comments:
Links to this post
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Inspiration Images...architecture
Posted by
No comments:
Links to this post
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
The Inspiration of Architecture
Growing up as the daughter of an Architect, one of my fondest memories is of my Dad buying me my own hard hat and taking me to watch buildings being demolished and returning to see the construction of the new development. One family holidays, I would go off with my Dad and look at amazing buildings and we would talk "design". I loved these times spent one on one with my Dad and I do think it definitely played a large role in my desire to be apart of the architectural industry. It was the thought of 7 years of studying that put me off! But, with Interior Architecture becoming a better recognised profession, it seemed the perfect balance with Architecture and Design- and with quicker results!
My parents were amazing helping me- both emotionally and financially. They encouraged me to travel, carrying out work placements for various practices in Sydney and New York. I didn't realise how invaluable these experience would be when I graduated. It set me apart from other graduates, showed my dedication to design over many years and gave me vital experience in knowing how a design office operates.
In Sydney, I was working on show apartments and the "fluffy" side of Interior Design as it is technically called in the industry. It was my first insight into Interior Design and from then on, knew it was for me.
New York was amazing. I had the time of my life. The company I was working for predominantly did 5* hotels and I got to help out on lots of projects. But the main thing I got out of my time was New York was a love for hotel, restaurants and bars- design wise of course! I cannot deny I had an active social life over there and with only having 3 months there, I was determined to make the most of. I had a list of places I wanted to go, things I wanted to see- and I made sure I ticket every single one of them off! I drank martinis in the Hotel Gansevoort, ate lunch at The Boathouse, wondered around the Soho art galleries. It was my dream come true!
Posted by
No comments:
Links to this post
New job.....better standard of life
I was over the moon when I got offered the job- my first interview since redundancy- so was over the moon. Not only was it with a very well respected company in the industry, it was cycling distance from my house, shorter hours and working on projects around the world and better pay! It really was one of those cases of "everything happens for a reason".
Working within a small team, I soon settled in and was working on many exciting projects for what has turned out to be an even higher calibre of clients than the last company! Our team soon expanded yet again with one of the other ladies from my last company who was made redundant at exactly the same time joining us!
I can't even comprehend the improvement to me and my lifestyle! I can leave my house at 8.40am and be at work by 9, I actually get a lunch break and utilise it to go to the gym, and I actually can manage to work and have a social life at last!!!
Posted by
No comments:
Links to this post
Job Seekers line up
I was prepared for a long slog at finding a job in the market and set about signing up to every recruitment agent all of which said "its a tough market but with your experience I am confident we can find you something". Since I had no payout from the last job and only a weeks notice, it was tough. For most it would have been tougher. I was lucky to be in the position that I was living with my parents who were very supportive when I was out of work.
I decided to be utterly un-middle class and sign up to job seekers to get some much needed money- all of which was spent on updating my portfolio, cv and tube trips to meet with recruitment agents.
I sent out ridiculous numbers of CVs all around the world- I had nothing to tie me in London! I booked a flight to my family home in Italy and decided that, after the last few weeks ordeal, I needed a well earnt rest!
My home in Italy is my refuge. It's a beautiful old farmhouse in Umbria, set high up on a hill looking over the valley. Everyone comments how relaxed they feel as soon as they arrive there!
It was the much needed break I needed. I spent time making jams, chutneys, going for long walks and reading by the open fire. I can't say I didn't wish my redundancy had come in summer so I could be relaxing by the pool!!!
It was on my second day in Italy that I had a call from a recruitment agent saying I had an interview. I explained I was in Italy but told him I would change my flights and get back asap. I attended the interview which ended up being more like an informal chat with the Head of Design who could not have been nicer. We discussed suppliers, furniture design, joinery and the interview went on well over an hour. I was quietly confident but my pride had taken a battering and I did not want to prepare myself for another blow!
(our house in Italy is available for rental. Do get in contact if you are in need of a relaxing break!)
Posted by
No comments:
Links to this post
Redundancy hit
I still remember the day I was made redundant. We all thought we were safe, we were regularly brain washed in our company meetings about how well the was doing etc, our boss's flew by private jet everywhere they went, we head gleaming new office- why shouldn't I have believed them? We had even taken on another member within our team!
I was happily working away at my (clean- "only 3 things on your desk at one time, 1 mug or glass) and the phone went and I was asked to go down to see the head of HR in meeting room 6. I knew as soon as I walked in what was happening ' "we are really sorry but we are going to have to let you go due to the current economy" blah blah blah. I was so stunned I did not ask how this could be the case after they had only just taken on a new member of our team. I was instructed to go back to my desk and carry on as normal and not tell anyone what had just happened. Which is exactly what I did. I carried on as normal, working on my projects, and made my excuses that I had a doctors appointment and could not make the company meeting. that's when I realised, I was not alone. There were many others in my position- even some of the top dogs.
It wasn't until I came in the following morning that my team bosses came and spoke to me- they too had had no idea. They were so supportive, promised to help me with my CV, ask anyone they knew if they had any jobs going etc.
I carried on working my last week as hard as I had worked the months leading up to it, leaving at my normal time of 8pm. I was determined to prove to everyone what a good job I had done in my time there and leave no possibility for criticism once I had left.
My last day I spent a lot of time going to the ladies to dry my eyes, I was so gutted. No more so then when 6pm came and my team hadn't even got my a 'Good Luck" card. I realised there and then how cut throat the company was- everyone was out for themselves and they would do whatever they could to get ahead- even if it meant stamping on a few people along the way!
Posted by
No comments:
Links to this post
Graduation to 1st job
To many students graduation is a scary time. What do I want to do? Where do I want to live? Am I employable? And nothing more so at present with the economy in disarray!
For me, it was the part I had been looking forward to since day 1 at uni! I was eager to get
working within the industry I had been in love with all my life!
I graduated over a year ago and I was lucky that
I landed a job with my "dream company" in
London. Ok, it wasn't the £40k salary like my friends going into banking but it was doing what I love.
The company- famous for designing some of the
most expensive real estate in the UK ( even the
world) was set in the heart of London, I loved walking past Westminster and finally thinking "I have arrived". I was working on projects that were set to be the bets of the best in London. I
loved my job, regardless of the long hours and gruelling workload. I was the smug girl who when everyone asked what I did I would happily tell them I was a designer on some of London's most sought after real estate but I could not
divulge any information of clients or anything- I was bound by my contract that stated that if I did let slip any details I would be kicked right outof the company. I was loyal till the day everything I had loved over the p
ast 6 months came to an abrupt end...
Posted by
No comments:
Links to this post
Newer Posts
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
The daughter of an architect, design has been a passion from an early age. After studying Fine Art in Milan and living and working in Thailand and Australia, I pursued my love of design and studied Interior Architecture in England. This blog aims to catalogue my journey from design graduate to my adventures working in London in the high end residential sector. I hope this blog will help new graduates and also inform other designers of knowledge gained from my experiences.
View my complete profile
Favourite Furniture Companies
Aero (Thomas O'Brien)
Bevan & Hely Hutchinson
Birgit Israel
Christian Liaigre
Dark Room
Eric Scmitt
Lambert Home
Mark Product
Piet Hein Eek
Rabih Hage
Ralph Pucci
Rebecca Scott
Richard Wrightman
Robert Thompson (Mouseman)
Rose Uniacke
Silvia Nayla
Favourite Restaurants/ Hotels
Banyan Tree Hotels - Asia
Buddakan Restaurant - New York
Four Seasons - Chiang Mai
Hakkasan Restaurant - London
Hog Hollow Hotel - South Africa
Hotel de Russie - Rome
Hotel Gansevoort - New York
Merival Hotels/Restaurants - Sydney
Mr and Mrs Smith
Riad Farnatchi - Marrakesh
Sketch Restaurant - London
Favourite Blogs
A to Z - Alphabet for a Healthy Lifestyle
2 months ago
Charlotte Taylor
Desire to Inspire
A new bedroom and library in an old apartment
4 months ago
website relaunch
3 years ago
Blog Archive
Reinventing the wheel
Inspiration Images...architecture
The Inspiration of Architecture
New job.....better standard of life
Job Seekers line up
Redundancy hit
Graduation to 1st job


text:
Bryce Canyon Nat'l Park, Utah
GALLERY TITLE: BRYCE CANYON NAT'L PARK. Located in south central Utah, Bryce is a treasure chest of unusual sandstone formations (called "Hoodoos") of stunning colors that constantly change throughout the day as sun angles change. "Low sunlight angles" offer the most stunning views.Read More
13 / 18

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Nigerians are always interested in knowing the exchange rate of dollars to naira. Questions like, "how much is dollars to naira", and statements like "dollar is high" are popular across the country.
For one thing, the naira to dollar exchange rate serves as a price adjustment signal for businesses and traders all over Nigeria.
Prices of commodities are always anticipated to increase once there are reports that the Nigerian currency weakened against the dollar.
Sadly, we can't say the case is the same in reverse order. It is almost, seemingly impossible for cost to diminish after they increased.
That aside, the US Dollar (USD) is arguably, the most popular and commonly converted currency in the world. It is the dominant global reserve currency, and is thus, held by almost every central bank in the world.
The United States currency is steadily used as a benchmark in the Forex market, and has a direct impact on commodity prices as it is acknowledged as the standard currency in the commodity market.
Its international acceptance gave rise to what the world regard as the 'dollarization of the USD'. The phrase refers to the use of theUnited States currency as an official legal tender in some countries.Other countries use the US dollar as an accepted alternative form of payment.
While the code and symbol for theUS currency are respectively 'USD' and '$', that of the Nigerian Naira are 'NGN' and 'N'.
The Nigerian naira is divided into 100 kobo whereas the US dollar is divided into 100 cents.
History has it that the Nigerian currency gained a record low of 53 kobo against the USD in September 1980, but weakenedand reached an all-time high of N283.50 in June 2016.
From the 70s to early 80s, the naira exchanged for 90 kobo to $1. In 1993, the naira to dollar exchange rate climbed to N17 for $1 following the introduction of Second-Tier Foreign Exchange Market (SFEM) in 1986.
Thereafter, Bureau de Change was ushered into the Nigerian economy. Nonetheless, naira continued to depreciate and practically lost ground to USD.
Throughout SaniAbacha's reign, the naira maintained a rigid official exchange rate. Dollar to naira was authoritatively placed at $1 to N22.
That, gave rise to the mainstreaming of the forex black market. Records has it that the naira traded at about N88 to $1 at some point whereas the official dollar to naira exchange rate stayed at N22.
Between 1999 to 2004, after the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market (IFEM) was introduced by the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) governor – Joseph Sanusi, the dollar to naira exchange rate traded at 85 naira. That was for the CBN exchange rate. It was traded N150 for 1USD at the black market.
The next CBN governor, ChukumaSoludo, liberalized the nation's foreign exchange procedure which enabled the naira gain almost 20 percent strength against the dollar.
The US currency was trading at N127 to $1 when Soludo became CBN governor. Sometimes in 2008, naira strengthened to 115 naira, and was at N148 when his tenure expired in 2009.
During SanusiLamidoSanusi era, naira to dollar was exchanged at N148 to 1USD when he came to office in 2009. He was suspended in 2014 and left the dollar to naira exchange rate at N164 for $1.
In 20th June 2016, the Nigerian naira lost about 30 percent and skyrocketed to N260.5 per USD following the central bank switch to a market-driven currency system to manage dollar shortage.
Prior to that, 1USD was exchanged between N197 to 199 naira. The USD has gained about 42 percent strength against the Nigerian currency between July 2015 to July 2016.
So far in 2016, one Nigerian naira has equaled an average exchange rate of $0.005, a minimum of $0.004 and a maximum of $0.005.
Experts have partly, blamed the USD consistent despise of the Nigerian naira for the unpleasant economic conditions of the West African country. The weak naira left Nigeria struggling to manage increase in import cost which thrived after global oil prices declined and in turn, triggered a decline in foreign reserves.
Oil production also nosedived to a historical low record in May 2016 to worsen the situation. Reacting, consumer prices climbed15.6 percent in May 2016. It was the highest jump in more than six years. As the inflation rate skyrocketed, cost of food, housing, utilities and transport surged.
The foregoing is also linked to the GDP that shrieked by 0.36 percent in the first three months of 2016. Experts said it was the first contraction since that experienced in June 2004.


text:
Five women among 13 nabbed for operating illegal phone exchange
The Farwaniya police raided an apartment in a residential complex and arrested 13 Asian expatriates — five women and eight men for stealing international telephone lines. The arrest came after the Director of Farwaniya Security Directorate Major-General Mohammed Al- Enezi received information about the illegal activity following which a security team was formed to raid the apartment after getting permission from the Public Prosecution. The suspects and tools used in the trade have been referred to the concerned authorities.
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
"Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours. But grief comes from losing something you've already had."
Photo Gallery


text:
stock screening, trending stocks, stock markets news and substantial moves and fundamental value analysis
Monday, February 13, 2017
$MBLY is one of biggest winner #stocks today. read more:
day today (2016-12-29), gaining 9.77%. The number of shares that changed
hands was 9,172,332, or about 3.3 times the average daily volume in the
The closing price was $38.44, amounting to a market cap of $8,460,000,000,
about -24.85% off the highest price in the last 12 months. The stock has
been trading at a range between $23.57 and $51.15.
MBLY is in the Computer Software: Prepackaged Software industry, part of
the Technology sector. It first went public in 2014.
Looking at its valuation, the stock is now trading at 96.1 times earnings.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Happiest of Holidays from the Guilty Indulgence Book Club. We are pleased to be with you every day and hope you will all join us for our 3rd annual Happy Hunky-days - Twelve fun filled days of Christmas where we treat you with gifts of joy and happiness (aka free books and very yummy eye candy!). All good readers who comment will get a chance to win some really great e-books from our featured authors! Seriously, you can even be quite naughty and still get free books - just remember to register and comment!
Ahem! Today, we have TWO holiday treats from author, Raven McAllan who fills this year's stockings by the fire full of spanky goodness - with tales from the past and present! I highly encourage readers to check out her full listing on the Breathless Press webpage or use the BUY LINKS provided!
The Perfect Gift
Judith has the perfect present for Stephen—herself. Will he accept, or decline her gift?
Lady Judith Gresham had been in love with Stephen, Viscount Pelham for years.
Stephen eleven years her elder, treated her purely as one of his sisters friends; he was too old in years and deeds for such a young innocent. As his sister, was now happily married, there was no longer any reason to see her.
Even to himself he wouldn't admit he missed her.
So when his sister and her new husband decided to have a Christmas house party, and illness causes them to beg to use his home, he agreed. Even when he heard Judith was to be one of the guests he wasn't really worried, he would keep to himself, enjoy Maria Mallins, his long married mistress, and treat Judith with distant benevolence.
However Judith and his sister had other ideas.
Part of the Ladies of London series (#3), The Perfect Gift delivers a tantalizing taste of historical BDSM. A novella in length, this quick read grabs readers by the hand and pulls them into the sights and sounds of a Victorian holiday house party - complete with rambling halls and secret rooms. At times the dialogue feels a little contrived, but the clever storyline and likeable characters keep things on track. The teasing by-play between Judith and Stephen as she tempts him into tutoring her in his unusual predilections builds to a crescendo in his tower lair. By the end, the story felt a bit rushed and perhaps it was just that Stephen, Amanda and even little Kitty had more to say than the brevity of this piece allowed.
I give The Perfect Gift 3 chocolate dipped strawberries!
Breathless Press Amazon All eRomance
Deck Mac Hall
For ten years Mac had trained to understand the sort of Dom he is. Now he must explain himself to Holly and hope it's what she wants.
Holly has lusted after Mac for years, so when he suddenly announces this Christmas is the right time, she is determined to see it through.
Mac is a man of extreme tastes, and he's not all sure that Holly can be the sub he needs. He has prepared for this time for years.
Will all this preparation bear fruit, or is little Holly going to run away screaming? There's only one way to find out.
Holly Winters has had a thing for Mac Hall forever. He's put her off and given her time to decide if she wants to explore his lifestyle. As the bell tolls at midnight on Christmas eve - her 28th birthday arrives and Holly's time is up. The question remains - is she up for what she suspects he's about to dish out?
Mac is a solid Dom character, although his training is referenced and his place is kitted out with all the various and sundry equipment, it appears that in many ways he is a virgin to a full lifestyle commitment. He pours his heart out in a letter and woos from afar over the years with gifts and toys that spark her desire and imagination. Holly's character is fun and full of life - extremely relatable in her long term committed yen for this one man. The fact that she wants to jump him every moment and can barely focus on the Tell portion of his Show and Tell explanation becomes quite humorous.
McAllan gently delivers the reader to the doorstep of her Dom and fulfills on her promise of the start of a promising relationship. Sexy, humorous and downright statically charged - Deck Mac Hall delivers a big cup of steamy holiday cheer!
I give Deck Mac Hall four chocolate dipped strawberries!!!!
Breathless Press


text:
Well, this is it. This is my 100th post.
For some reason I have been putting this post off for a while -this 100th post- like it meant anything different than the 99 before it.
I'm not sure why. It honestly bugs me a little. Do I think I'm special or something?
Maybe I was just busy and I'm making a huge deal and tons of excuses for not writing.
Nope. That's a lie. That's totally not it. I was scared. I really was.
I think I wanted this post to be something super and spectacular- an out-of-this-world celebration of…. what? I think that's the question I'm really asking myself. What am I doing in this little spot of Infinite Internet?
I just talk.
I just talk in the hopes that maybe somebody will read what I have to say and feel something… anything. Maybe understand what it's like to only have conversations with a two-year-old for the entire day. Maybe feel the pissed-offness of a bad day with me… everybody has them, right? And as sad and selfish as it is, it feels good to know someone's in the Bad Day boat with you- even if it's just for a second, like you're not the only one who sucks for the day. I like to think that somebody out there can share in the awesome feeling that comes when you watch your own child grow and learn and just be… without feeling like the weird mom who talks about her kids just a little too much. You know, the one who gets eye rolls and awkward silences at the end of every brag session.
I really like this picture.
I like to share the things that I make. I also like having a little outlet. It's nice. I can just sit and type whatever comes into my mind without having to censor it or worry about anybody else's feelings but my own. It's great, because that doesn't happen all the time for me. I was never a blogger. I thought they were all kind of weird, to be honest. I've changed my mind. It's fantastic.
New dress on its way to Florida.
I know that I'm not the best writer, I don't claim to be. I know that I'm not the best mom on the planet. I don't claim that either. Believe you me, there's plenty of times when I've ignored my screaming child to do something for myself first- in a totally normal and self-preserving type of way. And that's ok. Some of you may think that's totally wrong. I don't care. Really, I don't. Actually, I think you should try it.
Go ahead.
I'll wait here.
I'm not the best wife in the world… who is? But I try, I really do try.
Sometimes I get it right.
I'm not the best seamstress, quilter, blogger, blah blah blah. The list goes on and on. The point is I'm happy. I like where I'm at. I like what I'm doing. And it's ok with me to not be the best. And it's ok with me that it's ok with me to not be the best. Get it? Does that make sense? It's perfectly clear to me, I just want to make sure you're following.
New dress, Fall colors.
All I'm saying is that I'm just a normal girl/mom/wife/maker of things/occasional blogger that gets her kicks out of writing the happenings of life on a digital page for everyone to see. Who knows? This whole blog thing might come in handy one day.
I'll show you the rest later, this is just a fun sneak peek.
1 1. According to me, Fall has begun. Summer ended a couple weeks ago, but just today Fall started. Don't ask me how I know, I just know.
2. 2. I don't like Wal-mart and it bugs me that they usually have the best prices so I feel like I have to do the money-saving thing and go there.
3 3. I like super hot showers. Usually I feel guilty if I take one- the whole global warming thing really gets me- but today I decided that I would make a point to not feel guilty the next time I take one and just enjoy it.
4 4. I really, really love my hubby. Like, really. I know I don't tell him enough, but I really, REALLY do. He must love me back, because he's still here and I'm sure that's no easy task…
5. I thought about dyeing my hair dark for a second- just a second- and then I remembered when I did that my first year of college and quickly kicked that thought to the curb.
6 6. I don't think the stuff at Anthropologie should cost so much money.
7 7. My kid is really fricken hilarious… like all the time.
8. 8. I wish she listened to me.
9 9. Toenails are stupid.
Her face in this picture totally cracks me up.
Group A:
Group B:
Group C:
Why these? I dunno. I like 'em. How's that?
All you have to do to enter the drawing is become a follower of my bloggy-blog (if you're not one already) at the top right hand side of the page and then leave a comment on this post. That's it. I will announce the winner on Monday. Sound good? Mmmk. Good Luck! Oh, and if you win, and you REALLY don't like any of these color combos and I feel like being reasonable, I will make the pillow covers in whatever colors your heart desires. I guess.


text:
EtherWAN to Release New Hardened-Grade Wireless Connectivity
EtherWAN announces the release of two new products which support Power over Ethernet (PoE) and wireless Ethernet functionality; the WA4281 Hardened IP68 rated and the WA4271 Industrial IP65 rated Wireless Devices. The new PoE Wireless Devices will address the needs of mission critical networks in applications such as riverbanks, mountains, freeways and mining areas in environments where pulling extra cable is restricted. Power over Ethernet allows the wireless device to be powered by the Ethernet data cable; a power supply is not necessary at the device.
This allows the WA4271 and WA4281 to be mounted in inaccessible areas where power is not available. The new wireless series has received regulatory approvals in Europe, US and Japan.
The new WA4281 has a welded aluminum IP68 rated waterproof enclosure, Dual Radio design, and isdesigned to withstand extreme shock, vibration, and temperature conditions. The WA4281's superior software design provides multiple operational modes such as: AP Bridge, AP-CB-Bridge, AP-CB-Route, CB-CB-Route, AP-WDS-Bridge and AP4-WDS-Bridge. The WA4281 provides users the ability to configure networks to meet the requirements of their industrial applications. The ability to operate in a wide temperature range of -30°C to +80°C allows the WA4281 to be placed in almost any location.
The WA4271 was designed with an IP67 rated enclosure, and operates in a temperature range of-20°C to +70°C, coupled with multiple operational modes that allow flexible network configurations.The introduction of these new products adds depth to EtherWAN's extensive line of Ethernet networking products. EtherWAN is committed to expanding its product line with Ethernet networking solutions designed for harsh environments.
About EtherWAN
EtherWAN Systems, founded in 1996 in Irvine CA, has become a leader in Ethernet connectivity for applications in various markets including intersection traffic monitoring & surveillance, transportation, utility, oil & mining, factory automation, etc. EtherWAN specializes in designing and manufacturing fiber optic Ethernet products and Ethernet equipment for harsh environments. The available products are hardened Ethernet over VDSL equipments, hardened media converters from serial/Ethernet to fiber or wireless, PoE switches, IEC 61850 based hardened Ethernet equipments for power distribution and substation applications, EN50121-4 & EN50155 based products for railway and train networking applications, and those for UL1604 based hazardous locations. EtherWAN's US headquarters are located in California USA with Pacific Rim headquarters and manufacturing facility in Taipei, Taiwan. With engineering expertise at both sides of the Pacific Ocean and its own production lines in Taiwan, EtherWAN continues to serve the markets with most advanced Ethernet gears at very affordable prices.


text:
Recently I gave the recipe for Saison Wry , the beer that won a gold medal in the recent TRASH beer competition. I recently re-brewed the recipe, splitting the roughly six gallon batch into two fermenters. In the first carboy I used my standard Wyeast 3711, French Saison yeast. I love this yeast. It is rock solid and I believe it could ferment your concrete garage floor down to 1.002 or so. It is the yeast I used in the medal winning recipe. In the second carboy I pitched Wyeast 3726, Farmhouse Ale. The 3726 is a limited release strain, and according to Wyeast it has an expected attenuation of 74% to 79%, versus the 3711 which claims 77% to 83%.
To make starters, I split active Wyeast smack packs into two, 2 liter soda bottles with about 1 liter of starter wort in each. I noted the 3726 was a very powdery yeast; it settled OK but was much easier to disturb than the 3711. In the end, I ended up with about 40 ml of fairly solid 3711 yeast but about 120 ml of very powdery 3726 yeast. The 3711 smack pack was a few months older so perhaps some of the volume difference simply could be due to viability, but I think most of the difference was due to the 3726 not settling as well.
The wort had an initial gravity of 15.4 °P (1.063), and after pitching I aerated each carboy with pure oxygen for 90 seconds. The wort was about 16 °C (61 °F) at pitching but I let the controller to 19°C (66 °F), and let it rise to 22°C (72 °F) by the third day. The 3711 finished at a very typical 1.0 °P (1.004) for an apparent attenuation of 94% and 7.9% ABV. The 3726 finished at 2.8 °P (1.011) for 83% attenuation and 6.9% ABV.
Today, here is the beer fridge, it is "Farmhouse vs. the French":
So, which yeast "wins" ? Both yeasts cleared well and both beers turned out very clear:
The Farmhouse Ale is softer and rounder, and perhaps a bit fruitier than the French Saison. The French Saison is spicier and definitely drier and has a noticeable bend toward the higher alcohols. In fact it has a slightly solvent like character that is stronger than I remember. I guess I need to compare it to a bottle from the first batch to see if I am remembering correctly. Which do I prefer? It is funny, I seem to prefer the one that I pour first. If I try the Farmhouse first, then the French seems a little rough. If I start with the French, then the Farmhouse is not a crisp and tart as the Farmhouse. Which will I use going in the future? Well, the Farmhouse is a specialty strain and not regularly available, so it will probably be the French Saison yeast. And that is OK with me.


text:
Patriotism … for rulers is nothing else than a tool for achieving their power-hungry and money-hungry goals, and for the ruled it means renouncing their human dignity, reason, conscience, and slavish submission to those in power. … Patriotism is slavery.
Quote of the Day – Leo Tolstoy17 01 2010
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: patriotism, quote, tolstoy
Categories : Economical, History, Politics, Quotes, Social
Darwin Bio Pic too Controversial for U.S.14 09 2009
The new film "Creation" has yet to find a distributor in the United States.
The Telegraph says:
However, US distributors have resolutely passed on a film which will prove hugely divisive in a country where, according to a Gallup poll conducted in February, only 39 per cent of Americans believe in the theory of evolution.
Movieguide.org, an influential site which reviews films from a Christian perspective, described Darwin as the father of eugenics and denounced him as "a racist, a bigot and an 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder". His "half-baked theory" directly influenced Adolf Hitler and led to "atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering", the site stated.
Wowzers. Only 39% of Americans believe in evolution? What is it about education that scares so many Americans? Maybe it is just easier to believe whatever the book says – typical lazy American idiots.
I hope the movie gets released here because I want to see it. I also hope it gets released here because that would show that at least one company isn't too scared of the nut jobs to release a simple bio pic.
Comments : 2 Comments »
Categories : Arts, Education, History, Media, Religion, Science, Social
Dysfunction's Role in Religion28 08 2009
From Newsweek (believe it or not):
In brief, the number of American non-believers has doubled since 1990, a 2008 Pew survey found, and increased even more in some other advanced democracies. What's curious is not so much the overall decline of belief (which has caused the Vatican to lament the de-Christianization of Europe) as the pattern. In a paper last month in the online journal Evolutionary Psychology, Gregory Paul finds that countries with the lowest rates of social dysfunction—based on 25 measures, including rates of homicide, abortion, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, unemployment, and poverty—have become the most secular. Those with the most dysfunction, such as Portugal and the U.S., are the most religious, as measured by self-professed belief, church attendance, habits of prayer, and the like.
What is also disturbing about this is that the US is considered a country with more dysfunction.
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Academic, Economical, Education, Environmental, Health, History, Media, Politics, Religion, Science, Social
The Necessity of Cable News Quacks18 08 2009
When one thinks of people like Glenn Beck, Keith Olberman, Bill O'Reily, and Rush Limbaugh, one often finds oneself wanting to stab ice picks in one's ears. These people are commentators, not newsmen, but this distinction is not understood by a lot of people.
But let's imagine a world in which these vitriolic opinionated ass-hats didn't exist. It would be a world of reporting only the facts. "People gathered outside the capitol today and protested the legality of President Obama's birth certificate." "Some republicans are upset about the death panels that would be created under the congress' health care reform bill."
The point is that there are some truly crazy people out there and perhaps it takes some crazy people to cover them. I've seen the so called serious news cover these events and with only a few exceptions they are far more interested in not offending anyone that they don't say anything at all. They're afraid that if they point out that there is no way that Obama isn't a citizen they'll be accused of being left wing and biased. The right has embraced so many lies that it is impossible to report the truth without appearing to be leftist.
When we have actual US Congressmen (I'm looking at you, Michele Bachmann) who think that the census leads to internment camps, who receives huge amount of campaign donations from the insurance companies and proceeds to act as their puppet, who has consistently worked to incite violence against those who oppose her, who thinks CO2 is natural and therefore harmless to the environment, and who thinks that we need to go through and purge the congress of all of those with what she has determined to be "anti-american" philosophies – why shouldn't we have crazy people on tv talking about them?
Until we start electing serious people there will be no possibility of serious news. This is not to say that there are not good news sources out there, and it is not to say that all cable news commentators were created equal. But it is to say that the serious news should spend less time complaining about the so-called "fake" newsmen on cable news and start complaining more about the "fake" people who are deciding our fate.
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Academic, Economical, Environmental, History, Politics, Religion, Science, Social
Orly Taitz – Lawyer, Dentist, Real-estate Agent, and Crazy Person3 08 2009
Orly Taitz – Lawyer, Dentist, Real-estate Agent, and crazy person.
I'll give MSNBC that it is entertaining – but it is hardly news or news – worthy. Let's just drop it.
Comments : 1 Comment »
Categories : Flash, History, humor, Media, Politics
Chief Justice Roberts – Model Conservative18 05 2009
From the New Yorker:
In every major case since he became the nation's seventeenth Chief Justice, Roberts has sided with the prosecution over the defendant, the state over the condemned, the executive branch over the legislative, and the corporate defendant over the individual plaintiff. Even more than Scalia, who has embodied judicial conservatism during a generation of service on the Supreme Court, Roberts has served the interests, and reflected the values, of the contemporary Republican Party.
This is a very interesting and frightening article by Jeffrey Toobin, exploring John Roberts' career so far as Chief Justice. It's a thoughtful article about Roberts and well worth the read.
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : History, Media, Politics, Social
Camping with Jesus7 05 2009
So I'll admit it – in 1990 I was a cub scout. I recently stumbled upon my old 'Wolf' book and found something that I have no recolection of – the section about a cub scout's duty to god:
Here is the Boy Scout of America website that details how and why they don't let atheists be boyscouts.
More scans after the jump . . .
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Academic, Education, History, Media, Religion, Social


text:
We did modge podge pumpkins first, using cartoon eyes and pumpkin mouths. They painted the face area of the pumpkin white with regular modge podge, stuck on a face, and then painted over that. If the paper wouldn't mold to the pumpkin I had some watered down modgepodge they could use to paint it flat. You can draw faces or mouths with sharpie on paper and cut it out or use computer clip art. ( I like to put a bit of orange around the eye and mouth clip art so I don't have to cut very carefully.)
SInce it was P day I had colored polka dots they could "paint" onto their pumpkins as well while I helped the other kids. I cut out the mouths and noses and teeth in advance and did a quick cut on the eyes. After they picked a set of eyes, I cut it a bit more carefully for them to glue on. I stuck them in my dehydrator to get them to dry faster, that is cheating, but I like to have things dry at the end when parents come.
The Nursery Rhyme of the day was "This Little Piggy" and "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater" which have cute songs online.
We read lots of books, but these were the letter P books. We have mostly girls, so I HAD to do pinkalicious.
Since this is the week of Halloween we talked about Halloween Costumes and watched my favorite halloween book
(it is a flash movie, so won't work on my iPad, so sad). I always turn down the volume and narrate it myself to make it more entertaining.
Then we had popcorn for our snack.
Here is our coloring page.


text:
Her aunt is Dionne Warwick. Her mother, Cissy Houston, was a founding member of soul trio Sweet Inspirations, and she`s always called longtime family friend Aretha Franklin ``Aunt Ree.``
So it`s not all that odd that Whitney Houston decided at age 12 that she wanted to make music her career too. Ten years later, Houston`s self-titled debut album has just passed the million-seller mark, and a single, ``Saving All My Love for You,`` is in the Top 20.


text:
Informing Contexts
Week 3 Reflections, MA Falmouth University
This week we draw out from the depth of image content analysis to a degree. We categorise instead the overall approach to practice; the sought out as opposed to the made. The Canadian photographer Jeff Wall, who has exhibited his work globally is credited with summarising these two poles as hunting or farming. The hunting opportunists tours, seeks, preys, to catch the moment whereas the farmer crafter cultivates, directs, positions, nurtures and poses.
The more we consider image making the importance of the viewer grows as reader, critique and translator of the seen image. To view Wall's work demands questions of us as viewers, as he works out in the real world but also 'on set'. Yet for a period his work that may have appeared to fall comfortably into the 'hunter' category actually was as farmed as his carefully poised imagery.
By way of example, Wall's The Approach (2014) appears as an underpass urban scene with its gritty grey backdrop to a homeless person living in a series of cardboard boxes, looked upon by a woman clad in a shawl. So, are we seeing a hunted image? As we pause to analyse the view we apply the coded skill set to see that there are indexical devices. The title implies an approach, not a passing, but is it a helping hand, a dollar or just a moment of observation? The woman herself is enigmatic; she may be homeless too, though she seems to have decent shoes, though little else belies wealth, so on balance we assume she is part of the disenfranchised. There is a water bowl but no dog; we assume there is a dog out of frame. There is a foot and what appears to be a peep hole in the box to the other end of the row of cardboard, but no eye to see. A trolley sitting on the diagonal that drags the eye through the scene implies abandonment, but from what? Food, possessions?
Wall interviewed by Sean O'Hagan in 2015 cites his approach as 'cinematographic' evoking the film director's style. This implies an idealised reconstruction of a moment caught in memory which is remade then shot. This moves him from witness to scene maker. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/nov/03/jeff-wall-photography-marian-goodman-gallery-show
The celebrated Invisible Man (2000) was overly based on Wall's reading of the prologue to the book of the same name by Ralph Ellison (1952). Yet according to MoMa citation, Wall also drew from other parts of Invisible Man and his own imagination. https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/jeff-wall-after-invisible-man-by-ralph-ellison-the-prologue-1999-2000-printed-2001
Wall was formerly a painter and one can surmise that the creation of a painting as an elaborate construct that absorbs time, led to his meticulously controlled and time consuming constructed scenes, so often inspired by old masters on twentieth century set pieces. It is thought that Wall influenced artists that followed him, across medium into music and beyond. The compendium of visual and cultural references we hold uniquely in our brains is termed intertextuality. Our conscious and subconscious reference, blend, download and offer not only our creative force but our ability to read imagery and settle it into our own limitless niches. Julia Kristeva would describe this meaning is filtered by, or led by, our tacit recognition of codes imparted by other texts. If there is any doubt about the textual embracing the image, we can reference a 1960's term intermedia. Used by artist Dick Higgins and others to describe various inter-disciplinary artistic activities that occurred between genres. A column in the LA Free Press started in 1967 was globally linked to multi-media action, this melding technology and movements, encouraging and documenting an interweave of precedents, output and promoting a point for future synthesis and development of ideas.
The imagery created by Sam Taylor-Johnson (formerly Wood) is a more recent example of the constructed, finally tuned approach that also makes references to preceding media, in this case the writings of Bram Stoker (1847-1912) and subsequent films of Dracula (a genre all of their own). In this image entitled Bram Stoker's chair, we begin to be provided with a clue to the images deceit. An initial view implies a balletic balance and movement as the Taylor-Johnson hallmark, like Wall, a highly controlled scene, but on more contemplation we see that the chair has not shadow, as indeed neither did the vampire, but the human shadow is singularly powerful. Interrogating commentaries reveals that Taylor-Johnson was suspended by wires for a long period before achieving the suspended self portrait that perfected the angles.
Both Wall and Taylor-Johnson's imagery can create in the viewer the mixed combination of the uneasy, inquisitive and uncanny. The visual/textual precedents that inform our viewing of these images may incur a feeling of veiled familiarity or indeed deja vu. The image world pervades our everyday, so we draw on the the veiled and unveiled compendium of memory and impression; it is simply unfeasible to avoid. Deja vu was a theme at an exhibition at the Whitworth Art gallery in 2009 focused on the viewer's experience.
as a more extreme and clearly disorientating symptom of the Surrealists.
But, returning to more settled territory, there is a more overt visual literacy known as meta pictures, the self referencing pictures about pictures. Often not subtle and indeed may be executed with some visual humour, here are three examples.
A 'Mondrian and Rothko meal' served up by Hannah Rothstein, then presented as images. http://time.com/3595500/thankgiving-meal-famous-artists/
secondly the Instagram cake, photographed and posted on Instagram as a 'double meta' image. Number 19 on this link http://guff.com/some-of-the-most-meta-pictures-on-the-internet
Finally, Wall likens his work to poetry, in that like a poem, 'which is made up from the lines that resemble sentences, but exceeds the normal way we read sentences, the poetic quality of an image transgresses the indexical truthfulness of a representation'.http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/jeff-wall/room-guide/jeff-wall-room-5
This second quote is the most insightful way of expressing his image making in terms of its referencing, how we should view it and its reassembly of the normal.
"The experience of a photograph is associative and simultaneous, and in this respect it resembles our experience of poetry. In poetic writing, meaning is not achieved by means of a consistent structure of controlled movements along lines made up of sentences. Rather the poem is made of lines that may resemble sentences typographically but which abrogate the requirement to be read the way sentences are read. So there is a break with any necessary relation to the chronicle." http://www.rhizomes.net/issue23/debolle/index.html
Reading these drew me to a 'meta-poem' by Thomas; a poem on poems that evoke what photography can be too.
'Poetry is what in a poem makes you laugh, cry, prickle, be silent, makes your toe nails twinkle, makes you want to do this or that or nothing, makes you know that you are alone in the unknown world, that your bliss and suffering is forever shared and forever all your own.'
Dylan Thomas


text:
I made this for dinner last night and it was a big hit.
It's a variation of a recipe I saw on Cheryl a.k.a. Tidy Mom's blog and she changed a recipe she saw in a cookbook to get her recipe. I love being inspired by other bloggers!
Anyway. Hers was actually Breaded Pork Medallions but I used Chicken and they weren't medallions so I changed the name to what was comfortable for me.
Here's a link to her recipe. Mine is below.
Garlic Herb Chicken
4 (4 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 triangles of Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb Spreadable Cheese
1 1/2 cups Italian style bread crumbs (I used Cheryl's measurement because I didn't measure mine. I just dumped it in the bowl.)
~Preheat oven to 375°
~Rinse chicken breasts in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
~Place chicken on a large cutting board and cover with 3 layers of plastic wrap. Pound with a kitchen mallet until about 1/4" to 1/2" inch thick. This will allow for even cooking and also gives you a very tender product because it breaks up the meat a bit.
~Using a butter knife, spread one triangle of cheese on the top of each breast.
~Coat each side in the bread crumbs.
~Place on a sheet pan which has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
~Spray the top of each breast with more non-stick spray.
~Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is done.
I served mine with Parmesan parsley noodles and vegetables. Yummy!
Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Garlic Herb Chicken!
Labels: Main Dishes, Poultry
2 comments:
- Darlene said...
Hi Cindi,
That looks DELICIOUS...YUM. I didn't realize you were doing a menu plan. Now I'm putting your cooking blog on my sidebar too so I can see what you are cooking up. I'm glad you all liked the Beef Stroganoff. My parents are in town this week (after Lexi's dance recital weekend) and I made that last night for them. They LOVED it! My dad is cooking for us tonight. Can't wait to see what he does.
- May 20, 2010 at 11:39 AM
- Diana said...
A must try! Enjoyed a first visit. Following...
Come see me.
- May 21, 2010 at 11:55 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Silhouette America was generous enough to send me a 24 pack of Sketch Pens. How awesome is that?!
Look at all these beautiful colors! It's hard to tell, but some of them are even glittery and metallic!
The Sketch Pen Starter Kit includes the following colors: Black (x2), white, lavendar, red, light blue, blue, neon pink, neon orange, neon green, neon yellow, glitter magenta, glitter gold, glitter bronze, glitter peach, metallic plum, metallic lavendar, metallic maroon, metallic navy, metallic light blue, metallic green, metallic charcoal, metallic grey, & metallic copper. That's a LOT of colors!! And, as a bonus with the 24 pack, you get a download card redeemable for 10 exclusive sketch designs!!
Since I used some images from the online Silhouette Studio shop, I can't ethically give you all the file to sketch/print it yourself, but I can tell you how I created so that you can create your own.
I used the following online Silhouette Studio shop images:
- The Frame is the Sketch Chalkboard Frame
- The Chick comes from the Easter Shapes bundle
- The Bunny comes from the 4 Easter Sketch Design bundle
I also used the following fonts:
- Pea Stacy Fancy
- Bernard MT Condensed
- DK Carte Blanche
- Centeria Script Demo
- Neo Retro Draw
- Vladimir Script
- Stephanie Dots
A couple notes on this project. It took way longer than necessary. I designed it all, saved it, and came back the next day to sketch it. But somehow in the saving process, it had made it so I couldn't separate the words and images. Even after trying to ungroup and releasing the compound paths, it was just way too much trouble. So instead, I redesigned the whole thing and cut it as I designed. Also, if you want it to just be the same color, then you can just design it all and send it to sketch. If you want the different colors, then you can use my method. Another thing, I found I got better, consistent sketching results if I set the machine to "Double Cut". It will just double sketch everything in this case. Much better.
1. I measured my frame so I could know exactly how big to make the frame. To fit inside my 8x10 frame, I resized the frame design to as close to 9.75x7.75 as I could get it.
2. This is where you start placing your words and images. After your artwork is complete, move all of the images and words off of the cutting mat area, click the Trace button, and use the trace feature. Be sure to change our your blade for the sketch pen. Send it to the Silhouette and watch the magic. When it's done sketching, DON'T take the paper and mat out of the machine. Just leave it there. Trust me. If you take it out each time, your designs will be all skeewompus.
3. This is where the project gets a little repetitive. Undo all the moving you just did, choose the next piece to sketch, change your pen color, and send it to the Silhouette. Repeat this process for as many colors as you're going to use. And again, LEAVE THE PAPER AND THE MAT IN THE MACHINE BETWEEN SKETCHES.
4. Once you've run through all your designs and colors, cut your paper down to fit inside your frame and admire your beautiful work.
Want to get in on the Sketch Pen action? Silhouette knew you would, so they're running an awesome special for all of the Someday Crafts readers.
You can get any of the following discounts by using the code "SOMEDAY":
- Silhouette CAMEO and the Sketch Pen Starter Kit for $269.99
-Silhouette Portrait and the Sketch Pen Starter Kit for $139.99
-Sketch Pen Starter Kit for $12.99


text:
After seeing Tim's post, I was surprised to learn that Gagarin died in 1968. Some reading revealed that he was killed in a jet crash, caused by negligence of the ground crew. He was only 34 years old.
I wish the Soviet Union had treated its space heroes better. Hopefully, he and Laika are off frolicking somewhere, wherever it is cosmonauts go when they die.


text:
My mother, my son and I just spent three days and two nights camping at the beach. It was the perfect beach experience. It was sunny and warm, except for the last morning. We built sandcastles and played in the water, took long walks and looked in tide pools. We saw several things we had never experienced before. All in all it was a wonderful trip
One of the significant experiences of this trip was the shells. This beach had many shells, and many large shells. I have always liked collecting things on the beach, but I had never see shells like this. I collected a whole child's bucket full of shells; I just couldn't stop myself. I was just amazed, and imagined displays and craft projects that I could make. This may seem like a small, normal thing to most people, but for me it was huge. In order to understand the impact of collecting shells on me, you have to understand a bit about my situation.
For the past 3 years I have lived in a "studio" apartment with my son. It is one room with a bathroom. This one room is our bedroom, living room, "kitchen", study, playroom, ect. I have very little space and very little storage. Most of my belongings are in a storage unit. I have spent the last 3 years purging, I just don't have room for much, so I have gotten very good at getting rid of unnecessary items, or just not bringing them home in the first place. I don't have much in my living space that is sentimental or decorative other than pictures. Now it might make more sense to you when I say that collecting shells was significant.
As I walked down the beach the last day collecting more shells, I realized that it was an act of healing. It was an outward sign of my heart moving on, having hope, wanting to create new memories, and wanting to have something tangible to hold on to those memories with. Collecting shells with no thought to where they would fit in my space, no regrets that I didn't have room for them. They were a symbol of a fresh start, not in a new place, in the same place, but with hope for the future.
I also learned another thing from the shells. In the past I have collected whole perfect shells, but on this trip I picked up some pieces of large clamshells that had been broken and worn down by the waves. They have interesting shapes and are smooth in my hand. They are beautiful despite being broken. And I thought that is how we are too. We are broken, but over time, if we let God wash us and grind off our sharp edges, we become beautiful again. We may not look the same, but our new form is interesting and unique.
So here I sit with my shells. I don't know what I am going to do with them. I don't know where I am going to put them. But they will find a place in this crazy life of mine, because I need them, not for any function, not because they make life more organized, but because they bring me joy. They remind me of healing; of lessons learned and most importantly that there is hope for the future.


text:
Talking to Vickie Winans will take you on a journey of epic proportions so you just have to be ready, and hold on tight! She is so funny! Today, I had the opportunity to talk to Vickie about her comedy – which she says she does "legally" – after always making people laugh when she sings. Check her skills out as a legal comedy show host Saturday, at the Millennium Theater in Southfield. We also talked about her passion for the homeless, and why she has added "Comedienne" to her very outstanding resume:
Click the Picture to Hear the Interview!!!
You can get your tickets by clicking here~~> Clean Side Of Comedy and then be prepared to laugh all night!
Text "Praise" To 77000 To have the first chance at ticket giveaways and inspirational news!…Standard Messaging Rates Apply
LIKE Praise 102.7 On Facebook To Keep Up With Your Fave Gospel Artists!
Follow Praise 102.7 on twitter and Instagram @praisedetroit
— Praise 102.7 Detroit (@PraiseDetroit)


text:
Turning the card over you can see that Ray is the 5th name on the list. Scherzer led the N.L. with 284 strikeouts. Jose Fernandez came in second with 253 k's, but Topps choose not to feature him. Not sure it it was out of respect or because they didn't have the rights to do so. Next up is Mad Bum with 251. Then it list Noah Syndergaard at 218 followed by Robbie Ray at 218.
I wonder why Topps featured Ray over Syndergaard. I'm not complaining. I love that a D-Back is featured on a League Leader card, but I do find it interesting. Syndergaard is obviously a much bigger name and plays in New York.
This card was sent to me by Chris, from the blog The Collector, along with a few other D-Backs cards from 2017 Topps Heritage.
In fact, here's Robbie Ray's base card from the set which features a picture from a spring training photo shoot.
You can see they cropped this photo for the League Leader card.
Up next is another spring training shot of Chris Owings. Weird to think that the photos on the 2017 Heritage cards are from 2016 spring training.
I hope A.J. can remain healthy and get back to his All-Star form in 2017.
Chris sent over a few other Diamondbacks cards as well. The best card of the bunch is this 2010 Finest card of Brandon Webb. This card is my 298th different Brandon Webb card.
Thanks Chris!


text:
Brenna Helmstutler (2003): Was promoted to Interim Coordinator, Library Services for Natural & Health Sciences at Georgia State University Library, Atlanta as of June 1.
Kathy Shields (2009) & Lynda Kellam (2007): Wrote a chapter for The Generation X Librarian: Essays on Leadership, Technology, Pop Culture, Social Responsibility, and Professional Identity published in May 2011.
Lynda Kellam (2007): Published her first book, Numeric Data Services and Sources for the General Reference Librarian, in June 2011.
What do you do this summer? We want to know! Fill out our form to be in the next uncg alumni updates!


text:
Monday, August 27, 2007
Dayflowers and Leaves
Yarn: Spritely Goods Sylph in Globe Mallow, less than 1 skein (approximately 3 oz)
Needles: US8 / 5.0 mm
Pattern: Now available at Spritely Goods
Finished Size: approximately 9 inches wide by 7 feet long.
Comments: I really enjoyed working this scarf up, and if I knit another one, I will probably swap the left and right leaf panels. If I'm really brave, I'll figure out how to eliminate the "border" stitches between the two motifs...though after examining the finished project, I suspect those border stitches between the motifs help keep the scarf nice and even along the edges.
The big challenge with this scarf was charting it out...the full repeat for the entire width of the scarf is 80 rows....because of the differing repeat length of the individual components. I suppose I could have gone and knit it from 2 different charts, however I'm sure I would have mucked things up had I done so (keeping track of individual rows was enough of a challenge ;) )
As for the yarn, it worked out very nicely. I wasn't sure how the variegation would play out on this project - it turned out that it didn't hide or diminish the lace pattern at all :)
I believe this is my first project that I've actually also kept tabs on over in Ravelry - for those that are members, the project is listed here.
Posted by Stephanie at 4:59 PM No comments:
Labels: gift knit, lace, merino wool, scarves, Spritely Goods Sylph
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
|2017 March Loan Management & Servicing Seminar Registration
Home | Register | Hotel| Program | Networking | CLE | Volunteer | Mobile App | FAQ | Members
**Additional discounts available to Associate Members, Servicers, Investors, and GSE's. Please scroll down.
Registration Transfers:
$50 Transfer Fee - if submitted by February 9, 2017
$75 Transfer Fee - if submitted on or after February 10, 2017
Cancellation Refund Policy - All cancellations must be submitted in writing
100% Refund (less $50 processing fee) - if cancellation is received by February 9, 2017
50% Refund - if cancellation is received after February 9, 2017
No Refund - if cancellation is received on or after February 16, 2017
No Refund - on "Earn a FREE Registration" promotion. Transfer fees apply.
Registration Details
USFN Members
Online Registration ONLY - please read the following and click on the blue "MEMBERS Register Here" button below.
USFN Associate Members
Associate Member Discounted Registration Form (PDF)
Servicers, Investors and GSEs
Earn a FREE Registration!
Register 2 attendees and bring a 3rd for FREE! - This offer is available to Servicers, Investors, and GSEs ONLY. To qualify, all attendee registration information MUST be submitted together. We will facilitate the registration so that the discount can be applied.
All Servicers: Please submit the PDF linked to the yellow button below to register. We will process your registration and email you a confirmation. If you are taking advantage of the above offer, please submit all order forms together.
Servicers, Investors and GSEs - PANELISTS
CONFIRMED Panelists only: Please submit the PDF registration form found at the link below. No need to complete payment information. We will process your registration and email you a confirmation.
Please note that audio and/or video recording of any part of the seminar, including individual sessions and networking event, is prohibited. In addition, members of the media are not permitted to attend.
8/5/2018 » 8/7/2018
CMBA Annual Western States Loan Servicing Conference
9/16/2018 » 9/18/2018
Five Star Conference


text:
A sexually transmitted disease known as Trichomonas vaginalis is twice as common …
A sexually transmitted disease known as Trichomonas vaginalis is twice as common as previously thought, and is particularly prevalent in women over 40, US doctors said Tuesday.
Using new genetic assay technologies for testing, the research led by Johns Hopkins University found that the overall infection rate among US women was 8.7 percent, compared to previous findings of about four percent.
Analyzing data from 7,593 American women between the ages of 18 and 89, women 50 and older showed the highest trichomonas infection rate at 13 percent.
Women in their 40s showed an 11 percent infection rate, said the study which spanned 28 states and "is believed to be the largest and most in-depth analysis of the STD ever performed in the United States," the study authors said.
Since the parasite often causes no symptoms in women but can lead to severe health problems, senior study investigator Charlotte Gaydos of Johns Hopkins in Maryland said she is urging all women over 40 to get tested.
"What we are really witnessing with trichomonas, especially in older women, is that no one ever looked, no one ever tested and diagnosed, and no one is really getting treated, so the infection persists year after year," she said.
"Trichomonas infections are quite treatable with antibiotics," she added.
"And these high numbers really warrant older women getting screened by their family physicians and gynecologists during routine check ups to make sure they are not infected and are not inadvertently spreading it to others."
Infection rates were highest in African American women — 20 percent — compared to white women at 5.7 percent.
The parasitic disease often causes no symptoms, but can result in painful urination or genital itching and discharge. Trichomonas infection can also make it easier for HIV to be transmitted, and can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and pregnancy and birth complications.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for STD Research, in Quebec City, Canada.


text:
It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
Originally posted by Woodside
The fact that a few of these birds tested positive for botulism and there are still something like 24000 birds on a nearby island that haven't left don't add up to a Pole Shift to me. They were clearly spooked, but I have no clue as to why.
Has anyone sighted these things since they left? I mean, you just don't 'not notice' 27000 pelicans (which are descent sized birds) flying over your house (or making a mess on your car). There has to be more to this story.
Lastly, are a lot of animals drive to reproduce pretty strong? I mean, in some cases, such as the salmon that swim upstream, the drive for reproduction is stronger than the drive to survive. I don't know about pelicans, but it seems very strange they would leave thir eggs.
Originally posted by Indy
I don't believe a geographic pole shift to be possible. There is no reason the earth would rotate once and then stop. If the rotation started that basically turned the world upside down it would continue until something acted upon it to force a change. But magnetic reversals happen often (in geologic times). But birds leaving is a bad sign. A pole shift will cause the extinction of may animals.
Originally posted by Indy
Vall... even if it were a change in the crust wouldn't it require some massive force to make that change? I have no idea.
[edit on 15-6-2004 by Indy]
Originally posted by Jamuhn
What about a possible north eastern hurricane forming? Kind of like in Day After Tomorrow. I think it may be due to the slowing North Atlantic Current...


text:
Jay and Silent Bob: The Game. It has Kevin Smith's, creator of all things Jay and Bob, and Jason Mewes seal of approval.
Interabang Entertainment, which has created games for Adult Swim, is teaming up with Smith for the project and they are looking to crowdfunding to help supplement some of the funds. But not with Kickstarter! They are using the platform Fig to ask for donations. Fig works a little bit differently in that it offers backers an opportunity to own a piece of the company or work, thus having input on the creative direction of the project. The more money you pay, the more you own. It's a creative alternative to other sites that allows for a more personal touch with backers. Like Kickstarter though, they only claim the funds if the campaign reaches it's goal. So it's possible that this project may fall out of favor if there isn't enough interest in fans to bring the game to life.
The company is looking to raise $400 grand over the next 36 days, currently at a $69k of their goal.
So what's a Jay and Silent Bob game going to be about? Well in this side-scrolling action-adventure title, Jay and Bob have lost all of their customers. They don't know where they've run off to, and want to find out why, less they lose their only means of income (for those who don't know, they sell drugs). Their search leads them all around their town, classic locations from several of Smith's movies, a new mega mall, and the like. The game includes unique moves for each character that you can learn over time, along with a dialogue tree for those RPG fans who need their fill of witty commentary. The plan is to launch the game on PC via Steam first and then roll out a version for the PS4 and XBox One.
I may fund this because it's a Jay and Silent Bob game. I don't need another reason. I'm a sucker for all things Kevin Smith. Except 'Jersey Girl.' Everyone knew that was a bad idea from the get-go. But as the gamer in me looks at it, it has the plotline quirks of South Park: The Stick of Truth with the fighting style of Marvel vs. Capcom mixed in with Donkey Kong Country. It's got my interest.


text:
Jaipur: Having sealed their place in the semifinals, Rajasthan Royals would look to grab the top spot in the table when they square off against Otago Volts in their final Group match of the Champions League Twenty20, here on Tuesday.
By finishing atop the table Royals will not only avoid playing rampaging Chennai Super Kings in the semifinals but also they will get to play their last-four stage match at home, where they have an incredible 11-match winning streak.
Stakes are much higher for the Kiwi side as a win tomorrow would ensure their passage in the last-four stage. They are currently placed second in the group with 12 points from three matches and could knock out IPL champions Mumbai Indians if they win here.
The match between the Volts and Mumbai was washed away putting the reigning IPL champions in quandary.
Mumbai have six points from three matches and are likely to win their last match against Perth Scorchers at Delhi on Wednesday. If Otago lose against Rajasthan Royals and Mumabi win, the two sides` fate would depend on Net run-rate.
Rajasthan Royals` thumping nine-wicket victory against Perth Scorchers has again proved that they are master of the conditions here. Despite skipper Rahul Dravid failing in previous two matches their batting looks solid with Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Shane Watson, Stuart Binny and Brad Hodge all being in good touch and playing their roles to perfection.
The bowling also looks healthy and with Kevon Cooper among the wickets they have more options and variety at their disposal.
On the other hand Otago Volts are also a confident lot with a 15 match winning streak and the show of nerves in the thrilling victory over Highveld Lions the previous night has resulted in more self belief.
Their never-say-die attitude and attacking strategy has helped them qualify for the main event and their impressive victories against Perth Scorchers and Highveld Lions has sounded a warning bell.
Jaipur pitch suits the Otago`s style of play. They have strong batting line up and Neil Broom`s magnificent unbeaten 117 off just 56 balls is a big testimony to that.
Skipper Brendon McCullum would also like to make amends for his cheap dismissal in the match, where he could not even open his account.
Their bowling too looks good the Jaipur fans can hope for another keen tussle on a lively wicket.
Rajasthan Royals: Rahul Dravid (C), Stuart Binny, Kevon Cooper, James Faulkner, Brad Hodge, Vikramjeet Malik, Ashok Menaria, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Rahul Shukla, Shaun Tait, Pravin Tambe, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson and Dishant Yagnik.
Otago Volts: Brendon McCullum (C), Nick Beard, Michael Bracewell, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Mark Craig, Derek de Boorder, Jacob Duffy, Nathan McCullum, James McMillan, James Neesham, Aaron Redmond, Hamish Rutherford, Ryan ten Doeschate, Neil Wagner and Sam Wells.


text:
Featured Post
1000 Playwright Interviews The first interview I posted was on June 3, 2009. It was Jimmy Comtois. I decided I would start interview...
Jan 8, 2011
I Interview Playwrights Part 302: Paul Thureen
Paul Thureen
Hometown: Grew up on a farm 10 miles north of East Grand Forks, MN
Current Town: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Q: Tell me about your upcoming remount of Buddy Cop 2.
A: Buddy Cop 2 is our play about Cops, Christmas and Racquetball that we premiered in May at the Ontological-Hysteric Incubator. We're bringing it back for a quick run for PS122's COIL festival. We'll be at the Atlantic Theater Stage 2. It's a super fun, dark, sad, strange play.
Q: What else are you working on?
A: Well, we have the very beginnings of three new plays so after Buddy Cop 2 we'll hop back into development mode.
Also, Buddy Cop 2 is coming out from Samuel French in just a few weeks and we're happy to report that Manbites Dog Theater in Durham, NC will be doing the first licensed production in June. It's the first time someone ELSE has done one of our shows . . . which is totally exciting and bizarre because we've always written for ourselves as performers.
Q: How do you and Hannah write together? What's your process?
A: Once we've found the little thing that's our main core starting point, we spend a period of time collecting things; research, images, objects (very important), songs . . . and that transitions into generating a big mass of text sort of riffing on these early ideas and inspirations. At this point Oliver (our director and the other third of The Debate Society) and Hannah and I are really focused on creating the world of the play which is sort of the most important thing to us; the flavor and feel of the place and its mythology.
From our feeling of what that world is and the writing we've done, we start to shape the story and characters. We'll do in-rehearsal work with Oliver, then Hannah and I write and bring stuff back in, repeat repeat repeat. Hannah and I will give each other little writting assignments and when we read, we've usually ended up magically filling in the gaps of what was missing in the other's writing.
It definitely starts out as a very intuitive process. As we get closer to production, then we look back at what we have, how it's (hopefully) kind of instinctively lined up and then at that point do a little bit more shaping and building from a more intellectual/dramaturgical perspective.
Q: Tell me, if you will, a story from your childhood that explains who you are as a writer or as a person.
A: Well I guess this is more of an origin story than a single event, but my mom was a Norwegian professor and writer and my dad a farmer and I think it kind of makes sense that that made me. My mom was always SUPER creative and viewed that world with very childlike eyes for an adult . . . she still does actually. So dragons would be leaping out at us from the ditch when we'd be riding in the car and things like that. She also read to me and my sister a lot and had us do "hot pen" writing exercises from a young age. And then my dad was more quiet, super hard working, but also with a sort of dry, pragmatic Midwestern sense of humor. On the farm you just have a lot of time alone, inventing things, climbing on (dangerous) farm machinery, creating your own little word outside. I just reread your interview you did with Hannah . . . and she talked about setting up little dioramas in her mom's antique shop window . . . so it strikes me we grew up in very similar ways in very different places. And I think that sense of play still really flavors our work . . . even when we're making something very adult or sad or dark.
Q: Who are or were your theatrical heroes?
A: I studied for 3 months in Moscow and those guys are just such committed artists; doing what they do even in the worst of times and working so hard with much fewer resources . . . and still there's this super commitment to playfulness and excessive creativity. There's always a point where Oliver's staging, and we've written something crazy and impossible that has to happen on stage and we can't figure out how to make it happen and we joke, "Um, we'll just use real magic". And I think the Russians believe in that. So . . . "Russians" is the answer I guess.
Q: What kind of theater excites you?
A: Sometimes I see plays and think, "That was good . . . but would have been better as an episode of This American Life (or Law and Order. Or a book. Or a tone poem.) and there's nothing really wrong with that . . . but I get so excited when I see something stunning or delicate or that really rocks me that could only happen in theater.
Q: What advice do you have for playwrights just starting out?
A: "Turn on your nerves" as they'd tell us in Russia so you're absorbing things that are interesting or make you feel a certain way in the world. Be open to finding inspiration in anything. Look places no one else looks. And be super honest and critical with yourself: Is this REALLY what I want to make, or is this something just in the style of what I think I SHOULD make. Work hard. And then . . . try to get out of the way of yourself and trust your intuition.
Q: Plugs, please:
A: Buddy Cop 2 at Atlantic Stage 2, January 8th-13th (go to thedebatesociety.org for the details)!
8 comments:
- 網站設計 said...
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
- 抓姦 said...
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
- 偵探社 said...
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
- 尋人 said...
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
- 討債 said...
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
- 討債 said...
Thank you, that was extremely valuable.
- 法律諮詢 said...
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
- 網頁設計 said...
Very interesting, thank you for sharing!
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
I didn't work this past weekend. I did relaxing things. These things included two strenuous workouts, a rented movie (Breach), and a long walk around lower
Here instead, for anyone who gives a shit, is a list of the last ten books I've read:
1. You Don't Love Me Yet, by Jonathan Lethem
2. The Mormon Murders, by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White
3. The Foreign Correspondent, by Alan Furst
4. Girl in Landscape, by Jonathan Lethem
5. Mormon
6. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
7. The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
8. Anthem, by Ayn Rand
9. Dead Eye Dick, by Kurt Vonnegut
10. The Adventures of Augie March, by Saul Bellow
I'm not including the two books by the author to whom I referred in a post two weeks ago, as I don't want said post to be construed as a personal attack. It wasn't.
Breach was very good, and held my attention for its entirety, but Chris Cooper wore too much makeup. Chris Cooper is one of my favorite actors, and I'm sure this excessive application of makeup was not his fault, but when a character in a movie looks like he has a fake face, I get upset and lose focus on what the filmmaker is trying to accomplish.
I am easily distracted.


text:
When talking about philosophy, defining terms is absolutely crucial. I may have ignored that necessity already in this blog, causing some amount of confusion; so I believe that it is time to start filling in those gaps. When talking about religion, there are a few absolutely crucial terms to define, one of which is the word "God." The following should be a fairly orthodox Christian explanation of the definition of the term "God."
To begin, we must differentiate between the word "God," and the word "gods." The latter is a term for finite creatures of great power who either control or represent the quintessence of elemental or ideological forces such as the earth, the sea, wisdom, justice, fate etc. In popular usage, it may also refer to someone who is very talented, famous, or who is adored by many people, as in "Justin Bieber is a pop god." (It pains me even to use him as an example). The word "God," refers to the God of monotheism. The Greek pagans had gods; Muslims pray to God.
So, obviously, as a Christian, I will be defining the word "God." Let's start with the popular definition of the term. I think that when many use the word "God," their usage indicates that they mean a being of great power and ability; who can mold and shape reality; and who cannot die. When reviewing common usage, however, I think it becomes evident that many people think of God as being finite. Phrases like "I don't want to bother God with that," "He's too busy to worry about that," "Don't do that in the church where God can see," etc. seem to indicate that the popular conception of God is of a very powerful but limited being who has a limited amount of focus, power, attention, time, reach, and sight. This is a God who you can get away from, trick or manipulate. In other words, it seems to me that when most people say "God;" what they mean is "god."
Traditional Christian theology cringes at the thought. For traditional orthodox theology, the idea of God necessarily includes concepts of omnipotence (power to do anything), omniscience (knows, sees and hears all things), omnipresence (exists in all physical locations at the same time), infinitude (limitless in power, scope, and being), and eternity (exists above time). Additional, but lesser known traditional attributes include impassability (cannot be affected), immutability (cannot change), and perfection. If a "god" is powerful but limited, then Christian tradition is definitely talking about "God."
The Christian Bible clarifies, anchors, and corrects the concepts of traditional Christian theology. The Christian God is certainly described as all-powerful ("for man this is impossible, but for God all things are possible"), omniscient and omnipresent ("'Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?' declares the LORD. 'Do not I fill heaven and earth?'") and eternal ("a thousand days is like a day, and a day is like a thousand years"). According the Bible, God is holy (from the Hebrew qadash "set aside for a particular use," "special," or "other") meaning God is categorically different from the rest of creation. God created the Heavens and the Earth, but further, He sustains and preserves His creation moment by moment. The Bible certainly agrees with Platonic notions of a God who is unchanging; it might prefer the term faithful, for the God of the Bible can change, respond and move, grieve and rejoice. The most important Biblical idea of God, however, is that He is love.
In Christianity, Jesus Christ is the face of God to humanity, he is the ultimate revelation of the character and nature of God. In Him we see the grace and forgiveness of God; but also the just and righteous wrath of a holy and sinless God. The ultimate revelation of who God is, though, is the cross. This is where we see the suffering face of Christ, the self-emptying, and loving sacrifice of a transcendent God who voluntary descends into the mess of human life, committing to us, and dying for us. In Christ we see that God is one who would lay down His life for His friend.


text: The big challenge for our generation of school leaders: using the pupil premium to narrow the gap Exchanging Excellence Closing Gaps conference Hertfordshire 7 July 2014 John Dunford National Pupil Premium Champion 1 The priorities Excellence and Equity Raising achievement and Closing the gap 2 Attainment PP pupils Other pupils Time The ambition "The most advanced education systems now set ambitious goals for all students, with a clear focus on equity, and are clear about what students should be able to do." "Excellence and equity in student performance are less related to a country's income or expenditure on education than to how those educational resources are allocated, and to the policies, practices and learning environments that determine the conditions in which students work." Equity, Excellence and Inclusiveness in Education Policy: Lessons from Around the World' , Andreas Schleicher, OECD, 2014 4 Which strategies are helping most to raise attainment of PP-eligible students? 5 Pupil premium: the gap in 2013 6 The gap gets wider as pupils get older: 19% gap (60%: 79%) in level 4 at 11 27% gap (38%: 65%) in 5A-CsEM at 16 Big variations between schools and between LAs Level 4 gap: Newham 4%; Herts 20%; Harrow 16%; MK 15% GCSE gap: London under 20%; Herts 31%; MK 23% Attainment of PP pupils Level 4: Camden 79%; Harrow 68%; MK 67%; Herts 64%; GCSE: Tower Hamlets 63%; Harrow 53%; MK 44%; Herts 40% Lowest FSM attainment in schools with high or low FSM Percentage of Key Stage 4 pupils eligible for free school meals attaining the GCSE benchmark by secondary schools, in deciles from low to high proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals Data based on 2012 Key Stage 4 validated data. Figures represent all open secondary schools that have had a published section 5 inspection as at 31 December 2012. Schools with percentage figures exactly on the decile boundary have been included in the lower decile. Focus for the pupil premium Ambition: In 17% of schools, FSM attainment is above the national average for ALL pupils Use evidence of what works Using curriculum to raise FSM attainment Focus relentlessly on the quality of teaching and learning 8 Prioritise your school's gaps PP is for disadvantaged pupils The opportunity 10 Don't wait for politicians to tell you what to do The government isn't telling schools how to close the gap It's for schools to decide how to use PP Stop looking up and start looking out The evidence 11 Seeking out excellent practice in other schools http://apps.nationalcollege.org.uk/closing_the_gap/index.cf m Using the Education Endowment Foundation toolkit http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/ Using conclusions from Ofsted surveys http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/pupil-premium-howschools-are-spending-funding-successfully-maximiseachievement http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/unseen-childrenaccess-and-achievement-20-years Professional networks Seeking out excellent practice in closing gap Encouraging staff to build professional networks – policy isn't just made in the head's office Local, regional, national, international evidence Who can help you to build new networks? Extend the pupil premium co-ordinators' network in Herts? How good are the networks of key PP staff? 12 EEF Toolkit 13 Using teaching assistants effectively 14 How well are your teaching assistants doing? How do you know how effective they are? The DISS project: Deployment and Impact of Support Staff Free download from www.oxfordprimary.co.uk http://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/oxed/primary/litera cy/osi_teaching_assistants_report_web.pdf?region=uk Evidence from Ofsted 15 Reports on PP – Sept 2012 and Feb 2013 Successful approaches: Unsuccessful approaches Unseen children: access and achievement 20 years on Evidence from Ofsted: successful approaches PP funding ring-fenced to spend on target group Maintained high expectations of target group Thoroughly analysed which pupils were under-achieving + why Used evidence to allocate funding to big-impact strategies High quality teaching, not interventions to compensate for poor teaching Used achievement data to check interventions effective and made adjustments where necessary Highly trained support staff Senior leader with oversight of how PP funding is being spent Teachers know which pupils eligible for PP Able to demonstrate impact Involve governors Evidence from Ofsted: less successful approaches Lack of clarity about intended impact of PP spending Funding spent on teaching assistants, with little impact Poor monitoring of impact Poor performance management system for support staff No clear audit trail of where PP money was spent Focus on level 4 or grade C thresholds, so more able under-achieved PP spending not part of school development plan Used poor comparators for performance, thus lowering expectations Pastoral work not focused on desired outcomes for PP pupils Governors not involved in decisions about the PP spending Deciding your desired outcomes Identifying the barriers to learning for PP pupils Possible desired outcomes FSM / Non-FSM attainment over time Gap over time Attendance over time Progress Reducing exclusions Extending opportunities Destination data Success criteria for each outcome 18 Choosing your school strategies: getting the balance right 19 Long-term Short-term Whole-school strategies Needs of individual pupils Teaching and learning strategies Improving numeracy and literacy Improving test and exam results Raising aspirations Pastoral support strategies Is the balance right in your school? EXAMPLE STRATEGIES TO CLOSE ATTAINMENT GAPS WHOLE SCHOOL STRATEGIES ...which benefit all pupils STRATEGIES FOR UNDERPERFORMING PUPILS …which benefit FSM and other under-achieving pupils TARGETED STRATEGIES FOR PUPILS ELIGIBLE FOR FSM …which specifically benefit FSM pupils Whole school strategies might include… • Quality teaching and learning, consistent across the school, supported by strong CPD culture, observation/moderation and coaching • Engaging and relevant curriculum, personalised to pupil needs • Pupil level tracking, assessment and monitoring • Quality assessment • Effective reward, behaviour and attendance policies • Inclusive and positive school culture • Effective senior leadership team, focused on PP agenda Targeted strategies for under-achieving pupils might include… • Early intervention and targeted learning interventions • One-to-one support and other 'catch-up' provision • Rigorous monitoring and evaluation of impact of targeted interventions • Extended services and multi-agency support • Targeted parental engagements • In-school dedicated pastoral and wellbeing support and outreach • Developing confidence and self-esteem through pupil voice, empowering student mentors, sport, music, or other programmes such as SEAL Targeted strategies for FSM pupils might include… • Incentives and targeting of extended services and parental support • Subsidising school trips and other learning resources • Additional residential and summer camps • Interventions to manage key transitions between stages /schools • Dedicated senior leadership champion Source: abridged from Rea and Hill , 2011, Does School-to-School Support close the gap? National College for School Leadership Pupil premium: the funding Additional per pupil funding for PP £488 per pupil £623 per pupil £900 per pupil (+ £53 for primary) £935 (secondary) £1300 (primary) £1900 (Looked after and adopted chn) Total PP funding 21 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 £625 million £1.25 billion £1.875 billion £2.5 billion Wider funding 22 £50 million of PP funding to secondary schools for summer schools for year 7 incomers that need extra support Plus £500 per year 7 pupil who is below level 4 in reading and/or maths for literacy and numeracy catch-up PP funding not for existing provision In total this represents a big commitment by the government. Now schools have to deliver. Accountability Centralisation and decentralisation – the lesson from history On pupil premium impact, we should be holding ourselves to account Are your pupils making at least good progress? 23 Creating a good audit trail Building your own data sets Accountability direct to parents Are your pupils making at least good progress? What inspectors are looking for Before the inspection, RAISE Online is studied for evidence on gaps: How well did FSM pupils attain last year in comparison to other pupils in the school and nationally? How much progress did FSM pupils make last year compared to other pupils in the school and nationally? How well have FSM pupils been performing over time? Is attainment rising? Is the gap narrowing? PP pupil tracking by inspector Discussions with PP pupils, parents, staff and governors Study of effectiveness of PP spending strategies Study of effectiveness of leadership in monitoring and evaluation Governor involvement Factors considered by inspectors Quality of the school's analysis of the performance and needs of PP pupils School rationale for spending PP funding Appropriateness and level of challenge of school's success criteria Robustness of monitoring and evaluation Level of involvement of governors Level of involvement of pupils, parents and carers Impact on narrowing the gap Creating a good audit trail How good is the audit trail in your school? The audit trail 26 PP funding Strategies adopted Implementation Monitoring mechanisms and results Measured impact Evaluating each strategy: 'What does this mean?' Improving: 'What do we do now?' Accountability to parents … but this is about much more than accountability … … using support to use PP more effectively … … using curriculum to close the gaps … 27 Obligation to report to parents on PP policies and impact Publish an online account of PP amount and plans to spend it At end of year, publish what you spent it on and the impact Lots of school templates on the internet An international perspective "Today schooling needs to be much more about ways of thinking, involving creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making." Andreas Schleicher – OECD TES 16 November 2012 28 Using curriculum freedoms The school curriculum is much bigger than the National Curriculum SCHOOL CURRICULUM NATIONAL CURRICULUM 29 Using curriculum freedoms to close the gap What curriculum does a C21 young person need? What curriculum does most for disadvantaged? Giving all young people a 'whole education' Developing knowledge, skills and personal qualities What skills and personal qualities to develop? 30 CBI list? Your own list? How can you develop the curriculum to help close the gap in your school? Work ready Ready for further study 31 Life ready Make an impact Change practice Get buy-in at school Today's conference Use evidence to decide strategy Training in depth Evaluate effectiveness National Pupil Premium Champion Contact John Dunford at [email protected] Twitter: @johndunford 33


text:
Top 8 Tips for Raging Waves WaterPark
1 day ago
Awww, sisters or best friends? Either way these two look inseparable (and so happy!) :)ReplyDelete
what a great capture of life as it happens :)
LOVE this, so glad I stopped by...this was a gift for me...it is so gloomy out today, but these two radiant faces are flooding my heart with sunshine!!!ReplyDelete
Oh my gosh. I love this photo! I'm so glad I stumbled on your blog. Definitely following now! :)
The of your "Poetry Without Words" caught my attention, and I just had to check it out. Neat! ...And thanks for dropping by my Rock4Today blog with your encouraging words.ReplyDelete


text:
The Beer Factory, PragueIf you are in Prague and enjoy beer you are in for a special treat when you visit The Beer Factory. Located in the center of Prague in Wenceclav Square across from the Charles IV statue, The Beer Factory is a very fun bar/restaurant offering awesome food, music and of course tons of beer. Each table includes 4 beer taps and a beer monitor which tabulates how much beer you've consumed. Whenever you fill up your glass a tally is added to your tables total, which is then projected on of the the many screens on the wall of the bar. Soon, the night turns into a huge competition against the other tables.
We have visited The Beer Factory several times so far and have enjoyed it thoroughly! Any night of the week it is filled with young people from all over the world and is a guaranteed awesome time.
The Beer Factory
Vaclavske Namesti 58
Praha 1


text:
Having No Blog Is Your Blog
Thoughts about this and that.
I survived my road trip to the PA office and the meeting with the big boss. After four hours in the car (round trip), I spent another 90 minutes driving back and forth to beautiful downtown Willoughby for an alumni event. It was a good time, but I'm kind of wiped out.
Captain's Log: Stardate
No comments:
Post a Comment
Newer Post
Older Post
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)


text:
- Description
- Specs
Perky-Pet® Red Hobnail Vintage Hummingbird Feeder - Specifications
Product Features:
- Vintage hobnail glass bottle
- Red with luster finish
- Wide mouth for easy filling and cleaning
- 4 flower feeding ports
- 16 oz nectar capacity
What's in the Box:
- 1 Perky-Pet® Red Hobnail Vintage Hummingbird Feeder (Model #8130-2)
- Nectar Capacity: 16 ounces
- Actual Size of Feeder: 5.5" x 5.5" x 8.63"
- Warranty
30-Day Satisfaction Guaranteed Policy
Your satisfaction with our bird feeders and service is our top priority!
If you are anything less than completely satisfied with your bird feeder or bird accessory, you may return it within 30 days of receipt for a product replacement or money refund of your full merchandise cost. It's part of our worry-free shopping policy!
- Reviews
Disclaimer: Perky-Pet does not endorse any information contained in product reviews. Please follow all label instructions for your specific use.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Review RateExcellent
Thought the quality was excellent. Nice to have something made out of glass and metal instead of plastic. I believe it would look better and more balanced if it had a tin or copper cap at the top of the red glass container.
Review RateThe Best Ever!
I get so much joy from the look of this feeder, as well as, watching the birds enjoy it's sweetness. It beautiful and glistens nicely in the sun. Definitely a keeper and I bought 2 extra for future gifts.
Review RateAmazing!We have had no luck attracting hummingbirds this summer. Had not seen any in flight or on our neighbors' feeders. Purchased two of the red hobnail feeders to replace our existing feeders. After hanging the feeders the first time and returning indoors, in less than two minutes had hummers on the new feeders! Crazy!
Review RateLuv my new feedersI love these feeders. they are sturdy, beautiful and easy to fill and hang.
Review RateVery beautifulAs soon as I hung it the hummingbirds where coming :)


text:
PC World - Ubiquity, thy name is mouse.
There's Mighty. There's Mickey. And don't forget the proverbial girl next door. The stereotype says she's attractive, but also a tad bit mousey.
Interesting Fact: At first 'PC Mouse' was disregarded as unnecessary.
A mouse is naked without a L/R scroll wheel & left side buttons.
To me anyway.