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I moderated comments for half of today to give me time to think on my options. Most comments on this blog are positive. Now, so far I've only had one anonymous commenter. This commenter in the past made it clear they didn't like a book. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that. I deleted the comments in the past because they were pretty nasty.
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Important annoucement regarding posting comments.
I moderated comments for half of today to give me time to think on my options. Most comments on this blog are positive. Now, so far I've only had one anonymous commenter. This commenter in the past made it clear they didn't like a book. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that. I deleted the comments in the past because they were pretty nasty.
14 comments:
- Fi-chan (Bookish-Escape) said...
OMG saying that the author should be killed is way too unacceptable! I'm so sorry this has happened on your blog D:
- 28 November 2010 at 08:26
- Nayuleska said...
Thanks Fi-chan. This wasn't what I wanted to wake up to at the weekend - or any day of the week.
- 28 November 2010 at 08:27
- Talli Roland said...
That's terrible, and it has definitely crossed the line - no doubt. I think you're doing the right thing, and well done for speaking up about it.
- 28 November 2010 at 09:00
- asamum said...
Obviously something wrong with the metality of that commenter I think.
No need for it at all.
- 28 November 2010 at 09:15
- brizmus said...
I am seriously, seriously horrified that anyone would ever say that. You should definitely contact the publisher! That's just terrible!
- 28 November 2010 at 09:15
- Rhys said...
Don't take this too seriously. It's just a foamed who wants the oxygen of publicity. Just delete comments like that quickly and effectively. Emailing a publicist won't really help; the Internet is pretty free and liberal. All you can do us just make sure comments like these aren't welcome.
- 28 November 2010 at 09:41
- Christopher said...
What an idiot this guy must be. Like posting anonymously is going to mask his identity. Everything can be tracked down on the internet.
- 28 November 2010 at 09:50
- The Slowest Bookworm said...
That is awful :( I have tweeted this post too. I have my comment moderation set to moderate any comments received more than 7 days after the post date.
I had a blog previous to this book blog for 7 years and found that the malicious comments always seemed to be on an old post and it took me ages to track it down to delete. This way I can find the comment quickly and delete it.
The good thing is though that this doesn't happen very often.
- 28 November 2010 at 10:47
- Nayuleska said...
Thanks everyone. I can't say all that the publicist told me, but this book has been attacked elsewhere too. It's scary that mine isn't the only incident, but I'm glad I've spoken up.
- 28 November 2010 at 15:13
- Anne Beeche said...
Just so you know, there's a possibility the commenter is a troll: an attention-seeking loser who says horrible things just to get a rise out of people. If so, then blogging about his comment and emailing a publicist might be just giving him what he wants.
Next time a comment like that appears, I'd just delete it quietly without giving it any attention.
- 28 November 2010 at 16:03
- Nayuleska said...
Thanks Anna. Unfortunately for me there is a reason behind the comments posted. I can't give out details of the matter, only that in this instance anonymous was probably not a troll.
At least I cant have any more anonymous posts!
I decided not to moderate older posts because whenever anyone comments on my blog, even in old posts, I instantly get an email alert. I doubt people will be silly enough to post unpleasant comments using their own profile name.
- 28 November 2010 at 16:36
- Becky said...
I haven't allowed anonymous commenters from day one on my blog. I think if you have an opinion you should be brave enough to own it. The commenter in question is perhaps a football fanatic. But goodness, there is never any need for threats or violence.
- 28 November 2010 at 16:39
- Sarah said...
The person writing these comments sounds like a complete idiot & is obviously a little on the crazy side. I don't mind if people have negative opinions on a book I've enjoyed & will happily leave comments on my blog that disagree with my opinion - we all have a right to make up our own minds & the world would be a very boring place if we all liked the same things.
I have to say I would have deleted any comments like that if they'd appeared on my blog though. It's one thing to comment & say why you disagree with me but to say the author should be killed is something else altogther! I wouldn't want something like that to be on my blog so I think you've done the right thing by deleting them.
- 29 November 2010 at 00:15
- Amber said...
OMG how terrible!! :O That's really horrible. Why threaten to kill an author just because of a football team? It just doesn't make sense. I'm really sorry that this had to happen on your blog (which is fabulous BTW)
- 1 December 2010 at 19:21


text:
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Some of the major players in this market are Beijing Gingko Group, BASF Corporation, BTSA, COFCO Tech Bioengineering, Carotech Bhd, Davos Life Science, Fenchem Biotek, Vitae Naturals, Eisai Food & Chemical, Ranbaxy, PepsiCo DSM Nutritional Products and Archer Daniels Midland Company.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Silverfishbooks, Sang Freud Press dan Sindiket Sol-jah, dengan berbesar hati menjemput anda sekalian pencinta fiksi berbahasa Melayu untuk bersama memeriahkan sidang pembacaan naskhah DUA LAUK dan PEREMPUAN SIMPANAN.Congrats to Sufian Abas and friends for getting this new collection off the ground. The title is a wee bit hard to translate directly into English. (But this bluff-full Mat Salleh will have a go anyway and mangle a beautiful language.) Lauk means the dishes, curry and so on, eaten with rice as part of a Malay meal. A perumpuan simpanan is a kept-woman = mistress. And in this case it seems she's only been left two dishes to eat with her rice. (But why? I am intrigued to find out the answer to this! And if they are delicious lauk, such as I feel perfectly capable of cooking myself, should she still feel deprived?)
Date: Saturday, March 28, 2009
Time: 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: Silverfish Books, Jln Telawi, Bangsar Baru
Readers include:
Wani Ardy
Taf 'Tifani' Teh
Ila Syazwani
Dila Raden
Wahida Rahim
Alina Abdullah
Further enquiries : email@example.com
No doubt Sufian will be along to tell me I've got hold of the wrong end of the stick entirely. Never mind.
We also have Readings@Seksan that Saturday afternoon, but I will try to finish early so that anyone who wants to walk up the road to Silverfish will be able to get a second dose of things literary that afternoon!


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It's not often that I buy a $6 loaf of bread. Only when desperate and no other options are available. Now if that loaf of bread is only half eaten and stale two days later, it certainly will get used! I know of no tastier way of using stale bread than in a delicious bread pudding.
Having watched the animated movie "Ratatouille" for the umpteenth time again recently, I was reminded of tastes that take you back to your childhood. Home-made bread pudding does that for me. Just the first spoonful transported me back to my childhood home, my mum in the kitchen whisking eggs and vanilla essence in her oval Pyrex bowl and the sweet fragrant smells wafting through the kitchen. I'm so glad that I can recreate those feelings with this pudding.
There is no exact science to making a bread pudding. It really does depend on the size of the slices of bread, the consistency of the bread and your personal taste. I like a moist bread pudding, with a tropical taste and not too sweet. Just like my mother used to make. It may never turn out exactly the same twice though.
In this pudding I've used dessicated coconut, almonds and dried mixed fruit (my mum used to use dried cut mixed peel). Eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla essence are the other basic ingredients.
I like it best served warm with soothing custard. Aaah... the taste of home!
a few slices or half a loaf of stale white bread (2 days old or more)5
500ml milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup of dried mixed fruit
1/4 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 cup sliced almonds
100g butter


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The warm glow of the tree. The aroma of Christmas baking.
The lively banter of multiple conversations, laughter, and good-natured teasing.
Babies cooing & squealing. Hugs. Giddy excitement.
To say we were all thrilled and grateful to be together for three days over Christmas is probably an understatement! As our family grows and changes these days of reunion are savored more than any culinary delicacy or dream vacation.
As each car pulls into the driveway, our house is literally filled with shouts and squeals. The front door swings open and a mad dash is made to claim the first hugs and grandbaby-holding. The strains of Christmas music quickly fades to the background as the happy chatter rises in volume.
Family -- truly one of God's most precious gifts.
Here is a peek into our gift exchange celebration:
Our tradition is to have the youngest family members (who are walking) help Grandma by passing out the gifts. It's so wonderful having so many little people in the family!
Dan & Bethany's family
Matthias, Stephen, Hannah, & Susanna
Each year we draw names for the gift exchange, which is top-secret until Christmas.
It's always a treat to see the thoughtful, fun gifts which bring out each individual personality and interest!
We had lots of baby-holding this year!
Alan, Rachel, & Kendrick
Kori & Alaythia
Ryan & Ruth
Elizabeth & Matthias
Susanna & Stephen
Andrew & Kendrick
Another tradition is to take new individual photos each year and someone is in charge of putting them in the frames and wrapping them. They hang on our display wall wrapped in Christmas paper through the month of December.
Then, at our family Christmas, Mom opens the packages to reveal the new photos.
For Dad & Mom this year we children pooled together a group gift of an all-family vacation this summer. With so many schedules to work around and travel distance involved, it's getting more and more difficult to all be together. So this will be a gift for everyone!!
I think Dad & Mom were delighted!
Matthias, Andrew, & Stephen
Nathanael & Caden.
Andrew & Alaythia
We sincerely hope your holidays were meaningful and joyous.
What an incredible season to celebrate!
"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel"
and they shall call his name Immanuel"
(which means, God with us).
Matthew 1:23


text:
Hoggatta poggatta
Wednesday Advertising Extra.
Looking for more of CHeko, I came across this wonderful comic strip film ads. I have shown quite few of those from the same period, but most of them were unknown and all of them B-pictures. To find an ad for such a great movie as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty witk Danny Kaye, is something I wouldn't expect. Some people have told me that the other film ads must have been by Lou Fine, so I guess these fit the bill as well.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Posted by Ger Apeldoorn at 7:24 AM
Labels: film ad
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Just a few notes from the Cowboys-Packers game at Lambeau last night.
I couldn't believe how many Cowboys fans there where at the game last night. As I was walking in the parking lot there were a couple of tailgate parties featuring only fans wearing the blue star on all of their clothing. I also noticed quite a few Tony Romo jerseys in the stands all night. Does the "Golden Boy" have that many friends and family members coming to the game? Just how do visiting team fans get so many tickets from "loyal" Packers fans?
Can we officially bury the "mystique" of Lambeau Field as a difficult place to win on the road? I thought it was dead when Michael Vick and the Falcons came in and won in the playoffs a few years ago. Then the Giants win in the bitter cold and the Cowboys get their first "W" ever in Green Bay. Maybe they made the place "too nice" during the renovations.
I was glad to hear the "Bring Brett Back" crowd dominating the call-ins during the post-game shows. They all agreed, the Pack would have scored at least 35-points if "Favre was quarterback tonight". Never mind the fact that Favre would have been sacked eight or ten times--and would have been picked at least two or three trying to force passes in to covered receivers.
How good is Jason Witten at tight end? Big one-on-one blocks during several long runs and one of the Cowboys touchdowns--a handful of clutch catches on third downs to keep the sticks moving--no showboating after a catch. If anyone plans to get me a Festivus gift this year, I'll take an authentic "road" jersey with number 82 and "Witten" on the back.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday 9-22
Posted by Jonathan Krause at 4:48 AM
1 comment:
- AnonymousSeptember 22, 2008 at 6:00 PM
I was thinking about getting you a #23 North Stars jersey or a Charleston Chiefs jersey with Hanson on the back. Keep up the great writing.ReplyDelete
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Vowels can be the bane of any choir leader. There is the discussion of which vowels as in old English, new English, different language vowels etc.
One thing I know for sure is that vowels must be round and forward to carry the sound.
This piece of music is an actual composition. These two young men have been taught and use some superb vowel production. Listen carefully the second time for the vowels. The first time is just too funny to concentrate.


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This is the first of four videos in the "Build a Hall Table" video series.
In this video I run you through the new project for JordsWoodShop.com, The processes I cover in this video include; Milling rough sawed timber to dimension, Using full scale drawings, basic marking out and cutting mortising using the plunge router.
If you would like to know more about the process I went through to come up with the end product, or see more images I wrote an article thats viewable here : http://www.jordswoodshop.com/?p=1125
For more videos that you wont find anywhere else visit:
-- Regards, Jordan Crawford, http://www.jordswoodshop.com


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great emerald eyes!
Great eyes.
Thank you for your comments I love reading them. Thanks for stoppin by.. Due to mass spamming during the 29 faces I did turn the word verification back on. Please do not let that stop you for posting none spammed notes :). I love to hear from you!!


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This afternoon at 4.30 o'clock in Sandens Theatre M. Andre Tardieu, editor of the political department of the Paris "Temps," will deliver the first of a series of eight lectures on "La France et les Alliances." The subject considered today will be "La France et I'Alliance Russe, (naissance, portce, evolution de I'alliance franco-russe. Les idees et les hommes. Valour actuelle de I'alliance.)"
These lectures are under the auspices of the Cercle Francais, and have been made possible by a fund of $30,000 given in 1898 by James Hazen Hyde '98. A series has been given each year since then on subjects varying from the history of French romanticism to a study of finance in France.
M. Andre Tardieu, who will deliver the lectures this year, is honorary first secretary of embassy as well as chief of the foreign political bureau of the "Temps." In 1895 he was the first to be taken into the upper normal department of the Ecole at Paris. However, being attracted by the problems of diplomacy, M. Tardien gave up this appointment, and a year and a half later received the position of attache to the French embassy at Berlin, where he became acquainted with a number of leading German diplomats.
On his return to Paris, M. Tardieu was made secretary to M. Hanotaux, and attache to the cabinet of M. Delease. In this double capacity, he had the opportunity of following closely the Fashoda affair. He was then given the rank of secretary of embassy, and left the department of foreign affairs for three years to take up the position of secretary to the president of the Council of Ministers. This was a valuable chance to become acquainted with French political circles during a difficult and crucial period. In 1902 he accompanied M. Lonbet, President of the Republic to St. Petersburg.
Since that time, M. Tardieu, who left the active diplomatic service with the rank of first secretary of embassy, has devoted himself to the study of contemporary history and politics. In 1904 he succeeded to the position of writer on foreign affairs for the "Temps." He likewise published in that paper a number of instructive articles on politics, under the assumed name of George Villiers, and also assisted in editing the Revue des Deux Mondes.
By his positions, past and present, M. Tardieu has been brought into relation with most of the diplomatic leaders in Europe. He owes to these relations his extensive knowledge of the questions of the day. During the Moroccan crisis in 1905-1906, he played an important part, and exerted an undeniable influence upon the course of events. He published a book entitled "The Conference of Algeciras," containing revelations as accurate as they were unexpected. M. Tardieu is also the author of another work, "Diplomatic Questions," which was "crowned" by the French Academy, and in which is found the same quality of intimate and precise knowledge of the inside of diplomacy which alone makes intelligible political events, of which the public sees but the outside.
The lectures are open to the public, but seats will be reserved to ticket-holders until five minutes before the beginning of the lecture. All those who wish to obtain tickets, for which no charge is made, should apply to W. G. Wendell, Claverly 2.
Following are the dates of the rest of the lectures:
Friday, Feb. 7.--La France of I'Entente anglaise.
Monday, Feb. 10.--La France et 1a Mediterrance.
Wednesday, Feb. 12.--Le Conflit des Alliances.
Friday, Feb. 14.--L'Epreuved'Algesiras.
Monday, Feb. 17.--Le Bilan des Alliances.
Wednesday, Feb. 19.--Les nouvelles Enientea europoennes.
Friday, Feb. 21--La France et les Etats-Unis.
Read more in NewsCrimson Candidates Out


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Alright so I know I have been a major slacker over the past year but I am getting back into the blogging game! Sorry for the neglect I had a way busy year. Sometimes lifes craziness really takes over everything else!
In the past little while my newest DIY fun has been doing feather hair extentions! I do them at my place and at a local bars girls night once every two weeks where they do 10$ manicures and have delish martini deals!
If there are any Ottawa followers on here who wants so be sure to get at me! I have done lots more but been very lazy about getting pictures so thats all you get for now!
Other than that I have just been enjoying life up here in Canada with my husband! Gearing up for an amazing holiday season! My parents move back to Ontario next week so I can`t wait to share in all our old family traditions!
Well since its been so long heres a big photo update opf the past few months!
Summer BBQs and cottage adventures
Enjoying Canadian Thanksgiving with the family! And thats not a cell in my hand its a meat therm lol
A couple cute photos of me and Nate!
And lastly me ready to go out Saturday night and then hungover the next am lol
In other news I just lightened my hair from black but can`t manage to get a good picture of it so we`ll leave that for a future update but I am pretty stoked to have a change in colour. I was black for far too long!
Missed you all so much and can`t wait to get back in touch!


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Please make sure to check out the Ippity blog for alot more Ippity inspiration!!! I hope you will join us for this challenge it was so fun to try something new!!!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Happy H{IPPITY} Hop!!!!
Please make sure to check out the Ippity blog for alot more Ippity inspiration!!! I hope you will join us for this challenge it was so fun to try something new!!!
19 comments:
sooo super sweet! love that tree and tag with the twine.ReplyDelete
Great card! The tree is awesome!ReplyDelete
Fantastic card! I love your patterns!ReplyDelete
gorgeous easel card! I have to try this.ReplyDelete
the cutest ever!!ReplyDelete
What a fabulous Christmas Easel card, Steph! Love this! :)ReplyDelete
This is gorgeous!ReplyDelete
This is just stunning. I just love how you used this set and all the embellishments. Thanks for the inspiration.ReplyDelete
gorgeous card!!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 13, 2010 at 3:06 PM
Look at you super duper cute easel card! I love it!ReplyDelete
Lisa a
Aren't these fun to make Stephanie? I really love yours!! So soooooo beautiful!!ReplyDelete
today was my first easel card too...it was WAY easier than i thought it was going to be. i definitely see many more cards like this in my near future. :) YOUR card is amazing Stephanie..I love all the papers that you used and the stamps look just PERFECT!ReplyDelete
gorgeous card! Love it!ReplyDelete
Stephanie, this is such a gorgeously designed card....LOVE IT!!!ReplyDelete
oh stunning card.. I love your choice of papers.ReplyDelete
Ooo...LOVE this!!ReplyDelete
This is darling, Stephanie! The pretty flower is the perfect anchor to hold that easel card open.ReplyDelete
sooo darling!! really love it!! :) :) :) :) :) :)ReplyDelete


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Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Daily Headlines: June 24, 2014
* Argentina: "I am moving as rapidly as possible to be of assistance to the parties," said Daniel Pollack, the attorney assigned to oversee negotiations between the Argentine government and hedge fund investors seeking a court-ordered payment of $1.3 billion in debt.
* Mexico: Luis Fernando Sanchez Arellano, the head of the Tijuana drug gang, was captured by authorities shortly after Mexico's crucial World Cup win over Croatia yesterday.
* Brazil: Six Latin American countries, and potentially two more, have qualified to the round of 16 stage of the World Cup in Brazil.
* Peru: President Ollanta Humala made three ministerial changes to his cabinet as his popularity slipped to an all-time low of 21%.
Video Source – Democracy Now via YouTube
Online Sources – Bloomberg; Newsweek; The Huffington Post; euronews
Labels: Argentina, Brazil, Daily Headlines, drugs, foreign debt, Mexico, Ollanta Humala, Peru, soccer, Tijuana, World Cup
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text:
Some friends at Akihabara have reviewed the famous Canon Powershot G10 DSLR. As a successor to the G9, the Powershot G10 features a 14.7-megapixel CCD sensor with a new 28-140mm wide zoom, a 3.0-inch TFT color LCD with wide viewing angle, and a DIGIC IV processor. Here is the verdict.
What to say? Well I kind of like the G10, despite its weakness over 200 ISO, hey this is a Point & Shoot After All, The G10 is a great capable little camera which can be either use for leisure and if you are willing to learn more about how to play with exposure and ISO, of if you an Amateur or Semi-Pro looking forward to always carry a good camera along with him. Personally if I had to start a News Blog from scratch and needed a descent affordable compact camera, the G10 will be my first choice! Oh and I forget, the G10 also offer a Video Mode, just forget about it… This features is purely marketing rather than useful.
See more pictures after the jump. You can also download the video review here.


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I encourage all Windstar owners, even those with repaired recalls, have their subframe inspected by an independent mechanic. If your mechanic finds it concerning, please file complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ for what may possibly be a SERIOUS safety concern.
I am a not so proud owner of a 2001 Ford Windstar with 78k miles. In early 2011 Ford recalled selected Windstars for subframe corrosion. At that time, Ford deemed mine as repairable. The recall was completed at a Ford dealer in March of 2011.
In March of 2012 an independent mechanic told me the subframe was "rotted". I called another Ford dealer and explained that I had the recall done already, however I had concerns of extensive corrosion on the subframe that was recalled. The dealer said they would be happy to look at it.
I brought my van to the dealer to have it inspected. The dealer told me that the recall had already been completed and charged me $40......?!?!?. Since they insisted on charging me this fee to tell me what I had already told them, I asked that they put it on the lift for me, so that I could see my mechanic's concern. Below are the pics were taken with personal camera phone that shows extensive corrosion.
|Above: Pic of repair. It was explained to me that this is the area where the new cradle is bolted and epoxied.... to the fragmented chunks of rusted metal?!?
|Note what looks to be a hole from rust
I contacted Ford to voice my concerns regarding the safety of my van and to to find out where I can submit my photos to Ford for their review, but they told me they would not accept my personal photos. They said Ford will only accept photos submitted by an Authorized Dealer, so I returned to the dealer and had them take photos. The dealer took photos and I requested they email me the pics as well.
Below are pics taken by dealer to forward to Ford:
Since then, the dealer says Ford has reiterated that the repair has been completed. My concerns for the safety of the van still have not been addressed by Ford. I plan to continue to contact Ford and the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA).
I encourage all Windstar owners, even those with 'repaired' recalls, have their subframe inspected. If your mechanic finds it concerning, please file complaints with the NHTSA at https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ for what could possibly be a SERIOUS safety flaw.
4/18/12 I phoned Ford's customer service. I again questioned the safety of this vehicle. Customer service rep Sierra put me on hold, only to return to the phone and tell me that the recall repair has already been completed. I asked to speak with a supervisor because there seems to be a break in communication..... I am calling in regards to the safety of the vehicle, NOT if the repair was completed. She told me she would put me through to a supervisor, "but you are going to get the same answer".
After being put on hold, Bruce, the supervisor spoke to me. Again reiterated to Bruce my safety concerns, he again reiterated the repair has already taken place. Bruce told me I have 2 different options....
1. I could take it to another dealer and see if they will file a case on my behalf... which I questioned since a different dealer would be submitting the same information to the same people, how will that result in different response?
2. I could try to recoupe some financial losses by going through my insurance company.
At this point I was infuriated. I questioned Bruce why it is they are not listening to my questions? I have NOT asked for money, I am asking for Ford to merely look at the repair and provide to me, in writing, that they feel this subframe is safe as the dealer states. I further questioned if their repair has contributed the corrosion problem? I questioned why it is so difficult for me to alert Ford of a potential safety problem? He assured me that all complaints are forwarded to their engineers for review...... yet they won't accept my photos. I again told Bruce I would like Ford to review my case, look at my pics and provide to me in writing that they feel it is safe. Bruce would only provide me with corporate address and a case number. He instructed me to contact corporate as they can provide me with such a statement.
Total time on the phone 1 hour 20 minutes. Currently plan to draft letter to Ford, will post once completed.


text:
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
I hear a lot of women complaining about men. Where are the good ones? Why don't they meet any?
Well, I'll tell you why. Because the cool guys are online writing about cocktails!
As one of the (relatively) few females impassioned enough about spirits, wine and cocktails to write about them like, oh, every freakin' day, I can tell you, from personal experience, there are a whole bunch of boys over here. Fun-loving, knowledgeable and for Chrissakes, they make a mean margarita. Or martini. And, please, don't insult them by asking for a hum-drum blended daquiri or Cosmo. These guys are on the cutting edge of what's new and exciting in cocktail culture. Don't be controlling. Leave it in their hands. (It's a turn-on to be able to do that, ladies. Trust me on that one.)
So, forget hanging out on a late-night barstool. Cancel your subscription to match.com. Mosey on over to The Liquid Muse, and I'll share the 411 on some of the most fascinating gentlemen on the web.
And, if you don't connect with an actual man, you'll definitely pick up some good drink recipes along the way. Nothing heals a lonely heart like a good, stiff cocktail. And, once you've mastered the art of mixing a killer drink, you may lure a good, stiff man over to enjoy one with you…
Let's kick this off with my adopted mentor in the cocktail world. Tony Abou-Ganim lives in Vegas, travels the world shaking up the classics, had a show on Lifetime and recently released a new line of how-to-mix DVD's. Join the fan club (I'm the President) and check out the Modern Mixologist, himself.
The King of Cocktails, Dale Degroff, has been slinging booze since before many of the folks on this list were old enough to drink. He ran the bar at the top of Manhattan's World Trade Center and now teaches cocktail antics around the globe.
Darcy has mastered both the Art of Drink and the entrepreneurial spirit. Are you a potential advertiser? Email Darcy. He heads up a cocktail bloggers advertising co-op.
If I were constructing an online family, Jeffrey Morgenthaler is the one I'd choose to be my big brother. Or, kid brother. Behind the bar, or behind the scenes he's the kind of guy who's got your back. For a great attitude with a side of booze visit his Oregon-based blog.
Paul from the Cocktail Chronicles kicked off Mixologist Mondays. And, I feel like such an ass not to have jumped on board that wagon, yet. Perhpas I'll host one in the not-too-distant future.
Dr. Bamboo comes up with cocktail recipes and awesome graphics to accompany them. Check out his site for the artwork as much as for the cocktails. (And, congrats are in order as Baby Bamboo is on the way!)
Shawn, a lawyer by day, Mixologist by night, is the cocktail world's Clark Kent. Armed with both a sense of justice and a killer cocktail, his original recipes are featured on his blog, Rejiggered.
Grandiose Blog's barman, Mondiu is a newcomer to the Blogosphere so a hearty welcome from TLM. His first several posts (bar tools and classic cocktails) are definitely worth a gander.
San Francisco has an incredible cocktail culture. Interactivity, collaboration, passion and knowledge are words that come to my mind after spending a few days up North for the San Francisco Cocktail Week. Camper English is in the City by the Bay, and therefore in tune with all sorts of cool stuff.
Ok, ladies, Chris is taken (wife and child) but his blog Nonjatta devoted to Japanese whisky is available to all the world. Who knew that Japan was one of the biggest whisky-loving countries in the world?
Rick Lyke, of Lyke 2 Drink, reports wine, beer and booze news from North Carolina. He's also got a very comprehensive drink link list on his blog.
These other guys I have not met or corresponded with personally, but want to make sure they're included in this round up. Their blogs content (and in some cases the bloggers themselves) provide plenty to drool over: Jimmy's Cocktail Hour, Drink Boy, Joe Bartender, The Thinking Bartender, Liquor Snob, Martini Lounge.
Into Beer? Knut's Beer Blog is based in Oslo, and Jeffrey Wells website is on its way!
7 comments:
- Jeffrey Morgenthaler said...
Thanks, Natalie! I'm honored to be in such a sexy lineup.
Well, all except that one guy. He knows who he is...
- Dr. Bamboo said...
Thanks for the nod, Natalie! Like Jeffrey said, it's nice to find myself mentioned alongside all these knowledgable guys.
- Paul said...
Thanks, Natalie -- I've also updated my latest round of link love to include your site. Thanks for the support!
- Shawn said...
Thanks so much for the shout out! I am way outclassed by this group, and flattered to be included.
And I'm sure I speak for all in the lineup in thanking you for your seemingly inexhaustible flow of eloquent and engaging posts on our common, spirited topic.
Sorry it took me so long to comment, that whole pursuit of justice thing kept me hopping yesterday.
Chere Natalie!
J'ai bien aime la definition:
"you may lure a good, stiff man over to enjoy one with you"
Cela veut dire bien des choses!
I am so insulted that I didn't make the alcohol blogger dating game. And me on the market!
OK, so I focus on Scotch. I still make some nmean drinks :)
- email@example.com said...
Hey Kevin,
So sorry!! Send me your info...


text:
Unit I
Culture of the world and Nations' communication system: Nature and scope of the study of International as well as intercultural communication and their relevancy as a discipline to the study of journalism and mass communication.
"...Through contact between different cultures via travel and trade, as well as war and colonialism. Such interactions have resulted in the transporting and implanting of ideas, religious beliefs, languages and economic and political systems, from one part of the world to another, by a variety of means that have evolved over millennia-from the oral, to being mediated by written language, sound or image.... International communication, then, is about sharing knowledge, ideas and beliefs among the various peoples of the world, and therefore it can be contributing factor in resolving global conflict and promoting mutual understanding among nations. However, more often channels of international communication have been used not for such lofty ideas but to promote the economic and political interests of the world's powerful nations, who control the means of global communication." (Thussu 3)
Communication is always caught up in cultural rules. Whenever an individual tries to communicate with another person, both of them share varying degrees of rules. The more rules they share, the easier the communication becomes. (Beatty & Takahashi, 2003, p. 25)
The communication act has been defined as having several parts (sender, message, channel, medium, context, and receiver). In human communication the matter is complicated by the fact that the entire act takes places in a cultural matrix. Senders and receivers, for example, are not just people, but specific people with various roles and statuses. These roles and statuses affect the ways in which messages can be and are interpreted.
'Intercultural communication is the exchange of cultural information between two groups of people with significantly different cultures…In other words, intercultural communication should focus on the exchange of information among two or more cultural systems embedded within a common environment that results in the reduction of uncertainty about the future behavior of the other system through an increase in understanding of the other social group.' ( Gudykunst & Mody 276)
Intercultural communication generally involves face-to-face communication between people from different national cultures. One major area of research is cross-cultural communication (i.e., the comparison of face-to-face communication across cultures; for example, comparing speech convergence in initial interactions in Japan and the United States).
Demands for intercultural communication skills are increasing as more and more businesses go global or international. People realize that there are barriers and limitations when entering a foreign territory. Without the help of intercultural communication one can unknowingly cause confusion and misunderstandings. For these intercultural businesses to breach the cultural barriers encountered when stepping into foreign grounds it is vital to fully understand the cultural differences that exist so as to prevent damaging business relations due to intercultural communication gaps.
There are many theories that set principles to help interpret the basis of intercultural communication. These theories help to iron out possible ripples of misunderstanding by giving a basic guideline on how to address situations. These guidelines help prevent clashes between different cultures groups caused by misperceptions.
The basic skills of intercultural communication are fundamentally general communication skills that can be used universally by all cultures and races. These skills are simply tweaked in a direction that takes the cultural limitation into consideration. An example of such communication skills in the intercultural environment is to listen without judging, repeat what you understand, confirm meanings, give suggestions and acknowledge a mutual understanding.
The main purpose of following such theories is to earn respect from others. Respect in all cultures in the world is a common language and by earning it through respecting other peoples culture and religion; the favor is returned.
International Communication includes the study of how communication between nation-states has been studied over the past 70 years (since 1930s).
International communication researchers studied how states used media to win on the world's battlefields. By the end of World War II, U.S. firms were expanding domestically and internationally.
Nature and scope of the study of International communication:
Unlike ICC, INC deals with the more macro-level information exchange between the nations." International communication (INC) is the study of heterophilous mass-mediated communication between two or more countries with differing backgrounds. The communicating countries may differ ideologically, culturally, in level of economic development, and in language. The primary unit of analysis in INC is the interaction of two or more societies/nations that are linked by mass media communication. So INC takes place at the societal level, as opposed to the interpersonal level, which distinguishes it from ICC. INC is a type of mass-mediated communication (i.e., few-to-many communication mediated by technologies such as radio, television and computer networks).
"Defined as 'communication that occurs across international borders' the analysis of international communication has been traditionally concerned with government-to-government information exchanges, in which a few powerful states dictated the communication agenda. Advances in communication and information technologies in the late twentieth century have greatly enhanced the scope of international communication-going beyond government-to-government and including business-to-business and people-to-people interactions at a global level and at speeds unimaginable even a decade ago.
Apart from nation-states, many non-state international actors are increasingly shaping international communication. The growing global importance of international non-governmental bodies-Public Interest Organization (PINGOs), such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace and the International Olympic Committee; Business Interest Organizations (BINGOs), such as GE, News Corporation and AT&T, and International Organizations (IGOs), such as the European Union, NATO, ASEAN-is indicative of this trend."(Thussu 1-2)
"International communication, then, is about sharing knowledge, ideas and beliefs among the various people of the world, and therefore it can be a contributing factor in resolving global conflict and promoting mutual understanding among nations. However, more often channels of international communication have been used not for such lofty ideals but to promote the economic and political interests of the world's powerful nations, who control the means of global communication." (Thussu 3-4)
International communication stimulated by WAR, TRADE, IMPERIALISM & INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION:
The rise of the global news agencies of the 20th century was made possible by technology (telegraph and radio-telephony) and stimulated by war, trade, imperialism and industrial expansion. (Mc Quail 219).
Example, how WAR stimulated international communication:
In 1896 William Randolph Hearst, a prominent newspaper publisher sent a photographer to Cuba to cover the possible outbreak of war against Spain. Historian Luther Mott reported that the cameraman replied with this telegram:
The publisher's reply was quick and to the point:
PLEASE REMAIN. YOU FURNISH THE PICTURES AND I'LL FURNISH THE WAR. HEARST. (Baran & Davis 40)
TECHNOLOGY (TV) paved the way for International communication:
Technology has certainly given a powerful push to the globalization of television. The arrival of television satellites in the late 1970s broke the principle of national sovereignty of broadcasting space and made it difficult and ultimately impossible to offer effective resistance to television transmission from outside the national territory.
The national character of early mass media was reinforced by the exclusiveness of language as well as by cultural and political factors.
Multinational Media OWNERSHIP & internationalization:
The foremost example of internationalization of media ownership, production and distribution is that of the popular music industry.
Examples of INTERNATIONL communication through MASS MEDIA, presented by Mc Quail (220):
• Direct transmission or distribution of media channels or complete publications from one country to audiences in other countries. This covers foreign sales of newspapers (sometimes in special editions) and books, certain satellite television channels, officially sponsored international radio broadcast services;
• Certain specifically international media, such as MTV Europe, CNN International, BBC World, TV Cinq, etc;
• Content items of many kinds (films, music, TV programmes, journalistic items, etc.) that are imported to make up part of domestic media output;
• Formats and genres of foreign origin that are adapted or remade to suit domestic audiences;
• International news items, whether about a foreign country or made in a foreign country, that appear in domestic media;
• Miscellaneous content such as sporting events, advertising and pictures that have a foreign reference or origin.
SCOPE of the study of International communication:
Studies of the mass system of a single nation and comparative studies of different mass media systems were precursors to the study of INC; however, the focus of INC, especially in the early decades of study, was often on the flows of information between and among nations. (Gudykunst & Mody 5)
CONSEQUENCE of International communication:
INC across borders may pose threats to national sovereignty and may represent media imperialism, the process through which one nation's culture is imposed on another country through mass media channels. (Gudykunst & Mody 5) Most of the issues surrounding global mass communication have a direct or indirect connection with the thesis of 'cultural imperialism', or the more limited notion of 'media imperialism'. Both concepts imply a deliberate attempt to dominate, invade or subvert the 'cultural space' of others and suggest a degree of coercion in the relationship. (Mc Quail 221)
Baran J. Stanley & Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Australia: Thomson Wadsworth, 2000.
Gudykunst, William B. & Bella Mody. Handbook of International and Cultural Communication. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publication 2002.
Thussu, Daya Kishan. International Communication: Continuity and Change. London: Arnold, 2000.
McQuail, Denis. McQuail's Mass Communication Theory. London: Sage Publication, 2000.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
International and Inter-Cultural Communication and Media (Compulsory) JMC 506
Unit I
Labels: Notes from RR CAMPUS


text:
"Two lawmakers in Augusta want to curb the junk going into Mainer's mouths through legislation."
That is a misstatement. They do not want to limit the junk food going into Mainers' mouths, but poor Mainers' mouths, and not just poor Mainers' mouths, but poor Mainers on food stamps. Since when did Prohibition comeback? I never noticed that we had made sugar illegal. If they are going to limit food selection for the poor folks on food stamps, then Maine should make all such foods illegal for all Mainers to make the impetus behind the bills apply to all Mainers equally. Prohibit all so called "junk food" for all Mainers, or for none. And, if your going to do it for Mainers, then it needs to apply for all Americans, or none. So, do we really want to try to convince the entire country to Prohibit junk food? The war on drugs and alcohol have shown that making such items illegal only makes them more desirable and easier to get. Prohibition did not stop alcohol consumption. The war on drugs has not stopped drug consumption. Big government is wrong on this thought. Going through educational programs that show the benefits of avoiding the supposedly undesired substance is a possibly good way to bring in reducing consumption. Another process that can help is to make the substance legal but add so many taxes to its purchase that it is highly expensive, so that the healthy substances are more profitable for the average person. Another process is to give the healthy options subsidies through the grocery stores such that healthy choices are less expensive and yet not hurtful to the stores for selling them.
Also, if that particular store owner is really that upset and judgmental about folks using food stamps for what she perceives as unhealthy choices, then she should stop selling the unhealthy choices so she doesn't have to see what she doesn't want to see.
Quote taken from, "Proposals encourage better nutrition for Maine food stamp users: Two bills would change eating habits, EBT use," by David Charns, at http://www.wmtw.com/news/should-food-stamps-cover-junk-food/32554818


text:
Friday, August 27, 2010
Back to School!
It's that time of year again! Time to meet the new teacher and, hopefully, make new friends! (Click on the image for a larger view.) Good luck to my two sons for another great year. I volunteered at the middle school this morning, helping the sixth graders open their lockers and find their classrooms. It's a big adjustment to a much bigger school, and the passing periods are a zoo! Most of the kids were fine, but a few seemed a little panicky when they couldn't get their lockers open. I did my best to reassure them that they'd get the hang of it in time. I know to a mom of preschoolers, sixth graders look gigantic, but to me, they look so little! It's all relative, I guess.
Posted by Janet McDonnell at 9:03 AM No comments:
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Oh, Baby
I reeeally love drawing babies: their round little bodies, big heads, and dimpled hands. My kids say I have baby radar and can spot any baby within a 100 foot radius.
Posted by Janet McDonnell at 2:41 PM No comments:
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text: A Tennessee toddler with prosthetic legs has found a friend in a puppy who was born missing a paw. Three-year-old Sapphyre Johnson, a patient at the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville, South Carolina, got to take the dog home after meeting him this week. Sapphyre, whose family lives in Greeneville, Tennessee, was born with only two fingers on each hand and one toe on each foot due to a congenital condition. Doctors decided to amputate her feet as a baby so that she would eventually be able to walk with prosthetics.


text:
Have I ever mentioned that I"m in love with monograms?
I'm pretty sure I am... maybe it's because I'm still newly married (1 year yesterday!) and I just love seeing my new initial...
So combine that with my love for burlap and twine... well, I swoon.
I recently posted doing a burlap covered monogram so I thought I would follow that up with one I did a while ago using twine (or jute, whatever you like to call it)
I love both of them, however I think this one requres a bit more patience (plus you have to put up with burned fingers!)
But well worth it, I think.
I started with one of those big chipboard letters from Hobby Lobby:
This is the only picture I have of one before I covered it... though I did an H.
Supplies are easy:
Glue Gun
Ball of twine/jute
I sat and watched House while doing this (love that show!) and made many exclamations as my fingers got burned by my glue gun.
I started at one end and just worked my way across the letter.
When I got to the middle of the H, I started with a new piece of twine and just wrapped.
The back looks messy because of all the glued ends but it's nice and secure :)
Here it is hanging with a pretty ribbon in my hallway:
Simple and not too frilly.
Gotta love that.
Worth the glue gun burns??
I think so.
And Don't worry... I haven't forgotten about my 100 followers giveaway.
Missed that announcement?
Find it here
I'm excited to show you what it is.
Tune in tomorrow!!


text:
Dannielynn Birkhead paternity case
It has been suggested that this article be merged into Dannielynn Birkhead#Early life and paternity. (Discuss) Proposed since February 2018.
This article needs to be updated.(December 2016)
The Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead paternity case, a.k.a. Birkhead v. Marshall, centered on a child born September 7, 2006 to Vicky Lynn Marshall (better known as Anna Nicole Smith). The child was named Dannielynn, and was registered on her birth certificate as the daughter of Vickie Lynn Marshall (Smith) and her live-in partner Howard K. Stern. Larry Birkhead, Smith's former love interest and photographer, steadfastly maintained his contention that he was the baby's father and filed a lawsuit to challenge paternity after Smith had given birth.[1]
Besides Birkhead and Stern, bodyguard/actor Alexander Denk, Mark Hatten and Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, among others, claimed to be the father of Smith's daughter, Dannielynn. Although Stern was listed on her birth certificate, it was not certain that he was the father. At issue in a California court was who fathered the child, who could potentially inherit millions of dollars from Smith's estate. On September 26, 2006, Stern claimed in an interview from the Bahamas with Larry King on CNN that he was the father of Smith's newborn daughter.
After much media attention, on April 10, 2007, Michael Baird, who analyzed the results of a March 21 DNA test, announced the results that confirmed Birkhead to be the father of the baby.[2]
Name changes[edit]
A little over a month after the birth, a copy of the baby's disputed second birth certificate dated October 11, 2006 was made public showing she was renamed and registered as Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern on October 9, 2006.[3] From September 7, 2006 to October 11, 2006 the baby was in the records as Hannibel Rose Stern. After the birth of her daughter, according to G. Ben Thompson, a former boyfriend of hers who is a real-estate developer in South Carolina, Smith wanted to put him down as the father on the birth certificate, but he refused. Thompson also was not convinced the baby was his because he had a vasectomy.[4] Although Stern is named as the father on the earlier certificate, attorney Dion Smith Jr. signed his name where Stern's signature should have been. This discrepancy made the birth certificate invalid so that it could be possible for a new birth certificate to be asked for and a DNA test sought to determine the father's identity.[5][6] In April 2007 following the official results of the paternity test, Birkhead changed his daughter's surname to his last name, renaming her Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead.
Paternity case and burial proceedings[edit]
On February 21, 2007 hearings commenced in Broward County Circuit court in Florida over the disposition of Anna Nicole Smith's remains. Larry Birkhead petitoned the court to ask Howard K. Stern to submit to a DNA test on February 20, 2007, but at the time Howard K. Stern stated he was not willing to do so in a closed conference with Judge Larry Seidlin. The judge had put off the paternity question until after the issue of the location of Anna's burial was decided.
At the request of Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, a Bahamian judge issued a temporary injunction on February 13, 2007, preventing Stern from taking Smith's daughter out of The Bahamas.
On February 22, 2007 a Florida judge awarded custody of Smith's body to Miami lawyer Richard Milstein, the guardian ad litem for Dannielynn. Smith was buried in the Bahamas next to her late son Daniel Wayne Smith (1986-2006).
Paternity claims[edit]
Larry Birkhead[edit]
Birkhead was a freelance celebrity photographer in Los Angeles, California. When the question came up, Birkhead denied receiving money for media interviews, though he has received royalties for archived pictures he took of Smith.
According to Birkhead's testimony on February 21, 2007 while on the stand, he and Smith dated on and off from August 2005 to March 2006.[7]
Howard K. Stern[edit]
Stern was Smith's attorney who was named executor of her will which was drafted in 2001 by Eric James Lund, Esq.[8] During the case, Stern denied that he had received money from media interviews he has conducted since Smith's death, though he admitted that he gave an interview to Entertainment Tonight on a flight that the show chartered immediately after her death.[9][10] As a lawyer of Smith's in the continuing litigation over the estate of her late husband, billionaire J. Howard Marshall, he would be entitled to a contingent fee of roughly $5 million, five percent of any money she was awarded.[11]
He has claimed to be the biological father of baby Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern. Following the death of the baby's half-brother Daniel Wayne Smith, Smith put his name on the disputed second birth certificate issued for the baby then known as Hanna Rose.[12] Stern's sister, Bonnie, says Smith told her months before the birth that Birkhead could be the father. "When I spoke to (Smith) in March, when she found out she was pregnant, I took her shopping, and she told me the baby was due in mid-October, and that one other person could have been the father and that was Larry Birkhead, but nobody else."[13]
Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt[edit]
Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, the husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor at the time, claimed that he had Smith as a mistress for 10 years. He was quoted as saying that he could potentially be the father of Smith's daughter and said he would file a lawsuit if Dannielynn was turned over to Stern or Birkhead by the courts.[14] According to the Associated Press, on February 12, 2007 Prinz von Anhalt announced that he would file a paternity claim and that his marriage likely would be over if his claims of parentage prevailed.[15] On February 15, 2007, he filed legal documents at a courthouse in Santa Monica, California seeking a DNA test to determine if he was the father of the baby.[16]
On February 20, 2007, he took a lie detector test in his attorney's office in Los Angeles. Prinz von Anhalt passed three lie detector tests that week, according to his attorney. The tests included questions about whether he had an affair with Smith and whether he could possibly be the child's father.[17] On March 23, 2007, he submitted a DNA sample to a Los Angeles clinic even though he was not involved in the paternity suit between Stern and Birkhead. He did not have a sample of the baby's DNA to analyze against, nor did he have a court order to submit to testing, but had stated that he wanted to be prepared if his paternity case had continued.[18] On April 10, 2007 after the paternity test results were made public, representatives of Prinz von Anhalt released this statement wishing Birkhead well with raising the baby: "We never intended to take Dannielynn from anyone, we were just here in case Prinz von Anhalt was the father. We wish Larry luck in raising Dannielynn and we wish him the best."[19]
Potential paternity[edit]
Alexander Denk[edit]
Denk is an Austrian-American film actor and was the personal bodyguard of Anna Nicole Smith until her death on February 8, 2007.
Denk, according to his Beverly Hills, California attorney Cyrus Nownejad, in a joint television interview, also said that he was Smith's confidant, worked for her as her personal trainer, and also was her bodyguard and chef. Denk is also friends with Stern. In the interview with Julie Banderas, Denk said he and Smith were in a relationship and that he knew her for five and a half years. He added that they were intimate on and off for five years.[20]
He reportedly told the entertainment news show Extra that he had an affair with his former employer and that it was possible he could be the baby's father. On the show he claimed he and Smith had a passionate love affair that lasted for two years and that Smith suffered from life-threatening seizures, for which she was on medication. When asked if Smith ever revealed to him the identity of her daughter's father, Denk responded, "She always told me she wanted to have her kids with me."[21] Denk was not certain he was the baby's father and told Banderas that Smith "always told me I want you to be there and care for Dannielynn no matter what, no matter who is the father, because I took care of Anna with her health and everything, and she wanted to make sure her baby is healthy. And also this thing about the dieting and stuff, she doesn't want her baby to be overweight and obese. She wants to make sure she is healthy."
J. Howard Marshall[edit]
J. Howard Marshall II, also deceased, was Smith's second husband. In February 2007, the New York Daily News claimed to have seen an unpublished manuscript by Donna Hogan, Smith's younger half-sister, saying that Smith had become pregnant by Marshall: "To her family, she hinted that she had used the old man's frozen sperm, and would be giving birth to Marshall's child".[22] However, the publisher of Hogan's book, Train Wreck, described the newspaper's claims as a hoax.[23]
Paternity case results[edit]
On April 10, 2007, Dr. Michael Baird, who analyzed the results of a March 21 DNA test, announced the results outside the Bahamian courthouse that Birkhead is confirmed at 99.99% to be the father of the baby.[2] Although DNA tests revealed Birkhead is the father, final custody of the baby remains unresolved. "I hate to be the one to say this but...I told you so," Birkhead told reporters and tourists waiting outside the courthouse in Nassau after a judge ruled behind closed doors that he was the biological father of Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, who was born on the island September 7. Larry Birkhead announced that he was the father of Dannielynn, Anna Nicole Smith's baby.[24][25] Stern says he will not contest Birkhead for sole custody and wants a smooth transition for the baby.[26]
See also[edit]
- ^ "Ex-Boyfriend Challenges Paternity of Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter". Associated Press. 2006-10-03. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
- ^ a b Muskal, Michael (2007-04-10). "Birkhead is Smith's Baby's Father, DNA Tests Reveal". MSN Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ^ Birth Certificate for Anna Nicole's Baby, TMZ.com, October 16, 2006
- ^ Anna Nicole Smith begged ex-boyfriend to claim to be baby's father Archived March 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine., Fametastic, November 8, 2006
- ^ Anna Nicole Baby's Certificate Invalid?: Bahamian Lawyer Says Wrong Signature Could Force DNA Test Request Archived 2007-03-28 at the Wayback Machine., The Showbuzz, March 6, 2007
- ^ Howard K. Stern Claims to Be Father of Anna Nicole's Baby, Extra, September 27, 2006
- ^ Anna Nicole Smith's baby's 'real dad' confession, Sawf, November 6, 2006
- ^ Will of Vickie Lynn Marshall
- ^ Access Investigates: Who Is Howard K. Stern?, Access Hollywood, February 14, 2007
- ^ Former boyfriend of Anna Nicole Smith tells of miscarriage and drug abuse Archived September 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine., CourtTV News, February 22, 2007
- ^ Howard K. Stern: Anna Nicole Smith Paid My Rent, People, February 21, 2007
- ^ More On The Battle Over Anna Nicole Smith's Body; The Bodyguard Speaks Out, CNN.com Larry King Live, February 23, 2007
- ^ Howard Stern's sister: Smith unsure of paternity, USA Today, February 14, 2007
- ^ Gabor Husband may be Smith's baby's dad Archived February 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine., Associated Press, February 9, 2007
- ^ Gabor's Husband to File Claim for Baby
- ^ Frederic von Anhalt Santa Monica courthouse photo, Daylife, February 15, 2007
- ^ Frederic von Anhalt lie detector test photo, Daylife, February 20, 2007
- ^ Frederic Von Anhalt Offers DNA Sample Archived 2007-04-01 at Archive.is, The Insider, March 23, 2007
- ^ Prince to Birkhead: Good Luck With the Baby, TMZ.com, April 10, 2007
- ^ Anna Nicole's Bodyguard: I Could Be Dad, FoxNews.com The Big Story w/ John Gibson, February 16, 2007
- ^ "Could Anna Nicole's Bodyguard Be Dannielynn's Father?". ExtraTV.com. February 12, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
- ^ Caruso, Michelle; Siemaszko, Corky (February 9, 2007). "Old man and the seed?". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on February 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
- ^ Balogh, Stefanie (February 11, 2007). "Anna Nicole's paternity story 'a Hoax'". news.com.au. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
- ^ Muskal, Michael (2007-04-10). "Birkhead biological father of Anna Nicole's baby". LATimes.com. Retrieved 2007-04-11.[dead link]
- ^ "Birkhead: I'm the father". CNN. 2007-04-10. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
- ^ "Birkhead named baby's dad; Stern won't fight for custody". CNN. 2007-04-10. Retrieved 2007-04-15.


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Wednesday, July 31, 2002
Last night I went for my first time to participate in this study. It was pretty interesting. I've never participated as a research subject before. When I was there, I didn't feel as though the shoulder massage did that much, but I slept really well last night, so I guess it was better than I'd thought. I have to go three more times (darn!). The EMG nodes under my eyes were kind of strange, but not bothersome. I'll be interested how the research turns out.
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Most Fabrics are sold in 1/2 yard increments, cut continuous to order, and listings show how many (1/2) yards are available, just change the quantity in the cart. We will refund the excess shipping or if you prefer, and you are ordering multiple items, we can set up a custom listing with combined shipping. Just CONVO us. Clearance fabrics are sold in half yard increments, and $4.00 fabrics are in one yard increments.
*Does not apply to shipping, or previous orders. No coupon codes apply. Custom listings expire in 48 hours. Sale ends Tuesday, 9/3/2013, 11pm EST.
I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday weekend!
New in the shop!


text: I'm trying to use the "assert" control <draft-zeilenga-ldap-assert> to selectively add entries based on a filter on entryDN. It works almost always as expected; however, when I try, for example, to add an entry "cn=Foo" that already exists, and the assertion states "(!(entryDN:dnSubtreeMatch:=cn=Foo))", according to the specification I'd expect assertion occurs based on the entry that I'm adding, while slapd doesn't even get to checking the "assert" because it first finds that the entry exist and returns 68. Similar behavior occurs if the parent does not exist (32 is returned), or the database is shadow (10 is returned). My interpretation of the I.D.: When the control is attached to an LDAP request, the processing of the request is conditional on the evaluation of the Filter as applied against the target of the operation. If the Filter evaluates to TRUE, then the request is processed normally. If the Filter evaluates to FALSE or Undefined, then assertionFailed (IANA-ASSIGNED-CODE) resultCode is returned and no further processing is performed. in this case would be the opposite: for ADD all the info is available without even accessing the database, so discovering if the entry already exists or the parent does not exist yet is part of the "processing", which is conditioned to the "evaluation of the Filter". So the assertion should be evaluated __before__ trying to access the datum. Or am I missing something? p. Ing. Pierangelo Masarati Responsabile Open Solution SysNet s.n.c. Via Dossi, 8 - 27100 Pavia - ITALIA http://www.sys-net.it ------------------------------------------ Office: +39.02.23998309 Mobile: +39.333.4963172 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com ------------------------------------------


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On this December 24, 2010, the Earth continues in its orbit around the sun. We're just coming out of the longest night of the year. What a great plan the Creator has, to distribute the light and the warmth of the sun for all parts of this globe as it spins and orbits!
I'm reminded that even as we welcome the birthday of God-in-our-midst, we are dirtying the blanket of air that has been just right for our lungs. How to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions? I want to honor the gift of clean air, this wonderful Christmas gift, and make sure that generations to come will have a Merry Christmas.


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Shvuos: Ruth
I always thought of Ruth as a mousy woman, with little personality. She kind of just got through everything quietly, albeit with great determination. She sort of sneaks through the story of the megilla, as a secondary charachter, which is funny considering the megilla goes by her name. But that was always my impression when reading Megillat Ruth.
Thinking about it though, I realize that impression is completely wrong. Ruth is a paradigm of strength of charachter. She is the central figure of the story, but succeeds in making herself sort of blend into the background at the same time.
Ruth, we must remember, is the daughter of the king of Moab. She is a princess of one of the greatest nations of the time! By no way could she possibly be timid, mousey, or non-descript. Not coming from where she came from.
With her whole future open before her as a princess of Moab, she changed directions. She felt she had found the truth. "Your God is my God, your nation is my nation."
She did not waver, but stayed the course. She found the truth and decided she had to live her life by it, no matter what the hardships would be. It is not easy to be a convert. I am sure she knew she would be up for hard times, especially after her husband died. It is not easy to be a convert to any nation, not just Judaism, so she knew what she was getting into. And she went ahead with it anyway.
Ruth persisted and found her way to Boaz and the leader of the nation. And she did everything in a tzanua fashion. She was not loud and boisterous. She did not stick out. So much so that she comes off as a secondary charachter in her own book!
Ruth was worthy of being the grandmother of Kind David, King Solomon and the future Mashiach.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Ruth: Strength of Charachter
Labels: Megillat Ruth, Ruth, Shvuos
2 comments:
- Peter Chen said...
Hi Rafi,
Thanks for leaving a comment in my post Adding a "Print Page" to your blog. I have responded to your comment.
Peter (Blog*Star 2006 and 2007)
Dummies Guide to Google Blogger
"online book" in progress
- June 25, 2007 at 11:45 PM
- aoc gold said...
O Sailor, Come Ashore
(Part I)
O sailor, come ashore
What have you brought for me?
Red coral , white coral,
Coral from the sea.
(Part II)
I did not dig it from the ground ,
Nor pluck it from a tree;
Feeble insects made it
In the stormy sea.
~by aoc gold
- August 25, 2008 at 4:02 AM
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44th wedding anniversary gift ideas
on September 13, 2015
Theme: Electronics
Inspired? Create and share by tagging @hallmarkstores.
For spouses
An MP3 player and headphones make a great gift.
Get them the coolest smartphone or tablet there is. Make a kid, niece, nephew or grandchild teach them how to play games on it.
For another couple
Give a digital photo frame already loaded with lots of family pictures.


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A gold and brown houndstooth. Just waiting for you to make stars, moons, flowers, and more.
Fiber Content: 100% Wool
Customers who bought this item also bought:
We are a retail Quilt Shop in Cozad, Nebraska, that stocks 3000 bolts of 100% cotton fabrics, 108 colors of wool blend felt, a large variety of 100 percent wool, plus hundreds of books, patterns, notions, and plenty of inspiration for all your quilt and sewing needs.
Copyright © Prairie Point Junction. All Rights Reserved.


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- Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount cold-cocks a Boise State player after a game (and winds up suspended for the season)
- Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder orchestrates a choreographed home plate celebration after a walk-off homer (and ticks off everyone in a Giants uniform)
- Giants pitcher Brad Penny barks at Padres slugger Adrian Gonzalez for supposedly taking too long to admire a home run (and later admits he uses emotion to stoke his performance)
What's it all about? Emotion.
Playing sports is not like working a spreadsheet or building a cabinet. You have to play like you care. Paradoxically, you can't let your emotions get the best of you, but without emotion, you're pretty useless.
Most agree that Blount crossed the line with his punch (even if they think his punishment was too harsh). Many feel that Fielder was a bit clownish in turning a thrilling moment into a bit of goofy street theater. And Penny? Well, if he's on the other team, you can't stand him.
Penny freely acknowledges his outburst at Gonzalez and his shouts and gestures at the Padres dugout when the inning ended are part of what fuels him. For Brad Penny, it's adrenaline or nothing. By contrast, we've seen pitchers like Greg Maddux, whose demeanor never varied, no matter what.
Bottom line: you go with what works for you. But that emotion stuff can be dangerous; a little goes a long way. Too much, and you're in trouble.


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This blog , ShadowStock was developed to share ideas on the fundamental market inefficiencies that have been uncovered by academia. Our approach starts with what has been called the small firm effect. We believe that the real reason the small company anomaly exists is simply the lack of attention and number of analysts that follow these stocks. What we have is really an ignorance effect. And it's because of the scarcity of information on these tiny companies that our research efforts should pay off. If we were researching stocks already covered by Wall Street or the financial media we would be wasting our time since these companies are more efficiently priced. The cornerstone of our investment style is to search for inefficiencies that exist in companies ignored by institutions and the media.
"There Are No Bad Assets Just Bad Prices." Exploiting Market Anomalies with Neglected Data
2 comments:
- Anonymous said...
great blog man!! some SUPER interesting stuff on here, one of the best i've come across since Citron!!
thanks for all your hard work :)
- February 18, 2009 at 3:58 PM
- ShadowStock said...
Thanks for taking the time to respond!!
When I have some free time I try to post something different that may contain useful data for some investors.
- February 18, 2009 at 7:17 PM
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Toilday, 20th of Abadius, 4715 AR
The waking nightmare continues unabated, it seems. The past few days have brought more madness than I can handle.
The week started with a battle. The callers sent a pre-emptive attack against us. Luckily, my younger brother Gerrick and the giant devised a cunning plan to swiftly counter attack with our stronger forces. The battle was over in short order, and we pressed on with the orcs deeper into the mists.
There we left our orc comrades to raid one of these 'nests', and set off to investigate something on the horizon. We discovered a large… beetle? I'm not quite sure how to describe it. It was like a living siege weapon, dozens of feet tall. After trying (and failing) to find an entrance, we brought the creature down using more conventional means.
With that nightmare taken care of, we set off in search of supplies and the Silver General. We found her (as opposed to 'he', much to my surprise and delight) in a tavern. The accountant quickly renegotiated the terms of our arrangement, as not all of her forces were available at present. We got at least a thousand trained soldiers, however, in addition to supplies and craftsmen from the local dwarves, so it was well worth the trip and extra coin.
On the way back, we (inconceivably) decided to retrieve an undead horror from the depths of an active volcano. I don't trust the thing, but the giant assures us that he would prove to be a capable leader and tactician if given the chance. I'm not sure about that; I'm quite fond of having blood pumping through my veins. It was a hard task to retrieve his dried up corpse, as it was guarded by stone constructs of an unfriendly sort. I managed to retrieve the body while the others distracted the golems. The thing reeked of rot and hunger and vengeance, and I nearly tossed it into the molten fires around us in disgust and terror. Alas, I did not… Against the darkness that we've seen, perhaps the only thing that can fight it is another darkness. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be our undoing.


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He shared the history of the tea bowl, including the story of the clay and firing that goes into making a beautiful bowl. It is a journey that he is traveling, one of learning and sharing the story of the containers that serve tea. He told of being served tea in a beautiful tea bowl and becoming enchanted.
To learn more of the history visit this sight:
In a tea ceremony I was honored to sit in at the World Tea Expo a few years ago,
I was served in a tea bowl that was over 100 years old.
The feel of the history of that bowl just felt so comfortable in my hands.
To hold a bowl made by an artist feels as if you become a part of that piece of clay.
The teaware by Richard Brandt just had that feel in the hands when holding a piece of his artwork.


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We'd like to anounce the creation of our new blog: http://www.michaelulmerfamily.blogspot.com/ This family blog will now be shared by our up-and-coming photo journalist/journalist, Charity.
Memorable Musings
"I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High." Psalms 9:1 & 2
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Thanks Elizabeth
Before all of our faithful followers, we would like to acknowledge the great job Elizabeth has done over the last five years blogging for us. Thanks Elizabeth!
Posted by Iron sharpeneth iron......Prov. 27:17 at 3:20 PM 216 comments:
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Marcus' Birthday Party!!
Marcus turned 4 back in February, but when I sat down to post tonight, I couldn't skip these pictures. They are too cute not to post, even if they are almost 3 months old!
The plan was to celebrate his birthday at home, but when Pauly came down with the flu, we had to move the celebration to Pizza Hut.
Praying-- may God shape you into a godly man!!
Aunt Phoebe & Marcus.
Aunt Phoebe & Marcus.
Time for presents!
Cowboys & Indians!!
"Now my head will be warm!!"
Posted by Curly Pink Runner at 10:02 PM 67 comments:
Friday, April 22, 2011
Four to Florida.
Being a child in a large family means that you always have someone to play with.
Being an adult in a large family means your best friends are related to you.
In March Seth, Noah, Tabitha & I took a week-long trip to Florida! We had an exceptionally great time, and the trip was so much fun!! We decided to drive instead of flying, so some of the best memories of the trip were made during the 48 hour round trip. Listening to music, debating about fashion, praying together, laughing, experiencing new food, bantering about the other cars on the road, the list could go on and on!!
When we arrived in Florida, we were greeted by our Uncle Dan & Aunt Sara, our cousin Jessica, her husband James and their son Jacob. This was the first time we got to meet Jacob!
Seth & Elizabeth
Seth & Jacob.
While staying with the Homans we enjoyed visiting Rainbow Springs Park. It was a beautiful spot!! We wanted to rent kayaks, but they weren't available, so Jessica and James brought their inflatable raft. It was an adventure!
Rainbow Springs.
James, Jessica & Jacob!
Walking through the park.
Seth & James
Walking through the park.
Seth & James
Tabitha & Noah's turn.
Uncle Dan & James.
Seth & Tabitha
On the dock!
Group snapshot!
One of the main reasons for our trip was to attend the wedding of Kori Knuth & Andrew Wissmann. The Wissmanns are long-time friends, and we knew Kori because she was one of the 3 girls that went to China with Noah in 2008.
At the wedding.
Tabitha & I
Friends from home!
Andrew & Kori's first dance.
Lighting the sparklers.
Our last two days in Florida we got to spend with our cousin Bethany and her husband Adam.
Toes in the sand........
There were many other special moments of our trip that we didn't capture; breakfasts at Ihop (complete with $3.60 glasses of orange juice without free refills), mini-golf with Adam & Bethany (72 holes, to be precise), the cadillac dealership, the hotel with wet carpets, the Mall at Millenia (with Tabitha's 20-minutes hamburger), bumper-cars, the fellowship between siblings.
Seasons change, and friends will move in and out of your life- but your family will always be your family! If there are any relationships you invest in-- invest in your siblings! They are the ones who know the jokes you told when you were 9, they will stop at Golden Corrall just for you at 9pm, they remember that you hate pickles, they know that you will pack the most clothes, so they will bring a smaller suitcase to accomodate you!
Be grateful for the siblings God gave you-- they are the BEST!
Posted by Curly Pink Runner at 10:32 PM 10 comments:
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Posted by Curly Pink Runner at 9:23 AM 1 comment:
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Happy Birthday, Daddy!!
Posted by Curly Pink Runner at 9:15 PM 17 comments:
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Elledge Hired as No. 84 Crew Chief
Elledge's most recent NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief duties were with former open-wheel star Juan Pablo Montoya, so he's quite familiar with translating open-wheel lingo. He'll know that when AJ screams "oversteer" he actually means "loose" or when AJ says "stint" he really means "run."
"Jimmy is a successful and very well-known crew chief in the NASCAR garage," said Jay Frye, the team's vice president and general manager. "He'll be able to provide the experience and leadership for AJ and the No. 84 team to be competitive on a weekly basis."
Elledge's resume includes stints with drivers Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Kenny Wallace, Bobby Hamilton and Dale Jarrett. Elledge, in his first race as crew chief with Montoya, was named WYPALL Wipers "Crew Chief of the Race" in April at Talladega Superspeedway. He has one Cup win, leading Hamilton to victory lane at Talladega in 2001.


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Are you HOT enough!!!!????? Are you HOT enough!!!!!???????
It is definitely a salad night. A true treasure of Maine is the fruit and watermelon is so sweet and delicious right now. While this may seem a little weird...watermelon and cheese....the combination is perfect...so refreshing!
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbl fresh lemon juice
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Tabasco
One 7-8 lb seedless watermelon cut into small chunks
2 cups Feta cheese crumbled
1-1/4 pitted kalamata olives chopped
1 small sweet onion diced (optional)
1 cup chopped mint leaves
In a bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Add the watermelon, feta, olives and onion and toss gently. Garnish with the mint and serve.
Keep Cool!


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Don't judge, but I'm going to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in this review.
…I rate cancer books (or coma/insert-terminal-or-near-death illness here) according to its weepy factor.
'What's the weepy factor?' You may ask. And that, my fellow book-loving minions, is an excellent question.
See, the thing is that I don't read Cancer Books for the literary value. I read them because I want a good cry; because I want to read about how awesome my life is, particularly in comparison to a dying teenager's. They make me feel good about myself–they make me appreciate what I have. They help me put the suck in my life into perspective.
And although Second Chance Summer did that in some parts, I felt as though the author was lightening it too much by adding all the sweet stuff about guys and best friends and Gesley and summer jobs. When readers know exactly what's going to happen at the end (from the first chapter onwards, it's obvious and inevitable that Taylor's father is going to die, so that's not exactly a spoiler), it's important that the author replaces what would have been anticipation and climax in a normal novel with powerful, emotional descriptions, because you need to make up for the lost tension as your story reaches its conclusion.
I don't think Second Chance Summer quite managed that.
In terms of weepy factor, I didn't come remotely close to crying, unlike in The Fault in our Stars, when I sobbed my heart out, or Before I Die, which ended with me sitting on the bed, hot tears rolling down my cheeks, soaking through the pages of the already-tattered library copy. I gave both of these books five stars.
In contrast, however, My Sister's Keeper made me continuously headdesk, and Kate was such an emotionally void character that I never felt anything towards her anyway. The ending was such a copout that I actually groaned out loud and shoved the paperback at the back of my bookshelf, where it remained, untouched, until my grandma decided to borrow it. (I might add that my grandma cried after reading it, which was awkward for me to hear. So I might have been missing out on something, but I hated that book.)
Sorry, I have to divide this review into two parts because I don't want it too big. Keep reading in my next post!


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Tonight it is stormy and blustering outside.
For dinner tonight Alex and I both wanted something hearty and warm.
I remembered seeing a section in the January/February/March 2012 edition of Something Extra. This is a free food magazine give out at the check stands of our local grocery store Raley's.
Two recipes struck our fancy.
Saxon Potato Soup
Hungarian Goulash.
We opted for the Goulash since the Potato soup was similar to the Julia Child soup we had just a few weeks ago.
Hungarian Goulash
S.E. pg 33
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 lbs. Black Angus Beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 & 1/2 cups shredded celery root
- 1 chopped yellow bell pepper
- 1 chopped orange bell pepper
- 2 carrots chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- 8 cups beef stock
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 lb red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add beef and brown well.
- Add celery root, carrots, bell peppers, and garlic.
- Cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in paprika and caraway seeds.
- Reduce heat and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Make sure that the paprika is well incorporated into mixture.
- Stir in stock and tomato paste.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 & 1/2 hours.
- Add potatoes.
- Cook, uncovered for 1 more hour, or until goulash has the consistency of a thick soup.
- Press the beef and potatoes against the side of the pot to break up slightly and season with salt and pepper.
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Aaj Samaj to go hyper-local in Haryana; plans 11 editions
Hindi daily Aaj Samaj from Good Morning India Media is all set to expand its footprint in Haryana. The newspaper will go hyper local in the state and plans to launch 11 editions. However, the final date of the launch is yet to be finalized. The developments were confirmed to exchange4media Group by Rahul Dev, Editor-in-Chief of Aaj Samaj.
The hyper local editions of the newspaper will be launched in Karnal, Kurukshetra, Jind, Panipat, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Kaithal, Sonipat, Bagpath and Faridabad. The newspapers will cover the other adjacent areas as well. Recently, the group had launched its Gurgaon edition. Dev noted, "We have got good response with the Gurgaon edition. Hence, we are set to move forward from here. Soon, senior journalists and reporters will also join the newspaper. Also, we are going to beef up the reporting sections of every beat."
It may be recalled that a few months back, the media group had seen some senior level changes. Rahul Dev was brought on the board as Editor-in-Chief, where he was assigned to take care of both the newspaper and magazine domains. Since then, speculations were on about the group's possible expansion and increased reach with new launches.


text: To listen to news broadcasts and presidential speeches one could imagine the people of Afghanistan to be eagerly waiting for the ideals of a spirited democracy to take hold. More than likely they are not. In a country where the literacy rate is below ten percent, more than anything they are probably weary of foreign invaders and the wars they bring. But the elite of the country still enjoy relaxing and even sport. Enter Buzkashi, the polo of Afghanistan. Played with a decapitated goat rather than a ball, teams of men on horseback battle for possession before dropping the goat into the end zone.


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Well, I'm back from my trip back to Dear Old Blighty, and in celebration of the event I've built a royal guardsman.
Complete with bearskin hat, red coat and trousers with the stripe down the sides, he doesn't look all that happy about the prospect of guarding Her Majesty. Maybe he'a a closet republican.
The hands would be better in either white, for white gloves, or tan for flesh tone. But I've ended up with dark grey, which is buildable and can stand in for gloves. Likewise, the sword's a little wonky-looking; maybe one of those long sword blades with the bar attachment point would look better, but I think this works well enough.
I think my favourite part is managing to approximate the red and white cockade on the side of the hat.


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Tuesday, June 09, 2015
Book Trailer of the Week: Andy Weir's "The Martian" (movie version)
I've seen Andy Weir's The Martian around for a while now but have somehow (unintentionally) managed not to read it. Haven't even held a copy in my hands, far as that goes...But this trailer lit a bit of a fire under me, and I've just placed a request for it through my county library system where I am number twelve in line.
I am so NOT a Matt Damon fan that I doubt that I'll ever see the movie, but I'll give Damon and crew credit for positively influencing my decision to read the novel. Nice trailer.
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After World War II, during the Eisenhower years America's national past time was shifting from pro baseball to pro football. George Carlin famously characterizes the differences between the two games in his iconic comedy routine Football and Baseball, and in doing so he accurately sketched out the reasons that football has become a much better representative of our modern national psyche than baseball. Today, pro football's holiest of days, Superbowl Sunday is as important as any other national holiday (with the exception of Christmas). During football season, millions of fans chuck church each Sunday to religiously study the scriptures of fantasy football internet pages and bow at the alter of the large screen plasma game of the week. Other devotees make pilgrimages to the stadium/shrines in painted face while sporting their team's tribal colors and logos, screaming, crying and celebrating like pagans at a sacrifical offering of a goat to the benevelent Gods of pigskin. Multi-national corporations invest multi-millions of dollars in the NFL, pimping out players and teams to promote their products. The NFL has become a symbol of America: our celebration of the competitive spirit where the strongest, smartest, most poised, sneakiest, strongest willed and at times luckiest violent bad ass triumphs.
In many ways America's obsession with the NFL is rooted in our nation's political system. Beyond the obvious similiarities that political elections and NFL contests feed America's hunger for competition (as well as the primitive need for real life heroes and villians) there is a more subtle undercurrent of tension that exists when thinking of the NFL as a representative of the American Way. The NFL really began to come into its own after World War II, when millions of returning soliders were using the G.I. bill to obtain college educations. College football at that time was much more popular than the NFL. But as this influx in college-educated American males hit the work force four years of college, they took their love for football with them--which eventually began to translate into an interest in the NFL. Many of the conservative stigmas associated with pro football derive from that Eisenhower era of crew cuts and white bucks. The NFL was the sport of the 1950s Conservative American man--a relationship that wouldn't be challenged until the late 1960s (when the brash, long haired Joe Namath guaranteed a victory in Superbowl III and subsequently upset the crew-cut topped Johnny Unitas). But in many ways, the American Conservatism that seemed to permeate from every oriface of the NFL had just been a front. In many ways the NFL had been actually promoting socialism since the New Deal era of FDR.
"I've always had the theory that pro football is like a chain. The league is no stronger than its weakest link...Every year the rich get richer and the poor get poorer...I propose, at the end of each football season...that we pool the names of all eligible college seniors. Then we make our selections in the reverse order of the standings--that is, the lowest-ranked team picks first. We do this round after round until we have exhausted the supply of college players."
The idea of the wieghted draft, in which the weakest teams would get the better pick of the college talent was a direct shot at free market capitalism if there ever was one. I mean substitute the words "pro football" and "college players" with "the auto industry" and "electric cars" and you have the makings of Barack Obama stump speech.
In 1947, (now Commissioner) Bell was foreshadowing Obama campaign rhetoric once again when, after a gambling scandal threatened the NFL, he put forth a measure to insure that the league conveyed the utmost transparency in terms of reporting the playing condition of each player by requiring that the league "publish in advance of each game a list of players who were injured and would be unable or unlikely to play." This laid the groundwork for the detailed weekly injury lists that have become such a large part of the NFL experience. Bell stated that "Professional football cannot continue to exist unless it is based on absolute honesty...the game and its players must be kept free from corruption." Once again, a far cry from Romenyesque Deregulation ideology.
For a more indepth study of the history of the NFL I suggest the thoroughly researched
America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation by Michael MacCambridge--which was suggested to me by Victor Harris, the superb author of
View all my reviews
http://smokingmule.blogspot.com. America's Game is a very enjoyable account of the history of the NFL. I therefore give it a coveted 5 out of 5 WagemannHeads.NEXT!
View all my reviews
©2012 Rockism 101. All Rights Reserved


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Sketching at Clear Water
I am reminded of one older (although it is so fresh in mind I can't believe it was 2002) sketch from Still Water, MN and couple from North of the Twin Cities a few weekends ago on a Men's retreat at Clear Water Presbyterian camp. I have gone every year and always try to draw as much as I can. This year I did get a few in that I was proud of.
Group Discussion