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For those who don't know, about two months ago I got sick and couldn't stop vomiting. My girls took me to the hospital, where the doctor treating me asked for a cat scan hoping he could find what was making me so sick.
All he saw in my stomach was some irritation, but what he didn't expect to see was the tumor and mass on my right kidney.
He told me that 90% of the tumors inside the kidney are malignant, and they didn't know what the mass was. He said the entire kidney had to be removed.
I told him that I would be one of the 10% that did not have a malignancy. I think I partly said that because it scared me. but there was something else too. I didn't want the 'cancer' word connected with me in any way so I disassociated myself with it the only way I knew how. I told several people that God never told me I had to have cancer so I'm not going to.
The surgery took about three or so hours, part of that time was spent repairing many adhesion's I had developed from past surgeries. Apparently they attached to the abdominal wall.
On Thursday when my nice Irish surgeon came in my room to talk to me and release me to go home, he told
me the good news. There was no sign of cancer.
Thank you for your faithful prayers.


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Running a business can be challenging depending on your country or state and bringing it online can be a lot to worry about. I have been using eCommerce to make money since 2003'ish and haven't stopped since. Learning how to write product descriptions, create a catalogue, import/export products, and all the other things to come along with it can be challenging. You can learn how to do it yourself or outsource it to a freelancer. Keep in mind that you should still know what the outcome should look like. This is one of the toughest things to tell a business owner. Your knowledge in this is critical.
So come on in and let's see what we can help you with. I take a lot of time and effort in making sure I can offer the very best in making sure your eCommerce content is solid and you use the tools available to you.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Jessi Mechanic emerges from the New York City indie music scene with her debut EP Wandering In Roam. Featuring her emotive vocals and powerful songwriting, Jessi's upbeat rock sound and passionate lyrics have drawn favorable comparisons to Florence Welch and the Black Keys. Her EP is now available on iTunes and other digital retail sites.


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Almost every year, we come to Bethany Beach and spend a couple of weeks with the family. Almost every year, there are new things about the house, the town, the beach and the cast of characters that make up our time together at the beach.
The Wilson family comes to the beach almost every year, except years when we go someplace else, such as Australia (last year) and England (various times, and planning for next year). Every year we are here, the Vache's of Washington State (my sister, bro-in-law, and nieces) are here, and the Greene's of Florida (my parents). More recently we have added the Sutton's of Texas to the mix. There have been many and various other cousins, McGrath's of Missouri, long-time friends, girl friends and boy friends on and off over the years.
The time at the beach follows a predictable, comfortable and welcome routine. We keep a storage locker with our beach chairs, umbrellas, and many other needed supplies in Millville. When we arrive we unpack the storage locker, and move into our house. It's not our house, really, since we just rent it, but it's our house since we've been renting it for about 15 years. By the time we arrive my sister has stocked up at Sam's or Costco, and we're ready to go.
Tony brings a metal detector and has a lot of fun searching the beach for treasures. Every once in a while he finds something. This year he found a cell phone, among other things. We answered one of the texts we read, and were able to reunite the phone with its grateful owner. I was glad to wish the young man a happy birthday — it was his 18th. Good stuff. This year he got up at 5 a.m. every day to go metal detecting, and then takes all the chairs and umbrellas down to the beach. Then he gets me up and we ride bikes for an hour. It's been good exploring the area that I know so well, but know so little! I've spent years here, but have not ever explored the back roads and countryside as I have this year on a bicycle.
Almost every year we have a rainy day and head straight to the outlet malls for some of the great Delaware tax-free shopping. This year was just a very short day, as we got to Rehoboth, the sun started coming out. So just a few stores, and then back to the beach. It wasn't our best day, but certainly far from the worst.
Every year Bethany Beach puts on a 4th of July parade. That will be tomorrow, of course, and just around 11:30 a.m. we will all go up to Ocean View Parkway and put our beach chairs up in front of someone's house (don't know who they are but we sit there every year). The parade starts at the Christian Church and makes its way down to Ocean View parkway by about 12:30 or so, and then goes on and on and on and on… and on… and on…. made up of large groups of children on bikes, local beauty queens, local politicians, the Shriners in their mini-corvettes, and many many other wacky and wonderful creatures. It's a great parade, and we are usually parched and sun-stroked by the time we make our way home, but it's worth it for the fun of seeing a great small-town parade to celebrate our nation's independence.
Every year Bethany Beach puts on a fireworks show, and almost every year it is fantastic! One year it was entirely shrouded in clouds, and one year was rained out. That year there was this guy who had a fireworks show of his own on the 5th of July and I kind of suspected that he had bought out the BB show for his private showing. But then this year I heard that there was a big birthday party for some rich guy who had rented out a whole neighborhood that year… so I'm thinking it was his birthday celebration. Nonetheless it was good entertainment for us since the 4th was just busted by rain.
Almost every year something changes about the beach, for better or worse. Some years ago they built giant dunes to protect the town – that was a good change, but made a huge difference in the landscape of the beach. Some of the old landmarks are now gone, replaced by new buildings — such as the old Blue Surf Motel — now the Blue Surf condos. It's an attractive building, and I'm very glad they replace the old Blue Surf in such a nice way. There used to be an old bait and tackle shop called Harry's on the corner across from the Christian church. It burned down some years ago and was replaced by an ugly, garish, "pirate" mini-golf with a giant skeleton pirate that barfs water out of its mouth. Ugh. The bait and tackle shop was nothing special – I remember getting candy and comic books there, and it was the bus station, too. But the replacement is not to be endured. Another change is the replacement of the town's parking meters with a pay-and-display format. Not a bad thing, but they haven't gotten around to taking the parking meter poles out of the ground. So everywhere you look there are these poles sticking up out of the ground. Tacky.
The one thing that never changes is how relaxed we feel when we get down to the beach, and plant ourselves in our beach chairs in the sun, pull out the trashy novel and lose ourselves in the lovely breeze and sunshine. It's heaven and there is no other place on earth that can quite compare to this.
Here are my pictures taken this year.


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Saturday, September 28th
While I sat on my porch and listened to the sound of red maple leaves free fall and ping against leaves still green and gripping, a group of literary folks were down in Beaufort, South Carolina whooping it up in celebration of the short story form. I wanted to be there. I had become one of the finalist for the Short Story America Prize for Short Fiction and the winner would be announced live on stage at the Saturday night events. Some time around 11 pm I got the call. Tim Johnston, who is the editor and driving force behind Short Story America, had just come out of a session to let me know that I won!
How did it feel? At first, I felt a bit confused while Tim and I exchanged pleasantries. I kept asking him questions about the conference and the after party that I knew would be taking place–I was babbling, I believe–while another part of me was thinking, "Well, Jodi, why don't you stop talking and let him talk. He wouldn't be calling you up at this hour of the night from the middle of a conference when you don't even know him without a very special reason." I finished my sentence and kept my mouth shut. He said, "I have good news. You won." I cried. I told him over that phone that I felt like I could cry, but indeed, I was crying.
The title of the story that took the prize is called "Deep End." It's an aftermath story told from the point of view of a young girl who explores guilt and blame and contemplates the adults around her as they experience the grief she has yet to learn to express. I love this story.
I had had 7 different pieces in submission to over 30 journals and contests since last winter. All summer, the rejections poured in. I was feeling kind of blue. I wasn't sure I garnered enough wind in my sails with the "but, please send us another story" letters to head into another winter of writing and shopping publications and getting answered with a big NO. Then a friend said, "Don't give up. Just take your favorite story, do one quick edit, and send it out again." I knew what my favorite current story was. I looked around to see what was opening up for submissions. In my Facebook Feed there was an announcement that the deadline for the SSA Contest would close at midnight that night. I went for it. Then I forgot about it.
A few weeks later, I got the first call from Tim announcing that I was a finalist. Some of the best moments of my writing life have been when an editor wants to talk about the story I've written. I was impressed by Tim's in depth familiarity with my piece and the specifics he gave me about what worked. Tim is an editor who is passionate about short fiction and wants to see it thrive and shine in America. He works tirelessly to promote the form.
While the folks down in Beaufort were all reveling in short story readings and giving talks, I curled up on the sofa with my new edition of Carve Magazine to read an essay by Douglas Unger about Raymond Carver in the workshop. What I took away from the Unger piece was this: Don't write crap in the first place. You have to like it yourself. And, once you've got something good on paper, you're going to then need some luck.
I wrote a decent story. In fact, I thought it was my best story. I got lucky.
What I am about to say is nothing new, but I'm here to tell you: Keep writing. Write until you love what you've got on the page and send it out there.
Here's a link. Ethan Rutherford at TSP on "Knowing When to Quit (and Not Quitting)" took some time to say this very well.


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You can't rush success, but you have to make sure you're making progress! EVERY day do SOMETHING toward your goal, because if it's really your dream then you wouldn't go a day without thinking about it. It would be the last thing on your mind at night and the first thing on your mind when you open your eyes. Every day you'd mention it to God how grateful you are for the progress you made and how excited you are for the blessings he's going to send your way! "I'm the type to pray and then go get what I just prayed for" I believe it's important to not only ask for these things but to work consistent toward achieving these things! Consistency as in exempting a large amount of effort but not necessarily the same approach. If something doesn't seem to be working then it's time to try a new way, constantly research, network, learn and grow.
Dream Chaser 🏃🏾♀Rants


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The Tradition of the Town Photographer
Deep in the American psyche rests the images of our collective, interlocked past. We look to these photographs for an affirmation of the way life was, and for a thread to connect to our present selves. The glut of photographic images in our contemporary culture makes the innocence of these pictures showing old, weird America even more important.
In small historical societies all over this country, countless photographs of the past are stored and upheld as evidence of local lives and places. These images were not made by the art photography heroes of the age, but by local people who learned photography like any other trade. They employed this new skill to suit their own needs, and the needs of their neighbors, who were also their patrons.
Local photographers in every small town made documents that show the reality, the culture, and the ways of the people that surrounded them. The multiplicity of these pictures throughout the United States shows that a pattern emerged around the turn of the 19th century: common people wanted their photograph taken, and not just in a studio, but on their land and in front of their home. They wanted photographs to stand for and display their family identity.
In this time period, being photographed held the seriousness of a ceremony. The sitters felt that the image to be made would represent them, so they would want to appear well groomed and present for the moment of exposure. The innocence which these people display before the lens holds them bare: we can speculate about their lives, and project onto their faces our comparative comforts of today.
The event of being photographed held weight partially because of the relative scarcity of photographs in rural life. The majority of these photographs were made with a view camera on a tripod. The slow pace dictated by the clumsiness of this equipment allows these pictures to shine with a quality of permanence. The photographer was sure to have everything accurately composed before exposing a plate (the antithesis to the snapshot cameras that become widely available after the turn of the 20th century).
The large format negatives of most town photographers were glass dry-plates, or the earliest available nitrate films. By 1890, the dry-plate was phenomenally popular, and therefore inexpensive to buy1. They were purchased from film companies in bulk and were ready to use right out of the box, just as film is today. Photography was now in the hands of the masses, and did not require the incredible expertise needed for the earlier wet-plate photography. As the technique was made easier the number of town photographers exploded.
Soon after dry-plates became available, the United States Postal Service began Rural Free Delivery (1898)2, which shrank the communication distances between those people who lived rurally. Local photographers jumped on the new fad of postcards, the simplest way to write to a distant, rural friend. The town photographer made landscape views of the local area, was on hand to document town events, and was also open to photographing people who wanted to send their portrait to a friend. It is these types of pictures which show local culture as viewed by a local. An event such as a town fair was documented by the photographer, who could in turn sell the photographic image by which townspeople could remember the dancing bear, or the prize-winning yoke of oxen.
The town photographer was foremost a local businessman, who would use his technique to photograph anything for a price. When the local market was saturated, he would often prepare a wagon and take to the countryside in search of more customers. In rural areas, the family portrait in front of the house was extremely popular. This prevalent image form was aesthetically pleasing, and meant a tremendous amount to the family – they were immortalized. Even if a family had very little money, this image was sought after and purchased somehow (often times this meant room and board for the photographer and his horse, or other forms of barter).
Local photographers whose work has risen to national attention in the last few decades are Solomon Butcher from Nebraska3, the Howes brothers of western Massachusetts4, Darius Kinsey of Washington State5, and Charles Van Schaick of Wisconsin6. These men have been the subjects of historical monographs, and all share aspects of the town photographer as described above. Countless others, both men and women, who remain in obscurity have visions equally as rich and are celebrated locally, as they were meant to be.
A local photographer from southeastern Vermont named Porter Thayer is a primary antecedent for this book about the town of Marlboro, Vermont. He worked in and outwards from his hometown of Newfane (the town bordering Marlboro to the north) beginning in 1906 through around 1920. Like most Vermont men of his generation (b. 1882) he was a farmer, specifically an apple orchardist. He turned to his apple business after ending his photographic career.
The postcard craze that most likely reached Vermont by about 1905, was perhaps the impetus for Porter Thayer starting up a photographic business. His diaries tell that he sold 1,197 postal cards during a six-month period at the height of his career. The cards were for sale as souvenirs to summer tourists at small general stores, local inns, boarding houses and hotels. Local folks purchased his photographs as well, especially around the Christmas season, to send to distant relatives. A Brattleboro, Vermont directory of 1909 lists Porter as advertising that he would come to anyone's home and make images for a reasonable fee. Around 1911 he recorded that he had 720 customers7. Eventually he photographed in all the towns within a 25 mile radius of his home in Newfane.
Porter Thayer perfectly fits the archetype of the town photographer. He traveled the narrow dirt roads in his buggy, behind his faithful mare Lady, who accompanied him daily. He could apparently take extended naps while Lady brought him safely home, as she always knew the way. He used a camera of approximately 5 x 7 inches and made glass dry-plate negatives. He traveled with stacks of postcards to be delivered at stores along the way to his days work.
Working continually through seasons and years, Porter Thayer left an archive that is a cultural treasure for southeastern Vermont. The quality of his work shows that he was able to combine business needs with aesthetic ones. The images clearly articulate the flavor of local life in the early part of the 20th century, but also resonate as visual statements that are rooted to the land. He documented town life, but also rural working and hunting practices. These pictures seep narratives of the hunt or of a long day behind a road grader.
During the time period Porter worked, Vermont was extremely poor and rural, yet held a close-knit population that shared the labors of life. Farmers helped one another to survive in a subsistence and barter economy. For women, men, and children, life meant constant work. Thayer's images describe the work and the tools involved.
His landscape images reveal this working landscape, which today is mostly hidden by trees. The fruits of his labor as a photographer have grown in importance, as both the landscape and culture of Vermont has shifted into modern spheres of living. A few souls can still remember the reality of this past, but they are increasingly succumbing to death. The Vermont culture of that time, carefully recorded by the camera of Porter Thayer, can today only be viewed as the mythic past.
1 Szarkowski, John. Photography Until Now. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1989. Pg. 126 – 141.
2 Morgan, H. and Brown, A. Prairie Fires and Paper Moons. Boston: David Godine, 1981. Pg. Xii.
3 Carter, John E. Solomon D. Butcher. Lincon & London: University of Nebraska, 1985.
4 Newman, Alan B., ed. New England Reflections 1882 – 1907, Photographs By the Howes Brothers. New York: Pantheon Books, 1981.
5 Bohn, D. and Petschek, R. Kinsey Photographer. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 1978.
6 Lesy, Michael. Wisconsin Death Trip. New York: Random House, 1973.
7 Thayer, Lillian. Porter C. Thayer. Brattleboro, VT: Prompt Image, 1985. Pg. 25.
8 Heat-Moon, William Least. PrairyErth: (a deep map). Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1991. Pg. 99.
9 Weiss, John, ed. Venus, Jupiter & Mars – the Photographs of Frederick Sommer. Wilmington: Delaware Art Museum, 1980. Pg. 17.
10 Trachtenberg, Alan. Reading American Photographs. New York : Hill and Wang, 1989. Pg. 287 – 8.
11 Davenport, Guy. Geography of the Imagination.
12 Campbell, Joseph with Bill Moyers. The Power of Myth. New York: Doubleday, 1988. Pg. 91 –


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When we sanitize history, it lets us off the hook. Stephanie J. Gates
As I sat in the theater glued to my seat watching Selma, I was visually reminded of the strength and tenacity of Black people. The words of Amelia Boynton resonated with me when she reassured a reluctant Coretta Scott-King that she was ready to meet with Malcolm X in her husband's absence because the blood of her ancestors flowing through her body has prepared her for this day. It is a quiet yet powerful scene that reminds me of the greatness of Black people.
Years ago, watching the mistreatment of Black people in films bothered me. I'd be so angry after watching the gross injustice and indignities African Americans were subjected to because of racist policy and practices in America. But I stopped focusing on what was done to us, and started focusing on what we did in response. I am in awe of the likes of Amelia Boynton, Jimmie Lee Jackson and other unsung heroes of the civil rights movement. And that is one of the reasons I love Selma. It is not a water-down, sugar-coated white-washing of history. It is a docudrama based on actual events. And while some may level charges of inaccuracy, I argue that even historical facts are subject to interpretation. Ava DuVernay made the civil rights movement come alive for me just as it did when I was a child.
As a teenager, every year during Black History Month, I would sit mesmerized in front of the TV watching the Eyes on the Prize documentary series. I wish that I had been born sooner so that I could have been a participant. Though I love African-American history, I have a special place in my heart for the civil rights movement because it seemed like a magical period in American history. Those documentaries brought the movement into my living room. Those documentaries changed my life. I wanted to learn more, and do more. When I became a teacher, the series along with other films became staples in my classroom. When one of my students would ask why we were learning Black history and it wasn't February, I would simply remind them that they were Black 365 days out of the year and 366 during Leap Year.
Even though there were no lunch counters or buses to integrate when I was growing up, I understood the very realness of racism. When my family moved from the segregated Westside to the integrated Southside, we faced challenges of around issues of race. There were White kids on the block and though we all played together outside, we did not visit each other's homes nor did my niece and I venture beyond the via dock at 111th and Cottage. Pullman was a White working class neighborhood and we were not welcomed there. And though we lived in an integrated neighborhood, our schools were still segregated.
My segregated existence and love for civil rights collided in college. It was my first integrated experience, and two things stand out: one of my professors said that MLK was a womanizer, and White people, especially men) thought they knew everything. Whenever I said anything thing that was different from their way of thinking, they simply talked over me until I stopped talking. Learning of King's infidelities made room for his humanity, and I found my voice again as I learned about our history. My class on the civil rights movement was an eye-opening experience. My fantasy idea of the civil rights movement was far removed from the truth. It was not this joyous Kumbaya movement where everyone got along. There were tensions, disputes, jockeying for power and plenty of politicking going around. And once I got over the initial shock that my heroes were human, it made my history that much richer.
So as I watched Selma I was reminded of the realness of the people who participated in protests and demonstrations. As I watched Selma I was reminded of what is going on in America today. As I watched Selma, I saw ordinary, everyday people doing extraordinary things. I saw myself in them. When we sanitize history, we strip our heroes of their humanity. We turn them into God-like beings that let us mere mortals off the hook. We don't think that we can live up to the legacy that was left us. But not only do we have to live up to it, we owe it to those who paved the way for us. If they could do it, we can, too. We can learn from Selma how to continue and hopefully, finish the work the civil rights workers started. We should feel the that the blood that pumped through them then, pumping through us now.


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Hi Friends,I just got from a crop birthday of one of my friends. We had a great time laughing and making cards, What better way to spend a day with your friends?
This is the card I made my friend. The image is the digital stamp Rosie Frames #2 from Dilli Beans Stamps. I discovered this store yesterday browsing blogs and was instantly in love with this framed girls.
To paint it I used distress inks, watercolor pencils, India ink and a fine line pen.
I didn't use any embellishment on the card since I love so much the image I wanted it to stand alone. Here you have a full view of the card. For sure, I will be buying these girls since I love them and they looks perfect for mixed media projects.
Enjoy what's left of your Sunday. I am going to take a little nap and then prepare my thing for a new week full of challenges and not so fun things to do ;)


text: 9to5 Mac reports that FiftyThree has revealed a new gold-brushed and anodized version of its popular Bluetooth "Pencil" stylus for iPad. This follows on from Pencil's recent addition to the accessories range in Apple's retail stores. Most likely the new version has been released to match the gold colour of the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, both of which come in snazzy gold versions. The Gold version of the stylus, while looking a little more opulent than the regular Walnut version, will have the same retail price of $59.95. FiftyThree's Pencil stylus was launched over a year ago, with its novel carpenter's pencil design. It can pair with your iPad via Bluetooth to activate smart features in various apps, such as FiftyThree's own Paper iPad app, a free app that is great for note-taking and sketching. Other apps that Pencil's enhanced features are compatible with include Procreate, Noteshelf, Sketchbook and Mobile Mouse. More apps will be supported in future, according to FiftyThree. Source: http://9to5mac.com/2015/01/30/fiftythree-pencil-gold/


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By Megan Semaniuk
The Council of the Federation (COF) meets twice a year to discuss issues of
importance to Canadians, identify possible solutions, and share best practices. The
following were some lessons learned from a recent analysis of communiqués from the
2000 to 2015 summer meetings of Canada's premiers.
Three things to know about COF:
1. Formerly known as the Annual Premiers' Conference, COF was institutionalized
with the signing of the Founding Agreement in 2003. From the 1960s to 2003,
premiers met routinely but the rules and requirements surrounding meetings were not
2. The 2003 Founding Agreement defines interactions among premiers. This
document was signed by all provincial and territorial premiers and established a
mandate, a common Secretariat, and a consensus decision-making procedure. This
document acts as the framework for COF.
3. The Council of the Federation is a different institution than First Ministers'
Meetings (FMMs). Premiers may invite the federal government to participate at the
intergovernmental table with them. However, this provision in the Founding Agreement
has not been utilized to date.
Three myths about COF:
Myth #1: There is an abundance of academic research on COF and its predecessor, the
Annual Premiers' Conference.
Reality: Rather, there is a significant lack of academic research on the topic.
Where academic research does exist, it tends to focus on the interactions between
premiers and the prime minister of the day, or the premiers' conference in relation to FMMs.
Myth #2: Premiers' meetings are "interprovincial dress rehearsals" for FMMs.1
Reality: In fact, interprovincial matters have become the most salient element of COF communiqués.2
This goes against the assumption that premiers' meetings are held primarily to discuss
items of federal-provincial importance.
Myth #3: Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has conducted two FMMs, there is no
need for COF meetings.
Reality: These meetings were the first to be held since 2009. Premiers continue to meet to discuss
issues that are uniquely provincial and that are within their constitutional jurisdiction.
1 Meekison, J. Peter. 2004. "The Annual Premiers' Conference: Forging a Common Front." In
Canada: The State of the Federation 2002. Reconsidering the Institutions of Canadian
Federalism, eds. J. Peter Meekison, Hamish Telford and Harvey Lazar. Montreal and
Kingston, QC and ON: McGill-Queen's University Press.
2 Semaniuk, M. Forthcoming. "The Council of the Federation: Effectiveness in Intergovernmental
IPAC Impact is a forum for pracademics to discuss politics, policy, and public administration. Comments from public servants, academics, students, and all others are encouraged. For more information on IPAC, please visit http://www.ipac.ca/edmonton. The views expressed on this blog are those of the authors, and do not represent those of the Institute of Public Administration Canada or its Edmonton Regional Group.
Monday, 14 March 2016
The Council of the Federation: Effectiveness in Intergovernmental Institutions
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When I was college, I got the opportunity to act as a man named David Keaton in a stage production of "The Exonerated." The play was about real people who had been wrongfully convicted of various crimes and sentenced to death. It followed accounts of circumstances leading up to the indictment and conviction, life in prison, and life after release (and in some cases their deaths).
Despite my various opinions about the US Criminal Justice System, today's piece will focus on something very different and perhaps seasonally appropriate: Love. You see, in the last few months, I've become enamored with a show on NPR called Snap Judgment. Their latest episode entitled, Joy and Pain, follows the various ups and downs of people in relationships. One of the segments on the episode featured the story of Sunny Jacobs, whose story was also told in the play. She and her husband, Jesse Tafero, were sentenced to death for the murders of Officer Phillip Black and Donald Irwin. Jesse was executed after fifteen years in jail, and Sunny was released two years later.
The thing about acting in a play like "The Exonerated," is that you rarely forget the experience. I have always found the lives of Jesse Tafero and Sunny Jacobs particularly endearing because of their strength, devotion and love for each other over those years in prison. They shared the kind of spiritual bond that fairy tales and love songs are written about. Understanding how deep their love and compassion was for each other made it that much more painful to learn that Jesse was wrongfully executed.
Losing someone you love is no easy thing. I had always wondered how Sunny must have felt in the days, months, and years after Jesse's death. Over the years, I've heard many stories about people who have been exonerated and didn't fare well afterwards. I'm glad that Sunny's doing alright. Her character always seemed pretty strong and resolute. I guess that's why I burst into tears as she told the part of her story that I was familiar with. I'm especially glad that she found love again. This time, it's with an Irishman named Peter Pringle, who had also been exonerated in Ireland.
The experience of "The Exonerated," and in particular, the story of Sunny and Jesse, taught me a lot about finding love, joy, and happiness even life's darkest moments. There's plenty of darkness in the world, but there's also an equal, if not, grater amount of beauty to it. I don't know if I will ever have the kind of deep bond that Sunny and Jesse shared with someone of my own. I'm not certain that I would ever love again if lost the person I shared that kind of bond with. However, if Sunny's life is any indication, then it's certainly a possibility.
Peace, Love, Many Blessings


text:
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Thursday, March 19, 2009.
Legislation intensifies fears about Obama's civilian national security force.
The House passed a bill yesterday which includes disturbing language indicating young people will be forced to undertake mandatory national service programs as fears about President Barack Obama's promised "civilian national security force" intensify.
The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, known as the GIVE Act, was passed yesterday by a 321-105 margin and now goes to the Senate.
Under section 6104 of the bill, entitled "Duties," in subsection B6, the legislation states that a commission will be set up to investigate, "Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds."
Section 120 of the bill also discusses the "Youth Engagement Zone Program" and states that "service learning" will be "a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency."
"The legislation, slated to cost $6 billion over five years, would create 175,000 "new service opportunities" under AmeriCorps, bringing the number of participants in the national volunteer program to 250,000. It would also create additional "corps" to expand the reach of volunteerism into new sectors, including a Clean Energy Corps, Education Corps, Healthy Futures Corps and Veterans Service Corps, and it expands the National Civilian Community Corps to focus on additional areas like disaster relief and energy conservation," reports Fox News.
The Senate is also considering a similar piece of legislation known as the "Serve America Act," which also includes language about "Youth Engagement Zones".
Fears about Obama's plans to create involuntary servitude were first stoked in July 2008, when Obama told a rally in Colorado Springs, "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that is just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded."
Despite denials that Obama plans to institute a mandatory program of national service, his original change.gov website stated that Americans would be "required" to complete "50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year". The text was only later changed to state that Americans would be "encouraged" to undertake such programs.
In addition, Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, publicly stated his intention to help create "universal civil defense training" in 2006.
"The bill's opponents — and there are only a few in Congress — say it could cram ideology down the throats of young "volunteers," many of whom could be forced into service since the bill creates a "Congressional Commission on Civic Service," reports Fox.
"We contribute our time and money under no government coercion on a scale the rest of the world doesn't emulate and probably can't imagine," said Luke Sheahan, contributing editor for the Family Security Foundation. "The idea that government should order its people to perform acts of charity is contrary to the idea of charity and it removes the responsibility for charity from the people to the government, destroying private initiative."
Lee Cary of the conservative American Thinker warns that Obama's agenda is to, "tap into the already active volunteerism of millions of Americans and recruit them to become cogs in a gigantic government machine grinding out his social re-engineering agenda."
CFR luminary Gary Hart hit back at critics, claiming in a Huffington Post piece that, "Resistance to expanded public service programs can be expected from the ideologically sclerotic, those who occupy the negative ground between government as the problem and government as our enemy."
The frightening prospect of Obama's mandatory government servitude is covered in-depth in Alex Jones' new documentary blockbuster, The Obama Deception. Subscribe to prison planet.tv now to watch the film in high-quality, watch it for free here or buy the DVD, make copies and spread the word.
Research related articles:
- Democrats Introduce Public National Service Bills
- Obama Website Scrubs Mandatory Community Service Call
- Bill to help remove people remove themselves from TSA watch list passes House
- "National Service" and Conscription: A Question of Ownership
- Obama's chief of staff choice favors compulsory universal service
- Net Neutrality Bill Passes
- House OKs $787B stimulus bill with GOP opposition
- USDA Backs Off Mandatory National Animal Identification Registration
- Senate passes $612 bln defense spending bill
- New Jersey parents protest mandatory flu shots
- Georgia Rep. Issues Warning on National Security Force, Gun Ban
- Government To Confiscate 401(k)s and IRAs For Mandatory Savings Tax
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!


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Thursday, 18 September 2014
The Dancing Guardsman
4 comments:
- Neil Austin said...
I dunno about this one Ben. To me, none of his marching looks authentic and 'from the classic guard's mold'. My gut reaction is that this could be yet another deliberate diversion and public- softening, or at least water-testing, psy-op; TPTB (particularly this chap's CO's)would know that this type of behaviour would be totally unacceptable and openly disrespectful (by their standards)upon the establishment's premier stage - Buck House. That's irrespective of whether Madam Hairy Legs was home or not. I agree, on the face of it, his non-conformist behaviour seems admirable; but if this was for real, his feet would not touch the ground. It would never be allowed to 'go viral' on Youtube. I suspect he would just 'disappear'.
- 18 September 2014 at 23:17
Whatever the 'impulsion' to carry out this 'act' it for me does not take away the fact that silly dance aside the fact that at this stage of humanity the most silly thing is that we continue to 1) have an unelected, archaic bloodline monarchy ruling over us permitted because of tourist magnetism and 2) that a silly dance can outweigh the fact that we still condone and decorate our skulls with a dead bear in representation of our servive to an omnipotent overlord be it psychologically or otherwise. The stage is (in its very nature) is not real and Neil makes an interesting point in this respect because it begs the questions who is controlling the actors on it and what is the message of the play?.
- 19 September 2014 at 10:25
- Ben Emlyn-Jones said...
I hope not, Neil, but I suppose I have to consider that possibility.
- 21 September 2014 at 20:39
- Ben Emlyn-Jones said...
Of course, X, I wouldn't want to reprioritize those other things just because of this incident. And I object to bears being killed as well!
- 21 September 2014 at 20:40


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All you have to do is to call your respective Customer helpline and reach your Customer Service Representative (CSR). Ask your CSR to ban all those promotional SMS from their company to be received on your number. Here is the list of Customer Helpline numbers just in case you don't remember them. Mobilink (111), Ufone (333), Zong (310), Warid (321) and Telenor (345).
As I have inquired about the same with Ufone Help Desk after some in depth talking he revealed the trick of blocking these sms. The CSR gave me the number ' 25625 ' (with Zero Call Charges) to call to and have the Ufone and third-party Promotional messages (Spam) turned off.
Its a computerized service and after you make the request formally by calling on the given number, the computer would tell you that your request will take upto 7 days to complete.
For Jazz mobilink Users: To Block Promotional Msgs Type "ALL" Send To 258 (This has not been verified)
I hope there will be some PTA rules and guidelines that exist for these Operator(s) promotional and their third-party promotional (sponsors) messages, as according to the Call Center Agent ' ALL Ufone Customers are subscribed to these promotional alerts ' i.e. without their intent !
Now just call them and get relieved from constant vibrations and SMS beeps that used to disturb your daily routines. Now you don't have to get notified about latest "exciting" offers and details of "Lucky draws" by your service provider. Keep on using Mobile services without much irritation from your mobile company.
In worst case scenario, if cellular operator does not pay attention to your request, then you have a door open. Just send your complaint to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) by calling them on 051-9225325 or send an email at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Significant Digits For Monday, July 23, 2018
5 hours ago
"Crazy is hella inconvenient." That statement took me from chuckling to a sputtering guffaw.
Now I'm going to have to examine my own behaviors because I'm sure I've got some weird ones, but I can't think of what they might be. Guess I could just ask Josh - I'm sure he could give you a long list.


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Dear All,
As the semester roils to a halt, a few announcements regarding the Lonergan Society here at Marquette:
1) We won't be meeting again this semester, but I'll soon be scheduling readings for the next academic year. If anyone has suggestions on what they would like to read from Lonergan next year, please email me!
2) If anyone has any lingering desires to go to the workshop out at Boston this June, it's not too late! Let me or Jeremy know.
3) AND….(drumroll please)….we now have, courtesy of the magnificent Anne Carpenter, our very own Lonergan Society website. It has a short blurb about our group, a links page, and a place for all announcements and news. Check it out at https://lonergansociety.wordpress.com/ Right up on the front page right now you'll see our call for papers for the Lonergan on the Edge conference that we are hosting this September 18-20. The site looks great and will serve us well–thank you, Anne!
Best end-of-semester wishes,


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...the government's dismissive attitude toward opposition MPs' attempts to ask questions about the steps being taken to protect Canadians from the H1N1 virus is surprising.
...it is not too much to ask that she provide explanations and respond to pertinent questions about a potentially life-and-death issue in a public forum. If the government is as confident in its H1N1 response as it has claimed, and eager to set to rest Canadians' concerns, it should have welcomed the opportunity.Ms. Aglukkaq clearly should have stayed and answered every last question from the committee. The H1N1 issue is not one to be mucked around with by anyone for partisan reasons. Glad to see notice being served to the government on this issue....
...Ms. Aglukkaq left the meeting before some of the MPs had expected, after answering only a few questions.


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Happy Birthday to Pepaw and Elvis!
We're on our second snow day - staying warm, playing in the snow, playing Wii!
3 years ago
I love a good snow day. A huge bowl of popcorn and a good movie is the way I like to spend the day. Love the pictures.


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Above: There you stood on the edge of your feather, Expecting to fly - Toni Youngblood, 2010, watercolor on Arches watercolor paper. Words by Neil Young from his poem/lyrics for Expecting to Fly.
The submissions request is early this year---the deadline is today. I just made it! Whew! The theme: "Poetry in Color", calls for paintings inspired by a line in a poem to tie in with the Utah Humanities Book Festival.


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Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, by James Agee and Walker Evans (1941). This is an attempt to document the "cruel radiance of what is," as Agee put it, that all others should be measured against. And all others fail -- as did Agee, and, to a lesser extent, photographer Evans. And still I re-read this great, failed experiment over and over through the years, with caution and awe.
Blues for Cannibals: The Notes from Underground, by Charles Bowden (2002). I used to assign this to my students, but it infuriated 2/3 of every semester's class. It's hard going, dense, circular, occasionally overwrought, and absolutely brilliant. Makes the phrase "dark lyricism" meaningful. Sort of like James Agee's best work: study it, but beware of trying it at home.
Slouching Towards Bethlehem, by Joan Didion (1968). When I first read this, at age 18, I wanted to wear giant Joan Didion sunglasses and have migraines. Then I figured out that all I wanted from Didion were her sentences. Now that I'm older and I have my own, imperfect sentences, what I admire is Didion's power of perception, the nearly flawless double vision that allowed her to see a society in crisis and at the same time to see herself, watching it crumble.
The Robber Barons, by Matthew Josephson (1934). An early 20th century example of muckraking as scripture. Like many of his contemporaries, Josephson wanted to write about the bastards who'd ripped off a nation; but unlike less imaginative writers, he fell in love with his subjects, and the result is this Dante-eque tour of the history of American greed by a writer who knows that Hell is more interesting than Heaven.
The Dybbuk, or Between Two World, by S. Ansky (1914). This Yiddish play, which I first read in an English version by the great translator Joachim Neugroschel and later saw in an adaptation by one of my favorite playwrights, Tony Kushner, is not, technically, nonfiction. But Ansky approached it as if it was, scouring the folklore of Eastern European Jews for decades to create this uncanny distillation of a world of belief. The story, of a possession, is simple and yet irreducibly complex; I find myself thinking about it often when writing about religion. Kushner's Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is equally essential to me.
The Maine Woods, by Henry David Thoreau (1864). I'm no great fan of Thoreau's self-enamored prose, but this book's account of his ascent up Mt. Ktaadn and his discovery, close to its peak, that the world is vastly more complex and beautifully dangerous than his imagination could conceive—"Contact! Contact!" he nearly screams in terror—is, to me, the beginning of American literary journalism.
The Journalist and the Murderer, by Janet Malcolm (1990). Maybe this book should have marked the end of American literary journalism. Its brief story—of a dispute between the murderer of its title and the journalist who tried to tell his story—is a vehicle for Malcolm's condemnation of the genre she practices as something akin to ritual sacrifice. I read it, assign it, and think about it every time I start a new story.
Lipstick Traces, by Greil Marcus (1990). I've never read this book straight through, and I don't care about its ostensible subject, the Sex Pistols, but I always keep it close at hand. It's a masterwork of pattern and digression, an almost too-hip monstrosity of hybrid prose that I nonetheless find bracingly hopeful: a commonplace book of strange dignity, "the ability," writes my favorite theological thinker, "to contradict what is."


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Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Water Park!
>> Wednesday, March 05, 2014
My folks treated my family and my sister's family to a fun night at the Holiday Inn outside of Owatonna which has the "Great Serengeti Indoor Water Park" attached to it. Here are 7 photos from our weekend:
This might be the first real photo of the FOUR of us! Pharmie's about 30 weeks!
Henry and I can do tricks. We're available for birthday parties and Bar Mitzvahs.
Henry and I right before the big splash at the bottom of the water slide.
Post-slide with Grandma!
Henry's getting good at recognizing when he needs a nap: "Daddy, I'm getting sleepy..."
(Oh, and notice the chest bruise from my horrible dives at my swim meet a week before.)


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Sterling silver tiny pod ring made with sterling silver wire.
A beautiful stacking ring set.
. When you order please include your ring size to ensure that the ring will fit, in the note to seller. The ring is a one size fits most but knowing your ring size can make it a better fit.
They have a lovely matte finish with a dark, rich patina which is polished to make the texture really stand ...
Click Here to Visit My Etsy Shop!


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Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 1.
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.
[1] Congressional Globe, Thirtieth Congress, First Session, p. 727.
[2] Willard P. Hall of Missouri, had moved reconsideration of House joint resolution No. 16 granting pay to Texas volunteers called up but never mustered into service. His objection was that the resolution called for payments which had not been accorded other volunteers---namely, for horses lost for want of forage.
[3] Armistead Burt of South Carolina, who had moved the adoption of the resolution, explained at this point that a bill before the committee on military affairs would provide pay for all other horses lost in Mexico.
[4] The House passed the resolution with sundry amendments on May 4.


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One of the things that I have written about before is my love of jewellery. I adore it. One of my favourite things on holiday is seek out new and unusual pieces. I love quirkiness, colour and individuality and try and buy handmade one-off items. This love has also led me to try and develop some jewellery ideas of my own. I've tried lots of different materials when I experiment and have had some success with both polymer clay and resin. My new passion though is shrink plastic and I have been working on creating a new collection based upon my "Prickles and Pinecones" surface patterns. I really do love hedgehogs, hares, rabbits and other woodland creatures so I decided to take my original illustrations and make them into brooches and rings. I am going to develop these into necklaces as well but it all takes time! Here are some of the results so far.
I then thought that I would display them on some old fashioned brown tags and add some letterpress titles. My favourite two are the hare in the green scarf and the dozy dormouse! but I have a soft spot for them all.
I have added these to my Etsy store and am planning to develop some more!
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Competition Crazy!
Here is some of what I've been working on: Cushions for the Ohh Deer design competition. These are available during the competition.
On Facebook) and entered a range of ideas based upon their Anthology theme, here is one idea below.
Finally for now I have had a go at Front Row Society's "Illustrated Dreams" jumper competition. This is another Facebook vote. Lately I have been drawing lots of foxes, hares and rabbits and used this idea to create "Artic Fox Dreaming"
Friday, 11 October 2013
New Opportunities?
I can't believe it's been over a week since I lasted posted on here! I have been really busy designing and chasing all the opportunities that I can find. I have rapidly found out that there are lots of things out there (competitions, blogs, sites) that could help you realise your dream of becoming a recognised designer. The trouble is trying to juggle everything that comes my way. I was absolutely thrilled to have my work included on the brilliant Artistically Afflicted blog all about the Autumnal inspiration of mushrooms. My design "Fantastic Funghi" was featured and I have received lots of really nice compliments about it.
Society6, an online store where you can upload your designs and sell them on lots of different merchandise. I decided to try my funghi design and I like the look of this bag tote bag. I think this still fits in well with my current obsession with all things Autumnal. Time will tell whether these new opportunities will pay off. Fingers crossed!
Society6, an online store where you can upload your designs and sell them on lots of different merchandise. I decided to try my funghi design and I like the look of this bag tote bag. I think this still fits in well with my current obsession with all things Autumnal. Time will tell whether these new opportunities will pay off. Fingers crossed!
Thursday, 3 October 2013
Prickles and Pinecones
In my last post I talked about how Autumn is inspiring me and talked about the drawings I have been doing based on my collection of Autumnal forms. I am still obsessed with picking up conkers! I have amassed quite a collection now. They are supposed to be good at warding off spiders so I will keep them around (I'm not sure how that works but I have heard it a few times). I thought I would now show you a couple of designs that I created from my drawings. I used quite a subtle, Autumn palette to create a homely feel.
You can see more of the collection here Moyo Directory.
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thoughtcrime in Our Time: US Government Fires Juan Williams for Expressing His Honest Opinion.
4 comments:
I don't see people jumping for joy when a person walks into a bank all cover up; gee, isn't something the same when dress completely in a muslim garb that you can't see their face. My gosh it is the same.
- October 22, 2010 9:55 AM
I'll bet Muslim's in garb aren't thrilled to get on planes with other Muslim's in garb.
It would be a great comedy skit. Two robed up fellows get on a plane and at first don't see each other. But when they do they both turn away real quick and start sweating and praying like sh_t.
... And then one donkey comes out of first class...
Poor animal.
- October 24, 2010 1:17 AM
- Canadian Sentinel said...
I'm trying to "get" the donkey punchline...
- October 24, 2010 6:21 AM
The donkey... A reference to the night vision surveillance video of a Taliban and his "beast of burden" we saw earlier.
Rabelais would argue that the placement of boroughs on passenger planes would serve as a stronger deterrent than sky marshals.
General reference:
Specific: In "Gargantua" the character Panurge suggests building the fort walls of Paris out of "the pleasure twats of women" as they are cheaper than stone as would prove "impregnable"
Related interesting read:
- October 24, 2010 3:54 PM


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Thursday, 17 March 2011
Speech to Deanery Synod on the Women Bishops Measure
15 comments:
- Anonymous17 March 2011 at 11:55
Seems very clear and well argued to me.ReplyDelete
Elizabeth Bridcut
- Anonymous17 March 2011 at 18:14
What Elizabeth said - yes, excellent. May the whole Deanery take it to heart!ReplyDelete
As it happens three days ago our PCC voted unanimously for this Following Motion, including members personally in favour of WO/WB. One of the latter did ask though why a Code of Practice and personal trust wouldn't be enough; the last few paras of John's fine analysis are a comprehensive riposte to that!
Dan Baynes
Barton Seagrave
It's good to know that one Deanery in this diocese, at least, has a Growth Group. Our deanery has a Vision - for decline, not growth. As a deanery, we've also had the discussion you are going to have and failed to vote on it - the reason given by the Chairman was that whatever decision we took was not binding on Diocesan Synod members, therefore there was no point - an interesting take on Synodical Democracy. However, we also debated the CEEC following motion, and passed it narrowly.
I would not disagree with any of your scriptural or ecclesiological exegesis, but reinforce a couple of points...
1. The debate about women bishops is not at all the same as the one about women priests, an assumption often made, as you pointed out in the Nottingham quotation. Scripture tells us a lot about the qualities of those who take ultimate responsibility.
2. This discussion should be about the people who are going to lead the church in the next generation. Sadly, it appears that we don't want to have that discussion, despite the fact that the 18 years since WO was voted for has been a time of decline and marginalisation in the church.
3. Sadly, the motion that deaneries were required to vote on contained two substantive issues, but only one vote. If you disagree with the proposed changes to the opt-out measures, you vote No, regardless of what you might feel about women bishops. This was our PCC's position, unanimously, and we never had the discussion about episcopacy.
As an exercise in synodical democracy - the only one I can remember - this has been a miserable failure. Perhaps, one day, synodical government will be allowed to function properly, though I doubt it.
PS. I've often heard about the Perry Report, but never seen it. Is it available anywhere?
I think the point at which conservative evangelical presbyters such as yourself will feel you have to leave the C of E is when you are required to swear an oath of canonical obedience 'in all things lawful and honest' to a female bishop. Accordingly my church's PCC has passed a resolution that we will not require any of our ministers to do so.ReplyDelete
Therefore if this dilemma was placed before our vicar, we would have to leave the C of E as a congregation. Might it be worth mentioning this future sticking-point, and the potential loss of ministers and their congregations from the C of E, in your speech?
- Anonymous18 March 2011 at 14:45
The more I read about evangelicals in the Anglican church (and I am one), the more I believe that congregationalism is the solution.ReplyDelete
As far as I can see, it solves all the problems without creating any substantial new ones.
So, John, how about a post entitled "Why I am a Protestant Episcopalian and not a Congregationalist". I suspect that the internal contradictions of such a position would make it very difficult to write...
- Anonymous18 March 2011 at 18:36
Interesting challenge David! However you might do better to pose it to someone like Jonathan Fletcher (see his video at the Reform website for example).ReplyDelete
Dan (as above)
Although we are from different spectrums of the CofE I agree with just about everything you have written. Your arguments are clearand concise. I hope that you persuade your Deanery Synod to vote against Women in the Episcopate but I have my doubts but if they passed the CEEC motion that would be excellent. Sadlly, like you, I have been told many times to leave, by so-called liberals who are totally illiberal. May you be blessed in all that you doReplyDelete
Hi John,ReplyDelete
Excellent analysis of the issues. It seems to me that the current proposal which is so deficient in many ways also fails the biblical injunction that our yes be yes and no should be no. A single clause measure would more properly meet that requirement by honestly and openly anticipating the position for 'traditionalists' if approved. The current proposal allows for dissembling.
I hope and pray that the Deanery Synod takes your words to heart.
best wishes,
Matt (Kettering)
- Anonymous23 March 2011 at 23:43
Matt - do we know each other?ReplyDelete
Hi Dan,ReplyDelete
Don't think so, although looks like you're just down the road. Do you worship at St Botolphs?
Matt (Kettering)
- Jeremy Leffler24 March 2011 at 13:14
I couldn't write a speech like that. Please may I read yours instead, with full acknowledgement of its source?
Jeremy, if you e-mail me at the link left I'll send you the much shorter version (15 minutes) I actually used on the night (last night).ReplyDelete
Actually I've just posted this on the blog. Feel free to use it.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous24 March 2011 at 18:10
Yes Matt. And yourself?ReplyDelete
Hi Dan,ReplyDelete
No, St Mary the Virgin, Wellingborough. But I have family who have worshipped at Christ the King on the Ise Lodge for a long time and so remember Jack Wardle and others visiting CTK from St Botolphs on occasions when I have been there too.
Good to know that your PCC approved the Following Motion, it seems the only constructive way forward to me at the moment.
best wishes,
Matt (Kettering)


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About eight years ago, the Bealeton library staff found me living a less-than-luxurious life underneath the boarded up Bealeton Depot, outside of the Bealeton Library (I've now fixed up the Depot; you really should take a look).
Anyway, back to our story. I decided that they were a good group, and I allowed them to adopt me. Though I am magnificent in many ways, I also have extra toes which add to my overall dashing appearance and distinction. The ladies at the library, being book lovers, named me after Ernest Hemingway, the famous writer who had a collection of cats with extra toes, also known as polydactyl cats. So I was named Ernest P. Hemingway - the "P" standing for "polydactyl."
My friends just call me Ernie.
|Ernie ruling from inbox
Since I've allowed the library staff to adopt me, life has been good. I live in the workroom of the Bealeton library, and I run the library from there. You can often find me in the manager's chair (my rightful place), in staff members' inboxes, or near my own collection of books. I stave off boredom by chasing my tail, which is not as easy as it may look. I take my job of guarding the parking lot very seriously, and I can often be found keeping watch. It may look like I am sleeping, but trust me, I can spring into action very quickly if squirrels or butterflies invade my territory.
|Ernie at St Basil's Cathedral, Russia
This year, I am delighted that folks from all over Fauquier County are taking me on vacation.While I love to explore interesting and far-away places, I have fun at local parks, grabbing ice cream or touring local farms, too. So regardless of where your summer travels take you, stop by, pick up a Flat Ernie to take with you, or just come by to say hello.
And, of course, have a purrfectly relaxing summer!
Ernie, the library cat


text: We've moved the blog to Tumblr. We've enjoyed our time with blogspot, but you know sometimes you just out grow your relationship. You need to move on to new possibilities and places that will let you express more of who you are and not restrain you to a certain font or format. Who knows how this new relationship will pan out but so far we're totally infatuated and I think it's mutual...xoxo


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Florida Plein Air oil paintings, stormy landscapes, hurricanes, travel.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Daily Painting 1430 Wednesday's Winds Tropical Storm Debby
Posted by Lori McNamara at 6:35 PM 2 comments:
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Daily Painting 1429 Shallow Reflections
Posted by Lori McNamara at 9:01 PM 4 comments:
Monday, June 25, 2012
Daily Painting 1428 Settling in for the Night White bird oil painting
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Daily Painting 1427 Indian River Sail
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Windy Palm Miniature Oil Painting
Cabbage palm blowing in the wind. This is one I did awhile back, I thought I would re-post it. I am in a bit of a funk lately, don't feel much like painting. ACEO size, oil on watercolor paper. 2.50 x 3.50 inches
Posted by Lori McNamara at 10:16 AM 9 comments:
Monday, June 18, 2012
Daily Painting 1426 Take Off American Egret Oil Painting
Posted by Lori McNamara at 8:59 PM 4 comments:
Friday, June 15, 2012
Daily Painting 1425 Morning Flight American Egret Painting
Its 5 x 7 inches, oil on masonite,
Posted by Lori McNamara at 3:24 PM 2 comments:
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Daily Painting 1424 Sabal Palm and Two Live Oaks minature oil painting plein air
Posted by Lori McNamara at 2:31 PM 2 comments:
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Daily Painting 1423 Sunny Path to the River Summer time painting
Monday, June 11, 2012
Daily Painting 1422 Morning Mists Australian Pines
No mail for me today, went to the mailbox to pick it up and there was a black snake inside, probably scared the mail lady.
The painting is oil on masonite 8 x 10 inches,
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Daily Painting 1421 Dancing Egrets at Hackberry Hammock
Posted by Lori McNamara at 6:26 PM 4 comments:
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Daily Painting 1420 Indian River Shore Line
Posted by Lori McNamara at 10:01 PM 2 comments:
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Daily Painting 1419 Incoming Florida Egret oil painting
Posted by Lori McNamara at 6:04 PM 2 comments:
Monday, June 04, 2012
Daily Painting 1418 St. Lucie County Regional History Center plein air
Posted by Lori McNamara at 9:59 PM 2 comments:
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Daily Painting 1417 SOLD Violent Outburst Red Hibiscus Painting
SOLD Its 8 x 10 inches, oil on masonite. I felt like playing with my red paints. You can't have too many hibiscus anyhow.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Daily Painting 1416 Impressions of Palms Miniature impressionistic oil painting
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Not surprisingly, the majority of Britons questioned in a survey -- 54 percent -- said they would like to spend it either with or on the phone to their loved ones.
This is the option I would choose. I would want to be with my husband and family.
But the survey revealed a strong hedonistic streak -- 13 percent would sit back, accept the inevitable and reach for a glass of champagne.
Champagne? How about some Jack Daniels!
Sex appealed to only nine percent while just three percent would turn to prayer.
Two percent intriguingly said they would reach for some fatty food while another two percent decided, with just an hour's life to go, that it was time to start looting.
There will always be the looters . . . no matter what the looming catastrophic event, no matter about the pointlessness of the looting. Some humans are just hopelessly stupid.What would you do before the end of the world?


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Last night we were invited to a "welcome to the world" dinner for my nephew, Asher. As my brother said, it was kind of like a baby dedication, but mostly (being the good Baptists that we are) we were just eating. We had a great night celebrating this new life that God has given into the care of Philip and Rebecca.
After the party, we realized that D was running fever and not feeling well. Even though he promises me that nothing hurts, he has done nothing today but camp out on the loveseat and watch cartoons. Those of you who know my little hurricane, know how unusual it is for him to be still for more than 5 minutes at a time. Still, he kept telling me that nothing hurt and that he felt fine, so I just let him vegitate with the cartoons and went on with my day.
Finally, this afternoon, his sister found something that could coax him to eat, cantaloupe. Between the two of them, they quickly polished off half of a large melon. A little while later, D climbed up in my lap and told me that he felt better. I told him that I was glad that he felt better, but that he and I would have to hang out at home tonight while the rest of the family goes to church so that he wouldn't risk spreading any germies to his friends.
His response was classic D.
There were only 2 germies making me sick and they left in my pee.
They just went out and washed away and now I don't have any germies left.
Yep, that's my boy.
Disney Tour ~ Keys to the Kingdom tour
1 week ago


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Sugar-Sweetened Beverage, Sugar Intake of Individuals, and Their Blood Pressure
International Study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure
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The obesity epidemic has focused attention on relationships of sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) to cardiovascular risk factors. Here we report cross-sectional associations of SSBs, diet beverages, and sugars with blood pressure (BP) for United Kingdom and US participants of the International Study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure. Data collected include four 24-hour dietary recalls, two 24-hour urine collections, 8 BP readings, and questionnaire data for 2696 people ages 40 to 59 years of age from 10 US/United Kingdom population samples. Associations of SSBs, diet beverages, and sugars (fructose, glucose, and sucrose) with BP were assessed by multiple linear regression. SSB intake related directly to BP, with P values of 0.005 to <0.001 (systolic BP) and 0.14 to <0.001 (diastolic BP). SSB intake higher by 1 serving per day (355 mL/24 hours) was associated with systolic/diastolic BP differences of +1.6/+0.8 mm Hg (both P<0.001) and +1.1/+0.4 mm Hg (P<0.001/<0.05) with adjustment for weight and height. Diet beverage intake was inversely associated with BP (P 0.41 to 0.003). Fructose- and glucose-BP associations were direct, with significant sugar-sodium interactions: for individuals with above-median 24-hour urinary sodium excretion, fructose intake higher by 2 SD (5.6% kcal) was associated with systolic/diastolic BP differences of +3.4/+2.2 mm Hg (both P<0.001) and +2.5/+1.7 mm Hg (both P=0.002) with adjustment for weight and height. Observed independent, direct associations of SSB intake and BP are consistent with recent trial data. These findings, plus adverse nutrient intakes among SSB consumers, and greater sugar-BP differences for persons with higher sodium excretion lend support to recommendations that intake of SSBs, sugars, and salt be substantially reduced.
See Editorial Commentary, pp 676–678
Adverse blood pressure (BP), prevalent worldwide, is an independent major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.1 Public health measures are needed to address this problem, with an emphasis on primary and primordial prevention.2 Established modifiable risk factors for elevated BP are high sodium intake, inadequate potassium intake, high body mass index (BMI), and excessive alcohol intake.3,4 Other dietary factors possibly related to adverse BP levels include lower intakes of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus,5 iron,6 vegetable protein,7 glutamic acid,8 polyunsaturated fatty acids,9,10 and starch11 and higher intakes of cholesterol,12 animal protein, and red meat.6,7
The Western obesity epidemic has focused attention on the relationships to cardiovascular disease risk factors of diets rich in added sugars, particularly glucose, sucrose, and fructose, for example, as high-fructose corn syrup, abundant in sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).13,–,15 Animal data indicate direct pressor effects of glucose, fructose, and sucrose on BP.16,–,20 Limited short-term human trial data are mostly compatible with animal findings21,–,23; observational and long-term trial data are inconsistent.24,–,29 The most compelling evidence to date comes from the PREMIER Study, a behavioral intervention trial of 810 prehypertensive and hypertensive individuals, where reduced intake of SSBs or sugar over 18 months was associated with reduced BP.30
Here we report cross-sectional associations with BP of SSBs, diet (noncaloric-sweetened) beverages, and sugars (fructose, glucose, and sucrose) for 2696 participants of the International Study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure (INTERMAP) from 10 population samples in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Population Samples, Field Methods (1996–1999)
INTERMAP surveyed 4680 men and women ages 40 to 59 years from Japan (4 samples), People's Republic of China (3 samples), United Kingdom (2 samples), and the United States (8 samples). We focus here on the 2696 US and United Kingdom participants, because SSB and diet beverage intake was negligible in the Japanese and Chinese samples. Participants were randomly recruited from general and occupational populations.31 Each participant attended 4 times, the first 2 visits on consecutive days, the second 2 visits on consecutive days on average 3 weeks later. For BP measurement, each participant, having emptied his/her bladder, was seated for 5 minutes, feet flat on the floor, in a quiet room, with no physical activity and no eating, drinking, or smoking in the preceding 30 minutes. BP was measured twice at each visit with a random-zero sphygmomanometer; Korotkoff sounds I and V were criteria for systolic BP and diastolic BP. Measurements of height and weight and questionnaire data on daily alcohol consumption over the previous 7 days were obtained at 2 visits. Dietary data were collected at each visit by a trained interviewer with use of the in-depth multi-pass 24-hour recall method.32 Questionnaire data were obtained on possible confounders. Each participant provided two 24-hour urine collections, start and end timed at the research center; measurements included urinary volume and sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, urea, and creatinine levels.31 Urinary sodium, potassium, and urea excretion were used to validate dietary intake of sodium, potassium, and protein; correlations ranged from r=0.42 to r=0.55.32 The study received institutional ethics committee approval for each site; all of the participants gave written consent; study procedures were in accordance with institutional guidelines.
Statistical Methods
Sugar-sweetened and diet beverage intakes were estimated from food records. SSBs included uncarbonated and carbonated soft drinks (eg, soda), fruit drinks (excluding 100% fruit juices), and lemonade but excluded diet beverages. Diet beverages included uncarbonated and carbonated drinks sweetened with artificial (noncaloric) sweeteners. Dietary data were converted to nutrient intakes (83 nutrients) with use of enhanced country-specific food tables, standardized across countries by the Nutrition Coordinating Center, University of Minnesota.32,33 Measurements per person were averaged across the 4 visits for beverage, nutrient, and BP variables and across the 2 collections for 24-hour urinary variables.
Reliability as a measure of possible regression dilution bias34 for beverage, nutrient, and BP variables (expressed as the observed univariate regression coefficient as a percentage of the theoretical "true" coefficient) was estimated by the following formula: 1/[1+(ratio/2)]×100. The ratio is intraindividual variance divided by interindividual variance, calculated from mean intakes/BP levels of the first and second 2 visits to account for higher correlation between intakes/BP levels on consecutive days.35
Associations among dietary variables were explored by partial Pearson correlation, adjusted for age, sex, and sample, pooled by country. Multiple regression analyses assessed relations to systolic and diastolic BPs of each person's intake of SSBs and diet beverages (milliliters per 24 hours, models adjusted for energy intake), fructose, glucose, and sucrose (percentage of kilocalories). Four models were used, and each controlled successively for a larger number of possible nondietary and dietary confounders, with and without adjustment for weight and height, followed by an additional series of sensitivity analyses that included censored normal regression to adjust for potential antihypertensive treatment bias.36 US and United Kingdom regression coefficients were pooled (weighted by inverse of their variance). A test for heterogeneity was done to examine differences between US and United Kingdom regression coefficients. Age, sex, BMI, and sodium interactions were assessed by interaction terms in regression models. Departure from linearity was tested with squared terms.
Analyses were done with SAS 9.1 (SAS Institute; by I.J.B.). Statistical tests were 2 sided. Main findings are presented as BP differences associated with beverage intake higher by 1 serving (355 mL/24 hours) or with sugar intake higher by 2 SD; statistical significance is expressed as z scores (regression coefficient/SE; z≥1.96, P≤0.05; z≥2.58, P<0.01; z≥3.29, P<0.001), uncorrected for regression dilution bias or multiple testing.
Descriptive Statistics
Mean systolic/diastolic BP was 118.6/73.4 mm Hg in the United States and 120.4/77.3 mm Hg in the United Kingdom (please see Table S1 in the online Data Supplement at http://hyper.ahajournals.org). Mean SSB and diet beverage intakes were higher in the United States than the United Kingdom, with a mean SSB intake of 0.9 servings per day (306 mL/24 hours) in the United States and 0.2 servings per day (66 mL/24 hours) in the United Kingdom. Expressed as milliliters per 1000 kcal, SSB intake was higher in men and diet beverage intake higher in women. Fructose, glucose, and sucrose intakes (percentage of kilocalories) were higher in the United States than the United Kingdom, and similar in men and women.
Nutrient Intakes and Other Variables by Category of Beverage Intake
Compared with participants who consumed no SSBs, adjusted mean energy intake was higher by 120 kcal/24 hours for those who consumed ≤1 serving per day (≤355 mL/24 hours) and was higher by 397 kcal/24 hours for those who consumed >1 serving per day (Table 1). Mean intakes of starch, fiber, protein (animal and vegetable), polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, alcohol, minerals, caffeine (variables expressed as percentage of kilocalories or amount per 1000 kcal), and urinary potassium excretion were lowest in those consuming >1 serving per day. Fructose, glucose, sucrose intake, and urinary sodium/potassium ratio were highest in those consuming >1 serving per day. Mean BMI was lowest for nonconsumers (28.4 kg/m2) and highest for those consuming >1 serving per day (30.2 kg/m2). Mean participant age and years of education completed were lowest in the highest category of SSB consumption; physical activity, BMI, and BP (systolic and diastolic) were highest in the same category. Findings were consistent for men and women analyzed separately (data not tabulated).
Nutrient intakes among diet beverage consumers were mostly higher than nonconsumers (please see Table S2); exceptions were sugars and vitamin C (lowest in those consuming >1 serving per day), as well as energy, fiber, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol, alcohol, urinary sodium/potassium ratio (no difference). Diet beverage consumers had higher mean BMI than nonconsumers and lower physical activity. No differences in participant age, education, or BP were observed.
Reliability estimates for SSBs were 80% (United States) and 58% (United Kingdom); for diet beverages the estimates were 91% (United States) and 85% (United Kingdom; please see Table S3). Reliability estimates for fructose, glucose, and sucrose ranged from 68% (sucrose, United States) to 81% (sucrose, United Kingdom). BP reliability estimates were uniformly high (>90%).
Partial Correlation
Intakes of SSBs, fructose, and glucose (amount per 24 hours, adjusted for sample, age, and sex) were positively correlated, SSBs with fructose or glucose were r=0.72; fructose and glucose were r=0.94 (Table S4); correlations with sucrose were positive, smaller than the foregoing. Expressed as a proportion of energy intake, SSB intake was similarly correlated with sugars and inversely correlated with starch, fiber, vegetable protein, minerals, and urinary potassium (r=−0.25 to −0.37; Table S5). No correlations r>0.25 were observed for diet beverage intake (Table S5). Expressed as percentage of kilocalories, fructose and glucose intake were positively correlated with vitamin C (r=0.40 and 0.43, respectively; Table S5). Fructose, glucose, and sucrose were inversely correlated with starch, animal protein, fatty acids, alcohol, minerals, and urinary electrolytes (r=−0.02 to −0.37).
Multiple Regression
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
Associations with systolic BP were consistently direct (z=2.82 to 4.98; P=0.005 to <0.001), in models adjusted separately for potential confounders including vegetable protein, minerals, and caffeine (Table 2). In model 3, adjusted for energy, urinary sodium, potassium, dietary alcohol, cholesterol, and polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids, SSB intake higher by 1 serving per day (355 mL/24 hours) was associated with a systolic BP difference of +1.6 mm Hg (z=4.98; P<0.001) and +1.1 mm Hg (z=3.40; P<0.001) with control for weight and height. Associations with diastolic BP were direct (z=1.47 to 3.42; P=0.14 to <0.001). BP differences/z scores were larger in censored normal regressions and subgroup analyses excluding individuals with high day-to-day variability in nutrient intakes or BP, smaller in subgroup analyses of nonhypertensive participants (please see Table S6), and similar in models adjusted for fructose, glucose, or sucrose intake (data not tabulated). SSB-BMI interactions with P<0.05 were observed for 7 of 8 systolic BP models; in stratified analyses, direct SSB-BP associations were stronger for individuals with lower BMI (Table S7). SSB-sodium interactions were nonsignificant; in stratified analyses, direct SSB-BP associations were stronger for individuals with higher 24-hour urinary sodium excretion (Table S8).
Diet Beverages
Associations with systolic and diastolic BPs were consistently inverse (z=−0.83 to −2.94; P=0.41 to 0.003). In model 3, diet beverage intake higher by 1 serving per day was associated with a systolic BP difference of −0.35 mm Hg (z=−1.34; P=0.18) and −0.58 mm Hg (z=−2.32; P=0.02) with control for weight and height (Table 2). BP differences/z scores were larger when diet beverage intake was expressed as a proportion of energy intake and for censored normal regressions, and was smaller in subgroup analyses of nonhypertensive participants (Table S9). Diet beverage-BMI interactions (P<0.05) were detected for 3 of 8 diastolic BP models. In stratified analyses, inverse diet beverage-BP associations were stronger for individuals with higher BMI (Table S7).
Individual Sugars
Associations of fructose and glucose with BP were direct, and BP differences and z scores were smaller than those observed for SSB (z=0.23 to 3.14; P=0.82 to 0.002; Table S10). Sucrose-BP associations were bidirectional and BP differences and z scores small (Table S10). Fructose- and glucose-sodium interactions (P<0.05) were observed for all of the models. In stratified analyses, fructose- and glucose-related BP differences were observed only for individuals with higher urinary sodium excretion. BP differences and z scores were large: in model 3, fructose intake higher by 2 SD (5.6% kcal) was associated with a systolic BP difference of +3.4 mm Hg (z=4.01; P<0.001) and +2.5 mm Hg (z=3.10; P=0.002) with control for weight and height (Table 3). Glucose-BP associations were of a similar magnitude (Table 3).
The main findings here are a direct association of SSB consumption with BP, and direct associations of fructose and glucose intake with BP that were stronger among individuals with higher urinary sodium excretion.
Observed direct associations of SSB with BP are compatible with the findings of the PREMIER intervention trial, where reduction in SSB consumption by 355 mL/d was associated with systolic/diastolic BP lower by 1.8/1.1 mm Hg and 0.7/0.4 mm Hg, with adjustment for change in body weight.30 For diet beverages, findings were similar to INTERMAP, that is, inverse and nonsignificant in multivariate models; and caffeine had no association. In INTERMAP, SSB-BP associations were independent of caffeine, and caffeine intake was inversely associated with SSB consumption. Although some SSBs, for example, cola, are important sources of caffeine, it is likely that SSB consumption displaced coffee and tea consumption (main dietary sources of caffeine) for many individuals. In analyses of women from the Nurses Health Studies I and II, sugared and diet cola consumptions, but not caffeine consumption, were associated with risk of incident hypertension.37 Among adolescents of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2004, SSB intake was associated with systolic BP and serum uric acid concentration (see below).28
To our knowledge, no observational studies have reported associations of glucose intake with BP. Forman et al27 found no link between fructose intake (assessed by food frequency questionnaire) and incident hypertension among >200 000 women and men of the Nurses' Health Study I and II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study; Jalal et al29 reported a direct association between fructose intake and odds of elevated BP in cross-sectional analysis of 4528 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2006.
The direct associations reported here for SSB/fructose intake and BP are consistent with the hypothesized effect on the uric acid pathway. Fructose consumption may lead to increased serum uric acid via phosphorylation of fructose by hepatocytes and generation of adenosine diphosphate, which is metabolized to uric acid38; raised serum uric acid may influence BP by reducing levels of NO, a potent vasodilator.39 Sugar consumption has also been linked to enhanced sympathetic nervous system activity and sodium retention.21,40 Detection of significant interaction with sodium excretion, that is, direct fructose- and glucose-BP associations stronger for individuals with higher urinary sodium excretion, is compatible with the findings of several animal studies.41,–,44 He et al45 reported that SSB consumption was directly associated with salt intake (assessed by 7-day dietary record) in United Kingdom children and adolescents. Here, sodium excretion was not associated with SSB consumption in United States and United Kingdom adults; however, urinary sodium/potassium ratio was directly associated with SSB. Significant interaction with BMI, that is, direct SSB-BP associations weaker for individuals with higher BMI, could be attributed to greater misclassification of SSB intake in this subgroup because of differential underreporting of SSB intake.46
Limitations of the INTERMAP findings include their cross-sectional nature; underestimation of effect size, attributable to limited reliability in the measurement of nutrients (ie, regression dilution bias, despite repeated measures, although observed BP differences were of similar magnitude to the PREMIER intervention trial); possible systematic bias (likely minimized by observer training, standardization, multipass methods, open nonleading questioning, and extensive ongoing quality control); and possible residual confounding. There was little evidence from multiple sensitivity analyses to indicate substantial bias. SSB-, glucose-, and fructose-BP associations were reduced with control for weight and height. Interpretation of this finding is problematic: if intakes of SSBs/sugars act on BP through positive energy balance and increased body mass, then body mass is in the causal pathway, and statistical control for weight (standardized for height) is overadjustment.34 Findings adjusted for BMI (not presented here) were quantitatively similar to those adjusted for weight and height. We are presently unable to quantify high-fructose corn syrup; however, SSB intake may be a good proxy, because high-fructose corn syrup is the most common caloric sweetener used by the US beverage industry.14 Fructose intake was higher and urinary potassium and fiber intake lower for participants consuming >1 serving per day of SSBs compared with those consuming ≤1 serving per day, indicating that higher fructose intake in SSB consumers likely reflects high-fructose corn syrup consumption rather than fruit intake. Because INTERMAP was designed primarily as a study of individual-level diet-BP associations, the samples were not intended to be nationally representative, but, given the heterogeneity of the 8 US samples in particular, and the similarity of US and United Kingdom SSB-BP associations, it is reasonable to infer that findings may be applicable to middle-aged US and United Kingdom men and women.
Higher intake of SSBs was associated with more adverse overall nutritional quality, and there were independent direct associations of SSBs, fructose, and glucose with BP; sugar-BP associations were stronger among higher-sodium consumers. These findings are consistent with recent trial data30 and lend support to recommendations for reducing intake of SSBs, added sugars, and salt for the improvement cardiovascular health.
Sources of Funding
The PhD work of I.J.B. was supported by a United Kingdom Medical Research Council studentship. The INTERMAP Study is supported by grant R01-HL050490 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health; by the Chicago Health Research Foundation; and by national agencies in China, Japan (the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research [A], No. 090357003), and the United Kingdom (a project grant from the West Midlands National Health Service Research and Development and grant R2019EPH from the Chest, Heart and Stroke Association, Northern Ireland).
The INTERMAP Study was accomplished through the fine work of staff at local, national, and international centers; a partial listing of colleagues is published in J Hum Hypertens (2003;17:603–606).
- Received October 27, 2010.
- Revision received November 18, 2010.
- Accepted January 31, 2011.
- © 2011 American Heart Association, Inc.
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- Sugar-Sweetened Beverage, Sugar Intake of Individuals, and Their Blood PressureIan J. Brown, Jeremiah Stamler, Linda Van Horn, Claire E. Robertson, Queenie Chan, Alan R. Dyer, Chiang-Ching Huang, Beatriz L. Rodriguez, Liancheng Zhao, Martha L. Daviglus, Hirotsugu Ueshima and Paul Elliott for the International Study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure Research GroupHypertension. 2011;57:695-701, originally published March 16, 2011https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.110.165456
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- Sugar-Sweetened Beverage, Sugar Intake of Individuals, and Their Blood PressureIan J. Brown, Jeremiah Stamler, Linda Van Horn, Claire E. Robertson, Queenie Chan, Alan R. Dyer, Chiang-Ching Huang, Beatriz L. Rodriguez, Liancheng Zhao, Martha L. Daviglus, Hirotsugu Ueshima and Paul Elliott for the International Study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure Research GroupHypertension. 2011;57:695-701, originally published March 16, 2011https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.110.165456


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Fake Isle Hat
Pattern: Fake Isle Hat by Amy King
Yarn: Noro Kureyon #150 and Patons Classic Merino in Black
Needles: Size 5 Denise circulars and size 5 KnitPicks dpns
Start Date: January 22, 2007
End Date: January 23, 2007
Comments: Monday I printed out the pattern, looked through the yarn stash, and started knitting. Tuesday night I finished. What a fantastic pattern! I knit the medium/large size and it fits pretty well. It's a tad too long so I'll just flip the rim up a little when I wear it. Matt assures me it looks cute that way. Unstretched the hat is 21 or so inches and my head is 22 inches around. (That sounds big when I type it). No modeled pictures as it is drying from it's bath last night. I already have plans for more of these hats. It's the perfect project to use up the occasional single ball of Kureyon. The hat took a full skein of Kureyon and only around half a ball of Patons Classic Merino.
Monday I received a little order from A Swell Yarn Shop. They are starting to sell their own line of sock yarn and I couldn't resist the new Duet sock yarn sets. The Duet sets are unique because they come with a little solid coordinating color yarn for the toe and heel. I contained myself and only ordered one color, Sweet Valentine. When it arrived I had no idea it would be so soft. It's just lovely yarn. Apparently they sell out within 24 hours of posting these sets, so if you are interested, you might want to sign up for their email list.
The Marmalade Citrine Socks are nearing the finish line. Pictures Friday!


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Update: Scott Walker says he has decided voter IDs are fine, so we should "move on". Walker also says the U.S Supreme Court has "upheld the constitutionality of requiring photo IDs to vote."
No, the Court rules in Crawford v. Marion County Board of Elections (2008) the Indiana voter ID statute withstands a facial [high-hurdle] challenge, absent evidence of voters unable to vote or unduly burdened. In Wisconsin to the contrary, there is a mountain of evidence of disenfranchised voters cited by Judge Flanagan. And, in federal court, the GOP statute will be heard as an as-applied challenge, with plenty of evidence of disenfranchised and unduly-burdened voters. Walker is not being honest, assuming he has even glanced at Crawford, and to suggest that we simply move on is absurd.
We read this morning the "state Republican Party filed a complaint Wednesday against Dane County Circuit Judge David Flanagan, claiming that Flanagan should have told the parties involved in a lawsuit against the state voter ID law that he had signed a petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker."
Not that Judge Flanagan accepted free legal services from a litigant like the GOP Justice Gableman.
No, Flangan's sin is he signed a petition to recall Scott Walker and didn't tell litigants about this publicly available information in the voter ID case.
All along the GOP has been pushing the absurd line that the voter ID law is meant to combat non-existent voter impersonation fraud [can the GOP cite even one case?] at the polls; hence the IDs are needed to preserve the integrity of the elections.
The GOP's complaint with Flanagan is not his ruling that disenfranchising 100,000s of Wisconsin voters to protect against voter impersonation fraud looks to be unconstitutional—under the Wisconsin constitution.
It's that Flanagan wants Walker recalled.
Why does Walker and GOP think that every elected state Democrat, and all the voting rights and civil liberties groups believe the GOP Voter ID law is voter obstruction of Wisconsinites to stop us from electing the representives we wish?
It's because Walker knows well the Voter ID bill is all about stopping legal voters from casting too many votes that would cost the GOP political power, the Wisconsin constitution and people be damned.
Flanagan's alleged sin, like millions of other Wisconsinites, is seeing Scott Walker as the conniving, corrupt politician who has lost the faith of the Wisconsin electorate, and who has a demonstrated contempt for our democratic processes.
It's fine and proper for a judge to hold to these views and rule on voter ID laws in a case that will affirm the fundemental rights of all of us, protected from being stripped of our constitutional qualifications that we use to go the polls and decide what we want to do with our state.
Flanagan writes that voting in Wisconsin "is vital to the very existence of our state as a democracy in which political power, whether that be executive, legislative or judicial, is derived from the free consent of the governed."
That's true. And believing that Scott Walker is hostile to this idea is fine.