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After a few months off after my partner's death looks like I'm playing music again.
Got a call from a Country Band needing a Bass Player.
Been a while since I played Country Music. It pays some money & I really need the extra income.
Most of the bands that called me were young, real young. When they found out I was 60 it was over.
This band ranges for 20 to me at 60 years old. I don't have a problem with age but the younger guys sure did. Country Music is not my favorite because Blues will always be my #1. I feel like I'm cheating on my #1 love of Blues. I really like all kinds of music & have played in most styles. Old Country seems to be their song list. Waylon, Merle, George Jones, etc. some Southern Rock, Classic Rock & a couple or 3 Blues songs.
So far it seems to be a lot of fun. People make the difference if they are having fun no matter what the style. Maybe this is what I'm supposed to be doing, I just don't know anymore. Coming out of a Duo & now a 5 piece band is a little strange. I think that I'm gonna be alright after all.


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Firefighter career guide.
Firefighter is both challenging and rewarding career. These professionals are always in demand since they not only are able to cope with fire to save property, but also apply first aid until medical team arrives. Oftentimes, firefighter is the first line of attack when it comes to saving people's lives.
Learn about becoming a firefighter.
As seen in:
Why become a firefighter?
Fast-growing career
Promising job outlook
Job outlook for firefighters is promising, but it's not the job for everyone. The very basic requirement is excellent physical fit: firemen need to use heavy equipment, their gear is not light as well in order to give protection. But except that, it's required to show good results in testing and all aspects of training to be competitive among other candidates.
Becoming a firefighter
How to start?
Usually, to become a firefighter you will need to accomplish 2-year Associate's Degree in Fire Science. This is becoming a very common requirement among employers. Previously, it was possible to get a job with high-school diploma and formal on-the-job training, but since competition is very high today, it's difficult to land a job without a degree.
Expert career advice on our blog:
More facts about the job:
Training is essential
More complex than it seems
Fighting fire is not that easy as it may seem from the first glance, therefore quality training is beneficial just like teamwork and excellent organisation.
Well paid-off
Job security
Since firefighters are exposed to danger on a daily basis throughout their career, they get compensated with very reasonable salaries and benefits, like full insurance or dental coverage.
Working hours
These may vary greatly, though. Depending on circumstances, working hours can exceed 40 per week.
Be prepared
Always on-call
During their shifts, firefighters are always on call and should be prepared for emergencies at any given time.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Behind the Red Door We have always wondered what is behind that red door, and now SilentUK gives us a sneak peak. You just never know when and where huge underground sewers will pop up.Let's Go Tunnel Camping This film, shot by Philippe Ory, documents an underground camping trip in the tunnels and catacombs of Paris. Follow two friends as they brave the dark sewers, bath in natural hot springs and eventually find the catacombs. The Paris catacombs are reported to have been opened in the 18th century and hold the remains of six million people.Steve Duncan Revisited Steve Duncan is an urban explorer who was featured in a great film called Undercity. This piece, shot by NY's Howard Silver, follows Duncan on a tour of some more hidden gems of New York. Duncan explains the history of these spaces and why they deserve a bit of limelight.Paris Underground Another film by the SilentUK crew takes you on a tour of the new Paris subway tunnel, running sewer systems and various manholes.Fear the Third Rail Another video from the SilentUK crew in England featuring a soft-spoken interview on the fear of third rails. The third rail is the electrified track that powers most subways and underground trains. Due to its live electricity and placement, it can be fatal if stepped or fallen on … hence the fear.What lurks beneath our cities? That question has spurred a few intrepid urban explorers to take cameras into the bowels of urban areas to find out. From hot springs to sewers to catacombs, there are cities beneath cities that are an irresistible temptation for curious videographers. Check out these short films to catch a glimpse of the unseen underground. Above: Crack the Surface Filmmakers SilentUK take us underground into the world of Urban Exploring in England. An interesting piece with rare interviews of explorers, paired with epic underground footage. This short-form series is the first of its kind showing viewers the incredible cobweb of underground passages lurking below, and what fuels these neo-explorers.


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Height: 3 1/2"
Principal Components: Aspirin tin, watch movement, valve cores, shoulder bolts
Babybots come in a tin gift box and include a 30" ball chain that can be easily shortened. Best of all, each one opens up to reveal their heart inside.
If you'd prefer a different color chain, make a request on the PayPal checkout page, or email me. Silver-toned, gold-toned, and black chains now available!


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Alumni News
Red pinstriped uniforms can be seen running around Clearwater in two days. Well, not the city but Bright House Field and Carpenter Field.
No, the back-to-back National League champions aren't starting spring training. That's next month.
This is the Phillies annual sold-out Phantasy Camp for fans. Twenty-one Phillies Alumni and nearly 150 fans will be in uniform. Some names on the back of the jerseys will be very familiar (Alumni) while other names (fans) will not ring a bell, unless it is your neighbor.
Alumni who will be there include Dickie Noles, Mickey Morandini, Marty Bystrom, Von Hayes, Jim Eisenreich, Dave Hollins, Kevin Stocker, Warren Brusstar, Tommy Greene, Tyler Green, Mitch Williams, Kevin Saucier, Ricky Bottalico, Ricky Jordan, Gary Matthews, Keith Moreland, Bob Boone, Greg Luzinski, Terry Harmon and Bob Dernier. Scott Palmer will be there and provide video features on this website.
The camp commission is none other than Larry Andersen, who will provide a few laughs.
The Alumni will serve as managers or coaches. The "players" will work out, then be drafted for teams and play games at Carpenter Field. Sunday, the "players" will play a game against the Alumni at Bright House Field. Fans are welcome to attend but chances are they will be out-numbered by sea gulls.
Next week, a few Alumni will be sprinkled around events in the Philadelphia area.
Garry Maddox will host his annual celebrity bowling tournament (856-756-0222 for reservations) on Tuesday. Andersen and Darren Daulton will be in attendance at the La Martinique Lanes in Stratford, NJ.
Bottalico will attend Wednesday's Lehigh Valley IronPigs banquet (610-841-PIGS). Ricky and Marty Bystrom will be at the Reading Phillies annual "King of Baseballtown" banquet the following night (www.readingphillies.com).
That same Thursday, Daulton is hosting a Celebrity Dart Night at McFadden's restaurant at Citizens Bank Park. The Daulton Foundation event will benefit the Arc of Philadelphia/PDDC. Maddox, Andersen and Larry Christensen will join the event (215 952-0300, ext. 10).
2 Comments
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could
add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
I've been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time
and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this.
Please let me know if you run into anything.
I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look
forward to your new updates.
ll make sure your living spaces are cleaned up at the end of each work day.
In starting the remodel or upgrading process, focus on areas with the most bang for the buck.
These professionals recommend their customers to remodel
their houses at least once in a year by including some artistic work
or doing some painting work.


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Designed to be the perfect partner for urban travelers, the new Peugeot Kisbee offers hassle-free commuting at a low cost to both the rider and the environment.
Simple in concept, but advanced in design, the Kisbee's 49cc 4-stroke engine features a new piston design, lighter con-rod and 3 chamber exhaust, so it produces more torque but remains compact, lightweight and reliable. Combined with the fully automatic transmission, it delivers more than enough power for nipping through congested urban areas, yet it emits around 30% less Co2 than an equivalent size 2-stroke scooter, while delivering optimum fuel efficiency.
Spacious dual seat and flip-out pillion foot pegs ensure a comfortable ride for both rider and passenger, while the large flat floor pan, generous legroom and slim 780mm-high seat offer a relaxed riding position to suit all sizes. Luggage space is provided by lockable storage under the seat, large enough to hold a full-face helmet.
Chunky 12" wheels with sports profile tyres give a sure-footed feel and the telescopic front forks with twin shock absorbers at the rear provide stability, soaking up ruts and potholes for a comfortable ride. Weighing in at 95kg, the compact Kisbee is easy to squeeze into the tightest parking space; perfect for busy city bike bays.
Editors Notes: Peugeot has been in business for 200 years and for more that half of that time the French company has been producing motorcycles, making it one of the longest established manufacturers in the world.


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Pictures of Happy Dogs and Mad Cats
5 Dogs Who Are Totally Amused . . . and 5 Cats Who Are Totally Not
5 Dogs Who Are Totally Amused . . . and 5 Cats Who Are Totally Not
Dogs appear to make their way through life with very few moments of unhappiness, gladly following the next human who offers them a treat. Cats, on the other hand, are harder to please. Sure, you can pander to their milk habit with a saucer or a nibble of cheese, but what else have you done for them lately? We've consulted the world of Instagram to find five perky pups as well as five unamused — but equally adorable — cats.
Source: Instagram Users yukke_dalma, leonliu, aquacat, and dianamaria26


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We've seen plenty of scary crosswind landings, but this one may just take the cake. The plane doesn't just go sideways, it looks like it actually drops about 100 feet before slamming hard into the runway and bouncing back up. Holy crap.
The jet, carrying the Spanish basketball team Baskonia, eventually was able to make a (relatively) safe landing.
If that left wing bent just a little bit lower, this would've been a much different story.


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It goes without saying, of course, that there is little if any point in advocating strategies which would lead to a longer life span were this to be in anything other than a reasonable state of physical and mental health. The emphasis of all the evidence outlined in this book, the milestones and markers in the search for life extension, will therefore be on those methods which offer the greatest prospect for a healthy longer life.
The aim of 'more years to your life' appeals to many, but equally there are those who insist that they are more interested in adding 'life to their years'. I suggest that both of these aims can be met by the most proven of the methods which I will explain in later chapters - calorie restriction.
Evidence not recommendation
I want to make it clear, though, that the approaches which I outline and explain are not recommendations which you are being urged to follow. The concept of life extension and the evidence which has accumulated from the work of many researchers in this age-old quest will be explained, but any attempt to apply such methods must be a personal decision and should take into account those individual variables which make you unique, including your current health status and predispositions, as well as your individual biochemical, structural and psychological make-up.
During the ageing process there are a number of well researched interacting processes at work, some of which at least can be modified and slowed down by simple natural means.
What is natural in this context is hotly debated, not least by those conducting the research into methods of increasing life span. A working definition might be: 'anything which retards, modifies, improves, or in some way influences for the better, those processes which lead to ageing and death'. A course of action could be thought of as 'natural' if it were to involve the use of methods or substances which are a normal part of the body's economy (dietary modification or supplementation, for example) but which do not involve the use of synthetic materials, or approaches which cannot be applied in total saftey (surgery or hormonal treatment, for example).
A summary of current methods, so far used experimentally on animals in order to evaluate their effect on life extension, can help to highlight those methods which can reasonably be considered 'natural'
Dietary strategies
Drugs, hormones and/or specific nutrients used pharmacologically


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จองโรงแรม เกสต์เฮ้าส์ เพนซี่ เกสท์เฮ้าส์
Penzy Guesthouse under English/Thai speaking management provides clean, safe, and good value accommodation together with a great location in Chaweng center. Located at the attraction center of lively Chaweng Beach and within easy quick walking distance to the beach, entertainment, shopping, banks and other places of interest. Delicious Fuji Japanese Restaurant and Tomo Brasserie French Restaurant are located on the corner of our street. At Penzy Guesthouse we also provide updated island information and news information and tours of the island and where to visit during your stay. We can also arrange speed boats back and forth to the Full Moon Party, thus who don't want to stay in Koh Phangan for the usual 5 night minimum, you can just stay with us. All your needs for a memorable stay are provided; room with Air Conditioning, hot water, TV, DVD player, DVD Library, Fridge, Complimentary Coffee, Digital Safe, Free WiFi and always happy assistance from our staff. Our Guesthouse provides a restful place to relax and plan new activities or just do nothing and enjoy Samui. There are still private and romantic hideaways to be explored and see the Samui of yesterday with a visit to the Main Nathorn town and enjoy a dinner while watching the Samui sunset into the ocean. In the evening stroll to nearby restaurants offering eating exploring experiences from Indian, European, Spanish, Italian, and of course tantalizing Thai with Thai seafood delights. Late night entertainment, music, and dancing all are to be found near Penzy Guesthouse and when you are exhausted and need to regenerate, a quick walk brings you back to your room to sleep and dream of more things to do in the new day. Very Important! Cancellations/No Shows: 2 room nights will be charged. Early Check outs: same as above plus one extra night. During peak season (20 December-10 January ) During peak season (20 December-10 January ) Cancellations/No Shows: 100 % charged total booking night . minimum 3 nights stay required. For the room type: 3 Bed Private is One Queen Bed and One extra Bed (there are not 3 separate beds) 4 Bed Private has 2 Queen Beds (there are not 4 separate beds)
- อินเตอร์เน็ต
- ในพื้นที่สาธารณะ : ฟรี
- ที่จอดรถ
- บริการซักรีด
- อนุญาติให้นำสัตว์เลี้ยงเข้ามา
- เครื่องปรับอากาศ
- ฝักบัว
- ตู้เซฟ


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Litejoy's Classic Original flavour eliquid has a fresh yet mellow tobacco flavour and a subtle musky aroma. Classic Original eliquid gives you the familiar tobacco kick although it doesn't contain tobacco, tar or any of the other 4000+ dangerous chemicals found in a regular cigarette making it a healthier alternative.
Additional Info
Additional Info
|Package Includes
|1 x Eliquid
|Litejoy (By Flawless)
|Puff Count
|Subject to the device one uses and one's vaping style.
|Choose from options in dropdown
|0% - Vegetable Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Flavourings. May contain traces of nuts.
Nicotine % - Vegetable Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Flavourings, Nicotine. May contain traces of nuts.
|What else do I need
|These eliquids are perfect to use with compatible electronic cigarettes, tanks, mods and other vaping devices.
|Hardware Compatibility
|Please check that the PG/VG ratio of this eliquid is compatible / recommended with your hardware. This information can be found in our hardware's product descriptions.
|Safety Features
|Child proof lids on all eliquid bottles.
|Please click here to see our warranty policy.
|Litejoy expressly disclaims any representations (express or implied) in respect of suitability, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, performance, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or misuse of the products listed or displayed or transacted or the content (including product information and/or specifications) on the website.


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Small EKD Leather Wallet
All orders will be fulfilled by Burberry Limited and shipped from the UK. When you place your order, you accept Burberry's Terms and Conditions and confirm that you have read our Privacy Policy.
Size Guide
Use the Size Guide to choose the best fit for your measurements.
In this window, you can find out the shipping and returns options for the selected item.
In this window, you can contact customer service for further assistance.
- A diminutive design crafted in Italy, contrasting two-tone grainy and smooth leather and printed with Equestrian Knight motifs.
- 11 x 2 x 9cm/4.3 x 0.8 x 3.5in
- Outer: 100% calf leather
- Inner: 100% calf leather
- Press-stud closure
- Four card slots
- One note compartment
- Slip coin pocket
- Embossed Burberry lettering on the front
- Made in Italy
Item 80077551


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DALLAS � After finishing runner-up last season, North Gaston�s Johnathan Jenkins figured this would be his year.
The Wildcats junior lived up to his own expectations, winning the singles portion of the Big South 3A Conference individual tennis tournament Thursday at Dallas Park.
Jenkins defeated Ashbrook�s Daniel Nelli 6-1, 6-2 in the championship round to improve his record to 12-0 for the season.
�I was wanting it last year and just came up a little bit short,� said Jenkins, who took Kings Mountain�s Chaney Barnes to a third-set tie-breaker in last year�s final. �I was really happy to get it this year.�
Jenkins, the top seed, received first-round bye and then proceeded to crush his next three opponents. Jenkins defeated Hunter Huss� Hunter Cochran 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals Wednesday. He then beat Kings Mountain�s David Lovelace 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals Thursday before winning easily in the final.
The championship gave Jenkins a third consecutive regional berth.
�Johnathan has made remarkable strides since his sophomore year,� North Gaston coach Kelly Somey said. �One thing that was the biggest change from last year to this year was that he matured so much and set up points and controlled the game so much better.�
Crest�s top-seeded team of Daniel Goodman and Jack Wasserman claimed the doubles championship with a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Ashbrook�s Freddie Wells and Josh Rath in the final.
In addition to crowning singles and doubles champions, this week�s two-day tournament also determined the Big South�s individual regional qualifiers. The top five singles and top five doubles teams advanced to the 3A Western Regional set for May 3-4 in Hendersonville.
The Big South�s singles regional qualifiers were Jenkins, Nelli, Kings Mountain�s David Lovelace, Forestview�s Hayes Cloninger and Kings Mountain�s Gibson Connor. The first four reached the championship bracket semifinals to punch their regional tickets while Connor outlasted Ashbrook�s Kaleb Rector in the consolation final Thursday for the fifth and final regional berth.
The league�s doubles regional qualifiers by virtue of reaching the Big South semifinals were Goodman/Wasserman, Wells/Rath, Kings Mountain�s Isaiah Cole and Dylan Ervin and South Point�s Sadler Gensch and L.J. Mendoza.
Forestview�s Zach Cunningham and Jeff Friday defeated teammates Brandon Fulcomer and Sam Maney 6-3, 6-1 in the consolation final for the fifth regional spot.
Next up are the dual-team state playoffs for Big South champion Ashbrook (12-2, 6-0 Big South) and runner-up Crest (7-3, 4-2). The first round is Tuesday, with Ashbrook visiting the South Piedmont Conference top seed and Crest traveling to face the Western N.C. Athletic No. 1 seed.
Phillip Gardner: 704-869-1843; twitter.com/gazettephil
At Dallas Park, Dallas
Wednesday�s first round
(1) Johnathan Jenkins, bye; Hunter Cochran (HH) d. Clay Gwaltney (SP) 10-4; David Lovelace (KM) d. Luke Powell (Cr) 10-2; Kaleb Rector (Ash) d. (4) Griffin Harwell (For) 11-10; (3) Hayes Cloninger (For), bye; Caleb Griffin (HH) d. Brent Williamson (SP) 10-8; Gibson Connor (KM) d. Zeke Emory (Cr) 10-5; (2) Daniel Nelli (Ash), bye.
Wednesday�s quarterfinals
Jenkins (NG) def. Cochran (HH) 6-1, 6-0; Lovelace (KM) d. Rector (Ash) 3-6, 6-1 (12-10); Cloninger (For) d. Griffin (HH) 6-1, 6-2; Nelli (Ash) d. Connor (KM) 6-0, 7-5.
Thursday�s consolation semifinals
Rector (Ash) d. Cochran (HH) 7-5, 6-4; Connor (KM) d. Griffin (HH) 6-2, 6-0.
Thursday�s consolation final
Connor (KM) d. Rector (Ash) 6-3, 6-2
Thursday�s semifinals
Jenkins (NG) d. Lovelace (KM) 6-0, 6-0; Nelli (Ash) d. Cloninger (For) 7-5, 6-2
Thursday�s championship
Jenkins (NG) d. Nelli (Ash) 6-1, 6-2
Wednesday�s first round
(1) Daniel Goodman/Jack Wasserman (Cr), bye; Zach Cunningham/Jeff Friday (For) d. Jordan Thompson/Jon Cabe (NG) 10-1; (5) Ethan Beal/Carlos Morales (SP), bye; (4) Isaiah Cole/Dylan Ervin (KM), bye; (3) Freddie Wells/Josh Rath (Ash), bye; Brandon Fulcomer/Sam Maney (For) d. Bowling/Robertson (Cr) 10-5; Gabe Mathews/Danny Cullum (Ash) d. Dalton Cash/Baker (KM) 10-5; (2) Sadler Gensch/L.J. Mendoza (SP), bye
Wednesday�s quarterfinals
Goodman/Wasserman (Cr) d. Cunningham/Friday (For) 6-1, 6-0; (4) Isaiah Cole/Dylan Ervin (KM) d. Beal/Morales (SP) 6-1, 6-1; (3) Wells/Rath (Ash) d. Fulcomer/Maney (For) 6-0, 6-2; (2) Gensch/Mendoza (SP) d. Mathews/Cullum (Ash) 6-1, 5-7 (11-9)
Thursday�s consolation semifinals
Cunningham/Friday (For) d. Beal/Morales (SP) 6-0, 6-4; Fulcomer/Maney (For) d. Mathews/Cullum (Ash) 6-3, 6-2
Thursday�s consolation final
Cunningham/Friday (For) d. Fulcomer/Maney (For) 6-3, 6-1
Thursday�s semifinals
Goodman/Wasserman (Cr) d. Cole/Ervin (KM) 6-1, 6-4; Wells/Rath (Ash) d. Gensch/Mendoza (SP) 6-0, 7-5
Thursday�s championship
Goodman/Wasserman (Cr) d. Wells/Rath 6-3, 6-1
Final dual-team conference standings
Conf All
Ashbrook 6-0 12-2
Crest 4-2 7-3
Forestview 4-2 5-9
Kings Mountain 4-2 5-9
South Point 2-4 -
North Gaston 1-5 2-7
Hunter Huss 0-6 0-6


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Its runway styling may skew a little seapunk for our tastes, but don't worry — Cheap Monday's still the go-to for the sort of jeans-and-T-shirt ensembles that are trendy enough to take out on the town.
Of course, denim is the star of the show — like the super-skinny Second Skin Jeans (they're basically like these...but not a joke). But we're also digging the sporty, mesh tops (maybe after a few more workouts), and colorblocked sandals that prove you don't need a spindly heel to look chic.
But hey, talk is cheap. See our 10 favorites for yourself, right after the jump!


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One Take Doc Series Presents: Terms and Conditions May Apply
Director Cullen Hoback will do a Skype Question and Answer session on screen after the show! TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY is brought to you as part of the ONE TAKE: STORIES THROUGH THE LENS DOCUMENTARY SERIES at the Little Theatre. This series is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
About the Film:
Terms And Conditions May Apply examines the cost of so-called 'free' services and the continuing disappearance of online privacy. People may think they know what they give up when they click 'I Agree' on companies like Facebook and Google. They're wrong.


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I adore hot Latina girls and Eva Diaz is one of the horniest teen Latina sluts I've ever had the pleasure of watching masturbate with a zucchini – not that I've watched all that many Latina girls stuffing veggies in their cunts. In this video, you can see Eva Diaz bring herself to orgasm with nothing more than her finger and a yellow squash she picked in the garden. Watching real female orgasms is a past time of mine and I find a lot of them on Glass Mannequin – the amateur girls on this site don't do porn for the money, that adore fucking for the camera and it shows.
See Eva Diaz having multiple orgasms – only at Glass Mannequin


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Video Demo
Video Demo – How to Sharpen a 50 / 50 Edge Knife
This is part two of our video series where we demonstrate the various sharpening techniques and tools essential to properly maintain your knives. In this video, we demonstrate and explain the correct technique for sharpening a 50 /50 edged knife. Chubo brands that have a 50 / 50 edge are Takeda and Tojiro.


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Crows Nest Falls
Things To Do Crows Nest, Toowoomba, Queensland
Weeping bottlebrush, river she-oak and forest red gum line watercourses while dry vine scrubs grow in sheltered gullies where soil and moisture accumulate at Crows Nest Falls, a prominent feature of Crows Nest National Park, located about a half-hour drive from Toowoomba.
After good rain, water tumbles through eucalypt forest along a series of boulder-strewn cascades, before plunging 20 metres over Crows Nest Falls into a waterhole surrounded by steep, granite cliffs.
The Falls are a haven for native birds and provides many opportunities for birdwatchers. Wildflowers, including the rare Acacia granitica, flourish in the shallow, rocky soils and provide colourful displays in spring and summer.
Explore Crows Nest Creek, the falls and the Valley of Diamonds by following walking tracks that start at the picnic ground. Lookouts provide views over the Valley of Diamonds. Seasonal wildflowers provide interest for photographers and naturalists, and spotlighting for nocturnal native animals can be rewarding.
Picnic and camping areas are provided (a camping permit is required). The campground includes unpowered sites for tents and caravans. Showers, toilets, barbecues, tables, water and firewood are also provided.
Barbeque Birdwatching Camping Carpark Family Nature & Wildlife Picnic Area Public Toilet Walk


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Some national holidays that are celebrated today are ...
Fastnachts Day
Pancake Day
Mardi Gras
Shrove Tuesday
Paczki Day
oh yea and we can't forget Spa Day
Well I propose that we make today a different kind of holiday.
I propose that today be Power of Positive Thinking Day. And not just today - I say we make EVERY DAY a power of positive thinking holiday.
You may be wondering what prompted such an idea?
Or then again you may not, but I'm going to tell you anyway. :-)
After I got to work this morning I signed on to Twitter and was catching up on the past few hours of tweets and noticed what seemed like an overwhelming amount of negative messages. A lot of anger, bitterness, and just general negativity and ugliness across the board and reading it really put a sour taste in my mouth.
This may come as a surprise to some because I've been known to be quite the 'Debbie Downer' myself on the rare occasion, (not to be connected to a movie starting by the same name or any similar sounding activity that may occur in said movie - pervs) er OK so more the rare occasion. For a good part of the last several years I will concede that I've been fairly foul of mood and disposition. Not all the time, it's one of those 'it comes and goes' things. All upbeat and Suzy Sunshine for a day or two, followed by a few weeks of quite literally a Moping Mollie.
But there's been a change in my life lately, for the better, another thing I owe to The Editor. I suppose since I've introduced Matthew in a previous post I could start calling him by name, but he's been The Editor for so long it just kind of sticks with me lol. Anyway...
If you've read any of my blog then you may have come to the conclusion that I've not always been the happiest of gals. I've spent the majority of my life with what psychologists like to call a 'victim mentality'. No one likes me, no one gets me, why can't I ever be understood, I just want to be loved for who I am... etc and so on.
Typing it out now makes me want to cringe. I honestly wonder how the people in my life who've hung around managed to put up with me. The funny thing is - I never noticed I was that way.. until someone DID love me for who I am and cared enough to point it out. Not that it hadn't been pointed out before, but the difference in those people and Matthew is that he didn't just tell me how negative I was, or how pathetic, or how this or how that - he showed me the way I was being - with love, then gave me the tools to do something about it.
I've recently started reading a book called 'Soul Psychology: Keys to Ascension' by Joshua David Stone and I can already tell you now - it is going to CHANGE MY LIFE.
Here is an excerpt...
The basic function of the subconscious mind is to store information. It is the storehouse and memory bank of all your thoughts, feelings, imaginings, habit patterns, impulses and desires. From the time you were a little infant, you have been receiving programs from your parents, grandparents, peers, teachers, ministers, extended family and television programs. When you are a child, your reasoning mind has not developed enough to be able to discriminate and thereby protect you from negative programming. As a child, you are totally open, so your subconscious mind can be filled with mental poisons, faulty thinking and faulty beliefs. Just as the body can be filled with physical toxins from poor eating, the subconscious is filled with mental toxins from negative programming and education.
So every time your parents told scolded you and said that you were bad, or they were disappointed in you, or your teacher told you that you didn't do well enough, or a tv program showed someone being abused, or mistreated or spoken to in a negative way your subconscious was being programmed with those thoughts. You were being 'built' to think a certain way.
For me, I never felt good enough. I never felt like anything I did or who I was quite measured up or was worthy of love or acceptance. My birth father didn't want me, my mother was more interested in watching Dynasty and Falcon Crest than spending quality time with me, my step-dad worked all the time and was never home. I was a straight A student, excelled at everything I did, didn't smoke, drink, fornicate, or do any of the other stuff every other kid I knew was doing and still I felt like it wasn't enough. My little brother and sister did everything that I didn't do and it still seemed like they were the preferred children. I never felt like I was loved, like I was good enough. I felt alone.
Well one of the things (the main thing) that Matthew has been so emphatic about telling me and trying to make sure that I really understand is that I don't have to DO anything to be loved. He loves me because I'm worthy of love, just as I am. I am a child of God - I was created to be loved. That's it. I didn't have to do anything, or be anything to qualify myself to be loved by him. I was born being more than enough. I don't have to excel at this, or be successful at that. I don't have to weigh a certain amount, or look a certain way for him to love me. He Just Does.
What I've realized is that the reason it is so hard for me to accept the kind of love he gives me is because.. well I don't give that kind of love to myself. If I don't think I'm enough then how will I ever believe anyone else thinks I am. I won't. I can't. I find myself all the time asking him - do you really love me? Why do you love me? How can you treat me so good when I'm so messed up? And until recently I didn't realize that it's my own negative thinking about myself that has shaped pretty much my entire life and every relationship I've had - those with my family, friends, and the few romantic relationships that I've had. He doesn't think I'm messed up, or fat, or not pretty enough, or not smart enough, or not experienced enough in relationships. He doesn't think any of those things about me - I do.
Self doubt. This is a HUGE thing that I'd not hesitate to say the majority of people deal with. And most of them don't even know it. I didn't. I didn't think that "I" thought I wasn't good enough - I thought other people didn't. I thought - well everyone in my life leaves me, no one sticks around, they all find fault in something I do, some way I act - something about ME isn't good enough, or right enough for them and they leave. I put my worth in the eyes of others. I put my value in the hands of someone else. I was giving the power of Who I AM away.
One of the things I'm learning from this book is that we too often put our value in things we have or do instead of who we are.
I have a body, but I am not my body.
I have emotions, but my emotions do not make up who I am.
I have a mind, but I am not my mind.
These are all things that I HAVE - but they are not WHO I AM. So if my body gets a little fat, or flabby, or out of shape - it doesn't change WHO I AM. If I get over emotional and have a moment of hysterics - that is not WHO I AM. If my mind goes into over-analyze mode and tries to pick apart every little bit of something that was said to me - it doesn't have to control me because it is not WHO I AM. And none of those things detract from my value or my self-worth, none of them make me any less deserving of love.
I AM a child of God, created in His image and likeness so how can I be anything less than worthy? God IS Love, so how can I be anything but loved?
And so are YOU.
I sort of went off on a tangent there but the point is - negative thinking effects us. Our negative thinking, other's negative thinking, negative broadcasting on the television and radio, it all imprints on our subconscious. Now I'm not saying to only watch only positive programs. Heck I'm not sure if you ruled out all negativity there would be anything left TO watch. Even positive programs and music sometimes miss the mark and send faulty messages.
I listen to a Christian Contemporary station and I was listening to a song on the radio this morning and all of a sudden heard it in a new way.
The chorus is
I need You Jesus to come to my rescue
Where else can I go?
There's no other Name by which I am saved
Capture me with grace
I will follow You
Now most of you will see absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Look again...
I need You Jesus to come to my rescue
That statement puts us in a place of being a victim, in a place of needing rescuing. God gave us everything we will ever need to accomplish anything that will ever come our way. We do not need to be rescued.
In John 14:12 Jesus Himself says "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."
We have the power to perform miracles, healings, and wonders - but the world, the church, our family, friends, all of these outside influences have programmed us to believe we need help, that we are frail, weak, worthless beings incapable of doing anything on our own - and we BELIEVE IT.
We are negatively thinking ourselves and our world into the grave.
So my proposal -
For one entire day - check yourself. Every thought you have, check it. Stop for a second and ask yourself - Is this going to benefit myself or someone else? Is this going to uplift me or those around me? Is this going to encourage and empower me or anyone else? If not - DON'T SAY IT!
You'll be surprised at how often you'll end up not saying something you'd planned on saying, or not reacting in a way you'd not have given a thought to before. And once you start realizing how much negativity you pour into your own life, you'll begin to see that it's not only you that you're hurting. Then you'll start to see the negativity in others - and you can at that point consciously choose to NOT let their negativity effect you. You can HEAR what someone says, but you can CHOOSE not to be affected negatively by it and before you know it you'll find yourself having a whole new attitude and outlook on life! So here's to The Power of Positive Thinking Day!
Now get out there and BE POSITIVE!!


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Jeremiah (Jeremy) Handeland and Wendy Herman were united in marriage in Rainbow, Calif., on Oct. 16, 2010. The ceremony took place at Wendy's grandfather's home under an arch overlooking the countryside. Their orange orchard and eucalyptus made it a perfect setting.
Jeremy and Wendy reside in Twenty Nine Palms, Calif., where Jeremy is in the United States Marine Corps as a photographer.
A reception will be held for the couple May 28, 2011, at Fort Defiance.


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The Bay of Islands | Visit Bay of Islands
The picturesque Bay of Islands are one of the of New Zealand's best-loved tourist destinations, offering breathtaking scenery and adventure opportunities.
With more than 140 individual islands, each with its own feel and unique attractions, the Bay of Islands are a favourite with locals and visitors from across the globe. Featuring opportunities for everything from exciting adventure tourism to relaxing holiday resort vacations – there is no shortage of great Bay of Island's activities to appeal to any visitor.
History & Culture
When you visit Bay of Islands, you're visiting a place of special cultural and historic significance for New Zealand. Some of the earliest European settlers to land in New Zealand arrived in Waitangi, and it is also the place where the relationship between the British Crown and many North Island Maori tribes was first ratified. The Treaty of Waitangi, signed here on the 6th of February, 1840, established a British Governor of New Zealand and granted Maori the rights of British subjects.
The signing of the treaty is commemorated every year at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds just outside of Paihia. With the Bay of Islands rich cultural heritage, there are plenty of opportunities for visitors to learn about New Zealand and to experience this history up close. With historical sites, museums and natural spaces, the Bay of Islands is the perfect for a family adventure.
Attractions and Activities
With a huge range of thrilling activities on offer, visitors to the Bay of Islands will never run out of great things to experience. While staying in the Bay of Islands you can explore vast stretches of untouched wilderness that are populated by native species of plants and animals, and of course, it is also a great place to enjoy a range water activities. Go on Bay of Island's dolphin spotting cruise, experience some of the world's best big-game fishing or get in the water for some snorkeling of a scenic kayaking expedition. With its stunning beaches and large stretches of conservation land, the Bay of Islands is renowned for its natural beauty and adventure. Explore it on your own or take advantage of some of the organized tours that can guide you to many of the best attractions.
Being a popular tourist destination for visitors from New Zealand and abroad, the Bay of Islands features accommodation to suit the needs of any traveler. Enjoy the historic charm and atmosphere of the Duke of Marlborough Hotel in Russell, indulge at the 5-star Eagles Nest luxury retreat or stay in one of the beach front rooms of the Copthorne Hotel and Resort. Nestled into its own bay just outside of Paihia, the Beachside Holiday Park in Paihia is a campsite with unmatched views and a range of cabin or motel units available for those not wanting to tent. Whether you're looking for simple place to stay or want to treat yourself to a luxury weekend getaway, the Bay of Island's has the right accommodation for that perfect New Zealand holiday.
The cafes and restaurants of the Bay of Islands offer visitors a great selection food and beverages for any occasion. Enjoy local favorite Vinnie's Fish & Chips, or a stone-cooked pizza at Sauce, or visit Jimmy Jack's and experience their US smokehouse themed slow cooked menu. Additionally, you have unique dining opportunities like Daryl's Dinner Cruise which takes diners on a cruise up the Waitangi River to the beautiful Haruru Falls, or the Alongside Bar and 35 Degrees South Aquarium Restaurant, both situated on the pier in Paihia.
With so much to see and do, planning your Bay of Islands adventure can be a challenge. For more information on the Bay of Islands go to visitboi.co.nz and learn more about the area's best attractions, accommodation and places to eat and drink.


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PHILADELPHIA - Consecutive blown fourth-quarter leads have cost Juan Castillo his job as the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coordinator.
Castillo was fired Tuesday and replaced by secondary coach Todd Bowles.
Coach Andy Reid dismissed his longtime assistant who was surprisingly switched to defense after 13 seasons coaching the offensive linemen. Castillo was with the Eagles for 18 years, longer than any coach in franchise history.
"We're six games into the season and average isn't good enough," Reid said in a statement. "I know the potential of our team and insist on maximizing it."
Castillo has been under the microscope in Philadelphia, with nearly every move he's made being scrutinized intensely. He was promoted to defensive coordinator after a long search and with new defensive line coach Jim Washburn already in place running a wide-nine scheme.
The Eagles (3-3) are on a bye this week. They wasted a 10-point lead with 5:18 remaining and lost 26-23 in overtime to Detroit after allowing Pittsburgh to rally for a winning field goal as time expired last week.
Castillo's defense held the Lions in check for three quarters, allowing just a pair of field goals. All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson had one catch for 28 yards and Matthew Stafford was 7 of 21 passing.
But, according to defensive players, the Eagles inexplicably changed their game plan in the fourth quarter. They started blitzing more in an effort to pressure Stafford. Also, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha didn't shadow Johnson the way he did the first three quarters.
Stafford picked apart the defense, Johnson had a big day and the Lions scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
"I was on him most of the game," Asomugha said of covering Johnson. "I think when we got to the fourth quarter, there was a lot more trying to give him a different look."
Reid disputed that assessment a day later, saying "there wasn't a great change of scheme on what we did in the first three quarters."
Regardless, Castillo is gone.
Castillo joined the Eagles in 1995 as an offensive assistant under coach Ray Rhodes. He was promoted to tight ends coach in 1997, and then offensive line coach in 1998.
Bowles was 2-1 as the interim head coach for Miami last season. The former Temple star is in his 13th season as an assistant. He began his NFL coaching career with the New York Jets in 2000 as a secondary coach, spent four years in Cleveland, four in Dallas and three in Miami.


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Dwight Howard made his Los Angeles Lakers debut last night after spending six months recovering from back surgery. Howard scored 19 points, snatched 12 rebounds and blocked four shots in his first preseason action.
But that wasn't the main highlight of this game.
In the third quarter, Sacramento Kings rookie power forward Thomas Robinson leapt to grab a missed three-pointer and slammed it home over top of Howard. It was pretty awesome. (H/T Pro Basketball Talk)
Watch the play here:


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By Robert Campbell
The original 1911 sights were embryonic military style sights.They were more than bumps on the slide, but not much more, and they were not ideal for accurate fire. The 1911A1 featured improved sights but until the days of the National Match pistol there was little to choose from.
Custom pistols miths fabricated high-visibility sights of various types and while these were an improvement in some ways, few were practical. Many were so tall and awkward they would not allow the pistol to be holstered in a conventional scabbard.
Among the first practical improvements on the 1911 sights were the old King's Hardballer sights. There sight sets featured a taller rear sight and a post front sight. Even today, these sights are by no means outdated. They are good choices for combat shooting.
These sights are very similar to the sights fitted to the Colt Series 80 and the Springfield Mil Spec. I have always thought that Colt missed the boat when they did not add an improved set of sights to the Series 70, but they did update them on the Series 80. These early combat sights are relatively inexpensive and offer abetter sight picture than the GI sights.
However, I have conducted comparison testing between these sights and GI sights and overall the advantage of the improved or mil spec sights is slight. Tests do not lie, and while I perceived the improvement as greater than the tests showed, a thorough all-around program comparing the Springfield GI pistol, a Colt1918, and the Colt Series 80 and Springfield Mil Spec showed little practical improvement when the types were fired by novice shooters.
It is relatively easy to upgrade to some types of 1911 sights while others will require the services of a machinist/gunsmith.While we can upgrade, the superior course is to purchase a handgun with credible sights in the first place. The sights should be chosen for quality, practical accuracy, non-snag construction, and durability.
This is a tall order but one that modern sights fill well. Among the first practical high-visibility sights were the Novak Lo Mount. These sights feature a pyramid-like rear sight that offers an excellent sight picture.
The sight will not catch on clothing during the draw and offers a virtually snag-free contour. The front sight is a bold post that may be from .200″ to .249″ high, depending on the application.
Reducing the vertical profile of a pistol sight is important because the sights rub on all manner of things including the holster and clothing. There are a number of considerations including short range fire, medium range fire, long range fire and snag-free presentation. Testing something as subjective as handgun sights is difficult. It is easy to note that the Novak sights are superior to Mil Spec sights, but to compare the Novak to Kimber sights is more difficult.
This is where subjective opinion arises. The rear sight should have a bold profile that is easily picked up quickly. The pyramid style sights now available offer a good sight picture and do not trap shadows. When all is said and done, the Novak and Kimber style combat sights are at the top of the heap and offer excellent all-around utility.
There are choices in the types as well. Plain black, white three dot and tritium night inserts are the most common types. Novak also offers a gold bead front sight. The gold bead front sight is among the very best choices. This bead gives an excellent all-around sight picture, can be seen in the dark with a minimum of ambivalent light and is immune to oil and solvent.


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We're Big in JapanFebruary 18, 2004
So the email I got two weeks ago, remember, the one where the girl says she wrote a book and wouldn't I like a copy oh the catch being that it's in Japanese? Oh, right, I didn't tell you about that one. This woman wrote to say… well, just that. You wouldn't have said no either.
The book showed up last night, direct from Tokyo. Happy coincidence that I'd come home with an assortment of maki and nigiri for dinner, but I digress.
"Stylesheet Stylebook" it's called, and the author, Arisaka Yoko, thought I'd be a good candidate for a free copy because, well, the Zen Garden coverage spans seven pages.
Those seven pages start by explaining (to the best of my ability sniffing some context out of a language I don't speak) what the Garden is and why it's important. Then there are six full-colour pages of screen shots, nine per page. Official and unofficial designs alike, there is a lot of work featured here.
First notice I received saying this was going to happen was when Arisaka-san asked for an address to forward the book to earlier this month. Copyright headache times ten? Nah, this falls squarely in the realm of 'fair use' since they're being used informatively, as a demonstration of what CSS can accomplish. If you'll all remember, that was the whole goal of the Zen Garden in the first place, and besides: I think it's pretty neat that I could walk into a bookstore on the other side of the Pacific and find some of my work sitting on the shelf. I hope my fellow contributors will feel similar.
Here then is a list of the designs featured, for the benefit of the designers themselves. If you're in here your work is in the book. One more perk of submitting to the Zen Garden — free press!
Official Designs:
- 001 — tranquille by Dave Shea
- 007 — deep thoughts by Jason Estes
- 008 — RPM by Bruno Cunha
- 015 — Boddhidarma by Michael Angeles
- 016 — The Garden Beneath by Minz Meyer
- 019 — What Lies Beneath by Michael Pick
- 020 — Friendly Beaches by Sophie G
- 025 — mnemonic by Dave Shea
- 028 — Atlantis by Kevin Davis
- 030 — Entomology by Jon Hicks
- 035 — Release One by Didier Hilhorst
- 037 — prêt-à-porter by Minz Meyer
- 038 — Creepy Crawly by Luke Redpath
- 040 — The Question Why by Diane Clayton
- 041 — door to my garden by Patrick H. Lauke
- 043 — Burning by Kevin & Ethel Davis
- 046 — sub:lime by Andy Budd
- 048 — HoriZental by Clément 'fastclemmy' Hardouin
- 050 — First Summary by Cornelia Lange
- 051 — Commercial Drive by Wendy Foster
- 054 — Gecko's Eye by Sandra Greco
- 055 — zenlightenment by Lance Leonard
- 057 — This is Cereal by Shaun Inman
- 059 — Dune Temple by Greg Reimer
- 060 — Extreme Limits by Richard Chatfield
- 061 — Sky by Stefan Petre
- 064 — Night Drive by Dave Shea
Unofficial Designs:
- Jenna by Thierry Koblentz
- Illuminatus by Mel Pedley
- The Gangster by Derek Cook
- Floating by Martijn ten Napel
- And then there was Provence by Jürgen E. Haug
- phelix by Claire Campbell
- Inside Blinders by Jeremiah Lewis
- Elephante by Nicole Hanusek
- Freedom by Derek Cook
- Time by Jim Amos
- Snack Bar by Jay Wiggins
- Nylon Storm by Patrick Tanguay
- trémière by Nicolas Prade
- Forbidden Fruit by Duncan O'Neill
- Whispering by Dave Catterick
- Rose Garden by Cathy Madsen
- Beauty is in Small Things by Fabio Ghidini
- bamboo by Eric Brown
- Orange Delight by Robbin van Eijsden
- Chocolate by runningtings
- Postcard by 48073
- Zen Garden XP by Mark @ Phunky
- WinAmp3 by Kai Lavila
- Zenzilla by Michael Cacciottolo
- Slashdot by Dan Oachs
- Mondriaan Zen by AkaXakA
- Meow by Chris Carpenter
Reader Comments
I'm flattered to have my work published in a book. Way cool! I just ordered the book from amazon.co.jp which was a bit of a challenge but online translators saved my day. The book should drop in my mailbox in about 2 to 5 weeks (humpphh). Patience is a virtue… errrm… no, it isn't. I want it now!
That is a really cool thing to have…now you can actually pull out a book and show your folks what you do!
I don't know about anyone else, but what I do didn't seem legit to my parents until I showed them a newspaper article that had a quote from me in it.
Out of curiousity, is this the first time that the Zen Garden has made it into print? I've always got an eye peeled when I leaf through Computer Arts Special, or Practical Web Projects, but I haven't seen the site featured in there yet (too Avante Garde for them I guess).
"That is a really cool thing to have…now you can actually pull out a book and show your folks what you do!"
While I think I've finally managed to explain it by now to my own parents, I know exactly what you mean here. It really is only tangible for some once they've got the printed copy in front of them…
So far, this is the first book. Another two are on the way that I'm aware of, perhaps more. Three magazines have mentioned it in one form or another, Interaction (US), PIXELmag (Aus.), and LinuxFormat (UK) – though I've only seen the latter with my own eyes.
congrats…and heck, the "door to my garden" featured in there ? superb…
Congratulations! I should really be thanking you Dave, because if I hadn't discovered Zen Garden while browsing the net, I don't think I'd be designing websites in CSS and XHTML. I'm still a beginner at all this, but what I've seen/learned so much from Zen Garden.
I'm also thanking all of those who have submitted designs to Zen Garden, because it was by looking at their CSS that I learned a lot of technics and tricks with CSS which I don't think I would have learned by looking at a simple CSS tutorial. Zen Garden has also pushed me to do pages that validate and show up well not just in IE but in most browsers.
I'm writing this to tell all of you, that you are doing some great work, and that it will pay off…it's paying off, because people will see how powerful CSS is. I know I am convinced :)
I am a co-author of the book, and I really thank you that letting people know about the book.
I was in the US for 9 years, and has been a big fan of Zen Garden and your blog. It was really nice that Ms Arisaka and I had an opportunity to introduce about Zen Garden. Personally, web design in Japan is one or two years behind regarding to Web Standard and use of CSS. However, blog community is also booming in Japan, so I thought it's reall a good time to publish the book. I hope readers can re-discover the power of CSS and al.
Of course, I shouldn't forget about Japanese version of Zen Garden;-)
Wow! Congrats to you Dave and all of the featured authors. I'm sure this won't be the last time you see the Garden in a nice glossy format!
Hot damn. I wouldn't mind picking up a copy of that book, if I had the means to. Seems like it'd make for an interesting conversation peice.
I keep getting hits from his site over on the ReUSEIT contest pages at B4TF. So far, I haven't been offered a copy of the book, though… [sniffle]
Congrats, Dave!
That's amazing! And down right flattering, I would think. I'll get my Japanese-speaking/reading sister take a look at this baby. ;-)
Drat! Published again! Why does this always happen to me? ;D Congrats on the distinction Dave. Now if I could only get my Amazon.com login to work on Amazon.co.jp…
If you want to get a copy or take a look at the book, try:
Kinokuniya Book Store Locations
(Japanese book store in SF, LA, NY, etc.)
I special-ordered a copy last week through fujisan.com
Title: Stylesheet Style Book
Price: 2310 yen
Though mine is not here yet… it was US$25.41 incl. shipping.
The book also has a support weblog (in Japanese only)
Great stuff. I'd like to try and get hold of a copy - looks real nice (I like anything japanese anyway). Well done Dave - I'm chuffed to be on the list!
Just joining in the chorus, it's very pleasant news.
Thanks Dave and all contributors, I've used the example of the CSS zengarden very often to introduce CSS and its uses…
Hope to get my hands on the book in a japanese bookstore soon.
Well, this is really great news!
Now we are "real" global players ;))
Thanks for the pointer Dave.
just FYI,
if you are ordering the book at amazon.co.jp, there is a button at the top right ("Help").
You can view the following pages in english and adjust your preferences. They are offering the whole order process in english. Good to go!
The Zen Garden has also appeared in this months PC Advisor (UK) as their 'Site of the Month'.
I have to say that I still consider myself a beginner at all this. I discovered the Zen Garden just after it went live, and have been showing the designs to anyone and everyone as examples of what CSS can do. Most people are very impressed at how powerful CSS is, and for my fellow developers at work, it spurs them to try different things. For me, it has enabled me to understand more and more the CSS that Zen Garden entries use, and how each rule 'makes' the design. I have learned so much since the Garden has been live, and several aspects I now regularly use.
Basically Dave, thank you for contributing such a brilliant resource to all us designers out there.
This is wonderful news! Congradulations on the publication Dave!
Very good to hear that the Zen garden has become such a public demo site to promote the standards, congrats Dave and thanks for the effort you put into it.
Although mine wasn't an official design (and looking at the most recent official designs right so), it is fun to know I'm in a Japanese book. Nice one for my coffee table! I'll try amazon.jp
Congrats Dave!
I'm so glad your work–or should I say "our" work–CSS Zen Garden is getting some recognition in the world over.
I had an honor of doing Japanese translation of Zen Garden that I was going to say is available at the official site:
…but I guesss Yasuhisa-san beat me to it :)
Thanks for keeping this place alive!
Omigod! I'm in….wow.
I know I should have uploaded that improved version ;)
Though if it's in print it doesn't matter, as it's just improved for text-resizing….
( http://lounge.gameover.com/akaxaka/zen/mondriaan-em2.css )
I'm glad to see Phelix is in, that's my favourite 'unoffical' design.
Is there any possibility of getting this book in Europe…(via a webstore I can read?)
This is freaking cool! Way to go, Dave!


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Bruce G. Lee looks at the Elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth and Sees Reinvention
My friend Bruce G. Lee literally fell off a cliff one day and the experience caused him to change his life. "It was a sunny, spring day in 1985. I was driving along the coast of California's Big Sur with a friend. Along that particular stretch of coastline the cliffs drop 300 feet down. I was the passenger and I had just mentioned to my friend who was driving that if we went over the cliff I would hope and pray to die. I couldn't bear to think of living because certainly the driver could not possibly survive such a plunge down to the bottom. That's about the time we somehow went over the cliff. I recall vividly, as the disaster seemed to progress in slow-motion, making the decision to leave the car and survive. And I did."
So there Bruce was on a small ledge where he had landed just 150 feet down. The car had continued on to bottom. His back was broken and a nurse, who had been driving behind him, was standing at the top of the cliff screaming at him not to move – to remain motionless, and that help was on the way. Next came his rescue, the ambulance, the hospital, and a full-body cast – and yet he was home in 14 days.
"Releasing me that quickly was not the doctor's idea, it was mine," he shares. "What I know now that healed me enough to go home was the level of meaning and purpose I felt inside. I discovered a new way of living that day." Thank goodness he did.
Here's a simple exercise that will enable you to reach that same level of meaning and purpose:
"Using Post-Its, write separately every primary task in your life. Get them all down. And then assemble them in four categories:
1. things you don't like to do
2. things you are just reasonably competent at
3. things that you do well
4. your genius
These genius items are the things that are so important to you. These are the things that you would do with every moment of your time – paid or not. And then the trick is, of course, to arrange your life so that these genius items are where you spent you time. If you are able to do that you will have created the most joyful part of your life. You will have reinvented yourself.
Bruce offers four principles for deliberate change and reinvention:
1. Fire: Be mentally ready for change. Take responsibility for your self and your responses. Get in touch with your internal blocks.
2. Water: Prepare yourself. Train. Understand the universe of manifestation.
3. Air: Have faith. Step into the future. Imagine what you want to happen and then let it go.
4. Earth: Incorporate what you already know into the change. Use the wisdom you've already accumulated and then break new ground.
For Bruce G. Lee reinvention has sometimes been unplanned, other times planned and deliberate.
Whether planned or unplanned, the changing circumstances of your life can give you the impetus you need to reinvent yourself.


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Third night of the Summerfest
STANDISH — The third night of the 2010 Summerfest featured the singing of Beaverton singer Amanda Kari, and the Sweet Harmonies of Sweet Adeline's on Thursday evening at the Gazebo at the Depot. Over 128 people attended the event.
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If you live in the north, like far north, summers are like one long day. With the big ball of fire never dropping behind the horizon, getting shut-eye involves donning an eye mask or getting some seriously thick curtains to block out the light. Winter, on the other hand, is another matter.
With the sun disappearing off on vacation to, well, warmer climes, many people living in places like Umea in northern Sweden are left to deal with weeks of hardly any sunshine, a situation which in some cases can bring on the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, a kind of depression most commonly associated with the dark winter months.
With this in mind, Umea's energy company has decided to offer some light therapy to the town's citizens, installing energy-boosting ultra-violet lights in some 30 bus stops about the town.
"This is so people can get a little energy kick as they are waiting," Umea Energi's marketing chief Anna Norrgard said. "You feel tired during this time of the year, and getting an extra dose of light feels refreshing."
Commuters will be able to bask in the UV light while waiting for their ride to work. The energy company has replaced the illuminated ad boards with the energy-boosting lights, while several bus stops have also been fitted with overhead UV-light panels.
And no, commuters won't be turning up to work looking like they've just returned from a vacation to a sun-soaked Pacific island – Norrgard said the tan-causing UV radiation has been filtered out.
The lights will be in place for the next three weeks, a time when – for Umea folks – the sun hardly makes it into the sky. In December it appears low on the horizon at around 10am, before slipping away again just after lunch at 2.30pm.
[Via AFP and Reuters] [Image: Umea Energi]


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1. Vince Young, Texas: In back-to-back Rose Bowls of 2005 and '06, the quarterback captured player of the game honors. As a sophomore, he ran 192 yards and four touchdowns and threw for another TD while gaining 180 in the air during a victory over Michigan. Returning to Pasadena for the national championship game of 2006 against USC, Young ran for 200 yards and threw for 267 more to set a record for total yards. His three rushing TDs, including the last two of the game, pushed the No. 2 Longhorns to a three-point win over the No. 1 Trojans on their so-called home turf.
2. Charles White, USC: Twice selected as the player of the game, and amassing 460 yards rushing on 103 carries in his career – both Rose Bowl records – the former San Fernando High star was the Trojans' leading rusher in the 1977, '79 and '80 Rose Bowl games. He left his best for last – 252 yards on 39 carries as a Heisman-winning senior in a victory over Ohio State. In that contest, he capped an eight-play, game-winning drive with a one-yard touchdown run and only 1:32 left to play. He ran for 71 of USC's 83 yards on that drive. As a freshman, White replaced injured Heisman winner Ricky Bell and piled up 114 yards on 32 carries and a fourth-quarter TD in a 14-6 win over Michigan. As a junior, he had 99 yards on 32 carries and a controversial TD in the 17-10 triumph over Michigan.
3. Ron Dayne, Wisconsin: The four-year starting running back and 1999 Heisman Trophy winner won back-to-back Rose Bowl player of the game honors while rushing for 246 and 200 yards in Badgers' victories in the '99 and 2000 games. He's the only Big Ten player to win the top player honors more than once.
4. Montee Ball, Wisconsin: The NCAA career rushing touchdown leader ran for 132 yards and one score on 22 carries against Texas Christian in the 2011 game. A year later, he ran for 164 yards and a TD on 32 carries against Oregon. Then in 2013, Ball rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown against Stanford. The Badgers lost all three games, but Ball became the first player in history to rush for 100 yards as well as score a touchdown in three straight Rose Bowls.
5. Archie Griffin, Ohio State: The two-time Heisman winner was the first to start in four consecutive Rose Bowls – 1973, '74, '75 and '76 — gaining a total of 412 yards on 79 carries. His best of the four: 149 yards in the '74 contest, a 42-21 win over USC to keep the Buckeyes undefeated.
6. O.J. Simpson, USC: Appearances in the 1968 and '69 Rose Bowls capped the Heisman Trophy winner's college career. In the '68 contest, Simpson was the player of the game after rushing for 128 yards on 25 carries and scoring the game's only two touchdowns in a 14-3 win over Indiana. A year later, he piled up 171 yards, which included an 80-yard touchdown, plus caught eight passes for 85 yards, as the Trojans fell to Ohio State.
7. Matt Leinart, USC: A year after leading the Trojans to an AP national title with a 2004 win over Michigan (23-of-34 passing for 327 yards and three TDs, plus catching a TD pass on his own), the left-hander who had already won the Heisman Trophy returned for his senior season and was playing Texas for the 2005 national title. Despite the loss, Leinart went 29-for-40 passing for 365 yards and a touchdown. That was just the second loss in his 39 starts as a quarterback.
8. John David Booty, USC: Seven career touchdown passes stands as a Rose Bowl record as the Trojans quarterback led his team to victories in the 2007 and 2008 game, piling up 32 and 49 points respectively. He was the offensive player of the game in the '08 victory against Illinois.
9. Rex Kern, Ohio State: The Rose Bowl player of the game as a sophomore in 1969 came after he led the Buckeyes to a 27-16 win over USC to capture a national title. Two years later, he led Ohio State back, but Stanford prevailed. Kern was 9-of-15 passing for 101 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns in the win; he ran for a team-high 129 yards on 20 carries and was just 4-of-13 passing for 40 yards in the loss.
10. Don Hutson, Alabama: In the Tide's 29-13 victory over Stanford in the 1935 Rose Bowl Game, Hutson, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer and credited with being the first modern receiver, caught six passes for 165 yards and scored on receptions of 59 and 54 yards.


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Wilfred Konneker
Photo courtesy of: University Communications and Marketing
May 1, 2013
By Kelee Riesbeck
Trustees of The Ohio University Foundation approved funding for projects that benefit OHIO faculty and students at the Athens and regional campuses through the Konneker Fund for Learning and Discovery Endowment at their March meeting. Konneker Funds are aimed at supporting projects that have University-wide impact and align with best practices documented in national research.
Promoting Teaching Excellence
Thomas Carpenter, Charles J. Ping Professor of Humanities, director of the Ping Institute, chair of the Department of Classics and World Religions and professor of classics, and William Condee, the J. Richard Hamilton/Baker & Hostetler Professor of Humanities, director of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and professor of interdisciplinary arts, received $40,000 in funding for "Toward an Ohio University Teaching Academy," a program that pairs tenured professors known for their excellence in teaching with untenured professors with the goal of raising the profile and quality of undergraduate teaching at OHIO. The program is an initiative of the Ping Institute for the Teaching of the Humanities and honors the already established Bruning Teaching Academy, created in 2005 in University College by former Provost James Bruning and his wife Marlene. Participating faculty will be known as Bruning Teaching Fellows and support from the Konneker Fund will serve as a bridge for securing future funding from national sources for this initiative. The program aims to pair five tenured faculty with five non-tenured faculty in its first year.
Transforming students and communities through engagement
Director of Community Engagement for the College of Health Sciences and Professions Kevin Davis received $30,000 from the Fund to establish The Center for Campus and Community Engagement (CCCE) at Ohio University. Starting in August, 2013, the center will serve as a clearing house for students, faculty and staff who want to learn about opportunities for volunteering, service-learning, applied learning and field-based studies. These transformational learning opportunities, or TLO's, contribute to students' development of academic knowledge, civic responsibility, leadership skills and commitment to the local community, said Davis.
"The CCCE will engage students, faculty, the University and the community in a mutually reciprocal way designed to cultivate academic skills, civic responsibility and commitment to the local community," he said. "By providing these services, the CCCE will be able to help assist Ohio University with its vision to become the nation's best transformative learning community where students realize their promise."
Investing in the future of students at OHIO's campuses
"Investing in Today's Students for Tomorrow's Workforce: Expanding Student Internships, Service Learning, and Research Opportunities" was awarded $30,000 to fund this multi-year, multi-campus program that will support regional campuses students during their transition from an undergraduate college experience into professional careers or onto continuing education opportunities. This program is led by Associate Professor John Prather at Ohio University's Eastern Campus.
"Support from the Konneker Fund will allow the Eastern Campus to coordinate and enhance internship opportunities for its students and perform standard career counseling services," Prather said. "In the long term, we would like to establish a model program at the Eastern Campus that will be shared with the other regional campuses. This program will initially benefit over 1,000 students at OHIO's Eastern Campus, and later expanding services to approximately 10,000 students at other regional campuses throughout southeast Ohio."
About the Konneker Fund
The Ohio University Foundation created the Konneker Fund for Learning and Discovery at the request of alumnus Wilfred Konneker, who made a gift of shares of the University's biotechnology spinoff company Diagnostic Hybrids. In addition to supporting the Cutler Scholars Program and the Kennedy Museum of Art, funds generated by the shares were used to create a quasi-endowment fund dedicated to supporting initiatives designed to enhance the University's academic mission and to achieve progress on the University's Four Fundamentals:
Inspired teaching and research dedicated to students' academic success and focused on the connection between student learning and the advancement of knowledge and creative activity.
Innovative academic programs that draw on the best traditions and practice in the liberal arts, professional and interdisciplinary education.
Exemplary student support services committed to helping students fulfill their academic promise.
Integrated co-curricular activities that foster a diverse environment of respect and inclusiveness and facilitate students' development as citizens and leaders.
Applicants may request up to $50,000 for two years or $100,000 overall. Faculty and staff are eligible to submit proposals, and collaborative proposals are strongly encouraged.
An internal committee – drawn from the University's academic leadership and chaired by the Executive Vice President and Provost –reviews the proposals. For additional information about the Konneker Fund, and other internal funding opportunities, please visit:www.ohio.edu/research/funding.cfm


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We filmed Jess and Tom's amazing wedding at Lakeway Resort outside of Austin TX this past weekend. It was amazing! Thanks for having us be apart of your big day! Trailer coming soon.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Congrats Jess + Tom
Posted by Joe Simon at 6:51 PM 0 comments
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Kristin + Justin's Wedding Trailer - W Hotel Dallas
Kristin & Justin's wedding was amazing! Jordan Payne Events set the stage for another drop dead gorgeous day. The ceremony was held at Highland Park Methodist Church in Dallas followed by the reception at the W Hotel.
Kristin & Justin wrote their own vows, I love it when my couples do this! It gives you beautiful glimpse into their lives and the love they share. After the ceremony the party started at the W Hotel and went on well into the night. After the confetti flew they finished with a flower pedal exit and off to their honeymoon.
Here is their wedding trailer!
Kristin + Justin's ingredients -
Ceremony - Highland Park Methodist Church
Reception - W Hotel Dallas
Flowers + Event Planning - Jordan Payne Events
DJ - Andy Austin
Posted by Joe Simon at 10:10 AM 2 comments
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Congrats to Yamilet + Jordan
Last week we had the pleasure of filming Yamilet and Jordan's wedding in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was an amazing day filled with love and laughter with family and friends. Their unique New Orleans Saints theme was awesome, I can't wait to share all the details! We will have their wedding trailer up soon, but for now here are a couple screen grabs from the wedding day.
Posted by Joe Simon at 6:58 PM 3 comments


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A sinkhole opened up at a property near DeLeon Springs swallowing a tree and part of a fence, said an official with the Cooperative Extension Service of Volusia County and the University of Florida.
A sinkhole opened up Thursday at a property near DeLeon Springs, swallowing a tree and part of a fence, said an official with the Cooperative Extension Service of Volusia County and the University of Florida.
"It's a good-size hole, but I have seen bigger," said Dave Griffis, a scientist with the agricultural extension office.
According to Volusia County Sheriff's Office dispatch logs, the sinkhole appeared suddenly at 11:31 a.m. at 4733 Mills Road. A caller to a dispatcher said the hole was 30 feet deep and 30 to 50 feet wide.
The sinkhole brought down a tree, part of a horse fence and power lines.
The property owner, who would only identify himself as Jerry, said he watched as the tall oak tree tumbled into the sinkhole.
No homes are threatened by the sinkhole, which is not anticipated to get any larger, Griffis said.
Griffis said he was called by the Volusia County Fire Services and the property owner and told of the sinkhole. Griffis will visit the site Friday to assess the situation because there was no immediate need to go there Thursday, he said.
"I do not anticipate the hole to get any larger than the initial collapse," Griffis said. "Generally, the initial collapse is it."
Sinkholes occur periodically in Florida due to changing water levels, Griffis said.
Drought and overpumping can bring down the water level, causing the underground walls of cavities or caverns to cave in, Griffis.
"They occur in the Karst topography," Griffis said. "This is the underground limestone that has cavities or caverns filled with water. The water holds the walls in place but when the level drops, there is no pressure holding up the walls and it collapses."
Sinkholes occur suddenly and do not take weeks or months to occur, Griffis said.
Volusia County Engineer Gerald Brinton described the caverns and cavities underground "like swiss cheese."
"They are all over the place and and the closer you get to Hillsborough County, they are worse," Brinton said.
Although they happen periodically, the last large sinkholes in Volusia County occurred in Deltona in December 2005 and in Orange City in January 2005, Brinton said.
One occurred a few months ago in DeLand, Griffis said.
"If they happen on private property they become a landowner concern and many do not make the press," Griffis said. "Most of the time they are very small."


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Meal made for a vegan
Diners shunning animal products have more choices
At Sidecar for Pigs Peace, motivation for the all-vegan grocery is clear.
An "Oink Drive" basket near the front of the store holds customer contributions for Pigs Peace Sanctuary, a nonprofit in Stanwood that cares for unwanted and abused pigs. On the request list: sanctuary-approved vegan hot dogs, pasta, tofu. Pigs' taste in comfort food, it seems, is close to that of their human counterparts.
The University District grocery bills itself as the only "100 percent vegan store" in the state. ("The vegan world is small enough that we would know," said manager Doh Driver.)
But the grocery is part of a movement that's making eating and buying vegan increasingly easier in the health-conscious Northwest and elsewhere. Vegetarians do not eat meat, though some (called lacto-ovo vegetarians) eat dairy and eggs; vegans abstain from all animal products.
Local hubs of good vegan eating include bakeries such as Fremont's Flying Apron Organic Bakery (which is also gluten-free) and restaurants such as Squid & Ink in Georgetown and Chaco Canyon (which is also 95 percent organic and offers a raw food menu) in the University District.
Better known for its pinball machines, the U District's Sureshot cafe also has become a place to go for vegan pastries. Sureshot's owners, Shelley and Sonny Pires, longtime bakers, started their "I Can't Believe It's Vegan!" line for their vegan clientele. Shelley Pires said 90 percent of the baked goods stocked at Sureshot are vegan, and their Sultan-based bakery will now sell to other coffee shops looking for "something that tastes really great but is still vegan."
These businesses are answering the call of a growing animal- and environment-friendly demographic. A recent Harris Interactive Inc. survey for Vegetarian Times magazine estimates that 7.3 million Americans older than 18 are vegetarian, and more than a million are vegan -- 3.2 percent, and 0.5 percent of the population, respectively.
"When vegans come in here and see that the whole menu is vegan, their faces light up: 'I can pick anything?', " said Sarah Coyle, 25, a manager at Chaco Canyon.
Many natural food markets, such as Whole Foods Market, also have a sizable vegan inventory, with soy-based products and meat alternatives. Sidecar's Driver said Madison Market has a particularly good selection.
"It's much easier to embark on a vegan lifestyle now than 48 or 50 years ago," said Freya Dinshah, president of the American Vegan Society, based in Malaga, N.J. Dinshah, 66, became a vegan at 18 for ethical reasons. Back then, Dinshah said, most vegan stores were run by Seventh-day Adventists.
In the United Kingdom, where the Vegan Society began the movement in 1944, research group Mintel estimated that the market for meat-free foods will grow 22 percent between 2006 and 2011.
Pigs Peace Sanctuary bought the vegan grocery Sidecar two years ago from its former owners, who had named the store after the classic cocktail. Pigs Peace kept the name and expanded its offerings. Now it sells mostly grocery items, including imported vegan "cheese" products and Seattle-made Field Roast grain meat, but also vegan beer and wine (clarified over time or with clay instead of gelatin or fish collagen), and nonleather belts, wallets and handbags.
A vegetarian for the past 11 years, Driver, 38, became vegan 6 1/2 years ago. (The other Sidecar employees are also vegan, and part of the sanctuary's mission is to promote veganism, she said.)
"I realized there was, in fact, more cruelty in dairy and egg production than, say, in beef production," Driver said, "and I got to a point where I realized there are no valid reasons -- especially in Seattle -- not to be vegan."
But it's not just food. Retailers are responding to the increased demand for vegan-approved goods, such as clothing and footwear.
"There's a big customer base out there, and it's hard for them to find something that's not just fake leather shoes made in China -- something environmentally friendly as well as vegan," said Lanne Stouffer, owner of Market Street Shoes in Ballard, which stocks brands including J-41 and Earth, made of materials such as tweed, canvas and different rubbers.
Why is veganism (and vegetarianism) growing now -- and along with it, the industry for vegan-approved products?
Dinshah believes people approach veganism from a combination of three different angles: Some convert primarily for ethical reasons, as she did; for health reasons; and environmental reasons.
"The environmental angle is becoming very strong right now," Dinshah said.
A recent article in Conscious Choice magazine cited a 2005 University of Chicago study ("Diet, Energy, and Global Warming") that "estimated that the difference between a vegan diet and a typical American diet is equivalent, in terms of environmental footprint, to the difference between driving a big SUV and a modest sedan."
"I think (veganism) is a really responsible way to go as far as the environment's involved," said Jennifer Katzinger, owner of Flying Apron.
"The more it comes into awareness and the more people are aware of how their meat is raised and the effect on the environment, the more I think it will grow."


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N.Y.'s progressive experiment tees up
NEW YORK — Even New York liberals weren't expecting things to go this well.
Tuesday, voters in America's most prominent city are poised to elect Bill de Blasio mayor and turn over every major lever of municipal government to a new breed of politics that's been on the rise but never close to this level of power: a mix of young progressives, reconstituted '60s- and '70s-era lefties, newly active minority voters and deep-pocketed unions that have transformed themselves into expert campaign organizers.
Story Continued Below
What that will mean as they try to translate that ideology into a governing philosophy is a question that even people who've been leading the charge are still asking. And in New York, where there are more than 8 million residents (plus close to a million more who come in daily for work), 300,000 city employees and a $70 billion-plus budget, there's a lot riding on the answer.
( QUIZ: Do you know Bill de Blasio?)
These are the people who formed the labor-funded, liberal-favorite Working Families Party and sparked Occupy Wall Street. They say government shouldn't just allow for change — it should force new change on the city and private sector. That means universal pre-K; closed tax loopholes; pensions divested from fossil fuel companies; family-friendlier work policies, including financial support for single parents; and paid sick leave requirements. And on the housing front: more market regulation, leveraging of privately owned real estate that's in trouble and greater community power over developers' plans.
The reaction of the city's business, real estate, finance and high-tech industry leaders to its new governing class-in-waiting has ranged from panic to scoffing at the stuff they say pipe dreams are made of. The political establishment in the city is skeptical any of it can work, especially without igniting a budget disaster. And the progressives in charge are superstitious enough that, despite their candidates' long and overwhelming lead in the polls, they've avoided doing too much planning before election night.
One thing all sides agree on: A new era has arrived. Barring major upsets, former political-labor strategist de Blasio will be the mayor, longtime Upper West Side official and political maven Scott Stringer will be the city comptroller, and Tish James, a product of Brooklyn African-American activism and politics, will be the public advocate, roughly the equivalent of the city council president.
( SEE RESULTS: 2013 New York City mayor's race)
The city council speaker most likely won't be picked until January, but even the conservative choices are liberal Democrats. And whoever gets the job will face a newly empowered City Council, in which the rapidly multiplying Progressive Caucus members include many unconnected to the traditions of go-along legislators, and have made clear they're going to push for their own changes.
That array of progressive victories is "a dream," de Blasio said on his way out of a late September fundraiser for Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), the godfather of this strain of progressivism in the city, that seconded as an advance celebration for the impending takeover.
"For a lot of progressives who've spent a whole lot of time on the steps of City Hall, this is the chance to get inside City Hall," Stringer told POLITICO. "The challenge for all of us is to come together and govern and build our city for every New Yorker."
Expectations are high, and made higher by the spirit of achieving what seemed impossible with unexpected election wins including de Blasio's late surge and Stringer's fending off Eliot Spitzer.
( Also on POLITICO: Donald Trump: Bill De Blasio to be 'good mayor')
So what happens next, when these are the people confronted with a complicated and tight city budget, multiple costly labor contracts that are coming due for renewal, a crime rate that seems like it will statistically have to edge up at some point? How do they manage when they're in charge, and not the outside instigators? And what happens when they're heading into office promising major changes in rent costs and education, realignment of investments in city services and a detailed agenda of "broadly shared prosperity" — along with other liberal priorities like confronting climate change and improving senior care? When many competing interests are all going to be demanding attention from people who've never before been in positions of major power?
"There's a lot you can do with really good leadership throughout the city that shares this agenda," said Brad Lander, a city councilman who leads the progressive bloc and helped organize "Toward a 21st Century for All," a collection of policy essays that's become one of the main touchstones of progressive planning. "New York City is going to be an exciting laboratory."


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3 Health-Care Misconceptions That Never Die
Rule of thumb: Wherever there is major legislation, trillions of dollars, and your well-being at stake, there will be claims driven by emotion instead of fact. Case in point: Health care.
Here are three widespread health-care misconceptions I personally used to hold before digging into the facts.
Myth: Europe has socialized medicine compared with a free-market system in America.
Fact: By nearly any measure, the U.S. government spends more on health care than most European governments.
Yes, most European governments offer universal health coverage, and the main health insurance system in America is private insurance. But the U.S. government spends a lot on health insurance for its elderly (Medicare) and poor (Medicaid), plus layers of other subsidies. It's actually bigger than the private sector. State, local, and federal governments spend about $1.3 trillion annually on health care, compared with less than $1 trillion from the private sector, according to David Leonhardt of TheNew York Times.
Here's the real mindblower: The U.S. government spends more money per citizen covering a minority of its population than most European governments spend covering their entire populations:
Source: OECD.
These figures are adjusted for differences in the cost of living between countries, so it's truly an apples-to-apples comparison.
There are other ways to view this. As a share of government spending, the U.S. spends more on health care than all European governments except Switzerland, according to the OECD. This chart is probably the most complete measure, showing government health spending as a percentage of GDP. It still puts the U.S. at above average compared with major nations that offer universal coverage:
Source: OECD, Kaiser Family Foundation.
It's pretty clear. Government health care in America is larger and takes up a bigger share of the economy than several countries we often tag with a "socialized" label. And it bears repeating: Government health care in America only covers a minority of the population, while other nations cover everyone. As Ezra Klein once said of these numbers: "This is serious pitchforks-and-torches stuff, if only people really understood it."
And what about private coverage? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 65% of nonelderly Americans have private health insurance. By contrast, about 90% of French citizens carry private supplemental health insurance that covers payments not provided under the country's universal system.
Myth: The U.S. health-care system is more efficient than other bureaucratic behemoths around the world.
Reality: By most measures, America has one of the least efficient health-care systems in the world.
Health economist Henry Aaron once remarked:
Like many other observers, I look at the U.S. health care system and see an administrative monstrosity, a truly bizarre melange of thousands of payers with payment systems that differ for no socially beneficial reason, as well as staggeringly complex public systems with mindboggling administered prices and other rules expressing distinctions that can only be regarded as weird.
Measuring the administrative costs for health-care systems is difficult and prone to undercounting. A good example: Some tout a slim 2% administrative cost for Medicare, but that doesn't include the cost of collecting premiums (done by the IRS) and a raft of billing work done by private contractors.
A more complete measure of public health administrative costs in America is 6%, compared with a 4% average among OECD nations, according to McKinsey & Co.
Include the private market and it's worse. The measure for administrative costs used by the OECD -- the difference between insurance premiums and medical costs -- was $465 per recipient per year in 2004, compared with an average among OECD nations of $104, and as low as $15 a year in Sweden. The only country with higher administrative costs is Luxembourg.
Focus on private insurers alone and it's pitiful. As Washington Post reporter T.R. Reid writes:
U.S. health insurance companies have the highest administrative costs in the world; they spend roughly 20 cents of every dollar for nonmedical costs, such as paperwork, reviewing claims and marketing. France's health insurance industry, in contrast, covers everybody and spends about 4 percent on administration. Canada's universal insurance system, run by government bureaucrats, spends 6 percent on administration. In Taiwan, a leaner version of the Canadian model has administrative costs of 1.5 percent; one year, this figure ballooned to 2 percent, and the opposition parties savaged the government for wasting money.
One Motley Fool commenter recently explained the reasoning for forgoing health insurance by noting the appeal of "not contributing a dime to the $950,000 salary of an insurance or billing company vice president." It's a reasonable gripe. WellPoint's (NYS: WLP) CEO has been paid $63.5 million since 2007. Remember that next time your premiums go up.
Myth: America's uninsured are cared for by churches, charities, and at last resort, emergency rooms.
Fact: Put starkly, the uninsured face a 40% higher mortality rate than those with health insurance, even after adjusting for income, health status, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol use.
In 2007, President George W. Bush said, "People have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room."
That's true for the most part. As part of law signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, hospitals with emergency departments that receive government funds, including Medicare (all hospitals, basically), are obligated to evaluate all patients and provide treatment until they're in stable condition regardless of ability to pay. This has become the de facto health-care system for millions of Americans.
But it's hardly adequate. ERs must treat those who aren't in stable condition. Anything less -- say, preventive care -- can be off the table, and is often too expensive for the uninsured. Surgeon Atul Gawande recently wrote in the New Yorker:
A vascular surgeon in Indianapolis told me about a man in his fifties who'd had a large abdominal aortic aneurysm. Doctors knew for months that it was in danger of rupturing, but since he wasn't insured, his local private hospital wouldn't fix it. Finally, it indeed began to rupture. Rupture is an often fatal development, but the man -- in pain, with the blood flow to his legs gone -- made it to an emergency room. Then the hospital put him in an ambulance to Indiana University, arguing that the patient's condition was "too complex." My friend got him through, but he's very lucky to be alive.
Another friend, an oncologist in Marietta, Ohio, told me about three women in their forties and fifties whom he was treating for advanced cervical cancer. A Pap smear would have caught their cancers far sooner. But since they didn't have insurance, their cancers were recognized only when they caused profuse bleeding.
Yes, the ER will see you if you're in dire need. But by then illness can have developed into a more complicated -- and expensive -- ordeal. Or to the point where it's too late.
A 2009 study by a group of Harvard researchers published in the American Journal of Public Health reviewed a public health survey of 9,000 people in the 1980s. Following up in 2000 showed about 3% of the survey group had died. Even after controlling for age, income, weight, education, employment, tobacco and alcohol use, and physician-rated overall health, the researchers found those without insurance had a mortality rate 40% higher than those who did.
Why is complex. There isn't one single reason. But a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation provides key insight: The uninsured are three times more likely to claim problems getting needed care than those who have insurance. "Over 40% [of uninsured] do not have a regular place to go when they are sick or need medical advice, compared to just 9% of those with coverage," the report wrote. And that was in 2006, before the financial crisis. It's almost certainly higher today.
All of these issues are complicated and can't be given enough attention in one article. But we know the system is broken. We also know, for the most part, what works and what doesn't. Many aren't in favor of current reforms, but no one should be in favor of the status quo.
Check back every Tuesday and Friday for Morgan Housel's columns on finance and economics.
At the time this article was published Fool contributorMorgan Houseldoesn't own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article. Follow him on Twitter @TMFHousel.The Motley Fool owns shares of WellPoint. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of WellPoint. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.
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