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Meet Kim!
You know that pretty professional anchorwoman you watch on Fox 12's Good Day Oregon every morning?
Well, she really wants to be a farmer.
"I want to learn how to be self-sufficient," says Kim Maus. "I want to grow my own food on my land. I want donkeys, I want goats, I want chickens. My husband Matt and I just moved into our house two months ago, and once we get our barn built and get some fencing up, I think I've convinced him that I can rescue at least one donkey and some goats."
That's not to say she's giving up her crack-of-dawn day job anytime soon. Kim says that being a broadcast journalist is the only thing she's aspired to do since she was 14. "I wanted to be Connie Chung," she admits. "She was just my idol."
In addition to dreams of being on television, Kim's childhood in southern California was also filled with animals. "Growing up, we had horses and chickens and two small dogs," she recalls. "I knew when I was out on my own I definitely wanted to have my own dog."
After settling in Portland in 1998, Kim kept that promise to herself with Blake, a Golden Retriever/ hound/Great Dane mix she adopted from Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter 11 years ago. She says it was a match that was definitely meant to be. "What's really funny is ... my top boy's name was Blake. That's what I was going to name a little boy if I ever had one. And his name was Blake when I adopted him, so he's my boy."
Kim went on to add a couple of horses to the family, and also became a "foster failure" with a sweet senior dog named Angel who passed away at age 14. It was while volunteering as a judge for OHS's Top Dog Model benefit almost three years ago that Kim fell in love again: this time with a two-year-old Terrier mix from the Oregon Humane Society she named Rodeo. "He and Blake are like Mutt and Jeff — one's 12 pounds and one's 100 pounds," she laughs.
Helping animals is important to Kim professionally as well. "One of the best parts of my job is that I continually get to take part in helping organizations raise money and awareness through what I do — whether I'm an emcee, whether I'm a judge for an event, or just being able to go out and volunteer my time because of my position in the community. I feel so incredibly blessed to be in the position I am."
When she's not working or volunteering, Kim reveals that she's a textbook introvert with an artsy side. "I love to nest and be at home. I much prefer that to going out," she confides. "My husband and I do a lot of projects together. We tear apart old saddles that can no longer be used and we make wine holders out of them, and saddle stools. We love to repurpose items and recycle things."
No surprise then that the shoe that is "so Kim" isn't a shoe at all. It's boots — cowboy boots. "My girlfriend says 'You have got the most bizarre life. You're on TV every morning, and you're dressed professionally, and then you go home and get in your cowboy boots and your t-shirt and you make things by hand,'" she laughs.
Kim has other talents she's proud of as well. "I have a mean whistle," she says. "My dogs know it, and Blake answers to it. I can clear a room with my whistle."
Which may not seem like a useful skill for a television news anchor — but it sure is handy for a farmer.
About our Sponsor
Dignified Pet Services has served the Portland-area community for 13 years. In addition to their core business of cremation and memorial services, Dignified co-sponsors the beloved annual Service of Remembrance, this year Dec. 9th at The Old Church in downtown Portland, as well as serving as wonderful supporters and friends of pets and those working in animal welfare. Proprietors Michael, Randy and Avani live in Sherwood.
Michele Coppola is a Portland-based air personality for 99.5 The Wolf and copywriter for Entercom Radio. When she's not talking, writing, or pursuing quality couch time with husband Bryon and their dogs, Cindy and Lucy, she's also a proud volunteer for Fences for Fido and Family Dogs New Life Shelter.


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Leah is a staff attorney with the Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO). Prior to joining Pangea's board of directors, Leah served on the organization's advisory board starting in 2013.
At APILO, she provides legal services to victims of human trafficking as well as working in general removal defense. Leah brings to her practice a strong commitment to social justice and immigrants' rights. Leah's approach to law and legal services is a holistic one - she views her clients as whole people, not just the immigration challenges they face. As a daughter of a refugee family, Leah understands the complex and emotional journeys that asylum seekers and immigrants face. This strong connection to the immigrant communities in the Bay Area informs her practice, as well as inspires her community-based advocacy for immigrants' rights and reform. Her practice mainly focuses on deportation defense.
Leah has worked and studied in various countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. She speaks Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Leah is licensed to practice in the State of California and the U.S Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She serves as the Co-Chair of the National Lawyers Guild - Norther California Chapter Immigration Committee and Chairs the Center for Justice and Accountability's Young Professional Committee for Human Rights. She is a native San Franciscan and a graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

subset: commoncrawl


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"Architecture" is the art, science or profession of planning, designing and constructing buildings in their totality taking into account their environment, in accordance with the principles of utility, strength and beauty. – The Architecture Act of 2004 (Definition of Architecture), Republic of the Philippines
In legal terms, an architect is ultimately a building professional. Architecture is truly a multidisciplinary field, a marriage of art and science. To practice architecture in the Philippines requires some solid knowledge, a creative spark, a host of interpersonal skills, five years of university education, two years of diversified work experience, licensure – and a drafting table.
I got into architecture because, simply put, I liked building things. Like any other designer, my sense of fulfillment comes from seeing my sketches spring into three-dimensions. At 17, of course, this meant building bird houses.
I spent my first three years in university being trained to draw by hand, design with a technical expertise and develop a sense of quality using a drafting board, a bunch of set squares and a 48-inch T-Square ruler. I carried these tools around with me for the next five years.. I was encouraged to develop visual perception and understand construction as a means of communication of principles through more research, constant discussion and occasional debates with my peers.
I spent my last two years at school exploring more detailed spatial and visual considerations by designing and planning actual projects. This meant more drawings, preparatory studies, research, making actual scale models, lots of hard work, sleepless nights and massive doses of caffeine. Other significant components of my education involved developing ethics, and of course, completing a thesis requirement. CAD, at the time, was not part of the curriculum and was something I had to learn after I graduated.
I have been practicing architecture for almost 20 years. Technology has definitely impacted the practice of architecture, but it has opened doors for other specialized functions in project management, project scheduling and cost analysis, which is my current specialization.
Building design and construction cannot divorce itself from architecture, no matter how impressive technology gets. Trends may change, technology may be exponential, but I still build my own bird houses and I still own a drafting table.


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Campus Killer Night
14th Feb 08
This is another one of those Zombie Club line-ups that just kind of got bigger with time. To start with I just had Prom Night which I had to bring to a Zombie Club as soon as possible, mainly because the flick is so well known and mainly because Jamie Lee Curtis is in it. Originally I was thinking of pairing it with that other late 70s/early 80s dodgy Jamie Lee movie Terror Train, until Hell Night fell in to my possession to herald the imminent arrival of Prom and Hell Night, which I was going imaginatively call Night Night.
Then, for whatever reason, these two slipped off the Zombie Club radar and both sat on my shelf gathering dust, like so many possible Zombie Club line-ups do. Trust me, I could rattle off dozens of possible Zombie Club line-ups that Ive gone out and bought with the plan to show them next week, only then for something else to come up thats way more vital we watch as soon as possible (invariably involving a lost Donald Pleasance, Franco Nero or George Kennedy low-budget classic) and I end up shelving these until a later date.
Thats what happened to these two until someone suggested doing a weekend, where we could go on a little longer, and April Fools Day had just arrived through the post. Bingo, Campus Killer Night was born, although I dont know where that name come from because only Prom Night is actually set on a campus and thats a High School so I dont think that really counts anyway.
Tonights movie selection is bought to you by Jim with the help of Buffy, Muffy and Linda Blairs corset.
April Fool's Day (1986)
PlotA group of nine college students staying at a friend's remote island mansion begin to fall victim to an unseen murderer over the April Fool's day weekend.
Jim So it's April Fool's Day back at the beginning of the 80s where everyone's wearing brightly coloured dangly jewellery or brightly coloured clothes of various hideous patterns ("I'd say 1984 judging by the thickness of those stripes." - Rawshark) and a group of college kids are jetting out to a remote island to spend the weekend with their strange college friend Muffy. As you'd expect it's all fun, games and hi-jinks until a dreadful accident on the ferry that's kind of their fault leaves one of the ferry hands hideously disfigured.
Undeterred, the assorted kids try to make the best of the weekend. We have: Chaz the mouthy cool guy with the cool tape recorder ("I like his tape recorder!" - Zomblee), who's shagging Nikki, the sexy but quite stroppy girl with crap tits. Then we have Hal the young republican who nicks all the cigars, Rob the curly haired poor mans Kevin Bacon that has the hots for Tess, whos the attractive blonde girlfriend type who survives for ages. Also weve got Skip, the guy with a chip on his shoulder about family money, whos the cousin of Muffy, the young house owner whos about 18 but dresses like an old lady. Plus theres a blonde whose name I missed that is a bit touchy about baby noises, and someone called Brad, although I'm not sure who Brad was but Rawshark was adamant that "There's got to be someone called Brad in it...", so there you are.
Anyway, for a slasher movie theres not much slashing, particularly in the first half, but thats not as big a deal as youd think because this isnt your standard slasher fare, its actually a very decent film. Being April Fools Day the movie has a lot of gags in it, most of which are actually funny (the lights gag at bedtime had me rolling around), and then when they dry up, the deaths start which seems like a fair trade.
In fact Im going to have to say April Fools Day is one of the most original slashers wed ever seen and we all loved it, especially Rawshark who pointed out that "It's like a slasher movie that's unlike any other slasher movie because..." and then went on to explain why, which I cant tell you because it would ruin the whole film for you. Youll just have to watch it.
"They'll see the body just before she takes her top off."
Zomblee We were all hugely impressed with this gem from the mid 80s - I say it falls into that 'too good for the 80s' category, to sit alongside all those other movies that were, you know, too good for the 80s (when the deplorable fashion senses actually distract from the plot). Even from the beginning we were silenced by the level of cinematography and general production values on display - here at Zombie Club we really sit up and take notice when a movie shows real flair and professionalism because we watch so much of what could be described as 'shit'. "This is, like, really good!"
It all centres around quite a large group of "privileged, independent" youngsters who take a trip to visit their friend Muffy, who Rawshark took a shine to ("Is Muffy your type, Mike?" - Jim "I like Muffy" - Rawshark). Anyway, once they get there, it's all fun, games and April Fools gags everywhere before the dead bodies begin appearing and the movie begins to unravel beautifully.
If the production values in April Fools Day are top-notch, then all other aspects cannot be faulted. Really. It's that good. The cast are impeccable, and as Rawshark put it, they play "likeably dislikeable people" to perfection. We're laughing all the way with them, not at them (apart from those awful 80s jumpers). Rarely has this kind of teen acting in the horror genre been so deftly executed since The Burning, and you'll be pleased to recognise - as we were - some familiar faces amongst the young pranksters ("It's the guy from Back to the Future!" -Jim "Biff!" - thanks Rawshark).
I'm also not going to spoil the ending of this one for you, suffice to say not one of us saw it coming, despite experience and some amusingly wayward conjectures. Funny, intelligent and different, this little jack-in-the-box of a movie is a must for fans of quality horror.
"Bobby, don't go in there."
Rawshark Oh, April Fools Day, you big tease! I remember you, back in the day, sitting on my video stores shelves with your enticing cover of a girl and her noose-like hair, but I never rented you. Then you came out on DVD and again I resisted your b-movie charms, but looking back now Im quite glad, because otherwise we would never have had this great surprise of a movie turn up at Zombie Club with none of us ever having seen it.
Laced with strong, yet subtle, humour right from the start (one of the girls fakely introduces herself on video camera as Mary OReilly OToole OShea) and perfectly composed visuals, April Fools Day settled in very comfortably with us all, despite some of Jims dubious early observations - I hope we get to see the mannequins arsehole again. Our teenage heroes all meet up on a ferry bizarrely the guys all seem to have their flies undone and fool around flirting until Buck accidentally gets his eye gouged out whilst trying to dock on Muffys island (and no, thats not a euphemism by the way).
Undeterred, the rest of the gang head to Muffys house to cook some food (that was a brilliant sausage shot - Jim), talk about sex and perform April Fools gags on each other including whoopee cushions, exploding cigars and wobbly-legged chairs. However, as this is a slasher film, its not long before theyre being picked off one by one and group morale starts to unravel faster than a loosely knitted scarf being torn apart by rabid Chihuahuas.
The true beauty about April Fools Day is that, rather like Bob Clarks Black Christmas, the comedy aspect sits predominantly within the film, rather than taking it over completely, as in the case of something like Night of the Creeps. The result is a hugely enjoyable movie that feels at much at ease with humour as it does with tension, and therefore plays out as authentic and believable, all the way through to its great reveal. Wholeheartedly recommended, and thats no April Fool.
Please God, let it be Ding Dong.
Prom Night (1980)
PlotA masked killer stalks four teens responsible for the accidental death of a child six years earlier at their high school's senior prom.
Rawshark After her first twin film successes of Halloween and The Fog, Jamie Lee Curtis jumped the John Carpenter ship and instead enlisted with Kim Hammond for Prom Night, although why she chose this extremely derivative film (they might as well have called it Promoween! - Zomblee) as her next career move is anyones guess.
Like Halloween, this film starts with a prelude featuring children, namely Wendy, Jude, Kelly and Nick who set about teasing and taunting poor girl Robin until she falls out of a window and dies. The kids, instead of reporting the accident, swear never to tell anyone about the incident and run away the little scamps! Cut to six years later, and it is fast approaching Prom Night, but, wouldnt you know it, the now grown-up teenagers all start receiving threatening phone calls. Add to the plot Leslie Neilson as a straight-playing high school principal plus an ineffectual cop (Hes like a two-bit Loomis, none of the Pleasance about him - Zomblee; Yeah, no screen-Pleasance - Jim), and what we have is a fairly tepid and tame affair that seems happy to simply trundle along its cliché-laid rail tracks.
Things dont get much better at the Prom either (Its all gone Saturday Night Fever - Jim; More like Saturday Night Headcold - Zomblee), with an awful song, called Prom Night funnily enough and no nudity whatsoever. In fact it takes over an hour for the first kill to happen - an extremely disappointing throat slit with the camera choosing to close-up focus on the victims eyes instead of the gory grue us horror fans crave.
There are one or two good things about Prom Night, namely Robert (Scanner) Silverman as the special caretaker, the fat kid with the joints and his shag wagon (Shagon! - Jim), and of course, the severed head at the King and Queen crowning, but in all honesty, theyre really not worth watching the whole film for. Quite why Hollywood are remaking this film is beyond me. Disappointing.
Sheriff, youre asking me to comment on a catatonic schizophrenic who was institutionalised six years ago.
Jim With a successful movie like April Fool's Day starting the running, and with the traditional red vino flowing as smooth as silk, we all had high expectations for Prom Night. And why not? Jamie Lee, our scream queen from the nigh on perfect Halloween was back, and we also had Leslie Neilsen in a straight role as the Prinicipal, wearing "Bad 70s trousers, straight of the golf course!" (Zomblee). So how could anything go wrong?
Well, first off Neilsen has a voice over that's got a bizarre echo to it, and Rawshark's comment of "I can't stop thinking Police Squad!" is very true. Then we have Jamie Lee, massively underused, seeming to spend a lot of time wandering deserted school corridors "...As she clutches her folders to her bosom." (Rawshark). "She did that in Halloween." (Zomblee). And that's the real trick here, as Rawshark's mentioned in his bit, this baby has Halloween written all over it, although to be true there's a lot of Carrie in there as well.
Still, if you're going to rip off a recent smash hit, you might as well fill all the roles. The doctor with the huge glasses was a highlight ("Is this guy with the glasses some kind of two-bit Sam Loomis?" - Zomblee) but wasn't in it enough ("He should be popping up and going 'The Evil!' but in a two-bit kind of way." - Zomblee). Similarly the rest of the teen cast were a bit wooden and are extremely forgettable, except for the chick whose prom date picked her up with a car full of his drunk mates, which was one of the stand out scenes of the film. She was in Buck Rogers too ("Only for one episode though." - Zomblee)
"No one's been killed yet again, have they?", Rawshark pointed out at way past the halfway mark, and he's right the inherent lack of gore is a big let down, not really made up for by the wickedly cheesy dance floor decap at the end, although the ending did have some surprises. ("What happened to the ninja, did he electrocute himself?" - Rawshark)
Alright I admit it didnt make much sense at the time, and I almost thought it was turning in to a whodunit, until it dawned on me that Id talked all the way through the escaped mental patient scenes. Shame.
"Prom Night. It's going on all night."
Zomblee "There's a lot of phone calls in this film, Jesus Christ!", shouts Jim. And he's right, because Prom Night (Phone Night?) is one of those horror movies which features a menacing ring at every turn, in the tradition of Black Christmas, which of course influenced Halloween, which in turn led to movies just like this one. Well known in slasherlore and also for its place in Jamie Lee's scream queen canon, this is a pretty average affair, and perhaps more difficult to judge fairly when the shadow of Mr Carpenter's early finesse still looms strong.
In what is essentially a slow-burning slasher movie involving an escaped maniac and starring Jamie Lee which isn't called Halloween, the central characters are involved in a cruel tragedy as children, but now they're all grown up, ready for the senior prom, and receiving those nasty phone calls. As is fitting (excuse the pun) for an 80's Halloween rip-off, the clothing styles leave a lot to be desired - something a man like Jim never fails to notice, "Look how high waisted Jamie Lee's trousers are!" ( "Yeah, just like a matador's" - Rawshark). And yes, she still clutches the school books to her bosom just like in, you know, that other film.
In keeping with the tradition of brooding menace (i.e. a worrying lack of blood/gore/death/general unpleasantness during the first hour), this one struggles to mount any sense of palpable tension, instead opting to indulge in 80s stereotypes and high school banality. But I guess you have to cut them some slack - this was released in 1980, a time when lazy, cliché-hugging slashmongers were young and a whole decade of sequels, bad hair and even worse music lay ahead. Only not that far ahead if the latter half of Prom Night is anything to go by - is it just me or does that fucking song go on forever?
A couple of entertaining characters make the experience of Prom Night a little more enjoyable - 'Slick', the overweight, weed-smoking-ladies-man-with-mattress-in-his-van is great fun, and it was great to see David Cronenberg regular Robert A Silverman perfectly cast as the creepy janitor. And even though the final killing spree does show some flair (when "Lou lou-ses his head" - Rawshark), this is definitely one of the 'classics' well-deserving of its imminent facelift.
"I want you to double-check the whole area around the high school!"
Hell Night (1981)
PlotFour college pledges are forced to spend the night in a deserted old mansion where they get killed off one by one by the monstrous surviving members of a family massacre years earlier for trespassing on their living grounds.
Zomblee What we have here is a case of frat house slasher meets haunted house movie and although I'd love to tell you all it's a great horror formula, it isn't. And for very good reason. You see, Linda Blair managed to capitalise on her Exorcist success for quite a while post-1973 (I think she's still doing it), and while her cherubic looks worked perfectly for that role, she just looks, well, like a "chubbed out" (Jim) student in 1981, despite the fact that she's wearing what Jim thought were some hot "fuck me boots".
As part of their initiation four college pledges have to spend the night in a rather spooky old house called Garth Manor, where twelve years prior Raymond Garth murdered his wife and all his "mongoloid" children bar one, before hanging himself. The foursome split into two groups in a predictable 80s way before being spooked out by their peers, but then it all starts going horribly wrong and - you've guessed it - the surviving deformed son (who happens to be an ugly hulking giant) starts killing everyone.
Maybe if not viewed after two great 80's slasher movies, this would hold its own, or then again, maybe not. It's a huge bore, edited with awful pace and filled with cliché and stereotype stock slasher fodder: a virgin (Blair) and a bunch of hard-drinking, lude-munching revellers ("Aw man I'd love to try quaaludes!" - Jim). The only vaguely original touch for me was the scene where Seth decides to steal all the guns from the "multi-levelled cop shop", taking the law into his own all-American hands to rescue Regan. I mean Marti.
Apparently Hell Night is full of suspenseful scenes but as you're no doubt aware, there's a fine line separating suspense and complete boredom. Young people endlessly exploring the darkness is usually the dullest and most insomnia-curing of affairs, and that's exactly what it is here ("It's just a lot of walking about, really" - Rawshark). This is less of a surprise knowing that director Tom DeSimone had a previous career directing dirty gay movies under the pseudonym Lancer Brooks, although I have to admit that this movie is actually a fraction better than such credentials would suggest.
"They call her Marti."
Rawshark Keg-drinking college President Peter Bennett really lives for Hell Night. Its the one night of the year where he gets to dress up in fancy costume and take four young college newbies to a 'haunted house where he can play tricks on them and laugh hard at how funny it all is. He really needs to get out more.
Dull as dodos droppings for the most part, Hell Night does at least feature a grown-up Linda Blair to take the mick out of as she acts her way through the surrounding nonsense. The four teens (Jess, Seth, Marti and drug-taking Denise) who have agreed to spend the night in Garth Manor are soon joined by three others who are there to play pranks on them, but when Tarzan Girl is dragged underground and decapitated, it seems that the Manor really is haunted by the ghoul of Raymond Garth. Well I never
Theres something quite cool in the fact that all the characters in the film remain in fancy dress throughout, making it a little easier to remember who is who - Jeffs Robin Hood outfit being the standout with Jim stating that he really liked the dudes cape. He also admired the blonde girls red and black underwear too, but for quite possibly different reasons. Yet, a film needs more than fancy dress to carry it through, and when it comes to plot, dialogue, acting, cinematography and music (especially music!), Hell Night is extremely lacking. Hell Night? Shmell Night more like.
My names Seth and youve got yourself a date beach bunny.
Jim "Irwin Yablen produced Halloween, offered Zomblee at the start of this flick, with some glimmer of hope, I don't know if you knew that?" No, I didnt actually, but that does sum up this movie in a nutshell.
Produce a successful movie (Halloween, obviously, not this turgid wonder) and then go bang out as many similar movies as you possibly can. Dont worry about the script, cast, director, or any of that jazz, just get a good poster, a decent title and a ghoulish font to splash it on the screen with and youre away. And a named genre star above the credits wouldnt go amiss either.
So, its about Linda Fat Cheeks Blair and a sorority prank that involves her, Robin Hood, Quaalude girl and the guy in the suit who I think was supposed to be a magician, staying the night in some creepy old house where some guy killed his whole deformed family a dozen years ago before offing himself. Only problem is, he didnt do a very good job on killing the mute younger brother.
"I think there'll be loads of tits in this movie guys... There'd better be!" Zomblee gave us in the opening few minutes (well, it did look like a massive Mardi Gras at start, to be fair) but alas no, there are very few, and especially not Linda Blairs. They are bunched up in a medieval milkmaid style corset which gives them decent lift, but exposed, no. That other girl gets naked at one point, the one whos always smashed, dressed in Tarzan style jungle furs and all, but she dies soon after, dragged to her death by an Underground Tarzan cult? (Rawshark) Alas no, but her outfit did brighten up what was and still is a really very dull movie. As did Robin Hoods cape while were at it. And am I right in thinking that that sorority guy the one who plays all the pranks on them the ghoulish sounds through the hidden speakers and all is wearing a Mork from Mork & Mindy costume?
Anyway, cool outfits aside, Hell Night is a real stinker. Thank God it didnt go on all night like Prom Night threatened to, thats all I can say.
Welcome to Garth Manor!
So there you have it, three Zombie Club movies that we watched in the correct order for once.
April Fools Day was the surprise brilliant first movie with a twist that had all our jaws hitting the floor. Then came Prom Night which was fun for the disco and Jamie Lees dance routine, but it wasnt actually that great (I hope the imminent remake keeps that disco theme song though). And finally we had Hell Night, with Linda Blairs name above the credits. We should have known that was a bad sign.
Still, this did bring back recollections of National Lampoons: Class Reunion (mostly bought on by Prom Night actually) and a few clicks later it was in the post. Expect to see that at a Comedy College Horror Night soon, maybe even paired with the lost not-that-classic Student Bodies


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A secret of Toltec shamans
It seems Toltec shamans either discovered or were given a long time ago a peculiar secret about "luminous beings", a secret about humans, animals and other beings of light (those composed of atoms/energy). So what's the secret?
It's simple: Everyone has a twin, a double that is dreamed by a person (called the dreamed). Moreover, this very double can dream about his own twin (himself) in his dream. (A dream within a dream.)
What does that mean? Well, it may mean that we (our bodies) are light that may reflect itself just like regular light.
So yes, this secret appears very simple... yet it's the awareness of the twin that counts, and the practice to make oneself aware of him, which is the other part (99%) of the whole secret.
The art of stalking
The one who received and mastered art of dreaming (being aware of the dreamed twin, and interacting through it) and art of stalking (watching one's routines, thoughts, feelings, addictions in order to trap them to either have control over them or to get rid of them) was called a Toltec. Anthropology seems to be very little aware of that meaning of the word "Toltec".
What is the art of stalking? It is an art of watching one's mental, personal surroundings: one's own feelings, thoughts, and also addictions.
Once a useless or negative routine, a thought, a feeling, or an addiction is trapped by one's own personal undivided attention, the problem can be easily dealt with and dropped.
If you examined closely your own addictions or notorious unpleasant thoughts (those recurring ones), you see that they have most power when they go without any notice by you. Once you set your utmost focus on them, they are trapped.
For example, person who drinks too much seems to be powerless as long as his attention avoids being focused on the problem. And yes, the same person could make thousands of excuses and create thousands of distractions to avoid facing the problem, even telling himself that he really *knows* about the problem! Knowing about it is nothing; it's the attention on it that counts! Also, person must be willing to do anything, first. Without the said person's decision and own free will the attention seems to remain useless and headless, like a ship without a captain. Dropping anything whether it seems "positive" or "negative" requires one's choice.
Toltecs would also stalk their own daily routines simply to get rid of them, and live a more mysterious, exciting life. :-)


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Celebrate the holiday season with family and friends at Talavera for our annual Christmas Day Buffet. Set in the most beautiful location in Scottsdale, Talavera will feature an elaborate spread featuring a blend of traditional and regionally-inspired Christmas dishes sure to please any palate. It's the perfect way to eat, drink, and be merry!
For reservations, call (480) 513-5085, or make your booking online via OpenTable.
seafood bar
alaskan snow crab claws / oysters on the half shell / chilled jumbo prawns
king crab legs / chilled & braised mussels / traditional condiments
wild rice - brussels sprouts / caramelized apples / toasted almonds
roasted butternut squash - sweet potatoes / hericot verts / nueske's bacon
black mesa ranch goat cheese quiche - forest mushrooms / heirloom carrot
smoked chicken breast - celery root / quince chutney
quinoa salad - roasted root vegetables / chestnuts / pomegranate dressing
winter fruit - vanilla greek yogurt / mint
cured meats & cheese shop
foie gras torchon / truffle salami / dry aged chorizo / saucisson sec
grilled truffle brie / fourme d'ambert / saint andre / humboldt fog goat cheese marinated olives / crostini / honeycomb
ravioli station
cooked to order by chef attendant
wagyu short rib ravioli - porcini truffle sauce / leeks / red chard / shaved truffles
dim sum station
assorted chinese dim sum - spicy plum sauce
slow smoked muscovy duck - steamed buns / black pepper sauce
lemongrass & ginger scented jasmine rice
diver scallops
cooked to order by chef attendant
seared diver scallop - butternut squash / pomegranate reduction / toasted pumpkin seeds
hot items
cilantro lime marinated salmon - salsa verde
duck confit - orange gastrique
chile rubbed pork drumsticks - mole sauce
corn bread / caramelized pear sage stuffing / parmesan buttermilk whipped potatoes
assorted local farmers market vegetables
carving station
butter basted diestel farms turkey - giblet gravy / cranberry orange relish
pancetta wrapped beef tenderloin - creamy peppercorn sauce
kids' buffet
fruit salad / vegetable crudite / peanut butter & jelly
butter penne pasta / chicken tenders / mini hot dogs
ham & cheese sandwich / macaroni & cheese / sweet potato tots
chocolate peppermint cake / eggnog cheesecake / apple crumble pie / meyer lemon tart / dulce de leche mousse / chocolate cranberry almond parfait
frangelico crème brûlée / gingerbread cupcake / banana spice cake pop
Chocolatier Station
chocolate panning & confection dipping with house made candies and truffles
$105 per person / $48 children 5-12
children 4 and younger are complimentary
Prices do not include tax or gratuity.
**48 hour cancellation policy on all Christmas reservations**
$48 per person no show / cancellation fee if cancelled within 48 hours of the holiday. Credit card information will be required at the time of booking to guarantee reservations.
The Talavera a la carte menu will not be available.
For a later dinner option, please visit our sister restaurant Proof Canteen for their Christmas dinner and specials featured throughout the evening. Talavera & Onyx Lounge will not be available after 6 PM.
All menu items are subject to change based upon seasonal availability


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Event Log ID 8194 is logged when a backup is run. A sample error is shown below:
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error querying for the IVssWriterCallback interface. hr = 0x80070005. This is often caused by incorrect security settings in either the writer or requestor process.
Operation: Gathering Writer Data
Context: Writer Class Id: {57af97e4-4a76-4ace-a756-d11e8f0294c7} Writer Name: SPSearch VSS Writer Writer Instance ID: {e959c0c6-8ce8-4f80-9f2d-9e4deb1d4596}
Note that error details may vary.
Note: If this error is logged along with Event ID 12293, please see KB article Error: VSS Snapshot Creation Failed.
This error is caused by incorrect or missing COM access permissions and does not affect the use of Image for Windows.
To set the correct permissions and prevent the error from occurring, follow the instructions below:
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| Image for DOS
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Copyright © 2008-2018 TeraByte, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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Scrap Car Herring's Green, MK42, Scrap your car for free
Scrap Car Herring's Green are a reliable team of scrap car collectors working out of Herring's Green (MK42), Bedfordshire. Having a car that is a non runner can be a real problem you will still be expected to keep the vehicle taxed if it is still on the road. You don't have to pay to have your car collected. We can take away your scrap car for free!
Latest News in Herring's Green
As well as offering a completely free collection, we are also currently able to offer cash for scrap cars in Herring's Green depending upon the weight of the vehicle!
If you'd like us to make you an offer just ask when calling or add 'CASH QUOTE PLEASE' in the 'Additional Info' box when submitting our online form.
- DVLA notification
- Completely free collection!
- Nationwide coverage
- Convenient collection times
- Environment agency approved recycling facilities
Call 0800 043 5100 for your free collection or fill out our online booking form to the right!
Choose Scrap Car Herring's Green
We have a huge amount of happy customers in and around Herring's Green as we have been covering the Bedfordshire area for quite some time now. We know the area so well we can be out to you within 30 minutes. At Scrap Car Herring's Green, our service also includes a very fast response and we will always be with you in your specified time slot. We are open 24/7 and are available to you 365 days a year, and we will work around you commitments.
Scrap Car Herring's Green service is second to none we always dispose of cars in the right way. Unscrupulous companies may sell on your car rather than scrapping it, often without informing the DVLA of any change of ownership. This is a scary thought as you will be liable for any fines payable. Scrap Car Herring's Green will always notify the DVLA that your vehicle has been scrapped, meaning you can rest assured that you are in the very safest of hands. We always make sure that whatever can be recycled is and whatever can be reused is, we like to do our bit for the environment.
Make sure you do your bit for the local community and scrap your car in the correct way. Broken down cars on streets makes our area very untidy and run down, scrap your old banger today and make your street and your neighbours happy. We collect scrap cars for free, what are you waiting for, book today!
Reasons to scrap your car
There will be many reasons for you to scrap your car. In our many years experience we find that most of the time a car is scrapped as it is no longer road worthy, usually failing a recent MOT. Your car may not work but if it is on the road it still needs to be taxed, costing you a lot of money
How to scrap your car
It is so simple to scrap that old car in Herring's Green. Pick up the phone to find out more from our helpful operators. If you would like to get some information prior to your call, please take a look at our helpful guide scrapping a car.
The car scrappage scheme
The car scrappage scheme for Herring's Green may seem like a great idea. However, you will be limited to what you can buy. You can't just go and buy any vehicle you want This can cause people a lot of misery as you might have your heart set on a particular car only to be told that, "the vehicle is not in the scrappage scheme".
Just call us on 0800 043 5100 or fill out the following form:


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Boys & Girls Clubs hires new development chief
Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County has hired Katya Miltimore as its new resource development director.
She has worked as the development manager for the South Puget Sound Community College Foundation for the past 21/2 years.
"Her reputation as a talented fundraiser and her experience working to support youth programs make her the perfect person to move the clubs' mission forward," Joe Ingoglia, chief executive officer of the youth organization, said in a news release. "We couldn't be more excited to have her aboard."
Miltimore has a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Evergreen State College, and has been involved in numerous South Sound community service efforts.


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Eugene City Water Polo is a 501C(3) organization dedicated to growing the sport of water polo in the Eugene/Springfield area. ECWP has programs for 14U coed, girls team, 16U boys, 18U boys, masters, and a NEW program for ages 5-10. Our season runs from late-February to mid-August for girls, 16U, and 18U programs. It runs year round for the 14U coed program and splashball. We practice at Echo Hollow Pool, Sheldon Pool, Amazon Pool and Willamalane Pool and play games and tournaments throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Our teams participate in USA Water Polo's Oregon US League and play 8-10 league games between March – June. In addition to league play we participate in tournaments around the Northwest from March – July. ECWP has qualified 18U Boys teams for the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. In 2015, ECWP also qualified a 16U Boys team for USA Water Polo Junior Olympics.


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Combe Martin is a perfect beach for young children with rock pools & caves to explore, sand and gentle breakers.
A family-friendly beach with secluded coves that are well maintained and suitable for all ages. There is a good variety of cafes, inns and shops too. Why not hire some kayak's from surfside, local surfshop minutes away from the beach. Explore around Combe Martin Bay or head over to Watermouth Cove and experience the fantastic beauty of North Devon coastline.


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21 October, 2014
Cirrus Solids at Play
It is a very good day when new fabric arrives. It is especially good when that fabric is the new organic solid range from Cloud 9 Fabrics.
When Cloud 9 contacted me and asked me if I wanted a bundle to play with I totally hesitated. With so many quilts under construction I didn't exactly need more fabric, nor the obligation to make something. But I was intensely curious and I've always been quite impressed with Cloud 9's fabrics. At worst, I thought, I can add them to my Solid Sunday Morning.
Then the fabrics arrived. What glorious colours. Some great greys and neutrals and those deep blues and turquoises. I was smitten. And I had an idea percolating in my head after teaching a Values class in September. The only thing that stopped me from cutting into them right away was my trip to Alabama.
As soon as I could, though, I started sorting piles. Lights and darks, darks and lights, darks and lights and medium. I used the black and white feature on the camera to really get a good handle on the distinctions. My plan was based on the Pinwheel quilt from A Month of Sundays, with a twist. Value distinctions were going to be very important. Instead of the big swath of white triangles as in the original, I wanted more pieced HSTs. But if those didn't look different than the pinwheel section the design would be lost.
In the end, I made all my half square triangle blocks based on the piles above. Just random HSTs. Some with light/dark, most with dark/dark. I grabbed whatever came next and didn't worry at all about the combinations other than my values.
And, it didn't work. There were just too many medium values muddying things up. If I had kept them out it might have worked. The quilt would have been small in that case and that's just not how I work. I'm going to keep the concept out there and maybe play with it again at some point over the winter.
For now, however, it is still fall. A glorious fall. And in the last few days I played with all my HST blocks made for the original idea. The pinwheel concept stayed, but it looks radically different. I shared a few layout options via Instagram and received some great feedback. My initial pinwheels were the typical four patch pinwheel block, but that smart lady Victoria Gertenbach suggested some scale changes. I tried it and it was perfect. Thanks Victoria!
The Cirrus Solids were great to work with. They frayed no more than any other solid, which was nice. The hand on them is amazing! So soft cut right from the bolt. This quilt is going to be a dream to cuddle with when it is all done.
Right now Cirrus Solids are available in these 21 colours. All are cross-weaves, which means it is two different colour threads that make up the fabric. But they aren't obvious cross weaves like the kinds where two very different colours are used. Subtle, but the texture of a cross weave is definitely there.
I do not know what Cloud 9's plans are for these, but I hope they take off at Quilt Market so that more colours arrive. Personally, I would love to see oranges, more lemony/buttery yellows, and grassy/minty greens. Solids aren't generally my thing, but I can definitely see these becoming a go-to source for me.
6 comments:
- Sondra said...
beautiful, Cheryl!
- October 22, 2014 at 8:10 AM
- Cheryl said...
I love the end result and learning about your process.
- October 22, 2014 at 8:46 AM
- Karen said...
Your quilt makes me think of sunshine on this rainy day in Maine! I'm so glad more organic fabrics are available these days. Thanks for the black and white trick--great idea!
- October 22, 2014 at 12:14 PM
Hi Cheryl! I love this! You made beautiful work with these solids! I just start to enjoy and use more solids and would prefer more yellow and orange than mustard as you said, but your layout Works very well with these colours. Great pattern which is not so easy than it may look. x Teje
- October 23, 2014 at 8:32 AM
I'm a super sucker for a HST so for me, this quilt has worked out beautifully. And yes, just changing the scale of those pinwheels was a little bit of magic.
I love the mustard - not sure what it is right now but mustardy yellows are calling.
- October 26, 2014 at 5:29 AM
- Blogger said...
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- September 17, 2017 at 8:25 PM


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20 years on since the last time a full review on alcohol consumption and safe limits was taken, we now have today new guidelines on what is assumed to be safe.
They are tough and restrictive, but are designed to keep the population safe and aware. So what's the problem?
For years, it has been accepted that alcohol is a cause of cancer and many other potential health issues, so it seems that when new guidelines are recommended they should at least be considered and tried to be adhered to…?
But not Farage. Its a fairly important issue facing a nation which loves booze and over the years has considerably increased its consumption of alcohol. So, it seems a little ignorant for him to come out and openly disregard and joke about the research carried out by the UKs chief medical officers.
Well, I hope people don't listen to Farage (in most things, and not just about this), and instead at least take time to understand the new recommendations. After all, that's all they really are, recommendations, and hopefully people will make their own wise(r) decisions when it comes to alcohol.


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Paratore wins Portuguese Amateur after playoff
Italian teenager Renato Paratore underlined his class and marked himself out once more as a name to watch when he captured the Portuguese International Amateur Championship at Montado Golf Resort.
The 17-year old from Rome finished on seven under 281 (68 69 74 70) alongside England's Nicholas Marsh (71 72 72 66) and went on to clinch the title with a par at the first extra hole.
Sweden's Marcus Kinhult (72), who led by a stroke from Paratore overnight, finished third on 282 with Spain's Javier Sainz fourth on 284 ahead of England's Ashley Chesters and Spain's Ivan Cantero.
Final scores [PDF}
Winner of the Junior Orange Bowl last December, Paratore was 38th in last season's Italian Open in Turin.
"It was a very tough battle," Paratore said. "Even from the mental point of view because so many players had a chance to win.
"I played with Kinhult, who I had overtaken on the third hole, so when we got to the 18th, I assumed I was a shot ahead. I hadn't heard about Marsh's comeback.
"I looked at the leaderboard and tried to make a birdie to get back on top, but my second shot went a little. It didn't affect me and in the playoff on the ninth — one of the hardest holes out there — we were both in trouble but I managed to keep my concentration and come out on top.
"I didn't do anything special after winning the Orange Bowl last year but just continued working on the same things as before.
"But it was a victory that gave me the confidence to go on and affront the future with even more determination."
The Island's Paul McBride headed the Irish challenge, finished tied for 24th on three over 291 after adding a closing 71 to previous rounds of 72, 75 and 73.
The Ulster Boys champion started at the 10th and birdied the par-three 12th and the 14th to turn in two under.
He then bogeyed the par-five second and followed a birdie at the fourth with a bogey at his final hole.
Faithlegg's Robin Dawson, the Irish Boys champion, made just one birdie in a disappointing, four over 76 to finish tied for 41st on eight over 296 (74 70 76 76).


text: William 5,946 Staff #1 Posted March 7, 2015 by Bob and Gretchen Passantino. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [Hell] will not overcome it" (Matthew 16:13-18). Jesus's last sentence is one Christians have heard for nearly 2000 years in a variety of contexts. This article discusses one context seldom highlighted that we think is foundational to understanding the full import of the passage. Some argue from Jesus's last sentence that Peter is the head of the church. Others argue from it that Jesus is the Christ, not merely that he was endowed with the "Christ principle" at his baptism, as some heretical gnostics argue. Most Christians have heard this sentence used to affirm that the church will never be overcome completely by Satan or evil. It is one of the favorite passages used by Christians who counter cultic claims that "true" Christianity disappeared sometime at the end of the apostolic age, only to be "recovered" or "restored" by their own group's founder/prophet, such as, for example, Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons). While many use Matthew 16:18 to affirm that the church will endure no matter what evil might come against it, we think there's another fundamental promise in the verse that most people don't even think about. It might well be the case, as many commentators argue, that this verse can give us assurance that the church will prevail over all adverse circumstances; however this verse plainly says something much more dramatic. The church will overcome anything the Devil may raise in defense against it. In other words, it is not merely that the church will endure, but more positively that it will take over what the Devil seeks to keep from it. The Bible does promise that God's message will accomplish what God intends for it (Isaiah 55:11). The Bible also promises that the power of the gospel will convert all those who hear and believe (Romans 10:8-10). The Bible tells us that the church's foundation is the apostles and the prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). Revelation 5:12 promises that the church will ultimately reign with Christ over all creation. Those who add Matthew 16:18 to the list of passages affirming the enduring permanence of the church are many, including most commentators such as R. C. H. Lenski and J. P. Lange. Lenski comments, "The implication is that hell's gates shall pour out her hosts to assault the church of Christ, but the church shall not be overthrown" (The Interpretation of Matthew, 628). Greek scholar A. T. Robertson notes, "The ekklēsia [church] which consists of those confessing Christ as Peter has just done will not cease. The gates of Hades or bars of Sheol will not close down on it" (Word Pictures in the New Testament: Gospel According to Matthew, 133). To focus on the stability of the church at the expense of ignoring the fragile and transitory power of evil (symbolized here by Hades, the kingdom of death) is to miss a bold promise from our Lord. Let's think about this for a minute. There are many items one might use in battle: swords, catapults, missiles, gates, tanks, moats, etc. Some are offensive weapons: used primarily to attack one's enemy. Some are defensive weapons: used to defend oneself from an enemy's attack. Swords are examples of offensive weapons. Moats are examples of defensive weapons. Now, what kind of weapon is a gate? As a part of a wall, it is primarily a defensive weapon (even though it can be opened to let out offensive forces). A gate keeps attackers out of one's fortress. So, if the gates of Hades or hell cannot prevail against the church, that must mean that the church will mount a successful offense against the powers of evil. J. P. Lange notes that the commentator Meyer understands this sense, "the superiority of the Church over hades, without any allusion to an attack on the part of hades" (The Gospel According to Matthew, 298). In other words, when the gates "will not prevail," that means that the church, in effect, knocks down the gates. There are at least two senses in which the church overcomes evil: the resurrection of Christ from the dead (hades), and the promulgation of the gospel in the world, converting men from the kingdom of the devil to the kingdom of God. Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 15:22-26: For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. By Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection, the power of the devil is broken. Jesus himself said, "Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself" (Jn. 12:31). Colossians 2:15 says, "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." In fact we find that the church which began with a handful of empowered disciples grew with great rapidity. Luke records the growth of the church in the book of Acts, noting that thousands of people became Christians at once (2:41; 4:4), that "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (2:47). The growth of the church was so great that the Bible even affirms that the gospel was preached throughout the "whole world," meaning the Roman Empire, during the lifetime of the apostles (see Rom. 10:18; Col. 1:6, 23; 2 Tim. 4:17). Paul promises us that when we are prepared for spiritual battle (Eph. 6:1-18) we can "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" (10). Paul explains that our spiritual weapons destroy all that is opposed to Christ: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5). The apostle John echoes this: You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them [the false spirits of antichrist], because the one in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Now let's take a fresh look at Matthew 16:18: "and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." We can go confidently into the world with the message of the gospel, knowing that the power of the resurrected Christ goes with us – and that there is no one who is so trapped by the power of the devil that the power of the gospel cannot reach that person with God's grace and mercy. To the contrary, everywhere the gospel is preached the church triumphs over evil, the kingdom expands and evil retreats. We can join with the apostle John in rejoicing over the final fulfillment revealed to him: I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Rev. 21:2-4). 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Awakening Divine Imagination, Portland show, April 8th and 9th
I will be showing some of my art this week end at "Awakening Divine Imagination" event, in Portland. For information, go to www.belovedpresents.comread more
starting the sky
march 2011: Applying blue sky using indigo dot shading.read more
chod thangka completed drawing…
February 2011, finished transferring the drawing onto the canvas. february 2011: Finished transferring the drawing onto the canvas.read more
Stretching and preparation of the canvas.
October 2010: I am beginning a thangka based on the Chod practice. It will consist of nine figures. In the center, Machig Labdron; topmost center, Prajnaparamita; upper left, Sukhasiddhi; upper right, Green Tara; left center, Padampa Sangye; right center, Vajra...read more


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recycbin-2.reg - Restores the Desktop Recycle Bin Icon
This fix is effective if the Registry entries for the Recycle Bin have been damaged or removed.
To use: Download the recycbin-2.reg file and save it to your hard drive (you may want to right click and use Save Target As). Double-click the recycbin-2.reg file. You will be prompted to enter the information into the Registry. Answer Yes. REG files can be viewed in Notepad or any text editor, as to the specific Registry keys and values that are updated. After the REG file has been imported, right click on the Desktop and select Refresh.
This page last updated 06/03/2011 06:12
All material © Doug Knox


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Consumers want devices with a luxurious look and feel, but budget and software constraints for wearables and other low-end devices have been a struggle for manufacturers and UI designers—until now.
Whether you're a hardware engineer, user-interface designer, product manager, or none of the above, chances are, you know consumers now demand a sleek and satisfying iPhone-like experience from even their most basic devices. If you fall short on delivering that experience, users notice and the product's market acceptance suffers. So, can you give the consumer what she wants when the budget is low, the hardware constraints are high, and the expectations are higher? (No pressure or anything.)
Expectations in a connected world
We are now in the midst of an Internet of Things revolution. Everything is connected. Smaller screens are showing up everywhere: on wearables, medical devices, automotive displays and even washing machines. But many of these devices must be designed and manufactured under far greater limitations than, say, a smartphone.
Most consumers don't care about these constraints, or at least they don't understand them. When sending personal communications, accessing their homes or cars, and even monitoring their health stats, consumers expect a uniform, high-end experience on every device no matter how little they paid for it. Blame it on the exploding smartphone demographic.
Delivering a sexy user experience means everything in the mobile and connected market and jagged or cramped type turns people off. The consumer expects high-quality, full-color text and dynamic type in different sizes. Companies that understand this can more easily cultivate brand trust and product loyalty.
The constraints UI designers face
Manufacturers and developers want to give consumers what they want, but the inherent design challenge is how to create a compelling user experience on a device that may measure only a few square inches. This challenge grows all the more real with lower-end devices, where smaller budgets and memory limits present additional hurdles.
Today's devices must be ready to take on a wider range of unpredictable text and font sizes (including translations) without exceeding text regions or clipping text when it doesn't fit into the pre-defined area. This has made it much harder and more resource-intensive to pre-configure a sufficient range of bitmaps for all situations.
To make matters more complex, the companies behind these user interfaces often want solutions that are workable across entire product families and across global markets. This allows them to leverage their investments in font technologies for both current and future product offerings without their teams having to recreate everything from scratch for each new product.
The bottom line is manufacturers and UI designers are operating in a very unforgiving world, and are being asked to do more with less.
Step away from the Bitmap
Manufacturers have been settling for a bitmap approach to displaying text and images on these devices. Bitmap comes by its name literally—it's a map of bits—and it tends to yield less elegant designs. Bitmap displays can no longer meet the consumer's evolving expectations or the designer's evolving challenges.
As a type foundry that has been nurturing a more than century-long obsession with handsome and legible type, we wanted to give consumers and companies something better. Plus, we just couldn't stand by any longer and watch bitmaps make a mess of the craft.
The only solution to this dilemma was to remove the creative constraints imposed by the conventional bitmap approach and to move forward with scalable font technologies that enable designers to implement elegant, instantly readable, and globally supported user experiences on any device.
Sparking a solution for low-end devices
Meet the Monotype Spark solution, software that allows scalable text to be used in situations where it was previously not possible due to memory restrictions or complexity.
Here are three things we heard designers and engineers needed from type
- Anti-aliased character shapes that eliminate the dreaded jaggies
- Several font sizes that allow UI designers to establish a hierarchy of text regions
- Language support that opens global market opportunities
Spark allows in-house development teams to create luxury user interfaces that can scale across low to high-end devices, and has been created specifically to ease the designer's transition from bitmaps. It meets the consumer's emerging and increasingly sophisticated requirements for high-end interfaces on all devices, and it provides a cost-effective path for device-makers to add new capabilities and new products, helping to ensure the sustainability of product families.


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Rediffusion Y&R to handle Aristocrat's creative and digital duties
MUMBAI: Jagatjit Industries has handed the creative and digital mandate of its Aristocrat Whisky portfolio to Rediffusion Y&R's Delhi office, following a multi-agency pitch.
Rediffusion Y&R's mandate comprises of the Aristocrat Whisky brands, namely Aristocrat Premium Whisky, AC Black Whisky, AC Neat Whisky, AC S EK C Whisky, Aristocrat Whisky.
Jagatjit Delhi COO Anant Iyer shared, "Rediffusion Y&R was chosen for the creative mandate, as well as brand strategy. We found their creative most strategic and fresh in media dark industry like ours. It is an opportunity for them to infuse fresh energy in the brand portfolio and take it to newer heights."
Rediffusion Y&R CSO Navonil Chatterjee said, "We are proud to be associated with this brand which has a rich heritage and legacy. All through this pitch, our proprietary strategic tool, the BAV (Brand Asset Valuator), came in very handy in helping us get a deeper understanding of the category, consumer and brands."


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It's that time again … family book club! The kids LOVED our last selections, Where the Sidewalk Ends and Falling Up by Shel Silverstein. They giggled and laughed their way through the poems and were inspired by the illustrations! They are such classic books and a quick easy read. It did not take us very long to get through both books and so my littles kept asking to go back and reread their favorite poems or look at their favorite pictures.
Our next family book club selection is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol. I've been wanting to read this book with the kids for a long time now. Again, it is another classic story and one filled with such imagination! We already had a beautiful copy of the book in our home library, but when I saw this edition illustrated by Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co, I knew it would be perfect to read with the kids. Her illustrations are so whimsical and will surely keep my littles engaged through out the book! Seriously, total eye candy!!
Happy reading!!


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YADBS - Stage 4, first drag
so the bike shoots ahead hits the powerband and there is a
shout from the announcement system, "now thats what you call turbo". we are
all jumping up and the bike is ahead and redlined into first and its time
to shift to second and then - bang, bang bang. thats tom stamping on the
gear lever in frustration as the bike just simply refuses to shift to 2nd.
we are not yet sure what the issue is, whether it is a rider error or if it is a technical glitch that dropped on us out of nowhere. tom swears that its the latter, and that the gearbox was just not shifting. anyway we have two more practice runs and one is by krishna and the other by tom.
so soon krishna lines up for his run, and off he goes. but not for much, as the situation repeats and he finds stranded in first gear as the other bike snicks through the gears and disappears. krishna limps to the finish in 2nd gear, which he managed to find somewhere at the 200m mark, and i watch from the finish line and stare disbelievingly at the inane 72 on the speedgun dial. things are turning ugly and how.
we have one more run for the day, and as usual jaggu points us towards the unemotional side of things as he reminds us that its just practice and we have a night to fix things if something is wrong. without much hope tom prepares for the last run of the day and ron makes a pragmatic suggestion and asks tom not to push it hard while launching. the idea is to takeoff mildly, somehow get out of 1st gear, and start gunning once the bike is into 3rd or so. we dont have much choice and so thats the plan for the last run. wasnt a bad idea at all, but murphy had more in store for us.
suddenly, cant even remember how or why, a sudden bout of "weight reduction" siezes us. somebody points at the stock, and heavy, seat we are running and suggests to replace it with something lighter. i dont even remember why we even thought about such shit while we had such serious issues like gear shifting, but we did think, and worse, we went ahead and installed a thick piece of sponge like material in place of the stock seat and fastened it in place with generous lengths of duct tape. as the bike was rolled into the launch area, this was strongly objected to by the organizers and we were asked to revert to a proper seat, for safety reasons. so we bring the bike back and install the stock seat back in a hurry without even bothering with the clamps etc since it was time for the run. big mistake. so lesson 6 is as simple as - never make last minute changes and dont do things in a hurry.
so tom is in for the last run, and plan is to go mildly and see the first 2 gears through and then let it loose. the lights drop and the other bike, a chambered RD, takes off fast while tom just rolls out of the line as if he is moving from a traffic light and we can hear people laughing. but the bike mildly hits the powerband and it starts to move harder, and tom is about to slip into 2nd gear when our earlier mistake bangs us hard - the seat slips and slides away from under tom. cutting back on the throttle, tom somehow eases the seat back onto the frame, and struggles to refind his position. more time lost and the other bike is way ahead and blazing away to the finish. but this time, the bike slips into 2nd gear easily since the revvs are down, and soon tom finds 3rd gear as well and then the throttle is whacked open and the bike comes into its own for the first time that day. very soon the other bike is gobbled up somewhere past the 300 meter mark or so, and the tom goes past the finish at a good 140kmph. on a day full of disasters, something to cheer about in the end.
anyway we take the bike back, and rack our brain for a few hours checking the bike, the clutch, gearshift etc. we open the whole damn clutch, even replace the clutch plates, clean up everything. we cant open the gearbox anyway, and we dont have time too. so most of us get drunk and split for the day in rather gloomy moods.
so the next day finds us all back in jakkur airstrip and today we have the race runs. for some reason we are all back in an optimistic mood and we just have this hope that yesterdays was a freak phenomenon, which might not even show up again, ever. we remember to stock up with some beers and soon we find a place in the pits and park the bike out there. there is jaggu armed with a ciggy guarding the bike and you can see anands big bmw right next to it.
there is quite sometime for the runs to start and we have a nice time walking around the pits peeking at the various bikes out there. rajan joshuas bike is there and we are surprised to see the neat bike, its running stock carbs and local filters. thats where the small things end and the bike is fast, and easily crosses 145 at the finish.
soon we amble our way to the TVS pits and there is the shaolin, looking real deadly. awesome piece of work, the bike is simply stunning. look at those pipes, those sections, the suspension setup, those carbs, those rear sets, the seat, the tank, this is an awesome bike man.
we make our way past tvs pits and soon enter superbike territory, where
we find all sizes of monsters from 400s to busas and we move
on .


text: With the ban on BPA feeding bottles announced yesterday, I am sure many parents would be hunting for BPA free bottles for their babies/infants. I googled and found this excellent blog by Trisha, http://amomsblog.wordpress.com. She has presented a list (cheat sheet as she calls it) of BPA free bottles and sippy cups. See here.


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It's probably no shock to anyone who knows me that I like heroes. Big damn heroes, in fact. Larger than life, and I vastly prefer the true-blue, good-as-can-be type over the grim and gritty type. Don't get me wrong; I can enjoy reading Punisher comics, and Dirty Harry can be a fun thing to watch. But overall, I prefer heroes that have more in common with Superman and Captain America than I do with Frank Castle.
This goes doubly so for my playing characters in games, either video games or tabletop RPGs. I like to play games where I am given a moral choice – and I will almost always take the heroic, Lawful Good, Upper Left Blue option, because that's just how I feel most comfortable. I've tried to play games where I am the bad guy, or just a jerk; in the original Knights of the Old Republic, for example, you didn't have to play a good-guy, Light Side Jedi – you could go full on Force Lightning, maniacal laughter Sith. But when I tried doing that… it just felt wrong. I felt like I had done something bad by choosing that path, even though I know it's just a fictional game and it isn't actually me choosing to do those things. But I can't play Grand Theft Auto games for that reason – it makes me feel really uncomfortable to commit all those crimes, even on fictional people in a fictional city. Even in the Mass Effect series, where your choices are less good and evil and more good cop, bad cop, I overwhelmingly prefer to go the good cop route.
Maybe it's just something about the things I had ingrained in me while I was growing up; maybe latching on to characters like Sturm Brightblade, Druss the Legend, Captain America, Superman, and other fictional character cited as paragons of virtue permanently altered the way I see things to make me feel bad about doing bad things even to fictional people. I don't know, and I don't know that it is really possible to find out. And it isn't to say that I don't like other characters – my favorite movie is, after all, The Crow (the original with Brandon Lee, not any of the sequels), though even he has a pretty strong moral center. I'm perfectly capable of playing, say, a bounty hunter living on the edge in a Star Wars game – my main character in the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO is a bounty hunter, in fact, though he's as Light Side as I can make him. That makes sense, at least to me, because the Star Wars universe has a very strange kind of moral outlook, especially along the Jedi/Sith angle, which I have talked about before.
But generally, when given a chance in a fantasy RPG, I'll pick something pretty strongly good. My general preference is the paladin class, which is sort of a holy warrior; it's gone through a lot of variations over the years of D&D history, including a period with a strictly enforced moral code that often led to DMs intentionally luring players into situations where any choice they made was the wrong one (known as a Kobayashi Maru test for those of you Star Trek fans reading). It also tends to lead to some players choosing, by playing a character who should be a paragon of virtue, to be instead a character who follows the letter of the law, not the spirit, and generally makes the game unenjoyable for other players. I kind of hate both of those, because I see the paladin as a holy warrior, yes, with a very strong code of morals, often put in place by his or her fictional deity. But I also see the paladin as someone who is not there to force others to adhere to his code of conduct; he is not a recruiter, but someone who chose, or was chosen, for his path. He should be an example of the best his deities followers can be, even if this might get him in trouble – though hopefully not too often with the other members of the party.
See, I know I have a strong sense of what I consider good and evil. And on some points, there are objective cases where those are inflexible, barring edge cases brought up for purposes of Devil's advocacy – murder, rape, slavery, those are things I feel pretty safe in labeling as evil across the board. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, helping the less fortunate, loving those around you, protecting those weaker than you, are all examples of things I feel relatively safe in calling good. But in between there is a big spectrum, and things have to be evaluated objectively a lot of the time. Thievery is bad, yes, but if I steal to feed my family when I have no other options but to starve – am I doing evil? I think a lot of what we see in morality is evaluating things and actions through our own moral compasses. What is good for me is not always good for you. While I feel uncomfortable doing bad things in video games, I have no problem watching other people play the same games and do bad things. While I want to have a society that is more on the side of good, I also realize that morality isn't always a black and white, binary idea.
So my favorite heroes are the ones who won't turn towards doing the morally grey or the generally evil when things get tough. Arguments about the needs of the many overriding the needs of the few always make me uncomfortable – in a recent video game, I had a companion in my group who ran a small mercenary company, all of whom I'd met before and thought were decent people. There was one mission where my companion – who was an emissary from a powerful civilization who would be a great help to me in my fight against evil – had to make a choice: aid his civilization and let his friends die, or aid his friends and alienate his people. He turned to me for help making the choice, and, feeling that at the time I needed his people's help, I told him to let his friends die. And that really bothered me afterwards. Was the help I got from his civilization worth the price he and I both paid in allowing people we cared about to die? Would Captain America, or Superman, or Sturm – or Michael from the Dresden Files, or Paksenarrion from The Deed of Paksenarrion have made the same decision?
I don't know, because none of them are real. But I do know that those are the people I will most often look to for direction on morality and heroism, because they are the ones whose strong sense of morality – and generally being good people – I value. I'm a Christian, yes, and I also value the ideals of Jesus and what he tried to do and teach in his lifetime. And I think that, in some ways, they are all following the same path morally. I can't imagine Jesus looking at any of those characters – especially Michael, since he is Christian himself – and thinking they are bad examples to follow. So while Frank castle can be fun to watch, he's never going to be someone I look to for guidance in any form. Well, unless I'm looking for a good machine gun.


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As part of the "Thai Intro" tour I did when in Thailand, we visited Koh Sok National Park in the province of Surat Thani. We slept in the floating bungalow accommodation for one night and it was one of the most memorable places I've ever stayed.
We first started our journey by taking an overnight sleeper train from Bangkok, which was definitely an experience in itself! It was super hot and there were bugs everywhere but it was unforgettable for sure. Especially when I got up at 2am to use the toilet (a hole in the floor) and got covered in an unknown wet substance leaking from the roof when the train slammed on its breaks. Whilst I was mid-flow. Good times.
After we got off the train we took our suitcases to our tour leader's friend's house so we could leave them there overnight. We took a long-tail boat from Surat Thani to the floating bungalows and had such a fabulous view of the limestone mountains along the way. When we arrived at the bungalows, were warned not to leave our doors unlocked as monkeys were known to break in! I had a quick nap (classic me) before jumping in the beautiful blue water to relax. We spent the afternoon swimming and trying to squeeze 4 people into a kayak made for 2. I eventually had to take one for the team and swim behind the kayak after we capsized 3 times.
Later on, we had a buffet-style dinner prepared by the staff there before we sat down to have some drinks and play card games. Near the end of the night we found ourselves laying on the wooden path outside our bungalows, just gazing at the stars. It was so beautiful because there was zero light pollution and it's one of those special moments that I'll remember forever.
In the morning we jumped into the water to wake ourselves up then had THE MOST delicious breakfast I've ever had in my life- a giant "Thai pancake", and super fresh pineapple and watermelon. Sometimes I want to go back just to eat that food again. I would've loved to stay a bit longer and would really recommend staying for at least two nights as there is so much more to do and see! Check out Koh Sok's website for more info.


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Joey and Cyndi Proctor of Bristol, and Alan and Kim Peacock of Altha, are pleased to announce the engagement and forthcoming wedding of their children, Joanna Lee Proctor and Trey Alan Peacock.
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JAMES CUNNING is favorably known throughout The Bronx and its environs by reason of his long and efficient public
service to the borough and county and of his former connection with the old firm of James Cunnion & Son, who
were engaged in the roofing contracting business in the Metropolitan area many years.
Born in New York City, July 20, 1868, James Cunnion is a son of James and Julia (Byrne) Cannion, both now deceased,
the mother born in Ireland in 1844. The father, born in New York City in 1827, engaged in the business of roofing
contractor, and in 1857 established the firm of James Cunnion & Son, which, at the time of the founder's death,
was the oldest roofing contracting firm in Greater New York and its immediate vicinity. Until the elder Cunnion's
death the firm was extensively engaged in business throughout The Bronx, and had been in continuous operation for
nearly seventy years.
The son, James Cunnion, was graduated from De La Salle Institute, New York City, in the class of 1881, finishing
at the Bureau of Commerce, Manhattan College, New York City, in the class of 1885. His alma mater later conferred
upon him the degree of Master of Arts. At the conclusion of his college career, he associated himself with his
father in the roofing business, with which he was actively identified until the latter's death in 1908, having
done much to build the business up to the high status it enjoyed for many years. In business matters Mr. Cunnion
gave ample proof of his ability and progressive ideas.
A staunch Democrat in his politics, Mr. Cunnion has served his party with loyalty and an efficiency that speak
for themselves. From 1909 to 1917 he was chief inspector and acting superintendent of the Tenement House Department
of the Borough of The Bronx, and afterward occupied the position of United States deputy marshal. In 1918 he was
appointed to his present post, as equity law clerk and chief clerk, office of the County Clerk, Bronx County. He
is also a director and vice president of the Public Security Bond and Mortgage Corporation, and of The Claremont
National Bank of New York, New York City. During the World War, Mr. Cunnion gave much time and thought to war work,
and served, under the Knights of Columbus, as supervisor of camps of the Northeastern District. He is an organizer
and a Past Grand Knight of the Mystic Rose Council. Knights of Columbus; a Past District Deputy of the Sixteenth
New York District, Knights of Columbus; a member of Fourth Degree, Knights of Columbus, and a former member of
its degree corps; and a member of the Holy Name Society. He was chairman of the Eighth Assembly District (Democratic)
Club, of The Bronx, and was captain of the district more than twenty five years. He is a communicant of the Roman
Catholic Church of St. Philip Neri, of The Bronx, and a liberal supporter of its activities. He also maintains
a keen and generous interest in local civic and charitable enterprises.
James Cunnion married, June 8, 1898, in the Church of the Holy Rosary, New York City, Delight Cecelia Warner, of
Springfield, Massachusetts, daughter of Henry and Sarah (Kane) Warner, her father a native of Bernardston, Vermont,
and her mother of Springfield. To Mr. and Mrs. Cunnion have been born eight children: 1. Julia. in 1900. 2. James,
in 1902. 3. Robert, in 1906. 4. Regina, in 1908. 5. John, in 1910. 6. Genevieve, in 1912. 7. Theodore, in 1914.
8. Eleanor, in 1916. Mr. Cunnion has his business headquarters in the County Clerk's office, One Hundred and Sixty
first Street and Third Avenue, The Bronx, and his residence at No. 2850 Valentine Avenue, in that borough.
The Bronx and its people
A History 1609-1927
Board of Editors: James L. Wells,
Louis F. Haffen
Josiah A. Briggs.
Historian: Benedict Fitspatrick
Publisher: The Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc.
New York 1927
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Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Quince crumble tart
Haven't had a lot of time this month for blogging , was visiting my family in Germany. But I did get some great fruits from the garden there apples, quince, ... So here's what I got when using the quince fruits. A lovely quince crumble tart , it was my first experience with these intriguing fruits by the way :-) Tastes grrrreat, for the recipie check bbcgoodfood out.
Well what to look forward to soon x mas cards,... want these up and selling asap ! But it won't be for this weekend because I'm off to London. See you soon...
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Happy Monday Morning! How can it be that I am absolutely bushed and feel like I need a whole weekend to recover?
Well, I kind of have an idea…
Anyway, I am sitting on my couch, procrastinating like the master slacker I am and tell myself that I can cram the workload of six hours in three. Sadly that thinking has worked out well for me in the past. If nothing else it has brought me a doctoral degree. I guess that was not the best lesson to be learned for future productivity.
But for the next few minutes let's just ignore all tasks and must-dos on my list and have a cup of coffee and catch-up. I am also linking up with my fav American lady!
So last week was a mixed bag of everything.
I was incredibly busy with managing life and prepping for our 4-day office renovations. I bought paint and all other items we needed and also cleaned out the whole room.
Stefan did the painting by himself because apparently "I am doing it all wrong". So I busied myself with other tasks. There were plenty.
In order to reward us for all the work, we decided to treat ourselves to a little cocktail extravaganza. So I made Frosé. It was nice but we both prefer the chilled yet unfrozen version.
I made the executive decision to order pizza. Twice.
On one of those occasions, we were with my in-laws. Just quickly stopping by sometimes turns into a 5-hour visit.
I also visited my mum a few times. In the course of this, I introduced her to cold brew. She's a fan!
I vacuumed and scrubbed the floors, put everything back in the newly painted office, went to the supermarket a couple of times, cooked dinner, made granola for Stefan, edited about 150 pictures from my uncle-in-laws birthday party and cleaned and vacuumed the car, yet I feel like I got nothing done last week. I hate how my brain works sometimes.
However busy and hectic the week was, Mother's day morning was a relaxed and wonderful event. I picked my mum up and we had breakfast on a restaurant's lovely rooftop terrace in our hometown. My sister's boyfriend's family was also there and it was just a really lovely morning. And the food was great as well.
Okay, enough jibber-jabber for today. I really need to get things done now. And then later today we're going out to celebrate my best friend's birthday! I still need to get him a present. Ooooops!


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Launched initially in July, the spherical camera features eight sensors and microphones and it is designed for making 3D movies and games that can be watched and played with virtual reality headsets.
Once the world's largest mobile phone maker, Nokia is now focused on making telecom network equipment. It is also planning to come back to the phone business by designing and licensing handsets next year.