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Soo… are you guys sick of seeing my WIP macaron dress yet?! heh
This post constitutes all of the work I put in on the dress as of 8pm Sunday evening. And I have to admit, I was 100% sick of working on this dress at this point! I spend my entire weekend working on my dress and didn't take enough breaks that I was completely burnt out and didn't want to look at it anymore.
What did I do: I watched one of my favorite movies How to Train Your Dragon while knitting my green bobble sweater. Felix calls me crazy since my "relaxing" time always involves some kind of work too. Either way I was happy as a clam knitting while watching my movie. I almost felt refreshed to work on my dress again. Almost, but not quite since I had to go to bed when the movie was done since I had work in the morning.
If you're not quite as tired as I was on this Macaron dress feel free to read the rest of this post. There's a sneak peek at the end which may influence your decision to stick around. :)
I left off on the last post where I had fell-stitched the top of the lining onto the yoke. The next natural step was to stitch the bottom section of the lining onto the skirt, covering the seam allowances in the process.
In preparation of stitching down the lining and covering up the rest of the seam allowances, I had to get rid of all the stray strings and fuzz on the underside of the bodice. I didn't want to add any bulk from serging so I simply & carefully pinked most of the seam allowances.
I went around the bottom part of the bodice pinning-stretching-and repinning the lining down. I wanted to ensure that I had enough ease so that the lining wasn't too snug vs. the fashion fabric so it took me at least 20 minutes to do all of the pinning.
I used a slip-stitch all around the bodice bottom and I also slip-stitched the lining around the side-seam lapped zipper.
One of the little touches I wanted to add to this dress was hanger loops. You often find hanger loops on your store-bought dresses, but never once did I think to add them to my own dresses.
I bought the thinnest black ribbon I could find at my local notions store (Soutache). I bought 2 yards worth since I intended to affix the loops at the bottom of the bodice on the seam allowance for the skirt. They were going to be the long hanger loops that extended from the bottom of the bodice at the front and back.
What ended up happening was that type of hanger loop wasn't relieving the bodice of the excess weight like I had planned, which would have resulted in pointless hanger loops. So instead I added them to the underarms which worked much better. (They alleviated the weight of the dress off of the shoulders of the bodice better.)
Does this make sense?
I just tacked down the edges of the ribbon securely with small back stitches.
Next up: I attached a hook and eye to the waist at the zipper closure to alleviate stress at the waist.
I don't have any good pictures of the zipper nor the finished work but here is a shot of the mini-est hook ever seen!
Keep in mind I already have pretty small hands (same size hands as most 10-12 year old girls) so this hook is really itty bitty. What's nice is that you can kinda see my side seam zipper (100% hand sewn).
Attaching a hook and eye at the size seam overtop of the zipper ensures that the zipper doesn't gap when moving around or sitting. So you shouldn't be seeing the zipper teeth on my bodice or skirt. It's a small thing, but something I had planned on incorporating since I've spent so much time on this dress.
What else could I possibly have to show you… you may be asking. Well… don't forget about the hem. :)
At this point I tried my dress on once more with my shoes (and perhaps some lipstick for fun) and my Mr. Felix got to work at marking my hem for me.
Felix is quite the indispensable hem-helper as he sits on the floor and marks all of my hems.
I stitched some rayon seam binding onto the hem of my skirt (via machine) and also basted some organza onto the center back seam allowance in preparation of my godet.
While I didn't finish sewing the hem on Sunday I had everything prepped so that I could stitch it by hand on Monday (which I did.)
After prepping the hem, I worked on my godet.
The steps of the godet are very similar to that of my peplum. I basted all around the godet and then stitched the bottom of the scallops by machine using a small zig-sag stitch.
I trimmed the scallop edge and serged the two long seams to ensure there wouldn't be any fraying.
Right side of the Godet:
Again I was toying around with the idea of having a solid black lace godet but I thought it would bring the bodice and the skirt more in harmony having the cranberry underlay at the hem as well.
If you've stuck around this long you deserve at least a sneak peek of me in my dress! :)
I had Felix take a few quick shots of me in the dress on Sunday afternoon after he marked the hem.
As you can see I'm sporting the dress with a self-made black silk belt I had in my closet. I wanted an alternative to the peplum (since it's removable) and this belt worked quite nicely with the dress.
A few things have happened since Sunday night (when I took these photos) and now (Tuesday night when I'm writing this post).
I finished hand stitching the hem, hemmed the skirt lining, and covered up all of my seam allowances on the skirt. I attached the godet to the skirt and also covered those seams up. Then I set about at making some dress shields (which were a bust) so I won't be sewing them into the dress as a result. (But I'll show you guys them anyhow…)
After all this what is left?! I have to restitch one of my shoulder strap holders since I stitched in one of the snaps on backwards. *doh* I have to finish the closure on my removable peplum. And that's it!!!
It's kinda crazy that after so much time has passed & with all of the work I've done in the past 2 weeks, that it's nearing completion. I think I'm going to have to take a mini break from sewing once I'm done with this dress since every weekend has felt like a marathon sewing session.
So I think I'll only have 1 more dress-construction post after this and then you'll see the real deal early next week. (Assuming all goes well and I can take some pics over the weekend).
Thank you all for hanging in there and humoring me with all of these construction images. Cheers!
In: Sewing


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Product Features
- Energy efficient heating only system based on air to water heat pump technology
- Outdoor unit extracts heat from the outdoor air, even at -20°C
- Three phase floor standing indoor unit up to 16kW
- High temperature application: up to 80°C without electric heater
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Guaranteed operation down to -20°C
Daikin Altherma is suitable for all climates, even withstanding severe winter conditions with an operation range down to -20°C
Inverter compressors continuously adjust compressor speed to actual demand. Fewer power-consuming starts and stops result in decreased energy consumption (up to 30%) and more stable temperatures.
Download language
Download language

subset: commoncrawl


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Syria Conflict Kills Over 5,000 Children: 'Pray For Syria,' Says Girl Survivor
The lives of more than 5,000 children may have been lost to the civil war in Syria, according to recent reports, and now Open Doors USA has brought to international attention the testimonies of two young girls living in fear in the country where violence and killings have become almost a part of daily life for the nation's most innocent victims.
"It's scary. We hear a lot of bad stories about what is happening around us. On the streets there are soldiers everywhere. We see smoke from fighting and hear bombings all the time," said 13-year-old Youmna, a Christian girl who lives in Damascus, Syria with her sister, 10-year-old Nashita, according to Open Doors USA.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that around 100,000 people have been killed in the civil war between government forces and rebels, and among those numbers are 5,000 children under the age of 16.
"One day I was going to school by bus when we heard a shooting nearby," said Youmna. "So we all dived down, hiding under our seats, waiting until the shooting was over. Another day when we were at school there was an airplane very close by, threatening to bomb our school. We all had to go into the basement and stay away from the glass."
"My classmates and I were all very scared. Kids around me were crying and shouting at the teachers because they were so afraid. Some called their fathers crying to them that they wanted to go home," Nashita added.
The United Nations office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict can verify the reports of children being killed. To make matters worse, the children are sometimes being used as props of the war, and often 10-year-old boys are being used as combatants or porters.
"Syrian children are killed or injured in indiscriminate bombings, shot by snipers, used as human shields or victims of terror attacks," the organization said.
U.N. reports indicate that 1.3 million Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring countries and 4.2 million persons are displaced within Syria, with over half being children.
The two sisters are asking believers all across the globe to pray for their country and the victims of war.
"Please pray for the kids in Syria....that God will stop the bad things that are happening. Pray for the kids that have no food and the kids that lost their houses because of the war. Pray that God will free Syria from this evil and that all the people can come back. And also pray for my friend Lunah, so we can play together again," said Nashita.
"Please heed the requests of Youmna and Nashita to pray for Syria, especially for the innocent victims such as the young children," said Open Doors USA spokesman Jerry Dykstra. "Not only do the children face the daily violence of civil war, but they are also the targets of persecution, including kidnapping, because they are Christians."
Syria is No. 11 on the Open Doors 2013 World Watch List of the worst persecutors of Christians.
Note: The names of the sisters were changed for their protection.


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New QuickStats Poll Now Available on ARRL Website
Four new poll questions have just been published on the QuickStats page on the ARRL website. Let your voice be heard!
Questions in this month's QuickStats poll:
- Where is your primary HF vertical antenna installed?
- What is your favorite voice mode?
- How long has it been since you've used Ohm's Law to help design a circuit or solve a problem?
- Does your home antenna system include any type of lightning protection?
Visit the QuickStats page and be sure to bookmark it in your browser. Results from this QuickStats poll will be published in the June 2013 issue of QST on the QuickStats page, located in the rear advertising section of the magazine. Along with monthly poll results, QST QuickStats offers colorful charts and graphs that highlight interesting Amateur Radio statistics.


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The Department of Classical Studies is concerned with every aspect of the worlds of the ancient Greeks and Romans – their languages and literatures, art and material cultures, philosophy, history, daily life, law and justice, political theory, and religion. The works and thoughts of the Greeks and Romans provide focus and historical perspective to questions which are heatedly debated in our time, making this field of study exciting and intellectually engaging. An ideal liberal arts education, Classical Studies is an excellent way to develop analytical abilities, to learn to make careful arguments and express them lucidly as well as come to a solid understanding of some of the greatest monuments of human thought and art.
The LSA language requirement for the A.B./B.S. degree may be satisfied with the successful completion of: MODGREEK 202, both GREEK 301 and 302 (or equivalent); GREEK 307 and 308; GREEK 300 and any upper-level course; LATIN 232 or 295, or any course at the 300- or 400-level which has one of these courses as a prerequisite, or by satisfactory performance on a placement test. The Latin placement test is offered once at the beginning of each term, periodically during each term by arrangement, and throughout the Summer Orientation period. Students are placed into the department's language sequences according to their demonstrated proficiency.
The department offers intensive language courses in Latin and Greek which compress the normal two-year sequence required for elementary language proficiency. Intensive courses are available for Latin and Greek, and are offered during Fall and Winter Terms, and during the Spring or Summer Half-Term. For information about intensive Latin and Greek, please contact the department.
The department requires that a student earn a grade of at least C– in all language courses which are prerequisite for subsequent elections. A student should repeat any language course in which a D+ or lower grade is earned and which serves as a prerequisite to other courses which are to be elected. A grade of D+ signifies some achievement but denotes too weak a foundation for subsequent courses.
The department offers a number of Classical Archaeology and Classical Civilization courses which require no knowledge of Greek or Latin. Through lectures and reading in translation, these courses offer students an opportunity to acquire a general knowledge of Greek and Roman archaeology, literature, mythology, religion, sport and daily life, sexuality, law, philosophy, and institutions.


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My Anritsu
United Kingdom
easyTest has a few simple tools that allow experienced users to easily share their expertise with novice users. This simplicity allows experienced users to concentrate on their message and not the mechanics of creating a procedure.
All of the setups, procedures, and images used in an easyTest procedure are placed in one file, an ETT file, making distribution of the easyTest procedure simple. Modified firmware in the instrument recognizes this file type and works with it. Easy distribution by electronic means allows procedures to be easily kept current.
Simply pressing an icon on the instrument menu allows novice users to start the procedure. Once started, setups recall automatically, putting the instrument into the proper mode for the measurement. Images display hook-up instructions, prompts let end-users know if they need to press any buttons, and "saves" automatically save test results. All of this makes getting test results with Anritsu cable and antenna analyzers quick, reliable, and simple.
Also included with easyTest Tools are a set of sample procedures, allowing users to build their procedures by modifying our samples.
easyTest Tools procedures are powerful and flexible, while retaining a very simple interface for procedure writers.
easyTest Tools allows users to Create work instruction files on their PC, Deliver these files by e-mail, and then Display work instructions on supported instruments and modes. These easyTest™ files provide step-by-step instructions for both the test setup and instrument operation.
easyTest works with the S331L, S331E, S332E, S361E, S362E, S820E, MT8212E, and MT8213E when operating in Cable and Antenna Analyzer mode.
1. eTT file formats compatible with some older firmware versions. It is recommended that you update your instrument's firmware. Firmware can be found here on the Anritsu website.
PC Requirements
Anritsu's software tools runs on computers using Windows
operating systems, specifically:
In addition, the PC must have at least:
easyTest Tools Tutorial


text: The exhibit, ART MATTERS, provides a glimpse of the range of artists supported by Art Matters over the past five years. With two Texan board members, Laurence Miller, the Director of ArtPace; and Kathy Vargas, artist and Visual Arts Director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center; support of Texas artists has been notable. The exhibition focuses on artists from San Antonio and Austin, including Austinites Bale Creek Allen, Tré Arenz, Michael Ray Charles, John Christensen, Thana Lauhakaikul, David Swim, and Susan Whyne. San Antonio artists include Jesse Amado, James Cobb, Marilyn Lanfear, Michael Marínez, Elizabeth McGrath, Norma Jean Moore, Diana Rodriguez-Gil, Riley Robinson, and Hills Snyder.


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By specially training dogs to lie motionless in an fMRI scanner, neuroscientists have finally taken a look inside the mind of our favorite companion animal. And to no dog lover's surprise, they exhibit a level of awareness that will force us to reconsider the ways in which they're treated.
There's a provocative and fascinating opinion article in the New York Times by neuroeconomics professor Gregory Burns where he describes his latest work studying dogs. After training and scanning the brains of dozens of them, he says he's left with the inescapable conclusion that "dogs are people, too."
Unlike behavioral analyses, Burns's work is providing actual neurological evidence that dogs, like so many other animals, experience consciousness and emotions at a level comparable to humans. He did so after training dogs (with the help of Mark Spivak) for months to be comfortable inside fMRI scanners — and having them wear earmuffs to protect their sensitive hearing from the 95 decibels of noise the scanner makes.
After analyzing the scans, he was struck by the similarity between dogs and humans in both the structure and function of a key brain region called the caudate nucleus. Burns explains:
Rich in dopamine receptors, the caudate sits between the brainstem and the cortex. In humans, the caudate plays a key role in the anticipation of things we enjoy, like food, love and money. But can we flip this association around and infer what a person is thinking just by measuring caudate activity? Because of the overwhelming complexity of how different parts of the brain are connected to one another, it is not usually possible to pin a single cognitive function or emotion to a single brain region.
But the caudate may be an exception. Specific parts of the caudate stand out for their consistent activation to many things that humans enjoy. Caudate activation is so consistent that under the right circumstances, it can predict our preferences for food, music and even beauty.
In dogs, we found that activity in the caudate increased in response to hand signals indicating food. The caudate also activated to the smells of familiar humans. And in preliminary tests, it activated to the return of an owner who had momentarily stepped out of view. Do these findings prove that dogs love us? Not quite. But many of the same things that activate the human caudate, which are associated with positive emotions, also activate the dog caudate. Neuroscientists call this a functional homology, and it may be an indication of canine emotions.
The ability to experience positive emotions, like love and attachment, would mean that dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child. And this ability suggests a rethinking of how we treat dogs.
Indeed, we should work to minimize their suffering, he argues, while also proposing a sort of limited personhood for those animals who exhibit neurobiological evidence of positive emotions. "We can no longer hide from the evidence," he says. By granting them this personhood status, it would work to prevent puppy mills, laboratory dogs, and dog racing.
Be sure to read Burns's entire article as there's lots more.


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The Situation: With the Cardinals offense sputtering just slightly of late, St. Louis is calling up second baseman Kolten Wong, who ranked no. 34 on Baseball Prospectus' mid-season top 50 prospects list, to jolt the offense. Although the Cards already have an All-Star second baseman in Matt Carpenter, it's unlikely the 22-year-old Wong is being brought up to ride the pine. Expect to see some lineup and positional shifting. Regular third baseman David Freese is having an underwhelming season––he's hitting just .269/.348/.386––and Carpenter is experienced at the hot corner. St. Louis could begin placing Wong at second base and Carpenter at third with Freese coming off the bench. That's a likely scenario against right-handed pitching especially, as Wong and Carpenter are both lefty bats while Freese is a righty.
Background: St. Louis selected Wong with its first-round pick (no. 22 overall) in the 2011 draft. A Hilo, Hawaii native and University of Hawaii product, Wong was a first-round pick despite his second-base profile and 5-foot-9 frame, which speaks volumes about his natural ability to hit and impressive overall skill set. Coming out of UH, Wong was regarded as an advanced bat who would hit his way through the minors quickly, and that's exactly what he has done.
The lefty-swinging Wong debuted following the 2011 draft with Low-A Quad Cities, where he posted an impressive .335/.401/.510 slash line in 47 games. After spending his first full season at Double-A Springfield, Wong has played the 2013 campaign with Triple-A Memphis. Through 107 games this year, Wong had a .303/.369/.466 slash line that included 21 doubles, eight triples, and 10 home runs. He drew 41 walks, whiffed 60 times, and stole 20 bases in 21 attempts.
Scouting Report: Although Wong's impressive Triple-A performance this season hasn't changed his overall projection, it's becoming increasingly evident that he'll likely reach that potential. When Wong ranked sixth on Baseball Prospectus' Top 10 Cardinals Prospects list entering this season, Jason Parks wrote that Wong projected as a "high-five" player, or a solid-average major-league regular. I wrote the same when Wong was recently profiled with a full scouting report in BP's Eyewitness Accounts series.
Given his polished all-around skill set, Wong may not be far from realizing that potential right now. He'll likely provide some immediate value in St. Louis, at least the very least, giving competitive at-bats and flashing good leather. The diminutive prospect shows a future plus hit tool and plus glove at the keystone. While his speed is just average––he'll consistently show 4.2-4.25 times to first base––his instincts and base-running skills enable it to play up.
While Wong's overall power is a tick below average, he isn't a punch-and-judy hitter; he has some sock for a little guy. The Hawaiian doesn't often expand the zone––he'll take a walk––but is an aggressive hitter who isn't afraid to attack pitches within the zone early in the count. He'll use all fields, showing some gap-to-gap pop all over with some pull-side home run power. At full maturity, Wong could becoming a .280-plus hitter with some doubles, some triples, low double-digit home runs, 15-25 steals, and a good glove. That's a fine all-around player.
If there's one area to watch with Wong, it's his leg kick at the plate (shown in the video below), which tripped him up at times in 2012. When I interviewed Wong earlier this season (a feature that's coming next week at Baseball Prospectus), he stressed the importance of getting his leg down on time to stay balanced and within his rhythm. It hasn't been much of an issue this season, however. One Pacific Coast League coach recently told me, "He's an impressive hitter. We saw the leg kick and tried to exploit it by disrupting the timing. We had our pitchers going into slide steps or using full leg kicks. But he quickly made the adjustment every single time." —Jason Cole
Video: https://vimeo.com/69439454
Fantasy Impact: Sometimes the amount of talent the Cardinals have in the upper minors just seems unfair. If Wong had been in many other organizations, he would likely have gotten the call around June and had nearly 150-200 at-bats under his belt by now. Instead, he had to wait his turn behind a potential MVP candidate in Matt Carpenter and World Series hero David Freese. However, with said hero not quite performing up to expectations (and Carpenter a better fit at third base), Wong has gotten the call and figures to see a majority of the playing time at the keystone.
What fantasy owners need to know about Wong is that his value is likely going to be very dependent on league size and format. He's unlikely to turn into any sort of fantasy superstar, and shallow leaguers may not need to get terribly excited at his upside. The real value long-term is going to come in deeper mixed leagues and points leagues. Think of Daniel Murphy's 2013 season as something that Wong could realistically accomplish in the near future, with a .280 average, 8-10 homers and 15 steals. And in points leagues, he can be a great option due to his high-contact approach, which actually includes taking a walk now and again, unlike many other players who could fit that description–as his 12.5 percent minor league strikeout rate can attest to.
In redraft leagues, Wong is worth grabbing in 14-team mixed leagues and deeper for right now (as long as there's a MI spot). However, he could be worth grabbing in more shallow leagues if he were to start playing every day. In NL-only formats, he's going to be the guy you throw a good chunk of your FAAB at if you have a hole at middle infield. I'd be willing to go up to $12-15 if you're still holding cash at this point. If he can get 100 at-bats the rest of the way, he can hit around .275 with a couple of homers and four or five steals. And if he can displace Jon Jay in the no. 2 spot in the lineup, he could score 15-20 runs even while not playing every day.
In dynasty and keeper formats, Wong is worthy of a pick up in anything but 10-team mixers or leagues where fewer than 75 players are kept. If this trial goes well, he should enter 2014 as the Cardinals second baseman, and fantasy owners love players in strong lineups. In the long run, Wong has the skill set to hit .300 at the major league level and contribute some in the remaining four standard categories. Given the dearth of fantasy stars at the keystone, Wong has the potential to be a steady performer for years to come. —Bret Sayre
Thank you for reading
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The last Chevy Impala wasn't what you'd call a good car. It wasn't really even a mediocre car. It was just a car you'd rent on a business trip and never consider buying for yourself. Chevy wants all that to change with the 2014 Impala. That means the new Impala better be pretty damn good.
(Full Disclosure: Chevy wanted me to drive the 2014 Impala so bad that they invited me to the Milk Gallery for a morning drive out of Manhattan. They gave me a delicious yogurt parfait. It was lovely, although I'm still not totally sure what a parfait "is.")
Chevy's last Impala was predominantly a fleet vehicle, which is why you typically see them driven by flabby tourists with out of state plates that look like they're really lost. Nearly 70 percent of them were sold to fleets, with just 30 percent of people deciding to buy one for their own. That says a lot.
For 2014, Chevy wants to flip that and have the vast majority of sales go to retail, not fleet customers. It also won't be going to millennials. It'll be going to the opposite of millennials. This is the car millennials will ride in while their parents take them out to dinner, because they still live at home.
They'll also be wearing a fedora, beret, or some other sort of unique hat that is "cool" and they listen to bands that probably don't actually exist yet. Oh, I'm going off on a tangent. Sorry.
Anywho, the bulbous, boring body is gone, replaced with a much more contemporary shape. From certain angles it can be thought of as rather Audi-ish, and from the rear I even thought it was Tesla-esque. I do think that the rear-overhang is a bit long, but that does help it accomodate a trunk that could probably fit another Impala inside it.
The interior is also a pretty massive step up from the plastic and cloth hell of before. The car I drove was a top-of-the-line LTZ, which means it had loads of leather everywhere, heated/cooled seats, MyLink entertainment system, nav, satellite radio, and all other sorts of doo dads and gizmos like blind spot warnings and other collision warning type things. That also comes at a price. The base Impala with the 2.5 liter I4 starts at $27,535, but the top-of-the-line LTZ was $39,510. Thankfully, it also felt like a $40,000 car. In fact, it's a better place to spend time than any Buick sold here today, which once again makes me question the point of Buick in America.
It's a comfortable place to be as a driver and I could imagine myself relaxed on a longer road trip. Our backseat passenger, a GM PR man, couldn't stop complimenting those seats. He might have been biased.
And it's also quiet. There is just the slightest hint of wind noise to let you know that "hey, you're in a vehicle which is currently moving through the air at a decent rate of speed."
I did find MyLink a bit confusing; I couldn't switch to XM from FM, and I'm not an idiot. The interface, with a large screen to control most functions, reminded me a lot of CUE in a Cadillac, which is both good and bad.
So what is it like to drive? Don't expect it to be evocative or a handling machine. It is not a Porsche 911. But it isn't an unfeeling land boat for insanely old men that love landau tops. Steering is light, but not overboosted, which I liked.
What was impressive was the ride quality. Our drive out of Manhattan saw a lot of rough roads and suspension joints on bridges, stuff that typically upsets the ride of a car. In the Impala, you could hear the joints and vaguely feel them, but it wasn't disturbing. The great ride coupled with the low noise/vibration/harshness makes it easy to drive faster than you intended to.
That just goes to show how comfortable the new Impala is, and how solid it is at high speed.
This car is gloriously comfortable. It also isn't slow... or fast. It's perfectly adequate. The 305 horsepower DI V6 under the hood of the LTZ was fine, as was the six-speed transmission. It did have a manual mode on the gearbox, but I'm not sure why. Nobody who drives an Impala wants to shift their own gears. It's totally unneeded.
There is one thing the Impala lacks, and that's character. To me, it didn't feel like I was in something special. The Impala is transportation for people that want to get from point to point without being bothered. The difference is that this new Impala is a car people will actually want to buy and spend time in, not something they rent, hate for four days, and then never see again.
And that means that the Avalon, Taurus, and Maxima finally have a credible competitor from Chevrolet. That's worth celebrating in itself.


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Screen Description
The Solver Log screen can help an advanced user find what has been happening with the solver. The warnings and/or errors in the log are also displayed in the Timetables screen and in the Solver screen.
Hint: See Solver Warnings to see a detailed list of warnings and errors that may be produced by the solver. If you see a FATAL message, keep the solver in the memory and use Contact Us (located in Help menu) page to report a problem.
The amount of information displayed depends on the Debug Level chosen from the drop-down list:


text: Born in Emmetsburg, Iowa in 1945, Randy Sprout began his art career in 1964 at the University of Iowa, printmaking and studying with Mauricio Lasansky and Dr. John Schultz. He graduated with a ba in fine arts from the University of Iowa in 1968 Army service in Korea interrupted his art for two years, after which he studied with Robert Heinecken, Jan Stussy, Ray Brown, Sam Amato, Richard Diebenkorn and Stanton MacDonald-Wright, in the ucla Graduate School of Fine Arts. He was awarded an ma in 1972 and an mfa at ucla in 1973. He had many shows during that time, including a One Man show at the Santa Barbara Art Museum. He also worked for Los Angeles County Museum of Art, with Ben Johnson, and got to restore many priceless prints for the Norton Simon Museum. Working closely with Jan Stussy and Stanton McDonald-Wright, he began painting and his drawings began to get larger and better. In 1973, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to restore some Goya steel-faced etchings at the Prado, in Lisbon. Then Ruth Weisberg of the usc Department of Art reached out to him, and he worked there as an Associate Instructor in printmaking for 2 years. After that, he taught painting and printmaking for 4 years at the ucla Art Extension then taught painting, printmaking and drawing at Pierce College. He coauthored the book "Innovative Printmaking" 1977 Crown Publishers, New York. In 2004 he gave a sold out lecture to Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angles with a re-creation of Synchrome Kineidoscope performance a machine he helped work on with Stanton MacDonald-Wright in early 1970. He recently won the Best Artist Over 65 Award from PleinAir Magazine for December/January 2017. He is a member of California Art Club, Southern California Plein Air Painters Association, Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, and on the Board of Directors for the California Art League. His work can be found in the following Collections: Archives Ohlone College, Fremont, California Grunwald Graphic Art Center, U. C. L. A. Photographic Collection, School of Fine Art, Ohio State University, Photographic Collection, Oakland Museum of Fine Art, California, 44 U. S. Embassies around the world, Photographic Collection, U. C. L a Fall River Art Association, Mass. Photographic Collection, School of Fine Art, University of lowa. Print Collection of Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Flint Institute of Arts He still lives in the foothills of Los Feliz with his wife of 46 Years, the former Dawn Eberle and has 3 children, Barrett 34 Laurel 37, and Robert 40. He now divides his time between painting, real estate management, and teaching water color painting for Odyssey Art at Sea onboard Crystal Cruise lines.


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OAKLAND, Calif. — This is not another defense of David Ortiz, just an understanding of his viewpoint.
He was wrong to go after scorekeeper Bob Ellis Wednesday. MLB vice president of baseball operations Joe Torre was right to issue a statement denouncing Ortiz's public displeasure over the call in which his hard grounder to Twins first baseman Joe Mauer was ruled an error.
Ortiz should have kept it to himself and just had the call overturned by an appeal.
Ortiz would only issue a "no comment" when asked about the Torre statement. He did speak to the players' union about the matter Friday and he will appeal the scorer's decision. In most cases Torre has reversed the scorer's decision in the player's favor. Mauer and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire also thought the ball was a hit.
Mauer had to dive to knock the ball down. It wasn't an easy play.
Official scorers have been under scrutiny for a long time. Major League Baseball employs three of them at Fenway — Ellis, former Lowell Sun baseball writer Charles Scoggins, and former Boston Herald baseball writer Mike Shalin.
These guys know baseball and they know the rules. They've seen thousands of games. They've seen thousands of plays so their judgment in distinguishing a good play from a routine play from a bad play is something that should be trusted.
Ortiz sees it differently.
Part of his discussion with the Players' Association on Friday was that poor scoring decisions have been made by ex-sportswriters. Ortiz agrees with the stance that an ex-player or someone who has played the game at a professional level should make the calls.
His point is that if you've never played the game at this level, you don't have an understanding of how hard and how easy a play should be for the fielder.
Ortiz basically says what he claims most baseball players believe, but he's just willing to say it out loud.
Given his stature in the game, his accomplishments, the great things he does in the community, the image he projects for the growing population of Latin players in Major League Baseball, he was a bit taken aback by Torre being so bold as to issue a statement against him.
And this is my point.
Ortiz gets too hot about things like this. He doesn't feel he needs to keep things inside, but rather express them openly and honestly, no matter what the situation.
And he won't back down on this one, either.
He made his statements on a day when he tied the game in the 10th inning with a home run. He's great enough that he can do something like that. He's great enough to be a World Series MVP and be one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time.
If we give him slack, it's because of what he's done and what he continues to do on the field. If he gets hot under the collar, well, that's "Papi being Papi." And there are those who have earned the right to do what he does.
If he wants to stare as his home run travels over the fence, so be it. Only David Price has complained about that.
When he was upset about his contract, he made that public.
He's never quit on his team, like his buddy Manny Ramirez. He's been a loyal, good soldier for the Red Sox organization and community.
To see him issue a "no comment" about Torre's statement was completely counter to who he is. And I'll bet my bottom dollar that he opens up about it again at some point.
To see charges that he wasn't a team player because he argued a personal call was just plain nonsense. If it wasn't for his home run, the Red Sox would have lost the game. He helped his team with that home run, which was followed by Mike Napoli's homer to win the game.
People used to call Wade Boggs selfish because he didn't hit home runs. He too was often occupied with scoring decisions, but he compiled the greatest Fenway Park average of all time (.369). He was an OBP machine throughout his career. If he was preoccupied with his numbers, so what? He helped the team.
Boggs would have been revered in today's game for his incredible ability to get on base and help his team score runs.
It seems we want our superstars in Boston to be quiet. We want them to be more Tom Brady than David Ortiz. But you know what? They are different people from different backgrounds. And they're also from different sports with different unwritten rules about how to act.
Yes, if Jackie Bradley Jr. or Xander Bogaerts had paraded around and acted like Ortiz did the other day, they would have been lit up and embarrassed.
But not Big Papi.
Has he not built up a reservoir of goodwill based on his performance, his numbers, his three championships? Why is there such negativity against one of the greatest performers in Boston sports history?
He's emotional. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He doesn't always say the right thing. He swears. He struts.
And in 2014, he's still the most feared hitter in the Red Sox lineup and one of the top three or four most-feared hitters in baseball.
Fact is, on that day the Red Sox won a game because of Ortiz's 16th home run and 43d RBI. Looks like he's headed for another 30/100 season.
But you can't stand it because he shows his emotion?
"Sick of his act!" e-mailed one reader. "Can't wait until he's gone."
There is one reader who writes constantly that Ortiz is a selfish player because he refuses to play first base. Hello?
Another reader calls him "Big Fraud." Why, because he says what's on his mind and in his heart?
"I hope he retires after this year," wrote another reader. "It's time to move on."
Be careful what you wish for.
Nick Cafardo can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo.


text:
History of the text.:
A history of the text of the Old Testament should properly commence from the date of the completion of the canon. As regards the form in which the sacred writings were little doubt that the text was ordinarily were preserved, there can be written on skins, rolled up into volumes, like the modern synagogue rolls. (Psalms 40:7; Jeremiah 36:14; Ezekiel 2:9; Zechariah 5:1) The original character in which the text was expressed is that still preserved to us, with the exception of four letters, on the Maccabaean coins, and having a strong affinity to the Samaritan character. At what date this was exchanged for the present Aramaic or square character is still as undetermined as it is at what the use of the Aramaic language Palestine superseded that of the Hebrew. The old Jewish tradition, repeated by Origen and Jerome, ascribed the change to Ezra. [Writing] of any logical division, in the written text, of the rose of the Old Testament into Pesukim or verses, we find in the Tulmud no mention; and even in the existing synagogue rolls such division is generally ignored. In the poetical books, the Pesukim mentioned in the Talmud correspond to the poetical lines, not to our modern verses. of the documents which directly bear upon the history of the Hebrew text, the earliest two are the Samaritan copy of the Pentateuch and the Greek translation of the LXX. [Septuagint] In the (translations of Aquila and the other Greek interpreters, the fragments of whose works remain to us in the Hexapla, we have evidence of the existence of a text differing but little from our own; so also (in the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan. A few centuries later we have, in the Hexapla, additional evidence to the same effect in Origin's transcriptions of the Hebrew text. And yet more important are the proofs of the firm establishment of the text, and of its substantial with our own, supplied by the translation of Jerome, who was instructed by the Palestinian Jews, and mainly relied upon their authority for acquaintance not only with the text itself, but also with the traditional unwritten vocalization of brings us to the middle of the Talmudic period, and you can find more about that here on st-takla.org on other commentaries and dictionary entries. The care of the Talmudic doctors for the text is shown by the pains with which they counted no the number of verses in the different books and computed which were the middle verses, words and letters in the Pentateuch and in the Psalms. The scrupulousness with which the Talmudists noted what they deemed the truer readings, and yet abstained from introducing them into the text, indicates at once both the diligence with which they scrutinized the text and also the care with which even while knowledging its occasional imperfections, they guarded it. Critical procedure is also evinced in a mention of their rejection of manuscripts which were found not to agree with others in their readings; and the rules given with refer once to the transcription and adoption of manuscripts attest the care bestowed upon them. It is evident from the notices of the Talmud that a number of oral traditions had been gradually accumulating respecting both the integrity of particular passages of the text itself and also the manner in which if was to be read. This vast heterogeneous mass of traditions and criticisms, compiled and embodied in writing, forms what is known as the Masorah, i.e. Tradition. From the end of the Masoretic period onward, the Masorah became the great authority by which the text given in all the Jewish MSS. was settled.
The Old Testament MSS. known to us fall into two main classes: synagogue rolls and MSS. for private use of the latter, some are written in the square, others in the rabbinic or cursive, character. The synagogue rolls contain separate from each other, the Pentateuch, the Haphtaroth or appointed sections of the prophets, and the so-called Megilloth, viz. Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther. Private MSS. in the square character are in the book form, either on parchment or on paper, and of various sizes, from folio to 12mo. Some contain the Hebrew text alone; others add the Targum, or an Arabic or other translation, either interspersed with the text or in a separate column, occasionally in the margin. The upper and lower margins are generally occupied by the Masorah, sometimes by rabbinical commentaries, etc. The date of a MS. is ordinarily given in the subscription but as the subscriptions are often concealed in the Masorah or elsewhere, it is occasionally difficult to find them: occasionally also it is difficult to decipher them. No satisfactory criteria have been yet established by which the ages of MSS. are to be determined. Few existing MSS. are supposed to be older than the twelfth century. Kennicott and Bruns assigned one of their collation (No. 590) to the tenth century; Deuteronomy Rossi dates if A.D. 1018; on the other hand. one of his own (No. 634) he adjudges to the eighth century. Since the days of Kennicott and Deuteronomy Rossi modern research has discovered various MSS. beyond the limits of Europe. of many of these there seems no reason to suppose that they will add much to our knowledge of the Hebrew text. It is different with the MSS. examined by Pinner at Odessa. One of these MSS. (A, No. 1), a Pentateuch roll, unpointed, brought from Derbend in Daghestan, appears by the subscription to have been written previous to A.D. 580 and if so is the oldest known biblical Hebrew MS. in existence. The forms of the letters are remarkable. Another MS. (B, No. 3) containing the prophets, on parchment, in small folio, although only dating, according to the inscription, from A.D. 916 and furnished with a Masorah, is a yet greater treasure. Its vowels and accents are wholly different from those now in use, both in form and in position, being all above the letters: they have accordingly been the theme of much discussion among Hebrew scholars.
Printed text:
The history of the printed text of the Hebrew Bible commences with the early Jewish editions of the separate books. First appeared the Psalter, in 1477, probably at Bologna, in 4to, with Kimchi's commentary interspersed among the verses. Only the first four psalms had the vowel-points, and these but clumsily expressed. At Bologna, there subsequently appeared in 1482, the Pentateuch, in folio, pointed, with the Targum and the commentary of Rashi; and the five Megilloth (Ruth--Esther), in folio with the commentaries of Rashi and Aben Ezra. From Soncino, near Cremona, issued in 1486 the Prophetae priores (Joshua--Kings), folio, unpointed with Kimchi's commentary. The honor of printing the first entire Hebrew Bible belongs to the above-mentioned town of Soncino. The edition is in folio, pointed and accentuated. Nine copies only of it are now known, of which one belongs to Exeter College, Oxford. This was followed, in 1494, by the 4to or 8vo edition printed by Gersom at Brescia, remarkable as being the edition from which Luther's German translation was made, and you can find more about that here on st-takla.org on other commentaries and dictionary entries. After the Brescian, the next primary edition was that contained in the Complutensian Polyglot, published at Complutum (Alcala) in Spain, at the expense of Cardinal Ximenes, dated 1514-17 but not issued till 1522. To this succeeded an edition which has had more influence than any on the text of later times the Second Rabbinical Bible, printed by Bomberg al Venice, 4 vols. fol., 1525-6. The editor was the learned Tunisian Jew R. Jacob hen Chaim. The great feature of his work lay in the correction of the text by the precepts of the Masorah, in which he was profoundly skilled, and on which, as well as on the text itself, his labors were employed. The Hebrew Bible which became the standard to subsequent generations was: that of Joseph Athiais, a learned rabbi and printer at Amsterdam. His text Was based on a comparison of the previous editions with two MSS.; one bearing date 1299, the other a Spanish MS. boasting an antiquity of 900 years. It appeared at Amsterdam 2 vols. 8 vo, 1661.
Principles of criticism:
The method of procedure required in the criticism of the Old Testament is widely different from that practiced in the criticism of the New Testament. It is indeed to the direct testimony of the MSS. that, in endeavoring to establish the true text, we must first have recourse.
The New Testament quotations from the Old form one of the outward bonds of connection between the two parts of the Bible. They are manifold in kind. In the quotations of all kinds from the Old Testament in the New. We find a continual variation from the letter of the older Scriptures. To this variation three causes may be specified as having contributed: First, all the New Testament writers quoted from the Septuagint; correcting it indeed more or less by the Hebrew, especially when it was needful for their purpose occasionally deserting it altogether; still abiding by it to so large an extent as to show that it was the primary source whence their quotations were drawn. Secondly, the New Testament writers must have frequently quoted from memory. Thirdly, combined with this there was an alteration of conscious or unconscious design. Sometimes the object of this was to obtain increased force, and you can find more about that here on st-takla.org on other commentaries and dictionary entries. Sometimes an Old Testament passage is abridged, and in the abridgment so adjusted, by a little alteration, as to present an aspect of completeness, and yet omit what is foreign to the immediate purpose. (Acts 1:20; 1 Corinthians 1:31) At other times a passage is enlarged by the incorporation of a passage from another source: thus in (Luke 4:18,19) although the contents are professedly those, read by our Lord from (Isaiah 61:1)... we have the words "to set at liberty them that are bruised," introduced from (Isaiah 58:6) (Sept.); similarly in (Romans 11:8; 29:4) is combined with (Isaiah 29:10) In some cases still greater liberty of alteration assumed. In someplaces,again, the a words of the original are taken up, but employed with a new meaning. Almost more remarkable than any alteration in the quotation itself is the circumstance that in (Matthew 27:9) Jeremiah should be named as the author of a prophecy really delivered by Zechariah; the being that the prophecy is based upon that in (Jeremiah 18:1; Jeremiah 19:1)... and that without a reference to this original source the most essential features of the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy would be misunderstood.
Main reference: Smith's Bible Dictionary (1860s)
Arabic Bible Dictionary (قاموس الكتاب المقدس باللغة العربية)
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